Tripping On The Ladder

 By Linda Lande
 (c) January 7, 2010

I’ll never forget my first parent/teacher conference—as a parent.

My only children, twin daughters, were in kindergarten. I walked into the classroom expecting a friendly chat about my daughters. Instead, I left feeling disarmed and somewhat disemboweled. They couldn’t tie their shoes, they weren’t great with scissors, and…and…and the list went on. I got in my car and cried all the way home.

And then I got angry. I was supposed to have attended a conference, not a Letterman’s “Top 10 Things Wrong With Your Kids” session. Later that night, I wrote a letter to their teacher saying that they and I certainly would work to improve their skills, but that in the next parent/teacher conference I expected (yes, “expected”), along with the list of criticisms, to also hear some compliments—even if they were as simple as “my daughters have nice smiles and they always come to school with clean socks.”

Compliments are effective, useful tools. Years ago, a few months into my first “real” communications job with a large insurance corporation, an important-looking man in a business suit came striding into our area, stopped in the director’s office and asked where I was.

Holy cats! Me? I didn’t even know this man—and he was asking for me by name! Just as I was about to dive under my desk, I heard him tell the director that the article I had written was one of the best he’d ever read about a particular program—and he was delighted with my work and wanted to meet me! Wow!

Mark Twain once said, “I can live two months on a good compliment.” Believe me, I lived a lot longer on that one! And it taught me the value of “constructive compliments.” If we’re to expect and gracefully receive “constructive criticism,” shouldn’t we also expect and gracefully receive “constructive compliments”?

I was talking with one of my daughters on the phone recently. (They’re both college graduates now—tying their shoes and making their way in the world.) She’s considering confronting her boss concerning a few work issues—issues with her boss’s management style. I smiled to myself as my mind’s eye pictured my daughters’ kindergarten teacher.

“Remember,” I said to her, “to also be sure to include a few compliments for your boss. Let her also know what she’s doing right.”

We both laughed a little, remembering kindergarten and the lessons learned: that compliments and Velcro shoes are worth their weight in gold!

 By Diva Nikki
 (c) November 9, 2009

You’ve gotten a degree. Earned certifications. And yet, your skills and knowledge are not being fully used or developed in your current job.

If you’re looking for a way to feel 100% valuable, to put great education to use, to continue your personal and professional development on an exponential basis—and to serve a cause you’re passionate about—a nonprofit board is the place to do it. How?

Nonprofits have limited operating budgets. They do a LOT with a little. They depend on board members to bring critical expertise to the table. You will essentially be a big frog in a small pond, and what you do to help the board will be noticed—and appreciated.

Nonprofit boards address the same issues as corporate boards: financial issues, governance issues, marketing and recruitment. You’ll get practical, hands-on experience at what it takes to run a business well. 

Nonprofit boards offer a chance to enhance skills you don’t get on the job. If you’re a marketer, this is your opportunity to learn how to read a financial statement. If you’re a finance person, you’ll quickly be cross-trained in recruiting tactics and marketing plans.

Corporate boards manage their business well to increase profits for shareholders; nonprofit boards manage their business well to increase the benefits for the people they serve.  How you help run that business makes a difference for people in need.

Serving on a nonprofit board often carries an amount of “clout” within the community. You’ll serve with company presidents, high-profile society members, possibly even local politicians. It’s an incredible opportunity to network with the “movers and shakers” in your community.

How to Find and Choose a Nonprofit Board

Talk to your company’s community relations staff or your local Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club. Even if you don’t have a specific cause in mind, they may know which nonprofits are most in need of board members now. Let them know the type of experience you’re looking for, so they can find you the best match for opportunity.

If you have a cause you’re already passionate about, do an online search for local organizations and contact them directly.

Test the waters. Try volunteering first on a smaller basis with organizations you may be interested in. Then, when you’re ready for a larger commitment, ask about board membership.

