So...What's Next?!?

Could That Be Me?

Have you ever had a headline jump out at you and slap you in the face?

Yesterday I was going through my various Google alerts when a headline did just that. It read: Ten Reasons Your Team Hates You (They Just Won't Say It To Your Face)

I have led a number of volunteer efforts and my share of projects, and sometimes things do not go my way. Yes I said it...MY way. So, that would be one of my fundamental problems. I know this. I get this. I have been working on this.

Beyond that, I decided to run through the list to see what else I might need to work on.

10. You Don't Prioritize.

Actually I do prioritize. Actually I think that is one of the things I do well. Sometimes others do not agree with what I have decided is high priority though. Thinking back, I possibly should have taken more time to listen to what others thought were high priority. 

9. You treat them like employees

Yes, I am 100% guilty here, not just with team members but with my family members as well. I have a hard time mixing getting tasks done with touchy feely stuff. I tend to come in and get right to business, forgetting to ask about the vacation, family, and such. It's not that I do not care or do not want to know, it's just when there is work to do, I get in work mode.

8. You don't fight for them.

I actually do go to bat for people, in a heartbeat. Sometimes too quickly, perhaps. Too many times I have missed the warning signs about people and spent time defending them to the point of sacrificing my own reputation.

7. You tell them to "have a balanced life" and then set a bad example. 

I do lack any sympathy for the words "I was too busy." Especially when someone is breaking a commitment they have made.

However, I also do send emails late at night and on weekends, but I do not expect people to respond right away. But some people feel obligated to respond. I am trying to get in the habit of writing the emails and saving them as drafts, then sending them during business hours.

6. You Never Relax.

Um...no not me at all. In fact I have been accused of being too relaxed in certain situations. This is not the same as social (per number 9). 

5. You micromanage.

Absolutely not! I hate that and hate doing that. But on the flip side I have run into problems because I do not give enough direction and leave people unsure of what is expected of them.

4. You're a suck up.

Nope! But I agree with the post. Your team HATES seeing this. I recall seeing this from a superior and it turned my stomach every time.

However, I have also seen managers respect and stand by decisions that were made by the higher ups, even if they did not totally agree with it, and that is different from sucking up, and something I need to do more of.

3. You treat them like mushrooms (you'll have to read the description on the original article)

I do not do this intentionally, I just sometimes expect people to read my mind. It would be very helpful if I could give restricted access to sections of my mind.

2. You're above getting your hands dirty.

Not me at all, unless I am simply clueless of what others are experts at. Even then I would want to learn. I recall a time when I was asked to run credit cards through for a small company because the CEO did not know how to use the machine, nor was interested in learning. 1. That was disrespectful to me and 2. That caused me to disrespect him.

1. You're Indecisive

Nope...but sometimes I need some time to think things through more.

So, do the people I work with in the efforts that I lead hate me? I don't think so, but I do think I can work on areas that would help us all work together in a much more relaxed and enjoyable way.

Avoiding Burnout

As I mentioned on my corporate blog, I am coming up on my 4 year anniversary of running this company. Over the past 4 years I have faced and overcome a lot of challenges, but the most difficult of challenges for an entrepreneur/small business owner is burnout.

Here is the thing:

• Good ideas get shot down
• People do not follow through
• Lots of energy gets put into ideas that do not work
• Clients shift and change their mind
• Clients do not always pay their invoices on time
• Service providers, such as lawyers and accountants try to take advantage of you
• Competitors invade your space by over promising and under-pricing
• Fakers ruin the reputation of whole industries turning prospective clients into skeptics
• People have very short-term memories

Yes, all of this is true whether you work for someone or on your own. But then add in

• The need to manage resources
• Paying others before paying yourself
• Being pushed out by the bigger players
• Having to be more innovative and agile than those with more resources
• Only being able to eat what you kill
• Playing the role of sales person, researcher, writer, campaign manager, accountant, hr, and communications manager... all in one day.

No I am not whining or complaining, I am simply listing the many things that can eventually cause a person to burn out. For some of us, we also add being a parent and balancing family with work.

So, yes the past few months I have been fighting the symptoms of burn out. The key word here is FIGHTING

So, here are some of the top 10 ways I have avoided burn-out.

