Tag Archives: career

The Fabulous Five

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Landing a job can be harder than the job itself.

To give you a leg up, here are the five top traits employers look for, according to a recent article by Forbes.

  1. Professionalism: Potential employers assess this from the moment you walk in the door. “From the clothes you wear to the way you stand to the grip of your first hand-shake, presenting yourself as a confident, energetic professional is about as basic as career advice gets. “
  2. High-energy: you want to be the person who raises the energy level, not the stick in the mud. Think about it, who would you rather be around at work?
  3. Confident: sell yourself. If you don’t believe you’re worth it, why should anyone else?
  4. Self-monitoring: no one has the time to babysit you. Make it clear that you’re focused and on task without any help.
  5. Intellectual curiosity: “An employee who will grudgingly adopt a new database is not as attractive as one who is truly passionate about learning new things.”

Do you concur that these are the top five, as an employer or as a coworker? What other traits matter more?

Ritu Walia is an FG Analyst.

Relationship Roundup

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This week in the roundup, skills and tips for reputation management.

Managing awkward pauses – We’ve all been there. The conversation takes a dip and neither party can find the right words to fill the moment or a way to hold the space in silence. CBS MoneyWatch offers some tips for handling lulls in conversation. Read the article here: http://cbsn.ws/O5xLfo.

Building rapport with employee candidates – To secure today’s top talent, company’s that build rapport and treat potential employees like they do their customers have a leg up on the competition. Anthony T. Jan shares the benefits to building these relationships in his Harvard Business Review blog. Read it here: http://bit.ly/UFNQ9S.

Making the sale – This article has great tips from CBS MoneyWatch on mistakes to avoid when pitching the sale. Read it here: http://cbsn.ws/QIaY9E.

Stirring up word of mouth – Sparking word-of-mouth fire about your product or service requires building a relationship with influencers. Learn how in this Marketing Professionals blog: http://bit.ly/T1k79Z.

Managing a tarnish free reputation – If you’d like to steer clear of bad management mistakes, SmartBlog on Leadership offers some tips to keep you on the right path. Read it here: http://bit.ly/Vvy6JX.

 Kibibi Springs is myGreenlight’s Program & Community Director.

Take the Leap and Clear the Hurdle of Fear

No Comments By Culture

In an article on CNBC, author Tom Reiger discusses a key issue covered in his book Breaking the Fear Barrier: How Fear Destroys Companies from Inside Out and What to Do about It.

Due to the past and current economic climate, anxiety and fear has become a staple in the workplace. “In the midst of all of this uncertainty, managers and employees will inevitably feel compelled to build walls to protect themselves, regardless of the impact on the overall company. If left unchecked, this attitude can pit the good of the individual against the greater good of the organization—spelling death for companies.”

Two kids of courage are at play in this situation, and they are at odds:

  1. Vital courage: the inward focus of survival, which could be thought of as our Reptilian brain
  2. Moral courage: our compass of morality that leads us to take a path for the greater good

In companies that have a high level of fear, employees may be asked to make decisions that tap moral courage and suppress vital courage. But humans are wired to focus on our vitals. Thus Reiger advises companies to “make employees feel comfortable and motivated to perform acts of moral courage. The key is to design rewards and performance management in a way that balances and aligns both types of courage. ”

Have you even been in a situation where you felt at odds? Please share!

Ritu Walia is an FG Analyst.

The Dark Side of Us

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There’s a legend about the dark side in every person:

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

“The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

An interesting INSEAD Business School blog talks about how people focus on their Dr. Jekyll and not only ignore the negative Mr. Hyde inside of them, but even project those traits onto others.

We need to engage in a process that acknowledges and accepts both our socially acceptable part and the shadow side. Denial and projecting reinforces the problem. It’s like taking the potion and wondering why Hyde becomes stronger and increasingly powerful.

That being said, you may not be able to do it on your own and might reach out to your lifelines for help. Author Michael Jarrett suggests: “These issues can be resolved but first need to be acknowledged, or else they can continue to unconsciously operate in ways that are detrimental to leaders’ self-efficacy, their teams, and their organizations…what makes the difference is the ability to mobilize internal regulation with the aid of a skillful helper.”

Do you believe that there are people in your life that can help you acknowledge and control your bad behavior? Please share!

Ritu Walia is an FG Analyst.

You Are What You Think

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“Improve your golf game by thinking powerful thoughts,” was the title of a recent Harvard Business Review “Stat of the Day.”

Think of the technique as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Forty-four percent more golf puts at 150 centimeters were sank by people who think of themselves as powerful than their not-as-positive counterparts.  In another study, people presented with authoritative words such as “influence” scored 29 percent higher in a game of darts than people who saw words such as “serve.”

The research suggests that thinking you possess power “induces better perception of information that is relevant to goals, leading to improved motor performance in pursuit of these goals.”

This idea can be extended to all areas of our lives. The next time you’re going into a big meeting, envision how you want the meeting to go. Think confident and your body will follow.

Do powerful thoughts give you power? Have you ever had an experience where it worked?

Ritu Walia is an FG Analyst.

Relationship Roundup

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This week in the Roundup, how to manage your time on social media, create habits that stick, put a contact in relationship time-out, and tips on communication and accountability.

