Social Selling with The Eagles – Already Gone by Mike O’Neil
Integrated Alliances
Social Selling with The Eagles – Already Gone
by MIKEONEIL on AUGUST 22, 2014 · 0 COMMENTS
in LINKEDIN,MARKETING,SOCIAL SELLING
Social Selling is about many things. But first and foremost it is about getting attention and keeping their interest – what people see and read. It is about relationship building and this article deals with the start of many of those relationships.
Sorry to say this, but your profile might be killing business prospects and you may not even know it. Visitors come to your profile and they might be “already gone”. Why is this and what can you do about it?
Visitors may be coming to your LinkedIn profile and they just don’t like what they see. They jump for the back button. You’ve lost them. You may never know it or why – unless you get help. They come, they go and you may not even know (OK, I made a rhyme, but you expected something musical, right?)
Look at “whose visited your profile” and see who this is. It’s a great place for finding leads and it’s a place that shows you who is NOT reaching out.
One simple way to begin improving upon your “click off rate” is to ask others to take a critical look at your profile. And ask them for suggestions. Have them specifically look at the areas listed below so you can focus their attention. Be sure to do a decent sample size (5+ people), start making some changes based on what they say.
When people land on your LinkedIn profile they see a few things right away. They might hit the back button. That’s bad. Or they might move their heads a little closer to the screen (good) based on what they see when they get there. It’s that first 3-6 seconds that makes you or breaks you and it’s like with a web site. So, are you pulling them in or pushing them away?
Let’s dive in a bit and see if we can improve upon a bit…
Some help with pulling them in
The primary things that will affect how you are “viewed” are:
LinkedIn photo
Headline text
Current job titles & employer names (up to 3)
Past job titles & employer names (up to 3)
Education
LinkedIn profile URL
Location
Industry
Posts
Summary
Header image (Premium Account holders only)
LinkedIn profile photo
Your LinkedIn photo is the VISUAL welcome mat on your profile and it is SUPER important, worthy of a post all to itself. You can sure bet we will be doing a special post on this topic. This photo should be of you and you only. There is much that can be done to pull in viewers. My all means make it attractive and make it stand out.
Your profile photo is the center piece of your profile AND is what people see of you whenever you appear anywhere on LinkedIn. This can be in lists, in messages, in posts and much more.
LinkedIn profile headline text
Your headline text is the TEXTUAL welcome mat on your profile and it is equally important. The reasons are 2-fold. First is what people see (read) and that’s critical. What message are you putting in front of them? There are lots of strategies here. And I will explore them just a little bit. Once again, this is the subject of an article all to itself and you can expect an article dedicated to this coming from us in the future.
Second is what the search engines see. The text you put are tracked by both the LinkedIn search engine and external search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. They all (rightfully) assume that this text is the most important things on your profile. For starters, think about including keywords and some type of a value statement. Here is mine for example:
Forbes Top 50 Award Winner ♦ Social Selling Speaker, Trainer, Author, Expert, Futurist ♦ I help sales teams make quota!
Current job titles and company name
The job title and company name text that appears for each position appears in clear view to all visitors. LinkedIn show up to 3 entries from your pool of “current” jobs. There are lots of strategies on what to do here as well. No matter what, make sure you think about how they appear at the top of your profile as much as you think about how they look down below. The search engines also value this information. Think about keywords that you want to be associated with in your job titles and spice it up a little bit. For example:
► Integrated Alliances LinkedIn Training and Sales Training, ► Integrated Alliances Social Media Speakers, ► NewGen Broadcasting – WebmasterRadio.FM
Past job titles and company name
Just below your current job entries are the 3 PAST job entries and it too appears in clear view to all visitors. Perhaps you can make those past positions look nice and attractive as well. Here is mine:
► Internap Network Systems, ► Cable & Wireless Global | SAVVIS, ► US West | USWest | U S West
Education
You can display one education entry in this area and you can control which one it is. Pick one that shows you off best or that is most genuine and move it around so it appears here. It might take several iterations. If you have a real degree and took a class at a local community college most recently and have that listed, pick the better of the two.
