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#Leadership : How To Build A #Community Around Your Business (And Why You Should)…You already Onboard #NewHires . Why Not Do the Same with Customers, Users, Fans, and other Stakeholders?

May 3, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Whether you know it or not, your business has a community. It could be a formal membership–maybe you offer a subscription-based product, for instance–or just a collection of loyal fans or customers that you should be treating like a community, if you want to stand apart from your competitors.

How you treat new community members within the first 30 to 60 days will determine whether or not you keep them in the fold. And for every growing business, customer retention is the holy grail: According to Bain researchers, increasing customer retention by just 5% can boost profits by as much as 25%–95%. For this reason, I geek out on the onboarding experience we offer our clients. Here are some favorite strategies every business, large or small, should consider trying out.

CONNECT WITH MEMBERS’ “PYRAMIDS OF INFLUENCE”

Most brands don’t think beyond collecting phone numbers and email addresses. At The Community Company, which helps brands build communities around their products and services, we find we’re able to boost engagement by at least 25% just by requesting contact information, not just for our immediate clients, but also for the people who impact how they spend their time or money. In other words, to turn customers into community members–and to grow the community overall–ask not just, “Who are you?” but also, “Who do you know?”

For example, a personal assistant can help you get an entrepreneur’s attention for a task that needs completing or a benefit you’re offering. We’ve also found that community members’ public relations and marketing people are often eager to take advantage of our services. It’s not about nagging your existing customers to do word-of-mouth marketing on your behalf–it’s about asking for an opportunity to leverage relationships that already exist. To cultivate them further, consider sending these influencers handwritten notes to make them feel valued and connected to you.

OFFER INSTANT OPPORTUNITIES

After a member joins your community, its your job to keep them engaged. Don’t bombard them with emails. Opt for few strategically spaced-out messages on how to navigate your platform or take advantage of special features. And if you have additional products or services, now is the time to offer them.

At Young Entrepreneur Council, for example, we immediately direct new members to a web page featuring deals and discounts we’ve negotiated, knowing that they’re most excited about reaping the benefits of membership after they first join. But you need to think of this as an onboarding process–a means of helping people who’ve already opted into your services figure out how to get the most out of them. We’re careful to avoid the hard sell (or, worse, the upsell), which is always counterproductive.

ASK OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS . . .

The one question our Member Concierge team is prohibited from asking members is, “How can I help you?” It’s well-intentioned but rarely gets a response with any meaningful data. People often feel too vulnerable to ask for help, or simply don’t know all the ways you might be able to lend a hand. If you’re dealing with a group of ambitious executives, better questions (depending on what kinds of products you offer, of course) might be, “What are you working on right now that you’re really excited about?” or, “What skills do you have that may be useful to your fellow community members?”

These open-ended questions will give your members a chance to build social capital in your group. The responses will also give you meaningful insights into your new members, particularly if you learn to read between the lines. Connecting the dots is a fundamental element of any community-building effort.

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. . . AND SPECIFIC ONES

After all, the more information your members share with you, the better you’ll be able to serve them. So don’t hesitate to get into particulars (the worst that can happen is a community member declines to respond).

If you have a community of business owners, you might ask them to share revenue (or at least a range), or ask if they have venture funding. Even a less confidential metric, such as number of employees, will allow you to estimate the size of their company. For, say, a community of rock climbers, you may ask how advanced their climbing skills are, what their most challenging climbs have been, or where they plan to climb next.

All this can help you arrange offline interactions among your most passionate fans. You should also ask your new members where they frequently travel. If you’ve got members who bounce between new York and Los Angeles quite a bit, wouldn’t it be to everyone’s advantage to connect those members with one another?

Collecting this kind of information–always with consent from your members, of course–allows you to make connections between people in your group, know what additional services you can offer them, and how to communicate with them as an ongoing member of your community. You can’t do most of that just by tweaking a sales funnel.

Ryan Paugh is the COO of The Community Company, an organization that builds community-driven programs for media companies and global brands. He is also the coauthor of Superconnector: Stop Networking and Start Building Business Relationships That Matter.

FastCompany.com | May 3, 2018 | Ryan Paugh

Your #Career : Ask These 3 Questions To Learn Something New At Any #CareerStage …You Need to Shake Off your Inertia Before you Can Start to Vacuum Up New Knowledge and Skills. This Quick Exercise in Self-Examination can Help you Do That.

May 3, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Forget what you’ve heard about old dogs and new tricks. Even if it were true–and it isn’t–it wouldn’t help you out. The fact is that you’ll need to adapt in order to thrive in the future workplace. And the good news is that our minds are wired with an unquenchable desire to learn, whether we recognize it or not.

To help you tap into your learning potential, keep these three fundamental questions on standby–and revisit them whenever you start feeling worried that your skills or knowledge might be getting stale.

1. AM I STUCK IN A RUT?

Sometimes it can be hard to tell, unless you take a step back to consider it. Think about any habits or patterns you’ve fallen into: Do they feel tedious, dull, and less productive than they could be? Do your work routines feel hard to change, even if you wanted to? Take a hard look at your daily, weekly, and monthly to-do lists: Are you doing the same things over and over again, but not making career progress? Are you talking to the same people, doing the same tasks, and sitting at the same desk day after day?

Picking up new skills and knowledge can help you shake things up and eventually move forward. But first you’ve got to just switch up your routine. Try getting up an hour earlier, taking on a passion project (something you’ve been meaning to dip into for the last few years but just haven’t yet), making new friends, or setting one new goal for yourself–and ditching an old one. Avoid ruminating over how long–or why–you’ve been in the rut. Just start taking the steps necessary to get out of it.

