Becky Robinson's Blog, page 83

Featured on Friday: The Heart of Leadership Links

It’s been a tremendous launch week for Mark Miller, author of The Heart of Leadership. Here at Weaving Influence, we never get tired of seeing the buzz that is built by our outstanding community of supporters.  By late Thursday afternoon, there were over 70 Amazon reviews, 66 of which were 5-stars! You can also find The Heart of Leadership on Goodreads, so if you’ve read the book, or are planning to read it, remember to leave a review this weekend.

As people have shared their thoughts about Mark’s new book, our team has stayed busy collecting links to share with you, and today we’re highlighting a few of them. We are humbled by the number of people who request copies of the books we are launching, and then actually spend time reading them and writing thoughtful reviews on blogs and online book sites. We cannot say it too often: we couldn’t do this without you - THANKS!

Check Out These Links…

“I really enjoyed this easy, effective, and memorable book. The steps are clear, the pace is quick, and the message of leading with one’s heart through servant leadership is spot-on.“ Tom Schulte’s review on his Linked2Leadership blog
“The Heart of Leadership is a manageably brief book to read, and it’s packed with great ideas.” Paula Kiger (@biggreenpen)
From Karin Hurt of Let’s Grow Leaders: “The Heart of Leadership is an easy-to-read story of a growing leader, supported by mentors and insights along the way.”
Dan Forbes shares a guest post from Mark this week on Lead With Giants.
“When I found out I had the opportunity to be on the launch team for his new book The Heart of Leadership I couldn’t wait to write this review.” And we’re so glad you did! Find Berry Smith‘s full review at Building What Matters.
I think you can see a theme emerging when you read Sean Glaze’s review on Great Results Team Building: “Mark Miller has hit another home run, and anyone seeking to increase their impact and effectiveness as a leader will benefit from this tremendous parable on character based leadership.”
But Andy Uskavitch might have summed it up best with the start of his  review : “Mark Miller has done it again.”

Did You Know?

Mark Miller donates 100% of the proceeds from the sale of his books to charity. If you needed another reason to buy The Heart of Leadership (or any of his previous leadership books), we think that’s a pretty good one! You can find out more about the charities by visiting the book page at Great Leaders Serve.

You Tell Us! Have you read The Heart of Leadership? What was the lesson that stood out to you the most?

How to Handle Haters & How They Can Help You on Social Media

Social media is a great way to brand and market a new product, reach your target audience, and most importantly connect with your customers.  No kidding.

Opinions are inevitable, they can bring about positive change and are all the more direct via social media. You just have to get past the negative opinions. Yes, I’m talking about the haters of the world. The Negative Nancys, the trolls, the disgruntled ex-employees, the know-it-alls.

With 10 years of experience in marketing, I have dealt with negative customers in person and I’ve also dealt with negative customers on social media.

I have learned not only how to deal with haters, but also how haters can help me on social media. For the sake of this article let’s call them the ‘H’s’…

Respond Immediately

Ignoring an H post is not an option – you must do something and you must do it immediately.

Option One: The H post only has a negative tone. Respond with something factual, something positive or a compliment. You’ll be surprised how quickly an H will disarm.

Option Two: The H post has a negative tone and has merit. Respond by asking the H to private/direct message you. Taking the time to directly reach out to an H who has a true complaint, and doing so away from a social media platform, will eliminate any ongoing online negativity.

Do NOT Delete (exception: threatening/ foul language)

Any publicity is good publicity, to a point. When you delete the H post, you only further aggravate the situation.

The only time you should delete the H post is when threatening or foul language is used.  Posting a stern ‘keep your comments free of threatening or foul language’ update should address it.

Let Others Defend You and Don’t Recruit Your Friends

Defending your product against multiple H’s becomes an online badgering. The good news is, where H’s congregate so will supporters. When a supporter defends you, it removes you from the conversation and the ‘blame’ game. Also, don’t bother recruiting your boyfriend, mum, dad, grandma, co-worker’s wife, etc., to defend you. It screams phony, and H’s are already on the lookout for something to add to their argument. Don’t give them that.

