You Never Know Who It’s Going To Be

You Never Know Who It’s Going To Be This is the first guest blogger post, by NerdGurus Pete Johnson. See Petes bio below this post. My father was a high school teacher for 25 years and always made a point to be really nice to the janitors he interacted with. He discovered early on in his career, that those folks can make your life pretty miserable if they want to because when that kid barfs all over the carpet during first period, it’s you who has to sit in the room with the aroma until it gets cleaned up. The response time, he found, was just a little bit quicker if he included the janitors on the Christmas card list or if he held doors open for them as they moved heavy equipment around the school. In my own career, I’ve mimicked that behavior when it comes to administrative assistants as their help with meeting logistics can make or break a gathering of colleagues. More recently I’ve come to extend it to people in all levels of jobs because you never know who it’s going to be that can help you or be in a position to give you that next job. My lowly but ambitious college intern may end up running the next Google in 10 years. You just never know. A better example can be found when examining the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), which runs the housing project system in the greater Chicago area. The lines between elected and appointed positions in the CHA hierarchy are blurred in this organization. CHA is headed by elected officials who then appointed people to run the various facilities. In the mid 1990s (and perhaps also today) at the Altgeld Gardens facility, by some magical coincidence, people who openly supported the CHA elected officials got their plumbing or heating fixed a whole lot sooner by the local administrators by those who did not. During that time, the CHA’s Altgeld Gardens management offices were discovered to have asbestos problems and the entire building was retrofitted accordingly. Despite being built at about the same time as the offices and by the same contractors, the actual Altgeld Gardens housing facility was not even scheduled for an asbestos inspection. This concerned a young community organizer, who rallied residents into launching a letter-writing campaign with the local officials after they ignored requests for a face to face meeting. The letters escalated to various levels in the CHA hierarchy until finally, the community organizer got media attention by arranging a meeting with the elected head of the CHA and invited several local television crews to capture the meeting he correctly predicted would get ignored. With media pressure on his side, the community organizer was able to get the same asbestos retrofits for the housing facility that the CHA offices received. This story is only important because the community organizer was Barack Obama (and these events can be found in his pre-fame written memoir). As a United States Senator and current presidential candidate, I’m thinking that guy can do a lot more than clean up vomit for you right about now, especially if you are a CHA administrator that needs something. Regardless of what happens with the 2008 election cycle, it would be a lot better to have him owe you a favor than to remember you didn’t care about asbestos exposure in a housing project. That’s not to say that the kid who mows your lawn is going to grow up to be that venture capitalist you need funding from to launch your dream company, but the point is that you can’t afford to treat anybody with anything less than respect and courteousness. You never know what they are going to become later. It’s best not to burn bridges with anybody and build as many strong relationships as you can. The result is a personal network that can pay dividends for you down the road. Pete Johnson has held a variety of positions with Hewlett-Packard since 1993, focusing mainly on web development. As HP.com ITs Chief Architect he is responsible for technology standards that govern all HP websites, the company portal strategy, and a variety of other web publishing challenges. He blogs at http://nerdguru.net on how improved non-technical skills can accelerate an engineering career. You Never Know Who It’s Going To Be This is the first guest blogger post, by NerdGurus Pete Johnson. See Petes bio below this post. My father was a high school teacher for 25 years and always made a point to be really nice to the janitors he interacted with. He discovered early on in his career, that those folks can make your life pretty miserable if they want to because when that kid barfs all over the carpet during first period, it’s you who has to sit in the room with the aroma until it gets cleaned up. The response time, he found, was just a little bit quicker if he included the janitors on the Christmas card list or if he held doors open for them as they moved heavy equipment around the school. In my own career, I’ve mimicked that behavior when it comes to administrative assistants as their help with meeting logistics can make or break a gathering of colleagues. More recently I’ve come to extend it to people in all levels of jobs because you never know who it’s going to be that can help you or be in a position to give you that next job. My lowly but ambitious college intern may end up running the next Google in 10 years. You just never know. A better example can be found when examining the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), which runs the housing project system in the greater Chicago area. The lines between elected and