Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Creating a Culture of Innovation

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Creating a Culture of Innovation Not long ago in London, I was having coffee with a former c-suite executive at one of the world’s most prominent companies. I asked him about intrapreneurship, or the process by which a large organization’s resources are leveraged for entrepreneurial purposes. This executive told me that there is no such thing as intrapreneurship in 90 percent of the companies with which he’s worked. “It’s too dangerous,” he said. “Most organizations just want employees to keep their heads down and do their jobs. They have no interest in encouraging people to stir the pot.” I found this incredibly depressing. If we don’t want people to leave our businesses to start their own, then we must provide them with the means to develop processes, products and services that make a difference and move operations forward. And the best way to do that is to ingrain the values of innovation and experimentation within our cultures. If youre not currently fostering an innovation culture, but recognize the value in it, the following tips can help you get started: Step Away from the Gavel Does your staff rely on you for every major decision? Are you knee-deep in all the projects being completed at the moment? Are you the only one free to impact your company’s big picture? If any or all of these are true, you are probably stifling your people. Although it’s difficult to allow your employees to work autonomously and trust that they will try to do the right thing, not micromanaging them will infuse your culture with a variety of perspectives and approaches that will help you surpass your competitors. For more, please see the full post at the AMEX Open Forum.

How to Communicate Your Brand Through Your Online Bio - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Communicate Your Brand Through Your Online Bio - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career For entrepreneurs, the elevator pitch is everything. Your digital elevator pitch is your online bio, whether its your social media profile or website tagline. What do you do to be sure your online bio captures the essence of your brand? Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)  is an invite-only organization comprised of the worlds most successful young entrepreneurs. YEC members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more at  yec.co. 1. Include a Call to Action The biggest mistake that I see entrepreneurs make online, whether its social media or a website, is not including a call to action with the relevant contact info. If a call to action with contact details are missing, then that person is missing out on potential leads.  Kristin Kimberly Marquet,  Creative Development Agency, LLC 2. Focus on the Main Benefits of Your Business The challenge of an online bio is that you have to compress as much relevant information as possible into a small space. I emphasize the main services and benefits that my company offers with a few details about my own background. I adjust it based on the platform. Some sites give you more space to elaborate than others.  Kalin Kassabov,  ProTexting 3. Share Your Mission Statement Whenever possible, I will use the bio to remind myself, employees and potential customers of our mission statement. Once you have a good mission, let people know about it so they can feel like they are a part of something bigger.  Syed Balkhi,  WPBeginner 4. Keep It Simple and Audience-Focused As with all writing, a bio should be written for the reader and not the writer. Consider who youre writing for and what they would like to know about you a little life history, your accomplishments, why they should trust you and whether your values align with theirs. Focus on your reader, cover all the bases and keep it short.  Justin Blanchard,  ServerMania Inc. 5. Be Personable The biggest thing that will make you stand out from the crowd is to let your personality shine through in your online bio. Dont talk in the third person. Show people youre a real human with a real  personality. Your personality is whats going to set you apart and allow the reader to really find who it is you are and what youre passionate about.  Clint Haynes,  NextGen Wealth 6. Cross-Promote Your Other Profiles People today are active on many social media sites. You want to make it easy to find you wherever youre active, such as your website, Facebook, LinkedIn and wherever else you have a presence. So when filling out your profiles, always be sure to link to your other profiles and blog. If you have a YouTube channel, podcast or other activities, link to these as well.  Shawn Porat,  Scorely 7. Speak About Your Values It can be difficult to capture the narrative of your brand in an elevator pitch, but it is important that you convey the story that answers the “why” of your brand. I always make sure that my online bio speaks to my values.  Kevin Yamazaki,  Sidebench 8. Add a Link to Your Website The bio section of a social media site or a guest posting article is a great place to link to your website, helping you generate back links. I try to keep my bio section short and to the point, with a professional photo and, most importantly, a link back to my site.  Jared Atchison,  WPForms 9. Tell Your Story Everyone loves  a great story, but somehow brands miss this. Instead of bragging about your brands accolades with bullet points, try telling the story of who your brand is and how it got there.  Make the story fun and entertaining. Talk about how you were the underdog. Your potential clients and employees will relate to this story and be much more likely to work with you.  Brandon Stapper,  Nonstop Signs 10. Set Your Tone A lot of what you will be communicating in your digital elevator pitch will be in written form. Make sure that your writing style and tone is akin to what you are attempting to convey in your brand. Readers will quickly see a disconnect if your language does not match your brand and the power of your brand will be lost â€" and seem clumsy. Keep your written profiles matching in tone.  Diego Orjuela,  Cables Sensors 11. Lead with What Makes You Unique If you stopped offering your products or services tomorrow, what would your customers miss the most about working with you? This gets to the root of what makes you unique. Lead with that.  Rachel Beider,  Massage Greenpoint, Massage Williamsburg, Massage Outpost 12. Include Media Mentions and Accomplishments I call attention to my media mentions and speaking engagements to quickly gain credibility. These events and media placements have taken a long time and considerable maneuvering to accrue. In person, I would not lead with these accomplishments, but online, using the first 100 characters to name your space in the industry and broader context as an expert is critical.  Matthew Capala,  Alphametic 13. Keep It Current Human beings evolve and change, and so should your online bio. Keep it current â€" as you take on a new endeavor, focus on a new avenue or accomplish something new of significance, update your bio to ensure that it reflects the most up-to-date information possible and most accurately reflects who you are right now.  Adam Mendler,  The Veloz Group 14. Be Your Brand and Let Your Brand Be You True authenticity is what will connect with people. Tell your story from the heart and be true to your purpose. Faking it or trying to be something you are not will always backfire. Dont be afraid to show your real personality and make that part of your brand. Its how youll stand out from the crowd. By building your personality into your brand, youll be able to more confidently speak to it.  Brandon Houston,  Switch Video

