career advice, career management, Careers, leadership, Networking, Personal Branding, Sales and Marketing, self employed, small business

9 Steps to Building Your Network: Learn From Strong Leaders

Mary Rosenbaum | November 29th, 2011

One of the benefits I derive from working with clients on their 360 assessments is the ability to see how certain skills and talents appear consistently in the assessments of many successful professionals and leaders.

One of the key brand attributes that usually ranks near the top is their ability to build vast networks and communities across their companies, their industries, as well as outside their immediate sphere of influence.

What is it about them or what do they do that makes them such great networkers and community builders?

Based on my analysis, I see it as a combination of specific actions geared to building a network, modifying some behavioral traits so you are someone who is sought out by others, and leading with those values that makes others want to be in your network or community.

Actions:

1. Provide great follow up. Timely follow-up is the first step for turning a casual encounter into a strong tie.

2. Develop good listening skills. Communication must be a two-way street. Some people have said the ratio should be 80% listening and 20% talking. Real relationships are built on learning how others think and what they need.

3. Be helpful. In order to build relationships, giving is even more important than getting. Provide assistance, make connections, and reach out on behalf of others. Make sure that your helpfulness is not geared to getting something in return.

4. Stay committed. You must be committed to building and growing your network- it takes a lot of energy to seek out those who you can help and who can ultimately develop into your brand ambassadors.

5. Be dedicated. Building a strong network across the various areas of your life takes time and patience – and lots of it. Make sure you dedicate the time necessary each week to building your community.

Behavioral Magnets:

6. Be positive. A positive attitude is a magnet. People like to be around you when you give off positive energy. The glass half-full always trumps half-empty.

7. Spread your enthusiasm. A can-do approach makes you someone who others seek out. It is like putting out a welcome mat. Genuine enthusiasm is contagious and helps motivate others to action.

Lead With Your Values:

8. Be trustworthy. Trust is the basic building block for growing any relationship. It is also the basis for doing or being in business with anyone.

9. Be sincere. Inauthenticity is easily seen and felt. Give, help, listen, and befriend, because it benefits them, not you.

So whether you are a salesperson, an entrepreneur, a lawyer, a manager, a small business owner, or new to your leadership role, following these steps can help you grow your network, build out your community, and achieve the success you want.

I know there must be others to add to this list. Please share them with us.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Strong leadership means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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Grow Your Network – Leverage Your Brand

Mary Rosenbaum | November 2nd, 2011

Part of leveraging your personal brand is communicating it to and connecting with people who are in your target audience. After all, you want those people who are in a position to be your brand ambassadors to know about you.

The key is to expand your target audience beyond its current parameters – but in a meaningful way. This is not a numbers game. I am not encouraging you to increase your followers on Twitter, friends on Facebook or contacts on LinkedIn. Instead I am advocating a deepening of those relationships if they merit it and expanding your circle to include others that fit your parameters.

What do I mean by that?  Take a look at your existing network. A good way to do that is to look at your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter contacts and how they aggregate. Are they relationships that can expand your reach into communities that include your target audience? If so, do they have a good understanding of the value your bring to your organization or your clients? Can they be your brand ambassadors? A broadening and deepening of your relationships will ensure that the answer to those questions is yes.

Clients always ask, “how can I expand my network?” If you work inside an organization, don’t make the mistake of just focusing on your managers and co-workers. It’s just as important to communicate and ultimately develop relationships with those outside your organization. When you think about it the people you know and communicate with regularly (those you work with and for) already have a pretty good idea of who you are and the value you provide. It’s those people outside your organization and outside your close friends network that are the ones who can provide you with:

–     new information

–     new ideas

–     new contacts

–     exposure to different opportunities

Here are some ideas for expanding your network.

–     Join an organization – professional or not for profit. Participate in a meaningful way so you can form relationships and allow your personal brand to shine through.

–       Increase your communication with people you see only once or twice a year. If possible, off-line always trumps on-line.

–       Introduce your friends and professional contacts to each other. Be generous with your contacts and they will be eager to reciprocate.

–       Contribute to the success of others. The goodwill that generates from this practice is priceless.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Being a strong leader means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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It’s Your Reputation, So Handle With Care

Mary Rosenbaum | August 18th, 2011

What are you doing to build, nurture, maintain, and grow your reputation? With all the hype about social media it becomes easy to take your eye off the ball of what really drives your career and your business. Whether you are in sales or some other profession, an entrepreneur or a small business owner, your number one focus should be your reputation. Your reputation includes much more than the work you deliver. It says a lot about you as a person and your company as a reflection of you.

