Category Archives: marca personal

Rompiendo la barrera de la jartera.

07/06/2010empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, libre y relevante, marca personalboredom, self motivationSilvana Roiter

sledgehammer Sospecho que no estoy sola al sentir jartera antes de hacer ciertas actividades en mi trabajo. Al tener cero ganas de hacer esas tareitas mundanas, que son, en su mayoría repetitivas – se que mas de uno de ustedes me acompaña.

Si le has prestado atención a la causa de ese sentimiento de jartera – a esa baja de energía y motivación que sientes – notarás que la mayoría de las veces es cuando estas a punto de empezar tareitas que no son de tu absoluto agrado.

Suena obvio, lo sé.

Aun así, vale la pena averiguar de donde proviene ese sentimiento – tan jarto – para así sobrepasarlo. Ya que traspasar la barrera de la jartera no es cuestión de subir tu energía con dulces o café. Más bien lo lograras entendiendo su causa – y replanteándote como ves esas actividades que tanto tedio te hacen sentir.

Si acercas mas tu oído, te darás cuenta que la causa de la jartera tiene varios orígenes.

Sospecho que al igual que yo, tú también sientes jartera cuando:

No le ves una razón importante a la actividad. Es decir, consideras que la actividad no conllevara a mucho más que perder tu tiempo.
No te consideras buena para la actividad – por muy sencilla que sea. En cierto modo sientes miedo de no hacerla tan bien como haces otras cosas en tu trabajo. Por lo tanto no tienes iniciativa para hacerla.
Sientes que estas por encima de hacer esa actividad. Que eso es labor de personas que están menos calificadas que tu, o que tienen menos experiencia, diplomas o poder.

Entonces ¿que puedes hacer para cambiar tu perspectiva? Y como si tuvieras un martillo en la mano, ¿romper a través de la barrera de la jartera, y así subir tu nivel de energía?

Échale sentido – no azúcar ni cafeína – a esas actividades que consideras un mal necesario. Hasta el más mínimo detalle en tu vida laboral tiene una razón de ser. Es cuestión de buscar – y encontrar las razones. Si te ayuda, haz una lista y léela (y releela) . Veras, como por arte de magia, ¡voila! te sientes con mas energía.
Al miedo – ponle el pecho. Al igual que un espasmo muscular empeora si no lo tratas a tiempo, tus miedos también pesan mas sobre ti entre mas tiempo dejes pasar. Así que entre mas rápido los enfrentes, mas fácil será sobrepasarlos – y más liviana te sentirás.
Saber que las actividades básicas también son tu responsabilidad te hará un mejor líder. Ser mas flexible – capaz de adaptarte a diferentes niveles de complejidad – te llevará a gozar mas tu trabajo y seguramente a ser mas exitosa.

Así que no esperes a que te den ganas de hacer algo que te da jartera para hacerlo. Acaso ¿crees que algún día vas a tener ganas de escribir reportes y arreglar tus archivos? Lo dudo. Pero son actividades que apoyan otros aspectos de tu trabajo. Así que ameritan ser atendidas.

Anda – rompe la barrera de la jartera – y veras que liviana te sientes.

Te gusta la foto? Gracias Dana Hursey.

El piso se me movió – gracias a un guru de la innovación.

07/05/2010autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, emprendimiento, libre y relevante, liderazgo, marca personalchange, innovationSilvana Roiter

Si funciona – cámbialo.

Así decía la diapositiva que nos dio la bienvenida al lanzamiento del libro mas reciente de Franc Ponti – Los 7 Movimientos de la Innovación.

Admito que la idea de cambiar algo que ya funciona me movió el piso. Y puso mi mente a correr.

Después de masticar por un rato la propuesta de Franc, entendí porque es considerado un guru de la innovación. Fue cuando decidí entrevistarlo para mi blog. Y de la forma más amable (y humilde) aceptó mis preguntas – y prontamente me envió las siguientes respuestas – junto con una foto de su cautivador gato Cuco.

Sobra decir que recomiendo su libro – que leí de atrás para adelante.

SR: Haciendo un paralelo entre el liderazgo y la innovación, crees que hay diferencia entre ACTUAR de forma innovadora en nuestro trabajo y SER innovadores? Es decir, piensas que, tal como es posible enseñar liderazgo a aquellos que no son innatamente lideres, la innovación se puede volver parte del modus operandi de aquellos que no son innatamente innovadores?

