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Maximizing the power in your counterpart to achieve your goalsby Steven BrownI broached the topic of power in one of my recent negotiation skills courses. This is a difficult topic to teach because it requires mental gymnastics. In my experience a person forms a concept of power from their life journey, from the people they grow up around, and how they view their place in the world. As children we begin life powerless, and the path to maturity and wisdom is marked by growing our self-empowerment.  Therefore, I firmly believe that to become enlightened one must become empowered. One must master power and its application. In fact, I believe the ultimate achievement of enlightenment is to fully embrace "power with" versus "power over". But I perceive that most people stay in the "power over" domain for most or all of their life. Therefore, many of my negotiation students find the topic of power to be challenging. One of the most illuminating examples we discuss is parenting of children. I believe that my job as a parent is to empower my children, to show them the power they have available to them, even when that power can be used to get control over me. This discussion usually causes a great disturbance, which is exactly how personal growth happens. Sources of Power There is much study on the subject of power. Machiavelli wrote a book called "The Prince", which might be characterized as how to maximize power, when you remove all consideration of ethics. What most published material attempts to do is divide power into consumable concepts, usually through allegory. Here is a slightly different approach. This is a list of the sources of power, providing a way to self assess, or situationally assess, power. - Creativity - the more ideas you can come up with the more you can achieve
- Physical - the bigger, stronger, faster, smaller, heavier, etc. the more you can achieve
- Charisma - the more you wow people, the more you can achieve
- Expertise - the more you know, the more you can achieve
- Legal - the more the legal decision structure is in your favor, the more you can achieve
- Printed - what is printed is true, and can help you achieve your goals
- Legitimate - you have been approved by those in authority to achieve your goals
- Vested interest - you have spent {time, money, emotion, etc.} and therefore have a say over the outcome
- Expectation - by setting the expectations of others, you increase their willingness to cooperate
- Relationship - the context of past and future intentions may imply obligation to cooperate
- Style - flair that attracts people increases their likelihood of cooperating
- Resources - your ability to give, share, apply, or leverage resources can be motivating or threatening
- Flexibility - the more able you are to change to achieve the end goal, the more likely you'll find a way to the goal
- Endurance - your ability to last longer increases your likelihood of getting what you want
Using Power in Negotiation
Let's assume for a minute you have a win/win negotiation relationship. What is the role of power in achieving the win/win outcome? I believe power is offered as a gift, an incentive to enrich the total outcome. For example, if you have a vacation home that is empty for the month, and the cleaning people are already paid to show up at the end of the month, it is possible that this house, a resource, could be added to the win/win negotiation as an incentive to get the outcomes you seek. You can apply this abundance mentality to every one of the sources of power when you have a win/win negotiation. It can be an immense pleasure to creatively find ways to offer your power to those that help you win in return!
How practical is this? Aren't most negotiations win/lose and combative? This is an excellent question and one that gets to the core of how one approaches life. If you are oriented to win/win, to abundance, you have a tendency to meet people with offers to share power. You remind people what you have you are willing to share. You deflect the attempts to control you with ease. You can engage people playfully and dance around their attempts to take from you. All the while being open to give, to share, to benefit others while gaining your own goals. This approach to life requires a confidence, a flexibility, a centeredness on ones power.
Personal Growth == Growing Power
 At the core of growing in life is changing one's relationship to power. Frequently people choose to disempower themselves, and thus hold themselves at a plateau of achievement and happiness in life. It is self-imposed limits that create the hold. Those limits come from how you view power, the self-talk you use to describe yourself and your place in the world. Words are very powerful, whether articulated or simply replayed as thoughts.
One of the lessons I teach in my negotiation courses is the language of win/win versus win/lose. The words and behaviors of those who seek to control. An educated negotiator listens for these clues when getting started.
Empowering Others
It can be quite a challenge to negotiate for what you need and want while simultaneously helping your counterpart see and grow their power. But that is the life of someone that lives and negotiates win/win.
Ways To Hurt Your Compensation Potential During the Job Interview by Steven BrownThis week was full of reminders how easy it is to give up power in negotiation for your compensation. I taught an Effective Negotiation Skills workshop and one of the examples I use is an interview scenario where the interviewee is asked "how much do you make?" After a negotiation course, or in my coaching sessions, I universally hear people gasp when they realize how they've been played. Through good intentions, and lack of awareness, many people cooperatively give information, giving up significant power and flexibility in the real negotiation at the time of the job offer. What Is Premature Compensation Negotiation?The quick answer: any giving of information about your current compensation, or willingness to agree to any of the terms, before the job is offered in writing. The key triggering event is the written offer. This can be in an email, a scribbled note, or a formally presented letter of offer. Until you receive some form of written offer, you don't have an offer. It is that stark. Some people get tricked by the "verbal offer". But until it's in writing, you don't possess an offer. And possession is what then hands you the power to accept or reject the offer. It is only when you have that power that you can negotiate. Why Can't You Negotiate Before The Offer?Well, you can attempt to do so. But then your not really negotiating over the job offer. Instead, you're simply looking for recognition. A premature move is really just a request to acknowledge other power: credentials, successful job history, high compensation, attractive spouse, fast boat, etc. You might even have top notch clothes and a perfect set of teeth! You're really just trying to get them excited about you - and there's nothing wrong with THAT! Except when that request for recognition hurts your written job offer. If your real reason for meeting with these people is to advance your career and compensation, then you have to carefully choose what will maximize their attraction to your strengths, versus give away information that limits you later. What's An Example of Premature Compensation Negotiation?Q: What's your salary? A: I make $125k Comment: they might have paid you $160k, but why should they now? Q: Will you be moving if we offer you this job? A: I might have to move near here whether I get the job or not. Comment: Why should they offer to pay for the move? Q: This job range is $80-90k. Will that work for you? A: I'm OK with that Comment: Well, there you go Example of a way to respond instead: Q: How much will you require to accept this offer? A: I usually discuss compensation when you are ready to hire me - are you offering me the job? Comment: focuses back on the process of deciding to find the win/win How Do You Handle Premature Compensation Negotiations?Ah, that is THE trick. Because these questions are usually very difficult to avoid - in fact, every HR person is required to ask these questions! - it can feel very aggressive or uncooperative to not give the information requested. And therein lies the problem. These hiring professionals are out to save the company money: your compensation, and the costs to find the right candidate and get them on board. There's a certain amount of cooperation you'll need to exhibit or you won't even get in the game. You'll have to use your judgment on that. And the more flexible you are, the more you can resist such questions. Actually the best way to handle these questions is to deal with the hiring manager. It is nearly universal that the screeners and HR helpers are the ones wanting you to pre-negotiate. When you work with the hiring manager, it is more likely you can manage the dialog and focus on what they need and what you bring.
