Time to mix things up a bit. We’re headed to the Midwest (as of today). I’ll be resurfacing once we’re settled – or at least once our bed is unpacked and the Internet is up and running. For now, relax and enjoy the rest of what summer has to offer.
Be well.
(Wonderfully appropriate photo, courtesy of ChepeNicoli)
A little corner where I can share my love for all things colorful, fun, and pretty. Enjoy!
[Photos by the lovely Joanie Tobin, 2010]
I have only one priority in my life – it’s my family. This doesn’t mean that other things, like work, aren’t of importance. In fact, work is a very important part of my life, it challenges me, nurtures me, and enables me to provide for others. But the truth is I would drop everything for them – especially Lucy and Colin.
They are my life as well as the two best cheerleaders anyone could ask for. They ground me. They inspire me. They encouragement me. And perhaps most importantly, they love me, unconditionally. What grounds you? What is the one thing that brings you back to what’s important?
“Oh we’ll just give it to the intern.”
We’ve probably all said this once or twice in our careers. And really, why wouldn’t we? Interns can be a great resource and many companies eagerly await summer to tackle outlier projects. But you might want to think twice before you pile up that new summer intern’s plate with Facebook, Twitter, and full social media responsibility.
The bigger question is “who” should manage your social media presence. It’s not always an easy answer, especially when there are time and resource constraints. As a result, social media execution can sometimes fall too quickly, and too often, to interns – just check out craigslist to see what I mean.
Am I saying not to use interns in conjunction with your social media needs – no.
Can interns help to make social media implementation much more manageable – yes.
Can interns play a valuable role in execution of your strategy – of course.
What am I saying? I’m saying that it’s not necessarily in the best interest of your organization to hire an intern to develop, create, AND implement your social media program. As previously discussed, social media is a powerful channel due to many reasons, including its immediacy. Are you ready to hand over complete brand control, presence, and voice to an intern without a game plan?
Setting the stage. Make sure you setup a game plan ahead of time and that you’ve determined who will manage your online identity and accounts. That answer shouldn’t be “the intern”. Your intern or interns will help to support you, but shouldn’t be your primary go to (remember they are only available for a finite amount of time). A good exercise is to ask yourself the following questions:
Executing strategically. Interns should be utilized for execution, which means a strategy needs to already be in place. Your voice and brand is important, so much so, that it might not be wise to leave it solely to the digression of your interns. Even the best and brightest need assistance, education, and direction on how to effectively align the strategic needs of your organization. Interns come and go, but your product and/or service is here to stay. Promote sustainability and consistency by taking the time to execute wisely.
Ensuring value. Interns fit into a bigger resource management puzzle. Recently, I wrote a post for CurrentMom.com that focused on resource management and the importance of human capital. A piece of that post focused on intern compensation:
Please be sure that these are not one-way relationships: offer something valuable in return. That reward can take the shape of class credit, an hourly rate or a lump sum. A thoughtful internship review can be a wonderful reward and should be given to interns who meet or exceed expectation.
Promoting growth. Remember internships are supposed to be a learning opportunity. Help to foster an environment of learning. We’re all busy and interns help to make us a little less busy, but we need to remain mindful of why they are here in the first place – to learn. Too often we take interns for granted and miss out on igniting potential.
Quick tips: Take time to ensure that they understand your brand as well as your voice. Offer resources and opportunities for your interns to learn, not just about social media, but also about the industry, and your organization. Grow together through weekly check-ins. I personally like one-on-ones in tandem with a group format, if you have multiple interns. Encourage questions. How else are they going to improve? Besides, this is a great habit to encourage early on (in my opinion, not enough people ask questions).
Perhaps no surprise that Southwest serves as a great example. They are not just creating a job, but rather an entire experience that there interns will remember for the rest of their careers. We’d all like our interns to walk away singing our praises in such a way – and why can’t we.