2. WHAT AM I REALLY AFRAID OF?

Career-related fears can be downright paralyzing no matter how far along you are in your professional life. When the change you’re contemplating involves a financial impact, lifestyle adjustments, or what other people might think, there’s a chance you’re exaggerating the negative consequences and failing to act as a result.

So start small. Always been interested in learning more about data analysis but haven’t found the time? Find a class online or at your local community college that you can take at your own pace. Think some new photography skills might add to your portfolio as a creative professional? A nearby workshop, short-term class, or instructional session can help you get started. Once you make change a priority–and take a clear step toward it–those initial fears will start to look like speed bumps instead of towering obstacles. You’ll be able to tackle unfamiliar new experiences headfirst, knowing it will just take a little effort to ramp up the learning process.

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3. DO I HAVE THE RIGHT HEROES?

No one’s an island, as the saying goes, and it’s good news for picking up new skills at any stage of your career. Mentors, coaches, bosses, and colleagues are all good candidates to help you along. Don’t hesitate to reach out–or consider whether you know the right people to reach out to in the first place. If you don’t, think more broadly than your existing network (but also refresh your networking efforts): Your “heroes” can include authors, athletes, entrepreneurs, inventors, or public servants–folks you might not know personally, but whose ideas and instruction can help you chart a new direction.

For whatever reason, we tend to give up on the idea of “role models” after early adulthood; once we start mentoring younger people, it may feel odd to hold others up as your own “heroes.” That’s a mistake. Anyone you can gain insight or knowledge from–whether it’s through firsthand conversation, webinars, books, or any other medium–counts as a career hero who can help you progress. Study their work, learn what makes them successful, figure out who theirmentors are, and then apply those lessons in your own life.

Prying yourself out of familiarity or mediocrity isn’t always easy, but it’s completely doable at any age or experience level. Challenge yourself to do something new and even a little scary every day, and you’ll start to feel revitalized. But it all starts with a little introspection. When things get boring or monotonous, ask yourself these three questions so you can set a new course.

FastCompany.com | May 3, 2018 | BY FAISAL HOQUE 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : 14 Everyday Habits That Drain Your Energy…Here are 14 Bad Habits that are Easy to Justify in the Moment, But are Hurtful in the Long Term.

May 2, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Habits are the foundation of who we are as a person and as a professional. We are the product of our everyday habits, and we choose every day whether we want to improve ourselves, maintain excellence or contribute to our own discontent. But first we must be aware of bad habits, so we can take the necessary steps to change them.

Here are 14 bad habits that are easy to justify in the moment, but are hurtful in the long term:

1- Taking Things Personally

When you attribute every interaction a person has with you to how they feel about you, it’s exhausting and more often than not it’s not correct. Chances are, it’s not about you, and you’re not helping the situation by taking it personally. Nat taking things personally will save you a lot of stress and your workplace a lot of needless strain.

2- Holding On To The Past

The past is what it is, there isn’t utility to holding grudges or being angry. The only person you’re impacting by holding on to the past is you. So let things go, if not for them, then for you.

3- Always Checking Email & Social Media

If someone has to wait a couple of hours for an email, then they wait. The world won’t end, so relax.

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4- Constantly Worrying

Worrying does not solve the problem. If something is out of your hands, then it’s out of your hands and there is no point in worrying about it. If there is something you can do about it, then stop worrying and take action. Worrying is a waste of energy, focus on what you can control.

5- Negativity

If you are negative you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. You are not only draining your energy, you’re draining your colleagues’ energy, the workplace’s energy, your friends’ and family’s energy, etc. It is not productive, so try and focus on the positive.

6- Sleeping Too Much

Sleeping too much does not increase your energy, create energy reserves or make you more present when you are awake. It has the opposite impact, too much sleep makes you lethargic. That being said, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, seven to eight hours a night, as it is a major contributor to your health and energy.

7- Poor Diet

You know what I’m about to say, if you’re eating too much sugar, carbs and trans fat you’re just giving energy away to snacks and meals. Be thoughtful about what you eat, eat food that gives you energy, like greens, lean protein and healthy fats, not food that takes it away.

8- Complaining

By complaining you are not only projecting negativity, but you’re forcing the people around you to work in spite of it. No one wants to be around the person who complains about everything. Do not be a part of the problem, be a part of the solution, because people do not want to hear it. Do something productive instead.

10- Not Following Through

Promising a friend, a colleague or your boss something and not following through, you create more stress, anxiety and work for yourself on the back end, and it depletes your self-esteem. Do what you say you are going to do, when you say you will do it and you will have more energy and self-esteem.

11- Being A Passenger

Being a passenger in your own life and career makes you feel like you are tagging along on your own life. Seize control and get in the driver’s seat. No one is going to care more about your life and career than you will, so if you are unhappy, seize control and change your life.

12- Overthinking

Once you have thought things through and you make a decision, stand by it. Overthinking things is usually unproductive and just creates needless stress. Square with whatever risk you take with making a certain decision, do what you can to mitigate it, and then follow through. Overthinking doesn’t create a better outcome, it just drains your energy while you’re executing a tough decision, which isn’t good for you.

13- Gossiping And Participating In Drama

Discussing and creating drama does nothing to advance or career or build better relationships with your colleagues and friends. It is wasting energy on something that likely has nothing to do with you and is not any of your business. Don’t expend energy discussing other people, or trying to make their life more difficult by causing drama. Put that energy into your own self-care and self-improvement.

14- Unhealthy Relationships

In addition to not complaining, not gossiping and not causing drama, you should not surround yourself with people who do those things. They are toxic, and chances are, if they are talking about people behind their back, they are talking about you too. Surround yourself with people who are positive, and who dedicate their energy to their own excellence and lifting up those around them.

