January 12, 2012

What is your value and how do you communcate it?

Posted by Matthew Dent under Communication, Leadership, Motivation, Personal Branding
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Do you have a brand?  Does your web presence promote your value?  Maybe we should ask, what is your value?  Having a passion and interest in something is a start but where do we go from there…

Over the last few months I created a brand and have began blogging, commenting, using Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin to communicate my thoughts and ideas.  Here are a few tips and ideas I have learned.

What is your value?  I believe the first step in the process is having a clear understanding of what is that you want to contribute.  This is the hardest part of the process, I remember struggling with this idea for a few weeks and finally I decided I wanted to focus my passion on leadership and more importantly “how leaders should lead.” You may want to focus your value around your career and what you can contribute to others.  You maybe a salesman,  realtor, student, or someone looking to change careers.

Okay, our value has been established, where do we go next?  The next step is to create a blog and start capturing your thoughts.  Putting your thoughts to writing and posting them for the world to read, comment, and critique is a very humbling experience. Don’t get caught up in what others may think, these are your ideas and a this is a way to simply capture your thoughts.  Give yourself permission and don’t wait for the others to give you approval.  Remember, although you are posting it to the web it does NOT have to perfect.  It is going to be a while before others start reading your blog so don’t fumble over the idea that it needs to perfect.  Be clear and direct; longer is not better.  Pick a topic you are passionate about: sit down, capture your thoughts, proofread, and publish.

Where do we go next?  The best place to find value in the social media circle is on Twitter.  Many people are there to share, interact, and engage in conversation.  Read other blogs around your value and feel free to comment.  You will find that most people in the twitter world are there because they enjoy learning, engaging, and helping others. Take advantage of this and ask for advice.

Utilizing the social networking sites such as Facebook and Linkedin can also be powerful avenues to express your thoughts.  Although Facebook is a way to get your message out, it can damage your creditability as well as others. People can spot a fake a mile away so be genuine with your thoughts and find something that you are passionate about.

When it comes to differentiating yourself from the competition one edge you could take is using the internet to make yourself standout.  With the social networking sites such as myspace, facebook, and twitter we have began to open up to the idea of putting pictures and comments on the web for everyone else to see.  Unfortunately, if you are looking for a job you may have shot yourself in the foot because of the very web presences that you display.  I believe we were programmed to think “myspace”  was our own private space, when actually anyone with the internet could access what you posted.  If you didn’t have your settings set to private, you are completely exposed to anyone who maybe  interested.  So how do you create a positive web presence?

CRUX: Who are you? How do you want others to perceive you? Your web presence is a snap shot of who you are and how other see you.  This becomes a very valuable tool when searching for job or starting a new career path. Use the internet to create an edge for yourself over the competition.

“By giving people the power to share, we’re making the world more transparent.” -Mark Zuckerberg

 

June 17, 2010

What Motivates You?

Posted by Matthew Dent under Leadership, Motivation | Tags: , , |
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What motivates you?  It maybe a corner office, wealth, influencing others, or to reach a level others have failed to accomplish.  Motivation is NOT a behavior, however, it strongly influences our behaviors.  I would define motivation as the psychological source of personal energy that drives you to succeed.  There are many types of social motives, however, three of the underlying social motives are: achievement, affiliation, and influence.

The need for achievement can be described as a way to do something quicker, better, easier or simply more efficient.  The thought pattern of achievement motivated people may include: out-performing someone else, meeting or exceeding self-imposed standards, striving for unique accomplishments, and thinking about long-term career connections.  When I think of achievement I am driven to succeed by self-imposed standards I have set for myself.  Recognizing your driving force to achieve will allow you to control the force that ignites your fire.  Just remember to not cut corners when striving for your goals and avoid becoming an ineffective manager by only worrying about the results. 

What motivates you to affiliate?  The core concern behind affiliation is establishing, maintaining, or repairing relationships.  Two types of affiliation exist; you may have a genuine interest in others or you may just want to belong.  I enjoy networking, engaging in conversation, and  maintaining relationships.  If affiliation motivates you, you may also be concerned with  disruption of relationships and also characterize group activities as social or friendly.

What drives you to influence?  The goal underlying influence motivation is a concern with having impact, with reputation and influence.  Influence motivation is also called power motivation.  When individuals combine their ability to achieve with the ability to influence you will see a leader born.  Whether the drive to influence is for personal or social gain people like having a leader.  Having the ability to not only achieve but influence will create followers and in turn increase your ability to influence.   

I would love to hear what motivates you.  Are you driven to achieve, affiliate, and influence?

CRUX: Determine what motivates you whether it is achievement, affiliation, or influence.  Understanding what keeps you going will allow you to flip the switch and ignite your fire.  

