Lisa’s Generation Relations Blog

Hi All!

I’d like to share some info about a newer workshop that I’ve been conducting that is getting great reviews. Yes, this is some shameless self-promotion, but I’m entitled to do this on occasion on my blog…so don’t get upset!

I’ll be conducting it on 9/14 for a large technology company in Silicon Valley, and I’ve presented variations of it for other well-known corporations. The topic of Personal Branding for career success has become very popular, and that’s what this workshop is all about.

Plus, I even included a whole chapter about this, and how to create a personal brand at work, in my most most recent book on Amazon (written for Millennial employees): Millennials Into Leadership.

So if your company is interested in having me present this workshop for your Millennial (aka GenY) and younger Gen X employees, let me know!

Here’s the info:

Workshop Title:

“Your Personal Brand is in Your Hands: The Ins & Outs of Why Defining Your Personal Leadership Brand is Critical to Career Success”:

This 3-hour workshop is (primarily) targeted at Millennial and Gen X employees (ages 21 to 35) who aspire to be effective, respected, leaders in the workforce. The purpose of this presentation is to educate and empower your employees to “adopt” a leadership mindset NOW (regardless of their current “status/position”), and to understand that the foundation of their career success is based on defining their Personal Brand Platform.

In this workshop, attendees will learn:

• What Branding IS and is NOT
• What a Personal Brand impacts (inside of work, outside of work, and online)
• Why defining a Personal Leadership Brand can improve career growth
• What “true” leadership is (ANY position level at work is a leadership role!)
• Key differences between a “management” mindset and a “leadership” mindset, and why understanding that is important to creating their Personal Brand.
• How developing their Personal Brand will impact their communication with others, related to: Problem Solving, Employee Engagement, Supervisors and Co-workers.
• Personal Brand attributes of effective, respected and successful leaders

• (3) ACTIVITIES INCLUDED: Core Value Exercise; Brand Personality Exercise; Personal Brand Positioning Statement Exercise

As you’ve seen from a few of my recent blog posts, successful executives understand the importance of creating, building and actively managing their personal brands, so this isn’t “just me” saying it’s important.

And as the workshop description says, my goal is to educate younger employees, regardless of their current positions in the workforce, on why it’s critical to start thinking about this as early in their careers as possible.

Starting to develop and create your personal brand at work isn’t something that starts AFTER you’ve reached a senior executive position. It needs to start on Day One of your first job to help you REACH (and successfully sustain) a senior executive position…

Bye for now!

Lisa

Hi All!

Recently I moderated a panel discussion on the importance of creating and building your personal brand for career success in the workplace.

This is a hot topic, and one that I’m conducting a workshop on next month for the employees of a large technology company.

As the event moderator, I was provided with the highlight notes from the panel discussion, and wanted to share them here. The panelists were all senior female executives from well-known companies, and the discussion could have gone on for hours! Our audience was totally engaged and asked lots of questions.

And whether you’re a Millennial (aka: Gen Y), Gen X, Generation Jones, or Boomer, it’s never too late, OR EARLY, to start thinking about your personal brand at work, and focusing on how to develop and manage it.

Here are the highlight takeaways the panelists shared:

Your brand tells people who you, and what to expect from you whether at work or at home. It helps people decide whether to trust you, and what to trust you about. Effective executives, both women and men, proactively build their brand, to ensure that others think highly of them, and have the confidence that they can execute under specific circumstances, and even in situations where they have little connections and expertise. Indeed, your executive brand can limit or launch your success. This month’s panelists shed light on what an executive brand is, how and why it is becoming more important in today’s market, and how to develop and reinforce that brand.

Your executive brand says something about you to people you know and people you want to know. It is a compilation of all the things that you’ve said and not said, done and not done. And it is more important today than ever that you strategically build your brand. Below are some elements of the personal (executive) brands developed by our esteemed panelists, and “how” they developed and manage theirs:

·        Proactive networking and communication independent of roles and organizations and levels

·        Collaborative, consensus builder focused on results

The bottom line: Be who you are AND who you want to be, not just what you or others think you SHOULD be. But with that said, don’t be afraid to stretch your definition of who you are, as long as your values and integrity are not compromised. Surround yourself with people with similar mindsets.

