Archive for September, 2007

10/29/2007 The Corner Store in the Global Community



In 1998 Warner Brothers remade the 1940’s movie The Shop Around the Corner. They titled this updated version of the movie, You’ve Got Mail.

The director of You’ve Got Mail set out to highlight the small town community feel of the Upper West Side of NYC.

In the movie, Kathleen Kelly (Meg Ryan) is the owner of a small corner bookstore, The Shop Around the Corner, that was passed down to her from her mother. She is part of her community and knows and cares about her patrons. She can recommend relevant books as well as discuss personal issues with her clients.

The Shop Around the Corner is threatened by the mega store that opens around the corner, Fox Books.

And here is where I give away the ending, (so if you have not seen the movie, skip this part). In the end Fox Books is able to offer more choices and lower prices thus putting The Shop Around the Corner out of business. However, all is not lost for Kathleen Kelly because Joe Fox (Tom Hanks) recognizes how valuable Katleen’s insights and relationships are to good business and the two merge.

Fast forward 10 years to a time where the Internet has evolved to a mass global community and the online corner stores are enabled to take advantage of not needing mass shelf space of a mega store to offer lower prices. Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail and the story of Amazon.com are perfect examples of what is happening to business because of the ability to connect with customers and suppliers through the Internet.

However the initial stages of Internet business started more like a mega store than the corner store, with lots of choices at a low price. Amazon.com did a decent job of recommending books based on what others with similar interests purchased and to the discomfort of many at first, the site would remember your name and your purchasing habits.

However, that was still not the personal relationship that you feel when you walk in to a bakery, mechanic, bookstore, gift shop, or barber shop where you know the names of the children and grandchildren of the people who work there and they know about your latest mistake or accomplishment. Those shops become a personal discovery that each customer feels is their own and takes pride in being a part of the business.

Online businesses started to connect with their customers via emails that were customized based on their buying behaviors and even had their name on the top of the email. Then came video mail where a representative from the store could virtually “look you in the eye” and tell you how much you are appreciated.

But they still did not know you the way your gardener knows you or the cashier at the grocery store.

What are the various reasons why a person would donate to a nonprofit online? Why would someone choose to trust one organization over another? What life changing events affect career decisions? These are the conversations that are happening online, but how can a business or organization respectfully join in and participate?

Well, going beyond knowing your clients and customers, the advantage of the corner store is that they are unique, a place like no other in the world both in physical space as well as a place with real people who let you know they are real and share their stories as much as they listen. To create such a feel in our online communities, companies and nonprofit organizations who have already taken the first step in realizing that their brand is and always has been in the consumer’s control, now need to let go of their standard approved corporate speak and let their employees be a real part of the brand and a real part of the community, interacting with consumers allowing consumers to begin to take pride in being part of the organization.

Sherry Heyl


Sherry Heyl is the CEO and Idealist for What a Concept, the first social media agency in the Southeast. Her responsibilities include business development and collaborating with clients to develop online communities of raving fans by integrating streaming video, blogs, podcasts, RSS, and virtual worlds into communication plans for B2B, B2C, Non-profit and Higher Education organizations. Sherry has been recognized as a thought leader in social and collaborative technologies and trends through invitations to speak for many varied associations, conferences, and private events.

She was a key organizer of SoCon07, the first Social Media un-conference in Metro Atlanta and is currently planning SoCon08. Sherry sits on the board of the Atlanta Electronic Commerce Forum as the Programs Director, the board AiMA leading Association Partnerships and the National Advisory Board for KSU Communication Department. Sherry was a 2007 Nominee for the Women in Technology Woman of the Year Award. Sherry is a graduate of Florida State University with undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Creative Writing.

www.empoweringconcepts.net
sherryheyl@gmail.com

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9/10/07: Improve Your Job Seeking Skills

By Dalya F. Massachi - So you want to improve your nonprofit jobseeking skills? Good news: You’ve come to the right place!


