Category: Kingmakers Team
Have you ever been told “we’re really a family here” in a work environment? While your company may have been trying to communicate a culture of care, that phrase could also be a red flag.
At Kingmakers, we are conscious to not refer to ourselves as family.
A culture of “work is family” adds a level of emotional responsibility for employees that contributes to the power imbalance of the workplace.
Whether healthy or not, language regarding family often elicits an emotional response, the expectation to be present, caring and support no matter the circumstances, and a promise of commitment forever. This language creates an emotional responsibility for employees well beyond the transactional role they’ve accepted.
“If I am being asked to show up at work like I would for my family or if I ask my work to take the place of my family, I would disappoint or be disappointed by either scenario.” – Jessica Strauss, Kingmakers Director of Innovation and Experience
Does this mean that we don’t care about Kingmakers and our coworkers? Absolutely not! What it does mean is that we understand that day to day, we shouldn’t expect individuals to sacrifice their personal wellbeing to solve structural problems.
When we drop the ball as a business and see holes, the response we strive for is to see where our policies, culture, and job roles need to adjust to better handle situations in the future. If we took a “it’s all in the family approach,” we might expect one another to just “pick up the slack,” missing a valuable opportunity to innovate, and risk burning out one of our own.
We also note that emotional fulfillment cannot (and should not) exclusively come from a job.
The complexity of relationships an individual needs cannot be fulfilled by only one environment. We exist in a multitude of communities that need our time, expertise, care, and whatever special skills each of us have to bring to the table for that particular place.
Investing all of our energy into caring about a work community would take away personal resources for connecting and finding meaning within other spheres: family, friends, local and, global community.
“Of course, there’s still room for meaningful connection with my teammates and for them to know me on a personal level. However, my work doesn’t need to solve for the nurturing that I need from family nor would it be healthy for me to provide nurture in a work setting.” – Jessica Strauss, Kingmakers Director of Innovation and Experience
We value the relationships that each of us have outside of Kingmakers. Approaching work with a macro context influenced by all of the aspects that make us whole allows us to professionally develop new and different perspectives that directs the ways in which we innovate. Grounding our identities in a multitude of sources and not solely the success of the business equips us to weather storms of all seasons of life.
“While I love the work we do, if I don’t have this job tomorrow, I will not lose all sense of myself. Because of this, I get to make clear decisions, take risks and innovate, and create without fear.” – Ash Gerlach, Kingmakers Director of Marketing and Operations
We’ve witnessed that our solid foundation of trust at Kingmakers is built on the reality that our relationships are clear and have boundaries.
We trust that everyone on the team has Kingmakers best interest at heart and is caring for their own wellness.
These professional guardrails permit us to have healthy conflict without fear! We don’t have to worry about additional subtext when brainsailing¹; our baseline is that we want to see Kingmakers succeed and that our encouraged conflict isn’t a reflection of personal disdain but of an exciting opportunity to embrace and approach work challenges.
If we don’t consider work to be family at Kingmakers, what do we mean by radical employee care?
Read about Kingmakers Team Culture here!
¹Brainsailing is brainstorming, but with whimsy. Does it mean anything different? No. Does it make us smile? Yes.
The Great Resignation & The Future Of Work: Malika Jacobs Of Kingmakers On How Employers and Employees Are Reworking Work Together
As a part of Authority Magazine’s interview series called “How Employers and Employees are Reworking Work Together,” Malika Jacobs and Karen Mangia talk about the Great Resignation, employee care, and evolving expectations for what the future holds for work.
An Excerpt from the interview:
“What advice would you offer to employers who want to future-proof their organizations?” – Karen Mangia
“My advice to employers who want to future-proof their organizations would be to accept that change is constant and to be open to new ideas. Super simple in concept but difficult to execute in real-life business. To meet a shifting marketplace, it requires constantly re-evaluating if you have the right product and people mix. While rare, sometimes the shifts can be so significant and sudden, like in 2020. In my opinion, what allowed Kingmakers to persevere in that time was having an open mindset, accepting that change brings new possibilities, and being willing to let an aged model go.
How do you build a culture that is open to new ideas? Kingmakers is a small team, but we can proudly say that we are diverse. Our diversity spans race, gender identity, age, generational perspectives, geography, and professional backgrounds. With diversity at our company’s core, it has allowed for enriching conversations in business strategy, ideation, and the development of company goals. Expanding from our example, I would advise other companies to focus on diversity at every level of your organization (for the quickest impact, focus on hiring diverse leadership!). Then, develop structural policies and a culture that allows people to feel comfortable sharing their ideas and speaking up.” – Mallika Jacobs
Read more here!
The Power of Play and How to Build Trust in Your Team
Into The Wild is a podcast by Renee Warren geared towards early-stage female entrepreneurs and those looking to grow their business including side hustlers, mom entrepreneurs, and day/dreamers.
