In addition to being a powerful social networking tool for B2B partnerships and even B2C, Linked In is rapidly becoming the recruiters tool of choice.  Now, you can search and follow companies, and apply for positions directly on LinkedIn using your profile in place of your CV/Resume.

Would you like to expand your sphere of influence by building genuine, sustainable relationships with your LinkedIn communities?

Here are some tips for optimizing your LinkedIn account with your professional communities:

1. Defining Your Brand with Your LinkedIn Profile

Who do you want to connect with? Why?  What’s your “title”. Choose  keywords for your title that will speak to companies and colleagues you want to connect with.  What are you offering? What problems do you solve?

Take some time thinking about these questions, and create a solid summary profile. Much like a  CV , the first third of your profile is what get’s read. Be sure to have a complete profile that includes your photo, website,  endorsements, blog posts, industry related reading, and possible slide shares. And be sure to include your contact information (phone, Skype, and e-mail).

Tip: You can see how many times your profile has come up in search and how many times it has been viewed daily.  This is a great barometer for determining if your LInked-In brand is attracting the intended audience.

2. Cultivate your network

Tony Robbins often says, “Your network is your net worth.” When looking for people to connect with start with your first degree of influence.  Who do you know? Who have you worked with?   Then reach out to others in your industry and to those  that compliment or even supplement what you do.

In my case, I find connecting with other Talent Management Leaders, Sales and Marketing Directors and start-up CEO’s  mutually beneficial.  I may have the solution to a initiative the company is launching, and conversely, they may have referrals to other companies seeking my areas of expertise.

If you are a job seeker, introduce yourself to recruiters in your industry and then stay in touch. If you are a consultant or a small business owner, look for other businesses that could serve as potential partners, where you both could benefit by offering more value to your clients if you were a team.  Using LinkedIn’s advanced search you can search by geographical area, group affiliations, job title, company, industries and even education (school’s attended).

Tip: When inviting people to join your network, avoid the generic default message:  I’d like to add you to my Linked In network. Rather personalize your message with a introduction and perhaps a statement like: How can I know if someone I’m connected with is a good prospect for you?

A word on Endorsements

I love when colleagues, employees, and clients I have worked with ask me for endorsements. If someone asks you, take the time and write a thoughtful endorsement that creates a visual in the reader’s mind.  Be honest and generous with your endorsements, and be sure to ask for them.

3. Giving Back

Linked In has hundreds of discussion groups that you can join or even create. (the current limit is 50). Join these groups and engage in intelligent dialogs, by proposing thought-provoking industry questions, as well as answering questions at least several times a week. 

Approach groups with the attitude of “What can I give”, rather than “What can I get”. Offer resources as often as you can, and connect others in your network when you see a good fit.  

Again, for job seekers, recruiters will often look at how active you are in groups to determine your level of expertise, your  collaborative competencies, and your communication style. Be sure to update your status a few times a week. Often times, I update my status by  sharing a  link to a recent article from an trade magazine journal, a new trend I recently came across, or simply a motivational message of my own.
Tip: Avoid selling your services to your groups, sending brief messages with a link to your website.  Again approach all your connections as relationships that you value and want to cultivate. “What can I do for you”, while sharing what you are looking for.

4. Create Trust with consistency and accountability

Live relationships , like social community networking, requires trust to flourish, and that means showing up 100%.

Keep fresh content on your profile via your status or project updates.  Check your Linked In messages frequently.  Stay in touch with members of your group- ideally once a week. 

Share your ideas, projects, a  resource, your blog post, ask how you can help them.  I have had many telephone conversations emerge, and relationships develop as a result of my Linked In Connections.

Does this seem like a lot of work?  It isn’t, once you get into the habit. By following the tips above, you will begin to build relationships of trust in  your social networking.

How alive is your LinkedIn network?

Do you have a potent summary profile, and accurate, catchy title  that describes what problems you solve?

How many groups are you active in?

How many viewers open your profile?

How many phone or in-person conversations have resulted from  Linked-In connection?

Does your Linked In profile needs a lift? I invite you to contact me today to discuss how I can help you!

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Millions of Americans oppose SOPA and PIPA because these bills would censor the Internet and slow economic growth in the U.S.

Two bills before Congress, known as the Protect IP Act (PIPA) in the Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the House, would censor the Web and impose harmful regulations on American business. Millions of Internet users and entrepreneurs already oppose SOPA and PIPA.

Fighting online piracy is important. The most effective way to shut down pirate websites is through targeted legislation that cuts off their funding. There’s no need to make American social networks, blogs and search engines censor the Internet or undermine the existing laws that have enabled the Web to thrive, creating millions of U.S. jobs.

