by Caroline Leach | Aug 30, 2019 | Learning, Social Media, Work/Life
August is the Sunday of summer. So said a chalkboard sign I spotted by the beach a few years ago.
And so true. It’s bittersweet when summer comes to an end. The longer, more leisurely days start getting shorter and filling up with more commitments as Labor Day approaches.
Businesses and teams have year-end goals to meet. Children are back in school. Maybe the Sunday Scaries are staring you down as you head into Labor Day.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. During a last-minute summer getaway, I learned something important. Maybe it will help you, too.
Although it’s summer, it’s been an intense season with two fledgling businesses in our household – mine and my husband’s. I realized I was putting life on hold, so I headed to the Eastern Sierras for a few days. A mini-retreat, I called it. Or a working vacation. Or working remotely.
Whatever it was, it was delightful. With the backdrop of mountains, trees and summer breezes from my desk, I worked on some of my big projects, did client calls, and dipped into the flow state of being completely consumed by what I was doing, oblivious to the passage of time.
The Lingering Project
One of my projects has been on my list for the better part of a year. As a new author of What Successful People Do in Social Media, I know I need to build an email list of subscribers. I even created a free workbook to accompany my book as a reason for people to sign up.
But I ran into a roadblock in the spring, figuring out how to integrate the MailChimp email service with my download document on this WordPress site. I did research. I leaned on the chat and email service functions of the various providers. I reached out to experts to see if someone could do it for me.
And completing this project has been standing in my way. As much as I talk about the need for everyone to have a social media strategy for their career, I also emphasize the importance of owning your own online real estate.
That means your own website where you control everything. That way, an algorithm change on a social media platform doesn’t impact your ability to connect with your community.
And it was standing in the way of my next project — turning my book into an online course or series of courses. If I don’t have an email list of devoted fans who are interested in what I have to say, it’s much harder to launch a course.
I even did a workaround on my free workbook. Not wanting to delay to release of my book in April, I simply put a note on my website that people interested in the workbook could email me to request it. It wasn’t the most efficient or elegant of solutions, but it enabled me to keep moving forward.
One of the lessons I’ve learned over the last year of launching my own business is to fight the oppression of perfectionism. It’s hard to balance a standard of excellence with taking it too far and delaying, as marketing guru Seth Godin would say, shipping the work.
Learning the Way
My last day in Mammoth was my day to tackle my website. The night before, I decided to refresh my WordPress knowledge by completing an online class called WP Savvy by Iglika Mateeva-Drincheva.
It came in a group of online classes called the Entrepreneurship Bundle. And it’s thanks to Marissa Stahl that I learned about it. She’s the COO of Something Social LA along with founder Callie Cholodenko. Marissa and I met through the USC Alumni Association earlier this year.
Marissa was kind enough to speak to my social media class at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising this spring. It was right about the time the Entrepreneurship Bundle was launching. She and Callie had a course in it called Instagram Strategy for Business (great class, BTW!).
The bundle of 31 classes had a special offer for $99, so I thought, why not?
As life often gets in the way, though, I didn’t complete many of the classes right away. Has this ever happened to you?
But what a lifesaver WP Savvy turned out to be. Even after a few years blogging on my WordPress site, I learned several new things from Iglika’s course. And I felt re-energized to tackle the email integration issue.
Figuring It Out
The other inspiration came from Mark Cuban, the business leader and investor on Shark Tank, among other things. He gave a talk at my former employer’s headquarters in the early 2000s.
As the head of communications at the time, my job was to play host while he was onsite. He had driven all night from Texas to Los Angeles to speak to our employees, but he was full of energy.
And I’ll never forget what he said. In the early days of his business, he said they’d be in client meetings, taking in what the client wanted, and telling them they could deliver.
Later, Mark and his colleagues would look at each other and say they had no idea how to do what they’d just committed to. But they had all night to figure it out. And figure it out they did. Time and time again.
If they could do it, so could I.
