Must Follow, Say What?

In November I received an email from Corinne at The Social Media Network advising that I was nominated in one of the award categories for the Vancouver Social Media Awards 2013!

I had been following along with the discussion surrounding the social media awards on Twitter for the past couple of weeks — but I was totally caught off guard to receive the nomination. I was asked to confirm availability {they have a few events shakin’ down in the Spring} and they advised they would be knocking down the nominations to ‘Top 7′ in each category by mid-December.

Last week The Social Media Network confirmed that they received 150 nominations — pretty wicked if you ask me. There are 8 categories… 4 for students {best student blog, best social video channel, best social media, must follow} and 4 for industry {best company blog, best social video channel, best social media campaign, must follow}.

A few minutes ago I heard from the crew and they told me I placed Top 7 for the Must Follow of 2013 Award!!

The Must Follow of 2013 award recognizes a single company or professional as an MVP using social media. An ideal candidate for Must Follow of 2013 should exhibit the following qualities:

• Has a strong personal brand that utilizes and engages using social media
• Actively uses multiple social platforms
• A trendsetter that inspires others to emulate best social media practices
• Exhibits knowledge on a niche topic that inspires insightful conversations online
• Engages customers in a meaningful way

This award will be given to a single company or professional who excels in social media branding/marketing, whether it’s through Twitter, WordPress, Facebook, G+, etc.

So I can add this to my resume right? ;)

I started tweeting solely because a few colleagues I met on conference in Tunisia told me I had to be on it. I started blogging because I love to write and lost the key to my diary. I got on the beast that is Facebook because that’s what all the cool kids were doing. I’m on Google+ …. um, haven’t figured out why yet. I’m on YouTube because I needed a place to showcase video.

All of the social media networks are tools. The reason I use any of them is education and communication — whether sending or receiving.

Simple as that.

So what’s next? The Top 7 will be whittled down to Top 3. This will take place during the Spring and then the Top 3 will battle it out in person on March 28, 2013!

Exciting times!

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you!

Now I just need to find out who nominated me. Come forward, tell me, tell me!

PS - This city is full of talented, amazing folks who totally get digital and social. Crazy amazing. Start listening and engaging. Let them in your life. Soak up their knowledge. Learn from them.

 

Click Happy on LinkedIn

At the end of September, LinkedIn introduced Endorsements:

They were rolled out with the intention of one-click feedback — quick and dirty one might say. The addition of Endorsements was a positive to the LinkedIn platform. Before the only way you could verify or validate a colleague was by writing a LinkedIn Recommendation. The problem with the Recommendations tool is that people are intimidated by it and it’s definitely not easy to use. The process is time-consuming and people don’t want to opt in {no different than how it’s hard to get someone to write you a recommendation letter!!}. The positive is that people generally have to take some time to write them — so if you do get one, it’s a huge win and you need to give yourself a pat on the back.

Over the last month, I have been endorsed by all sorts of colleagues {thank you, thank you!}.

So what’s the problem?

Some {some some some, not all!} of my colleagues have “endorsed” skills and expertise they have never seen me demonstrate. In regards to HR, many people endorsed me in Human Resources because I currently work in the field. Not because I am any good at it, nor because we worked alongside each other doing a compensation review.

From a personal point of view, LinkedIn Endorsements build credibility. Most people will look at endorsements and go whoaaaa — must mean you have your shit together. Hooray…! :/ Just remember that’s not really the case… you could be a deadbeat and have your 10 deadbeat friends endorse you. You’re really no further ahead in life. Focus on quality over quantity — and don’t get your panties all bundled up in excitement because you have 7 notifications that you’ve been endorsed. Results will always be gold.

From a Recruiter’s perspective — remember that Endorsements don’t mean shit all. LinkedIn Endorsements are honestly no different than +K — same beast, different platform. Take online recommendations with a grain of salt. Don’t assume skills endorsements equal credibility.

