Our July 19 Transitions event was on the topic of Enhancing Your Leadership Presencethis afternoon, facilitated by Linda Holroyd.
Last month, we talked about the importance of knowing yourself and your unique value proposition to any leadership opportunity and started identifying the aspects of your personal/professional brand, and how to leverage it to their advantage.
This month, we continued the conversation and focused more embracing and communicating your leadership brand, the way you communicate who you are in person, over e-mail, in other written forms. We will also consider ideas for enhancing your leadership presence and better position and sell their particular brand of leadership while networking, while interviewing, and while communicating in general. Below are notes from the discussion.
Thoughts on Enhancing Your Leadership, adopted from:
"Leadership Effectiveness: Past Perspectives and Future Directions for Research" in Jerald Greenberg (ed.), Organizational Behavior: The State of the Science, Erlbaum, Hillsdale, NJ., Robert House and Philip M. Podsakoff http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leadership#Suggested_qualities_of_leadership
Vision. Outstanding leaders articulate an ideological vision congruent with the deeply-held values of followers, a vision that describes a better future to which the followers have an alleged moral right.
Passion and Self-Sacrifice
Confidence - demonstrating the ability to state one's views and make decisions with conviction;
Courage willingness to stand up for one's beliefs and to challenge fundamental assumptions; Congruence the ability to be consistent in one's words and actions
Determination and Persistence
Working from the Outside (interacting with others)
llInspirational Communication communicating with clarity, persuasiveness and impact
lImage-building/Comportment a polished, professional manner and appearance, often geared to the next level in the organization. .
lRole-Modeling.
lCredibility being seen as credible in terms of knowledge/expertise, role and level in the organization
Connectivity the ability to engage, energize and inspire others and to participate and contribute with and through others in a meaningful way to the company
Developing deeper and more trusting relationships with your clients
Inspiring your teammates to sprint to the finish on an important project
Persuading a reluctant recruit she has what it takes to charge up that hill
Convincing your investors to fund your next great idea
Inspiring a classroom of students to become lifelong learners
Encouraging your employees to hang in through tough times
Creating enthusiasm in your organization for a difficult change
Negotiating a complex contract that benefits all sides
Nurturing a corporate culture that engenders loyalty and retention
What is Leadership Presence? Belle Halpern and Kathy Lubar write in Leadership Presence, effective leaders are:
Present Able to be completely in the moment and flexible enough to handle the unexpected.
Reaching Out Able to build relationships with others through empathy, listening, and authentic connection.
Expressive Able to express feelings and emotions appropriately by using all means of expressionwords, voice, body, faceto deliver one congruent message.
Self-Knowing Able to accept themselves, to be authentic, and to reflect their values in their decisions and actions.
Our June 21Transitions event was on the topic of Leveraging Your Personal Brand and our facilitator was Susan Schwartz of You Who Personal and Corporate Branding. Below is a compiled set of advice and attached are her notes from the session and her notes are also available.
What is a 'personal brand'?
Perception - how others see you
Reality - who you are
Identity - the combination of who you are and how others perceive you
Label - how others label you
Product - how others perceive what you do
About Your Personal Brand
You should manage your personal brand, or others may manage it for you, and not necessarily in a positive/constructive way for you.
When identifying your personal brand, remove yourself from your history to fully consider the possibilities. (For example, if you were the youngest member of the family, you might have the family brand of being the 'baby', the 'irresponsible' one, which may not be what you'd like to project to others.)
Consider how you'd like others to perceive you and why you'd like to present yourself in that manner.
Consider developing both your personal and professional brand and finding a way to align them both.
Consider identifying yourself with one word, like 'Enrich' for Oprah, 'Rich' for Donald Trump, 'Entertainment' for Martha Stewart.
