Intraextrointrovert

I'm an extrovert introvert who enjoys collaborating in team and group environments but also needs and enjoys some chill time on my own to recharge. I’m an ENFP (Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception) which means I focus on intuition and external connections. But there is a strong internal piece which is key to process how I feel about things and how they fit into my value system.

I live in the world of possibilities – which can trip me up on follow through – but I see life as a gift and literally wake up every day looking forward to the possibilities. I have my share of down times and self-doubt which again is typical of someone driven by emotion and connection.

Up Downside

When I look at the 20 or so people I spend the most time with, it’s a mix, which is typical of an ENFP as I get energy from others and the varied traits they bring. And some of the closest people in my life are actually introverts. If you know one or are one, you know the label isn't completely accurate. The ones in my life are incredibly personable, engaging, and funny. Introvert means shy and withdrawn and I disagree with those broad labels.

I have a colleague who is an introvert and prefers to solve issues at work one-on-one in plain language through conversation and collaboration while her boss wants every report in triplicate to outline the effectiveness of the analysis of the plan. One gets energy from relationships while the other can’t operate without reports and structure.

P2P

One of my best friends – who is definitely an extrovert – is a very successful investment adviser who does most of his work on the phone or with clients rather than sitting in his office doing paperwork. His energy comes from being with and helping people and he does it all day long.

So if you have someone on your team who isn't like you, celebrate that, celebrate them, and get to know their way, their perspective, and their view on the world. We can talk about the multi-generational workplace another time.

Labels are good for clothing not people.
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Fits Like a Glove

I'm an extrovert introvert who enjoys collaborating in team and group environments but also needs and enjoys some chill time on my own to recharge. I’m an ENFP (Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception) which means I focus on intuition and external connections. But there is a strong internal piece which is key to process how I feel about things and how they fit into my value system.

I live in the world of possibilities – which can trip me up on follow through – but I see life as a gift and literally wake up every day looking forward to the possibilities. I have my share of down times and self-doubt which again is typical of someone driven by emotion and connection.

Up Downside

When I look at the 20 or so people I spend the most time with, it’s a mix, which is typical of an ENFP as I get energy from others and the varied traits they bring. And some of the closest people in my life are actually introverts. If you know one or are one, you know the label isn't completely accurate. The ones in my life are incredibly personable, engaging, and funny. Introvert means shy and withdrawn and I disagree with those broad labels.

I have a colleague who is an introvert and prefers to solve issues at work one-on-one in plain language through conversation and collaboration while her boss wants every report in triplicate to outline the effectiveness of the analysis of the plan. One gets energy from relationships while the other can’t operate without reports and structure.

P2P

One of my best friends – who is definitely an extrovert – is a very successful investment adviser who does most of his work on the phone or with clients rather than sitting in his office doing paperwork. His energy comes from being with and helping people and he does it all day long.

So if you have someone on your team who isn't like you, celebrate that, celebrate them, and get to know their way, their perspective, and their view on the world. We can talk about the multi-generational workplace another time.

Labels are good for clothing not people.
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Labels and People

I'm an extrovert introvert who enjoys collaborating in team and group environments but also needs and enjoys some chill time on my own to recharge. I’m an ENFP (Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception) which means I focus on intuition and external connections. But there is a strong internal piece which is key to process how I feel about things and how they fit into my value system.

I live in the world of possibilities – which can trip me up on follow through – but I see life as a gift and literally wake up every day looking forward to the possibilities. I have my share of down times and self-doubt which again is typical of someone driven by emotion and connection.

Mix it up

When I look at the 20 or so people I spend the most time with, it’s a mix, which is typical of an ENFP as I get energy from others and the varied traits they bring. And some of the closest people in my life are actually introverts. If you know one or are one, you know the label isn't completely accurate. The ones in my life are incredibly personable, engaging, and funny. Introvert means shy and withdrawn and I disagree with those broad labels.

