We've all had that experience where we work really hard on something and instead of getting recognized for our contribution, we have to sit there and choke back bile when someone else takes credit for the work. It's infuriating to think about how hard you worked and how much effort you put into a project only to see some other glory-hound or charlatan pass all that effort off as their own.
Heck, I got a taste of that this week. I saw a bunch of traffic coming to my blog from Dr. Shailesh Thaker's blog (UPDATE: security software now indicates his blog is a virus attack site - DO NOT GO THERE). At first I was psyched. Here was a self-proclaimed "Management Thinker, HR Guru, and Corporate Coach" telling his fans my content was good.
Then I saw it. It was my blog post on shutting your cake hole. The ONLY thing that was different was the author. Apparently that article was now written by Dr. Thaker himself. Hmmm. I wonder if Thaker rhymes with faker.
That's right folks. Blatant plagiarism. Here's my original post and here's his post (UPDATE: he finally removed all posts however his site is now showing up as an "attack site" in my antivirus so I've disabled links to him). Unfortunately he wasn't bright enough to disable the hyperlink back to my blog and that's how I found the content. It turns out he ripped off several of my articles, a few from SmartBrief on Leadership, some from Kevin Eikenberry and others.
So what can you do when you're in this situation? What do you do when someone else passes your work off as their own? How do you handle it when someone else takes credit for work you did? Here are a few thoughts:
Seek Clarification
It could be an accident. You might be wrong in thinking someone is taking credit for your work. They might have sung your praises before you walked in the room to find them presenting your deck. They may have written a nice email giving you full credit but all you heard was "I received this presentation from (NOT YOU) and it's great." Clarify first. Just ask. If you are wrong and the person gave you credit, thank them politely for promoting your work.
Request (Nicely) a Correction
If it's clear they did pass of your work as theirs or they took credit for your idea, ask them (in private) if they could clarify to others that it was actually your work. You might say "I'm glad you liked my work but after your presentation some people are under a mistaken impression that you did the work. I would appreciate it if you could clarify to them that the work was mine." More often than not they'll heed that request.
If it's your content that has been stolen/plagiarized, send an email or make a call asking the person to remove it and to never do it again. Give them a clear timeline for action and show them a reference back to your original work. They might be unaware that the work was stolen (maybe someone on their team did it - see the point above on clarification).
Demand a Correction
If the person decides not to satisfy your request for a correction, demand one. You could petition the person's supervisor to rectify things (the boss might be unaware that someone is taking credit for your work). Let the person know you're upset that they took credit and that they've violated some pretty clear societal standards on giving credit and taking credit. In some cases (like plagiarism) you might even have your attorney send a demand notice requesting redress.
Go Nuclear or Get Over It
If all the above strategies fail, you have two choices. You can go for the nuclear option and file a formal complaint at work (with your boss, HR, etc.) or sue (e.g., for plagiarism) or carry out a public campaign to call out the fraud. Or you can vent about it, make your case, then shut up and move on with life. Events like this can be total energy-sucks. You can choose instead to focus your efforts on being productive and moving forward knowing that the universe will take care of the Thakers... I mean fakers of the world.
And by the way, if you're dumb enough to steal content from a blogger, disable the hyperlinks so you can't be tracked as easily. And if I can ask a favor folks - if you like this blog and this post, please retweet it, share it, send it around. Maybe if he sees his name up in lights enough on Google searches as a plagiarist, he'll remove my article (he hasn't yet responded to my "ask nicely" or my demand of removal...
What will be really ironic is if this post gets picked up and republished on some "Management Thinker's" or "HR Guru's" blog...
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Monday, May 2, 2011
How to Handle When Someone Else Takes Credit for Your Work
Monday, March 14, 2011
Yoda's Three Steps to Achieving Your Goals
Life goals. Bucket lists. "One day I'll..."
We all have dreams and goals. The biggest difference between people who achieve them and people who don't is the act of actually DOING. Do you have goals and things you want to achieve? Professional aspirations? Personal bucket list items?
Let me ask this - what's stopping you from starting on them?
I don't tend to get motivational on this blog (every time someone asks me if I'm a motivational speaker I can't help but think of that Saturday Night Live Chris Farley skit). But today I'm serving up a little motivation, Yoda style.
Luke whined "All right. I'll give it a try."
Yoda gave Luke an attitude adjustment "No. Try not. Do... or do not. There is no try."
What would Yoda say to you if you talked to him about your goals and your progress toward them? That's what I thought.
I'm here to be your Yoda. I'll share some experiences related to my goal of getting my book One Piece of Paper published (CLICK HERE to learn more about the book). Hopefully my story can help you on your way toward achieving your goals. Here are some great first steps you can take right now to help you move toward achieving your goals.
"Ready are you?" - Yoda
You can't get "there" if you don't know where "there" is. Sit down and actually articulate what it is you're trying to achieve. Define success.
Some people say I'm lucky (I actually think I am) but there's more to it than luck. I'm sure you've heard the phrase "luck is where preparation meets opportunity." I tend to make sure I'm prepared to achieve my goals.
For example, I've always wanted to write a book. It was a nebulous goal. I didn't have a specific subject in mind (but had several options I had thought of). I didn't pursue the goal actively because it was lower on my priority list than other current businesses but the goal existed - to see my face on a dust jacket in a bookstore.
Out of the blue (and because of this blog) a literary agent reached out to me. "Hey, I've read your blog. Good stuff. Ever thought of writing a book?" In that instant I was able to offer up several topics I had rattling around in my head because I had previously defined this as a personal goal. I was prepared for when "luck" knocked.
Had I not defined this goal and prepared, I might have stammered and had nothing to offer him. Instead, my book One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful and Personal Leadership is becoming a reality (CLICK HERE to become a fan on Facebook and get additional leadership tips as it moves toward publication). On October 3, 2011 I'll get to see that dust jacket.
Have you defined your goal? Are you ready to seize the opportunity when it knocks? No? Then go write your goal down. Now. I'm not kidding. Write it down.
Believe
Luke: "I don't believe it!"
Yoda: "That is why you fail."
Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe you have the ability to achieve the goal or build the skills that will enable you to achieve it? If not, just quit. Give up. Now. Go watch Jerry Springer.
You have to believe in yourself. You must be relentless in pursuing those goals. The minute you lose confidence in yourself, you're done. That lack of confidence will show through in all you do and a vicious circle of failure will begin.
