Becky Robinson's Blog, page 53

Heeding the Lessons of Hermine

Want to know what will make you immediately focus your thoughts on the topic of “preparedness”? A direct hit by a Category One hurricane, that’s what!

When Hurricane Hermine came ashore near Tallahassee early in the morning on September 2, it was immediately apparent that for many of our city’s residents, the “labor” in “Labor Day” on September 5 would involve hauling fallen branches, doing emergency repair work on homes split apart by toppled trees, extracting water from flooded homes and businesses, and checking on the elderly and infirm. As I write this, nearly 21,500 are still without power, and schools are closed tomorrow (after being closed the Thursday and Friday prior to Labor Day).

While we cope with the immediate issues of shelter, food, water, and safe transportation, and some traffic lights must still be treated as four-way stops, the questions of “how could we have been better prepared?” are already beginning to be asked. They should be. Every disaster is a learning opportunity. Once we get everyone’s lights on, it will be time to ask what we can do differently next time to minimize damage to property, losses to our economy, risk to our safety, and frustration among our people.

Until debrief time, though, a few observations about social media during disasters.

The last time I weathered a hurricane in Tallahassee, it was 1985 and the only real responsibility I had in the world was myself. I spent the night with a friend. It was alarming but I can’t say I ever felt like my life was truly at stake.

With Hermine, more than 30 years later, my list of responsibilities had expanded. As National Preparedness Month (NPM) advises, “Anyone aged 2-102 should be ready for disasters.” My spouse and I shared responsibilities for:

Our 17-year old who is a student at a local public school. His school system canceled school for Thursday as it became clear the storm was doing to be a danger to our community. When disaster strikes while children are at school or daycare, every family needs a plan to reunite.
My 87-year-old father-in-law. With my father-in-law, the issue wasn’t his whereabouts (he’s always with us) but preparation on our part. Did we have enough of his medications to get through an extended period without power or the ability to travel to the pharmacy? Did we have adequate emergency lighting for him to navigate our home safely with the power out?
Our 20-year old college junior daughter, whose apartment an hour north of us was ALSO in Hermine’s path. In retrospect, I can say as frustrated as we were with our 52-hour loss of power, I was still happy that her power was restored earlier than ours. Our conversations prior to the storm about what she needed to buy (bottled water, flashlights, batteries) helped her prepare for Hermine and will help her in the future.

Compared to Hurricane Kate in 1985, social media made a difference in how we responded to Hermine. The difference was mostly positive.

Digital Communication Matters in Cases of Emergency

I often joke with friends that it is a double blessing to do something I love (social media) and actually be able to do it as part of making a living for my family. While I am scrupulous and demanding of myself regarding how I represent a client when, for example, I tweet about their upcoming book or webinar, it is not of life or death importance in the same way that communicating about a disaster matters.

Over the past five days as our community has ridden out Hermine together, social media has:

Informed, via tweets such as this one that explained progress toward getting people’s electricity going again, as well as photos which demonstrate the clear danger of making unnecessary trips around town:

Outage Stats Update:

Gadsden – 2063

Leon – 5774

Liberty – 15

Wakulla – 3222 pic.twitter.com/c6tOkfKtuv

— Talquin Electric (@TECtwwi) September 4, 2016

Encouraged, through countless offers posted on social media, such as this one from a friend:

We have power. If you need a place to charge phones, or chill in the AC or jump in the pool, or take a hot shower, come on by.

Expedited, such as this message where our City Commissioner was accumulating reports of residents still experiencing outages, especially if medical situations or other vulnerabilities were at stake:

And, to be honest, given people a way to complain. 

This article chronicles the spread of accusations on social media that political agendas impacted the level and depth of “help” accepted from outside contractors, as well as our mayor’s response.

Every effective process involves a debrief

Compared to Kate, when we may have had ideas about what could have been done differently, we were isolated. We couldn’t post our aggravation with, for example, the “lack of utility truck activity” in our neighborhoods with its related assumption that the absence of utility trucks meant our neighborhoods were possibly “less important.”

There have been PLENTY of armchair meteorologists, electricians, emergency management specialists, and resource allocation experts sharing their opinions on social media. While these ideas may have merit, I feel strongly that while a crisis is still actively unfolding, we must unify, focus, and prioritize.

