Archives for July 2016

Reconnect – Pokémon Go!

July 22, 2016 by Mike McRitchie Leave a Comment

Okay.

I’m a doubter.

Pokémon Go?

Sounds like another fad to me.

Same as the Pokémon cards, Beanie Babies, Pet Rocks.

But I’m also not someone who isn’t afraid to investigate further and keep an open mind.

The Buzz Starts

So it starts out by hearing about it on the radio.

Then people at work are talking about it.

Then I’m kicking the soccer ball around at the park with the kids when a man in his 60’s walks by and says there’s Pokémon by the power lines.

I Bite

So I decide to check it out. Download the app. And see what’s around.

Now I’ve never played with Pokémon cards. Never had an interest in them and it was after I’d passed that age (8-12 years old). So I had no clue.

But My Kids Know Something

So I download the app and see what happens.

Sure enough, there’s a Pokémon in our backyard – a Squirtle.

So I sneak out into the backyard with the kids (don’t want to scare off the cute like Squirtle).

And I take a picture with the kids and the Squirtle in it to document my capture.

Then throw the Poké Ball at him and capture him.

That Was The Start

The kids were hooked.

So I was set to go for a run and return a Redbox DVD.

And what happened?

Of course. My kids want to join me. They grab their bikes and say, “Let’s go hunt some Pokémon.”

Off We Go

So they get on their bikes and I start running. We drop off the DVD then pull out the phone and turn on the Pokémon Go app. And what do we see?

A Pokémon Stop by the Carls Jr.

We click on it and get some Pokémon Balls.

We think we saw some Pokémon at the community center in the area where we live. So we start checking out places on the phone on our way back.

We find a Pokémon Gym (only Level 1 – and need to be Level 5 to challenge people at the gym). So we’ll have to pass til later.

We head by the Community Center.

Sure enough. Pokémon everywhere.

And even more interesting???

Pokémon Hunters everywhere too.

Just like us. Kids and parents staring at their phones and walking around the Community Center. Looking for Pokémon.

We say hi to a family of Pokémon hunters at the corner of the park.

We pass some friends of my kids…also hunting Pokémon.

It is like a smorgasbord of Pokémon and Pokémon hunters.

Wrapping Up Our Hunt

So we capture a few more Pokémon – two Paras, Zubat, Ekans – to go with our Squirtle.

Recap:

5 Pokémon captured
4 separate Pokémon hunting parties
1.3 miles traveled on foot/bikes
30 minutes of breathing fresh air
Bonding with the kids
No complaints about having to walk
Extracted them from their home electronics’ tether (yes, they can actually leave the house and get some “real” exercise)
They laughed
They were excited
They had fun
They wanted to do it again
You don’t have to drive a long way to have adventures – they’re right in your backyard (literally)

Pokémon Go combines video game attraction with geocaching exercise and an old-time community feel (how often have you seen this many people from your neighborhood outside on a weeknight?)

I’m so used to this routine with the neighbors. You see a car drive up. The garage door opens. The garage door closes. Rinse and repeat. No one talks to anyone. And no one comes out in the evening.

But with Pokémon Go. That is changing.

Will it still be a fad that fades? Likely.

But it is pretty cool that at the spur of the moment you can have an instant real outdoor adventure with your kids with almost no preparation. It is waiting for you when you’re ready to partake.

So grab your kids, your grandkids, your neighbor kids (oh, better make sure it is okay before you do…don’t want the authorities coming after you).

Where Shouldn’t You Pokémon Go?

Crossing the street (same rules as when people texted like zombies in the early 2000’s).
While driving on the freeway (it can wait)
In the bad part of town (you know where that is)

Safety first.

There you have it. You can reconnect with your kids. You can reconnect with your community. You can reconnect with the outdoors (it really does exist).

Have Fun!

P. S. Want to give your business a boost? How could you incorporate the principles of Pokémon Go into your marketing or sales process? A fun app that engages your customer’s imagination? A mix of electronic and real life engagement? A community atmosphere?

Unsubscribe…And Reclaim Your Life

July 18, 2016 by Mike McRitchie 2 Comments

The other day I received a reminder (thanks, Ryan) about emails.

What typically happens in any job where you’re dependent on and document everything with emails (like those in the wireless telecom site development realm) is over time you find you’re getting more and more emails from multiple sources.

It starts off innocently enough.

Someone cc’s you because they think you need to know about a certain issue or result. Then the next 5-10 email response all end up cc’ing everyone on the chain. Basically using email to problem solve.

What this does is three things.

First, you get barraged by a boatload of emails during the problem solving phase that you probably don’t need to see (you’d be better off if after they resolved the issue they just forwarded to you the resolution rather than seeing the dirty underbelly of the back and forth trying to get to an answer).

Second, it gives an implication of disorganization and lack of knowledge. We’re always better off framing a question or answer to the appropriate parties after the due diligence has been completed.

Third, over time you become cc’ed on everything and your email box explodes.

