Category Archives: Communication

Common Roots: Shifting Context – Leadership Springs from Within

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What does a rubber chicken like this one? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have to do with a book like this one?  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well, Kimberly Wiefling (rubber chicken lady) met Linda Alepin (now author of above book) when they started their study of generative leadership as young professionals.  

Kimberly was inspired by the principles of vision, listening, and dreaming to become widely known in the leadership arena, particularly working with innovative Japanese companies.  

Linda took the same principles into industry, academia, founding a not for profit that worked with hundreds of people around the globe and, finally, to this book.  

Join Linda as the author (and Kimberly as a participant) on Friday, February 4 from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM PST (GMT -8).  You will hear stories of people from around the world who are featured in the book. 

It’s FREE.  Register at bit.ly/shifting-context-launch.

Shifting Context:  Leadership Springs from Within is available for pre-sale at Amazon https://amzn.to/3IHdJFS.  

Here is what Rayona Sharpnack had to say about the book:

“Shifting Context: Leadership Springs from Within is an important book at an important time in history. Research consistently shows that countries who seriously invest in women’s and girls’ empowerment get a dramatic return on their investment financially, socially, and in all ways that matter for a civil society. 

The women featured in this book are exemplars of that important investment! 

The book will inspire you, move you, and remind you of the hidden power that women have to make all of our lives better. Kudos to Linda and Barbara for their essential leadership in this movement for social entrepreneurship!”

 —Rayona Sharpnack, Founder/CEO at Institute for Gender Partnership and Women’s Leadership, Inc. 

These true stories of sheroes and heroes from around the world will inspire you.  They demonstrate how leadership that springs from within brings about real social change. 

If you are a passionate leader who wants to create greater impact do not miss this book launch and be sure to read the book. 

5 Ways to Ask for What You Want

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Contributed article in our professional empowerment series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

During a talk I was explaining the spirit of generosity, the final mindset in my book, The Connector’s Advantage. The idea of giving because you can, because you want to, giving because it feels good to you and without expectation of anything in return.  

My passionate please was interrupted when a woman in the audience loudly grumbled, “I’m tired of giving.” She threw her hands up in the air and continued, “No one ever gives back.” I paused quickly trying to determine why this could be happening to her. Then I questioned, “What have you asked for?” With a look of something between surprise and confusion she thought about it for a moment and then, a bit deflated said, “nothing.”

It is hard to ask for what you want, but you’ll never get it unless you do. I always say, “If you don’t ask, the answer is no. If you do ask, you immediately increase your odds.” We can’t expect others to read our minds and know what we want (and yes, that includes our significant others.) So, let’s talk about how to make ‘the ask’ easy so you can get what you want with the least amount of stress.

First, get clear on your fear. Are you worried you will come off as pushy or annoying? Do you feel guilty that you never did anything for them? Are you worried about jeopardizing the friendship or making them feel uncomfortable?

If any of these sounds familiar, choose a strategy to counter your concern. Below are five pressure-free ‘asks’ that snuff the stress out of these situations for you and the person you are asking the favor of.

The “Opt-Out Ask”
When you make this type of request, you will actually provide the reason why they may say no. You want to make ‘no’ as easy as saying yes. After all, yes feels good and no makes me want to avoid you. By making it easy to say ‘no’ you protect the relationship and leave the door open for a ‘yes’ down the road. For example, “I am interested in learning more about the day-to-day responsibilities of your job and the company you work for. Would you be available for an informational interview?  If you are too swamped with work, though, I understand.”Continue reading→

Residential IPs Help You to Ensure Unbiased Data and to Stay Competitive

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Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

An IP address can be compared to your regular address, but it is a virtual one. Each time you send a request to a web resource, it receives your IP. Do you know what information can be extracted from an IP? First of all, it is possible to extract your phone number and email. And from those one can extract name, country, birthdate, addresses that are in association etc.

There are different kinds of IPs: data center, mobile, residential, shared, rotated etc. They are called proxies. They act as an intermediate between you and your destination site and were created to mask your real IP. If you go with a residential IP as your proxy when surfing the Web in your residence, your real address will be hidden halfway to the destination site. The destination resource will see a completely new residential address.

Residential Proxies. Peculiarities

Residential accommodation reassigns requests that enter the Web from your device to a pool of residential addresses around the world. Thankfully to this it is possible to target not only up to the country, but even up to the city (if the service you have chosen is a quality service). The best services allow targeting even up to the mobile operator.Continue reading→

3 Ways to Inspire and Engage Your Audience

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Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – KimberlyYou can market your business all day, but if you’re sending your audience to snoozy town, then nobody will be going anywhere fast. 