These are tips that ring true, not just for a social media interns, but for any intern. Whether your coordinating a large intern effort through a formalized program or one off interns do so mindfully, strategically, and with both of your end goals in mind – you will ensure a better experience and higher reward for everyone involved.
There is a quite a bit of chatter about how companies should engage with online consumers within the social media space – including suggested service etiquette, rules of engagement, and how to simply listen effectively.
Social media has enabled a new channel for customer feedback. It’s more than just a one-way feedback opportunity, but rather the start of a two-way dialogue where the change process can be witnessed and the outcome quickly implemented. As a customer, how do we maximize this channel and these new dialogues to foster a valuable outcome?
Well, we could moan and vent about our frustrations via Twitter, Facebook or even Yelp, but does that offer workable substance. How is that productive? I mentioned in an old post that just because you have the means to tweet or voice your opinion online (and have a potential product/service grievance), doesn’t mean you should do so carelessly or without some thought to your desired resolution.
Samantha Ogborn wrote a great post, Social Media Karma: Why Your Voice Reigns that offers insight into how you (as a consumer) can effectively leverage and increase the value of your social media voice.
Collective responsibility: As Matt Cheuvront comments, constructive criticism is powerful. If we’re going to take the time to offer feedback, then we need to do so in a way that’s thoughtful and offers value. That’s the beauty of constructive criticism – it encourages us to offer suggestions in a manner that’s direct, constructive, and not accusatory. Rather than solely criticizing, it outline solutions and offers opportunities for improvement.
Note that while a tantrum might get attention, it doesn’t necessarily result in a positive outcome – no one really wins. Sometimes we need to take a deep breathe and think about the outcome we’d prefer. What do we want or need, why were we upset, and how could the party on the other end make it better? Better yet, how could the party on the other end make it better for everyone – not just for you?
My advice to companies: Continue to listen, but also do so with a curious and keen mind. Don’t assume that everything we, as customers, say is of value. We appreciate that you are starting to open yourself up to the good, the bad, and the ugly, but sometimes a rant is just a rant. Maybe there isn’t always something subliminally valuable within that tweet, post, or comment – anger and venting can’t always be translated or harnessed (even when it’s justified).
Earlier this week I complained about Apple’s unveiling of the new iPhone 4. Honestly, I was just complaining, really for the sake of complaining. As an Apple consumer, I have accepted that updates and shiner, new versions are par for the course with just about all Apple products. I’m sure my rant was picked up by someone at Apple, but my guess is that Apple will more likely act on actual constructive feedback from someone else, v. my quick fire love/hate of Apple remark.
We keep encourage companies to listen. Now let’s give them something worth listening to.
Image: red ears listened to the gods courtesy of uBookworm, Flickr
Yesterday I tweeted a resolution for June:
Part I, single-tasking.
Part II, 1 new post per week.
Part III, 2 comments per week.
The first of any month seems like an opportunity for renewal – June’s perfect for this. This is not the first time I’ve decided a revision was in order (here and here). I am, and probably will always be, undergoing a constant state of revision. It’s something I seek to do often. I find great value in personal reflection, growth, and development.
Right now I crave intellectual growth. These three particular resolutions are a start:
I. Single-tasking. With Lucy here, my time is increasingly precious and my need to be efficient and effective is critical. Multitasking simply does not work for me anymore – and perhaps it never really did. It leaves too many tasks, projects, and ideas open and usually incomplete. By single-tasking I am able to tackle one idea at a time. Focus on it, create it, and complete it with everything I have. As a result, I’m producing higher quality work and am able to be much more present to the process.
For more on single-tasking, I highly recommend the wisdom of Tim Walker:
II. One new post per week. It’s time to exercise my mind and tease out my ideas (it’s a bit cluttered up there at the moment). Blogging is how I’ve always done that. Recently circumstance and severe writer’s block have prevented me from doing so. The primary culprit – fear. More specifically, a fear of what others will think and of simply making a mistake. Though as I have learned from Sir Ken Robinson mistakes can lead to innovation and fear of them can only harm such creativity. It’s time to face my fears.