If you’re going to endorse others / give out recommendations (or anything to that like) — make sure they are thoughtful and relevant. Avoid getting click happy. Give a shout out to your colleagues because you know they are totally all star at their expertise area. And hell… if you’re already their #1 fan, why not just spend the time to drop them a love note in the mail or write them a full-on recommendation on LinkedIn.

From 28 to 38

Thanks to a nudge from my friend, Michelle, who is a dynamo at Lululemon Athletica, tonight I wrote my 1 year, 5 year and 10 year goals (exciting and stressful all at the same time).

1 YEAR

• I will be dairy free by December 2012.
• I will yoga it up (power/yin) 3x a week by January 2013.
• I will complete the UBC Duathlon by March 2013.
• I will run a sub-2:00 Half Marathon in Vancouver by August 2013.
• I will write an e-book on career development by September 2013.
• I will speak at an international conference on rethinking HR by October 2013.

5 YEARS

• I will pay off my undergraduate student loans by December 2013.
• I will travel to India to teach youth about entrepreneurship by December 2014.
• I will take 1 ‘mind-body-soul’ me-cation a year by June 2015.
• I will attend the global TED conference by March 2016.
• I will run the Nike Women’s Half Marathon with my best friend by October 2016.
• I will complete my Master of Arts in International Communications by August 2017.

10 YEARS

• I will teach part-time at Simon Fraser University by December 2017.
• I will run the Boston Marathon by April 2018.
• I will devour every ounce of South Africa by March 2019.
• I will support/mentor Scoliosis patients at BC Childrens Hospital by December 2020.
• I will write and publish a book by June 2021.
• I will consult with the UN Foundation on solving global issues by December 2022.

BOOM.

You know what’s scary? I actually think I can do it — and the goal I’m most confident on is the last one. Eeep!

Some people will read this post and think I’m doomed for a nervous breakdown — or  think yah right, like this will ever happen. Others will read it and think — power to yah girl!

I’m a goal setter. It’s who I am. 

I have no doubt that my goals will change and evolve based on the experiences I have over the next few years. Guess what? I’m ok with that.

Regardless if it’s working towards running the Boston Marathon {god help me} — or raising goats in the middle of nowhere Saskatchewan {not in the plan, but you never know}, I’m a big believer in moving forward, learning, challenging myself — and most importantly, being happy with where I’m at and where I’m headed.

Lululemon’s goal setting worksheet was extremely helpful in writing my goals and if you want to jump on the goal setting train, I’d highly recommend checking it out.

Going Against the Grain

Sometimes when I’m hiding out from the world… {also known as laying in my bed on a Sunday afternoon with my iPhone on silent}… :)

I listen to John Hiatt – Have a Little Faith in Me on repeat.

Recently I was thinking about why I love this song so much… {…totally gave myself a complex.}

Is it as straightforward as wanting someone to have faith in me?

Or is it because I really want to be understood? I really want people to believe in why I do what I do?

I’m not sure.

For the majority of my life, I’ve felt alone.

I’ve felt like no one understands me.

A colleague recently said to me:

I understand feeling misunderstood.

It’s easy to feel that way when you’re challenging convention.

Simple.

In my day to day, I often don’t feel like I’m ‘challenging convention.’ I feel like I’m doing what I need to do. This week I spoke with a few colleagues in the HR profession about our industry. We were talking about HR roles in organizations and I approached the conversation as my usual balls to the wall self. The conversation hit me smack in the face, continually reinforcing that I don’t fit in my profession.

HR isn’t progressive, proactive or entrepreneurial. And I want it to be. 

I often think, do I leave the profession — or do I change it?

In the past few years, I’ve begun to meet like-minded people. I’ve finally been able to identity with a community of people who relate to my want to challenge past history. To change the way we handle our day to day. To rethink what we work towards. To focus on on what matters. To do what you love. {By the way, I totally think the more you put yourself out there, the more people you find who are just like you.}

In the last 24 hours, I’ve had the opportunity to attend Startup Canada’s Grand Finale and TEDxSFU (via live stream). I learned from many notable change makers, but a few who hit my heart were Terry McBride, Natacha Beim and Mark Brand.

