The Tale of two budgets

by Brian Superczynski, Aug 30, 2010

Creating and presenting the annual IT budget is a real challenge that can sometimes be compared to a dark Charles Dickens novel. How the budget is presented is the key to bypassing the “worst of times” but IT and finance organizations are not known for their marketing or communication skills; it’s just not in the DNA of either group. The solution is providing clarity and transparency, translating the ongoing costs of previously approved investments and providing options. more…

Character and Personality #9: Negotiator

by Gary Monti, Aug 31, 2010

It is a challenge to create a common bond between different people wanting different things. Some want to work on a bleeding-edge project, others want money, still others want as much personal time as possible, etc. Humility, courage and competency are “must-haves” for leaders to successfully negotiate between the desires of key stakeholders. more…

Social Media and Tribes #10: Facebook and low self-esteem?

by Deepika Bajaj, Sep 1, 2010

Any new technology has its detractors and naysayers. When it comes to social media, there is more than a fair share of them. But don’t let them determine your practices. Using Facebook effectively benefits you and your community and it is not a sign of low self-esteem. more…

Flexible Focus #17: Determine your destiny

by William Reed, Sep 2, 2010

The biggest thing that stands between you and your destiny is not something outside of you, but the fear, uncertainty and doubt in your own mind which saps your energy. Energy is the great multiplier, and the real measure of your strength. In this article, William has listed some practices to increase your energy level, which will enable you determine you destiny. more…

A simple strategy for a good life

by Vijay Peduru, Sep 3, 2010

Our life is completely governed by the stories we deeply believe in. Most of the times we never know that these stories dictate our life i.e. they are hidden to us like a blind spot while driving. If we try to change our behaviors without understanding them (the root cause), we will not be successful. So, how do we recognize our stories? more…

Recently, I received a newsletter from WebGuild and they had an article: Facebook Activity Correlate To Low Self-Esteem & Narcissism. It says According to a new study by Dr. Soraya Mehdizadeh of York University in Toronto, greater online activity on Facebook is correlated with low self-esteem and narcissism… OR is it just another one of those criticisms that Wright Brothers had to face when they crash-landed on their first flight to realize their dream for man to fly. Of course! there was media broadcasters there, too, who might have found it funny and ridiculed their efforts.

And really do we have to do research on people’s self-esteem because there is a self that comes in the word “self-esteem” which means that it is based on one’s own view of oneself. Self-respect is one’s own personal choice and it comes from the self and self alone.

If updating your own FB page is low self-esteem, then does that mean that the news reporters who come on TV everyday with stories of doom and gloom are negative and depressed?

OR

If you raised money for your philanthropic efforts through FB, then does that mean that your organization has a low self-esteem?

Here is why I think we need to focus more on the positive:

1. Self in self-respect: Don’t allow others’ opinions to be more important than your own opinion of yourself. I post positive quotes from leaders on my FB pg frequently, it is just my way of sharing a piece of information I found that might be valuable for someone. Now, when I stopped, some folks wrote to me to start again. They found it like a morning boost and derived motivation from it. Needless to say, there is no dearth of people, who make fun of this habit of mine. The question is that I really feel that I am sharing with my friends a pearl of wisdom with a “quote”. So, why would I let some naysayers deter me? This makes me wonder that some of most frequent posters on FB like Oprah, Barack Obama might have low self-esteem!
2. Call to Action from your community: There is something amazing about being in a lunch meeting and just posting a question on FB page. Most recently, I was planning a trip to Europe. On a dinner at my place, a friend commented, “If you are in Prague, visit Berlin”. And then in a following conversation someone said, “You might want to check out Vienna instead”. And since I have never been to Berlin or Vienna, I left it to my community of FB friends when I posted “Need help deciding global trotters: Prague to Berlin OR Prague to Vienna?”. Within a few hours, I had recommendations from friends who had gone to these places. In fact, I would have never known that they have traveled to these places if not for their response to my question.