Figuring it out in this case took a lot longer than I planned. I had to figure out the original email list subscription I started with wasn’t going to work. I had to download existing subscribers and move them to a new platform. I set up the sign up forms, the welcome forms, and the thank you forms. I tested them by subscribing myself. The look and feel still isn’t great yet, but that’s relatively easy to fix.
The Breakthrough
What I couldn’t figure out was how to make my free download available to subscribers. After some web searches, I decided to start clicking through every screen on WordPress to see if I could find something that would work.
And I finally found it. Buried six screens down, in the middle of the page. Even though I wasn’t selling a product, I wondered what would happen if I checked a box that said “enable shop with the plugin I’m using.”
VOILA! That was it. Which was mentioned exactly nowhere in all the online materials I consulted. Or perhaps it was there, but I missed it, which is entirely possible.
The point is, I told myself I would spend whatever time it took to resolve the problem. I was not going to let up until I figured it out.
It now feels like a huge weight is lifted from my shoulders. So many other actions depend on this, and now I can move forward. It’s a release of positive energy and momentum.
I’m going to tackle part two over Labor Day weekend, which is a long-overdue new look and feel for my website. That way, when Sept. 3 rolls around, I’ll have a big project behind me and I can truly move forward with my big goals for the fall.
What’s Holding You Back?
My question for you is, what’s on your list that’s holding you back? Could you devote a morning or an afternoon of your Labor Day weekend to tackle it? Or at least start the process? How much would that jumpstart your fall season? Would it help you greet it with energy and enthusiasm?
I bet it could. And there will still be plenty of time for being with family and friends, celebrating the last of the summer season, and recognizing the social and economic of achievements of American workers on Labor Day.
In thinking about the value of work, I’m inspired by author and poet Maya Angelou, who said, “Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.”
What do you love to do?
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Here’s how to join my email list (on the left-hand column) to get a free copy of Your Social Media Success Roadmap. You’ll also get an email update from me once or twice month with tips about boosting your career through social media.
by Caroline Leach | Jun 30, 2019 | Social Media
Social media was supposed to be fun.
Wait, what?
That panel name grabbed me at Social Media Week Los Angeles and wouldn’t let go.
As a perk of being on the faculty in the Social Media B.A. program at FIDM, the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, I got to go with my students. (Opinions expressed in this post are my own.)
Along with the department chair Tom Henkenius, I enjoyed the conference and its sessions on storytelling, influencers, AI, gaming and more.
But why did the session on fun jump out at me? Well, maybe because the last several months have been intense. I completed project after project, racing from one to another in rapid succession, without breaks in between.
Yes, it was exciting to publish my first book, give a TEDx talk, work with clients, and develop a social media consulting class for FIDM.
Yet the intensity of so many projects at times left me yearning to take a short break and recharge. I wanted to do something fun. But I couldn’t think of what that would be. Literally nothing came to mind.
Maybe the dictionary could help me. Fun is defined as, “something that provides mirth or amusement, enjoyment or playfulness.”
But I still had no ideas.
Wait, what?
Which is likely why the Social Media Week session on fun stood out. Usually when I face a problem, I assume it’s unique to me. It’s something to figure out on my own.
But this session painted a picture of a societal problem. “Modern life is really good at taking things that used to be fun and, well, making them NOT fun,” the session description began.
“Real fun is built on spontaneity and surprise, opening up possibilities for experience and memorable moments,” it continued. “Social media was largely considered fun when it first boomed in pop culture. So, what happened?”
Holland Martini and Bevan Mahaney of Grey talked about bringing the fun to life. It was based on Grey’s research study, the Famously Effective Business of Fun.
We learned some sobering stats:
- the U.S. ranks #18 in the world on happiness
- people rate fun as number 5 out of 9 options
- people are doing “fun” activities for reasons other than fun, like reading for their mental well-being, working out for physical health, and going on social media just to pass time.
Ooof.
The problem, they said, is we don’t know what’s fun anymore.
Apparently, we are collectively experiencing a dearth of fun. It’s not just me. It’s many of us. It may be you. Or someone you know.
