Paper Planes, Inc. provides awareness of the problems in compartmentalized work and just how effective a team can become. The simulation helps participants experience the powerful effects of systems reengineering and process improvement.
Get certified now to use this powerful business simulation. Certification for product use will be required in 2012. Benefits of certification include: listing on DLI website, access to experienced simulation user group, receiving DLI referrals.
February 16, 2012
431 Spring Garden St, Greensboro, NC 27401
Discovery Learning, Inc. announces the introduction of a new assessment tool, the Influence Style Indicator™. Designed by Chris Musselwhite, president and CEO of Discovery Learning, Inc. and Tammie Plouffe, managing partner of Innovative Pathways, the Influence Style Indicator measures an individual’s dominant, secondary and underutilized influence styles.
Get certified now to use this new innovative assessment by attending the April 21st online certification workshop.
*Certification or qualification is required for product use. Benefits of certification include: listing on DLI website, access to experienced survey user group, receiving DLI referrals.
Many of AvoLead’s clients and professional associates are leaders in various nonprofit organizations (serving as consultants, officers, board members or evangelists). My own nonprofit passion is our area’s local community foundation, so I’m always interested in articles that teach ways to leverage the time and talent of hard-working volunteers or overworked staff.
One of the blogs for nonprofits that I follow is called the Wild Apricot Blog, “dedicated to small associations, member-based organizations and non-profits.” They have had several recent articles about ways that nonprofits can use LinkedIn effectively to increase their online visibility among an important demographic of professional LinkedIn members. In hopes of saving you some research time so you can quickly understand the pros and cons of using LinkedIn for your nonprofit, I’ve listed clickable links for these and some of other relevant articles below with a short summary of each:
“Is Your Organization LinkedIn Yet?” This article discusses using LinkedIn’s relatively new company profile function for nonprofits. Information can be found in LinkedIn’s Learning Centre. The article suggests that creating a LinkedIn organization profile and getting your staff and board members to include links to it on their own personal LinkedIn profiles, can increase Search Engine Optimization and enhance name recognition and credibility.
“How Can Nonprofits Use LinkedIn?” Podcast from The Chronicle of Philanthropy. This article explores the burgeoning use and benefit of LinkedIn for nonprofit organizations. It especially goes into the significant difference between nonprofit presence on LinkedIn compared to Facebook.
“Are Nonprofits Warming Up to LinkedIn?” by Joanne Fritz. This article discusses the important differences between LinkedIn and other common social media outlets (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and shows that the use of various social media tools for nonprofits is an evolving picture.
Beth’s Blog by Beth Kanter – “How Networked Nonprofits Are Using Social Media to Power Change.” Beth Kanter is known for her sensible approach to using social media in the nonprofit world.
Bobby’s Blog by Bobby Thalhimer offers “Trends and Issues in Local Philanthropy.” Bobby is senior vice president of advancement for The Community Foundation in Richmond and has been a generous mentor to many young and growing charitable organizations.
Social Media for Nonprofits is a reputable LinkedIn Group where those interested in nonprofit management can learn and share.
Thought leader Guy Kawasaki has recently written an excellent review of Scott Eblin’s new book, The Next Level: What Insiders Know about Executive Successin his blog on OpenForum. He feels Eblin’s message is an important one: Executive leaders can’t just keep picking up new ideas, strategies, and action plans without letting go of those things that no longer work or are holding them back. Failing to let the right things go can lead to sluggishness or paralysis in action-taking or decision-making. Elbin maintains this is because jettisoning long-held assumptions usually involves throwing out pieces of our self-image too. These are not new concepts, certainly, but they get a fresh perspective from Eblin’s work with hundreds of executives.
Read the review yourself, but among the things that Eblin suggests we should let go are: Self-Doubt, Running Flat-Out, One Size Fits All Communication, Self Reliance, Micro Management, Sole Responsibility, and Myopia. Some of these will undoubtedly resonate with you or with some of your coaching clients.
One of the potentially powerful features of LinkedIn is the option for you, as a professional and a leader, to join Industry or Shared-Interest Groups so you can read or participate in the discussions taking place in your field and see who’s doing the talking! I’ve embedded LinkedIn’s clear and helpful tutorial below on how and why you might wish to use LinkedIn Groups.
Don’t dismiss this without watching this video, and don’t equate LinkedIn Groups with the Group function in Facebook. It’s an entirely different and more professional interaction and can involve as little or as much time as you wish.
Depending on the purpose of the Group (which should be declared when you go to its page), LinkedIn Groups can offer you:
Visibility and the building of your reputation as an Expert
A place to find — or share — tips, techniques, and best practices
A place to seek a job or post job openings (though not all groups have a JOBS tab)
Quickly discover the most popular discussions in your professional groups
Have an active part in determining the top discussions by liking and commenting
Follow the most influential people in your groups by checking the Top Influencers board or clicking their profile image to see all their group activity
See both member-generated discussions and news in one setting
Easily browse previews of the last three comments in a discussion
Find interesting discussions by seeing who liked a discussion and how many people commented
When I’m looking for Groups I might wish to join, I consider the description provided by the Group manager, look at the length of time it’s been active, and look at the number of members. If it’s an open group, I look at the activity to see if discussions are interesting and informative. It’s easy to leave a group you have joined if you decide it doesn’t fit with your interests or priorities. Most groups require you to express an interest and be approved by the group’s manager.
For example, one newly formed group I have joined recently called Coaches and Consultants for New Horizons has been helpful because group members are generously sharing their experience with various webinar sites, marketing tools, and other programs. Sometimes people abuse a group by blatantly marketing themselves instead of joining in a legitimate discussion. If that happens too much, it’s time to think about leaving that group and joining another one.
Of course, you can start your own group too, but you should participate in one or more groups a bit to get the hang of it first.
Friends of AvoLead is a LinkedIn group established for connecting like minded individuals who share AvoLead’s values of Abundance, Evolution and Leadership. It is for sharing and networking by individuals who want to advance partnerships and authentic leadership. If you fit that description, we welcome you!