Encourage Your Happy Haters

A rare gem is found every now and again. One of your H’s will become a ‘happy hater.’ It’s the best you can hope for and yes, they will still point out things they don’t like, but ultimately they have your back and want your product to succeed.  When you notice a ‘happy hater,’ thank them for their support and share/retweet their posts.

Sense of Humor … Use With Caution

Try to approach the H’s post with something lighthearted that also moves the conversation into less serious territory. Word of warning: don’t embarrass the H, and be prepared for your post to be seen as sarcastic, rude or unprofessional–in which case, apologize and explain that your post was taken the wrong way.

The social media marketing game can be tough. But if you can learn how to handle a hater, they might even be able to help you!

I have screwed up a few times and all I could do was dive into damage control. Take a deep breath, count to 10 and repeat to yourself: ‘haters gonna hate.’ 

 

Cami Marlowe is a Kiwi (from New Zealand) who found herself in the USA about 8 years ago. Her background is in marketing, event management, radio, promotions, sales, non-profit, social media and TV and currently she is the Executive Director for the North Carolina Wine Festival and the Carolina Oktoberfest, while also marketing both News Talk and ESPN radio stations in the Piedmont Triad of North Carolina. She loves planning events, her naughty cat, hot coffee and her wonderful boyfriend (not in that order!).

Connect with Cami on Twitter, Facebook, or send her an email at camimarlowe@gmail.com.

Image credit: blakeemrys

Your Leadership Character Matters Most

When I started my journey in the leadership blogging space nearly 5 years ago, I focused a large amount of mental attention on the skills I thought I should have.

At one point, I remember driving past our local Wendy’s restaurant and wondering if I should apply for a management position, just so that I could acquire the skills of a leader. I made myself crazy thinking that  learning skills while gaining experience with a title attached would make me a leader.

It turns out, skills ARE important. As a leader, I am constantly looking to upgrade my skills. Communication skills and delegating skills are two I find particularly helpful, and ones I’d like to continually improve— yesterday, if possible.

Mark Miller’s new book, The Heart of Leadership, reveals that while skills are important, leadership character is even more critical. Without character, he writes, no one cares about your skills.

Miller outlines 5 areas of leadership character, each challenging in its own way: hunger for wisdom, expect the best, accept responsibility, respond with courage, and think others first.

Today, the one that is resonating with me most is this one: accept responsibility.

Accepting responsibility means owning both tasks and results. It means that when things go wrong, the only finger pointing is the one that points back at me. I must ultimately take responsibility when things go wrong.

When the website crashes and we don’t have a proper backup, I own that, and I do what’s needed to make it right.

When a credit card error means a client’s email subscriptions didn’t send for a week, I own that.

When both of those combine to mean that a week’s worth of blog posts are lost and must be recreated, I own that.

Being a leader means no excuses. Being a leader means accepting responsibility.

Tell me something! Which of these 5 challenges you most today? What skills are you seeking to develop as a leader? What leadership character traits do you most hope to develop?

I’d be thrilled if you chose to buy the book today! Mark donates all profits to charity. Also, if you’d like to share the book, you can find great graphics and tweets to share, here.

Featured on Friday: Mark Miller Guest Post

Next week, we’re celebrating the launch of Mark Miller’s new book, The Heart of Leadership. To get the celebration started, we are honored to host a guest post from Mark for Featured on Friday. If you want to help spread the news about his book launch, use these free resources to tell your friends.

This was originally posted on greatleadersserve.org on October 2, 2013

CHOOSE GREATNESS

Did you take Latin in high school or college? Unfortunately, I did not – nor did I take Spanish, French or German. My counselors thought it best I focus on English. Decades later, I’m still working on it!

