Steve Farber - Extreme Leadership

Steve Farber talks about the Extreme Leadership Intensive event coming up in Des Moines Iowa. Can't get to Des Moines, view this snap shot, buy his book. You'll get the essence of the program. Then you'll be able to decide to do the next intensive program when it comes around your neighborhood.




I have had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Steve at the SOBCon Conference the past two years. Someday, perhaps he'll bring the intensive event to New England and I'll get to attend.

I use his quote frequently. "Do what you love in the service of those who love what you do!"


Find out more about the event in Des Moines here

morning bird songs - mid year look around

overcast morning here in Franklin

listen to ‘morning bird songs - mid year look around’ on Audioboo

Take a walk and talk

I like this idea!

Nilofer Merchant suggests a small idea that just might have a big impact on your life and health: Next time you have a one-on-one meeting, make it into a "walking meeting" -- and let ideas flow while you walk and talk.

Having recently received a FitBit and while I knew I was spending a lot of time sitting, I figured my three days of running would compensate. Not even close. Now I am trying to figure out how to walk more. Nilofer's idea is a good start.

Adam Alter - Drunk Tank Pink

I listen to Mitch Joel's Six Pixels of Separation podcast regularly and caught his episode with Adam Alter. Shortly after finishing the episode, the email notification from Jonathan Field's Good Life Project came in also  with an interview of Adam.

You can listen to Adam and Mitch here
http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/how-does-influence-work/

You can watch Adam and Jonathan here
http://www.goodlifeproject.com/adam-alter-drunk-tank-pink/


You can find Adam's website here  http://adamalterauthor.com/

I did purchase Adam's book "Drunk Tank Pink" via audible and will be listening to the book shortly.

Microwave only teased us then

and really did died recently. I wrote in Aug 2010 about getting a new microwave. The new one started dying in Oct 2012 and finally kicked the last bucket a couple of weeks ago. The ordeal to find and get a new one installed started ominously and ended nicely.

We had purchased the Samsung at Lowe's and returned there to look for the next one. They had very few black models on the floor. The sales person explained that stainless steel is the look everyone wants these days. She recommended using their website to find additional options for black models as that would be more expansive that what they had on the showroom floor. That made sense so I left to let my fingers do the rest of the walking.

I did find a couple of models that would be good replacements but the order and delivery time was going to be two or more weeks. Not exactly what I was hoping for. I turned to other websites and Home Depot came to the rescue. Their website was slick and easy to use. As I selected the model for the price I wanted, they provided options for home installation (yes) and removal of the old unit (yes) and better yet, allowed for a selection of installation dates. I was able to select a Saturday only a week away from the ordering and the order was processed. The total installation and removal of the old unit was less than Lowe's as well as sooner. That was definitely good. Now could they deliver?

new Maytag microwave from Home Depot

I received the usual order confirmation email and then a follow up confirming the delivery date. On the day before delivery we received an automated voice message with instructions on the delivery window, confirming the delivery address, etc. On the day of delivery, we received another confirmation voice message with word that we would be receiving the final notification a half hour before they actually arrived. I was liking this notification process!

The final confirmation came in, they arrived 25 minutes later and 15 minutes after that were out the door with the old unit and packing materials leaving behind the new unit installed and operational.

Hurray! That is the kind of service delivery I can go for.

morning bird songs jun 21

listen to ‘morning bird songs jun 21’ on Audioboo

Setting up a Twitter account

So you want to set up a Twitter account, how do you do that?

You can follow the basic step by step instructions from Twitter
https://support.twitter.com/articles/100990-how-to-sign-up-on-twitter

You can follow the advice from TwiTip (more step by step screen shots)
http://www.twitip.com/how-to-set-up-a-twitter-account/

There are a few YouTube videos to view and follow like this one:




And the key thing you should do before you start to create your account is to determine what you really want to do with it. Are you going to represent yourself? or your business/company? This should lead to your choice of name. Your name or Twitter handle should be consistent with your brand.

When you set up your account, if you would like to follow me, you can find me at @shersteve

I'm on LinkedIn, now what?

The presentation document I used for the session at the recent Job Search Jam Sessions to answer the prime question: "I'm on LinkedIn, now what?"



The discussion moved quickly from the slides to LinkedIn itself where we covered a number of questions on the settings, how to change them, what they are good for, etc.

A second session continued to answer questions on LinkedIn and then got into more discussion around how to avoid sending your resume into the black hole. The short version of that is to submit it via the normal channels, customize your cover letter, include the key words of the position description, and then use the network to get someone or even better two folks to internally recommend you for the position. You need to get out of the pile to get the first interview.

