We can’t outrun our character. And that’s a good thing. In a more and more interconnected world, when we sincerely strive to add massive value what goes around comes around. A lot of folks think they have to “be” a certain way on Social Media. Here’s the nine-hundred pound elephant in the middle of the room: if you’re trying to present yourself as anything other than what you really are, you will be found out very quickly and any knowable, likeable, trustable traits you’ve been attempting to present will be shattered. You’re unique. Just like everyone else. You were designed a certain way and to attempt to be anything that you’re not is a lesson in futility. Be what you are while continually getting better at being you. Share yourself, what’s interesting to you, your passions and your enthusiasm. That’s your unique voice.
Be An Encourager
The only time most folks get any recognition is when they screw something up. And most of the time they already know they screwed it up and don’t need someone else shoving it in their face. I’m no management guru, but I know one thing that will help people perform better and make them feel better about themselves and also about you. Sneak up and catch them doing something right. And even if you’re not catching them doing something right, a little encouragement goes a long way. Let people know that you believe in them and make sure you’re sincere about it. Who can you encourage live in the flesh today, and also on Social Media platforms? It takes so little to spread a little sunshine and the return for doing so (for everyone involved including you) is so large that it’s pretty much a no-brainer. Encourage people.
Who Are Your Five?
Years ago, a man I respect a lot told me to identify the five people who I spend the most time with, and add up their incomes. He said that my income would be about the average of the five. And when I did what he suggested, I found out that he was right. This works with a lot more than money. Observe the attitudes, family relationships, health, and spirituality of the five people you spend the most time with and you’ll probably find that the corresponding areas of your life are probably also the average of their’s. And you don’t need to be physically with these people all the time. Who are you hanging out with on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc? This is very good news. Because you get to choose your five. Is there anyone you need to remove from your five? Is there anyone you need …
Social Media Is About Speaking To People Individually
Disclaimer: This post may sound like a rant, but it’s not. It’s a simple interpersonal tip that will produce massive results for you. I see a lot of people post things on Social Media platforms that have words in the message like, “Good morning everyone!”, “Hey folks….” and “Thank you all.” People who use Social Media most effectively understand that they’re talking to people individually. And they communicate as if they are speaking to just one person. Because they are. Remember that adults are just kids with long, hairy legs and that a lot of people feel the need to puff themselves up (due to their fragile self-images) and want to look like they have a massive following and that they’re important. So they’ll use verbiage that sends a message that is intended to look like they are communicating with masses of folks. The irony is that the folks with …
Timely Follow-Up Will Always Be Important
We’re all running faster than we’ve ever run before. And when we’re cruising at Mach 5 with our hairline on fire things tend to fall through the cracks. With the ever-increasing amount of LinkedIn connection requests, Facebook posts, tweets, and a million other things including email that come at us every day, it’s easy to get backed up. Social Media Constipation. It’s still important to get back to people in a timely manner and it will always be important. This is something that I work on on a daily basis. Sometimes I’m on top of my communications and sometimes I’m backed up. Way backed up. It would be easy for you and me to use the “I’m so busy” excuse. But that’s a cop-out. We make time for the things that are important to us. And our relationships are very important. People may forget what we say, but they never …
Let Other People Toot Your Horn
There are a lot of self-professed “Social Media Guru’s” out there. I think that many people call themselves guru’s because they can’t spell “charlatan.” When you deliver massive value, the word gets around. All things being equal, people do business with and refer business to people they know, like, and trust. Not people who call themselves “guru’s.” It’s kinda like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are….maybe you’re not. Someone tooting their own horn is actually telling people a lot more about themselves than they realize. And it’s not a good thing they’re telling about themselves. Add massive value. What goes around comes around. Let other people toot your horn. Do awesome work and they’ll toot your horn all day long. Don’t worry about the tooting. Just massively deliver the goods.