appointed positions in the CHA hierarchy are blurred in this organization. CHA is headed by elected officials who then appointed people to run the various facilities. In the mid 1990s (and perhaps also today) at the Altgeld Gardens facility, by some magical coincidence, people who openly supported the CHA elected officials got their plumbing or heating fixed a whole lot sooner by the local administrators by those who did not. During that time, the CHA’s Altgeld Gardens management offices were discovered to have asbestos problems and the entire building was retrofitted accordingly. Despite being built at about the same time as the offices and by the same contractors, the actual Altgeld Gardens housing facility was not even scheduled for an asbestos inspection. This concerned a young community organizer, who rallied residents into launching a letter-writing campaign with the local officials after they ignored requests for a face to face meeting. The letters escalated to various levels in the CHA hierarchy until finally, the community organizer got media attention by arranging a meeting with the elected head of the CHA and invited several local television crews to capture the meeting he correctly predicted would get ignored. With media pressure on his side, the community organizer was able to get the same asbestos retrofits for the housing facility that the CHA offices received. This story is only important because the community organizer was Barack Obama (and these events can be found in his pre-fame written memoir). As a United States Senator and current presidential candidate, I’m thinking that guy can do a lot more than clean up vomit for you right about now, especially if you are a CHA administrator that needs something. Regardless of what happens with the 2008 election cycle, it would be a lot better to have him owe you a favor than to remember you didn’t care about asbestos exposure in a housing project. That’s not to say that the kid who mows your lawn is going to grow up to be that venture capitalist you need funding from to launch your dream company, but the point is that you can’t afford to treat anybody with anything less than respect and courteousness. You never know what they are going to become later. It’s best not to burn bridges with anybody and build as many strong relationships as you can. The result is a personal network that can pay dividends for you down the road. Pete Johnson has held a variety of positions with Hewlett-Packard since 1993, focusing mainly on web development. As HP.com ITs Chief Architect he is responsible for technology standards that govern all HP websites, the company portal strategy, and a variety of other web publishing challenges. He blogs at http://nerdguru.net on how improved non-technical skills can accelerate an engineering career. You Never Know Who It’s Going To Be This is the first guest blogger post, by NerdGurus Pete Johnson. See Petes bio below this post. My father was a high school teacher for 25 years and always made a point to be really nice to the janitors he interacted with. He discovered early on in his career, that those folks can make your life pretty miserable if they want to because when that kid barfs all over the carpet during first period, it’s you who has to sit in the room with the aroma until it gets cleaned up. The response time, he found, was just a little bit quicker if he included the janitors on the Christmas card list or if he held doors open for them as they moved heavy equipment around the school. In my own career, I’ve mimicked that behavior when it comes to administrative assistants as their help with meeting logistics can make or break a gathering of colleagues. More recently I’ve come to extend it to people in all levels of jobs because you never know who it’s going to be that can help you or be in a position to give you that next job. My lowly but ambitious college intern may end up running the next Google in 10 years. You just never know. A better example can be found when examining the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), which runs the housing project system in the greater Chicago area. The lines between elected and appointed positions in the CHA hierarchy are blurred in this organization. CHA is headed by elected officials who then appointed people to run the various facilities. In the mid 1990s (and perhaps also today) at the Altgeld Gardens facility, by some magical coincidence, people who openly supported the CHA elected officials got their plumbing or heating fixed a whole lot sooner by the local administrators by those who did not. During that time, the CHA’s Altgeld Gardens management offices were discovered to have asbestos problems and the entire building was retrofitted accordingly. Despite being built at about the same time as the offices and by the same contractors, the actual Altgeld Gardens housing facility was not even scheduled for an asbestos inspection. This concerned a young community organizer, who rallied residents into launching a letter-writing campaign with the local officials after they ignored requests for a face to face meeting. The letters escalated to various levels in the CHA hierarchy until finally, the community organizer got media attention by arranging a meeting with the elected head of the CHA and invited several local television crews to capture the meeting he correctly predicted would get ignored. With media pressure on his side, the community organizer was able to get the same asbestos retrofits for the housing facility that the CHA offices received. This