My son had barely gotten in the car when he gave me this HUGE smile and said, “I learned a new move today, Mom. It’s so awesome – I can’t wait to try it out!”

I immediately felt guilty…didn’t I want to embrace this enthusiasm and truly support him? Absolutely! It also made me realize that I too could channel that wrestling enthusiasm and challenge myself in my business development plan. After all, it is 2012 – a new year. It’s time to try something new!

Whether you’re in a totally new job, a new position within your existing company, or simply looking for a fresh, new, energetic approach to the same responsibilities you’ve always had, I challenge you to reach within yourself and incorporate some new “moves” into your everyday work!

Integrate something you struggle with the most into a new place in your day – shuffle things around a bit. Many of us become creatures of habit; however, I’m convinced that although I often dread it, change is good. Initiating phone calls, especially difficult ones, is always a tough one for me. Why not begin my day with this task first? What a great feeling of accomplishment once my call list is completed! Maybe I have to leave messages for a few of these calls. That’s okay, I’ve made the effort. I can send a follow-up email or, if I’m lucky, I’ll answer their return call to me. Either situation is something I enjoy and am effective at.

Reward yourself with something that will help you to be more successful in finishing your plan. Often I allow myself a brisk walk, or a treat like Starbucks or ice cream; I do this as a reward for having accomplished A-B-C tasks. Sometimes the reward is simply the ability to call it a day sooner – and indulge in family, the gym, a leisurely dinner, or whatever the after-work plans are. And occasionally I use that time to write those follow-up emails that I otherwise complete during my “off” hours.

LinkedIn: try it – you’ll like it! Trust me, for a professional who somehow earned a Bachelor’s degree without ever taking a computer course, LinkedIn is an awesome form of networking! I know, “networking” is one of those things that you either love or hate. However, LinkedIn allows you to attack this necessary evil online – without ever having to leave your office! What an effective time-saving tool! If you haven’t yet created your own LinkedIn profile, just do it! If you’re unsure about the how-to part of this social media mania, ask a friend. Truly, it’s something that all professionals should master, even if just a little bit.

If you’re already on LinkedIn, try something new with it. Recently a colleague of mine posted a blog about becoming a LinkedIn Power User. It reminded me to get back to basics on this helpful tool. For instance, using the Advanced Search option is something I had lost sight of in my usual routine, so I’m trying to use it more. You can also use LinkedIn to give back to others. Sometimes I notice that an acquaintance is in transition. Why not offer to write a recommendation for those you’ve worked with, especially when they’re looking for a new opportunity?

READ one of your industry’s professional journals, a newspaper, or even some of your industry’s e-mail notifications. This should be a must, no matter your profession. With so much technology surrounding our every move, I’m committed to ensuring that my family knows the value of a good book. Plus, it’s always a bonus to be able to share a good read with a fellow colleague or prospect.

My son’s wrestling season is quickly flying by and I’m starting to pick up on some of the lingo. In addition to learning new moves, my son can now boast a win or two. These days when he gets in the car, he says, “Mom, you don’t know how good it feels to pin someone!” I love it when my children find their passions.

Similarly, I love it when my passion for my work helps others. What are some of the new moves you’ve been able to work into your day? Sometimes the most meaningful ones are those that literally turn your stomach at first, aren’t they? Accept the challenge and try these first!  Believe me, the feeling of accomplishment may empower you more than you could imagine.

I can remember working for a membership organization many years ago. While we attempted to keep in touch with our members throughout the year, it always seemed like the ones who heard from us the most were those who hadn’t paid their renewal fees yet or those who seemed like good prospects to upsell, or those who had a complaint. Yet the customers who were our very best members—those who always renewed on time and never complained about anything—seemed to be ignored.

I had some service done to my car recently and a few days after I got the car back, the service center called and asked me about the service I received. They also gave me a way to get it done cheaper the next time. Of course I know they did this so I will go there again, but the fact is, I probably will because that phone call helped me feel just a little more connected to that company.

Paying attention to our good customers, even when they seem okay, builds loyalty and a sense that we value them as customers and are not just contacting them to try to sell them more or put out a fire.

Scheduling time for those meaningful calls should be a priority, just as prospecting, sales, collection, or other customer service calls are. Think about the last time you were called by someone you had given business to. Did that call strengthen your sense of loyalty to them? Start planning today to make some “good feeling” contacts. This not only will keep your name in the mind of customers but also will give them one more reason to stick with you.

If you recognize that social media has a place in your business, but just haven’t been able to determine exactly to what degree, or how to get started, it’s time to take the next step to learn more.

If you could walk into your company tomorrow with a set of clear action items for getting your business on the right path with social media, you might just be the hero of the day, right?

I am one of the trainers for the new Essentials of Social Media for Business Professionals courses at Cincinnati State’s Workforce Development Center, offered by their Institute for Social Media. I can tell you from first-hand knowledge that these courses are going to deliver extremely tactical, no-fluff, actionable information. Just what you need to either get your social media strategy off the ground or propel your existing strategy to the next level!

If you are in the Cincinnati area, I recommend you check out the social media courses that start in February (2/3 and 2/10). Each one is just $69, or you can receive a discount for pre-purchasing all four sessions. We start off with an Introduction to Social Media for Business Professionals, and then later in February we’ll offer a workshop on how to effectively make new connections in social media.

Questions? You may ask me directly or visit the website for more information.

I’m much more interested in how you are doing leading and managing your professional self. And I can say with some authority that most of you are screwing it up. Don’t think so? Can you answer all three of these questions with a “Heck Yes!!”?

• I am actively developing the “what’s next?” in my career.
• If I lose my job tomorrow, I am prepared. My network is robust and active, and my resume is up to date and ready for use.
• I can clearly explain who I am professionally to anyone who asks.

If you can answer yes to all three, you can stop reading and go reward yourself with a cupcake. But I’m guessing those questions made you cringe in self-recognition as you whispered no.

It’s easy to be lulled into the belief that your organization will look out for you, or that you are so valuable as to be assured life-long employment. But really, your career is yours to lead and manage. It can’t be outsourced, delegated, or ignored.

Let’s work toward a yes for each of these, shall we?

I am actively developing the “what’s next?” in my career.

Put your head up once in awhile and commit to putting some effort into identifying what you are interested in doing next. Is it moving up a level in your current department? Moving to a different functional area? If there is nothing inside your current organization that appeals to you, commit to researching what else you can do in your industry, within your function, or in your professional community. It’s out there, but it isn’t going to knock on your door. And if it did, if you are 100% focused on doing your company’s bidding, you may not even hear the knock.

If I lose my job tomorrow, I am prepared. My network is robust and active, and my resume is up to date and ready for use.

Ah, yes, the network. If you are like most, you spend very little time thinking about it, let alone building or really developing those key relationships. If your entire professional network consists of your current colleagues, that is a problem. Connect with professional or industry-based associations, and yes, actually attend meetings. Make it a habit of reaching out to people you want to maintain professional relationships with even when you don’t need anything. If people only hear from you when you want something, your reputation as a user and a taker will be well deserved. And as far as that resume goes, even if it’s not ready for prime time, I beg you to at least keep a file of your accomplishments, preferably at home should the unexpected happen and you lose your ability to access your work materials.

I can clearly explain who I am professionally to anyone who asks.

Yep, this is the dreaded “tell me about yourself” question that we never give much thought to until we are in a job search. I never understood that. If you really are leading and managing yourself, shouldn’t you be crystal clear on what you are leading and managing? Ask yourself what you want people to know about you. And if your career is in sales and marketing, apply the same principles to yourself as you do to your products and services. Hint: your answer should not start with “I work for the ‘X’ company.”

If you are committed to leading and managing yourself, you must embrace the idea and practice aligning yourself with your professional skills and experiences. Who are you, professionally? Don’t know? Sounds like a good starting place to me.

The first was a high-end day spa that was at a career fair for a telemarketing company and doing a chair massage in an empty parking lot (it was literally one chair in a huge empty lot, with no cars or customers in sight). I have no words here. The second was a beauty salon/spa that had a kiosk in a mall. Nice idea, but it was staffed with what looked like a 16-year-old boy in a ripped Santa hat. He had acne and was hunched over and sipping on a large smoothie. What an image.

The reason I bring this up is because we see this kind of thing all the time. Just watch any episode of “Kitchen Nightmares.” A company gradually makes small adjustments to save on costs, increase sales, or make someone happy. The next thing you know, a fine dining restaurant is serving chicken strips and has a man dressed as Foghorn Leghorn in front of the store, twirling a sign that says “New Management” (or what I like to call the “Please try us again—sorry we sucked last time!” sign). Rather than resorting to such measures, here are a few tips that will help you avoid a future of chicken dancing and street sign spinning:

• To keep from straying off the path, you must first know what the path is. I recommend defining a clear mission statement for your organization and writing it down. You must make the statement public so that you and your team are reminded of it. After you have a clear, simple mission statement, I suggest adding a few sub-statements that define who your customers are, what they want, and how you intend to deliver it. Remember, you can’t be all things to all people, so keep a narrow focus and really laser in on what you want to be.
• Next, post your mission statement everywhere. Make sure your team knows it by heart. Posting the statement is critical because it will remind you and your team why you’re in business and who your customer really is.
• The third step is one that many business owners lose sight of. You, the owner, must live the mission statement. Nothing upsets me more than a business owner who has a mission to “deliver the highest level of service to every customer,” and then pulls into the first parking spot right next to the door. How are you servicing the customer by taking the best parking spot for yourself? Business owners must not be above the laws they create. I have a rule that I will never ask any member of my team to do something that I’m not willing to do myself. You absolutely must lead by example; otherwise your mission statement will fall on deaf ears.
• The last step is simply to ask yourself one question during every decision-making process: “Does this support my mission statement or does it obstruct it?” If your decision or actions violate any part of the mission, image, or brand you’ve created, then you must not do it. Does a chair massage in an empty parking lot support our image as a high-end day spa? No. Does a mall kiosk with an unsightly and apathetic employee support our beauty brand? No.

So grab your compass and create the path. Then promote it, walk it, and every once in a while, look down to make sure your feet are still on it rather than next to it.

Think about the last customer interaction you had. Did you really listen and show you cared about what he or she was saying? What about the last customer issue you dealt with? Did you immediately transfer the problem instead of doing everything possible to resolve it yourself?

Every customer interaction is an opportunity to lock in loyalty or destroy it. Don’t underestimate the power of being empathetic and demonstrating your authenticity to clients.

What tactics do you use to keep it real and maintain your sense of urgency with clients?

I’ve used LinkedIn since 2006, quite a long time to remain loyal to any website. Yet that doesn’t mean I don’t have things to learn. Even when I think I know it all, there are still ways to improve by watching others who do things a different way.

So, I spent 30 minutes recently observing the LinkedIn activities of those in my Connection network, and even strangers who appear to be frequent users. It was 30 minutes well spent, and I’d recommend this exercise for anyone who wants to power up their LinkedIn use.

These are the features that every LinkedIn Power User leverages, which means that they would likely be valuable for you too!

LinkedIn Advanced Search: Search for people, companies, answers, or groups that fit criteria as specific as you wish. Salespeople love using this feature to create prospect lists that are sorted by degrees of relationships, allowing them to connect with new people through existing connections.

Power User Tip: Even if you’re not in a sales role, you should perform searches to see who among your second degree connections you may want to connect with.

LinkedIn Groups: At one time, I was joining groups that looked interesting, but after joining I didn’t participate in 95% of them. Power Users join the groups that they know they can contribute their expertise to, and are willing to learn from others in that same interest area, too. Groups are great for sharing your knowledge and connecting to people who may become new business partners, referrers, prospects, or customers.

Power User Tip: Participate in two or three groups per week by joining discussions or starting ones on topics you believe will interest others in the group.

LinkedIn Answers: Similar to Groups, Answers is a place for you to let your knowledge and experience shine through to help others. What I’ve found even more valuable than answering others’ questions, though, is asking questions and watching how helpful and thorough the answers are that LinkedIn users provide. I posted a question recently on LinkedIn Answers, and in less than two hours I had a half dozen quality answers in the palm of my hand.

Power User Tip: Stop hoarding your knowledge. Share it! Go to Advanced Answers Search within Answers, then search the topics you know the most about. Those on LinkedIn who help others tend to feel the good karma come back at them.

LinkedIn Updates: Updates are where you get the most visibility within your LinkedIn network. You can post simple updates about what’s new and interesting in your professional life or business. The most valuable updates are the ones that link to thought-provoking articles, blog posts, or videos that your network of like-minded professionals will find interesting as well. Be an information-sharer, not a self-promoter. Well, okay, an occasional self-promotion is acceptable!

Power User Tip: Post updates four or five times during your work week. Doing so will keep you top-of-mind in your network while not becoming over-exposed. You have to gauge what you are comfortable with, but letting two or three days go by without posting an update is akin to locking yourself in your office and not sending emails or answering phone calls.

LinkedIn Events: It’s not a very robust feature on LinkedIn, but Power Users love the fact that they can search and find events in their region on LinkedIn rather than going to other sites to find them. Searching by your interests, industry, and city generates events that LinkedIn users have posted.

Power User Tip: At the end of each month, perform a search to discover events that are happening the following month. You can also see who within your network has confirmed that they are attending, and others you may want to connect with when you attend.

LinkedIn News: This recently redesigned area of LinkedIn is really slick! Customize the news that you want to follow by choosing the topics and sources you like. Once you have created a News area that reflects some of the articles you like to read, as well as those that might be of interest to others you want to network with, save the article or share the article with a connection.

Power User Tip: Select one or two connections with whom you wish to foster a stronger relationship. If you’ve set up your News to collect articles on topics they would appreciate, sharing those articles will be easy! Don’t overdo it, though.

Ten minutes spent per week on each of these six features and tips equals one Power hour every week on LinkedIn. You’ll find that some of these features will have varying levels of value and results, but the point is to find a formula that cuts out any unproductive time so you maximize every moment on the world’s #1 professional social network.

Communication is king. Whether it’s communication with the client, the stakeholders, or the project resources, if you’re not communicating as a project manager, something is bound to go wrong. As the person with all of the knowledge about the project, it is up to you to make sure everyone has the right information to be able to work effectively. And often it’s not only about what you’re communicating, but how. If your approach to communication (style, tone, frequency, method, etc.) isn’t working, you may as well not be saying anything at all.

Anticipate and adjust. Part of being a good project manager is being able to stay one step ahead of pretty much everyone else on the project. It’s up to you to anticipate every aspect of the project and then adjust accordingly. This might mean anticipating challenges that the project team could face and adjusting the timeline accordingly. Or it might mean anticipating the client’s potential concerns and  having a plan in place to address them. Whatever it is, living by this motto  will minimize surprises and setbacks during your project.

Plan your work and work your plan. I can’t take credit for this motto. It’s something my dad always said and I thought it was pretty clever. Then I learned that it was originally said by former Green Bay Packer coach Vince Lombardi. Then I thought it was brilliant. This is a great motto for any job, role, or task, but it especially applies to project managers. The two parts of this motto—first, planning what you are going to do and then second, actually following through on that plan—are pretty much the nuts and bolts of being a good project manager.

There are probably many other mottos to consider. And I think it’s OK to have more than one… or even just to have a list of best practices to keep in mind as you manage projects. What do you think? Would you vote for one of these as the best project manager’s motto? Or do you have one of your own that you could share?

What will the next generation of social media look like, and what will those practitioners say about how we used social media in 2011 and 2012? After all, we are still in the mix tape stage of social media.

Here is my mix tape of a handful of social media observations, lessons from 2011, and expectations for 2012:

1. Social and SEO Collision: At the beginning of 2011, social media and search engines operated on two pretty distinct planets. That all changed with the entrance of the Facebook and Bing association, followed later by Google’s inclusion of more social media profiles and posts on their search results pages, and finally the introduction of Google Plus. What all this means is a more personalized search engine experience. If you are logged in to your Google account when you search, you now see social media likes, posts, and feedback from your friends integrated into your search. If you want to find a new restaurant to dine at, you may just see mentions of your friends’ recent experiences at local restaurants in your Google search results. Pretty cool!
2. Content Overload: Now that social media managers are understanding that content is king when it comes to making any social media impact with their customers, many are falling into a bad habit of recycling too much content without injecting original content of their own. It’s easy to retweet someone else’s article link or interesting observation. It takes more effort and time to post original, creative, and helpful content that your customers will appreciate. The lesson here is to shake things up a bit more, to be more strategic about the content you post. A content calendar can help you schedule some original social media posts so that you have a plan, rather than getting stuck in retweet land for days and days at a time.
3. Social Media ROI: Businesses are still asking, “Where is the ROI in social media?” And they should be asking that. However, does every single part of one’s business have an ROI? Seems like an odd question to those who can track every bit of spending to some form of a return. But most companies we talk to are now understanding that social media is necessary to their business, whether or not they can draw a direct line between investment and return. Social media for business further legitimizes you with customers who are searching and wanting to discover if you are participating, discussing, and reaching out to them. They want to have a conversation with you, and if you aren’t there to reciprocate, they will not hesitate to find your competitors. Social media ROI can come in the form of more sales leads, lower cost and more effective recruiting and customer service, and marketing efficiencies. It can be quantitative as well as qualitative. Look at both sides of the fence. Your biggest returns on your social media investment may just be the simple conversations over Twitter or LinkedIn that lead to a first meeting and then a sale. Social media is a cog in the machine, not the end-all-be-all. Far less frequently will you be able to tie a social media interaction directly to a sale.
4. Social Media Channel Irrelevancy: There was a time when we saw social networks as websites we logged in to in order to read about what our friends were doing or saying, and to post our thoughts and updates. We could not see Facebook posts unless we were logged in to Facebook, and the same was true for all the other networks. Now, we are seeing our friends’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube likes and posts on search engines, as I’ve mentioned. Yet there is strong evidence that more of those same likes and posts will also be visible on other websites we like to visit, such as news sites, online stores, and special interest sites. Even today, on many sites, you are given the option to log in with your Facebook account, or even link your social networks together so that your post on one network will be duplicated on another. All of this points to a place in the near future where we may not even need to log in to our social networks to be active on them. Social media channels will become largely irrelevant as they intertwine and start to look like traditional non-social media sites. It will mean a more personalized, fluid web experience where the walls of logins come down. Of course, this presents some privacy and security issues that will have to be addressed. This trend may not be fully realized in 2012, but it’s coming quickly.
5. Steer Clear of Social Media Experts: Don’t trust anyone who calls him/herself a social media expert. I have known many companies to be lured in by a fancy title and rehashing of the same ideas that a million other social media “experts” have iterated. When looking for a social media consultant to help you form a business strategy, set up profiles, and track ROI, don’t trust Klout or other scoring systems. And don’t believe their advertisements that say you will see immediate, quantitative results. Social media is a marathon, not a sprint, and you should be comfortable with a consultant who will spend time learning about your business, goals, and customers, even before they get to work on the actual social media strategy. Look up their social media activities on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Do they blog frequently? These are a social media consultant’s credentials, as well as any previously created strategies they can share with you.