Getting A Degree Expert Tips To Make It Easier

Getting A Degree Expert Tips To Make It Easier Whether you’re on a two year course or a four year course, chasing that degree will prove a challenge. At times, you may feel like giving up, but don’t! There is a bright, shining light at the end of the tunnel. While it is an inherently hard aspect of life and must be fully earned, that doesn’t mean you can’t make it easier. The power to do so rests in your hands and it may prove simpler than you imagine. Below, you’ll find several useful tips regarding the degree process, and how to attain yours a little more smoothly. Good luck! Work placements Some degree courses have  work placement as a natural part of the experience. Usually, it’s two years of college, one year of work then one year of college. There are variations on this, so check if you aren’t sure. If your course plan doesn’t involve work placements, however, then it’s up to you to seek them out. Contact local businesses and see if they’re offering any opportunities. Work placements help you gain context on your areas of study, which means you’ll perform better in exams and future job interviews. You’ll also want to avoid starting your career without work experience, so get some. Online courses If college isn’t your thing, then you could build your future using the power of the internet! It’s not as though you’re missing out on any options by not going to college. Online courses are fully-featured and cover  a broad range of subjects. For example, if you pursue health you may find an online bachelors degree in Healthcare Administration useful. People who wish to study Media, Science and pretty much any subject  won’t be left short, either. If you’re short on time,  have limited college funding available, or already have a full-time job, online courses could be right for you. Check your passion levels Maybe attaining your degree feels like a slog because your heart isn’t in it. Perhaps you only want to to to college because you feel it is the right thing to do, or the next necessary step. This is far from the truth, and college isn’t your only option. That being said, if you do take the plunge, make sure your chosen major excites you. If you’re finding it boring, consider changing majors to one that better suits you.  If it’s still early in the year, this may only require a few additional courses. Go to all your lectures We all hear stories of wild college parties, students drinking until the early hours of the morning and missing lectures. Not only does this damage your attendance record, it damages your future. Let’s say you miss a lecture that details the applications of cloud computing. In the exam, this area comes up, and you don’t have a clue. Your fault? Entirely. Consult your teachers They’re there for a reason, and most of them will be happy to help you outside normal study hours. If you’re struggling to understand a particular theory or subject, your teachers and tutors can help. It can’t hurt to ask  and its better than struggling and wasting valuable time. So, hopefully you’re now well on your way to obtaining one of lifes valued prizes! A degree that will serve you for many years to come. Image Credits  Image Credits  Image Credits  Image Credits  Image Credits

