Matrix Group International

Category: Blog

How to Make Your Remote Culture Work: Coworking and Virtual Water Coolers

I’ve been thinking a lot about work 3.0 and how to make sure that my company continues to foster collaboration and create social capital, even though we’re all remote. I found this great article in Forbes by Dr. Gleb Tsipursky. I heard Dr. Tsipursky speak during one of my Vistage Worldwide, Inc. meetings and have found his work fresh and inspiring.

Dr. T talks about two things that make remote work even better than in person: Virtual Coworking and the Virtual Watercooler. Virtual coworking is when you and a co-worker (or co-workers) park on a Slack, Meet, or Teams call and just work side by side. You don’t need to be meeting or even working on the same thing. You’re co-working and able to talk to your co-workers instantly.

The virtual watercooler is when you have a Slack or Teams channel for off-topic things, not work related.

When I read these articles, I realized some things about myself and my company, Matrix Group International, Inc.

We Were Already Coworking Before the Pandemic

Before the pandemic, we had several spaces in our office that were devoted to co-working. We had a large space we called the “war room” where we gathered for staff meetings, launches, and troubleshooting. The space had several, long standing desks, a couple of couches, lots of power, and a large LCD screen. The biz dev team was also in the habit of co-working. We would park on a conference call when working on slides or a proposal. And sometimes, we gathered in a conference room just to be able to work next to each other.

When we went 100% remote in March 2022, coworking continued. The biz dev team routinely parks on a Slack call or Google Meet to just work together or work on a proposal. Sometimes, when I’m lonely for company, I’ll ask on Slack “anyone want to war room this afternoon?” When I get at least one yes, we work silently until one of us wants a break, or needs something. It’s been a great way to work together without needing to be in a “meeting.” Other teams at Matrix Group co-work mostly during launches or when troubleshooting a problem, but after reading the article by Dr. T, I’m going to ask them to experiment with more coworking time.

Virtual Water Coolers Are Great Fun

I admit that before the pandemic, I sometimes fretted over the watercooler channel we had on Slack. People would post cat photos, talk about the weather, link news articles, post memes, or just say hello. I worried that too much time was being spent on socializing.

But when the pandemic hit, even I found myself gravitating toward the watercooler channel for some socializing. It was fun to see the furry companions of my staff; the view of the snow from wherever they were, or their kids doing distance learning in a tutu. Staff used to ask for permission to create new social channels, and now, I give them free reign. We have a parenting channel where parents can rant, commiserate, or ask for advice. We have a cooking channel where people share recipes and post photos of their dishes.

Even I have been inspired to post emojis and funny gifs. I’ve even blessed funny memes during staff meetings!

Work 3.0

I know that many CEOs are eager for work to “return to normal” and for staff to come back to the office. No matter how you or your leaders feel about remote work, some type of remote work is here to stay. So I’m devoting myself to figuring out how to make Matrix Group really good at it.

How about you? What do you think about work 3.0? How do coworking and virtual water coolers fit into your culture?

June 15, 2022
What is Google Analytics 4 and Should I Upgrade?
As you may well know, Google Analytics is a digital analytics service from Google that helps you track and analyze your website traffic. It is the most widely used analytics platform on the web, and most of us would be completely lost without it. It allows us to see where our site visitors are coming from, how they move about and interact with our site and content, what marketing efforts are working or not working, and so much more.

Essentially, Google Analytics is the Holy Grail for most organizations, giving them the data they need to make more informed and strategic business decisions.

What is Google Analytics 4?

Google Analytics 4, commonly referred to as GA4, is Google’s 4th and newest version of their analytics platform. Pretty clever naming convention, huh?

While GA4 is not technically new – it officially launched in October of 2020 – Google has continued development on the live product over the last 18 months. While there have been some bumps and bruises along the way for early adopters, this version is now ready for prime time. So ready, in fact, that Google has announced that they will deprecate Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023. This means, and this is really, really important, ALL of your analytics tracked under Universal Analytics will disappear in July 2023. Which means you’ll only have data for comparison starting from when you converted to GA4.

How is Google Analytics 4 different from Universal Analytics?