III. Two comments per week. Yes, comments. Do people still comment on blogs? They do. In fact, I love commenting and wish I did it more frequently, which is why it’s on the list. I’m sure folks think that there is better use of my time, but I find commenting very value. It’s an opportunity to stretch my own brain and enhance critical thinking skills (something that’s a proactive process for me personally). It’s also an awesome opportunity to engage with wonderfully bright individuals – and there are a ton of them out there.
There you have it. Resolutions aren’t just for the New Year. In fact, the summer is the perfect time to revise yourself, personally and professionally, even if it’s just for the season. What have you been meaning to do, revise, or change? What are you waiting for?
An expert [noun]: a person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area. [adjective]: having or involving such knowledge or skill.
There seems to be a number of self-proclaimed social media experts. The result is strategic confusion. Sadly, people and organizations in need are falling victim to misinformation. Sometimes unintentionally, and sometimes not.
Market your skill set honestly. I by no means would consider myself an expert really in anything at this stage in my career – still far too much to learn, experiences to be had and mistakes to be made. I believe I have a responsibility, which is to appropriately, and honestly, communicate my abilities, skills and knowledge. I’d like to believe we all have such a code.
I’m not here to point fingers. In fact, the responsibility is twofold. As entrepreneurs, small business owners, or large organizations it our responsibility to select the best candidate or candidates for the job. Typically our goal is to address knowledge gaps and fill areas of need that are perhaps beyond our own scope of experience.
Arm yourself with information. Just like with any employee hire or consultant contract make sure you take the time to better understand your candidate options. Don’t fall victim to buzzwords. Just because someone may know how to talk in social media speak doesn’t mean they are necessarily an expert.
Know your organization’s needs. Do you really need a social media expert? Do your homework ahead of time. Maybe the need is deeper than that. As an organization have you clearly mapped your goals, objectives and/or strategy? If not, then social media isn’t where you need to start.
There are people who I would consider experts. Individuals who are respected, offer wisdom by way of experiences and have the results to back it all up. More often than not I find that they are incredibly modest. They are busy doing rather than boasting or bragging. Instead the communities around them are helping them to build a credible reputation infused with collective confidence.
Expertise takes time to cultivate. Be willing, open and patient to learn from others.
Image: monster in a bag courtesy of arimoore, Flickr
At this stage in my life, freelancing offers me wonderful flexibility, but I learned that there are some unique challenges – especially when you’re pregnant. With no instructions or HR support I needed to create my own post-baby plan of attack.
It was important to tie up my work as well as set realistic expectations with clients and online networks. I needed to be detailed and meticulous as well as flexible, adaptable, and open to the unexpected changes that were no doubt around the corner. How can you create a success maternity leave that works for you:
Identify goals: What do you want your maternity leave to look like? Before I did any other work I needed to set goals. While I couldn’t account for everything, I knew that I wanted to spend as much time with my daughter as possible and check in routinely with my networks.
Define expectations: Length of leave? Once I identified my goals, I was better able to determine how long that leave should be. This also took into consideration what we could financially swing. Downside of a freelancer’s maternity leave – no maternity pay. Be realistic with your time, you’ll probably need more then you think.
Be transparent: I wanted to embrace my time off. It’s hard, but you are doing something amazing and deserve (and need) the break. This is where communication is critical. I made it clear that I’d be a bit MIA and posted occasional updates on my blog, via Twitter, LinkedIn, and sent out periodic emails to select people and clients.
Say no: This is the time to say “no” and do so with confidence. If you’re like me, this is not easy to do, but it’s so important. It will make you better able to focus on adjusting to your new life, tend to your own needs, and address priority items. I am still working on this area, but it’s been invaluable to say no.
Be flexible: As I mentioned before, allow for the unexpected. Planning is great and being as organized as possible going into your leave is a sanity saver, but be flexible and adaptable to the situation. My expectations going into my leave have at times been dramatically different than the reality. I continue to revise my goals and actively communicate the transition to my network.