The Senate will begin voting on January 24th. Please let them know how you feel. Too much is at stake. Sign this petition urging Congress to vote NO on PIPA and SOPA before it is too late.

Join the campaign – tell Congress: Don’t censor the Web

https://www.google.com/landing/takeaction/

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It’s the new year and according to almost everybody, not just any new year ..

it’s 2012!- the long awaited for and anticipated year of great change, transformation and awakening ! 

There is so much information from various cultural/historical, and religious perspectives about what this year is going to be.  What I believe is going to most important this year is  RESILIENCE, i.e. the ability to adapt to  change quickly and with ease, the ability to be comfortable with not-knowing, while staying clearly focused on and in integrity with your intentions. Trust is a golden word for 2012.

Yes.  . .and what about GOALS?

From a neural programming standpoint, establishing a goal is different from achieving it.

To establish goals, you use the declarative, explicit part of your brain. Achieving goals, however, means changing your behavior, which involves an entirely separate brain region. Many psychologists, coaches, and facilitators familiar with NLP know that your brain becomes accustomed to certain patterns and if you don’t retrain your brain to release some of the patterns of thought (core beliefs)  that you have, you won’t be able to  release some of the behaviors that are responsible for your results. Instead,  all you’re going to do is gather more information supporting your current situation.

Fortunately, we can retrain the brain.

Here are 5 techniques that you can start TODAY to do just that:

TECHNIQUE 1:  Start by having a clear picture in your head of the biggest, boldest, most fulfilling life that you can imagine living. IMAGINE THIS:
YOU: A healthy, vibrant, joyful abundant being living in full integrity with your deepest desires, values, and soul purpose. Positively contributing to the well-being of your friends, family, communities, and our world!
What does this look like? How do you feel? Who are your co-creators, players, and collaborators? WHERE are you?

Now, write about who you are and what you’re doing in glorious detail, because you are there!

TECHINQUE 2:  Imagine it is December 31, 2012. Imagine you are looking back over the year 2012 and reflecting on all the wonderful, successful outcomes you had. See them. Touch them. Feel them. (It is through the power of emotion that we manifest our heart’s true desires.)

Now take pen (or computer) in hand and write yourself a letter describing everything that happened in 2012.

What do you have in your life on December 31, 2012, that you are grateful for?  Maybe a new job or career; your book published and on the best seller list,  you soul partner? Or  you may have a new home, a more stable financial situation, better health, a changed lifestyle where you spend are doing the things you really want to do. Whatever it is, write it down. Be specific. For instance, if it’s increased income say how much.

Now, take a look at each item and see decide what action steps you took during the year 2012 and when you took them that produced the wonderful outcomes you are enjoying. Write those actions in your 2012 calendar, indicating when they took place.  Examples: Final draft of book and publishing plan in hands of publisher August 1, 2012. Closed escrow on new home, April 30, 2012.

Now, put the letter away, and review it only when you feel you are off track, need to re-focus and be re-inspired.

TECHINQUE 3: Build Your Vision-Create a Vision Board
To force your brain to change, you’ve got to “create a bigger vision than you’ve got right now. ” You’ve got to BLOW it OUT! Setting goals is just one strategy in helping us focus. Intention and attention are the most powerful elements of manifestation

Having a daily visual reminder assists in reprogramming your brain.  Vision Boards keep you on track and on purpose with your dreams and declarations  by adding fuel to the flame of your deepest longings and desires.  I’ve been creating vision boards now for 7 years and leading Ignite Your Vision Board workshops in my community.  By utilizing Technique 1 or 2  above, you will have laid the groundwork for finding the visuals for your vision board (from magazines, old calendars, postcards, photos). There are many ways to lay out a Vision Board, all of which I teach in  my workshop.  Waking up every morning and looking at your Vision Board retrains the brain for what is possible! 

TECHNIQUE 4: Commit to your “inner-cise” every single day of every single week, no matter what by giving attention to  Self Care with daily meditation, yoga or  prayer.

Move your beautiful body with daily aeorbics, walks, marital arts, swimming, biking  ( the sky really is the limit).  And raise your own bar with  conscious nutrition. Keep your diet  akaline  and buy local, organic produce as much as possible. Start a community garden. Work to stop  GMO’s. Help others do the same.

Technique 5: To be happy, be with Happy People who Dare to Dream Together!

