Becky Robinson's Blog, page 31

How to Succeed at Working Remotely

We’ve all seen the photos—digital nomads traipsing around the world, taking selfies with their laptops on white, sandy beaches. Or maybe it’s the pajama clad freelancer nestled among her fluffy pillows tapping away on her MacBook Pro.

Working remotely can be a dream for many; and now, with its proven increases in productivity, working from home is something that many find themselves dreaming about.

But despite the story those Instagram-filtered pictures tell, it’s not all sand and surf and throw pillows. Here are some tips to bring you back to reality and help you make the most of your remote working experience. 

Tip #1 – Stick to a Schedule

In my early days of working from home, work started before the sun. With young kids to care for, I found my most productive hours came in the dark and silence of early mornings. Unfortunately, I also found that I’d get so engrossed in my work that I’d forget to eat, get dressed, or formally start my day. Before I knew it, the kids were up screaming, “I’M HUNGRY,” and I’d emerge from my cave looking frazzled and wondering where the time had gone. I dropped the ball in every court except work, and that wasn’t acceptable.

Enter: Detailed Scheduling.

I started by scheduling out everything — stretch breaks, meal breaks, gym breaks, homeschooling hours, work hours, house and farm chore hours, everything. I took it one step further by setting alarms to alert me when it was time for any of those breaks, and while it seemed ridiculous at first, I saw a jump in my efficiency and productivity in all areas of working and motherhood.

Make a schedule and treat it with the same respect you would if you were working a typical 9-to-5. It will allow you more efficiency in your day and guard that precious work/life balance.

Tip #2 – Keep Your Health in Mind

We’re talking both physical and mental health here. Working remotely can be a lonely experience. And while the increased solitude is wonderful for minimizing distraction and enhancing productivity, it can get old fast. We’re communal beings by nature so even the most introvert of introverts will find themselves feeling alone and left out if they aren’t careful. Fortunately, there are ways to remedy this situation.

I prefer working in coffee shops. Being the introvert that I am, this gives me just enough people interaction so that I don’t feel completely alone, but I’m still able to be as productive as I’d like.

Another thing to consider: ask what sort of face-to-face opportunities are available in your organization. Here at Weaving Influence, we have monthly meetings where we come together digitally through Zoom to discuss various topics important to the Weaving Influence family. These times are a chance for us to connect, get to know each other better, and be reminded that there’s a living, breathing human on the other end of our screens.

Now let’s talk physical health.

Remote workers have a tendency to sit a lot, making small repetitive movements for hours on end. This is the perfect storm for fatigue and stress to your body and joints. Carpal tunnel, anyone?

Much in the same way that physical labor can be taxing, not moving your body enough can be just as taxing. You were made to move! You need to be conscious of this and actively counteract it. Fortunately, remote workers have the freedom to fit in those mid-day workouts. The gym will be less busy, your brain will enjoy the mental break, and the endorphin release will help with any of the lonely feelings I mentioned earlier. Schedule it (see tip #1) and get it done — your body and work will thank you.

Tip #3 – Not Everyone is Cut Out for Remote Work

Working remotely requires a certain level of discipline and self-motivation. This becomes all the more difficult when you’re actually working from home.

My kids are with me all the time. So, in addition to the mountains of laundry calling my name, I’m constantly being asked important things like, “Who would win a fight, Spider Man or Thanos?” And, “What color bow should I put in my doll’s hair?” It’s taken communication, lots of patience, and firm boundary-setting for the kids and I to figure out what working from home looks like.

But even if you don’t have kids at home, you’ll need to be honest about your ability to ignore distraction and create your own motivation.

Don’t let the internet fool you — working remotely isn’t always as carefree and wonderful as it seems. But with a little insight from those who’ve been at it a while, you can prepare yourself for the hurdles and wins of remote work.

Do you work remotely? What do you love and hate about it? Tell me in the comments!

 

Creating Relations with Media via Social Media

When you develop a reputation for being responsive and generous, an ever-expanding mountain of requests will come your way. ~ Adam Grant

You see value when the media talks about your work. It helps add credibility to your expertise, and escalates the opportunity to expand your reach with larger and focused audiences you admire. Nevertheless, don’t forget, journalists are people too — and if you want the news to know you, making the effort to know the voices behind the news will help your work stand-out and get picked up.