GA4 has turned Google Analytics, as we know it, on its head. While we could write a short novel about all of the differences between Universal Analytics and GA4, here are the biggest changes you need to know about:

The Data Model

GA4 shifts the way that data is collected, putting the focus on tracking individual user journeys, so you can more easily glean data about how a user flows through and interacts with your web properties.

Universal Analytics was based on a sessions model. User interactions were grouped together based on a time-frame, or session. GA4 employs a very different approach to data collocation and data structure, focusing on users and events. Now, each user interaction is tracked as a standalone event under the events model. This means Google Analytics is better able to de-dupe users. Ultimately, GA4 wants you to focus on conversions, rather than traffic.

User Interface Changes

GA4 touts a simplified reporting interface with a goal of making it easier for users to spot trends and irregularities in data than was possible in Universal Analytics.

While we’re all about the idea of this, we must warn you: the new interface has a steep learning curve. Since your data is now tracked differently, the reporting is different. The reports that you’re used to viewing are now in different formats and different areas within your Google Analytics dashboard.

Enhanced Event Tracking (More Granular Reporting)

In Universal Analytics, Google Tag Manager was needed if you wanted to track specific user behavior within a given page on your website. Without Google Tag Manager, Universal Analytics would only tell you that someone viewed a particular page on your website, but wouldn’t tell you if they clicked on a button, how far they scrolled, or clicked through a carousel, for example. You had to implement Google Tag Manager to collect the data about those specific events.

In GA4, events like file downloads, scroll depth, and external link clicks are now tracked natively. While you’ll still need Google Tag Manager to track custom events specific to your organization and data collection needs, it’s great to have more enhanced event tracking out of the box in GA4.

Finally, GA4 allows you to mix data from your apps and website. This happens through a single property and Google Analytics’ data streams. So yay, now you can have comprehensive reporting of usage on your digital properties.

Should I upgrade from Universal Analytics to GA4?

Yes. Today. Why?
- Because you’ll have to, eventually. Google recently announced that they will deprecate Universal Analytics on July 1, 2023. Come July of next year, analytics in Universal Analytics will disappear, so if you want at least a year’s worth of data, you need to upgrade now.
- Because it will take time to redo your event tracking, update your Google Data Studio reports, and develop your new reports.
- The more data you have in GA4, the better, even if you don’t have all of the reports you need set up. You won’t be able to move your data from UA to GA4, so you need to start collecting it in GA4 now!
How to Transition from Universal Analytics to GA4

Transitioning to GA4 could be as simple as updating the Google Analytics javascript code on your site. In fact, you can run both Google Analytics codes on your site at the same time, so that you have access to both reports. But really, transitioning alone won’t be enough. Here are some other things you’ll need to do:
- Rebuild your custom Google Analytics reports or Google Data Studio reports, if you have them. Know that this can get a little complicated. If you need help, Matrix Group can assist, as can your Google Analytics partner, if you have one. (If you don’t, call us!)
- Get trained up. Google has a whole Academy devoted to GA4. The more you know about this new analytics platform, the better for your and your organization.
- Make a plan to download and archive your Universal Analytics data because this data will go poof! come July 2023. Download raw data, download reports, and take screenshots of your favorite reports. Even if you can’t integrate old data and reports into GA4, at least you’ll have the data for reference and comparison.
Once again, Google is making free, powerful tools available to the world. You might faint the first time you see the GA4 interface, but in time, you’ll come to appreciate the power that Google is now making available to all of us.

Need help making the transition to Google Analytics 4 or looking for a partner to help you make better sense of your Google Analytics? Matrix Group has a talented team of Google Analytics experts who can help. Fill out our contact us form, and someone from our team will be in touch!
May 25, 2022
An Example of a Really Great Event Registration Email Confirmation

A couple of weeks ago, I got invited by my buddy Heinan Landa, CEO of Optimal Networks, to an event by CADRE, which bills itself as “a way for elite professionals to learn from the top experts in the world, while connecting and developing meaningful relationships with like-minded peers.”

