Becky Robinson's Blog, page 77

Taking on the Influencer Myth

Today’s guest post comes from Charlotte Ashlock. She shares a lot of wisdom here, well worth your time to read! Thanks, Charlotte!

The Influencer Myth, Part One:  Getting the attention of an influential celebrity is the recipe for instant fame (no hard work necessary!)  I keep reading blogs for social media beginners that tell them to “court influencers.”   The blogs promise this is the quickest, most efficient way to achieve social media success.

The advice goes like this: when people see the famous folks talking to you, they’ll start following you in swarms! You will magically soar to join the ranks of the high and mighty.  All your discoverability problems will be solved.  There’s only one problem with this advice: it couldn’t be more wrong.

I’ve talked to celebrities on Twitter a few times now, and I’ve carefully monitored my follower count after each one of those conversations.  My conclusion?  I’ve never had a celebrity conversation that perceptibly moves the needle.  The effect on my follower count is not just low, but nil.

The Influencer Myth, Part Two:  The best way to get celebrity attention is to barrage them with compliments.  I write many tweets that include celebrity handles, because I want my Twitter friends to follow and admire the same people that I look up to.  Given that this is my purpose, the vast majority of my tweets @ celebrities are complimentary.

Having the celebrity tweet back is not all that common, but it happens sometimes.  Study my four “celebrity encounters” and see if you notice any common elements between them.

ELIZABETH GILBERT is the best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love.  (If you’ve never seen her inspirational TED talk on the nature of genius, I highly recommend it.)

JON MORROW is like the Stephen Hawking of blogging— he’s had tremendous professional success despite suffering from a disabling disease.  I’m a huge fan of his writing, so I’ve made many complimentary tweets about his articles.  However, this is the only time he’s ever replied to me:

MARGARET ATWOOD is a famous dystopian feminist Canadian fiction writer.  She also happened to be the commencement speaker at my college graduation.

(Lest you think I am being too hard on Margaret, she told us we should prepare for a future of total climate disaster with “the haves warring against the have-nots.” Then our college president Leon Botstein took the podium and told us nobody would want our liberal arts degrees in the bad economy.  Thankfully, the college provided bottles of free wine to help us wash down the bad news.

PBS IDEA CHANNEL is a YouTube show with over 500,000 subscribers that examines the connections between pop culture, technology and art.  The host is quite witty and insightful, and will analyze everything from Jurassic Park to zombies, with the thoughtfulness of a brilliant English major analyzing Shakespeare.

PBS Idea Channel is famous in the YouTube community for the thoughtful way it engages subscribers, and loves to put audience comments up on the screen.  So when it released the episode we were chatting about, it put my tweet up on the screen in big letters!   The episode is about the Internet’s dark side— the experience of being trolled—  and my tweet is shown at the 7 minute and 24 second mark.

So what do all four “celebrity encounters” have in common?  In every single case, I was sharing not a compliment, but a criticism.  Respectful, thoughtful criticism tends to get a reply— whereas praise really won’t stand out from the wash of feedback the celebrities are receiving.

My coworker Jeevan uses the same strategy in his editorial work.  In the publishing industry, we frequently have situations where several publishing houses are competing to acquire a famous author’s book.  In those cases, Jeevan will send the bigwig, a frank, honest critique of their work— highlighting all the problems and flaws with their book.  The refreshing honesty catches the author’s attention, and more often than not, secures the deal for Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

The strategies that you use in real-life social interactions work in social media and vice versa. In fact, mos of my social media advice boils down to just one simple fact: Social media skills and just plain SOCIAL skills are not different from each other. People are learning social media “from scratch”… when actually all they need to do is apply the social intelligence they use in real-life situations.

Which brings me too…. 

Has the advice to “court influencers” ever come up in your “real” social life (outside of social media?)   I can almost guarantee it has—  and I can even tell you the time— high school.  In high school, my peers told me my best route to popularity was waiting attendance on the “popular” girls.  If I praised them and complimented them, they would embrace me in their circle of popularity.