LinkedIn Profile URL
The LinkedIn profile URL is much more subtle than the previous items I have presented. Everyone has one of these and it’s just a matter of whether you figured out how to change it or not. When you have the default URL with random characters appended to your name it shows a lack of detail that visitors may think applies to your work as well. Be sure to give yourself a nice custom profile URL that makes you look as intelligent as you are.
Location
The importance of this is subtle although there are indeed some good strategies for it. For example, I live in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The city is a cool place with a vibrant business community and lots of great live rock and roll music. Yet, most people don’t know where it is other than “somewhere in Minnesota”. Fortunately, LinkedIn lets me pick the larger nearby city instead and I choose to do so (Greater Minneapolis-St Paul Area). I look more ready for business being in a big city vs. a small one.
Industry
For many there are options to be had with your industry. If you do marketing for an aerospace firm should select Marketing or Aerospace or something for your industry? Give it some thought for attracting people and enticing them to stay on your profile a little longer. Look at what others are doing, both in your firm and in similar positions at other firms to get a perspective. On another note, your employer may have a standard or may want to implement a standard.
LinkedIn articles and posts
LinkedIn implemented a sophisticated content publishing platform a while back. And they launched it first with a select group of individuals. This is now open to everyone and it’s a terrific way to get attention of your target market and jazz up your profile. I am doing just that here with this post for example. Make sure you include a good looking, relevant picture in your post. So that picture will appear on your profile and encourage people to hang out a little longer. How is this for standing out a bit?
LinkedIn profile summary
Getting a little further down we get to your summary and, in particular, the TOP of your summary. Pay some extra attention to the first sentence and the first paragraph. Greet profile visitors with a “virtual handshake” and thank them for stopping by. The profile summary is the single most important piece of “larger” text field you have on ALL of LinkedIn. Make it count.
LinkedIn profile header image (premium account holders)
In May 2014, LinkedIn added a full width header image that has long been included with Facebook, Twitter, web sites and blogs. This is the NEW way to really impress visitors and draw them in. In the same month, I wrote a popular LinkedIn article about this feature with over 20,000 views to date.
The Eagles Already Gone song trivia and links
“Already Gone” was a huge hit for the Eagles but it is not a true “Eagle song” in the purest sense of the word. This song was written by Jack Tempchin and Robb Strandlund, who were good friends of the band. Tempchin sent an early version of the song to Glenn Frey who had just come out of a personal relationship and the lyrics really clicked with him. Frey sings the lead vocals while he and Don Felder do the nifty twin guitar solos that complete the song.
The Eagles (mostly Frey and Henley) had a falling out with Johns over the way he handled the recording sessions and the band was seeking a new producer. Bill Szymczyk was subsequently contacted about the role, but he wouldn’t take the job until he cleared it with Glyn Johns. Call it a combination of background check and professional courtesy. Szymczyk got the OK and he brought the band to his LA recording studio to actually cut the record.
This was also one of the first songs that the Eagles recorded for the On The Border LP with their new producer Bill Szymczyk. The band’s first 2 albums were recorded in London with famed British producer Glyn Johns (Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones).
See the song lyrics and view the YouTube video.
Author: mikeoneil (83 Posts)
@MikeONeilRocks ♫ The LinkedIn Rockstar ♫ #RockTheWorld Author & Radio Host | #LinkedIn Sales Trainer | #SocialMedia Speaker Authority Visionary Celebrity ♫ klas-ik-rokr’/ ♫ Interested in Rocking LinkedIn? Free Training Here: http://RockLinkedIn.com
Tagged as: classic rock, eagles, Mike O’Neil, Social Selling, the eagles, the linkedin rockstar, Training
73% Of U.S. Adults Use Social Networks, Pinterest Passes Twitter In Popularity, Facebook Stays On Top
Very interesting information about the current and future direction of our major social media networks…..
Six Ways to Cure Writers Block From the Pros … From INC.