Develop an alignment between:
Your heart, your passions
Your head, your fit to the needs of others (how others will get who you are and why it's important to them)
Your hands, what you do to present yourself in person, in writing, in all communications
Another way to say that is to:
Be clear in your head
Be confident in your heart
Be consistent in your gut
To be compelling and charismatic
Putting it all together:
Who You Are is your BRAND stand
What You Do is your BRANDstory
Who You Speak to is your BRANDaudience
Why Do They Care is your BRAND significance
Advice if the alignment is missing:
Be true to your self.
But do understand your environment and your fit in that environment. Can you make it work there?
Are you understanding your constituents, their needs and how best to communicate with them so that you can remain true to your self?
Talk to Susan! She's starting the conversation and we don't expect you to solve this on your own!
Our May 24 meeting was on the topic of The Competition for Top Talent - How Does This Affect You?
Demographic changes with the aging of the boomers, cultural/ethical misalignments in an increasingly global world, Generation X management challenges and other challenges are contributing to the dearth in leadership for many organizations. As the first of the baby boomers consider retirement, companies are increasingly focusing on developing that leadership bench: hiring top talent, and retaining and growing from within.
In this session, leadership and career consultant Patti Wilson from Career Company www.careercompany.com led us in a discussion about the business dynamics around the leadership development and retention question, and provided information and advice below.
Facts and more information about the competition for top talent:
The war for top talent: Top talent has never been more valuable, nor competition for it more fierce, By Geoffrey Colvin, FORTUNE senior editor at large; January 25, 2006
According to Gallup, 75% of employees are disengaged from their jobs and more than 70% are interested in changing jobs. The pool of most desirable workers aged 25-34 is shrinking. With more people nearing retirement and fewer people to replace them, retaining top talent is critical for every organization. How do we identify and retain top talent? Where does the responsibility lie? (hint: NOT in HR) Learn to identify high potential employees and increase loyalty and retention.
Advice on what you can do to be perceived as top talent:
Build your brand and be perceived as top talent (more information at next month's Transitions event)
Manage your career, relationships, network and contacts
The resume is not as important as the relationships you're developing
Profile your testimonials and references as much as you would profile your background and skills
Combat ageism by keeping current on the trends, particularly technology trends
Advice on how you can find out more about an organization or industry that's new to you:
Position yourself as an expert through your communications - blogs, articles, white papers, etc., (Typepad, WordPress might be good resources for you.)
Consider doing consulting assignments in the industry, organization you are targeting.
For more information about the Competition for Top Talent and How It Affects You:
See articles written by Patti: http://www.pattiwilson.com/land/articles.php
A Front Burner vs Back Burner Job Search
Bridging the Talent Divide Between the Employed and the Unemployed
Evaluating Working for a Startup
Finding Jobs for Creative Types
Overcoming Call Reluctance
Interviewing Without Losing Your Integrity
How to Avoid the Pitfalls of an Internet Job Search
Top Ten Secrets to Job Search Success
The Ins and Outs of Salary Negotiation
Writing a Resume if You Have Changed Jobs Frequently: 7 Tips
FountainBlue's April 26 Transitions event was on the topic of Men and Women Working in Partnership.
Women are slowly making advances into the executive ranks, even in traditionally male industries such as high tech. Men and women executives working with women as peers, as staff members, as partners, as bosses need to better understand the management styles of women in management, so that they can better lead, follow, support, and guide them. In this session, gender difference expert Bonita Banducci, Banducci Consulting www.genderwork.com shared some of the key management styles of women executives, and helped us think about how women executives affected us, and how we can better work with women managers and executives. We thought critically about our own management style and how it might be adapted to work with people who may not necessarily share our own point of view. Below is a summary of advice on the topic.
In general, men and women have different communication styles.
Understanding and acknowledging the difference in communication styles can be beneficial.
It can help you better understand how people of the other gender or other communication style are perceiving you/receiving your communications. This knowledge can help you better communicate, manage and lead.