All three of them continually challenge the status quo. They’re all in completely different fields — but all headed in the same direction. They don’t see barriers or challenges as negatives, they see them as opportunities. They dream big. They achieve one goal and they create another. They push forward making their mark on the community and the lives that they touch.

Natacha said something to the effect of… “When you think differently, everyone questions it. Then you doubt yourself and think you’re wrong. You think to yourself — how can everyone else in the industry be wrong and I’m the right one?” {…story of my life}. For whatever reason you do this self-talk, but the fuel in you keeps you going. You know what’s not working and you know you have to change it. You listen to your voice, push forward… challenging the norm.

“Being remarkable requires the strength of character and courage to stand alone, to go against the tide of criticism, but the reward is greater than riches—it is the satisfaction that you have stood up to be counted, you have brought positive change to your own life, your profession, your world.”

Going against the grain is what will make the world a better place to live.

Embrace the people around you who are just doing their thing.

Have a little faith that one day — they just might change the world.

No Meetings Monday

Sometimes Monday’s are…

perfect.

Podcasting with Jeph Maystruck

Live on Jeph Maystruck‘s blog… everything you ever wanted to know about talking too much, change in organizations, making your mark, why HR sucks, short pants, Real Housewives of Vancouver + more. Shout outs to COAST by Glowbal, KPMG, JCI Vancouver, Kendal Harazny, Graeme Duckett, Sam Thiara and more.

Brace yourself.

46 mins via Podcast with Jeph.

LISTEN HERE

And Jeph wrote a lovely little post to go with the Podcast:

Did you listen?

GOOD.

Now my voice is burned in your brain…!

You should probably listen again. :D

My first podcast experience was great! I was worried about what Jeph might ask, how I might sound, etc. Jeph calmed my fears and said he would edit anything out that sounded like crap. Unfortunately for me, he didn’t edit out all the swears. ;)

Anyways to learn more about Jeph, check out his blog, stalk him on LinkedIn or give him a follow on Twitter!

PS – Everyone forgets about LinkedIn recommendations. Recruiters look at (or for) them and quality ones are totally win! Wrote Jeph a recommendation… hopefully he doesn’t think it’s terrible.

“Jeph is the leading man behind the Marketing Revolution podcast. He asked me to participate in an upcoming episode and I couldn’t have been more thrilled. Jeph is a breath of fresh air. He’s committed to changing the world of marketing and making the community think outside the box. He is  a relationship guy; working with clients to truly make a difference and have a positive impact on their bottom line. My experience with Jeph was professional, fun and easygoing. He was easy to relate to and go with the flow. I have no doubt that Jeph will be the #1 podcast in Regina.”

PPS – As much as I love Jeph, I also love a mover and shaker in Australia named Pete Williams. He has an awesome Podcast: PreneurCast — entrepreneurship meets marketing, business and productivity. A weekly dose of an Australian accent and brilliance most of the time too. ;)

Going Backwards to Go Forwards

Sometime during my trip to Costa Rica, life hit me square in the face like a ton of bricks. I woke up wide-eyed with anxiety and immense pressure to succeed.

The anxiety wasn’t driven from “figuring out my future” or long-term planning. Instead I began to think about what I do and why I do it.

A simple question:

Do I love what I do?

And if I don’t love what I do… then why am I doing it?

My answer is: I don’t know.

{…insert quarter life crisis. 28 this year by the way.}

When I tell people that I don’t think I’ll be working in HR long-term, they look at me in shock. They always say: “But you’re good at it.”

Well let me tell you… that’s not enough. And it’s never a reason to stay in your profession. Strengths should be aligned with passion. As much as I hate the word “passion” …it’ll be easiest to use to explain my point.

When people ask me why I like HR, my answer is:

“I like to help people. I like to give people tools to ensure they are successful in their roles.”