I disdained this advice— because I could see it was, well, false.  The girls who sucked up to the popular girls didn’t become alphas themselves— they were betas.  Rather than play the game of social class in the context of high school, I just looked around for people who had common interests with me.  

I looked for creative people, intelligent people, people who loved books.  I didn’t care whether they sat at the exulted cafeteria tables, or the humble ones.  I didn’t care if I was their only friend or if they had a hundred friends.  I couldn’t care less if they bore any of those markers of high school stigma: nerd, fat, wiccan, goth, weird, gay, you know the words.  I didn’t care if anyone made fun of me for hanging out with them.  The only thing I cared about was whether they treated me decently and had something interesting to say.

Which brings me to…. 

If I don’t get my Twitter followers by hobnobbing with the celebrities, how DO I get them?   I get my Twitter followers using exactly the same social strategy I used in high school.  I’m not re-inventing the wheel, I’m just using that same old personality I’ve always had.   I look for intelligent, creative, bookish people.  I play games of imagination, I engage in spirited debate, and I return kindness with kindness.  I’ve been embraced by many Twitter communities, most notably the indie author Twitter community— see my list of Creative Writers here.

Speaking of games of imagination: if you have some time next Friday, drop by our weekly Twitter microfiction party, it takes place on hashtag #FP (stands for Friday Phrases.)  Yes, stories CAN be written using only 140 characters, and some of them are pretty good.   (And by the way, I notice an increase in my follower count every time I participate in #FP.)

But follower count isn’t even the right thing to be watching.  Instead, you should ask yourself, “Am I furthering my personal and professional goals?  Am I having fun?  Do I love my new friends?”   And how do you accomplish these things?  The same way you’ve always accomplished them, with or without social media.   There is no right or wrong style.  There is only YOUR style—  or else you, trying to be something you’re not.

Trust me: there’s no need to pretend to be somebody you’re not.  Who you actually are is the most beautiful.

Image source: Google+ 

About the Author: Charlotte Ashlock is a Digital Producer and Editor for Berrett-Koehler Publishers, which produces nonfiction books about making better organizations, societies, and lives.   Say hi to her on Twitter, especially if you have ideas for the book you think Becky Robinson, founder of the Weaving Influence publicity company, should write. 

Featured on Friday: Brian Sooy

It’s Good Friday, and I don’t know what that means in your home or place of business, but around here it means that we’re celebrating with a big family meal on Easter Sunday.

It also means that as individuals, we’re taking time to think about what this holiday means to us, and reflect on how we can make a difference in the world around us. That’s not too far off from what today’s author is focused on, making a difference in the nonprofit world by helping messages match the mission of the organization.

Meet Brian Sooy

Brian is the founder and design director of Aespire®, a design and marketing communications agency that works with nonprofits, foundations, and other meaningful causes. He spends time speaking and consulting with professionals and leaders from mission-driven organizations, advising them on positioning, marketing, and communications principles that help them connect their purpose and mission with their audience. As a volunteer, Brian also serves on the board of directors of Second Harvest Food Bank of North Central Ohio in various capacities, including as an officer on the executive committee.

Based on his experience in both nonprofit advisory and volunteer roles, Brian has now written Raise Your Voice: A Cause Manifesto. In Raise Your Voice, Brian explores mission-driven design, helping those working in the nonprofit realm find touch points that are meaningful to the audience, and best represent the organization’s unique personality and distinctive voice. If you’re interested in learning more, Raise Your Voice is now available on Amazon!

Connect with Brian Online

Find ways to connect with Brian on Twitter, Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest! Don’t forget to visit his website, and bookmark the landing page for his Raise Your Voice sample chapter to share with your friends.

Spread the Book Buzz (June 2 – 6)

Although Raise Your Voice is already available for purchase, we are joining with Brian to build the book buzz during the first week of June, and we would love for you to join us! If you’ve already signed up – great! Go ahead and share some of the beautiful graphics and easy-share tweets from the resource page. Download the free sample chapter that Brian is offering, and share it with your friends. If you know someone in the nonprofit world, I would encourage you to point them towards Brian’s social media channels or contact information. That’s a lot to remember, so let’s recap:

Buy the Book
Join the Buzz Builders
Read a Sample
Tell a Friend

Happy Easter, from the Weaving Influence team! 