Ask And It Shall Be Given Unto You
There’s an old saying in the sales biz that goes, “You no ask, you no get.” And it’s an old saying because it’s true. There’s an even older saying from a pretty famous book that goes, “Ask and it shall be given unto you.” This is the positive version of the old sales adage. When you meet people in person or on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or wherever, ask them how you may help them in some way. And if you’re in a position to help them, do it. What goes around comes around. But don’t offer to help people so that they’ll owe you. Do it because it’s a reflection of your giving nature and pay-it-forward attitude. Timid salespeople have skinny kids. This isn’t necessarily about sales, but really about human relations. Not offering to help people doesn’t serve anyone. Not the withholder nor the withholdee. Your success may be …
Don’t Be A Drive-By Social Media Connector
It’s nice to have a lot of Friends on Facebook, Connections on LinkedIn and Followers on Twitter, but don’t let the numbers fool you. Every connection regardless of the Social Media platform is an opportunity to add value to someone and to create a mutually beneficial, win-win relationship. Many people are “drive-by connecting” with people. They’re just trying to increase their numbers in an egotistical manner. This isn’t everyone by any means, but it’s certainly a lot of people. Just look at the evidence. A drive-by connection is someone who “friends, connects, or follows” and they’re then off to the Social Media Witness Relocation Program. You never hear from them again. Nothing, nada, bupkiss, goose egg. When connecting with someone, send them a personal message acknowledging them and asking if you may help them in some way. You may be surprised at some of the wonderful replies you get. Most people …
It’s Never Been Easier To Get Better At Whatever You Want
There’s never been an easier time than now for you to get better at whatever you want to get better at. And nothing has really changed over the centuries in terms of figuring out how to get better. Determine what you want to excel at and find the resources that will teach you how to get better. In the old days, you’d go to the library or subscribe to some pricey journal on your field of interest. Now, with the internet, Social Media, blogs, etc. you have an almost unlimited number of resources available to you. I suggest that you find people who are really good at what you want to get better at. Friend them and/or like their Fan Page on Facebook, invite them to connect with you on LinkedIn, and follow them on Twitter. You’re not stalking, you’re learning by observing. Watch what they post. Study their content. They’re …
Who Did You Touch This Week?
While success is composed of a number of things, it’s pretty much agreed upon that our long-term success will be dependent on our ability to build and maintain relationships. The best kind of relationships are mutually beneficial, win-win relationships. Friday is a good time to look back over your week and see who you’ve interacted with and whether you’ve added value to everyone who has crossed your path. Take a few minutes and look back over your calendar for the week. See who you communicated with whether in person, by email, or perhaps on Social Media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Was your interaction positive? Did it add value to the other person? Did it lead to a stronger bond? Did you offer help in some way and pay it forward? If not, pick up the phone or drop an email to the person and let them know that …
Get Back To The Basics Of Social Media
I’ve been off the road for a little bit and I’ve been getting back to the basics of connecting with people. Even though I speak all over the USA and internationally on a weekly basis on the subjects of Social Media, Networking, Personal Development, and Relationship Building, it’s easy to fall out of the habit of connecting with people like we should. What if every morning you got up a little earlier and checked in on your LinkedIn account to see who’s changed their photo, updated their profile, started a new job, joined a new group, received a recommendation or any of a ton of other updates that LinkedIn can provide you with. And then what if you sent them a brief personal message congratulating them or at least acknowledging that you’re interested in their success? What if you also looked at your Facebook account and congratulated your friends on …
We Become Like The Social Media Peeps We Associate With
There are certain kids that we don’t want our kids hanging out with. That’s because we know that they’ll be a bad influence. So at what age does this change? Remember that adults are just kids with long, hairy legs. We become like the people we associate with. Regardless of our age. Knowing that people are spending huge amounts of time on Facebook and other Social Media sites, it serves us well to remember that we’re associating with people online as well as offline. And we become like the people we associate with. Don’t complain and gripe if you’re hanging around a bunch of complainers and gripers online or offline. Of course you’re complaining and griping if that’s what you’re surrounding yourself with. Surround yourself with people who are inspirational and uplifting. Communicate with people who make you feel better about yourself. Spend time with people who are succeeding and …
People Skills Are Your Only Limitation
As we all become more connected, we’re finding exponentially more opportunities to impact people and organizations. This assumes that you are committed to adding massive value in everything you do. I believe that the only limitation you will have as you move forward is your relationship skills limitation. Let’s agree that your technical expertise in your chosen profession and aligning yourself with a good organization (or starting your own business) that offers a viable product or service at a reasonable price is just admission to the game. That just gets you in the room. In a world (use that guy who does the movie trailer voice) where finding talent has never been easier (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.) the differentiator is no longer your technical expertise. Wanna get good at something – just watch YouTube. Anything in the world you want to learn is there. Just go to khanacademy.org, heck…MIT just put …