Leveraging the best of typically male communication styles and typically female communication styles can be beneficial to all
It can lead to greater promotabilityfor both men and women
It can contribute to more effective communication and management and leadership
Embracing the differences between gender communication styles can help foster/support the acceptance of more creative, innovative ideas
It can help people take the gender-difference in communication styles less personally , as if they are being put downor conversely, not judge others negatively or as incompetent.
Tips for women in communication with men who have more independent styles of communication:
Put your communications in a linear way which more independent, male communicators may better appreciate/understand.
When you're considering the web of factors to be considered before action is to be taken, strategically call or only one or two of them that would be most relevant to the men. They are less likely to see your contribution as an obstacle to action, and more likely to see it as another factor to consider prior to taking action.
Don't be deterred/discouraged by devil's advocacy kind of communication. It doesn't necessarily mean that they are shutting down your idea.It may be their way of supporting you to make the idea bullet proof. Ask for collaboration or "angel's advocate" if you want to build on the idea.
Tips for men in communication with women who have more relationship-based styles of communication:
Since these women are more relationship based, they really value a sincere, direct communication particularly when they are the victims of a difficult management decision (For example, in the case of a layoff, express apology.)
Find ways at times to be more an 'angel's advocate' rather than 'devil's advocate' to affirm what is valuable and build on the idea and then let them know you want to play 'devil's advocate' to bullet-proof the idea.
Allow them to communicate problems to consider prior to taking action. This allows them to act on preventing other fires as well as fighting fires.
See also the article on men and women and their value systems.
FountainBlue's March 22 Transitions event was on the topic of Using Age to Your Advantage.
Your age is one of your most powerful advantages in your job search ... if you have the right attitude and strategy to overcome the subtle and not so subtle age bias that exists in every interview.
For this event, Jean Erickson Walker, EdD and Career Management Fellow with Pathways/OI Partners Inc. and one of America's leading professional career coaches, shared her very practical and expert advice on landing that great job you really want ... at any age. Jean provided us with a step-by-step guide on how to turn your age and experience into must-haves for any potential employer. We shared our stories and challenges around 'the age question' and participated in an engaging discussion. Below is advice for using age to your advantage. See also the notes she provided:
Have a positive attitude about your age, no more derogatory remarks
Position yourself as a trustworthy, experienced, competent executive with integrity, values, and competence who will make life better for the senior executives at an organization
Talk about the big picture, don't talk about the smaller details you did in executing a project
Sell your relationship skills, not necessarily your tactical and technical knowledge
Find a job which sounds like it would be fun, exciting, rich and engaging learning and growing experience where you can make a real contribution
Jean's Top Ten things to consider in using age to your advantage:
Understand the new world of work
Become CEO of You, Inc.
Remember your age IS an issue
Stop looking for jobs and start looking for work that needs doing
Do a thorough self assessment
Take a strategic view of job listings
Learn the career search process
Focus on outcomes, create a defining statement
Pick your battles, sell your greatest asset, wisdom
Bring your friends to the party
For more information:
Contact Jean and inquire about her coaching services
Our February 22 Transitions event was on the topic of Learning from Bad Management Practices
The media is filled with books and articles about management and leadership, and a sizable cottage industry exists of advisers and consultants to teach us the best techniques. But what about *bad* management? You probably haven't seen many books about that, though you may have seen plenty of real life examples. It's certainly a commonplace reality. It keeps Scott Adams in business drawing Dilbert, and as Mr. Adams clearly demonstrates, it's more *fun* than good management as long as you're not its victim.
In this talk, we'll discuss bad management. We'll cover real cases and real consequences, including failed companies and billions of dollars in losses. The intent is not to derive good management advice, but rather to observe bad management in all its glory. We may also illuminate some tactics for surviving, and perhaps even succeeding, when confronted with bad management.
Our facilitator, Jay Michlin, has served as a senior engineering and management executive within the Silicon Valley and beyond. Currently the VP of Engineering at OnStor, Jay takes pride in learning from Bad Management practices, mentoring and growing high-potential leaders, while delivering bottom-line business results. Bring your favorite bad management stories and the lessons gained from them, and prepare for an interactive and educational discussion!