People are writing more than ever. Emails, tweets, posts, and blogs fill our world and take priority over phone and face-to-face conversations. And now, with content marketing becoming more and more critical to growth, good writing is likely the most important communication skill you can master if you want to be successful in business. Most of you have to write something important, sometime. So you sit down, flip open the laptop and…freeze. Whether it’s caused by panic or lack of organization, or if you just get stuck, writer’s block can be painful and frustrating. Somehow you need to find the find the muse after she has run off.
My best friends for solving writers block are sleep, exercise, and web-surfing. Most of the time, if I am blocked, it’s because my brain is simply exhausted. A good night’s sleep or even a short nap will help the synapses start firing again. If that doesn’t work, I head out for a 5k run or a long paddle in the kayak. The scenery inspires me, and those extra endorphins get my brain moving. On one 10k run I came up with 14 column ideas, enough for a whole month. I had to repeat the titles in my head in order so I could remember and write them down when I got home. My last resort is surfing the Web. Reading other people’s writing is usually enough to give me the angle I needed to get going.
I usually start with a glass of red wine and read columns from my smart Inc. colleagues, who generously share their writer’s block remedies here.
1. Know it or postpone it.
Never sit down hoping you’ll “discover” a great topic. You might discover a neat way to bring a great topic to life…but you’ll never dream one up by staring at a blank screen. If I can’t write 600 to 800 words in 25 minutes, then I haven’t figured out what I want to say.
Always know what you want to say and have a framework for how you want to say it before you start. And if you find yourself struggling partway through, put it away for later and turn to another idea. Time heals all blocks. –Jeff Haden, Owner’s Manual
Want to read more from Jeff? Click here.
2. Conquer the fear.
I believe most writer’s block doesn’t come from lack of inspiration. If you’ve sat down to write something, chances are you have something to say. The real problem is fear–fear that what you write will be ridiculed, or simply won’t meet your own high standards.
My secret for overcoming that fear (yes, professional writers have it, too) is to put words down with a serious lack of commitment. This is what I’m writing as if it were my real work, but it’s not, I’m going to change it later. Even if you do write something awful, once it’s written, you will likely see how to make it better. –Minda Zetlin, Start Me Up
Want to read more from Minda? Click here.
3. Move the project aside.
As a full-time writer, I cannot afford to get writer’s block. However, when writing on a particular project becomes a slog (which it sometimes does), I have found the best cure is to put that project aside for a little bit and work on something–anything–else. Switching projects lets me re-find my rhythm and start moving forward again. After a while, I’m then able to return to the original project with a clear head, which snaps me out of whatever it was that was slowing me down in the first place. –Peter Economy, The Management Guy
Want to read more from Peter? Click here.
4. Don’t force it.
When your muse is playing hard to get do what I do: Give up. Well, not entirely, just for a brief time. You don’t have to force creativity, because once given a mission, your subconscious mind will work relentlessly to produce exactly what you’re looking for. Why not take the pressure off, and let it do the work? Try shifting gears; relax and the creativity will flow in its own time. I find success in a brief meditation, a relaxing stroll in the yard, or a workout. This process of relinquishing control rarely lets me down, yet the ease of it all never ceases to amaze me. –Marla Tabaka, The Successful Soloist
Want to read more from Marla? Click here.
5. Get out of the office.
When I am stuck or have writer’s block, the best remedy is to get out of the office and attend an event or my local Toastmaster’s meeting. Listening to someone present or watching a panel always sparks several ideas for potential starting points for my own content.
I purposefully look for events that are outside my typical area of focus. Listening to a speech on grilling, a presentation on how to grow a garden, or what it takes to learn how to be on a rowing team gives me a different perspective and starts my creative juices flowing. I walk out of an event with three or more topics that can further explored and applied to my area of expertise. –Eric Holtzclaw, Lean Forward
Want to read more from Eric? Click here.
6. Just start writing.
Writer’s block can be paralyzing! Trust me: I’ve published three books and 300 articles and I’ve probably had 3,000 cases of writer’s block along the way. I’ve learned that the only true solution for me is to just start writing. I might literally be writing gibberish–but soon enough, it will turn into editable writing, and one day a finished product. It’s all about the start. –Dave Kerpen, Likeable Leadership
Want to read more from Dave? Click here.