When I launched thoughtLEADERS full time it was a scary leap. A family to support. A mortgage. College. Wow.
But I believed I could do it. I had successfully taught some of our courses to some great clients. I knew how to execute a business plan. I believed I could sell and deliver our services.
Yes, there were dark and scary moments when there was only $3,000 of revenue booked for the coming QUARTER. But I believed. I kept pushing. And the revenue followed.
Do you believe in yourself? Do you believe you can achieve the goal? Do you have reminders around you that help you remember you can achieve and succeed? Find those reminders. Start believing in yourself. It's a good bet to make.
"There is no try. Do." - Yoda
I could spew forth a ton of quotes about taking that first step on your journey blah blah blah. I won't. I'll just say if you have big goals, they can be daunting. But you have to start somewhere.
It's intimidating to look down the barrel of a 65,000 word clause in a book contract and realize you haven't written the first word yet. That said, I started writing One Piece of Paper and ended up with this first draft.
Then the edits came back. It was a river of blood and it looked like this. Daunting. But I started with the first red mark. I finished yesterday - 17 days later (and do you know how much I love you guys that I'm writing a blog post this morning after several nonstop weeks of editing and writing? But Yoda told me "Do." so I do this blog post).
Every interim step on the path to the broader goal of One Piece of Paper's publication is a small goal in and of itself. I tackle every one with a mindset of "do." Do not procrastinate. Do not be overwhelmed. Break your goal up and "do."
I know of another website that was but an idea for a funny airport people watching site and iPhone app. Nothing was coming of it until someone pushed the idea guy to "Just build the thing. I'll do it with you."
They built it in five weeks. It's hysterical. It's going viral (and if you need a laugh you should CLICK HERE to check it out and grab the app too by CLICKING HERE - it's good for boring hours waiting for a delayed flight). Yoda told them "Do" so they did.
Look - I know you have goals. The question is whether you're actively pursuing them and ready to achieve them. Heed Yoda's advice:
- "Ready are you?"
- Believe
- "Do"
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
- Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
Monday, March 7, 2011
How to be a Networking Disaster
You would think with all the platforms out there that make networking so easy that people would be better at it. Unfortunately bad behavior still runs rampant and I get to see more than my fair share of networking implosions.
There are a few key areas you need to royally screw up if you want to achieve "debacle" status on networking. This post is a guide for how you can most efficiently and effectively burn bridges, annoy people, and destroy your network as fast as possible. This is NOT about how to properly maintain your network as explained in this post (CLICK HERE) - this is about apocalyptic network destruction.
Let's define the target area you're going to drop bombs all over. Your network is the sum of all relationships (personal and professional) you've built over the years as well as the relationships of those individuals with their friends and colleagues. I'm going to show you not only how to destroy your own network but also how you can best damage the networks of the people in your network. We're talking second-degree of separation destruction here folks. And for some bonus tips on how to further destroy your network, read this post too by clicking here.
So let's get on with the network nuking...
Use People
The first way to start destroying your network is to use people. Do it shamelessly. You should never reach out to anyone to see how they're doing. Instead wait until you need something for yourself then send out the emails asking for help. Subject lines like "I just lost my job. Can you hire me?" work especially well for this purpose.
Better yet, if someone in your network is dumb enough to help you when the only time you ever reach out is when you need help, mark them as a sucker in your contact database. Be sure to regularly ask them for stuff without ever offering to help them in any way. You already know picking up the phone is a key to successful networking (as described in this post). Just pick up the phone and ask them for assistance. If their assistance does help you get what you needed, be sure not to let them know things worked out and for goodness' sake, DON'T send them a thank you note.
Waste Their Time
Be sure when you ask someone in your network for help (as described above) that you make it as inconvenient as possible for them to help you. Insist on meeting on dates that are difficult for them to make work (but since they're suckers they'll rearrange their calendar to help you). Whatever you do, DO NOT FOLLOW THIS ADVICE on how to properly network over coffee.
Once you do arrange the networking meeting, be sure to show up at least 10-15 minutes late. DO NOT under any circumstance call ahead to let them know you'll be late and be sure not to apologize for your tardiness. You want to reinforce to the people in your network that you are more important than they are and you're doing them a favor by giving them the opportunity to help you out.
When you do meet with them, be sure to talk about nothing but how they can help you. Don't bother asking how they're doing or if you can help them. That's a waste of your precious time. Just be as much of a vampire as you can and leech every last thing you can out of your contact.
Don't Follow Up
When your contact asks you to follow up with them and get them details like resumes or contact info, do NOT send it in a timely manner. Heck, don't even send it at all. The people in your network are smart and will take the initiative. They'll proactively go out to LinkedIn and find your profile URL for themselves. They'll then actively send that profile out to all the other people who could possibly help you.
When they do make introductions for you to other people in their networks, it's time to go with the nuclear option. Do NOT, no matter what, reach out to the person your contact has introduced you to. Wait for that new contact to reach out to you instead. It reinforces the perception that you're busy and therefore must be in high demand.
Also, do NOT follow up with your contact either. Don't send a thank you note to express appreciation for the new introduction. Simply ignore their assistance as if they never helped you in the first place.
Mess Up Your Contact's Reputation
When you meet the new contact who is a friend or colleague of your primary contact, be rude and give off a bad impression. Talk badly about your contact so your new contact will know what a moron their friend is. Treat the new contact as rudely as possible. Be late to meetings (or better yet, miss a meeting), be unresponsive to calls and emails, and generally annoy the new contact as much as possible. These actions will inflict maximum damage upon your contact's network which is the primary objective here.
If your new contact is dumb enough to hook you up with a job or is stupid enough to become a customer of yours, be sure not to thank your original contact. Heck, all they did was put their reputation on the line for you with the intro. They really don't deserve much in the way of follow-up or gratitude.
So there it is folks. I guarantee if you follow any of the above guidance you can quickly achieve new heights of networking disasterdom. Before long you'll have no one on Earth willing to help you and you can go about your business without all those annoying LinkedIn invites, job offers, and customer inquiries coming your way. That will leave you tons of time for sleep and Bon Bons on the couch while watching Dr. Phil.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC - Get the latest updates on my upcoming book One Piece of Paper - CLICK HERE
NOTE: I know at least ONE person will read the above and miss the fact that I'm advocating the exact OPPOSITE of these actions. If you're that person and you choose to take the above advice literally and actually follow it, you deserve to destroy your network because clearly you're not very bright.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
3 Lessons on Using Social Media for Your Business, Courtesy of Your Local Mechanic
Today's guest blogger is Tanveer Naseer. You can read about him at the bottom of this post. If you haven’t read his blog yet, you should go read it and subscribe to it by clicking here. Enjoy!
