Folk Media » Leaders & People

Social Media Leadership: Hit Hard When It Hurts

Eric Alpin — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 19:32:17 +0000

“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.” – Lance Armstrong

When things are going great, it seems as if you’re on top of the world. Nothing can hold you back and you can’t seem to do anything wrong. Your confidence is high and your ability to focus is hawk-like. You are leading your people in an extraordinary way, giving them what they want and need to be successful. You are crushing your goals and nothing is out of order. You’re truly the king or queen of the world.

Then something goes wrong and it all falls apart. You fall apart. Your team breaks down and the progress you’ve just made no longer exists.

What do you do?

Tough Times Make You Who You Are

When your world has seemingly come to an end, you need to step up to the plate and become a great leader. Leading when things are great doesn’t really show your character. Sure, it allows for you to exhibit qualities that show you’re a team player but none that make you a concrete leader. When things take a turn for the worse, everyone turns to you for advice, guidance, and navigation. Hard times require you to be decisive, encouraging, and humble–three great qualities of an expert leader.

In Robin Sharma’s The Leader Who Had No Title, he talks about this concept, stating, “It’s the most uncomfortable of conditions that can be the crucible that forges the best leaders.” Without a doubt, it’s time for you to stop playing the victim during change and be the catalyst to make great things happen.

How Does This Apply to Social Media?

We’ve all been there: someone decides to take a shot at your or your business, they get attention, and you’re expected to respond. You’re expected to engage in a war of words with this person or business because they just talked negatively about your business. Human desire tells us to keep up the fighting because we can’t lose our dignity.

Don’t.

Instead, be an authentic leader and speak respectfully about your competition. Make promises to your customers that you will give them the best service possibly. Kill the competition with kindness and with a respect that leaves them wondering what is happening.

How you react during heated moments, the times when things fall apart for you, is what will make and shape your business and clientele.

As a rule, don’t…

Blast your competition on Facebook or Twitter. No one wants to hear (or read) a war of words via the Internet. Plus, it only shows that you stoop just as low as the other players in your niche.
React to claims about your company. Instead, respond with authenticity and honesty. If you messed up and someone found out, own it. It will show you are in it for the long run instead of trying to scam others.
Complain on Twitter or Facebook. If your competition releases a new product, don’t complain that they stole your idea. It will only get you in trouble.
Deny change. Embrace it. Every business changes and when things begin to take a different shape, it’s the people who respond well that get considered for promotions and big customer contracts later.

Action Steps

Here are a few action steps in order to begin leading in difficult times:

Think about what recent changes your business has gone through. How can you overcome adversity and lead through change?
Begin to show “props” and kudos to your fans on Facebook and Twitter. This will show that you’re authentic and appreciate them. When the going gets tough, they’ll run to you and support you.
Start responding to crisis situations versus reacting to them. Keep your calm and your cool in order to be the better person in the long run.
Share this article with your network via your favorite social media website.

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Eric Alpin is the Associate Editor of Folk Media and works for a telecommunications company in Baltimore, Md. He is a social media enthusiast, blogger, writer, and student with a passion for leadership and self-development strategies and techniques. Find out more about Eric on Twitter.

*Photo by bjearwicke

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Ammo For Your Arsenal: Your Image Is Your Personal Billboard

Guest Author — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 14:02:12 +0000

This post was written by guest author Samantha Casey.

The word “image” circulates around the planet like a breath of air, clinging to each of us, and illustrating to the world who we feel we are. Without consideration towards our image, the opportunities in business we desire will breeze right past us, zooming in on those who have created an image of integrity, class, and respect.

Clients come to me at times and question why they are not generating any new business. They are extremely knowledgeable in their fields, have a great product/service, and are using strong marketing strategies. Many times, I find they are just simply missing key points to presenting a reputable image, and through my consulting work we work to help them fine tune those areas of opportunity.

Here are helpful, key areas to review and consider for your professional image:

Online presence – With the internet providing mainstream communication, it is a place to boost your image and to lay a foundation which identifies you as professional, poised, and full of integrity. Create a profile within your networking sites that will outline your area of expertise. List your skills, talents, and specific focus. Look at your website background. Is it clean? What message does it deliver? What message do you want to deliver? Be careful with photos. Photos instantly create a label.

Sure, it would feel great if people knew the real you, but they are going off of what they see online, especially at first glance. For example, if you want to be viewed as professional, do not post photos which are extremely revealing or incredibly casual. Even if you are in a profession where you are promoting your appearance, you can post photos which highlight your best features and still represent you as respectable.

