relationships Archives - Page 23 of 54

Thanks to Week 132 SOBs

May 3, 2008 by Liz

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

10 Life Lessons for Reinventing Yourself

May 1, 2008 by Liz

Annie Galvin Teich is a wise woman, whom I’ve known for over a decade. She’s be a friend, a business colleague, and an advisor. In the past two years, she has changed paths and joined us on the Internet. I’ve asked her to share some of what she’s learned in that extraordinary transition.

10 Life Lessons for Reinventing Yourself
by Annie Galvin Teich

Two years ago I was suddenly faced with an opportunity to change the course of my life and career. I’ve launched two businesses and three websites with varying degrees of success. These are some of the things that I’ve learned:

People don’t do business with companies. They do business with people they like. You can and will be surprised by how much support you’ll find in your personal circle â€“ business colleagues, industry acquaintances and, of course, friends and family.
It’s all about connections. Your definition of success will morph and change as you meet and learn from others. The opportunities that appear along the way are usually a function of who you know.
We are stronger than we think we are. When you have passion, conviction and determination, you can bounce back off the mat. Sometimes all it takes is a hot bath, a cup of tea or a nap and you’re ready to go another round.
People are kinder than we think they are. Don’t make assumptions about people. Sometimes they are just waiting to be asked to help. Be nice.
You don’t have to imagine your future in detail to create it. Many of us stop ourselves from taking a gamble because we donâ€™t have what we think we need to be successful. It really is okay to move forward without these things as long as you understand that the destination can change.
Getting up every day to work hard at moving forward creates its own momentum. It is impossible to work 10-12 hours a day for 6 months or 2 years without getting somewhere. You may end up somewhere you didn’t plan, but that is usually okay.
Friends keep you honest. They know you; they love you; they support you; they pick you up when you’re discouraged; and they keep your ego in check.
If you think you understand how much work is involved, triple it. Click your heels together three times and repeat after me!
Backing up to go forward is often a wise thing. Sometimes you find that you’ve gone off on a tangent that, as compelling as it was, is not taking you in the right direction. Part of this new learning is realizing that you are not always going to make the right decisions. As the GPS navigators say, “recalculate.”
Being able to laugh in general and at yourself in particular is good medicine. This new landscape you’re creating is exhilarating and scary. But you have to keep it in cosmic perspective. Laughter is good for you. Don’t take yourself or your learning moments so seriously that you canâ€™t have a good chuckle. Life is too short.

It has been a remarkable journey.

You’ll find Annie at The Teich Group, New Publishing, and Crazy 4 Kids Books.

Thanks, Annie! You still inspire me with what you take from life!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Hunters, Gatherers, and Stars of Networking

April 29, 2008 by Liz

Networking on the Ground

I’ve been networking on the ground in Chicago. in the last two weeks, I went to a class, a seminar, a presentation, and a huge networking event. My goal was find a few folks who might help me figure out how to talk about an idea that’s shaping up and to learn how to connect with the people who might be interested in exploring it.

I sure found some incredible people, who told me about their work and helped me focus my thinking. I listened them as long as I might and thanked them for their counsel. I found some great folks that I could easily connect to information they needed or a friend who could help them. Sadly, I also found people who seemed hyper-focused on reciting on a script. Conversation with them was almost impossible.

At the large event, I met Mike, who works in relationship management. We talked about this scripted phenomena. He called the hyper-focused people, “hunters.” He said they came to find someone — anyone — to give them work or to work for them. He said he knew because he used to be one of them.

The Hunters, Gatherers, and Stars of Networking

That conversation with Mike left me thinking about the roles we use when we network in a room of strangers. I see distinct types.

The hunters — Hunters come to find people of a certain kind. They’re hungry for a boss or an employee who will solve the problem. Hunters are out to satisfy their appetite. The conversations and connections are only important when they move toward that goal.
The gatherers — Gatherers have a goal of collecting people. They “work the room” efficiently and with a smile. The most practiced gatherer will trade business cards with every person in the room and be done in record time. Quantity is their quest. Gatherers are about numbers not relationships.
The stars — Stars go to learn and help folks when they can. The stars know that one person can only make and maintain relationships with a limited number of people at one time. They use conversation to find where connections offer both people a benefit if they form a relationship.
And of course, there are the nonparticipants who watch from the sidelines. Their name is the only description that we need.

As I write this I realize that we play the same roles when we network online. Each of these folks is on our social networking sites.

What do you think? Are there others that I’ve left out? Do you find that online networking is easier than networking on the ground?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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