Where Do You Find Your BEST Ideas?

Dean Schroeder and Alan Robinson, the authors of Ideas are Free, recently launched their latest title, The Idea-Driven Organization. From their extensive research with organizations around the world, they’ve discovered that 80% of the best ideas to move any organization forward will come from the front-line workers, the people who are most in touch with what customers want and need.

As the leader of a virtual company with a fairly flat structure (we are all front-line workers, interacting with clients daily), I have been exploring how to bring Schroeder and Robinson’s insights into our work. Earlier this year, I invited members of my team (check out our new team page!) to identify and implement one big idea each. Megan decided to create a new task list in Basecamp for pitching our clients to media outlets. Amy suggested we try a new tool for Twitter (commun.it), which she introduced to the team with great success. I launched a member site for our subcontractor team and have been working (slowly) to create resources and training materials for onboarding new subcontractors.

The one thing I missed in encouraging implementation of these new ideas?

I failed to add structure to the process and follow through to see more ideas generated and implemented.

As Schroeder and Robinson noted in their book, “Leaders can only be as good as the structures and systems they set up to govern the way their organizations work.” Tweet this. This is true for a company of one, a company of 30, or a company of thousands.

If I want my team members to identify and implement ideas to improve our services to clients, I need to create structures and systems that encourage and provide follow-up for idea initiatives.

When I do, we will create and implement more ideas.

Tell me something! What systems have you created within your organization to encourage the implementation of ideas from front-line workers? Where do you find your best ideas? What action will you to become an Idea-Driven organization?

If you haven’t already, I encourage you to check out The Idea-Driven Organization. You can find great content from the authors on their website and you can learn from them by watching my webinar with them.

 

 

Featured on Friday: #BuzzBuilder Chat

We’re just coming off a big book launch week for #LessonsFromChina by @BeauSides, and once again Team Buzz Builder has come through on promotion, posts, reviews, and more. I could say “Thank You” a thousand times and it still wouldn’t be adequate to express our appreciation for the multitude of ways that this incredible group of people get behind each launch and push us to success. Team Buzz Builder – YOU are amazing!

This week I’m turning the Featured on Friday spotlight toward two of our amazing TBB crew, and they, in turn, were gracious enough to respond to my questions and share a little bit about why they think it’s worth their time to participate. Haven’t signed up yet for TBB? You may want to after you read what John and Chantal have to say!

Meet John Smith

You can find John blogging over at The Strategic Learner, and connect with him on Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, Tumblr, and Twitter.

John, what made you decide to join TBB? 

Becky Robinson’s reputation for creating opportunities to engage in activities that make a difference was the original “hook” for me.  I had seen her work and her thinking in earlier roles and really felt like anything Becky was doing would be worthwhile for me.

I was also immediately impressed with the caliber of the authors and the value of the titles that she was including in the flow.   The quality started high and has just become more so as we have grown.   The opportunity to read, review, and promote books is common … I get requests regularly to do so from other groups and individual authors.  I choose to put my primary effort into TBB launches.  I consider my time and energy most well spent with TBB.

What value would you say you receive from being a member of TBB? 

On a personal level, I enjoy the association with enthusiastic and thoughtful folks, both those writing the books and those working to get the books in front of people.  When you have great products, marketing and promoting is easy and enjoyable. In short, I enjoy the association with quality and progressive leadership. 

Speaking of quality, I am blown away by the quality and quantity of support materials that are available to us to help promote the authors and their titles.  I have not seen anything like this level of support anywhere else. 

Why would you recommend that others sign up? 

Being part of these book launches allows you to focus energy on things that matter in concert with other people who want to make a difference, to be an active part of the positive change in leadership and organizational development that is happening now, and because you get free books. 

What’s your favorite thing about being a part of TBB?

The culture of this group is positive, spirit-filled, and fun.  I feel totally comfortable and engaged whenever I am participating in the launches.