The debriefings, though, must take place. I hope we will learn from them. There’s a great writeup of effective debriefing procedures in How & Why to Conduct an Incident Debriefing from FirefighterNation. Describing a well-run debrief as an invaluable opportunity, the article shares:

The information obtained from a critique may be used to complete an informal or formal post-incident analysis, or to develop future training and safety needs through the publication of an article or a hands-on training program.

Lessons from Katrina

I was deeply affected by the book Five Days at Memorial, which describes 5 days at Memorial Medical Center in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina struck. In addition, and somewhat ironically, I just returned from a visit to New Orleans as part of a NASA Social. It was my first post-Katrina visit to New Orleans and an opportunity to visit with my childhood best friend, who has lived in New Orleans since the late 80s.

New Orleans, a city filled with the most resilient people in this nation, will never be the same. My friend described the challenges she and her family faced after Katrina when they needed medical care, as well as the ways businesses have suffered and families have struggled to regain emotional and financial footing.

Five Days at Memorial is impossible to recap in a quick paragraph, but it raised so many questions about processes, ethics, and human nature. In 2016, when we are getting used to (in some cases) our health records being electronically stored by our providers so we don’t have to lug around pages of information, the book reminded me that batteries die and we can find ourselves grateful to have data written down on paper. Medications ran out, professionals trusted the wrong people, the “practice drill” that had been done just days before didn’t begin to touch on the threats from multiple sources that Memorial faced. (This Q&A with author Sheri Fink summarizes some of the issues.)

Sheri Fink says that one of the lessons from Memorial and Katrina was how everyone involved had to learn to act creatively without giving up on basic principles.

The same holds true for those of us who communicate professionally. Disasters push some communication needs much higher on the priority scale, and demand additional creativity, but ultimately we are in a unique position to inform, encourage, and expedite while supporting those who complain.

To do otherwise would be a disaster.

For more information on National Preparedness Month, click here. 

Fallen Tree Image: Courtesy of Donna L. Howarth of Tallahassee

Featured On Friday {Fanfare}: New Website for @Ken_Rutsky

When I first spoke with Ken Rutsky, the founder and principal consultant at KJR Asscoiates, Inc., back in the spring, I was excited to hear his ambitious plans for the summer: launch his first book and create a new website. A few months later, I am so proud of the work we have done to help Ken accomplish these goals!

The Weaving Influence design team completed a beautiful book cover design for Ken, and built his new website, kenrutsky.com, that highlights his work as a speaker, author, and consultant.

Ken Rutsky

Ken Rutsky helps B2B growth company executives in sales, marketing, and the C-Suite to breakthrough, achieve, and grow market leadership in new and existing markets. His clients not only lead, they improve key sales and marketing metrics like leads to revenue and opportunities to close.

Ken has spent 20+ years in B2B marketing roles, launching the Intel Inside broadcast co-op program in 1991 and the Internet’s first affiliate marketing program, Netscape Now, at Netscape from 1995-99; has been CMO at several start-ups; and has run network security marketing at McAfee.

The Book

Ken Rutsky’s new book, Launching to Leading, is now available from Amazon and other book retailers. Launching to Leading explains how and why market leaders succeed in breaking through and leading in today’s crowded markets, and reveals how to apply this to your business to take you from Launching to Leading and beyond. Learn more on Ken’s book page!

The Website

It was a lot of fun working with Ken, a very dynamic and pro-active collaborator, on his site! We are thrilled with the way it turned out and are happy to report that Ken is as well.

Check out Ken’s new site to learn more:

Ken’s Blog
Speaking
Consulting
Book

Connect with Ken on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Additionally, you can send him an email at ken@kjrassociates.com.

Interested in our book design or web design/development services? Contact us to learn more!

Three Keys to a Successful Author Website

It has been nearly six years since I finished school, but I still get that “let’s get down to business” feeling this time of year. As the Web Projects Manager at Weaving Influence, a lot of my business these days revolves around websites—the Weaving Influence website, our client’s websites, and the dozens of other websites that I interface with on a regular basis. We consider an author’s website to be the heart of their online influence and encourage every author to periodically take an honest look at their site and evaluate if it is serving their message and personal brand effectively.

There are so many types of websites out there; how can you know what’s important to focus on? By considering these three key elements, you can get your site in tip-top shape!