15- Constantly Trying To Please Others

You will never please everyone, so it’s best to just try and please yourself. Are you happy and proud of who you are? That’s all that matters, if some people do not like you when you’re at your best, that is not your issue, that is theirs.

Forbes.com | May 2, 2018 | Frances Bridges , CONTRIBUTOR

Your #Career : Why You Didn’t Get the #Job Even After You Had a Great #Interview …Unfortunately, this Happens More Often than One Might Think, but There are Reasons for It, and Sometimes it Might Not have Anything to Do with You.

May 2, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

It’s happened to the best of us. You walk out of an interview feeling great but don’t end up securing the position. Unfortunately, this happens more often than one might think, but there are reasons for it, and sometimes it might not have anything to do with you.

You weren’t right for the position

According to the Society for Human Resource Management, the result of poor culture fit due to turnover can cost an organization between 50-60% of the person’s annual salary. Even if you had a great interview, it’s possible that the interviewer didn’t feel that you would mesh well in the company culture, or that you simply wouldn’t fit with the role perfectly.

Companies have to be extremely strategic when it comes to hiring, so if an interviewer or hiring manager has any inkling that you might not be the best candidate to fill the role (even if you had a great interview) they will likely go with someone else.

Budget constraints

Budget constraints can have a big impact on a company, particularly within the hiring sector. If finances have become difficult, a company may impart a temporary hiring freeze. This allows companies to save money on new hires, and potentially restructure positions and redistribute job duties so there’s no need for additional or unnecessary positions. Unfortunately, times (and finances) can change quickly so a hiring freeze might be put into place during or after the interview process.

Companies rarely want to acknowledge financial hardship to the public, therefore if this is the case, you probably won’t get much of an answer as to why you didn’t get the job after a great interview.

The company decided to fill the position internally

Companies often will post positions publically even when they intend on hiring internally. While there aren’t laws stating this requirement, union or civil service agreements may encourage employers to post jobs publically.

Additionally, it may have just been about timing and ease of onboarding. If you had a great interview, but an internal candidate declared interest in the position, hiring internally might have simply been easier. Internal candidates are already familiar with company culture, often need less training, and research suggests that external hires earn 18-20% more than existing employees promoted to similar positions.

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Someone else edged you out

There’s not much more to this. You might have had a great interview, but there’s always a chance that another candidate interviewed better than you or edged you out in some way. Chalk it up to experience, and take note of the successful parts of the interview. Note what you did well, and where you can improve next time.

You didn’t meet one (or more) of the qualifications

Having a great interview can have a huge impact on hiring decisions, but sometimes if you don’t hold one or more of the required qualifications, a great interview isn’t enough to land you the job.

If you have 85% of the requirements listed, you should still absolutely apply for the position, but keep in mind that some requirements are more important than others. Think certifications and specialized training. Ultimately, even if you had a great interview and most of the requirements, there could be another candidate who interviewed equally well with all of the qualifications. Hiring can come down to splitting hairs, and at the end of the day, if you don’t hold the necessary requirements of the job you’re applying to, you might not be able to land the job.

Interviews can make or break you, but they aren’t the only factor that goes into hiring decisions. You might have had a great interview, but there are a slew of other factors which could impact why you didn’t get the job.

8 Expert-Approved Tips for How to Find a Job Today

GlassDoor.com | May 2, 2018 | Posted by Michele Lando

#Leadership : 3 Ways Managers Can Empower #TeamMembers With #MentalHealth Struggles… My views on #MentalHealth went Viral in a Tweet Last Summer – and Revealed just How Taboo the Topic is, Especially in the #Workplace .

May 2, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

The stigma of mental illness never made much sense to Ben Congleton, CEO of live-chat software maker Olark.

He’d grown up with kids whose lives improved after they received treatment for their illnesses. He knows one in five U.S. adults experiences mental illness in a given year. He’s always understood mental health is as important as physical health.

So he was shocked when his views on mental health went viral in a tweet last summer – and revealed just how taboo the topic is, especially in the workplace.

Last June, Olark staffer Madalyn Parker emailed her team to let them know she was “taking today and tomorrow to focus on my mental health.” Congleton replied to Parker privately, thanking her for not only taking the days but for being open about it: “You are an example to us all, and help cut through the stigma so we can all bring our whole selves to work.”

Parker tweeted the exchange with Congleton’s permission, and it garnered tens of thousands of retweets, likes, and responses.

“Madalyn and I received lots of notes of support, but what surprised and saddened me was how many people commented that this is rare,” Congleton says. “So many people told me they would fear judgment, or even that they would be fired. It was an eye-opener for me about this broad societal challenge that we all need to overcome.” Congleton published a brief note on Medium in response to the attention, encouraging employers to express gratitude to their teams and reflect on their organizations’ values.

Below, he shares with Glassdoor the three steps managers can take to engender a culture of openness, promote mental health, and support team members.

“I wish there were some magic words to say, but it doesn’t happen overnight,” Congleton says. “It’s about consciously and constantly creating an environment of trust, which takes work – but it’s worth it in so many ways.”

“Prioritizing trust, gratitude, and caring about a staffer’s whole self is not a one-and-done endeavor,” he says. “We’re talking about changing work culture and ingrained societal stigma. That progress happens only with more dialogue and more action.”

Olark’s structure is one that inherently requires trust and flexibility; managers can’t hover over desks because the team is fully remote, with staffers across three continents. So if staffers hit the gym for two hours in the middle of the day and get their work done in the evening, that’s just fine by Olark management.