Meet Chantal Bechervaise

You can find Chantal blogging at Take It Personel-ly, and connect with her on Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.

What made you decide to join TBB, Chantal?

I decided to join TBB because I love reading books on leadership. I also decided to joing because I enjoy Weaving Influence’s blog and presence on twitter. 

What value would you say you receive from being a member of TBB?

The value I receive is enormous. Besides being able to read the great books offered by TBB on leadership, I have also had the pleasure of connecting with some fantastic authors. I don’t think that I would have had the same opportunity to connect with such wonderful people and host guest blogs without TBB. I have also learned so much from the books that I have read through TBB and find they add value to me every day at work and even at home.   

Would you recommend that others sign up to be a part of Team Buzz Builder?

DEFINITELY!!

What’s your favorite thing about being a part of TBB?

Becky and the whole team at Weaving Influence are so nice and professional. They really care about the authors that they promote and they are wonderful to work with. You can feel their enthusiasm through the email communications and webinars that they host. AND it’s lots of fun too!

Ready to join John, Chantal, and a host of other Buzz Builders?

We’ve got more launches coming up, supporting authors like Linda Freeman, Brian Sooy, and Bob Thompson. One way to become a part of these launches is by signing up to help, but the easiest way to get in on the ground floor of any book launch is by signing up to become a part of Team Buzz Builder. We try to keep emails to a minimum because we know you are busy and your inboxes, like our own, are full, so you won’t be swamped with notifications.

As a part of the team, you’ll have opportunities to receive preview copies of new books, share in our promotional weeks, receive guest blog posts, and interview authors and thought-leaders for articles, posts, and blog-talk radio. What are you waiting for?

Sign up today !

On Fuel and Pacing

In 17 days, I am going to run my first marathon.

About 3 weeks ago, I ran a 15.5 mile training run with a friend. When we finished, I felt awful. I went home whining to my husband and told him I didn’t see how I would ever finish the race. He didn’t like that, so I revised my refrain and began saying “I will finish this marathon but it will be very hard.”

I’ve plodded through my training since then, with a few modifications to my fueling and pacing.

When I ran the 15.5 miles, I took water at every stop, but I didn’t have any fuel at all. My stomach felt empty and I felt hungry. And, my friend and I ran at a faster-than-normal pace (for me) during the first 10 miles or so of the run. The last 3 stretched on interminably and I had little energy to continue.

So in recent training runs (18 miles two weeks ago and 22 last Saturday), I used fuel (I prefer GU Chomps) and I paid careful attention to my pace, running much more conservatively and slowly.

The result? I felt actually quite good after running 22 miles. I picked up the pace in the last mile. I found myself considering the possibility of more marathons after this first one. I finished strong with a sense of hope and strength in considering race day. I created a new refrain: “I am strong enough to run steadily and finish this race.”

If you’re not a runner and you’ve stayed with me this long, here is the reward: In building a business, fuel and pacing are critical.

If you go out too fast, you may deplete your energy and lose hope.

If you neglect opportunities to refuel, you will weaken.

Your pace will slow. The miles will be more difficult and you may despair at continuing.

If you want to build your business long term, you must learn to choose a sustainable pace. You must have a plan to re-energize and nurture yourself. If you don’t, you will not finish what you’ve begun.

Some questions to consider:

How do you refuel for the great work you want to do in the world?

How do you create a sustainable pace, one that will carry you through the long miles ahead?

How will you nurture yourself, daily?

Who reminds you that you are stronger than you think you are?

What is the refrain you are reciting about your ability to persevere? If you don’t like your refrain, how can you shift to a new one?

 

 

Featured on Friday: Marilee Adams

Happy Friday! This week we’ve been busy launching The Idea-Driven Organization by Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder (if you missed their webinar, you can watch it now), and next week we’re getting ready for the official launch of Lessons from China by Beau Sides. I can’t speak for other members of the Weaving Influence team, but I know the stack of books on my nightstand is getting taller by the week!