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LAST UPDATED: AUG 7, 2014
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KEVIN DAUM | Columnist
An Inc. 500 entrepreneur with a more than $1 billion sales and marketing track record, Kevin Daum is the best-selling author of Video Marketing for Dummies and the executive producer of Amilya! on 77WABC New York.
The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.
8 Things Really Efficient People Do
8 Things Really Efficient People Do BY KEVIN DAUM
Everyone wants more time. Efficiency is one way of adding minutes or hours to your day. Here are eight tips effectively used by the most efficient.
Most everyone would like to be more efficient. Just think, you would spend less time doing the things that you don’t enjoy and more on the things that bring satisfaction, happiness and profit. Some people are actually very adept at efficiency. They manage every manageable moment so they have more time for themselves to do the things they love. Here are eight techniques efficient people use to gain that freedom.
1. Stop Multitasking
Many people fool themselves into thinking they are good at multitasking. But actually very few can solidly focus on more than 1 or two tasks, particularly if they require focus and depth. They fool themselves into believing they are getting more done when in reality they are accomplishing less and the quality of the work is poor. Really efficient people know that concentrated effort with few distractions leads to better work product in faster times. Otherwise the work may not be up to par, which means wasting even more time and energy going back to fix the mistakes.
2. Delegate
So much productivity is lost when people take on more than they can accomplish. Don’t be inspired by CEOs and leaders who overload their schedules and burn the midnight oil. Really efficient people are extremely good at delegating tasks to others who will perform them better. When you know how to break down a task and empower others to contribute effort, you can choose the tasks most suited for you and crank through them in record time without distraction.
3. Use Appropriate Communication
Poor communication is a huge time-waster. A fast email transmitting bad instructions or an offensive attitude can end up adding many unnecessary hours to a project. The masters of efficiency take a little extra time to think through their communication in the beginning. They consider their objectives when deciding to get on the phone. They craft their emails with purpose using the exact language necessary to get the desired effect. It takes a little more time at the beginning but can actually shave days from a project.
4. Apply Structure to the Schedule
With all the available scheduling and productivity tools you would think more people would feel they have a handle on their schedule. And yet often people feel their schedule drives them instead of the other way around. Efficiency fanatics create standard routines in their schedule so they can achieve a disciplined approach and be ready for the important events. The more you control the calendar, the easier it is to make room for the unexpected.
5. Give Everything a Proper Place
A lot of time is wasted chasing down lost items. Keys, pens and clothing hunts can cause distraction and frustration, especially when you have something important to do or somewhere important to be. People get really efficient from being organized. Establish a home for all the items you have. Factories that practice LEAN create common homes for necessary tools of the trade. You can do the same. Organize clothes, papers and electronics in a way that you can easily find what you are looking for. It may take you a few extra minutes to put things away but you’ll save a ton of time and irritation from having to search for what’s important.
6. Time Activities
Do you really know how much time you spend productively versus how much time you waste? I often know that I am talking on the phone with someone who takes efficiency seriously because they tell me when the call is almost over. Efficient people set a time for each of their tasks and work to keep the schedule. Try logging your time on conversations and activities for a week. Then spend the next week setting specific times for similar activities and work to reduce the times with similar output. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the gains.
7. Commit to Downtime
Tired and overworked people don’t perform well. People pleasers will sacrifice their own downtime thinking they are benefitting others, but in truth they detract from productivity. Really efficient people make sure they get rest and recuperation so they can perform at their peak. Since one amazing employee can do the work of three average employees, best to let the team rest up and be top performers.
8. Plan Projects
Effort is often wasted when people don’t have a clear path to success. Impatience is the direct enemy of efficiency. Really efficient people know they must take the time to research and break down a project into basic steps in order to achieve success consistently. Yes, planning takes a little time. But considering the challenges, process and responsibilities in advance will make for clear direction with the team. With good communication everyone can move confidently and efficiently to achieve all the objectives in record time.
