Color Q Personality Power

Understand People: Improve Leadership, Sales, Teams and Careers

Blog

Brand Yourself: Your Billboard

by

Brand Yourself: Your Billboard

By Nancy Ancowitz, Business Communication Coach and Author of Self-Promotion for Introverts®

Imagine driving along the NJ-495 roadway, which dramatically scoops around and dips down the cliffs of Weehawken, New Jersey, into a huge industrial no-man’s land before you enter the Lincoln Tunnel to the legendary city of Broadway, big business, and billionaire dreams. As you navigate your way through this sea of gray, peppered with smokestacks and billboards, your eyes jump from ads for SmartWater to iPhones to one about you.

Now imagine what your billboard would say, how it would look, and what image it would convey. How do you want to be seen by the outside world? Which of your magnificent qualities could you display? How can you summarize your offerings in a snapshot that will grab drivers going 60 miles per hour and hold the attention of commuters stuck in traffic as well?

There’s no room for lots of words or complicated images. And there’s no room for anything that’s less than sparkling about you. While, of course, I’m not suggesting that you actually buy a billboard ad (although it might be a novel approach), this mental excursion will remind you to make your message quick and clear—whether you’re applying for a job or building your business—or else you’ll pay more than the toll!

If you’re an introvert, the thought of your personal brand plastered on a billboard might seem overwhelming. However, it can also be liberating to take the time to think of a message that would matter to the people you want to target—rather than dreaming it up on the spot at a social event or important meeting. Focus on spreading the word to those who can benefit from whatever you’ve got instead of foisting your offerings on those who aren’t interested.

My client Madeline Abel-Kerns, who is an opera singer, actress, and voice teacher, shares what her billboard would look like: “White, puffy clouds with a beautiful sky—the type of clouds you would want to sit and watch drift by, changing shapes. In black letters there would be two words: ‘Be moved.’ And my name and the date of my next performance.”

Now it’s your turn. If you’re inspired to do so, take out a blank sheet of paper and write down a concise headline for your billboard and draft an image (or find one from a magazine). Also write any other brief message you’d like to add, possibly to get members of your target audience who are driving by to take a desired action. Here is a recap of the information you’ll need to capture:

 

What Does Your Billboard Say?

Headline:

Image:

Brief message and/or action:

Once you’ve mocked up your billboard, consider how you can apply the concept you’ve created consistently across your self-promotional activities—whether you’re writing a cover letter for a job, designing a Web site for your business, or presenting yourself at a sales meeting.

I’ve adapted this billboard exercise from my book, Self-Promotion for Introverts®: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead. The book also includes many other exercises and offers gentle guidance to help you get the recognition you seek to get where you want to go in your career.

REFERENCE:
Adapted from Nancy Ancowitz, Self-Promotion for Introverts®, McGraw-Hill, 2009, pp. 37, 51-52.

©Copyright 2010 Nancy Ancowitz

The Laws of Likability

by

Let Your True Self Shine!—Creating relationships based on authenticity

By Michelle Tillis Lederman, author of The 11 Laws of Likability

People of all ages want to be liked, whether you are 12 or 72. Likewise, people of all ages want to be happy. When you build the relationships you want, based on simply being yourself and liking them, you will enjoy your connections and be happier in your interactions.  The foundation of likability is authenticity which is the subject of the first chapter of The11Laws of Likability.

We need authenticity in our lives, our relationships and in our jobs. Just as we often don’t work to our fullest potential when a job isn’t the right fit, our relationships don’t develop when we don’t feel a real connection.

Ensuring authenticity in all aspects of your relationships helps to forge stronger, more substantial relationships then those that are based on falsity. Think of it this way: If you are not yourself from the very start of a relationship, you will constantly tiptoe around and try to act as you “should.” After a while, putting on a mask becomes very uncomfortable and exhausting. If you begin a relationship by showing your true self, you are able to relax and enjoy the friendship.

Ensure authenticity in your relationships:

1.      Be true to yourself. It is important not to force yourself into situations that you don’t want to be in. If you are exhausted and cranky at a meeting with a friend, your crankiness automatically sets a negative tone. Sometimes when you are not feeling like your best self it is okay to opt out and reschedule.

Don’t let yourself completely off the hook, however. It is important to stretch yourself and gain comfort with things that may not come naturally. You may not like going to networking events for your company but you certainly can’t avoid all of them. Ease yourself into uncomfortable situations. You’ll find that you become better and better at handling them.

