Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

Book Review: Trust Agents

Chris Brogan is a new friend I met earlier this year.  I’ve read his highly informative blog for years, of course, but I had the opportunity to speak with him on the phone recently, and found that he was a generous, down to earth soul in addition to being smart as a whip.

Chris and Julien Smith, who have both taken to the social media space as a native habitat, decided to write a book, Trust Agents, about how you can use social networks to build your brand’s equity and reputation and ultimately sell more product.  This has been done before, but Chris and Julien zero in on the concept of influence and trust, advising us readers to develop an active network of “trust agents.” 

Today’s consumers are a cynical and ultra-informed bunch.  Trust agents have figured out how to communicate with and engage them using authentic online interactions.  They bring the inhuman concept of a corporation down to the level of a one-on-one relationship.  They give freely of their time and expertise and are always looking to deliver value.  People listen to them and afford them miles more credibility than your PR and marketing folk.  You want them to be your friends because they can make or break your organizations’ reputation in an Internet minute.

Chris and Julien, who are Trust Agents themselves, combine theory and case studies with practical guidance and action steps to show readers how to become a Trust Agent and build profitable relationships with other Trust Agents.  While I found Trust Agents compelling, its most powerful recommendation probably comes from the success of last week’s launch.  Using the concepts they extol in the book, Chris and Julien marshaled their online community to promote and purchase Trust Agents and achieved New York Times bestseller status in a matter of hours.  “You did this,” they praised their community.  “All we did was write.”

Young Professional Life in Asia

Here I am reporting my observations about the lives of young professionals in Asia, from downtown Shanghai!

Attention Isn't the Same as Respect

This recent post from Seth Godin really spoke to me:

Here's a surefire way to get and keep the attention of your audience: put on a soap opera. If there's always a feud, a criminal investigation, secret photos, innuendo, allegations of drug use, partnerships foundering, acquisitions started, delayed or canceled, secret new projects, and possible runs for office, you can bet people will tune in.

Michael Jackson, Fidel Castro and Sarah Palin created drama. Paying attention, though, is the not the same as buying or respecting. It's possible to achieve both, but not easy.

Seth doesn't apologize (actually he does, but he's joking) for the lack of drama on his blog.  But here's the thing.  I occasionally have.  When I talk about my approach to providing career advice, I refer to it as being straightforward and wholly practical.  It's not sexy and it's not controversial, and sometimes I sound a bit sorry about that.  But I shouldn't be, because it works for 99% of the people 99% of the time.

This year, I will write a book called You're Not the Exception, You're the Rule (Penguin), which is about the top myths people believe will result in business success.  Courting visibility while letting your reputation slide is one of them.  What do you think some of the other myths are?

This recent post from Seth Godin really spoke to me:

Here's a surefire way to get and keep the attention of your audience: put on a soap opera. If there's always a feud, a criminal investigation, secret photos, innuendo, allegations of drug use, partnerships foundering, acquisitions started, delayed or canceled, secret new projects, and possible runs for office, you can bet people will tune in.

Michael Jackson, Fidel Castro and Sarah Palin created drama. Paying attention, though, is the not the same as buying or respecting. It's possible to achieve both, but not easy.

Seth doesn't apologize (actually he does, but he's joking) for the lack of drama on his blog.  But here's the thing.  I occasionally have.  When I talk about my approach to providing career advice, I refer to it as being straightforward and wholly practical.  It's not sexy and it's not controversial, and sometimes I sound a bit sorry about that.  But I shouldn't be, because it works for 99% of the people 99% of the time.

This year, I will write a book called You're Not the Exception, You're the Rule (Penguin), which is about the top myths people believe will result in business success.  Courting visibility while letting your reputation slide is one of them.  What do you think some of the other myths are?

Would You Spend an Hour Doing This?

Would you spend an hour to get an insider's view of your work environment on the eve of January 1, 2025? I would.

