Becky Robinson's Blog, page 73

Taking the Next Step on Core Values

My team and I are working to incorporate our core values into our company culture. We’re talking about our core values regularly and writing blog posts to talk about how we live out our values every day.

But yesterday’s webinar (watch now!) with Chris Edmond’s reminded me of an important area we’ve missed.

Every core value needs to be tied to desired behaviors in our organization. We cannot measure performance and alignment of behaviors to our values without first identifying the behaviors we desire.

It’s nice to be able to rattle off our values: generosity, responsiveness, integrity, partnership, growth, and flexibility. Far more important is living the values, and values are lived and displayed by our behaviors.

What do we do that shows we value responsiveness? What do we do that shows that we value growth?

I asked Chris: What is the ideal number of core values for any organization?

Chris says 3 values is desirable because 3 values = 9 behaviors. 9 behaviors are manageable to measure. If you have 10 values = 30 behaviors, it becomes far more difficult to track.

With our 6 values, our next step as a company is to identify the 3 most important behaviors for each value. Once we do that, we will have 18 desired values-aligned behaviors to work toward, measure, and celebrate. This feels do-able.

Has your organization identified values? Have you crafted an organizational constitution?

If not, Chris’ new book, The Culture Engine: A Framework for Driving Results, Inspiring Your Employees, and Transforming Your Workplace is an excellent resource. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy for yourself and other leaders in your organization — today.

Find more inspiration from Chris’ book at thecultureengine.com and send him a tweet @scedmonds to congratulate him on the launch of his book.

 

The Small Gestures Matter

This year my husband enjoyed his birthday on a Saturday.

When I heard the loud noise from his Blackberry signifying an incoming email, I likely sighed. His position in a government agency requires that he stay connected 24-7. After 12 years, I should be used to the weekend emails, texts, and calls out, but I still feel cranky when work overtakes family time.

Except that this time, my husband smiled. “Look at this, ” he said, handing me the phone.

The subject line: Happy B-Day. The message:

Good morning.

I just wanted to wish you a Happy B Day and hope you  get a chance to relax and enjoy the day..at least a little…sure the family is taking good care of you.

I don’t say it enough but thanks for what you do each and every day in support of our  efforts in the “identifying information removed, specifics about the ways my husband contributes added here.”  Needless to say we are lucky to have you here in the division and your commitment, and partnerships are greatly appreciated. Please know your hard work and  dedication do not go unnoticed. It is an honor to serve with you.

Again, Happy B Day and enjoy the day!

Leaders first name here.

It likely only took this leader a few minutes to share the message, but the result in how his gesture made my husband feel was incredible.

My husband serves in a division that includes more than 400 workers, and the top leader works in a city two hours from here. Typically, he gets a phone call at his desk from this leader on his birthday, but this year, since his birthday landed on a Saturday, he got this note instead.

As leaders, we can’t motivate those we lead; they are already motivated.

However, our actions can create an environment in which our team’s psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence are met. When we do, we increase the likelihood that employees will have a sense of positive energy and vitality about their work.

Susan Fowler’s new book, Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work and What Does: The New Science of Leading, Energizing, and Engaging, explains and explores the true nature of motivation and how leaders can make a difference by helping people understand why they are motivated. As Fowler writes, “Being a leader is a privileged position. What you say, how you say it, and why you say it make a difference in the lives of the people you lead.”

Even gestures that seem small, like a few lines in a birthday email, can make a huge difference.

What are you waiting for, buy and learn from Susan Fowler‘s new book — today! Or share some of the graphics and tweets from her book, here.

Featured on Friday: Leaders Open Doors

On July 12, 2013 I wrote our very first Featured on Friday. And who did we choose to highlight? None other than Bill Treasurer, author of Leaders Open Doors.

In 2013, we had the opportunity in help Bill launch Leaders Open Doors – and many of you joined us. Now, in 2014, we all get to be a part of Bill’s team again!

Bill’s book – originally inspired by his 5-year-old son, Ian – has been picked up and traditionally published by ATD Press. So what’s changed? Bill’s royalties just got bigger. And what hasn’t changed? He’s still donating 100% of those royalties to organizations that open doors for people with special needs, like his daughter Bina.

What’s New This Time Around?