So Ryan’s reminder was a good one.

What was his suggestion?

Be mindful of what is your responsibility to handle and only present fleshed out questions or answers to appropriate parties. Everything else you work out the details first. In many cases this significantly reduces the number of emails everyone has to deal with.

It is hard.

This isn’t an easy thing to do. It is much easier just to put a bunch of people on the email, make your comment or question, and watch the sparks fly. No responsibility for you, not a lot of extra thinking.

But when you serve things up appropriate, you have to prethink what you want, what your ask will be, and present everything effectively after you’ve collected the data and determined the result.

Own it!

But when you do that you are owning your responsibilities. You aren’t just dumping on everyone else. You are mindful of others’ time and using it wisely. And your team will respect you for that.

I see the same thing online. With email lists you’re on you always have that “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of each email you get.

It is a great reminder that you always are in control of your email flow to some extent.

With email lists I’m on I’ll periodically purge the email lists I’m on that I really find myself filing or deleting on a regular basis but noticing I’m not getting any real value or just don’t have the time to read and it isn’t a big enough priority. That way the emails I do get that I enjoy reading or get real value out of, get my attention and get read, without taking up all my free time to get through.

You don’t have an unsubscribe button with work emails, but…

You do have a way to reduce them.

Go through your inbox and for every email you get, ask yourself these questions.

Do I need to be aware of these types of emails?
If I do, do I need all the emails in the chain? Or just the initiation email or the conclusion email, or both? Do I really need all the ones in the middle?
Do I need to take action on it?
Is it clear that I need to take action? Or are others in the “To:” box who could take care of it?
If I’m in the cc: line, do I really need to be cc’ed?

If you find after answering these questions you don’t really need to get some or all of the emails in the future, contact the sender.

Let them know that going forward, unless it meets a certain criteria you define for them (such as requiring your knowledge or involvement), you’re asking them not to include you in future emails of that type.

This is a big deal with cc’s.

I know people who have 300 to 600 emails a day they get. If they read and responded to them all they would likely get almost no other work done in a day. Or they’d find themselves missing important emails and working a few hours longer each day just to get through them.

But by taking this step of contacting senders and helping them re-prioritize what your really need to be sent and making them aware of their email impact, you could easily reduce your emails by a third. In some cases you could cut it in half or by two thirds.

Ahhh…

It really is amazing how much email you get you really don’t need or use. It makes you feel connected and informed. But it often distracts from what you really need to get done in a day.

And when you eliminate a lot of the clutter, you feel less stress. You’re more in charge of your time. You enjoy yourself more. You have time to connect in person with your coworkers or friends and family. You feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. And you become a better person.

So take that step. De-clutter your life. And this email freeing exercise can be the start.

What Does Your Brand Say About You? And Yes, Everyone Has A Brand

July 11, 2016 by Mike McRitchie Leave a Comment

From the mega-corporation down to you. Every entity has a brand.

It isn’t a question of, “Do I have a brand?”

It is one of, “What does my brand say about me?”

And, “Is my brand working for me the way I want it to?”

In this video my friend, Julie Broad, walks you through five core elements of a brand. And this works for brands of any size. Even if you don’t own a business and are an employee somewhere. You still have a brand. She’ll show you how to recognize those elements of your brand and help you understand them so you can change any that aren’t working for you and reinforce those that are.

I’ll walk you Julie’s exercise with my brand and hopefully that will help you apply it to your own situation.

So lets start with the 5 elements.

MAGIC

M = Message

A = Appearance

G = Google

I = I’m an expert in

C = Character

Message

As Julie says, message is focused on your core stories. You want to have some stories that reflect who you are as a person or business, what that tells people about you, and how it translates into your unique positioning (what you can do for them that is different than anyone else).

This is especially important in your job. There are certain things you are uniquely good at. When you’re applying for a new job or pushing for a promotion, positioning yourself as the answer to their job need is critical. What are some stories that fit that?

For me I focus on a few things.

Telecom Industry Experience: My 20+ years in telecom.
Career Guidance and Resume Writing Skills: Having personally experienced the situations those who come to me may be in (contractor & employee, leaving on my own accord & let go when projects end, working close to home, commuting long distances, and moving cross country for hoped for jobs).
Experience Running and Growing Businesses: As a Director of Operations, helped grow a company from 5 people to 100+; executed turnarounds of several business lines as a Program Manager. Run a career guidance and business growth consulting business and blog.
Detailed High-Level Business Knowledge: (Economics degree, statistics minor, deep computer skills, joint venture training, Vistage member 5 years (high level business mastermind group for C-level management), marketing, Director of Operations and Program Management roles leading organizations, etc.)
Planning and Analytical Skills: This comes through in my blog posts and is something I apply on a daily basis.

Appearance

What impression are you making with your appearance? And who is your audience?

Typically you’ll want to dress equal to or one step above your audience. For example, if you’re working in an office with a “business casual” attire, you’d want to dress in “business casual” yourself or maybe dress slacks and a sport coat for a man (women would apply the same idea…but I’m not a women’s fashion guru so I’ll defer to the women on that).