1. Easy on the Eyes

“Artistic, brilliant, and groundbreaking”—these are probably not the words you would use to describe the design of your website, and that’s okay. A great design does not need to contain a lot of bells and whistles. In fact, we recommend keeping your design fairly simple and straightforward. However, if your site fails to meet a basic standard of design, your business may suffer.

If you don’t know how to judge whether or not your design meets the mark, ask a few honest friends or colleagues what they think. It can also be useful to take a look at sites by those who are very successful in your field and see how yours measures up.

2. Content—It’s Where the Magic Happens

Our CEO Becky Robinson says, “the magic happens when you show up.” I am going to take this one step further with websites and add, “in your content” to that sentence. Your content should not just be words to fill space on the page, but rather a reflection of who you are—a professional in a relationship with your clients and anyone interested in your work.

Be succinct and to the point. When someone visits your website, they should be able to ascertain what you do and the benefit you provide within a few seconds. Your content should be true to who you are, but not all about you. Focus on your audience—how can you help them? What information can you include on your site that will provide real value?

Consider offering a free giveaway (known as a lead magnet) in exchange for an email address (your email list should be at the core of your online marketing strategy). This could be a chapter of your book, a quiz, or anything that will give potential clients a taste of what you have to offer.

Lastly, be engaging! Include photos, videos, testimonials, quotes—easy ways to help visitors to your site decide to stay and learn more.

3. Stay Up to Date

The last thing anyone wants to see when they click on a website are year-old blog posts, photos from six years ago, or worst of all, error messages. You should be reviewing your website quarterly, if not more often, to make sure that all information is current and engaging. Additionally, you should be doing regular updates to whatever platform you use (we use WordPress and recommend that clients update their plugins and themes monthly). If you are unable to commit to posting on your blog at least once a month, I would recommend removing it entirely, at least from the navigation of your site.

And even if you still have not made the jump to a smart phone, your website should have long ago! Most pages are now viewed on a mobile or tablet device. If your site is not mobile responsive, it is not relevant to most readers.

Even a website with a somewhat dated look can remain engaging, if the content and media is fresh and relevant.

These three keys will help you unlock your website’s true potential! Keep your online home clean and tidy and your visitors will be happy to stay for a while.

Need help with your website? We’d love to help! Contact us for more information about our web services.

 

Image credit: alicephoto / 123RF Stock Photo

Featured on Friday: #ChasingRelevance with @dannegroni

As much as I sometimes hate to admit it, I am a millennial. My generation has such a lousy stereotype: we are (supposedly) lazy with a huge sense of entitlement, always looking for the best deal in work or other realms, desperate for favorable feedback, disdainful of traditional or old-school methods, and basically me-centric in every way.

I respectfully disagree. While there is always a legitimate reason for most stereotypes, I know — and work with — plenty of millennials who are hard-working, steadfastly loyal to their employers and coworkers, disciplined and persistent in pursuing goals and dreams, and generous to a fault.

I suppose it’s true of every generation as they come of age and start to dominate the workforce, but we millennials are remarkably misunderstood. And yet those of us who are misunderstood are typically so busy keeping our heads down with work and other profitable endeavors that we need someone to speak up for us. Enter Dan Negroni, and his new book about breaking down these myths and truly learning to understand and connect with my generation.

“Millennials are not a problem to be solved, they are an opportunity that needs to be embraced.” – Dan Negroni

Meet Dan Negroni

Dan is the quintessential next-generation business management and talent development consultant and coach solving today’s critical cross-generational issues. He leverages his authentic, no-nonsense approach and experience as a CEO, attorney, senior sales and marketing executive, to help companies bridge the gap between managers and their millennial workforce to increase employee engagement, productivity, and profits. Dan is the founder and CEO of launchbox, a corporate training, consulting and coaching firm focused on creating next generation leaders. He has also served as CEO for start-up businesses in the health and fitness market and for a national consulting firm, as well as holding senior roles in sales, marketing and operations for a variety of service businesses in the technology industry. As an expert and author on managing and creating next generation leaders, Dan is also a frequent keynote presenter at all types of management and millennial-related events including corporate gatherings, association conferences, industry events and sales meetings.