I have a colleague who is an introvert and prefers to solve issues at work one-on-one in plain language through conversation and collaboration while her boss wants every report in triplicate to outline the effectiveness of the analysis of the plan. One gets energy from relationships while the other can’t operate without reports and structure. Sadly, the highest ranking official wins the day and the organization loses an opportunity for both to thrive.

Person to Person

One of my best friends – who is definitely an extrovert – is a very successful investment advisor who does most of his work on the phone or with clients rather than sitting in his office doing paperwork. His energy comes from being with and helping people and he does it all day long.

So if you have someone on your team who isn't like you, celebrate that, celebrate them, and get to know their way, their perspective, and their view on the world.

Teamwork and culture are not achieved by insisting everyone homogenizes into one sanitized process but rather by respecting personality traits and gifts. The combination can be magical which is why open collaborative leadership is critical.

Labels are for clothing not people.
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Investing Unwisely

You don’t have to go too far before you hear some mutation of the phrase “we can't do that here”. At first, it almost seems believable but with some thought it's more of an auto-response. No new ideas is often next in line.

It reminds me of what a colleague once said to me. He often boasted that "employees are overhead, customers are profit". Yes, dinosaurs do walk among us.

But before you feel compelled to say “we can’t do that”, one suggestion is to put the company on the hoist to expose waste before you make cuts on essential items such as the people who work there. Companies often bemoan decreasing results but think they can cut themselves into the black.

Or worse, do nothing.
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Introverts and Extroverts Converge

I'm an extrovert introvert who enjoys collaborating in team and group environments but also needs and enjoys some chill time on my own to recharge. I’m an ENFP (Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception) which means I focus on intuition and external connections. But there is a strong internal piece which is key to process how I feel about things and how they fit into my value system.

I live in the world of possibilities – which can trip me up on follow through – but I see life as a gift and literally wake up every day looking forward to the possibilities. I have my share of down times and self-doubt which again is typical of someone driven by emotion and connection.

Upside Down

When I look at the 20 or so people I spend the most time with, it’s a mix, which is typical of an ENFP as I get energy from others and the varied traits they bring. And some of the closest people in my life are actually introverts. If you know one or are one, you know the label isn't completely accurate. The ones in my life are incredibly personable, engaging, and funny. Introvert means shy and withdrawn and I disagree with those broad labels.

I have a colleague who is an introvert and prefers to solve issues at work one-on-one in plain language through conversation and collaboration while her boss wants every report in triplicate to outline the effectiveness of the analysis of the plan. One gets energy from relationships while the other can’t operate without reports and structure.

P2P

One of my best friends – who is definitely an extrovert – is a very successful investment advisor who does most of his work on the phone or with clients rather than sitting in his office doing paperwork. His energy comes from being with and helping people and he does it all day long.

So if you have someone on your team who isn't like you, celebrate that, celebrate them, and get to know their way, their perspective, and their view on the world. We can talk about the multi-generational workplace another time.

Labels are good for clothing not people.
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Labels are Dangerous

I'm an extrovert introvert who enjoys collaborating in team and group environments but also needs and enjoys some chill time on my own to recharge. I’m an ENFP (Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Perception) which means I focus on intuition and external connections. But there is a strong internal piece which is key to process how I feel about things and how they fit into my value system.

I live in the world of possibilities – which can trip me up on follow through – but I see life as a gift and literally wake up every day looking forward to the possibilities. I have my share of down times and self-doubt which again is typical of someone driven by emotion and connection.

Mix it up

When I look at the 20 or so people I spend the most time with, it’s a mix, which is typical of an ENFP as I get energy from others and the varied traits they bring. And some of the closest people in my life are actually introverts. If you know one or are one, you know the label isn't completely accurate. The ones in my life are incredibly personable, engaging, and funny. Introvert means shy and withdrawn and I disagree with those broad labels.