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An Inc. 500 entrepreneur with a more than $1 billion sales and marketing track record,KEVIN DAUM is the best-selling author of Video Marketing for Dummies.
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6 New Rules for the Modern Job Search
6 New Rules for the Modern Job Search
Posted on September 12, 2013 by Rich Grant
Last week, a recent college graduate sent me her resume to get my input. As a journalism student who majored in advertising, she’s looking for jobs where creativity is key.
Overall, her resume nailed it: unique and a bit edgy. To the traditional resume reader, this resume would drive them nuts! However, because it breaks a few rules of resumes, it stands out from all the rest.
One thing she did, which is considered a “no-no” by resume experts: she used “I”.
Given the layout and creativity that went into this resume, the fact that she used “I” did not detract from her marketing document… to me, anyway. Yet we know that some resume reviewer at some old-school company might put her resume in the “no” pile for that one issue. What a shame.
Upon reflecting on this, it occurred to me that there are a lot of “rules” about resumes, letters, networking and job search in general that really should be thrown out in today’s digitally-driven job market. So here are my “new rules for the job search”:
Content Is King (or Queen)
The new rule dictates that you must give high priority to the content and relevance of a resume – and not have a hissy fit if someone gets creative or breaks a silly rule, like using “I.”
I will admit: I am one of those people who has pitched such fits in the past. I am a picky editor and believe in following style guides and conventions. However, let’s allow creativity into the realm of resumes, including (gasp) pictures and images, as long as we have a common understanding: the most important aspect of a resume is that it demonstrates the individual has the knowledge, skills, abilities, attributes and background that are relevant to the company or specific role within the organization.
It’s OK to Talk About Salary
There’s a current “rule” that spanks job seekers for bringing up salary. It’s forbidden to ask about salary too early on in the process. The new rule ponders why job seekers would even have to ask in the first place. The new rule dictates that employers must post a salary range in all job postings. And until that happens, the new rule says it’s acceptable to ask an employer the salary range before you apply.
“When hiring teams and candidates avoid dialogue about pay expectations during the hiring process, they miss an easy opportunity to confirm that the organization’s appetite to pay matches the job seeker’s financial needs,” says Chris Fleek, director of HR services at Octane Recruiting. “If there is no common ground then any time spent discussing that particular role is wasted.” Bringing up the topic of salary does not mean that you are only concerned about money. It means that you do not want to waste your time and theirs for a “vice president” job that pays $40,000 a year. Adds Chris, “Shouldn’t all involved want to make that determination as early as possible?”
Redefining the “Informational Interview”
I love informational interviews and highly recommend that every college junior and senior set upat least three informational interviews before they graduate. As a student, it’s the perfect time. Working professionals will absolutely give you the time of day, and as a student, you truly are seeking information and can benefit immensely from it. The problem is the “walking on eggshells” aspect of the info interview with rules such as “don’t give him your resume” or “don’t ask about jobs at his company.”
The new rule dictates that we will replace the term “informational interview” with “exploratory meeting.” First of all, let’s take the word “interview” right out of it, and by saying “exploratory,” it opens up the option to discuss job openings.
Nevertheless, that discussion still need to happen in a subtle way when the time is right, but let’s stop being coy with the whole informational interview process and stop pretending that the job seeker is really just on a quest for information.
“Overqualified” is Not a Bad Thing
As someone who’s over 40 (OK, you got me… I can hardly remember my 40th birthday), I’ve lost out on job offers to candidates in their early 30s. Why is experience a bad thing? Does the hiring manager, who might be younger, lack confidence? Does he or she think I’ll come in and try to take over? Do I want more money? There’s only one way to find out… pick up the phone.
The new rule dictates that HR and hiring managers must not make assumptions about candidates who are fully qualified to do the job. They must clear up any misconceptions and misgivings by making a ten-minute phone call.
Unemployed Does Not Equal Damaged Goods
As someone who’s alternated between management positions and unemployment a couple of times since 9/11, I sense a bias against unemployed people. Most of the time, it’s not overt, but I’ve observed that the communication dynamic changes from being on equal footing when employed to second-class citizen when out of work.
