A manager that I know holds a high-level post in a boutique professional services firm. He insists that he sit as close to his staff as possible. For years he avoided having an office, preferring to sit in the cubes with his staff so that he could be in the mix day to day, aware when challenges arise and accessible to dole out praise, proffer feedback and tackle challenges as they arise.

Another manager prefers to be the first in the office in the morning and the last to leave, believing that it helps his staff to see that the entire team shares the workload and accountability in their section.

And many of the managers that I’ve respected most have held tightly to the idea that they won’t ask their staff to do something that they won’t do themselves.

Our presence in the office sends not-so-subtle signals about the way that our work fits into our lives. If you’re opening the office at 7 am and closing it at 6 pm, you’re generally thought of as dedicated and hardworking (although questions about life outside the office may arise…).

It may seem archaic in an increasingly mobile, virtual workplace but the amount of time your butt spends in your office chair still impacts your perceived dedication. And it can directly affect how much you know about the undercurrents of office politics, the nuances of a developing client relationship or the level of engagement your team maintains.

But as more and more professionals seek “work-life balance” many management-level pros are yearning for flex time, telecommuting and other mobile work arrangements that make it easier to juggle their professional and personal commitments.

The question is… at what cost?

Can you continue to progress within an organization with a primarily telecommuting position?

What kinds of organizations support this kind of career path?

How can smart professionals stay engaged and informed with what’s going on in the office without needing to be there all the time?

Have you been a successful telecommuter? Let us know what has worked for you.

photo credit: DDFic

Related posts:

1. Executive Brand: Personal branding goes big leagues
2. To telecommute, or not to telecommute
3. Five ways to increase your value by finding value in others

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Manager, office chair, telecommuting, Working time

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Business networking just got easier.

If you’re on the Ezine list, you’ve already got your hot little hands on this one, but for everyone else…

Business Networking Laser Guide: How to create POWERFUL First Impressions

We’ve just released the first in what will be a series of professional guides — and this one is completely free to Ezine subscribers.

To celebrate the site’s new look and the new Ezine format that’s getting launched this month, we’ve made the first Laser Guide a gift to you. All you have to do is register, and you’ll get access to the Laser Guide automatically via email.

Here’s what you get:

• A focused 19-page guide to getting out there in a BIG WAY when networking,
• Simple ways to make a big splash without doing anything pushy or uncomfortable,
• The three keys to a good first impression and how to put them in play.

Interested? Go here to register (or put your info into the boxes on the right side of the page.)

Related posts:

1. Trust and Networking: 3 Keys to a Business Network that Works
2. Business networking: Stop being nice and start being successful
3. Facebook Friends and Business Networking: Friend is a Dirty Word

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: business networking, Business/Finance, Laser, Online magazine, the Laser Guide, Zines

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Building an executive brand is more complex, more subtle, and easier to get off track than personal branding practitioners would have you believe. In order to cultivate a powerful executive brand — the kind that gets decision makers to take notice — you have to pick and choose personal branding strategies carefully, assembling them into a comprehensive vision of you as a capable corporate leader.

How Executive Brand is Different than Personal Branding

Executive brand is simply an extension of personal branding applied to your high-level career. But it’s more than that, because it requires a better view on the subtle nuances that distinguish corporate leaders in the marketplace. Here are some of the differences:

• Strategy vs. Tactics: Personal branding enthusiasts might suggest that writing an article on how to open doors to new sales prospects will garner attention and acclaim. But an executive brand holds a different promise which is less tactical and more strategic, less instructional and more demonstrative. A mid-level manager might get great results from such an article, but you will better support your executive brand by being quoted in an article about the success you’ve seen devising and implementing innovative sales and marketing strategies.
• Visibility vs. Exclusivity: Many personal branding advisers will trumpet the importance of visibility. The more people see you, the more they will remember you and the better the chance for opportunities. But it’s possible to water down your executive brand promise with too many opportunities to access your expertise. Being selective about giving people access to you in the right venues at the right times can fuel people’s perceptions of you as an important, dynamic changemaker.
• Self-promotion vs. Public Relations: Corporate superstars aren’t posting their own bios and hawking their own wares. Thinking about a powerful professional you admire, you likely didn’t develop admiration for them based on what they said, but on what you learned about them through other trusted sources — friends, colleagues, or even the press. True executive brand building leverages third-party credibility to build big leverage — respect.
• Being authentic vs. Being marketable: Personal branding experts push forth the importance of authenticity, which can be a powerful tool. But being too authentic can get in the way of your career growth down the road. Imagine your career as a neverending campaign for public office — you’ll work day to day to connect with people in a meaningful way, ensure understanding of your ideas, and get the word out about your qualifications, without ever saying anything that will end up as a sound bite on the evening news. A successful executive brand walks this fine line.

