• 04Jun

  When social media relationships go bad and what to do about it

  Business and Health, Twitter 3 Comments

  
  

  I’m certain you’ve met people through Facebook, your blog or even Twitter. You connect with a few select friends and followers who are genuine professionals with solid reputations in the world of social media. Even though you’ve never actually met the people in person - you connect, tweet and in some cases, collaborate and partner.

  What happens when these relationships go bad? What do you do about it?
  
  When these relationships go bad, remember that people show up in everything they do just as they are. You can see it if you take time to observe, listen and feel what’s real and true. This is a time when patience as a virtue pays big. When people are less than gracious in their interactions, it doesn’t really change over time. Pay attention!

  Keep in mind that social media creates a false sense of professionalism. The informality of 140 characters often masks less than favorable character flaws. True professionalism is present no matter what happens in the relationship. Make sure you always maintain an attitude of professionalism even when the other person has a  foul or unprofessional attitude. You have a duty to yourself to be the bigger person at all times. It’s those challenging times that truly bring out the best in each of us.

  Own your own stuff by acknowledging your contributions to the problem. Yes, you played a role, too!  Personal responsibility is huge and the sooner you face it, the better off you can be. Remember, not everyone sees the world through the same lens that you do. Reflect on how you can learn and grow from the experience. Apply these "learnings"
  in the future to ensure social media relationship success.

  My mother always taught me to choose my friends carefully. Being somewhat of a rebel, I’ve always trusted until something came up that gave me a reason to question the trust. It’s the know-like-trust factor! In that very order, you must invest the time getting to know your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. Take your time getting to know your select friends’ character and strengths. Follow your heart to determine if you truly like the person and your values are aligned. Then - and only then, are you able to trust and continue building the relationship. Then, you’re able to connect, collaborate, partner and definitely entrust your friendships in social media.

  What are your thoughts? How do you handle social media relationships gone bad? I’d love to know your comments.
   

  Tags: facebook, know-like-trust factor, social media relationships, Twitter

• 26Mar

  Spring Inspires the Recession-Proof Mindset

  Business and Health, Inspiration for Business, Inspiration for Life 8 Comments

  Spring is here! I’m tickled about the warmer temps and eagerly awaiting the return of the beautiful flowers. They are welcome reminders of brighter times ahead, especially when I look at our country’s current economic crisis. I’ve heard from quite a few people about the many demands placed on body, mind, heart and spirit. To them, Spring seems hardly a reason for celebration in the face of all of the turbulence.
  

  Not true!!

  Spring has inspired me to adopt a Recession-Proof Mindset. As you continue reading, I challenge you to take just a few small steps to shift your mindset, too:
  
  Invest in all areas of your life: spiritual, physical, mental, emotional and financial.
  How do you do it? Plan activity in each area at minimum weekly. Work toward having a planned activity in each area on a daily basis. By investing in each area of your life, you’re building resilience to forge ahead no matter what you encounter. Do you know the difference between a speed bump and a speed hump? Your investments turn the humps into bumps, making each situation easier to face.

  Recognize what you can and cannot control.
  Consider the things you can control as directly related to you: your thoughts, your feelings, your actions, your reactions, your responses, your emotions, your behaviors, your choices…you get the idea? Focus on these areas and you’ll have a greater sense of empowerment. Approach each and every situation with a single question, “How do I choose to show up in this situation?”

  Acknowledge that everyone doesn’t deal with life the way you do.
  What does this mean for you? Stop trying to make people become who YOU want them to be. Appreciate and accept different perspectives and approaches to life…stop judging!

  These are simple yet effective ways to strengthen your quality of life with a Recession-Proof Mindset. Aaahh, Spring! Don’t you love it?!

  Share your comments. I’d love to hear how Spring is inspiring a recession-proof mindset for you.

  Tags: quality of life, recession-proof mindset, wendyybailey

• 19Mar

  Find A Great Service Provider

  Business and Health, Inspiration for Business, entrepreneur to ceo 4 Comments

  As a CEO, it’s vital that you find, create and maintain great relationships with the right service providers to support various aspects of your business. Remember, these ARE the people that help your business flowing when you’re absent, expanding to new heights and thriving during the most challenging economic times.

  Keep the primary focus of your business at the forefront of your mind as you consider these relationships. You may have the skills to handle lots of activities in your business. Is this the best use of your time and skills? More importantly, are these activities helping you to leverage your strengths? Are you truly the best person to handle the activity? These are tough questions you’ve gotta ask yourself. The answers are equally tough and lead you to the best place for your business. The bottomline is: if the activity takes you away from your primary focus, it’s not in the best interest of your business.

  Here are a few considerations:

  What do you want the service provider to do for you?
  List all of the things you do everyday to keep your business going. Outsource ALL activities out of alignment with your primary focus. Remember, if it’s not a good use of your expertise then you MUST let it go, delegate it, or outsource it so you can focus on doing that for which you’re best suited.

  Do they have the skills to provide the services at the level you want?
  Unfortunately, someone telling you they know how to do something doesn’t mean they actually know how to do it. If you’re like me, you have a certain way you like things handled and it’s all part of your brand and reputation. Ask detailed questions and get referrals so you know the exact capabilities of the provider. It pays HUGE dividends in the long and short run.

  How will the service provider support your overall business goals/objectives?
  Managing your service provider involves sharing your vision and goals with them. You want the service provider to know the big picture and how things work together so they have a greater sense of what’s important. It’s also a great opportunity to determine if your business values and work ethic are closely aligned.

  These considerations are just the beginning of creating a great relationship with service providers. The relationships with the service provider you choose will be an integral part of the success of your business. In my next post, I’ll share details about specific “soft skills” that are VERY important to the selection process. These skills are equally important to keep your business moving and shaking.

  Share your comments about how you select your service providers.

  Tags: encouragement for business, entrepreneur to ceo, hiring the right staff, service providers

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