Here are a few ways you can build relationship with the media before you begin your pitching process.

Do Your Research

Here at Weaving Influence, we work with several authors that write about leadership and workplace culture. That said, our clients’ expertise consistently aligns well with topics covered in outlets like Forbes, Inc., SmartBrief on Leadership, and Fast Company.

If you don’t have print subscriptions or the time to scroll through these outlets regularly, you can stay up-to-date by subscribing to their newsletters that share top stories, or to catered reads on .

Once you find a few articles that parallel with your work, see who’s writing it and see what else they’ve written in the past 3-6 months. Look for anything on par with your background, and make a list of the 5-10 journalists who wrote them.

Find and Follow

Now that you have a list of reporters, look for them on social media and follow them. I recommend Twitter, as it is a common place reporters share their work and thoughts on other news. If you’re having trouble tracking them down, try searching for their social media handle within their bio page on a media outlet.

Also, go back and look at those who covered you before and check out some of their recent materials to see if the topics are similar. If so, follow them too!

Like, Share, Retweet, Repeat

Now that you have some new media contacts on your feeds, take a look at what they are tweeting and posting about and engage. Like, share, and retweet the content that inspires and interests you. This shows you appreciate their work and sets your expertise up to be appreciated. Set aside some time every week — even if it’s just an hour to read a few articles, tweets, post, etc. This will give you time to learn their tone and authentically interact with their shared content.

Don’t be afraid to engage with subjects that seem unrelated to your work. Remember, journalists are people, and when you spare a like and share here and there on a casual human interest, you remind them you are too.

They may not engage back, but they’ll notice the person always engaged in their work. Especially if you’re one of five.

A Couple Things to Avoid

While engaging with journalists, avoid pitching your idea via social media or over email too quickly. It will downplay all the previous efforts to engage. Don’t become the person who only shows support when they need a favor. Give it some time before you pitch anything.

Don’t use blocked time to stalk someone’s profile and inauthentically like and share all their posts back to back. If you react to 5 of his or her article posts in a row, it can be obvious you didn’t read anything. Take the time to read their content, and prove it by quoting their work when tweet/post or comment about it, and adding your personal and professional reflections where it deems relevance.

You’re playing for the long run, but your loyalty sheds a greater shot in being sourced and trusted. Taking the time with a sincere effort to build relationships with the media will increase the opportunities to share your expertise with the outlets you value.

How Trust Will Keep Your Followers Coming Back For More

On the heels of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, social media users are skeptical now more than ever to trusting influencers. Users are questioning how ads are targeted to them, what links are clickbait, and why the have to share their email address, and more. This makes the ever-so challenging digital marketing world that much harder to wade through to bring attention to your brand.

But, this one element can revolutionize the way you look at your social media — trust. Human relationships revolve around trust and without it there can be no relationship. Pay special attention to the word I used, “relationship.” I often tell clients that building followers is about building relationships.  In the real world, you do this by spending quality time with others, sharing memories, telling others your deep thoughts and biggest dreams.

Why can’t this be the same for the digital world?

Here are some ideas of how you can show up online in real, compelling ways . . .

In-the-Moment Content

Yes, we all need to promote our products, events, and business-related items. But that isn’t what should reign supreme on your feed. Posting candid, in-the-moment content shows your followers what they want to see . . . you! Waiting at the airport for your next venture? Share a photo. Backstage at before your big speech? Share a video. Behind the scenes at a photoshoot? Go live on Facebook on Instagram.

These small snapshots of real life content breathe life into how you show up online. They give followers a sneak peek into private moments, which makes them feel like they know you. It’s a simple step to build and nurture those relationships.

Sharing Your Views and Values

Sharing your opinion on the world’s hot button issues typically is a no-no. I wouldn’t recommend that a client blast their political views on social media; but sharing your values in a more polished way can create loyal, committed followers. Perhaps you support a charity in your local area or you have a soft spot for neglected animals. You can still share things that are important to you without hitting the “offensive” button.

Sharing your values builds that trust level because you are someone behind that screen with real-life interests. You aren’t just someone with a monetary end game . . . you want to make a difference with what you do.

