Associations with positive, like minded people, are part of the blueprint for achieving success.  Never take advice from anyone who isn't doing better than you. 

• How can a person making less than $50,000 give advice on making $100,000 or more?

• How can someone out of work for a time give advice on how to perform a successful job search?

•  How can a coworker who blindly accepts scheduled company raises give advice on asking for a raise?

• How can a team member who does not speak up at meetings give advice on presenting new ideas or solutions at a project status meeting?
  

•  How can someone in an abusive or unhappy relationship give relationship advice?

• How can someone who only had a job all their life give advice on starting a business?

• How does a boss who communicates ineffectively give advice on effective communication?

• How can a business owner with a negative attitude give advice on growing a successful business?

• How can friends still hanging out on the street corner give advice on how to get ahead in life?

Copyright (c) 2004 - 2009 Carl E. Reid, SAVVY INTRAPRENEUR

In "The Serving Leader" authors Ken Jennings and John Stahl-Wert provide 2 key leadership responsibilities. Leaders teach others the knowledge, skills and strategies they need to succeed. Leaders also work hard to get obstacles out of the way of others so they can make progress.

Edification is a powerful technique for helping others develop confidence skills, while removing obstacles created by lack of confidence. Very few organizations promote the encouraging art of edification. Power networkers understand how to leverage edification for developing powerful trusted relationships.

Webster defines edification as “the act of edifying, or the state of being edified; a building up, especially in a moral or spiritual sense; moral, intellectual, or spiritual improvement; instruction”.

Edification can be learned by anyone in just a few minutes. It does take practice intertwining edification into daily life. It immediately builds confidence for the person being edified and the person [leader] doing the edification. 

In networking terms, edifying another person shines a 10,000 watt spotlight on him/her, which reflects doubly back on you. People will naturally want to be around you when you edify others.

Edifying others is the glue for making people stick with you and be associated with anything you are involved in. Edification empowers you to create your own following. When you tell your network "I'm going to be at this event, fund raiser, conference, etc.", people willingly make it their business to be there.

Here are some suggested approaches successful networking leaders use to instill confidence and develop rock solid trusted networks, through edification:

RING LEADER
So you put an event together. Always introduce the speaker so a connection is made with the audience. While presenting the speaker's bio, speak from the heart about your association. Even a known returning speaker should be edified, through the introduction. This sets the stage for engaging attendees to listen more closely to the speaker.

DAISEY CHAIN
This is one of my favorite edification approaches. It creates a chain reaction of networking self empowerment. If a few people have put an event together, ask someone on the team to introduce another team member who knows either the speaker or most of the attendees. Then have that person introduce the speaker. This allows 2 team members to edify each other, just in case the speaker knows nothing about edification. This makes a powerful impression on attendees. Making introductions is an excellent way to practice public speaking skills, especially for new team members.

TAG TEAM
1. You are going to an event with a friend. Give each friend a few of your business cards. As you meet people edify the other person by talking up each other's skills or business. Then give your friend's business card to the person you just met.

2. Let's say 2 people are talking at an event. You know one of them and s/he introduces you. Edify your friend by highlighting their skills, business or good qualities.

FAMILY TIES
Nothing improves family relationships better than edification.

1. Edify your children with your friends. This builds better relationships between child and parent, while instilling confidence in children, tweens and teenagers. Some examples . . .This is my daughter / son . . . s/he is a wiz at math - on the football team - is studying hard for the SAT - is a terrific person . . .
2. Edify your spouse. Elevate your spouse with augmented introductions. Some examples . . . This is my wife and business partner - This is my husband who is a top notch expert in the technology field - This is my life partner who is very successful in the health care industry . . .
Always edify your spouse in front of your children, by supporting each other's decisions. Settle child rearing issues with your spouse in private.

3. Saying "thank you", "please" and "can you do me a favor" are also forms of edifying family members. It develops respect and trust, while getting family members to more willingly accomplish tasks.

PRIVATE SESSIONS
Use one on one personal conversations to encourage and support a friend, by focusing on their strengths.

Although it may be hard, even highlighting good qualities with a difficult co-worker may help project them to the space where they need to be. Building confidence, through edification, is sometimes all it takes to get a foe on your side of the table.

POWER BROKER EMAIL CONNECTIONS
Providing an associate with just an email address or telephone number referral is for amateur networkers. This still provides a cold connection. Position yourself as a power broker by personally connecting 2 people. A much warmer connection is established, when you copy both people in an email.

Edify each person to give reasons as to why they should connect. In the email talk up your personal association with each person. For example, "Joanne is a trusted friend and business associate . . . we worked previously at . . . s/he possesses business savvy / sold technical skills that helped me / company XYZ achieve . . .".

