Linkedin profiles

I have acquired a habit from my previous life to look up people's linkedin profiles after introduction. I have grown out of the stage of judging people by their titles, jobs, but the education and job profiles help me to register new acquantainance in my database.

This year, I have encountered a few people in their 40-50s, yet they do not have a linkedin profile, not an account. But their introduction about themselves took my breath away. I heard Holy Spirit whispered to me:" How about a profile on the Book of Life?"

Yes.

Do you have an account and a profile on the book of life (lamb)?

A full spectrum of work

There is a full spectrum of work, from some one could not pull off in the morning, to a pure workaholic.

This s the note from my class.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

#1 Do not want to work anymore:
Work is good, not slavery. Work is not just to fund our pleasure. Work is part of the original creation. It is a gift from God to develop, discovery things with God. It is part of we rule. We join the Lord in the redemption, bring HIM to the place we work, develop satisfaction, Lord delighted in it.

Exp: George Washington Carver and peanut.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Carver
(please read the religion section)

#2 Workaholic:

People put work the very first in what they do, because they find their worth it. However, Lord has different seasons. My worth does not depend on the work. If we run into such a cycle, ask: what am I seeking in this? Often the drive is underlying and masked. Some is seeking approval from others, some is a way to escape the difficult situation (marriage), for woman (not being loved), burying pains...

Declare and renounce: my respect, being loved is coming from HIM.

Galations 1:10
Am I trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or Am I trying to please men?

Colossians 3:23-24

What ever you do, work at it with al your heart, as working for the lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Three words to avoid in a business conversation

(Notes from a session with Mike Aquilera, communication expert, with personal modification)

1. Hope
It is a softening word. Instead of saying “I hope to hear back from you”, a better way should be “I am looking forward to hear back from you”.
“I hope my qualification, our service, our technology etc will meet your need” should be changed to “ I believe we will deliver …I believe my qualification…..”

2. Don’t
It is a simple negation word. But imply the opposite.
If we came across someone with a gun, if we say don’t shoot. We are implying we are afraid he is going to shoot. Instead we should say stay calm, something more in the positive aspect.

3. Try
“Try” sends out weak message to people, meaning you are not sure.
Let me try to explain, suggesting you are not sure if you can explain.
Instead, we should just confidently say: Please let me explain.”
A friends invits you to lunch, if you reply “I will try to be there”. Most of the time, your friends will not count on you to be there.

In business conversations, we need to inject positive, confident, trustworthy impression and relationships, so let us avoid using these three words as much as we can.

Branding

Personal Branding (Notes from a seminar by Judith Dauphinails, with some modification)

What is branding?
Branding is not about creating an image but about value and emotion. It is not what we sell but what we stand for.
For example, Volve has been known for “Safe” and Apple as “Think differently”.

Why branding?
Benefits of branding:
• Recognition
• Be Sought after
• Charge a premium
• Thrive during economic downturn
• Attract and retain
“Your visibility is more important than your ability”.
Our ability is necessary but not sufficient for long lasting success.

What should be our brands? How to know?
• Know ourselves
• Identify our attitude
• Define our brand community
Articulate our vision and purpose
• Vision: what we would like to see transformed
• Purpose: our role in executing the vision
Identify our strength and motivational needs
• What things that we really stand out in our work environment
Identify our Values and Passion
• Name top of each
Clarify our Goals
• Make list, prioritize and identify most logical next steps toward the goal

What others say about us is our brand.

Branding component
Rational attributes: results-oriented, detail oriented, dependable, and decisive
Emotional attributes: compassionate, luxurious

It is the emotional attributes making people buy.
For example: Cars are just transportation vehicle but there are so many brands. Some value in cars let us buy one but not another.

Branding statement
• Mandatory value statement
• Position rather than presenting
Position: tell a story from the customer’s point of view
Presenting: tell a story from our point of view
Focus on what we can provide/deliver to our customer

Logo
An easy art (not a picture) can be a logo.
Name with word art, font, color can be a logo. Such as Google, IBM.

Color
Yellow: Bright
Blue: trust, credible. (IBM)
Red: Power (Adobe)
…

Branding community
• Join professional organization
• Join Chamber of Commerce
• Take a freelance project
• Try teaching a class at a community college
• Write an opinion piece for your local newspaper, or book reviews
• Secure a speaking engagement on a panel
• Network

Resources
• For Branding: ducttapemarketing.com, reach.com
• Business card: overnightprint.com, vistaprint.com($), cranes.com($), 123print.com
• Different fonts: Dafonts.com
• Crowdspring.com

Blog
Typepad.com, wordpress.org,
Blogger.com

3C’s of brand communication
• Clarity: We express your unique promise of value
• Consistency: We always send the same message in content and style
• Constancy: We communicate frequently

Inspiration
Brand you. Be Distinct or be Extinct.—Tom Peters.