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Gear Patrol Magazine, Issue 20 spotted in the wild.Happy June!

Reflective recognition is a powerful tool that allows us to acknowledge and appreciate the efforts and achievements of our team members. By taking a moment to reflect on the contributions of individuals, we can create a culture of appreciation that fosters motivation, engagement, and a sense of belonging. For this month, please explore how you can implement reflective recognition within your team. Take appreciation to the next level by asking team members or direct reports:

Reflective recognition holds immense potential to create a positive and appreciative work culture. By implementing these practices, we can elevate how we acknowledge our team members' contributions and create an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated. Take this opportunity to brainstorm ideas, explore new approaches, and share your insights on effectively putting reflective recognition into action within your team.

Let's go, June!

– Danielle Alavian 

Announcements, happenings, tidbits, and other notables

Employee Profile/GP Success Stories

Let's give them a big round of applause — thank you!

Coming Up

Birthdays

Happy Birthday Sean, Johnny, Brian, Jacorey, and Danielle.

Also...

Get yourself a supportive friend like mine who will set up a self-timer for a photo op and move the magazine from the back to the front of the stand!

Fast Five with Tucker Bowe

Studying abroad in New Zealand during my junior year of college. Hit all the Lord of the Rings locations.

Where do you live now and where are you originally from?

I grew up in central New Jersey and, after living in Manhattan for a little over seven years, moved back in 2021. The town I currently live in is Atlantic Highlands, which is actually a few miles directly south of Manhattan — it's about a 45-minute ferry ride to Wall Street and thus it's relatively easy for me to get back into the city if I need to.What's your favorite thing to do on Saturday morning?

I actually wake up earlier on the weekends than I do during the week because that's when the English soccer games kick off. I'm a pretty big Liverpool fan and make a pretty big effort to watch all their games. That said, I also play in a couple fantasy soccer leagues (against some of my Gear Patrol colleagues) so I'm up early to set my lineups, make coffee and walk the dog.

During Covid my parents got a puppy. We named her Della. I live close enough to my parents that I am a frequent dog sitter. 

I mow the lawn every Friday during the summer and watch soccer in the morning with Della.

Is there something you've been obsessed with lately?

There are quite a few things, but the biggest thing is that I'm a first-time home owner so I'm constantly learning and doing things that I never had to worry about when living in a 400-square-foot apartment in New York. I have a battery-powered lawn mower, which is super exciting. I have been slowly buying and growing a pretty extensive indoor plant collection. And now that it's nice out, I've actually been doing quite a bit of grilling.How do you stay motivated or energized for work?

Staying motivated is pretty easy because, well, my job is pretty neat — I get to talk to interesting people and test out a lot of the coolest new tech (headphones, speakers, smartphones, laptops, earbuds) when (or before) it comes out.

That said, I'm learning a lot too. I've been at Gear Patrol for almost a decade, but when I first started I didn't really have a beat or focus. I wrote stories on shoes, skiing, food and travel. It wasn't really until about six-or-so years ago that I switched to focus almost solely on tech and gadgets. I love it, but I also have been learning a lot about hi-fi, photography, smartphones and so-on as I go. And that's been fun.Do you have any secret skills or talents we should know about? 

I'm not sure that I have a secret talent, but one thing most people wouldn't know about me is that I kind of love Lord of the Rings. I went to see the first film in theaters when I was in middle school and almost instantly became obsessed. Since then, I've read each book — including The Hobbit — several times over, watched each movie (Special Extended Versions, of course) way more than I'd like to admit and studied abroad in New Zealand basically so I could live in that world. Now that I own a house, I've hung up a lot of my old framed posters and even an Elven sword. 

Where are you currently working from?

My brother and I bought a house together a little over a year-and-a-half ago and I've dedicated one of the rooms as my office. And that's where I work most days.

Inspiration: The Healing Effects of Social Connection Well before the pandemic hit, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared a loneliness epidemic. Dr. Murthy released a groundbreaking report on "The Healing Effects of Social Connection." Dr. Murthy is a powerful advocate for connecting the science of social connection to national policy, and we are so here for it. I encourage everyone to prioritize their mental wellness and take meaningful steps toward community-building. Whether it is through sharing a movie trailer in the #campfire Slack channel, joining a book club, or any other social activity, let's work towards building a culture of connection and promoting mental wellness. Any Inspiration requests? P&C is on it. Ping Danielle.