The start of a new year often fosters discussions over what will be the key events to occur over the next 12 months. So far, many pundits are pointing out how 2011 will be the year of mass adoption by businesses of social media platforms as part of their marketing, management, and employee retention efforts. Given the fact that Facebook has surpassed Google as the most visited site on the internet in 2010, as well as the deepening integration of social media platforms into people's everyday lives, there's no question that businesses will have to adapt and incorporate social media into their various processes.
Granted, there are many businesses which are already fairly active on the various social media sites. Of course, while some of them have been shining examples of how businesses should use social media, most are still struggling in large part because they haven't quite understood how they should be using social media to benefit their organization.
So why are some companies able to join in the social media scene and within a short period, reap the benefits while others were better off before they made the jump into these online social spheres? To help answer this question, I'd like to first start off by sharing this example of an interaction between a small business owner and a customer from the 'real world.'
A friend of mine recently had some problems with his car and so he took it to his local garage to have it checked out. After running a series of tests on his car, the mechanic told my friend what was behind the problem his car was having and what the he could do to fix it. But then this mechanic did something completely unexpected – after explaining how he could fix the problem, he then advised my friend that his solution would only be a temporary fix and that he would be better off going to another garage that specializes in this kind of repair work.
Yes, you heard right – here was a small business owner who was basically telling a paying customer that while his service would fix his problem, he would be better off going to his competition to get his car repaired.
So, in addition to being a great example of true customer service, what can this story teach other business owners/leaders about how to approach using social media for their business? Here are three key takeaways:
1. Provide real value to your followers
In the case of this mechanic, he could have simply told my friend what he could do to repair his car with the advisory that this might only be a temporary solution and leave it up to my friend to decide whether to do the repair or not. And yet, the mechanic knew he had far more knowledge and experience to properly assess the situation and instead of keeping it to himself, he freely shared it with my friend to allow him to make a more informed decision.
In their approach to using social media, it's important that businesses also recognize that they should be providing value to their followers instead of looking solely at what they're able to promote about their products or services.
2. Focus on building relationships instead of making quick sells
Clearly, this mechanic's focus wasn't on simply trying to figure out what service he could sell to my friend. Instead, he was more interested in being able to help his customer by providing him with the best solution to his problem. By putting the needs of his client ahead of simply making a sale, this mechanic reinforced the level of trust my friend has with this garage.
Similarly, businesses need to demonstrate through their social media efforts that their presence on these sites is not driven only by how many products or services they can sell. Instead, what your customers need to see is that you're interested in building relationships with them; interactions which can provide valuable insights into not only what happens after the sale is made, but how you can build on them or improve the experiences they had with your company.
3. It takes time to reap benefits from your efforts
One of the major hesitations most businesses have over getting involved in social media is how to quantify or measure the success behind their efforts. If we look at what this mechanic did, we see a similar dilemma at play.
After all, what did the mechanic gain from his efforts to help my friend find a suitable solution to his problem? Certainly, it wasn't a paying customer since his recommendation was for my friend to pay another garage to repair his car. And yet, it also reinforced a feeling of trust and integrity to their interactions, something that will definitely benefit this mechanic in the future, either in repeat business from my friend or through the much sought-after positive word of mouth.
Again, this goes back to the first two points which apply both to 'real world' business affairs and to using social media – that your efforts should be done from the vantage point of creating value for others while working on nurturing relationships with those you engage with. The ultimate benefit for businesses might not always be an immediate sale, but as with this mechanic, it can lead to something better – a returning customer who is happy to inform others about your business and with it, opening up your venture to new customer bases and opportunities for growth.
If you ask me, that alone makes being on social media – if not putting the needs of others before any short-term gains – well worth the price.
Tanveer Naseer is a business coach who works with small businesses and entrepreneurs to develop new strategies for growth and development that keeps the focus on what makes them passionate about their business. You can read more of his writings on leadership and workplace interactions on his award-winning blog at TanveerNaseer.com. You can also follow him on Twitter - @TanveerNaseer
Friday, December 10, 2010
Join the Revolution! End the Meetings!
As you folks know I occasionally recruit experts to come share their perspectives on this blog. Lately I have a hot button (and it launches a nuke) for meetings (for example, check out this post on the topic). So who better to have share some thoughts on how to fix the issue than Meeting Boy himself? For you twitter fans out there I am sure you will recognize @MeetingBoy and for those who haven’t met him yet, strap yourselves in. If you thought I was edgy wait until you get a taste of Meeting Boy’s perspectives on the topic. Just to give you a taste of his perspective, here’s a sample of his tweets:
- Let's say "excellence" a few more times. That should solve everything.
- The project is poorly managed. What was your first clue? Four people managing three workers? Let's start there.
- When I asked you to repeat what I said in your own words, I didn't mean start presenting the idea as your own.
- This presentation is double-sided, so while it wastes the same amount of time, it wastes half as much paper.
- **High Priority** emails are just like regular emails except the sender has a very high opinion of themselves.
Yes we’re here to bash meetings but it gets better! Not only is Meeting Boy here to share some ideas, he and I are launching a meeting revolution for 2011. It all starts with this Meeting Limitation Act (sorta like the Contract With America or the Patient’s Bill of Rights only better). Meeting Boy and I are co-sponsoring this non-partisan legislation and we’re looking for you to both sign the petition and add amendments to the Meeting Limitation Act by commenting on the post.
So without further ado, I’ll let Meeting Boy kick off the premise behind this landmark legislation and we’ll explain how you can help workers around the world get this bill passed by signing the petition, forwarding it, and adding amendments. Heeeeere’s Meeting Boy!
Preamble
Remember on Seinfeld how the shortage of contraceptive sponges made Elaine more selective about which men she’d sleep with? She had to decide if each guy was “sponge-worthy” and she suddenly became more selective. The Meeting Limitation Act uses the same premise to ration meeting time.