Wardrobe – We are judged on our wardrobe, whether we realize it or not. Have you ever walked into a business meeting and noticed a young woman in an extremely low cut blouse and short skirt or, a young man in jeans, sneakers, and a tee shirt? Or, how about when going to the grocery store you see someone walking around in their pajamas? What were your initial thoughts? As much as we all want to be respected for who we are inside, our image is our personal billboard. So, how we dress indicates how others portray us.

Of course, we dress to occasion. When attending an event we may be in semi-formal attire, and when meeting friends for lunch, we may be in casual attire. Yet, in business scenarios, professional attire commands a respect. It says to the world that we are composed and polished. So, take a look at your wardrobe. Does it tell the story that you want? Does it appear misleading in any way? Is it too revealing, too casual, too formal?

Language – How we speak, write, and communicate also labels us. If you are the CEO of your company, and are tweeting something along the lines of, “Dats coo, hit me up later,” what do you feel your audience perceives? Or, if promoting your material and the headline says, “Nu Muzik!” what are you telling readers about you? This is a critical point to consider.

Many times we don’t even think twice about what we say, we just want to get the word out. Just remember, how you communicate is up to you. How others perceive you is also up to you. If you want to be viewed as intelligent, your communication needs to follow suit. If you want to be viewed as an Executive, your communication needs to follow suit. Think carefully about what you are saying, writing, or texting before you deliver.

Overall Conduct – Whether at an event, online, or in a meeting, conduct represents your image. Too often we don’t think about this in detail. It can help our image or harm it. For example, when we’re online in social networking sites, we have every opportunity to empower our image. If we are sharing personal information, we need to be aware of what we’re saying, and decide if it’s appropriate for the world to see. Remember, the Internet is the World Wide Web and everyone is watching.

If we’re at an event and we are networking, yet are drinking in excess and are not thinking clearly, this will impact how others perceive us in such situations. If we are scheduled for a meeting, yet show up 20 minutes late, are dressed casually, and are unprepared, those meeting with us are casting judgment. Thus, overall conduct reflects every aspect of our image.

Another aspect of conduct is how we respect others. As a professional, you have the opportunity to engage with people of many backgrounds, walks of life, and experiences. If you are shunning someone because they are not famous, or because they are not as educated as you are, or because they are male and you only want to do business with women, this will affect your overall image in ways that you may have not considered.

For example, if you are a consultant seeking to assist others, yet are speaking of others negatively, what does this say about your business? If you are a doctor, yet are not fully reviewing your patients’ charts and looking for every possible way to help them, what does this say about your practice? Consider respecting all walks of life, even if they are not pertinent to what you are looking to do. You never know who knows who, and the one person that you’d least expect to be relevant to your business, could be the one person who holds the key to you opening new doors of opportunity.

Your Image is Your Personal Billboard.

You deserve to be appreciated for the professional you are, so make your billboard shine! The world awaits!

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Samantha Casey is the founder and operator of Relentless Consulting Group, a firm that helps businesses and individuals market to the world. She is a blogger, reader, and networker with a passion for helping others and building strong brands. Follow Samantha on Twitter to find out more about her.

*Photo by cr55

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Social Media Leadership: Leading With No Title

Eric Alpin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 13:53:16 +0000

“Success, both in business and personally, is something that’s consciously created.” – Robin Sharma, The Leader Who Had No Title

Today’s culture revolves around titles and accolades, accomplishments and scoring the best accounts. We see celebrities praised for blockbuster movies and athletes remembered for show-stopping plays. Society is obsessed with achieving greatness and spending the most money.

“Leaders” are no different. Those in management tend to think that fancy cars and corner offices are the life. Dinners purchased with company credit cards and international business meetings give off impressions of leadership and success.

But true leadership involves nothing mentioned above. In fact, no one needs a title, or fancy car or wads of money, to be a leader. They just need passion, determination, and a commitment to make the world a better place.

Over the next few days, I’m going to be sharing with you how to manage your social media campaign like a true leader. The concepts in the series will be pulled from Robin Sharma’s The Leader Who Had No Title. You need no title to be a great leader. You don’t need to be chief social media marketer or manager of the IT department. If you are determined to change the lives of others, this is for you.

You and your social media campaigns can have an impact on the world; you just need to unlock your inner leader.

The Title Conundrum

Our culture is obsessed with titles. The person with the best or highest ranking title is usually considered the “winner” and will get praise solely the few words that follow their name. However, titles undoubtedly lead to trouble. When a person is given a high ranking title, they put themselves above everyone else. Instead of being the leader they are called to be, the employee walks around like a king or queen, expecting everyone else to wait on them. All of this because of a title.

