Embrace Your Inner Twitter – 5 User-Friendly Technologies to Boost Your Business (and Life)

Embrace the Twitter. It ain’t going away. This is just the beginning.

I’ve resisted it myself and have slowly come around. It’s just one of many ways to get your message out to the world. Here’s 5 easy ways (four are FREE) you can create greater connection with your target audience.

One woman raised $200,000 for a charity off of Twitter. A homeless man reconnected with friends on Facebook and now has a place he can call home. A client who specializes in fitness makes $10,000 extra a year off of affiliate marketing. My coaching business has doubled in revenue just by using Constant Contact.

1. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn. Get and give real-time info to a broad audience. How else would we know what the bleep is happening in Iran? Enough said.
2. Video Cards. Show who you are with a video. These companies have a service for business or for job hunting.
3. Constant Contact. An e-Newsletter service. This allows you to also send out cards, announcements, letter, promotions. And, it’s EASY to use!
4. Write a Blog and Post on Other Blogs. Posting on other blogs opens you up to another audience. Writing a blog brings your audience closer to you and gets a better sense of who you are. We happen to love WordPress.
5. Article Banks. Write an online article and send the link out on Twitter, Constant Contact, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc…! Many article banks exist – here’s one that covers most subjects: http://ezinearticles.com/

 

Tuesdays with Pearl

My mom has been in town this week. Pearl may be 83 and using a walker, but still tough as nails. In my family, she was the caretaker, the breadwinner and the nursemaid for all the kids, the grandparents, the crazy aunts and some of the cousins. My father was an artist and fell ill when I was around 8 years old, so she essentially ran the house and then some. I’m not sure when she’ll be back to visit so I took the opportunity to use her for my blog. “Pearls of Wisdom” so claimed by me and my sister:

1. Worrying will not help. Tomorrow will be a better day.
2. You must have security.
3. Attitude is key. There’s always something to be grateful for. The little things: friends, a good meal, etc…
4. Your family is very important. They need to be taught to be responsible people, kind, and able to function by his or herself. .
5. Be grateful for good health.
6. If you’re confused about making a decision, “s&*t or get off the pot!” Or, wait another day.
7. If you’re a mom, make your girls look pretty and be a gracious hostess. (Remember, she’s from the south)
8. If you work for someone, be kind, be specific about you need from someone and remember, others are not servants to you. A “Thank You” and a “Please” always works.
9. Kill them with kindness.
10. A little lipstick never hurt.

 

You Ready for Oprah?

Are You Ready to be on Oprah?

I just realized that I was!

Someone asked me today if I was ready to be on Oprah. Great question!!! So, I ask you dear Blog reader – If Oprah asked you to be on her talk show, what would you talk about? This goes back to all the stuff I preach about, and probably need to practice more – Personal Branding. What do you stand for in this world? What is it that people come to YOU for? What impact do you make on people that’s different from others? Shoot – That’s a big one, ain’t it?

As for coaches, I can think of a lot of self-proclaimed “experts” such as “America’s Dream Coach” or the “Purposeful Coach” or “The Growth Coach”, “The Shadow Coach”, etc… While this sounds a bit cynical, these folks are onto something. As for me? I am an odd blend of a do-gooder with a corporate background. Perhaps I should rename my business to the Capitalisic Liberal” or the “Small Business Therapist”, or “The Small Business Gal Pal”. Or the gal who gets CEO’s to trade places with refugees for a month so they can bring the message back to their companies about humanitarian aid. “CEO Swapper” Or … I digress, I procrastinate, I move on…

Okay – so if you ARE in business or if you have a job and want to keep it, tap into what you stand for. It feels really good to remember your self and share it with others. That could be your family, health, kids, literacy, Raine Wilson, … It may not be in your tagline but it will be in your heart and people will figure it out.

Back to Oprah, well, it would be a pleasure. Actually, I HAVE been on Oprah!! Picked up in the limo and green room and all… If you’d like to know why… send me a note.

 

4 Easy Clues to Know Your Strengths

Play to Your Strengths

You’ve got to stand out in today’s market more than you probably have in your lifetime.

Want to work to your full potential? Want your business to thrive?  Want your staff to work to their full potential? I’m not sure why but many of the women I have worked with over the years are typically very clear about their weak spots and less clear about their strengths.  Coaching works because we play to strengths, not to weaknesses.  Research data shows that most people do not come close to making full use of their assets — in fact, only 17 percent of the workforce believe they use all of their strengths on the job. Gallup scientists polled more than 20,000 teams to find that leaders who ask others to use their strengths more can increase staff motivation by 75%.

