Secrets of Networking, Part 7

The seventh point from a blog by Charlie Robertson from the book “Deserve What You Get” by Jay Levinson is:

7. Sincerity – you can make a decision to be caring, responsive, and open, and then make the effort to project and follow up on these things.

Do you think most people, according to this definition, are sincere today? Are you?

There are several good points to make. First, you can intellectually agree and decide with your mind that you want to be caring, responsive, and open.  But until those attitudes are in your heart (emotional center of values), then you will merely be hypocritical. You can pretend to project these traits and even follow up on them but unless they are part of your true self, it will only be an act.

So, how do you move a trait from agreeing that you need to change to agreeing that you want to change to actually making the change?

There are actually several methods with differing degrees of success. But the first step is to think about the statement and ask yourself if you even care about this trait. If not, you would be wasting your time to pretend about it.

If you truly value this trait, how badly do you want it? How would it impact your life? Are you willing to pay the price? If not, why bother?

If you want something bad enough, you will make the effort and eventual change.

In my opinion, most people in the United States want to be sincere. We just have and see a lot of bad apples. So, the next question is, “how are others seeing your sincerity?”

We see a lot of frauds, silver bullet speakers and easy solutions that are anything but sincere. A person who is sincerely looking out for our interests would be a breath of fresh air! What is your reputation?

Secrets of Networking, Part 4

The fourth point from a blog by Charlie Robertson from the book “Deserve What You Get” by Jay Levinson is:

4. Demeanor – your demeanor, your ability to smile, to get along with people, to get excited and to show emotion are very important.

Again, I would not put this #4. However, it does have an impact on the first impression (10 seconds time) and your ongoing brand. It also impacts your “likeability” quotient.

When Lindsey Vonn won her downhill skiing Olympic gold medal, she cried. I don’t know about other viewers but she touched the heart of my wife and me. It seemed genuine, was appropriate and was emotionally touching.

However, there is a trap here that you should consider.

I would rather have someone with a focused and intense personality who performs rather than a “likeable” person who performs poorly. I would rather have an authentic and honest person than one who wears a mask of likeability. Your brand is who you are all the time. If you are caught being a hypocrite, you will get caught eventually. Then, your trustworthiness will be questioned.

I recommend first, be authentically who you are. Second, check out your demeanor. If there are areas of improvement (which most of us have), then seek to understand the root causes of why we are the way we are. If you are unhappy on the inside, putting a mask on the outside will eventually come back to bite you. Deal with root causes. You might need some professional help.

At the same time, check out your smile, your ability to get along with people, and your likeability. It will impact your success.

I am merely suggesting that long-term success first includes authentic trustworthiness.

Breaking the Chain of Appearance

You might think that the way you look is the way you look. Wrong. If you have not watched the show, I recommend you watch “What Not to Wear.” The hosts are clothing experts. You heard the old saying, “Clothing makes the man?” I disagree but it can make a man or woman look much better.

Here are a few secrets:

1. Hiring managers like no red flags. If you are too heavy or look like you are improperly dressed, your poor first impression will likely give the competitive advantage to the other person even if you are better qualified.
2. There are interesting statistics on height. An image consultant recently stated that every inch of a man’s height equates to $7,000 per year higher earnings. Since some of us are not giants, we may feel disadvantaged. However, with striped shirts, tailored clothing, and the right fit for our body type, we can “appear” taller.
3. The proper appearance does have an impact on hiring, promotions, and clients liking to work with you. Ok, so they are bigots. Yes, you have the right to look like a slob. But the impact is so large that investing in the right diet, exercise, clothing, and make-up is investing in your future success, self-confidence, and health.  So, women, now you have an excuse when you buy more…

First impressions and daily impressions are important to success and to your brand. This is just as important as the resume or the interview; if you want to truly be competitive.

How do you break the chains of appearance?

Breaking the Chain of Negative Thinking

Some of us are born with the attitude that the world is at our foot steps, life is good, the glass is half full, our fortune is a day away, all our dreams will soon be filled… Others call themselves realists. The problem with realists is that they often focus on the negative – the world is stepping on me, life is hard, the glass is half empty, my retirement nest egg is shrinking, my dreams are becoming a nightmare… So, which profile fits you?

If you are the realist, there is a tendency to become bound with the chain of negative thinking. Positive thinkers don’t like to be around negative thinkers, they depress them.  That is a problem since most senior hiring managers have learned to be positive thinkers!

So, let’s take a closer look at the positive thinker. Some put their head in the sand and insist on being positive even when the building is collapsing around them. Others believe that by the power of their positive thoughts they can think themselves into success. Perhaps they are right, but I suspect that what is really happening is that by choosing to be positive they are focusing on how to make things better.

The positive choice is to choose to take risk, to work hard, to ask others for help, to build up one another, to encourage each other, to trust others, to brainstorm with others, and to examine the world around them in order to act swiftly upon changing paradigms and trends. Do these things and you won’t have time to be negative, more people will like you and be willing to help you, and you can become an expert that others will seek out to help them.

