Blogging, Social Media and Your Questions

I get a fair number of questions about blogging, social media, personal brands and how to balance those with my corporate responsibilities. So today I thought I would answer some of those questions. 

You may not agree with me, which is great! Let's kick around our shared ideas on how to balance this ever evolving challenge as a group.

Q - I wouldn't know what to say on social media, no one is interested in what I have to say?

A - Completely untrue! Of course you have a lot to say...you do it all day long in your job. The trick is framing up the issues that impact your work, and commenting on them, writing about them, or responding to them in a professional way. Go slowly at first, then as you gain confidence you will be more comfortable adding to the global dialogue.

Q - My company is very strict about social media, and quite honestly does not appear to understand how it works. How can I get started?

A - This is a common situation, and one I've heard MANY times! First of all, remember that the safest content you can share is your own company's content. 

They have already posted it, so sharing it is not risky, it's showing that you are a champion for your employer! 

Second, there aren't any rules that say you have to take risks on social media. 

Look to your professional association websites, credible business outlets, and basic industry news outlets as a way to get your feet wet. 

Q - I've always been curious about blogging, but how would I ever come up with all of that content?

A - I felt the same way when I was thinking about getting started...that was 9 years and 850+ blog posts ago! Whoa! Where does the time go? 

When I was working through the same challenges, I made the decision to focus on leadership issues. Others take a more expanded view, and that's okay too. Think about what matters to you. Start writing down the issues that touch you personally in your work (or personal) life. That is where you start!

How About You
Are you ready to differentiate yourself from the many hundreds or thousands of people in roles just like yours? If so, starting a blog, podcast, or other strategy might be right for you. Jumping into the social media game is not nearly as scary as it seems...just look around, it has really caught on!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The Power of Community in Your Success

I've been thinking a lot about the role "community" plays in my life. It's a term that gets thrown around so much that I wonder if anyone has internalized a definition for themselves and embraced it?

The deeper I've gone into my own communities, the more I see the profound role they play in my life. In fact, I can quickly identify six distinct communities that I actively participate in on a daily basis. Whoa!

Professional
This seems obvious, yet my focus isn't that I have a cool job and am able to do interesting things. It's all about the relationships and trust I've built that makes the difference.

Social
All hail the power of social media. Yes, I'm serious. Some of my most important social relationships (and my Personal Board of Directors) were born out of my connections on various social media channels.

Faith
This is a huge part of my daily life, and I am absolutely grateful for it. Whether I'm leading small groups, or prepping for a big mission trip later this summer, my faith community has been tremendous.

Fitness
Staying healthy and reasonably fit has been an important part of my life for a long time. Investing in a professional trainer last Fall has helped me take my game to the next level. Now, a new facebook accountability group around fitness and motivation helps keep me on track as well.

Music
When my friend Michael Carty asked me to write about how I feel about "my" music, I was both humbled and a bit intimidated. But alas, my music is not only one of my greatest passions, it has also brought me to one of the most welcoming, nonjudgmental communities I have ever experienced. Here's the post if you're curious.

Family
Last here...but certainly not on my list of priorities, is my amazing family and those close personal relationships that make all the noise of the world seem insignificant. To say I feel blessed would be a massive understatement.

How About You
What are the communities that mean the most to you? How do they make a difference in your life?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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I Don't Have Time for Social Media & Other Excuses

I am blessed to work with great clients across the country...and for that matter I've been blessed to work with fantastic leaders for decades. 

One of the more interesting (and humorous) things I've heard while consulting, training and designing strategies over the years is the odd list of excuses as to why those same leaders are unwilling to jump into the 21st century.

Here are some of my favorites.

...I don't have time for that

...digital work isn't real work

...social media doesn't impact anything important

...we have a business to run here

But then, sometimes leaders open up and share what they really mean.