2.      Make the connections you want to make. Networking is so much easier when the connections are genuine and when both people enjoy the relationship. Ignore your instinct to befriend who you “should” network with. Developing friendships with people that you enjoy allows for friendships that will sustain you in life and business.
On the other hand, don’t rule out people that you don’t have an immediate connection with. Let the relationship develop gradually. Sometimes you find yourself in a close friendship with someone that you seemed to have nothing in common with at first. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are friendships.

3.      Don’t force it. There is no one correct way to be. Although you may feel like you “should” act a certain way, any actions out of the ordinary for your personality will come across as forced. You will feel uncomfortable and so will the people around you. If you are usually serious and reserved, don’t try to make everyone laugh. If you are usually a jokester, don’t try to stay quiet. Simply be yourself. The real you is the best you.

If you are interested in learning more about how to make business connections that stick, check out my book The 11 Laws of Likability and visit my Facebook page.

 

 

Sabbaticals Help Employees, Company, Customers

by


BY RITA FOLEY co-author, Enhance Your Career and Life by Taking a Break, corporate director, retired Fortune 500 Global president and a founding partner of Reboot Partners LLC.

Corporations that offer sabbaticals don’t do it as a nicety. They do it because it’s downright good for bottom-line business results, employees, the company and customers.

I’ve been on all three sides. I’ve taken four sabbaticals, and each time I came back to work as a better contributor, employee and leader. I have granted sabbaticals to my employees, and I have seen the rise in creativity and benefits for customers and the corporation. Most of us have worked since we were in our late teens or early 20s, so, of course, it’s natural to crave some time off.

Gary had been contemplating quitting and trying something new. After talking it over with his wife, he decided that since he was only one year away from his sabbatical, which his company grants after seven years, he should wait. Gary’s wife shared that Gary used to moan about work, but since returning from his sabbatical, God forbid anyone say anything negative about Intel now. He realized his itching wasn’t the company or the work. He simply needed a reboot break.

What happens on the other side to the person who has to step in for the sabbatical-taker? I spoke with Tami Graham, director of Global Benefits Design. When her peer for HR delivery took a sabbatical, Tami stepped out of her job completely to run the delivery group. She explained that she can create the most wonderful programs in the world, but if they can’t be rolled out in the field or easily implemented, they are for naught. Doing the delivery job gave Tami first-hand experience of what it was like to receive programs from her team and the challenges of implementing them. It made her a better leader, as it did the person who stepped in to do her job during those three months.

Why are more companies implementing formal sabbatical programs?
Employees return rejuvenated: More than 100 companies that offer formal sabbatical programs have close to 100 percent of the sabbatical-takers returning to the company with a higher level of engagement, loyalty, motivation and appreciation for their employer. Follow-up research shows a high percentage of promotion and improved performance levels of those sabbatical-takers. Companies that provided sabbaticals on an informal or exception basis had more sabbatical takers who did not return to work or remain employed with the company.

Clients will allow it: Some companies, especially from law firms, say, “You don’t understand; we’re different. We have a very intense one-on-one relationship with our clients.” The reality is many law firms — small to ones with more than 900 partners — offer sabbaticals.

It can be cost-efficient: This is another one that is especially hard for lawyers or firms who share their profits. But, if everyone takes a sabbatical, then at one time or another you will each be covering for another, and the profit washes out. Some companies offer only partial pay for sabbatical leavers, but for even those who offer full pay, a sabbatical program shouldn’t cost you. Maybe at a clerical level you might have to hire a temp once in a while, but with some careful preparation and juggling, work can be covered by existing employees.

Implementation is essential: It’s all in the preparation. The companies I spoke to have a very simple and effective system. Upon approaching the sabbatical year, an employee writes a memo to their boss requesting the specific time off. They then meet and outline coverage.

The bottom line: Our nation will lose its innovation and creativity if we don’t invest in our most important asset: our employees. We tune up our PCs, cars and home heaters. Why not encourage our people to give their minds and spirits a tuneup? Time and time again, sabbatical-takers return as more interested and engaged employees, more loyal and more creative. Sabbaticals broaden a company by bringing in new ideas.

Loyalty alone should be enough to justify implementing a program. The cost of hiring and training a new employee can be 1.5 times a departing worker’s salary. Sharon Allen, Deloitte’s chairwoman, said her firm’s sabbaticals and flexibility policies had saved more than $45 million a year by reducing turnover.  Companies gain because offering a sabbatical program is a wonderful tool for checking and building an organization’s depth and breadth.

Sabbatical programs force managers to proactively focus on developing their staff, complete succession planning and provide training and exposure to teams, thus encouraging “readiness” in terms of bench strength. It is a chance to evaluate the potential of employees who stand in for others in a real, not hypothetical, situation. Sabbaticals promote teamwork and better decision-making. Twenty percent of the “Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For” offer fully paid sabbaticals. Since the inception of its program in 1979, Intel has granted more than 64,000 sabbaticals. Intel had $661 million in revenue in 1979. Last time I checked, this $43 billion company wasn’t doing too badly.