However we don’t always focus on a specific book, sometimes we have the opportunity to help promote special events. In fact, the focus today is on an author who happens to have just hosted a terrific webinar last month with Becky Robinson, and is now gearing up for a live event in New Jersey that you won’t want to miss!

Meet Marilee Adams, Ph.D.

Marilee is an author, executive coach, facilitator, and professional speaker. She is president and founder of the Inquiry Institute, a consulting, coaching, and educational organization, and the originator of the Question Thinking methodologies. She is the author of Change Your Questions, Change Your Life: 10 Powerful Tools for Life and Work, a best-selling business and relationship fable about an executive coach and inquiring leadership, and Teaching That Changes Lives: 12 Mindset Tools for Igniting the Love of Learning. She also authored a textbook, The Art of the Question: A Guide to Short-Term Question-Centered Therapy, and her work was featured in the Wharton Business Newsletter. Marilee’s Question Thinking work forms the core of her presentations, keynotes, workshops and workdays in organizations (including Fortune 50 companies), government agencies, nonprofits, and for communities.

Connect with Marilee Online

Connect with her on Facebook, join her Change Your Questions group on LinkedIn, and follow her on Twitter (don’t forget to use her hashtag: #changeyourquestions).

Join Her One-Day Workshop

If you have plans to be in the Princeton, NJ area on April 24, please consider registering for this One-Day Intensive for Facilitating Change. If you’re looking for a game changing advantage for leading or managing change, or if you’re simply looking for ways to make a difference in the morale of your team, I am confident that you would learn a lot at this workshop. For additional details (including cost) and registration, click HERE. Have friends in the Princeton area? Use the social sharing tools to help spread the word about the workshop and invite your community to sign up {TWEET NOW}!

Can’t Make the Live Workshop? Watch the Webinar!

Last month, Becky Robinson hosted Marilee for a free webinar sponsored by Weaving Influence. It was a fantastic hour of learning about change and what it takes to become a resilient change agent. In fact it felt like we were just getting started when the hour concluded, and will certainly whet your appetite to learn more from this great coach and leader. If you can’t make the live event in New Jersey later this month, I encourage you to schedule an hour and watch this webinar.

Enjoy your weekend, and send Marilee a tweet if you enjoyed her webinar!

3 Ways to Eliminate the Need for a “Hard Sell”

My mentor was despairing of me. In my coaching session, he was helping me through my sales technique. I was being particularly dim, although I’m sure it was as a result of the resistance I felt inside whenever “selling” was an activity I had to contemplate. I think he gave up on me when I told him that “I don’t like selling, and I don’t want to sell, and I know that’s a contradiction when I am building up my own business, but it’s the truth.” I am sure he wanted to tell me to go get a job, but he didn’t; far too knowledgeable and professional for that.

After that particular session, I really did contemplate my future. How could I expect to sell my services and products, if it was an activity I didn’t like? When I dug a little further, I realized I felt I had something valuable enough that people would want, and they would be searching for. Wouldn’t they?

I am not a professional at sales as I’m sure anyone who is can identify from the above paragraphs; in fact, there are probably lots of people with businesses who read this who will be shaking their heads at my naivety.  But even after my soul searching, I realized I was on to something.

First, the idea of selling someone a service or product I provided that they did not really want was abhorrent to me. I realize, of course, there are times when you have something very useful to offer, but people don’t realize it; but to be honest, I think they are the exceptions rather than the rule.

Sales models, fascinating though they are, leave me cold. For example, offering someone a limited and time-bound reduction is great as long as it really is limited and time-bound.  I am thinking of popular sofa manufacturers who have a “limited sale” every season; their model is to spread the cost over a number of years, thus ensuring that even though people will largely buy in sale time, they have a continuous stream of income, thus limiting the seasonal highs and lows.

But despite the odds, I am able to sell; in fact a large part of my business is not even advertised. I have developed a number of clients through word of mouth. I haven’t even asked for referrals, they simply have come to me, been so enthused by how I can help, that they’ve passed the message on.