...I'm embarrassed that I haven't kept up and I don't want to look foolish

...I know social media is critically important for my personal brand our employer brand but I don't know where to start

...I'm in! Help me learn so I can teach my team

How About You
What excuses do you hear in your organization (or, perhaps say yourself?) It's time to leave those behind and move your leadership game forward. I'll help you!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Physicians Need a Personal Brand Too

A lot of time and energy is spent discussing the need for leaders, professionals, and just about everyone who is interested in advancing their careers to develop a robust personal brand.

Make fun all you want...personal brands matter in the modern world of work.

Physicians Are Actually Small Businesses
The need for us as leaders to grow our brands is critical as we navigate the relatively new and fast-paced digital world that dominates life. 

But what about physicians? Aren't they 'automatically' immune from such a need? Aren't they special simply because society needs them, and therefore by default, they already have the value the rest of us are striving to achieve?

Not.
Even.
Close.

Building a Practice = Building a Business
Some physicians are fortunate, in that they are hired into a group practice, or a health system with a built-in pipeline of patients waiting to be seen (and billed!) 

However, the competitive landscape to attract doctors, the constantly evolving models of care delivery, and the flood of younger physicians who are interested in stepping away from traditional academic medicine have turned the provider side of healthcare on it's head.

For example...several years ago one of my hospital's new Residents announced his 'match' to us on his Youtube channel. The world has changed!

Yet, how does a young, or not so young physician, build a new practice, expand an existing practice into a new market, or relocate to an area that is completely foreign to them?

How do they generate the patient volume to ensure the practice is viable; oh, and also earn a living?

Patients do not automatically arrive at the doctor's doorstep, particularly in a world of non-compete agreements, closed medical staff models, and restricted access to admitting and treating patients.

Brand, Brand, Brand
This is where the savvy physician embraces the exact same concepts you and I have used for years to develop our brands. It's not difficult, it simply requires focus and attention.

- establishing a social media presence across a few of the major platforms

- sharing meaningful content: professional, personal, thought leadership

- blogging (not giving medical advice, simply talking about health, wellness, their specialty or sub-specialty, etc..)

- engaging with followers (again, not giving medical advice, rather, humanizing themselves vs. a sterile white-coated old school presence)

How About You
Getting started is not nearly as difficult for our physician colleagues as they might think. We need to take the time with them to not only educate, but to provide real-world, and real-time support from our own experiences to show them the way.

What do you think?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Influencer

What comes to mind when you hear the term influencer? Is it a prolific blogger or motivational speaker? Perhaps it's a celebrity or someone 'larger than life?' Maybe it's someone with a ba-zillion followers on a social channel?

While those labels have merit, they are far from what I now believe a true influencer actually is.

You Are Bigger Than the Internet
I'm not even sure I was aware of the term 'influencer' before the age of the Internet and social media. But I had important influencers in my life ranging from family members and teachers, to college professors and leaders in the workplace.

They made a tremendous impact on my life, and no one had even heard of something called a tweet yet.

You Are More Than Your Job
As I moved into formal leadership roles and later senior management positions, the impact of my own influence started to become clear. Not only did I have 'automatic influence' simply because of my authority level, I found that I had the ability to make a difference personally with my colleagues and team members.

That is powerful!

When influence becomes a responsibility instead of a chase for followers, one's mindset begins to shift. 

How About You
Consider the individual moments in your life...with family, friends, colleagues and peers. Those little encounters, private coaching moments, shared insights and bold decisions are what really define being an 'influencer.'

What do you think?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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The HR Clique

Whoa! Wait just a second...a clique for HR? Impossible...we love everybody, you know...the employees, people...and stuff. Right?

The Gig is Up
I may be venturing onto thin ice here, but it seems to me something has changed in the HR space as the world of social, blogging, and conference mania has hit full force. 

While some have passionately reached out to embrace other members of the HR community, particularly new professionals...something else has happened. 

A club, of sorts? A group of close friends? A public sub-culture that speaks to an elite group of HR pros?

I'm not sure...

Growing Pains of HR or Arrogance?
Some professions have to go through a period of discovery before they are fully accepted by the other, more traditional professions (law, medicine, finance, engineering, etc.)

Is that what HR is doing now? Perhaps all of our seat-at-the-table whining didn't pan out the way we hoped, so we've turned to something else?