Talk with your manager about including nonprofit board membership as part of your professional development plan. Inquire about your company’s policy about taking time off for board meetings if they occur during the business day. Remind your manager that by serving on a nonprofit board in your community, you’re also serving as an ambassador of your company and generating great visibility for the company.

Be prepared to roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty. Try new things. Volunteer for projects outside your normal expertise. This is your chance to gain completely new—and valuable—skills. But really, the most important thing you’ll gain is knowledge that you’re making a difference and helping others.

Additional Resources:

• BoardSource: Building Effective Nonprofit Boards
• BoardnetUSA: Connecting nonprofit boards and new leaders
• Alice Korngold, “Finding Jobs in This Economy: Nonprofit Board Experience Can Pay Off,” Fast Company, October 15, 2008.
• Alice Korngold, “How Serving on a Nonprofit Board Makes You a Better Business Professional,” Fast Company, September 7, 2009.
• Alice Korngold, “Choosing a Nonprofit Board,” Fast Company, September 11, 2009

 By Linda Lande
 (c) November 7, 2009

 No matter the type of face-to-face networking you choose, there are some basic tips to help ensure that you leave those you meet with a positive, lasting impression. 

Dress professionally—even if the event is casual.
This means polished shoes, pressed slacks and shirts, professionally styled and colored hair. For women, leave the short skirts and low-cut blouses at home. “Invest in one or two nice suits,” advises Marni Hockenberg, Executive Recruiter and Principal of Hockenberg Search in Minneapolis. “Keep accessories understated.”

Marni Hockenberg, Hockenberg Search

Practice!
Memorize your elevator speech, state your value and practice in front of a mirror.

Carry breath mints and watch what you eat.
Bad breath can be a real turn-off, along with food in your teeth.

Turn the conversation to the other person—and listen.
“Don’t monopolize the conversation or oversell yourself,” says Hockenberg. “People like to feel valued.” She recommends open-ended questions or statements, such as: “How did you get involved in that line of work?” or “Tell me about the biggest challenge you’re tackling right now.”

Leave your portfolio behind.
“It’s important to keep your right hand available for introductory handshakes,” says Hockenberg. If you have to juggle a few items in order to shake someone’s hand, you’ve already lost some of the positive, “first impression” magic.

Have business cards, a pen, and a notepad easily accessible.
“I carry a shoulder bag that has outside pockets,” says Hockenberg. “I keep my business cards in one pocket and those I collect in a pocket on the other side. That way I don’t confuse the two and start handing out other people’s business cards instead of my own.”

Make stand-up tables work for you.
Don’t be shy! Either invite yourself to join a table or grab a table and invite others to join you.

Have an exit plan.
“When you’re attending a networking event, it’s OK to excuse yourself from a conversation and move on,” says Hockenberg. Extend your hand and say something like: “It’s been nice meeting you, but I don’t want to monopolize your time.”

Follow up.
After a networking event, Hockenberg writes reminder notes and dates on the back of the business cards she collects and creates an Outlook/eimail contact with that same information, including a memory jogger. Then, within a few days, she sends emails to the people saying how she enjoyed meeting them. She also might invite them to remain in contact through LinkedIn.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. It pays to practice and to dress and act professionally.

 Additional Resources:

Check out these sites and resources for more information:

• CareerNetworking101.com
• LinkedIn.com
• NetworkingForProfessionals.com
• SpeedNetworking.com

 In addition, many professional association Web sites also offer networking events.

 By Linda Lande
 (c) November 3, 2009 

By definition, “networking” means to exchange information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions. But what does networking in the professional arena really mean? Can it effectively boost your career or your business?

Or is it merely a social event where, occasionally, someone gets lucky and makes a connection that leads to a choice position? 

Networking offers you the opportunity to cast your “net” and make it “work” for you. But it takes action on your part—and preparation, too.

Successful networking goes way beyond walking into a room, grabbing a drink, and saying “hello” to a few people.