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim to high and falling short; but in setting our aim to low, and achieving our mark.” -Michelangelo

 

March 4, 2010

Networking Excellence- 3 Ideas for Success

Posted by Matthew Dent under Communication, Leadership, Relationship Building | Tags: , , , , |
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Previously, we set the ground work for establishing connections and maintaining rapport as an effective starting point when it comes to networking.  When most people hear the word networking, they may think of a local chamber commerce meeting or a cocktail party, boring small talk, and just what to use when leaving early. However, networking is how most people get clients, find employees, a new restaurant spot, a place to vacation, and most importantly it is the basis for developing relationships.  Regardless if you are an introvert or extrovert, you can be successful at networking. It is just a matter of figuring out your style.  What is your philosophy on networking?

How do you feel about meeting new people? Do you dread the thought? Or, do you look forward to engaging conversation everywhere, all the time?

The main underlining message behind networking is building bridges.  Setting out to make a good first impression is always important when meeting someone for the first time.  Try smiling, it is contagious.  People recognize positive energy, just be genuine and consistent with who you are and others will be encouraged to engage in conversation. There is no need to be over the top, rather it is more about doing the small things that really matter.  For example, a friend of mine was walking into his local chamber of commerce meeting and held the door open for the person walking in behind him.  This simple gesture led to a conversation and potentially will lead to having a new client.  More importantly, a bridge was formed.  You never know who you might meet on a given day; you should be ready to set yourself apart from the others.  Be authentic, but standout!

Go out and ask questions but remember to listen.   Asking questions and getting to know someone is a very easy way to network. In return, be ready to answer questions about yourself in a confident yet humble manner.  You might want to have a line rehearsed about who you are and what you do.  Don’t make it robotic and be yourself; the more you do this the more natural it becomes.  Take this time to practice listening and follow the steps of becoming an active listener, it will take time but you will improve.  I know you may start daydreaming about how great your weekend is going to be and may miss an entire conversation but if all else fails when it comes to retaining anything from the conversation, at least remember their name.  People like hearing their name, pay them a compliment by remembering their name.  Master listening and you will set yourself apart from others, unfortunately most of us are too busy wanting to speak we forget to listen.  Nobody ever said it was going to be easy and it requires a lot of work but with a little practice we can master this skill.

I think the hardest part of networking is maintaining the relationships we have established.  Do you ever sit back and wonder what happen to a co-worker or college roommate?  When this happens to me, I find ways to reconnect and then practice keeping in touch.  A simple text message, email, or phone call goes along way yet it usually gets passed up because we are too busy.  The social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, & Linkedin have simplified this process for you.  It may take you a few hours to get these platforms up and running but after that you just need to check back periodicly. This is probably the easiest way to network with people.  It just takes a little time and you can make that happen, right? Taking the time to put out a little effort  lets others know you really care.  Stop making the excuse, there is no reason to lose contact with a friend or co-worker.  Do the little things that will keep you in touch.

CRUX: Take every opportunity to set yourself apart from others.  Do the little things like building bridges, listening, and making an effort to keep in touch.  This takes work and practice but focusing on others will ultimately lead to a chance for you shine.

“Success in life, in anything, depends upon the number of persons that one can make himself agreeable to.” -Thomas Carlyle

 

February 22, 2010

Give Yourself Permission to Think Big

Posted by Matthew Dent under Leadership | Tags: , , , , |
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From a young age, we are taught to be happy and thankful for what we have, there less fortunate people than ourselves. To want more is considered terrible, you should conform to what others think is fair.  I remember being trained to ask for less, to not be greedy, and expect less.  Ultimately, I was being told to demand less and expect less out of life.

What do we have to lose by thinking big?  I would argue you have nothing to lose and everything to gain!

Majority of people are afraid of thinking big, they are scared to lead, scared to be successful, and scared to be rich. For some, being rich or successful is a satisfying dream and they are content with having this dream.  Remember, most people think small; when you tell them what you plan on doing they will probably try to talk you out of it or tell you how you can’t do it.  This is a typical response; people create glass ceilings for themselves.  They can’t imagine themselves ever being able to achieve the same so they try and talk you out of it.  Don’t let others discourage you from thinking big.  If anything, tell others about your plans so they can hold you accountable, then go out there and make it happen.

What is the reason for success?  Successful people take their dream to the next level. They give themselves permission to lead, succeed, or be wealthy; they don’t stop until the vision becomes their reality.  A poster child for “thinking big,” Donald Trump says, “I realized it was just as easy to think big as it was to think small, maybe a bit more complicated but I liked the challenge.”  Now it is your turn to start thinking big!  Anyone who thinks the sky is the limit, has limited their growth; think big and transform your vision into your reality.  Life is like that, it evolves, it grows and you can have it all.   

CRUX: Think big, give yourself permission, make a commitment, and don’t stop until your vision becomes reality.

 “You have to set goals that are almost out of reach. If you set a goal that is attainable without much work or thought, you are stuck with something below your true talent and potential.” -Steve Garvey

 

 

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