Tap Into Trending Topics

What’s was your reaction to Michelle Obama’s surprise appearance at the Grammys? Tapping into what’s trending communicates that you are “in the know.” You are watching and reacting to the same top events that you followers are. You can sparingly use this content to place your stamp of opinion on topics in your wheelhouse, whether it be leadership or fashion. It makes your feed feel a bit more real and authentic.

Today’s social media marketing is more than the mundane, cookie-cutter content. Users want to feel as if what you are posting is directly personalized to them. I encourage you to not see this as a challenge, but an opportunity to step outside the box. Take a personal inventory and re-think how you want to show up online. Just remember to keep trust and relationship-building top of mind!

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Are you stuck in a rut? Has your promotion grown stale? Are your ideas stagnant? Do you stare at the blinking cursor and wonder what to write next? Does it seem like your blog posts are all the same? We’ve all been there!

In work and in life, it can be easy to continue to do things the way you’ve always done them. It’s comfortable and convenient, but it can also stall your forward momentum. If you’re ready to shake things up in 2019, then it’s time to take a risk and try something new!

Don’t hold onto a habit just because it’s comfortable.

If you notice a downturn in engagement, it could be a result of the change in social algorithms, but it could also be that your accounts have become predictable. If you are bored with your posts, it’s going to come through that way to your audience as well. If you’re still posting on Google+ but completely ignoring Instagram and LinkedIn, then it’s definitely time to shake things up! Tired of posting on Twitter? Focus on something new! If you’ve developed writers block and grown weary of writing full-length posts, consider switching it up and creating mini-blogs on Instagram or doing a weekly Facebook Live. Just because something used to work (and even work well) does not mean you have to keep doing it.

And just because it worked in the past, doesn’t mean it always will.

Instead of continuing to do what worked five years ago, shake up your schedule of promotion. Change up what you’re posting, incorporate new ideas, create share graphics that highlight your own content, and don’t waste your time on things that no longer meet your needs or the interests of your audience. Keeping tabs on where your audience hangs out will give you a sense of freedom to move on and change things up. Even though I met my boss on Twitter, neither of us spend much time on there these days and have moved on to new platforms that meet our respective needs.

So be willing to try something new.

In terms of book promotion, we’ve had to get a little more creative as the social landscape has changed. It’s been vital to our success that we resist the pull of the comfort zone and seek out ways to make our clients stand apart from the competition. Shaking things up a little has made our whole team take a look at what we do for “best practices” and consider whether or not those things are still the best that we could do, or if something else needs to take their place. Sometimes old faithful is still the best option (for example, Dan Rockwell is still rocking the Twittersphere!), but make sure you’re not hanging on just because it’s what you’ve always done. If you’re scheduled to launch another book, remember to include a new promotional tool or idea in your plan. If you’re no longer getting engagement on Twitter, try opening an Instagram account (and follow us @weaveinfluence). Don’t get stuck in the past!

The slide into a slump often happens without even realizing it, especially if you’ve been doing something for a long time. So if you want to experience growth, then it’s time to step outside of your comfort zone and give something new a chance!

Don’t Be Afraid to “Newsjack”

Have you ever been at a party where you’re awkwardly standing outside of a group of people who are talking? You want to get involved in the conversation, but you don’t know how. Do you interrupt? Do you wait until you have something to say? Do you say nothing at all?

Chances are you’ve learned the best way to get involved and be heard is to talk about what they’re talking about instead of starting a new topic. So, if they’re discussing the rain, you don’t try to segue into feline AIDs, for example . . .

Well, when it comes to public relations, it’s not much different.

I’m talking about “newsjacking,” folks. What’s newsjacking? Newsjacking, as coined by David Meerman Scott, is “the art and science of injecting your ideas into a breaking news story so you and your ideas get noticed.”

Instead of trying to start a new topic of conversation—like, ‘Hey! I have a new book out! And you should cover it!’— you ride the wave of what people are already discussing. An airline kicks a passenger off the plane, you take your customer loyalty expertise and talk about customer relations, as WI author Chip Bell has done. Drama between Congress and President Donald Trump? You use your knowledge of personality science and conflict resolution, as another WI author Nate Regier has done.