The last stage is to realize that there are two side of a coin. What appears negative on one side of the coin can actually be an incredible opportunity – if you are looking for it.

Positive people are willing to take risks, fail, learn from mistakes, and be committed to continuing the cycle. That is how they succeed. The results eventually make them smile – reinforcing their decision to be positive. The future is bright for those to work at it over the long haul.

How do you break the chains of negative thinking?

Breaking the Chain of Anger

The opposite of feeling guilty is feeling that someone else or something else is guilty.

It may be that someone else was wicked, evil, and malicious. That does happen but not most of the time. Terminating people is hard. Families are impacted. Sometimes downsizing just has to be done. Today, the company or industry may be on it’s back.

While it is nice to know if the cause was greedy Wall Street, corrupt Congress, the main street banker, or nasty boss. It is what it is. It is done. Over. Finale.

So, you have options. You can go postal – not normally recommended. You can live life angry, raise your blood pressure, harm others, and eventually die a miserable wretch. You can suppress your anger, put a smile on your face and live with unresolved issues (chains) that will keep you from being all that you can be

It is time to take the chip off your shoulder. But how do we break the chain?

I recommend you start by writing down everyone and everything that you are angry about. If your anger is so great that you are striking out at others or yourself, then you may wish to consider professional help. Writing out what is going on is a good start for even professional counseling.

Second, I recommend you look at every item that you are angry over and divide it into categories. Category A is those things that you cannot change. For example, I cannot change the current global financial crisis. Category B is those people whom you cannot get near. For example, the President of the United States or FED chairman would probably not entertain my house call. Category C is those things that you can influence. For example, writing a civil letter to the Prime Minister or Congressman expressing your concerns is good civic duty. Category D is those people whom you can influence. For example, you can go to your former boss – and forgive him/her.

What? Forgive? Yes. Breaking the chain is not waiting for them to apologize or make restitution. That seldom happens. They may not even feel like they did anything wrong. But the chain is on you. The wasted energy spent in anger is your energy. Breaking the chain requires you to forgive the offending party. If the other party is wrong – that is their problem. You can get free of your chain by forgiving them.

You might need help. For me, that help is usually through prayer and seeking supernatural help. Life sometimes is not fair and it is comforting to know that there is a bigger plan going on than I can see. Choose to release the chain of anger.

How do you handle anger?

What chains are holding you back?

Everyone likes to talk about being positive and moving forward. So do I. Yet, are there chains holding you back that must be broken before you see forward momentum?

I use the illustration of a sailboat or motorboat trying to race ahead, only no one took the time to raise the anchor and chain. The boat might make some progress but it is being held back while dragging the anchor and chain.

Another person might use the illustration of begin wrapped with chains across their chest. The more they struggle, the tighter the chain gets. Sometimes breathing seems hard. At best, a person is hampered or slowed down.

Over the next several days, I will be discussing 15 chains that might hold someone back. Here are the chains that I will be discussing:

1. Grief
2. Guilt
3. Fear, Despair, and Depression
4. Anger
5. Don’t know what to do
6. Negative thinking
7. Diet
8. Exercise
9. Appearance
10. Rest
11. Family
12. Finances
13. Networking
14. Self focus
15. Going it alone

Are there other chains that you have discovered? Do you see chains that others are dragging around?

Are there ways that you have used to free yourself from chains? Would you mind sharing what you did to get free?

What are some of the attitudes in Jobpreneurship™?

The principles and steps in Jobpreneurship™ are being outlined in our books, courses, seminars, and personal career coaching. We will discuss them all over time.

However, the best way to start is to understand some of the attitudes that we believe a jobpreneur must exhibit.

1. A job, promotion, or new business is not a right. A jobpreneur understands that they must compete and be competitive. They are responsible for taking ownership of the outcome. Failure is a learning step toward success.
2. A jobpreneur adds value and gives their client (employer, supervisor, or buying manager) what they ethically want. According to Fortune Magazine, the world is moving toward a “just-in-time-workforce.”  Products and services are becoming commoditized.  In a just-in-time workforce, the jobpreneur sees himself as a consultant who must perform, add value, solve problems, develop relationships, and constantly sell why they should be retained, promoted, or given the opportunity to sell more. In selling, the concepts of relationship selling and consultative selling are included.
3. Jobpreneurship™ requires new skills and training that sets jobpreneurs apart from their competition. Technical skills, product features, and daily performance are givens to any job seeker, employee, or sales person. A jobpreneur adds to those conviction and self-knowledge, commitment, communication skills, and camaraderie skills. Other analogies include marketing, sales, and relationship skills applied to a roadmap and process that gives the jobpreneur a competitive advantage.

As we continue down this path, we will discuss many steps and concepts that will help you.

The key question is, “Will you decide to become a jobpreneur?”