That's why I'm organizing a panel at the 2010 SXSW Conference and would love for you to vote for it!  All you have to do is sign up (it's the fastest registration ever) and click on the "thumbs up" icon.  Here's a summary of the proposed panel:

Some say the workplace of 2025 is dominated by all-powerful corporations that manage everything from commute to children’s schooling, while others contend that a diffuse network of free agents accomplish critical business tasks. Find out what leading business thinkers predict in a panel led by WSJ columnist Alexandra Levit.

Please vote now! 

SXSW is THE conference for exciting and provocative business ideas.  Thanks for voting for The Future of Work panel, and please spread the word via Twitter, Facebook, your blog, and your contact lists!

PS - if you've got an SXSW panel related to business, workplace, or career issues and you're interested in having me participate, please let me know!  I'd love to help out!

Should You Be a Boomerang Employee? 7 Ways to Tell

Amy Andrews has a great post on my friend Chris Russell’s Secrets of the Job Hunt blog on how to decide whether you should return to your old company.  In my days at Edelman, we used to call these people members of the “Comeback Club" or "Boomerangers."  Here’s what Amy has to say:

Organizations thrive on change. Just because you lost your job doesn’t always mean that other opportunities won’t crop up in the future. The old adage, “when one door closes, somewhere a window opens,” rings true with twenty-first century organizations. Maybe the window was closed when you lost your job, but it doesn’t mean another one won’t open once you’ve officially left. Before flying through the open window, step back to make sure the window’s big enough.

1) Why did you leave? Be honest with yourself. Even if you left through a Reduction in Force or Re-Organization, were you relieved? Relieved that you were free to pursue more challenging work or that you no longer had to make that long commute only to work for an incompetent manager.

2) Who’s still there? We spend more time at work than home, so friends in the workplace are a must have. If you still have friends on the inside this can make going back an appealing proposition. If they’ve all gone, you may find the dynamics you once enjoyed are lost and dissatisfying.

3) What’s changed in the organization? Leaders come and go. With them, come new initiatives and expectations. Don’t expect the organization to look the same as it was when you left. Find out who and what’s new.

4) Will my benefits/vacation time be bridged to my original hire date? Today, employees look for a generous vacation allowance and solid healthcare. If you’ve left, you may be viewed as a new hire, which could impose waiting periods for medical coverage and a new accrual clock for vacation. The 25 days of vacation days you had accrued when you left may now only be 15.

5) When am I eligible for performance evaluation and merit increase? Depending upon your start date and the annual performance cycle, you may have a long wait to be rewarded for strong performance. If you miss out on this date, consider an offer that rolls in the standard increase amount.

6) Did you leave with a severance package? Severance is an agreement and unique to each organization. Make sure there are no clauses that prevent you from returning either as an employee or a contractor.

7) Does the job meet your needs today? Leaving an organization often opens our minds to ideas and possibilities we didn’t think possible before. Review the job description closely to ensure that it matches what you want from your life today, not what you use to want.

Going back can seem like the perfect answer to a stressful time of weeding through the job market. Yet, sometimes no matter how perfect it all seems, if we search beneath the surface, ask a few questions, we may discover, we can’t go back.

Dream Job Profile: Heidi Ruehle-May, Invitation Designer

Along with Leslie Lopez, thirty-something Heidi is the owner of Three Graces Design, a business specializing in custom-designed, handmade invitations and coordinating stationery.  Based in my hometown of Oak Park, IL, Three Graces helps creative clients translate their vision into the perfect invitation.

Alex:   What made you decide to get into the world of custom invitations?

Heidi:  With a passion for design and a love of beautiful materials, we began informally creating invitations for friends and family.  Our happy “customers” starting referring us to their friends and within a few years our business was born! 

       
Alex:  How do you manage your business while raising twin toddlers?

Heidi:  I naively envisioned being able to balance working during their naps and playtime; however, I soon learned that a part-time sitter, home office and structured work time were necessary to truly be productive.  Prior to parenthood, I truly thought I had mastered the art of multi-tasking.  I had to learn how to fit in raising children, growing a business, and keeping in touch with family and friends all on fewer hours of sleep.

       
Alex:   What have been some of your challenges so far?

