What People Want

What do customers, friends, the socially networked, users, neighbors, classmates, servers, administrators, employees… maybe even brands… want?

notice me
like me
touch me
do what I say
miss me if I’m gone

The above blog was written by Seth Godin, Saturday, May 14, 2011.  I thought about this and how it applies to leadership and the most impactful way to treat people. The following are my thoughts and expansion on what Seth wrote.  

As a leader, it is imperative that you constantly feed your staff.  They want to hear it from YOU!

Notice me – acknowledge me when I do something right and value what I bring to this company

Like me – smile, ask about ME, get to know me, ask me what I do when I am not at work

Touch me – send note cards with acknowledging and supportive comments, connect with the heart

Do what I say – ask for my suggestions and take action on some of my suggestions

Miss me if I am gone – always acknowledge the strengths a person has brought to the organization

All of your staff like to be “touched” by you.  Not in the physical sense of course!  In the heart.  You as the leader, have the “magic touch” to motivate, inspire, grow and develop your staff.  That means they want to hear it from YOU, you personally, in some way.

DO SOMETHING TODAY, to acknowledge and “touch” your staff.

Write a Resume That Gets a Response!

I was recently working with a client helping her with her resume. I did some research on today’s market and writing effective resumes. Here is some of the information and tips I found.

Research shows that for the average employer, only 1 interview is generated per 200 resumes. Resumes are quickly scanned in 10 to 20 seconds, so you must make a strong impression at first glance.

Write powerful but, subtle advertising copy. You are selling/advertising…YOU! People more often buy the best advertised product, not necessarily the best product.

Focus on the employer first. Get clear on what the employer is looking for and what you have to offer before you begin your resume. Ask yourself: What makes me a great candidate for this job?

Because your resume is being scanned, you must grab the reader right away in the top half of the first page of your resume. Write a powerful Objective! You want the first sentence of your objective to convey “I want exactly the job you are offering!” I am an excellent candidate because I recognize the qualities that are important to you, and I have them! Communicate that you want to make a contribution to the company. This area will either make you or break you! The first few lines are extremely important. You want it to have same result as a well written ad: to get the reader to respond!

In the first section you want to make assertions about your achievements, abilities and qualities. Write powerful and honest advertising copy that makes the reader immediately get present and realize you are someone special!
The second section is where you back up your assertions with evidence of what you have done, by listing and describing the jobs you have done and your quantifiable results.

If you are applying for several positions, you should have a resume that speaks to each position. If you are making a career change or have limited work experience, you want the reader to focus on where you are going, your goals and how that would benefit that company.

Good Luck!

“Bodaciously” Blogging!

I recently went to a workshop called “How to Build a Bodacious Blog” with Laura Benjamin as our “Social Media Coach”.  I highly recommend you check her out at www.LauraBenjamin.com.  Laura takes social media and makes it user friendly, fun and effective!

I have had this blog since 2008, and each year I have set a goal to write once a month…I have not yet made that goal, although this year is looking really good! One of my challenges is that this thing called blogging has been a bit intimidating to me.  I can write, I love to write, I also enjoy what I write….so what is the challenge?  Well, for me, it is simply signing onto the “Dashboard” of my blog and as Nike would say “DO IT!” 

Here are 10 tips I learned at this workshop:

1. Know who your market is (who will read your blog)
2. “Prime Real Estate” is located at the top of your blog (they call it “above the fold”, which means the fold is the bottom of the computer screen)
3. Benefits of a blog:

• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Promotion
• Interviews from Media/Press
• Attract Speaking Engagements
• Sell Products (EBook)
• Train people to look at your blog for featured products
• Position yourself as an expert

4.  How to start a blog: 

• www.wordpress.com (free)
• www.typepad.com (for a fee)
• www.blogger.com (free)

5.  Keep a copy of the blogs you write on your computer

6.  The difference between Tags and Categories

• Tags:  Tips on, How to, Skills for, etc.
• Categories:  Leadership, Coaching, Productivity, Professional Speaking, Training

7.  Types of Blog Posts

• List style (10 steps to, 6 Skills for)
• Series Style (Part 1, 2, 3, all separate blogs)
• Video Links (You Tube)
• Pictures (use a picture for a theme)
• Favorite Movies, Books, Articles (write about your favorite)
• Analogies
• Interviews
• Joke, Poem (comment on the joke or poem)
• Current Events (write your view)
• Recipes

8.  Develop a list of 100 titles for Blogs

• create 20 topics
• categorize them

9.  Keep your blogs to approximately 250 words, uh oh this one is already over 300!

10.  Analogy to understand terms

• Hosting: is “the land“, (www.GoDaddy.com) 
• Application:  Provides the structure for your blog (www.wordpress.com)
• Domain: Physical address for your blog ((www.GoDaddy.com)

After this workshop, I made the leap, as Laura would say and went to GoDaddy.com for a website/blog that in one day I had up and running…check it out:  www.MargueriteHam.com I built that all by myself (and I am not a ”techy” type of person)!   Thank You Laura Benjamin, this was a worthwhile investment!  Can’t wait for your next workshop!