Below are comments and advice from our discussion today.
Once a person becomes a manager, and especially a senior manager, no one in the organization is likely again to share the truth with him or her. Therefore, the manager must strive to be exposed and available every day to earn people's respect and have a chance to hear the truth. Without it, good decisions are impossible. And there are consequences for making bad decisions, even if the consequences are postponed. Some characteristics of bad managers:
They look at business from the '50,000 feet' level, not the on-the-ground level which is much more effective.
They impose their business standards and experience on their current business situation rather than adapting to the business challenges in front of them.
They focus on measurements rather than results.
They put the wrong people in the wrong job.
Sometimes they add unnecessary layers of management, which takes everyone away from the thoughts of the staff and the customers.
They lack the courage and integrity to lead and deliver results.
Some characteristics of good managers:
They have the courage to invite others (like customers and staff) to share the truth/provide honest feedback and to follow through on that communication.
They have the integrity to do the right thing for the company and its people.
They utilize the talent from their staff and network.
They emulate behaviors of other leaders they admire.
They focus on company results and the bottom line while also addressing strategic business and people issues.
FountainBlue's Thursday, January 25, 2007 Transitions event featured Mitchell Levy, Author of 5 books on business topics, chair for CEO networking, head of the Silicon Valley Executive Business Program, frequent speaker on leadership, networking challenges and online publishing strategies for senior executives, and founder and CEO for the book publishing company, Happy About http://www.happyabout.info.
Since 1998, Mitchell has surveyed thousands of senior executives annually on the question of what to expect for the coming year.
Here are the top 10 trends for What to Expect in 2007
#01 - Global Warming/Environmental Concerns Effect Business
#02 - Energy Continues to Take Center Stage
#03 - The Internet Continues to Grab Mindshare by Getting Incorporated into Daily Processes
#04 - The World Continues Going Mobile
#05 - Marketing Starts Moving from an "Art" to a "Science"
#06 - The US Dollar Becomes Less Important
#07 - Capitalism Continues to Spread Throughout the World
#08 - Rapid Adoption of Mass Customization
#09 - Software Continues to Morph
#10 - Online Networking Becomes a Key Business Asset Industries
Contact Mitchell if you are interested in writing a book to be published through Mitchell's company. He will e-mail you six questions about your book topic.
FountainBlue's December 14 Transitions event featured a recruiter panel:
Roy Fiebiger, Sanford Rose Associates-Silicon Valley, representing the life science management market
Jim McFadzean, DHR International, representing senior-level positions in advanced technology companies
Sue Salvesen, STRe Solutions, representing senior-level finance positions
Gretchen Sand, Skyline Recruiting Corporation, representing engineering, product management and marketing for early stage companies
Max Shapiro, PeopleConnect, representing the early stage company market
Through their comments and that of an engaged audience, we have a much better understanding of what to look for when working with a recruiter and a better understanding of what needs to happen to ensure a successful job search. Below are notes from this afternoon's session for your reference.
Characteristics of a Great Recruiter:
Relationship-based rather than transaction-based
Treat you with respect
Transparent and clear with you
High ethical standards
Partner with you and with the hiring manager
to ensure a good fit of skills and culture
to assess your interest and abilities and identify the skills, experience, personality needs of organization
Partner with candidate
to help them understand value-add and to communicate it clearly
to expedite the hiring process, where appropriate
Advice for Job-Seekers:
Leverage technology
Use resources like LinkedIn and LinkSV and Craigslist. Recruiters use them too.
Be persistent
Be strategic
Understand your own strengths and weaknesses. You may want to interview former bosses, colleagues etc., to help you better understand this. You can use this information during the interview (representing what you know someone thinks about you instead of giving a 'vanilla response') and also line up references through this process.