Additional information on the Job Search Jam Sessions can be found on the webpage
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/


Note: The major update needed for this presentation is that the LinkedIn RSS Feed was turned off in December 2013. RSS is still a worthwhile function on many websites.

The Devil came up to Boston

A great song, given the uniquely Bahston treatment!  and oh yes, this is NSFW!




For more about the Adam Ezra Group  http://adamezra.com/

and here:  http://www.youtube.com/user/adamezragroup?feature=watch

What will the future jobs look like?

In this TED Talk, Andrew McAfee talks about the jobs of the future and what it means for us.

Winston Churchill came to my home of MIT in 1949, and he said, "If we are to bring the broad masses of the people in every land to the table of abundance, it can only be by the tireless improvement of all of our means of technical production." 

Abraham Lincoln realized there was one other ingredient. He said, "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to give them the plain facts." 

So the optimistic note, great point that I want to leave you with is that the plain facts of the machine age are becoming clear, and I have every confidence that we're going to use them to chart a good course into the challenging, abundant economy that we're creating.

Final prep for Job Search Jam Sessions

The  final 'to do' list items are being checked off as Jun 14th approaches and the next Job Search Jam Sessions gets underway.

Where will it be held?
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2013/06/where-will-job-search-jam-sessions-be.html

What the sessions schedule look like?
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-does-job-search-jam-session.html

What will the day be like?
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2013/06/what-will-job-search-jam-sessions-be.html


Bring your business cards to exchange as you network and as an entry into a book raffle

Dress for success and update your LinkedIn profile photo (photographer on site)

5 different sessions during the course of the day to help you jump start your job search. Only $8 (you can pay at the door). this covers lunch and refreshments


Will I see you in Hopkinton on Friday?

What will Job Search Jam Sessions be like?

Unlike other conferences, this one depends upon you and the others participating. You help to make this happen by showing up, asking questions, offering to help and networking. You will get out of this event as much, if not more, than you put in. This will be your time to find out what others know, get your questions answered from those who can answer them, and get to network with others to build your listing of valuable connections.

How should I prepare?
Come to the event prepared to share something you have learned along the way. Come prepared for learn. Come prepared to network (bring business cards).

How should I dress?
Dress as you would for any other networking event, business casual or business comfortable. You still want to make a good first impression but a suit or tux is not required.

What does the facility look like?
Check out the brief video of the facility recorded during May 2010:
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2010/05/video-tour-of-job-search-jam-session.html

What will the schedule be?
Check out the overall event session schedule here:
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/p/schedule.html

What can I expect the event to be like?
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2010/03/what-to-expect.html

When do the doors open?
The registration/welcome desk will be open at 8:30 AM.
You can check in, pay at the door (if you elected to do that), and make a name tag.

Beginning at 9:00 AM (or thereabouts) we'll provide an overview of an unconference using the open space technology. 

If you want to read up on the unconference format, you can find info here
http://www.openspaceworld.org/cgi/wiki.cgi?AboutOpenSpace

here
http://www.openspaceworld.org/cgi/wiki.cgi?WorkingInOpenSpace

and here:
http://podcamp.pbworks.com/ scroll down the page to view the section on how to "host a podcamp"


What is the registration fee being used for? 

1. We intentionally don't want to make money, we recognize that funds are tight.
2. We did want to charge something to ensure a reasonable headcount for planning purposes.

Hence, the $8 charge seems reasonable and allows us to plan a good event and to make a contribution to the church for the use of the facility.

Your registration fee ($8.00) paid via Eventbrite nets the organizing team approx. $6.50 (Eventbrite has a charge for processing the credit card). 

From the $6.50 times however many people register, we will plan for refreshments, lunch and will purchase accordingly.

All surplus funds will be donated to the St John the Evangelist Parish. The church has graciously allowed us use of the facility for free. A full accounting of the receipts and expenses will be provided to the attendees.

You can still talk about the event with your friends, neighbors and networked connections. Registrations will be taken at the door on Friday. You can share the event website http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/

or have them go directly to the registration page http://jobsearchjamsessions4.eventbrite.com/


Thank you. See you soon.

The Job Search Jam Sessions organizing committee

Even AARP says you need to be social to find work these days!

Using one or more of the social media tools to find work these days is becoming more and more of a requirement. The recent AARP Bulletin, (yes, I am that old (although young at heart!) has the cover article titled "Why you need social media to find your dream job"

AARP article on going social to look for work

If you are 40+ and looking for work today, you need to be using LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media tools. Why? The recruiters are using those tools to check you out. If you don't have a good presence there, they will simply skip by you.

There are naysayers who claim you don't need to use these tools. I would agree it is not absolutely required for every industry or skilled position but it is becoming more so.

One item in the recent and local Franklin news makes this point. Brittany MacLeod just graduated from Marist College in NY. She was a Franklin High School grad and served as the student representative to the School Committee for two years. This spring her mother heard about Australia running a campaign for #bestjob. Brittany found out and started her campaign. This young lady from little Franklin, MA rose to the top 3 in the world out of 600,000 candidates!

On Wednesday Jun 5th, she was hosted at the MA State House and presented a proclamation wishing her the best of luck. In the evening, she received similar treatment from the Franklin Town Council. Do you think something like that might help your job application?

As this is posted, she is in Australia courtesy of the Australian Board of Tourism running the job search to prove herself as one of the three finalist for "Chief Funster". She'll find out June 20th if she'll be moving down under to start her career.

Will the YouTube videos, blog posts, tweets, Instagram pictures, that she used to help create the buzz around her campaign work for you?  Maybe all of them won't but one or more of them just might give you the edge you need to rise out of the pack.

The Job Search Jam Sessions being held this Friday, Jun 14 will feature one or more sessions on these social media tools. You'll be able to update your LinkedIn profile picture (photographer on site).

So what are you waiting for?

Get to the Job Search Jam Sessions webpage to find out what else is happening.
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/

While there check out the results of the three prior JSJS events (2 in 2012, and one in 2011). For $8 you can afford to find out how to use these social media tools to get your next position.

Register here  http://jobsearchjamsessions4.eventbrite.com/



Note: The nature of the AARP Bulletin website prevents a direct link to the article (you need to be registered to view the content).

related posts

Franklin Town Council proclamation  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/franklin-town-council-sends-bmac-down.html

Brittany's 30 second video  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/send-bmac-down-under.html

Read more on BMAC's webpage  http://sendbmacdownunder.wordpress.com/

Follow her on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/Send.BMAC.Down.Under

Check out her videos on YouTube  http://www.youtube.com/user/SendBMacDownUnder

What's the best advice on starting college?

Franklin High School sent its senior class into the new life on Friday. This event is happening in many high schools around the US. It is a challenge for high schoolers to face their future. What will it be? Will they follow the advice of family and friends? Will they follow their own desires and needs?

Ze Frank has this rambling but poignant video providing advice on starting college.



What would you add to this advice?

It is about time to Ctrl Alt Delete

During the course of this wonderful conversation, Match says:

"I don't get a world where people go to the gym everyday to fine tune their body and spend zero time on anything that happens above the neck."

That shows the passion for life long learning that drives Mitch. Any reader here should recognize I share that life long learning passion as well.

There are so many points to take off on this conversation between Jonathan Fields and Mitch Joel, I probably could do a series of posts to cover a month. However, it is not my takeaway that matters. It is up to you to do something. Start by spending about 45 minutes with Jonathan and Mitch here.




Listen to more of Jonathan's The Good Life Project  http://www.goodlifeproject.com/

Follow Mitch  on Twitter, or his Twist Image blog and podcast http://www.twistimage.com/en


You can find out more about Mitch's book here http://www.ctrlaltdeletebook.com/

morning bird songs Friday Jun 7

The dogwood tree in my back yard is in full bloom now. It is one good sight to wake up to!

dogwood tree

listen to ‘morning bird songs Friday Jun 7’ on Audioboo

Job Search Jam Sessions - June 14

Just over a week to go. Still plenty of time to get your ticket. Sessions on LinkedIn, entrepreneur opportunities, practice interview questions, how to organize a buddy group, and an opportunity to update your profile photo are among those proposed thus far.

Learning, sharing, networking

Register here:  http://jobsearchjamsessions4.eventbrite.com/

Find out more about the event here  http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/

Download the flyer to post and share with your network http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2013/05/job-search-jam-sessions-june-14-flyer.html

Valley Forge

Where do you go when it is so hot? A place that at least can bring a sense of cold. The American army wintered in Valley Forge and suffered in the cold. They did manage to survive and then to beat the British at Monmouth later that year to help turn the tide.

soldiers hut at Valley Forge

Imagining the cold helped deal with the heat of the day.