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UXL Blog

“Creating Successful Leaders”

Category Archives: Communication

July 1, 2015 #WhatDoesItAllMean (Decoding Hashtags)

decoding hashtags, UXL Blog

 

Last week, I attended an interesting and educational webinar on hashtags. The webinar was put on by members of the Insights® Discovery team. Through this session, I learned some valuable bits of information that I’d like to pass along to you. Here are a few of my key take-aways.

The Basics:

  • Hashtags are your friends! Use them to make your social media posts more search-able and to connect with other people in your industry
  • Do your research: Know which hashtags are currently popular in your field.
  • #Don’tgooverboardwiththelength Hashtags that are too long are often overlooked
  • Do get creative and have fun with hashtags in your social media
  • Do connect with others in your online community who are using the same hashtags (i.e. #coaching #writer #workingmom)
  • Don’t hashtag every word! It seems desperate and amateur.
  • Know what’s trending and take advantage (some hashtags are used frequently like #tbt for “Throwback Thursday,” in which you’re encouraged to post an old photo)

 

Events:

  • Create a specific hashtag for any event you host and actively encourage attendees to use it. Don’t be shy! Project your chosen hashtag on your powerpoint or print the hashtag on pieces of paper that you put at each chair.
  • If you’re attending an event, see if there is a specific hashtag associated with it. (i.e. #AWP15 for the 2015 Assoc. of Writers Program conference)
  • Live tweet (or use whatever your preferred social media platform may be) and use the given hashtag
  • Connect with other people at the event by looking up the designated hashtag and starting an online conversation

My main take-away: Don’t be afraid of hashtags! They aren’t something “the kids are doing these days.” They are a useful way to make connections and network in your field. Do a little research and then dive in!

Happy hashtag-ing and don’t forget to #havefun

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June 10, 2015 How to DO LESS and Improve Your Career

By Margaret Smith
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS® DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER
Contrary to what you may expect, promoting the talents of others can actually help to showcase your own skills and strengthen your brand. This magical habit is called delegation, and it’s an essential tool to propelling your own career, improving results, developing your personal brand, and keeping your workload under control.

Let’s all start by taking a moment to acknowledge the often-ignored fact: There is only a limited amount you can do, no matter how hard you work. Because we are not super-humans, it’s essential that we learn to let go sometimes.

This having been said, there is a way to get it all done, and done well: delegation. Often, delegation gets overlooked as a viable tool because it is a lot of work upfront. Instead of doing the task yourself, delegation requires you to share your insights, know-how, and expectations with others.

To Delegate, or Not to Delegate: That is the Question

When faced with a new task, don’t just jump into it right away. Instead, ask yourself, “Would this task be a worthy use of my time?” If you continue to accept projects that don’t align to, or properly utilize, your skills, you’re diluting your brand. Perhaps there is someone else who has the skills to do the task better, or who would be eager to develop skills that the task would involve?

Strategically delegating tasks to others allows you to focus on the tasks that reinforce your real skills—those you want to be known for as part of your personal brand. (If you haven’t yet considered what your personal brand is, now is the time to start!)

How to Handle the “Who?”

When considering who to delegate to, take into account the following questions:

  • What are this person’s skills and knowledge?
  • Does this person currently have space in their workload?
  • What is this person’s preferred work style?

Once you have decided on the best candidate, don’t forget to document the process. When practicing delegation, it’s extremely important to keep track of your processes to save time in the future and develop best practices that promote clarity and efficiency. Just as you, say, develop practices that keep your house clean—washing dishes after meals, placing laundry in a hamper, etc.—creating processes for sharing tasks at work will cut down on confusion and clutter, not to mention saving time and preventing mistakes.

Your Challenge:

Next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by your workload, fight the urge to dive headfirst into your pile of tasks. Instead, assess these projects and consider whether or not some of them can be delegated to another member of your team instead.

Do you have any helpful tips about delegating effectively? Please share!

Interested in navigating the changes in your life, finding success in your job hunt, or making the most of your career? Contact UXL Today!

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June 3, 2015 Stop Scripting

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.” -Bertrand Russell

It’s the voice you hear in your head. The nagging inner-critic that I like to call your “saboteur.” Many of us deal with this voice on a regular basis. Your saboteur may tell you things like:

“You’re not good enough.”

“No one should listen to you.”

“You’re not qualified to do the job.”

“You don’t have any good ideas.”

STOP! That voice is only holding you back and stifling your growth. When we predict the outcome of something before it happens, that’s called scripting, and it usually does us more harm than good. You CAN overcome this self-doubt hanging over your shoulder. Follow these five steps to stop scripting and start being the leader you know you are:

  1. Stop fearing what you can’t control.
  2. Get out of everyone else’s head. People aren’t thinking about you nearly as much as you think they are.
  3. Be present. Put your best foot forward; listen to body language.
  4. Have fun. Put your energy into doing something you love.
  5. Don’t fight your compass. Self-doubt and scripting of others’ thoughts can interfere with your inner compass or guide. Be confident and listen to your intuition.

You have the power to step up and make bold, positive strides at work. When you shed your inner saboteur, your self-confident, capable self will shine through and others will take notice.

For more guidance, please feel free to contact me today.

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