FP: Creo que las barreras entre ambas cosas son muy difusas. Uno puede ACTUAR y, luego, a medio plazo, SER. La innovación es ante todo una actitud mental que depende de nuestros modelos mentales y de nuestra actitud. ACTUANDO innovadoramente lograremos SERLO en profundidad. Ello no quiere decir que siempre habrá personas más innovadoras que otras, claro.

SR: Si consideras posible enseñar la innovación, podrías resumirle a mis lectores algunos hábitos que consideras los llevara a actuar de forma innovadora a pesar de no ser innatamente innovadores?

FP:

– Preguntarse el por qué de las cosas y buscar soluciones.

– Mirar siempre un problema desde perspectivas distintas.

– Aprender a mezclar y combinar ideas.

– Hacer las cosas de manera distinta (ducharse, preparar un plato, dirigir una reunión…).

– Practicar la curiosidad.

– Hacer cosas al revés.

– Divertirse siempre.

– Escuchar puntos de vista alternativos al propio y empatizar.

– Experimentar, probar.

SR: Buscando darle incentivos a mis lectores para seguir el camino de la innovación – cuales consideras que son sus mayores beneficios. En otras palabras, ¿que consideras que se alcanza a través de la innovación? Y ¿cuales consideras son algunas de las consecuencias negativas de no ser innovador?

FP: Innovando conseguimos divertirnos y hacer cosas útiles para la empresa. Innovar es apasionante y, si se consiguen resultados podemos dar grandes saltos. No innovar es aburrirse, quedarse siempre en el mismo lugar. El entorno se mueve muy rápido, hay que atraparlo.

SR: Pensando en la propuesta del libro Blue Ocean Strategy (Estrategia de Océano Azul)– ¿crees que si todos llegamos a ser innovadores entonces es posible que se pierda la ventaja competitiva de ese rasgo? ¿Cual entonces consideras que es la estrategia de océano azul en un mar rojo de innovadores?

FP: No creo que TODOS lleguemos a ser innovadores. Sigue habiendo mucho conservadurismo en el mundo de la empresa. Sin embargo, si lo llegamos a ser, habrá que crear una Innovación 2.0. Ese sería el océano azul: innovar la innovación.

Un saludo desde Barranquilla.

To (personal)brand or not to (personal)brand?

30/01/2010empoderamiento, marca personalmarca personalSilvana Roiter

That should no longer be a question.

Who has time to stand still?

25/08/2009contruyendo redes, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, estratégico y sostenible, libre y relevante, marca personalbrazen careerist, career management, online communitySilvana Roiter

18 to 30 year olds, take note – and then action.

Brazen Careerist (BC) has evolved to position itself as the #1 site for career management among Generation Y…you know who you are.

Watch this to get a better idea of what the new and evolved BC is about.

As one of the founders, Ryan Paugh, shared with me:

“Our vision is to create a career management tool that helps those with less experience level the playing field. Sites like LinkedIn are wonderful if you already have a Rolodex full of connections, or if you have years of experience to share with potential employers. But what about people new to the workforce? And what about people who want to make a big career shift? How do you network?

We’re creating a place where instead of experience, your ideas are most important. We encourage people to connect through blogs, groups, comments, etc, and build relationships with each other. I’ve never had a worthwhile conversation on LinkedIn and I’d like to see a career management tool that fosters real conversations. I think Brazen Careerist will help do that :)”

And what does that have to do with my blog – and with you, for that matter?

For those of you who don’t know, I’m one of the earliest adopters of the Brazen Careerist community.

When looking for a place to feature my blog; a place where my ideas would be heard; a place to have meaningful conversations with like-minded people who are doing great things in the community – I found Brazen Careerist. (It helped that they are ranked #1 by Alltop)

After some persuasion*, the editing team at BC invited me to be a guest blogger. Later on they syndicated my blog. As a result, my posts are now featured as regularly as I publish them on my own blog. (Click here to see for yourself) Something I’m most grateful for.

For more than a year I have been connecting with like-minded people around the world. And I’d like to invite you to do the same. Your career will benefit – big time.

How do I know?

Because BC is a community of do-ers not talkers.

I invite you to browse through the profiles of members. I trust that you will find young professionals commited to achievement, to contribution – and as some have expressed, to changing the world.

NOW go do something for your career, join – it’s free.

Better yet, take the plunge into conversations. At times you will finhat some may disagree with your ideas. Don’t take it personally. Soon you will find that it’s healthy disagreement. Rarely does meaningless chatter develop.

I’ll see you at BC.