How are you channeling corporate powerhouse in your executive brand building efforts?

photo credit: Scott Ableman

Related posts:

1. Personal Brand Evolution: How to Start Your Personal Brand Today
2. 5 Day Plan to Taking the Personal Branding Plunge
3. Clarifying your message: Personal Branding Statement

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: brand, Brand architecture, Business/Finance, Executive, executive brand, executive career, executive job search, job search, marketing, personal brand, personal branding, personal marketing

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At the executive level, communications skills are critical to success. So when top-level job candidates use a standard, impersonal-yet-professional cover letter template, they’re leaving a potential employer with some big doubts about their strategic communications acumen.

Managers hiring for senior-level roles look for nuance throughout the recruiting process, seeking signs of high-level skills in negotiation, persuasion, coalition-building, collaboration, strategic thinking and more. For them, being able to talk to your accomplishments in an interview will not be enough. They’ll be looking for everything you do to reinforce their perception of your capabilities — right down to the cover letter.

If your standard cover letter template doesn’t have a strategy behind it, it’s time to make some changes.

A good executive cover letter gets personal

Whether your new role will involve courting potential clients or investors, managing a department, leading marketing initiatives or driving internal change, your success will be dependent on your ability to persuade others to a course of action. The basis in successful persuasion is always the others’ needs — so leading off with what you like about the company or why it’s the perfect role for you is good information, but it doesn’t move you towards your goal.

A persuasive cover letter not only engages the reader’s attention and starts pre-selling your qualifications, it also shows that you can use communication proactively as part of a strategy.

Your cover letter is a sales tactic–an opportunity to begin to build your case for employment. Here are three ways to ensure that it makes the case effectively:

1. Figure out what the company needs most from this role. A well-considered answer will probably result from some easy research — job description, company’s mission and vision statements — and get real teeth when you do some deeper probing — collecting insights from your network, understanding why the role is open, getting a feel for the company culture and priorities. Even addressing their priorities on the surface level — continuity, importance to strategy, adding a good fit to the team — is better than starting off talking about what you want from an employer. So, if you don’t have a concrete understanding of how you’ll fit into the role, keep the statement general, but always think of why the role exists when talking about why you’re the right one to fill it.
2. Lead off with “you.” It’s simple to understand, but harder to put into practice — your cover letter should always start with something about the recipient. “You,” “Your company,” “XYZ Corporation.” Even common phrases starting with “I” can be rephrased to focus on them. So, a simple shift might be from:

I was excited to learn of the Senior Sales Director opportunity…

to:

XYZ Corporation’s Senior Sales Director role is a critical part of your business development strategy overseas…

3. Establish next steps. In the sales process, you never walk away from a meeting without establishing next steps. It’s the same in job search. You may not have control over their hiring process, but you do have control over how informed you are about it, and how you react to it. The standard “I look forward to hearing from you” reserves you no power in the process. Instead, identify how you will follow up and then follow through. Close the letter with a promise to make a personal call next Tuesday, for instance. Or to follow up by email if you don’t receive a response. By making and keeping commitments you’re presupposing a professional relationship of some kind–turning you from a resume into a real breathing human being– and showing you’re proactive, organized and can take charge of a business relationship for mutual benefit. By letting them know that they’ll hear from you regardless, you’ve given them a gentle nudge to follow up themselves, or at least be prepared to talk to you when you call.

A well-crafted executive cover letter template gives you the structure to ensure you’re presenting the best case for your qualifications while allowing you flexibility to create a direct connection with the recruiter, hiring manager or networking contact that receives it. In that way the best cover letter template is no template at all — it’s a custom-crafted approach every time.

photo credit: NomadicLass

Related posts:

1. Sample Cover Letter Template
2. Your Cover Letter Sales Pitch – Copyblogger style
3. Executive Brand: Personal branding goes big leagues

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Business/Finance, communications acumen, communications skills, cover letter, Employment, Labor, Manager, potential employer, recruiter, Recruitment, Skill

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At a recent business networking mixer, much of the after-work crowd was perched on bar stools or huddled around tables, deep in raucous conversation. It was clear that most were feeling more “mixer,” less “business.”