Needless to say, there's a school for hiring staff on how to manage interviews. You need to understand these dynamics too, and that takes study and practice. The first step is understanding how to recognize the games. The second step is learning how to handle their tactics. Fortunately, whenever you feel confused or under pressure, you can always refocus on what they're looking to hire, and what you bring to the party.
Conclusion - Focus on Value
That is the universal way to handle such difficult questions. Focus on the value you bring to the position, and what's valuable about the opportunity to you. Then ask them to make an offer in writing, and you'll "give it your full consideration." Anything else, and you risk giving away information unnecessarily. When you're forced to do so, then just understand that you're making the choice, and accept the consequences. Move on and keep focus on win/win outcomes.
It's Not Just About Managing Peopleby Steven BrownAs a negotiation trainer I have found that people who are thrust into new positions have the most need for help. New relationships must be figured out, and in particular, determining the power dynamics. First time managers can easily identify that the people they manage require leadership and negotiation skills they must master. There are peer groups and new expectations from management that can catch new managers by surprise. While I have seen a few managers lose their jobs due to their personnel management, the biggest challenges are often those from "above". 
Figure 1
Figure 1 shows the 4 constituents a first time manager must negotiate with. Fortunately most new managers either lead teams or manage vendors or partners, but not both. Management, processes, peers, and organizations are certain to have expectations when stepping into a management position. I recently conducted a survey of the "top 10 negotiations of a first time manager". The respondents were colleagues from my various educational, professional, and personal networks. I'm posting the results here to seek continued feedback and refine into a true top 10 list. - Employee compensation packages, work hours, etc
- Employee annual objectives
- Personal compensation increases
- Mid-year benefit (eg - tuition/course, etc)
- Merit pay and spot-bonus for employee (negotiated with manager)
- Promoting employee rank amongst larger organization
- Vendor contracts, terms, pricing, including failure terms
- Project objectives, deliverables, timelines, resources, dependencies, etc
- Thrown into a vendor/partner negotiation mid-process
- Improving standards of performance for inherited team
Let me know if you agree, or have other suggestions!
Leveraging New and Old Mediaby Steven BrownToday's business climate can lead to a hyper-focus on top line revenue, but it's just as important to watch the bottom line and operations. Reducing costs, or avoiding them, can make or break profitability. Corporate Travel costs are often the easiest to target, and the hardest to control. But what does that have to do with personal branding? For Ellina Arakelova, having a comprehensive vision how best to control Corporate Travel expense is her unique value. She invests time to be educated on innovations in technology, as well as the travel industry. Her vendors recognize her willingness to work with them early in their programs - if she is satisfied then nearly all their customers will be as well. In short, Ellina is a Thought Leader in her industry. Her recent article outlining a successful travel program is an example of what Thought Leaders do - they think ahead and influence others to emulate their example. By definition there is a small percentage of people who are Thought Leaders, which can be a significant advantage when competing, and is an important consideration when investing in your personal brand. What is Thought LeadershipI spend time with thought leaders of my customers. They inform me of the scope of the problem they need solved, the solution they would like, and the value it provides them. I trust their judgment, and I return the favor by helping promote their visibility as thought leaders. Wikipedia describes a Thought Leader as: "a futurist or person who is recognized among peers and mentors for innovative ideas and demonstrates the confidence to promote or share those ideas as actionable distilled insights."How Does Thought Leadership Impact Personal BrandThought Leaders define markets and are an instrumental part of influencing a wave of change that provides opportunities for profits. In Malcolm Gladwell's book The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, such leaders are called Mavens, "people we rely upon to connect us with new information". If you're an individual wanting to define or enhance your brand, being a Thought Leader is certainly a position to consider. It is in the early period of trends that differentiation versus existing or competitive offerings is the primary decision making criteria for purchase. This role is highly valuable for companies that are seeking to gain benefit by being innovators in your area of expertise. In the case of Ellina mentioned above, her company wants to control travel costs and is willing to be more innovative to do so. Establishing Your Thought Leadership PositionIt's not simple to become a Thought Leader. Some people are born to it, others are willing to work for it. The key attributes of a Maven are information and insight. Having early access to information, usually through personal experience, is a requisite. However, the most important characteristic of a Thought Leader is one who is plugged into the unique requirements for a segment in the market place. They are aware of some unique value proposition that requires a shift in understanding or offering. In order to become a Thought Leader you must identify a domain where you have such advanced awareness and knowledge. Communicating In a Noisy MediaplaceEquipped with knowledge, one must then nurture a communication forum. Before the internet the forums were limited to books, newspapers, magazines, tv, radio, conferences, or other such mass media. The internet facilitates many forms of community creation where such thought leadership can be demonstrated. Twitter is the latest innovation, enabling thought evolution at the speed of light. Others, myself included, are using blogs for creating and making thoughts easily accessible to an audience. Sometimes it's important to use more traditional media because of the endorsement their brand provides. The lower frequency can enhance the credibility of the voice, as in the case of USA Today publishing the interview about travel program management. First You Must Have ThoughtIn my experience working with Thought Leaders the most important behavior they exhibit is continuous communication. They have thoughts and they share them, check them, and learn. Their pursuit of knowledge is tireless, and their willingness to put themselves out there is routine. Once there is thought and an openness in communication, the media forms will be simple decisions on the path to Maven-ness.