Other career and recruitment experts have picked up on this trend as well, citing companies that prefer to hire people who already have jobs. Kelly Blokdijk of TalentTalks brilliantly skewers the absurdity of it all in this piece in Fast Company. The new rule dictates that you must judge people holistically, using common sense and relevant factors. As with the “overqualified” new rule above, don’t make assumptions.
As someone who’s done his fair share of job seeking and a career advisor, these are the new rules I want to see my HR and recruiting colleagues follow. I look forward to your comments.
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The 7 Characteristics That Set Great Leaders Apart…. from TLNT
Aside
The 7 Characteristics That Set Great Leaders Apart
No one is perfect, and that goes for our leaders too — even though we may wish differently for them.
We want them to be near perfect in their ability to inspire us to do great work, accomplish important things for the organization, and lead us with humanity and unquestionable character.
Great leaders spend a lot of time thinking about how to improve their organizations and the people within them. Deb Cheslow, author of Remarkable Courage, has spent a lot of time thinking about what makes a great leader, and the characteristics below are adapted from her writings.
- Do the right things, even when no one is watching. Have integrity and character to complement your ability to get things done. It’s easy to do the right thing when you have an audience, but it takes courage and strength of character to do the right thing when you’re alone. Stay true to your values even when everyone around you is floundering, or when popular opinion goes against what you know in your heart to be right.
- Take personal responsibility. Follow rules, report facts accurately, treat people fairly, and don’t lie, cheat, or steal to advance your agenda. Hold yourself accountable for your actions and decisions and for the actions of the people under your authority. Don’t make excuses; take the blame when things go wrong and make sure those who do the work get the credit when things go right. Attack root causes of problems and never blame others.
- Do whatever it takes, but minimize collateral damage. Achieve outcomes without leaving your followers exhausted, damaged, or demoralized. Achieve your goals within moral and ethical boundaries. Don’t be a leader who falls prey to poor decision making or compromises their character and integrity for what might feel good in the moment.
- Develop followers. Build the skills and talents of others and make employees partners in the process of accomplishing goals. Empower your staff to continually improve, share your knowledge and experience generously, and press your team to achieve more, realizing that everyone will be better off the more frequently employees do great work and achieve great success.
- Never go it alone. Absorb the input and counsel of numerous advisors, both from similar and opposing perspectives, then devise solutions based upon a well-rounded view of the problem. Understand that it is naïve to believe you’ve considered every possible angle of an issue without seeking outside counsel from a varied and extended network.
- Leave people and things better than you found them. Always make a positive difference that benefits everyone. Even when you inherit a situation that’s less than ideal, provide inspiration for rebuilding bigger and better than before.
- Be courageous. Defy logic and conventional wisdom and blaze new trails. Don’t dwell on why something can’t be done, but only consider how it might be accomplished. Make a decision, announce it, and then you and your team should set about making it a reality.
What are the leadership traits you value most and believe are essential in a great leader?
This was originally published on the OC Tanner blog.
Michelle M. Smith is the Vice President of Business Development at Salt Lake City-based OC Tanner, an international appreciation company that helps more than 6,000 clients worldwide appreciate people who do great work through consulting, training, and creating customized award and recognition programs. Michelle is a renowned speaker, writer, consultant and trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies and governments, and President Emeritus of the Incentive Marketing Association.
10 Important Questions to Help Identify High Potential Leaders
We all want our Talent Management processes to identify High Potential Leaders as early as possible in their careers — here are 10 questions that can help….
By Dario Priolo
According to research from the Corporate Executive Board, 40% of internal job moves made by people identified by their companies as “high potentials” end in failure. Many organizations make the mistake of looking simply at ability when assessing an employee for a management job. Think of the hot-shot sales rep or the genius software engineer. It is incredible how often high producing individuals get promoted into management jobs that require a totally different mindset to be successful.
