Archive for the ‘career’ Category

What Gets You Up In The Morning?

11.11.14

Every so often it’s helpful to reflect on why your job matters to you – why you put in all the effort, passion and commitment you do.

For me, one of those moments came last week when I read this post by my colleague Rob Clark (which I’m re-publishing here with his permission).

I’ve worked a number of jobs throughout my life. Every single one of them I’ve put everything I’ve got into it. That’s just how I’m wired. I can’t be at a place and not give it my loyalty, my dedication and the full extent of what I have to offer.

Most of these jobs have adequately compensated me though a few have undervalued my contributions and balked at fair payment. Some of the jobs were extremely rewarding – most often through the people I’ve worked with. Some of them were educational – though more often than not a hard lesson learned.

But I have to say that my job at Edelman is the first where I consistently feel that I’m getting more back than I put in. And lord knows I put in a lot.

What’s more – I know that this isn’t simply a momentary happenstance or aligning of events. The company is putting the effort into making this a culture. Making this the regular modus operandi. I greatly appreciate that effort because it tells me this is not just a fluke or temporary alignment of good people. This is the way things will be. Smart people, doing creative and challenging work, together as a team.

I couldn’t agree more, and couldn’t be prouder to have people like Rob with me on that team.

What about you?

Posted in: career, miscellaneous

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You Never Know

11.09.16

It’s all too easy to shoot your mouth off sometimes – to pass judgement and get a quick dose of attention and reaction from others - without thinking carefully of the consequences.

Just remember – you never know:

  • Who might be your boss one day
  • Who might interview you, or review your resume, one day
  • Who might be a colleague one day
  • Who might be a client one day
  • Who might be a key supplier one day
  • Who might be a potential recruit one day
It’s easy to pass judgement… but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

Posted in: career

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Video: Dave Fleet On Communications Trends And Joining Edelman

10.10.12

Many of you know that about six weeks ago I joined Edelman‘s Digital team. Soon after, I sat down with my new boss, Sylvain Perron – to chat about my career path so far, my thoughts on some key communications trends and the reason I made the move to Edelman.

What do you think – are the communications trends I’m seeing on-the-mark?

(Note: This video is also posted on the Edelman Digital site)

Posted in: career, communications, trends

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It’s A Small World

10.06.18

Last September I had a chance encounter in Montreal. I was in town for PodCamp Montreal, walking along the street to meet up with Julien Smith and a bunch of other folks, when I bumped into my ex-housemate. Turned out she’d decided to take a random trip to Montreal and by a bizarre coincidence we bumped into each other. Small world.

Why am I writing about this on this blog?

Because the PR world is a small one, especially in Canada. As experience after experience has taught me, you will keep running into people long after you’ve ceased working with them (just last week I had the pleasure of presenting to my ex-government colleagues at an event they held, which felt like a reunion).

The impressions you leave people with, and the way you treat others, will stay with you for a long time. Everyone in our industry should remember that at all times. That goes especially for people at the beginning of their careers – the odds are fairly significant that you’ll run into people again down the road – but, I think, applies to everyone at all stages of their career path.

I was working on a presentation this week which Yasmine Kashefi and I are giving to her old school at Centennial College next week. One of the key career tips we landed on was remembering that the work doesn’t end when you land a job; it begins. Likewise, your reputation-building activities continue throughout your career.

Out of sight does not mean out of mind. What’s more, being visible online means you’re never out of sight.

It’s a small world.

Posted in: career

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How To Ruin (Or Build) Your Personal Brand

10.05.07

A little while back I was invited to keynote at a young professionals’ event in Hamilton, on the topic of personal branding. I presented at the event this morning, and thought I’d post it here for you, too.

Rather than taking a single view on the presentation, I shook this one up a little by dividing the topic three ways:

  • How to ruin your personal brand
  • How to build your personal brand
  • Things you can do today

I’ve embedded the presentation below; the primary talking points are summarized beneath.