Many people are hesitant to inject themselves into certain news stories because they fear they don’t know enough about the subject or they don’t want to get pulled into the mess (especially political stories). But you can ride the news wave without it poorly reflecting on you if you do three things:

Make your own angle. Regier, author of Conflict Without Causalities, isn’t in politics but he does have a background in psychology. Thus, he’s been able to add his insights about leaders, like President Trump, as it relates to his expertise. You have the power to decide on what you want to talk about as it relates to news items. You don’t have to be an expert on the topic directly but you can share your expertise as it relates to the topic. Think about what wisdom you can share and use this as an opportunity to spread it.
Don’t name names. It’s okay to be vague. If you don’t want to risk getting incendiary comments, messages, or tweets because you seemed to skew right or left with your commentary, don’t talk about the situation directly. Stick to the expertise you want to share and then use a general reference to what’s happening currently.
Don’t comment. It’s okay to say those two popular words, “No comment,” if you’re in an interview and it veers to a side you don’t want to go. Remember, you’re in control of the conversation. It’s perfectly fine for you to say, “I am not at liberty to discuss that” or “That’s not something I can speak to,” and suggest what you can talk about.

You can start newsjacking by scanning the headlines regularly and seeing what interests you. If you’re working with our PR team, let them know what newsjacking opportunities you may see or ask to brainstorm some ideas. Newsjacking is a great way to get media attention and increase name, brand and book recognition—with no need to convince someone to cover you.

If you have something to say, don’t hold your tongue. SAY IT!

Scaling Leadership: Building Capability and Capacity

Is your leadership built for scale as you advance in today’s volatile, uncertain, dynamic, and disruptive business environment? Some leaders are capable of rapidly growing the organization while simultaneously transforming it into more agile, innovative, adaptive and engaging workplace. Other leaders, unfortunately, cancel themselves out and seriously limit scale. Which one are you?

This week’s featured book, based on groundbreaking research, shows how senior leaders describe and develop leadership that works and does not, that scales and limits scale. It compares the ripple of growth initiated by effective leaders with the stagnation caused by ineffective ones; and shares effective, proven ways to develop more leaders all around you.

Scaling Leadership

Scaling Leadership provides a proven framework for magnifying agile and scalable leadership in your organization. Scalable leadership drives forward-momentum by multiplying high-achieving leaders at scale so that growth, productivity and innovation increase exponentially. Creative leaders multiply their strengths beyond technical competence by leading in deep relationship, with radical humanity, passion, and integrity.

Drawing upon decades of solid research and experience enhancing individual capability and collective leadership effectiveness with Fortune 500 companies and government agencies, the authors provide an innovative and efficient framework to help you:

Take stock of your own personal balance of leadership strengths and weaknesses
Scale your leadership in deep relationship and high integrity
Proliferate high-achievers throughout your organization’s leadership system
Identify ineffective leadership and course-correct quickly
Transform your organization by transforming leadership

Scaling Leadership is an invaluable tool for executives, managers, and leaders in business, academia, nonprofit organizations, and more. This innovative resource provides effective techniques, real-world examples, and expert guidance for organizations seeking to improve performance, align and execute strategies, and transform their business with scalable leadership capability.

Meet the Authors

Robert Anderson is the founder and Chairman of The Leadership Circle and co-founder and Chairman of the Full Circle Group. Bob has dedicated his career to exploring the connections between leadership, mastery, competence, consciousness, spirituality, and business. He is a true pioneer in the field of leadership development and research. He spends the majority of his time researching, writing, consulting, and speaking around the world, and is dedicated to impacting the consciousness and effectiveness of leadership globally. Bob’s practical wisdom, humility, creativity, humor, and expertise provide a rare and transformative experience with whom he works.

William Adams is the co-founder and CEO of Full Circle Group and The Leadership Circle. Bill has over 30 years of experience as a trusted advisor to CEOs and their teams around the globe. He partners with leaders to unlock breakthrough performance, develop deep leadership capability/capacity, and transformational business results. Bill is known for his practical commonsense approach to sorting through complex and difficult situations and produce exceptional results. He works with leaders as a leader himself that is learning and growing. His clients range from Fortune 100, multi-national corporations to fast growth start-ups, and include some of the best known and respected businesses in the world. Bill holds a Master’s degree in Interpersonal Communication from the University of Montana, and has over 40 years of hands-on business experience having started, run, and sold multiple businesses. He is an avid outdoorsman (currently residing in the mountains of Utah and Montana), married to the love of his life, Cynthia Adams; and together they are actively involved as parents and grandparents to 10 grandchildren.