Everyone has heard of word-of-mouth buzz – the holy grail of marketing. Every experience is stored in the mind with a story attached to it. Your brand is only as strong as the stories people tell about it. The stories we spread are either about what really upsets us or what makes us really happy. Maintaining and growing your reputation, your brand, depends on the stories that reflect the positive results rather than the negative surprises.

This summer I had an opportunity to work with a number of small businesses and service providers across a variety of industries. On a scale of 1-10 very few would receive a score higher than 6 and there were three that fell well below 5. Would I recommend them to others? Not in good conscience. Are there stories based on these experiences that I pass along that are less than flattering? Yes.

So what did they do wrong? The bottom line was that the experience of working with them was so unpleasant that it became memorable, in a negative way. So in spite of the fact that they ultimately completed their respective assignments the word-of-mouth buzz was not positive.

But we can all learn from their mistakes. Here are my suggestions for actions you can take to help you maintain a strong personal brand and a stellar reputation.

1. Manage expectations and eliminate negative surprises. If you find yourself unable to deliver on time or deliver what is expected, keep your client or your boss informed as quickly as possible. By managing expectations and keeping them in the loop you involve them in the process, are able to ask for their input, and make them partners in your success.

2. Tell the truth. There is nothing worse than losing your credibility. It’s not great to have to deliver bad news but if you lie and are found out you risk losing a lot more than if you told the truth. And the reality is, you will be found out eventually.

3. Communicate regularly and keep everyone informed of your progress. Returning phone calls in a timely fashion is imperative in maintaining a good relationship. Especially when you have bad news to deliver because no news is worse than bad news. Keeping your clients or managers in the dark by simply dodging their calls or emails only raises their internal barometer and puts them closer to exploding rather than understanding.

4. Under-promise and over-deliver. When pitching business or a project make sure your proposals and time frame are realistic, the results attainable and the ultimate costs in line with your experience and their needs or budgets. Failing to deliver on promise because of poorly thought out or researched proposals and strategic plans will not help you build strong and lasting relationships with your clients, your managers, and your colleagues.

If you communicate and collaborate with integrity and honesty you will all have a better experience working together. Mistakes happen, issues occur, and circumstances change. Unless you take ownership and step up to accept responsibility your brand will diminish in the eyes of those who work with you or your company. And you can bet on it – they will spread the word.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Strong leadership means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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Feedback: Is It a Gift or Castor Oil?

Mary Rosenbaum | August 2nd, 2011

How open are you to feedback from those you work with and for, or even from friends and relatives? I know from past experience that praise goes down real easy. Constructive criticism, no matter how couched the wording, goes down like castor oil – it may be good for you but it tastes really bitter and you want to spit it out as quickly as possible.

Yet, how can we learn so we can continue to earn? How we view and judge ourselves is very much like the way we see ourselves in the mirror. The mirror I look at is different than the one that others hold up in front of me. To prove it let me ask you this question:

Have you ever walked down the street and caught your reflection in a store’s plate glass window? Is it the same image you see every morning in your bathroom mirror? I know for a fact it isn’t the same image for me or for most people I know. Seeing yourself with “fresh” eyes can be an enlightening experience.

Obtaining feedback from others is a great way to see yourself with “fresh” eyes. But only if you let yourself really hear what they have to say.

Recently I had an opportunity to provide feedback to my friend Carolyn, a real estate broker. Quite by accident I found out that a neighbor of mine had spoken with Carolyn about renting a house and came away from that conversation with the belief that Carolyn no longer wanted to work on rentals. Of course, this could not be farther from the truth as Carolyn relies on converting rental clients into buyers as well as benefitting from their positive word of mouth advertising. Yet, this recent exchange had just the opposite effect.

I thought this would be a great opportunity for Carolyn to learn from this past exchange how she misrepresented the value she provides clients –  her brand –  and think of different ways to handle this in the future. Instead, Carolyn made this conversation all about how she did everything right and how the client was the one at fault. To further minimize the impact of this feedback, Carolyn ended by saying that this client’s opinions really did not matter. The feedback went down like castor oil – spit out as quickly as possible.