Everything else we’ve tried to make meetings more productive has failed. Once the Chief Operating Officer demanded people publish an agenda. Another time employees were empowered to walk out on any meeting if it went past the published time. Both of these failed within a month. Of course they did because bosses hold meetings, and no one wants to walk out on their boss or say they won’t come to a meeting because it lacks an agenda. You don’t get to keep your job doing this; your boss will find a way to retaliate or dismiss you.
The Meeting Limitation Act fixes that dynamic. The main provision is that managers may call only 25 meetings of 3 or more people per year, not to exceed more than 36 hours total per year. Now I don’t have to tell my boss I won’t come to a meeting - instead the person who apportions the conference rooms tells him he can’t have a room if he’s already booked 25 meetings that year. She doesn’t report to my boss, and doesn’t care if he feels he’s entitled to hold as many pointless meetings as he wants. She just refuses him. End of story.
The Meeting Limitation Act of 2011
Be it resolved that:
Article 1: Every manager shall forthwith be able to call only 25 meetings of 3 or more people per year, not to exceed more than 36 hours total per year. Under this Meeting Limitation Act one of two things will happen:
- We’ll have the usual number of time-wasting meetings per week, but then be done with meetings by mid-February and can work the rest of the year in peace, OR
- Our boss decides that most things aren’t “meeting-worthy” and we only have one meeting every two weeks, which will force it to be about important things.
Article 2: This bill prohibits holding “happy hours,” “fun days,” or any other cleverly disguised ruse to hold a team meeting. If 3 or more people are to meet during company time it shall count against a manager’s cap of 25 meetings per year.
Article 3: This bill shall prohibit managers who don’t use all their meetings from selling them to managers who use more. There shall be no cap-and-trade provision for meetings as it is an enabler of bad behavior and illicit profiteering on the backs of the working class.
Article 4: All restrictions placed on number of meetings also apply to conference calls.
Enforcement: This provision will be enforced by the person who books the conference rooms, and this person cannot report to any manager who holds meetings to avoid undue pressure.
Signed and dutifully co-sponsored by,
Mike Figliuolo and Meeting Boy
There it is folks. The first draft of the Meeting Limitation Act. Think about it. Call your congressman. Of course the GOP may try to block the Meeting Limitation Act, on the grounds that it is anti-boss and the Democrats might block it because it doesn’t allow labor to organize. Either party may filibuster it, but we’re used to being filibustered - most of our status meetings are filibusters as far as we can tell. Eventually this will become law, and when it does, we want the pens the President uses to sign it into law.
Add your own suggestions for amendments to the Act by commenting on this post. Feel free to add as many meeting earmarks as you think should be included in the bill. And last but not least, sign our petition and share it with your friends by CLICKING HERE: http://www.petitionbuzz.com/petitions/meetinglimitationact.
If you aren’t quite sure yet if you should sign the petition and lack clarity on what kind of topics are meeting- worthy, here are a few examples:
- Critical failure on the web site and how to prevent the next one - meeting-worthy.
- Weekly status - not meeting-worthy!
- Touch-base about that thing that the client may never approve - not meeting-worthy!
- A vendor was in and showed the boss a shiny new toy, which he now wants - not meeting-worthy!
- Acquisition integration meeting to determine which names go in the new org chart - meeting-worthy.
- Too much food is getting left in the fridge each week - not meeting-worthy!
- Should we have pesto chicken or chicken parmigiana at the next department luncheon - not meeting-worthy!
See? There really isn’t that much that is truly meeting-worthy. Now get petitioning and start amending via comments! Better yet, use the image accompanying this post as your new avatar as a sign of solidarity with those of us looking to end the meeting madness! We also invite you to join the movement by subscribing to The thoughtLEADERS Blog by CLICKING HERE. See you all at next year's meeting!
- Mike Figliuolo and Meeting Boy
Follow MeetingBoy in all the usual places: Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and of course MeetingBoy.com
Monday, December 6, 2010
The Best of thoughtLEADERS 2010: The Greatest Posts You've Ever Seen
2010 is almost over so as usual it's time for the year in review list of the BEST posts we've published in 2010.
We're now making this an annual event therefore the award needs a name. I proudly introduce you to The Figgies! A tip of my hat to all my McKinsey buddies who used to call me that. Winning a Figgie is indeed prestigious. Here's how it goes: this list is comprised of our most viewed, most forwarded, quirkiest, most provocative work as judged by you the readers (with a little of our discretion thrown in). We've also included a few hidden gems we think deserve another shot in the spotlight. There's also a kicker bonus post on the list just for good measure (it's a "wayback" - and speaking of wayback, check out the photo on the trophy... yes... that's me '80's style baby!).
Enjoy. Share. We've loved writing them. We hope you've enjoyed reading them. I don't ask a lot of you folks so here's my one request for a holiday gift - invite all your coworkers, friends, and family to come check out the blog and become readers. The only way we get better is by raising everyone's game. Simply CLICK HERE to invite them to come read our stuff. I'm not asking a lot here. If you found this blog helpful at all this year, here's your chance to return the favor for all our hard work.
Thanks for your incredible support in '10 and best wishes for '11! We hope to be a part of your future success! A little foreshadowing for 2011 - I've signed a book deal with Jossey-Bass and my book on leadership will be hitting stores next fall. This is a REAL book (not one of those self-published vanity press jobbies). I hope you'll sock away a few bucks and save up to buy a copy. More to come on that soon.
Enough sentimentality. Here's the best stuff we've written all year:
Most Viewed/Forwarded: Critical Tips Every Traveler Must Know. This thing whipped around the web at the speed of light. I guess many of you are just as frustrated as I am with the stupidity that occurs on planes, trains, and automobiles. You might want to read it to make sure you're not enraging other passengers around you.
Most Controversial: 4 Ways Leaders Can Overcome the Fear of Conflict. I go telling people to grow up, take off the kid gloves, and deliver tough messages. Some readers rallied to the cry while other readers just cried. Was I too tough or spot on? You make the call!
Best Attack: Hate Presenting? That's Okay - They Hate Listening to You. This one is an attack on all horrible presenters. Are you one of them? Take a read and find out if you cut the mustard.
Best Employee Empowerment Advice: Leadership 101 - Leading Yourself. Before you can lead others you had better know where you're going. This is step one of articulating your own leadership philosophy. It's also a small taste of the first section of my upcoming book.
Best Social Media Bashing: It's Okay to be a Social Networking Clown. As the Joker would say - "Why so serious?" Social media can be fun and professional. And professional does not mean stodgy. This post demystifies whether or not you should tell fart jokes on the internet.