In addition to coming out as a hardcover book this time, Bill has also included a new epilogue in this edition.  Renowned leadership authors like Ken Blanchard, Jim Kouzes, Kevin Eikenberry, and Chip Bell have shared stories about leaders who opened doors for them during their careers, and made a lasting impression on their lives. The epilogue alone makes buying a new copy worth it.

I already mentioned that he’s getting more royalties this time around with a traditional publisher, but here’s the full scoop on his goal for the coming year. With the proceeds from his first edition of Leaders Open Doors, Bill was able to donate more than $7000 to charity. Over the course of the next year, his sights are set much higher: $50,000 – raised and donated through the sale of Leaders Open Doors from ATD Press.

Bill has timed the release of his book on October 1st with World Cerebral Palsy Day – a cause that is near and dear to his heart. The goal is not only to use it as a jumping off point for his goal of raising $50,000 for charity, but to also bring new awareness to those living with and affected by Cerebral Palsy.

Find Bill Online

Find him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, and don’t forget to visit his new website for Leaders Open Doors.

Want to Learn More?

Bill is joining with ATD as part of the launch for a free webinar about his book and leadership ideas. In order to join you’ll need to sign up for a free account with ATD, and then sign up for the webinar – and if you already have an account, you’re half-way there. The topic of the event will be Leaders Open Doors: Radically Simple Ideas For Effective Leadership, and it begins at 2 pm ET on Wednesday, October 1st. Sign up to join Bill and the ATD team.

No time to attend the event? Hang out here a little longer and watch this new video from Bill, created in celebration of his new launch. Then join us in helping Bill open doors for others by telling everyone you know about Leaders Open Doors and the cause it’s supporting. Send this Tweet Now!

Living Our Core Values: Responsiveness

Merriam Webster defines responsiveness like this: reacting in a desired or positive way; quick to respond. We all probably think about speed when we think about responsiveness, too, but how many of us take the time to make sure our responses are positive?

I think a positive response is as important as a speedy one, which is why responsiveness is the core value that resonates most with me, and it’s the core value that proves the most challenging for me. Let me explain.

I spent 20 years working in television news. Speed matters. In fact, most journalists would say they live and die by their deadline. I prided myself on never missing a deadline. I responded to every assignment quickly. I learned to talk fast, walk fast, read fast, write fast. I even sign my name so fast it’s become illegible. That deadline mentality has traveled with me into my work with social media. I like to respond to email quickly and tackle tasks sooner rather than later. My speedy work is appreciated by clients who value a quick answer or quick work. Our goal at Weaving Influence is to respond to all messages or requests within 24 hours unless, of course, there’s an emergency need. I can do this in my sleep. Mr. McFeeley isn’t the only one who believes in speedy delivery.

Responsiveness becomes a challenge for me when it gets in the way of accuracy or thoroughness. Mark Miller cautions us “not to move so fast we miss the obvious things.” I need to paint that on the wall above my desk. Because speed or responsiveness has become such an important part of how I work, it occasionally edges out quality, and that’s not acceptable. A speedy response that is sloppy or inaccurate or comes across in a sharp way doesn’t help anyone. It’s not offering value or a service. Yes, we all make mistakes and we always will — but sloppy mistakes because we were moving too fast? We can do better than that. I can do better than that… well, I’m trying to do better than that.

So the challenge with responsiveness comes down to balance. We have to balance our days so we respond in a timely manner, while taking the necessary time to offer a thorough, positive response. We have to find the ways to motivate ourselves to speed up or slow down- whichever is our greatest challenge- and we must always find a moment to take a breath and look at the quality of our response.

Responsiveness is the core value that is teaching me the most right now. I will be honest — I’m not always a willing student. Years of a deadline-driven mentality aren’t easy to shake, but I’m trying. Everyday.

Tell me something! How are you trying to be responsive?

 

 

 

Featured on Friday: Alexandra Watkins

When I started working with Becky in 2012, I came on just four days prior to Whitney Johnson launching her book, Dare, Dream, Do. In fact, the first post I wrote for the Weaving Influence blog was in support and celebration of Whitney’s book. If I’m being totally honest, I will admit that I had no idea what I was doing.

Two and a half years later, I chuckled to myself as we began the launch week for Hello, My Name Is Awesome and I came across a guest post hosted by Whitney. Every now and again, it’s good to take a step back and see how far we have come.