I hope you found this information helpful!

Bye for now…

Lisa

Hi All!

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Hi All,

When I conduct seminars about recruiting, managing and retaining Millennials (Generation Y) I am always surprised how many HR people and front line managers comment, “Why do we need to do all these things to accommodate them?”

Well, aside from the fact that we are facing a labor shortage in the U.S. (which I have talked about in previous blogs), many of the things Millennials want from company are things that most all generations will also benefit from. And I’m quick to say that many companies are now stressing out about how to keep their Boomer employees from retiring so soon, and many of the advice I offer about retaining Millennials can also keep your seasoned Boomers around for a few more years (versus choosing to retire the minute they turn 60-65).

Things like an improved rewards and recognition program (a must for Millennials!), flex-time (also a must for Millennials!), creating a “fun” work environment (another must for Millennials!), and a culture that supports team communication (yet another must for Millennials!), are all things that can keep your Boomers from bolting the minute they hit retirement age.

So before you scoff at the advice that people like me, and other experts, are preaching, think about how our info can also improve your Boomer retention. If you combine the Boomer Brain Drain with our lower U.S. population growth, we’re facing a labor shortage of “skilled & educated” employees over the next 15-30 years, so figuring out how to keep your seasoned Boomers for a few extra years past 60-65 will be as critical as attracting and retaining Millennial talent.

Bye for now!

Lisa

Hi All!

I conduct workshops and seminars for employees of corporations (many attendees are Millennials) on how and why developing a Personal (Leadership) Brand platform for themselves is important to their career growth, success and advancement. And I also discuss this quite a bit in my second book, “Millennials Into Leadership: The Ultimate Guide for Gen Y’s Aspiring to Be Effective, Respected, Young Leaders at Work”.

Here is a brief overview, that I call D.A.C.C., which explains why, even if you’re an employee and not self-employed, developing your own Personal Brand in the workforce is necessary (and you should start creating yours NOW, regardless of your role/level…even if you’re an entry-level employee!!!):

DIFFERENTIATION:

• Makes you stand out in the sea of other employees
• Communicates who you are to your peers, leadership, employees and clients

AUTHENTICITY:

• Allows you to speak and act authentically
• Prevents you from being “fake”
• Gives you clarity “about you” and what you stand for
• Great Quote: “To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are!”

CONSISTENCY:

• Makes people know how you will act and handle situations, consistently
• Enables others to know who you are and what they can expect from you, consistently
• Regardless of who are interacting with, your personality and demeanor, are consistent

CLARITY:

• You know what you stand for and act accordingly
• Gives you clarity, and others clarity, on your core values
• Helps keep you on track: “If I do this or say this, is it supporting or diluting my Personal Brand?”
• Keeps your moral compass in-check when faced with questionable situations that could tempt you

Take some time to think about your core values, work ethic, personality, and unique attributes that you bring to a work environment, and write your own Personal Brand Positioning Statement. And then once it’s crafted to your liking, proclaim it, live it, and BE your brand!

BTW: I even know some employees who have taken it a step further and added a “visual brand” element to their overall branding. What do I mean by this? One woman I know always wears striped socks at work, and she is known for that (as well as her positive personal attributes); and one young man I know is known for always wearing funny hats to work. Think of this in terms of Donald Trump and his hair…we all may laugh at it, but he is keenly aware that it’s part of his visual brand, he knows it is a topic of conversation, and he loves that the media talks about it.

In the book that I wrote (mentioned above), I have a whole chapter with quotes from senior executives about the importance of personal branding, as it pertains to leadership, in the workforce. One that I love, and that really sticks with me, is: “Be aware that people are watching what you say and what you don’t say, and what you do and what you don’t do. Your next opportunities, and indeed reputation, will be impacted by the actions and decisions you make day-to-day…everyday.”