Tune into Episode 102 ‘The Power of Play and How to Build Trust in Your Team’ to learn:
✨ How businesses are using the power of play to harness the limitless and unstoppable strength of joy and connection
✨ Why team bonding is so important to your business and what you could be missing if you don’t practice team bonding
✨ The best time to engage in team-bonding activities
Listen to an excerpt from the interview below.
Listen here!
Facilitators are the most important part of the Kingmakers team.
Kingmakers Game Guides set the tone for participant engagement, teach games clearly and effectively, facilitate best-fit energy for participants, provide technical support, and make decisions behind the scenes to ensure streamlined experiences.
The Game Guide is the humble teacher (sharing the rules), the fair judge (the keeper of points), the efficient board (physically controlling cards or pieces), the encouraging cheerleader (rooting for individual or group success), and ultimately, the nimble facilitator of the participant experience.
Why is this flexibility important?
Each team is incredibly unique!
While the game itself provides an initial structure, it’s the Game Guide who sets the pace and focus of the game and leads the participants through the experience that best fits them.
Our Game Guide Caleb put it best when he said, “The game is a vehicle for enjoyment, not the centerpiece.”
Our expert facilitators create the environment for participant connection, thoughtfully navigating a team’s dynamics, history, and hierarchy.
Some teams thrive in a competitive environment and want to move quickly through rounds, engaging with one another in a lively discussion with a specific and important goal. Other teams may play the same game slowly, sharing anecdotes and laughter in the middle of a round and being only mildly interested in the competition aspect. Both team personalities (and every other team dynamic that exists) are valid and lead to meaningful connections.
Looking for tips on how to be an effective facilitator? Read what our Game Guides have to say!
6 Tips to be an Effective Facilitator
Meet the Kingmakers Facilitator Team! We are delighted to work with a talented cohort of facilitators who come to us with expertise in a diverse array of professional disciplines.
“Being part of the Kingmakers Facilitator cohort [is] such a pleasure! … [During training] the other facilitators were incredible to learn with and to learn from. I felt supported, challenged and encouraged all along the way.” – Amie
What is Facilitation?
Facilitation is the art and science of inviting participation while upholding thoughtful experience design. Expert, external facilitators create a space where colleagues can see one another in new ways without being bound by existing power and social dynamics during the Kingmakers experience.
Amie
(she/her)
Kingmakers Facilitator
As a collaborator in the arts, Amie acts, directs, develops new work, and provides opportunities for engagement. Using theatre, storytelling, role-play, and improvisation, she coaches individuals and conducts group workshops. Amie performs plays that facilitate conversations about social issues including bullying, dating violence, substance use, and prevention.
Amie cultivates a warm atmosphere in every Kingmakers event so participants feel like they can take a risk and experience their own voice being heard in a way that is respectful.
As a Kingmakers Facilitator:
“Each event is a new and unique group of people, so anything can – and does – happen! This keeps things fresh, but it also requires that we be fully present to the group. [Each] event is a special time and space that will never happen again in exactly the same way, so it’s an opportunity for discovery.”
Caleb
(he/him)
Kingmakers Facilitator
Caleb is a web developer and is currently exploring game design from board game building to production. Working with Kingmakers is a natural progression of his experience in local arcades and hobby shops and his strength in bringing people together.
“My greatest strength as a facilitator is my ability to relax and be flexible… Everybody group has fun in different ways, and I enjoy fine-tuning a little bit to accommodate people’s enjoyment.”
As a Kingmakers Facilitator:
“When [facilitating] a game, it’s very important to leave space for the people to simply chat and enjoy themselves. The game is a vehicle for enjoyment, not the centerpiece. My favorite part [is when] everybody starts to laugh and the group finds an inside joke. It’s fun to have something that only one particular group will understand, it makes the memory really special.”
Lex
(they/them)
Kingmakers Facilitator and Training Developer
Lex is an artist, coach, and game enthusiast with a passion for storytelling and personal development. As a Career Specialist, Lex regularly helps people to clarify their calling and communicate who they are to the world. By guiding clients in exploring their values and dreaming big, they support individuals’ transition into internships, apprenticeships, and full-time work.
As a Kingmakers Facilitator, Lex loves that they get to combine their experience in teaching with their love of all things board games! In addition to using their talents as a Game Guide, Lex has supported Kingmakers in training development.
Sarah
(she/her)
Kingmakers Facilitator
Sarah has 10 years of experience in youth development, youth philanthropy and youth organizing and attributes that to her discipline of listening. More recently, she has carried this skill into adult learning spaces. Sarah founded Brown Girl Go, a consultancy which supports Black and Brown women founders with event coordination, facilitation expertise, and strategic planning. You can follow along on Instagram with @browngirlgo.