Congleton understands that flex scheduling – or other Olark perks like unlimited vacation – may not be possible for every organization or every position, establishing values of underlying trust is what’s key. “You can focus on output and outcomes, measuring not the employee’s exact hours but their impact on the business,” he explains.

When your team feels that they’re being judged for their work and appreciated for a job well done, “incredible things happen,” Congleton says. “Once you have that strong cultural framework in place, people feel trusted and supported so they’re willing to be open.” That’s why Olark’s frank discussions about mental health challenges happened “without being super deliberate,” as Congleton puts it. As it has been revealed by our research company, it should be noted that Levitra does not have any effect on the quality of sperm, and therefore does not affect the fertilization of the egg. All this must be taken into account. It is especially so if you want to have children, and you do not get them. You should not have high hopes for Levitra, because its main task is to strengthen male strength, but not to affect the productivity of sperm. It is better to consult a doctor so that he prescribes the most effective medicines for it.

As an added bonus, Congleton finds the culture of trust breeds higher performance. “People are more willing to take risks and to stretch themselves, and we’ve found they perform even better for you. When people are happier, their lives are better and their work reflects it. It’s a win-win that just makes sense.”

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Model the openness you want to see in your staffers.

As a leader, you set the tone for acceptable and expected behavior — so if you want your team to feel free to share, open up a bit yourself. That doesn’t mean you need to dish about every detail of your personal life. A friend of Congleton’s, for example, “started every management meeting with a little game: ‘If you really knew me you would know…’ and he’d talk about something going on with him that was new, or something hanging over his head. Childcare got messed up, traffic was frustrating, whatever. And then they’d go around the room.”

The game inspired Congleton for two key reasons: “It normalizes that behavior of sharing what you’re bringing to the job in that moment, which is huge. And it’s done in a tactical way: You’re not putting someone on the spot, just allowing them to open up just a little bit in a manner that makes them feel comfortable.”

Modeling behavior extends to self-care, too. “Depending on the culture in an organization, people might be concerned that taking a few days off — even after a super-busy time – is implied weakness,” Congleton explains. “That’s a great opportunity to demonstrate it as a leader: ‘Hey, team, that last sprint took it all out of me. I’m going to take an extra day to reflect and recharge, and I recommend you do too.’ That speaks volumes.”

Proactively share resources, and seek expert help when needed.

Just like physical health, mental health is complex. Avail yourself of resources like Congleton’s favorite: Open Sourcing Mental Illness, which focuses on changing stigma within the tech community but offers guidelines and research that are applicable across sectors. If you find a great article extolling the benefits of taking a mental health day, fully unplugging while on vacation, etc., email it to your team with a quick note about why you think it’s important.

And if a staffer is going through mental health issues, tap internal resources like HR for assistance. “Serious mental health challenges are serious health challenges, period,” Congleton notes. “Your typical manager is not going to be an expert in mental health, and that’s OK.”

These three steps aren’t necessarily linear, and they can’t be treated like a simple checklist, Congleton explains.

“Prioritizing trust, gratitude, and caring about a staffer’s whole self is not a one-and-done endeavor,” he says. “We’re talking about changing work culture and ingrained societal stigma. That progress happens only with more dialogue and more action.”

GlassDoor.com | May 1, 2018 | Posted by Julianne Pepitone

#Leadership : How To Build A #ProductiveTeam (And Weed Out #ToxicBehavior )…Whitney Johnson’s new book, Build An A-Team, is Based in Understanding where Collaborators are on their Learning Curves.

May 1, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Whitney Johnson isn’t afraid to challenge people to be their best selves. From her books Dare, Dream, Do, to Disrupt Yourself, Johnson puts forth a framework for innovation that starts with empowering the individual to take charge of making change. It’s something she’s learned from personal experience.

Originally a classically trained pianist, Johnson went on to become an equity analyst on Wall Street despite having no financial background. Between speaking engagements, writing, mentoring, and advising startups, Johnson also co founded the Disruptive Innovation Fund with Harvard Business School’s Clayton Christensen.

In her latest book, Build an A-Team, Johnson discusses her experience and advice for creating the most productive collaborations. Here’s her advice for building an innovative team and weeding out toxic behavior.

Fast Company: What was the most challenging team you’ve ever been on?

Whitney Johnson: I was still working on Wall Street, I had been an award-winning stock analyst for about eight years and effectively at the top of my learning curve. I loved to coach and mentor people, so I went to [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][my boss] and said I wanted to go into the management track. Rather than being supportive, he was dismissive and discouraging, basically saying, ‘We like you right where you are.’ This is a big challenge that plays out in companies all over the world every day. People get to the point where they are ready to disrupt themselves, but the ecosystem makes it impossible, even though they may have a great boss. It’s basically the “innovator’s dilemma” but with people.

FC: How did you resolve the dynamic?

WJ: I left.

FC: Is there such thing as a bad team? Or is it only a matter of getting a good manager/leader who can make it good?

WJ: There is such thing as a bad team. Sometimes you have bad players who are toxic–and we all can be toxic at different times, it’s not that a particular person is toxic in every situation. But often you get people not performing well, and/or they’re in the wrong role. Other times, frequently there is a strong performer who got to the top of their learning curve after four or five years on the job, and they’re bored and they start to underperform. They may feel they paid their dues and are entitled. That impacts everybody on the team.

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FC: What’s the best way to deal with that?

WJ: If there is truly a toxic player, you need to weed them out. Otherwise, recognize that every single person is on a learning curve, including you. You build a great team by optimizing those curves. At any given time you have 70% of the people on the steep part of the learning curve, and 15% who are on the low end asking questions like, ‘Why are we doing this?’

