Hi! This is Karmen Zabron and I’m the Founder and Chief People Officer at Area of Effect (AoE). As part of the Cohesion Culture™️ team, my role is HR Gamification Strategist.

At AoE, we believe that it’s people that make your company great, and we help HR and organizational leaders create environments where individuals can thrive.

Make it a strategy

Oftentimes, leaders fail to respond to the periphery until it is in plain sight. For the past several decades, it would be hard to consider “culture” being a sidelined conversation. YET, the attention to changing the toxicity of the work culture has only come into its own in the last several years.

In an era where employee engagement is on a downward spiral, organizations find themselves grappling with the repercussions of disengagement and burnout. Employee engagement has declined two straight years according to a Gallup Research article that surveyed 60,000 people. With less than 50% of U.S. workers considering themselves committed or interested in their work, productivity and creativity are negatively impacted.

“I can do it myself.”

“I don’t need your help.”

“I can do it my way.”

I remember as a child being a little stubborn (I know you’re shocked ) and telling Mom aka FANNY that I could do it on my own.

Motivation and systems play a vital role in achieving personal and professional goal success. Understanding how motivation works and the types of motivation that provides stimuli for me and others that I lead is critical to leadership success.

Thank you to our featured guest, Trevor Crunelle, for sharing his thoughts in this week’s newsletter. Trevor is an experienced entrepreneur focused on providing the framework, motivation and accountability that empowers the business owner to drive success and balance life. Trevor is a Growth Coach of the Lowcountry and part of the extended Cohesion Culture™️ strategic alliance network.

Forward-thinking leaders, like my strategic alliance colleague, Ben-Jamin Toy, promote the power of gamification in building cohesive teams. For them, laughing at work does matter. Gaming often involves the use of humor and invokes the sounds of laughter in the workplace.

Will talent shortages persist in 2023? It’s a resounding YES, according to Forbes.

Let’s set the background story.

Effective leaders must move beyond the “Great Resignation” and “Quiet Quitting” to address the challenges presented by today’s labor pool.