By determining your personal brand at work, and living it consistently, you are building and creating a “reputation” that can foster career success – faster than the employees who choose not to.

Bye for now!

Lisa

Hi All!

Recently I was contacted by a large, well-known corporation who is interested in having me conduct my Millennial Business Boot Camp for a group of their Millennial (aka: Gen Y) employees. Their main reason for contacting me was because they knew my boot camp includes a section on Business Etiquette, covering: Meeting etiquette; dining etiquette; communication etiquette, dress etiquette, and general manners etiquette.

The person who contacted me explained that they noticed most of their Millennial employees struggled with these “etiquette areas”. I’ve also conducted workshops, boot camps and seminars for other companies who expressed the same thing.

This is what prompted this very important blog topic. And, Millennials, don’t feel bad! I know generations at work of all of ages who also struggle with these etiquette principles! But the sooner you can get a grip on them, the better for you.

So, let’s get started…can you answer these 8 questions?

Business Etiquette:

1. What is the proper time to arrive for an appointment?

2. Can you exchange business cards while dining?

3. How can you get more privacy in your cubicle (if you work in a cubicle environment)?

4. How much perfume/cologne is acceptable at work?

Click here for answers to these questions and more!

Dining Etiquette:

1. Is it considered rude to take a sip of your drink while you’re still chewing?

2. After the completion of a formal dinner, where do you place your utensils?

3. How should you fold a large napkin before placing it on your lap?

4. What direction should food be passed at a dining table?

Click here for answers to these questions and many others!

As you can see, there are a lot of things you need to be aware of in the world of etiquette. And, remember, having good manners all reflects on YOU and your personal brand at work (and outside of work). So take some time to learn proper etiquette…your boss, co-workers, clients and potential clients, will be impressed!

Bye for now!

Lisa

Hi All!

The following is a guest post courtesy of AccreditedOnlineColleges.com. It’s a fun read filled with quick tips and quotes from (mostly) famous people about how to succeed in life after graduating from college. So for all your Gen Y/Millennial students, check it out…

Below you’ll find 49 out of 100 of the tips and quotes, but click here to read all 100!

Here’s the article:

Emerging into the real world after graduation can be a time of great excitement but also one of great trepidation. Here are some quotes that can help offer some sage advice, insight and guidance to make your transition from college to the working world a little less scary.

On Graduation

In these quotes, great thinkers, politicians and businesspeople speak on what graduation means to them.

1. Orrin Hatch:There is a good reason they call these ceremonies “commencement exercises.” Graduation is not the end; it’s the beginning.
2. Arie Pencovici: Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you’ll make a difference.
3. Adlai Stevenson: When you leave here, don’t forget why you came.
4. Tom Brokaw: You are educated. Your certification is in your degree. You may think of it as the ticket to the good life. Let me ask you to think of an alternative. Think of it as your ticket to change the world.
5. Author Unknown: The future lies before you, Like a field of driven snow, Be careful how you tread it, For every step will show.
6. Newton D. Baker: The man who graduates today and stops learning tomorrow is uneducated the day after.
7. Dr. Seuss: You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who’ll decide where to go.
8. Carly Fiorina: The truth is, I was afraid the day I walked into Stanford. And I was afraid the day I walked out.
9. Oscar Wilde: Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing worth knowing can be taught.
10. e.e. cummings: It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.
11. Catherine Pulsifer: Graduation is a time of completion, of finishing, of an ending, however, it is also a time of celebration of achievement and a beginning for the new graduate.
12. Arie Pencovici: Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you’ll make a difference.

On Education

These quotes promote the virtues of education.