Consider numerous inventions that we take for granted today: airplanes, electric lights, television, telephone, computers – they were inventions of individuals who ignored the ridicule and stayed focused on their creativity and positive possibility of realization of their efforts on mankind. I believe that when you have a gloomy picture of what the world looks like, you’re unreceptive to the potential assistance of technological inventions. Why would others want to come to your aid, help you in your philanthropic efforts, vote you to become President of a country or FB when you view them as narcissistic?

—

4 steps to effective Disaster Recovery planning

by Marc Watley, Aug 23, 2010

IT executives today are, in fact, increasingly faced with the threat of disasters – whether natural or man-made. As organizations – and their customers – increasingly rely on database, server, and IP-connected applications and data sources, the importance and responsibility of maintaining continuity of the business infrastructure and limiting costly downtime in the event of a disaster, is paramount. Read this article to get a high-level, best-practices overview of the DR planning process. more…

Character and Personality #8: Competency

by Gary Monti, Aug 24, 2010

A good leader is also a good politician, one who finds a way to thread through a situation to reveal a path that, when followed, benefits the common good. Competence pulls technology and sophistication together so that one person can meet another person’s needs, i.e., a connection comprising the humanity of the stakeholders who need and commit to finding a solution that works. more…

Social Media and Tribes #9: The fear factor

by Deepika Bajaj, Aug 25, 2010

Even professionals who have gone through many technological innovations in the past don’t find the idea of being transparent and authentic over social media too appealing. They were worried about identity theft, making a wrong impression on a potential employer and above all were overwhelmed by the friend requests on Facebook. These are valid concerns, but not an excuse to avoid social media.  more…

Flexible Focus #16: The decision trap

by William Reed, Aug 26, 2010

Ambiguity causes anxiety in those who are inflexible, and creates possibilities in the minds of the people who have flexible focus. Tolerance for ambiguity drops when you have to make a decision. Urgency adds pressure, and when the decision affects the core areas of your life, you can feel as if you are lost in a labyrinth of choices. Your decision sets the wheels in motion, whereas with indecision the wheel turns without you. Read about the Six Criteria for Decision Making to stay in motion and steer the wheel. more…

Investment Value

by Steve Popell, Aug 27, 2010

In a previous post, Business Valuation in Divorce is Different, Steve discussed why Investment Value is more appropriate in the context of family law.  But, this method is not just for divorcing couples.  In any situation in which the party acquiring an interest (or a greater interest) in a company will become (or continue to be) part of the management team, Investment Value is often the most appropriate method.  Read this article to find out why. more…

Recently, I was in a conference in Las Vegas, speaking about the ” Social Media – Taboos & Innovative Uses”. The focus was to help professional women of different ethnic backgrounds understand how technology, specifically social media, help or hinder their personal and professional development. Though they all understood that these days you cannot afford to ignore  social media as one of the key ways in which companies and individuals communicate, there was this FEAR of it as well.

These were professional women who had gone through many technological innovations in the past but the idea of being transparent and authentic over social media didn’t appeal to them. They were worried about identity theft, making a wrong impression on a potential employer and above all were overwhelmed by the friend requests on Facebook (from people they don’t know). They were trying to get “tips” and “techniques” on which social network to use e.g LinkedIn versus Facebook OR how to do a check on someone from a different country OR how to save their children. Some of them were working mothers who were of the opinion that all that Twitter and Facebook were doing was to hurt their children since now they didn’t have control over who their friends were on Facebook. Some of them were scared that some nasty pictures of their kids might float on the internet and hurt their reputation.

I think all these are valid concerns.

Here is the BIG BUT.

Avoid Stupidity

I am putting this bluntly. This is nothing different from the way of life. Don’t do anything that you don’t want published or don’t want hurting you. This way you will not have to worry about what pictures your friends are tagging you in OR have friends you can trust for not hurting you. The idea of social media is not to use it for hurting people. That is not the intention. This is a tool like every other tool – if you misuse it, it will be destructive. Destruction is possible even if you speed in a car, over load your washing machine and/or overheat your food. Don’t do anything stupid and tools are usually effective in increasing your productivity. Similarly, social media is a tool to make it convenient for you to broadcast your POSITIVE message to your tribe. Read my previous post on this: Changing the World is Addictive.