How to Find Speaking Engagements That Build Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Find Speaking Engagements That Build Your Brand - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Whats your favorite and most effective method for identifying speaking engagement opportunities that will help build your brand? Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)  is an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most successful young entrepreneurs.  YEC  members represent nearly every industry, generate billions of dollars in revenue each year and have created tens of thousands of jobs. Learn more at  yec.co.   1. Look for Industry Trade Shows   Trade show presentations offer red carpet customers an introduction to your brand and offer you an opportunity to close new business. I spoke at a beauty conference and positioned my agency as an  expert in that niche. Many of my clients are beauty and fashion e-commerce websites, and their key executives and decision makers are all present at trade shows.  Matthew Capala,  Alphametic 2. Use the Event’s Website to Apply You might be surprised by how well this simple tactic works. The first step is to look for industry-related events that might benefit from your expertise. All you need to do then is visit the event’s website and use the contact details you find there to express interest in taking part as a speaker. If there’s an event in your vicinity and you know the organizer, the process gets considerably easier.  Derek Robinson,  Top Notch Dezigns 3. Partner With Schools Speaking engagements at universities can help build brand awareness while establishing you as a thought leader. Universities are often hosting courses, labs and events that could benefit from your input as an entrepreneur. Partnering with schools or even hosting educational events at your facility are easy ways to get video, feedback and testimonials with minimal buy-in.  Brandon Stapper,  Nonstop Signs 4. Record and Share Your Own Videos My advice to anyone looking for a creative way to find speaking engagement opportunities is to start speaking on your own first. You can start by creating and sharing videos of yourself speaking on a variety of subjects that youre interested in. If you do this regularly, attract a following and demonstrate the ability to entertain, people will come to you with speaking engagement opportunities.  Bryce Welker,  Accounting Institute for Success 5. Follow Leading Blogs and Social Media Accounts in Your Industry Keeping up with blogs and social media accounts in your field will help you stay informed about upcoming events where you might want to speak. You should also look for TEDx  events, which are now held in many cities. If you want to establish yourself as a speaker, dont overlook the possibility of creating your own opportunities by offering to speak in your area or organizing an event.  Shawn Porat,  Scorely 6. Know Your Ideal Audience When youre first starting as a speaker, you need to be speaking to lots of different audiences at different events to test and see who responds best to your message because you dont want to be sharing it with people who dont care. Over time, you will  home in  on your ideal audience, who your message resonates with and which opportunities will pay off the most in terms of brand growth.  Justin Faerman,  Conscious Lifestyle Magazine 7. Look at the Events Track Record The last thing you want is to accept a speaking engagement only to speak to an empty room. Find out the attendance of previous events and what people were saying about it on social media. You dont want your brand to be associated with an unpopular event. Take your time to research it before agreeing to speak.  Chris Christoff,  MonsterInsights 8. Join Local and National Associations If youre a pillar in your community, the chamber of commerce and fraternal organizations are a great way to publicize your business locally. Positioning yourself as an expert in your field and speaking at relevant associations and trade shows will elevate you as the go-to expert. Networking groups, local coworking offices and business incubators look for experts to advise their attendees.  Daniel Griggs,  ATX Web Designs LLC 9. Ask Those You Respect I look to my mentors, as well as respected colleagues, to find engagements that align the most with my brand. Usually, they will have spoken at an event that they can recommend and refer me to. Getting a referral to a high-level event can be a great foot in the door.  Adrien Schmidt,  Bouquet.ai 10. Seek Out Small Conference and Group Opportunities Finding speaking engagements can be easy. Your marketing department probably already has a list of all the conferences in your industry. If not, a quick web search knocks it out. Also, theres an abundance of small localized  organizations and associations with monthly meetings. Many of these groups have trouble finding good speakers. Show that you are prepared and knowledgeable, and then youre in.  Jeremy Jacobs,  Enlighten 11. Sponsor an Event, and Ask for Stage Time So far, our most effective way of getting speaking engagements has been simply asking the conference organizers if we can get some stage time. We typically are sponsoring these events, too, with a booth where we hand out company swag and talk to the attendees. Since were giving the conference money as a sponsor, theyre usually pretty open to letting us speak as well.  Justin Cooke,  Empire Flippers 12. Ask Yourself Whether an Opportunity Aligns With Your Goals I think the first step in deciding on speaking engagements is to figure out exactly why youre speaking. Does it align with your short- or long-term  goals? Will it bring awareness or new business opportunities? If the answers are yes, then you know its a good potential speaking opportunity.  Jared Atchison,  WPForms