*During their early days, BC was only for 18 to 30 year-old bloggers. Eager to join, I made my case by telling Ryan that I still get carded at bars – which is true. Shortly after I was allowed to join as a guest. (and that’s one of my writing career‘s milestones)

What’s a picture of Evander Holyfield doing on my blog?

28/07/2009empoderamiento, liderazgo, marca personalexcellence, marca personalSilvana Roiter

Right now, do me a favor. If you’re left-handed, pick up a pen with your right hand and write your name. If you’re right-handed, use your left hand to write your name. (For the few ambidextrous, well, what can I say – you’re one of the lucky few – I’m afraid I won’t be able to prove my point with you).

Now, take a few minutes to think long and hard about what it took for you to do something outside of your comfort zone. If you’re being honest, because using your ‘other hand’ to write doesn’t come naturally to you, you had to talk yourself into doing it. Am I right?

Now lets move on to bigger and better things, beyond writing your name illegibly.

Lets look at excellence. No, not perfection. Excellence – a commitment with being better every day and with stretching yourself a bit more each day. On the other hand, lets look at mediocrity. Mediocrity – feeling okay with getting by and that it’s enough to do as little as possible. That said, pushing yourself a little bit over your edge every day is a choice. On the other hand, doing as little as posible is also a choice. And like choosing to write with your left hand if you’re a righty, and with your right hand if you’re a lefty, making any choice involves thoughtfulness and intention.

Aiming to create a world inhabited by excellent people, a world free of mediocre beings, when Dan Schawbel asked me to write a column for issue #3 of his e-mag Personal Branding, I decided to write about excellence. Being that the issue is focused on helping readers build a personal brand that owns a specific niche, I thought it was a unique opportunity to write about what it takes to own excellence, to answer ‘what does it take to make excellence your personal brand?’

In finding someone to interview, my main goal became to showcase someone who, at first glance it’s obvious they lead an extraordinary life, one that’s worthy of imitation, yet at the same time is real and approachable. The latter two traits is what makes excellence sticky.

With that in mind I interviewed Samuel Azout. A Latin American business man who has thoughtfully created an extraordinary career.

“After working for 25 years in the private business sector, he re-invented himself as a social entrepreneur. He`s now the founder and leader of two social ventures, Fundacion Carullaand Fundacion Futbol con Corazon, both based in his home country of Colombia. Both driven by his vision to create equality and opportunity for some of the poorest people in the world -those he affectionately refers to as ‘vulnerable’.

Yet, as much as he has achieved and as much as he has already contributed to the community at large, he’s very quick to point out that it’s a team of extraordinary people who deserve the credit.”

You’ll find the full interview in issue # 3 of Personal Branding. For now, click here to access your free sample, which by the way, is hot off the press. You will find loads of valuable information including interviews of other inspiring professionals – who were willing to share their wisdom about “owning your niche”. (yes that’s Evander Holyfield on the cover)

That said, if you know someone else who is clone-worthy, I’d love to know. (Thanks in advance for sharing your wealth).

A New Kind of Hero for a New Kind of World, Hero #12

14/07/2009empoderamiento, encontrando significado, estratégico y sostenible, liderazgo, marca personal, nirvana profesional, rseempoderamiento, estratégico y sostenible, Gen Y, risk-takingSilvana Roiter

(This post is part of a pact I made. Click here for the full story.)

Meet Rebecca. Google her name and you will quickly learn that she’s a fellow strategic job hopper. (long live!)

Her career started with a job in environmental consulting after she graduated from college with a BA in Interior Design and Environmental Studies. Then she worked at a nonprofit raising funds for several projects. She strategically used that experience to apply – and be offered – the job as Executive Director at MAGNET – another nonprofit that since 2004 has been focused on identifying and retaining young talent in the Madison, Wisconsin area. Looking for more national exposure, today Rebecca is part of the social media and marketing team over at Alice.com. As their tag line goes: EVERYONE needs an Alice…NEVER run out of toilet paper (go see for yourself if you don’t believe me). What da? National exposure and start-up is the reason behind this job stop. Rebecca also is the author behind the blog Modite.com. That’s how we met – through the blogosphere, mainly because it’s so easy to read her blog for hours.

That said, what drew me to her story is that above it all, Rebecca is a Gen Yer who’s quite vocal – and active in social media. That’s because she’s one of those people who’s driven by the task of changing the world. In her own words – taken from an interview over at Conversation Agent: “Generation Y wants to change the world. Not the environment. Not healthcare. Not education. Not poverty. Not racism. Not sexism. Not war. Not cancer. Not anything, really. Just the world. We want to change the world.”