Practice selling to your strengths
Research and understand the needs of the hiring company
Understand and communicate how your strengths can help the hiring company
Take responsibility for your search success, don't rely on someone else to close the deal or move it along
Be particular with the people you are working with to find a job.
Be particular about the organization you're willing to work for. 'How you do one thing is how you do everything,' so if you're not treated well during the interview process, it may reflect on how you would be treated after you sign on.
If you're working with a recruiter, involve him in your search, even if you're considering applying for a job not covered by the recruiter.
Thoughts on Job Trends into 2007:
Biotech is producing more jobs, more hiring
There are never enough 'A players' to go around
The market is looking better this year than last, and last year was better than any year since 2000
There's an advantage to living in the area. Relocation costs are now seldom provided by companies
The October 26 Transitions event on Outsourcing Tales was an extension of our Connections event of the month on the topic of outsourcing and offshoring. Experienced outsourcing consultant Cindy Johnson of Make Technology Pay Consulting facilitated the session, which feature the challenges and solutions shared by attendees, as well as suggestions and advice on outsourcing and offshoring best practices and trends. To see the slides from her presentation, see the files section for the SVExecs community.
In addition, before making an outsourcing decision, consider the following:
Accurate estimated costs and budgets
Dependencies
Accurate and detailed scope for the project
Core competencies - should they be outsourced?
Infrastructure support for outside vendors
Managing expectations for cost savings and results
Networking at the senior executive level is a lot about building the connections with the right people, at the right time, for the right reason. Whether you are a senior executive in transition or considering a new opportunity, a professional happily employed or consulting and looking for new partnerships and clients, or a recently re-employed businessperson after a challenging job search, it is increasingly more important for senior executives to build and nurture senior-level connections when considering your long-term career objectives and financial goals.
The thoughts and advice below were offered at the September 28 ExecuNet Silicon Valley meeting facilitated by FountainBlue CEO Linda Holroyd, with comments by Al Hulvey from Greetings Manager and the event participants.
Working Definition: Networking is: An Active process of building and managing productive relationships with all of your contacts (Professor Wayne E. Baker from his Networking Smart Book)
68% startup money found by networking (same as above)
How is Networking Different for Executives?
There are fewer events for executives only
Successful executives have built a network for a lifetime; this could work for you, when someone favors you because of a relationship, or against you if someone else who may be less qualified gets chosen for a position because of a relationship
More sense of reciprocity for executives
Senior executives sometimes find it awkward to network with less junior people
There are fewer executives in general.
The executives are really busy and time is more valuable for them
Why is Networking for Executives More Important Now?
The world is a more complex place. Having a extensive network helps busy executives better understand the trends and keep up with the times.
The tenure for jobs is now 3.8 years, less for senior executives. This means that as many as 15% to 20% of qualified executives sit on the sidelines
The Art of Networking
Everyone has his own style
Reasons for a successful connection vary depending on who you’re working with
Random chance is a factor
Sometimes you find your connections in the strangest places!
The Science of Networking
Understanding your objectives and developing a plan will increase your probability of success
The more you build your network, the more likely your network will continue to grow. The larger your network, the more likely you can leverage it to serve your needs, and that of others in your network
The better you plan and prepare, the more likely you are to succeed
Five Keys to Executive Networking
Your Reputation Matters - Be professional, Be courteous and gracious, Be thankful, Be helpful
Know Your Objectives and Make a Plan to Achieve Them
Follow Through
Build on Successes. Networking is for life, not just for the objective you set for today
It’s Not All About You - Just as important as what’s in it for you is what’s in it for the other party
Managing Organizational Change for Today's Leaders
Notes for FountainBlue Presentation 8/24/06
by Pat Obuchowski
How can we, as change leaders, manage change and what skills do we need to make the change smooth (as much as is possible)?
According to William Bridges, author of Managing Transitions, when management introduces change, it needs to provide employees with the four P's: the Purpose (the reason behind the change), the Picture (what will the expected outcome look like?), the Plan (how will we get from here to there), and the Part (what part will the employees play?).
