Tag Archives: linkedin

Social Media: A Journey…

Posted on 19/01/2011 | 16 Comments

“The term Social Media describes tools, websites and software that allows people to connect and share…. Social Media Marketing is all about gaining that Social Media exposure in a tactical way, all why carefully avoiding getting blocked or banned.” Chris Garrett

A Social Media Journey: Six Degrees and more...

What does Social Media mean to you? It seems like only yesterday when a colleague at a marketing firm invited me to join an online business group – LinkedIn. At the time, I believe this was in 2004 or so, I didn’t know what to make of it. I wasn’t particularly interested in posting my personal business contact information online but, with some nudging and the reminder that it was for professional networking, I relented. It took me another year or two to revisit the site and start taking my involvement a tad more seriously. It was through my joining LinkedIn that I got to know about WordPress and started my very first blog here.

Slowly but surely, other friends invited me to join other sites and before I knew it, I was linkedIn, twitter’d, facebook’d, ning’d, myspace’d, flickr’d and networked all over town. I believe 2009 was my year of the network marathon; I ran or, perhaps, galloped is a better visual … to join many sites. To date, I’ve joined all the popular social network sites and probably many more that aren’t as popular. The majority of sites I joined were for creative pursuits; writing, photography, music and conversations on blogging and more. It has been both exhilarating and exhausting; as much effort is needed to create and maintain viable friendships online.

How has the journey been? I remember the day I decided to discard my assumed name on Facebook and just be me. Within 24 hours, I connected with several friends from my high school days and even found a long lost childhood friend. When I joined Twitter, even though I had reservations about my initial foray there, I met new groups of people from all walks of life who became friends; with a 140 character tweet, I/we get to chat with some pretty amazing, powerful, entertaining tweeps or tweeple.

Sure, digital stalkers on Twitter were periodically blocked for “strange behavior or activity,”however, the majority are hardworking, focused people who use the medium to share valuable, hot topic, life enriching/life saving information. Businesses continue to use it as way to connect directly to consumers. Every social network site I joined tried to offer something unique to make visiting an enjoyable event. I even took several fantastic workshops and webinars on making the social media experience productive and positive… It has been quite the journey.

Social Media: Brian Solis & Jesse3 The Conversation Prism.com 3.0

While much has been said about Social Media and its deeper social-cultural implications on how we communicate, I blogged on it here, one thing I know for sure is that it opens the door for us to truly experience that six-degrees-of-separation phenomena. Social networks truly embody the idea of communicating in a global village and the village continues to grow; both organically and through innovative communities. In my 2-3 short years of becoming actively engaged in connecting and conversing in communities on the internet, I have met people from every possible country in the world. The connections have not necessarily been with people exactly like me, homogeneity has its place, but rather the door widened to bring in folk of all ilk … I like that!

At some point in my journey, I would probably say last fall, I realized that instead of joining more and more networks; believe me there are new ones created daily, I would be better off focusing my energy on maximizing my relationships on fewer sites and building friendships that were mutually beneficial. In the long run, building mutually beneficial, respectful connections help us learn and grow. I joined the Post A Day 2011 challenge on WordPress because I enjoy blogging and also because I recognize how valuable it is to connect with other bloggers in such a focused, albeit incredibly challenging, way.

Which do you keep and which to leave behind? While this is an important question, I haven’t made any decisions. Why? I don’t know yet, but I do know that the journey has been a positive one and I appreciate all the people and connections I have made to date. Recently, a friend invited me to join Quora and I’m still thinking about it…  Has social media changed you? I don’t think it has changed me per se, however, it has enriched my online experience and provided many opportunities for me to share ideas and exchange information with people around the world. It has exposed me to many brilliant, funny, kind, insightful, talented, and, in some instances, truly crazy folk.

Every day, I learn something new from my interactions and get a chance to connect, even briefly, with another soul. For that, I am grateful and I have no regrets. What has your social media/network journey been like so far? Are you totally plugged in and need to pull some plugs out? Do share! This post is partly in response to a prompt from Mamakat’s Writer’s Workshop: How has social media changed you?

Positive Motivation Tip: The journey from an online connection to an offline friendship is becoming ubiquitous. Cherish your connections.

Related Articles

PHOTO CREDITS: Six Degrees of Separation via GNU Free Documentation License on Wikipedia
The Conversation Prism by Brian Solis & Jesse3 via The Conversation Prism.com

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank
Mirth and Motivation
Positive Kismet

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Posted in Positive Advice, Post A Day 2011

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Twelve Motivational Tips for the New Year…

Posted on 12/12/2010 | 11 Comments

“In learning to know other things, and other minds, we become more intimately acquainted with ourselves, and are to ourselves better worth knowing.” Philip Gilbert Hamilton

Motivational Tips: Blossom, bloom... and grow

REFLECTIONS
As we wind down the final days of 2010, thoughts and plans for the New Year are high on our lists and on our minds. Whether we end up having an amazing, accomplished 2011 will depend on several factors; particularly our attitude and our effort.
I don’t know about you, but this has been a trying year for me; with its share of ups and downs… What I have learned is that while we might not be able to choose the overall circumstances of events in our lives, we are fully able to choose our responses to them. Choosing a clearheaded, positive mental attitude is one option, choosing to not be a doormat is another. What have you chosen to date? How do you plan to shift directions?

