Archive for the Uncategorized
There have been a lot of articles in the media over the past few weeks debating whether Facebook actually has any value. This, in itself, indicates that there is a whole lot of value in Facebook. I wanted to share with you an interesting article from Harvard Business Publications by Jeff Stibel. Jeff talks about why Facebook is so much better than other social networks and why it fundamentally works. Personally, I continue to be amazed at the functionality of Facebook. Almost every day I discover something new that you can do with it. Did you know you can even hire a Facebook coach? Yes, it’s true, many mainstream corporate employees continue to choose LInked In and Plaxo over Facebook since some perceive Facebook is for a younger generation. I did an experiment last week after attending a UC-Irvine MBA Alumni event. For all of the business cards I collected, I checked to see if the folks were in Facebook and Linked In. >90% were only in Linked In. Interestingly enough, the next day I received a phone call from someone looking for a coach who had been refered to me in Facebook by the other 10%. These folks also happened to be the younger people in the crowd. Point in case, if you want to do business with Gen X, you’ve got to be in Facebook. You know what their vote is regarding whether Facebook has value.
Tammy Erickson at Harvard Business Publishing has written an interesting article about how today’s tweens see the world and how that might effect how they behave as adults. She makes great points about how these 10-13 year olds are very informed about war, the economy, conservation, ecology, gas prices, and the housing crunch. I posted a comment and asked Tammy to consider writing a followon article about how her predictions might impact the corporate work environment. It seems that the writing is on the wall. Corporations must change to address what this generation wants or risk losing altogether. Read her article and then consider what you saw around you everyday when you were a tween. The world is very different today and the access to information is almost unlimited. The cultural change that we are about to witness over the next 50 years should be an amazing ride. These kids want/need/require a different work arrangement than we did at their age. I see it as our responsibility to start opening doors for them by leading by example. It might not always be an option, but we need to pursue flexible and remote work options or at least be willing to ask for them. You can be a pioneer in this new age.
I have been following Nancy Collamer’s writings since my daughter was born in 2005. She writes about career options for working mothers. I got excited when her blog reminded me that I needed to check out the new WSJ blog, “The Juggle”. Thanks Nancy, for the reminder. However, I was a bit surprised and disappointed when I read the site. I had the preconceived idea that if WSJ was reporting it, then the subject matter would be refreshing for the six figure mom. Back to the old rule, “never assume anything”. I felt out of touch with most of the topics (although I did like, Do You Read Your Kids Diaries or Facebook Pages and left a comment) and wondered why WSJ isn’t writing for their target market. At least I think we’re their target?
So, I bet you’re wondering what in the world could rap music have to do with life lessons for executive women? Keep reading. I was perusing Tony Robbins’ newsletter when I noticed a link to an appearance on MTV. I thought, “Tony Robbins is going to take a shot at being a rapper now? Come on!”. Anyway, I was just curious enough to watch so I clicked through. Seems that Hurricane Chris in his 51/50 Ratchet CD has some serious clarity about personal leadership. The video from Hip Hop Owner’s Manual describes a rap music term, RATCHET. The definition of Ratchet is living your life’s dream and being yourself without regard for what anyone else thinks. In Rapper speak, “Doing YOU”. Ratchet comes with a few guiding principles: