11.30.2007
rock on lisa!
And it happened so fast! Thanks to Lisa Junker, ASAE's Acronym blogger - whom I have yet to meet face-to-face, but with whom I have interacted frequently online. Lisa is my 100th connection on LinkedIn. I look forward to the day we meet!
11.29.2007
nearing 100 in my network...
Following in the footsteps of my friend Ben Martin, I took the challenge to build my Linked In network. And now I'm just 2 away from crossing the 100 threshold! If you know me, link to me!
11.21.2007
being thanked
Yes, we should all be giving thanks... it's probably coincidental timing though that this morning I received a thank you note from ASAE. It congratulated me on 10 years of membership and thanked me for my contributions. Yes, I joined, fresh out of college in my first association job, at the encouragement of my then-CEO Barbara Belmont.
Given that so few of us actually stick around in a job for 10 years, it was nice to know that someone noticed my longevity in the association space. This is such a great idea. And easy! Have you thanked your members lately?
Given that so few of us actually stick around in a job for 10 years, it was nice to know that someone noticed my longevity in the association space. This is such a great idea. And easy! Have you thanked your members lately?
11.19.2007
caring for others
In an internal workshop on generational diversity a few weeks ago, our speaker, Jamie Notter, discussed an example of a generational conflict in the workplace. In essence, the example illustrated two coworkers at odds - one who valued "talk time" and one who wanted to get down to business. There was more to it than that, but this is the piece that spoke to me.
I've always seen myself as the get-down-to-business type. Yes, I think I'm pretty good at socializing when I need to, but my patience for chit-chat when a business agenda is at hand is pretty marginal. There's a lot of value in getting to know your colleagues, but I think there's a time and a place - usually on the periphery of work. And, even more, I was taught that you just don't discuss personal topics with coworkers - you never know when it might come back to bite you. And now, with a baby at home and school after hours, my preference is to just focus on work at work.
Recently, I've discovered just how much other people value that kind of engagement. I've struggled in relationships with people who place a lot of value on interpersonal relationships and exchanges. But, I realized that it's not so much about sharing personal information; it seems like it's mostly about demonstrating that you care. When you ask questions (not of the too personal type, of course) about other peoples' lives, you show that you care about them as a person. When you share your life, you show that you are human. It seems quite obvious, but it was an eye-opener for me when the light bulb switched on. And, thought it's early to judge, it has seemed to make a significant difference in my relationships when I recently made an effort to take an interest in others' lives. I think it may even make life easier when conflict arises with those individuals.
Something to give thanks for this week.
(Oh, and by the way, Jamie's presentation was terrific!)
I've always seen myself as the get-down-to-business type. Yes, I think I'm pretty good at socializing when I need to, but my patience for chit-chat when a business agenda is at hand is pretty marginal. There's a lot of value in getting to know your colleagues, but I think there's a time and a place - usually on the periphery of work. And, even more, I was taught that you just don't discuss personal topics with coworkers - you never know when it might come back to bite you. And now, with a baby at home and school after hours, my preference is to just focus on work at work.
Recently, I've discovered just how much other people value that kind of engagement. I've struggled in relationships with people who place a lot of value on interpersonal relationships and exchanges. But, I realized that it's not so much about sharing personal information; it seems like it's mostly about demonstrating that you care. When you ask questions (not of the too personal type, of course) about other peoples' lives, you show that you care about them as a person. When you share your life, you show that you are human. It seems quite obvious, but it was an eye-opener for me when the light bulb switched on. And, thought it's early to judge, it has seemed to make a significant difference in my relationships when I recently made an effort to take an interest in others' lives. I think it may even make life easier when conflict arises with those individuals.
Something to give thanks for this week.
(Oh, and by the way, Jamie's presentation was terrific!)
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