Metronome’s Quarterly Newsletter March 2018 Issue No. 13 | i Contents Introduction Message from Jen BY JENNIFER VIRGA Metronome’s Quarterly Newsletter March 2018 Jennifer Virga, Metronome’s Chief Executive Officer, highlights the big takeaways from the Issue No. 13 last quarter and what you should know for the road ahead. s winter gives way to spring, we prepare to put away our OneGoal Progress Update heavy coats and welcome warmer days. Let’s elaborate on Our company-wide OneGoal for 2018 is to get us “Prime-Tuned” by Asome of the success we saw at the start of 2018 and look the end of December. We are happy to report that we are well on 1 Message from Jen 9 Calendars 101 ahead to the next few months! our way to reaching this goal! BY JENNIFER VIRGA BY RALPH HARMON New Website We started the year by outlining key projects for each of our HQ Chief Executive Officer Jen Virga reflects on the first Our resident Executive Assistant shares his tips and After months of hard work and collaboration, we are thrilled to teams to tackle, all with the unified aim of setting the company up quarter of 2018 and what’s next for Metronome. tricks for effective calendar management. launch our new website: www.wearemetronome.com. Our website for success to win more prime contract awards. Within the first is a way for the world to get to know who we are and how we do several months of 2018 we have seen departments carry their 2 Energetic You! 10 Opportunities business. Our goal was to communicate what makes us a spark in initial projects through to completion, taking us one step closer to BY REBECCA WOOLSON Check out our open opportunities available for you, your our industry. We are proud of this new product and are excited for reaching our OneGoal. There is much work still to be done and we Our Director of Culture & Engagement explains the friends, and your family to apply for. you to explore it! are excited to support each team in their ongoing efforts throughout importance of Energy Management. the rest of the year! The new website provides valuable information on the services we 4 Eye on Espionage 11 Pulser Spotlight provide to the Federal Government, including cloud services, cyber security, data management, intelligence and mission support, as Leadership Opportunities On-Site BY DEBORAH McCLINTON BY SARAH GEORGE well as recruiting. In addition, it outlines our company culture and At Metronome, we strive to maintain open communication with our Our FSO breaks down what you need to know about We shine a spotlight on Tim Hendricks, a Metronome leadership, and our open positions. We encourage you, your friends, Pulsers and create an environment and reporting structure that sets espionage and national security crimes. Toponomist in St. Louis, MO. and your family to check it out! you up for success. This is where our Operations Managers come into play! Our Operations Managers are Pulsers who, in addition to 5 Secured Websites exceeding the expectations of their respective customers, choose 12 Quarterly Celebrations 2017 Core Value Award Winners BY AMINA MOHAMUD BY SARAH SOLTIS to go above and beyond by serving as a liaison between our on-site At our 2017 Holiday Party we introduced a new annual award initia- One of our IT gurus shares how to ensure that the infor- Celebrate this quarter’s upcoming birthdays, last quar- workforce and our headquarters. It is through the leadership and tive: The Core Value Awards. The Awards were created to celebrate mation you send online is safe. ter’s anniversaries, life events, and new Pulsers! efforts of our outstanding team of Operations Managers that we the success of Pulsers who consistently demonstrate their commit- are able to best support our workforce. We are excited to add to 7 Raises! 13 Quarterly Anthem ment to specific Metronome core values throughout the year. It was this team and are actively seeking hard-working individuals with an honor to present the following individuals with their respective a passion for leadership! Operations Managers receive additional BY SAM SANDERS BY VIRGIL VIRGA awards and we look forward to rewarding the efforts of other Puls- compensations for their time and commitment. Reach out to Tom People & Culture introduces a new policy linking raises to Metronome President, Virgil Virga, shares his quarterly ers in the years to come. Snopik at [email protected] to apply! Professional Development Plans. anthem: Three Little Birds. —————— 8 The Music In My Life PASSION TEAMMATES 14 Fun & Adventures Disney Sams Rey Mireles Thank you for helping us kick off 2018 with a great start! We look BY TRACY HARRIS Snapshots of fun and celebrations from this past quarter. forward to celebrating even more success with you throughout the In this article, Tracy describes