The truth is, I only know one Latin word. If you, like me, missed the cultural and academic advantage of studying this ancient language, you should at least know this one word…

Quantuvis

It’s a fantastic word, a very powerful word for leaders. It literally means, “as great as you choose.” Therefore, the implication is, greatness is a choice.

Is greatness really a choice or does it have everything to do with DNA or an Ivy League education? Certainly talent and education can help, but talented people and well-educated people often miss greatness by a mile. Why? They fail to make the right choices.

Jim Collins, the notable leadership and management expert did decades of work studying truly great organizations. He discovered many principles that have transformed organizations across the globe. One of his summary conclusions:

Greatness is not a function of circumstance.

Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline.

So how does this translate for you and me as leaders? The choices we make matter!

Who should we hire?
Who should we fire?
What goals should we pursue?
How should we allocate resources?
How should we invest our time?
How much preparation is really required?
What personal disciplines do we embrace?
How will we measure our success?

These and countless other choices chart our course on a daily basis. Are we making the often challenging, decisions that lead to greatness? A good test to apply is to literally ask yourself the following question as you contemplate your next decision – Will this choice put me, or us, on the path to greatness?

Over the course of a lifetime we’ll make an almost infinite number of decisions. Each one moves us closer or further from greatness. Many of these choices we’ll immediately recognize as significant. Others are critical but may not get the attention they deserve.

Let’s close by considering what may be the ultimate choice to determine our “greatness.” It’s falls in the category of the easily overlooked or undervalued.

Dr. Martin Luther King said it like this:

Everybody can be great because anybody can serve.

Will you choose to serve? Great leaders do – Quantuvis!

To hear Mark share more about Quantuvis, and the ideas found in The Heart of Leadership, watch the FREE webinar, hosted by Weaving Influence. And don’t forget, if you’ve read his new book, we’d love for you to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads!

Mark Miller, well known business leader, best-selling author, and communicator, is excited about sharing The Heart of Leadership: Becoming a Leader People Want to Follow with those who are ready to take the next step. You can find it on Amazon and in bookstores everywhere.

Embrace Your Inner Spur

The San Antonio Spurs are what many sports fans would refer to as a dynasty. One of a few professional basketball teams in the state of Texas, the Spurs are consistent every season. With a perfect mix of leadership, youth and experienced veterans, it’s a safe bet that each postseason, the Spurs will be in a position to compete for an NBA championship.

Would the Spurs be able to accomplish this with a team full of rookies? How about a team full of crafty veteran players? The answer to both is a resounding no.

It is a mix of skills on the Spurs personnel that make them so consistent – and makes everyone else take notice.

As a 26 year old professional (and avid basketball fan), I find I’m in both a business full of employees and a world full of people older than myself – and I see the value placed on experience.

Somewhere along the way, a job’s requirement of 3-5 years of experience has become valued over a potential employee’s enthusiasm and willingness to learn every aspect of a job.

Social media, however, forces us to challenge our blanket acceptance of that particular way of thinking. Many social media experts have become that way because they have grown up using social media for recreational/personal uses. They may not have the organizational experience many employers covet, though, and miss out on jobs they could excel at that focus on social media.

Business and marketing author Seth Godin offers up a new mindset that social media competency is driven by.

Many people involved in the hiring process talk about engaging in what Seth calls “a war for talent.” But to be truthful, many companies are in the business of hiring people who are “good enough” at an acceptable rate of pay for any certain job. In essence – filling chairs in the office.

Godin suggests we temper our search for talent with a renewed emphasis on … attitude.

When it comes to making your companies social media presence a successful one, it doesn’t always mean people laugh out loud at your posts. What it does mean, however, is that they leave engaged. And engagement begins with understanding the attitude of your consumers.

Understanding this concept begins from the top down in any company.