Um, I’m pretty sure my answer should be: “I really like policy and procedure manuals” or “benefits plans blow my mind” or “I dreamt of a compensation structure last night.” Truth. I’m not your typical HR professional and that’s always been why I’ve done well in the industry. I’ve gained momentum from being different and providing fresh ‘GenY’ perspective. I often consider “fresh” to just be mouthy and opinionated. :)

I love lots of what I do, but when I think about my profession… I’ve come to realize, it’s just not me. The profession has been built upon structure, policies and providing information in a uniform way. Yes, I am blessed to work with people who understand progressive HR… who understand that the function can have a place on the management team… and who truly respect my opinion. But the truth is… the ‘profession’ and the HR industry aren’t going to change for a very long time.

The profession isn’t progressive — and I don’t want to spend the rest of my life trying to conform to it.

I’m pretty sure my ‘passion’ is education.

I love to teach.

I love to lead.

I love to think outside the box, brainstorm creative solutions and solve problems.

I love to empower people to make positive change.

I love to help people grow.

So what does this mean?

In the short-term, I’m not sure. I am completely committed to my clients, my teams and the projects on my plate for the next few years. I’m honored to learn from great companies with strong leaders. I have been given the opportunity to lead JCI Vancouver as 2012 Chapter President which will no doubt develop my leadership skills. I have some exciting opportunities in the works — including attending the UN Global Partnership Summit in New York and teaching entrepreneurship/social enterprise to youth for 4 weeks in India.

Often I lecture to business students at Canadian universities. We talk about how Generation Y (and some of Generation X) will have a number of “careers” in their lifetime and they often don’t end up in the field they specialized in. I know the topics inside and out — yet it takes me ages to apply it to my own life. :)

I was groomed to be HR for the rest of my life. I completed a Diploma in HR, then a Degree in HR. I completed my HR designation.  In 2010, I was given an award by the province for being a rising star in the industry. The last 8 years of my life have been dedicated to the profession.

By no means was it time wasted… it all built me into who I am today.

In 2012, I need to think through how I can tie my strengths, commitment to education and interest in changing the world — into some sort of a career.

I’m 100% committed to the land of entrepreneurship, just need to rethink the day-to-day.

My advice to you (and me):

When you’re sorting out what life throws at you…
Don’t worry what others will think.
Think about you need and go out there and get it.

Deep breath.

Shit Got Real

Late Night Working = Bad Habit

When I left my corporate job, I took a major pay decrease… major… and all of my {ridiculously comfortable} job security, to give entrepreneurship a shot.

Why? Because I wanted to.

I was ready to take a jump. I needed a change.

{My mother surely thought I was crazy.}

I entered into the land of solopreneurship completely unprepared.  Totally my fault by the way. I knew I wasn’t ‘corporate’ but I had no idea if entrepreneurship and small business was for me.

I started a notebook called ‘how to be a business’ … Every time someone gave me advice, I wrote it down. Every time I found some sort of magical piece of information online, I wrote it down.

I have definitely learned that it’s way easier to ask people {who have been around the block} for help, rather than search for an answer for 6000 hours.

I have become very aware of what I spend time doing and how long I spend time on tasks. {Perfectionism can be the devil.} I have begun to learn what I enjoy doing and what I should be outsourcing.

I went from working every day, all day long {with absolutely no boundaries} to a reasonable amount of hours in 6 days a week.

I am more organized {but not in a ready for tax season kind of day} and this week I achieved Inbox Zero in all email accounts. The very first time in over a year. Hooray!

I learned how to invoice {both correctly and incorrectly}, manage a budget {most of the time} and keep my clients happy.

I still have a long way to go and a lot to sort out, but I am moving forward. And finally it all feels real.

Guess what? I left corporate. And didn’t die. 

It’s been 10 months and it took me until today to feel like a business.

Today I figured out what I am worth.

A few online peeps I have learned from:

• Jenny Blake – 20 Lessons from 2 Months of Solopreneurship Part 1 and Part 2
• Chris Guillebeau – The Flip Side of Self-Employment and Freedom
• Danielle La Porte – Biz Knocks and Being Human
• Amber Rae – ‘Hell Yes’ Decision Making Model

Thank you to Judy, Val, Pete, Jill, Scott, Tod and Glenn for the love — and of course, the hand holding.

