To contact us Click HERE
Last year about this time I set my New Year's Resolutions.
I know, I'm like that.
This was nothing fancy or well-thought-out, I just did it. I took a piece of scrap paper and wrote down the five things I wanted to focus on improving. They're a little bit private, but I can tell you this: four concerned some aspect of my career, and one was an athletic goal. Family, friends, spiritually - thankfully, I feel very good about those aspects of my life. Your areas of focus might include those, but mine didn't.
Here's how I did:
#1 - Nailed it. Blew my goal so far out of the water, it's impossible to even compare.#2-4 - Did somewhere between well and okay.#5 - Oops. Didn't even touch it. Abject failure.
This list, written on a scrap paper, lives in a drawer in my bathroom. Every few days I come across it as I search for the toothpaste or a nail clipper. It's a handy reminder of what I decided to work on last February.
This worked pretty well for me, but around the start of this month I decided it was time to update my list. Not start a brand-new one, because most of those items are ongoing concerns, not "do it and done" type things. They involve getting better at something, and that's a journey.
So Saturday, I retired the first list and replaced it with another. Three items this time, all in some way related to the original five.
This year, as with last, I'm judging everything I do by this standard: Does it promote one of my three goals? Specifically,
1. Does it help me write my next book?2. Does it help with the career move I'm making?*3. Does it help me train for the Naples 1/2 Marathon next January?
This post isn't about me, though. It's about you. What are your goals - not for the year, but ongoing? Try to have only a few. Aim for only one. Write them down. Put them someplace where you have to actually read them - preferably, someplace where they're in the way and you need to move them (and thus read them) as you search for the toothpaste.
And judge every action you take, all year long, by how effectively that action supports your quest for those goals. Cut out fun stuff that doesn't clearly promote those goals. Do more of what does.
Let me know how it goes.
*Career move? I've been eluding to this for a couple of months now. I'm only 44. If my role models are any indication, I have at least 40 more years of active work ahead of me (thank God!). So I'm going to continue to evolve and reinvent myself again and again. I can't wait to share my next step!
24 Haziran 2012 Pazar
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
To contact us Click HERE
Recently, something on Twitter got my spider senses tingling.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
CEOs: Don't Sideline Your Best Talent
To contact us Click HERE
Quick quiz: what was the day job of the writer and star of the Best Movie of 1976 before he made that film? (Answer below).
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
Don't Spam Me, Bro!
To contact us Click HERE
Auto DMs = Auto Unfollow*
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
Don't be a Twit.
To contact us Click HERE
Imagine you're at the store, and a mother with two tiny kids is struggling to navigate the door with all her bags while keeping her children with her. You hold the door open, just like your mother taught you, but rather than thanking you she stops dead and holds out her iPhone. On it you read, "Bonnie uses TrueTwit validation service. To validate click here." The link takes you to a page where you have to type out two Catchpa words before she'll walk through the door you're holding for her.
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
21 Haziran 2012 Perşembe
How's Your Focus?
To contact us Click HERE
Last year about this time I set my New Year's Resolutions.
I know, I'm like that.
This was nothing fancy or well-thought-out, I just did it. I took a piece of scrap paper and wrote down the five things I wanted to focus on improving. They're a little bit private, but I can tell you this: four concerned some aspect of my career, and one was an athletic goal. Family, friends, spiritually - thankfully, I feel very good about those aspects of my life. Your areas of focus might include those, but mine didn't.
Here's how I did:
#1 - Nailed it. Blew my goal so far out of the water, it's impossible to even compare.#2-4 - Did somewhere between well and okay.#5 - Oops. Didn't even touch it. Abject failure.
This list, written on a scrap paper, lives in a drawer in my bathroom. Every few days I come across it as I search for the toothpaste or a nail clipper. It's a handy reminder of what I decided to work on last February.
This worked pretty well for me, but around the start of this month I decided it was time to update my list. Not start a brand-new one, because most of those items are ongoing concerns, not "do it and done" type things. They involve getting better at something, and that's a journey.