I have a colleague who is an introvert and prefers to solve issues at work one-on-one in plain language through conversation and collaboration while her boss wants every report in triplicate to outline the effectiveness of the analysis of the plan. One gets energy from relationships while the other can’t operate without reports and structure. Sadly, the highest ranking official wins the day and the organization loses an opportunity for both to thrive.

Person to Person

One of my best friends – who is definitely an extrovert – is a very successful investment advisor who does most of his work on the phone or with clients rather than sitting in his office doing paperwork. His energy comes from being with and helping people and he does it all day long.

So if you have someone on your team who isn't like you, celebrate that, celebrate them, and get to know their way, their perspective, and their view on the world.

Teamwork and culture are not achieved by insisting everyone homogenizes into one sanitized process but rather by respecting personality traits and gifts. The combination can be magical which is why open collaborative leadership is critical.

Labels are for clothing not people.
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Kneale Mann | People + Priority = Profit

topgear

What's Your Ask?

The core of leadership begins with you, with me, with each and every one of us in our own lives. If we’re fortunate enough to live in a place where freedom is cherished then we have the chance to make it better, to not follow our dreams but create them.

It's not easy to make changes. It's much simpler to sit and put up with what you may think there's no choice over but you begin to believe the story in your head.

Extended Community

We are more connected than ever. We are growing virtual teams and connections that can help us. It may not happen immediately or all at once, but one small step right now can get things moving.

So if you are not satisfied, feel stuck, don’t know where to ask for help, who to talk to, where to find what you want, one thing is clear, doing nothing is simply not an option. Conceding that your situation rules your life and not the other way around should not and can not be your only option.

Let’s get up, grab life, reach out for help, and have some fun!

Kneale Mann

westdevon

Are You Committed to Your Future Self?

We all know we’re going to die. We all know, if we live long enough, we will get old. We make decisions every day which will affect our future. Daniel Goldstein explains how our decisions today will affect our tomorrow. What decisions will you make today in your life, your business and your leadership of others?

Daniel explains our struggle between our present and future 


Kneale Mann

visual credit: TED | Daniel Goldstein

Your Personal Media Experience

One-to-One Rapport

It doesn’t matter if you work in television, radio, advertising, communications, marketing, digital or mobile; your top job is developing audience. You can use words like influence and connection, conversation and relationship but having more people consume your offering gives you a better chance on driving success through whatever metric you decide to employ.

Return on your investment may be measured by revenue or awareness but unless you are independently wealthy, you need to eventually realize results of some kind. So in the quest for advancement, most are hesitant to take chances and things get stuck.

Creating Your Experience

As you know, the word media is plural for medium yet there is plenty of evidence that some feel it is a catch-all phrase. But for the most part we consume media alone through gadgets and channels. And with technological advancements, our experience is more in our individual control every day. Our user experience can be uniquely ours.

You don’t read your Facebook newsfeed with ten other people. You aren’t sending tweets from the control room of a studio. And you are probably not devising your next blog post while mapping out storylines and an editorial calendar with your team. Creating and consumer media is a personal process. There are exceptions but we mostly read, watch, listen, write and interact alone. Our quest to reach and share with others makes the experience social.

Imagine. Create. Share.

Think about your average week. Mine consists of time online, calls, email, writing, maybe a webinar, group calls, business development, client work, proposals, team discussions, driving to appointments and research. Your week may be different but you are conducting most of that work alone through various media.

So when companies talk about gaining more market share or building a brand - which can only be done between customers - they often use averages and demographics, charts and trends and that is valuable information but more times than not our clientele consume our offering alone.

How can you enhance customer need on a personal level?

Kneale Mann

image credit: thecoolgadgets

ROI: Are We Focused on the Wrong Letter?

Anytime After Now

You run a business, you have expenses, you have revenue and you want profits. You want to see measurable growth in your overall business this fiscal.