Best Guest Post: 5 Changes Go-To People Must Make to Keep Going. Scott Eblin nailed it in this post on how to continue being the go-to person while still advancing your career. Great advice on ditching old behaviors and picking up new ones.
Best Career Enhancing Advice: The Big Jump - Go From Having Answers to Asking Questions. This one really resonated with folks looking to take on higher level roles and advance their career. You need to move from being the answer provider to being the question asker.
Most Practical Business Growth Advice: Entrepreneurs Need to Bootstrap to WIN. Whether you're an entrepreneur or work at a global company the tips and mindsets discussed in this post can help you appreciate how to grow your business effectively.
Funniest Picture: If You Want to Close the Deal, Go Naked. No, I'm not spoiling the fun by posting the pic here. Click over to see it and read some great perspectives on how to ditch the PowerPoint and have a real conversation.
Best Use of a Jedi to Make a Point: If You Don't Read This, You're Going to Die. This category changed it has because monkeys in the future jedis are not. Yoda makes some great points about how important it is to never stop learning.
Best Get Ready for 2011 Guidance: 1 Simple Way to Boost Productivity by 50%. I know I want to be more productive in 2011. Don't you? Here are some simple thoughts on how changing your meeting behavior can do exactly that.
Wayback Winner: 10 Reasons Your Team Hates You (They Just Won't Say It To Your Face). This is the greatest post I've ever written. It has it all: it's a list, it feeds on fear, insecurity, and drama. Read it. I promise you'll love it.
That's all of 'em folks - our favorites from this past year. I hope you enjoy them. Again - thanks for all your support this year. I'm really looking forward to getting even edgier in 2011!
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Five Steps to Entrepreneurial Success on the Web
Today's guest post comes from across the Atlantic. Straight from Denmark I'm delighted to bring you Steffen Hedebrandt, COO of VintageandRare.com.
Do you know the recipe for transforming your passion into a global business?
Here's a real life start-up story where someone did exactly that.
As newly appointed Chief of Operations at VintageandRare.com (a company focused on vintage and rare musical instruments) I have learned a lifetime of entrepreneurial lessons within a very short period. I have identified five crucial elements that when combined can transform a seed of passion into a growing and sustainable global business.
These five elements are: passion, persistence, people, SEO, and social media.
Passion
My partner Nicolai Schneekloth, the CEO and Founder of VintageandRare.com is a lifelong guitar player, collector and aficionado. He has always been completely captivated by guitars. Their sounds, details and uniqueness fostered and reinforced this enthusiasm which grew into a lifelong passion. This passion impelled him to perform as a solo artist, to become a band member of a national hit band, and a singer-songwriter expressing the grief of the loss of his mother through music.
Today, the same passion has driven him to become the CEO and Founder of long tail company at the tipping point of its full potential. His passion has taken the business there.
Persistence
Nicolai is trained as a teacher and has since studied educational sociology while touring our country with different music groups, playing his guitar. He has never gathered any apparent knowledge about business nor has he received formal training about how to be a businessman. Nevertheless, as Nikolai unsuccessfully searched for a proper service to keep finding the very best instruments, he decided that he wanted to deliver this service to other guitar aficionados around the world. This became the genesis of VintageandRare.com.
VintageandRare.com has taken shape little by little. Different partners have come and gone as no one really stuck to the vision of creating the best platform for guitar aficionados (well, no one with the exception of Nicolai). He has spent hour after hour persistently striving to create this platform. With no clue of where and how he was going to reach his goal, he has kept striving to achieve something great.
When in your life have you experienced this abundance of energy? What fostered this energy? How can you harness it?
People
As Nicolai persistently stayed true to his passion, people have continually been attracted and intrigued by him. To put it simply, people are attracted to people who are living their passion, as they want to live their own passion as well. As a result of Nicolai’s persistence he met his current chairman (a very experienced businessman) who was fascinated by Nicolai, his affection for instruments and his vision of uniting the best dealers and builders of vintage and rare instruments on one platform. Their partnership recently resulted in the intake of the first venture capital for VintageandRare.com.
VintageandRare.com has moved into a new era of having to grow the business Nicolai created. The site currently features more than 350 dealers and builders from more than 25 countries. This growth occurred because of Nicolai’s relationships with his fellow instrument aficionados who have agreed to include their shop or hand build instruments through his platform. These people are instrument aficionados like Nicolai, and in most cases they too lack a “business mind.” They do not have their mind set on utilizing the latest technology as a channel for living their passion. Fortunately, they can use VintageandRare.com to help them focus on that passion rather than trying to build a business.
In your life, I am sure you have experienced the same thing. Think about situations where you have met people being attracted to and intrigued by you talking about your passion. See how contagious it can be? See how people get excited when you’re excited? The key is being able to harness that contagious passion.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can have a bad reputation because of all the “gurus” out there who are not as knowledgeable as they’d lead you to believe. Don’t underestimate its importance though. Understanding how Google and other search engines index and rate websites is vital to your growth.
If no one can find our site, the dealers and builders of the fine instruments will never sell anything, the platform will never become sustainable and Nicolai will not be able to live his passion for creating the best platform for music aficionados to buy their instruments from. SEO is a critical aspect of getting found.
What do you know about SEO? SEO is the determinant of how your website spreads (or doesn’t) by being aligned with the search engines people use to find what they are looking for. SEO can determine whether living your passion will become a sustainable business for you (or not).
Social Media
Social media has completely transformed the business landscape as we knew it. Users have been empowered, the market has become transparent and rumors spread like wildfire – but so do good ideas. Today, you have a tool which 24/7 can locate people who share your passion. These are people with whom your business idea resonates and makes them want to spread your vision to all their friends.
Think about viral success stories you’ve been a part of. What triggered you to share the idea with your friends? You shared it because it resonated with you. If you truly do what resonates deeply with you, others will feel this passion and spread your message. If you’re not using social media to spread those ideas, you need to start. Now.
Passion drives your idea. Persistence makes it a reality. People help it come to fruition. SEO helps it grow. Social media accelerates that growth. These five keys are inherently linked. Are you giving them the focus your idea deserves?
- Steffen Hedebrandt is passionate about entrepreneurship, networking, and personal/professional development. He is currently COO at VintageandRare.com. If you enjoyed his perspectives and are interested in learning more, connect with him on LinkedIn. Click HERE to read the rest of this post!
