Tuesday, October 23, 2012

212, Inc. Participates In Charity Event To Raise Money For Operation Smile

http://www.prlog.org/12006761-212-inc-participates-in-charity-event-to-raise-money-for-operation-smile.html

12 Inc., a sales and marketing firm in the Boston area, will be participating in a charity event for Operation Smile. The company will be attending a holiday party in Boston’s financial district to raise money for the charity.

212, Inc. is a premier outsourced sales and marketing firm located in Wellesley, MA. As a privately owned and operated firm, 212 focuses on providing opportunity to Fortune 50 clients as well as its associates. 212’s policy is to promote from within so they can continue to grow in the years to come.

212 Inc.’s main client is the global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless as well as wireline communications services to businesses, wholesalers, mass market and government customers. The client offers bundles services providing Internet access, telephone, and television over a fiber-optic communications network. The client was one of the first major U.S. carriers to offer fiber to the home.

Operation Smile, founded in 1982, is an international charity for children in need of reconstructive surgery to repair facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate. With the help of a mobilized force of medical professionals, the organization has provided more than 3.5 million comprehensive patient evaluations and over 200,000 free surgeries. Since inception, medical volunteers and donations has made Operation Smile one of the most prominent charities for children in the world and with a presence in over 60 countries.

Members of 212 will join other companies, friends, family and members of the community in a charity Halloween party for the cause. The event will take place at Market Lounge in Boston’s Financial District. Attendees will donate a $10 entry fee. All profits will go directly to Operation Smile.

This is not the first time 212 Inc. has done philanthropic work. Earlier this year, members of 212 attended a leadership conference in Miami and participated in a charity dodgeball tournament that helped raise over $3600 for the Operation Smile. The company has also worked with the Salvation Army and their Adopt a Family program.

212 Inc. plans to continue its charity work throughout the coming years and will be participating in a charity flag football tournament to raise money for Operation Smile.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

212 Is Growing!

We are excited to be adding new members to our management team and, with the added leadership, we are expanding to more locations.  We would like to give some recognition to the team members that have worked hard for their promotions.  

Congratulations Oliniyi on your promotion to Assistant Manager!
Great Job Okletey on taking on the expansion of a new location in New Mexico!
Congratulations Tiffany  and Armand on your upcoming promotions to Management and leading the expansion to two new locations.

We are excited to see these expansions close to double the size of the organization.  Great job to a hard working team.  Keep up the good work.


Thursday, October 11, 2012

6 Ways Successful Teams Are Built To Last

http://www.forbes.com/sites/glennllopis/2012/10/01/6-ways-successful-teams-are-built-to-last/

Glenn Llopis, Contributor

It takes great leadership to build great teams. Leaders  who are not  afraid to course correct, make the difficult decisions and establish standards of performance that are constantly  being met – and improving at all times.   Whether in the workplace, professional sports,  or your local community, team building requires a keen understanding of people, their strengths and what gets them excited to work with others.   Team building requires the management of egos and their constant demands for attention and recognition – not always warranted.   Team building is both an art and a science and the leader who can consistently build high performance teams is worth their weight in gold.

History has shown us that it takes a special kind of leader with unique competencies and skills to successfully build great companies and teams.  In the sports world, the late John Wooden set the standard for great coaches, leading UCLA to 10 NCAA national basketball championships in a 12-year period — seven in a row.   His success was so iconic, Wooden created his own “Pyramid for Success” to help others excel through his proven wisdom. In the business world, we can look to Jack Welsh,  who was the Chairman and CEO of General Electric between 1981 and 2001. According to Wikipedia, the company’s value rose 4000% during his tenure.  In 2006 Welch’s net worth was estimated at $720 million and in 2009, he launched the Jack Welsh Management Institute  at Strayer University.

Building companies requires the know-how to build long-lasting teams.   This is why most managers never become leaders and why most leaders never reach the highest pinnacle of leadership success.   It requires the ability to master the “art of people” and knowing how to maneuver hundreds (if not thousands) of people at the right place and at the right time.  It means knowing how each person thinks and how to best utilize their competencies rightly at all times.  It’s playing a continuous chess match – knowing that every wrong move that is made can cost the company hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars (just ask BP and Enron).

As you evaluate the sustainability of the team(s) you lead and its real impact on the organization you serve, here are six ways successful teams are built to last:

1.       Be Aware of How You Work

As the leader of the team, you must be extremely aware of your leadership style and techniques.   Are they as effective as you think?  How well are they accepted by the team you are attempting to  lead?  Evaluate yourself and be critical about where you can improve, especially in areas that will benefit those whom you are a leading.

