Carol Bartz, CEO of Yahoo, in a recent interview, said that she believes Yahoo needs to offer its users more video.  And, of course, providers such as ooVoo and Skype are helping us to participate in real-time interactive video conversations more and more.  Not to mention YouTube, Vimeo, et al.

The experts are saying that we will be communicating a lot more one to one, one to many, and many to many visually.  So instead of just reading (text messages) or listening (conference calls), we will be watching.  I am not all that happy about this.  For one thing, I will be forced to continually own up to what I really look and sound like.  Ouch.  And, I can  no longer do conference calls in my pajamas. 

Seriously, a whole new world of opportunity is emerging around our increasing ability to see one other.  Some consumer brands are already using the two-way video conversations to conduct market research with their target consumer.  Think, they can talk with young people at a party who will actually show them how they are mixing their beverage products.

On a personal level, all this video communications takes personal branding and personal presence to a new level.  I  ran across a saying years ago that I often quote in my speeches (although I cannot find the author):  ”you are judged by the quality of your speaking, your writing, and your ideas, and in that order.”  Note: this quote was from pre-internet days, maybe even pre-television.  Now, with all of us soon expected to communicate via video, the “speaking” takes on more importance than ever.   Is your personal brand ready?

Ever do this? Ever have this happen to you? I have been on both sides of this scenario. You can always tell when someone did not expect you to answer. They stumble. They fumble. I know I do.

Now we have Facebook, blogging, Twitter, LinkedIn and much more to help us connect with people without talking to them. According to Microsoft’s Social Media book for small businesses, Twitter grew by more than 600% in 2009, while Facebook grew by 210% and LinkedIn by 85%. We are told that these social media behemoths draw their power from creating communities, stimulating dialogue, conversations and sharing. Well, sometimes they do. Some big brands have figured out how to make this work.

Can the rest of us really maintain a meaningful dialogue with dozens, hundreds, thousands of friends, followers and fans? Social media for most of us is monologue. More like a personal infomercial than a personal conversation. And, online socializing removes our ability to take the measure of a person by their tone, their demeanor. Yes, YouTube is visual but it is more like a performance than an interaction with the audience.

Let me stop here and say that I love social media. I encourage my clients to embrace it. I work with them to make it work for them.  Social media enables us to reach a lot more people. To give voice to our passions and to find people who share them. Through social media, I have found brilliant people I would never have found, reconnected with people I somehow lost.

But social media also enables us to be more unsociable than ever. We can stay in front of our computers, feel connected, without ever really engaging with anyone. We can click from site to site, turning e-relationships on and off.  Unsociable? Heck , we can be anti-social. The other day I asked a website developer if I could hire him to speak with me over the phone to go through some changes to a template of his I had purchased. He informed me that he would do it but only online. No dialogue. OK. I guess.

I think social media is in its glorious infancy. I am looking forward to participating in its growth.

We’ve moved The Transformational Woman from February 9th to April 6th. If you were registered for the February 9th session, you are automatically registered for the new date.

If you travel from outside the DC area, were scheduled to attend the February session, but cannot attend the April 6th session, your registration fee will be applied toward the iFIVE session at EdCon in September.

For those of you who had not registered – we encourage you to make plans to join us on April 6th.  We’ll have the same great industry leaders, the same leading edge professional development program and we’ll add a few surprises.  Join us for The Transformational Woman – invest in yourself!

We are looking forward to seeing you in early Spring  Stay tuned, we will be sending out additional details soon.

Did not register for February but can come in April?  REGISTER NOW.   More on the AGENDA.

For 2009, locavore and frenemy were two of the non-techie words among the almost 100 new words added to Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.  A locavore is a person who is committed to eating locally grown foods. A frenemy is a person who pretends to be a friend but is actually an enemy.

Way back in the year 2000, the word “dot.com” was a new word added to the dictionary. The definiton was a company that was web-based. It recalls those days when we all knew people who were leaving their jobs at regular companies to go to work for dot.coms. Very cool and meant lots of money to follow. Do we still refer to any companies as dot.coms?

Technology is integrated into all businesses today – into both the business model and the business culture. Technology is not a department or a capability but is inherent in work. You cannot carve it out.

And if the futurists are right, technology will increasingly become more integrated into people. Technology will allow us to become more than human.  How do I download the upgrade?