1. Accept the changes that you are not in control of as the Universe looking out for your best interest. Yes this is a leap of faith, but so is working for yourself.
2. Look at your competitors as a source of inspiration and learn from them, as opposed to  a source of pain. 
3. Take inventory of your accomplishments to-date.
4. Take some time off. Even if finances are screaming at you that you cannot afford to, sometimes you cannot afford not to.
5. Seriously consider what your other options are. It just may be time to move on and do something new. You will only know if you seriously and thoroughly evaluate what other options exist and what the advantages and disadvantage of all options are.
6. Re-evaluate your visions for the company. Your target might have moved which is why the goal no longer seems realistic. Perhaps you were shooting for more than you really wanted or maybe you simply were not challenging yourself to shoot for more than you have.
7. Start up a side project. Get your start-up/entrepreneurial juices flowing again, even if it is simply to have another reason to get out of bed in the morning.
8. Read books about inspirational business leaders.
9. Re-invent your business. 6 of my favorite words are : Where Do We Go From Here? It is a fresh starting point no matter where you are standing.
10.  Hang out with friends and family who tell you what an inspiration you have been to them. There is nothing like not wanting to let someone down to get you going again.

Honestly, after running through steps 1-10 I still do not have a solid answer of where I want to go from here, but I have found my groove again and things continue to move along while I figure the rest of it out.

Celebrating Oktoberfest

Yesterday, my husband and I drove to Helen, GA to see a friend perform for Oktoberfest.

First we spent some time enjoying a glass (or two) of Merlot at the majestic Anna Ruby Falls. 

Then we enjoyed the performance of the Chicken Dance...yes...The Chicken Dance...

Finally we had dinner that was perpared by an authentic German Chef at a restaurant that I can not remember and then we headed home in the pouring rain.

Overall, it was a very nice get-away.

Week In Review

It was a wet one...but everyone knows that already....

My Family

I am not sure how my oldest son pulled it off, but the new Halo game came out on Tuesday. This would have been a challenge for him, because although he pre-ordered the game and paid for it with his own money, per house rules he would not have been allowed to play the game on a school day. Of course, thanks to the rain and the floods, there was no school on Tuesday, and ...yeah...you can guess how he spent the day.

My youngest started Chess camp this week and he already learned all the moves that I could not figure out when it was just the two of use trying to learn the game. He definitely is enjoying it already.

My husband continues to work, and work, and work...but I cannot complain when there are so many people without work .

Concept Hub

I finished a project I was working on and have been taking some time just thinking about what direction to go next. As I was telling a good friend last night, the social media space is noisy, but beyond that it is noisy with people who simplify it, which makes selling a holistic and comprehensive strategy more of a challenge. I have been posting some Enterprise 2.0 over at the TAG community and getting some good traffic on that blog. I'll reveal a little secret here....most of those posts are over 2 years old. I have been trying to get people to understand Enterprise 2.0 for a LONG time. But all in good time I suppose.

Also, I launched a new idea for fund raising. I met with Monica over at Milk Money Consulting and she endorsed this idea which gave me the motivation I need to introduce the idea to the online world. Here are the slides;

The Idea

View more presentations from Concept Hub, Inc.

Community

Yesterday I was feeling kind of down, but I had an awards dinner that I had to attend. The Atlanta Children's Shelter was honoring 8 women/moms who have hit rock bottom but in a very short amount of time, not only picked themselves up, but have excelled! Who was I to feel bad about ANYTHING. Here are some pics from the event.

Well, gotta pack. I am heading to Helen, GA this weekend...a much needed break.

Suck Up to the Boss

Last week Bill Clinton was on The Daily Show. I am a huge fan of Bill Clinton and of The Daily Show, so this was, to me, the best episode.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Exclusive - Bill Clinton Extended Interview Pt. 1
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Something that Clinton said has stuck with me:

"You know we only have one president at a time so I put on whatever expression he thinks I should."

"You should always suck up to the boss"

This is not something that is in my DNA. I know it is a DNA thing, because I do not see it in my parent's or my kid's.

However, over the years I have been a subordinate and a leader/boss and I have begun to understand the authentic value of taking the stance of "sucking up to the boss." I do have my guidelines and legitimate reasons why though.

1. You need to be able to respect the boss. I do not respect titles. I have seen too many people in a leadership role because they have stepped on others to get there, stolen ideas, and sucked up for the wrong reasons. I respect people. People who earn their way to the top. Those people know something that I need to know. They have earned the right to be sucked up to. For example, I really doubt Clinton would have had the same sentiment towards Bush.
2. The Boss knows more than you do. Many times I have seen "the boss" lack knowledge that I have and therefore make decisions I would not have agreed to. What I have learned through the years is the boss has different kinds of knowledge than I have and I need to trust they are doing the best based on what they know, which often times is a much broader scope of knowledge than what I have. Therefore, be prepared to share necessary information, but do not stand in the way of the boss' decisions.
3. If you help the right people succeed, they will take you with them, and when the time is right, might even support you as you lead the way. The key here is it has to be the right people. You can waste a lot of time and even smear your own good name by trying to help people who are simply "all talk" "full of BS" or "overly self-absorbed."  