Changing the world, that’s where Rebecca finds her career nirvana – that’s her reason for being.

And what is her contribution to this generational cause?

Risk taking.

Looking to contribute – and in the end to lead an extraordinary life – Rebecca has re-invented herself several times over. From working in consulting to the nonprofit sector, and now at a business start-up. Being that I’m a firm believer that every single stop in our work-lives has a purpose – one that at times you may not be aware of, but it’s there for sure – it’s obvious that Rebecca is one to continue watching. Her current stop in the business sector is just a launch-pad to something greater.

World, just you watch!

In her words: “There was a moment each time I changed jobs that I was terrified. I kept thinking, ‘Who do you think you are? You are going to FAIL!’ It was awful. But then I remembered that failure is a better option than staying. That you should always be growing and challenging yourself. Otherwise, you settle. Settling is boring…. The main lesson I’ve learned is that life rewards risk-takers.”

Note to self: Next time that you find yourself sitting on the fence, ask yourself: “What does it mean to lead an extraordinary life?” Then start NOW.

Is there a method to Rebecca’s aparent career madness? You bet.

“I trust my intuition.”

Note to self: Learn to listen and to trust yours. Once you do, you will find that your intuition acts like a magnet for opportunnities. Attracting into your life that what is meant to be – for your good and the greater good. (this is not woo-woo – it’s the reason why you have gut feelings).

Cut the (umbilical) cord

16/05/2009autoconciencia, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, estratégico y sostenible, liderazgo, marca personalempoderamiento, independence, interdependence, marca personalSilvana Roiter

(Or the birth of brand YOU)

A few months ago Dan Schawbel (personal branding guru and author of Me 2.0) asked me if I wanted to contribute to his e-mag: Personal Branding. He offered me the option to either edit or write a column. I chose to write – and accepted to write The Brand Assessment column. I figured that although as an editor I’d be in a unique position to learn from other writers, by writing I’d be able to further develop my voice. And that was a risk worth taking.

By clicking here, right now you can receive your free sample of the e-mag and read my very first article. (The yearly subscription, which includes 4 issues, costs $12.95 and 50% of proceeds go to the American Cancer Society)

To celebrate this milestone in my writing career, I decided to write this post to remind you that as an employee you’re a stand-alone entity with business needs of your own. That said, this is not to perpetuate the ‘free agent’ conversation – mostly because plenty has already been written about that. This is to empower you to answer a question that will resonate throughout your entire working life – “Why do I need a personal brand?”

So why do you need a personal brand?

Here’s the deal. As an employee you may be a vital part of the organization you work with. And you may count on that organization for your lively-hood – (a.k.a. paycheck). Even so, you’re not an extension of that business. That simply means that just as that organization has business needs of its own which btw you help cater for, you also have business needs that require attention – a personal brand being among the main ones.

I’ve raised more than a few eye-brows each time that I’ve advocated that employees work for themselves with employers, not for them. I stand behind this even if that involves changing jobs at a pace that appears to benefit employees more than their current employer. To continue to defend my position, I’d like to remind you that working with an organization goes beyond being independent. It’s about interdependency. And a basic requirement for achieving interdependency is for both parties to be independent in principle from one another. Only then will true collaboration arise – between two independent parties that decide to collaborate. Although it’s possible for parties with varying degrees of dependency to co-exist for some time, the relationship is doomed from the start. If you’ve ever seen what a leech does to its host, you’ll agree that a parasitic relationship does not benefit either party. The leech remains a leech – with no other option than to find another host to leech off from – and the host is eventually sucked dry – slowly but surely. To learn from real-life collaboration, think orhcids. These breath-taking flowers grow from the branches of trees without taking away nutrients from its host. That’s because orchids are epiphytes, not parasytes. They have their own mechanism of survival, independent from its host. As such they’re able to add to the host – not take away from it.

Realizing that as an employee you have your own brand (and identity) – separate from the current organization you work with – and developing that brand to support your own goals, are two key steps in cutting the umbilical cord from your current employer. Failing to do so will keep you in a state of dependency, unable to reach your fullest potential as an employee. You loose and so does your employer – remember the leech-host drama.

As you think through that, here are a few key pointers:

1. A personal brand is for YOU. It will inspire you, empower you, focus you, drive you and help you achieve fulfillment in your work-life. It will also prevent you from being dragged by others.

