Archive for the ‘Networking’ Category

A bit off-target for my blog, I have seen this basic question come up at least four times in recent weeks.  Many job seekers, increasingly hungry for work, have begun to adopt a, “I’ll work anywhere there’s work…” mindset.

This mindset certainly seems reasonable if you’re in Michigan.  For the first time in 10 years, Michigan is expected to have positive job growth. Imagine.  A new University of Michigan economic forecast, just out, is now being discussed.  For a state that’s lost 855,000 jobs in the past 10 years (since June, 2000), 230,000+ last year alone, state job growth is forecast to increase for the first time.  With only 20K new jobs expected next year, moving anywhere, somewhere, certainly seems a requirement for many.

The question may be where?  And, how do you decide?

Should you consider the unemployment rate before jumping?  The short answer is Yes. Among other things…

Read the rest of this entry »

[Hey! They made me:)] I’m rather tickled actually.  This week I received word that Alltop has added this blog (www.jtpedersen.net) to their Leadership section.

This is something of a big deal for me, personally.  It shows you’re not alone in feeling there’s content here worth reading…adding value.

So, here’s my thanks to Alltop, to Guy Kawasaki & Team, for including www.jtpedersen.net in an increasingly important site.

Cheers!

I’m pleased to let everyone know, March 17, I will be speaking at the It’s a Duesy II Manufacturing Revival Conference.  You’re encouraged to come.

Dennis Jeffrey of Tekni Consulting is the event’s organizer.  Heading into 2010, we begin to catch our breaths, having simply survived 2009.

Now, is the time for revival!  But, not revival just as a dictionary would describe it.  One definition is, ‘…restoration to use…’  We need not to simply revive, restore, or return to pre-‘09 conditions, we need to find ways to thrive, to strengthen ourselves and move forward positively.  With this in mind, I was happy to accept Dennis’ invitation to speak.

My discussion is part of the event’s Management track, focusing on Change.

The world around us continues to evolve; nothing new there.  But many organizations, even as they change what they look like, have largely stayed the same inside.  Social, technical, global evolution has now come so far organizations simply have no choice but to finally begin changing who they are inside.

Register Now! Early Bird Pricing until February 15th! Price is only $89/ person, group rates available.

For those of you who have followed my blog, you understand that my focus is on providing thoughtful business leadership.  Come listen as I discuss areas often neglected by leaders, allowed to fall by the wayside, which are increasingly important in today’s world—areas that need to change.

In preparation for this event, I am actively interviewing business leaders and soliciting input—including yours, dear reader.  I encourage you to provide your input regarding how businesses need to change in order to thrive, moving forward.  Feel free to Comment, or send me an email (results@jtpedersen.net).

Earlier this week, Israel García wrote an engaging post, Social Media With Ease.  He also reframed the title as a question, which I found particularly intriguing.

It is an interesting question and something I have previously thought about as well.  Why is it, so many people feel uncomfortable discussing social media?

Discomfort discussing Social Media stems from two basic issues.

First, most folks still do not have even a rudimentary grasp as to what ‘social media’ is. Gaining an understanding is made more difficult by those ‘in the know’ professing ‘everyone is using’ a particular item.  For instance, I’ve been to a number of social media presentations, or presentations having a related segment, where the presenter boldly states, ‘Everyone’s using Twitter…’ or the like. Fast Company’s November ‘09 issue Read the rest of this entry »

This is a question that shows up in discussion periodically. For moto-enthusiasts, it’s about the same as starting a discussion on tire pressures, what oil to use, how often to change it, and so on. There are countless answers, an endless number of experts to given them, yet they all fall short. The reason is that there is no absolute answer. It is akin to asking, “…what should be in my resume?” Once you’ve decided what it is you want to do, then what you put in the resume starts to speak for itself. Read the rest of this entry »

‘Removing Technical Impediments to Business Success,’ has clearly represented what I do, for a long time. In many ways it still does. But over time my focus has become more business, more leadership oriented, leveraging my comfort with technology rather than focusing on it.

Today, I am pleased to re-launch my blog, and my brand, focusing on Thoughtful Business Leadership!

The decision to adjust my branding, how I represent myself to you, came after a number of conversations with friends and colleagues. In particular, I would like to thank Susanne C., Andrew Stein, Paul Chandler, and my wife, Kimberly. Each of them were immensely helpful.

There are a couple challenges with Removing Technical… First, it was too long. A shorter message, more easily remembered, and without any potential hidden meaning was needed. Second, ‘technical’ for many folks seems to equate directly to ‘IT.’ Depending on what ‘IT’ meant to someone, I might immediately become mentally pigeon-holed as a ‘network admin,’ a ‘DBA,’ or similar.

Let’s look at the three words briefly.

• Thoughtful: Having intellectual depth; paying closing attention; considerate of feelings and well-being of others (above and below).
• Business: Principal activity.
• Leadership: Applying knowledge, wisdom, and common sense while influencing and motivating others.

So, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while (thank you), the general focus remains the same, the tagline’s simply more well-aligned.

“The New Rules of Marketing & PR”
by David Meerman Scott
ISBN:  978-0-471-37928-8

Becoming a  professional book reviewer or critic isn’t my desire, nor a core focus of this site.  Just in case you wonder;).  However I have been surprised from time to time by the people indicating they appreciate my write-ups.

If you are even remotely attuned to what’s going on in the world around us, particularly the online world, you have likely developed your own hodge-podge of knowledge.  Perhaps you have picked up bits o’ info about viral marketing, online media or ‘social’ media, blogging, podcasting, and the like.  Quite likely, you’re also wondering about the difference between online media, social media, and social networking.  If so, you’re also curious about how they intertwine; how to leverage them; and, what the heck does it mean to you!

David Meerman Scott has put together a 286 page book that does a masterful job of showing the reader just how all the pieces can work together.  For instance, people wonder why he uses ‘Meerman,’ Read the rest of this entry »

The question was raised earlier this week and I thought it’d make a useful post.

Before asking how to use Twitter (or any other similar service), I think you really need to be able to answer the question: Why?

What is your business goal? Clearly defining the business goal takes you a significant (95% ?) of the way toward defining how you want to use Twitter, FB, or any of the others. What business are you in? This defines which social networks you want to focus on. Maybe Twitter’s not where you’ll get the best bang for your buck; just because it’s trendy doesn’t mean it’s all there is.

Assuming you have some business goals, Read the rest of this entry »