Involve everyone especially yourself. Jump in .you must be involved.
Clear sense of purpose and mission. The simpler the better.
Be Committed as the leader
Be the watchdog and fire up people for support
Find Allies and Build 'Change Champions' and "Paradigm shifters" in your top managers and others. Do not leave it up to HR to manage this change
Maintain a flat organization team structure. Rely on minimal and informal reporting requirements
Make plans, but hold your plans loosely. Know they may need to change
Build a cross-functional team to monitor the change and to see where the problems are. Ask for volunteers. You'll be surprised at who will show up. This team is a great place to put the 'nay-sayers' of the change.
Remember resistance is a natural part of change. People fear uncertainty. The questions always arise: Why do we have to change if the old way is working? What will happen to me after the change? What if I don't fit into the new way? What if I become obsolete?
Deal with questions honestly and if you don't know say so.
Acknowledge people's fears. Let them get used to the new situation and encourage and reinforce them for their efforts. Don't force acceptance.
Realize there's a tension between getting ready for the change and implementing quickly. Don't stretch out the 'getting ready' phase.
Win Employee's support Provide considerable amounts of training and staff development for those involved. These activities can include everything from skills training to 'on-the-move' coaching.
Be flexible and toss out the rule book. You must have the ability to drop what you're doing and move to something more critical. Treat everything as a temporary measure. During this time, it is.
Find a common language.
Reward 'problem finding'. (Fred Nikols, Change Management 101) A situation requiring action but in which the required action is not known. (Problem vs. opportunity) Identify and settle on a course of action.
Concentrate dispersed knowledge. Start and maintain an 'issues' log. Let anyone go anywhere and talk about anything. Keep communications barriers low and information flowing fast.
Treat everything as temporary. Don't 'finalize' until the last minute and then insist on your right to change your mind.
Be prepared for implementation dip. Know things often get worse temporarily before improvement begins to appear.
Assess. Assess. Assess. Keep assessing the situation. Keep assessing what's being said and what's not being said. Keep assessing your effectiveness as a change leader.
Acknowledge the mess. Remember, managing change is about bringing order to a messy situation. It is not a time to pretend that it is already organized and disciplined.
If things look chaotic, relax! Trust they are.
Reinforce the change. Some people may relax back into old ways. Keep the pressure up until you are sure the new habits are well-established.
CONCLUSION: How do you Manage Change? The same way you'd manage anything else of a turbulent, messy, chaotic nature. You don't really manage it, you grapple with it. It's more a matter of leadership ability than management skill.
QUOTE by Robert C. Gallagher: "Change is inevitable - except from a vending machine."
QUOTE by Andre Gide "One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time.
Other Words of Advice on Managing Change, Volunteered by the Executives in Attendance
Create Trust and Credibility with Frequent and Honest Communications (needs to happen first)
Look to the leader to drive change
Leaders Articulate the Vision
Vision comes from the top, tactics from the bottom
Leaders Change course as necessary
Leaders Plan and prepare but are flexible
Walk the talk
Get Buy-In
Explain why change needs to happen
Consider 'WIIFM', the 'What's In It for Me' Syndrome
Roles and Responsibilities
Road Map
Mutual Benefits
Leaders consider multiple factors when managing change
Consider the size and state of the organization when managing/planning/executing changeThere's a difference between collaborative and unilateral change
Notes from July 27, 2006 Meeting:
Strategic Execution for Today's Executives
Comments by Dave Mathisen, Virnoche-Frigon Group
Strategic Vision an over-used term, but it means "seeing" the real situation, or having Situational Awareness: a true picture of the terrain, enemy, and friendly conditions. Most applicable when you must make decisions under conditions of uncertainty in which failure carries significant cost.
Develop vision by
Deciding what are the important metrics of your particular business that may change (for example, "cost versus quality" or "timeliness versus completeness" or "volume versus cost").