What is a serial jobpreneur?

I recently had lunch today with a person who has been a CFO for many companies over the years. The venture capital firm, who owns the company where he works today, may be selling the company. The CFO may want to do something else for a living. Something that he feels he may have more control over, i.e. his own company.  He is a serial jobpreneur because of multiple jobs in multiple companies and, once again, if he starts his own company.

Here are typical examples that I see every day:

• Joe just graduated from college and wants to join a large firm. If he stays with that firm for 30 years (unlikely), then he will succeed best utilizing jobpreneur attitudes, approaches, and skills to keep moving up the large company career ladder.

• Sally used to be a corporate gypsy (relocated often) and decided to change companies. Now she is finding that her tenure at a new company averages two years or less (typical).  Sally will need to become a jobpreneur to shorten her time between jobs, help her become more competitive than her peers, and help her land her dream job.

• Charlie is 55 years of age. He has worked for many companies over the years. He has taken contract and consulting jobs between employment gigs. Charlie was fortunate before when the economy was good. Today Charlie is struggling to know what to do next. JobpreneurshipÔ training could help Charlie to survive and even thrive.

No matter how you mix and match scenarios, everyone will find themselves in multiple jobs and careers during their lifetime. A serial jobpreneur is one who learns how to apply jobpreneurshipÔ skills in each situation.

Do you see your friends seeking to change jobs, start a business, or even looking at MLM? Could they be helped by learning how to become a jobpreneur?

What is Jobpreneurship™?

I did not originate the term. A Google search suggested that Jim Lockwood used the term before me to mean, “the art of starting a business without leaving your job.” That is certainly an appropriate concept. My definition is broader.

First, let’s define an entrepreneur. Wikipedia defines it as a person who has possession of an enterprise or venture, and assumes significant accountability for the inherent risks and the outcome. In other words, an entrepreneur is a person who runs a business and accepts the accountability and the outcome. Wikipedia defines entrepreneurship as the practice of starting new organizations or revitalizing mature organizations, particularly new businesses generally in response to identified opportunities.

My definition of a jobpreneur is “a person who assumes significant responsibility for the inherent risks and outcome of getting a job, a promotion, or clients.” By extension, my definition of Jobpreneurship™ is “the lifestyle practice of getting a new job, revitalizing a job, getting a new promotion, landing a new customer, or revitalizing a customer relationship in response to identified opportunities.” Another definition could be “Career Lifestyle Management” where career is the entire range of activities people will choose in the future: a job, traditional job ladder progression, consulting, MLM, buying a franchise or business, or starting a new business.

My observation is that the career of tomorrow will include a variety of jobs, companies, and activities that may include some or all of the above.

The skills for all of these objectives are essentially the same. How you apply the lessons will differ according to who the buyer is – a hiring manager, an existing supervisor, a promotional level supervisor, a new client, or an existing client.

If you check out my background on www.JobDoctorsIntl.com/AboutUs, you will notice that I have been a corporate intrapreneur (creating new businesses or fixing businesses within a corporate environment), a serial entrepreneur, and have focused on putting all the lessons I have learned myself or others have taught me to help others to be more competitive and successful in the new global economy – Jobpreneurship™.

Please join me in this adventure. Learn and teach others so that all of us can spread the word to our friends.

Introduction to Jobpreneurship™

We have talked about the challenges that we face and may face. How can we take today’s situation and learn how to survive, thrive, and prosper? Are there secrets that we were never taught in school that can help us? Are there insider ways of working that we were not taken aside and taught or helped to practice? In a word; yes.

I have put together a process called Jobpreneurship™ and program called, Jobpreneurship Advisory Services^SM to help teach the attitude of Jobpreneurship™, the techniques of Jobpreneurship™, and the concepts that winners use to win the competitive race for jobs, promotions, and customers.

None of these concepts are really new. Top performers have used these principles for hundreds of years. How did those top performers learn their lessons? Who knows? It might have been by trial and error, mentors, observing others, or connecting the dots.

This blog is entitled Jobpreneurship™ because we want to set the stage to present ideas that we have learned so that we can help others. However, as much as we have learned, there are also many more dots and concepts to be learned. That is why we have developed a new educational program designed to teach everyone new skills that we unnecessary 10 years ago but are becoming competitive survival today.

Just as with any college or post graduate course, Jobpreneurship™ will be offered at different levels. Each level increases in value and the required investment in:

1.     Our free blog and newsletter

2.     Our resources of books and tapes

3.     Our seminars

4.     Personal coaching

5.     Customized Jobpreneurship Advisory Services^SM

We are blogging because we want to stimulate your thinking and to learn from you. It does not matter your nationality, your race, your gender, your culture, or your religion; you will have some nuance or difference that could help all of us.

If you need more immediate help, our company offers books, tapes, seminars, and personal coaching. This blog is an opportunity for you to join the conversation and learn from all who participate.

Please join us in the conversation!