Heidi:  One of our challenges is balancing motherhood and business ownership.  There is no question in our minds that family is first, but we also have a business that we love and have to dedicate time to.  We started our business with a very small budget; therefore we are learning to be very creative in our marketing efforts.  Social networking has become an important tool and we’re always looking to make new connections.

       
Alex:   What's your advice for artistic types who want to turn their passion into lucrative employment?

Heidi:  Understand that a business is just that … a business.  Merely having an artistic talent and passion does not always translate into a successful venture.  We took the time to establish Three Graces Design by thoughtfully writing a business plan, preparing our portfolio and designing marketing materials.  Our advice is to take it slow, be realistic (there are no true overnight successes) and don’t quit!

Check out Three Graces' blog and follow them on Twitter @3GracesDesign.

Three Common Questions from New College Grads

Back by popular demand, here's the second edition of They Don't Teach Corporate in College - Reader Questions answered!  In this edition, I answer:

1) How do I deal with a revolting and incompetent co-worker?
2) How do I extricate myself from being a gopher in the office?
3) How can I start blogging, and what are your tips to get started writing for an established outlet?

Should You Be More Loyal?

Are you loyal to your employer?  Maybe you should be.  According to the Ipsos Loyalty Study, employees with the highest levels of loyalty to their job also characterized themselves as happiest.  Unfortunately, the same study found that only about 30% of us feel loyal to our employers, or feel that our employers have earned our loyalty.  So, what does it mean to be a loyal coworker? Here are five loyalty skills and ways to improve your proficiency in each one, courtesy of Timothy Keiningham, the Global Chief Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President for Ipsos Loyalty and the author of Why Loyalty Matters:

Support/assistance. Do you offer help to coworkers in the form of technical help, brainstorming, expertise, and sharing contacts? Help a peer do a better job, struggle less, learn a new skill, impress the boss, or gain new respect with clients and coworkers.

Giving time/attention. Do you take an interest in the workplace challenges and projects of your peers? Ask questions, listen well, and take the time to pay attention to the concerns of your coworkers. Show empathy, and demonstrate that you understand their issues and really "get" their point of view.

Recognition/encouragement. Do you give sincere compliments to coworkers when they've done an excellent job on a task, or when they demonstrate superior skills, say, while leading a meeting or doing a presentation? Instead of being withholding or competitive, show fellow employees that you're cheering them on.

Self-sacrifice/commitment. Do you offer to stay late, do a hated task, or stand up for a coworker's unpopular viewpoint in a controversial workplace debate? Show colleagues that you are willing to put yourself out for them.

Reliability/trust. Do you follow through on what you say you'll do, and are you someone whom others can count on--to confide in, to lean on, or to be there in a pinch? Demonstrate to your coworkers that you are consistent and competent--and that you are willing to be the go-to person when required.

Myth Busted: Recession Layoffs Aren’t About Performance

Veritude, a leading staffing services provider, recently conducted a primary research study that found that because of the abundance of candidates in the job market, 63% of responding organizations are using the recession as an opportunity to replace poor performing employees. Veritude’s findings verify that most companies’ first and most central cost-cutting response to the economic crisis has been layoffs; fewer have lowered wages, reduced benefits and implemented furloughs.  Veritude conducted its primary research among HR and procurement professionals from companies with at least 2,000 employees, nationwide and across many industries.  Other key findings include:

• 42% said they are using the recession to develop workforce plans in anticipation of the economic recovery
• 45% intend to use temporary workers as part of their current and future workforces
• HR leaders are taking advantage of the favorable labor market to reshape their workforces and proactively position their companies for post-crisis success.  Three out of five reported there are more qualified candidates available so hiring has become easier; nearly half found that candidates are more open to negotiating terms of employment (42%) and are more likely to accepted offers (40%).

What does this say to me?  If you were laid off, perhaps you should spend less time cursing your company and the recession, and more time thinking about your performance in your last job.  Regardless of how good we are, we can always improve, and maybe you can do something differently next time around to facilitate a better outcome.