The event itself was lovely, but what I want to highlight today are the wonderful emails that I received after registering for the event. Usually, I get a nice, neutral, thank you email confirming my registration and payment. Instead, I got a plain text email that was clearly a canned email, but it was really effective. I loved that it was plain text, and the email read like it came from a real person. There was even an offer to introduce me to other attendees.

So what did I do?

I replied to Derek’s email, introduced myself and took him up on his offer to connect me with some other attendees. And you know what? He was true to his word and I got introduced to someone who I was delighted to meet because we have things in common.

Imagine this: CADRE got engagement from me prior to the event, which made my interactions during the event even more meaningful. My takeaway is this: revisit your event confirmation emails. Are you merely confirming payment or connecting with your attendees? Are you just confirming attendance or giving attendees a genuine opportunity to start interacting with you? Are you making them feel welcome?

I say act like an undercover meeting attendee and review all of your event emails. What will you find?

March 31, 2022
It’s Really Time to Use Strong, Unique Passwords (Really!)

I attended the Matrix Group Security and Compliance Committee meeting this month and I asked them what we’re doing this month to make our clients and Matrix Group more secure. We talked about a lot of things, including new protocols, ongoing reviews, and our yearly security assessment. One thing kept coming: our clients need to set stronger passwords.

Most People Set Weak Passwords

How do we know that our clients don’t have strong passwords? Because they tell us that they know they need stronger passwords. Or they share their passwords so we can access their DNS or their analytics reports. Or they set up accounts for us and they give us laughingly simple passwords. Or they say things like, “I have a spreadsheet with all of my passwords” or “I use the same password all the time.”

Why You Need a Password Manager

Folks, it’s past time to use strong, unique passwords on each and every single site that you have an account on. If you reuse passwords, one breach means your entire digital life is compromised. If you use versions of the same password (e.g., variations on Coffee), believe me, the bad guys know you’re doing this and they know how to crack the code on these passwords.

So what’s the answer? It’s simple, really. Use a password manager. Here’s a great review by Cybernew of the best password managers, updated in 2022. Me, I use LastPass; my whole family uses it, including my 11-year old. I let LastPass create strong, unique passwords for me. Everything goes into LastPass, including my Amazon Prime PIN and my airline frequent flier passwords and account numbers.

Why I Love My Password Manager

Here’s the beautiful part: since I have LastPass installed as a Chrome extension, LastPass populates login pages for me. On my phone, since I have LastPass installed as an app, I use Face ID to populate passwords. The upshot is that I have strong passwords AND it’s easy to log in to my various accounts.

And you know what else? LastPass lets me know when one of my sites has been breached (so I know to change those passwords) and tells me which of my passwords are weak (also so I know to change them). Did I tell you I love LastPass?

It is waaaaay past time to use strong, unique passwords. Do yourself a GIANT favor and get a password manager. Get it for your parents, your spouse and your kids. Help them get started. Make your digital life safer and make the Internet a safer place. Do it. Now.

March 2, 2022
What’s It Like to Travel These Days?
I never really stopped traveling during the pandemic. Yes, I traveled a whole lot less, but I have seen my mom several times, I went on vacation, and I have attended out of town conferences. Just since the start of the New Year, I’ve been to San Diego, San Francisco and New York.

Whenever I come back from travel, friends and co-workers ask me, “what’s it like to travel these days?” This post is for all of you who have been wondering what it’s like to get on a plane or train, stay in a hotel, or attend a conference or show. Here’s what I have observed and learned, in no particular order.
- Mask mandates are very strict at airports, on planes, and on trains. Even if your local jurisdiction is no longer requiring masks, you’ve got to mask up when traveling by air or rail.
- At New York restaurants and shows, be prepared to show your vaccine card and ID to get in.
- Many NoVA and DC restaurants ask for proof of vaccination if you are eating indoors.
So what’s it like to travel these days? On the whole, it feels great. Since last July, I’ve been to Santa Fe, Boston, Nashville, San Diego, San Francisco, and New York City. I’m a pretty careful traveler. I wash my hands a lot, I mask up, and I carry wipes, hand sanitizer, and extra masks. When I can, I eat outdoors. Even though I’ve never tested positive, my household has had COVID, so the existential fear of COVID that loomed before me is now mostly gone.