Praise from Readers 

“Scaling Leadership delivers the most street-savvy, evidence-based and conscious leadership approach on the planet. If you want to future-proof your organization, thrive in the face of rip-roaring change, and cultivate a flourishing world, then drink deep from the wisdom of these pages and then share it with every leader you know.”  — Barrett Brown, PhD, Global Leadership Expert, Author of The Future of Leadership for Conscious Capitalism

“Scaling Leadership takes what is elusive about leadership and puts it in plain sight. The authors expertly unpack how to scale leadership with such clarity that you and your team can apply it day-to-day in operations. If you want to lead your organization to create what matters, then you need to know how to scale leadership, individually and collectively. If you don’t want to be derailed by a rate-limiting leadership bottleneck, at a time when your organization can least afford it, then apply what is in this book. . . . It shows you how to do the most difficult and yet, the highest leverage thing you can do as a leader—let go so you can scale.”  — Gary Colpaert, Vice President Clinical & Support Services, Froedtert Hospital

“Anderson & Adams offer some startling new evidence that the conventional view on what makes for great leadership may not be the whole story. Read, be surprised and get clarity in which way both strengths and vulnerabilities can add to effectiveness.”  — Dr. Susanne Cook-Greuter, Research Director, Vertical Development Academy (VeDA)

“Wow! What a book! Anderson and Adams have mined their rich set of data on what makes leaders truly excellent, and they have struck gold. By helping us understand the way that some core leadership strengths actually become liabilities at scale, they solve one of the most important leadership mysteries. Now we understand what the true leadership superpowers are—and we can see how to cultivate them. Scaling Leadership is fascinating, bold, and brave. It will help you shift from the patterns that have helped you in the past to those that will create a better future. I am very excited this book is in the world.”  —  Dr. Jennifer Berger, Author of Simple Habits for Complex Times and Changing on the Job

Learn More

Visit Amazon to buy a copy of the book, or leave a short review of it.
Check out the website to learn more about the book and its authors.
Watch the recent webinar to learn more about the framework for scalable leadership.
Take the free self-assessment to start enhancing your own leadership development.

3 Reasons You Should Consider a Webinar in Your Marketing Efforts

Congratulations! You’ve written your book, you’ve secured a publisher, you’ve made countless edits, now it’s time to market your book to the world. We frequently talk about the benefits of blogging and being present on social media — but what about other forms of media, like webinars? 

Don’t have a published book? No problem! Webinars aren’t exclusively for published authors. If you’re a thought leader looking to connect with other thought leaders or want to get your message into the world in a wider way, webinars could still be a good fit.

Over the years, we’ve conducted many webinars with a wide variety of authors and thought leaders. Here are our top 3 reasons why we think webinars are totally worth the time and investment.

1. Increase your exposure to new audiences

By marketing your event successfully, you’ll easily get your message and name in front of new eyes. In addition to marketing a book or service, webinars also provide the opportunity to share ways that people can connect with you further. Include a slider with links to buy your book, sign up for your email list, or connect to your social channels or website. Easily keep people connected with you, so you can continue to share your messages with them in the long term.

2. Fuel Your Email Campaign Efforts

Part of marketing your book is sending emails to your lists to drum up excitement about your new accomplishment. And, who doesn’t want a bigger list? A bigger list = more opportunities to share your message with the world. Use the webinar as a platform for converting people to your email list. A great way to do this is to offer a free white page, study guide, or other downloadable resources to those who sign up.

3. Boost your Sales

People love to connect with and hear directly from the author. Giving the audience time to interact with you, even digitally, can be a meaningful experience. Because of this type of interaction, we typically see a boost in book sales as soon as a few hours after we conduct a webinar. And, if you interact with your audience during the launch week of your book, you can create even more excitement around your title.

Planning & Marketing Your Event

Using platforms like GoToWebinar or Zoom easily allow you to create landing pages where people can register for your event. You can add graphics or logos to these landing pages to incorporate your branding into the event.

Next, don’t forget to market your event! We recommend sending a few emails to your lists (typically 3 weeks before the event, and another email 1 week before the event) inviting people to register. Create graphics that showcase the webinar speakers or book and share on your social platforms (Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all great options). Include the registration link and use some hashtags to widen your reach. Also, consider if you want to conduct your webinar in an interview format or if you want to incorporate slides to help explain content that is more visual in nature.