As someone who specializes in helping clients understand, communicate, and leverage their personal brands, I know that one of the main ingredients in the branding process is being clear on the impact you have on others (seeing your reflection in a different mirror). Why? Because in your personal and professional life, your reputation, how you are known, will always precede you.

You are always trying to reach your networks network so you have to know: What are your followers going to say to theirs? What information will Carolyn’s former client be passing along to others? And what impression has Carolyn been conveying to her other clients?

How others view your work and the value you deliver may be different than your own perceptions of how you come across. Here are a few ways to continue to learn so you can earn:

1. Solicit feedback. Ask those around you for ways you could improve upon what you do for or with them. They will feel flattered that you think their opinion is valuable. By having them try to help you get better or clearer on the way you work makes them feel like partners in your success.

2. Be courageous and be humble. Rather than becoming defensive and going into attack mode thank them for their honesty. Let the words sink in. Go back and think about what you heard not from the standpoint of how you felt when you heard them but rather how these words apply to what you know about yourself versus how others see you. Most importantly use these comments to help move you closer to where you want to be.

3. Reciprocate with honest feedback and become a partner in the success of others.

For those of you who have the courage to gain a better understanding of how you impact others and how this affects your career or business, contact me for information on how an online 360 assessment can help you highlight your strengths and define your brand.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Strong leadership means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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Make it Acceptable! Let Your Personal Brand Shine Through

Mary Rosenbaum | May 12th, 2011

Do you find yourself trying to fit some mental image you have of who you should be and how you should behave at work? I am not talking about behavior that is not acceptable in the world at large but rather some stereotype you have in your own head. I am talking about situations like being afraid to talk to colleagues about aspects of your life outside of work or avoiding language that make you seem too soft or feminine?

Let’s take the second example. It is common in business to use metaphors based on sports or combat. Target, bull’s eye, winning team, rally the troops, getting to first base, striking out, combat escalating costs, how you play the game, playbook, running interference, smooth sailing, team building, a level playing field, coaching, the war for talent. I know there are a lot more but what I am trying to show is that the use of these words has become normal in everyday business. And my question is, who determines what is normal or acceptable?

We do. The more we use these metaphors and language or the more we repeat behavior the more universally accepted and expected they become.

I attended a breakfast event this morning by the New York Women’s Foundation. It was a wonderful event that celebrated the successes of a variety of organizations and individuals dedicated to improving the current and future lives of girls and women.

One of the speakers, Jennifer Buffet, gave a wonderful talk describing her journey into the world of making a difference. She used words like nurturing, caring, loving, defining, fulfilling. In fact, she mentioned that when she asked others for advice while preparing her speech, she was told to eliminate many of those “soft, feminine, emotional” words in favor of more powerful ones that would “charge up” her listeners so they would reach for their checkbooks.

Rather than project an image in the way others thought she should through her use of language, Ms. Buffet decided to be who she was instead. She has a strong personal brand and it really came through. Her message, her authenticity and her honesty was what made the attendees reach for their checkbooks.

The same holds true for you. Being authentic, whether it’s telling stories at work about your kids or talking about how moved you were by an event you attended or how proud you were when you ran in the marathon, you are setting the terms for what is acceptable and for what can be expected. And being authentic and honest is how you can more easily connect and form relationships that enable you to do the work you do.

So you know the formula, acceptance is based on repetition. The more you allow your personal brand some breathing room and exposure, the more authentic you come across, and the more acceptable your actions and your words.

I would love to hear about some of your past and present SHOULD’s. Have you let your personal brand shine through?

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Strong leadership means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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Spread Your Thought Leadership, Spread Your Brand

Mary Rosenbaum | April 12th, 2011

How can you use thought leadership as a way of growing your business, improving your career positioning, or getting a job? Expressing your thought leadership is an excellent way to “show” rather than “tell” those who matter to you what you can do for them and how you do it. It enables you to differentiate yourself and stand out from the competition. It lets you “show your stuff” and solidify your personal brand in the minds of others.

There are many obvious ways of doing this such as writing articles for trade journals, speaking at events, creating your own events, participating in group on-line discussions, participating in professional associations, collaborating, etc. But before you even think about which road you want to take you should do some research and take the following questions and comments into consideration.

1. Who is in your target audience? Who are the people you want to get in front of? Are they decision makers or the ones who influence the decision makers? Which segment of the population are you addressing? The most productive use of your time would be to focus on a concentrated area or demographic and penetrate it more effectively through increased exposure.

2. What are their needs and pain points? How can you help them? Clearly identifying your target audience enables you to pinpoint and address their specific needs. Do the necessary research to find out what keeps them up at night. Provide value and stand out or you will end up being nothing more than white noise – easy to ignore. Stay current and timely, adding a twist or different point of view on information that may already be out there.

3. What do you like doing and what are you good at – speeches, written product, interviews? Focus on what you like doing and you’ll have a better chance of being consistent and constant in your delivery.

4. Where should your thought leadership be showcased? Whether it’s a blog, guest posts, newspapers, seminars, or special events your company develops, blanketing areas where your target audience lives is the best way to attain the visibility and credibility you want. Once you have captured your target audience’s attention and earned their following, your reputation, your brand, will expand beyond this group.

5. Patience and determination go a long way in building your thought leadership. It takes time for people to trust you, your information, and what you have to offer. Constant relevant exposure over a long period of time will help you build a consistent and growing following.

The rest is up to you. Do you have other ways of developing your thought leadership? Let us know what worked for you.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Strong leadership means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @careersguru

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Let’s Make A Deal: Keys to Negotiating Well

Mary Rosenbaum | March 24th, 2011

Are you a born negotiator? Not many of us are. Even if you are good at it, how successful are you when you are negotiating for yourself in situations that are critical to you, your business, and your career as opposed to for your company or your clients?

I know as soon as the negotiation affects me personally, arriving at a compromise is not as easy as when I am arranging a new car lease or buying something from a street vendor. In each of those two situations, I can walk away. I will probably never see or deal with that person again. Neither my emotions nor my ego are invested in the results.

What about negotiations that deal with compensation, employment or client contracts, staffing an important project, or being part of a team? These are personal. The results can reflect on our ability to perform well. The results represent how we define ourselves and the value our employers or clients assign to us. How good are you in these and other situations that are more personal?

The definition of negotiation is a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement. The best possible result would be an agreement that benefits both parties involved. But have you ever been involved in a negotiation where you felt that your “give up” was greater than the other side? If this sounds familiar, ask yourself:

1. Did I ask for enough? Whether it’s asking for increased compensation, a higher fee, improved benefits, more time, additional help, new title or promotion, sometimes a small voice in your head warns you of overreaching, asking for more than you can get or deserve. If this is the case, you have already lost the negotiation before you sit down at the table. Managing your expectations realistically are necessary, but just make sure that you are not limiting yourself because of fear.

2. Did I have enough information? Did I do enough research on my topic? If it’s compensation or fee structure, did I do my homework on comparables? Did I understand the firm psychology and culture? Information provides you with the bargaining strength you need to ask for what you deserve. It also serves as validation for your ask.

3. Did I know what I really wanted the outcome to be? What did I specifically ask for? You need to define what you are willing to give up. What is absolutely non-negotiable? When you walk into that room know how much you can give up without feeling that you are being taken advantage of.

4. Did I communicate my arguments effectively, did I make a clear case? Did I communicate how the other side can benefit if I prevail? Always try to see it from the other side so you can understand their position and make sure your pitch is designed so that their needs are taken into consideration.

5. Did I handle the objections well? Preparation is key to anticipating what the objections might be so you can come up with the right answers that strengthen your case.

Are there other ways you prepare for these types of negotiations? We would love to hear them.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Strong leadership means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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Your Value Added: It’s A Moving Target

Mary Rosenbaum | March 3rd, 2011

I think we can all agree that your passion about what you do is what gets people into the room. Passion is infectious and makes people want to connect with you – they listen and gravitate to you. But once you have them in the same room, how do you keep them there?

It is all about the value you deliver. And in today’s world, value is a moving target. Things change so quickly. The way you provided your services or did your job a year ago may still work but because of increased competition and greater demand for better/faster/less expensive results it has become necessary to constantly improve upon what you deliver.

In order to differentiate yourself and maintain your usual high level of performance it is important to view your expertise as a work in progress, a target that keeps moving away just as you seem to reach it.

I know the work I delivered 5 years ago, or even a year ago, is vastly different than what I provide for clients today. And hopefully what I deliver today will morph into something even better a year from now. I take classes, read books, articles, blogs, am part of discussions. I do all this so I can learn about and practice new tools, experiment with cutting edge techniques that enhance what I provide clients in a way that takes them to a new level. And as a result, they are constantly challenging me to come up with even better ways of working with them.