There are 3 things I did to achieve this unexpected success. The activities were not thought out, and evolved themselves.  In hindsight I can see how they were successful, but when I undertook them, I was simply doing what came naturally to me.

Give your services for free until you can demonstrate added value, and do the best you can. I carried out some work for someone else with no expectation of reward. I wanted to find out how I could carry out the services I provided with a “real live” customer to see if it was a feasible model. It was and was ultimately so successful; the client rang me up and asked when they could buy it for real.
Share the secrets of your successful strategy. I shared my success with my mastermind group. They were so impressed, even though I had told them step by step how to deliver my strategy, and they knew the theory of the “how”; they recognized that my experience meant I could deliver quickly and with authority, and so I acquired clients.
Go the extra mile. It is amazing how naturally I want to do my absolute best. My clients know I will pull out the stops for them, where I can. Every week, I think about what I can do to help them more. Every week, they become more and more successful and we support them fully to do so.

I have always managed to trust my instincts, and I believe my reluctance to learn a “sales technique,” while possibly eliminating me from being an accomplished salesperson, helped me find another way.  And while I still need to work on that sales technique; instead of selling, I’d rather be showing, and if you are in the fortunate position to be able to do that, then go for it.

 

Christina Lattimer helps leaders develop self-mastery, helping them to become confident in their own inner guidance. She collaborates with leadership experts, managers and HR professionals to help them get their own message and unique services and products to a wide audience. Connect with Christina on Twitter and Google+.

 

photo credit: Simon Greig (xrrr)

Featured on Friday: #InspiredBook Buzz

We promote a lot of  books around here. Over the last two years, several of our authors have made the decision to use some – or all – of their book profits to help others.

Mark Miller, author and co-author of The Secret, The Heart of Leadership, The Secret of Teams, and Great Leaders Grow, donates the proceeds from his books to three of his favorite organizations.

Last year when tornadoes hit the mid-west during the launch of The Collaboration Economy, author Eric Lowitt made a quick decision to donate a portion of sales to help the victims.

Bill Treasurer continues to donate the proceeds from Leaders Open Doors to organizations that help people with special needs (watch the video to see why).

Others donate privately and we never know about it. The truth of it is, as we get to know these authors we find them to be generous with their time, talents, and resources, and their generosity to others, whether public or private, comes as no surprise.

The latest author to join the ranks of those who are publicly giving back (and asking for your help) is Linda Freeman. In January 2013 we launched her first book, THRIVE!, and for the last few months, we have been working on the launch of her second book, Inspired for Greater Things.

Although the book was in production when Linda left for Cambodia last fall to work with Teen Challenge (you can read about her experience here and here), the trip completely changed her plans. After seeing, first hand, the work being done among former drug addicts, single mothers, orphans, and those who have been rescued from sex trafficking, Linda made the decision to donate 100% of the proceeds from Inspired for Greater Things to construct a biogas digester  (wondering what that is – read all about it here).

Becky Robinson – CEO of Weaving Influence (and my boss) – is always encouraging her team to be “mindfully generous”. This comes to mind as I have the honor of working with Linda on her book launch. Linda is being “mindfully generous” with the book income, making sure that she is not just giving a hand out, but a hand UP, helping better the lives of those who are rising out of their past and looking hopefully to the future. It’s something that excites me, and I hope it excites you as well.

Get Involved

Sign up to be a part of the launch – we’re looking for book reviewers, Twitter love, social media sharing, and interviews.
Read a sample chapter – then use the share buttons to pass it on to a friend.
Use these resources to start building the buzz about this book and the project it is supporting.
Send a TWEET NOW to get the buzz going!
BUY THE BOOK! It’s available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble .

If You’re An Author, You’re A Teacher

Months ago, while incubating my NYC social testing startup, CredSpark, I met an agent who said she was interested in my idea, and she thought we’d be a good fit to recommend to some of her more “teaching-minded” authors.

What an interesting distinction, I thought to myself.  Aren’t all authors teachers, by definition, because they’re sharing insights?

