So Are You Twittering?

The race is on to get as many people following you on Twitter as quickly as possible.  There are lots of people out there ready to help you figure out how to do and they are happy to sell you a piece of software that will get you thousands of followers quickly.

Before you either rush out and buy all the tools to Twitter your way to the top, or waste a lot of time reading mindless quotes and sales talk,  let me ask you how Twittering fits into your business plan.

I think there is a lot of value in establishing online relationships and meeting new people who may be interested in your product or service, but before you follow the crowd, make sure you just ask yourself if this is a valid way to build you business.  If the answer is yes, create a systematic approach to making good contacts with Twitter or Facebook or other social networks.  If not, then don’t waste the time online that you could be using to market in person to someone in a local networking group.

A common problem among many small business owners is that they are falling into the attraction of the possibilities presented by the vast wide world out there online versus the smaller networks we actually have to talk to right in front of us.  It seems so much easier to try and reach our clients online than in person.  In reality we often waste a lot of time tweeting when we could just be going to Starbucks and reaching the people we know.

Maybe Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Ning, and others really are a great option for your business. Or maybe they are just one piece of the puzzle, but be sure you take a strategic approach to using these venues for marketing.

On the other hand, if you Twitter just for fun or you Facebook to keep up with friends and family, enjoy the venue it can be fun and you can meet some great people.  Being strategic can just keep you from wasting time because “everyone is doing it”.  Examine your motives and your needs and tweet your little heart out.

Help Others – Help Yourself

What kinds of good things are you involved in?  Do you volunteer at school, coach football or soccer, teach a free class, what do you do to give back to others?  Maybe you don’t feel like helping others is all that important or maybe you just don’t have time, but I believe that cultivating and generous attitude will improve your outlook on life.

I am always amazed at how even the most financially challenged people who are givers seem to have the best attitude and the most pleasing personalities.  These folks are upbeat, and live their lives fully for themselves and those who are the lucky recipients of their generosity.

Generosity is also not limited to the things we do for others.  It also includes how we treat others.  Are you quick to affirm those you work with?  Do you give credit where credit due?  Do you freely share your knowledge and experience with those around you?  Are you afraid if you give too much information for free you won’t get paid?

I have always found that generosity with my information, time and things has always yielded me clients and more importantly, many friends.  If you feel that you don’t have time to do a lot of extra things outside your work and family life, pick something that fits into one of those areas.  Maybe your company has a mentoring program, and you could get involved their.  Perhaps you could help coach a child’s team or read to kids in the library.  Maybe your church, synagogue or mosque could use some repairs.  Being generous does not have to be extravagent, but it should be big enough to open your heart and mind to others.

Open yourself up to others and become a giver.  The theory of “givers gain” is true in business and it is even more true in life.  Give yourself away today!

Who is Your Mentor?

If someone asked the question “who was the most influential person in your life?”, would you have an answer. Or “who do you most admire?”, is there someone that makes your admiration list? But, what about “who is your mentor?”, would you have an answer? So what’s the difference and why should we cultivate mentor relationships?

For most of us it is fairly easy to list a few people who have influenced our lives. It could be a parent, teacher even a president or world leader. Their example has shaped our thinking about how we live our lives. We could all come up with a fairly long list of people we admire for various reasons from intellect to appearance. But thinking about the people in our lives who have mentored us, that is a list that may be slightly harder to compile.

In some cases, a mentor is someone who enriches our lives professionally, teaching skills from the benefit of years of experiences. In other cases can be someone who takes us through a critical right of passage time or just helps us through a transition or loss in our lives. Most people who value the mentoring relationship will have many mentors during their lives, and at varying times in our lives.

My most memorable mentor was my mother-in-law. She was a great Godly woman who taught me all kinds of things from cooking, to parenting to being an independent thinker and truly Godly women. She was always cheerful and ready to share her infinite wisdom on most subjects. She never pushed her ideas but waited to be asked and we developed a true friendship. Other mentors have been teachers or professors who have helped me reach academic goals. I have also had bosses that have mentored me in specific subjects in relation to work. All have brought value and depth to my life.

So what makes a good mentoring relationship? The mentor/protege relationship should not be forced, but rather form naturally. The mentor should have competence, character and patience. The protege should be enthusiastic and willing to learn. Common interests and humor should also be present in the relationship to make it natural and easily deepened.

Through life the mentoring relationship can be seen in four stages; apprentice, individual contributor, mentor, and finally organization influencer. In the first stage we are an apprentice, learning from a mentor, then we take what is learned and apply it to a field of expertise. We are then able to mentor others and increase their knowledge and deepen their understanding of a subject or profession. Finally, our knowledge can actually serve to increase the depth of wisdom of our entire profession. This is truly using the mentor/protege relationship to the fullest advantage.

Why do I share this information today? Well I believe that none of us was created to live in a vacuum. Each of us has been wonderfully designed to, not only interact with, but to actually enrich the lives of others. Our unique place in the universe is given to us to know, explore, influence and enlighten those around us. Life would indeed be a lonely, desolate place if we had no purpose in it but to eat, sleep and work. Helping and being helped gives us the unequaled pleasure of taking part in someone else’s life. Being involved in the lives of others adds dimension to our humanness. But for the addition of the collective knowledge, wisdom, humor, love, encouragement and respect of my mentors, I would be closed-minded, petty, foolish, angry and sad. Who we are is the sum of those we allow to influence us. Happily, we can choose who our mentors will be…choose wisely.