story is only important because the community organizer was Barack Obama (and these events can be found in his pre-fame written memoir). As a United States Senator and current presidential candidate, I’m thinking that guy can do a lot more than clean up vomit for you right about now, especially if you are a CHA administrator that needs something. Regardless of what happens with the 2008 election cycle, it would be a lot better to have him owe you a favor than to remember you didn’t care about asbestos exposure in a housing project. That’s not to say that the kid who mows your lawn is going to grow up to be that venture capitalist you need funding from to launch your dream company, but the point is that you can’t afford to treat anybody with anything less than respect and courteousness. You never know what they are going to become later. It’s best not to burn bridges with anybody and build as many strong relationships as you can. The result is a personal network that can pay dividends for you down the road. Pete Johnson has held a variety of positions with Hewlett-Packard since 1993, focusing mainly on web development. As HP.com ITs Chief Architect he is responsible for technology standards that govern all HP websites, the company portal strategy, and a variety of other web publishing challenges. He blogs at http://nerdguru.net on how improved non-technical skills can accelerate an engineering career. You Never Know Who It’s Going To Be This is the first guest blogger post, by NerdGurus Pete Johnson. See Petes bio below this post. My father was a high school teacher for 25 years and always made a point to be really nice to the janitors he interacted with. He discovered early on in his career, that those folks can make your life pretty miserable if they want to because when that kid barfs all over the carpet during first period, it’s you who has to sit in the room with the aroma until it gets cleaned up. The response time, he found, was just a little bit quicker if he included the janitors on the Christmas card list or if he held doors open for them as they moved heavy equipment around the school. In my own career, I’ve mimicked that behavior when it comes to administrative assistants as their help with meeting logistics can make or break a gathering of colleagues. More recently I’ve come to extend it to people in all levels of jobs because you never know who it’s going to be that can help you or be in a position to give you that next job. My lowly but ambitious college intern may end up running the next Google in 10 years. You just never know. A better example can be found when examining the Chicago Housing Authority (CHA), which runs the housing project system in the greater Chicago area. The lines between elected and appointed positions in the CHA hierarchy are blurred in this organization. CHA is headed by elected officials who then appointed people to run the various facilities. In the mid 1990s (and perhaps also today) at the Altgeld Gardens facility, by some magical coincidence, people who openly supported the CHA elected officials got their plumbing or heating fixed a whole lot sooner by the local administrators by those who did not. During that time, the CHA’s Altgeld Gardens management offices were discovered to have asbestos problems and the entire building was retrofitted accordingly. Despite being built at about the same time as the offices and by the same contractors, the actual Altgeld Gardens housing facility was not even scheduled for an asbestos inspection. This concerned a young community organizer, who rallied residents into launching a letter-writing campaign with the local officials after they ignored requests for a face to face meeting. The letters escalated to various levels in the CHA hierarchy until finally, the community organizer got media attention by arranging a meeting with the elected head of the CHA and invited several local television crews to capture the meeting he correctly predicted would get ignored. With media pressure on his side, the community organizer was able to get the same asbestos retrofits for the housing facility that the CHA offices received. This story is only important because the community organizer was Barack Obama (and these events can be found in his pre-fame written memoir). As a United States Senator and current presidential candidate, I’m thinking that guy can do a lot more than clean up vomit for you right about now, especially if you are a CHA administrator that needs something. Regardless of what happens with the 2008 election cycle, it would be a lot better to have him owe you a favor than to remember you didn’t care about asbestos exposure in a housing project. That’s not to say that the kid who mows your lawn is going to grow up to be that venture capitalist you need funding from to launch your dream company, but the point is that you can’t afford to treat anybody with anything less than respect and courteousness. You never know what they are going to become later. It’s best not to burn bridges with anybody and build as many strong relationships as you can. The result is a personal network that can pay dividends for you down the road. Pete Johnson has held a variety of positions with Hewlett-Packard since 1993, focusing mainly on web development. As HP.com ITs Chief Architect he is responsible for technology standards that govern all HP websites, the company portal strategy, and a variety of other web publishing challenges. He blogs at http://nerdguru.net on how improved non-technical skills can accelerate an engineering career.