Monday, March 8, 2010
It's Okay to be a Social Networking Clown
Nothing annoys me more than being told how to do something. It's okay to have an opinion but to put oneself in a position of authority as an expert and tell others the right and wrong way to do something is a slippery slope. Unless you're instructing someone on brain surgery, defusing a bomb, or landing a plane, you really have nothing more than opinion.
If you're at all like me you're probably sick and tired of people telling you the "right" way and "wrong" way to use blogs, twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, and any other communication tool. Heck, I've been guilty of telling you how not to destroy your network by using such tools.
The problem is we forget one major thing - we're human and we each have individual personalities that are as unique as snowflakes. All these "experts" telling us the "right way" to use these tools squash that individuality and personality. Conformity breeds contentment, boredom, lack of innovation, and general curmudgeonliness.
I'm here to spread a different message today - it's okay to occasionally act like a clown (and I know clowns can be scary but there's therapy for that). And if you're not doing so, you're really missing out. How dare I say that? Here's how...
Think about three people you love being around (other than your family). Now why do you like being around them? Likely because they're interesting. They're fun. They're different than everybody else (including you). They make you laugh. They make you think. Sometimes they get you pretty upset. But they're anything but boring.
Now think about you being one of those people. And imagine someone new is looking to interact with you. Not at a cocktail party. Online. Hmmm. Does the word "vanilla" come to mind? Are you intriguing? Funny? Interesting? Or are you buttoned up and so uptight you're pants squeak when you walk?
Try being a clown here and again. Make someone laugh. Show them who you really are. Try being AUTHENTIC for once in your life. Sure, the majority of what you say and do should speak to your personal brand and what you're about. Have rules for yourself in terms of boundaries for online conduct (for example - mine are no profanity, no politics, no religion, and *almost* no bashing unless someone *really* deserves it). Inside those boundaries, anything goes.
Most folks know me for writing about leadership, strategy, communications, entrepreneurship, and career. Sure. That's my product. I write about those things in an in-your-face, irreverent, and provocative way. That's my brand.
And occasionally (okay... frequently) I act like a clown. Because that's who I am. I'm a big kid. I like to laugh and crack jokes. I thoroughly enjoy making odd observations about the world around me. For example, I write silly or inane blog posts from time to time like this one about office dares. I also make "interesting" observations on twitter like:
Why? Because people know who they're dealing with. That directness and authenticity helps me make connections with others very quickly (and it helps people who will hate my style avoid me which saves me the trouble of avoiding them because they're probably uptight, not fun, and annoying).
The bottom line: unclench. Have a good time. Let people meet the "real" you online. Loosen up a little and shrug off the dogmatic experts who can't think outside their self-defined high and mighty little box. You'll have more fun. Those around you will have more fun. And more business and work will get done because you find you enjoy it a lot more when you're yourself.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Best of thoughtLEADERS 09: Why Your Team Hates You and Other Gems
I'm an idiot (no comments). I almost forgot to give you this year in review list of the BEST posts we've published this year. This list is comprised of our most viewed, most forwarded, quirkiest, most provocative work as judged by you the readers (with a little of our discretion thrown in). We've also included a few hidden gems we think deserve another shot in the spotlight. There's also a kicker bonus post on the list just for good measure (it's a "wayback" - and speaking of wayback, check out the photo on the trophy... yes... that's me '80's style baby!).
Enjoy. Share. We've loved writing them. We hope you've enjoyed reading them. Thanks for your incredible support in '09 and best wishes for '10! We hope to be a part of your future success!
Enough sentimentality. Here's the best stuff we've written all year:
Most Viewed and Forwarded Post: 10 Reasons Your Team Hates You (They Just Won't Say It To Your Face). This post was viewed over 20,000 times. In 2 days. Wow. I'm pretty sure I pushed every button I could when I wrote this (insecurity, paranoia, a 10 point list, etc.). Learn the 10 most destructive behaviors you can exhibit as a leader (and learn how to fix them).
Most Controversial Post: Don't Waste Your Time Hiring High Performers. This one generated some pretty vitriolic response especially on another site where it was reposted. The bottom line: hiring high performers is stupid and wasteful if you haven't properly prepared to do so.
Best Attack Post: "Expert?" Um, I Don't Think So... I hate charlatans. People who are self-titled "experts" are usually nothing more than that. To be clear - only THE MARKET can proclaim you an expert. This post exposes the myth of the expert and helps you avoid the risks associated with working with them.
Best Employee Empowerment Post: Why Kenny Kicks Tiffany's Butt. Aside from the awesome picture of the guy with the Mohawk, I love the message of this post. If you empower your people to make decisions and take action, great things can happen. If you don't you'll screw up your business.
Best Social Media Bashing Post: Are You Slowly Destroying Your Network? Social media is awesome... if you want to be nothing more than some ones and zeroes to the important people in your professional life. Learn how to get beyond the screen and actually maintain a powerful network.
Best Career Enhancement Post: How to Avoid 4 Major Job Interview Mistakes. Hopefully the economy will continue to turn in '10 and hiring will pick up. If you don't want to blow your interview, I highly suggest checking out the 4 major mistakes you might make.
Most Practical Business Growth Advice: As the Chili Peppers Say, Give It Away Now! I'm sure all of you are looking to grow your business this coming year. This post lays out a clear set of techniques for doing so (the first of which is give away what you do or sell).
Funniest Picture Accompanying a Post: This one is a tie between Donnie the Mustard Man and Spinach Boy. The pictures are priceless (and the posts are good too). I won't ruin it by putting the pics in this post - you gotta work for 'em and actually click...
Best Use of a Monkey to Make a Point: 3 Reasons No One Listens to You. As Pink Floyd says "your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying." Guess what? People aren't listening to anything you say. Seriously. This post explains why and how to fix it.
Best Foot in the Behind to Get You Ready for 2010 Post: Courageous Decision Making - Quit Being a Wimp and Lead. This post is pretty in-your-face (like that's a surprise coming from me?). It's a great way to fire yourself up and lead your organization to a better place in 2010.
The Wayback Award Winner: Managerial Miscues - The "But(t) Sandwich." This was from way back in January 2008 but as you're going into performance review time, it's some incredibly practical and important advice on how to/how not to deliver feedback. There's no pic for this one 'cuz it's so wayback that it was written before I knew I could put pictures into blog posts.