Your time is tighter than ever, you are distracted by all of the outbound marketing choices and there doesn’t seem to be one clear cut way to go.

You know you should examine your current business development and perhaps dump some stuff and incorporate some new stuff and that’s about as far as the conversation has gone. In this case, your business is anything from a part-time interest to a publically traded multi-national in the Fortune 500.

Of course the “you” in this story is a composite of any business owner and manager because these are issues faced every day in companies small, medium and large. We all struggle with striking a balance between working in the business while trying to work on the business and ultimately find our why business.

Busy Busy

You could freshen up the website, add another Twitter stream, begin blogging, put out a direct mail piece, create a Facebook group, buy some radio advertising, develop a mobile application, slap up some billboards, create a YouTube channel and take out full page ads in the daily newspaper.

All this activity will take time, resources and cash. There will be creative meetings with your agency or internal team. You will need to decide on the content and artwork. And then there is production and upkeep. You’re in business every single day so these activities certainly can’t be haphazard.

Proof Meet Pudding

If traction isn’t realized in quick order you may be concerned it didn’t work. There hasn’t been an increase in blog readers, the radio campaign hasn’t garnered enough sales leads and all that Facebook stuff seems a waste of time. You may claim you don't need more marketing, you need more sales. Egg meets chicken.

Have a close look at you investment and effort. Are you committed to it? Are you aware of the expected results of each tactic? Or are you hoping to throw money at an eternal solution then get back to work so all those new sales leads will pour in? Traditional, digital and mobile media are no longer places to buy but rather channels to engage. We have to look at the return of our social investment.

Before we measure our return, perhaps we have to be honest and clear about our actual investment?

Kneale Mann

image credit: abcnetau

Business Strategy | We Can't Do That

Conform (verb / kənˈfôrm)
Comply with rules, standards, or laws. Behave according to socially acceptable conventions or standards. Be similar in form or type. Agree.

You don’t have to go too far before you hear some mutation of the phrase “we can't do that here”. At first, it almost seems believable but with some thought it's more of an auto-response. It becomes part of the fabric of the organization. No new ideas is often next in line.

One phrase I hear almost daily is; “we don’t need marketing, we need sales" and it reminds me of what a colleague once said to me. He often boasted that "employees are overhead, customers are profit". Yes, dinosaurs walk among us.

Underspend To Success

Sales training is not a simple process and it's not free. The process to master the art of sales usually takes a few years and a lot of expense. If short-cuts are made, a company can be decimated. There are few quicker steps to failure than an inexperienced sales team on the street with a product or service that isn't ready for customers who have never heard of it.

So before you feel compelled to say “we can’t do that”, one suggestion is to put the company on the hoist to expose waste before you make cuts on essential items such as people and letting customers know you exist. Companies often bemoan decreasing results but think they can cut themselves into the black. Or worse, do nothing.

What are your thoughts?

Kneale Mann

Facebook Goes For Gold

Looks good 'on paper'

The news hit just as the last morsels of Holiday over indulgence was digesting.

Goldman Sachs earmarked $450 million for their top private clients to invest in Facebook. The social networking juggernaut is currently "valued" at $50 Billion. This would just about get them into the Fortune 100 save one itsy bitsy issue - actual revenue.

This was not something new to the world of VC and high-tech.

During the heady days of 1995-2000, billions were made and lost on paper in some cases in a matter of hours. The dot-com boom bubble bust caused stock speculation
to go off the charts.

Simply by owning a sexy website address, guys in basements were suddenly living the high life in posh offices in Manhattan. The problem was that most had no ability to make actual money on any actual product or service. This is not unlike the vast majority of start-ups today that have the coolest neato gadget solution for something we don’t even know we need. Many embrace the strategy that Google will eventually buy them.

But we’ve learned our lesson, right?  

Dot-com billionaires continue to live among those who lost their shirts before even owning a shirt because there wasn’t a shirt in the first place. The wasteland of marble floored office complexes and Herman Miller chaired boardrooms collected dust faster than they could collect revenue.