This post is not about whether or not I think life is, or should be, back to normal. For the record, I don’t think either is true. It’s about travel, which for me, has been pretty joyous and safe. If and when you do decide to travel, be safe, be well.
February 15, 2022
Onboarding New Staff During a Pandemic and the Power of Company Fundamentals
During the pandemic, Matrix Group has hired new staff. Most of them are out of state because, you know, why not? We are all remote anyway, so why does it matter if Mark is in New Jersey? Not to mention the fact that finding great talent is so tough right now, who cares if Mark is in New Jersey?

I did fret a little, however, about onboarding these new staff. Before the pandemic, ¼ of the Matrix Group was already remote, but they were all staff who had previously worked in the office and then moved away for a variety of reasons. These were team members who were inculcated in the Matrix Group ways, they had deep networks, they had strong ties to their managers and teams.

Turns out that something we’ve been doing for a looooong time has served us well as we’ve hired and onboarded staff who may never set foot in the Arlington, VA office.

Matrix Group has company fundamentals. These fundamentals are 23 rules to live by that we developed eons ago. Here are some of my favorites:
- Do or do not. There is no try.
- Communicate to be understood.
- Don’t let your client make a mistake.
- Don’t let your boss make a mistake.
- We are curious.
- When in doubt, act with urgency. Everything has a timeline.
Here’s the trick: each week, we pick a fundamental and every meeting opens with a discussion about that fundamental. During staff meetings, I take the fundamental and ask if someone would like to comment on it. During project managers meeting, I take the fundamental and ask how we’ve lived it, or not lived it, this week. The idea is to provide guidance on how to live and interpret the fundamentals so they’re not just empty slogans. I want everyone to know what it means when I say “let’s get curious about this” or Rajani says “ASAP is not a timeline.”

Back to onboarding. Turns out these fundamentals do more than serve as something to talk about. They give staff guidance on how to behave, they let us tell stories about how we’ve lived or violated the fundamentals, and they give my team common language about what’s acceptable and what’s accepted at work.

Once I realized this, I spent a whole lot less time fretting about whether or not my remote staff would “get” the Matrix Group company culture. I smile when I hear someone fairly new at the company start to use the company fundamentals in their communications. I love it when I hear or read, “I know we’re not supposed to let clients make a mistake,” or “I know we’re not supposed to deliver bad news via email.”

How about you? How are you defining your company fundamentals for new or remote staff? What’s working?
February 7, 2022
Ready to Declutter Your Digital Life?

It’s a new year and with a new year comes new year’s resolutions. Many of us resolve to tidy up our closets and garages. This past holiday season, I decided to declutter my digital life. Here’s what I ended up doing:

Cleared my Email

I have unlimited storage in Gmail, which is a good thing and a bad thing. To be honest, I had a lot of unread emails, mostly promotional and social emails, but still. All that unread email was weighing on me and stressing me out. I spent two weeks clearing out my email. I’m down to a (more) manageable list of unread emails and overall number of emails. I still have a ways to go but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I even deleted about 1,700 drafts of emails; God only knows why they were still in there.

I Unsubscribed From a Zillion Newsletters

I have no idea how I get on so many lists. I hesitate to press Spam on most of the messages I receive because most are legit businesses and many are newsletters I subscribed to a while back. But I hadn’t read a Chronicle of Philanthropy or Entrepreneur.com newsletter in ages, so I unsubscribed. Who knows if my unsubscribes will make a difference; maybe for a bit?

I Emptied My Downloads Folder

The Downloads folder on my laptop was huge! Every time I download an attachment or an image, it would go into Downloads. Often, I needed the files for something quick and then never again. But those files stayed in Downloads. I realized I had old project files, and I don’t want those on my laptop; I want those files on our company intranet and nowhere else!

I still need to clear folders in Drive, delete photos in iPhoto on my phone and Mac, yada, yada. But the decluttering I did over the holidays has already lifted my spirits. Turns out digital clutter is just as distracting and annoying as physical clutter, maybe even more so because it’s often hidden and there’s so much of it!

How about you? Where do you have clutter? What are you doing about it?

