"Will you still respect me in the morning?"
Someone said to me the other day "I respect him, but I don't like him."
I had to think about that... One of my mentors had a great conversation with me about how "like" and "respect" were the same thing but respect was the business word. "Ok," I said. "But what about the grey zone where you pick up the phone to offer advance information or have a side discussion because you like someone? Does "respect" cover that?"
Conclusion: you can respect the folks you like but not necessarily like those you respect.
You don't have to want to take everyone you like home for dinner. There's something likeable about most folks - their tenacity, their directness, their choice of tea! Find that point of connection. One or two points allow you to form a bond for whatever purpose has thrown you together. If you're lucky and it's lots of connection points, the maybe they'll cross the wall to friend.
You just need to enjoy them in the context you know them. Like, respect and trust all grow in the same soil. While it's best to have all 3 for a true relationship in any context - I'm happy to build from 'like'.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Monday, October 5, 2009
What role does social media play? Part V
A few caveats
The grey zone is something I think is very cool. We bring more of ourselves to the table the more our worlds/communities/methodologies collide.
This also means you need to exert a little more judgment.
Be careful.
Do you really need the world to see the picture of your dog groomed to look like a panda? Is that part of the ‘you’ that your community(s) need to know?
Everything you post, write, comment etc. can be copied, perpetuated and stored. Like the advice to never write an email while tipsy – don’t add to the online field when you’re angry or tired. Even though the medium has become both location and time agnostic, doesn’t mean you can take an extra hour to think something over.
Privacy.
Respect the privacy of others. Check before you reprint or resend.
Respect your own privacy – there isn’t much left with all the applications, cameras and tweets out there! Somethings are better shared in person.
Understand the basics around privacy laws. Google is a great place to start as are many corporate webspaces.
One tool in the tool box.
Social media tools are valuable. However, they don’t mean you now give up or ignore other methods of communication. Don’t discard what is working; add to it!
The grey zone is something I think is very cool. We bring more of ourselves to the table the more our worlds/communities/methodologies collide.
This also means you need to exert a little more judgment.
Be careful.
Do you really need the world to see the picture of your dog groomed to look like a panda? Is that part of the ‘you’ that your community(s) need to know?
Everything you post, write, comment etc. can be copied, perpetuated and stored. Like the advice to never write an email while tipsy – don’t add to the online field when you’re angry or tired. Even though the medium has become both location and time agnostic, doesn’t mean you can take an extra hour to think something over.
Privacy.
Respect the privacy of others. Check before you reprint or resend.
Respect your own privacy – there isn’t much left with all the applications, cameras and tweets out there! Somethings are better shared in person.
Understand the basics around privacy laws. Google is a great place to start as are many corporate webspaces.
One tool in the tool box.
Social media tools are valuable. However, they don’t mean you now give up or ignore other methods of communication. Don’t discard what is working; add to it!
Friday, October 2, 2009
What role does social media play? Part IV
The role it plays will be personal
With all the articles, discussions and evolving platforms our there, we are all learning as we go.
Some folks are more advanced. Some are just learning what an RSS feed is. Many are in the middle. Try not to assume the levels of understanding/education in your audience. If the pitch/presentation/discussion is about the tool and not the content, you’re heading in the wrong direction.
There are thoughts that gender, age and learning style all play roles in the comfort and adoption of social media tools. Unfortunately generalizations take you down narrow paths. Grandparents text and teens do coffee meetings. We all want to be able to access our favourite sites regardless of being at work or at home because, chances are, those seemingly unrelated-to-my-day-job sites often are a source of information or inspiration that make us better at whatever we’re doing.
Sidebar….I wrote my master’s thesis on a typewriter! before inheriting a computer the size of a table top and now I can’t think/write on anything else but my iMac. (I once asked if there was a tutorial on how to use a mouse…I’m so ashamed…lol)
The point being that everyone wants and uses this technology. Just as we will justify one person’s expertise over another’s just because we like one person better, so folks will build business cases to get to the tools that help them tap into the greater flow of knowledge that is out there – regardless of on which site it might be found.
Which makes it personal. Personal because we are used to using it (imagine writing a calculus exam without that calculator today!). Personal because it means we can access information with ease to be successful in a task. Personal because it’s our link to the larger community of information and support. (see post June 09 It's not personal)
Which of course goes back to the big grey zone (see post Aug. 08) now created between the personal and professional.
More on the next post…
With all the articles, discussions and evolving platforms our there, we are all learning as we go.
Some folks are more advanced. Some are just learning what an RSS feed is. Many are in the middle. Try not to assume the levels of understanding/education in your audience. If the pitch/presentation/discussion is about the tool and not the content, you’re heading in the wrong direction.
There are thoughts that gender, age and learning style all play roles in the comfort and adoption of social media tools. Unfortunately generalizations take you down narrow paths. Grandparents text and teens do coffee meetings. We all want to be able to access our favourite sites regardless of being at work or at home because, chances are, those seemingly unrelated-to-my-day-job sites often are a source of information or inspiration that make us better at whatever we’re doing.
Sidebar….I wrote my master’s thesis on a typewriter! before inheriting a computer the size of a table top and now I can’t think/write on anything else but my iMac. (I once asked if there was a tutorial on how to use a mouse…I’m so ashamed…lol)
The point being that everyone wants and uses this technology. Just as we will justify one person’s expertise over another’s just because we like one person better, so folks will build business cases to get to the tools that help them tap into the greater flow of knowledge that is out there – regardless of on which site it might be found.
Which makes it personal. Personal because we are used to using it (imagine writing a calculus exam without that calculator today!). Personal because it means we can access information with ease to be successful in a task. Personal because it’s our link to the larger community of information and support. (see post June 09 It's not personal)
Which of course goes back to the big grey zone (see post Aug. 08) now created between the personal and professional.
More on the next post…
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