So you want to improve your nonprofit jobseeking skills? Good news: You’ve come to the right place!

Check out almost any nonprofit job description and you’ll see at least a passing reference to the need for good communication and/or writing skills. Clearly, writing well is a core skill. When you develop that skill, it will serve you well anywhere you go in the nonprofit sector (and beyond).

Does This Sound Like You?

  • You’re great at carrying out crucial community programs or services, but feel you can improve the way you write about your important work.
  • You sometimes view writing as a big headache and want to do something about it.
  • You’re anxious about your writing or worried about not having enough time…so you procrastinate.
  • You wish you had more appropriate training or someone to guide you through the process.

Well, I’m here to help!

In my 15+ years in the nonprofit sector, I’ve learned a lot about how we use (or misuse) the written word. Now I want to share that knowledge with you.

The Writer’s Block offers ideas on how to tune up your writing for the nonprofit sector, beginning with the two most essential documents of your job search: an intriguing cover letter and a winning resume. Remember that these two pieces go together in a package and should reinforce each other.

In this first column, I discuss the purposes of both your cover letter and your resume. Yes, your overall goal is to land a great job. But what, specifically, do your cover letter and resume need to accomplish to make that happen?

Purposes of Your Cover Letter

  • Pique your readers interest: Your cover letter is the wrapping around your resume. Entice the employer to take the next steps: read your resume and invite you to an interview. If the wrapping attractive enough, the employer will never get to the goodies inside.
  • Clarify what you bring to the table: You want to make sure to emphasize the unique skillset you are offering.
  • Show that youve done your homework: Anyone can send a form letter. But a customized cover letter stands out.
  • Briefly introduce yourself: This is your written equivalent of a firm handshake. Present yourself as a qualified, professional applicant.
  • Encourage a wise investment: you! You want to position yourself as one of your readers best options that will yield a very high return. Be clear about what makes you especially promising.
  • Relate: Show that you share values and concerns with your reader. After all, youre applying for the nonprofit job not just to have an income but to contribute something meaningful to the world.
  • Demonstrate your proficiency in business writing: Even if the employer doesnt ask for a writing sample, your cover letter serves that purpose.

Purposes of Your Resume

  • Summarize your work experience: Remember that in the nonprofit sector, both professional experience AND volunteer experience are important. You also may have transferable skills from your work in a corporate job or academia.
  • Show increasing levels of responsibility: This can be within a single organization (e.g., from part-time intern to assistant to program director) or across several organizations.
  • Show results and impact: Just listing job titles doesnt cut it. You have to show what difference you made!
  • Show potential: Success breeds success. Even if you dont have experience in the specific area, are there parallels you can draw to related work youve done?
  • Impress your reader!

The next two installments of The Writers Block will cover: the essential priority information you need to focus on; what your readers are looking for; and how to refine your cover letter and resume package so that it gets noticed. Ill even share a tip about how to approach employers who are not currently advertising to fill a job opening.

Until then, Happy Writing!

PS: I love reader mail! Let me know whats on your mind and lets discuss it!



Dalya F. Massachi specializes in helping nonprofit professionals advance their missions through outstanding written materials. She has worked with community-minded organizations for more than 15 years: authoring countless successful marketing pieces, articles, and grant proposals; teaching popular writing workshops; and coaching professionals one-on-one.

Download her free tip sheets and subscribe to her free e-newsletter at:
http://www.dfmassachi.net
dalya@dfmassachi.net

NOTE:For many more writing tips, check out my forthcoming book, Writing to Make a Difference: 25 Powerful Techniques to Boost Your Community Impact. If you pre-order right now, you will get a pre-publication discount of 15% at:http://www.dfmassachi.net/wmd.html

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9/10/07: Tapping into the Hidden Talent in Your Organization



By Sherry Heyl
In November 2005 I wrote a blog post on my personal blog titled, “In the Spirit of Leonardo Da Vinci.”