Leading without a title means that you put away the notions that one person is better than another and you work to benefit others. You are humble in your daily work routine. Instead of serving yourself, you serve others. Your vision of the world is not clouded by thoughts of self; instead, you think about how you can help the world.

No Title = No Limits

One of the first objections people normally have to the leading without a title concept is the perception that if you have no title, you won’t get the glory and money and benefits of the “titled” positions. This is not the case. In fact, it’s about the furthest from the truth that you can get.

If you are good at what you do, people will notice. If you continue to be good at what you do, people will praise you. If you consistently go above and beyond in the workplace, you will receive accolades that will make others jealous. Your determination means and willingness to help others will set you apart from even the people who have the big titles. Do you know why?

You are committed to making the world a better place, which is something that most corner office residents don’t even think about.

When you have no title, there are no limits on what you can do.

Leading Without A Title in Social Media

Now that you have an idea as to how you can begin to unleash the true leader within you, let’s focus on how you can apply the leader without a title principles to social media and marketing.

First, put your customers and clients before your business needs. Want to impress your clientele? Bend over backwards to serve them. Bring them customer service like they’ve never seen. As Seth Godin states in Linchpin, “Customers…crave the unique, the remarkable, and the human.” Deliver them something that they can’t get from another company–above and beyond loyalty to their needs.

Next, offer your help and expertise to those who want to learn. You are a knowledge base full wonderful thoughts and ideas. Don’t hold them inside; instead, share them with the people in your industry who need them the most. Ideas are copyrighted. Be diligent in serving others because they will return the favor when you need it the most.

Finally, put your new and innovative ideas into motion. Have you figured out an easy and simple method for creating customer Facebook pages of Twitter backgrounds? How about an easy to use program that notifies you whenever someone mentions you on Twitter or writes on your fan page wall? If you have a great idea for process improvement or making your industry thrive, go for it. As a leader without a title, you’re more concerned about the well-being of the world itself than just yourself. Share your resources, ideas, and passions with others.

Action Items

It’s time for you to begin leading without a title and having a greater impact on the the world. Here are a few action items for you to do today:

List three ways that you can serve your current customer base. How can you “wow” them? What needs could you meet that you aren’t addressing right now?
Join a LinkedIn Group or message board in order to help people in an area where you are strong. Good with Macs? Join the Apple users group. Really good with web programming? See if you can help solve some code problems on a forum.
Tease out one idea you’ve been holding inside for a long time. What do you need to do to set it in motion? Whatever it is, do it.

As always, please share this article on the social networking site of your choice. Also, if you haven’t connected with us on Facebook or LinkedIn yet, come join us.

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Ammo For Your Arsenal: You Believe, They Buy

Eric Alpin — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:49:01 +0000

Greetings Folk Media family! Here is another Power Topic from the “Ammo for Your Arsenal” Business Series. This article, “You Believe; They Buy,” is covering the essential steps to ensure you are well prepared to present your product/service to your audience and boost your results.

When you have made a purchase, one that you love, how passionate was the person about their product you bought from? Or, how about when you have chosen a Real Estate agent? Interior Designer? Lawyer? Did they appear enthusiastic, confident, energetic, and excited about their product/service? Chances are if you bought/hired them/etc, they were.

Having conviction and full force belief in your product/service is the way towards increased profits, incredible sales, and a thriving empire. People want to feel the passion you have for your business. They want to hear in your voice, and witness in your expression, the love you feel for your product/service. Many consumers begin their product/service search with speculation and suspicion. Some feel nervous about spending money, others may feel unsure of the necessity of the item of interest, and some may need to feel confident in their choice and you can help them through your guidance. It starts with you! If you believe, they will buy.

So, it sounds simple, right? It starts with preparation. Being prepared before you present, pitch, and articulate will help you bring in more clientele as your confidence will undoubtedly skyrocket, leaving your audience feeling thrilled to partake in your product/services. What steps can be taken to ensure you are confident in your product/service and have unwavering faith that your audience is making the smartest choice buying from you, hiring you, etc. versus choosing a competitor?

Here are 5 helpful steps to empower your presentation:

Research – Know your product, know your service, and know every intricate detail! There can never be too much research or education within your business. Learn about what you are offering your audience, research every angle, understand the lingo, and be incredibly knowledgeable that you are able to overcome any objection and answer any question you are given. Knowing, is half the battle.

Reach out to Mentors/Colleagues – Many people feel embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help. Don’t be! Ask away! Ask those you have seen succeed in your field the questions you need in order to follow the suit of success. Ask your colleagues to hear your pitch, listen to your presentation, and brainstorm with you new ideas. Ask your mentors to sit down with you and review your business plans for your product/service. This is priceless information you can obtain and these people are there for your resource! Ask and you shall receive.

Compare/Contrast – It’s important to review what others in your field are doing and compare your product/services to theirs. What about your business sets you apart from your competition? What makes your business incredibly unique? Why would consumers feel they made the best choice purchasing from you/hiring you/etc? Comparing and contrasting your business to others goes along with point 1–research. This will allow you to gauge where you may want to consider improving, revamping, or updating your current offerings. In addition, when you are informed as to how others in your field are performing, you can utilize this knowledge to help you fine tune your presentation to shine above the rest. After all, you are amazing; it’s time to let your audience feel the same way about your business and your product/service!

Practice Your Pitch – Practice, practice, practice! This is essential as it will help you smooth out your process, catch any errors, and perfect your presentation. I consistently am practicing as I find it helps me to feel more certain of my presentation and, it also helps bring new thoughts/ideas my way to work with as well. Take the time to practice every piece of your presentation, pitch, etc. before you begin engaging with your audience. Think about this: when some of the world’s greatest public speakers, who are experts in their field, entertain an audience of 20,000+ people, rest assured, they have practiced. Even if you feel you have the presentation down pat and can recite it in your sleep, practice! This step will only benefit you from utilizing it.

Passion – This step is one that, through your research, preparation, and practice, will seep out of your pores as you find yourself excited about your product/service. The more you know, the more you will be eager to share your business with others. You will find yourself full of energy and adrenaline, ready to conquer the world and share your amazing product/service with your audience. It is an incredible feeling and will help you catapult forward in your business! If you currently are in a position where you are lacking passion, think about the positive attributes of your job now and what steps you will need to take to reach a career that is evident of you living your passion. Passion is like fire; once it is ignited, it will reach everywhere! This is an amazing thing! Believe in yourself, believe in your product/service, prepare yourself, and you will be unstoppable!

These steps are designed to help you continue to leverage your business forward, regardless of what product/service you have to offer. Focus on your goal, stick to it, and take the time to be prepared. Quality counts and you want to be a showstopper when you are representing your brand. Utilizing the above steps will assist you with empowering your product/service delivery. The more you believe in the worth of your produce or service and are assured of your business, confidence will radiate from you. Your audience will feel your belief in your business and will be there ready, with money in hand! ?

*Photo by

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Ammo For Your Arsenal – Less Promise, Greater Delivery

Guest Author — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:32:01 +0000

This post is written by guest author Samantha Casey.

Greetings Folk Media family! I feel honored to be guest blogging for you and sharing with you my business series, “Ammo for Your Arsenal.” This series is designed to bring you empowering advice, tips, and tools that will help you in your day to day business as Professionals. Whether you are the CEO or are just beginning in the business world, this series will provide information which will be useful in all arenas. This Power Topic covers the art of Less Promise, Greater Delivery. Are you ready? Let’s get started.

“Less Promise, Greater Delivery…”

What exactly does that mean? It’s a short phrase yet, encompasses the formula to your success. For business professionals, regardless of the industry we are in, or position we hold within the company, the critical element to our lifeline is the ability to satisfy our clientele/audience/fanbase. Without them, we don’t exist. We want to provide every essential necessity to ensure they return to us for their services because they Trust and Believe in our business. We want to build relationships; lasting relationships with people who feel they know us, can relate to us, and are comfortable with us as their service provider.

Let’s break this down a little further. Each half is the ammo you will need to continue growing your business, clientele base, and retaining those you already have loyal to you.

Less Promise: aka “Under Promise”

This is where many find themselves in hot water. It is easy to meet a potential client, business colleague, future investment partner, etc and find yourself promising them the moon, stars, sun, and every planet in existence. If you are capable of delivering that, yes, do it! However, it is much more wise to under promise what you will be offering, and wowing your audience when you exceed their expectations by light years. Err on the side of caution here. Confidence is key in how you present yourself and it is very easy to get caught up in wanting to impress your audience, with the result of promising more than you can follow through on, because you are so determined to bring these guys onboard. You can do that without delivering false expectations and your impression will be one that is deemed respectable. This relates to something as simple as when you state you will forward an email or as to when you commit to a project deadline. You want to create commitments which are realistic for your business model and are sure to be honored. Your word is one people will NOT forget–keep it simple; whether in an email or verbally spoken, your word is a contract of its own.

Greater Delivery: aka “Over Delivering”

Over delivering is simply exceeding the expectation you have set forth from what was originally promised to your audience. This is where you have promised a Honda, but have delivered a Bentley. You have committed to a delivery and have executed that delivery by means which are far beyond what your client was originally asking of you.