Fear of Unknown

Fear and Suspicion are based on a lack of knowledge.There is nothing more paralyzing than fear.  Learning these tools is important. Speculating this as an observer will only lead to fear, uncertainty and distress. Social media is here to stay. We can learn it and leverage this to make it a powerful tool to create networks that connect professionals to opportunities in their career and personal branding. To let go of fear, in this post I share how it has helped women: The New internet Junkie

Build Relationships

Don’t worry about all the negatives, focus on being valuable. Share things that you believe might help others in their pursuits, connect with companies where you think you can add value, build a brand as someone who has something valuable to offer. Don’t waste people’s time, share with them your expertise, give good help, listen to people. To emphasize on building relationships, here is a post : Relationships matter more than ever before.

Last but not the least, don’t forget to have fun!

—

A recent report from Nielsen Company demonstrated that more and more Americans are spending time on Social Networks. Share of US internet time spent on social networking is 22.7% which clearly dominates the time (as highlighted in the list above) of where users spend their time online. There is an increase of 43% from 2009, which clearly indicates that it is no more an activity embraced by early adapters but now is part of the main stream population.

Social Networking goes mainstream

• The most surprising part is that it part exceeds the time people spend on playing games or emailing. This surely means that people are connecting for personal and professional reasons on social networks. A social networking report just pointed out that there is an increase in traffic on Facebook from middle-age users and users with same college since 2009.
• In a demographic view of social networking activity on mobile devices, women were found to use their phones to “tweet” and “friend” 10% more than men. Also, the 35-54 age group had more active mobile social networkers than any other group.
• If you are in the U.S.  and use social networks like Facebook, MySpace or LinkedIn, chances are you’re more affluent and more urban than the average American according to Nielsen Claritas

Mainstream Behavior

“Intimacy prevails” - In spite of the explosion of social networking users studies show only 5-10% of FB users leave comments on statuses, photos and walls of their friends though women are more active. People who are members of online social networks are not so much ‘networking’ as they are ‘broadcasting their lives. So, it is common for people to comment on their activities and updates. In effect, as Godin, the author of Tribes, says every tribe becomes a media channel.  It is most important to notice that humans may be advertising themselves more effectively. But they still have the same small circles of intimacy as ever. So, even if you are “broadcasting” to a wider, exponentially expanding network, people who are engaged with you is a small, intimate circle of friends who are part of your professional or personal tribe.

—

Don’t just invent. Innovate.

by Robert Driscoll, Jul 26, 2010

Invention is not the same as innovation. Starbucks, Microsoft, Red Bull and Ebay did not simply invent. They all did something that was different in the marketplace that connected with its users. Sometimes creating that next big thing is just simply doing it better than your competition or making it simpler.  Ideas are all around us.  Now innovate. more…

Character and Personality #4: Time

by Gary Monti, Jul 27, 2010

Temperaments refers to preferred ways of thinking. Knowing individual’s temperaments can help predict possible outcomes in situations. A typical company will have a mix of intuitive thinker, intuitive feeler, sensing judger and sensing perceiver. Each  of them perceives time differently and understanding that will enable your planning and execution to proceed realistically. more…

Social Media and Tribes #7: Is Twitter doomed to fail?

by Deepika Bajaj, Jul 28, 2010

Twitter has generated enough controversies and we have not seen the end of it. There is a constant debate if Twitter is good or bad. Just like most things in life, it’s not for everybody and not for all purposes. But it will be enormously useful if you know how to leverage it. Share, connect and reciprocate with somebody on twitter and you’ll see it’s potential. more…

