Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ CategorySix Popular and Helpful Apps for Baby BoomersApril 23rd, 2013Hi All! I have a ritual before getting on a morning flight…I buy an Orange-Orange Vitamin Water and a USA Today. It has become a superstitious-based ritual for me now so I never miss doing it. But that’s not the point of this post. On a recent morning flight after the doors closed and electronic devices were asked to be turned off, I began to read my USA Today and came across an interesting article I wanted to share with you. It was entitled, “Golden Apps for a Golden Age”, written by Lynn Allison. She shared ten apps, many of which are free, that were created for Boomers and/or that Boomers find helpful. Here are six that I wanted to pass along. You can research them to get all the details; I’m just giving you the quick descriptions to get the gist of each:
And for any of you Gen X or Gen Y readers out there, be sure to share this info with your parents or the “older” generations at work. They’ll thank you for it! Bye for now… Lisa Challenges That Faculty Face with Today’s College StudentsJanuary 13th, 2013Hi All! I’ve been researching today’s College Students a lot recently due to a few key factors: 1. I know a lot of College Professors and Faculty from a wide variety of educational institutions who constantly complain about “how different” their students are these days versus previous generations. I even hear from younger professors, in their early-mid 30’s, who express this opinion, too, so it’s not JUST coming from Boomer and Veteran generation faculty who have been teaching for 25+ years! 2. I’m getting a lot of speaking invitations from educational institutions (i.e. colleges, universities, and vocational schools) to speak to their faculty about how to better communicate with, and educate, their students. I wouldn’t be getting these invitations if this issue wasn’t “real”. And I can tell you that regardless of the “type” of school they are from, OR the types of subjects they are teaching, OR the student population they serve, the educators I talk to all share the same frustrations and challenges with the students they teach today. Here are just a few examples of the common ones I hear (and what I focus on in my presentations to help the educators overcome): Students today are lazy; they need to be told “how” to learn; they show up late for class and want to leave early; they show disregard for homework deadlines and exam dates; their parents call on behalf of their adult child with questions or complaints; Etc… It’s based on this growing “issue” regarding Millennial (aka: Gen Y) students that I decided to blog about this topic today. I don’t plan to provide answers to the challenges mentioned above in this post; I’m simply bringing this interesting issue to light because I typically write about Millennials from an “employee” angle versus a student angle. To shed more light on this, I recommend that you read this book: “Generation on a Tightrope: A Portrait of Today’s College Student,” written by Dr. Arthur Levine with Diane R. Dean. It covers 2006 to 2011, and distills information from surveys and interviews with both undergraduates and student-affairs officials at 31 campuses nationwide. Dr. Levine is the president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and former president of Teachers College at Columbia University. Here’s a brief overview about the book and the information it provides: An understanding of today’s undergraduate college students is vital to the effectiveness of our nation’s colleges and universities. As Generation on a Tightrope clearly reveals, today’s students need a very different education than the undergraduates who came before them: an education for the 21st Century, which colleges and universities are so far ill-equipped to offer and which will require major changes of them to provide. Examining college student expectations, aspirations, academics, attitudes, values, beliefs, social life, and politics, this book paints an accurate portrait of today’s students. Timely and comprehensive, this volume offers educators, researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and employers, guidance and a much-needed grasp of the forces shaping the experiences of current undergraduates. The book:
So whether you’re an educator or an employer, books such as that could be one more tool to help you better understand this new generation you face. And for employers, this could also give you insights for better managing, recruiting and retaining this much-needed generation at work. I can honestly say they truly are different from previous generations…I’ve been writing, consulting and speaking about Millennials for over 6 years as an expert, as well as conducting Leadership and Personal Branding workshops for Millennial employees and students, so I know them well. Bye for now! Lisa
Women in Leadership Share Personal Branding Tips for SuccessDecember 16th, 2012Hi All! I had the pleasure of being the Moderator for a panel of five female executives on the importance of building a Personal Brand at work for career success. These women in leadership were all successful leaders and respected managers at different Fortune 500 companies. And the audience was made up of over 200 women, from different generations, Gen Y (aka: Millennials), Gen X and Boomers, from a wide variety of corporations. Here are Ten Tips the panelists shared (out of many that day) about how and why to determine your own Personal Brand in the workforce:
I hope you found their tips helpful! And if you’re concerned about YOUR career success, regardless of your age or current position, be sure to find for my new book on Amazon coming out in February of 2013: Your Employee Brand is in Your Hands: How Any Employee Can Create & Promote Their Own Personal Leadership Brand for Massive Career Success! It’s based on my popular workshop that many well-known companies have hired me to conduct for their employees a lot throughout 2011-2012, and also now into 2013, such as: eBay, Johnson and Johnson, and Wells Fargo. It should be my most popular book yet so be sure to look for it in February! Bye for now! Lisa