For me I’m typically dressed business casual. It fits my roll-up-my-sleeves and dig-into-the-details approach to things. From time to time for an important high-level meeting I might dress up with a sport coat and dress slacks. And if in a formal environment (like East Coast or South) where suits are the norm, I’d dress accordingly.

Google

Search your name in Google and see what comes up. Is it what you expected? Is it what you want people to see?

In mine below you see my blog here “www.mikemcritchie.com”, my name, and “Career and Small Business Strategist”. These are what I want to be known for and where I’m building my brand.

Also listed is LinkedIn. That is where my professional presence is and also many of my articles and blog posts show up there. Having that #3 on google (behind my “About” page on my blog – which is #2) works for me.

Then comes the images. Some are pictures of me. Some are pictures from blog posts I’ve done. And some are other famous “Mike McRitchie’s”.

You have to be aware that other people with your same name, or business name, may pop up on Google ahead of you and steal your thunder. For instance the other day I got an email from someone wanting to promote my book, “Best Friends”. However it wasn’t my book (yes, I’m working on one…but that is for later). This was a different “Mike McRitchie”. So you have to know what is showing up when people search Googling for you. That is why it is good to Google yourself from time to time (Google isn’t a dirty word…get your mind out of the gutter for a moment).

I’m an expert in

Too often people think they aren’t an expert in anything. They typically overlook their expertise because it is something they “just do”. They aren’t really aware of it. And often they’re around other people with similar expertise – so they discount it.

Expertise is something you grow over your lifetime. It could be skills you acquire, relationships you build, knowledge you gain, and experiences you have that are unique to you.

Put all that together and you have your unique expertise. Then it is a matter of getting clear on what that is, what it means in terms of how can you implement that expertise and help others with it.

For me I’m an expert in career and small business strategy. My focus is using my analytical skills and business insights to help people grow their careers or small business.

How did I come to that expertise?

I’ve always been analytical (initially pursued a computer science degree in college and was always good at math and analyzing things). I lived in the library and devoured whole rows of books in the “How To”, “Business” and “Self-Improvement” sections.

I recently came to realize that one course I took in college – Comparative Literature – that I did really well in was something that helps me write this blog. Comparing often seemingly unrelated items, finding the link, and then explaining that, is something I enjoy and do well.

This same process goes into how I help people with their career (often through resume rewrites) and small business (helping them prioritize the most impactful ways to improve their business without adding a boat-load more to their to-do list).

What are you an expert in? Take some time to figure it out.

Character

What is your unique personality? How do you stand out from the crowd of people who have similar expertise?

For me I’ve had a few personality attributes that have helped me throughout my career. They also help me connect with people I do business with.

Unflappable – with a few exceptions (I do get really annoyed at people who don’t pull their own weight), I am someone who is calm in the storm of craziness. This is partly a personality trait I’ve always had (played center fullback in soccer where I directed the back line against attacks from the opposing team). It was also honed by being in challenging situations on a regular basis and finding solutions. This built my confidence in being able to handle things. And it also helped provide a calming buffer to my team to allow them to get the job done without being overly stressed about what was going on around them. A downside of this is it can come off a uncaring or not engaged enough (some people think you have to have your hair on fire and be screaming at people to show you’re pushing hard enough).
Analytical – I tend to like to review and prepare on my own, then bounce ideas of others and revise my approach from there. I’m a mixture of introvert and extrovert in that way. But I always have a thoughtful way of approaching things.
Reliable – I do what I say I’ll do. I’m not perfect in this arena but I always hold myself accountable for my commitments and attempt to instill the same in my teams. Not delivering on a commitment I take personally. So I don’t like to let others down that way. This is a strength in a world where keeping your commitments is not something always found. I’ve noticed this as I’ve worked with people revising their resumes. Many have been burned by so called experts who didn’t get back to them in a timely fashion or didn’t do what they committed to doing. That allows me to set myself apart from the competition.
Well Rounded – This is something my dad made a big impression on me with. He exposed me and my brother and sister to lots of sports, events, and other experiences. He didn’t want us to be so single-minded that we couldn’t relate to people and on a variety of subjects. He also wanted to have us experience things so we could make informed decisions on what we would pursue in life. This has helped me to be interested in things and to bring breadth and depth of information to any conversation or situation. This has served me well in my communications.

What are your personal attributes? Are they helping or hindering you? What could you do to identify and grow and communicate those that support you?

As you can see, Julie’s video provided a great platform to evaluate my personal brand.

I hope you got some things out of this that you can apply to assessing yours.

If you’d like to learn more about your personal brand and how to make it work well for you, I’d recommend you check out Julie Broad’s new book, The New Brand You. And check out her website for additional bonuses you can get for buying this week and buying a couple additional books for your friends (everyone likes a cool read…and you can pick up some brownie points).

And if you need any help on your business or career, send me an email.