Are we trying to be too hip? Too trendy? Too awesome for our own good?

I'm puzzled friends. What's even more puzzling is the role I've played in our "growing up" process.

How About You
What do you think about the current state of our profession? 

Is it one of inclusion for all of us; or, have we somehow created our own class of elites, that makes sure to remind the others of their proper place in the hierarchy?

I honestly don't know...but...

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Developing Internal Blogging Teams

So, you've finally decided to execute on a robust employer brand strategy. Your career site is actually a real site, not just a job list, you're pushing content several times a week and distributing it across multiple dedicated HR social channels.

Well done!

But you're still missing out on a great recruitment, retention and recognition opportunity.

Our People...Our Most Important Asset
So many leaders talk about how important their people are, yet I rarely see those same "important" people writing about their experiences at work. 

We tell stories about them, that is a cornerstone of any good plan. However, when was the last time you saw the actual employees telling their own story?

It's not as risky as you might think

Plan...then Execute

There are several basic steps that will serve as the foundation of your internal blogging team structure.

1 - Identify several employees who have an interest in building their brand, supporting the organization, and aren't shy! Align the team members with your organizational needs (recruitment, expansion, growth.)

How do you find them? Ask!

2 - Meet with the employees and describe your goals, do's and don'ts, and reinforce that they are not uploading content, formatting, or publishing. HR handles all of those pieces. They simply need to send an email "post" to you each month.

How do I support them? Stay connected, meet for coffee, and talk through their challenges!

3 - Make sure your bloggers have up to date LinkedIn profiles, twitter accounts, and hopefully, Instagram accounts as well. If you're going to be a blogger...you need to be in the social media space!

How do I make sure this happens? Meet with them and get them set up on the spot!

How About You

I've had tremendous success using this strategy, and you can too! It doesn't matter if you're a blogger or not. The goal is to differentiate your organization from the competition. Additional benefits include helping you to create a culture that truly recognizes and showcases your employees! Now, what are you waiting for?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

You Didn't See Them Coming

I've been away from the blog for a couple of weeks. It's been a wild ride of speaking at conferences, connecting with progressive human resources executives, and candidly, getting really fired up about the future of HR.

But not the HR group we normally think about. There is a gathering storm of HR executives in North America who are throwing away their excuses and are literally calling their CEOs and telling them it's time for a dramatic change.

I know this is true...because I've had the privilege of spending hours and hours with them.

Unstoppable Force
Who are these leaders you ask? Well, they come from an industry that not only gets little "air time" in the social media space; but they also are so committed to the missions of their organizations that the last thing on their mind is personal glory or "internet fame."

They are the HR Executives who lead the senior care communities across North America, and they are not going to be silent any longer.

They are driven.
They care deeply for the residents and families who trust them with their loved ones.
They are as fired up as I am about taking HR to a whole new level. 

Is this great news or what?!

Misconceptions
One of the barriers these leaders have had to face is the perception that... 

...senior living = nursing home. 

Not true.

While nursing homes play a vital role in our society, and are certainly a part of their corporate structure, that term is by no means representative of the incredible breadth of services offered.

The commitment not only to their organizations, and to their industry is one I've rarely seen in the HR space. 

They not only want to build their employer brands in the most contemporary ways possible; but they want to elevate the perception of their entire industry to help it grow.

Are you kidding me? 

When was the last time your direct competitor wanted to strategize with you about making your industry better? 

(Please don't say you both contributed money to the local Nursing school...good Lord that's been done for 50 years and hasn't made a dent in the lack of qualified faculty.)

How About You
If you would like to connect with this new wave of fired up leaders make sure you follow the Senior Care Summits conference announcement for next Fall. You will be inspired by the passion these leaders demonstrate at every turn, and you just might realize that there is a new group of HR Execs that are soon to take the lead in showing us all how contemporary HR is done.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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"Who" Is Your Recruitment Strategy

I hear lots of discussions that go something like this...

P1  "So, what is your recruitment strategy?"

P2  "What do you mean?"