The other 15% are people at the high end who aren’t necessarily innovating, but who are willing to set the pace by teaching, training, and collaborating. They know that shortly they will jump to a new curve of learn, leap, repeat, continuing the cycle. You have to constantly have people in a slot either learning a little more, or getting ready to learn again, then you’ve got people who are engaged, happy, and productive.

FC: What do you personally look for in others when collaborating, and how would you advise others to seek the same?

WJ: A lack of entitlement. A lack of either, ‘I’ve paid dues,’ or somehow I am owed for something. A willingness to learn and be humble enough to say I don’t know how to do everything, and I’m willing to learn from every person, not just my betters. To demonstrate domain expertise and excellence around the work they’re doing. A willingness to show up and be all in.

One of the ways you know people are excited to work with you is that they ask you questions about the work, and not about what’s in it for them. One advantage of the gig economy is working on short-term projects with someone. To me, that is the best way to test if they are all in.

FC: How would you hire to build a great team?

WJ: Look for the questions they ask to see if they are invested in the business. Ask them about times in their career or at school that they’ve taken a step back to slingshot forward, or if they were pushed back and what that looked like.

This will show how self-aware they are if they are taking ownership, or if it is someone else’s fault. You will see how agile and nimble they are, which is required for disrupting. Then talk about something that’s not worked and what the return on investment of it was. You’ll be able to see resilience, and how intact their sense of identity is if their failure is an event and not a person.

FC: How would you advise someone who’s contemplating joining a team to make the right decision?

WJ: Bosses are pretty good at telling you what you want to hear about a job, and it all looks really exciting. Ask the manager where the people are who worked for them in the past, and what they are doing today. Ask if there were women or people of color on those teams. Ask if they helped them to get to where they are–even if they moved to another organization–and if they are proud of them. That is the person you want to be working for, because this boss will make it possible for you to jump to a new learning curve.

FastCompany.com | May 1, 2018 | Lydia Dishman

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#Leadership : My Mom With Alzheimer’s Needed Me. My Business Did, Too…Unexpected and Unasked-for Lessons in #Caregiving –In Work, Life, and Death.

May 1, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

When my mother was officially diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, in 2014, she was 86 and already at a late stage of her disease. I was hard at work running my brand marketing agency, and knew I’d need to scale things back in order to care for her. I trimmed my client list and planned for the company’s finances to tighten. But I could never have fully readied myself for the experience ahead.

Anyone who’s cared for a loved one with Alzheimer’s knows all too well the pain, frustration, and suffering experienced by both patient and caregiver. Many of us must also hold down a job or keep a business running while managing doctors, home health workers, finances, legal documents, prescriptions, food shopping, equipment rentals and, of course, just spending time with your ailing relative. Then there are the minor details of your own personal life, which can instantly fall to the bottom of your never-ending to-do list.

It was much later that I noticed there was something else–unexpected and unasked-for–to be gained from the devastating experience of watching my mother disappear into someone else: I’d learned several lessons in caregiving that have profoundly changed how I live and work ever since.

ALWAYS STOP TO ASK, “HOW IMPORTANT IS THIS?”

At the beginning of my mother’s decline, I tended to correct every erroneous statement she made:

“I didn’t have any lunch.”

“Yes you did, Mom. You ate 20 minutes ago.”

I would battle it out over and over, as she asserted and I counter-asserted. I finally learned to say nothing, or just “Okay, we’ll give you lunch in 15 minutes”–which she would promptly forget.

This experience was painful, but I think of it often these days, as a reminder to choose my battles. You can’t fight every available fight. It’s more important to save the heavy protesting for misguided thinking that can have a real negative impact. Just winning an argument doesn’t win you much.

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What Skill Sets do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

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FLEXIBILITY IS THE BEST TIME-MANAGEMENT STRATEGY

The best-laid plans for completing long to-do lists often go awry, especially when there’s an emergency–whether it’s when a parent has an accident that requires a hospital visit, or a public-relations calamity with a client. I had a high-profile restaurant client who received the occasional bomb threat. Try prioritizing just three must-do tasks per day when you’re dealing with that. Everything I accomplished beyond that felt like a huge achievement, and I learned not to berate myself for failing to get to non-urgent tasks.

FORGIVE YOURSELF

If you make a mistake–and you absolutely will, in business or in caregiving–own up to it and move on. Toward the end of her life, I accidentally gave my mother an extra dose of morphine; she slept for 24 hours straight. Assuming it occurred despite your best intentions, self-forgiveness rather than self-condemnation is the way forward. Mistakes are just about inevitable when you’re emotionally drained and stretched thin. We’re all human, and we do better work when we’re feeling confident and good about ourselves in the face of challenges–rather than beating ourselves up over them.

TAKE TIME OFF

Pride in a relentless work schedule and no vacation is short-sighted and just plain stupid. Caring for my mother, I felt at first that time off was a luxury I just shouldn’t afford, but I soon realized I needed it in order to care for her. It’s a crucial lifeline for staying sane and recharging, which carries into your work life in the form of refreshed perspectives and space for new ideas and strategy tweaks.

That’s all the more true now that digital tools make it possible to be available virtually 24/7; time off should still always mean actually going offline. Whether it’s to do your best work and remind your boss that you’re essential or to endure the stresses of caregiving, you’ll need to unplug every now and then.

REMEMBER THAT IT WON’T ALWAYS BE THIS WAY

As a caregiver, there will be times when you simply want to give up, or cry, or throw something. When you just want to run away and make someone else do it. Likewise with difficult clients or projects. Tomorrow is a new day, and there will be other goals to meet, small victories, or moments of emotional connection or clarity you couldn’t have anticipated–with an Alzheimer’s patient or with a client.