I believe we are all being called upon in  2012  to allow a new dream for ourselves and the world to emerge. It’s not enough to write out a short vision or list a particular goal. In order to step into the next greatest expression of your soul’s highest desires, we must dare to dream. We must allow a dream that already exists   deep in our souls to come to the front of your conscious awareness. So  ASK, LISTEN, and RECEIVE.

Happy New Era!

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Evolution is life producing and life sustaining. A system that is maladapted for survival will either die or change. For an ethical human being, money is important, but it is not the bottom line. Being a being a person of integrity, character, and values is.

As Martin Luther King stated, “If you have not yet found a cause worth dying for, you have not yet found a life worth living.”

The Occupy Movement is bigger than ” I want my job. It is, “I want my country.”  Listen to Marianne Williamson speak on why the Occupy Movement emerged.

Start a conversation today! We are here to create a life worth living. We are stewards of American Democracy.

Enough IS Enough!

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Reclaiming Conversation- The Next Frontier: Transforming A Culture of Distraction to A Culture of Engagement

The internet is still in the very early days. Not that long ago, we were trying to figure out how to keep computers busy.

Now, they keep us busy.  We are the computers’ “killer apps”  We text each other at family dinners, funerals,  and while jogging or driving. We sleep with our cell phones (and not just as an alarm clock).  When we are away from our phones, we become anxious.

Mobile connectivity allows us to bail out of the “physical real” at any time. It gives us the ability to hide from each other even as we are connected to each other.

Connectivity allows us the illusion of companionship without genuine connection. We would rather text than talk. Are we losing our ability to communicate? *

I share, therefore, I AM

One of the original intents of  social networking was to introduce a new economic model- “open source”. . and an option  to “start a movement”  by  sharing information, resources, thoughts, and feelings.

Studies now show, the more time we spend on-line, the more time we keep a lot of things to ourselves. We share what’s easiest to share- we share what makes us look good .. NOT the whole human. By not admitting failures, showing flaws and vulnerabilities, we cut off opportunity for conversation and dialog.  We cut ourselves off from our basic human needs and we truncate the needs of others.  Sadly, by NOT engaging in radically honest, compassionate communication, we are losing the skill of sharing our hearts.

So how do we change this trajectory?

1. Increase your UNCONNECTIVITY time with your phone or PC.
2. RESTART CONVERSATIONS: Replace e-mail and texting with increased  in-person and phone conversations.
3. ENGAGE in GROUPS  that meet in person: Women’s  & Men’s circles, Book Clubs, Toastmasters, NVC Groups , The World Cafe, Meet-Ups, and Personal Development Seminars (like Landmark) that encourage dialog and the sharing of our human vulnerabilities.
4. Encourage your company or organization to increase offerings in  Leadership Development & Communication Training that includes:

• Active/reflective/empathic listening
• Techniques for Giving and Receiving Feedback
• Creating a culture of Trust and Engagement

Reclaim conversation

The results will be deeper personal peace and fulfillment, more sustainable and meaningful connections leading to a culture of TRUST  in your community, organization, and workplace.

* Thank you Sherry Turkle for your influence

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It’s Spring, and there is, most assuredly,  something NEW in the air!

Life as we know it,  has changed. Many concur that we are in possibly the greatest paradigm shift in the history of human kind.

With EarthDay, 2011 upon us, what commitment can you make (in your personal practices, with your business, and in your communities)  to redirect the trajectory we are on?  I’d like to invite you to start by sharing your vision and making a comittment along with thousands of others at FourYears. GO.

The Evolution is On. . . Are You?

It’s happening with consciousness shifts, on-line communities, new paradigms for learning and education,  and mobile technologies that are allowing more innovation, mobility, connection and knowledge sharing than ever before.

We have the tools to Ignite the Spark- where are you directing your flame?

In loving honor of Gaia

Read more about the “Evolution”  here

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About 8 years ago, I was introduced to  NVC (Non-Violent Communication), the teachings of M arshall Rosenberg.  I immediately resonated with his work, the presence and honesty it requires, and the amazing results.

Since then, I’ve completed  several 8-week courses, including a  week-long intensive with Marshall. I have adapted many of the NVC principles into my own entrepreneurship workshops and leadership seminars.

Non-violent communication (or compassionate communication), is a holistic, daily practice, based on the realization that as human beings, we all have needs.

Lack of connection, disagreements, confrontation, and “violence” are a result of not having our needs met. NVC teaches us how to express empathy for the needs of others while tuning into our own needs. It is very language specific- using very carefully chosen words that reflect self-responsibility, rather than blame. The work has been translated into more than 60 languages.