Holland and Bevan then related those findings to business. It turns out that “50% of people are more likely to consider or purchase a brand if they knew a brand could help them have more fun. And 76% would spend more on that brand.”
So, not only is fun good for us individually, it’s also good for business.
Holland and Bevan had valuable strategies for bringing fun back to social media:
- Create supportive communities for like-minded people
- Provide shareable, memorable cultural currency
- Give people canvases to enjoy life.
From my perspective of social media as a career booster, here’s what I would add. These are three things that make social media fun on a professional level for me. Maybe they will for you, too.
Yes, this does introduce a “good for you” aspect, beyond having fun for fun’s sake. But fun can foster an environment where people feel happier, more connected, and more creative. Fun has a unifying feel-good element that can help bring more enjoyment to your professional life. And there are echoes of my post on what to do when social media gets you down.
First, encourage others to have fun at work. Who says anything you do can’t be more fun? How could you make it more fun and enjoyable? Whether you’re a team leader or an individual contributor, you can share fun ideas and make them happen. Celebrating a big accomplishment, coming together for people’s birthdays, bringing in dinner when the team is working late on a project, and making a point to laugh and be silly at times can help a team bond and have more fun.
One of the most gratifying experiences for me in the corporate world was fellow colleagues laughing and bantering together as we worked under significant deadlines to put out a communication or make a big event happen. Enjoying the high points of our work and the celebration afterwards made it all the sweeter.
In these moments, you can encourage your colleagues to share their experiences on social media in a work-appropriate way. It amplifies the joy and shows how work can be fun. Images and emotions can be contagious, so you just may be contributing to making the world a more fun place to be.
Second, share the fun in what you’re doing professionally. Just because work can be intense doesn’t mean that you and your team shouldn’t enjoy the process and have fun in the process. Making a point of sharing those fun moments on your social media can increase the good feelings among your colleagues, amplify your employer’s brand, and encourage others to make their workplaces more fun.
Recently I spoke at a Town Hall meeting for a former colleague, Kim Keating, at AT&T. (Again, opinions expressed are my own.) Kim leads a data science team, and she wanted to better equip them to share on social media about what it’s like working at the company. My talk was covered how to tell your professional story on social media. Everyone I interacted with made the process simple, easy, and yes, fun.
Third, learn something just for the fun of it. It’s a quiet Sunday morning as I’m writing this. I made this morning a “Pajama Sunday” where I read for pleasure. I paged through some digital and print magazines, reading whatever I wanted, not what I thought I should read for professional purposes. And I started reading a new book: Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee.
Maybe you learn by reading, or by watching, or by listening, or by doing. What do you want to know more about, just because it would be fun? What really intrigues you, even if it seemingly has no relevance to your professional or personal life?
Go delve into that. Share what you learned on social media. Maybe it will brighten someone else’s day or give some much-needed insights.
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Writing this post was (mostly) fun. It has to be, or I wouldn’t spend so much time doing it. In a happy coincidence, this is post #200 since I launched this blog more than four years ago. Clearly, this is a joyful activity for me.
In Vancouver this month to speak at a conference for communicators, I took a morning stroll through the scenic, seaside Stanley Park. I dipped into some “forest bathing” and felt refreshed by nature. I jumped on a swing for the sheer fun of it.
And now, because it’s a beautiful summer Sunday, I’m taking my bright red, beach-cruiser bicycle to a repair shop to get it in shape for the season. There are few things more fun than a leisurely bike ride at the beach.
What are you doing for fun today?
by Caroline Leach | May 31, 2019 | Social Media
Photo of Cynthia Dillard, Kathie Frasquillo and Mallika Siegel by Jessica Sterling
Social media is in the headlines a lot these days. And not always in a good way.
As I shared in my TEDx talk this spring about lifelong learning, social media gets a bad rap. It saps our attention. It makes us depressed. It polarizes our world.
Scrolling through our Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn feeds can be a trip down the rabbit hole of comparison hell. None of us can ever measure up to the carefully curated feeds of people and brands we see every day.