Social Media And Relationships Take A Little Work
Success in Social Media and success in relationships doesn’t just happen. Success requires some work. And Social Media and relationships have a lot in common. That’s probably because they’re the same thing. Having success in Social Media means understanding that it’s not about technology, it’s about relationships. You don’t need to be an expert transmission repair specialist in order to drive a car and you don’t need to be a “Social Media Guru” in order to have success in Social Media. Investing a little time on a daily basis in your Social Media efforts and in your relationships produce massive results over time. Updating your LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter statuses on a regular basis let people know that you’re still there. Kinda like a relationship. If you don’t let the people you care about know that you care about them, they tend to go away. Touch the people you’re connected …
Rumi Was Right
“Sell your cleverness and purchase bewilderment.” – Rumi Rumi was a pretty deep 13th-century poet and Sufi mystic. I love reading his works. He must have been fun guy to hang around with. Let’s change the word ‘bewilderment’ to ‘gratitude’, and his profound saying becomes “Sell your cleverness and purchase gratitude.” Instead of trying to figure out clever ways of gaining followers on your Social Media channels, or burning brain cells trying to get more people to read your blog, or whatever, what would happen if you went on a rampage of gratitude? Everyone wants to be appreciated and the funny thing is that very few people invest time in their daily routines to show appreciation and gratitude. Set a goal to let at least five people a day know that you are grateful to and/or for them in some way. Show appreciation. Being clever is okay, but being sincere …
Social Proof Isn’t New, It’s Just Much Easier Now
Ever since the earth was cooling, the best form of credibility has been word of mouth. We do business with and refer business to people we know, like and trust. This is as natural as gravity. Whether it’s 912 AD or 2012 AD, word gets around. When people have good experiences and outcomes after working with you, you develop word of mouth. This is called a reputation. Prior to Social Media, we had limited ways of showing that we are credible, do a good job, take pride in our work, and have people saying good things about us. By creating a robust LinkedIn Profile including Recommendations from people who are in a position to endorse you based on your work experience, it’s never been easier to showcase your credibility. Similar displays of credibility can be created on Facebook, Twitter, and other Social Media platforms. The so-called, and often self-professed ‘Social …
Wipe Your Feet
“Do we live in a barn? Wipe your feet!” Ever hear that when you were a kid? I did, because my brothers and I tramped in mud, leaves and God knows what else into our home. My Mom did a great job of keeping a clean house and didn’t want us messing it up with our carelessness. Let’s apply that thinking to Social Media. Remember that every human being with a cell phone is effectively a media company. We can transmit Facebook posts, LinkedIn Status Updates, Tweets on Twitter, photos, video and just about anything else around the globe in seconds. You’re leaving tracks one way or another. Is it mud or is it adding value? Wipe your feet. Leave the mud outside….off the internet and Social Media. Post good things. Add value. Most people have enough mud in their own homes and don’t need yours or mine.
Dinner With Friends
High tech is nice, but high touch is everything. It’s great connecting with people on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube and many other Social Media platforms. But when you can, get together face to face. Start a relationship online and then take it offline. We’re all busier than ever. With all the traveling I do, it’s easy to not see friends face to face for long periods of time. I don’t like that so I decided to start a new tradition in 2012. Once a month Karin and I host a dinner party at our home for friends and people we’d like to get to know better. Many of the people we’d like to know better we’ve come to know online through Social Media platforms. I kinda like the 1950’s kinda feel of a dinner party. We have two or three couples and some singles and they bring their kids. …
True Clout Has Nothing To Do With Klout
As more people are trying to figure out how to leverage Social Media for their business and personal lives, there are more services that are popping up and attempting to accelerate the process. One of the services that has been around for some time is Klout, which enables people to generate a form of influence ranking. That’s all well and good, but I’ll go with time-tested, proven clout. The dictionary defines clout as, “pull, strong influence”. Don’t worry about trying to generate clout. Do the right thing. Every time. Do what you say you’re going to do. Under-promise and over-deliver. Get up early and work hard. Add massive value. Pay attention to the little things. Don’t sacrifice long-term success for short-term gain. Clout is like nature. It will grow in its own time when we follow true success principles. And don’t worry about what other people think of you. What …
Gifts That Are Not In Little Blue Tiffany Boxes
As you’re winding down 2011, I’m sure you’re taking a few minutes to review the year and take stock of how it all panned out. Did you hit your goals? Did you have goals? How did your job or business fare in 2011? Despite the economic tsunami, did you stay afloat or perhaps even thrive? Think about your professional and personal relationships. How are you doing with the people you work with? Look back at December of 2010 and think of how your professional relationships were then and ask yourself if there’s been any change between then and now? Is it for the better or worse? There is no status quo in relationships. How about your personal relationships? How’s it going with your spouse, kids, relatives, and friends? Take a minute and ask yourself if these relationships are getting stronger or are they getting weaker? Remember that kids often spell …