The Impact of Economy on Gen Y and Employers Now and FutureOctober 05th, 2012Hi All! In some of the seminars and workshops I do, I share some alarming stats, global and U.S. based, on current and future workforce trends, Gen Y employees, and generations at work, to grab the attention of the employers and managers who attend my presentations. And some of the statistics I share as a speaker and expert are to illustrate the importance of focusing on employee retention strategies because it’s becoming a big challenge for many companies; especially with their Gen Y (aka: Millennial) employee population. And, yes, even in this tough economy, I am hired to speak at companies who ARE hiring Gen Y employees aggressively and WANT to retain them. A few stat examples I share include:
You can quickly see how those stats could alarm executives and managers at large corporations. They need Gen Y employees (especially when the economy improves) for the future of their workforce and growth because Generation X is a much smaller generation so there aren’t enough of them to go around. So, basically, the pressure it on Management Teams as never before to make sure their employees won’t leave…because as the old saying goes: People don’t leave companies, they leave Managers (or leave due to a co-worker they can’t deal with anymore!). But, let’s go back to the stats in numbers 3 and 4 above. Those parlay well into the main focus of this blog post topic. Aside from a Gen Y employee possibly moving back home due to leaving a job or Manager they don’t like, there is new research that shows other key reasons why massive amounts of Gen Y are moving back home. The Team at College@Home contacted me to share an infographic they created, entitled “Graduated and Living with Mom and Dad”. It graphically shows research results pertaining to college student loan debt, Gen Y unemployment rates, majors most likely to find jobs in this current economy and job market, how many recent college grads are currently living at home, and much more. I don’t want to share the stats in the body of this blog, so to see them click here! They are pretty astounding. But, hey Gen Y! I know things are feeling pretty bad for many of you right now in this current climate, so I hope the info I shared about the recruiting and retention trends, and employers who will be scrambling to hire your generation when things improve, give you hope! Please know this too shall pass…and when it does, you guys are going to benefit big time! And before I go, I’d like to thank College@Home for sharing their info with me and for allowing me to share it with all of you! Bye for now, Lisa Ways to Promote Your Personal Brand at WorkAugust 02nd, 2012Hi All! I am on the final stages of writing my newest book, “Make Your Personal Branding Outstanding: How Any Employee Can Create & Promote Their Own Leadership Brand For Massive Career Success!”. I am very excited about how the book is coming together and thrilled with the interest people have expressed in wanting it when it’s published. My Personal Branding Workshop has become one of my most in-demand over the past 2 years, so this is clearly a very hot topic. And companies like eBay, Wells Fargo and Johnson & Johnson wouldn’t be hiring me to conduct it, multiple times, if it wasn’t resonating with their employees…and my audiences are from ALL generations and career levels! Plus, quite a few companies have me conduct this workshop as part of their overall Leadership Training Programs...and all of this plays into improving employee retention (something many companies are taking very seriously these days). That said, one of the areas I cover in the book and in the workshop, is how to promote “your” brand at work. It’s always a popular segment in my workshops so I thought I’d share part of that chapter here to not only give you a glimpse of tips I will be providing in the book (it’s crammed full of good info!), but to also just to give you helpful tips to think about now. And, no, the book is NOT just about how to promote your personal brand! The entire first section of it covers “how” to create a personal brand…ideas for promoting yourself come after that section. Okay! Without further delay, here is a partial excerpt from one chapter in my new book due out in October 2012 on Amazon (in both print and Kindle versions): You’ve created your Personal Leadership Brand by following the principles outlined in the previous chapters, and now you want to start attracting some notoriety. This is a good thing! However, it’s an area where many employees who want to achieve extreme career success drop the ball. Why? Because everyone gets busy and stuck in their department silos. It’s very common, especially if you work for a larger company, to spend a vast majority of your time at work with your department colleagues and rarely expand outside of that world, except to grab lunch somewhere. But if you want to achieve bigger career success and become more known throughout your company, there are things you need to do within your department and outside of it. Typically, just “doing your job”, even if you’re great at it, isn’t going to be enough to get you where you REALLY want to go. So let’s look at some key strategies for you to consider… Networking at the Office: If you work for a larger company that has internal networking groups or clubs (like Women in Leadership Group, an African American Group, a softball team, a running club, etc.), have you joined one that matches your interests? And if you have joined one, do you actively participate? When I ask this question at workshops, not many hands go up. But this is a KEY strategy! You’ve got to leave your department and get to know people all around the company. And if you work for a company that doesn’t have internal networking groups, when was the last time you coordinated some sort of networking mixer to bring people from ALL departments together for socializing? Don’t wait for other people to do it! Remember: This is to benefit your Personal Brand, so make the effort. People will appreciate your coordinating something fun for the company to participate in…and they don’t have to know it is part of your own personal “publicity” strategy. But aside from participating in internal networking groups or clubs, or coordinating events, you can be proactive at introducing yourself to key people in other departments. I know a woman, who was a middle-manager at a Fortune 500 company, who looked at the org chart for each department, contacted VP’s in each one, and invited them individually to coffee. She simply said that she wanted to know more about their department and career path, and would appreciate 30-minutes of their time. And what was the result? Not ONE VP declined her offer, plus most of those coffee meetings lasted for more than an hour! That’s significant face time, alone, with senior executives she would have probably never met otherwise. Within a few months she knew most of the key VP’s throughout the company, and more importantly, they knew her. This then led to many invitations to be on special projects outside of her department, invitations to events she would never have known about before, even job offers from other departments, and finding internal Mentors that she could seek advice and support from. Yes, it took guts and time to do what she did, but the pay-off for building her Personal Brand within the company was huge! Go Out of Your Way to Help Others: If someone asks for volunteers on a project, or help with something they’re struggling with, or even help with cleaning the break room, do it. I don’t care what level on the org chart you are, if you’re capable and qualified to do what is being asked, do it. It will reflect well on you in a variety of ways and that is important. Why? Most people WON’T do it because in our own little minds we think we’re the busiest people on the planet and don’t have time to volunteer for something else. Well, the reality is that most of us DO have the time; we just choose not to make the time. Present Ideas Creatively: Don’t be the person who puts people to sleep when you do presentations. One of the best things you can do for your Personal Brand is become known as a great presenter. And if you know this is an area you struggle with, hire a Speaking Coach to help you or join a local Toast Masters group in your area to get help and feedback on your skills. I know employees who have worked on their presentation skills, became very good, and were then asked to do major, high-profile presentations because their boss knew they would do a better job than s/he would. That is huge exposure! No one likes a boring presentation. I’m not saying you have to juggle and tell jokes. I’m saying you need to have an air of confidence and that creates rapport and presence. Whether you have to do a presentation for 10 minutes to your co-workers and boss at your Monday morning meeting, or conduct a 45-minute presentation to 200+ people, always make it good. Be prepared, practice a lot, and again, get help with your skills if you need it. Good speakers have magnetism and that benefits your Personal Leadership Brand. Promote Your News: Did you win an award from a club or org you belong to outside of work? Did you write an article that got published? Did you accomplish something cool like hike up Mt. Everest on vacation? If so, share your news! And if your company has an internal company-wide e-newsletter, send them your news! You never know who may read about it and want to reach out to you because they share a similar interest. It could be a Sr. Vice President that you may have never met, that is planning to climb Mount Everest in a year, and she wants to pick your brain about your trip there…and who knows where THAT new connection could lead you! Pat Others on the Back: Do not hold back compliments and kudos. And always share them publicly versus waiting until you’re alone with the person. Also, if you know of something a co-worker has done that is exceptional, or went “above and beyond” to get a project done and no one else knows the extra effort they put in, announce it in meetings and/or send out mass emails sharing the news. No one will forget you did that for them, others will think it’s admirable, and that could lead to people doing it for you at some point…and all of that supports the positive building of your Personal Brand. Speaking at Work: Are there internal company events where you could think of a topic and submit it for consideration? I’m sure there is. Every big company has events throughout the year (departments or company-wide) where they look for employees to be speakers at. And if you work for a smaller company that doesn’t have internal events, you can create your own. Think of a topic that you know would help others at work or in their personal lives, and do a Brown Bag Lunch session. You can even do this if you work for a large company! Again, you can create your own “events” and that increase your brand recognition. And for an internal presentation at your company, the topic doesn’t even have to be around your “work” expertise. If you practice meditation for stress reduction, but your “job” is as a Software Developer, who cares? You can still promote a Brown Bag Lunch session where you’ll share tips and strategies to reduce stress through meditation. You can promote it company-wide and attract ALL types of employees, from all different career levels, who think the topic is interesting. And, by them attending that, they will then get to know “who” you are and “what” you do in your role at the company. See? Now those who wouldn’t otherwise have a reason to know you at work will know you! Alright! That concludes the excerpt from my new book due out in October. I hope you found those tips helpful! I also have an entire chapter on how to promote your personal brand outside of work to achieve more notoriety in your industry (not just in the workplace). So be sure to look for my newest book on Amazon this fall… Bye for now! Lisa
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