Marni Hockenberg, Executive Recruiter and Principal of Hockenberg Search, has more than two decades of recruiting and business consulting experience. She attends networking events with specific goals in mind, such as: 

• How many people she wants to meet.
• What clients she wants to connect with each other.
• The number of business cards she wants to distribute and collect.

You might be thinking, “Easy for her to say! Recruiting and consulting is her business.” But she believes it’s every career person’s business—even those who break out in a cold sweat at the mere mention of a social activity.

The good news is that networking has evolved dramatically in the past decade, and there probably is a format that’s just right for you. Here are a few descriptions of common networking configurations:

Light networking involves attending an event where a loosely connected group of people gathers for a social/cocktail hour. These are common at conventions or large chapter meetings of professional associations. The intention of the networking event is to afford people an opportunity to connect, but it’s not tightly targeted on a specific topic or helping people discover a direct avenue to their next career.

Targeted networking goes one step further when you choose to join local groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, local chapters of professional organizations, community groups, and the like. Peruse the Web sites of these organizations to learn about upcoming events, online discussions or meetings, and other ways you can connect. (more…)

 By Diva Nikki
 (c) November 2, 2009

You’re at your company’s annual Christmas party. You’re standing next to the CEO at the chocolate fountain. It’s your chance to be more than just Employee No. TK421. It’s your chance to get visibility for the great project you’re working on.

And what do you say? “Gee, this chocolate is good, huh?”

Don’t. Let. That. Happen.

An elevator speech is a short, intriguing statement about yourself and what you do that could be cleverly quipped to a CEO in the time it would take to ride up an elevator with her. (Or to dip your marshmallow in the chocolate fountain at the Christmas party.) It’s your key to grabbing those key moments with managers or potential employers and turning them into opportunities for further conversation. It gets its name inspired by those unpredictable moments when you are in the elevator, caught with someone you would like to impress or get to know, and fall short on knowing just what to say—and then the opportunity goes wasted.

Guidelines for Creating an Elevator Speech

Although you will eventually want to commit your elevator speech to memory, many people find it helpful to first write down some notes to get started. When you do:

Emphasize results, not products or processes.
(Example: “I helped 300 families achieve the dream of homeownership last year.”)

Follow the KISS method: Keep it simple, Sweetie.
Strive for a message you can say quickly and easily without getting tongue tied.

Know your audience.
Tailor your message to the person with whom you’re talking. Use the WIIFT (What’s in it for them?) approach. Be future-focused—what does your audience want to achieve?

Make it conversational.
Avoid acronyms and industry jargon. If your mother wouldn’t understand it, neither would most people who need to hear your message.

Aim for repeatability.
Be sure it’s something you can bring out and use again and again. Practice it until you can say it , convincingly and authentically, by heart.

Five Simple Steps to Creating an Elevator Speech with Impact

 Answer these five questions, and you’ll have a great start to your elevator speech.

1. Who is your target? Can you list a specific name or group of people?

2. What problems does this person face? How can your skills, products or service solve their problems?

3. What feelings do those problems or challenges evoke in this person?

4. What results would they get from using your skills, products or services?

5. Refine your answers to these questions. Then refine them again.

Once you’ve come up with your refined list, craft it into a simple formula that you will easily say and remember—one leaves your audience intrigued and wanting more. (Example: “I work with/help [target audience] who want to [describe what your audience wants].”

Then, at next year’s Christmas party, deliver an elevator speech so intriguing that the CEO dribbles chocolate on his tie because he’s so interested in you that he stops paying attention to his marshmallow.

Additional Resources:

• Chris King, “How to Craft an Effective Elevator Speech,” Powerful Presentations
• Aileen Pincus, “The Perfect (Elevator) Pitch,” Business Week, June 18, 2007
• Katharine Hansen, PhD, “The Elevator Speech is the Swiss Army Knife of Job-Search Tools,” Quintessential Careers
• Katharine Hansen, PhD, “Elevator Speech Do’s and Don’ts,” Quintessential Careers
• Robert Pagliarini, “The Art of the Elevator Pitch,” Business Know-How