Yellow Camo Crew: Introducing Karmen Zabron

Gamification expert and change maker, Karmen Zabron, is an excellent member of our #YellowCamoCrew team!

Simply put, Karmen Zabron has a "Big L" Love for people, workplace cultures, and all things nerdy and fun. She has over 20 years of experience in the people business, having served in HR, Leadership, Sales, and Coaching & Development roles during her career, and has been instrumental in developing and implementing strategies to create positive, productive (and fun!) work environments over several different industries. She's not just passionate about People & Culture, she's an absolute geek about it (who can still be fun at parties). She's a non-traditional HR Thought Leader with experience working in a variety of HR disciplines, including talent acquisition and development, performance management, engagement, retention, and global employee relations.

Karmen's unrelenting passion for people led her to explore gamification as a tool to enhance the employee experience and to drive performance and engagement in the workplace and, as a result, founded Area of Effect as a conduit for organizations to create people-first cultures through connection and gamification.

Check out our interview with Karmen Zabron below and get to know more about her motivation and purpose.

Can you share a favorite adventure with our readers?

Back in 2014, I created a road trip game where I assigned directions to a die, set a timer, and then rolled the dice every time we came to a major intersection. Two of my best girlfriends and I started our trip in Salt Lake City, Utah with no plan on where we'd end up, and found ourselves in Bend, Oregon when the game timer went off. We spent a couple of days hiking, participating in the Bend Ale Trail, and saw some really cool things. It's probably one of my favorite trips so far, and I can't wait to do it again (from the East Coast this time!).

What attracts you to On Purpose Adventures?

Oh man. Everything? Haha! On a serious note, I think my favorite part is that the games that we facilitate and bring to our clients are intentionally crafted to bring specific outcomes to each unique group. The games themselves are an incredibly fun experience in and of themselves, but to have a client come back a few weeks later telling us how much our sessions helped their team makes all of the hard work worth it!

What is something that gives you PURPOSE?

My family! I've got an amazing husband and two great kiddos, and I want to be the best version of myself that I can be for them. 

What is your favorite team building activity to facilitate and why?

Probably Mindreader. It's fun to watch the teams play it, because each group dynamic (and individual!) is different.

Do you have any upcoming adventures planned?

Two! New York and Texas, both for celebrations with friends and family.

Questions Fast Round

What is your favorite outdoor hobby? Camping

What is your favorite indoor hobby? Reading or cooking. It's a toss-up!

Tell us something not on your resume that shocks others.

I get less shocked responses and more confused ones, but when I was 12, I broke my foot hoola-hooping.

Thank you Karmen Zabron for letting our Leading On Purpose readers get to know a little more about you. You'll be hearing more from Karmen on the blog very soon!

Karmen Zabron, Troy Hall, Ph.D. and Ben-Jamin Toy are making use of our new space in The Harbor Entrepreneur Center. Along with taking our message all over the country, now we can conveniently help lowcountry individuals and businesses.

Our Cohesion Culture™️ Cohesive Leadership Workshop Series provides all the “Culture Cheat Codes” you’ll need for:

• Conflict Resolution on October 5th
• Collaboration on November 2nd
• Creative Thinking on December 7th

Only 12 seats per session. Grab all three at our special introductory offer and give the spot to sessions you can't attend to a co-worker or employee. Click here to learn more & register