by Caroline Leach | Oct 4, 2018 | Careers, Social Media, Work/Life
Photo by Caroline Leach
“Look, talent comes everywhere, but having something to say and a way to say it so that people listen to it, that’s a whole other bag … there’s one reason we’re supposed to be here is to say something so people want to hear.”
So said the tragic character Jackson Maine, played by Bradley Cooper in the magnificent 2018 take on the timeless story in the film A Star is Born.
These words spoke to me because of what many people have essentially expressed in one way or another as we talk about building their professional reputations in social media. That’s the focus of my blog and my new business.
The theme, the pattern, the refrain … is fear. Fear of doing the wrong thing. Fear of looking silly. Fear of not mattering.
But let me start at the beginning. Needing to replenish my own creative well, I went to an early screening of the movie before it officially opens. I was loosely riffing on author and screenwriter Julia Cameron‘s concept of an artist date.
While I’m religious about Cameron’s practice of morning pages – three pages of longhand writing first thing every morning as a way of clearing the mind’s cobwebs, solving knotty problems and setting the stage for the day – I’m not as dedicated to artist dates.
An artist date is an hour you take by yourself every week to do something that brings you joy. It could be walking through a park, visiting an art supply store, or going to a museum. It could be anything really.
The point is to spend time filling yourself up with new and different experiences. Cameron calls it “restocking the well.” Then you have more to give through your art, whatever form that takes … as a writer, a painter, a singer, a professional, a parent or any role you play in life where you creatively express yourself in some way.
Because I’m so goal oriented, an artist date is tough for me. I don’t always feel like I’m accomplishing something important. I’m not checking something off my never-ending list of things to do.
Yet launching a new business, while over-the-top exciting, also leaves me feeling depleted at moments. Significant creative task after creative task starts to take its toll.
I have to remind myself why people say Rome wasn’t built in a day. It’s not possible to do everything at once, as much as I want it all to be done … yesterday. I need some balance. Some new perspective. Some fresh ideas.
So I went to the movies with my husband. And some of the character’s lines crystallized and organized the patterns of what I’d been hearing from several different people. Yes, it’s true that there’s nothing new under the sun, but this powerful film brought a fresh take to a story for the ages.
And it’s really the story of all of our lives. Why are we here? What are we doing? And what do we have to say?
So here’s what I have to say about pushing beyond the fear of doing or saying the wrong thing in social media as you build a career or a company.
Keep your heart in the right place. It’s hard to do something bad or wrong if you truly have good intentions. If you’re coming at social media from the perspective of generosity – sharing what you know and what you believe with the goal of improving people’s lives in some way – you’re on the right track.
If you jump into social media with a spirit of reciprocity, engaging with others in a positive way, you’re not likely to make a misstep. And if for some reason you do, you can listen to feedback and continue a respectful dialogue.
Consider how people might perceive what you have to say. Could it inadvertently cause pain? Could it be misread? Heather Rim, a chief communications and marketing officer, said it well in a recent profile: “Be sure the content of a post can stand alone without being misinterpreted.”
If you have second thoughts after you share something – if you view it in new ways that others might see it – you can always edit it. I’ve done that on occasion with some of my blog posts. After the fact, I realized something I said could possibly be misconstrued. That’s easily changed and updated.
Experiment and try new things. Social media algorithms and functionality are changing all the time. So are we as human beings and as works in progress. Sometimes the social media content we think is our best doesn’t resonate with people the way we hoped. Other times, content we think is just okay becomes among our most popular. The important things are what can be learned from it and what can be done differently the next time.
To experiment freely and effectively, sometimes you have to silence your inner critic. A former colleague Val Vargas shared a brilliant strategy for this in a speech she gave to an employee resource group earlier this year. She said to give your critical inner voice a name, ideally an unflattering one. And tell her to be quiet.