When Whitney launched her book, Weaving Influence consisted of Becky and five contractors, four of whom have since moved on to follow different dreams. Today, we have a team of more than 20 professionals who work together to provide outstanding service for our ever-expanding group of clients. We dared, we dreamed, and we did… and that’s pretty AWESOME.

Meet Alexandra Watkins

Brand name expert Alexandra Watkins is a leading and outspoken authority on brand names with buzz. A winner of the Make Mine a Million $ Business program sponsored by American Express, she has turned her passion for naming things into a thriving company, Eat My Words.

Frequently quoted in the press, Alexandra’s been featured in leading business publications including The Wall Street Journal, Inc., and Entrepreneur. She’s a popular speaker at MBA programs and has been a guest presenter at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, SF State, USF School of Management and their alumni association.

As previously mentioned, this week she’s been busy with the launch of , which has already made the Amazon Best-Seller list, and is sure to stay there for a while!

When she’s not writing books or naming software, social networking sites, serums, or seafood (among other things), she’s probably getting her passport stamped again. At last count she’s visited 45+ countries and enjoys sinking her teeth into local delicacies like barbequed squirrel in Tanzania and lobster marinara in Cuba.

Connect with Alexandra Online

Find her on , Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

Definitely plan on visiting her website for Hello, My Name Is Awesome. Filled with graphics, links to buy the book, a free sample chapter, easy to share tweets and more, if you’re short on time but want to help with the promotion, this is your go to spot for quick sharing.

What People Are Saying About the Book

The following bits of praise were pulled from Amazon reviews, written just this week – !

“This isn’t a book just for marketers, brand specialists or advertising professionals. It’s a book everyone can enjoy.”

“Clear, concise and wildly creative. This gem should be required reading for start ups, execs, students, and know-it-alls.”

“Simply brilliant! Wickedly funny. In-the-bank ideas you can use NOW.”

“This book nails it. I felt more creative and idea-filled as I read it.”

How Good is Your Name?

Today marks the launch of Alexandra Watkins’ amazing book, Hello My Name is Awesome. Check out our press release announcing the book here.

I first met Alexandra at the Berrett-Koehler book marketing workshop in San Francisco this summer. I had the (challenge? privilege?) of presenting just after her keynote. While she spoke, a myriad of thoughts ran through my head. She is such a great speaker. She has such creative marketing ideas. How on earth will I follow her? I better take good notes — I am going to want to try some of her great tactics. 

Imagine my delight just a few hours later when she sent me an email initiating a conversation about working together. (I was super stoked and honored.)

My team and I are supporting Alexandra’s book marketing and publicity efforts — and it is so much fun! Her creative and energetic approaches to sharing her book with the world are teaching us, as much as we are helping her. Also, her work is a bit outside our usual content area which has been a refreshing change of pace. The book is so fun that my 13 year old daughter read it in one sitting, and keeps referring to the ideas, calling out bad product names when she sees them.

How good is your company, brand, or product name? Explore Alexandra’s to find out.

While I love our company name, it does cause some people to scratch their heads (people hear Weaving and think knitting or yarn). It also does have the five winning qualities Alexandra outlines for great brand names.

Will you help us get the word out about this fantastic book?

Here are some ways to help:

1) If you have read the book, please leave a review on or your favorite online retailer.

2) today! Buy a few copies and share them with your friends. I promise you’ll enjoy the read and laugh out loud.

3) Go to Alexandra’s book marketing microsite and share a graphic or tweet with your online communities.

Tell me something! How good is your name? Does your name pass the test? What is your favorite brand name? How many copies of Alexandra’s book will you buy today?

Featured on Friday: Susan Fowler

You might have noticed – it’s book launch season. Up at the main Weaving Influence HQ (a.k.a. Becky’s home office), books are being delivered on a regular basis… and going right back out again to Team Buzz Builders all over the place.

Sharon Pilaske (meet her on our Team page) works in Operations and is our book shipping expert. It feels like I’m emailing her almost daily with a request to ship a book to a media outlet, a blogger, or to giveaway winners (enter to win a copy of Overcoming Fake Talk this week). Fortunately for me, she’s on top of the ball and handles my every request with kindness and speed. We have a great team!

This week I got an email from Sharon: The Motivation books are in the office! Which can only mean one thing… it’s time to introduce you to their author!

Meet Susan Fowler

Susan has 35-years of experience as a researcher, consultant, and coach in over 30-countries around the globe in the field of self leadership. Pretty cool, right?