4 Easy Clues to Know Your Strengths

Your self-perception may be quite different from external perceptions. Market research, focus groups, 360-feedback forms, interviews, etc… are great tools to help you get clear with your core competencies, aka: Strengths. So, if your self-perception is skewed from reality or if you’re really not sure where you excel, ask yourself these questions:

1. What special skills do my friends, customers, colleagues come to me for? (Ex: Advice, organizing, fixing something in the house, …)
2. What am I asked to teach others? (Ex: Marketing, selling, animal behavior, …)
3. What responsibilities have typically been designated to me? (Ex: Writing newsletters, mediating a customer dispute, …)
4. What parts of my job are the hardest to fill? (Ex: Legal advising, editing, …)

So What? Because you could be wasting your time, energy and money. Now What?
If you own a business…

Focus on your business’ core competencies instead of trying to do it all (one of my greatest lessons).  Where do you really give your clients the most value?  What is your Personal Brand? Hire people who are smart in areas where you are NOT.  You may be great at fashion design but stink at finances, so hire a good accountant. If you are strong in marketing but lack follow-through, get a coach to get you in action (hint hint). One client of ours hired a part-time bookkeeper and found 20 extra hours per month to focus on getting clients and completing client projects early.  You get the point.

If you’re a leader in an organization…
Play to your strengths and play to your team’s.  Recognize that you are human and that you can rely on your talents and resources to balance out areas where you may be weak.  AND acknowledge others at least once a week for what they’re doing well if you want them to play to their strengths.  One of our clients is a sales manager who is great in sales but not so great at managing.  She started focusing more on her sales expertise to manage her team:  Listening skills, asking questions, setting goals, identifying problems, providing information based on their needs and offering resources to help them with their own unique challenges.

 

Failure is not an “F” word

I’ve been doing a lot of new things lately. And failing too. For years I avoided doing new things because it made me feel stupid. Too much room for “failure” it seemed. When I was young, I tried ballet, the sax, the flute, soccer, marathon running – a number of things that made me feel completely awkward so I quit before I got good. As a kid I guess I never learned about learning. Awkwardness IS the road to learning. FAILURE is the road to succeeding.

Here’s some goodies to note:
Winston Churchill failed 6th grade.
Thomas Edison made 1000 failed attempts before inventing the light bulb.
Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper because “he lacked imagination”.

Ask any business owner who has succeeded and you’ll find out about the many failures they had along the way. As I continue to integrate new tools into my practice, there has been some amazing successes as well as some colossal failures. I guess I’m on my way to more success!

I hope you give yourself permission to fail too.

 

Telling the Truth

Wow – my clients simply inspire me. That’s all I have to say. Well, maybe a few more words…

The truth takes courage to admit. While I still believe things are good in my life, I can’t hide anymore from a lot of other truths around me. The truth is that many of my clients are feeling pain. In different ways. Some feel trapped in lousy jobs, some struggle to find a job, some are dealing with difficult relationships, some are losing major clients due to the economy, …. The truth is that I can’t change the the hard truths but wish I could. Even when I know how powerful it is to face things and move on. The truth is that sometimes I have shitty mood swings. The truth is that I get anxious that I’m not doing more! The truth is that I’ve tried to stay in denial about the truths of our economic times.

The truth is here – whether we want it or not. What’s more important is how we deal with it.

 

Leading through Emotional Times

In March, the unemployment rate rose by 694,000 to a total of 13.2 million people. We’re at an average of 8.5% across the country. Clients of mine who are laying off people are wondering how to handle their own emotions as well as those around them. People who still have jobs wonder if they will continue to have their jobs. Read how one Sales VP managed her way…

In November of 2008, a VP of Sales for a major furniture company was facing a layoff of 25 sales staff. Sales were down 40%; the company was downsizing in other departments. In stress, her leadership style as a “Mediator” is to detach emotionally and blow through any obstacles. Through many trying months, she kept her doors closed, and focused relentlessly on restructuring the sales team. Coming home to her family after 9 was becoming a familiar habit. Employees were surprised by her tough and detached demeanor.

As she was preparing for a second round of layoffs, her true feelings suddenly came to the surface. Just as she was addressing her team, she removed her glasses and spoke from the heart. Her voice choked with emotion as she said, “The truth is that this is very difficult for me to do. I have been in this business for twenty years. You are like family to me. Some of the people leaving were mentors to me on the way up. These are good people and I’m proud to count many of them among my friends. I accept the responsibility for the decisions we’ve had to make and I understand why these people are leaving… but that doesn’t change the fact that it breaks my heart to see them walk out the door.” Then she took a deep breath, put her glasses back on, and continued with the rest of her remarks.