Accelerated Business Results is in a unique position as a training and performance improvement company to hear about what matters most to business owners and key stakeholders in human resources, training, and sales and marketing. Plus, I have the fortune to be able to talk to businesses of all types about how social media has (and should) impact their internal and external customer touch points. We’ve definitely been listening to their concerns and questions, and are encouraged by the successes we help them achieve.

2012 will shape up to be an important year in the evolution of social media, primarily in the ways that businesses find the points in their existing processes where they can evolve and enhance their customers’ experiences with their brand, products, or services. How will you use social media in 2012?

By talking with our clients, we’re learning that workplaces and workforces are changing. Although there are many reasons for this, a key one is because several different generations are now collaborating in the workforce. And because the environment is changing, training also needs to change and evolve. With this in mind, I’ve put together a wish list of five training trends that learners are wanting in 2012:

Learner Wish #1: I want shorter, quicker training.

This means more nano learning. Learners are tired of the traditional model of e-learning followed by instructor-led training (ILT). Instead, they want shorter, chunked down learning in brief, impactful bursts and in a variety of formats. For example, rather than a 30-minute e-learning module, perhaps a 5-10 minute podcast or tutorial would suffice. Learners also seem to be more accepting of informal learning solutions, and it’s clear that not all training has to be driven from a learning management system (LMS) – learners don’t need to be tested on everything, especially when using nano learning as a follow-up or reinforcement.

Learner Wish #2: I expect training to be relevant.

In other words, cut the fat and fluff. Of course it is always an instructional designer’s goal to make learning relevant and customized, but it seems that there has been an even stronger shift lately toward zero tolerance for fluff in training. For instance, ABR recently worked with a client to slim down a 300-page manual to about 100 pages. By cutting out absolutely everything that was unnecessary and unusable, we have transformed it into a useful and relevant learning tool.

For training to be relevant, it also must be customized to a learner’s world. There should be a heavy emphasis on practice and application, because learners need to know how to make real connections and to truly apply what they’re learning. In general, training seems to be moving away from the old school practice of “show it, see it, do it.” Instead, case studies and simulations are the center of the learning experience more than ever before.

Learner Wish #3: Give me training with the tools I already use.

Companies are ready to experiment with more mobile and tablet applications in their training, and they should be. They know that their employees are already using smartphones and tablets, and they want to find new and unique ways to push content to them through these popular tools and mediums. In fact, one of ABR’s clients recently deployed iPads to their entire sales team. Initially they intended for employees to use only operational apps, but their sales reps started asking for resources that would help sharpen their soft skills as well – such as being able to quickly prepare for client meetings with vertical apps that would help them walk the walk of their customers.

Learner Wish #4: I need practical training that will help me be a better leader.

2011 saw leadership on the rise (ABR’s leadership training increased by 40% this year), and the trend is toward more hands-on, real-world training for frontline leaders. Leadership training is no longer just conceptual – organizations are conducting more real-world training for their leaders because they are realizing that leaders need authentic leadership skills to thrive – and they need a lot more practice with the challenges they’re facing. You can expect this trend to continue as organizations will be offering more application-based training that integrates skills, systems, products, and company strategies.

Learner Wish #5: I want to collaborate with my peers.

Social media is everywhere, and more professionals than ever are using it to connect and collaborate. They also want to be connected with organizations that are ready to harness the power of social media as a learning tool. But most organizations have struggled with social learning solutions because they realize that doing it well requires the right tools, guidance, and management, which can be overwhelming. In 2012, it’s likely that many organizations will continue to try to figure it out. We’ll probably see more informal (YouTube) videos used and learning communities created. As an example, ABR is currently developing a toolkit with a client in a SharePoint environment. It will house several options for training, including a social component, such as an “Ask the Expert” area. We also plan to share testimonials via video or text.

So what training trends are you noticing as 2012 approaches? If you’re a learner, what’s on your wish list for the new year?