___
Going back to the opening words by the character Jackson Maine, they reminded me of one of my great bosses over the years. I had the privilege of working with Joe Bosch, a consummate chief human resources officer, for five incredible years. His coaching advice to me was often to be more deliberate about sharing my point of view.
That’s why I enjoy blogging so much. More easily than in a face-to-face meeting, I can shape and fine tune my point of view before I share it with people. Real-time feedback comes in the form of comments and conversations. And I can continue to edit and evolve as life does and I do.
If you weren’t afraid, what would you say?
by Caroline Leach | Sep 26, 2018 | Careers, Corporate Communications, Leadership, Social Media
Heather Rim builds great teams to do amazing things.
But we might never know it if she wasn’t such a pro in sharing her professional journey in social media.
Heather is chief marketing and communications officer at AECOM, a global infrastructure firm based in Los Angeles. The $18.2-billion company has appeared on Fortune’s list of Most Admired Companies for the last four years.
Heather’s path began to cross with mine a few years ago through professional associations like the Forum-Group for senior-level communicators.
And we’re both proud alums of the master’s program in communications management at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
Heather is a natural for my series of profiles on how professionals are using social media to build and boost their careers.
We talked recently at AECOM’s Century City headquarters, with views of the many projects the firm helped create.
Here’s what she shared …
How do you think about personal branding in social media?
Your brand is one. You have one reputation to build and protect. When you’re on social, you can’t compartmentalize. While I’m a fan of using a mix of platforms to tell your story, it’s important to remember that it all ladders up to the brand that is you.
I also think that for communicators and marketers, your personal brand trumps your resume. We’re expected to maximize social to build brands for our employers and clients, and it’s important that we demonstrate our ability to do that by how we show up online.
What’s your personal brand?
I lead teams to disrupt the status-quo and build transformational brands.
At my core, I’m a builder. Every job throughout my career has involved reimagining what’s possible, and building a powerhouse team to make that happen.
I lead an incredible global communications and marketing organization at AECOM that includes corporate brand and reputation management, public and media relations, thought leadership, employee communications and engagement initiatives, crisis and issues management, social media and digital communications, CSR and strategic marketing.
To give back to the profession, I serve on the Board of Advisors of the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations. We explore the future of PR in the annual Relevance Report. I believe the digital age has transformed time from past, present and future into a single flowing now.
Heather Rim speaks on a 2017 Relevance Report panel with fellow professionals at the USC Annenberg Center for Public Relations
Why did you first get started in social media?
When my daughter was born 10 years ago and my son after that, I joined Facebook because I wanted to keep our family connected as our kids were growing up. For me, Facebook is personal. It’s for family and friends.
As I’ve made career moves over the years, it’s been fun to see how former bosses soon switch from LinkedIn connections to Facebook friends.
Tell me about your themes in social media.
Each platform has a theme for me. Facebook is largely family life. Instagram is for my favorite pastimes and personal interests. LinkedIn is for professional activity.
I’m most active on Twitter, where I am a brand ambassador for AECOM and advocate to end homelessness in Los Angeles through my work as Board President of the Downtown Women’s Center.
What made you ramp up on Instagram this year?
The tipping point for me was a discussion at AECOM with the National Millennial Community. This is a superstar Millennial group led by Bill Imada.
As chairman of the IW Group, Bill enables organizations to connect effectively with multicultural and cross-generational consumers, business owners and entrepreneurs. He’s a fellow board member at the USC Center for Public Relations.
We had a focus group with a handful of company leaders and a few dozen Millennials. In talking with these students about social media, it was clear that they were less interested in what they might read about me on LinkedIn – a site they viewed as a perfectly curated resume – and more interested in “who I really am.”
They asked why I wasn’t on Instagram, and my response at the time was, “it’s too personal.” And then a lightbulb went off. Personal is what matters to them.
Soon after, I reluctantly took the leap and jumped into Instagram.
I initially struggled with what to post, and then decided I would create a virtual scrap book of the experiences that bring me joy (outside of my family and career). Everything from the adventures I’m blessed to take, to the excitement of a fabulous pair of shoes or a delicious glass of wine.
People in my industry have started following me, along with the students who prompted my start. One of my most popular posts was one I almost didn’t do. My friend Dawn Soler, @the40plusgirl on Instagram and EVP of Music at ABC Television, got me involved in the #WokeUpThisWay challenge. It was a calling to keep it real in social media – filter and makeup free.
It wasn’t something I was initially eager to participate in. In fact, the thought of a filter-free morning selfie made me cringe. But I did it for my daughter, to show her that beauty comes from within. And I’m glad I did.
Posting a few times a week is easy. It’s become a natural part of my life. And I enjoy Instagram as a source of inspiration and nourishment for the soul. It’s also my version of scrolling through a fun magazine.
Why is Twitter ideal for events?
Events can be so powerful. Live tweeting at an event is my way of sharing the action, documenting the experience and taking notes. It’s also a great tool to make connections, as you become a go-to source for the content shared, and associate your personal brand with that subject.
I’ve found that people appreciate it when you tweet a powerful soundbite they said and amplify it with a great photo. That almost always gets retweets.
I work hard to earn followers by sharing the best content I can. When I’m reading, I’ll often tweet a quote, much like I would at an event or conference.
How do you show up on LinkedIn?
For me, LinkedIn is about leadership. I share about business events I’ve attended as well as my volunteer work at the Downtown Women’s Center. As a result of my activity, I’ve been invited to give presentations and speeches.
The downside of LinkedIn is when people try to use it in an urgent way. You have to invest in your network over time. A sales pitch or job application isn’t effective when you haven’t established a relationship over time.
What “do’s” do you follow for social?
Be authentic. I strive to be true to myself and share the real me.
Be sure the content of a post can stand alone without being misinterpreted. Everything you say is open for interpretation. I put a lot of thought into my tweets and posts.
Be comfortable with the content appearing anywhere. Assume that anything you publish will one day surface for all to see, and share accordingly.
Be true to your brand. Everything I share relates back to my personal brand statement in some way.
Keep connecting. Follow-up right away (while the interaction is still fresh) with a connection on the appropriate platform. Be sure to add a brief note.
How often should professionals interact with others in social?
Think about how the world works offline. How many times would you pop into someone’s workspace to say hi? Let that guide how often you engage with people in social through their content.
Want to learn more about Heather? Start with her Instagram and check out all the rest …
IG: @heather.rim
TW: @heatherrim
LI: linkedin.com/in/heatherrim/
Watch for more profiles coming soon. And if you’d like to be profiled, leave me a comment. I’d love to hear from you!
by Caroline Leach | Sep 19, 2018 | Social Media
iStockphoto by BigNazik
Before you hit “send” on a critical email, do one thing.
And no, it’s not editing for brevity, spell checking and proofreading. Those are a given. For every message.
There’s another strategy that can increase the impact of your message – whether you’re asking someone for a favor, inviting them to speak at an event, requesting a reference, or making any number of asks. This simple strategy could tilt the scales toward a positive response.
What is it?
Check your recipient’s latest social media posts.
Why?
Here are 3 big reasons.
You may see recent updates that change your approach. Maybe your recipient has started a new job, been promoted, received an award, or spoken at a conference. Those are great accomplishments to congratulate the person on, in a genuine and authentic way.
For my regular readers, you know I advise never to send someone spam (a.k.a., an unsolicited pitch for business or a job) immediately after connecting in LinkedIn. These messages generally aren’t worth the time to read and respond to, especially the jargon-filled ones where it’s difficult to know what the person or business actually does.
But someone recently followed up his pitch for a meeting with a note that said, “I just noticed it looks like you left your company recently. I apologize for not checking that first. Congrats on your new venture! That sounds exciting.”