It’s been said that after 5 to 7 years, an organization takes on the personality of its leadership.  That speaks to the incredible power of influence, but it also is a challenge, isn’t it? Social media is no longer an option for relevancy in 2013. It’s a must. So while the Law of Influence could be considered a bit terrifying, I’d suggest it’s actually quite exciting.

Social media is driven by the younger generation but the age gap in its effectiveness is narrowing. Embrace the value of mixing rookies with veterans on your team.

Embrace your inner Spur.

 

Dave Traube works in public relations in the West Virginia school system and is dedicated to opening lines of communication in as many places as possible. Connect with him on Twitter and Facebook.

 

Image credit: RMTip21

Featured on Friday: Linda Freeman

Curious about the Featured on Friday posts? Learn more.

After working on the successful launch of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go last September, I was introduced to today’s featured client, and began work on the initial launch of her first book. Over the last ten months, I have grown to know her more as a friend, and it’s always a delight to read her posts and see how her life has changed since the book launch. It is an absolute honor to work with her, and I’m very excited to see what’s coming next!

MEET LINDA PULLEY FREEMAN

Linda is a engineer, wife, mom, new grandmother, ordained minister, mentor, community organizer, and program developer. Whew! Just reading her bio makes me tired! She wrote THRIVE! as an interactive journal, to be used as a tool to help people fully discover and embrace their God-given uniqueness. In addition to being an author, Linda writes a weekly blog post, is the Executive Director for a one-of-a-kind, faith-based community outreach ministry – Peacemaker Family Center, and is quite involved mentoring children of inmates. Linda is already deep into the process of writing her second book, which I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about as we get closer to the launch.

WHERE TO FIND LINDA:

The Lead Change Group – Meet Instigator Linda Freeman

THRIVE! Webinar – Listen Now

New post on her blog each Thursday – Tenaciously Pink

CONNECT WITH LINDA:

Visit Linda’s website, pick up a copy of THRIVE! on Amazon, follow her on Twitter and Pinterest, and connect on Facebook and LinkedIn.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR LINDA?

In addition to working on her second book, spending time with her family – especially her new grandson, and mentoring young women, Linda is preparing to visit Cambodia on a mission to help survivors of sex trafficking. This is her twenty-eighth mission trip, and if you’re curious about why she feels compelled to leave the comforts of home to help others, then I would encourage you to read this blog post.

Share Your Thoughts: How do you THRIVE! in the midst of a busy life? How are you embracing your uniqueness?

The Most Important Customers

I’d like to tell you that the authors my company serves are our most important customers. If I did, it would be (mostly) true. Our company would not exist if not for the amazing authors who partner with us to build their online influence.

But like every business, my company serves both internal and external customers. In order to serve our external customers effectively, I must first attend to the internal customers I serve — my team of subcontractors and their families.

I serve an internal customer when Sierra accompanies her mama to work. While her mom works on office tasks or runs errands, Sierra carefully nestles my daughter’s dolls among the books on my office shelves. She sits paging through a book or uses a page from the reams of scrap paper our work creates to draw a picture. Sierra likes to raid my candy jar, and I am happy to share, as long as her mom says yes.

I serve an internal customer when I remind my daughters to place nicely with Sydney while her mom loads up books to ship to bloggers. Or when I bounce and snuggle Aubrey while her mom and I talk to potential clients on a conference call.

I serve an internal customer when I buy dinner for the family of a subcontractor who spent all day packing and shipping books.

I serve an internal customer when I reach out to Frank on Twitter, and let him know how much I appreciate his wife’s work.

When Emersyn sings in the background of a Skype call, I turn on my camera to wave and smile.

The spouses, children, and partners of the Weaving Influence Team are important internal customers because their spouses/children/partners are working hard to serve our external customers. If we are all going to work at our best, we must do so in the context of our larger lives, attending to our most important relationships.

To serve the important others in my subcontractors lives, I esteem the team as my most important internal customers.

To serve my most important internal customers, I offer flexibility — we work flexibly so that life and work can fit together seamlessly.