Sarah prides herself as showing up fully and brilliantly as an invitation for others to do the same. “Personality is what flavors experience and I like to build interactive moments which allow folks to determine the seasoning level that works for them. While I do have some knowledge and expertise in a few areas, ultimately, I am a curator of the collective wisdom in a room.”
As a Kingmakers Facilitator:
“Striking the delicate balance between moving the game experience along and disappearing into the moments of humor and joy requires equal parts art and skill. There is always a point where the room reaches synergy and people start to relax and joke and enjoy the space and my goal as a facilitator is to guide us to that point where the magic unfolds.”
Sophie
(she/her)
Kingmakers Facilitator
Sophie has a passion for Performing Arts and the cultural enrichment of the community. After spending eight years in the corporate banking world, Sophie returned to her theatre background in 2017 and runs ticketing and social media for the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre in San Francisco. She also sits as Board Vice President for her children’s co-op preschool.
Sophie is thrilled to be a Facilitator for Kingmakers where she can employ her passion for public speaking and connecting people. Her positive energy and warmth shine in every Kingmakers event.
“I love watching participants open up and start to smile as the games go on. By the end people are laughing and new connections are formed among people who might not have met before… I love that you never know where the conversation will go, but there is always guaranteed conversation and connection.”
You can stay connected with Sophie through her passion project “The San Francisco Mama.” Sophie created this blog in 2020 for anyone who identifies as a Mom in San Francisco. She’s excited to watch a community grow around it.
Val
(she/her)
Kingmakers Facilitator and Events Manager
Val has supported Kingmakers in many roles since we opened our doors in 2014 and currently uses her unique combination of technical and people-oriented skills as Events Manager and Game Guide. She loves that since the beginning, the importance of play sits at the heart of Kingmakers.
Val’s favorite moment as a facilitator was from a team event that doubled as a surprise baby shower.
“Everyone wrote well wishes for her baby as answers to some of the game questions and someone on their team read her a poem he had written, that was so touching. It was just a wonderful moment of a team expressing how much love they had for each other and the new life that was going to be entering the world!”
Outside of Kingmakers, Val supports her local humane society through fundraising, reads an average of 30 books a year, and travels as much as she can.
In Her Own Words: Malika Jacobs plays board games for real
As the stress of the Omincron variant of Covid exacerbates, many women return to the strategies they used earlier in the pandemic. Malika Jacobs took her team-building business virtual and strengthened her own team in the process.
Read an excerpt from the interview with Ellen Sherberg below.
“Teams that trust each other can do amazing things. We have always been fortunate to employ a stellar group of people who are motivated by each other and the work we do. I’ve always known my biggest job as a leader is to align folks around a common goal, guide, and mostly get out of the way.
In March of 2020, we had a uniquely qualified team, including two recent hires tasked with developing the corporate team bonding aspect of our business. I couldn’t have asked for a more emphatic, creative, and hardworking bunch. Everyone showed up authentically for each other and for Kingmakers, allowing us to create and innovate our way to where we are today.” – Malika Jacobs
Read More!
A peek into another aspect of what it means to work from home: PETS.
Calipso
Species: cat
Loving Owner: Adilson
Adilson is the loving father of the most beautiful creature Calipso (Cali) the cat and an avid sitter of many local dogs. We love seeing him bounce from house to house via Zoom, keeping all sorts of animals (and plants) healthy and happy.
Woody
Species: squirrel
Loving Owner: Mother Nature herself
Jessica has a complicated relationship with her neighbor, Woody the squirrel. Are they reluctant friends? Are they true enemies? Regardless, we all respect Woody’s ability to keep eye contact for far too long for the average squirrel’s attention span.
Jolene, Jazzy, and Gray
Species: dog and cats
Loving Owner: Malika
Malika has had many pets over the years. Her dog Jolene is featured in close to 60% of our internal meetings, warning all of us that the mail carrier has arrived or a leaf has fallen.
Fun fact: our LLC is named after Malika’s beloved cat, Lil Ze, who is missed dearly. Honestly, if anyone is interested, Malika’s current cats Jazzy and Gray are up for grabs. No cat holds a candle to Lil Ze (just kidding, you can’t have them).
Moose
Species: dog
Loving Owner: Ash
Ash’s pet is Moose, a human-sized hound dog. Moose is often heard in the background of internal calls barking at neighbors who dare roll by on a scooter. Moose loves saying hi at the ding of Zoom Call, middle of the day walks, playing with the world’s smallest tennis ball for about 2 minutes, and the fact that Ash is home all day for pets.
Adele
Species: dog
Loving Owner: Adele really owns herself
Val’s sweet little chihuahua mix is the most independent and elusive pet in the bunch, so seeing her on-screen is quite the treat. Adele loves basking in the sunlight and being pet about once a month.
Being able to be home with our furry friends is an important part of life here at Kingmakers.
What do you love about working remote?