... & Why Setting Up An "Alltop" Account Is A Good Thing !...by David BookoutRead, be more interesting, succeed !!! If your an entrepreneur, individual contributor, or team player in a large organization you'll want to check out this useful tool. I watched an introductory video this weekend on FREE Market Research, and validated a long time suspicion that it is really easy to find out a few basic things relative to market size, competition, etc. - more on this later. Then I thought about all the people that have told me "We don't have any competition" - which, when you think about it, is a pretty lame thing to say. Here's why - the very first thing anyone does when they are being pitched to is think - "what similarities does this idea have to anything I already know about?" - then, what I call the "slotting process" begins. The idea pitcher has lost control, and the idea catcher is down their own path trying to compare. Now, if your a blogger, or a micro blogger the difficulty is fresh content that's relevant to the Personal / Product / Service / Company Brand your building. In either circumstance, and many more that I could illustrate, the critical component is what you know. A key component to making you an interesting person is your ability to converse with others on a variety of topics - and this doesn't mean that you have to know everything - that are interesting to them. I've found that Alltop is a way to quickly get connected to top stories in a variety of categories that you control !! No, the Alltop folks don't pay me, and here's the fifty thousand foot view:  => Alltop Is A Super Aggregator - of the RSS Feeds your probably already following with a REALLY slick way to organize the content headings, which give you one, simple place to get everything you want. => A Variety Of "Categories" Of Interest - that you can choose from: Work / Health / Culture / Interests / Tech / People / Good / News / Geos / Sports => Hundreds, and hundreds of "Topics" - are within those categories, and are searchable either alphabetically, or by category. => Complete Control - within your account. Add, subtract, and reorganize the information configuration anytime you want. So, now that you know the Alltop secret, don't get caught behind relative to what's going on in the world around YOU, your company, your team, and your goals => Enjoy !!!© Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.The image is my.Alltop.com/EFFETTI
... is growth in excess of 1,000% on Twitter a good thing? ...by David Bookout When I first got on Twitter Guy Kawasaki started following me. I thought that was pretty cool. Then I realized that with nearly 80,000 ( it's 93,049 now ) other people that Guy was following I WASN'T EVEN a bug on Guy's windshield. So, now what? Well for me, I wanted to research how Social Media could impact the ability of companies to make money, here is what I see so far:01 - Expanding Circles Of Influence - The amazing thing about Twitter, that is different than LinkedIn, Facebook, Plaxo and other Social Media tools is that it is OPEN. You can "connect" to anyone you can find, you just need to have enough social graces to stay connected and build a relationship. Just like life. This is Twitter's power, and why Facebook has been moving towards their micro-blogging model. 02 - It's ALL About Mood - The "mood" on Twitter is awesome. When the stock market was diving last week, there was nary a mention. Negativism on Twitter is almost non-existent. If you find someone is too negative, and there are a few, you can either "block" them, or "unfollow" them so they don't show up on your windshield. 03 - You Still Have To BUILD Relationship - This takes work in life, and it takes work on Twitter. What is most amazing is the "feeling" that you can build new relationships on Twitter. So, it's no wonder that in these difficult times Twitter growth is amazing. 04 - There Are Wonderful Opportunities - Which I'll be commenting on as things unfold. If your jumping in, here is what I suggest you do:A - Set Up Your Accounts Now - Do this on Twitter, and Facebook to ensure you get the "handles" you want, and nobody "squats" on an essential "identity" for you, or your business. Once you've set up Facebook you may want to take a look at the "pages" portion, which is currently where you can get a "vanity page", while they are trying to work thru how to handle vanity urls like Twitter offers. B - Define What YOU Want To Produce - Then keep that VERY PRESENT somewhere as you begin to experiment with the tools, because it's VERY EASY to burn a huge amount of time. Actually, I'm thinking about writing a piece on "Getting Off Twitter - A 12 Step Program" => You heard that here first ;-) !! C - DO NOT Sign Up For Everything You See - Just like life, there are ALOT of offers, particularly on Twitter where people are offering "get quick" this, and "free" that. D - Relax, Observe, Experiment, Have FUN - Spend a little time, particularly watching the leading posters, see what they do and emulate. Thanks for reading !! © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.The image was found on, and may be © Copyright to MatchVideoZine.com
I'm NOT much for public political commentary, but I do enjoy a good debate with friends. However, I'm changing tack here because "I'M MAD AS HELL AND I WON'T TAKE IT ANYMORE" !! To me, my current thinking about what is happening at AIG is that it is an outrage and a cop out. As best as I can tell people that lost a record $62B ( BILLION ) dollars are getting bonuses in the form of cash money given to a near bankrupt company by the American taxpayers. How can anyone, with a even a hint of a conscience, take that money ? If your a recipient of such bonus funds, THE best thing you could do for yourself and your company is return it, all $165MM !!You all know who you are. If you won't return the money, then let's ALL get the facts straight, and ALL act accordingly towards AIG's current, and future offers in the marketplace - JUST SAY NO !!