As a consultant, coach, and leader in the field of personal empowerment, she’s a developer of The Ken Blanchard Company’s Optimal Motivation product line as well as the creator and lead developer of Situational Self Leadership, their best-of-class self-leadership and personal empowerment program.

As if that wasn’t enough, Susan is also the bestselling co-author of three books with Ken Blanchard: Self Leadership & The One-Minute Manager, Leading At A Higher Level, and Empowerment.

A catalyst for growth, Susan also authored the audio programs Overcoming Procrastination and Mentoring. She is Senior Consulting Partner at The Ken Blanchard Companies, and a professor in the Master of Science in Executive Leadership program at the University of San Diego.

Connect with Susan Online

Find her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

You don’t want to miss out on the new website for her next book, Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work… And What Does. Check out the beautiful graphics, links to buy the book, a free sample chapter, easy to share tweets and more.

Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work – Launching September 30th!

Each of our launches give us an opportunity to get to know talented authors, read great book, and pull together a fantastic team. This launch is no different and we’re honored to be working with Susan as we prepare for the release of Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work… And What Does. The best part? You’re Invited!

Becoming a part of Susan’s team gives you a great opportunity to support a lovely woman as she celebrates the completion of her newest book. You may only have time to send a tweet or two about the book, or you might write a review on Amazon (all authors love that!), or share a graphic on Facebook.

Whatever way you choose to participate is appreciated, so check out her book website and sign up today!

Whether you officially join the launch team or not, do plan on joining us on Tuesday, October 7th at 12 pm (ET) for a FREE webinar, hosted by Becky Robinson. Susan has a great sense of humor – and the title of the webinar alone should make you want to sign up now! Hear Susan and Becky discuss why forced motivation is not the best way to gain employee engagement… and so much more. Register Today!

It’s Never Too Late to Do Something

When I first met John Stoker, he expressed some disappointment about the marketing of  his May 2013 release, Overcoming Fake Talk.

If I had ten bucks for every time someone expressed disappointment about money spent on publicity and marketing, I could take the trip to Hawaii I’ve always dreamed of. (Well, not quite.)

The trouble with hiring a marketing and publicity companies is a lack of clear guarantees. Beyond that, companies offer a large range of services at a huge range of price points.

People may not know what they are paying for and they also may not know what results to reasonably expect.

And underscoring the question of what to invest and with whom is the certainty that without marketing and publicity, authors will not get the results and reach they hope for.

But what works? What activities and initiatives move the needle on sales? What is the highest impact opportunity for investment in marketing and publicity?

Does social media work? Does PR? Television? Radio? Advertising?

How is marketing and publicity money best invested?

Marketing books is not easy. Marketing business books is exceedingly challenging, as thousands are published each year to a shrinking audience of readers.

When people come to my team and me for support in bringing their books into the world, what I most often hear is that people want to share their books with as many people as possible. Most often, this desire is not about making money from their books; it is truly about making as big a difference as possible with their message.

As my friend Kevin Eikenberry once said, what I really sell is hope. People who invest with my company believe and hope that the work we initiate on their behalf will have powerful results in extending the impact of their messages.

This week, I learned, happily, that it is never too late to invest energy, time, and money in marketing a book.

For several months, my team has been laying the groundwork for a renewed effort on behalf of John Stoker and Overcoming Fake Talk.

John wasn’t sure what to expect and we weren’t sure either. What response would we have to our marketing efforts of a book 17 months after its initial release?

What we’ve seen so far is tremendous response to media pitches and our PR Web news release, several new reviews on Amazon, and a big spike in Amazon rank on both Kindle and print versions of the book. This afternoon, we have over 100 people registered for a free webinar (it’s not too late to sign up!). We are seeing people share about the book on social channels.

We created new opportunities and energy around a book months after it’s new release.

The lesson: it’s never to late to do something!

The Magic Happens…

… when you show up.

If you have worked with me at all, you have heard me say this phrase: “The magic happens when you show up.”

If you don’t show up, nothing can happen.

When you show up matters.

Where you show up matters. What you do when you get there matters.

Who you show up with matters. How you show up matters.

But none of it matters if you don’t show up at all.

The magic related to showing up applies to both our offline lives and our online ones.

Jason Seiden posted yesterday on Facebook:  If you don’t look better online than you are in real life, you’re doing it wrong.

