I Don't "Get" It (LinkedIn, That Is)

My buddy @mitcharno over at Tuvel Communications recently shared a link to a post about social networking gender differences. The folks at LinkedIn say, “The overall result in the US is that men are overall more savvy networkers than women, but the real insights start to surface when you start slicing and dicing by industry and company.”

I’m an avid link-clicker so Mitch’s pointer led me to another post that said (my paraphrase), “Hey, wait a minute. Maybe it’s just LinkedIn that women don’t like.”

In my case that’s true. Though I’m a self-proclaimed geezer who loves gizmos, it’s taken me longer than I’d like to “get” some of these new-fangled tools. I’m an early adopter of downloading/signing up and then a later understander (made-up word) of what it means to my world and how I really want to use the tool. I’ve been an email user since 1992, read blogs of all types for years, and have had Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn for almost three years. Four out of five of those tools occupy a major portion of my waking hours so evidently I’ve “got” it where they are concerned. LinkedIn is currently the outlier, much like the stats that the LinkedIn folks discovered.

The often-used tools break into two broad categories:

·          Email and Facebook are my outlets to connect with people I know well. Some are folks I talk to regularly; others are friends/colleagues from long ago. The not-happening-at-the-same-time (asynchronous is the geeky word for that) communication means I can check in without “bothering” folks. I email or post or read when I want and folks respond (or not) when they choose. With email, I can get a quick response or go back for a review when my memory fails (what WAS I supposed to do about this task?). My Facebook friends are personal connections—high school, college, church friends; former colleagues of mine and Don’s; and family—people I actually have some type of relationship (present or past) with. They’re also people I trust so when I ask a question I’m fairly certain that a high percentage of the responses will be credible.

·          Twitter (or at least the tweeps I follow) points me toward articles and issues I might not know about otherwise and keeps me up to date on topics I’m interested in. It satisfies part of my curious nature. I don’t know all of the people I follow in a direct way (yeah, like Steve Case would recognize my name), but I’m not invading their space by following them. Blogs are the same way. The entries from the diverse list in my RSS feed make me laugh, provide moments of inspiration, or force me to look at an issue an entirely different way.

But I just don’t vibe with LinkedIn although I guess I need to try harder since I certainly want to be viewed as “savvy.” I’ve read articles about improving your profile and adding connections. I know people who are LION-TopLinked with a gazillion contacts and I admire that they have that many connections, REALLY!

I’ve tried to think more specifically about why LinkedIn doesn’t work for me at least right now and it boils down to two things:

·          It kinda reminds me of those clubs from back in the day (not that I EVER crossed the threshold of one of those places….I just “heard” about them! J). The ones where there was lots of small talk and a bit of posturing (male AND female) and the number of first names and phone numbers (real or made-up) acquired was the benchmark for a successful evening. The few times I’ve posted questions on LinkedIn, the signal-to-noise ratio was pretty low and the activity that resulted was mainly, “I can sell you xyz consulting services.” It could be I was asking the wrong questions.

·          The other thing about LinkedIn that bothers me is the whole recommendation thing. I’m all for shout-outs when people do a good job and I try to give them when I can but it feels false when I see five recommendations come within minutes of each other about different eras of a person’s career or a quid pro quo set (Jane wrote one for Sally so Sally immediately returns the favor) shows up on my LinkedIn update. Just thinking about asking somebody to post a recommendation on my profile makes me break out in a cold sweat (probably why I’m not any good at sales, too).

I haven’t given up on LinkedIn in the hopes that I’ll “get” it eventually and I’ll keep watching respected colleagues who use it for their benefit. In the meantime, I’ll see you on Facebook and Twitter!

Your turn to share…which of the social networking tools delight you?  Which are baffling?

Besting Kevin Bacon

You may have played “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon,” a wildly popular trivia game in the ‘90s. But even as far back as the 1920s, a short story by Hungarian author Frigyes Karinthy explored the whole notion that his protagonist using no more than five individuals, one of whom is a personal acquaintance, could contact any person in the world using nothing except the network of personal acquaintances.

These days social networks like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook make that concept commonplace (my younger friends would say, “Duh!”). But I’m a small town girl at heart so moments when my worlds collide are still sources of amazement. Three quick examples:

·          On a Tuesday evening, I hear that a woman who attends my church (that I don’t even know!) is headed to Qatar to open a branch of a cupcake store that is a big hit in Reston, VA. On Wednesday, I’m having dinner with a group of friends, including one who mentions she’ll be traveling to Qatar in mid-May (she’s the rock star of coaching women entrepreneurs in the Middle East). I make the email intro, they connect, and on her trip Mary Mac coincidentally visits the center where the cupcake store is going to be. She briefs the local businesswomen’s association and they are ready to help when the cupcake store manager arrives to set up shop later this month.

·          Some friends requested oncologist recommendations via a fairly large email list. Initially, I think I won’t intrude because I’m sure they’re getting lots of feedback but then decide to send a quick note giving a shoutout to the practice that we used (and loved). They got lots of suggestions, but I learn that their family doctor recommended the same practice. Confirmation from two completely unrelated sources sealed the deal for them.

·          Over the weekend, a friend posted a Facebook status about her son’s upcoming week at horse camp at a YMCA in Kentucky. My spidey sense keeps telling me there’s a connection of some type. Finally, I realize my niece’s fiancé is the executive director of that Y and that Steph wouldn’t automatically think of a Collins’s connection—why would she since I almost didn’t? Two texts and a Facebook message later, they knew about each other and met face-to-face bright and early on the first day of camp.