Flexible Focus #12: The 8 frames of live – Business

by William Reed, Jul 29, 2010

What career you pursue and how you engage with your work is one of the determining factors in the quality of your life and your legacy. Most people are concerned with the mechanics and features of their work, salary and benefits, but there is one question that should come first - Are you engaged in your work with head, heart, and hands? This article identified 7 hidden opportunities to shift to positive engagement. more…

Author’s Journey #32: Speaking for Profit

by Roger Parker, Jul 30, 2010

Authors depend on information products, workbooks, audios and videos because there’s more money in the back-end products then they’re likely to earn from their books. However, the Internet is a crowded marketplace; there’s competition even in niche categories. Speaking engagements provide a valuable source of profit. In this article Roger explains how to maximize your profits from speaking engagements. more…

More and more, I am observing that people are denouncing Twitter and there is an emerging war between the “For” and “Against” parties. Most recently, retired basketball star Sir Charles (Barkley), on a CNBC replay said that, “people who use Twitter are idiots”. Well! it is these statements that categorize people into “those who have a life” and “those who don’t have a life”.

I am not here to say what is “Right” and what is “Wrong”. I am here to illustrate what Twitter can provide if leveraged strategically.

• Using Twitter is about reciprocation. You need to promote other people who work at companies you’re targeting and business leaders you respect.  If you are looking for a job, the best way is to help people in companies that you are interested in. This is possible by sending a email newsletter to your network, a Re-Tweet along with a link to their website. This will eventually have a better reciprocation if you ask them help with your initiative.
• Using Twitter is about connection. Never before people had the capability to connect with celebrities but now twitter has some profiles like Ashton Kutcher and Oprah where people sense a direct connection with the individual they trust. Even if you have these connections, they build into relationships overtime. Helping someone increase their circle of influence is a gift you can give by simply tweeting about their link.  Also you can connect others on Twitter by simply making an introduction in less than 140 characters. “Relationships are like muscles—the more you work them, the stronger they become,” says Keith Ferrazzi, author of New York Times best-seller Who’s Got Your Back.
• Using Twitter is about sharing. If you found something insightful, you can broadcast it quickly to your network. You will be surprised at the #FF what you will get if people find you are someone who has something valuable to share. This is a way where others give you a gift by recommending you to their followers and recognizing your thought leadership.

My 2 cents: Start today by contacting at least one individual you’ve never dealt with and asking that person if she or he needs help. The response you get will surprise you… and please let me know how may I help (@invincibelle, @99tribes).

—

Your readiness for managing your supplier after the negotiation

by Brian Superczynski, Jul 19, 2010

Organizational needs are routinely satisfied by external vendors. Letting the vendors manage the relationship will be like the tail wagging the dog. It will lead to serious issues not limited to mushrooming cost. Vendor management includes the negotiation process before the contact is signed, having an organizational structure to manage vendors and having an mature process to monitor the lifecycle of your agreements. more…

Character and Personality #3: Orientation and Energy

by Gary Monti, Jul 20, 2010

Two major components that go into determining one’s temperament are Orientation and Energy. Orientation refers to how we prefer to interface with the outside world. The two approaches are Judging (don’t confuse with Judgmental) and Perceiving. Two possibilities for gaining energy are Extroverts and Introverts. A person can have a combination of these traits and of course these are not the only once – there is a whole slew of these. Understanding these traits will help you manage people and teams better. more…

Social Media and Tribes # 6: Changing the world is addictive

by Deepika Bajaj, Jul 21, 2010

A tribe is constituted of people who care about a specific topic or interest or looking to bring a specific change. Tribes are needed to change the world and social media has created tremendous opportunity to create and lead tribes. Read this article to understand how to gain advantage using social media and not get simply distraught by its demands. more…

Flexible Focus #11: The Principle of comprehensiveness

by William Reed, Jul 22, 2010

In this article you will find an optical illusion. As you increase your field of vision, you will be able to see more white dots. The message here is, you need the ability to see the big picture, the details and the relationships all at the same time. Mandala Chart can help us regain our bearings by seeing our business comprehensively. This will enable us see the opportunities that are never obvious, because the exist in the spaces between. more…

Author’s Journey #31: Managing and Marketing information products

by Roger Parker, Jul 23, 2010

Information products are an author’s best friend; they offer far more profit potential than authors can earn from book sales alone. Last week, Roger’s post explored the 3 main issues involved in creating profitable information products: copyright, format, and topic. This week’s post takes a look at creating a process to produce, market, and schedule information products. more….