REGISTER

The skills that made you successful will not guarantee your success in the future.  Do you know what the critical skills are for tomorrow?  Can you transform?  Join us for the Transformational Woman and….

• Find out who will be the most valued talent in the near future
• Hear from industry leaders about what they see as the keys to successfully transforming  
• Explore your own change skills and what changes you can make now 

Kelly Kuhn, President, Government and Military Markets, CarlsonSato Travel, and iFIVE board member, will open the iFIVE “Transformational Woman” session on April 6th at the L’enfant Hotel in Washington, D.C., sharing her leadership experience.

Immediately following, iFIVE will present three industry leaders in a candid roundtable discussion of transformation in tradition-bound and sometimes rigidly hierarchical environments.

Panelists: Kelly Kuhn; Becky Rhodes, Deputy Associate Administrator, GSA Travel, Transportation and Asset Management; and Susan Gurley, Private Sector Officer, United States Agency for International Development.

Moderator: Vickie Singer, Co-founder, iFIVE.

Following the panel, iFIVE will lead a professional development program, exploring the four major change profiles and the implications for successful change. You will have the opportunity to identify your personal change profile and learn how to use your strengths to influence others to change.

Facilitator: Margaret Murphy, executive coach and Co-founder, iFIVE.

And, Martha Johnson, Administrator, GSA, will close the session by sharing her leadership vision for GSA.  This is an unprecedented opportunity to hear up-close from a key member of our president’s leadership team for positive change.

AnCon delegates: a separate registration and fee are required. 

REGISTER NOW

About AnCon

When I headed a Business Transformation consulting practice (way back in the 90’s), change management was one of our core competencies.  After all, how can you transform if you don’t even know how to change? 

As part of our research on change in organizations, we surveyed more than 100,000 people and asked the question, “would you be willing to change in order to help your organization?’  The response was almost 90% positive.  People were indeed willing to change.  However, in trying to effect major change as consultants, we discovered that people needed to know more about  ”from what….to what?”  

They needed specifics so that they could internalize or personalize what changes they needed to make.  They needed to know the starting point and how it differed from the desired destination.  So they could take ownership of getting there.

Unfortunately, the organizations often were not very helpful in answering this question.  Examples of commons answers included “be more open to change”,” be more adaptable”, and the phrase that deserves to be in the Cliche Hall of Fame, “think outside the box”. 

People differ significantly when it comes to what they need in order to change and in order to lead others to change.  But everyone needs at least some idea of “from what…to what.”  One good way to express the answer is to express it in terms of new skills.  

George Washington University, through its  Institute for Knowledge and Innovation, has released the results of a study they conducted on the most valuable future skills.  We have been told for 30 years now that the world is changing faster than ever.  That our skills become outdated faster than you can say “powerpoint”.  The list of  skills identified by GWU makes for a nice tool you can use  to ask yourself how you and your organization compare to the study’s findings.

1. Best career move you ever made?

Accepting an international assignment earlier in my career.

2. What is fun about you?

Well, I enjoy my work, so I find the humor in it.  I can laugh at myself.  My team and I enjoy the give and take of picking on each other.

3. Who, or what company do you think gets it right today?

Nike, Patagonia, Google all come to mind. 

4.  What is the best place you have ever visited?

The Sinai in Egypt. Incredible in its serenity.

5. What is your superpower?

I am good at prioritizing – at rapidly understanding what is most important.  And, I can quickly center myself around what it takes to achieve a goal.

Resolutions can be daunting. 

I found  the exercise below many years ago and often use it in team building sessions.  Try it yourself before you start your resolutions – it may change how you approach the New Year.

What I need right now

Choose (mark) five things from this list that you think you need more of.   Add your own things if they are not on the list.  But, select no more than five.

Put the 5 choices in order of importance.

What is your first step?

Whom should you share your five things with? 

 I need more……

Source: Ice-breakers and Heart-warmers, by Steve Sheely

Your business anniversary is a not-to-be-passed up business opportunity.  

Whether it is your 1st or 21st, the year does not matter.  What matters is that you take the opportunity to celebrate your anniversary by emailing your clients and thanking them.  And share information with them that is important to them – that they can use. 

The anniversary communication will remind them (indirectly) of why they do business with you and are happy to continue to do so. Or, if they are former clients, they are reminded of why they should do business with you again.