He resides in Del Mar, California, with his wife of 25 years and the youngest of his three children, and is an avid health and fitness nut, running, biking, swimming and doing anything else he can to fight off looking his age. Read more at chasingrelevance.com, and connect with him on Twitter @dannegroni.

Discover ‘Chasing Relevance’

“Chasing Relevance is not only about Millennials. It’s about all of us working to connect with each other and to bridge the gaps between the generations for the greater good. With bold language and a powerful model, Dan Negroni urges readers to genuinely care, communicate, and build relationships from the inside out. Because to serve others, we must first understand ourselves.”

—Ken Blanchard, co-author of The New One Minute Manager® and Collaboration Begins With You

 Today there are more than 83 million millennials in the United States, representing 36% of our workforce. By 2025, that number will grow to 75%. If millennials are not your employees yet, they will be soon — as well as your biggest customers. Our ability to attract, train, manage, and retain this next generation of leaders is critical to the future success of our businesses. But a huge and damaging connection, communication, and understanding gap exists between non-millennials and millennials in our workplaces. Why? Because millennials are not a problem that needs to be fixed, they are an opportunity that needs to be embraced.

We must all find relevance in bridging the gap to create next-generation leaders, and that’s what Chasing Relevance is about: empowering businesses and their leaders by bringing together youth and experience to create powerful, connected workplaces. It’s time to stop chasing relevance and learn to truly understand, engage, and maximize your millennial employees and customers.

Check out what some of our Buzz Builders have to say about Chasing Relevance…

“You will learn a lot from this book. Some will apply to you and some will apply to how you can help millennials. I’m sure you’ll find that you can learn more going through it a second or third time.” {Read the rest of R. McConaughy‘s review on Amazon.}
“Working from the inside out with Dan’s guidance was fun for me. He guides us through a journey to better understand ourselves by examining 5 key points . . . After reflecting on these areas and really doing some homework on ME, I felt refreshed because I understand myself more clearly and better understand what I can bring to the lives of others via leadership or through mentoring. Dan led me down a path to put into action what I learned from inside me to influence those ‘outside.’” {See what else Lisa Kosak shares in her review.}

“Dan Negroni has hit that sweet spot in enabling us to see Millennials through a better frame than what we’ve attempted to do previously.” {Read more of Paul LaRue‘s review here.}


Learn More about ‘Chasing Relevance’ in the Webinar

What is your company doing to stay relevant, connect, and drive engagement with the next generation? Dan Negroni recently joined us for an interview to discuss the dramatic shift currently taking place in the workplace and marketplace. Among other things, he shared key trends that define the millennial generation; steps to bridge the generational gap; how to deliver value to connect with customers and employees; and how to stay relevant in a crazy, fast-changing world.

Did you miss it? Watch it free here.

Support the Launch

Buy the book if you haven’t already! (Amazon: US | Canada | UK | Australia)
Leave a review — we love reviews, and can never see enough of them on Amazon!
Write about it on your blog and send us the link so we can share it.
Share the graphics & tweets from the book site through your social channels.
Add it to your Goodreads shelf for others to find.

 

Is it Time to Give Your Social Accounts a Refresh?

Even if you don’t have children, you’ve probably noticed the back-to-school sales and first day of school pictures on your Facebook feed. Summer is winding down. Days are getting shorter. Nights are getting cooler. Well, not where I live in Northern Virginia, but I hear that in some parts of the country nights are getting cooler and fall is coming.

While I’m not in school currently and I don’t have children of my own, I still find that the back-to-school season is a great time to reassess and refresh. We talked recently about this being a great time of year to set goals.

It is also a great time to clean and purge both your physical space and your online space.

We recommend taking a look at your social media profiles three to four times per year to make sure that everything is up-to-date. What does that mean in practice? Here are a few areas to focus on:

1. Your Profile Photo:

Be honest – is your profile photo an accurate representation of who you are now? If your profile photo is from 15 years ago, it might be time to get a new headshot. If a professional photographer is beyond your means, chances are a friend or teenager you know can at least take a picture that is professional and clean.

If you want to take it a step further, a service such as Photo Feeler will allow you to upload several photos and get unbiased ratings on what your profile photo conveys about you.

2. Your Cover or Header Photos:

After you look at your profile photo, be sure to check out your cover photo. Is the photo still an accurate representation of you, your brand, or your product? If you’ve had the same header photo for over a year, it may be time to update to make your profile more fresh and appealing.