If you are a Graphic Designer, perhaps you promised your clientele a finished website in two weeks, but have delivered the final product in one. If you are a Recording Artist, perhaps you promised your fans a chat session on Twitter, but have gone live on UStream to interact instead. Over delivering can be appreciated in simple ways but the key to this is: you have delivered MORE than you had committed to. Your audience will thank you, your clients will trust you, and your image will be noteworthy as one filled with integrity. It is critical that your delivery is greater than what you have promised your audience. When you come through, your audience will be awed. Your clients and colleagues will remember this…and this is how you WANT to be remembered! You want to get in there and consistently build a solid reputation!

The Quickest Way To Destroy Yourself

As I know you are aware, the business world is full of many people who cut corners, are dishonest, and talk fast in order to earn a quick buck. Don’t place yourself into that mold due to not keeping your commitments; once in there, you’ll be fighting tooth and nail to get out! Your image will be destroyed. In the long run, more will be coming out of your pocket to salvage all that you have lost along the way therefore; taking the easy road is one that will detour before you reach the road of success. So, steer clear of that mold. Promise what you know you are capable of delivering, and take the time, even a moment, to commit to take it a step further by delivering more. Less promise, greater delivery.

The road to success begins with committing, and following through. Ultimately, this ammo will give you the essential tool to build your credibility and reputation as sound, reliable, and one that is focused on ensuring your clientele/audience/fanbase is satisfied. You do not want to tarnish your word. Negativity spreads like wildfire and it is much easier to be labeled with a sour image than it is to retain a credible one.

Keeping Your Commitments = Keeping Your Business

“Less Promise, Greater Delivery”

Make this your business mantra! Repeat it, use it, and follow it. It is your blueprint to creating a phenomenal and triumphant empire.

*Photo by LarryLens

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How To Do More on Facebook and Twitter with Less Effort

Eric Alpin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:55:44 +0000

We all want it–the opportunity to give less to a task or progress and to see results that can only come if we give 110%. No one would mind giving less sweat or hard work every now and then and still seeing the results unchanged.

What you think might be a delusional fantasy can actually be a reality, including when you’re working on your various social media marketing tactics. Yes, you can give less effort with the results, and profit, remaining unchanged.

It’s easy–get a team.

“Teamwork can make the dream work.” – John Maxwell

How many times have you thought that doing your job, and the job of everyone else, was too tough. In reality it probably is but that doesn’t mean you need to shoulder all of the burden.

When it comes to producing high quality results, the efforts of individuals are futile. The real action comes with teams of cohesive and highly functional people who are set on achieving a goal.

Charles Lindbergh didn’t fly across the Atlantic on his own; he had countless hours of consulting and navigators who showed him the way. Michael Jordan could never have been the greatest basketball player to set foot on an NBA court if he didn’t surround himself with team players like Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, and Phil Jackson.

Believe it or not, your success as the social media manager of a big business or Twitter account manager of a mom-and-pop grocery store hinges on working with a team of people who are dedicated to striving for success.

Your dreams and the goals of the company depend on teamwork.

Dissecting the Fundamentals of Teamwork

When working on a team, there are a few things that need to happen in order to spark success. Two, three, or eight people can’t just wear shirts with the same logo and call themselves a team. Critical changes need to take place before success starts pouring in.

Ego Adjustment – All members of the team must adjust their egos in order to work well with one another. A humble approach to every situation is a great quality of a team. If a member of a team feels more entitled than the other members, nothing good can come of working together. You can’t expect to hand off a Twitter or Facebook task and think that the person needs to do it your way. That’s not how it works. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s about the team and the end goal.

Free Thinking Environment – One of the best aspects of working on a team is the fact that nothing is off limits. No idea is stupid and everyone goes. Some of the best ideas come when nothing is ruled out. When working on a team, you must be open to new ideas and ideas that might now sound good at first. Have you written off SEO or Google Analytics? Don’t. Not a big fan of Twitter? Don’t exclude it from your ideas. No member of the team can judge another based on an idea because the ultimate purpose of the team is to achieve success, not cut others down.

Shared Workload – One of the primary reasons teams don’t work is because of an unequal distribution of work. In a team environment, one person cannot do more than the others. This will generate feelings of bitterness and resentment, which will poison the team. Don’t overburden others when you’re reaching out to them for help with social media management. If you’re the team lead, make sure that you shoulder most of the tasks.

Higher Desire – The most critical aspect of working in a team is the mentality of every individual. Each person needs to know that they are working toward a greater good or goal and not for personal gain. Yes, personal gain may be a result of working well in a team environment, such as a promotion, but it isn’t the sole reason for joining together with others. Everyone must be clear on your goals and dreams for your social media campaign and they must work toward that each day or you’ll be coming up empty.