10 Ways To Ruin Your Personal Brand on Prezi

How to ruin your personal brand

Online:

  • Ignore the Internet – Reputations are made and broken online nowadays. Even if you think social media is a fad, the fact remains that the Internet is a significant driver of business in today’s economy. Even if you don’t care about that, know that employers will Google you. Ignore the Internet and lose the opportunity to manage other peoples’ impressions of you.
  • Go negative – Few people like trolls. No-one wants to work with someone who only tears people down without providing anything constructive
  • Broadcast without engaging – The 1990s web let people with technical expertise publish in a one-way fashion. Today’s technologies enable two-way conversations; use them for one-way broadcasting and you’re missing out.
  • Think no-one is f&$#ing watching – It doesn’t matter if you think your Facebook profile is locked down – lots of people have found the opposite to their cost. If you wouldn’t want your boss or future employer to know about it, don’t post it. Want to ruin your brand? Swear away.
  • Trigger-post - If you’re feeling emotional about something, hold off on posting. Sleep on it.

Offline:

  • Know everything or nothing – You don’t know everything. Don’t alienate people by thinking that you do. On the flip side, you’re hired for your skills. Put them to use and contribute when you can.
  • Write sloppily – Writing is a critical skill. This is especially so in communications, but true in any field. Be honest with yourself – if your writing isn’t up to scratch, take steps to correct that.
  • Be “that person” – Don’t be the guy who leads with a business card, or who is constantly looking for the next person to talk to, or who asks for favours before getting to know you properly. Don’t know that guy? Then you probably are that guy.
  • Do the bare minimum – Be hungry for more. Seek out work. Cruising is a path to mediocrity.
  • Let up once you’re let in – Landing that dream job isn’t the end of your journey – it’s the beginning.

How to build your personal brand

  • Build your brand before you need it – The time to build your reputation isn’t when you need it – it’s before. It takes time; start now.
  • Be a sponge/say yes… enthusiastically – Spend the early part of your career in general, and of any job, being a sponge. Take every single opportunity to learn everything you can about your role and the organization. Try to continue that learning orientation throughout your career.
  • Create opportunities at and outside work – Volunteer; participate in extra-curricular activities; organize sports teams; get out in your community. The more you do, the more opportunities will present themselves. They’re unlikely to come if you do nothing.
  • Follow your passion; be yourself – Be authentic, both about your passion and about you as a person. Authenticity is critical, especially in online channels where one example of a lack of authenticity can hang around for a long time.
  • Define your goal – If you don’t know where you’re heading, you can never get there. Figure it out early.
  • Under-promise; over-deliver – Always aim to exceed expectations – delight rather than satisfy.
  • Kill people with generosity – Give to other people more than you take. Help other people more than you ask them for help. Build social capital for the times when you need it.
  • Find a mentor; don’t be afraid to connect – Find a mentor. Don’t let someone else assign them to you; find someone you gravitate to, who you respect and to whom you can relate.
  • Network like crazy – Get out there, online and offline, and meet people (without being “that guy”).
  • Be willing to fail – Failure drives learning. Find a supportive environment which encourages failure so you can develop.

Seven things to do today:

  • Google yourself – Find out what people are saying about you. If you haven’t done this before, you may be in for a surprise.
  • Monitor yourself – Use Google Alerts, Twitter Search etc to make those searches persistent so you know whenever someone posts something about you online.
  • Scatter breadcrumbs online – Having your own online properties can be a great asset. If you’re not ready for that, scatter breadcrumbs – comment on other peoples’ work; upload photos to Flickr; find small ways to spread your reach online.
  • Build-out your LinkedIn profile – Your LinkedIn profile is one of the easiest online properties to build out (you have a resume, right?) and can likely become one of the highest-ranking results in search engines. If you don’t have a profile there, get one – it’s quick, risk-free and free.
  • Find similar people – Whatever your passion, there’s probably a community for it. Search for similar-minded people and connect with them.
  • Reach out to someone you admire – Think of someone who you respect, who you’d like to meet or connect with – for whatever reason. Reach out to them today.
  • Get out and meet people – Online media are great but offline connections are just as powerful. Get away from the keyboard and meet new people.

What do you think?

(Hat tip to Jeremy Wright for the idea for the videos)

Posted in: branding, career

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