After the address, she expressed concern that she had “blown it” by getting too emotional with his organization. But instead, those 45 seconds of genuine emotion helped her regain her humanity and reestablish connection with the organization. Employees were reassured, empathetic, and even supportive. “That’s the person I thought I knew,” they said. “I was concerned that she had lost her soul, but maybe she was just trying too hard to be strong for us.”

Showing her personal vulnerability didn’t alter the necessity for making the tough calls, but it did jump-start the healing process by normalizing and validating the feelings of others. She earned back some trust that day.

Of course, saying the words “this is hard for me” or tearing up to show empathy is not a canned formula for facilitating grieving or reengaging employees. Forget about trying to fake authenticity!

The key lies in trusting people to accept the real you as you guide them through tough times in a way that is genuine and honest. “Lead from your own experience, emotions and empathy.” Fair or unfair, others are looking to you to be both “larger than life” and “just like me.”

In the book Leading with Authenticity in Times of Transition suggests that leaders can help their organizations through difficult transition by balancing operational and emotional leadership. Some suggestions:

Share information. Share the facts as early and as often as possible. Tell people the truth, acknowledge mistakes and be clear about your situation and prospects for the future. You probably don’t know or can’t share all the details of what’s going on-especially given the huge uncertainty facing organizations today – but withholding information fuels speculation and increases anxiety.

Make room for emotions. You need to drive performance, but you also need to accept that people are experiencing loss and grief. People react in different ways to change and will adapt at various paces. Pay attention so you know when to push and when to back off or coach people through.

Be aware of your own reactions. Get clear on your own behaviors and reactions to change and challenge. Questions to ask yourself include:

* Am I rushing the process and making everything equally urgent?
* Am I avoiding ambiguity or downplaying uncertainty?
* Am I stifling my emotions and isolating myself?
* Am I overly optimistic to the point of raising questions about whether I’m in touch with the real challenges?
* Am I investing enough time in meeting people where they are – in service of taking them where we need to go?

 

When Relationships Fall Apart

My fiance and I called off our wedding plans. You might think this would be grounds for a break up but in fact, it has done just the opposite. We’re stronger than ever. This was one of the toughest decisions we had to make yet knew this was the right thing for both of us. The big lesson behind all of this is ALIGNMENT. We both realized the same thing – the plans were getting out of control and we were trying to please everyone except for ourselves. What we wanted – a simple, small and down-to-earth celebration – was lost in the planning.

Fortunately, we had a strong foundation under us and have been able to recover quickly around the ensuing drama around us. We had lots of other things: a) we were clear what we wanted, b) mutual respect, c) unspoken rules around how to be with each other when things get difficult, d) communication skills, e) awareness of ourselves, our needs and requests for one another.

At work, relationships go through stages all the time. We’re still human at work – at least most of us! Even in the midst of some of your most challenges, you can find ways to become ALIGNED around something so that you can move forward and make progress.

I find that I’m constantly coaching people around difficult relationships in the workplace. I guarantee that if you have a strong foundation, you can work through pretty much anything.

 

Can You Say “Hello?”

When I was in sales, I had a boss who never spoke to me outside meetings for an entire year. Not kidding. Not even a “hello”. This was not the case for the two top performers on the team. Not only did they get a “hello”, they had lunch together and chatted frequently about non-work related subjects. Only until I surpassed sales records did I become a member of the “in crowd”. Needless to say, the morale on our team was filled with frought and disgruntled people.

Angles Arriene, a cultural anthropologist, tells us that around the world, everyone needs three things:

1. To be seen
2. To be heard
3. To be acknwledged

If you can do this, you’re already steps ahead of the curve. Employees don’t leave jobs, they leave their boss!

Taking it a step further, Gavin de Becker, writer of The Gift of Fear is a master at studying human behavior. He explains there are “some broad strokes that can be fairly applied to most of us:

- We seek connection with others.

- We are saddened by loss and try to avoid it.

- We dislike rejection.

- We like recognition and attention.

- We will do more to avoid pain than we will do to seek pleasure.

- We dislike ridiculue and embarrassment.

- We care what others think of us.

- We seek a degree of control over our lives.

While the context of his book is related to violent behavior, it applies to the workplace as well, particularly with disgruntled employees.