The art of business cards

I recently attended a reunion of of IBMers that I worked with over 20 years ago! Though many faces looked familiar (perhaps a little older), I’m thrilled everyone had name tags (with previous names if married, divorced, etc). Many had retired. A few had changed careers. Most still had careers at IBM. The group consisted of sales people, administrative people, and technical support.

I took this opportunity to watch how people networked. This was a great opportunity to rekindle relationships and find additional opportunties. I watched for:

1. How many people tried to talk to as many people as possible. Not many. Most talked to about 5 people out of the 162 that attended.
2. How many people talked about what they do before being asked. Most. I was the rare person that asked what others did and try to find a means of offering value first.
3. How many had non-traditional (boring) business cards? All but one…mine!
4. How many provided their business card without being asked. Most (even I made this mistake occasionally)
5. How many people walked away with something of value to pursue from someone else. Few. Not even a website, a book, or a contact for them to check out the next day.

Reunions are networking events. You never know who knows who. The goal of any networking event is to be remembered as a person of value to as many people as possible. You want to be someone that others talk about in a positive way (being remark-able).

To be remembered in a sea of re-connected individuals you need to be different in three ways:

• Talk to as many people as possible. I set a limit of spending 5 minutes with a person. If I recognized the person, I made sure I shook the person’s hand and introduced myself. I gracefully exited a conversation explaining that this is a GREAT networking event and that we should all talk to as many people as possible.
• Be a person of value first. I asked questions to uncover how I could HELP someone. I provided a lead to someone that he or she can check out when he or she gets home. The next day, I sent additional emails with additional information to be helpful.
• Be rememberable. I handed out the brightest business card I had (I have several different business cards to match the occasion and potential client). I didn’t hand a card out to all 162 people. I asked questions to see if I could be of value to him or her in the future or to someone he or she knew. The best way to hand out a business card is to be asked for one. Second best is to offer it. I never just handed the card to someone. (OK, I did once to someone that knew that I was being trained by a guru he knew.)

 

I never knew how to handle networking events when I worked for IBM. Now, I have a game plan. One that requires me to see who is attending, google specific people, identify ways to help BEFORE I walk in the door. Now I have business cards that stand out, I talk with people for about 5-10 minutes max, and I listen for opportunties to provide value first. Now…I’m memorable and remark-able.

Where did I learn these skills? From Jeffrey Gitomer and his Little Black Book of Connections. In fact, it was he that suggested the design for this business card…

Managing Yourself

Harvard Business Review magazine had an article titled Managing Yourself: Why You didn’t Get That Promotion by John Beeson (June 2009). The higher you go, the decisions for promotion become more subjective. The core selection criteria are based more about the soft skills than process and technical skills.

Here are John Beeson’s Key Factors in Executive Career Advancement…where do you fit?

Nonnegotiables (Factors that are absolutely necessary for you to be a contender):

• Demonstrating consistently strong performance
• Displaying ethics, integrity, and character
• Being driven to lead and to assume higher levels of responsibility

Deselection Factors (Characteristics that prevent you from b eing considered as a serious candidate):

• Having weak interpersonal skills
• Treating others with insensitivity or abrasiveness (let me add not being respectful of the business community)
• Putting self-interest above company good
• Holding a narrow, parochial perspective on the business and the organization

Core Selection Factors (Capabilities that breed others’ confidence in your ability to succeed at the senior executive level):

• Setting direction and thinking strategically; spotting marketplace trends and developing a winning strategy that differentiates the company
• Building and continually upgrading a strong executive team; having a “nose for talent”; establishing an adequate level of team cohesion
• Managing implementation without getting involved at too low a level of detail; defining a set of roles, processes, and measures to ensure that things get done reliably
• Building the capacity for innovation and change; knowing when new ways of doing business are required; having the courage, tolerance for risk, and change-management skills to bring new ideas to fruition
• Getting things done across internal boundaries (lateral management); demonstrating organization savvy; influencing and persuading colleagues; dealing well with conflict
• Growing and developing as an executive; soliciting and responding to feedback; adjusting leadership style in light of experience

For all those independent consultants feeling down

Knowledge Management Symposium

A colleague that I respect very much is chairing the Knowledge Management Symposium.