Based on your analysis, envision the most likely scenarios (more than one) that could arise based on the terrain (the different possible business or economic conditions) and the enemy (your competition) and then create specific courses of action for your organization.
Based on your analysis, decide what specific information you will need in order to decide which conditions are actually developing when you begin to execute. Identify that information and assign someone specific responsibility for watching for that particular information.
Clearly communicate the vision ('I know' perspective) Situational Understanding
Align team to it ('I care')
Provide resources to team ('I can') - Have tools, resources and information to best assess the current conditions
Situational Dominance: The ability to quickly move the entire organization to the best course of action for the real conditions.
Be able to quickly communicate to the team whenever someone discovers the critical information you were watching for to confirm a course of action.
Have a system for rapidly communicating to everyone that you are switching to a different course of action. Ideally, they already know what that course of action is because your organization identified it as a possibility in advance (Situational Awareness) and put out some details about it (ensured prior Situational Understanding).
Be process-driven, but event controlled
Notes from June 22, 2006 Meeting:
Salary Negotiation Strategies for Executives
Comments by Jay Michlin
General Rules of Negotiating
Do your homework
Do your homework (yes, this is duplicated)
Think through a BATNA – Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement
Winning is about getting what you want. It is not about somehow "beating" the other person.
Win-Win if possible; otherwise the other fellow must lose
You are negotiating an exchange of value. Price is only one component, and maybe the least important. Do not be confused.
Repeat after me: "It’s just business." Do not get emotional (except as a gambit)
Some Gambits – Yours and theirs
Appeal to a higher power (Legal, Policy, Insurance, HR, "My Wife"…)
Appeal to fairness (They will seek equity compared to your colleagues)
The Vise -- "You'll have to do better than that." Don’t forget to smile!
The flinch – directed emotion
The silent close
Components of a Compensation Package
1. Base salary
Don’t overemphasize
Freely and assertively discuss ranges
Ideally make it the last part of the discussion
2. Incentive ("bonus") and terms for payment
Room for lots of discussion
Emphasizes your confidence in your own performance
3. Stock options and vesting provisions
Requires Board approval
Becoming controversial and politicized
4. Stock grants and vesting provisions
Requires Board approval
The May 25, 2006 session of ExecuNet Silicon Valley was on Leveraging Social Networks in an Executive Job Search. See http://www.fountainblue.biz/images/Social_Networking.ppt for the PowerPoint presentation for the event. Below are notes from this ExecuNet sessions.
LinkedIn and other tools are great, but there's no substitute for face-to-face networking
It's important to network with people from different roles within an organization and from different types of organizations
Seek endorsements for your past work
Connect directly people who are currently two degrees away from you (connections of the people currently in your network)
It might be worthwhile to connect with people who have more than 500 people in their networks
Err on the side of caution regarding your policy for making connections
There are static and dynamic ways to use LinkedIn
Use LinkedIn for titles and contacts only, not necessary for 'referrals'
It's interesting to see how these tools will evolve over the next three years
Consider the overall strategy you'd like to adopt, and in that context, see how the tools fit into those strategies
Use LinkedIn as a channel in a job search or sales campaign
Consider the ethical implications of social networking tools before using them enthusiastically. Do they compromise privacy? Are they permission-based?
Questions for the table topic discussions are listed below.
How have you used social networking tools, and how will you change the way you’re using them?
What are your thoughts on LinkedIn Etiquette?
What is your plan, if any, for growing your LinkedIn database?
What if the tables were turned and YOU were the person approached by someone in transition. How will you handle it? What’s in it for you to help?
Given that this may not be your last job search, how will you proactively manage your relationships going forward?
Have you ever successfully found a job as a result of a consulting contract? Is there an opportunity for you to do that this time and if so, describe how to make it happen.
Contract out to companies with similar skills requirement but not the headcount. Company must fit your requirements/culture
Can also consult back to your company if you were laid off