So Saturday, I retired the first list and replaced it with another. Three items this time, all in some way related to the original five.
This year, as with last, I'm judging everything I do by this standard: Does it promote one of my three goals? Specifically,
1. Does it help me write my next book?2. Does it help with the career move I'm making?*3. Does it help me train for the Naples 1/2 Marathon next January?
This post isn't about me, though. It's about you. What are your goals - not for the year, but ongoing? Try to have only a few. Aim for only one. Write them down. Put them someplace where you have to actually read them - preferably, someplace where they're in the way and you need to move them (and thus read them) as you search for the toothpaste.
And judge every action you take, all year long, by how effectively that action supports your quest for those goals. Cut out fun stuff that doesn't clearly promote those goals. Do more of what does.
Let me know how it goes.
*Career move? I've been eluding to this for a couple of months now. I'm only 44. If my role models are any indication, I have at least 40 more years of active work ahead of me (thank God!). So I'm going to continue to evolve and reinvent myself again and again. I can't wait to share my next step!
I know, I'm like that.
This was nothing fancy or well-thought-out, I just did it. I took a piece of scrap paper and wrote down the five things I wanted to focus on improving. They're a little bit private, but I can tell you this: four concerned some aspect of my career, and one was an athletic goal. Family, friends, spiritually - thankfully, I feel very good about those aspects of my life. Your areas of focus might include those, but mine didn't.
Here's how I did:
#1 - Nailed it. Blew my goal so far out of the water, it's impossible to even compare.#2-4 - Did somewhere between well and okay.#5 - Oops. Didn't even touch it. Abject failure.
This list, written on a scrap paper, lives in a drawer in my bathroom. Every few days I come across it as I search for the toothpaste or a nail clipper. It's a handy reminder of what I decided to work on last February.
This worked pretty well for me, but around the start of this month I decided it was time to update my list. Not start a brand-new one, because most of those items are ongoing concerns, not "do it and done" type things. They involve getting better at something, and that's a journey.
So Saturday, I retired the first list and replaced it with another. Three items this time, all in some way related to the original five.
This year, as with last, I'm judging everything I do by this standard: Does it promote one of my three goals? Specifically,
1. Does it help me write my next book?2. Does it help with the career move I'm making?*3. Does it help me train for the Naples 1/2 Marathon next January?
This post isn't about me, though. It's about you. What are your goals - not for the year, but ongoing? Try to have only a few. Aim for only one. Write them down. Put them someplace where you have to actually read them - preferably, someplace where they're in the way and you need to move them (and thus read them) as you search for the toothpaste.
And judge every action you take, all year long, by how effectively that action supports your quest for those goals. Cut out fun stuff that doesn't clearly promote those goals. Do more of what does.
Let me know how it goes.
*Career move? I've been eluding to this for a couple of months now. I'm only 44. If my role models are any indication, I have at least 40 more years of active work ahead of me (thank God!). So I'm going to continue to evolve and reinvent myself again and again. I can't wait to share my next step!
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
To contact us Click HERE
Recently, something on Twitter got my spider senses tingling.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
CEOs: Don't Sideline Your Best Talent
To contact us Click HERE
Quick quiz: what was the day job of the writer and star of the Best Movie of 1976 before he made that film? (Answer below).
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
Don't Spam Me, Bro!
To contact us Click HERE
Auto DMs = Auto Unfollow*
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
Don't be a Twit.
To contact us Click HERE
Imagine you're at the store, and a mother with two tiny kids is struggling to navigate the door with all her bags while keeping her children with her. You hold the door open, just like your mother taught you, but rather than thanking you she stops dead and holds out her iPhone. On it you read, "Bonnie uses TrueTwit validation service. To validate click here." The link takes you to a page where you have to type out two Catchpa words before she'll walk through the door you're holding for her.
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
20 Haziran 2012 Çarşamba
How's Your Focus?
To contact us Click HERE
Last year about this time I set my New Year's Resolutions.