But perhaps the biggest lesson I learned after saying goodbye to my mother and returning, steadily, to my business was this: This is your life, wherever you are, and it’s going by. So stop and step back for a moment. Take a breath. Then take one step forward. Life goes on.

Val Brown is the CEO of Val Brown Group, a brand strategy, marketing, and licensing consultancy working with retail, restaurant, music, entertainment, lifestyle, and nonprofit clients.

Fast Company.com | May 1, 2018 | BY VAL BROWN 3 MINUTE READ

Your #Career : How to #Negotiate Beyond the Raise You Were Offered? ….You Get a Strong Review and the Same Old Mediocre 2% Merit Increase you Got Last Year. That’s Disappointing. Is There Anything you Can Do?

April 30, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

It’s been a long year. You changed teams, picked up new projects, started mentoring a couple junior developers, wrote a couple spectacular white papers, or any number of other productive things.

If you follow these five steps and find that a larger raise isn’t available within a reasonable timeline, you may need to begin looking for better opportunities with more flexibility to pay you what you’re worth.

Now it’s performance review season, and you’re looking forward to a stellar review accompanied by a nice merit increase to reward all your hard work.

But that’s not how things turn out. Instead, you get a strong review and the same old mediocre 2% merit increase you got last year.

That’s disappointing. Is there anything you can do?

How do you negotiate a raise in addition to your merit increase?

Your instinct might be to march into your boss’ office and demand a bigger raise. To make a statement and get what’s rightfully yours!

That probably won’t end well, so it’s time to slow it down and make a plan.

Step 1: Set your expectations

First things first, let’s level set: It may not be possible to negotiate a raise in addition to your merit increase right now.

By the time your manager told you about that 2% raise, the company’s merit increase budget had been divvied up and things were pretty much written in stone. The company made a budget, then parsed it out among the business units, which divided their piece of the budget up among departments, which divided that budget up among managers.

Your manager did the best they could to be fair to everyone, and out tumbled your 2% merit increase.

If it’s even possible to change that amount, a lot of pieces would need to be moved around. It’s probably not going to happen.

Step 2: Do your homework so your manager doesn’t have to

But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ask! Most likely, your manager will let you know there’s no additional budget right now, but maybe they’ll be able to work with you to make something happen now or down the road.

Before you ask for a raise in addition to your merit increase, I recommend establishing the following three things:

Your target salary—What is the specific raise amount you feel you have earned? You’ll start with your market value—Glassdoor will help with this—and then adjust your market value for your specific situation.
Your accomplishments—What are the valuable responsibilities you’ve taken on that were unanticipated when your salary was last set? Make sure to identify the accomplishment itself and the business value of the accomplishment whenever possible.
Your accolades—What awards or recognition have you gotten from colleagues, other managers, or clients? These can help your manager understand the value of your work even if they’ve been focused on other things.

It’s important to do this homework before asking your manager for a raise because managers are very busy people. The more work they need to do to help you out, the less likely they are to find the time to do it.

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Step 3: Start the conversation

Armed with those three pieces of information—your target salary, accomplishments, and accolades—you can approach your manager about an additional raise.

Here’s how to begin that conversation:

“I’m grateful for this merit increase—thank you for looking out for me. But I was hoping for a more substantial raise because I’ve taken on a lot of new responsibilities this year. Is there some way to adjust my salary to reflect my current responsibilities? Based on the market research I’ve done, I was hoping for a raise to [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][your target salary].”

Once you’ve begun the conversation, asking for a raise in addition to your merit increase will typically look like the same process as asking for an off-cycle raise. These email templates will help you follow up and continue working with your manager until you reach your goal.

Step 4: Set a goal and establish a timeline

Hopefully, your manager will be prepared to have a productive conversationabout what’s possible, and you may get a larger raise right away.

But the most likely result is that your manager will explain that the budget has already been spent for this cycle, and you’ll need to wait until there’s budget available to increase your salary.

If your manager suggests deferring your larger raise until later on, work with them to establish two specific things that you can collaborate on:

What you need to do to earn the raise you’ve requested—If you’re unable to get a larger raise because your manager feels you have not earned it yet. Ask specifically what you need to do to earn the raise you’ve asked for.
A timeline—It’s also important to establish a timeline so that you and your manager can check in at regular intervals to monitor your progress and make sure you’re on track to achieve your goal in a reasonable time period.

Step 5: Work with your manager to reach your goal

Once you and your manager establish a goal and a timeline, it’s up to you to keep this on your manager’s radar. Make sure to check in with your manager at regular intervals to discuss your progress, get feedback, and confirm that you’re still on track.

You may also run into structural barriers that prevent you from getting a large raise at all. This is sometimes the case at very large companies, where they’ve established rigid guidelines for raises and promotions. “Do you have to quit your job to get a big raise?” can help you determine whether your company has flexibility to give big raises or if you might need to look elsewhere to level up your pay.

In the end, negotiating a raise in addition to your annual merit increase can be tricky. But there are things you can do to start the conversation with your manager and maybe even get a raise right away.

Follow these five steps to negotiate a raise in addition to your annual merit increase:

Set your expectations
Do your homework so your manager doesn’t have to
Start the conversation
Set a goal and establish a timeline
Work with your manager to reach your goal

If you follow these five steps and find that a larger raise isn’t available within a reasonable timeline, you may need to begin looking for better opportunities with more flexibility to pay you what you’re worth.