Copyright (c) 2004 - 2009 Carl E. Reid, SAVVY INTRAPRENEUR

In the Careers section of the Wall Street Journal there is an interesting article Hearing ‘You’re Overqualified’ Again and Again. In response to this article I posted the following comment on the WSJ page, to share how to overcome and squelch the "too old" stigma many face, which makes it more difficult for older baby boomers to get hired:

The direct approach is best in staying focused on what you bring to the table with both skills, experience and being an expert in your field. Submitting just a resume means the Interviewer only has one narrowly defined aspect of your skills. Overcome the age barrier by positioning yourself prior to the interview.

It’s a new game now, with many human resource professionals, recruiters and hiring managers using the Internet to identify talent that makes a better company match. The key is to develop a positive Internet presence, which highlights your skills beyond a resume.

Leverage the Internet to establish yourself as an expert in your field and pump up the volume of the skills presented in your resume. Make it your business to be exactly where HR professionals and recruiters look. When they receive your resume, many jump on the Internet to Google your name. Type your name into Google right now. What shows up about you? Do you have a professional profile on LinkedIn.com?

Start a blog to write about how you have used your skills to contribute to the success of previous companies. Share success stories about projects you worked on and how you made a difference in the outcomes. If you don’t like to write, then comment [in a positive way] on articles others have written, related to your skill space. The goal is to make the Internet sell your skills, which increase your value above and beyond your resume. By the time you sit for an interview, the hiring manager is now more receptive in focusing on your skills, with age being a much more minor point.

Developing an Internet presence creates demand for you and your skills, because you increase the chances of more people finding you and identifying you as an expert in your field. Keith Ferrazzi says it best, in terms of networking, [I'm paraphrasing] “It’s not who you know. It’s more important who knows you”

Carl E. Reid, CSI
Chief Operations Officer, Empowering Today’s Professionals (ETP) Network
Business Career Coach, Social Media Consultant and Developer of Career Management Swiss Army Knife Toolbar

Copyright (c) 2004 - 2009 C. E. Reid, SAVVY INTRAPRENEUR

West Hartford, CT -- August 11, 2009 -- Max Sabrin of Old Saybrook has been appointed Business Development Manager of staffing and recruitment for Resource Group Staffing & Consulting, responsible for staffing solutions for clients throughout the northeast as well as selected nationwide assignments.

Sabrin, who has more than 30 years of experience in the executive search, recruitment, marketing and public relations fields, had served as managing partner and senior executive recruiter for the AMESGroup, a New York City-based executive search and placement firm.

Sabrin has provided executive placement and recruiting services for a host of Fortune 1000 clients as well as small- to mid-sized companies in the areas of information technology and information systems; data communications and telecommunications; e-commerce and new media; banking; finance, sales and marketing and executive administration.

The West Hartford and Atlanta based Resource Group Staffing & Consulting has been providing temporary, consulting and permanent professional staffing and recruitment solutions locally and nationwide since 1987.

For more information, contact Max Sabrin, phone 860.561.4970, extension 24, or email:
msabrin@rgroupltd.com www.resourcegroupstaffing.com

"Just like a diamond, a person's net worth is based on the perceived value" - C. E. Reid

The only difference between being a volunteer and performing a job is free vs. fee. An intern or volunteer fills real job roles that organizations need and realize benefits. Give yourself credit on your resume for performing a "real" job, as a volunteer. Potential client companies may tend to offer a lesser salary [aka net worth] to anyone that is not working. A volunteer position provides the perception of working, which maintains or increases net worth.

2 things happen when identifying "volunteer" work on a resume:

1. The organization gets some premo free publicity and marketing on YOUR resume
2. A person's net worth is reduced by identifying a valid job role as being a "volunteer".
   

How come doctors, lawyers, management / political consultants and other select careers increase their net worth by volunteering? A doctor at Bellevue Hospital volunteers at a free medical clinic in Harlem. A corporate lawyer volunteers at the "Legal Aid Society" representing people charged with a crime. Both professionals get credit from their peers and augment their income at their next job. What's up with that picture? How come they get ahead?

The answer is these types of professionals validate their volunteer work as a "real job".

1. Blasphemy is never committed, as it relates to their net worth, by referring to free work as being a volunteer. They use the word "pro bono" (Latin for the public good).
2. Not all, but most these professionals list their "pro bono" work as another job in their curriculum vitae (another type of resume used in these circles and other countries).

How to Validate Your Volunteer Work as a Real Job?

1. Understand and be convinced your volunteer work is a real job.
2. Consider moving a volunteer job into the job experience section of your resume, especially if it directly relates to current skills required for a potential job opportunity. This fills a gap, if not currently employed.
3. Ask for a reference letter from the CEO, Executive Director or person of influence within the organization.
4. Request a recommendation on LinkedIn from senior management of that organization.
5. Consider adding the company you're doing pro bono work as a "current" company you work for within your LinkedIn profile.
   

Copyright (c) 2004 - 2009 C. E. Reid, SAVVY INTRAPRENEUR