2. A powerful personal brand is authentic. Yes, your uniqueness is your strength. The world of work is light years away from your school playground where other kids would make fun of you for not fitting in. Not following the herd in the world of work is an asset. Look closely at yourself. When amongst your colleagues, take time to notice what makes you stand out (yes, like a sore thumb). How can you further develop your distinguishing traits? How can you cash in on them?

3. A sustainable personal brand emerges from a place of honesty within you. The closer to your truth your personal brand is, the longer you’ll be able to stand behind it. Being honest (with yourself) marks the difference between building a sail boat with a long keel* and one with a short one. The one with the short one will be toppled even by small waves. The one with the longer one will be well-grounded and will be able to withstand many rough waters.

Think about this next time that you’re contemplating a change in your career. What steps will you take today to cut the cord?

*For my land-locked friends, a keel is a long, slim plank that juts out from the bottom of the sail boat. It’s the structure that keeps the boat from tipping over.

Find career enlightenment through personal branding

12/04/2009alcanza metas, autoconciencia, contruyendo redes, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, estratégico y sostenible, liderazgo, marca personal, negociacion, nirvana profesional, rseempoderamiento, enlightenment, marca personalSilvana Roiter

Take it from a self-proclaimed strategic job-hopper; career enlightenment is about achieving your goals in a sustainable way. That said, personal branding is at the core of an enlightened career.

Rest assured that today’s tough economic climate calls for an even greater focus on personal branding. During a time when businesses are looking for ways to cut costs, and when a large majority have recurred to laying-off staff, a strong personal brand is what will allow you – as an employee – to tip the scale in your favor. Make no mistake, a strong personal brand has the power to make employers look beyond cost and instead focus on quality.

By minding the following brand attributes, it’s possible for the ‘average Joe employee’ to reach career enlightenment.

An enlightened careerist is:

Genuine – A 100% commitment to being true to yourself will provide a solid foundation to your career. It will drive major aspects of your career such as your networking efforts, and your career goals and decisions. It is what will say to the world that your uniqueness is your strength.

Trustworthy – In the world of work, trust is a powerful currency. Being known as someone who delivers on their promises opens doors – even for someone who does not have all the skills or experience for a role. On the other hand, no amount of skills or experience will erase a tainted reputation. Building trust with employers, colleagues and clients takes time. On the other hand, breaking that hard-earned trust often takes very little. (who said the world was meant to be fair)

Solution-focused – Particularly during challenging times, it’s vital to not waste time on unproductive activities. Asking ‘what can I do?’ rather than finding out what happened is what delivers results. This requires implementing a zero whining policy and dropping the blame game.

Goal-oriented – Knowing what really matters to you will place you in the seat of power of your career. Not knowing leaves you exposed to being dragged by those who have goals of their own. Focusing on your goals is far from being inflexible. Rather, when you know where you want to go, it’s more likely that you’ll remain nimble and do what it takes to achieve your goals – even if that means changing courses and redefining your career.

Self-aware – Ignorance might be bliss – but little by little will lead you to miss out on opportunities for growth. On the other hand, knowledge gives you the option to improve those areas which aren’t quite right. As much as asking the right questions is key for staying in touch with yourself, answering honestly is as important.

Risk-favorable – Taking risks is a trampoline to bigger and better opportunities. Benefiting from risk is more a matter of reframing outcomes than of achieving the expected ones.

While you seek for career enlightenment, keep in mind that true enlightenment is at the intersection of knowledge and action.

What one thing will you do right now to get closer to your goals?

Photo credit: The Sun Herald

Me 2.0 – Dan Schawbel’s answer to thriving in a social media-crazed world

07/04/2009corto y poderoso, empoderamiento, empoderamiento profesional, estratégico y sostenible, marca personalDan Schawbel, marca personalSilvana Roiter

A few days ago, when Dan Schawbel, my blogoshpere friend and author, asked me to review his recently released book, Me 2.0 (by Kaplan), I gladly accepted. For the past few months I’ve followed Dan’s work and collaborated with him on a few projects. It’s quite clear that he’s one of the most knowledgeable millennials on using social media to develop an effective personal brand. After all, he’s been using tools like a personal blog, facebook and twitter to become known as the ‘personal branding guru’.

That said, if Tom Peters put personal branding on the map in 1997, in Me 2.0 Dan put it on steroids. Through his easy to implement advice, Dan demystifies social media tools and empowers readers to create their own effective personal brand – and take charge of their careers. Me 2.0 is not an option, it’s a must for anyone looking to succeed in this new world.