January 12, 2022
What the Vietnam War and the Stockdale Paradox Can Teach Us About How to Face 2022
It’s 2022 and it feels like 2021 again. We’ve got another COVID wave, more lockdowns, more virtual schooling, more work from home, canceled trips, and a country more polarized than ever. I can sense fatigue and hopelessness from my family and my staff. During these times, I turn once again to a great video from Jim Collins about what he calls The Stockdale Paradox.

Admiral Jim Stockdale was shot down by the Vietnamese during the 1960s and then spent 8 years in the infamous Hanoi Hilton. He was the highest-ranking military officer at the Hanoi Hilton, which meant he had the full burden of command and responsibility, but he was also repeatedly tortured and could be shot at any moment. Admiral Stockdale’s time at the POW camp was bleak, miserable and seemingly endless.

Jim Collins, the author of several of my favorite business books (Built to Last and Good to Great), got to know Admiral Stockdale at Stanford University many years ago. Professor Collins has written extensively about what he calls The Stockdale Paradox.

Professor Collins asked Admiral Stockdale HOW he survived his years as a POW. Admiral Stockdale replied that he never wavered in his faith that he would get out and, more importantly, he would turn his time as a POW at the Hanoi Hilton into a defining event of his life, that in retrospect he would NOT trade. Wow. Just wow.

Here’s the crux of The Stockdale Paradox. You need unwavering faith that you can and will prevail against whatever terrible situation you’re in, AND you need to confront the brutal facts of your condition, whatever they may be.

What does this mean? For me, it means:
- Not being naive in thinking that this pandemic will be over soon and life will get back to normal.
- Not giving in to despair when I’m missing my family, my mom, my co-workers, travel.
- Rallying my team and reminding them that we can, and will, prevail in the end, over this pandemic.
- Reminding myself and my team that we will come out stronger as a company and as a community.
- Not romanticizing the olden days, the “normal” days.
- Keeping my team and my family focused on what we CAN control: our work, our attitudes, our routines.
- Finding joy where I can, including walks in the snow, movie night at home, new accounts at work, amazing clients, Zooms with college buddies, and my amazing family.
For those of who are leaders at work and at home, Jim Collins reminds us to become Admiral Stockdale for those who need us to be. We need to have unwavering hope AND we need to help those around us navigate the gloom and despair that surround us.

Here’s the video from Jim Collins. I have watched this video countless times. I watched it at the start of the pandemic, when my team was working nonstop to launch BeSpeake, when the world opened up and then closed again because of Delta, and then again when Omicron wiped out all of my family’s holiday plans. I hope you find comfort and strength in The Stockdale Paradox. We are living in a Stockdale moment and we all need to become Admiral Stockdale.
January 4, 2022
Reflections from 2021, Thoughts for 2022
It’s December 22, 2021. Phew! Another year has come and gone and as usual, I’m thinking about the coming year. I’ve been having conversations with my team, friends in the industry and fellow CEOs about what to expect in 2022 and we all agree that next year will be another wild ride.

Who wants to go back to in person meetings?

Not gonna lie. Once I got boosted, I felt invincible. I was still careful but I had lunches with team members and clients, I attended a bunch of client social events, and I went to the mall a few times. And then over the weekend, the dreaded emails and calls came: I had multiple exposures at a networking reception I attended, and both of my boys had exposures at school. To make matters worse, I started feeling sick on Sunday. I slept badly on Sunday, got tested on Monday and I’m thankfully negative BUT I know scores of people who have tested positive.

My confidence in attending in person meetings has dipped and I’m wondering about the rest of the world. My hunch is that C-suite and salespeople want to go back in person but the rest of the world, less so. Clients with conferences and tradeshows attended by high-level staff will probably do well in 2022, Conferences that are more education-focused and/or not attended by C-suite types will likely still have lower than normal numbers and it’s not clear what hybrid really looks like these days.

I know I’m willing to take the risk and attend in person meetings, but I’m less willing to send staff and I sense reluctance on their part anyway.

Staffing Will be Ultra Challenging

Every time I get together with my CEO group (I’m a member of Vistage), we talk about how tough it is to find and retain top talent. We have all decided that recruiting, retention, professional development and leveling up our staff is the number one job of CEOs these days. If you’re a CEO and it’s NOT your number one job, it should be.

