{10 Tips to Turning Your Passion Into Your Career}

Still working on this one for myself!

Stay tuned but in the meantime:

http://ysn.com/10-tips-to-turning-your-passion-into-your-career/

{Buy a mirror}

The top 10 signs your leadership is building trust


Look in the mirror

By Lisa Jackson

In a recent leadership retreat, I asked this question: "What is the most important leadership characteristic?"

People offered great answers like "Persistence." "Commitment." "Passion" - and my least favor answer "an MBA." I then asked the group to pull out the credit-card sized plastic envelopes I had passed out at the beginning of the meeting. "Please take this gift out of the case ... turn it over ... and look for the real answer." On the backside of the pretty picture embossed on this sheet of plastic was ... a mirror.

"The real answer" I said "is your willingness to regularly look in the mirror. Whatever is happening in your business that you don't like is a reflection of your leadership. You may not be to blame, but you are responsible."
If leadership is "the ability to inspire people to go where they wouldn't otherwise" then the most important quality of a leader is 100 percent self-awareness about why people follow you - or don't. My favorite definition of self-awareness appeared in an Inc. article in October 2007: "Self-awareness is being conscious of what you're good at while acknowledging what you still have to learn. This includes admitting when you don't have the answer and owning up to mistakes.
Unlike the queen in Snow White, a humble leader will see his or her real reflection in the mirror and do something to change the reflection when they don't like what they see - not shatter the mirror.

And that's where the "following" part comes into play. People will start to follow you for lots of reasons - your vision, you have a good smile or story, they need a job. But as Twitter demonstrates, un-following is a click away.

People stay with you because you build trust. And trust is transparent - it can't be faked. It shines through people who regularly polish the reflection in their mirror. And trust is the baseline heartbeat that ensures your corporate culture can pass the mirror test.

In today's era of untrustworthy leaders who have faked their way to the top through power abuse, there is nothing we should value as business owner and leader more than trust.

• People who trust their leaders work harder and give more discretionary effort;

• People who trust their vendors give them more repeat business;

• People who are give trust away also find they attract trust: Employees, customers, and vendors become more trustworthy in an environment of trust. It also requires less rigor from your attorney (whose real value isn't predicting every possible way someone could sue you).

Here are the top ten signs your leadership is building trust, and is being reflected in a strong workplace culture:
1. Mistakes are admitted in your company without finger-pointing or blame.

2. Frank, honest conversations happen in meetings you attend - feedback is as natural as breathing.

3. The right customers are seeking to do more business with your company.

4. Employees joke around you.

5. When you Google "complaints about ___________ (your company)" nothing comes up.

6. People look you in the eye and say good things behind your back (see "Secret Power" article for how to cultivate that knowledge).

7. People find it easy and natural to reach out to someone in the company beyond their team to solve a problem.

8. People talk about the "values" on the posters and use them as a guideline for decision making and providing coaching to each other.

9. People rarely quit and if they do, you don't hear "I was offered a lucrative opportunity I couldn't pass up." In fact, there is a backlog of resumes of people wanting to work for you.

10. The word "We" is used more often than the word "I" in your company.

Take a brave step today: Buy a mirror and place it on your desk as a reminder of the only leadership trait that really matters to a culture that gets out of the fog, and is rolling in more growth, profit, and fun than your competitors.

Lisa Jackson is an author, speaker, and expert in small changes that improve culture's impact on business performance, especially during mergers and strategy shifts. Look for her new book "Small Change: Natural Truths for Transforming Corporate Culture" this fall. Visit her on the web at http://www.jacksonandschmidt.com.

the case for working remote

Colorado Biz Magazine posted an article today regarding working remotely. Michael Clark recommends that businesses adopt a flexible working policy which will allow business to be more agile. The case is that employees are more productive while working at home and they see this as a great benefit. However, many companies are offering this to their employees already and less than 1/2 are taking advantage of this benefit.

Do you see working remotely as an employee benefit?

{10 Golden Lessons From Steve Jobs}

Here is some wisdom from Steve Jobs...

“I think we’re having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we’re always trying to do better.” - Steve Jobs

{Expose yourself...}

Expose yourself... from Seth Godin


With so many options in media, interaction and venues, you now get to choose what you expose yourself to.

Expose yourself to art, and you'll come to appreciate it and aspire to make it.

Expose yourself to anonymous scathing critics and you will begin to believe them (or flinch in anticipation of their next appearance.)

Expose yourself to get-rich-quick stories and you'll want to become one.

Expose yourself to fast food ads and you'll crave french fries.

Expose yourself to angry mobs of uninformed, easily manipulated protesters and you'll want to join a mob.

Expose yourself to metrics about your brand or business or performance and you'll work to improve them.
Expose yourself to anger and you might get angry too.
Expose yourself to people making smart decisions and you'll probably learn how to do it as well.