In that post I explored the idea that what made Leonardo Da Vinci such a genius ahead of his time was that he was able to explore a variety of disciplines and discover how they are all connected.

I stated that

“Technology has made tapping into the spirit of Leonardo Da Vinci possible for anyone who has the desire to do so. Leonardo said that “the desire to know is natural to good men,” and “the knowledge of all things is possible.”

I also questioned why we segment different roles and departments within our corporations.

If the marketing department is not aware of the information that the salespeople are receiving, how do they know how to target their campaign? If salespeople do not get to experience the issues coming through customer service, how do they know what problems to solve? How can PR respond to the public without being in the trenches with the public? How do executives keep fresh and innovative ideas without a constant interaction with the the new hires that are coming in, full of hope, enthusiasm and innovative ideas?

The past few years, we have seen accelerated competition, global competition as well as competition from resourceful entrepreneur’s shaking up the business world as we have known it. We have also seen an acceleration in the competition to find talent. People now have an abundance of opportunities; from innovative companies, to contract/consulting work, to going off on their own. In the late nineties we witnessed a high demand for talent based on the innovations and opportunities that were being explored on the Internet. That was a decade ago. The Internet has matured and has become a part of our lives as well as a portal to unlimited choices and opportunities for the top talent within the workforce.

For a company to thrive, or even survive, it is vital that they attract, retain, train, motivate, and inspire the right talent for the right job. Companies spend an enormous amount of their profit margin for such efforts. Yet due to an outdated process of segmenting roles and departments and lack of cross pollination of ideas and open collaboration, many organizations miss the hidden talent that they currently have within. Or worse, they lose that talent when the individual is recruited away or steps out on their own to explore the talents that they were not given the opportunity to express at their current organization.

Many organizations are still operating with policies and procedures that were created for the industrial age. Procedures that give everyone a specific task within the “assembly line” of a hierarchal model.

In a recent Wired Magazine had a very relevant article about another “genius” that we need to look to in order to achieve a competitive advantage. In “The World Needs More Rebels Like Einstein” Walter Isaacson states:

At a time when the US, worried about competition from China, is again emphasizing math and science education, Einstein’s genius reminds us that a society’s competitive advantage comes not from teaching the multiplication or periodic tables but from nurturing rebels. Grinds have their place, but unruly geeks change the world. And, as recent research into Einstein’s personal papers shows, there’s no better glimpse into his offbeat creativity than the way he puzzled out the special theory of relativity.

See, Einstein did not follow the rules and do what he was told, he mapped out his own path, which changed the world.

The book Wikinomics provides numerous examples of how R&D departments are looking to retired Scientists and hobbyists to solve complex problems. Many solutions are actually coming from hobbyists because they have a diverse amount knowledge and skills enabling them to see connections that the scientist who are focused on the problems miss.

So, what changes can an organization make which would enable them to tap into the hidden talent that might exist within their own walls and shift from operating under the industrial model to the digital model?

They can start by allowing employees to feel involved in the decision making and direction of the company. Let them know that their ideas and opinions are being heard and be sure that the organization is capturing that information.

We all learned new ways to communicate in the late 90’s with email, Intranets, and databases. These new forms of communication were an improvement to former ways of communicating (paper memos, meetings that were missed…) However they still have their downfalls of being silos of information, or lost information, or worse, an overload of information that is ignored or inaccurate. Social media has provided the next new wave of communicating and collaborating.

Through RSS feeds, employees are able to “opt in” to ongoing and evolving information/conversations that they are interested in, whether it is within their department or another area that they choose to explore. Departmental blogs allow for an ongoing conversation that enables different people from different departments to collaborate on ideas and explore opportunities or threats. Wikis enable companies to capture the collective intelligence of the team as it grows and evolves. Social Bookmarking enables team members to share and discover new resources and information. Podcasts and interactive videos from the executive team provides a personal touch and community building from the top.