Despite the ever increasing appetite for online social networking, many are looking at the Facebook | Goldman Sachs relationship cautiously and with significant concern.
If a website lost its speculated net worth in a matter of days during the dot-com bust, even the almighty Facebook can falter under its hoodie laden wonderkind.

Person of the Year

Facebook CEO and 24% shareholder Mark Zuckerberg saw his bottom line almost double in 24 hours. His estimated personal wealth is in the $15 Billion range.  All the while, tech investors continue to hope for a Facebook IPO and it is doubtful Goldman Sachs will be waiting patiently.

What are you thoughts?

knealemann | email

image credit: googleimages

Re-posted on social media today

ROSI | Return on Social Investment

Imagine – if you don’t already – that have your own company.
Let’s focus on the social aspect of your business – your people.

They work 1,800-2,000 hours a year. They have bills, families, dreams and career aspirations. They want to contribute to your company but they also want to reach their own goals. Your team wants a reason beyond compensation that inspires them to show up every day.

As company owner, you have identified that career advancement is essential to ensure your team is well equipped to deliver results. You allot budget for things like external consultants and seminars as well as internal collaborative sessions and conferences all to arm your people with the best tools possible. Call it your social investment.

Dollars and sense

How often does a company owner or manager perform an audit of social investment? Some may be able to get the metrics close but these are estimates at best. It's tough to say if you spend $X on your people, you will get $Y in return. But it's not something most measure on those terms.

You can make the same claim with regards to any outbound marketing initiatives. You figure out a percentage of revenue to spend on telling people about you but it's not an exact science. It is not automatic that you spend more and make more. Buying wisely and choosing the right channels are as imperative as choosing your team.

Social investment needs same care as external investment.

I had an interesting conversation with a colleague last week about a prominent company's dissatisfaction of the results from a recent initiative. In base terms, they were not happy that the millions spent didn't move the needle much. It happens to companies small, medium and large.

So you invest in social improvement aka your people. You spend money on letting the public know about your offering. Yet you are unable to measure the actual return on these investments to scientific certainty. But you know you need to do both.

Then there is the onslaught of online and mobile channels that aren't so easy to measure. Time spent building trust channels seem insurmountable.

Social media: return on commitment

Before you can expect a return, you need to make an investment. Time, patience, focus and most importantly your willingness to participate in the process will be of great benefit to the growth of your company.

Having a YouTube channel and starting a Facebook group is not the investment. Neither is tossing a binder at the new guy and hoping he makes his numbers.

What is your ROSI?

knealemann | email


image credit: flickr

Return on What Investment?

Measurement is tricky business.

There seems to be more discussion about ROI in the last few years than in any time in history. Some may point to the economic reality, others may suggest it’s because social media are still as confusing as calculus.

Perhaps the issue for some business owners is that the social web requires sweat equity while the work on other media ends after the creative stage and once it's 'placed' it does the work for you.

How often do you or your manager measure the return on investment of mainstream channels? The issue is often tied to money and time.

We use the phrase “buying media” when discussing the big four traditional channels and things get pear-shaped when someone suggests that a LinkedIn group and a YouTube channel with a couple of videos do not a social media commitment make.

So you figure out your advertising budget and then go shopping.

You try and cut the best deal and cover as many bases as you can. Then you go on with running your business. Media does its job for you (or so you think). You are no longer necessary for the process to see itself through until perhaps a creative freshen or new schedule change need to be examined.

I would caution that hiring the least experienced person in the building or worst yet asking an intern to do it for free may be unwise. Ask yourself if you would trust this person with your next bank deposit before you hand over the keys of your brand to the new kid.

Anyone demanding ROI on social media requires a long honest look at what they are prepared to invest in order to get a measurable return. And we both know that investment is much more than what’s in your wallet.