He had actually looked at my LinkedIn profile, I assume, and saw that I recently launched a business, The Carrelle Company. Born on Labor Day 2018 from this blog I began on New Year’s Day 2015, the company helps people grow their careers and businesses through digital branding in social media.
His message was kind enough and human enough that I decided to respond. His is one of the few pitch messages I’ve ever answered. The door is cracked open in a friendly way. That wouldn’t have happened if the sender hadn’t looked at my social media.
And who knows what might transpire in the future. We’re all connected and on paths that could converge in the future, in ways we can’t even imagine today.
You may learn something that helps strengthen your relationship. When someone you’ve worked with previously reaches out to you to ask what’s new, find out what they’ve been up to before you respond.
A few years ago I got a note like that from Karie Willyerd, who recently became Chief Learning Officer at Visa. She had been a fabulous speaker I’d invited to a few DIRECTV leadership events when I led Corporate Communications.
Was I ever glad I checked her social media before responding. At the time she had just released a new book called Stretch, about lifelong learning and future-proofing your career. That gave me the opportunity to congratulate her in my reply and learn more about her ideas.
In addition, you may gain insight into what’s important to your recipient, and you may be able to appropriately connect your interests with theirs. Maybe you share a passion for a charitable cause, have a colleague in common, or are reading similar books.
But don’t go overboard. Someone sent me a message recently that was over the top with praise for my blog, including examples from multiple posts. It was a bit jarring a few paragraphs later when the pitch for new business emerged. It had an inauthentic tone, and it did not motivate me to respond.
You may find out there’s a better time to send your message. Are you seeing beautiful vacation photos on Instagram? Ones that aren’t hashtagged as #latergrams? Then you might hold your message until the person returns home. They could be more receptive then.
Maybe they’re in the middle of a big work event and they’re sharing it in social media. That could mean they don’t have time to give your message the attention you’d like. When you do send your message, you could mention the event and your impressions of it, along with your congratulations.
Or maybe they’re dealing with a challenging personal issue like a family member in the hospital. That’s another reason to hold off on your message. If your message is urgent, at the very least you can acknowledge the situation and offer your support.
One caution – take a light approach in your message so it doesn’t appear that you’re cyberstalking the person or feel like you’re invading their privacy. Be friendly, sincere and brief.
There’s mostly upside to knowing your audience, what they’ve been doing lately and what’s important to them. This is what their recent social media activity can tell you.
How has social media helped you improve your email effectiveness?
by Caroline Leach | Sep 5, 2018 | Careers, Change, Leadership, Social Media
Sometimes strategic procrastination can be a good thing.
Except in my case, it wasn’t fully strategic. At all.
Wrapping up several years in the corporate world, launching my own business, getting my children settled into a new school year and doing right by my community commitments didn’t leave much time for one very important detail …
… naming my new company.
Sure, I looked at a few articles. Jotted down some ideas. But a name is critically important. And I didn’t have one yet.
Suddenly I found myself with one day to go before my self-imposed deadline to rebrand my social media accounts.
And that one day was Labor Day.
Holidays carry a lot of symbolism for me. My husband and I got engaged on New Year’s Eve. While our April wedding didn’t fall on Easter, many of our anniversaries have. Our daughter was born on a holiday and our son was born on the first day of a new season.
Our daughter was baptized on Valentine’s Day. By comparison, our son’s September baptism date seemed nondescript. Until 9/11 happened.
His baptism was the Sunday after the world changed forever. My out-of-town family members couldn’t come because … no planes were flying. I wondered if it would be a bad idea to proceed in light of the national tragedy. But I decided to move forward.
The church was packed, with people seeking solace and answers to something that has no answers. Through tears, a few people sought me out after the service to thank me for bringing my infant son to be baptized. They said it gave them hope for new beginnings.
Fast forward to 2015. I launched a blog on New Year’s Day. As a VP of corporate communications, I began it as an exploration of the future of the field.