Don’t think I’m bragging about these connections. It’s not because of my vast network.Heck, I’m at the bottom of the list when it comes to numbers of FB friends, LinkedIn connections or Twitter followers (although I say I'm all about quality over quantity) and my Klout score doesn’t even register. There are plenty of folks I’ve been around for years who don’t ever (!) remember my name, no matter how many times I’m introduced (but that’s another post for another day).

All of these connections happened without a single phone call. I emailed and texted and posted on Facebook at strange hours of the day and night and didn’t twist a single arm. My only claim to fame is that I AM the daughter of a man who can ask three questions and figure out a mutual acquaintance, no matter where you put him.

When the first one happened, I smiled. At the second one, I grinned. By the third one, I laughed and just acknowledged that the world is small and filled with pretty wonderful people who are usually willing to help if they’re asked.

Now it’s your turn…..ever made a connection that bested Bacon’s or Karinthy’s six degrees?

I'm Back

“Success has that weird quality which makes it seem like child’s play after the fact, and totally impossible before.”

- Hugh McLeod

 

Of course, we're not done, but it was a great
feeling to see this on launch day.



Yes, it’s been more than two months since I posted on Cheryl Can. Gee, I get a new cool banner and then disappear? But my time over the past two months (ALL of it, I’m not making this up) has been consumed working with a great group of folks on the finishing touches and launch of the Chief’s new book, Leap of Reason: Managing to Outcomes in an Era of Scarcity. It’s a long title so we fondly call it Leap of Reason and leave it there. You can check out the website or the FB page to learn even more about it (and if you don’t mind, give us a “like” if you visit the page).

The McLeod quote is one I found a few days after the May 19 launch and it made me smile. We still can’t claim complete success on the book although early feedback has been positive. The success I’m claiming is much more pedestrian but equally satisfying: I’m still standing!

Still standing after mail-merging 6,000 letters, still standing after helping to draft 30 different types of letters, still standing after reviewing Kindle and iBook formats for submission, still standing after wrestling with a database daily, still standing after a gazillion other tasks that had to be done. Most important, I’m still standing proudly as part of a team of incredible and talented folks based in Cleveland, Seattle, Herndon, and Washington, DC. We’ve yet to all be physically in the same place at the same time but we hope to remedy that soon.

Of course, the Chief was the driving force, visionary leader. By now, I’ve figured out that what seems totally impossible when you’re in the middle does indeed become child’s play when the Chief leads the parade.

Now, I’m regrouping to regain my physical and mental stamina and then re-focus on blogging, finding some more clients for my consulting gig (two projects on the books, more to come!). Child’s play? Not quite yet, but I hope soon.

What moments in your life were seemingly impossible and then became child’s play? Let me hear about them.

Soul Smiles

See my new blog header? Snazzy, huh? Make you laugh? The photo was taken by incredible photographer Kristen Staples, Koru Photography.  The graphic is a Leah Carr production. She wears many hats—music teacher, an assistant at Southview, and an obviously gifted graphics artist.

Kristen gets major props for the Rosie the Riveter riff. When I first began talking to people about “Cheryl Can,” she said, in a nanosecond, “Oh, let’s do a fun Rosie shot!” And it was fun.

I’m a words kind of girl so I’m always impressed by the subtle touches designers weave into their work. See the blue stars in the background? Leah. The red bars that pick up the bandana? Leah.

My progress on this journey, slow but sure, is, in large part, because of family and friends like these two amazing women. I’m fortunate to know lots of smart people with a wide range of skills and talents (and I’ll be writing about many of them in future posts), but these two deserve shout-outs, right here, right now.

The photo is pretty bold for someone who says she’s all about behind-the-scenes roles but it’s really simple. I’ll stay in the background till the cows come home as long the client values my work (which happens regularly in my current environment and it’s something I’ll look for in the future); and 2) I keep my soul smiling. You know, those triggers that bring you back to center…like your faith, toddlers in your lap, an unexpected phone call, a song on the radio, and, now, this blog header (stay tuned, there may be other versions).

What makes your soul smile?

Mmm, Mmm, Good!

Douglas Conant, president and CEO of Campbell Soup Company, wrote “Secrets of Positive Feedback” on the HBR Blog earlier this month.  He shares three simple rules to build appreciation: 1) make a personal connection; 2) look for opportunities to celebrate; and 3) get our your pen.

I know in my gut that gold stars and thank you notes can play important roles in organizations. And I’ve watched (and helped) the Chief make those same sorts of connections over the years with great success. But I joined his universe at the very end of his commercial career so I didn’t have hard numbers to undergird my pitch that part of my consulting service would include helping leaders map their stakeholders and determine how/when to communicate with them to strengthen relationships.

“How Employee Engagement Turned Around Campbell's” describes how Conant took “a beleaguered old brand” to “extraordinary” in eight years. Yes, cost-cutting, smart innovations, and increased marketing were vital, but Conant says, “...of all the measurable elements related to culture building, engagement correlates closest to shareholder returns.”

He doesn’t just mouth platitudes. In the Forbes Q&A, he said he sends 20 notes a day to staffers and the blog post mentions spending 30 to 60 minutes daily (with his assistants) scanning for news to celebrate.

There aren’t many people who wouldn’t say this is the “right” thing to do and some of them would quickly add, “I just don’t have the cycles” or “My handwriting is terrible.” Strengthening relationships is more than just the “right” thing; it’s your opportunity to increase your impact and promote your organization’s values (and value).

I’m not as adamant as Conant about using a pen so I’d love to help you figure it out. Mmmm, mmmm, good!