1. Louis L’Amour: The best of all things is to learn. Money can be lost or stolen, health and strength may fail, but what you have committed to your mind is yours forever.
2. Mahatma Gandhi: Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.
3. John Updike: You cannot help but learn more as you take the world into your hands. Take it up reverently, for it is an old piece of clay, with millions of thumbprints on it.
4. Nelson Mandela: Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
5. Aristotle: The roots of education are bitter but the fruit is sweet.
6. Will Durant: Education is a progressive discovery of our ignorance.
7. Theodore Roosevelt: A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education he may steal the whole railroad.
8. Jean Piaget: The principal goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating what other generations have done.
9. Andre Gide: The only real education comes from what goes counter to you.
10. John Dewey: The result of the educative process is capacity for further education.
11. Galileo Galilei: You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.
12. William Butler Yeats: Education is not the filling of a bucket but the lighting of a fire.

Inspiration

These quotes will inspire you to achieve in your life after graduation.

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson:Hitch your wagon to a star.
2. Confucius:Wherever you go, go with all your heart.
3. Ralph Waldo Emerson: What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
4. Ralph Waldo Emerson: Do not follow where the path may lead. Go, instead, where there is no path and leave a trail.
5. Mark Twain: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
6. Robert Louis Stevenson: Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
7. Terri Guillemets: There is no need to reach high for the stars. They are already within you – just reach deep into yourself!
8. Marianne Williamson: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
9. Eleanor Roosevelt: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
10. Henry David Thoreau: Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
11. Arthur C. Clarke: The only way of finding the limits of the possible is by going beyond them into the impossible.
12. William Arthur Ward: If you can imagine it, you can achieve it; if you can dream it, you can become it.

Motivation

No matter what you want to do in life, these quotes will motivate you to get it done.

1. David Lloyd George: Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated; you can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.
2. Fred Dehner: The best helping hand that you will ever receive is the one at the end of your own arm.
3. Henry Ford: Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.
4. Ralph Marston: Excellence is not a skill. It is an attitude.
5. Arnold Palmer: The most rewarding things in life are often the ones that look like they cannot be done.
6. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: Dream no small dreams for they have the power to move the hearts of men.
7. Carl Sandberg: Nothing happens unless it is first a dream.
8. Ralph Waldo Emerson: It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, ‘Always do what you are afraid to do.’
9. Robert Frost: The best way out is always through.
10. Samuel Johnson: Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.
11. Publius Terence: Fortune favors the brave.
12. Theodore Roosevelt: Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
13. Helen Keller: One can never consent to creep when one feels the impulse to soar.

Congrads to all of you students and cheers to your future success!

Lisa

Hi All!

I’m going to keep this short because the details are in the free white paper that is a result of a recent 6-month research study conducted by Mr Youth and Intrepid.

Here’s the general “gist” of what it’s about: Basically, it explores Millennials’ (aka Gen Y) approach to business AND what a company will look like when Millennials are in leadership roles calling the shots in the workplace.

Click here to download the White Paper: “What Your Company Will Look Like When Millennials Call the Shots”.

About Mr Youth: Recently named as one of Fast Company’s Top 10 Most Innovative Marketing and Advertising Companies. The have been helping clients understand the Millennial mind to better develop effective marketing strategies to reach that demographic.

Intrepid: An award-winning research and consulting firm that works with clients all over the world.

Interesting stuff! I strongly recommend downloading it…why not? It’s free!

Bye for now,
Lisa

Hi All!

A new study is coming out in the Journal of Management that some employers may find surprising (or not!) regarding Millennial job seekers and employees. Here is the overview…

Much has been written and reported about the altruistic aspirations of GenY –– those born between 1982 and 1999. The notion that they value interesting, fulfilling jobs that provide them with an opportunity to “give back” has influenced how corporate America recruits and retains this younger generation of workers.

But according to a new study forthcoming in the Journal of Management, GenY (also known as GenMe or Millennials) is actually a bit more focused on “having their cake and eating it too.”

“Many times the media make it seem like GenY is the first generation to want a meaningful job, but according to our findings, that is not the case,” says Stacy Campbell, co-author of the study and professor of management at the Coles College of Business at Kennesaw State University. “Our study found that the most important thing to Gen Y workers is finding a job that pays well and gives them more free time to do what they want outside of work.”