Four Easy Networking Tips for 2011

by

Re-connect. Choose 5-10 people you lost touch with in 2010 and re-connect with them. Suggest and schedule either a telephone or in-person catch-up session. Say something like, “I’d like to hear what you’ve been up to.” This is easy, enjoyable and puts you back on their radar screen.

Plan forward. Imagine 3 projects you’d like to accomplish by July 2011. Outline them and determine in your network might be able to help? What specific kind of help will you ask for?

Express appreciation. Choose 5 people who made an impact on your life and business in 2010. Say, “I want to thank you for . . . ” Be specific, enthusiastic and grateful.

Help others. Someone in your circle would benefit from your knowledge. Offer to share without expecting anything in return.

Ways to Present a Positive Impression During Holiday Events

by

By Diane DiResta.  Website: http://www.diresta.com

1. Own the room. Stand tall and walk in with confidence.
2. Be the first to reach out. Extend your hand and give a firm handshake.
3. Look directly into someone’s eyes. Do not scan the room while talking to one person.
4. Ask questions about them instead of talking about yourself.
5. Mirror the other person. Match their speaking rate, volume level, and words. If they speak fast, quicken your pace. If they are soft-spoken, lower your volume. People like people who are most like them.
6. Speak clearly and pause. Sloppy or hurried speech is perceived as negative. Eliminate slang.
7. Be fully present. Focus on the person and listen non-verbally with body language and with words.
8. Find common ground quickly. This will build instant rapport.
9. Give compliments.
10. Paraphrase. It’s a form of acknowledging people. This skill makes you very attractive. It communicates you’re listening.
11. Have something interesting to say. Comment on the other person’s interests.
12. Be a giver. Offer a tip or an introduction to others. Give without expecting anything in return.
13. Smile. You’ll appear more approachable and confident.

Your Elevator Pitch: Don’t Go Networking Without It

by

Print

 

By Laura Hill http://www.careersinmotionllc.com

I attend a lot of business events that include networking. When meeting someone new, one of the first things we ask each other is “what do you do [for a living]?” It’s an easy question, right? Providing a clear, direct answer is SO important to build our personal brand, help us find jobs, and facilitate new business. And yet I almost never get a good answer to this basic query.

Common Elevator Pitch Mistakes

  1. Humor: “I help push drugs” instead of “I do product marketing for a pharmaceutical company”, just isn’t funny and makes a bad first impression.
  2. Too broad: “I work in technology” or “I’m a consultant” is useless. “I work for XYZ Company where I manage the help-desk group” is good. “I’m an independent marketing consultant – I specialize in developing sales promotion and direct marketing programs” is good.
  3. Underselling: “I’m just an order-taker on the fixed income trading desk”. Way better to just say “I work on the fixed income trading desk”.
  4. Too vague: “I help companies unleash hidden value”. What the heck does that mean?!
  5. Life story: Your pitch is not the time or place to give the chronology of your career or explain your career decisions. Monologues are bad.
  6. Jargon: beware of company/industry jargon until you know your audience.
  7. Uptalk: that’s when you’re making a statement but with rising inflection so that it sounds like a question. “I work in finance?” makes you sound weak and flighty – like a Valley Girl?

Best Practices for Your Elevator Pitch

Here are my rules for a good elevator pitch – which by the way is nothing more than your self-introduction or answer to “what do you do?”

  1. Say what you do at the present time. You may also want to mention what you want to do next. If your job is hard to explain, keep working on it till you find an easy way to convey key information that is consistent with your networking and branding objectives.
  2. If you are in transition, be clear about your target job/employers and mention your recent and noteworthy former employers (or clients). Example: “I work in pharmaceutical marketing, most recently as VP for a startup biotech company and previously for Bristol Myers-Squibb. I’m in transition; my search is focused on mid-sized biotechs, including late-stage startups.
  3. Build your brand. Be thoughtful about what makes you distinctive and for what you want to be known. This should be reflected in your pitch.
  4. Test your pitch. If your pitch generates appropriate questions and relevant conversations, it’s a good one. If your listener’s eyes glaze over or silence ensues, you missed your mark.
  5. Always reciprocate. “And what do you do, Mark”? Even better: ask what he does first, so that you can optimize your returning pitch.

Laura Hill is a founder of Careers in Motion LLC (www.careersinmotionllc.com). She works with professionals and executives on career strategy & planning, personal branding, and all aspects of job search including resumes, interviewing, networking and salary negotiations.