NVC requires presence, (turning off the ego-judgment in your head) and exceptional empathic listening, so that you can truly connect with whomever you are speaking with. The results are astounding. True dialog begins, misunderstanding are cleared, relationships heal. Personal integrity soars.

I just joined the 64-day movement to carry the vision in creating more love and peace in my personal life, my community, our world.

Will you join me in carrying the Vision? There’s still time to jump in.

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It’s inner balance, clarity,  & motivation. It’s personal integrity. It’s an alignment of your desires and life purpose.

How’s Your Inner Ecology? Is it time for a tune-up?

Do you need a grounding chord, a compass, or a new lens?

Are you in transition? Are you ready to reinvent yourself?

Through March 31, 2011, I am offering you an opportunity to contribute to a healthier, greener economy while giving your” inner ecology” a spring cleaning by investing in any one (or all!) of my 3 coaching programs:

You, Inc. Career Coaching

Demystifying Social Media Marketing

Awakening Entrepreneurs Business Consulting

I believe that the future of America depends upon an assertive commitment to creating a environmentally sustainable, social just, and personally fulfilling presence on our planet.  Aggressive investing in Clean Energy,  Sustainable Technologies, and Green Building is essential.

As part of my personal commitment to this, I am donating 20% of my business consulting & coaching revenues from Feb. 15- March 31  to a Micro-Grant Fund supporting

Van Jones’s Green Jobs For All Initiative.

Are you ready to invest in your own inner ecology AND a greener economy?

Click here for more information on my 3, 6 , or 10 week coaching programs.

In our coaching sessions, I can promise you a potent, focused,  transformational journey with on-going support to reach extraordinary goals in your business and your personal life.

If you are a new client, I offer complimentary sessions.

You can also give the gift of coaching to a friend, colleague, or loved one, by purchasing a gift certificate .

Transform your life, change the world!

February 15- March 31: 20% of your investment is tax-deductable

and will be donated to the Green for All Micro-Grant Fund which supports 100 grant recipients across the USA

Thank you for contributing to a healthier, greener economy.

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As we said farewell to 2010, we may have reflected upon where we are and where we are going. .  .how satisfied we are with our lives, our relationships, our communities, the condition of our planet, and what we are committed to changing.

We also may have asked ourselves:

How well have I loved? What small part have I played in making the lives of other people better?

What were your 2010 highlights? Holding gratitude for all that has occurred in the past year allows us to move forward open and ready to receive.

And now it’s 2011

As you are conjuring your new year, ask yourself what is it that you want to create, personally and collectively? A new career or business? New daily rituals that uplift your spirit and honor your health? A new home? How can you simplify your life? And how can you contribute to the sustainability of your community and our fragile planet? How much more can you love?

Hold this vision. What are you doing? Where? Describe the environment (sounds, colors, temperature). What activities and people are involved in this vision? How do you feel at the end of the day or week?

Now, imagine it’s Dec. 31, 2011. You are sharing with a friend how magnificient 2011 has been for you, your business, your family and community. What will you say? What “miracles” did you create? Be specific, give dates.*

If it’s humanly possible, you can do it!

I believe that 2011 is the Time to get our of our Comfort Zones and take a huge LEAP. Reach out and connect with your spiritual tribe of kindred souls; those that have the same yearnings and concerns that you do. Engage in dialog. Discover the deeper purpose that unites us. It’s a year of engagement. Above all let love guide the way.

If you feel fear, experience  resistance, or a block in doing the above exercise ask yourself:  What is preventing me  from claiming my vision and playing a bigger (or new) game?

As your coach, I am here to help you move through your resistance, excavate a clear, exciting vision.

What would it be like to live in alignment with your purpose and truly experience a year unlike any other?  What would it feel like to jump out of bed every morning, ignited with passion for your life, your work , and the unique contributions you are making in the world.

Curious? .. .Ready to make that change?  Contact me to discover more.

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You may have heard this true story from several years ago:

THE SITUATION
In Washington , DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes.  During that time, approximately 2,000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about 3 minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing.  He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule. 

About 4 minutes later : The violinist received his first dollar.  A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At 6 minutes:
A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At 10 minutes :
A 3-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly.  The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time.  This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At 45 minutes:
The musician played continuously.  Only 6 people stopped and listened for a short while.  About 20 gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace.  The man collected a total of $32.

After one hour :
He finished playing and silence took over.  No one noticed and no one applauded.  There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world.  He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars.  Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

How many things are you missing this holiday season, as you rush through your days to get it all done?  Just like nature in her stillness of the approaching solstice, take some time to slow down and appreciate the beauty and miracle of the moment.

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