I look at coaching as a puzzle. Every time I complete the puzzle, I find different pieces that make the puzzle bigger, better, and more interesting. And you can too.

These are some of the demands I make on myself so that I can keep changing and growing, staying ahead of the curve so my performance stands out from the crowd.

1. Alway curious. Find the student in you and keep him alive. It is easy to be complacent when you reach a certain point in your career. If you are considered an expert or a leader, it is even more important to keep looking for ways to stay on a learning curve as you teach or lead others.

2. Open minded. Valuable insights sometimes come from the most unlikely sources. I know I have made connections to the work I do from the most unexpected places including a stand up routine by Colin Quinn on the evolution of mankind, a session with a “genius” at the Apple help store, and even an interaction with the check-out people at my local Fairway supermarket. Listening fully and being in the moment wherever you are provides you with great opportunities for being open minded.

3. Flexible. There is often more than one way to complete a project or do the work you do – in a world where there are many more experts across so many industries and specialties there is greater demand for customization, not standardization. Flexibility enables you to work with and for different cultures and in different environments, each with their own set of unique requirements.

4. Collaborative and generous. The whole is equal to greater than the sum of its parts. The end product is often better when you can work with others whose expertise dovetails with yours. Sharing the credit for a job done exceptionally well is far better than taking the full credit for work that is mediocre in some areas while outstanding in others. Your unique value really comes through when you spotlight it without burying it in work that does not reflect well.

5. Comfortable with change. As your skill set grows your focus on what you do and how you do it changes. And change can be uncomfortable. Incorporating a new way of thinking or behaving can often feel like being in a rudderless boat adrift in the middle of the sea. Allowing yourself the opportunity to experiment and even fail at times is important in order for real growth to occur.

Are there other ways you keep your eye on the moving target? Let me know and I can add it to my list.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Strong leadership means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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Personal Branding: Bullet Proof Your Reputation

Mary Rosenbaum | January 11th, 2011

On November 4, 1979 Ted Kennedy was interviewed by Roger Mudd prior to Kennedy’s announcement that he was going to run for President. A five minute segment of that interview changed the course of his political career. After 17 years of service in the Senate and after successfully combating the potential career destroying effects of the car crash on Chappaquiddick in1969, he did in a few minutes what his detractors couldn’t accomplish in years. What happened?

Roger Mudd asked him “Why do you want to be President?” Kennedy, who was known for his ability to think quickly and articulate his thoughts clearly, stumbled through a response that left a huge question mark over his real reasons for running for office. It was clear to everyone who watched that interview that Kennedy was not following his own calling but rather going through the motions based on a script written by someone else.

Those few minutes on television provided an audience of millions the opportunity to see Kennedy respond to the question with an inauthenticity that bordered on deceit. As a result of this interview, he lost his credibility as a viable candidate, his following, and the nomination. He lost the trust of his followers, damaging his reputation through a conspicuous lack of transparency and authenticity. Although he was able to rehabilitate his reputation over his many years of service and was admired and loved for his work, his Presidential aspirations were derailed forever.

Your reputation, your personal brand, reflects who you are in all you do and impacts what people thought of you yesterday and what they will think of you tomorrow. It is character defining. And strong character is what we all look for in those with whom we build relationships. In fact, the definition of character includes:

-the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual

-the strength and originality in a person’s nature

-a person’s good reputation

Reputation is your competitive advantage. A solid reputation not only allows you to be in the game but it influences your ability to get that promotion, win the account, or make the sale.

To be sure you earn a reputation you can be proud of, the values and qualities you want to embody are:

1. Honesty – be who you say you are. In a world where your reputation and past actions can easily be discovered through vast social networks, both online and offline, truth is easier to maintain than fiction. Connecting to your past today is just a mouse click away.

2. Authenticity – stay true to your values, passion and purpose. Living authentically helps you live a more fulfilled life, stay engaged and be at the top of your game because you are doing what you want and you are doing it well. People like to connect with those who are fully engaged and passionate about what they do.

3. Transparency – let them see how you do what you do. Transparency eliminates any questions regarding your purpose or your methods, another building block in developing trust.

4. Providing Merit – deliver what you promise and always make it your best. When you provide value you earn respect, develop relationships and easily build your tribe of supporters.