Unless …
… we remember that the only competition is with ourselves.
… we remember never to compare others’ outsides to our insides.
… and most importantly, we remember a great power of social media.
And that’s the power to lift others up. To rejoice in the accomplishments of others. And to use our voice on social media to amplify their good deeds.
On Administrative Professionals’ Day this spring, I was inspired by a post from Anne Chow, a senior leader at AT&T and someone who always inspired me when I worked there. She lauded her administrative assistant and how important she was to the her and the team.
That made me reflect. I had the good fortune to work personally with two exceptionally talented assistants, Kathie Frasquillo and Nancy Takahashi. And I worked peripherally with others, including Cynthia Dillard and Mallika Siegel.
And that made me remember I had some great pictures of them from my corporate farewell event (thank you, Jessica Sterling). It was the perfect confluence of factors to post a thank-you message on LinkedIn.
Seeing the community of comments and appreciation that sprung out of it was truly gratifying. What a boost for all involved. Suddenly, my day felt brighter, and hopefully others felt the same.
It was the putting into action one of the concepts in the book I published this spring, What Successful People Do in Social Media: A Short Guide to Boosting Your Career.
In my book, I talk about the social media trifecta. What’s that? It’s bucketing your social media content into thirds:
- The first one is sharing what you’re doing in the work world.
- The second one is amplifying the great things your team or your colleagues are doing.
- And the third one is being a brand ambassador for your organization.
In this way, you don’t over index on promoting yourself and potentially turning people off in the process. You build goodwill with your colleagues and your team by highlighting their good works. And where it makes sense you share the good work of your employer.
As spring soon gives way to summer, I reflected on some of the social media posts that made me rejoice in what colleagues and friends are doing ..
My former colleague and inclusion mentor L. Michelle Smith launched the popular The Culture Soup Podcast and embarked on an inspiring series of speaking events.
My friend Corii Berg boldly stepped into the president role of the USC Alumni Association Board of Governors, following other inspirational leaders Michael Felix and Jaime Lee.
My former boss Fiona Carter is now leading the #SeeHer movement to bring equality to and eliminate bias in the way women and girls are portrayed in advertising and media.
My friends Tom Henkenius, Austin Maddox, Madeline Lindsay, Allegra Guitierrez, Briana Latter, Stephanie Corrigan, Danielle Harvey Stinson and others celebrated their graduations from USC.
My former colleagues Sarah Groves, John Stancliffe and others continue to inspire me with their social media innovation in the B2B space and beyond.
My students in the social media program at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising are all doing amazing things as they get ready to graduate in June.
My friend Tina Quinn published a fabulous book this spring called Invisible Things. Tina coached me through some difficult times a few years ago and she inspires me every day.
My former colleague TeNita Ballard is doing so much to make the world a more inclusive place, especially for veterans and people with disabilities.
My former colleague Charles Miller keeps me and others up to speed with beautiful scenes of New York on his Instagram grid.
And an amazing thing has happened just as I’ve reflected on all of these special people and what they’re doing in the world. I feel uplifted. I feel inspired. I feel happy for them.
And the way for me to share that feeling is by engaging with their social media content, by liking and commenting and sharing their good deeds.
This spring has been difficult in many ways. Yes, it was the thrill of a lifetime to give a TEDx talk and publish a book and help my husband Kevin with the launch of his new restaurant this summer (Pacific Standard Prime in Redondo Beach, for those in So Cal).
But it’s been challenging shepherding my son through his last few months, weeks and days of high school. Like seniors all over the country, he’s beyond ready to move on to the next thing.
In his case, it’s a bit of a different path. He’s been “scrimming” (practicing) with two esports teams in League of Legends. Now when he’s sitting on the couch with his headset on playing a video game, he’s actually doing a job and getting his first paychecks.
Our world is changing so quickly, it can be hard to keep up. But if the happiness I feel right now in thinking about friends and colleagues is any indication, one way for you to find happiness is to look for the good in others and amplify it in social media.
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