Dispelling Your Doubts

Working with teams can create a lot of doubt. Heck, even setting up teams can cause tension, fear, and anxiety for everyone involved. You might even be thinking to yourself, “Eric, my company doesn’t have the resources to put more than one person on the social media team. We’re just not that big.” Sure, your company may not be able to assign anyone else the duty of managing Twitter and Facebook but that shouldn’t stop you from forming a team.

People fear teams because people fear open communication. With teams you need to be honest and you need to work together in a timely manner to produce a desired product or achieve a goal. This requires good communication and people fear communicating. Although communication can be scary, the end result is worth the effort. Remember, think big picture, not “me” picture.

If your company is like most, they don’t have the resources to have a big social media marketing team. They don’t need one. Instead, pull from the resources and connections you have already established. Do you maintain a blog? Could someone else write a post every other week to free you up to do something else? Do you schedule tweets in HootSuite or TweetDeck? Could someone else create the document of all the tweet you’ll send and you can put them in the application? Simple, little tasks can help facilitate a team. Not every member needs a title. If someone else can do something for you, they are part of your team.

Today’s Action Steps

Teamwork is the only way to success. History shows us that nothing great is ever accomplished by one person; instead, a team is needed to pull everything together and produce excellent results. To get you started on forming or managing your social media team, here are some action steps:

- Brainstorm at least 10 ways that other people in your business can help you manage your social media profiles more effectively? Start by thinking of their talents and areas or interest and then move to the skills they want to develop.
- Reach out to one person on your list and see if they’d be willing to partner with you in your efforts. Stay excited and see where the conversation goes.
- Pick up a copy of John Maxwell’s Teamwork 101. It’s a powerful read for anyone who is on a team or leading a team.
- Share this article with other people who can begin to produce the same results, or even better, with less effort.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on teamwork and hear any success stories or tips you may have. Feel free to leave a comment below or email me.

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Mastering the Art of Inception: From the Big Screen to Your Blog

Eric Alpin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:22:20 +0000

Last week, the drama/thriller movie Inception was released across the United States. I had an opportunity to catch the midnight showing and I’m glad I did. Without blabbering too much, the movie was excellent and it leaves you thinking when you walk out of the theater. I recommend seeing it if you can.

The premise of the movie is that within your dreams, your subconscious releases information, often which is secret or personal. This process if called extraction. However, it’s a two way street; information can also be planted, or incepted, into your subconscious, causing you to make decisions which you might not normally make.

I’ve been thinking about this idea for the past week and I’ve come to realize that we should all be “incepting” ideas into the minds of our readers, followers, and friends. Why?

Wanted: Leaders

It’s pretty easy to go with the flow; it’s not hard to get up each morning, head to work, and get into a habit of just coasting through life. But this isn’t how it was supposed to be.

Every person is good at something. Whether its knitting, computer hacking, or finding great bargins, everyone has a talent that shouldn’t go to waste. For some reason, however, a lot of people don’t use their talents. They think coasting through life is easier, and more rewarding, then sharing information with those who want to hear it.

The world needs you to incept others. You need to plant ideas and knowledge in the lives of your followers in order to change the world. We need you to be a leader and to show that the ideas you plant can be brought to life and used to better society.

Yeah, whatever.

Sure, I might sound like I’m a little off my rocker, but I’m not. I promise. Think of it this way:

You are good at SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
You know a handful of people who would like to know more about SEO but you don’t share your knowledge.
Those four people, who could be paying you close to $70-$80 an hour, take their business elsewhere.
You’re broke and can’t take your significant other on a date.

Or, maybe you’d prefer this outcome…

You are good at SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
You know a handful of people who would like to know more about SEO and you arrange to meet them about their needs.
Those four people, who could be paying you close to $70-$80 an hour, pay you $90-$100 an hour because you do good work and are willing to share ideas and strategies.
Your significant other loves you because you have a well paying job and can pay for dates.

Which would you rather have? Unless you’re out of your mind, you’d probably pick the second scenario.

Everyone needs to learn something at one point or another in their life and you might be the person who can teach them.

Your ideas are powerful and can help shape the cores of many businesses and lives. Not only are you getting paid but you’re also forming partnerships and bonds with individuals who might help you out later down the line.

Don’t sit around hogging the information; share it and incept it.

Do you know what the fastest spreading virus is? An idea.

Go out and make it happen.

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First Class Leadership: Forging Through the Fog

Eric Alpin — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 13:45:11 +0000

It’s no surprise that the things change and plans get reworked. That’s just how life goes. At times, the terrain ahead of us seems to be hidden by a thick fog, forcing us to move ahead slowly and with caution. It’s a crazy world and who knows what might be lurking around the corner or just beyond where our vision ends.