While I don’t agree wholeheartedly, I do believe that we need to show up online with intention and in ways that match our in-person impact.

I don’t want to be a big deal online if I am not a big deal in real life.

And if you are a big deal in real life, you are not as big as you think if your online presence doesn’t match who you are online.

If you don’t show up online in a way that matches your real life influence, you are missing a massive opportunity to make a much bigger impact than you’re currently making.

The obvious and most impactful difference we can make in the world happens when we are present with people in real life situations.

Why? Because our in person impact is limited by geography, constrained by our personal limitations. We can only do so much in real life: speak, write, consult, train. As we show up in real life, our influence is limited to the number of people we can talk to and spend time with.

When we show up online, we release ourselves from the constraints; we can influence people anywhere, any time, through content, conversations, and the communities we create.

Showing up online means we can reach an unlimited audience. Showing up online in powerful ways creates the opportunity to make the biggest possible difference for our message and mission.

But when our online lives don’t match our in person impact, our ability to influence others is diminished.

A few years ago, my friend and client Karin Hurt decided to do a search to see how she was showing up online. She discovered that what Google knew about her in 2010 could be summed up by one photo — an image from a local road race.

How she showed up online didn’t match up with who she knew herself to be in real life: her knowledge and experience. It also didn’t coincide with how she wanted to show up: the difference she hoped to make in the world.

If you Google search Karin Hurt’s name today, you’ll find out that she has shown up online in very powerful ways since that day. The impact she is making and the influence she is building far surpasses the difference she made before.

She made a conscious decision to show up online. Through focused, consistent effort, creating content and engaging with others, she made magic happen, for herself and others.

Because the magic happens when you show up!

How do you show up online? Does your online presence match the real life difference you want to make? What does Google know about you?

Featured on Friday: S. Chris Edmonds

Last summer I had the opportunity to meet Becky at the Berrett-Koehler Author Co-Op Book Marketing Workshop in Atlanta. During this two day event, Becky teamed up with today’s featured author to talk about ways to create an active community via social media.

While they were up front sharing examples and talking about what they know best – social communities – I attempted to hide behind my laptop so no one would feel compelled to start a conversation with me. As an INTJ, sitting at the center table in a roomful of strangers is on par with a root canal.

However, while live tweeting the various speakers, someone DID start up a conversation… via Twitter. Tweets and retweets went flying throughout the day, and as I prepared to flee the “mix and mingle” session, my Twitter conversationalist approached to say he had enjoyed my tweeting of the event. That person was today’s featured author, and an all around nice guy – in person, and on Twitter.

Meet S. Chris Edmonds

Chris is the founder and CEO of The Purposeful Culture Group, keynote speaker, and senior consultant with The Ken Blanchard Companies. He spent 15 years leading and managing successful business teams before starting his consulting company in 1990, and is the author or co-author of six books and one manifesto, including his soon-to-be-released book, The Culture Engine.

Over the years Chris has worked for clients in industries including automotive, banking and financial services, government, hospitality, insurance, manufacturing, non-profit, pharmaceutical, retail, sales, software, and technology. Under his guidance, culture clients have consistently boosted their customer satisfaction and employee engagement rates by 40 percent or more and their profits by 35 percent or more.

When he’s not busy writing books or boosting engagement and profits for his clients, Chris provides guitars, banjo, mandolin and vocals for the Jones & Raine band. Two singles from the band’s 2009 debut album made the Billboard country charts.

Connect with Chris Online

Find him on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, YouTube, and Pinterest.

Don’t forget to visit the website for his new book, The Culture Engine. There you will find cool graphics to share, links to buy the book (and bulk buy offers), a free sample chapter and more.

The Culture Engine – Launching September 29th!

Our team is excited to be working with Chris, gearing up for the celebration of the September release of The Culture Engine Consider this your official invitation to join us!

Becoming a part of the team gives you various opportunities to be involved, including sending tweets, sharing graphics, writing a book review, interviewing Chris, and generally helping spread the word during the launch week. Interested?

Check out his book website and sign up today!

Whether you plan to be a part of the launch team or not, we do hope you will join us on Wednesday, October 1st at 12 pm (ET) for a FREE webinar, hosted by Becky Robinson and featuring our special guest… Chris! Learn more about how culture drives everything that happens in an organization, and how a great culture can drive great performance. Register Today!