I know, I'm like that.
This was nothing fancy or well-thought-out, I just did it. I took a piece of scrap paper and wrote down the five things I wanted to focus on improving. They're a little bit private, but I can tell you this: four concerned some aspect of my career, and one was an athletic goal. Family, friends, spiritually - thankfully, I feel very good about those aspects of my life. Your areas of focus might include those, but mine didn't.
Here's how I did:
#1 - Nailed it. Blew my goal so far out of the water, it's impossible to even compare.#2-4 - Did somewhere between well and okay.#5 - Oops. Didn't even touch it. Abject failure.
This list, written on a scrap paper, lives in a drawer in my bathroom. Every few days I come across it as I search for the toothpaste or a nail clipper. It's a handy reminder of what I decided to work on last February.
This worked pretty well for me, but around the start of this month I decided it was time to update my list. Not start a brand-new one, because most of those items are ongoing concerns, not "do it and done" type things. They involve getting better at something, and that's a journey.
So Saturday, I retired the first list and replaced it with another. Three items this time, all in some way related to the original five.
This year, as with last, I'm judging everything I do by this standard: Does it promote one of my three goals? Specifically,
1. Does it help me write my next book?2. Does it help with the career move I'm making?*3. Does it help me train for the Naples 1/2 Marathon next January?
This post isn't about me, though. It's about you. What are your goals - not for the year, but ongoing? Try to have only a few. Aim for only one. Write them down. Put them someplace where you have to actually read them - preferably, someplace where they're in the way and you need to move them (and thus read them) as you search for the toothpaste.
And judge every action you take, all year long, by how effectively that action supports your quest for those goals. Cut out fun stuff that doesn't clearly promote those goals. Do more of what does.
Let me know how it goes.
*Career move? I've been eluding to this for a couple of months now. I'm only 44. If my role models are any indication, I have at least 40 more years of active work ahead of me (thank God!). So I'm going to continue to evolve and reinvent myself again and again. I can't wait to share my next step!
I know, I'm like that.
This was nothing fancy or well-thought-out, I just did it. I took a piece of scrap paper and wrote down the five things I wanted to focus on improving. They're a little bit private, but I can tell you this: four concerned some aspect of my career, and one was an athletic goal. Family, friends, spiritually - thankfully, I feel very good about those aspects of my life. Your areas of focus might include those, but mine didn't.
Here's how I did:
#1 - Nailed it. Blew my goal so far out of the water, it's impossible to even compare.#2-4 - Did somewhere between well and okay.#5 - Oops. Didn't even touch it. Abject failure.
This list, written on a scrap paper, lives in a drawer in my bathroom. Every few days I come across it as I search for the toothpaste or a nail clipper. It's a handy reminder of what I decided to work on last February.
This worked pretty well for me, but around the start of this month I decided it was time to update my list. Not start a brand-new one, because most of those items are ongoing concerns, not "do it and done" type things. They involve getting better at something, and that's a journey.
So Saturday, I retired the first list and replaced it with another. Three items this time, all in some way related to the original five.
This year, as with last, I'm judging everything I do by this standard: Does it promote one of my three goals? Specifically,
1. Does it help me write my next book?2. Does it help with the career move I'm making?*3. Does it help me train for the Naples 1/2 Marathon next January?
This post isn't about me, though. It's about you. What are your goals - not for the year, but ongoing? Try to have only a few. Aim for only one. Write them down. Put them someplace where you have to actually read them - preferably, someplace where they're in the way and you need to move them (and thus read them) as you search for the toothpaste.
And judge every action you take, all year long, by how effectively that action supports your quest for those goals. Cut out fun stuff that doesn't clearly promote those goals. Do more of what does.
Let me know how it goes.
*Career move? I've been eluding to this for a couple of months now. I'm only 44. If my role models are any indication, I have at least 40 more years of active work ahead of me (thank God!). So I'm going to continue to evolve and reinvent myself again and again. I can't wait to share my next step!