If you aren’t using a cover photo, why not add one? The cover photo or header is a great way to add more visual appeal and content to your profile. The right cover photo can also make you look more professional and help brand you.

3. Your Bio Section:

Once you’ve looked at the photos, it’s time to take a look at the language on your biographical information for each social channel. Is it up-to-date? Do you need to update any work or contact information? Are there any new publications, projects, or awards you want to add?

On LinkedIn, this process is a bit more intensive. Look at each work experience to make sure it accurately represents how you are trying to position yourself. Are there any new accomplishments you can add to your current position? Have you taken any classes or started any volunteer work? Be sure to add any new information and take off anything that is no longer relevant.

This three-step process shouldn’t take long. However, making sure your online profiles are up-to-date will go a long way in helping to establish you as a thought leader. tweet this

If you’d like more tips on leveraging LinkedIn to increase your thought leadership, download our free e-book!

 

Image credit: yupiramos / 123RF Stock Photo

Featured On Friday: Meet the Team with @k_giovanoli

You may know Weaving Influence as a [mostly] virtual team. There are, however, a select few who work in-person from the Lambertville, MI office. One of those team members is Kayla Giovanoli, a recent graduate from the University of Toledo. Kayla is one of the younger members of our team who has really hit the ground running, contributing enormous value to Weaving Influence. She certainly has a bright future ahead of her!

Kayla, tell us a bit about your personal life and interests.

I am a proud alumnus of The University of Toledo, I hold a B.A. in Communications and a focus in Public Relations. I have been employed with Weaving Influence as a Social Media Specialist since last September.  Recently I have taken on a new role with Weaving Influence’s sister company, Hometown Reads, as Community Manager.

I live in Oregon, OH with my fiancé Noel and our black Cockapoo Rocco… We are excited to become parents to a baby boy this fall!

Tell us about how you connected with Weaving Influence.

I found Weaving Influence through my internship at Susan G. Komen.  My supervisor at the time forwarded me the link to the job posting, and told me she thought I would be a good fit.  I ended up applying, only to hear that I was too late and candidates had already been selected.  As fate would have it, Becky was running a race later that week where Susan G. Komen had a booth set up.  She ended up talking to my supervisor and decided to call me and give me an interview! The rest is history!

What is your favorite part of your job?

I love being able to do different things everyday.  Working with social media is always exciting and changing, I like that it keeps me interested and never gets monotonous.  Working on so many different projects has allowed me to develop different skills and helped me learn what I enjoy doing.

What is your favorite book and why?

Harry Potter Series of course! I’m still waiting for my owl telling me I’ve been accepted to Hogwarts.

Connect with Kayla!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayla.giovanoli

Email: kayla@weavinginfluence.com

Twitter: @k_giovanoli

Levers of #Influence

This post is part of our 2016 Team Buzz Builder Guest Blogger series. Today we are pleased to introduce you to David Sparks, author of the inspiring SparkVoice blog.

Years ago I took a team position inside of major manufacturing company with no direct reports, but one that required specific outcomes. To achieve any positive outcome in my new role, influence was a must.

Over the last five years, I have discovered that to succeed in building levers of influence, you must do four things: be consistent, knowledgeable, honest, and a problem solver.

CONSISTENCY

Darren Hardy has said, “Consistency is the key to achieving and maintaining momentum.” When you are a model of consistency, you demonstrate you are reliable. People count on you to do what you say you will do. When people ask you to do something, they know you will do it as agreed. Over time, they will give you greater and greater responsibility, which allows you to have greater influence. Remember that being reliable doesn’t mean being “not creative.”

KNOWLEDGEABLE

One of the best ways to gain traction for influence is to demonstrate you have knowledge regarding a subject. It not only requires information from a book, but also practical knowledge. This allows you to be believable. This is especially helpful if you are an expert in an area that those you are influencing are not. In this way you bring a unique skill and trait. Billionaire entrepreneur, Shark Tank mogul, and NBA owner Mark Cuban strongly believes in gaining an information advantage, saying: “To this day, I feel like if I put in enough time consuming all the information available, particularly with the net making it so readily available, I can get an advantage in any technology business.”