The reason these people fail often comes down to three critical factors: leadership behaviors, aspiration and engagement. Aspiration entails whether the candidate really wants the position and is willing to make the sacrifices it may require. Engagement involves the employee’s commitment to the company and its mission. In focusing on whether an employee potentially can do a job, many organizations neglect the question, “Does he want to…
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Self Confidence — How Does Body Language Affect it??
Interesting article, describing how Body Language can make you feel more self-confident, and also make you appear more self-confident to others.
Self Confidence – The Management Pocketblog
This is the first part of an extended correspondence course in management. You can dip into it as you go, or you can follow the course, right from the start. If you do that, you may want a course notebook, for the exercises and any notes you want to make.
Self confidence is the starting place for any manager. Your promotion to managerial role has probably been triggered more by your expertise in doing your previous job, your reliability, and your character, than by any specific evidence of your managerial capability. And that’s fine, because it is the way most of your colleagues were promoted too.
But it can leave you feeling a little nervous about your suitability to manage and, when your boss tells you to ‘get on with it – I have every trust in you’ you can feel a little isolated. Your boss leaves you to it, your new management peers don’t yet trust you, and your team are wary of how you will treat them, now you have become a manager.
Here are three exercises to help boost your self-confidence.
Exercise 1: A Reassuring Word
In your notebook, complete the following sentences:
- ‘I earned my managerial role because…
- ‘My three most valuable managerial assets are…
- ‘The managers I learned most from are…
- ‘I will know I am doing a good job as manager when…
- ‘Things will go wrong; that’s life. If they do, the people I can go to are…
Exercise 2: Seeing Success
Imagine it is Monday morning and you are in work, ready to start the day. In a minute, close your eyes and picture yourself there. Picture your first few conversations and meetings going well. Notice yourself handling the situations effectively, feeling well-prepared. As you go through your morning, picture everything you do going as planned. At each stage, notice how good that makes you feel. At the end of your morning, imagine how positive and confident you will feel.
Now, close your eyes and play that movie in your head for several minutes.
When you have done this, make a note in your notebook about how you felt at the end of each part of your morning. Write down what you did to achieve your successes.
This is an exercise to repeat several times over the coming days. Each time you do it, choose another day and either the morning or afternoon. Every time you do it, you will increase your base level of confidence.
Exercise 3: Power Poses
One of the reasons some people feel more confident than others is simply levels of hormones in their bodies. For example, increased testosterone levels increase confidence, whilst increased cortisol levels decrease confidence. Perhaps it is surprising, but your gross posture affects levels of both of these hormones and, whether you are a man or a woman, you can increase testosterone levels and decrease cortisol, by adopting power poses.
You can do these poses for two or three minutes before going into a stressful situation and you can maintain confidence-boosting hormone levels by maintaining upright, open postures during your day.
Power Poses
Stand upright, legs apart – slightly wider than shoulder width – and put your hands on your hips. If there is a table, counter or a solid back of a stable chair available, place your hands firmly on it, about 70-80cm apart (wider than your shoulders) and lean forward. Adopt these poses for two minutes or so.
If you have a chair to sit on, try sitting upright, legs apart, with feeet firmly on the floor. Plant your hands firmly on your upper thighs, with elbows outwards. Lean your body back a little, with head a little forward. Or try putting your feet up on a table, leaning back in your chair, with your hands clasped behing your head, elbows splayed out. Adopt one of these for two minutes.
If these poses remind you of a typical ‘old-school alpha-male boss’, they should. The difference is that you will adopt these poses privately for a few minutes at most, to boost your confidence for the next meeting; rather than maintain it in the meeting to intimidate your colleagues.
Upright Postures
For all-of-the-time posture, keep to standing with feet at hip or maybe shoulder width, head upright, as if pulled by a puppet string, and arms by your sides. This open body, coupled with upright posture, will not only make you feel more assertive, but will enhance your breathing, your vocal tone and projection and present your image as confident and authoritative.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 8th, 2013 at 6:00 am and is filed under Body Language, Correspondence Course, Energy & Well-being,Impact & Presence, Positive Mental Attitude. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
50 Shades of Human Resources 