Later that year, the company was acquired. I had the opportunity to move into marketing analytics. So I pivoted my blog as well into a learning experience in the new field.
But that wasn’t something I ultimately found myself wanting to spend hours of my weekend and evening time on. But what about how people learn new skills? That was interesting to me. So I explored learning in my blog for a while.
Then I attended a women’s leadership conference two Septembers ago at Fullscreen, a media company for creators and brands. The actor/producer/entrepreneur Reese Witherspoon was a surprise guest speaker.
A comment she made changed my life. When she was asked about her success in social media, she talked about being authentic. And she mentioned a big white space in the area, helping people shape their images and reputations through social media.
It was an a-ha moment for me. That’s what I wanted to do.
So two years ago, I began writing, researching and speaking about how professionals can build and boost their careers through social media. It’s a labor of love I did on the side in early mornings and evenings and weekends.
It’s a dream for me to start my own business in this area. And I am very fortunate to be able to do that this fall.
But a name. A name. I needed a name. Not to mention I needed a catchphrase that my upcoming book editor Cat Spydell recommended. (And creating a catchphrase is next up on my list.)
So I started doodling ideas. I analyzed tech company names. I looked at PR company names. Ad agencies. Podcasts. Hashtags. Even multi-hyphenate lives, also known as a “slash generation” with portfolio careers.
For further inspiration, I put all the descriptive words about me in the farewell notes from colleagues into an Excel spreadsheet. Then I made them into a word cloud, thanks to wordclouds.com. Here it is:
Traits that describe me, thanks to my colleagues and wordclouds.com
But in the end, it turned out to be a variation on a placeholder my husband Kevin put into his business plan. He’s opening a South Bay, California steakhouse with a seasoned restaurant veteran in the coming months. He asked me to manage the PR and social media. And he noted Carelle Communications would lead the work.
It’s an amalgamation of my name, Caroline Elizabeth Leach.
Yet alas, there’s already a Carelle fine jeweler.
But what about Carrelle with two r’s?
It’s been used as a baby name on rare occasions. Of English and German origin, it has wide-ranging meanings – farmer, strong, courageous, melody and song.
Strong and courageous spoke to me immediately. Initially I was puzzled by farmer. But a farmer equates to cultivation and growth. Perfect. How about melody and song? That speaks to my joy in writing, researching, consulting and speaking.
What are the other reasons I like The Carrelle Company?
- It’s a takeoff of my name, which is my brand in a way … as our names are now our personal brands
- It’s alliterative with the repeated “C’s.” I changed “communications” to “company” to keep the possibilities open for the future
- The initial letters are evocative of “careers,” which I help to fuel through my work
- There’s a slight link with the C-words related to what I do – communication, community, collaboration, consulting, critical thinking, connection
- The “car” evokes an automobile with motion, acceleration, speed and freedom
- It sounds elegant and classic … and slightly French, my chosen language of study as a teen (which comes in slightly handy now as I struggle to learn Spanish)
- It’s strong and it’s feminine with the “elle”
- It’s unique … who else but me could use this name?!?
And then there may be the name-letter effect in my dedication to the field of communications. According to research by Dr. Brett Pelham, a psychologist, people “disproportionately choose careers whose labels resemble their names.”
So just as “people named Dennis or Denise are overrepresented among dentists,” this could partly explain why I, as a Caroline, am attracted to communications.
And perhaps why, in my Google search of people named Carrelle, the two I found work in communications on other continents.
So that’s the story of how The Carrelle Company came to be.
And now it’s on to the business of writing, researching, consulting and speaking. I’m helping people grow their careers and business owners grow their companies through digital branding in social media.
by Caroline Leach | Aug 30, 2018 | Careers, Leadership, Work/Life
What 5-minute action can you take at work today that will pay huge dividends and possibly change someone’s life?
Write a thank you note.
Yup, a thank you note. It can be by email, text, card or direct message. The medium doesn’t matter. What matters is taking the time to share with a colleague what you appreciate about them.