The shift from a rigid industrial model to a collaborative digital organization reduces the loss of both information and talent. When people feel involved and valued, they experience a since of pride and ownership and are therefore motivated and inspired to share their untapped talents, innovations, knowledge and skills. Such an organization will reap the competitive advantage for talent as well as market-share within their industry.

Sherry Heyl

Sherry Heyl is the CEO and Idealist for What a Concept, the first social media agency in the Southeast. Her responsibilities include business development and collaborating with clients to develop online communities of raving fans by integrating streaming video, blogs, podcasts, RSS, and virtual worlds into communication plans for B2B, B2C, Non-profit and Higher Education organizations. Sherry has been recognized as a thought leader in social and collaborative technologies and trends through invitations to speak for many varied associations, conferences, and private events.

She was a key organizer of SoCon07, the first Social Media un-conference in Metro Atlanta and is currently planning SoCon08. Sherry sits on the board of the Atlanta Electronic Commerce Forum as the Programs Director, the board AiMA leading Association Partnerships and the National Advisory Board for KSU Communication Department. Sherry was a 2007 Nominee for the Women in Technology Woman of the Year Award. Sherry is a graduate of Florida State University with undergraduate degrees in Marketing and Creative Writing.

www.empoweringconcepts.net
sherryheyl@gmail.com

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9/10/07: The Archaeological Dig: Looking for a Job and Finding Yourself



By Faye Dresner Every time I think about the fact that I have a consulting practice, I am happily surprised. I didn’t start out to be an independent consultant. Somewhere along the job search path, I took an alternate route than I first imagined. Why did that happen? Because I took the time to honestly assess what calls me – the type of work environment I want, what I love doing, and the kind of people I want around me. I believe we begin life with unique talents and a mandate to use them in a job that feeds the soul. And a mismatch can be deadly – to the imagination and the spirit.

I can hear some of you saying, “But I don’t know what calls me, so how do I know what to look for?” The beauty of this process is that you don’t have to know what job you’re looking for, only the skills and talents you have and the type of environment in which you thrive. If you aren’t clear about those, your work starts there. Ask friends what they think you do well. Think back to other jobs in which you excelled. Reflect on leisure activities you love and why. The good news is, you can find employment that’s a great fit even if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking for. The bad news is, you have to work at it.

My first step in the search process involved creating a document I called “Attracting the Ideal Work Environment.” I spent several days thinking and talking with friends to formulate a detailed description of the kind of place in which I dreamed of working. Is there an emphasis on innovation? Does it have leadership with a vision and the guts to stand behind it? Is the mission personally compelling? Is there a strategic approach to problem solving and action planning?

Next, I made a list of those things I wanted from the job itself. Will it be intellectually stimulating? Does it deal in big ideas? Does it push me to grow and stretch? Last, I listed what I consider to be my talents and strengths. That document became my constant companion against which I tested any job I was seriously considering. If the organization or position failed my test, I walked away.

Over the course of 8 months, I went from looking for a full time job to starting my own consulting practice. It’s been a great fit, incredibly interesting, and a lot of fun. And I attribute my success to three things:

  1. taking the time to really examine what calls me
  2. trusting my instincts about what’s right or wrong for me, and
  3. having the courage to walk away from a bad fit.
  4. And the best part of the entire process has been getting to more intimately know myself – my dreams, desires, and gifts, and yes – those things at which I don’t excel or don’t interest me – and that information is incredibly valuable in all arenas of my life.

Faye Dresner


Faye Dresner is the founder of Dresner Consulting, LLC which she started to help tap the power of nonprofits and philanthropists to affect change. For over two decades, Faye has served in director-level positions with a variety of nonprofits which has taught her that when a person finds work that is personally fulfilling and life enhancing, both employer and employee benefit.

http://www.dresnerconsulting.com
fdresner@dresnerconsulting.com

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