...A QUICK GUIDE TO TAKING THE LEAP & GETTING STARTED...by David BookoutRelated Post: Brand Building - Portal Strategies... Several individual clients have recently expressed anxiety over getting their new business offers up and running on the internet. Historically, you have had to have the ability to create a pleasing graphic design, AND the ability and knowledge to HTML code to take such a leap. But, now all that has changed, here is how !!First, FREE WebSite capability has expanded significantly. For the uninitiated building a WebSite used to pretty painful, but now there are a multitude of tools available for both public and private viewing. One of my favorites is the Posterous WebSite / Blog engine. The sample site here was created in less than 1 hour. You don't have to worry about look and feel, and you can load content right from your eMail client. SWEET !! Second, you need a payment engine. Whether your selling products, or pure service PayPal is an excellent way to receive client payments, and even take credit cards without setting up a full merchant account. Third, you may want the ability to sell complimentary products. Amazon has recently created the ability for virtually anyone to create an online store. This is INCREDIBLE, here is a link to a Contractor Store example that only took seconds to create. You can sign up for an Amazon Affiliate account here. © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.The image was found on, and may be © Copyright to PersistentIllusion
BLUEPRINTS FOR THE WEBA Book Review by David Bookout Now I have three information design heros – Tufte, Wodtke & Govella. “ Information Architecture - Blueprints For The WEB” SECOND ADDITION by Wodtke & Govella is exactly what the title suggests – a guide to effective form, structure and organization of information on the web. A quick glance at the table of contents reveals essential topics like; Principles, Balance, Search, Navigation, Flow, and Social Spaces. Graphic illustrations abound to give the reader concrete examples of the principles the authors set forth. Anyone considering upping their game and thinking relative to web building should get two ( 2 ) copies of this book; one to read, reference and literally carry around, and a second one to replace the first one when it wears out.
...@ UCSC Extension - The MILE Program 2009 by Steve Brown One of my passions is negotiation. Don't get me wrong, I personally detest the "I'm gonna get everything I can outta you" approach to negotiation. There's no pleasure for me in that combat experience. What I enjoy is the art of looking for, and delivering, the creative win/win. The win/win I seek is more than what was hoped for at the beginning. It takes time, energy, and a certain type of approach to life. But it's worth every ounce of effort. Playing GamesAn early eye opener for me was the book Finite & Infinite Games by James Carse. He was a professor of theology at the time he wrote this short philosophy book. It separates human interactions into those that are Finite, limiting and diminishing, from those that are Infinite, opening, unlimited, and invigorating. It truly sharpened my perceptions of the win/lose vs win/win energy that can be detected in people. It is also very useful to characterize the approach we take in various situations, and how controlling or collaborating we might be perceived by others. What I personally enjoyed the most about the book was getting a clear picture of how creativity and key words can create and foster win/win relationships at home, work, and play. Another book conveys the same concepts but in a more mainstream format more readable to most. Power: The Infinite Game, by Michael Broom and Donald Klein, is a fantastic review of the energy dynamics involved within yourself, and between people. It connects that energy exchange to the concepts of win/win and win/lose, and continues on to provide a well balanced journey through advanced negotiation concepts.
Taping Into Local Expertise I'm now a guest lecturer for UCSC Extension’s Management Institute of Leadership Excellence (MILE) II; Course 19032-004. The section I will teach is a 3.5 hour condensed version of my "Effective Negotiation Skills" seminar, and focuses on the most impactful building blocks in expanding one's win/win approach to life. The MILE program is delivered by a team of guest lecturers who bring their particular expertise to the classroom, along with their passion to teach and have an impact on the community. It's great company to be in, and I can't wait to meet this year's students!
The MILE Program 2009
Leadership Excellence I, 19032-004
Tuesdays 6-9:30pm
March 17 – May 19, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 9:00am - 3:00pm
10420 Bubb Rd., Cupertino
They are still accepting applications, but you need to sign up soon!