Next Top Recruiter: Part 2 – Momentum

I’d say 100 votes is momentum. :)

The video has been up a week and I couldn’t be more impressed with your support.

TopRecruiter.tv hasn’t approved comments in a few days. If you’re waiting for yours to show, they’ll likely be on the site in the morning!

For those that have no clue what I am talking about, click here.

Let’s keep it going!

Love Jillian. xo

Finding My Groove

via She Takes on the World

I’m feeling a lot of pressure these days to figure out my life.

What do I want to be in 1 year, 3 years, 5 years? What do I want to do?

What’s weird about this is that I am NOT that person who plans her future. Yes, I plan my week, my month and next 6 months. I’ve always been the employee (and maybe girlfriend actually) who gets anxiety over talking about anything past 12 months. It’s not that I can’t commit or don’t want to — it’s that I want to live in the present. From a career perspective, I’ve always considered opportunities as they have been presented and then decided my game plan. I follow both my company and my best interest. From a relationship perspective, I’m 27 years old and the last thing I want right now is marriage and babies. Life constantly changes and no one can predict someone’s next move. By centering myself on the present, I have less expectation of others and push myself to live a fulfilled life. I’m committed to my future — but  I don’t define that as a job title, tall dark and handsome Italian husband or a white picket fence. ;)

So then what on earth is my issue with wanting to figure out my life?

I don’t know, but I feel that I’m not making progress. Yep, I quit my corporate company, joined a startup, moved cities, feel like I’m in a good head space — and yep, in my brain, I haven’t made enough progress. I probably need to think about how I define ‘progress’ but for now I will associate it with growth.

Last week I was blessed to have a serious chat with a peer I totally respect. He understands me. He doesn’t look at the high expectations I have for myself as a negative. He challenges me to be better. He offered fresh perspective. He challenged me to start thinking about what drives me, to get back on the path I was on in 2010.

If I were to identify what is different from late mid 2010 to current… what’s missing is goals. Well, yes, of course I have goals. I want to visit Australia, complete a Masters Degree and start a non-profit. BUT I don’t have goals on a weekly, quarterly or annual basis.

And perhaps ‘forgetting’ to set goals (being too busy, excuse, excuse, excuse) is making it hard for me to measure (and potentially make) progress. By the way, I have always set my goals as business, personal, health, travel — well rounded SMART goals are the only way to go.

I’ve been doing some major self-reflection. I’ve been taking that moment to re-confirm my values, identify my passion and think about what could be. How will the future look? What will it take for me to be fulfilled?

Strengths Finder 2.0 is a tool we use at Elevated HR and also something I have found huge value in. My strengths are: Achiever, Learner, Focus, Command, Futuristic.

So Strengths Finder offers the following ‘facts’ about me:

• I have a great deal of stamina and work hard. I take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.
• I have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. In particular, the process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites me.
• I can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. I prioritize, then act.
• I have presence. I can take control of a situation and make decisions.
• I am inspired by the future and what could be. I inspire others with my visions of the future.

Couple that with being classified as a Yellow-Red-Green-Blue with Insights Discovery and ENFJ with Meyers Briggs… I’m both clear and confused. :)

I look at all these incredible men and women in my life (whether I know them or not, they are still in my life) and think they have figured it out… when will I? And more importantly, do I need to?

I read an inspiring post tonight: 26 Lessons from a 26 Year Old CEO by Shama Kabani. Great tips for any CEO, Entrepreneur and dreamer. You can follow Shama on Twitter and/or check out the  Young Entrepreneur Council too!

Shama and fellow bright lights motivate me to keep pushing forward.

Relevant advice I was recently given:

Do everything possible to hold yourself accountable.

For me this means setting goals, measuring goals and reporting back to my personal Board of Directors. Find that group of people who want to see you grow and be great. It could be a support group, a non-profit organization or a mentor. Whatever it is, find it. Ensure growth.

The big question tonight is… why am I on this planet?

Anyone know the answer?

[... currently writing my goals.] :)