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The Power of a Mentor

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Rosemary O’Neill

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The GPO Style Manual was my Bible. But technical writing for a Federal Government contractor was slowly sucking the soul out of me. I’m not knocking it in general, but it really wasn’t for me.

Then one day, my supervisor called me into her office, and there sat a red-faced, genial guy with an easy laugh. His name was Dave Denne, and he changed the course of my life for the next 10 years. He was looking to recruit someone to join his marketing team, and he thought I might have the right stuff. My supervisor was dubious, but for some reason Dave believed in me. He persuaded her to let me jump ship, and I literally leapt at the chance.

Over the next several years, he taught me everything he knew about corporate marketing, networking, business communications, and specifically Federal proposals. I’ll never know why he came and plucked me out of the Flood Insurance Project, but it changed everything for me.

I share this story because often we don’t realize why certain people or opportunities are placed in front of us. The universe sends us messages all the time, and we simply need to be in receptive mode to tap into them. Are you in receptive mode right now?

I found out the other day that Dave passed away several years ago; he and I had finally fallen out of touch, but I will always be grateful for his invitation to start another path. He left me with the ability to walk up to a group of strangers at an event with confidence, and an amazing recipe for barbecue beans.

Perhaps we all need mentors for a certain time and place. Do you have a mentor right now? Who is giving you an invitation to a new path?

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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How Do You Look in High Definition?

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cooltext443809558_authenticityOne of my favorite contemporary artists is Chuck Close. He is famous for photo-realist portraits that will blow your mind. When you’re standing at the right distance, you’d swear it was a photograph, but if you come closer, you can see that the pixels are all made up of tiny blobs with a dot in the center.

Your business must be accessible and recognizable from a distance and from close up, so you also need to pay attention to the details.

If your audience is viewing you from far away (e.g., via your social outpost on Twitter), do they clearly see the same message as close up (on your own website)? The tools and trappings may be different, but the impression should be the same.

Here’s a low-tech exercise that gives you a quick look at your brand consistency:

Go to each online location where your brand lives (Facebook page, Twitter accounts, LinkedIn corporate page, main website, etc.), and literally print out the pages. Tape them to a wall.

Grab a cup of coffee, and stand back. Does it look focused, or does it look like fingerpainting?

Assess which pages don’t contribute to the impression you want to build, and tweak them until they fit. Remember that cohesiveness doesn’t mean sameness!

Consider your messaging from several perspectives, and the audience will recognize your artistry regardless of the medium.

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O” Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Be Flexible

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

“The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.”
— Confucius

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The last few years have been rough on everyone. It seems that just when you think it’s safe to poke your head up and take a chance, another wave of economic bad news hits. But if you look around, there are some who are continuing to thrive despite the bad economy.

Those who have been brave enough to be flexible in their approach have come through in good shape, while those who stuck rigidly to their original plan are out of business. How can you be a flexible entrepreneur, or a flexible business?

Signs of flexibility:

  • Willingness to put aside rigid “policy” when dealing with a customer complaint
  • Freedom given to employees to innovate and think outside the box
  • Constant review and tweaking of methodology to accommodate changing conditions
  • Acceptance of new industry realities
  • Ability to change perspective based on new information
  • Comfort with new ideas, whether they’re from within the company or external
  • Persistence in the face of roadblocks; seeking another way around
  • Keeping the goals solid, but the path toward achieving them fluid
  • Leaving space to dream and create without limitations or boundaries
  • Actively seeking information from different sources

Maybe we should all be doing a bit of corporate yoga.

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Be Happy

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

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You’re a hard-charging, forward-thinking, social entrepreneur master of the universe. But have you colored lately? Have you flown a kite? Have you read a novel?

No. Me neither.

Today’s post comes with a mission. If you accept, follow the steps below. Doctor’s orders.

  1. Take 15 minutes today and find a quiet, comfortable place. Turn off your phone, laptop, radio, etc.
  2. Close your eyes and picture your 12 year old self. School just let out and you just got home. You chucked your bookbag in the hallway, grabbed a snack, and you’re free.
  3. What are you going to do between now and dinner? Visualize as intensely as possible.
  4. Write down five things that came to your mind. Ride your bike? Curl up in your beanbag chair (don’t judge) and listen to music? Call your buddies and shoot some baskets?
  5. Now schedule time to do at least one of those activities this week. Schedule it. And while you’re doing the activity, you are not allowed to daydream about the TPS report or worry about how many Tweets you’ve missed. Simply revel in the joy of having fun.

As for me? You’ll find me in the hammock with the latest issue of Bon Appetit.

Would you like to share what your 12-year-old self was up to this week? I’d love it if you’d report back with your results in the comments.

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Be a Good Newbie!

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

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Last week, I wrote about how to be an upstanding citizen of the Twitter and LinkedIn worlds. But what if you’re venturing farther into untested waters? What if you’re pointing your canoe toward some of the newer and less-traveled areas of the web?

When a new social tool arrives on your map, it is even more important to mind your manners, especially if there are natives who have been there for a while already. Pinterest, Google+, Quora, Tumblr, EmpireAvenue and others were populated with early adopters and beta testers long before the rest of the Internet discovered them.

If you’re considering planting your flag on new territory, here are some tips that will ensure you are welcomed with a feast, and not eaten for dinner.

Listen & Lurk

My golden rule for approaching a new network is to listen for at least a week (more, if you have time). Read lots of content, and get a feel for the tone of the network.

Be Honest

Don’t try to pretend you’ve been there since the beginning if you haven’t. If there’ an “introduce yourself” area, take advantage of it to break the ice.

Take it Slow

Until you get the lay of the land, treat lightly. Don’t try to “speed date” your new connections. Share little tidbits at a time, and don’t flood the network with a million updates all at once.

Find a Buddy

One trick I’ve used to get acclimated quickly is to find a network “mentor.” Find someone whose behavior you admire, and follow them. Rather than “friending” 100 people at the outset, try to establish one or two stronger connections and build from there.

Look for Clues

Many networks have guidelines, either formal or informal, stating the rules of the road. And if there aren’t any on the website, try doing a quick Google search for “insert social network name + etiquette.” You’ll find tons of resource blog posts that detail behavioral norms for you. Here are a few official resources:

Pinterest Etiquette: http://pinterest.com/about/etiquette/
Quora Etiquette: http://www.quora.com/Quora-Etiquette
Google+ Etiquette: http://insidegplus.com/2011/07/google-etiquette/

If you’re looking for a buddy on any of those networks, I’d be happy to help! You can find me obsessively “pinning” at http://pinterest.com/rhogroupee/, enjoying the Q&A on Quora at http://www.quora.com/Rosemary-ONeill, and building my empire at https://www.empireavenue.com/rosemary. Come introduce yourself 🙂

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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work for on the Internet . Check out their blog. You can find her on Google+ and on Twitter as @rhogroupee
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Thank you, Rosemary!

You’re irresistible!

ME “Liz” Strauss

Be Unshakeable

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A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

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Be unshakeable.

It’s a famous scene in the Saturday morning cartoons: a character goes flying off a cliff, starts flapping, and starts to enjoy flying. Another character holds up a sign saying, “you can’t fly,” and immediately the first character drops like a stone.

You can create valuable content
You can contribute big ideas
You can have fanatically devoted customers
You can give your unique perspective
You can start something exciting
You can change
You can enjoy what you’re doing
You can treat people with respect
You can be recognized for your work
You can write

You can fly.

And if someone comes along with a “you can’t fly” sign, just shoot it with an Acme Slingshot.
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Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work on the Internet. Check out their blog. You can find her on Twitter as @rhogroupee