Get time on your side – The addition of social media to your plate of responsibilities can be daunting personally and professionally. Managing your time in this area not only means more time on your hands, but a better presence for your brand. Learn some tips in this Hubspot blog: http://bit.ly/Qtud8F.

Creating sticky habits – We all struggle with making new habits routine. To assist, try the tips suggested in this Entrepreneur magazine blog. Read it here: http://bit.ly/Qankqs.

Relationship time-out – Inevitably someone in your network may abuse their social privileges to the point where you will want to put them in the time-out corner. Now there’s an app for that. Read about the Twitter Doghouse in this Mashable blog: http://on.mash.to/QWZICG.

True leaders communicate – Leading the tribe requires excellent communication skills. Read this SmartBrief Blog on Leadership for the communication traits of good leaders: http://bit.ly/NSxYA6.

The accountability factor – All talk and no commitment leads individuals and organizations nowhere. Learn some ways to bring accountability to the forefront of your organization’s value set. Read the Harvard Business Review blog here: http://bit.ly/N8ZvuZ.

Kibibi Springs is myGreenlight’s Community Director.

The Greenlight Highlight: How A Young Professional Practices Relationship Mastery To Serve and Succeed

No Comments By Success Stories

Maxwell Lyons
Sydney, Australia (as of three weeks ago)
Greenlight Member Since: July 2010

Elevator Pitch: “I love being stretched and attempting to play above my current capacity. Born and raised in a small town in Idaho, I owe so much of the success I’ve had in life to the relationships I’ve developed.”

What experience in your past was the moment you recognized how important relationships are to your success? 

I grew up valuing friendships, but hated “networking”. I viewed it as pretending to be something and someone you are not, and that never sat well with me. After I read Never Eat Alone, it flipped what I thought about networking on its head and showed me that my friends and my business contacts could be one in the same. That’s the moment it clicked for me that relationships can be powerful, as well as fun, in the professional world.

What’s the coolest things you’re working on at home or at work right now? Continue reading →

Relationship Roundup

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This week in the Roundup, how to manage separate social media identities, employee relationship building, confidence in business, and staying relevant on twitter.

Separate identities – One of our modern dilemmas for reputation management involves the decision to create and manage different profiles for different social media platforms. This SmartBlog on Social Media shares the results of a recent poll on the topic and the pros and cons of separate identities. Read it here: http://bit.ly/Ls8EgT.

Building the employee relationship – The foundation of all great relationships start with trust. Learn how to strengthen the relationships important to your business in this SmartBlog on Leadership: http://bit.ly/NzUa1C.

Be larger than life – Big audacious goals require a big audacious perception of self. A Harvard Business School Professor shares lessons from a case study that illustrates the best practices of using confidence and influence to create a big impact in business. Read the HBR blog here: http://bit.ly/Lyr6cq.

Boost the perception of competence – Those who voice an opinion project confidence to others. For some tips for putting your voice into the discussion and gaining greater influence, read the SmartBlog on Leadership here: http://bit.ly/NzsmZS.

Lead nurturing through Twitter – There are new rules for lead generation in the social media stratosphere. Read this Marketo blog for some rules for engagement: http://bit.ly/OZEJhE.

Kibibi Springs is myGreenlight’s Community Director.

Our July 26 Social Capitalist: Jeff Hayzlett on How to Be Bold, Controversial, and Unhated (Mostly)

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Join us LIVE on the Social Capitalist, July 26 at 12 PM ET, as we interview Jeffrey Hayzlett, the bestselling author, marketing expert, and international business celebrity who has made appearances on Celebrity Apprentice, MSNBC, and Fox Business.

This webinar is a must for anyone who needs to market and sell their unique expertise to survive and thrive. These are skills necessary not just for sales, but in any client interaction where it’s up to you to drive a course of action for mutual success.

Register here!

Jeffrey will share the mindsets and skills he’s used to forge a reputation as a bold personality and fearless change agent. He’s written two books on the subject,The Mirror Effect and this year’s Running the Gauntlet: Essential Business Lessons to Lead, Drive Change, and Grow Profits. Both include tales from the trenches: As the former CMO of Kodak, a company still struggling to transform itself for the digital age, Jeff won both respect and criticism for railroading through dramatic but vital changes.

Prepare for a crash course on how to raise your profile, strengthen your brand, and blow up your professional impact. Topics we’ll cover:

  • How to consciously drive and shape your brand so others can “see” you
  • How to hook and sell anyone in 118 seconds
  • How Jeff handled the fallout of unpopular decisions at Kodak
  • How to respond to your most scathing critics, both privately and through social media
  • And, because we can’t help but ask, the most interesting lesson he’s learned from “The Donald.”

Don’t miss it! Register here.

The call will be 45 minutes, with 15 minutes of audience Q&A. Everyone who registers will receive the MP3 recording and transcript the week after the call.

Jeffrey Pfeffer: Get Comfortable with Standing Out or You Never Will

1 comment By The Social Capitalist, Tips

Stanford Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer is the author of 13 books.  He discussed his most recent, Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t during a Social Capitalist interview.

So I look at folks. I think the average human being, not everybody, but the average human being, is too concerned about what other people think. They are too worried about standing out. They’re too worried about asking for favors because they’re worried about what other people would think about them and they’re worried about being too bold. Continue reading →