That's all of 'em folks - our favorites from this last year. I hope you enjoy them. Again - thanks for all your support this year. I'm really looking forward to getting even edgier in 2010!
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
Monday, November 23, 2009
Did You Blink? 4 Leadership Trends You Can’t Afford to Miss
It’s been a crazy year. Bank implosions, wars, Adam Lambert not winning American Idol... craziness I tell you! It has also been a crazy year for leaders. Leading organizations through a turbulent economy has been a Herculean effort.
Fortunately for me, I sit in a position where I can watch leadership trends unfold across the many industries and companies we work with here at thoughtLEADERS. We’re blessed to have the opportunity to train some of the brightest client organizations out there.
This year, we’ve seen four major trends take center stage. If you’ve missed them, you’re missing huge opportunities to improve your organization. As a leader, you need every edge you can get so I encourage you to explore these trends and figure out how you can take advantage of them. So in no particular order, here are trends you can't miss as a leader:
Trend #1: Social Media and Expanded Use of teh Interwebz
Yes, I’m pandering by writing about this. Just saying the words “social media” guarantees your article will be forwarded and retweeted across the blogosphere. Try it – click the little “tweet” button at the top of this post ;). It’s nauseating to see how explosive this space has been and the plethora of “experts” it has produced. Many of those so-called-experts are charlatans and you need to tread cautiously in this space.
That said, social media’s explosivity is a major trend leaders must appreciate. Your teams are using these tools (Toobla, twitter, facebook, blogs – if you haven’t heard of these you need to check them out). They read blogs like this one (unless your IT organization is SO paranoid that it blocks any form of streaming media including blogs – and yes, I know several that do). Your competitors are using it too (some better than others).
Figure it out. Understand the medium. Know how to play and how to manage it. You need policies on it. The best policy I’ve heard so far was a one liner: “Don’t do anything stupid.” You can’t regulate this stuff to death. Embrace it.
Use social media for recruiting, business development, and market research. My firm has benefited greatly from embracing it (new customers, partners, and insights). If you’re not fully aboard the social media train, buy a ticket. And yes, I deliberately misspelled “teh Interwebz” above – if you spent more time online you’d know it’s a web-funny that all the hip kids are saying these days.
Trend #2: Innovation Caused by the “More With Less” Dynamic
I sat in a meeting the other day where a very senior leader was lamenting his charter to do more with less. Two sentences later he said the current challenging times were requiring him to innovate more but he didn’t have the money to innovate. Wow. I was speechless. Hello! McFly! Ever heard the phrase “necessity is the mother of invention?” PLATO said that back around 340 BC!
Technology and connectedness afford us unbelievable opportunities to innovate at ever-decreasing costs. Example: a colleague of mine has created a very cool learning platform called Emerging Leadership Circle. It makes accessing great leadership training incredibly affordable for organizations (head on over to ELC for a look-see). The innovative part is he’s leveraging great content providers from other companies and delivering the service in the format of video lessons for a fraction of what other training costs. Innovative.
Great organizations regularly find ways to innovate by looking at how they can do things better, faster, and cheaper. Look at what Intel and AMD have done for computing based on Moore’s law. They’ve generated incredible innovations stemming from a drive to make things cheaper and better.
Ask yourself how your organization can be more innovative. How can you blow up your business to simultaneously eliminate waste and create new opportunities?
Trend #3: People Are Our Most Valuable Resource (cough, cough)
This is one of the emptiest statements I regularly hear organizations espouse. When someone says this, I ask one penetrating question: can you show me the actions that back up that statement? Befuddled faces follow.
Saying people are valuable and showing they’re valuable are two very different things. The statement looks great on a recruiting brochure but if you’re not backing it up with action, your associates will quickly figure that out and head for greener pastures.
Before you say something stupid like “Unemployment is 10% so they’re not going to leave if I don’t invest in them” I’m going to ask another penetrating question: what are they going to do when the job market recovers? They’re going to bail on you. Your choice is to train them now or lose them later.
I run a leadership development training company. Folks regularly ask me “How’s business?” My response is always “Fantastic!” They’re confused by this because many organizations cut training budgets as soon as things get tough. Fortunately we serve clients who invest in their people regardless of the economic environment. These companies understand investing now gives them an edge later.
Are you really investing in your people and backing up the “most valuable resource” statement? Because your competitors are…
Trend #4: Letting Your People Do Their Jobs
Okay, you got me – this isn’t only a trend from this past year. It has been a trend forever (at least for leaders who “get it”). The trendy thing about it is that many organizations AREN’T doing it so the ones that are have an edge in the marketplace.
You hire people and spend gobs of money paying them. You may as well get some return on that investment. The only way you can get that return, however, is to make them do their jobs. Here’s the rub – the great leaders in the audience who read that last sentence winced at the way it was worded. Great leaders don’t “make” people do their jobs. Great leaders create environments where people are excited to do their jobs. They’re excited to go above and beyond to perform outstanding work.
I constantly see examples of leaders who do this well. I don’t care what industry you’re in – EVERY leader can create an environment where their people can shine. I’ve seen it happen in retail stores. I’ve seen it happen at beer distributors. I’ve seen it happen in the military. Unfortunately I’ve also seen my share of “leaders” who are really detail oriented control freaks masquerading as leaders.
Is empowerment REALLY happening in your organization? Why not? Go change that. Now. If you don’t, there might be another reason for your team to hate you on top of the 10 reasons they already hate you.
The Trend is Your Friend
Stock market investors are familiar with the phrase “the trend is your friend.” Hopefully you, as a leader, are at the forefront of the aforementioned four trends. If you’re not, there’s still time to jump on them and do what you do best: lead your organizations to a better place.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Lessons from Leonidas the Spartan King: Why Shrinking Your Business is Smart
Today's guest post is written by Brian Ahearn (no, that's not his picture at left). Brian's one of the most knowledgeable guys I know on the subject of influencing people (which is why he's been a guest here before). Enjoy!
I conducted a workshop recently called Principles of Persuasion. During a break, one of the students said she’d had a conversation with her five-year-old son and expressed parental surprise over something he said. She told him she was going to a meeting about leadership at work. He told her they had talked about leadership at school and he knew what a leader was. He said leaders were people who had followers. Simple and to the point, his definition was right on. Out of the mouth of babes!