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
To contact us Click HERE
Recently, something on Twitter got my spider senses tingling.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
CEOs: Don't Sideline Your Best Talent
To contact us Click HERE
Quick quiz: what was the day job of the writer and star of the Best Movie of 1976 before he made that film? (Answer below).
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
Don't Spam Me, Bro!
To contact us Click HERE
Auto DMs = Auto Unfollow*
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
Don't be a Twit.
To contact us Click HERE
Imagine you're at the store, and a mother with two tiny kids is struggling to navigate the door with all her bags while keeping her children with her. You hold the door open, just like your mother taught you, but rather than thanking you she stops dead and holds out her iPhone. On it you read, "Bonnie uses TrueTwit validation service. To validate click here." The link takes you to a page where you have to type out two Catchpa words before she'll walk through the door you're holding for her.
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
19 Haziran 2012 Salı
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
To contact us Click HERE
Recently, something on Twitter got my spider senses tingling.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
CEOs: Don't Sideline Your Best Talent
To contact us Click HERE
Quick quiz: what was the day job of the writer and star of the Best Movie of 1976 before he made that film? (Answer below).
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
Don't Spam Me, Bro!
To contact us Click HERE
Auto DMs = Auto Unfollow*
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
Don't be a Twit.
To contact us Click HERE
Imagine you're at the store, and a mother with two tiny kids is struggling to navigate the door with all her bags while keeping her children with her. You hold the door open, just like your mother taught you, but rather than thanking you she stops dead and holds out her iPhone. On it you read, "Bonnie uses TrueTwit validation service. To validate click here." The link takes you to a page where you have to type out two Catchpa words before she'll walk through the door you're holding for her.
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
Bernardi Auto Group
To contact us Click HERE
Bernardi Auto Group offers a fine line of vehicles, including Honda, Audi, Acura, Toyota and Scion at 4 locations in the Greater Boston / Metro West area. We also have a Pre-Owned store in Natick that boasts a large selection of quality used cars and trucks, and Boston Body Shop is there to help when your vehicle needs a little TLC. Our stores are beautifully appointed and easy to get to, offering a vast array of new and used cars and trucks, state of the art service departments, huge inventories of parts and accessories and a fleet of Toyota cars, sport utilities and vans that can be rented for one day or long term.
When you visit any of our stores, you will find bright, dynamic showrooms, comfortably furnished and customer-friendly. Each location offers a lounge area with features such as a coffee bar, cable television, a children’s playroom, and workstations with WIFI Internet access and telephones.
Most important, our staff is highly trained and motivated to provide you, our valued customer, with the very best information and service available in the Northeast. The Bernardi Group has been in business for over 30 years, and many of our employees have been with us for most, if not all, of those years. All of our staff is committed to our slogan, “Customer Satisfaction has Always been our Business.”
Bernardi Group is proud to sponsor Natick's Fourth of July Activities.
www.bernardiautogroup.com
Bernardi Acura - Boston acuraofboston.com
1600 Soldiers Field Road Brighton, MA 02135 Sales: 888-368-8452
Bernardi Audi www.bernardiaudi.com/index.htm
521 Worcester Road Route 9 West Natick, MA 01760 Sales: 800-355-8488
Bernardi Honda of Natick natick.bernardihonda.com
960 Worcester Road Route 9 East Natick, MA 01760 Sales: 800-254-0013
Bernardi Honda of Brockton brockton.bernardihonda.com
300 Manley Street Route 24 Exit 17A Brockton, MA 02301 Sales: 888-836-0943
Bernardi Hyundai www.bernardihyundai.com
300 Manley Street Route 24 Exit 17A Brockton, MA 02301 Sales: 888-595-5161
Bernardi Scion www.bernardiscion.com/index.htm
1626 Worcester Road Route 9 East Framingham, MA 01702 Sales: 888-379-5432
Bernardi Toyota www.bernarditoyota.com/index.htm1626 Worcester Road Route 9 East Framingham, MA 01702 Sales: 866-980-2861
When you visit any of our stores, you will find bright, dynamic showrooms, comfortably furnished and customer-friendly. Each location offers a lounge area with features such as a coffee bar, cable television, a children’s playroom, and workstations with WIFI Internet access and telephones.
Most important, our staff is highly trained and motivated to provide you, our valued customer, with the very best information and service available in the Northeast. The Bernardi Group has been in business for over 30 years, and many of our employees have been with us for most, if not all, of those years. All of our staff is committed to our slogan, “Customer Satisfaction has Always been our Business.”
Bernardi Group is proud to sponsor Natick's Fourth of July Activities.
www.bernardiautogroup.com
Bernardi Acura - Boston acuraofboston.com
1600 Soldiers Field Road Brighton, MA 02135 Sales: 888-368-8452
Bernardi Audi www.bernardiaudi.com/index.htm
521 Worcester Road Route 9 West Natick, MA 01760 Sales: 800-355-8488
Bernardi Honda of Natick natick.bernardihonda.com
960 Worcester Road Route 9 East Natick, MA 01760 Sales: 800-254-0013
Bernardi Honda of Brockton brockton.bernardihonda.com
300 Manley Street Route 24 Exit 17A Brockton, MA 02301 Sales: 888-836-0943
Bernardi Hyundai www.bernardihyundai.com
300 Manley Street Route 24 Exit 17A Brockton, MA 02301 Sales: 888-595-5161
Bernardi Scion www.bernardiscion.com/index.htm
1626 Worcester Road Route 9 East Framingham, MA 01702 Sales: 888-379-5432
Bernardi Toyota www.bernarditoyota.com/index.htm1626 Worcester Road Route 9 East Framingham, MA 01702 Sales: 866-980-2861
18 Haziran 2012 Pazartesi
How's Your Focus?
To contact us Click HERE
Last year about this time I set my New Year's Resolutions.
I know, I'm like that.
This was nothing fancy or well-thought-out, I just did it. I took a piece of scrap paper and wrote down the five things I wanted to focus on improving. They're a little bit private, but I can tell you this: four concerned some aspect of my career, and one was an athletic goal. Family, friends, spiritually - thankfully, I feel very good about those aspects of my life. Your areas of focus might include those, but mine didn't.
Here's how I did:
#1 - Nailed it. Blew my goal so far out of the water, it's impossible to even compare.#2-4 - Did somewhere between well and okay.#5 - Oops. Didn't even touch it. Abject failure.
This list, written on a scrap paper, lives in a drawer in my bathroom. Every few days I come across it as I search for the toothpaste or a nail clipper. It's a handy reminder of what I decided to work on last February.
This worked pretty well for me, but around the start of this month I decided it was time to update my list. Not start a brand-new one, because most of those items are ongoing concerns, not "do it and done" type things. They involve getting better at something, and that's a journey.
So Saturday, I retired the first list and replaced it with another. Three items this time, all in some way related to the original five.
This year, as with last, I'm judging everything I do by this standard: Does it promote one of my three goals? Specifically,
1. Does it help me write my next book?2. Does it help with the career move I'm making?*3. Does it help me train for the Naples 1/2 Marathon next January?
This post isn't about me, though. It's about you. What are your goals - not for the year, but ongoing? Try to have only a few. Aim for only one. Write them down. Put them someplace where you have to actually read them - preferably, someplace where they're in the way and you need to move them (and thus read them) as you search for the toothpaste.
And judge every action you take, all year long, by how effectively that action supports your quest for those goals. Cut out fun stuff that doesn't clearly promote those goals. Do more of what does.
Let me know how it goes.
*Career move? I've been eluding to this for a couple of months now. I'm only 44. If my role models are any indication, I have at least 40 more years of active work ahead of me (thank God!). So I'm going to continue to evolve and reinvent myself again and again. I can't wait to share my next step!
I know, I'm like that.
This was nothing fancy or well-thought-out, I just did it. I took a piece of scrap paper and wrote down the five things I wanted to focus on improving. They're a little bit private, but I can tell you this: four concerned some aspect of my career, and one was an athletic goal. Family, friends, spiritually - thankfully, I feel very good about those aspects of my life. Your areas of focus might include those, but mine didn't.
Here's how I did:
#1 - Nailed it. Blew my goal so far out of the water, it's impossible to even compare.#2-4 - Did somewhere between well and okay.#5 - Oops. Didn't even touch it. Abject failure.
This list, written on a scrap paper, lives in a drawer in my bathroom. Every few days I come across it as I search for the toothpaste or a nail clipper. It's a handy reminder of what I decided to work on last February.
This worked pretty well for me, but around the start of this month I decided it was time to update my list. Not start a brand-new one, because most of those items are ongoing concerns, not "do it and done" type things. They involve getting better at something, and that's a journey.
So Saturday, I retired the first list and replaced it with another. Three items this time, all in some way related to the original five.
This year, as with last, I'm judging everything I do by this standard: Does it promote one of my three goals? Specifically,
1. Does it help me write my next book?2. Does it help with the career move I'm making?*3. Does it help me train for the Naples 1/2 Marathon next January?
This post isn't about me, though. It's about you. What are your goals - not for the year, but ongoing? Try to have only a few. Aim for only one. Write them down. Put them someplace where you have to actually read them - preferably, someplace where they're in the way and you need to move them (and thus read them) as you search for the toothpaste.
And judge every action you take, all year long, by how effectively that action supports your quest for those goals. Cut out fun stuff that doesn't clearly promote those goals. Do more of what does.
Let me know how it goes.
*Career move? I've been eluding to this for a couple of months now. I'm only 44. If my role models are any indication, I have at least 40 more years of active work ahead of me (thank God!). So I'm going to continue to evolve and reinvent myself again and again. I can't wait to share my next step!
You Can Run, But You Can't Hide
To contact us Click HERE
Recently, something on Twitter got my spider senses tingling.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
When I "meet" someone interesting in a chat or through a friend, I like to check their bio - I'm sure you do as well. And what caught my attention was how many of these people are former employees of a certain company.
Interesting. It told me two things right off the bat. One, this company hires talented people. Two, talented people leave this company in droves.
Curious, I reached out to one of these people, a friendly acquaintance who is close Twitter friends with one of my best buds on Twitter. We had a connection through past interactions, and we had a level of trust through our mutual pal. In other words, I wasn't a complete stranger.
"I've noticed something I think you can help me with," I tweeted. "Can we take this to email so I can ask you a question?" He was happy to oblige, so via email I asked him about my observation. This is the gist of his reply:
"That company is a great place to make a name for yourself in our field. Unfortunately, they don't pay well, and management isn't the most enlightened. The nature of the work we were required to do there has changed dramatically since they hired me, too. By the time I left, we were innovating much less, instead spending most of our time on lower-skill tasks. I'm glad I've moved on, and I've never looked back. Same goes for my former colleagues." He named several I also followed, and I reached out to them as well for confirmation, which they readily gave.
I've read a lot of headlines about people losing their jobs because of boss-bashing Facebook posts or indiscreet Tweets. Less sensational, perhaps, is how potential recruits and customers use Social to check before they leap. But it happens every day all day long.
I personally don't choose a movie or buy technology without polling my network first. Of my friends and followers, I've got dozens or sometimes hundreds who will weigh in on anything I'm asking about. Often their replies include really useful links to blog posts, reviews, and articles that make my decision easy and shed new light on the object of my question. Increasingly, this is how it's done in the Twenty-First Century.
Employers, people are checking up on you. Once upon a time (you know, 5 years ago), people would ask a small circle of friends and family before trusting a recruiter and taking the career plunge. Now, that inner circle has expanded to thousands, and through connections it can quickly reach tens or even hundreds of thousands. Because of Social Media, no company can hide behind obscurity any longer.
And this is only the beginning. There are new Social applications, and new uses of existing apps, that haven't even been created yet. Two years from now ...three ...five? What I write about today will be so ubiquitous that companies will have no choice but to actually be better - or suffer the consequences.
Social Media isn't just changing the way business is done for those few of us who participate in robust online networks. It is driving a sea change in corporate transparency. Bad bosses? You can run, but you can't hide.
Join me here every Monday for a new installment of Social Media Monday.
CEOs: Don't Sideline Your Best Talent
To contact us Click HERE
Quick quiz: what was the day job of the writer and star of the Best Movie of 1976 before he made that film? (Answer below).
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
A few years ago, the last time the economy was booming, I read one article after another dispensing the same career advice: if you want to move up in your company, leave it. Work elsewhere at a higher position, then (if you still want to) come back - in this way, you can jump the line and gain a much higher position than if you stayed.
Kinda hard to remember a job market so abundant with opportunities that people would throw away perfectly good situations with a current employer for so calculated a move, isn't it?
Here's the thing, though: I saw it work with my own friends and acquaintances again and again and again. And I'm watching this very thing happening again now.
"Whoa!" I hear you shout at your screen. "That's just irresponsible, Ted! Stop that!!"
Okay, okay. As with all responsible career advice, this one comes loaded with caveats. I do not advise you to try this at home (or at the home office). And I certainly am not suggesting that this is a trend - yet. Most people I know are still hunkered down, holding onto their current positions in fear of disaster should they lose it. Given recent events, that's pretty smart.*
But in some sectors, especially technology, the Great Recession is already over. Some firms are once again finding it hard to fill their demand for talent. They're spending all sorts of money on recruiting efforts, and more money on new-hire training, and even more money when some of those new-hires don't fit and have to be replaced - and meanwhile, they're blowing off the greatest pool of already-trained talent any recruiter could ever dream of: their own current employees.
Yes, CEOs, I'm talking to you. Especially if you're in technology, your own company is more than likely hobbling itself by ignoring its own talent within the ranks. If you don't personally, as your company's leader, do something dramatic to reward your staff for elevating those beneath them, you're limiting your firm's growth.
Companies are run by people, and we people are little more than the sum of our prejudices. One prejudice we all suffer from, to one extent or another, is to pigeonhole people. We think,
George is a chicken farmer.Susan's a waitress.Andy's a shipping clerk.Bill's a dropout.Henry's a mechanic.Phil's a production assistant.Sly's an elephant shit-shoveler at the zoo.
...All of which is true. For one period in their careers, all of the people I listed above were employed in those jobs. But they moved on:
George Boldt managed, then owned the Waldorf-Astoria hotel.**Susan Sarandon is a major Hollywood star.Andrew Carnegie was the second-richest man of his day.Bill Gates is the wealthiest man alive.Henry Ford founded a major car company.Phil Beuth was President of ABC Entertainment.Sylvester Stalone's debut movie won three Oscars, including Best Picture 1976.
I could go on with this list all week. The bottom line is, you've got talent in your firm right now that you're grossly underutilizing. What are you going to do about it? Are you going to force your best and brightest to leave because the only option within your company is the slow boat to China? Or are you going to demand that your direct reports reach down amidst the ranks and elevate some of your sharpest talent several rungs up the ladder, and then praise and reward them handsomely when they do?
The most innovative, successful businesses don't make their people stand in line for recognition. "Wait your turn" should not be part of your company's phrasebook.
If it is? Then you deserve all the struggle and lost opportunity that plagues so much of the corporate world today.
* Read this recent post for more sober-minded career advice.
** For the whole story about this remarkable customer service expert, read Five-Star Customer Service
Don't Spam Me, Bro!
To contact us Click HERE
Auto DMs = Auto Unfollow*
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
A number of us in the #usguys Twitter tribe were sharing how obnoxious auto-Direct Messages (DMs) are on Twitter.
To summarize our chat: auto-DMs are obnoxious.
Here's the thing. You follow someone because you like what they tweet, or maybe because they follow someone interesting, so you figure, "Hey, we have this third party in common. Maybe this is a good match for us to get to know each other, too." I've found many of my favorite people on Twitter this way, a second or third level in.
So you reach out, and what do you get in return? A spammariffic message in your email inbox saying something inane such as, "Thanks for the follow!" Um... you're welcome ...-ish. I don't need another computer-generated email, is the thing.
The Shameless Self-Promotion
Even better, though, is the auto- shameless self-promotion. "Thanks for following! Friend me on Facebook, too (with link)." Or "Visit my website to learn all about ____ (whatever it is they're selling)."
Come on, folks! You can do better than that. Would you walk up to someone at a party and say, "Follow me on Facebook!" or "Check out my website!" Isn't that how people catch social diseases?
It could just be me, of course, but I'm a little slower off the mark. How 'bout we start with some polite chit-chat. Let me learn about you before we take it to the next level, huh? Just sayin'.
My friend @LewisPoretz has even gone so far as to create a LinkedIn group whose only rule for exclusion is shameless self-promotion. He tells me he's already had to exclude 3 of his LI pals in accordance with this one simple rule.
Folks, no one's perfect - some of us far less than others. (That would be me!) We're all trying to feel our way through the exciting new world of Social together, and it's going to involve all sorts of missteps - I've made more than most as I continue to educate myself, so I'm not just saying that. The more you fail the more you learn, as the saying goes.**
But really. Show some shame - and some tact - when you self-promote.
Next Social Media Monday, we'll discuss TrueTwit. As the ironically completely un-ironic name suggests, it takes a true twit to think this imposition is acceptable.
For earlier Social Media Monday posts:You Can Run, But You Can't HideThe Three Roles of Social in the EnterpriseMy Follow-Back PolicyIntroducing Social Media Monday!
* I wish I could remember who tweeted this piece of wisdom this weekend on #usguys. (Was it @starry_girl?) If you know, I'll amend this post. Sorry!
** Maybe it's just me who says this. If so, please make it your own. It really does work.
Don't be a Twit.
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Imagine you're at the store, and a mother with two tiny kids is struggling to navigate the door with all her bags while keeping her children with her. You hold the door open, just like your mother taught you, but rather than thanking you she stops dead and holds out her iPhone. On it you read, "Bonnie uses TrueTwit validation service. To validate click here." The link takes you to a page where you have to type out two Catchpa words before she'll walk through the door you're holding for her.
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
Huh?!?!
This happens all the time on Twitter, and just like the mother episode above, I just don't get it!
Say you notice a person interacting with a mutual friend on Twitter. You go to their profile page to check them out. They seem pretty interesting, so you take the plunge and click "follow."
...and the first thing they do is ask you to jump through a hoop. "[Person] uses TrueTwitvalidation service. To validate click here" followed by a link that takes you to a page with two of those Catchpa security words.
How is this okay? Whose mother would say, "Oh, yeah, that's good manners right there. Good going, Sonny!"
Are you with me on this? When you follow me, you are showing me a courtesy. My only appropriate response is "thank you," although I'm sure some people prefer to say "no thank you" for whatever reason. Allowing someone to follow me - that doesn't take me any effort at all. It doesn't detract from my Twitter experience in any way. A person can have a million followers, and so what? None of those followers take anything from the person they follow.
Now, if you spam me, that's a different story. And if you're a bot, there's at least a chance I'll figure it out. If I do, I'll unfollow you and block you with extreme prejudice.
Folks, you aren't doing anyone a courtesy by "allowing" them to follow you on Twitter, any more than that mother is doing you a favor by walking through the door you've opened. Saying "thank you" - that's polite, and expected, and maybe we'll take umbrage if you don't. But let's not confuse the two.
If you use TrueTwit, please stop. It's rude. Your mother raised you better than that.
*****See you here at the start of every week for Social Media Monday! I post a bunch throughout the week, as well, so don't be a stranger. And if you like what I write: thank you for commenting, and for sharing it with your friends. Don't worry, I won't make you validate your humanity before extending those thanks. ;)
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