Expose yourself to eager long-term investors (of every kind) and you'll likely to start making what they want to support.

It's a choice if you want it to be.

{The world is flat…and getting flatter.}

Came across an article today from Colorado Biz magazine regarding the (business) world being flat…and getting flatter...and how to take advantage of the digital marketplace.

Email marketing, blogs and social networking sites can be easily drive traffic to websites! And they are FREE (or pretty darn cheap!)

You can use the social media to create a (1) drive traffic to your site (2) Create a following of customers (3) engage and connect with customers in a way that hasn't been done before!  The most important part of this is- It's a permission based! They sought you out and you are then safe from the Anti Spam acts! And it saved money! No more (or less) direct mail!

Check out the article here for more tips and tricks to take advantage of these FREE (or pretty darn cheap!) marketing tools!!

Some other pros about the digital market place-
Its active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
There is increased accessibility with the use of smart phones and wireless connections, almost everywhere!

{Spring training for salespeople?}

Spring Training By David Behr

These principals aren't just for salespeople! I have started to check off the stuff I have done to get ready for spring/summer 2010!!


" Here are 13 ways to get your mind and body in better shape for the 2010 Selling Season.

1. Read for a minimum of 20 minutes a day
2. Attend at least two seminars a year in topics you want to improve in
3. Put your goals in writing and read them everyday
4. Plan your day the night before
5. Eliminate at least one hour of television per day
6. Join a networking group
7. Get at least 7 hours of sleep per night
8. Meditate
9. Workout at least 3 times per week
10. Eat healthier
11. Start a mastermind group
12. Get back to the basics
13. Practice, practice, practice!"

{The The Impotence of Proofreading}

{new online friends?}

Another great point from Seth Godin:

Maybe you need new friends


Real world friends are hard to find and hard to change.
But virtual friends?
If your online friends aren't egging you on...
If your online friends don't spread the word about the work you're doing...
If your online friends aren't respectfully challenging your deeply held beliefs...
If your online friends don't demand the best from you...
Then perhaps you need new online friends.

{Am I rational?}

eth Godin poses the question.. "Are you Rational?" It seems like the answer to this question should be "yes!" or "usually!" or " I think so!". However after reading the entire blog post, I think I would rather be a little more irrational! If Seth poses Steve Jobs as irrational about his product design, I want to be irrational more often! Mr. Jobs thinks with his gut and this has changed the way the world uses technology.

Photo credit: http://www.laura.jp/kn/Steve_Jobs.jpg

How to Market Yourself

Most of us are great at singing the praises of the company we work for or the people we work with. But when it’s time to toot your own horn, does a little voice go off in the back of your head saying, “it isn’t nice to brag”?
The problem is, opportunities won’t come to you if others don’t know what you have to offer. And let’s face it, in today’s soft economy, it’s wise to be prepared for any changes that might come. So whether you’re looking for a promotion, a plum assignment, new clients for your business or a new position, you need to sell yourself. And you don’t have to feel boastful to do it effectively. You simply have to view yourself as a business or product and plan your own mini-marketing campaign.

Develop an “Elevator Speech”
It’s that one minute sound bite that tells people who you are and what you can do for them. Develop it, hone it, practice it and don’t be afraid to use it whenever you can. It’s a good introduction that can help you highlight your core assets.

Create Marketing Materials
Your resume and business cards are important tools for promoting yourself and telling people about you when you’re not there in person. So keep your resume up-to-date. Look at it with a critical eye and ask a trusted colleague to give you feedback as well. Don’t just list your responsibilities, but describe specific accomplishments. And be creative, so you stand out from the crowd. For instance, design your own business card. On one side put the essentials: your name and contact information. On the other side put a short statement of the opportunity you’re looking for. Or list three or four of your most important professional accomplishments.

Promote Your Accomplishments
Use a binder to create a portfolio that showcases talent and expertise. Include your resume and business card, of course. But don’t be afraid to include other things that tell your story effectively. How about including examples of your work? A write-up in the company newsletter? A thank-you note from a client? If you want something truly impressive, consider making your own personalized, custom-printed binder to hold it all.

Be Well Organized
Make it easy for others to browse through your portfolio by organizing the contents inside. You might have sections like Resume, Special Accomplishments, Accolades, References and anything else that makes sense, such as Writing Samples or Special Talents.

Expand Your Network
You can’t be a wallflower if you hope to dance. Get out there and go to trade shows and networking events, classes and job fairs. Plan lunches and after-work meetings with colleagues and associates. It’s about building a web of relationships that can lead you to the right opportunity.So don’t wait. Start today and put together a marketing plan and materials for the most important product you’ll ever sell—yourself!

From Avery