P1  "You know, are you using LinkedIn more, or spending money on Indeed?"

P2  "Oh, yea, we're looking into that, and definitely use LinkedIn. Yes, we're obviously doing that. So, what are you doing?"

Me  Take me now, Lord.

What
All too often talent acquisition leaders get caught in the trap of narrowly defining their strategies as a series of "whats." Sure, we need a well thought out plan, but what is missed repeatedly is that the organization's employees are the heart of any contemporary approach.

What recruitment video is on our website? (as in only one...fail!)

What digital application process will we use? (and how can we force it to mirror our broken manual process...fail again!)

What steps can we take to get the Marketing Department to pay attention to us? (even though Marketing Departments do not understand employer brand...a fail hat trick!)

Who
TA leaders have a unique opportunity to differentiate themselves from their competition if they use a "who" vs "what" filter as they develop their recruitment strategies. Consider for a moment the pride that you feel in your team, your company, and the difference you make. You have stories to tell! 

Stories are not "what" things...stories are based on people, the "who" making the magic happen each day.

When leaders focus on profiling their employees on videos and blogs, and distributing those stories across a variety of social channels guess what happens?

The competition has a heart attack, and you get the candidates you need!

Simple.
Effective.

...and only requires one thing...

Courage.

How About You
Is it time to have a very different conversation about your strategic plan? I'd love to help. Oh, and don't worry, I have enough courage for the both of us.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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I've Arrived!

The desire to 'play' at the highest level is a powerful aphrodisiac. Whether in sports, academia, research, entertainment, or climbing the corporate ladder, the laser focus to get to the top is sometimes a hindrance to our success.

Chasing Glory
For many professionals, that first taste of a high level role feels like winning a career championship game. The new found power can often be confused with having "arrived." 

Is that big promotion an end point to a long quest? 

Is that breakthrough job offer an affirmation of what you've always believed you could be?

If the answer was yes, the risks to future success just became exponentially more complicated. You see, chasing the glory of career success is actually a never ending series of milestones and new beginnings.

Years of hard work and professionalism can lead to exciting opportunities. Those opportunities, in effect, are a reset of everything you once knew. The previous behavior, routine, and internal peer network all change. 

You have to be open to change too.

Learning the Role, Not the Tasks
The most important step many successful new leaders miss is the ramp up phase into learning "how" to do their new job. Not focusing exclusively on the tasks listed on their new job description.

Think about that for a second...learning the role, not the work.

How does a junior executive behave? What interpersonal skills are now mandatory, regardless of what feels comfortable? 

Is a fragile ego going to be put to the side in order to do the work, make decisions, and earn respect? 

Or...will the previous goal of "most popular rising leader" be the label that supersedes all else?

How About You
Who do you know that is very talented, yet has not invested the time to learn their role? How are they doing? Could they use your trusted consultative support?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Social Media Ad Buys and Recruiting

If you're like most Talent Acquisition leaders, you're trying to figure out how to use social media tools to maximize exposure for your open positions. 

Well, there is far more to it than just dropping links all over the Internet!

Which platform is best for your positions?

How do you target the right talent?

Is recruitment marketing the same on each social media channel?

To learn how to rock your social media spend, check out this post from Kris Dunn over at The HR Capitalist or...

...download the new Kinetix white paper now!

It's time to get in the game!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

The Secret Talent Weapon You're Wasting

Every organization I speak with "wants" to be a contemporary player in the ongoing struggle to attract talent. However, most have no idea how to leverage social or digital tools to make that desire a reality.

Sadly, one of the most powerful and frequently overlooked weapons available is walking in and out of the front door every day.

The employees.

Brand Ambassadors
Whether we call them brand ambassadors, employee advocates, or formal members of the recruitment marketing team, there is no voice more powerful than the voice of the those that have already committed to representing the employer brand.

Let's leave the whole "building an employer brand strategy" discussion for another post, and focus on the massive amount of horsepower that is ready, willing and able to launch that strategy right now.

The first step is easy and effective: identify the employees who are already on social, or who have expressed an interest in being more active on social platforms.