So, in thinking about this I began to question the limitations of Pride. Pride is a very odd thing, in that it is very positive in that is boost a person's self esteem and is the foundation of confidence, but when reached in danger zone levels it is one of the 7 deadly sins where you can only see your own achievements and lack the humility to believe in others. Clinton has had some great accomplishments in his life, but he still has the ability to find the humility to "suck up to the boss."

Atlanta Under Water

Week in Review

It has been a heads down week for me. I am finishing a project and been thinking about next steps in my life. There are so many areas in my life that seems to be hanging in limbo it seems all I can do is take things day by day.

So here is a recap of the past several days.

My Family

Parenting continues to be the most interesting role I have in my life. There have been points of frustration this week, only for me to realize that my boys are just exhibiting the same traits that I have, some of which can cause the same long-term problems that I am plagued with, and others that, although frustrating to others, will serve them well. What will serve them well is that they take nothing at face value, question everything and stubbornly stand for what they want. These honorable traits can be very frustrating to a parent!

Concept Hub

As I mentioned I am finishing a project. I have always suspected that pitching to what I would term as "institutional bloggers" which are blogs that look more journalist vs the everyday blogs were not as valuable. This week I saw the evidence of that suspicion. I believe building online communities through interpersonal relationships with real community members, but others have argued for a PR approach to raise awareness of a site & drive traffic to the site and let the community develop. This has been a long term debate that I have only been able argue my side based on a hunch. Through my research for my latest project I can see how the PR approach does drive traffic which spikes only temporarily and does not translate to stickiness or community building.

This week I was also invited to deliver my Mapping Corporate Goals to Social Media presentation for ISPI . This was the second time I have delivered this presentation and both times it has been very well received. In fact my favorite feedback of all time came from a senior manager that was in his late 50s. He said he finally is starting to understand social media, that it needs to be a corporate wide strategy not just a PR or Advertisement initiative. It was a very rainy night that night, but I believe the clouds parted and the stars shined down when he said that.

Here is the presentation.

Mapping Corporate Goals

View more presentations from Concept Hub, Inc.

Community

I am the social media director for Digitainment and my role is to create a Georgia community around entertainment initiatives. The community continues to be very active.

I am also the chair of the Enterprise 2.0 society and I have renewed my commitment to raise awareness of the difference between social media for PR/Marketing and Enterprise 2.0. That is one of the things I have been heads down on this week.

Finally, Concept Hub is a very proud sponsor of the Atlanta Children's Shelter Awards Banquet that will be happening this Thursday. 

The Weekend

Last night I hung out with some friends at Shout in Midtown. It was fun and I got to see a side of Atlanta I rarely get to experience. I left the restaurant around 1am. I was not able to last any longer. My friends stayed a little longer. I noticed that around 1am is when things start getting interesting. The dance floor was packed. After I made my way through all of the hormone hyped bodies I had to walk several blocks to where I parked my car. On my way I passed a very beautiful woman dressed to have a great time, being led away from a club as she gracefully and continuously spit up the contents of her stomach. Another man was led away by a friend on each arm, it seemed his legs no longer functioned. Yeah...good times.

The rain does not seem to want to go away, and something in the air has 3 out of 4 of us battling allergies, so most likely we will be playing games in the house this weekend. It might also be a good weekend to catch a movie, there are a few new releases.

Who knows what we will do...as with everything else in my life right now...it's all up in the air.

Navigating Political Waters

I have been reading a book titled "It's All Politics" by Kathleen Kelly Readon, Ph.D

The book is basically about how to navigate through corporate political cultures. She does a great job showing how some people, very smart and talented people, can get pushed around and how others tend to manipulate their way through a variety of situations.

Recently I have experienced dealing with a pathologically political culture. An office that would be a perfect set for a dramatic sitcom with all of the evil and dysfunctional characters. Fortunately this is not a place I need to report to on a day to day basis, but my brief encounter has helped me to remember some important lessons that are needed to survive in such an environment.

