Are You Going Places? LinkedIN? What’s On Your Mind?

Today it’s Twitter.
“See You on the Face”
Where You Checking In?
How About A Handshake?

Each day I learn of something new with the changes online and uses of mobile technology through various means. I agree it’s very important to be out there communicating and connecting with people in more ways than one. This new social media phenomenon is causing some people to forget the balance between one’s personal life and professional.

I hate to think the number of followers you have on Twitter, the number of friends you have on Facebook, and the number of professionals you have on LinkedIN, qualifies you as any type of expert. Not everyone adopts many new technologies and decides to immediately incorporate it into his/her daily life. Some may not have the desire at all, prefer his/her privacy, or actually too busy at work to be bothered. For some it’s an escape from reality, an opportunity to learn, promote a story, or connect with someone on a similar topic. As Shiv Singh, social media expert at Razorfish and author of Social Media Marketing for Dummies states on Twitter, “Of all my friends on FB, only the ones who work in digital have used FB Places. Is that a sign for how well it will do? If so, not good.”-11:28 AM Aug 20th via web.

A good professional must understand how to reach people through various mediums to best connect with others using both traditional and new ways of communication. It’s more about quality and not quantity. People are calling themselves social media experts and they are being valued by prospective employers by the number of tweets on Twitter and number of friends. That’s crazy!

I wish to impact the world, make a profit, or help someone out there question the way we live and make a bigger difference. How many people can actually say they know each person they are connected with online, done business with them, grew companies that were sold, or it’s just others trying to increase their followers and connections in this new popularity contest.

How many of these people understand the adoption curve of companies, instituted real change to educate executives and engage audiences, understands how to be a leader and collaborate with others to build a real strategy that makes sense to the business and doesn’t just follow the crowd. I want to be influenced by true educators and make decisions by having quality people in my network whether online or creating deeper relations off-line.

We’re starting to see the public turned off by some of the tactics and new “Places” on Facebook as an invasion of one’s privacy. Soon people will follow suit looking for the next best place in technology to communicate.

It’s important to be out there as I do blog, contribute on occasion to social media sites, as well as I enjoy learning and experimenting with different mediums. Some days I’m more active than others. Yet, I’m selective who I link with and what I want to say. I’ve been on these sites longer than most. I see the value for certain companies and connecting with the audience, but I’m careful how much I really want to say in the online world that can remain permanent about my private lives.

I consider myself a very talented and a qualified professional who enjoys probing the right questions, as well as taking a step back to understand the concerns, interests and opportunities with many of these new advancements to make a business case, as well as building trust and listening to the audiences. I’m not just one to jump on the bandwagon of the next best location-based technology, or social media innovation to promote myself. I don’t need FourSquare in my private life to share my every action and tell the world I’m going “Places” on Facebook. In my opinion, employers are misguided if what they are looking for in a good marketing person, or value a candidate based on the number of followers, friends, or tweets he/she has online.

I prefer my privacy in my personal life and wish to connect with people in a genuine manner. As far as using the new social media tools for business, I understand the importance to rely on these resources to listen, learn and share feedback with others to make improvements to a product, or perhaps offer better customer service and create loyalty programs. I plan to continue to go places far and wide to finding a rewarding career and fulfilling life with wonderful friends and professionals that have personally come together.

You Go Girl! Harvard Celebrates Dynamic Women In Business

Women from across the country attended Harvard’s 19th annual Dynamic Women in Business conference which featured some of the brightest and talented women that have made strides in their professional careers. Sitting side-by-side with others attending the event were people about to graduate, new to a career, women seeking work, or individuals that wanted to hear from some powerful people in business. Both young and old came to learn and network with one another in hopes to secure that next job opportunity, make a new friend, or find a mentor to inspire one to reach for her goals. Top women executives from companies such as Staples, lululemon athletica, Keds (Stride Rite / Collective Brands), Coca- Cola, NBC Universal, Showtime, Time Warner Cable, Estee Lauder, Google, Highland Capital Partners, FedEx, Mavens & Mogels, Communispace, and many more came together in one place to share their experiences in different aspects of business.

Make Your Movement Possible

The event kicked off with Ann Simonds, President of General Mills Baking Products Division, where her comment, “there are learning points in your life and leading points in your life,” rang true to many women throughout different stages of their career development. We all have had transitions in our lives where we take a step back to improve upon our weaknesses, or took the necessary time to research for ourselves what would help us to move forward. Ann shared in her presentation a copy of a check from a few years back for $38.00 her mother contributed to help a women’s professional organization.  Today, Ann stood on the spotlight of the stage before hundreds of impressionable women, as her mother sat in the audience to cheer her daughter as a true leader in business. Not only was that a great story, but the conference was inspirational to many in the audience. It was nice to see women bonding together with a sense of empowerment as they listened to the personal stories of the executives on the panels who offered their solutions for facing the day-to-day business challenges to find success.

Turning Buzz to Biz

Whether you are pitching a product, trying to sell yourself to a prospective buyer/recruiter, or meet someone new, it’s all about creating that buzz, developing your network, and influencing others in hopes for one to see the value you offer. Check out the book Now Discover Your Strengths, by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton. Many women recommended it as a good resource to help define your core strengths and how you can gain results in the workplace.

The various panels of women discussed areas in sales, marketing, entrepreneurship, retail, consulting, finance and more, offered examples to improve your business, your role, but also where all of us can look inside ourselves to put our best foot forward in many situations.

• Make sure to ask for what you want
• Listen
• Focus on the outcome
• Surround yourself with the best talent
• Don’t allow yourself to be put down
• Seek opportunities to prove your strategic direction
• Share the results: Show Don’t Tell
• Build an organization around a strategy
• What brand asset do you have?
• Identify the touch points and keep them engaging to influence the audience or your peers
• Improve the overall experience for the customer making it memorable
• Find a mentor to cheer you on when you are doing something well, and offer advice when you are doing something wrong

So get out there…..YOU GO GIRL!

What are some things that you live by to get ahead? Share your story below and let others know.