According to the study –– the first to provide hard, empirical data to support how work values differ among the GenMe, Generation X and Baby Boomers –– these surprising results have significant implications for companies as the Baby Boomers continue to retire and GenMe populates the work force.

To learn more about this study, click here to read a recent article in the NY Post.

Good pay and flexibility…while wanting good pay is not a big “shocker” for employers, adjusting “old school” cultures to provide flexibility, is (for many). I just had this conversation with a colleague today…employees, from all generations, are wanting to work differently. And if companies want to better engage and retain their talent, they need to start changing their workforce “ways”…now.

Bye for now,

Lisa

Twitter @GenerationsGuru

Hi All!

Recently I had the pleasure of speaking with several senior female executives from large corporations, and they gave me their personal insight and feelings about leadership. This is great info for any of you Millennials (Gen Y) out there who have entered leadership roles at work. Being an effective manager is tricky, and being a respected leader can be even more tricky.

So if you’re a Millennial in a leadership position, you should read their tips. These are from women who have been in the workforce 15+ years and who are highly respected within their companies. And, if want more help understanding leadership, pick up a copy of my book (written for your generation!), “Millennials Into Leadership”. The feedback from Millennials has been awesome and many companies are making it required reading at their companies.

Here are the 20 Tips they offered:

1. Power, influence and integrity are three inter-connected circles that create the foundation for being an effective leader.
2. Whereas there are many ways to describe power, the concept of integrity is more nebulous. It refers to a concept of wholeness, of alignment with your personal values, as well as that of your organization and your team.
3. Defining leadership moments are not easy. There will be conflict, resistance, difficult circumstances. You may test a relationship, or even jeopardize your job. If you are up to the task and doing the right thing based on your personal assessment and your personal moral standards, it will prepare you for more of these opportunities to learn and grow and lead.
4. Leading with power, influence and integrity takes the strength and intelligence to make plans and the courage to execute on them, especially under difficult circumstances, especially when many variables impact the right course of action.
5. Leadership goes well beyond positional power, where someone has the authority to manage other people or projects and might rightfully use coercion as a strategy. People can also gain power by becoming an expert/authority on a specific topic, by encouraging/reinforcing others around them.
6. Even if you have positional power, use that power judiciously.
7. Don’t be someone you’re not. Find your personal “voice” and define your personal brand/style at work.
8. Power is sharing info with people; not withholding it.
9. For every ONE point of “suggestion/constructive criticism” you offer to an employee, provide NINE compliments.
10. Empowerment and engagement are much more effective at getting things done and building positive relationships.
11. “Power over” is about coercion, being domineering. “Power to” is more about affecting change. “Power with” is centered on collaboration. “Power Within” is centered on yourself.
12. Be willing to walk away from a company or client without integrity.
13. Never ask anyone to do something you wouldn’t personally do.
14. Don’t shrink from any conversations with yourself; you must avoid denial with regards to any situation. This can lead to small issues becoming huge ones – and people will then be asking you, “How and why did this happen?”
15. Embrace conflict tactfully: Speak-up (not in volume, but with opinion), debate with inquiry, and keep inquiring until there is nothing left to say.
16. Communicate with courage and confidence; not intimidation.
17. Insist on a seat at the table. Don’t avoid getting involved.
18. People are listening to what you say…and to what you DON’T say.
19. Be empathetic to employee needs and desires.
20. Have your “core values” written down and share them with your team.

In my next blog post I plan to discuss the importance of developing your personal leadership brand to improve your career growth. I have lots of quick-hit tips from senior executives about that, too, that I’ll share!

And I will tell you that in ANY of the leadership seminars and workshops that I conduct for Millennial employees, the topic of “personal branding” is one of the most popular with my attendees!

Bye for now,

Lisa

Twitter @GneerationsGuru