10 Must Read Books For Every Professional Woman

10 Must Read Books For Every Professional Woman I keep getting this question over and over, What books do you recommend for professional women?  Well, here you go!  I LOVE  reading  career and entrepreneurship books and these are my absolute favorites! These are all must read books in my opinion. First, I put together a little  PDF  of the books that you can download now and take with you to the bookstore or library! What I love about the list below is that each book is a little different and they range from important topics such as finding a job you love, starting a business, networking, getting out of debt and organizing your life. Its a little bit of everything! Let me know what you read and if you liked it! 10 Must Read Books For Every Professional Woman Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office  by Lois P. Frankel Unclutter Your Life in One Week  by Erin Rooney Doland 48 Days to the Work You Love  by Dan Miller How to Win Friends and Influence People  by Dale Carnegie 7 Habits of Highly Effective People  by Steven Covey Never Eat Alone  by Keith Ferrazzi Start Something That Matters  by Blake Mycoskie The Start-up Of You  by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha Tribes  by Seth Godin The Total Money Makeover  by Dave Ramsey Updated June 2015:  This post was originally published in 2013 so I had to update it to add a few more favorites! The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want To Be by Jack Canfield Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks The Professional Womans Guide to Managing Men by Anna Runyan (Yep! Thats me! Enjoy:-) The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less  by Greg McKeown Thrive by Arianna Huffington Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Cant Stop Talking by Susan Cain Coach Yourself To Success by Talane Miedaner Think and Grow Rich  by Napoleon Hill The Dip by Seth Godin The Artists Way by Julia Cameron The Art of Non-Comformity by Chris Guillebeau Get Rich, Lucky Bitch!: Release Your Money Blocks and Live a First Class Life  by Denise Duffield Thomas Did your favorite book make the list?  Did I miss any must reads?

Personal Branding Weekly - Frustrated with Twitter - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly - Frustrated with Twitter - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I’m honored to have had the opportunity to present at the #SMX Social Media Marketing Conference this week. What Are 3 Blunders Hindering Your Ability to Connect With Influencers on Twitter? My hope, as always, is to help you be more effective in your marketing and more efficient with your time. Please review my presentation deck and feel free to share it! Maria Elena Duron Presentation at #SMXSOCIAL SMX Social Marketing Conference 2013 from Maria Duron Do you have any favorite twitter tips? Please share them in the comments below and I’ll be sure to publicly thank you along with highlight your tactics in an upcoming blog post. Last week â€" we focused on: Richie Incognito, The NFL, Workplace Bullying to Surface by Skip Weisman Networking Tips from the Godfather by Kevin Monahan How do You Deal with Difficult People  by Nance Rosen How to Sell Your Soft Skills During Job Interviews by Heather Huhman There are Two Types of Americans: Employed and Unemployed by Alex Freund Revving Up Personal Tripod to Experience Success by Elinor Stutz Job Search Lessons from College Football by Richard Kirby Importance of Keeping a List of Companies You Applied by Ceren Cubukcu Cutting Through the Clutter: ReadQuick with Clayton Morris by Bill Connolly Dont Scare People Away with Your Email by Maria Elena Duron Oh Boy Time to Look for a New Job by Robin Ogden Every Moon Shot Matters by Jeff Shuey A Great Personal Brand can Shape Your Legacy! by Beth Kuhel Telecommuters: Keep Your Value in Your Employers Mind by Leslie Truex The Value of Profit Making Money by Nick Inglis Giving Back for Your Legacy and Personal Brand by Marc Miller A helpful takeaway from the conference If you forget to network, you’ll forget how to network. Which helpful takeaway from last week speaks to you? One of the easiest ways to grow your following as an industry expert quickly is through leveraging social networks. (Author, Crystal Washington) If you can provide nothing more than being a sounding board and providing encouragement, I can almost guarantee that they will appreciate it. (Author,   Marc Miller) If you’re struggling with motivation, it may be time to reassess your motivators and the value behind profit for you. (Author, Nick Inglis) The more personal the connection, the more likely your boss will remember you and feel good about the work you’re doing. (Author, Leslie Truex) A great legacy is based on having great character traits. (Author, Beth Kuhel) EVERYONE has something that can contribute. Everyone has their own Moon Shot Idea. (Author, Jeff Shuey) When survival is your only objective, it becomes easier to make decisions. (Author, Bill Connolly) This next week we’ll cover: Inexpensive resources Thank you for your brand “Tell me about yourself” revisited Branding versus positioning Negotiating for what you want Looking forward to your comments. Thank you for your readership!