In the intervening months, I’ve spoken with and about many authors, and it turns out, not all authors think of themselves as teachers.  After 12+ years working in educational technology and educational publishing, that puzzles me.  Perhaps it’s because we think of teachers as standing up in front of a classroom, or dealing with students, not grown-ups.  Perhaps it’s because the moniker ‘author’ allows one to exist at a safe distance from the reader, vs. a ‘teacher’ who’s supposed to be just a few feet away from you, and burdened with the responsibility of your learning.

Regardless, I’d like to make the case that ALL authors can and should think of themselves as teachers, for three reasons:

1)      Teachers Are Now Everywhere, So It’s Not A Big Deal.

In civilization’s distant past, teachers were the few storehouses and distributors of information and insights.  The term ‘teacher’ therefore acquired a heavy burden of responsibility.  Good News:  Today, information and insights are to be found on every street corner, on your smartphone, as you wait for the light to change.  That blogger you follow?  Your favorite authors?  They’re your teachers.  Just a couple out of the hundreds of people who’ll teach you in a single month.  So, Author:  How many people have you taught this month?

2)      The Time/Hassle of Teaching Readers Has Fallen Sharply.

 Many of you remember reading books and consuming media in the 1980’s (or earlier.)  Think how much time, effort, and expense was required back then for an author to share his or her insights with 1,000 people?  As Becky Robinson of Weaving Influence will tell you, the audience reach available to authors these days—for a comparatively small amount of the author’s time invested in social media—is staggering.  Your book contains your ideas; engaging with your fans and followers on social media is teaching your ideas—in an extremely time-efficient fashion.

3)      Teachers Are The Most Engaging People In The World.

NYC subway cars contain terrific teacher recruitment ads:  “You remember your 1st grade teacher’s name.  Who will remember yours?”  Those ads resonate because being taught by someone is about the most engaging experience you can have with that person.  It sticks with you.  You feel as though the trajectory of your life has changed to some degree.  You remember them forever.

My plea to Authors: t hink of yourselves as Teachers.

By expanding your self-identity, you will expand your audience, and you’ll be more likely to change their lives.  Which is what they secretly want you to do, when they pick up your book.

 

 

Lev Kaye is the founder of CredSpark, a new social media tool for authors to engage with and to grow their fans and followers.  We use our background in educational testing to help authors create and publish very short, targeted online tests related to the author’s key ideas.  Fans/followers take those tests and easily share them on social media, building the author’s audience, and learning more in the process.  Having launched in January, CredSpark is growing quickly — and looking for more non-fiction authors to join.  Contact:  lev@credspark.com.

Strength Follows Strength (Why I Run)

Somewhere around mile 13, my friend Sharon asked, “Do you feel strong?”

I gave up on trying to talk with her around mile 10, and when I started using hand signals (thumbs up and down), it reminded me being in labor with my first daughter and how silent I became. Obviously, the pain and effort of labor is far more difficult than a distance run, but my attitude running yesterday felt similar. To conserve my energy, I replied with one word answers and hand signals only, much like during labor. Running long distance requires shutting most everything out and concentrating only on continuing to move forward.

To her question, “Do you feel strong?” I responded with the tilt of my hand, back and forth.

Sort of. Not really.

I don’t have to feel strong, I only have to be strong.

I felt like stopping. I felt like walking. But I didn’t. I kept running, though at a slower pace, all the way to the finish line.

This is why I run: to show that I can, to show that I am stronger than I think I am (stronger than I feel!), to practice endurance and perseverance.

When I am strong physically, it overflows to other parts of my life. I can recall my physical acts of endurance to empower me to be strong in other areas.

Strength follows strength.

I do the hard things so I can do other hard things.

Training and running makes me strong physically. Physical fitness translates to mental fitness: I am strong enough to lead my company, strong enough to have the tough conversations I’d rather avoid, strong enough to push forward to grow my company and set big goals.

I can run the marathon in 5 weeks; I can write and publish a book in 2015; I can double and trip the capacity of my company to serve more clients and make a bigger difference.

I can. One step at a time, moving forward toward the finish line.

It’s why I run. Strength follows strength.