Let’s face it: business can be boring! Say it aloud and remove its power over you! There is a lot about corporations and jobs that are just truly mind-numbingly dull, and it’s to be expected to a degree here and there. 

What’s not okay, though, is this consensus leaking through to your target audience. They need to be inspired, engaged, and ready to purchase, thinking you’re the best thing since sliced bread wherever possible. 

Therefore, here are 3 ways to inspire and engage your audience. Continue reading→

How to Stay Virtually Connected with Your Customers

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Contributed infographic in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Though the enforced quarantines in most areas have been lifted, it’s still going to be some time before things are back to business as usual. Because of the lack of in-person interaction between brands and businesses, keeping your audience engaged and invested online is more important than ever, or else you may risk getting lost in the shuffle. With the right tools at your disposal and some creative thinking, almost any company big or small can successfully pivot to a primarily online communication strategy.

Take a look at the visual guide from RentSpree below to learn about the types of tools you should be investing in that won’t break the bank, creative content ideas for social, and examples from big-name brands who successfully pivoted to virtual communication. For example, have you seen Nike’s “water bottle workouts” on TikTok for people who can’t make it to the gym, or Disneyland’s virtual rides? Check it out!

Please include attribution to RentSpree if you share this graphic.

How to Stay Virtually Connected with Your Customers

Managing your Career: A 3-Step Guide

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Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

There are over 130 million full-time employees in the United States. The main thing you need to do to keep yourself motivated as a full-time worker is to seek out advancement opportunities. Choosing the right career and adequately managing it is one of the most challenging tasks on the planet. If your career journey is leading out into the job-seeking world, you need to adequately prepare for this experience.

If you are about to start applying for new jobs in your industry, ResumeBuild suggests looking over your existing resume. The ResumeBuild website offers a number of appealing resume templates you can use. With the right template, you can make your resume more appealing to a hiring manager.

Image Source-Pixabay

Are you looking for helpful tips on how to manage your career? If so, check out the helpful tips below.Continue reading→

What’s a Shero and How To Become Your Own

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Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Sheroes can derive from all backgrounds and ages. Whether it is Greta Thunberg who is only a teenager devoting her life to stopping climate change or Arianna Huffington who has become one of the most accomplished business women in history, these women are sheroes by definition.

The term was coined during the suffrage movement in the 1836 but is more relevant than ever today: A woman who is admired or idealized for her courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities is considered a shero. These qualities seldomly come easy and are the result of hard work and dedication. To help you become your own shero, FTD has gathered nine tips from empowered women to set you in the right direction.

Take small steps but commit to the process and you’ll soon find yourself inspiring other women. Don’t forget to acknowledge the sheroes in your life by thanking them for being an inspiration and empowering women around them. By lifting each other up, we can create a supportive community that females across the globe will benefit from.

 

 

9 Leadership Skills of Successful Women to Make Them Stand Out

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Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Gender equality in the workplace is gaining momentum, offering many opportunities to women leaders. This is good news for women who have been plagued by harassment, salary inequality and feelings of insignificance for years. Katrina Lake, founder and CEO of Stitch Fix, and the youngest CEO to lead a public offering, believes that decision-makers are starting to realize that being more inclusive of women is simply good business. 

Cultural transformations are taking place but they need to be translated into actions, whether it’s acing a job interview, successfully re-entering the workplace after a period of staying at home with children or developing leadership skills. Here are some of the skills successful women leaders need to stand out. 

  • Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and manage our own emotions, and those of others around us. It involves empathy, self-awareness and social skills. Emotions should never get in the way when making decisions. The more a woman is able to relate to and work well with others, the more success she will have. Continue reading→

How Boomers & Millennials Should Communicate Infographic

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Contributed article in our business series. Enjoy! – Kimberly

Today’s workforce is becoming increasingly diverse, as members of Generation Z join Millennials, Gen X’ers, and Baby Boomers as the major age groups represented in the workplace. Though these different perspectives and backgrounds can create a great creative environment and lively discourse, it can also spark workplace conflict and disagreements and members of each generation struggle to understand one another. In order to promote workplace harmony and communication, it’s important to understand where your coworkers are coming from. Take a look at the visual below for a summary of the core values and work ethic for each generation, along with general communication tips to keep in mind for the workplace.

A Leader