...for a more complete picture of who you really are !!...by David BookoutRelated Post: How To Build A Personal Brand...Related Post: Why build a Personal Brand ?...Related Post: What is a Personal Brand ?...Related Tool: Personal Brand Strategy Brief Having done personal development work for over 15 years one of the things that continues to intrigue me most is the often difference in interpretation we have between; what we think about ourselves, and what others think about us. This plays a particularly important role in Personal Brand Development because who we "think" we are doesn't really matter when it comes to getting the job we want, or building the relationships we want. In a business context what matters most is how others view you ! Why? Because chances are they have the power. They have the power to introduce you to others, or not. They have the power to add value to what your up to, or not. They have the power to hire you, AND MAY NOT, based on who you are for them. There are many ways to get at the vital information you seek - what do others really think of me - AND conversations of this type need to be held in a certain context to avoid becoming opinion sessions. Aside from our tool, which gives you a framework to get at this critical area: Related Tool: Personal Brand Strategy BriefHere are three key things to do:01 - Listen carefully to what others say, AND what they don't say in regard to who you are for them. 02 - Observe closely what other do, AND what they don't do in regard to the offers and requests you make. 03 - Ask people you can trust to give you an honest assessment of what they see. Often, it is NOT the best thing to ask family and close friends. They have a different connection to you that may not enable them to be clear, concise and valuable in what they share. Enjoy and mobilize !! © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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...is a fine line between arrogance and doubt !!...by David BookoutRelated Posts: Does Fear Affect / Effect Outcomes...Related Posts: Closure & A New Design ( II )... It seems like a lifetime ago when some colleagues and I were building a high-tech manufacturing company from scratch. The ride from $0 to $100MM / Yr. in 5 years was spectacular, and the lessons numerous. Today, one particular lesson comes to mind, and that is the fine line between arrogance and doubt. Falling too far off center in either direction can render some pretty unsatisfactory results. The good news is we all get to choose the line we take. Arrogance - Is having it all figured out. We used to joke about a recurrent trend. It went something like this - "just when I'm thinking I've got it all figured out I get hit in the head with a 2 x 4". Even metaphorically this hurts, and it is a great posture to block effective action. Why? Because it invalidates others, limits their ideas, and destroys collaboration. Doubt - Can also be about having it all figured out. Just in a negative way. Doubt is an equally potent fuel for alienation. The interesting thing, to me, is that when we have doubts we are actually in distrust of either our own, or another's ability to fulfill. When we doubt, the very things we want get farther and farther away. So, how do we stay on the fine line of Effective Action, particularly when the wind and other elements threaten to take us off course? Here are Five Quick Tips:01 - Maintain a healthy wonder about what you, and those around you might be missing. This is different than doubt. An interesting way to view this is; know what you know, know what you don't know, and know that there are things that you don't even know that you don't know. 02 - Maintain a healthy respect for what others think. This is different than sucking up. To be heard, you have to hear others. 03 - If and when others make a commitment to do something, figure out how you can be of value and support them in the fulfillment of their commitment. If you can't be positive at least be neutral, and don't be negative. 04 - Make what you say publicly, particularly about others, match what you say privately to others. 05 - Be willing to wipe the white board clean. As we interact with others we build a mental map of thoughts about each person. Another way to think about this is that we begin to fill the whiteboard with our positive and negative experiences. If negative things begin to pile up, AND your willing, you can wipe that board clean. When you do this you choose to hold old actions in a new, agreed upon light. Once you declare that your going to wipe the board clean with someone, and you should actually tell the person that this is what your doing, you can't continue to bring up the old, negative interpretations. © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
The article "Effective Action...", the subtitle "...is a fine line between between arrogance and doubt !!..." and contents herein, unless otherwise specified in writing - by Effetti, Inc. are ALSO licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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...is a lot like great dancing !!...by David Bookout 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, break, hands & twirl - 5,6,7,8, and back... Dancing is a wonderful metaphor for leadership, and follower-ship in business because just like great dance teams great business teams know how to share the leadership role. The key is learning to effectively share control - back and forth - as needed to move with maximum velocity. Observe any highly effective business, or dance team and you will see the leader making requests ( let's now focus on this new sector - twirl left ), and the followers moving to fulfill that request. AND, if you look carefully, you'll notice that the followers have complete control over how they fulfill. Outside of breaking ethical, or legal standards effective leaders aren't concerned with exactly how things get done. Effective leaders care about results, velocity, and mood, and not necessarily always in that order. Unfortunately a more common interpretation of leadership, particularly in business, is that it is a one way street. People think that the "Boss" controls everything. Subsequently, those followers want to lead so badly that they forget to watch where they themselves are going, and in doing so they forget that their true value is playing their position the best that it can be played. They forget that the way to build a successful Personal Brand is to become virtuoso in their current role.Ten Quick Tips To Being A GREAT Follower:01 - Know your position ( role ) inside and out. 02 - Don't fall into the common trap of being entitled. 03 - Observe, study and understand the business game your in. 04 - Remember that respectful, public decent opens the door to new thinking. 05 - Don't undermine your leader with private conversations about other directions. 