1. Give people a shovel and a mirror. This is something I learned several years ago when a woman in my office decided she did not like me and chose to twist every word I said against me. I had not been her first target though, so I knew not to take things personally. Each time she tried to sabotage me, I allowed that to be encouragement to highlight my strengths and accomplishments, ultimately setting the stage so that her attempts would only bury herself. Hence I gave her a shovel. The mirror part is that I know it is better for someone to recognize the damage of their actions on their own than for someone to tell them, so instead of confronting this person, I just imagined her stumbling across a mirror and recognizing what she has done.
2. Do not align yourself with an avalanche. This is something that is a constant struggle for me. What this means is when people's professionalism starts crumbling, do not put yourself in the path where you allow your own professionalism fall with theirs. As I said, this is really hard, especially if you find yourself on the receiving end of an unjustified, unfair attack. I often avoid the avalanche by walking away from the situation, but I have learned that is just as harmful. The best course is to create some sort of protective shield. I do believe people who are able to keep their cool when being attacked are some sort of super heros. Obama being their leader.
3. Trust that others can see reality. That is what has carried me through some of the toughest situations in my career. I know who I am and I know what I do well and what core values I have been true to. I also know enough to know that I have to be responsible for myself, that depending on anyone else is risky. So when someone decides to go on the attack, I have faith that my reputation can withstand the attack, and ultimately make the person on the attack look bad (shovel and mirror) and I know I can survive the attack because I can take care of myself. I am not leaning on any one person or situation that can be manipulated to destroy me.

Admittedly the reason I am reading this book is because I realize I have a lot to learn about navigating the political waters of corporate America. I still believe in my gut that if a person works hard and is honest everyone will want to support that person. I am still shocked and hurt when someone does something against me, even during those times when I know it was not personal, just them acting out for  their self preservation.

I guess the latest lesson I learned is about forgiveness. It is something that can only be given, never expected in return. It is very much related to the situation above of not being aligned with the avalanche. To forgive someone who will not return the favor is like wearing that protective bubble to keep your cool when  their cool has crumbled. It is a trait that is admired by many but practiced by few. I believe it is the core trait of a person who is a master at navigating the shark infested political waters of this world. The best way to get through is to keep forgiving others for simply not being up to the task.

Numerous Roads Diverged

and I feel the need to check out every one of them.

Some are less traveled, most are well worn.

Few only have the potential to be roads, if a traveler were willing to push through the thorny branches.

That is how I feel today.

I have traveled down many roads, at least far enough to check them out. I then find myself where only two roads diverge. What I can do and what do I want to do?

More often than not I chose the path of what I want to do although what I can do seems to be what I should do.

Today I realized I simply cannot do the things that I do not want to do.

And that has made all the difference.

Beatles Review

Friday afternoon I felt very fatigue, in fact I could not get motivated to do ANYTHING! I checked my temperature and it was climbing slightly. I rarely get sick, but I thought perhaps I might have caught something. By the next day I was fine. However just to make sure we decided to lay low this weekend.

We have been playing the new Beatles Rock Band game, the one that came out on Wednesday. Yeah...we started playing it last night, finished playing it this morning. It was fun, but way too short. Unless you are a die hard Beatles fan and will play it for fun when friends and family come over, I recommend renting this game as opposed to buying it. 

Besides being too short it also contains too many little known songs and does not include some of their more popular songs. I am assuming the rest of their songs will be available to purchase as a recurring revenue stream.

However, the game is worth renting (and buying if you are a huge fan). It starts with their young innocent years of Twist and Shout and I Want to Hold Your Hand. As I was singing and twisting I was baffled about why my mom does not like the Beatles. The next challenge is at the Ed Sullivan Show and then the British Invasion. As you play the game you get to see how quickly their sound and style changed, and I understood quickly why my mom is not a fan. Not her kind of music.

I truly enjoyed seeing the dates of each song release and truly began to put together how the Beatles did stay ahead of the music curve. At the same time I could hear all of the influences of the time in each of their songs. 

My 8 year old son played the drums on almost all of the songs and it was very cool to hear him play some of those more challenging beats. I switched from guitar to vocals whenever one of my favorite songs came up. When we play again I might set up the mic stand and see if I can play guitar while singing.

The overall sound of the game is awesome. They even include sound bites of the band talking before and after the songs. One favorite was when Ringo yells out "I have blisters on my hands!" after the song Helter Skelter.

Overall it is a fun game, but seems to have been released too soon. There is so much more that could have been added to the game and I suspect that as opposed to adding the various elements that could have been included they simply expected the game to sell because of the soundtrack...and I am sure it will.