Science says so. Gratitude research is on the rise, according to Heather Murphy reporting in The New York Times. A recent study covered in Psychological Science asked participants to “write a short ‘gratitude letter’ to a person who had affected them in some way.”
Many of the note recipients said “they were ‘ecstatic,’ scoring the happiness rating at 4 of 5. The senders typically guessed they’d evoke a 3.”
The major finding of Dr. Amit Kumar at the University of Texas at Austin? “People tend to undervalue the positive effect they can have on others for a tiny investment of time.”
Dilbert creator Scott Adams put it well in his bestseller, How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life.
“Adults are starved for a kind word,” Adams wrote. “When you understand the power of honest praise (as opposed to bullshitting, flattery, and sucking up), you realize that withholding it borders on immoral. If you see something that impresses you, a decent respect to humanity insists you voice your praise.”
What else says so? My own experience.
Today is my last day at AT&T, which was DIRECTV before that. (Note: opinions expressed in this blog are my own.) It’s been a great run at a great company, and I’m excited to move on to the next stage of my work life. But it’s bittersweet to leave an incredible group of colleagues.
When my departure note went out, I thought a few people might reach out to say farewell.
What I wasn’t prepared for was the outpouring of appreciation. And thanks. And love.
(And in the #MeToo era with so much bad behavior, I must qualify that to note what I experienced was entirely professional and fully within the bounds of respectful and appropriate workplace behavior.)
What caught me completely by surprise is a stack of now-printed emails with thanks and good wishes that I’m saving for posterity. I share a few excerpts anonymously here, with the hope the writers do not mind and that their thoughts might inspire you to thank a colleague today, and every day …
Thank you for making us smile and wanting to do our jobs. You are an amazing leader who leads by example.
I always enjoyed your leadership and especially looked up to you in so many ways, hoping that I could be half of what you are in my lifetime.
Did you hear that?! That was the sound of my heart breaking. While our work together was short lived and limited (much to my dismay), you truly made an invaluable impact and for that I thank you.
On behalf of all the people you have inspired, but are probably unaware of, thanks for all you do.
It’s been my biggest pleasure and honor to work with you.
I’m sure you don’t remember me, but you had lunch with a small group of new hires during our onboarding. We had a lovely conversation and I was so impressed and grateful for how welcoming and inclusive you were with us.
You’ve had such a profound influence on my life and I am so grateful for that.
Wow.
I had no idea.
And maybe the people you work with have no idea either … of how talented, valued and appreciated they are. So I encourage you, every day, to share your thanks with at least one person. It reminds me of what a wise colleague, Andy Bailey, always used to say – start every meeting with recognition.
Here’s my love letter to all the amazing people I’ve worked with over the years, from a real-estate developer to what became Northrop Grumman, and from to DIRECTV to AT&T …
Friends,
You are the reason I enjoy coming to work every day.
You are my “why” for being at work … the purpose that is bigger than all of us. You bring the ideas, the inspiration and the innovation that make our teams a success. You make the seemingly impossible suddenly possible. You make the workday fun, yes fun.
There’s a lot of hard work behind what you do. But you take the high road every day, making your hard work appear effortless and going above and beyond to deliver for colleagues and customers.
I have learned so much from you, whether a new skill set in a new role or a better way to lead and engage people. Maya Angelou was on to something when she said that people won’t remember what you said or did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel. You make me feel like anything is possible, that there is good in the world, and that the present and future are exciting places.
You have given me many gifts over the years. The most important ones? The feeling that I have made – and will continue to make – a difference. The knowledge that each of us leaves bigger footprints in the sands of time than we can ever know. That quite possibly is the best gift ever. It speaks to our humanity and our desire to be part of something larger than ourselves.
I am ever grateful, and I ask that you keep paying it forward.
Who has made a difference in your work life? Who will you reach out to today?
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