HONEST

When you are honest, it is easy to build trust and influence. People know that your word matters — when you commit to something, you will do it. When you provide data, it is good data. Your honesty will allow people to trust your motives. John C. Maxwell rightly said, “You build trust with others each time you choose integrity over image, truth over convenience, or honor over personal gain.” When you desire to build influence, there is no greater tool than honesty as it goes hand in hand with integrity.

PROBLEM SOLVER

It is easy to find problems. It is easy to point out mistakes. What’s not easy is discovering solutions, identifying opportunities for improvement, and driving those through conclusion. It’s easy to blame others while skirting your own responsibilities within a process. When you are able to take yourself and your pride out of the situation, you allow the causes of a problem to be identified and allow solutions to come out. In situations you have faced in the past, where did you find yourself operating – -within the problem-finding space, or the problem-solving space? Once people find out you are a partner in resolving problems, you will become more involved across your organization increasing your influence.

While it’s easy to look out across the horizon and express a desire to be an influencer, true influence takes more than notoriety. tweet this

It requires work behind the scenes that is consistent, knowledgeable, honest, and driven to resolve problems. You will see the greatest results while embracing all of these levers — but even beginning one, you will see your influence grow over time.

 

David Sparks has a mission is to help ordinary people do extraordinary things. Therefore he writes and speaks about encouragement, simple ways to serve others, choosing to act, positive resources, and inspiring stories. He has an MBA in Organizational Development and Leadership from Oklahoma Christian University, and works for a major manufacturing company. He’d love to connect with you in the comments below, on his blog, or via Twitter.

 

Copyright: joggi2002 / 123RF Stock Photo

 

How to Reawaken Your Curiosity and Never Stop Learning

I am a bookworm, no question about it. I learned to read at age 3 and haven’t stopped since. Yet when I was recently asked what my favorite hobby was, I hesitated to say reading. Because that word by itself doesn’t quite say enough — after all, do I mean reading fiction? non-fiction? magazines? blogs? all of the above?

I took some time to consider how to define what I enjoy doing more than anything else, and finally narrowed it down to one overarching theme: feeding my curiosity. That incorporates many different activities, but all with the same end in mind — reading both fiction and nonfiction, exploring nature, learning new skills, practicing hobbies, trying new experiences, and just being inquisitive about life in general.

The word curiosity is defined as “inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring.” And I think that explains my mentality pretty well! But it hasn’t always been that way.

I used to take everything at face value, rarely digging beneath the surface of words or actions, and never letting myself wonder about the why’s and how’s of people, places, things, and ideas. I didn’t do anything to feed my curiosity, and so it became stagnant and forgotten.

But then something sparked my interest, and I started digging deeper, not because I had to for work or school, but simply because I wanted to learn something for my own personal enjoyment.

Know what the neat thing is about curiosity? The more you feed it, the greater it grows. 

Once you start asking questions, the more questions start coming to mind. Once you open your mind to explore the world around you, the more places you discover to keep exploring. Once you begin investigating the why’s and how’s of people and ideas, the more you start wondering and inquiring about.

I still have a ways to go in certain areas. I’m not nearly curious enough about people (hello #ISTJ!), and there are certainly a few topics I simply have no interest in learning about (umm… wastewater management, anyone?). But keeping an attitude of curiosity lets me constantly be amazed by mysteries of God’s creation, captivated by the depth and variety of personalities in this world, and intrigued by humanity’s progress (or lack thereof) over the past eight thousand years on this earth.

For instance, we recently moved to a small town in western Wyoming. After living in eastern states for several decades of life, I find myself captivated by the vast differences in topography, wildlife, industries, and mindsets between the two coasts. I find myself spending hours learning the names of all the wildflowers I see, and asking all sorts of questions about the plethora of wildlife that roams freely around the area. I’m exploring subjects I’d never given a thought to before — like the history of coal mining, the unique science of high elevation, and the expeditions of Lewis and Clark. Just one reason I’m thankful to live in an age where information is so readily available to us!

My point is this: the more I explore and learn, the more I want to explore and learn.

Maybe you’re not very curious. Maybe nothing new has sparked your interest in a long time, or maybe you’re simply too stressed or tired to pay attention to the fascinating world around you. Perhaps the bugle call of Netflix has drowned out the whispers of exploration and learning, or the contentment of the “known” has overshadowed the uncertainty of trying something new.

What can you do about it? How can you reawaken your sense of curiosity?

Take a few minutes today and try one of these ideas:

Google everything. Crowd-sourcing is great, but often you get simplistic answers without further explanations. Continue asking your social networks for help, but don’t stop there: next time, take 5-10 minutes to dig a little deeper online.
Get to know someone better. Make a note in your planner to spend 5 minutes today with someone you don’t know very well. Ask a coworker about their favorite hobbies, call an acquaintance to ask how they’re doing this week, or simply reach out to your neighbor across the street (cookies are always welcome, of course!).
Read, read, read. Reading awakens your curiosity no matter what genre you prefer. Not only does it keep your mind agile, but it lets you explore “strange new worlds” and awakens your interest in ideas. In fact, a recent study even confirmed a link between reading (even just 30 minutes per day) and a longer lifespan! Pick up a new book and read a chapter or two before going to bed tonight.
Let your mind wander. Stop scheduling activity for every.single.moment of every day. Instead, schedule 5-10 minutes (maybe during that afternoon slump?) to pause and daydream: ponder something out of the ordinary, explore the why’s and how’s behind what you see and hear each day, or simply let your mind contemplate some new venture or idea.
Use your smartphone. Forget social networks or games: the Curiosity app provides a fast, easy, and free way to keep learning something every day. It shares 5 short new facts every day, which you can simply scroll through or tap to learn more. You can also access it on the web if you’re not a smartphone user.
Keep a journal. All those things you’re starting to learn or be curious about? Write down one of them every day. Then review your list at the end of each week and pick one thing to learn about in more detail. Note: it doesn’t have to be time-consuming or deep; your entries could be as short as one sentence and as simple as noting a few details about someone you met or a book you want to check out.
Take a free class. It takes just a moment to bookmark this site or this site for a rainy day, and start thinking of a topic you’d like to learn more about — whether it’s related to your job or not! Every subject has something to teach us and applications that reach into myriad realms of life. For an added bonus, consider asking some friends or coworkers to sign up for a class with you.  You’ll build stronger relationships and learn something new at the same time!

My goal is to never stop learning: how about you? tweet this

Tell me something! How do you feed your curiosity on a regular basis?

 

Image credit: underverse / 123RF Stock Photo

Featured on Friday: Challenge Yourself with This Week’s #MustReads!

Where has the summer gone?! I’m thankful to not be governed by the school calendar this year, but August still feels like a “transition month” to me. It’s summer’s last hurrah; everyone’s trying to squeeze in one more vacation, and school is gearing up for students, parents, and teachers. Even those like me, who don’t have a family member in school, are influenced by the rhythms of the educational calendar.

Personally, I always try to re-evaluate my routines towards the end of the summer, whether they’re related to wellness habits or finances or time management. It feels like a good time to pause, reflect on what we’ve accomplished so far this year, and recalibrate before jumping into the last four months of the year. It’s not January, of course, but that doesn’t mean we can’t set new resolutions or goals: we still have time to reset our focus and challenge ourselves before the end of the year.

How about you? Here’s a few must-read links from recent weeks that might help you reassess your goals — and maybe even set some new ones!

If you’re looking for a change of scenery in your job — or if you’re just curious which organizations are most loved by their employees — check out this list from Anthology of the 40 Best Companies to Work For in 2016. Unfortunately, they forgot to include the very best one of all… Weaving Influence, of course!

Fur, Crystals, and Being More of You

When our CEO, Becky Robinson, went to the Berrett-Koehler Marketing Workshop in San Francisco recently, she came away from a client interaction with one 8-word takeaway that resonated enough to make it to her personal Facebook wall as well as our internal Slack dialogue.

What were those eight profound words from Dan Negroni?

Be more of you, it works way better.

A book I read recently supported that idea and prompted me to be more appreciative of the unique gifts I can bring to my work and my life, whether or not they fit into the conventional expectations of others. First, the takeaways, then the reveal of the book.

You Do You

The author discussed how she had tried to mold her mannerisms, voice inflections, and dress to the group she was hanging out with and wanted to be accepted by. Calling herself a “chameleon,” she talked about how she adapted a full-on British accent after the vacation she took in England at the age of 13. Throughout college, she became so immersed in her “pier” peer group, losing all vestiges of her unique self in favor of duplicating their characteristics that one of them finally took her aside to point out that they loved her for the fact that she was her, not the fact that she was going to extreme lengths to look, sound, and act exactly like them.