06 - Study best practices, and refine and invent new ones. This is where you can make your Personal Brand shine, and stand out. 07 - Make valuable offers to your leader BEFORE you just go and fulfill them. 08 - Study and learn your direct leader's role. 09 - Remember that the best apprentice is the one that anticipates the tool that is needed BEFORE the craftsman needs it. 10 - Publicly declare that you want to be a good follower ( not this exact language ) to attract the help of others. Pay particular attention to what other successful leaders and followers advise and do. Ten Quick Tips To Being A GREAT Leader:01 - Know you're position ( role ) inside and out. 02 - Don't fall into the common trap of being entitled. 03 - Observe, study and understand the business game you're in. 04 - Remember that respectful, public decent opens the door to new thinking. 05 - Empower your followers to be creative, think and do for themselves.06 - Study best practices, and refine and invent new ones. This is where you can make you're Personal Brand shine, and stand out. 07 - Make effective requests of your followers.08 - Have compassion when followers don't understand.09 - Past the healthy debate of decent and co-creation DO NOT have sentimentality for followers that don't want to follow. 10 - Publicly declare that you want followers to offer reciprocal leadership in their discreet domains of expertise. Know these areas well enough not to be blind sided. © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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 My friend Don Langley over at ConnectAndSell.com recently gave me the heads up on the upcoming ( March 4th & 5th ) Sales Conference 2.0 that will be here in San Francisco. Here's the agenda overview:How to Accelerate Sales in a 2.0 World Sales Lead Management 2.0 Customer Engagement Strategies Analytics and Compensation Management Accelerating Productivity – New Sales 2.0 Tools The Foundation of a Sales 2.0 Business , and core promise from their website:Benefit from eye-opening presentations, candid conversations, and collaborative sessions all focused on helping you create your own Sales 2.0 success strategy. You will walk away with practical ideas that your sales team will benefit from immediately. Hope to see you there !The image and conference promotional content is Trademarked & © Copyright to the folks SalesConference 2.0
How To Create Competitive Advantage In Your Searchby Steve BrownRelated Post: Strategy, Brand, and Go-to-MarketRelated Post: Polishing up the old CV...Related Post: Q: When should I network?...Related Tool: Personal Brand Strategy BriefI believe one of the important principles of marketing and branding is: being different is always better. As unemployment swells to 5 million citizens, an increasing number of my friends and acquaintances are refreshing their connections and asking for help finding new jobs. The internet era is motivating everyone to get online, and use social networking sites such as LinkedIn, FaceBook, and Monster. That is the problem - everyone is doing it. While I believe one must get involved in that new way of finding work leads, I'm increasingly advising job seekers to return to the basics and create face time with potential employers. Distinguishing Yourself From The CrowdThere are really only two ways to improve your chances of getting a job. First, is finding the lead and closing on the interview ahead of the crowd. Second is to create the job opportunity by getting in front of potential hiring managers and showing them what you can do. Internet based job search does not give anyone an advantage except the hiring company. It reduces their costs to find more qualified candidates. There is an illusion that you're able to find more open positions than if you use traditional search techniques. But the numbers don't play out in your favor. Shifting Job Market and Acquiring New SkillsAnother challenge people are facing is the shrinkage of available jobs in their area of expertise. More people are needing to make career transitions, some small, some significant. It isn't easy to convince a hiring manager to take a chance on you when there are so many qualified candidates available. A Fresh Idea - A Return To The PastI am increasingly advising people to enhance their internet-age job search with an approach of old. You could call it apprenticeship, or simple smart hustle. Either way, more and more people are recognizing that they are against some giant odds in finding a job quickly. My guidance to is to offer their services free to managers and executives at companies where they'd like to work. The strategy is to get in front of potential hiring managers, show them what you can do, and learn about the companies needs, long before a job is posted to the internet for hiring. We used to do this in college - they were called internships. There are several options for marketing these experiences into resume' builders. You can create a consulting company that provides specific services, or simply offer yourself. As you network with executives you can explain that you're building your experience base and are willing to offer yourself free for a period of time in exchange for the experience, the resume' entry, and their reference. Limit the time you are committed each day so you can continue your job searching. And put yourself to work. This gives you inside access to lots of people. Marketing yourself this way provides you access to potential hiring managers that you can't reach if you're just looking for a job. It's catching on, and I hope it helps. We need to get creative in this economic turmoil in order to move past it and return to more positive prosperity. © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
The article "Getting A Job In A Down Market", the subtitle "How To Create Competitive Advantage In Your Search" and contents herein, unless otherwise specified in writing - by Effetti, Inc. are ALSO licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
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...Three Links For Your Interest & Review !!!...by David Bookout A: Only when I need to - Tech Crunch reports on LinkedIn's recent upswing in users. A: All the time - SF Business News article on "timely" new study. { Hmm - if it's timely why was it released when when jobless claims just peaked ? } Download the study @ UpWardlyMobile for a full read. The image was found on, and may be © Copyright to HealthCareLeaders