When the path ahead becomes unclear, most people cower and hide. They don’t want to move ahead because it’s too much of a risk. The fear of the unknown cripples them and they can’t bear to journey on.

Lucky for you, you’re not in that group. Instead, you’re a First Class Leader who is leading the charge into the unknown.

Right?

Preparing for the Storm

It’s often said that you are what you eat. It’s true; what you consume is often displayed in the characteristics of your body. If you eat double cheeseburgers every day, you might not be as lean as someone who only eats salads and drinks water.

You reap what you sow, too. Whatever you ingest mentally is what comes out through your actions. If you fill your head with relevant information before the big test, chances are that you’ll know most of the answers. If not, you probably won’t do well.

In order to manage the storm, you need to prepare. There is no better way to prepare than through reading. Humans have a tendency to put into action what they read and when the problems arise, you’ll implement some great thinking if you’ve read about how to manage things.

I’m not going to regurgitate the great teachings of philosophers and expert problem-solvers. Instead, here are a few books I recommend:

- The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma
- Tribes by Seth Godin
- The Magic of Thinking Big by Dr. David Schwartz
- 21 Indespensible Qualities of a Leader by John Maxwell

These books have taught me some life-changing information and I think you can learn from them, too. Take the first step: prepare.

Making It Through

Do you know how to spot a First Class Leader? Look to see who is making progress when everyone else is slowing down.

In the business world, the key to success is not to gain a title. Instead, the key is to be adaptive to change no matter your title. If you can manage to adapt well to an ever-changing environment, you’re golden.

First Class Leaders don’t run away from the challenge or the problem or the change; they take it on and show what distinguishes them from everyone else.

In order to make it through, you need to be positive and committed to doing your best work no matter what is going on around you. Yes, there may be critics who want to stand in your way. It’s even possible that you might be lacking experience. But, when it comes down to the 11th hour, true First Class Leaders embrace business changes and adapt appropriately, showing their true colors and potential.

I will tell you that ingraining this philosophy of forging through the fog is not easy. In fact, it’s a struggle to remember you’re a First Class Leader and not someone who can just hide from change but it’s worth it. Don’t resist the changes being made in your life. Take them on and show that you can adapt, learn, and implement like a First Class Leader.

I can guarantee you this: you will experience more benefits, perks, and career opportunities than someone who plays it safe. All of that can come just by stepping up to the plate. Are you ready to step into the woods and forge ahead?

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First Class Leadership: Dishing Out Tier Two Actions

Eric Alpin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:26:46 +0000

In a world full of social media, it’s important to realize that actions actually do speak louder than words. It’s OK to say that you’re going to complete a project or post a great blog entry but until you do it, your words mean very little. It’s the actions that make or break a social media strategy. How well can you engage your followers and show them value beyond the occasional tweet or @reply? How can you show your Facebook fans that you care and not just tell them?

Your social media campaign requires action in order to be successful. In the same token, your quest for leadership development needs action to make a difference – tier two action.

You’re probably wondering, “tier two action?” Well, actions can be broken down into two types, or tiers. First, you have standard, or tier one, actions. Tier one actions would be putting in a good word for someone, giving someone a deal on a specific item, or just engaging in deep conversation. Tier two actions are a step above; they help people. An example of a tier two action would be giving someone advice on how to deal with a struggle at work or at home.

In a nutshell, tier two actions deliver your knowledge and expert wisdom to another person, thus imparting your abilities in their life. In a sense, you’re spreading the word about something great and you’re influencing someone in hope that they will be great one day.

First Class Leaders don’t just sit in their seats all day and keep all of their knowledge and guidance to themselves. No, they share it and they do it willingly. First Class Leaders make tier two actions a part of their day-to-day routine, whether its at home, the gym, or the office.

So, why should you become a First Class Leader and spread your knowledge? Because, after all, if you spread the information you’ve gathered through the years to someone else, that means you’re in competition for jobs, promotions, and bonuses, right? Yes, that’s true but it’s not the end all be all of leadership.

A leader doesn’t read books in order to get the next promotion or snag the highest bonus. Sure, those are positive consequences of becoming a good leader but they aren’t, or they shouldn’t be, the only reason to develop your leadership potential.

The reason you should develop your leadership potential is because you know that you have more to offer the world. You know that you can have an influence on the lives of others, your company, and global society if you become a leader. There is no comparing a one-time bonus to changing the face of a company. First Class Leaders develop themselves in order to develop others through tier two actions.