7 Cardinal Things to Learn About a Company Before Your Job Interview - CareerMetis.com

7 Cardinal Things to Learn About a Company Before Your Job Interview It sometimes feels overwhelming to prepare for a job interview. You work on the things you’d like to say, portfolio examples you want to share, and even agonize overwhat you should wearto make the best first impression. Knowledge about the company is equally as important, and it could make your job much easier in all other areas of readiness.If you come in with a clear picture and a deep understanding of the company, being able to demonstrate what you know can help you appear more attractive than the other candidates who may be competing with you for the same position.evalIt will show your interviewer that your interest in the position is genuine, and that you’re willing to learn in order to succeed and grow with the company.You won’t become an expert overnight, but there are a few things you should know to help you speak confidently about your knowledge of the company.1. What Their Culture is LikeKnowing the company’s culture can actually help you decide whether or not you†™re wasting your time. Companies with strong cultures have a familial type bond around the office. They have specific ways they integrate teamwork and make policy that adhere to their cultural guidelines.If you aren’t a fit for their culture, you probably aren’t going to feel happy working there.If you’re an independent individual who is most productive when left to your own devices with minimal intervention, you’re going to need to work with a company that places a strong emphasis on empowerment in their culture.If you firmly believe that teams win, you need a company whose culture is all about collaboration.2. Who Plays What RoleYou don’t need to print out a full list of employees and memorize details about their lives. Having a brief background for each of the key players is plenty. You should know who founded the company and who the current CEO is.evalIf someone important, like the brand’s creative director, would make plans or implement changes that would directly a ffect the work you would do in the position you applied for, look into that person as well.It also helps to know who your immediate managers would be if you got the position. If they have LinkedIn profiles, you might be able to find out if you have some things in common. This makes it easier to break the ice.Theylooked at your LinkedIn profileto determine how to interact with you â€" it wouldn’t be out of bounds if you did the same thing. Just don’t dig deeply into their personal matters and stick to the things they’ve shared publicly.3. How Their Finances AppearIf the company is doing very well, it’s likely that they’ll expand. If they aren’t, your position might be in trouble before you’ve even accepted it. You can use databases to check their financial records.evalDatabases likeBizDBfor the UK,CanadaBizfor Canada, andAuBizfor Australia can help you find whatever financial information that’s been deemed public record. A company in dire financial straits probably is n’t worth the interview â€" follow up with the others you’ve sent resumes to.If things are booming, you might want to schedule that interview for as soon as possible.4. Their Future PlansYou don’t necessarily need a crystal ball to uncover a company’s future. A quick Google search for recent news articles can show you what’s currently in the works and what they have planned for the future.If they’re planning to move into new countries or open more locations around your country, this information will be easy to find. You might also be able to read about upcoming innovations, as well as businesses or charities they plan to partner with.5. Who They Own or Who They’re Owned ByParent and child company relationships are more common than you think. You might not even realize what companies are owned by other companies. Estee Lauder, for example, is the parent company of so many major beauty brands that it would make your head spin.Procter Gamble owns almost every brandthat y ou would use in your kitchen, bathroom, or laundry room. They even compete with themselves â€" they own four major brands of dishwashing liquid and over a dozen shampoo brands.Understanding these relationships is important. You wouldn’t want to inadvertently talk down a brand, only to find out that the brand in question is a part of the same family.Knowing ahead of time can keep you from putting your foot in your mouth. You don’t want to waste time backpedaling or appear uninformed.6. The Way They PromoteWhen a high level position opens up, do they hire outside of the company, move someone over from a different department, or promote from within? Knowing the way the company promotes can help you figure out if you’re getting a career with an opportunity for advancement, or a job that you’ll be stuck in unless you decide to make a lateral move.evalCurrent or former employees post online all the time. All you need to do is search to see if your company provides you with the opp ortunity to getpromoted in a reasonable timeframe. This is exactly what passionate and ambitious employees need from their employer.If you can’t find out ahead of time, you can always ask in the interview if there’s room for you togrow and work your way up in the company. Your interviewer might like to hear that question â€" it shows that you’re interested in sticking around a while.7. What They Do Or SellIt helps to have more than just a general idea of what a company sells or does before you walk through the door. Say, for example, you’re interviewing for a company that sells burritos Studying doesn’t end as soon as you graduate â€" it’s only just beginning. Studying the company will help you prepare yourself, and there’s no such thing as being too prepared.Even if you ultimately wind up working for the company’s biggest competitor, you’re in a position to compare and contrast the two. You’ll be able to add value wherever you go.