I caught up with a woman I met a couple of months ago, and after a short chat she introduced me to the two women she was conversing with. I introduced myself warmly, shook their hands, and asked one of the women what brought her to the event.

She cut me off. “Let me ask you, how do you get business other than networking?”

That wasn’t so much a question as a challenge.

She shared how she couldn’t even go to a business networking event anymore without someone trying to sell her something. Once upon a time, she said, people came to events to meet people. She told me clearly, she doesn’t come to events to be sold.

Problem was that I wasn’t trying to sell her. And making that presumption got in the way of us making a real connection.

I can understand how she feels. During that same event I had a separate conversation that went something like this: (names have been changed to protect the ineffectual.)

Bob*: Hi Kristi, I’m Bob. Here’s my card.

Me: Hi, Bob. (looking at card) What does your company do?

Bob: I do computer repair. [Insert spiel on virus protection, backups, software installation, etc.] Maybe you’d like me to check out your system? It’s really terrible when something crashes and you lose your work.

Me: Actually, I used to be a programmer, so I’ve got a pretty good handle on how to keep my computer in shape.

Bob: (deflated) Oh. Well, I’d still love your referrals. Here, let me give you a couple more cards that you can give to your friends. And by the way, can I have your card so that I can add you to my newsletter?

Me: (looking for exit.)

If your networking conversations sound anything like the above, stop. Stop now.

With all the talk of the importance of business networking and what it can mean for your professional life, everyone is hitting the pavement, cards in hand, waiting for the cash to fall all over them. But because so many of your peers are out there, it’s harder to get past peoples’ defenses. They’re used to being pitched. To be successful, you have to be different.

• If you think of your business  networking efforts in terms of leads, those leads can smell it. Master networkers may have goals in mind for their attendance at an event, but if you’re just getting started, focus on creating positive interactions with the people you meet. When you’ve gotten good at engaging with people, finding common ground, and building rapport, then you can layer your business goals on top of that. Otherwise, your business goals will be all anyone can see.
• Never presume someone wants or needs what you have to offer. You can’t know if what you offer is what someone needs until you know what they need. Which means you have to ask. And you have to earn the opportunity to ask by building a relationship first. If you’re not sure how to do that, see above.
• Never try to close a sale in that first meeting. If you manage to navigate to the point where you see a fit between what you offer and what they need, don’t sacrifice the chance at a long-term relationship for the chance at a quick fix. Tell them you’d love to discuss further, and make arrangements for a future conversation or meeting to work out the details. Then, move on to meeting other great people.
• Network with an open heart. Some people are great networkers, others struggle. Rarely is someone deliberately inept. Good networking is about looking for opportunities — for you to help them, for others you know to help them, and ultimately for them to help you. If you don’t approach each person you meet from that position, you’ll not only miss some opportunities, you might alienate really great people who could help you meet your own goals.

Keeping these four points in mind is the first and best way to avoid coming across as a needworker, and instead place yourself in the mindset to create meaningful networking connections.

Related posts:

1. Trust and Networking: 3 Keys to a Business Network that Works
2. Networking event success: Know the goal before you go
3. Business networking: Stop being nice and start being successful

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: barriers, breakthrough, Business, business goals, business networking, business networking event, conversation, goals, Human Interest, masters business, masters networking, meaningful networking connections, meeting people, network network, networking, Online social networking, recent business networking mixer, smart business network, success, virus protection

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Networking for your job search is critical, because people hire people, not resumes.

Trust that you are who you say you are

Trust that you do what you say you’ll do

Trust that you’re in it for more than yourself

Related posts:

1. Networking barrier-busters: 4 keys to productive networking
2. Facebook Friends and Business Networking: Friend is a Dirty Word
3. Business networking: Stop being nice and start being successful

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: business cards, business networking, creating trust, Funnel, hiring people, Human Interest, job search, job search focuses, meeting people, networking, personal brand, relationship, Reputation management, Social psychology, trust, trusts

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How would you like to achieve an Olympic-level brand, without years of physical training?

In today’s social media world, it’s possible.

The Vancouver Olympics opening ceremonies delivered record ratings for NBC as the most-watched non-U.S. opening ceremonies ever with 67.5 million total viewers, with millions more watching worldwide. Prominently featured was an engaging, funny, heartfelt ode to Canadian national pride called “We Are More” by slam poet Shane Koyczan.

Koyczan’s performance elicited hoots and cheers from the thousands in the BC Place Stadium as he first acknowledged the national stereotypes then blew them apart, talking about the hope, ambition, and basic civility of the Canadian people.

we dream so big that there are those

who would call our ambition an industry

because we are more than sticky maple syrup and clean snow

we do more than grow wheat and brew beer

we are vineyards of good year after good year

we reforest what we clear

because we believe in generations beyond our own

Koyczan’s poem was an invitation to take a deeper look at Canada, it’s culture and people, through the unique opportunity that the Olympics provides.

So how did Koyczan get the opportunity to share his work and his passion on a global stage?

YouTube.

One of the organizers of the opening ceremonies saw him performing a version of the poem in a YouTube video for the Canadian Tourism Board, and contacted him to ask him to participate in the ceremonies. The opportunity of a lifetime originated from one free video less than two minutes long.

Social media continues to provide an unparalleled stage for showcasing your talents and contributions. Anyone with a Flip video camcorder and a creative approach can develop a following and potentially find fame and opportunity. Not all of us will get in front of millions, but even hundreds can provide new opportunities.

How can you build an Olympic-level brand?

Related posts:

1. Featured Article on FYIScreening: Managing your social media brand
2. Facebook Friends and Business Networking: Friend is a Dirty Word
3. The new digital divide, or Why Twitter will change the world

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: BC Place Stadium, brand, canadian national, entertainment, media world, olympic, olympic activities, olympic dream, olympic games, Olympic opening ceremony, personal brand, personal branding, Shane Koyczan, shortest route, slam poet, social media, sports, The Vancouver Olympics, vancouver olympics, video, winter olympics, World Wide Web, youtube

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Even LinkedIn ninjas may not be taking advantage of some of the more advanced techniques for increasing your LinkedIn impact. If your profile hasn’t been tweaked in a while, consider these advanced techniques for your LinkedIn strategy.

1. Drag-and-drop reordering of LinkedIn content. LinkedIn has just added the capability to move content up or down the page as you like it. Simply click on the “handle” next to the section title (it looks like arrows pointing in four directions) and drag the section up or down until you like where it lands. Just like with your resume, you now have the power to decide what in your professional background is most important to the reader, and put the focus where it belongs.
2. Build an online portfolio. You can link to your other websites, import your blog, share presentations, and more. By choosing web content that shows your expertise and involvement, you can help a potential employer or networking contact see that you’re a professional, established person worth knowing.
3. Share your job search documents. You may choose not to share a resume so you can have greater control over how and when it’s shared with others, but the Box.net application allows you to include downloadable files on your page — things like a handbill, executive bio, or other document that supports your search.
4. Talk like a person. You wouldn’t think this would be advanced, but it is. If your profile is a copy-paste of your resume, take another look at it and try to tell the reader about yourself in natural language, like a conversation. If people can connect with you as an individual through what they read, they’ll be more open to connecting with you in other ways. Ditch the corporate speak, and make the reader your new friend.
5. Stalk your networking targets. Applications like TripIt and Events, and even the new Twitter integration, can help you see where key people within your network are going to be when. Want to be sure you’re moving in the right business circles? Check out where the influencers are by watching what activities they’re participating in, and make a point of being there. Have someone you have to meet? See if you can find out a place that they’re speaking, or a networking group they attend, or a professional organization that they volunteer with, so you can be in the right place at the right time. Extra points: contact them in advance, let them know you’ll both be there, and express interest in meeting at the event. It’s a great way to set yourself apart from the other faces in the crowd.

Will you use these advanced techniques as part of your LinkedIn arsenal? Do you have others not listed here? What’s worked for you?

Related posts:

1. Facebook Friends and Business Networking: Friend is a Dirty Word
2. HowTo LinkedIn #2: Write a killer headline
3. Break out of LinkedIn: Using Facebook for Professional Networking

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Collaboration, Community websites, how to, linkedin, LinkedIn Ltd, LinkedIn Open Networker, LinkedIn techniques, Online social networking, Social information processing, social media, Web 2.0, World Wide Web

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“Personal brand” sounds like something you could sit in a corner next to your office ficus. But if you’re visualizing your personal brand like your own mini Oscar statuette–a golden you that you can point to–you’re missing the point.

Many people get stuck at the beginning, thinking that they’re creating a mold for that statuette. They fret and fuss over this curve and that crease convinced it has to be exactly right or the finished product will be all wrong.