Josh Doody is a professional salary negotiation coach who helps software developers get more high-quality job offers and negotiate higher salaries. You can learn his best salary negotiation strategies and tactics in his book Fearless Salary Negotiation: A step-by-step guide to getting paid what you’re worth.

GlassDoor.com | April 30, 2018 Posted by Josh Doody

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Your #Career : 8 Ways Getting a Job Has Changed In The Last Decade …The Job Market is Perpetually Evolving, which Means if you’ve Been Happily Employed for the Past Decade, it’s Safe to Say that Things are Different Now.

April 29, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

The job market is perpetually evolving, which means if you’ve been happily employed for the past decade, it’s safe to say that things are different now. The way people look for jobs, the interview process and what employees look for are all slightly different now, although your time-tested job hunting and interviewing skills will still serve you well. To help you navigate these changes, Glassdoor is hosting a free livestream on Wednesday, April 25th from 6-7 PM PT.

Read on to get a sneak peek at some of the major ways searching for a job has changed in the past ten years, plus how you can work these shifts to your advantage.

1. It’s Easier to Find Exactly What You’re Looking for

Sure, online job postings were around ten years ago, but job sites have evolved in some major ways. In addition to having a greater volume of postings available online, you can now filter your search — not just for basics like job title and location, but also for salary ranges, date of posting and company size — using tools like Glassdoor’s job search feature. These filters allow you to avoid wasting time sifting through job descriptions that aren’t relevant to you, so you can make the most of your job hunting time.

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2. Transparency Is a Priority

2017 was a prime year for whistleblowing at major corporations. While this might not seem relevant to job hunting, the spirit of transparency absolutely crosses over into this arena. According to Glassdoor’s “What’s Ahead for Jobs? Five Disruptions to Watch in 2018” report, it’s likely that more companies will begin to implement transparent hiring practices in order to allow potential hires to feel more clued in during the hiring process. Johnson & Johnson is one of the first companies to make this kind of system a reality, using a new hiring platform that allows candidates to track their application from start to finish, suggests next steps and provides helpful information about the company and role.

Of course, this also means that transparency is expected from candidates, who should be prepared to talk about their reasons for seeking a new job and the challenges they’ve encountered in past roles. And while embellishing your resume was never exactly encouraged, it’s an especially poor moment to try that tactic given today’s climate.

3. Being Well-Informed Is Crucial

Another major trend noted in the disruptions report is that recruiters are especially looking for candidates who have researched the company and are well-informed about the role and the industry they’re applying to work in. One Glassdoor survey found that employers prioritized informed candidates above all others, and that being a high-quality candidate essentially means being an informed one. How does this translate? Use your application and resume to show how much you know about your industry and the job roles you’re applying for, and you’re more likely to see heightened interest in your applications.

4. You Can Job Search (& Apply) Right on Your Phone

Yes, it’s really that easy. That means you can work on your job hunt while you’re standing in line at the grocery store or during your train commute. Five minutes here and there really add up, so this can work to your advantage if you’re searching for a job but have limited free time.

If you have your profile complete on Glassdoor, for example, you can utilize the Easy Apply feature, which allows you to submit an application without leaving the site or even uploading additional documents — a feature that isn’t available on all job sites. And research suggests that mobile job searching will be even hotter in the years to come. One 2015 Pew Research survey found that 28 percent of Americans have used their mobile phone for job searching.

5. Your Skills Matter More Than Your Current Job Title

When updating your resume, it’s important to include not just the names of where you’ve worked and what your job titles have been, but also keywords that highlight your actual skills. Not only does this help recruiters pinpoint what you can actually do, but it also increases the chances of your resume making it to an actual human’s eyes when you apply for a job online. Many large companies utilize resume-scanning software that searches for keywords pertinent to each role, only passing the most relevant resumes along to HR for further review.

Plus, if there are skills you use in your job now that you enjoy using, you can use those as keywords for your job searches. This way, you might be able to find jobs with titles you hadn’t imagined for yourself, but in reality are a great fit for what you’re interested in doing next.

6. Hiring Is Hot — & Not Just for Tech

You might think that the only way to find a new job these days is to become a computer whiz. It’s true that Glassdoor’s 2018 disruptions report found that healthcare and tech jobs are steadily increasing. If you work in either of those industries, you’ll have plenty to choose from in terms of potential roles. These trends probably aren’t too surprising, but what’s especially promising for job hunters in 2018 is that more traditional job roles (think: construction laborers, restaurant waiters and truck drivers) are also in higher demand. While a decade ago it looked like computers, the internet and AI would make traditional job roles redundant, they’re actually on the rise. The takeaway? Don’t let a lack of technical skills discourage you from looking for something new.

7. Feedback Has Become a Major Focus

You may have already experienced that annual performance reviews are becoming less popular, with many companies choosing to do away with them entirely. Now, many businesses are opting to encourage feedback on a more frequent basis through regular check-ins and structured learning opportunities. Once you make it to the interview stage, showing you’re comfortable with receiving feedback, learning new skills and making changes to the way you work based on your organization’s current needs can set you apart from the rest of the candidate pool.

8. You Might Not Have to Leave Your Current Company to Try Something New

Another rising trend, according to Glassdoor’s disruption report, is “role experimentation” programs. While only a few companies have formal programs that allow current employees to try out a completely new job role and eventually transition over to that role full-time (provided it’s a good fit), it’s expected that more will become keen on the idea.

Research shows that one of the key reasons people leave their jobs is that their role no longer fits their skills or interests, and businesses are wising up to the fact that in order to keep their most talented employees — who naturally want to grow and change in their roles — they’ll have to be a little more flexible. If your company doesn’t have a formal program for career changers, check in with your HR department about what company policy on the matter is. You might be surprised by how open they are to role-switching.