Though you may be in-charge, how you work may not be appreciated by those who work for you.  You may have  good intentions, but make sure you hold yourself accountable to course-correct and modify your approach if necessary to assure that you’re leading from a position of strength and respectability.

Be your own boss.  Be flexible.  Know who you are as a leader.

2.       Get to Know the Rest of the Team

Much like you need to hold yourself accountable for your actions to assure you maximize performance and results, you must make the time to get to know your team and encourage camaraderie.   In my “emotional intelligence blog,” I discuss the importance of caring, understanding the needs of your team and embracing differences and helping your colleagues experience their significance.  In this case, gathering intelligence means learning what defines the strengths and capabilities of your team –  the real assets that each member brings to the table, those they leave behind and those  yet to be developed.

All great leaders know exactly what buttons to push and when to push them.  They are experts at activating the talent that surrounds them.  They are equally as effective at matching unique areas of subject matter expertise and / or competencies to solve  problems and seek new solutions.

Fully knowing your team means that you have invested the time to understand how they are wired to think and what is required to motivate them to excel beyond what is expected from them.

Think of your team as puzzle pieces that can be placed together in a variety of ways.

3.       Clearly Define Roles & Responsibilities

When you successfully complete step 2, you can then more effectively and clearly define the roles and responsibilities of those on your team.  Now, don’t assume this is an easy step;  in fact, you’ll often find that people’s ideal roles  lie outside their job descriptions.
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Each of your team member’s responsibilities must be interconnected and dependent upon one another.    This is not unlike team sports, where some players are known as “system players” – meaning that, although they may not be the most talented person on the team,  they know how to work best within the “system.”    This is why you must have a keen eye for talent that can evaluate people not  only on their ability to play a particular role – but even more so on whether they fit the workplace culture (the system) and  will be a team player.

For example, I once inherited an employee who wasn’t very good at his specific job.  Instead of firing him, I took the time to get to know him and utilized his natural talents as a strategic facilitator who could keep all of the moving parts within the department in proper alignment and in lock-step communication.   This person helped our team operate more efficiently and saved the company money by avoiding the bad decisions they previously made because of miscommunications.  He was eventually promoted into a special projects manager role.

A team should operate as a mosaic whose unique strengths and differences convert into a powerful united force.

4.       Be Proactive with Feedback

Feedback is the key to assuring any team is staying on track, but more importantly that it is improving each day.   Feedback should be proactive and constant.   Many leaders are prone to wait until a problem occurs before they give feedback.

Feedback is simply the art of great communication.  It should be something that is part of one’s natural dialogue.  Feedback can be both formal and informal.    In fact, if it becomes too structured and stiff, it becomes difficult for the feedback to be authentic and impactful.

Remember that every team is different, with its own unique nuances and dynamics.  Treat them as such.  No cookie-cutter approach is allowed.   Allow proactive feedback to serve as your team’s greatest enabler for continuous improvement.

Take the time to remind someone of how and what they can be doing better.  Learn from them. Don’t complicate the process of constructive feedback.  Feedback is two-way communication.

5.       Acknowledge and Reward

With proactive feedback comes acknowledgement and reward.  People love recognition, but are most appreciative of respect.   Take the time to give your teammates the proper accolades they have earned and deserve.   I have seen too many leaders take performance for granted because they don’t believe that one should be rewarded for “doing their job.”

At a time when people want to feel as if they are making a difference, be a thoughtful leader and reassure your team that you are paying attention to their efforts.   Being genuine in your recognition and respect goes a long way towards building loyalty and trust.  It organically ignites extra effort!

When people are acknowledged, their work brings them greater satisfaction and becomes more purposeful.

6.       Always Celebrate Success

At a time when uncertainty is being dealt with each day, you must take the time to celebrate success.    This goes beyond acknowledgment – this is about taking a step-back and reflecting on what you have accomplished and what you have learned throughout the journey.

In today’s fast-paced, rapidly changing world of work, people are not taking enough time to understand why they were successful and how their success reverberated and positively impacted those around them.    I have seen leaders fall into the trap of self-aggrandizement – because of what their teams accomplished – rather than celebrating the success stories that in many cases required tremendous effort,  sacrifice and perseverance.

Celebration is a short-lived activity.  Don’t ignore it.  Take the time to live in the moment and remember what allowed you to cross the finish line.

