• 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

• 27May

  Upcoming Exceptional Experts

  Exceptional Experts No Comments

  Exceptional Experts has featured lots of fabulous guests, sharing their personal stories of triumph in business and life. As we wind down this popular radio show, you’re invited to tune into more phenomenal guests through the end of June, 2009:

  May 28th at 1 pm ET Sandra Martini
  May 28th at 5 pm ET Nancy Marmolejo
  June 4th at 1 pm ET Therese Prentice
  June 11th at 1 pm ET Nancy Sutherland
  June 18th at 1 pm ET Donna Amos
  June 25th at 1 pm ET Vernice Armour
  
  For more details

  Tags: Coaching, Exceptional Experts, wendyybailey

• 10May

  My Tribute to My Mother (circa 2003)

  Inspiration for Life, Just for fun! No Comments

  If you ever have the opportunity to meet my mother, you’ll know that food is her element. In 2004, she’ll be 73 years young and you can still find her catering meals for families and preparing hors d’oeuvres for special group gatherings.

  As tribute to my mother, I’d like to share a few special things I’ve learned from her to inspire you to live life more fully. As you might guess, I’ve chosen to relate these special thoughts to food and particularly to dishes I’ve prepared with a little help from my mother.

  Hush Puppies
  Every good Southern cook knows the importance of having a little fried fish every now and then. I like to have hush puppies with my fish but I haven’t always known how to make them. The first time I made hush puppies, I called my mother and asked her what I needed to do to transform a box of Jiffy cornbread mix into hush puppies. Jiffy cornbread is a little on the sweet side but she cautioned me not to add too much onion that the batter became bitter. As we walked through her culinary plan, that theme stayed with me: “Not too sweet but not too bitter.” I heard her message loud and clear. My fish was yummy but more importantly, the accompanying hushpuppies were delicious!

  Lima Beans
  Hmm. Lima beans are a great source of protein and nutrition. Believe or not, lima beans was one of the first things I learned to cook when I was in college. And yes, my mother was right there helping me each step of the way. The key thing about lima beans is to make sure they’re flavorful and tender. With my mothers help, I added just the right amount of seasonings to make them just that…flavorful and tender.

  Rice Pudding
  A few years ago while I was visiting Illinois, I enjoyed cooking for my niece and her family. One night I wanted to prepare a special dessert. Given the ingredients at my disposal, I decided to make a rice pudding. Not knowing exactly how to pull the ingredients together, I called on long distance support from my mother and asked her for her recipe. Once again, she walked me through each ingredient and technique step-by-step. The finished product was a rich, sweet and tasty dessert – pure comfort food that we all enjoyed!

  So what can you learn from these stories about hush puppies, lima beans and rice pudding?

  First of all, can you tell that like my mother, I have a love for food?

  There are a few other things I’ve learned about life that my mother taught me:

  1. In any relationship, learn to strike a balance. Work at being neither too sweet nor too bitter. If you’re too sweet, you’re likely to be taken advantage of in some way. On the other hand, if you’re too bitter, your life journey may be harder and more difficult. So strike a balance so that your relationships have a little crunch!

  2. Life is full of flavor so add the appropriate amount of seasonings to make it flavorful and tender. Kindness, self-control and love are a few seasonings to get you started. Try these and watch the flavor and tenderness in your life grow.

  3. Make sure in life you are RICH. I’ve borrowed an acronym from one of my coaching colleagues, Michelle Schubnel:

  R-Rewarded
  I-Inspired
  C-Confident
  H-Happy

  These are just a few things I’ve learned from my mother that I hope will benefit you too!

  I wrote this originally in 2003 and it’s still really kewl today! Leave me a comment and share your tribute to your mom.
  

  Tags: happy mother's day, tribute to my mother

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