Now that you’re convinced you need to start dishing out tier two actions, here are a few ways to get started:

Seek out people who need your help. You’re a SME (Subject Matter Expert) in some area and there are sure to be people who aren’t. Connect with them and make a difference.
Freely give your feedback in meetings and in focus groups. Show the other members of the meeting that you care and that you want to help.
Share best practices with your team or office. Have a quick way of doing the reports? Share your method with everyone else and see what happens.
Become a mentor with someone, even if it’s out of the office. You might become a mentor to a teenager, a struggling student, or a recent college grad. Give back to someone.

I just named a few ways of showing tier two actions but there are so many more. Think about showing you care through two tier two actions this week. See how they pan out. If nothing happens because of your hard work, try again and don’t give up. Be a First Class Leader and take the next step – touch the world with tier two actions.

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First Class Leadership: Part One – Breaking The Rules

Eric Alpin — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:09:31 +0000

It’s true; leadership books sell. Everyone, whether its a veteran leader or a wannabe leader, wants to know the secrets to leadership. It could be for personal or professional gain. Any way that you look at it, leadership is a topic that attracts interest and earns serious profits.

However, most leaderships books fall short of the desired objective. Most books don’t give you information on becoming a better leader. Instead, they tell you a few stories about how it’s been done in the past and they expect you to mock Sam Walton (Wal-Mart), Peter Drucker, or Warren Buffett. I’m not knocking those great leadership pioneers but what worked for Sam, Peter, and Warren may not work for you, me, and our cubicle neighbor.

I’d like to introduce a short series: First Class Leadership. Instead of sharing stories, I’m going to share concepts and ideas that will work for nearly everyone. Whether you’re a leader with a title or a leader without a title, a veteran leader or a leader in progress, you’ll find this data to be helpful. Today’s leaders need to be a cut above the rest and in this series, I’ll tell you how to be “that” guy or gal who everyone talks about. My hope is that this series will transform all aspects of your life and will play a major role in your development and the progression of those around you.

Without further ado, let’s learn about First Class Leadership.

Growing up, we all probably played the game follow the leader. You know, the game where you had to mimic the designated leader. If they walked, you walked. If they turned the corner, you turned, too.

It’s a simple concept but what do you do when you get a bunch of leaders together? What happens? There is no longer one leader to follow so who mimics whom?

In today’s society, too many companies have leaders following one head honcho. Supervisors follow the lead of their managers. The managers follow in the footsteps of the coordinator or director. But, in a First Class Leadership world, leaders break the rules and follow no one.

Instead of following along like a caravan of traveling vacationers, a leader needs to step up and break the mold. They need to reinvent the way things are done and they need to show the other leaders how to succeed.

In some cases, “leaders” have been in leadership positions for some time and have been wondering along idlely. They’ve grabbed at straws, had a success here and there, and maybe even made Employee of the Month. However, this doesn’t define a leader.

A leader is the guy who is willing to stick his neck out for his team when no one else will. A leader is the woman who buys her team lunch from her personal checking account instead of the corporate expense account. A leader, above all, is the guy who shows appreciation for everyone he touches by having a generous and outgoing attitude – a person who will serve you, and break the mold, in a heartbeat.

Once you have broken the rules, you’ll start a series of chain reactions that won’t be easily halted. First, your team will genuinely appreciate you and your efforts. Therefore, they’ll work harder and in a more cohesive fashion. Next, other “leaders” will look at you and become jealous. They will want your success and will begin to imitate you by breaking the rules. Finally, you’ll feel more alive and passionate about what you do because you know that you have made a substantial impact on the lives of the people you interact with each day.

Nothing shows leadership more than breaking the rules. If you are willing to stand up, do the opposite of everyone else, and stick around for the tough consequences and conversations that follow, you’re a leader. Title or no title, you’re a leader.

The first sign of a First Class Leader is their ability to break the rules. So, here are a few things I’d like to challenge you to do:

Compliment a few of your Facebook friends or Twitter followers today. Yes, it’s not a #FollowFriday but that’s breaking the rules, eh?
Recommend one or two LinkedIn connections. Don’t wait for them to recommend you first.
Do something for a coworker or friend today that you normally wouldn’t do. Stick around for their reaction, too.
Make a list of the rules present in your company and think of ways you can break them, both subtly and obviously.
Make one day a week your rule-breaking day. This is a day, once a week, that you’ll break the rules – buy someone lunch, compliment someone, reinvent a standard process, do more work than everyone else, and so on.

Being a First Class Leader and breaking the rules isn’t hard, it just requires a little more effort than you’d normally give. Be “that” person. Go above and beyond and take a step to becoming a true First Class Leader.

*Photo by dlritter

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