...How Much Does The Meaning Of Words Matter?...by David BookoutRelated Post: How To Build A Personal Brand...Related Post: Words Matter... While listening to 105.3FM this morning on the way back from taking my teenage son to school the DJ was talking about the recent Parade Magazine Intelligence Report On Moral Choices. The example he and his guests were having fun with was lying, and in the banter the word "ethically wrong" was used several times. What caught my attention was the way the word ethics was being used. Morals and ethics are two different things, are often confused, and have two different meanings as you can see below. But, what I think is most interesting is the large difficulty we have if lying IS overly common in a society. Because then lying IS the ethic of that society. Hmmm. Being a linguist I think we always produce difficulty when we collapse definitions, or use words in a way that doesn't follow standard definitions. So, let's take a look at Merriam-Webster's OnLine Dictionary, and Wikipedia. I know it looks like I'm slighting Wikipedia, but when you click on the first link you'll see why I didn't add the definition. MW - "Ethics" are "our standards for how we treat one another." Wikipedia - "Ethics"MW - "Morals" are "modes of conduct." This is how we actually treat people. Wikipedia - "Morals"MW - "Virtuous" is "being morally excellent." Wikipedia "Virtuous"Note the differences, and as my friend Kevin likes to observe, "note what's missing". Today it's cool to invent words, and last night I heard a fun one "Craptastic", which was used in a conversation about software design. A pretty obvious meaning, or is it !? But, if we all have slightly different definitions for words how do we effectively communicate ?From a team building perspective, here are few tips for managing this and communicating in a way that enhances velocity: Create a team standard definition of key words. Private Wiki's can be good for this / these. Create a team standard definition of key acronyms. Be rigorous about these definitions, and work with others to ensure there is shared knowledge and use. Have some fun inventing a few new words, and collaborating to create a collective definition. Enjoy! © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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...Your Gonna Have To Do Some Steppin Out !...by David BookoutRelated Post: How To Build A Personal Brand...Related Post: Why build a Personal Brand ?...Related Post: What is a Personal Brand ?...Related Tool: Personal Brand Strategy Brief Perhaps not dressed exactly as our photo suggests, but to build a successful Personal Brand today, I think it is pretty much a guarantee that you'll have to step outside of your comfort zone. After all, what's comfortable, particularly for the growing number of folks that have been affected by the "corporate sizing" issues we seem to be hearing so much about these days, just doesn't matter. Discomfort is becoming normal. We've got some posts coming up in which we'll be offering some uncommon thinking about actions you can be in, right now, today, to set yourself apart. But, this post is about technology as a differentiating medium for Personal Brand Building. So, let's look at some examples of people stepping out to use technology to create not only their own personal brands, but whole businesses in the process: Justine Ezarik @ iJustine.com is steppin out ! Dan Schwabel @ PersonalBrandingBlog.com is steppin out ! Stephanie Quilao @ TheEveryDayBlogger.com is steppin out ! What makes each of them unique? It's not that they are young! It's that they are each embracing technology to extend their reach and expand their circle of influence!! They are exploiting the benefits of technology to create a life style that works for each of them, in their own way, and on their own terms. I was recently contacted by a client who said "I'm thinking about doing a blog", what tips can you give me!? My advise? Get started. Now, for the particular business this client was in, a blog was almost a standard of care in terms of keeping in touch with their client base, and desired audience. In other situations, this is NOT the case. Nothing is a blanket fix. But, some things just make sense. If YOU need to build your identity to get where you want to go next, here are four ( 4 ) quick thoughts: Start Practicing / Do Something - Blogger.com, and LinkedIn.com, and FaceBook.com are great places to get started. Share With Friends - Each of these sites, with the exception of Blogger, which needs another mechanism to facilitate the process, is fundamentally about connecting with friends. In regards to Blogger, set up a private site, and invite your friends, and colleagues to read. Venture Outside Of Your Own Standard Practices - Spend a little bit of time everyday to be an observer of what's going on in the world. I'm not talking about reading the newspaper online. I'm talking about clicking around and see what others like; Justine, Dan, Stephanie, and others are doing with technology. How they are using the technologies they are using and why. Don't Give Up - This isn't like watching TV. It takes a little bit of time and energy, but can be well worth it in the long run. Because if your looking for a new job, looking to turn your hobby, or passion into a business, or just looking to focus on giving back to the community through service, these mediums are essential to a successful future. © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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...Obama's "return to virtuous ethics" as a good example !...by David BookoutRelated Post: Why build a Personal Brand ?...Related Post: What is a Personal Brand ?...Related Tool: Personal Brand Strategy BriefYou may, or may not like our smiling President, but that is NOT the point of this piece.  Obama's suggestion that we return to virtuous ethics is more than interesting. I'm not suggesting he actually said this, but, in effect within the language he chooses to use as our leader in describing how he will lead America into the future, this is what he is advocating we do as followers. Powerful stuff !! "Ethics" are our standards for how we treat one another. "Virtuous" is about having excellent standards. I've got to say that I LOVE to hear Obama speak, and if you've taken the time to watch / hear him, perhaps you too may have noticed the physical change in your body when you see and hear him. Look, feel, tone, manner, and clear, compelling content is at the heart of effective Brand Building. Personal Brand Building is no different. A good place to watch / experiment with how; look, feel, tone, manner and content effects / affects us is, oddly enough, in the John Stewart segment on The Daily Show on Comedy Central, where Stewart refers to "The Bradley Effect" ( @ 4:44 )( count begins after the 15 - 30 second commercial - sorry ! ). When I watched this segment for the first time I noticed how I began to actually feel different about Obama as a person - in fact, so much so that I've taken the time to hear him speak every chance I get - why? Not because of my political views, but because what he says connects with, and relates to the things I care about. When we make these connections with others we have a beginning, and as a Personal Brand Builder to build on that beginning the thing to do is maintain consistency. Building a Personal Brand with consistency:First, take the time to actually think about what YOU care about - make a list. Next, take the time to design how you might talk about the things you care about. What are the key points? Is there proof for these points? Are the points mainstream, or contrarian - make a list. Then, be an interested listener and observer to the verbal / non-verbal reactions you get - make a list. Finally, continue to honestly refine the process until you're producing the results you want - check with others. Would you invest $0.04 ( 4 cents ) a day to build an Obama like Personal Brand ? Then you need our Personal Brand Strategy Tool to help you get started thinking about and designing your Personal Brand Building Strategy and Tactics today ! © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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...YOU Bet It Does, and NOT in a good way, every darn time !!...by David BookoutRelated Posts: Closure & A New Design ( II )...Maybe this happens to YOU? - I think it happens to all of us, but we can control it !! I was talking to a colleague this morning about fear, and they were sharing that the very thing that they we're afraid of seemed to keep happening to them.  