On the day of the event, log onto the platform early to ensure your technology is working correctly. This helps remove any anxiousness or nervousness you may be feeling about the event going smoothly. And finally, when it’s time to go live, have fun! The best webinars are ones in which the participants are having fun and sharing their ideas in an interesting and informal way.

If you’re stuck on ideas, here are a few topic possibilities:

Discuss key thoughts from your book, if you have one.
Interview another thought leader or someone that shares your field or area of expertise.
Explaining or discussing another hot topic that you or your organization focuses on.

Whatever you decide to do, planning and marketing a webinar doesn’t have to be taxing.

With over 7 years of webinars under our belt, we’d love to partner with you to share your message into the world. Contact us if you’d like to chat about webinar possibilities!

The Nine Dimensions of Conscious Success

Achieving success is a very personal challenge in today’s crowded, competitive economy. Trial and error is no longer the best option — nor is it even an efficient option. Instead, personal and professional success is dependent on your discovery of the answer to the following questions: What is my best purpose to achieve conscious success? How can I demonstrate high awareness for conscious success? How can I positively differentiate myself from others?

This week’s featured book promises to help you answer each of these questions, and provides a structured approach to accelerate your path to the top. It does so by stressing a conscious self-awareness of what you really want in life.

The 9 Dimensions of Conscious Success

In The 9 Dimensions of Conscious Success, David Nielson addresses the dilemma of how to define your purpose in life to achieve conscious success. Drawing upon his unique life experiences as a management consultant, executive coach and as an organizational developer at Coors Brewing Company, Nielson outlines a practical process model for you to achieve individual success. He uses real-life stories, humor, and a humble approach that has connected with audiences of all ages worldwide in his consulting practice and in the pages of this breakthrough book.

Nielson builds the foundation of his Conscious Success Model on three pillars and six differentiators. The three pillars are:

Purpose
Self Awareness
Social Awareness

When combined and mastered, these essential starting blocks will bring you fulfillment on their own — but they can also be used to create your unique brand, style, and strong reputation. They also support the structure of six key differentiators identified to create Nielson’s nine-dimensional model for achieving success, which include:

Authenticity
Work Ethic and Personal Responsibility
Listening for Results and Connections
Articulation for Impact
Humor
Gratitude

Each differentiator is a powerful tool (when mastered) to strengthen your brand and your reputation, and to open doors to opportunities that allow you to fulfill your purpose . . . as consciously planned!

The 9 Dimensions of Conscious Success is a must-read for young executives, career professionals, entrepreneurs, or anyone committed to a personal and professional development journey. A critical starting point on that journey is utilizing the interactive Conscious Success Assessment® — an added bonus for readers. This assessment allows you to increase your self-awareness before creating your own Conscious Success Action Plan.

If you are tired of the trial and error approach to your life, read this book and find yourself on the path to conscious success today!

Meet the Author

David Nielson is the founder and CEO of DNA Worldwide, a management consulting firm specializing in the execution of business strategy implementation and large-scale change. He brings over three decades of corporate, Fortune 500, and private consulting experience in organizational change management, leadership development, and training.

David has helped guide large-scale change initiatives and business strategy driven by ERP, mergers, restructuring, and the need for cultural change. He has been a featured and frequent speaker at PMI, Project World, Chief Executive Network, Management Resources Association, TEC, IABC, Training Director’s Forum, and the Alliance of Organizational Systems Designers. He has worked around the world delivering training and consulting services in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, Malaysia, Brunei, Australia, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico.

Formerly the Managing Director of a small boutique consulting firm, David specialized in Strategic Change and Accelerating Implementation. He served as Director of Organization Development and Manager of Sales and Marketing Planning at Coors Brewing Company, with an emphasis on sales management, training, and organizational development. A co-founder of the Denver Organization Development Network Chapter, David is a community leader; he has served on the boards of Red Rocks Community College and the National Pain Foundation, and is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Colorado Boys’ Ranch.

Praise from Readers Like You

“David’s writing style is personable, interacting, and full of real-life stories and examples that I can relate to. . . . an outstanding book to not only develop your skills and growth, but it will help articulate how you come across and sell yourself to others. I finished this book in one sitting because I lost myself in the ideas and possibilities. David E. Nielson offers real-life examples and how implementing his models will have an impact on your life. There are action steps and lessons throughout the book. The book is down to earth filled with humor and the many mistakes that David and others have made during their leadership and life purpose journey. This book is a winner, and it should be one that you pick up today to start your journey!“

— Lisa Kosak, 5-star Amazon review

“This book helps you be true to yourself and not succumb to fitting in a box for success. Assignments at the end of each chapter add tremendous value for the individual to take action toward his/her definition of success.”

— Steve Pendleton, 5-star Amazon review

“A great read for thought-provoking and conscious self-assessment leading to better self awareness within your career (or personal) journey. Worthwhile for young graduates starting a career and also good for those who feel stuck or just spinning wheels without getting ahead.”

— Linda Castle, 5-star Amazon review

“A solid practical look at a well-worn topic — how to lead a purposeful life that yields results that we all value. Nielson provides principles, practices, and parables that serve as your encouraging wake-up coach.”

— Chip Bell, 5-star Amazon review

Learn More

Visit the website to learn more and access (free) helpful resources.
Buy a copy of the book, or leave a short review of it, on Amazon.
Watch the recent webinar with David to learn more about the 9DCS model.

Social Media Trends for 2019

Here we are a couple of weeks into 2019, and we’re already seeing momentum building behind trends we predict will explode over the course of the year. If you haven’t tried these things yet on your social media platforms, now is the time to be an early adopter — or earlyish adopter — of the big ideas that will shape social this year.

Ephemeral Content

Snapchat pioneered ephemeral content, but now Instagram and Facebook are making it ubiquitous. Ephemeral content is content that is available only for a limited time, such as Instagram or Facebook stories. At first,  stories on these two platforms felt like a weak attempt to imitate Snapchat and attract younger users; but now,  stories are becoming an important part of successful social media strategies. That’s because both Facebook and  Instagram have tweaked their algorithms, giving more visibility to stories and less visibility to traditional newsfeed posts. Instagram stories are now reaching 400 million people each day.

This is all part of the personalization of digital media that we predict will continue long-term. These snippets of content can be created and shared with custom audiences, and they are a powerful way to create a personal face for your brand and bring your audience behind the screen.

Video and Live Content

These were trends last year, and the year before, and here they are again. With the rise of ephemeral content, video is yet again king. Videos do especially well in the stories format, and they continue to outperform other types of content in news-feeds. If you’ve resisted video, know this—resistance is futile. Video is not going away.

Live is the natural extension of video. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter all have live functions. As with ephemeral content, the algorithms give live greater reach. If you want to grow your profiles and your audience, live and/or video is a good bet.

Influencers (Big and Small)

Influencers continue to exert tremendous power on social media. Get an influencer to share your content, and an account can grow exponentially overnight. What we’re seeing now is the rise of the micro- or nano- influencer. These are people with strong, engaged niche followings who may not have millions of followers, but who have followers in there of interest who are engaged and take action. Connecting with influencers, big or small, will continue to be a powerful strategy for many brands and thought leaders.

Engagement

It’s great to have a lot of fans/followers, but as many brands have found out the hard way, if those people aren’t engaged the numbers don’t mean much. Social media marketers have been preaching the gospel of engagement for years, but now platforms are on board, too. For instance, that pesky Facebook algorithm is focused on engaging content and driving real interactions. If your content doesn’t create opportunities for engagement, you’ll quickly notice your reach dropping. Those old clickbait calls to action won’t work now, either. It’s time to dig deep and create content that really connects with your audience.

Twitter Slowly Ceases to Matter

Twitter’s problems just continue to mount. It’s never had a solid revenue plan, and it’s attempt to drive ad sales last year with a monthly “boost everything” fee fell flat. The crackdown on fake users was a start, but the platform hasn’t fully addressed hate speech and manipulation of the platform. Top that off with a newsfeed filled with political vitriol, and users are bailing. If you have a Twitter account, you’ve likely noticed a drop in followers and engagement over the past year—that’s what it looks like when a platform loses relevance. If you have a large number of followers and you continue to have success on Twitter, we recommend you stay put. For potential new users, we’re no longer recommending Twitter as part of a successful social media strategy. It will be interesting to see if the company can right the ship, or if it will continue to sink in 2019.