At Matrix Group, we’re doubling down on 1-2-1 meetings with all staff, including me, who is meeting with every single team member. I’m finding it so helpful to learn about my team’s hopes, dreams and fears for the future.

Where are Your Team and Family Emotionally?

Last Friday, for the first part of the Matrix Group holiday celebration, I hired a facilitator to run a group discussion about the year we’ve just had. Brian Tarallo from Lizard Brain led us through a two-hour reflection and asked us questions like: What has been your overarching mood in 2021? What is a defining moment you had in the last 18 months? What are you grateful for? What gives you strength? What are you fearful of going into 2022? What would it take to make 2022 amazing for you personally?

As a CEO, you never really know what you’ll find out when you ask questions like the ones above. Brian assured me that if we created a safe space, I would get some great insights, and I did. Some of the discussions were funny, some sad, some deeply moving. I’m grateful to my team for bringing their true selves to the discussion. I learned that my team is resilient and proud of how they managed the last 18 months. I also learned about their fears and that I have work to do to make them feel more supported at work.

Reinventing the Work Environment

The media is full of stories about CEOs wanting their staff to come back to the office, CEOs deciding to go fully virtual, CEOs creating a hybrid work environment.

I had lunch with my commercial real estate broker a couple of weeks ago and he says it’s anybody’s guess what commercial office space will look like in 2022. Here is what I do know:
- My staff misses seeing each other, and they’d love to get together, just not very often, not even weekly.
- Staff who used to have a long commute and basically suffered through it are less tolerant of long commutes these days, after 18 months of no commute and work from home flexibility. I suspect I’ll have people quit on me if I make them commute to Crystal City from Gaithersburg or Herndon every day.
- Asynchronous work is here to stay. I have staff around the country, around the world even. So it doesn’t make sense to say that work must get done from 9am -6pm Eastern time. Between kids learning at home, sick parents, or just life, why not give people the flexibility to leave work at 3 and then get back online later?
I’m thinking a lot about the future. Reading a lot. Discussing with anyone who’ll tolerate me. If you have reflections on your 2021 and predictions for 2022, please share.

I hope everyone has a healthy and joyous holiday season. As always, be safe, be well.
December 22, 2021
Elevate Your Next Conference with a Professional Emcee
Want to elevate your next in person or virtual conference? Consider hiring a professional emcee!

Rachel Sheerin emceeing the 2021 SQF Unites Conference

We recently hosted the SQF Unites conference for the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI) in BeSpeake, our virtual meeting platform. SQFI wanted to elevate their virtual conference and ensure that their attendee journeys were meaningful and intuitive. To help with this, SQFI hired a professional emcee named Rachel Sheerin.

And boy did Rachel do her part to elevate virtual SQF Unites!
- Rachel recorded several welcome videos that were featured on the home page of the BeSpeake virtual platform before and during the conference.
- Every morning of the conference, Rachel did a “highlights” session, during which she previewed the day’s events, gave tips for getting the most out of the day, and showed people how to navigate the platform and features.
- Rachel was the host and moderator for the keynote sessions.
- Rachel was also the host and moderator for several hour-long sessions that featured mini-sessions from conference sponsors.
Throughout the entire conference, Rachel added commentary, insight and guidance. Best of all, she was in tune with all of the content, tying together sessions with quotes and common themes.

During an in person conference, I sometimes find myself a little lost. I’m not sure which sessions to attend, I struggle to find the best way to get to lunch or the exhibit hall, and I wonder how to bring the knowledge I’m gaining back to my company.

During the virtual SQFI Unites conference, Rachel didn’t just serve as emcee to whichever session she was hosting, she served as the overall guide to the entire conference experience. She was both dynamic and helpful. It was clear attendees appreciated Rachel because of all the love she got in the chat of each session.

Whether you’re doing an in person, virtual or hybrid conference, think about whether and how a professional emcee can elevate your event and guide your attendees to their best conference experience ever!

And if you’re looking for a great emcee, we can’t recommend Rachel highly enough!
December 3, 2021