• S.H.A.P.E.

    Posted on 08.31.10

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    Stop Telling the Story

    Have you been wounded in your personal and/or professional life? Perhaps you were passed over unfairly for a promotion. Maybe you were the victim of some mistruths or someone else took credit for your accomplishments. Whatever the scenario, many of us carry professional wounds with us. We tell the story to our sympathetic friends; we replay the events and wonder what we could have done differently. We justify ourselves and our grudges.

    Sometimes we grow so familiar and comfortable with our wounds that we lose sight of who we were before they struck us. We forget the road we were on and focus instead on the ditch we landed in. What we don’t realize is that the more we tell the story, the more we replay it and relive it, the more we let it define who we are and how we view ourselves.

    My challenge to you is simple: Stop Telling The Story. No matter how egregious the offense against you, dwelling on it only gives more power to the aggressor, power that you are relinquishing, power that you are not using to further your own goals and aspirations. Maybe it’s time to accept what happened and stop letting it limit your potential. There is always much to learn from trials, so seize the opportunity for growth. Then commit to not repeat the experience – or the story – again. Instead, move on, smarter and better poised for success.

    re-S.H.A.P.E. your future, starting now.
    Clifford A. Bailey

  • Technology

    Posted on 08.13.10

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    Social Media for Business (Not Just Socialites)

    I will admit it: I was skeptical. When my marketing guru told me that I needed to be active on Twitter, that I need a blog and that I needed to make sure my LinkedIn profile was current and active, I wondered if this wave she was chasing would soon be crashing. But she’s good, and I trust her. So we took the plunge. And, just as she promised, I have been continually surprised at the results.

    Here are just a few facts for you…
    . LinkedIn has more than 70 million members, including executives from every one of the Fortune 500 companies.
    . Twitter has 105 million users globally.
    . Facebook has over 400 million active users as of February of this year.
    . 72% of the online population is active in at least 1 social network.
    . The average social media user is connected to at least 195 people, goes to social sites five days a week and checks in about four times a day for a total of an hour each day.

    So, in a nutshell, if you are NOT using social media, you are not fully connected to the world around you…including the business world. Yes, it can be overwhelming, and yes, you can get sucked in spending a lot of time and money with little return. But there are ways to be smart about it without getting in over your head. For starters, you should have one (not multiple; people, check what you have out there before you start a new profile) LinkedIn profile. Take the time to complete your profile, with professional experience, a photo and associations. Then do a search for every person you know and trust professionally, and invite them to connect with you (odds are, about 90% of them are on LinkedIn).

    Once you have your profile established and your network growing, spend a little time digging around www.linkedin.com. You will quickly realize that there is no top or bottom… The sky is the limit with what you can do with this free but invaluable resource.

    At this moment, I am directly connected with 474 people… people I have done business with or met through speaking engagements; former classmates, professional association colleagues, friends, fellow church members and neighbors. The networks of my 474 connections expand my personal network to 4,246,709 people right now. So I could contact Darkeisha, whom I met at my last speaking engagement in Raleigh and ask for an introduction to any one of the 434 people in her network, including some bank VPs and CEOs. A personal introduction from Darkeisha could get me in the door to an organization where I would otherwise be stuck in the vestibule. Are you getting the picture here?

    I’m no social media expert; I just know opportunity when I see it. And if you’re missing out on this opportunity, you are working harder (and not smarter) than your competition, likely for less return. More tips on LinkedIn.
    Twitter? Well, I’m still getting used to that one. For now, my marketing guru tells me it’s a “point of entry” for a speaker. And I get to reach more people with my “Bailey’s Dailies” than I would otherwise. For some basics on Twitter, check out this site.

    re-S.H.A.P.E. your network.™
    Clifford A. Bailey

    sources:
    http://www.bensur.com/bensur_blog/social-media-facts-and-figures/
    http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/facebook-statistics-facts-figures-for-2010/
    http://omgzam.com/13-mind-blowing-facts-on-social-media-2010/

  • S.H.A.P.E.

    Posted on 08.09.10

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    Changing our View of Change

    I have recently spoken to several corporations on the topic of Change Management. Those are big buzz words these days: change management. I’m not sure why this has become such a trend lately. In reality, the only constant in life is (and has always been) change.

    Sure, economic trials bring about change… for organizations and for individuals. Culture shifts, tightened belts, trimmed benefits, additional responsibilities, new bosses, job losses. We have likely all experienced these changes in our lives, and we have likely all learned to accept them as part of life. So why the emphasis now on Change Management? Here’s my theory. I believe that there is a heightened awareness of Change Management now because more and more organizations are realizing that just because people make the decision to accept change doesn’t mean they have any intention of implementing or embracing that change.

    Read that sentence again. Now consider this: Where do you fit on that scale? Do you simply accept change, or do you embrace it and make it work for you?

    Resistance to change is as common and far-reaching as change itself. “That’s not how we’ve done it in the past” is a phrase so commonly spoken (and so commonly met with eye rolls from those who consider themselves progressive) that it is cliché. While most of us are smart enough not to utter those words aloud in the workplace, we all are guilty of thinking them. And perhaps just as many of us are guilty of thinking, “Yes, yes, I hear what you’re saying, but I don’t have to like this.”

    Employers realize that a good attitude is as hard to enforce as initiative; it comes from within. The most an employer can do is create an environment where positive attitudes and healthy perspectives on change are encouraged and rewarded. Those who resist change, who dig their heels into the old ways, who utter the mantra “That’s not my job,” who resent new technologies and new processes and new ideas and new talent… those are the people who should fear change. Those who say, “Bring it on!” and recognize that change can bring about a brighter future, new opportunities for personal and professional growth… those are the people who will benefit by change in the long-term.

    So I ask you this: Which camp are you in? You may not know what just happened. You may not fully understand the changes that are taking place around you. But if you seek the best in the changes ahead, those changes could very likely bring out the best in you.

    Clifford A. Bailey


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