A LinkedIn friend once posed the question: “You alone are responsible for your happiness” – Do you agree with this? I read the question and agreed that we choose our happiness. Definitely, we have a choice in how we wish to react to situations; welcoming happiness, like wallowing in misery, is a choice. To think otherwise is … to open the door to more misery.

I have pulled together twelve positive, motivational tips to help us all navigate our way into the coming year with the energy and anticipation of great things coming our way. Is there a tip you’d like me to add? Are there things you plan to do differently? Do share and I’ll add more to our list. Did you include any tips on your game plan that would be beneficial to us all? Do Share. Thank you!

“What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself.” Hecato, Greek philosopher

A CALL TO ACTION
• Be thankful for the good in your life and maintain a positive attitude; the economy might suck but don’t let your attitude suck too. ♥♥♥
• Re-frame and refocus your personal goals; renew them as you progress through the year. Blossom and bloom like beautiful exotic flowers…♥♥♥
• Maintain a healthy mind-body-spirit lifestyle; eat, drink, party and exercise in moderation and get plenty of rest. ♥♥♥
• Breathe … deeply. Renew your prayer life, meditate, contemplate, and push through the quagmire of life’s dark days. ♥♥♥
• Expand your mind; read more and read widely, travel, connect with others, be a friend, love boldly. ♥♥♥
• Embrace new opportunities with joy and enthusiasm, develop deep links with your connections, and execute your plans with solid, achievable goals in hand. ♥♥♥
• Explore ways to grow your networking social ties; make new friends and business connections through online social networks and offline events. Try Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, Digg, Flickr, BlogFarm, SITSGirls, Stumbleupon, ActiveRain, Plaxo, Triiibes, Comluv, Timespeople and more. ♥♥♥
• Engage your muse and learn a new skill, a language, skydiving, a new field of study, an exercise routine; formulate an exercise regimen that empowers you and produces results. ♥♥♥
• Commit to always act from a place of excellence; do your best work and update your knowledge base and skills set regularly. In your job hunt/search, remember to send a handwritten thank you note after each interview!♥♥♥
• Offer your talents and gifts in service to others; volunteer with a local charity and give back to your community. ♥♥♥
• Teach what you know and keep an open mind to learn more about what you don’t know…♥♥♥
• Love who you are and what you are becoming and treat yourself and others with compassion and grace. ♥♥♥

“Make it thy business to know thyself, which is the most difficult lesson in the world.” Miguel de Cervantes

END NOTES
Again, Is there a tip you’d like me to add to the list above? Are there items on the list that you plan to do differently? Do share and I’ll update mine? Do you have any tips on your game plan that would be beneficial to us all? Do Share. Thank you!
♥♥♥ Sending everyone Holiday Cheer and Happy New Year blessings!

PHOTO CREDITS:
Picture of tropical flowers via ars.usda

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank

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Posted in Global Events, Grace & Gratitude, Positive Advice

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Leadership: On Matters of Trust and Authenticity

Posted on 25/04/2010 | 18 Comments

Leadership: Leading with Vision to Victory…

“To leave the world a better place … to know even one life has breathed easier because you lived. This is to have succeeded.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
“He who rules over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, a morning without clouds, like the tender grass springing out of the earth, by clear shining after rain.” (2 Sam 23: 3-4)

Leadership: When in doubt, consult your conscience and constituents.

A year ago or so, as I was updating my page on the professional networking site – LinkedIn, I came across a group that piqued my interest; Leaders and Thinkers. The site manager, my dear friend Benjamin Anyacho – author of “Bold, Fresh Wine: A Cry for Sustainable Transforming Revival”, had also posted a number of excellent questions on the subject of Trust and Leadership asking: Is there a correlation between trust and authentic leadership? Would we follow leaders we don’t trust? Do all leaders deserve trust and should all leaders trust everyone?

I pondered the questions and responded. Later on, I posted a version of my response on my Blogger blog. Today, I revisit this topic because I believe that no matter where you are on the leadership ladder, the hot seat of influence, the food chain of authority as it were, at the bottom or the top, you can make a difference in the lives of others.

Lead: Pay it Forward!

The Sunshine Award
Before I go any further, I’d like to thank Melissa for nominating my blog for a pay-it-forward sunshine award. There are loads of bloggers who deserve this thoughtful gift that it’s hard to list all. If you see the following comment on your blog: You’ve won a pay-it-forward blog award! You can claim it at: Sunshine Blog Award, it means you won.
On an important note, the Sunshine Award honors and supports bloggers. The goal is to take the lead in paying the goodwill forward by honoring twelve bloggers including the person who nominated you.
First some ground rules:
1. Nominate 12 bloggers.
2. Put the award logo (daisy flower) onto your sidebar or within a post.
3. Link the nominees within your post.
4. Let the nominees know they’ve received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and, if feasible, link the sidebar logo to the person from whom you’ve received this award.