Final advice, identify what you want out of your maternity leave and own it. This is a special time. Relish in it and be sure to give yourself a break. If you’re open and honest, then people around you (your networks, clients and peers) will be patient, flexible, and most importantly, supportive.
For me, it came down to a little soul searching and identification of personal and professional goals. I determined that my goal was to attain space and balance without become completely obsolete during my hiatus. How’d I do? Well, perhaps that’s not for me to answer, but for the folks around me to critique on.
Image: Lu
Introducing Lucille “Lucy” Rose Rhinesmith!
Lucy was born on March 6, 2010 at 8:34 PM, weighing in at 6 pounds 2 ounces and 18 1/2 inches. We are smitten with our newest addition!
To fully enjoy every moment I will be on maternity leave from all social networks (other than to gush over life as a new parent) and freelance work until early April mid May.
In the meantime, please feel free to check out past posts here at Left Behind Bottle Caps or contact me via DM or email to connect this spring.
Please note that the original post was updated on May 5, 2010.
Oh come on, we’ve all been there. You know, in one of those situations where you’re not quite on the same page as your client regarding next steps, a particular item and/or the way to achieve the primary project objectives. It happens to all of us.
So once it’s been determined that you and your client disagree, how do you move forward? Do you:
a.) Simply appease the client
b.) Stand your ground
c.) Find a happy medium
d.) End the project
e.) None of the above
Before reading any further, you have to understand that I am not of the school of thinking that the client is always right. However, I am not so vain to assume that I am always right, because I’m not. I’m of the frame of mind that successful relationships are rooted in how we choose to navigate these types of situations. They can be incredibly empowering and valuable to everyone involved.
Eye on the prize. What’s the end goal or intended outcome? Sometimes we get so caught up in how we’re going to get there that we fail to remember where we’re going. Refocusing on the end goal (or goals) can open the door to solutions or paths that we never even imagined. Being too focused on the “how” right up front can be incredibly harmful and misleading to a project. It causes us to unintentionally narrow our scope of thought and fail to identify all the factors that can cause change throughout the process.
Pick your battles wisely. There are times when you simply won’t agree with the client. Is it a small issue or a big one? Put the item in question into perspective. If it’s something small with minimal impact, then it may not be worth the headache. However, if it’s something big that could throw off the trajectory of the entire project, then it may be well worth digging in. Therefore, decide when it’s critical to not back down – and please make sure it’s always for the betterment of the project, and not your ego.
Mutual achievement and focus. Remember, beyond the actual end goal of the project, your client wants to succeed in an area where you can offer insight – and (I’m assuming) you want to see that client thrive as well. Even at the most frustrating and trying moments of a working relationship you have to take a step back and remember that you’re both focused on mutual gain. Therefore, work together to remain focused and achieve that mutual outcome.
Walk in their shoes. How you look at a particular item or problem may not be how your client sees that same situation. Take the time to ask questions and understand where their perceptions are coming from. Industry norms and corporate culture can play a huge role here. Being able to understand the ecosystem where your client works can foster a solution that takes into account other factors and preferences that scale well beyond your control.
Keep the lines of communication open. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, be sure to grab face time or pick up the phone. This is especially critical when you’ve found yourself in a disagreement with a client. Don’t go back and forth via email. Being aware of a brewing situation, taking the time to acknowledge the point of disagreement, and working towards a solution is incredibly poignant. Employing the tips above can further assist you in having a productive conversation with invaluable results.
My last word to the wise is – do your homework. Client unrest is normal, but make sure that you’re up front before they’ve become your client. Granted, we don’t always have a choice, but in cases when you do make sure to clarify expectations right from the get go. This will enable you to more effectively manage expectations throughout the relationship. The result is a healthier working relationship that can proactively manage disagreements and collectively work towards powerful solutions.
[Image: Dimbola Walk 004 Boat courtesy of Auntie P, Flickr]