Origin Story
From the beginning, Malika (Founder and CEO of Kingmakers) has worked towards the goal to create a workplace where employees can work within their values, make an impact on the lives of others, and grow into their unique talents.
“When I began Kingmakers, I did so with the idea that I would have a positive impact in my sphere of influence and wouldn’t get too caught up in ‘the world.’ For me, this has largely meant my team. A priority has been to create a space where people who work for me can be themselves.”
From 2014 to 2020, Kingmakers served the public as a board game parlour in Columbus, OH (and later in Indianapolis, IN). In the evenings, this unique guest experience was beloved by hobbyists, novices, and everyone in between.
During the day, Kingmakers worked with corporations and organizations by hosting large-scale, board-game based Team Bonding Events.
Transition
In Spring of 2020, Kingmakers adapted to the changing workforce and began facilitating board game events for remote-first teams. In a bittersweet moment of change and growth, both board game parlours shut their doors.
Now Kingmakers offers virtual team bonding experiences for business leaders who understand the value of investing in radical employee care. Through facilitation and customized board game-centered experiences, Kingmakers is an innovative approach to team bonding that enhances joy, connection, and inclusion for companies with hybrid and remote employees.
Do you think you’ll reopen the parlours?
Short answer: No. It’s not in our plans moving forward.
Long answer:
We talk about the swift evolution toward team bonding in the virtual space as a happy accident, knowing we were always moving in this direction as a company, closer to Malika’s original goal. Not only are we positioned to be a great place to work as a small team, but we also get to take what we have learned and support the care of employees at like-minded companies (like yours).
We’re proud of who we were and we’re so excited about where we’re going.
We chose the name Kingmakers as a nod to the event in a game where a player or players (who often have no chance of winning) make the decision about who does win. Throughout the game, they use their resources, actions, and influence to support/back the outcome they want to see.
While this tactic is often regarded as shady, we’re turning the phrase on its head.
We know that teams aren’t about winning as an individual and that so many times we use our collective resources to uplift one another.
In this cooperative game of business and life, our team is all about Kingmaking to ensure each other’s success.
Origin Story
From the beginning, Malika (Founder and CEO of Kingmakers) has worked towards the goal to create a workplace where employees can work within their values, make an impact on the lives of others, and grow into their unique talents.
“When I began Kingmakers, I did so with the idea that I would have a positive impact in my sphere of influence and wouldn’t get too caught up in ‘the world.’ For me, this has largely meant my team. A priority has been to create a space where people who work for me can be themselves.”
From 2014 to 2020, Kingmakers served the public as a board game parlour in Columbus, OH (and later in Indianapolis, IN). In the evenings, this unique guest experience was beloved by hobbyists, novices, and everyone in between.
During the day, Kingmakers worked with corporations and organizations by hosting large-scale, board-game based Team Bonding Events.
Who We Are Now
When the pandemic shifted the workplace culture and how employees would work in the office, we saw the opportunity to pivot and bring board games to a virtual platform. It became clear that a larger subset of the workforce than ever before would become remote or hybrid. Without a new set of tools, workplace dynamics and engagement would continue to plunge.
As a result, we pivoted to serve B2B clients in order to boost other companies’ employee morale. The ability to use virtual team bonding experiences opened a door to a corporate outreach level vast enough to encourage and promote the need for employee wellbeing and care beyond Ohio.
Our pivot was strongly influenced by the unique backgrounds and skill-sets of the Kingmakers team members present at the time of the pandemic closing. Through deep exploration, incredible interpersonal team trust and countless consultations and events – we found facilitation and board games to be the core of who we are.
The evolution of Kingmakers has allowed us to connect even closer to Malika’s original mission. Not only are we positioned to be a great place to work as a small team, but we also get to take what we have learned and support the radical care of employees at like-minded companies (like yours).
Services
Kingmakers offers solutions for a changing workforce to spark joy and foster belonging.
We will work with you to find the virtual, board game-centered experiences that best match your needs with consideration to factors such as your role, group size, and engagement goals.
Team Solution
A series of Team Bonding Events developed for your unique team.
Each board game-centered experience is developed based on your team’s dynamics and engagement goals.
Enterprise Solution
A strategic relationship aligned with your organization’s virtual engagement goals.
From consultation to implementation, Kingmakers offers a variety of expertly managed and facilitated events to spark joy, connection, and inclusion.
Learn more!
What does “Kingmakers” mean?
We chose the name Kingmakers as a nod to the event in a game where a player or players (who often have no chance of winning) make the decision about who does win. Throughout the game, they use their resources, actions, and influence to support/back the outcome they want to see.
While this tactic is often regarded as shady, we’re turning the phrase on its head.
We know that teams aren’t about winning as an individual and that so many times we use our collective resources to uplift one another. In this cooperative game of business and life, our team is all about Kingmaking to ensure each other’s success.