Make It Happen

Social Media Manners Matter

There is so much written about what TO do with Social Media, there is so little written about what NOT to do. More than any other medium - telephone, written letters, email - Social Media is incredibly risky. Whatever you write can be broadcast worldwide, is archived forever, and can have an impact well beyond the intended audience. Watch out for these pitfalls:

1) If you're upset about something that was written, and you know the person who wrote it, it is far more productive to pick up the phone and ask them to retract than to engage in a public "flame war".

2) Don't post pictures of yourself that could be embarassing later on. (PR pros will tell you to use this test: if your mother or your manager would approve, then it's probably OK to post. It's too easy to be disqualified from jobs based on inappropriate Facebook pictures or comments.

3) Don't ask others for recommendations on LinkedIn unless you're pretty sure that they will agree. If you're unsure, pick up the phone and have a conversation first.

4) Be careful of flooding your "friends" with Too Much Information in your status updates. They'll eventually tire of it... and disconnect from you.

5) Don't gossip about third parties (your boss, friends, etc) - even if it is supposedly "private" they'll eventually see it, and you'll be terribly embarrassed - or fired.

6) Social Media is really a connection to a person - not their wallet. If you abuse your connection by always trying to sell your stuff, it reflects poorly on you.

7) When you comment on others' posts, remember that others (their family, co-workers, boss, etc) may read them.

8) Likewise, be very careful about posting photos of other people: they may not wish other people to see them in that photo.

9) If you quote someone else on your Blog, or if you refer to something else on Twitter, acknowledge (or "Retweet") the source with a link and their name. Otherwise it's stealing.

10) Don't forget that not everyone is on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and the myriad of other Social Networks. If you're trying to reach out to your community, don't forget those who aren't fully connected. Picking up the phone, or jotting a quick note will make sure that everyone is included.

This Week's Non-action Item: Social Media manners DO matter: try to avoid these mistakes.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Prep the Night Before

How often have you booked an early morning meeting (or airplane flight), and needed to be out the door far earlier than normal? Or stressed over a critical meeting, hoping that everything will turn out right?

One of the most powerful concepts in time management (and in project management) is the concept of prep the night before. There is a lot beneath this seemingly simple concept:

• At night, when you have the momentum, put together a to-do list for the next morning; you'll be ready to start with a bang.
• Avoid risks by doing as much as possible beforehand: who knows what might happen that morning?
• And yes, remember to choose your clothes the night before: it can save you precious time when you wake up.

On the other hand, there may be some activities that are best done first thing in the morning - checking the news falls into this category. Everything has its proper time, but we are creatures of habit - and sometimes our habits aren't as good as they could be.

This week's action item: Look at your calendar over the last seven days. What were the last few things you did each evening, and what are the first few things you did each morning? Over the next seven days, rearrange your to-do list to make sure that you are doing the right things at the right times. Prepping the night before means that you'll be more prepared the morning after - something others will notice immediately.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Olympic Tin Medal

Go for Gold! There have been miles of newsprint written on the Olympics, the athletes, their training, and their gold medals. To achieve their success, the athletes worked hard - very hard - for years. They sacrificed years of their life, they had to forego many "normal" growing-up activities, and they often had to make difficult relationship decisions - just to chase their dream.

If they had the potential, and they were single-minded in achieving it, and if everything was perfect on the day of their event, then gold was theirs. A lifetime of work recognized.

At the same time, there have been no shortage of people who find it far easier to criticize, trivialize, or characterize the Olympics as a failure. These tin medal armchair athletes need not devote their life to their goal, nor do they need any real training. In fact, it is so easy to damage people, organizations and events that everyone can get into the game: just post your blog, or your Facebook status, or Tweet, and the damage can be multiplied everywhere... forever.

Newspapers have always felt a need to answer beyond their shareholders, and be accountable to the public at large. The access that reporters were granted, their role in holding our elected officials accountable, and their ability to broadcast a particular worldview were part of a sacred public trust that had to be earned each and every day. Many people and organizations who use Social Media need to consider this concept as well, before they choose to broadcast their opinions.

This week's action item: Look back over your posts from the last year, and decide whether they are authentic, well-considered, and constructive. Then answer the question: when you post online, are you Going for Gold, or Trying for Tin? No one remembers the complainers, but a gold medal lasts forever.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Focus on the Question

Whenever there is uncertainty, we look for answers. We investigate alternatives, and then choose a course of action. Often, however, we are unsatisfied with the results, or have a sinking feeling that we've missed a key piece of information along the way.

Albert Einstein had an interesting approach to this: "If I had 20 days to solve a problem, I would take 19 days to define it." Or said another way: to get to the right answers, you need to ask the right questions.

While common sense and experience might suggest what these questions should be, we don't always have the requisite experience. (Or the common sense?) Thankfully, many of these questions are embedded within Analytical Frameworks, and can easily be applied to the problem at hand. Some of the frameworks may be familiar to you, others not. For more information on each, just Google each of the framework's names.

Examples of corporately-oriented analytical frameworks:

• 4P marketing analysis: Price, Product, Promo, and Place.
• Consumer analysis: Who/what/where/when/why/how.
• SWOT: Strengths/Weaknesses/ Opportunities/Threats.
• Porter's 5 forces: Supplier power, threat of substitutes, buyer power, barriers to entry, rivalry.
• Internal vs External Factors.
• PEST: Political/Economic/Social/ Technological.
• Fixed vs Variable cost analysis.

• Job Quality Checklist: When to leave your job.
• Personal Balance Sheet: How to evaluate and set your work-life balance objectives.

Of course, just because you might know and use one of these frameworks, doesn't mean that you ignore your "gut" - it just means that you have more questions to choose from, and more avenues to explore.

This week's action item: When faced with a critical decision, don't immediately rush to conclusions, but focus on the questions instead. Whether you use analytical frameworks or not, asking great questions is the best way to get a great answer - and great results.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news