Here is the information …

~~~~~~~~~~

One of the most significant issues facing organizations everywhere is the loss of organizational knowledge. People are retiring, moving to new positions or changing jobs. When you add to that the business complexity of new technology, changing markets, globalized economies and challenging finances, the result is threatening the existence of many organizations.

Knowledge Management focuses directly on how to establish a culture of knowledge transfer, retention and use. For the past four years, Tulsa has hosted a conference that examines the synergies between Knowledge Management and naturally occurring projects. The Knowledge and Project Management (KPM) Symposium has become the premier event of its type.

The University of Oklahoma Tulsa Campus will host the 2009 edition on August 12 and 13. Exciting keynote speakers will open each day, followed by speaker tracks that feature Knowledge Management Foundations, Project Management Foundations and Innovation. The afternoon sessions will pursue advanced presentations on Project Management, Knowledge Management and a special blended PM/KM track that explains how some organizations are taking advantage of what we have learned so far.

This is a year to “Make it Real, Take it Home.” The entire focus of the conference is how you can use the concepts presented in the conference. Each lunchtime will offer attendees a chance to join with others to discuss challenging, real-world problems. Topic leaders will report back to the total group at the close of the second day in a Knowledge Café. The first afternoon ends with a round table discussion on how to overcome the fear, real or imagined, that some people have when asked to share what they know.

It is my honor to co-chair and act as moderator for this conference. I have participated with two dozen people for the past six months as we planned this event. I promise you, this is this finest list of speakers I have seen assembled for a conference of this type. A tentative schedule is posted on the http://www.kipanet.org website. We have finalized almost all of the speaker slots and are working on the final line-up. Updates are being made to the conference daily.

Early registration for both days of the conference is $200 for PMI and KIPA members, $250 for others. Special pricing is available for retirees and active students. We also have a corporate registration plan for any company planning to send more than 5 people to the event. Contact me if you are interested in this program and become a conference sponsor for the discounted price of group registrations.

Whether you are a practitioner, manager, executive or educator, this conference has something for you. It is jointly sponsored by the Tulsa Project Management Institute (PMI) Chapter, the Knowledge and Information Professionals Association (KIPA), the University of Oklahoma, University of Tulsa and Oklahoma State University.

I speak at many conferences during the year. None have the significance of topic and depth of expertise you will find at the 2009 KPM Symposium. I have attached the conference flyer. Please forward this on to other people you believe might be interested. You are also welcome to print it off and display it in an appropriate area at your business.

If you have any questions or observations, feel free to contact me at the number listed below or by sending me an email. I hope to see you at the Schusterman Learning Center in August.

Chuck Tryon

Tryon and Associates

918.455.3300

www.TryonAssoc.com

How many great minds does it take to change a culture?

Each of us can make a small change. The sum of which may change the course of the company. That is the key to successful business change…to change corporate direction or to change the underlying business model. It may start with a single idea initiated by one person. Someone that is willing to take the risk to make that change. Someone that is willing to try to be the unicorn in the balloon factory (one of my favorite lines from Seth Godin’s Tribes).

The original idea rarely gets implemented as is. It is tweeked by many individuals, all with great minds, that has a specialty in something slightly different. Then it takes effort to work with the existing people to change the status quo, to inspire a change in attitude, to motivate people to want to make the change.

If you want change in your department or you want to use technology that will change the underlying business model, find other great minds to help you tweak and sell your ideas to the masses. Other great minds will help you see if you have countervailing ideals that are preventing long-term success. Expect delays; especially if you are forcing a new way of thinking or doing. Be patient and willing to tweak.

Want more great ideas on how to make change…one step at a time…read The Blue Sweatehr by Jacqueline Novogratz.

Who are you tweeting…well?

A classic mistake so many people make is assuming that everyone want’s to know everything about you. You tweet multiple times a day putting your name in front of followers as a form of tickling them that you exist. You are providing information that is about you without adding value to your followers.

Make sure you are providing sweet tweets:

• Don’t mix personal tweets with business tweets:

1. Set up different twitter identities 
2. IM/text a group for tailored announcements if you only want one twitter identity
3. Think about what you are tweeting and who needs to know
4. Think about what value you are providing your followers with every tweet

• Provide information that:

1. people need to know
2. can use now
3. help them make choices for them
4. he or she finds valuable enough to share (and spread)

Tweeting quotes or ideas multiple times a day is risky. Tweets interrupt. Imagine someone receiving them continually on his/her phone. Wouldn’t that annoy you?

Even if he or she signs on to look at tweets, would seeing a list of quotes really be of value? Sure, it puts your name in front of him or her…but what he or she is thinking is “do I really need to see all this now?”