GlassDoor.com | April 20, 2018 | Posted by Julia Malacoff

Your #Career : Critical #JobSearch Technique- How to Land an #InformationalInterview …Here’s How and Why to Set one Up, Plus What to Do Once you’ve Actually Landed the Meeting.

April 28, 2018/in First Sun Blog/by First Sun Team

Many people see informational interviews as tricky. What are they for, really? They’re definitely for gathering information about a certain industry, job role or career path, but they’re also valuable in helping you get a job. Not only can they inform your job hunt with insider information in a way that the internet sometimes just can’t, but they also can lead to job opportunities that are only available for those who are “in-network,” so to speak.

Here’s how and why to set one up, plus what to do once you’ve actually landed the meeting.

1. Understand the Benefits

Informational interviews can be used as a crucial component of any job search mainly because they provide an opportunity to build relationships with networking contacts. “Unfortunately, informational interviews tend to be underutilized by many job candidates because their effectiveness in leading to a job is not always so apparent,” explains Richard Orbé-Austin, Ph.D., of Dynamic Transitions Psychological Consulting, LLP. That is, the results of informational interviews aren’t always direct or immediate. But they can lead to positions in what experts call the “hidden job market.”

“I have often seen opportunities created when there is a great connection made between the interviewer and interviewee, or the interviewee happens to fit a skill set that is needed in the organization,” Orbé-Austin says. So don’t think of informational interviews as simply exploratory; take them seriously and be aware that they sometimes also lead to new employment opportunities.

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2. Start With Your Network

One thing candidates often struggle with is who to ask for an informational interview. To put it simply, you should start with the people you know. “If you are in college or more junior in your career, ask your family and family friends to help connect you,” suggests Lori Scherwin, founder of StrategizeThat. “As you get more senior, leverage current colleagues, former colleagues and others up and down the value chain of the industry you are looking to get into.”

If you want to reach out to someone but don’t know them directly, try to have a mutual contact introduce you. “Cold emails are possible, but your ‘hit rate’ goes up if you get an introduction,” Scherwin says.

Lastly, don’t be shy. “All too often, people don’t reach out — when they have so many people who could help them — out of fear of looking uninformed, desperate or needy,” Scherwin notes. “But more often than not, these fears are unfounded. People actually enjoy helping others, and it’s likely that the person you want to talk to has used that approach in their career as well.”

3. Respect Their Time When Making Your Ask

When reaching out to someone for an informational interview (regardless of whether you’re cold emailing or someone has connected you), there are a few important guidelines to follow. “You want to always keep the email brief, make a connection apparent (be specific about who referred you to him/her or what you have in common and why you are reaching out), be respectful (address them by their title unless told otherwise) and be specific that the ask is for an informational meeting of 15 to 20 minutes,” Orbé-Austin advises.

In other words, acknowledge that this person is not a career counselor, and that they would be doing you a favor by meeting with you. By keeping your contact with them short and to-the-point, you’re setting the tone for the entire conversation. Carry that tone through to the actual meeting by arriving early and not taking up more than the allotted amount of time, Orbé-Austin recommends.

4. Don’t Go in Cold

Just like a job interview, you need to do some prep work for an informational interview. “First and foremost, figure out what you are hoping to accomplish,” says Natalie Ledbetter, VP of People Operations at Stash. What do you want to learn in this meeting? “From there, come to the table with questions and a very solid understanding of the business, products and services that the company offers.” Your questions should be thoughtful and reference projects and news you’ve read about the company to show genuine interest, she says.

Make sure your questions are specific, too. “There is nothing worse than wasting someone’s time who is trying to help you,” Scherwin says. “Don’t show up and say ‘okay, tell me everything.’ Have targeted questions, and do your homework.”

5. Establish a Relationship

During the actual interview, don’t just ask questions and wait for responses. “Focus on more than just content; use the time to build a relationship,” Scherwin recommends. “While you are there asking questions, you still have the opportunity to make a great impression through your professionalism.” If you see an opportunity to contribute your expertise to the conversation, and you have the relevant experience to back up your comments, go for it.

That being said, don’t ask for a job right off the bat or treat the interview like a sales pitch. “If you establish a strong connection, an opportunity might unfold, but you are there to learn, not position yourself. That might be an end goal of yours, but be careful about turning an informational interview into a job referralor request.”

6. Remember: Relationships Go Two Ways

“As you are listening — particularly if you are more senior in your career — think about how you can give back,” Scherwin says. “Ask how you can help the person you are meeting with. Actively listen to what they tell you, and instead of just thinking about how the info affects you, think about how your background fits in with what they are saying, how you could be a valuable person for them to stay in touch with going forward or someone in your network you want to introduce them to.”

There’s no need to force it, but be mindful of the fact that the best relationships are two-way streets. “Bottom line: Treat this informational interview as relationship building rather than just information gathering. It’s both.”

7. Leave the Interview With Next Steps in Place

This is the key to making your informational interview useful. “Set yourself up for success by ensuring you leave that meeting with a next step already in place so you have a reason to follow up. Create it,” Scherwin says. Maybe it’s an introduction to someone else based on something from your conversation that you want to learn more about, or perhaps it’s talking to someone else on their team about their role. Maybe it’s even asking for their advice about what skills to develop to land a role at their company.

However you do it, the takeaway is the same: “Do not leave that meeting without a follow-up in place, already knowing the next reason for you to reach out.” As an added bonus, it creates a reason to write a thank-you note or email that doesn’t feel forced, which can then naturally turn into a longer, ongoing conversation.

GlassDoor.com | April 26, 2018 | Posted by Julia Malacoff