Leaders are only as successful as their teams and the great ones know  that with the right team dynamics, decisions and diverse personalities, everyone wins in the end.

Monday, October 8, 2012

i4u.com Recognizes 212, Inc. for Charity Work with Operation Smile http://www.i4u.com/2012/10/boston-ma/smile-operation-212-money-tournament-raises-dodgeball-inc-charity





212 Inc., a sales and marketing firm based out of Wellesley, MA, traveled to Miami for a national client hosted conference. The weekend is an annual event geared around rewarding the country’s client vendors. In addition to dinners, a talent show, free jet ski rides and awards ceremony, there was a charity dodgeball tournament to raise money for Operation Smile.

212, Inc. is a premier outsourced sales and marketing firm in the greater Boston area. As a privately owned and operated firm, 212 is dedicated to providing opportunity to Fortune 50 clients as well as every associate.

One of the main clients at 212 is the nation’s leading provider in the telecommunications industry. The client provides bundled Internet access, telephone, and television services. 212’s focus is to acquire and retain account holders for the fiber-optic communications division of the company.

212 is hired because its clients look for "an edge" in advertising. 212, Inc. helps fill the gap between client and customer that advertising leaves. 212 achieves its results by conducting live presentations one on one with client account holders.

Operation Smile, a non-profit organization founded in 1982, is an international charity for children. The organization is a mobilized group of doctors and nurses who provide reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

Since inception, Operation Smile has created a presence in over 60 countries and has helped more than 2 million people with evaluations as well as conducted over 200,000 free surgeries.

The dodgeball tournament involved several teams of 6 competing in a best out of three bracket style competition. Each team paid an entry fee of $100 to play. One hundred percent of the donated entry fees went to Operation Smile.

“It is always exciting to give back. Operation Smile is such an inspiring organization of extremely selfless people. I am glad we were able to be a part of the event and I look forward to continuing to work with Operation Smile in the future,” explains Andrea Atkinson, President of 212, Inc.

The event helped raise $3600 and the winning team got the honor of presenting the total donations in their name. 212, Inc. has also volunteered with the Salvation Army’s Adopt A Family program and will continue its philanthropic work in the months to come.

Monday, October 1, 2012

212 Inc. Raises Money For Operation Smile In Charity Dodgeball Tournament



212 Inc., a Massachusetts based sales and marketing firm, traveled to Miami and participated in a charity event for Operation Smile.

212 Inc., a sales and marketing firm based out of Wellesley, MA, traveled to Miami for a national client hosted conference.  The weekend is an annual event geared around rewarding the country’s client vendors.  In addition to dinners, a talent show, free jet ski rides and awards ceremony, there was a charity dodgeball tournament to raise money for Operation Smile.


 212, Inc. is a premier outsourced sales and marketing firm in the greater Boston area.  As a privately owned and operated firm, 212 is dedicated to providing opportunity to Fortune 50 clients as well as every associate. 

One of the main clients at 212 is the nation’s leading provider in the telecommunications industry.  The client provides bundled Internet access, telephone, and television services.  212’s focus is to acquire and retain account holders for the fiber-optic communications division of the company.

212 is hired because its clients look for "an edge" in advertising.  212, Inc. helps fill the gap between client and customer that advertising leaves.   212 achieves its results by conducting live presentations one on one with client account holders.

Operation Smile, a non-profit organization founded in 1982, is an international charity for children.  The organization is a mobilized group of doctors and nurses who provide reconstructive surgery for children born with facial deformities such as cleft lip and cleft palate.

Since inception, Operation Smile has created a presence in over 60 countries and has helped more than 2 million people with evaluations as well as conducted over 200,000 free surgeries.

The dodgeball tournament involved several teams of 6 competing in a best out of three bracket style competition.  Each team paid an entry fee of $100 to play.  One hundred percent of the donated entry fees went to Operation Smile.  

“It is always exciting to give back.  Operation Smile is such an inspiring organization of extremely selfless people.  I am glad we were able to be a part of the event and I look forward to continuing to work with Operation Smile in the future,” explains Andrea Atkinson, President of 212, Inc.

The event helped raise $3600 and the winning team got the honor of presenting the total donations in their name.  212, Inc. has also volunteered with the Salvation Army’s Adopt A Family program and will continue its philanthropic work in the months to come.


Check Out What's Been Going On With 212 Inc. This Month

Client Hosted Neon Party at National Conference in Miami, FL


212 Visit To California


Free Jet Ski Rides at National Conference in Miami, FL






Charity Dodgeball Tournament To Raise Money For Operation Smile