Social Media Portfolio

Social media is a wonderful way to connect, reconnect and stay connected.  These platforms allow us amazing tools to critically assess, analyze and categorize our connections.  I embrace social media tools, platforms and advantages.  But, I'm a SM moderate.  I don't connect with everyone who knows someone I know.  Though I'm blessed to have many friends, associates and acquaintances, my lists will pale when compared to uber or open networkers.  That's by design.  I hope that my networks will self-sustain.  I want to stay connected with the folks with whom I've chosen to link or friend.   And I love to make other fruitful connections.

As with any asset, we need to review our SM portfolio and make necessary additions, changes and modifications.

Last Word

It's so tempting to offer the last word in a discussion.  We want to be right.  We want to be smart.  We want to be in control. 

Often, just as in church, the last word, should be amen.  When the conversation has yielded a result that all can comfortably accept, we should shake hands and happily walk away with a resolution to our project or issue. 

Sometimes being right, smart and in control is knowing when to say amen.

Why?

"Why? is the favorite question of young children.  They are information sponges. By continuously asking, they gain incredible knowledge.  When we're stuck, we need to once again become childlike, querying ourselves and all those around us.  Children are naturally continuous learners.  As adults, we need to regress to childhood curiosity in order to progress in our thinking, outlook, perspectives and possibilities.

No Boots on the Dock

Individuality is definitely a proud Texas characteristic.  I observed an extreme example of misplaced individuality last weekend.  We were fueling at a popular marina and watched two people shed their cowboy boots to enter a high dollar, air conditioned salon sport fishing boat.

Appropriate boat footwear includes:

• Barefoot
• Boat shoes
• Non Black Sole Marking Sandals

The boots came off as they entered and were quickly reclaimed at the dock. 

Boating, much like the corporate climate, requires dressing for the occasion.  When boats are involved, don't even bring boots to the dock.

Close only Counts in Horseshoes

Whether we're selling, traveling, fishing or sewing, close isn't good enough. Close only counts in horseshoes.  The fish that we don't land never make it to a photo or dinner plate.  Regardless of how hard we try to make it to the airport on time, the plane will leave as scheduled whether we're on it or not.  And when we're selling, negotiations that fall apart won't benefit our paycheck.  Regardless of the thousands of stitches completed in a needlework project, if we're missing the final 12" of thread needed to complete the project, it remains a work in progress. When something matters to us, we must commit to do what it takes to get what we want.

Being Nominated is Winning

A friend made my day last week, when she told me that she wanted to nominate me for an award.  Regardless of the outcome of the nomination, she made me feel like a winner because she saw me as deserving of this recognition.  Each time we nominate a deserving candidate, we have bestowed valuable recognition to the recipient.  Winning is great, but being considered a winner by someone you respect is pretty awesome too.

Annual Exams

Annual anxiety-laden exams are part of life at every education level.  Many business professionals would contend that annual performance appraisals continue this exam tradition.  And we need an annual health exam to maintain optimal health.

Each annual exam provides a chance to assess how we are doing.  When we are feeling extremely confident about our performance, we are eager to be assessed.  However, we most need this constructive feedback when we are not meeting expectations.

Annual exams are a minimum frequency expectation.  We need to continually assess how we are doing.