Good news: your personal brand is more like the ficus–a living, breathing, growing, evolving thing. Recognize you’re not creating the finished product, but simply planting the seed. This will make it a lot easier to get started.

Instead of striving from perfection from the get-go, strive for potential. As you build a blog, create a LinkedIn profile, cultivate a network, ask yourself: Can this grow with me? Or is this something I’ll someday have to cut away?

How can you plant the seeds of your personal brand today?

Related posts:

1. Executive Brand: Personal branding goes big leagues
2. Your personal brand: The tagline
3. Personal brand and individual experience

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: brand, change, changeable, communication, communication design, effort, evolution, Ficus, graphic design, Human Interest, LinkedIn Ltd, marketing, Oscar, oscar statuette, Perfection, personal brand, personal branding, Philosophy, start, statuette, stick

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A chef makes a name by creating a unique dining experience.

Any cook worth their toque can pull off a fettucine. Just another fettucine won’t get you a write-up in the local paper, or create the kind of buzz that brings in new customers by the dozens. But a fettucine that fills the dining room, now that’s something special.

A successful chef harnesses creative energy, takes risks, and is always focused on the guest experience — taste, temperature, texture, ambience. The whole package.

The patron’s dinner does more than just satisfy hunger. It creates excitement, comfort, or nostalgia. It’s the source of amazement, amusement or excited conversation.

What if you could do that in your job search? Create excitement, comfort, conversation. Leave people buzzing and wanting more, telling their friends. You can. Here’s some things you can learn from the chef.

1. Figure out what the market wants. A chef  will watch what’s performing well at other restaurants, watch dining patterns in her own establishment, and note what’s popular. Then, she’ll turn an eye to the trends. If every menu has a dish based in butternut squash, it could be a fad, or it could be reflective of today’s palate. With all that information, she’ll put together a specific dish, or a whole menu, to best compete with the marketplace. Your lesson: Look at what’s working around you. Who has landed jobs? How did they do it? What feedback did they get? What seems common in the job postings in your industry? What terminology is used? What skills are required? Knowing all this will help you best target your message.
2. Inventory your ingredients. Sure, a chef can run out and buy squab if it’s called for. But, the chef may know that his homemade pastas are showstoppers while fish never seems to go as well in his kitchen. Once the chef has determined what the market is asking for, he has to use some combination of what’s in the pantry, what skills are in his kitchen, and what he has time to prepare. Your lesson: In order to put together an approach that meets the market’s needs, you have to know what you’re working with. What are your skills? Experiences? How are you well-positioned for this position? Make a list.
3. Spice it up. A dish succeeds or fails based on the level and blend of spices added. Bland food does not a happy restaurant patron make. The chef will use a mix of spices to not only intrigue the patron, but keep them coming back for more. Your lesson: A bland elevator speech, resume or LinkedIn profile will leave readers unsatisfied. Think of ways to jazz things up a bit, with the language you choose, the formatting you use, or even your delivery method. Standing out from the crowd is a good thing.
4. Put your own stamp on it. Many top chefs cultivate a signature style. They may be known for extravagant garnishes, extensive use of Asian flavors, or vegetarian twists on traditional meals. The chef’s individual style becomes a fun way to experience the meal, and a theme that gives frequent diners a glimpse of the personality behind the portabellos. Your lesson: Don’t be afraid to be a little personal. Show your enthusiasm, or what you’re really excited about. Talk about your passion, your experiences, and what makes you unique. People hire people, not resumes. Don’t be afraid to be human.
5. Plate it up. The last part of the dining experience under the chef’s control is plating — the part where the dish is assembled, garnished, sauced, and sent out for consumption. Because we eat with our eyes before our stomachs, plating is a very important part of the meal. Some attention to detail and thought for the guest will go a long way to starting the meal off right. Your lesson: You may be the smartest, most qualified, coolest candidate on earth, but if you don’t hook them from the get go, they may never know it. Spend time not only figuring out what to say, but how to say it so that the listener is intrigued.

With that, I’ll leave you with a simple command — get cooking!

This article is based on a more in-depth presentation I’m delivering today for a local career organization. If you’d like me to speak to your organization on job search, communication or social media, please contact me!

photo credit: liber

Related posts:

1. Clarifying your message: Personal Branding Statement
2. Use transferable job skills for your job search
3. How does your personal branding message cut through the noise?

© Kristi for Professional Powerhouse™ | Executive Career Advice, Executive Brand Management, 2010. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
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