To serve my most important internal customers, I offer empathy — life and emergencies happen: illness, meltdowns, field trips, milestones.

To serve my most important internal customers, I offer choice — subcontractors choose how much to work and on which projects. We discuss possibilities and dreams. What work would you love doing? What would you like to learn? Although I cannot always match desires and assignments exactly, I do my best to help people find the right fit. Or if it’s not a fit, they are free to choose something else.

Although I spend most of my days attending to our external customers, our internal customers are always on my mind, providing purpose and motivation. I work hard to grow our company so that this work is a blessing to our subcontractor team and their families.

Tell me something! Who are the important customers you serve? How can you balance attending to your external customers while valuing and supporting the internal ones?

This post is in celebration of National Customer Service Week, which we are celebrating with Chip Bell. Check out his latest book, 9 1/2 Principles of Innovative Service and buy a copy or two for your favorite people.

The Five-Star Approach to Book Reviewing

When a friend asked me to post an Amazon review about his book recently, and gave me a copy, I readily agreed. I have known this friend and his former wife for almost 25 years.

I have been a supporter of this book since its inception, when a series of monumental life changes sent him to the Appalachian Trail physically and to places he never contemplated going spiritually. There are several principles I apply when reviewing a book, whether it is authored by someone I do not know or by a friend.

Honesty

I should be truthful about my opinion. When I gave my friend’s book, which shares fascinating detail about the Appalachian Trail and gives a uniquely-angled view of his re-embrace of life after being knocked down professionally and personally, three stars out of five, I noticed that I was the first reviewer to give less than four stars. Guided by my writer’s gut, my three stars acknowledged a compelling book about a fascinating subject that had writing elements and structure components that did not meet my usual criteria for four stars or above.

The “Within Arms’ Reach” Principle

The difference between my review of my friend’s book and most of my other reviews I have done before it is that I could be certain I would see the author in person soon, that I would owe him a candid response regarding the basis for my review, and the distinct possibility that I may have wounded an ego. I could realistically anticipate that my friend would soon be sitting across from me, within arms’ reach. I should treat each review opportunity as if I will have to present my results from “within arms’ reach.”

My Review May “Morph” Once It is Live

After my review was published, it didn’t take long before Amazon characterized my review, still the only three-star, as the “most helpful critical review” and aligned it next to “the most helpful favorable review” on the book’s Amazon page. My friend laughed about that but I still sensed a “why three stars?” and “why critical?” kind of vibe going on between the two of us.

Did I Say What I Really Thought?

The exchanges between my friend and me culminated in a lunch date in which we talked through the “three star” issue in more detail over chicken curry and naan.

I assured my friend that I had enjoyed his book. I methodically reviewed the logic behind my review. I shared some of my concerns that I had not stated in a series of Facebook message exchanges. I said what I really thought, diplomatically and respectfully.

Is the book still a three-star in my opinion? Yes. Is the friendship still intact? Yes. Should we as reviewers always write a review as if we might end up face to face with the author, sharing the review verbally instead of via a keyboard? In my opinion, yes. That would be the five-star way to go.

Paula Kiger lives in Tallahassee, Florida. Her Twitter bio wraps it up nicely: Wife of one, Mom of two, Friend of many. She is a director at a non-profit organization; in her spare time she loves running, writing, and listening to audio-books.

Visit Paula’s blog, Perspicacity, and connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.

Image Credit: Isabelle Dow

Featured on Friday: Rachel Royer

Curious about the Featured on Friday posts? Learn more.

If you’ve seen any of the beautiful book launch graphics that we share on social media, chances are that one of our two amazing graphic design contractors are behind them. As someone who is “artistically challenged”, I am completely in awe of their ability to turn words into pictures and bring ideas to life. Both of our graphic designers go above and beyond to help us and our clients, and are a joy to work with, even when we are short on time. I’m so pleased to be able to introduce you to one of them today, the lovely and talented Rachel Royer.

TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF, RACHEL…

I am a graphic designer, a wife, and a mother of two. I’m currently living in what I call my first hometown, since this is the longest I’ve ever gone without moving! My father was in the military so I moved every 1 – 3 years of my life. My husband and I have been here for over 5 years now. Feels good to finally grow some roots!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WORK FOR WEAVING INFLUENCE?

I have been working with Weaving Influence for about nine months now. I thank the Lord everyday for connecting me with this wonderful team!

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ASPECT OF YOUR WORK?

The process. I love being able to take something that starts as an idea and turn that into a final product for a client. 

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PASTIME?

Painting. Oils, acrylics, watercolors, tempura… I love them all! There’s something very relaxing and therapeutic about moving colors across a blank canvas. 

WHAT’S THE BEST TIP YOU CAN OFFER ABOUT HOW TO USE GRAPHICS?

Find a balance on how to keep things simple yet bold. You have to make sure that a consumer can visually understand what you’re trying to communicate within seconds. However, in today’s world, especially online, there’s SO MUCH out there so you have to make sure you stand out!

TELL US SOMETHING UNUSUAL ABOUT YOURSELF!

I love to run, especially in races. Last year my husband and I completed our first half marathon and the Warrior Dash together. It was so much fun! I had to miss out on all the races this year because of my pregnancy, but next year I’m determined to do more. I’m eager to try the Spartan Race and Color Run!

See more of Rachel’s work on her website, send her an email for more information, and connect with her on LinkedIn.

Share Your Thoughts! What’s your favorite way to use graphics online? Have you ever tried creating your own?

Become the Hero of Your Talent Story

The end of the first chapter of Take Charge of Your Talent by Don Maruska and Jay Perry includes this “Talent Takeaway”:

Your talent is a story you can transform. When you position yourself as the hero of your story and follow a clear set of actions to act out that role, your career and life can change and move forward quickly.

One of the reasons I am so thrilled to support these authors is that the content of this book resonates with me deeply — I can see myself on every page. The stories, examples, and struggles to find and develop talent, described in this book, are universal and relatable. The advice the authors offer is straight-forward and clear.

I’m going to pretend for a minute that you’ve never heard my story.

My talent — a story I transformed.

Fewer than 5 years ago, my days consisted of caring for my three young daughters and educating them at home — activities I chose and loved. And yet, a small part of me wondered if I could also find a way to return to my love of writing. I doubted that I could ever turn writing into a career, yet I spent a few hours writing again and submitted some articles here and there.

Occasionally, my husband would ask me what career I’d like to pursue when the girls were older. When he did, I felt terrified. His job requires 10+ hours away from home each day. His schedule is often unpredictable. Considering all it takes to keep our family together, I had no idea how I would ever pursue a career.

And yet — I started to move in the direction of my dreams. I answered a Facebook posting from a friend. It turned to steady work, which led to big opportunities to learn and grow, in skills and confidence. I left that work, starting a new adventure. It opened up possibilities for more learning and growth.

Then one day, I left the security of that wonderful position to start this business.

Before I knew it, I had become the hero of my own talent story. My life and career moved forward and changed quickly.

Within the span of time it takes to earn a college degree, I moved from stay-at-home mom to entrepreneur. From there to here. Honestly, it is almost incomprehensible to me.

Maruska and Perry write: “No matter who you are or what your situation is, it all comes down to one point: you always have a choice. You get to decide how you are going to play out your talent story and your role in it.”

If you don’t like your story, I encourage you to buy and read Take Charge of Your Talent to fuel your journey. 

Tell me something! How are you becoming the hero of your talent story? What choices can you make today to move toward your desired future?

P.S. This post contains a lot of links! If you piece them together, you’ll see more of my story. The most important click you’ll make is to click through to Don and Jay’s book on Amazon (yes, this is a shameless sales pitch!)