What says you?

knealemann | email

Join me for Movember.

image credit: mrecafe

The Social Economy

Imagine the Internet is your investment portfolio.

There are an estimated 1.7 billion people online. That’s one quarter of the world’s population.

There are over 400 million in Asia with Internet access and three quarters of North Americans are online.

We're Rich! We're Rich!


The number of people on the Internet is increasing at just shy of 20% annually. Venture capitalists are frothing over these numbers and it is the reason why some of our favorite social channels receive more funding.

Media are/is Mediums.

We can officially stop making the distinction between "traditional" media (print, radio, television, outdoor/transit) and digital media. What is paramount is our ability to navigate all of the available mediums as well as the communication between companies and customers.

A flag and an anthem.

With a population of over 300 million, Facebook would be the fourth largest country on the planet where 1.6 billion pieces of content is exchanged every day.

Blogger, Digg, Flickr, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter get over 900 million daily visitors. We can safely put the apples and oranges away and call it all media and mainstream.

Social Media are the mediums in which we socialize.

We all too often forget what it’s like on the other side of the counter. We are all customers and we are all service providers. But the connection often breaks down when discussions surround building online communities with a business application.

If you could see a 20 point increase each year, would you be interested?

If giving up control to your customers would increase their spend, are you still reading?

Are you willing to let your customers have the ability to have actual direct contact with you?

Are you ready to put some time and resources and sweat equity into your Internet portfolio?

@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy

image credit: doorsofperception.com

Social Media: Racoons and Evangelists

There is certainly no shortage of chatter right now about the explosion of social media. "It’s everywhere”, a buddy said the other day. But the Twitter numbers are mind blowing. There has been a 1400% increase in membership in the last 12 months. Add to that, the largest growth has been in the 35-49 demographic.

And some wonder why venture capitalists keep pouring money in to this project. It's safe to say they aren't waiting for banner ads to recoup their investment. It's about the numbers and with 10 million members in three years, that's a lot of influence.

Twitter Pro or Premium or whatever they will call it, will bring in revenue but like Google, there is enough evidence to suggest money could be made behind-the-scenes.

The Social Media Big Three.

So Twitter is now a legitimate player along with Facebook (175 million) and MySpace (250 million). But with the current American auto industry mess fresh on our minds, it's important to note that companies don't necessarily stay on top forever.

Estimated revenue for these sites in 2008 (figures in USD)
MySpace $800M | Facebook $300M | Twitter $0

A warning from The Hacks.

In this week’s Media Hacks podcast - a must listen - Christopher S. Penn cautions anyone who thinks they can make a living solely from focusing one social media site. There are examples of people doing very well at that, but there is concern if the space goes under.

Diversify your social media portfolio.

Penn says that if you pour all your time and resources into Twitter (for instance) and for some reason they go out of business, so could you. But if Twitter is part of your overall strategy – which in many cases is a wise move – if it goes out of business, you can shift your energy to other places.

Let's check again with those venture capitalists.

Too often those who run screaming into the night saying "how will we monetize this thing" are measuring it against mainstream metrics and advertising. Meanwhile social marketing and behavioral scientists are watching all of this very carefully.

Social spaces, our need to connect and our desire to build communities is not going to change. You may just want to remember that there are millions of people still not immersed in the social media. Yet.

Would you be happy with a 7-share?

It's difficult to determine how many people are participating in social media today. Many have multiple profiles on several sites but if we were to guesstimate that half a billion was the number, that's still only 7% of the world's population. So odds are, you have met plenty of people who haven't even tried this thing that's "everywhere".

Something to keep in mind if client strategy is part of your job. It's an important part of the strategy, but dangerous to assume you will get more buy-in than raccoons in headlights. And simply having a Twitter account without understanding what it can do for them or how to properly use it, is a dangerous game as well.

Have you tried social media? Have you found people who have not tried it yet? What are your thoughts on companies embracing social media?