If you think it is impossible to find these internal superusers, you are actually saying more about how out of touch you are vs. expressing frustration with the process. If you haven't kept up with the changes in the world of work, of course it will be difficult to identify your own brand champions.

Start Small, Go Big
A simple search of the various social channels will help you identify who is actively supporting your employer brand. Set up a twitter list to help keep track of the team's efforts quickly and efficiently.

Next, reach out to those individuals and draft them into service as part of your overall employer brand strategy.

Formalize the support you provide your initial core group of brand champions with training, guidance, content recommendations, and support. From there, you can add new employees to the group in a thoughtful and coordinated way.

How About You
There really is no excuse to hide behind the fear of social media. It is a core component of every industry. In fact, your employees are probably wondering why you don't ask them to help. They are already advocating for your company, you just don't know it!

The only thing standing in your way...is you. Let me help!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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I Don't Have the Time for My Personal Brand

The questions, and the obvious struggle, seems to be popping up everywhere I turn. Colleagues and clients alike are starting to understand just how important having a personal brand is for their career.

Now, for those of you that think "personal brand talk" doesn't hold any weight; really impact the world of work, or make a difference in the trajectory of your career, please stop reading and go back to watching Happy Days.

It's a digital world now...are you with me?

Time or Priority

Here's the chatter...

"Jay, I wish I had the time to work on this stuff....I work hard, love my job, but know I should be doing more for myself....and I know it will help my company too..."

And here's my response...

"How about we replace the word 'time' with 'priority?' It goes something like this...I haven't made my brand a priority." 

How does that feel?

Getting Started Is Easy
I'm not sure how the "mystery of a personal brand" started, but candidly friends, there is no mystery. If you can copy and paste, text, or click a share button you are well on your way.

3 Steps to a Fast Start!
- Make sure your social media accounts are up to date (LinkedIn, twitter, Instagram, etc.)

- Identify 10-15 sources of content you would like to share (always include your employer's content)

- Share content across your social channels throughout the week

BOOM!

You're off and running!

How About You

Let me help you get started. Reach out when you're ready, and we'll get you set up and rocking in no time! 

Let's do this!

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

The CEO Question HR Fears Most

The long list of pressures HR leaders are under is well documented. It's as if every organizational ailment somehow finds it's way to the human resources department to either get fixed or take the blame. 

There is a new issue lurking however, that most HR leaders, particularly those in the healthcare industry, are ill-prepared to address. That issue comes in the form of a question directly from the CEO.

The Context
Let me set the stage...

Traditional CEO, accomplished, bright, and driven is paying attention to the radically changing labor market. The stress they feel from the Board of Directors, Physician and Nursing leadership to solve the staffing shortages are now becoming an all too regular topic in meeting after meeting.

It feels a bit odd to the CEO. She's always been able to figure out some sort of new pay program or engagement play that keeps the positions filled while not completely blowing up the salary line in the budget.

But the world is just...well...different now. 

The Nightmare Question for HR
During the next routine one-on-one meeting between the CEO and the CHRO they get on the topic of labor, talent, and staffing shortages across the organization. It's at this point that the CHRO's world caves in.

CEO: "So, tell me what you're doing to ensure we are viewed as a viable employer? What are we doing with millennials? Are you current on all of these social media and content strategies I keep reading about? Where exactly are we on this?"

CHRO: "Um....well...we, uh."

CEO: "We are doing something on this, right? I mean, the whole world is getting into this stuff."

CHRO: "Well, Marketing...and Legal...they, uh..."

CEO: "You've got to be kidding me. Those departments don't have anything to do with recruitment. We're not doing anything? Do you even know how to use these things yourself?"

How About You
What's your answer? I want to help you not only give the right answer, but look like the most contemporary leader in the world while doing it. It only takes one thing...

...the courage to start.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Recruitment Marketing Is Not A Threat

The concept of establishing an employer brand and then leveraging contemporary recruitment marketing strategies to capitalize on that brand are foreign to most HR leaders.