You’re already fabulous, so just be yourself.

~Max, The Honest Friend

Celebrate Your Competition

We all have choices to make, day in and day out, about how to conduct ourselves when we are players on the field of commerce. I have watched and taken notes as our CEO Becky and the Weaving Influence team propose how our services will be configured and priced to potential clients (or returning clients).

Personally, I have fought envy when fellow bloggers get more lucrative sponsorship opportunities or are selected over me to represent causes I feel I could represent well. When I read that I can’t apply for a certain opportunity because I don’t have, for example, 50,000 UMVs (Unique Monthly Views), it’s easy to feel that the requirement is unfair, since I could prepare a blog post that is as effective as someone with 50,000 UMVs.

But bloggers with 50,000 (or however many) UMVs got to that point by hustling, nurturing community among their followers, and applying themselves. I must choose whether I am going to pout about it in my little corner of the cyberworld or say “good for you” to them while celebrating their success (and taking notes about what I can do to get there).

A favorite passage in the book related to competition:

When competition gets fierce … it’s easy to get down on [those] gunning for you.

Fill your heart with gratitude and thank every single one of them for making you try harder, risk more, and be better than you ever would have been without them. Without the people who are constantly trying to outshine us, we would be the big, giant C word: complacent.

Our Job: Teasing Out Our Clients’ Fabulosity

I was on a conference call with a client recently. As a group, we were all struggling with one particular piece of our business together, but it was a piece that is fundamental to the long-term success of that client: pinning down a “tagline,” a distillation of what this client does so that it can be easily digested before a viewer loses interest and decides to click off of the client’s web page.

In the midst of an hour-long meeting, there was one five-minute or so period where the client was talking about the part of her work that she loves. She talked about receiving letters from people who believe their lives have been changed for the better. Of women who didn’t previously think they could get a promotion who asserted themselves and acquired new positions. Everything about our client’s voice and demeanor gained an additional “sparkle” as she talked about this part of her work.

As the book emphasizes:

Hang on to what sets you apart, because that is what makes you special.

She is already fabulous. She does need to keep being herself. It is our job to help turn that passionate tone of voice and the joy with which she spoke of that work into a consistent social media presence that sparkles too.

How Do People Know You’ve Been in the Room?

I have intentionally withheld the name of the book which made such an impression on me (but you don’t have to wait much longer!).

Here’s a quote that sort of gives it away (a big, pink, furry, crystal-studded hint anyway):

…some women just start pretending they’re one of the guys, as if taking up golf and dressing in a suit will magically make their pay gap disappear. It’s a mistake.

I stayed true to who I was. For example, I covered my headphones with pink fur and crystals, so if anyone walked into my studio, they knew who they were getting right away.

Every boss I’ve ever had has seen my headphones and has said, “Of course you have pink fuzzy headphones,” and that was it. I love that I am who I am, and everyone else should too.

~ Michelle Visage, Author, The Diva Rules

Why does THAT passage prod me to think about what being “The Big Green Pen” means for me? It doesn’t mean I’m going to run out and bedazzle my green pen. It means owning the things that make me “me”: being committed to using language well (including correct grammar and punctuation!), encouraging people to find causes they feel strongly about and to move “beyond the hashtag” to tangibly impact those causes, inspiring people to “write optimistically,” whether they are composing a 140-character tweet or their first novel.

It means when I hand you a green pen (even if it’s not furry or crystal-encrusted), that I have taken the time to get to know you and determined from our interaction that you are making a positive difference in your part of the world. It means Of course you deserve your own big green pen. Below – when I gave our Mark Miller his own green pen!

Yes, the book that inspired me so much is a bit different than our typical Weaving Influence fare. I can’t recall any of our previous books that had sparkly letters on the cover, hot pink zebra print inner linings, or “color block” tables of content. But all of those things make this book by a woman who has built a thriving career, including being a television personality, radio show host, platinum-selling recording artist, and entertainment industry celebrity with a three-decade tenure, uniquely “her” while dispensing credible advice.

How can YOU be “more of you”?