Happy at work at What If! Innovation - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Happy at work at What If! Innovation - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Samantha Wood over at The Insider blog has visited British Innovation Agency ?What If! Innovation to find out what makes them such a great workplace. Here are some elements from Sams post: Let?s start at the beginning ? the reception area. It IS a reception area in so much as there are welcoming people who?ll point you in the direction of the right meeting, but there?s a bit more to this space than that. It?s an eating area, a kitchen, a place for meetings, a place for parties, an internet caf? and a space for congregation and recognition. Recruitment: ?They just want to get involved. Everyone here does. We only hire the kinds of people who are really passionate and pro-active and who believe in our values?. Even laying people off is done in a deliberate, positive way: ?It took a lot of hard work to plan a way of making redundancies that could be as painless as possible for those involved. But it was totally, totally worth it. These people are our friends, and they remain so ? which I hope means we got it right?. Go read Sams entire post itll give you some excellent insight into a very happy and very successful workplace. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Writing and Resume Writing - A Beginners Guide to Writing

Writing and Resume Writing - A Beginner's Guide to WritingWriting a portfolio guide can be a little confusing, especially if you are just starting out in the field of writing. It's best to take a step back and identify what you want to accomplish and write in that manner so you know exactly what you're writing about.A producer is someone who is in charge of the entire production process for a company, such as a screenwriter, producer, director, etc. They provide the script and all the necessary funding to ensure that the movie gets made. The role of a producer is to provide the materials to the producers, directors, actors, and other individuals involved with the production, and sometimes they make suggestions.It may sound like a job that is easy to become, but it really isn't. Since you are the one who is responsible for finding the right people, ensuring that their needs are met, and paying them what they need, it takes dedication, perseverance, and motivation. The only way to do t his successfully is to write a portfolio, resume, and to create a screenplay through the writer's workshop course.If you have a screenplay, it's a good idea to put your portfolio and resume together. You don't need to go to each individual person to do this. In fact, you may want to distribute your resume around your school or to as many writers as possible. This gives everyone a chance to see the portfolio and potential in your writing skills.Remember that when you write a resume, it should be about you. This will give your resume a certain 'feel.' It should capture your personality and your style. People can then read your resume and see how you connect with people and how you will fit into a specific writing group.When you are distributing your resume, try to focus on what it says about you, what your skills are, and what experience you have in the industry. One tip: make sure that the resume is legible; you don't want to cut it up too much.As you work on your resume, you will wa nt to try to use a writer's kit. You can find these online or in bookstores. The kits can help you re-write your resume, figure out where your strengths and weaknesses are, and even provide a sample resume.The package usually includes five or six bullet points that you can change around to fit the type of writer you are. Most kits will include sample resumes to help you get started.