Tribes do not include everyone… or in other words, not everyone forms a tribe. It is constituted of people who care about a specific topic or interest or looking to bring a specific change. Real change comes from real people – who then influence others – who, in turn influence others.. .and before you know you have a tribe!

Tribe is needed to change the world. And Changing the world is addictive.

Social Media can be overwhelming but it has created a tremendous opportunity for anyone to be a leader. There is no test to pass, no permission needed. Before you needed millions of dollars to get on Television. NOW you need ten dollars to create a video. So, if you care about something, you can get up and lead.

If you are someone who wants to change the world, you will continue reading this post because you still need to understand how to gain advantage using social media and not get simply distraught by its demands. The understanding involves:

• Understanding transaction: If you have thousands of friends and followers on Facebook and on Twitter and not one of them is helping you to set up a meeting with a prospect, connect you with a decision maker or help you in any way to meet the objectives of your initiative – these friends and followers are worthless. Tribes exist because people care about something and they have the collective power to do impossible things – otherwise how do we explain airplanes and satellite communication – almost unthinkable a while ago.
• Understanding Meaningful: If you have to sell everything to everybody, then you will either drive yourself crazy or fail in your initiative. You need to sell it to a few who care about what you have to offer. Then they will talk about it to others. So, there is no need to SPAM people. Just find people who care about what you have and talk about you. The election of President Obama is an example of how people found meaning in his message and then brought in more people. And together these people changed the world.
• Understanding Focus: You cannot possibly be doing everything to change the world. Become focused on what aspect of the world will you change and the specific task that you believe you are good at in this effort. Tweeting, Facebooking, reading blogs, Youtubing – all these activities require a lot of time – if you are good writer – just write, if you are good networker just meet people – don’t do everything.

To change the world you need a Tribe – where people care about the same thing… are skillful in different tasks and… have relationships with people who care about the same change.

This is RAW power needed to change the world. Once you belong to this tribe, when you enroll people – you will discover it is addictive – not because it is COOL to do so. Because you will see the limitless possibilities and positive change that will impact others lives.

4 Effective cost saving techniques in a down economy

by Brian Beedle, Jul 5, 2010

In these uncertain economic times, it is imperative for businesses to cut costs to maintain profitability. Prudence in what is cut will help us be positioned to return to “normal” business cycle. With that in mind, Brian has short listed 4 simple cost saving areas that every IT organization should consider. more…

Character and Personality #1: Emotionality

by Gary Monti, Jul 6, 2010

WOW… another great  article from Gary! Strong leaders are not without emotions. But they are able to validate their emotions with their principles at play. This helps them deliver an honest expression of emotions with a statement of underlying principles (agenda). This supports communications, while emotionality tears the community apart. more…

Social Media and Tribes #5: Social by Intention

by Deepika Bajaj, Jul 7, 2010

Participating and being active on online social media does not have to be detrimental to your career. If you can watch what you say, you can create a reputation you desire. Social media is a tool to build relationships and take them offline to build stronger relationships. more…

Flexible Focus #9: The magic of mindset

by William Reed, Jul 8, 2010

Having a point of view enables us to be very clear on where we stand. But it also give us the tendency to believe our point of view is the only correct one. Inflexibility over view points can put people on the warpath. Flexible focus gives us a strategic advantage, opens your eyes and lets you frame and reframe. more…

Author’s Journey #29: Research Tips – How do other authors profit?

by Roger Parker, July 9, 2010

Very often, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Researching and following what other authors do to profit can be valuable. more…