how music has played a IMPROVING MISSION rest of the year. pivotal role in her own life. John Mastapeter Holly Wickline Wishing you and your loved ones a happy spring! cover illustration: stock.adobe.com © alphaspirit on this page image: stock.adobe.com © benna23 | 1 Energy Management Energy Management PHYSICAL ENERGY MENTAL ENERGY What is Physical Energy? What is Mental Energy? Physical energy is drawn from the body and is fueled by nutrition, Mental energy is the ability or willingness to engage in cognitive work, exercise, and sleep.1 ability to focus, exercise willpower, be productive, and make decisions.1 Energetic You Why does Physical Energy matter? Why does Mental Energy matter? Our bodies carry us through our days. Keeping them in good condition is One’s ability to engage in cognitive work, level of productivity, ability to fundamental to our ability to get things done, manage emotions, and focus make decisions, and willpower matter tremendously, particularly in the BY REBECCA WOOLSON attention. Nutrition fuels both body and mind. Physical activity is correlated workplace. Much of this boils down do the ability to focus which is a with better mood, less stress, more confidence and better sleep. Insuf- challenge because of the number of distractions we face each day. “We ficient sleep may increases your risk of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular waste time, attention, and energy on relatively unimportant information “There’s not enough time in the day.” “I wish I had more time.” “When The three main areas of symptoms that are considered to be signs of disease, and infections. and interactions, staying busy but producing little of value.”6 will I find the time?” “If only there were a few more hours in a day!” burnout include:3 Best practices for managing Physical Energy Best practices for managing Mental Energy We say and hear statements referring to not having enough time • Exhaustion: People affected feel drained and emotionally • MINIMIZE TECHNOLOGICAL DISTRACTIONS: Adjust the push multiple times a week, if not multiple times a day. Alas, time continues exhausted, unable to cope, tired and down. • NUTRITION: Ideally, you should eat regularly (3 small meals and 2 healthy snacks a day). To get started, keep healthy snacks like notifications you receive to what really matters. Purposefully leave to tick by relentlessly at the same pace as always. 7 • Alienation from activities: People who have burnout find seeds, nuts, and dark chocolate within reach and put unhealthy your phone behind or put it on do not disturb or airplane mode. In a popular Harvard Business Review article, Tony Schwartz and their jobs increasingly stressful and frustrating. They may start ones out of reach.2 • CLUSTER TASK: Multi-tasking DOES NOT work! You’re simply Catherine McCarthy challenge their readers to “Manage your energy, being cynical about their working conditions and colleagues. • PHYSICAL ACTIVITY: Ideally, do strength training 3 days per week, switching tasks. Cluster them into 90 to 120 minute chunks and 1 not your time” because “time is a finite resource – energy is a different • Reduced performance: People with burnout are negative cardio 2 days per week, and actively rest 2 days per week. To get then take a true break before fully focusing on the next activity. story!”1 However, just like time, a lot of us get stuck in cycles of just about tasks, find it hard to concentrate, and lack creativity. It started walk in 5 to 10 minute bursts for 30 minutes a day or find • WRITE IT DOWN: Keep a running list of everything you want or wishing we had more energy rather than figuring out how we can affects everyday tasks at work, home, or when caring for family something fun to do - recreational sports and play is not just for need to do. When you download what’s on your mind regularly, you increase our levels of energy. members. kids! spend less energy thinking about undone tasks.2 So, what is energy management? Why does it matter? What are some Research has also linked burnout to many negative physical and men- • SLEEPING: Ideally, get 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. To get started, • TAKE A BREAK: Studies show that the most productive employees 8 practical steps you can take to increase your energy levels and help tal health outcomes, including coronary artery disease, hypertension, establish a regular sleep/wake schedule and create a bedtime take frequent breaks throughout the day. Even breaks that last a ritual. Begin to unwind 30 to 45 minutes before your bedtime.4 minute or less can pay dividends. you make the most of the time you have in any given day? Read on to sleep disturbances, depression, and anxiety, as well as to increased learn more! alcohol and drug use.