Tweeting for the sake of tweeting is a very dangerous approach to building a following. Remember, no one cares about you…he or she cares about what you can do for him or her ONLY.

If you tweet just to tweet multiple times a day…you are doing nothing more than creating a lot of noise. Your followers will start to ignore you totally.

Do you Tweet?

The new KISS

I read in an article that KISS is the current term for Keep It Super Short (though I do believe that Keep It Simple Stupid still apply).

In the Twitterverse, people want to explain everything in 140 characters. That isn’t always useful. It leads to someone wanting more (or it should) so the reader will go to a blog to read more.

A blog post is typically 225–350 words. Enough to expand on the 140 characters. Enough to make one point or tell one story. Yet, not always enough to express a story and explain an action plan. So, the reader wants a bit more and will read (hopefully) the eZine that is issued on a regular basis.

An eZine or printed article is typically 750–1500 words. Here, the reader should get more than the soundbite of 140 characters, a deeper understanding of the scope than the 250 word blog post and more action ideas in an article. It still isn’t enough if someone wants to master the skill.

If you have intrigued the reader to want more detailed information on how to apply information to their own life, the reader will look for a book on the topic (hopefully yours) in printed or electronic (Kindle) version.

• Information can be quickly provided in bitsize nuggets…provided it can be described in 140 characters.
• If it intrigues, the information can be translated into a story…provided it can be described in 250 words.
• Information+story can only provide enough knowledge to be useful if more detailed on how can be provided…and described in about 1000 words.
• Knowledge can only become wisdom with multiple examples, sticky stories, bitesize nuggets of useful actions and ideas to help people experience…a book.

You can’t get wisdom from tweets. You can’t get knowledge. All you can get is information. It is up to you to continually provide valuable information for people to want more. If you don’t, your tweets will be considered noise and soon be ignored…stopping the progression to reading more to learn…and obtain wisdom.

Are you intriging your readers to follow you from information to wisdom?

Are you Optimistic About Your Future?

If the answer is Yes…GREAT! You are on the path to a great future (yes, even better than you have now).

If the answer is No…Why Not? Everything changes. It is up to you (not your boss, not your project, not the economy) to make it better. In bad times it is important to remain optimistic about your own future. Know that only you can change the status quo. Know that if you change one small thing, you can have a great impact on your future. During tough times, it is important to start sharpening your knives for the future. Learn something new. Practice and be ahead of the pack when opportunities strikes.

If the answer is Not Sure…you are no better than those that answer “no.” Your belief system in yourself is stalled. You are not preparing yourself when opportunities arise. It’s been said many times in many ways…Success is when opportunity meets preparedness. Unfortunately, you don’t prepare unless you are optimisitic about your abilities and your future.

Nothing great ever happens without optimism. It is the sign of how you view yourself and your ability to succeed. Lack of optimism are roadblocks to success. People gravitate to those that are optimistic. If you are a whiner, you will be blocked from associating with the positive group.

Before you can be optimistic about your future, you have to be optimistic about yourself

• You can learn something new to aid in your success at any time in your life.
• You can meet new people and begin a successful relationship at any time in your life.
• You can learn from failures that will help you succeed on the next venture.

How optimistic are you about your future? It depends on how optimisitic you are about yourself…find out your score by reading Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Gold Book of  YES!Attitude. This book helps you define and improve your believe in yourself.

Is Twitter Useful?

Jim MacLennan (you can follow him on twitter) wrote an interesting post last month on the Five Stages of Twitter. His stages included:

How exactly do I understand Twitter and it’s relevance to my work day?

1. Pointless: This has absolutely no value add, a complete waste of time – get back to work!
2. Cute: An interesting and different communication medium, but I gotta get back to work. Maybe over lunch …
3. Web-Based Texting: Conversations about nothing in particular, but at least you’re starting to connect. Not sure how it is better than IM, but some don’t even use that …
4. A Cocktail Party (or maybe the corner bar): Twitter is filled with cliques that are easy to eavesdrop / butt in on – a chance to develop your skills and awareness, and engage larger, targeted networks with pointed conversations about specific topics that I deal with every day. But no pressure, we’re just hanging out ..
5. A Community: Like a trade group, guild, or local Chamber of Commerce, one that requires and rewards participation. At this highest level, Twitter is both a source and a use of awareness, knowledge and understanding; conversations are multi-directional, real business value is being generated.

My recommendation: If you don’t have something that adds value…don’t tweet. Make a separate tweet id to reflect the different audiences. Family notes should not be mixed with business notes even if your family is a family-run business. Keep them separated so readers can remain focused.

Make a separate twitter id specifically focusing on your business community separate from the project team. Use twitter to build your personal trust with them by providing quick tips daily that will help save them time! Over time, they your following will grow and so will your career options.

BTW, follow thoughttrans on twitter for quick inspirational ideas to build a better relationship with your business users.