Okay, and the Sunshine blogging Oscars go to… Melissa for generously sharing her sunshine and expatriate life; Deana for her supportive baby boomer spirit and blog; Dori for her heartwarming commentaries from her yellow house in England; Radha for sharing her shining creativity and humorous Baby Boomer Girl; Iyabo for coaching with love and enthusiasm; Emma for her infectious positivity and goodwill; Liz for her deeply reflective blog and kind spirit; Kaishon for beautiful photos and a beautiful life; Carol for offering such wonderful pampering tips to keep us all blissful and youthful; Megumi for being such a gracious blogger and beacon of light; Judy Rey for her inspired art and openness; and Siddhali Shree for her spiritual insights and goodwill. I have to add my lucky 13th, Rose, for her grace and goodwill or I will be remiss. The Sunshine Award exemplifies the spirit of leadership, motivation and goodwill. Congratulations all! Why don’t you lead the pack by sending out an award? Steal the flower!

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” Peter F. Drucker
“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.” Stephen Covey
“I always believe that ultimately, if people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership. When we get lazy, as a democracy and civically start taking shortcuts, then it results in bad government and politics.” Barack Obama

Leadership: Nature Rules...

Clearly, good leadership requires qualities such as trust, authenticity, vision, integrity, and service. To lead, you must learn to serve. To lead effectively, you must examine your motivations and then decide what type of leader you will be. Some lead to make a difference, others lead for sheer power and position, a few have it foisted upon them, and yet another group lead for self discovery. How we lead is a choice we all get to make.

Certainly, one could write a dissertation on the topic but that is not what a blog is for; so below is my truncated response to the questions. What’s your opinion or experience on the subject? What type of leader do you aspire to become?

“Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it.” Marian Anderson
“A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.” Jim Rohn
“Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility.” St. Augustine

Leadership Puzzle: Motivate your team to success...

Trust is never implicit with leadership, it must be earned. It is infinitely easy to put on a show and be followed as a leader when all the klieg lights are shining on your accomplishments and everyone wants to be like you. It is not so easy when there is a presumption of mistrust and lack in leadership by your constituents and you must now convince them that you are still in charge.

Authenticity is not a given in leadership either as inauthentic leaders can conceal their real motives and character by machinations that gain them the support of many. While there are leaders who exhibit qualities that could be defined as “authentic,” the true test of their métier as “authentic leaders” will depend on how well they handle crisis situations and life’s daily un-pleasantries.

In theory, the correlation between trust and authentic leadership could be viewed as sacrosanct; inherently necessary to the role. Yet, in reality, we have all been privy to leaders who neither cared about earning our trust nor dwelled on the responsibility and sacredness of their role.

“Leaders of the future will have to be visionary and be able to bring people in – real communicators. These are things that women bring to leadership and executive positions, and it’s going to be incredibly valuable and incredibly in demand.” Anita Borg
“Where there is no leadership the people fall, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14)
“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory; when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” Nelson Mandela

Leadership: By consensus on the pyramid not by fiat

Naturally, I hope given the choice, most of us would choose to never elect or follow leaders we do not trust. However, all of us happen to live in societies or work in environments where, from time to time, untrustworthy leaders are foisted upon us. I have deliberately made this an “all of us” inclusive experience because exposure to incompetent, untrustworthy leadership is a universal construct. It is not unique to only banana republics or oligarchies.

Do all leaders deserve trust? Should all leaders trust everyone? The answer here is an unequivocal NO! Again, trust must be earned on both sides of the fence so the point behind that question is moot.

“I think a major act of leadership right now, call it a radical act, is to create the places and processes so people can actually learn together, using our experiences.” Margaret J. Wheatley
“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have vision. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.” Theodore M. Hesburgh
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him. But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: We did it ourselves.” Lao-Tzu

Global Leadership: Change is good ... Dictatorship is dangerous...

Ultimately, each of us must develop our own guiding principles or precepts on leadership. If, as John Wooden said eons ago, character is what you do when the lights are turned off and no one is watching, then it is imperative that authentic leadership be viewed through the lens of character.

Solon said it well… “Put more trust in nobility of character than in an oath (of office).”

No matter how good our intentions are as leaders, we must always go back to examine our character and the original prompting that led us to lead. Power can be an incredibly corrupting influence and it takes grace and character to remain humble while we serve. I send blessings to all who lead and serve humanity with a good heart. What is your definition of leadership or favorite leadership quote? What are your thoughts? Do Share! Thank you!

PHOTO CREDITS:
All Photos on Leadership ~ via Google Images

Until Next Time…
Ask. Believe. Receive. ©
Elizabeth Obih-Frank

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Posted in Global Events, Positive Advice, World of Books

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