Sure, they've read about it, know they need to work on it, but somehow feel like making those moves would be controversial. Wait, what?

Telling the story of why your organization kicks ass is controversial? Um, no, it's not.

Fear

I can appreciate the fear that creeps into the minds of today's HR leaders. I've been one for more than 20 years myself.  You may not fully understand the concept of what an employer brand means. That's okay. You may worry that the Marketing Department will want to control your messages and content. That's okay too.

Here's the main issue...you have a job to do, and in order to do it effectively in the modern world of work, you must develop an employer brand strategy. It is no longer optional.

Power

Feeling powerless? Wonder if you'll lose your job or lose political clout if you push this issue?

Consider how if feels in meeting after meeting when your Operations leaders are wondering why there aren't any applicants (or at least qualified ones) for their growing list of open positions.

Does that feel good? No, it does not.

Now consider the impact you can have by simply using the power you already have and taking action. No one will stand in your way if you make the business case for an employer brand strategy (insider tip: it's not hard to do!)

Don't underestimate the impact you can make. You have an opportunity to provide high impact, contemporary leadership right now. You simply have to decide to do it.

How About You

Are you ready to make a move? Are you ready to be bold? Are you ready to get your power back? I will help you get there. I'm serous. Hit me up here or here, and let's get started.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Hey Recruiter! No Brand? No Game.

"All of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me, Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."
- Tom Peters

It's Not A Fad
The notion that individual recruiters don't need to worry about their brand as long as they work for, or represent organizations with a strong brand, is a fallacy. Success as a recruiter is ultimately about credibility and hustle...and the tools of the trade today are digital. 

Some may feel that since they've been recruiting for a long time and have always been successful, they do not need to focus on their brand. That approach will prove to be a costly mistake. Clients expect their recruiters to be current, contemporary leaders in the industry. To say that simply because they have been doing something for a long time has nothing to do with being good at it.

Are you with me?

Getting Started Is Easy
There is good news for any recruiter that claims to be too busy, too private, or too lazy to get their own brand moving forward. It's easy to get started, as long as you do one thing...

Start!

Odds are you already have a LinkedIn profile, and maybe have a twitter account too. Hopefully you've gone further and are rocking a snapchat story every day. These channels can be very powerful outlets for you to distribute content. 

What's that? You don't have any content to share? Um, yes you do! Here's a quick list of content that you can begin sharing today.

- post your organization's content
- post your client's content
- post your candidate's content
- post general thought leadership
- post industry thought leadership (Healthcare, HR, I.T., Finance, etc.)
- post YOUR content

You officially no longer have an excuse. 

How About You
You're already working hard. But without the digital credibility, you will forever be lost among the masses of "professional recruiters" out there. Why would a client listen to you? Why would a candidate listen to you? 

It's time to step up. Let me help.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Getting Started Using Social Media in Your Career

Even though the echo chamber is louder than ever in the social media space, there continue to be many...many...professionals who have yet to adopt these tools into their professional lives.

Honestly, getting started, particularly for my #HealthcareHR colleagues can feel like they are literally putting their jobs at risk. However, it does not have to be that way at all!

Start Slow
A key step in the process...from my experience...is to take your time. There is no hurry, you're not behind anyone else, and you certainly should never rush adopting new ways of doing your work.

However, it is time to get started. That means, today!

Step by Step
This is the easiest part of your transition to becoming a contemporary leader. You've probably already done part of this already. Do you have a Linkedin profile? Good! 

Next, open a twitter account. Keep in mind...you haven't posted anything yet, so you are not taking any risks!

Last step...start to identify content that you might like to share.

Pro Tip!
- your company probably produces content regularly....start there! 

Other ideas include professional journals (within your industry, Harvard Business Review, Inc., etc..) Start sharing this content once a day. It's safe, will make you look like you're aware that it is almost 2017, and you will begin to differentiate yourself and your company from the competition.

How About You
That wasn't so scary after all, right? Other helpful strategies as you get started should include following people in your industry and replicate what they do. Slow and steady actually does win the race.

Have questions? I'd love to help...reach out anytime.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.