Let’s look at this leader/follower idea as it applies to the online world. If you’re on Twitter then you follow people and people follow you. In a sense, for those who follow you, you’re a leader. You might be a leader by virtue of your expertise in an area or simply because people find you interesting. But, by definition of our young friend, people have chosen to follow you and therefore you’re a leader.
When I first joined Twitter I was amazed that some people had tens of thousands of followers. As I was building my first few hundred it was hard to keep up with them and I wondered how people could do it with thousands of followers.
The longer I’ve been on Twitter and the more I learn from different sources, the less I see the need for tens of thousands followers. In fact, I contend that maybe smaller, relatively speaking, can be better.
Could smaller actually be better? I think so, under the right circumstances.
Just ask the Spartans! Remember the movie The 300, where 300 Spartan warriors held off a several hundred thousand Persians at the battle of Thermopylae? The Spartans positioned themselves strategically so it was always a fair fight because the Persians could not bring all their might to bear in the narrow passage at Thermopylae.
Speaking of 300, how about the biblical account of Gideon going to battle against the Midianites? And you thought Gideon was the guy who wrote the Bible you found in your nightstand at the hotel! Gideon actually was a warrior who started with 22,000 men but God eventually reduced that number down to 300. Nonetheless, Gideon and his little band of warriors defeated an army of 135,000! In case you’re not a math major those odds were 450-1 against Gideon’s army and they still won!
I know you’re not here for a military history lesson so now I’m going to bringing this full circle and get to the point. Too often we get enamored by numbers and sheer size, when in reality there can be a lot of waste with “big.”
Another negative consequence can be that relationships are too impersonal. I’ll bet many of you reading this work for small companies and prefer that because you can get to know people better. Small businesses can feel more like family and they remain the backbone of the American economy.
In the online world, some of your followers are wonderful and others… well, let’s just say, you wouldn’t miss them if they were no longer tracking your Tweets, seeing your Facebook posts or on your LinkedIn contact list.
Maybe you’d be better off with 300 people, or some other relatively small number, following you IF those people were truly advocates for you. I see several benefits coming from this approach:
- You’d probably accomplish more with the same effort or less.
- Managing fewer followers would be easier.
- You’d really get a chance to know your followers as people.
- In turn, you could become more of an advocate for your followers.
How does this concept of “smaller is better” translate offline? In my industry, insurance, quite often I’ve seen agencies that could make more money on the bottom line by representing fewer companies and having fewer clients.
That’s right; fewer customers could mean more money for the bottom line. This is possible because fewer clients who place more business with the agency coupled with the choice to not to represent companies that don’t pay rock bottom commissions would ultimately generate more profit even if overall sales were lower. Ultimately that means the agency gets by with fewer clients but services those customers better because they have more time to do so. Oh yes, and in the process they humanize those people, word spreads and they start growing for all the right reasons.
What do you think? Can you translate this to your online world? Your business? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this because I realize its counter to the way most people go about their business.
- Brian Ahearn, CPCU, CTM, CMCT is a Senior Sales Consultant with the State Auto Insurance Companies in Columbus, OH. He's one of only two dozen Cialdini Method Certified Trainers in the world. Read more of his perspectives on his blog Influence PEOPLE.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Are You Slowly Destroying Your Network?
Web 2.0. Social networking. LinkedInPlaxoTwitterbarf. Blogaroni and cheese. Some people would have you believe we've entered a new era of business where the rules have fundamentally changed. I'd submit that the rules are the same and the way we're behaving is self-defeating.
One of the most valuable resources you have as a professional is your network. All the people you meet in your professional and personal life enter that interconnected web of relationships.
But your network is only worth what you put into maintaining it. And many of us are destroying that resource. All this interwebz garbage makes us lazy. It provides an easy out. It enables us to expand our reach beyond our ability to control or maintain meaningful relationships. Admission is the first step to remission - there are two behaviors you need to stop right now.
Stop Overextending
I heard someone the other day advocate an approach of "connect to EVERYONE possible on LinkedIn so more people can find you and have a relationship with you." Um, ok.
My perspective: stoooopid. Why? Any online community is only as good as the relationships you build. Having 9,000,000 LinkedIn connections isn't worth a damn if you can't actually have a relationship. And yes, you can go ahead and check my LinkedIn profile and I have over 500 connections - the thing is I actually KNOW all those people and have met 95% of them face to face. The other 5% I've had meaningful conversations with via phone on several occasions.
Do the math - even if you only spend 10 minutes a day connecting with people in your network and each connection takes 5 minutes (a quick call, an email, a note) that's only 700 or so people you can maintain a relationship with in a year. I think 5 minutes per person per year is well below an absolute minimum you need to invest to have a relationship with an individual.
Don't connect for the sake of the numbers, just to connect, or on the prayer that someone in the 14,000,000 LinkedIn users out there will find you and pay you gobs of money. Connect for the sake of a relationship.
My suggestion here is to simply say "no." If I haven't personally met you, I'm not going to connect to you. If you'd like to buy me coffee and get to know one another, I'd love to do that and then yes, we can connect. But just because you found me on the interwebz and want to have an ephemeral linkage in cyberspace doesn't mean it will actually be a valuable relationship for either of us.
I actually politely decline connection requests from folks I've never met. And I don't request to connect to folks unless I've met them and see some mutual benefit from being connected. Stop overextending. You're diluting the value of your network.
Stop Being Lazy
It's too easy to tweetIMblogfacebookmessage someone. It's lazy too. Sure there are some relationships that can be maintained that way (if the person happens to be a twitter addict for example). But many relationships need more than 140 characters or an emoticon to keep them fresh and relevant.
I'd like you to do an exercise - open your contact list and scroll through the names. Ask yourself when is the last time you actually SPOKE to the person. I'll bet for many of your contacts you probably can't remember the last time you heard their voice let alone saw their face. If that's the case, you're being lazy (oh that's right - I *totally* went there!).
Pick up the phone. Schedule coffee or lunch. There is no substitute for true interpersonal interactions. Texting, tweeting, and IMing are fine for filling the void between those real interactions but those real interactions do have to happen from time to time in order to maintain the strength of your relationships and the overall health of your network.
So there it is - two nasty behaviors I'd beg you to stop doing. Stop overextending. Stop being lazy. And if you're in my personal/professional network and haven't heard from me in a while, drop me a line. I'd love to reconnect. Odds are I probably called you last so you owe me a jingle.
What other behaviors do you see or experience that erode the value of a network? Please share.
- Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC