Driving Change Whether It’s Through Fast Paced Industry or Insider Knowledge

Without change business owners will become irrelevant. Change is all around us, but it’s never easy whether in your personal life or business life. Entrepreneurs who are able to embrace change and integrated thinking are the ones who create opportunity. I have the perfect guest today, to talk about change and her journey going through change. Gini Dietrich is a Women Worldwide alum and the founder and CEO of Arment Dietrich, an integrated marketing communications firm. She is the author of Spin Sucks, co-author of Marketing in the Round, and co-host of Inside PR. She also is the lead blogger at Spin Sucks and is the founder of Spin Sucks Pro. She is a speaker, award winning blogger, and we are fortunate to have her here today to share her story. You can find Gini Dietrich here: Gini on Google+Spin SucksSpin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital AgeMarketing in the Round: How to Develop an Integrated Marketing Campaign in the Digital EraInside PR PodcastSpin Sucks Pro@ginidietrich on Twitter@spinsucks on TwitterSpin Sucks on Facebook Show Notes [03:19] Gini is a PR and digital marketing pro. [03:30] AI and machine learning are some of the biggest changes out there right now. We need to think about how this will change what we do with our jobs. [03:49] We are even seeing these changes with animation and computer software making our lives a little more efficient. [04:07] Most of what we do can be replicated by robots, so we really need to think about what we can do to generate income. [04:17] We need to focus on things that AI can't replace like creativity. [04:59] Women and millennials have fears of their jobs being taken over by A.I. [05:36] With all of the technology changes we have to change as professionals and in business. [06:09] The fear of change may be in part to humans getting busy and not learning anymore. [07:23] Calculated risk when we aren't under pressure is best. If we don't take risk we can't reach our goals. [08:28] The importance of getting into the habit of learning and the habit of professional development. [09:18] A habit is rewiring something to become muscle memory. [10:24] Change can be stressful. Any entrepreneur is somebody who sells an idea and then figures out how to deliver it. [11:44] When Gini's team launches something new she creates the course and gets the process in place. Then roles adjust or new people are added to the team. [13:29] This year Gini's business was about $40,000 away from laying everybody off. They then discovered that their messaging and marketing weren't correct. They took a step back and figured out what was going on. [16:03] A pivot is where you think you are going to go down one path then you pivot until you find what works. [17:23] Using data to handle the pivot and correct course. If something isn't working use data to find out why. [19:11] There is a math fear that revolves around data, but it is really about reading the numbers. [21:49] When it comes to professional development Gini has been working on her writing and working on becoming a better communicator. [25:35]  Feedback is a gift to help us grow and learn things. [26:15] Being a virtual organization has challenges, but Gini thinks being a good leader comes down to listening and motivating people according to their strengths. [27:38] Going from a manager to a leader is a challenge. [29:02] Throughout Gini's career she has had mentors that took her under their wings, but now there is mentoring through communities. [33:58] A significant improvement for Gini has been hiring a nanny. You have to know when to ask for help. [36:23] What success feels like. For Gini, it is having her daughter say that the best part of the day is hanging out with her. From a business standpoint, it is giving back to the industry. [38:07] Conversations and creativity cannot be replaced. [38:54] Gini would tell her younger self to build a thicker skin and not take things personally. Links and Resources: Shift AheadSex, Lies and A.I.Master ClassThe Power of HabitEducated: A Memoir