I thought "so, very, very true!" During our conversation I also thought how sports can be such great metaphors for things! Golf is a great example. I'm certainly not Tiger Woods, but when I was playing well ( NCGA 7 ) I could make a golf ball go through a pretty small "window" of blue sky, between the branches of a LOT of trees, from the rough. But, NOT when I was scared that I was going to fail. I could ONLY accomplish this WHEN I WAS: a) Clear on the desired outcome, (b) Clear on the strategy, (c) Clear on the execution, and (d) Clear in my mind that I was going to succeed AND unwilling to let doubt enter my mind and control me !!!!I also thought about U.S. Airways Captain Chesley B. ( Sully ) Sullenberger's heroic actions yesterday in the crash of Flight 1549, which may in fact be the most amazing story of the decade, if not the most amazing story in commercial aviation history !! Had Sullenberger surrendered his mind to fear; the fear of failure, fear for his own life, fear of uncertainty, then I think there would have been a VERY, very different outcome. Because letting fear control you and being scared are two different things. In closing, our reader's survey, and the specific comment below was / is not only prophetic, but a very valuable thing to consider, and probably for some time to come. Thanks again! "I think 2009 is going to be a very challenging year and we need to continually be reminded to stay focused on those things that we CAN control, rather than all the negative stuff that's bombarding us."© Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Control what you can - a real life reminder that focus is key !!...by David Bookout The photo shows an almost surreal setting of U.S. Airways crash - Flight 1549 sitting in the Hudson River. As I viewed this story on MSNBC this evening I was also reading our year end survey results, and specifically the comments of one, very kind reader: "I think 2009 is going to be a very challenging year and we need to continually be reminded to stay focused on those things that we CAN control, rather than all the negative stuff that's bombarding us."The two just seemed to naturally go together, and this seemed like as good a time as any to underscore, highlight and celebrate the point one of our dear readers was kind enough to make. So, please join me in a silent acknowledgement - Hats off, and I'm sure many, many heartfelt thanks to U.S. Airways Captain Chesley B. ( Sully ) Sullenberger, and his incredible role this evening in staying focused on the things that he could control and bringing MANY more passengers back safely to Terra Firma than what is normally expected in in-flight crash circumstances !! © Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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... may be One More Reason to go Web 2.0 !...by David Bookout Social Networking and Social Media are hot topics, and sites like: MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, DodgeBall, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Spoke, Zoom, Blogger, YouTube, Joost, Flicr, Picasa, SlideShare, and more are pretty familiar. But, knowing how to best leverage these technological tools within your brand development strategy, regardless of whether your focus is corporate, or individual is the question! The ManyOne Portal may be an interesting, and valuable new alternative ?!Personally, you might be thinking; Some of these applications don't seem serious enough for what I want, or I don't even know where to start, or I don't have time to keep up with all these discreet accounts. At the corporate level you might even be thinking, hey, this is someone else's job! But is it? At the core of all the applications mentioned is the function of establishing an " identity" amongst a specific desired audience set. The purpose of brand building is to expand the shear number of people that are; aware of, interested in, and ultimately accept the brand's value proposition in some sort of transaction. Historically, I think it has been difficult, particularly for the SMB market, to create appropriate content, including graphics, that do a good job of establishing a consistent, brand building look and feel. Website building has been difficult at best, and most of the applications mentioned have a primary ( yet, perhaps hidden? ) agenda of significantly building their own brands on the backs of their users. The ManyOne Portal seems different in that regard, as well as providing the opportunity to expand identity / brand building possibilites by giving companies, AND individuals the opportunity to manage multiple interests and passions, in one relatively simple, easy to use place.For example, I built this new Effetti Portal in less than an hour with ONLY my extensive cut and paste capability !! Honestly, while I've been building websites for ten years, I have just about enough HTML experience to bold some copy. Post Publishing Add - Additionally, the ManyOne Portal acts as a Wiki / Collaboration / Coordination tool with the ability to house 100's of documents for either public, or private view depending on how you set up each portal. Teams with designated members, that the portal owner controls, can view private portals, anyone can view public portals. My colleague and project management guru friend Kimberly Wiefling recently turned me on to these new collaboration tools, thanks Kimberly ! - Post Publishing Add EndSo, if you've been thinking about building a new website, or getting a bit more active in the Social Networking / Social Media space, I would give the ManyOne experience a try ??!!© Copyright 2009 - Effetti, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.
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Therefore, I firmly believe that to become enlightened one must become empowered. One must master power and its application. In fact, I believe the ultimate achievement of enlightenment is to fully embrace "power with" versus "power over". But I perceive that most people stay in the "power over" domain for most or all of their life.
There is much study on the subject of power. Machiavelli wrote a book called "The Prince", which might be characterized as how to maximize power, when you remove all consideration of ethics. What most published material attempts to do is divide power into consumable concepts, usually through allegory.
At the core of growing in life is changing one's relationship to power. Frequently people choose to disempower themselves, and thus hold themselves at a plateau of achievement and happiness in life. It is self-imposed limits that create the hold. Those limits come from how you view power, the self-talk you use to describe yourself and your place in the world. Words are very powerful, whether articulated or simply replayed as thoughts.
David
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