5. Consistency – delivering on your promise each and every time. Consistency results in building credibility and trust, the foundations of a successful career, business, and personal life.

6. Patience and Perseverance- your reputation is not built in a day. It is earned every day through your actions and behavior. Understanding what your reputation is, how it is growing, and seeking out new ways to improve your behaviors are key to continued success, professionally and personally.

Although it takes a great deal of time to build your reputation, it takes very little time to destroy it. A perfect example of someone who has been unable to rehabilitate a severely damaged reputation and career is Mel Gibson. It took one drunken moment to start the downward spiral his career has taken. Only time will tell whether he can reverse this trend but based on his activities and comments since then, it is doubtful.

So build your character, earn and bullet proof your reputation and you will surely strengthen your personal brand.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Strong leadership means leading with your strengths. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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Make 2011 Your Year for Creating Waves

Mary Rosenbaum | January 4th, 2011

You are sitting in a stadium watching a football or baseball game and suddenly, as if on cue, everyone around you stands up at the same time moving their arms up and down in a wave-like motion. At one time or another many of us have been part of a Wave. How did you know when to stand? Who started it and where did it start?

Oftentimes Waves start somewhere in the nosebleed section by an avid fan who wants to communicate his passion for the team and his encouragement for them to win. It sounds impossible, but this lone fan sitting way up there can start a movement that spreads throughout an entire stadium.

The interesting thing about a Wave is that someone starts it somewhere in a stadium, then he/she leads others into a huge movement and then disappears almost immediately. Our lone person was leading from the back of the stadium and once the movement passed, sat down with everybody else.

The steps it takes to start a successful Wave and send it out to the rest of the stadium are similar to the way leaders operate in the real world. True leadership is about inspiring others to take the lead, taking the idea wherever it needs to go to move it forward.

To lead or start a movement or a Wave you have to be willing to take a stand, believe in what you are doing, put some passion behind your idea, and let others take over when the time is right.

Dov Seidman, in his book How, describes the anatomy of a Wave and how it relates to true leadership. Here are some actions you can take to enable you to lead from wherever you are in the room or the stadium.

1. Reach out to your tribe. Those closest to you can be early supporters or followers of your cause. A Wave starts by someone first enlisting those seated closest to him. Because they are closer they can see what he is doing better and can determine what he hopes to achieve earlier than anyone else in the stadium. One lone person can build momentum and greater visibility in a large stadium only if he gets a group of people to stand up with him at the outset. This greater visibility enables the Wave to spread faster and last longer.

As an executive or entrepreneur, reaching out to those who can support your cause or idea in its early stages helps you build the momentum you need to spread acceptance. These early supporters provide you with greater credibility and visibility. They help spread your idea and in many instances even improve upon it as the idea moves forward.

2. Share your vision. Communicate clearly and be transparent about what it is you are trying to accomplish. Our lone person’s vision is to see his team win. By communicating to those around him either verbally or through his physical actions, this lone person successfully lets them know what it is he wants to accomplish. Your vision might be to make your department first in innovation, provide a new way to market your firm’s services, begin working virtually with your clients, or simply introduce a new way of doing what you do rather than the way it’s always been done before. Whatever it is, communicating clearly to those around you helps them see the big picture and more importantly, how they might be able to help you achieve your goals. There is greater buy in when everyone has clarity on where you want to go.

3. Make sure you are enlisting people in a common purpose – they have to like what you stand for and what you want to accomplish. I think we can agree that in the case of the stadium there are probably a fair number of fans rooting for the home team. The common cause or purpose is to help their team win and who would not want to take part in doing that? The Wave is an expression of support and encouragement and lets the team know their fans are behind them.

When others are aligned with your vision, that is great. But you will only achieve this goal if your purpose, the how of getting there, resonates with those to whom you reach out.

Leading no longer requires being in front of the room or at the top of the corporate pyramid. It takes vision, purpose, passion, communication, and enlisting your tribe of supporters.

Make 2011 your year for starting successful Waves.

Just wanted to mention that my blog at Your Career by Design was listed in the top 10 for Personal Branding. There are other great resources available on this list. Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.

Utilizing her experience of over 25 years Mary Rosenbaum empowers careerists and entrepreneurs to gain greater clarity and more effectively communicate their unique promise of value. Get her free report Top Strategies for Getting Visible and Getting Ahead.

Follow me on Twitter @Careersguru

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