What trends are you going to try out this coming year?

Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go, 2nd Edition

Six and a half years ago, we launched a book that was destined to become a success. Filled with practical tips, guidelines, templates, and nearly a hundred suggested conversation starters, it quickly rose to bestseller status and became a must-read for leaders interested in career development.

This week, we’re so excited to be supporting the launch of the updated second edition of the resource that Marshall Goldsmith calls “the career conversation bible for busy managers.” Illuminated with stories, quotes, and the perspectives of real managers and employees, this book proves that careers are best developed one conversation at a time.

Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go

The new edition of the bestselling employee development classic includes advice on engagement and retention in today’s more flexible employment environment and a new chapter on creating a career development culture in your organization.

Study after study confirms that career development is the single most powerful tool managers have for driving retention, engagement, productivity, and results. But most managers feel they just don’t have time for it. This book offers a better way: frequent, short conversations with employees about themselves, their goals, and the business that can be integrated seamlessly into the normal course of business.

Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni identify three broad types of conversations that will increase employees’ awareness of their strengths, weaknesses, and interests; point out where their organization and their industry are headed; and help them pull all of that together to create forward momentum. And the new chapter includes an assessment so you can measure how well your current culture supports development — and how to improve it.

The new edition is also accompanied by an interactive card deck to help you build the career development habit. Make career development conversations fun and interactive with this deck of cards featuring the most insightful questions leaders worldwide have been asked—or wish they had been asked. Use them to assess your career development style, engage others, incorporate new, richer conversations into your day-to-day interactions with employees, plan a career conversation with your own manager, and more!

Meet the Author

Julie Winkle Giulioni is an author, speaker, and consultant who helps organizations and businesses:

Demystify what it takes to become a great ‘people leader’.
Fire up the passion and commitment of employees.
Keep great talent by activating and developing it.

She works with clients domestically and internationally, offering keynote addresses, facilitated workshops, custom webinars, elearning and microlearning solutions that deliver measurable results.

Julie is the co-author of the Amazon bestseller, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want. She’s one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers. She is a regular contributor to The Economist, SmartBrief, Saba’s TalentSpace, the Conference Board’s Human Capital Exchange, and a variety of publications, and offers thoughts on leadership, career development, and more via her blog.

Julie has served as consultant, trainer or speaker to such organizations as American Express, The Conference Board, Macy’s, International Monetary Fund, J.D. Power and Associates, University of California, Verizon, ASTD International Conference, Honda, Green Mountain Coffee, HR Summit, Tenaris, Nemak, SHRM, Sunglass Hut, Kroger, World Congress of HR, Environmental Defense Fund, and University of Dayton.

Praise from Readers Like You

“This isn’t just a book, it’s a resource. Read the book through and then come back to it over and over for new ideas. It is so full of ideas and action items you can’t possibly do it all at once or in order. And work will be required. You won’t get better reading this book. You will become aware of the gap, and you will receive ideas and tools to close the gap. Each chapter is full of assessments, myths debunked, and fresh ideas and new ways to look at old problems. If you want to get serious about retention, this book is a must!“

— Mike Henry Sr, 5-star Amazon review

“. . . this book provides great questions for you to ask employees and leaders about their career aspirations. Asking great questions is hugely important – and you don’t have to know all the answers! (Very few humans do have all the answers.) This book won’t make you a career expert but will help you engage in this vital conversation – and help you retain talented, engaged players in the years to come.”

— Chris Edmonds, 5-star Amazon review

“This book should be required reading for all first-time supervisors, seasoned managers and organizational leaders. Employees yearn to work for the boss that cares about their careers, and helps them to achieve their full potential. Yet, few find the time to do so. Ten minutes a day? Ten minutes a week? Julie Winkle Giiulioni offers tips to follow. Do it!“

— Diana Peterson-More, 5-star Amazon review

“ I’ve been using the first edition for years and was curious whether an upgrade would be appropriate. Yes! I appreciate the relevant perspective of leveraging this for ANY individual working for you — a full time permanent employee, a contractor, a consultant. Discussing and linking to career aspirations makes a difference regardless of the ’employees’ expected tenure.”

— Bella, 5-star Amazon review

Learn More

Visit the website to learn more and access (free) helpful resources.
Buy a copy of the book, or leave a short review of it, on Amazon.