Archive for Communicating Across Generations
The Real Mark Zuckerberg: Where Did I Go Wrong?
Posted by: | CommentsThanks to Mashable, which carried this video in today’s updates, I was able to see the real Mark Zuckerberg as a surprise guest on Saturday Night Live. I’m just kidding about where I went wrong. What I mean is when did 20-somethings start ruling the world? I was still in college at his age (went nights and started later), but at the tender age of 26 he’s a gazillionaire. And Jesse Eisenberg, who was the guest host and portrayed Zuckerberg in “Social Network,” is only 27 and already up for an Academy Award. (Maybe it helps if your last name ends in “berg” as Zuckerberg’s continuing character on SNL is Andy Samberg.)
Tells me that no matter what your age, you better keep up or watch the rear ends of those passing you by. Here’s the video. Enjoy.
10 Steps to Managing Employees on Social Media
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Kyle-Beth Hilfer, Esq.
As 2010 drew to a close, TIME magazine named Mark Zuckerberg its “Person of the Year.” The power of social media as a dynamic advancement in global communications had been officially recognized. Just as the Internet transformed our nation’s economic infrastructure, social media has evolved into a powerful marketing tool.
As companies embrace social media in 2011, they should consider the role of their employees as their online representatives. Instead of prohibiting social media activity altogether (a practice that may sustain legal challenge), companies should allow their employees a social media presence while providing some rules to govern their conversations. Well-written policies prevent public relations disasters and potential legal liability. In addition, when done properly, they also create environments that foster productivity and loyalty among employees.
Below are 10 steps to guide employers in creating policies for their employees:
1. CULTURE: Are you a small company with employees who are under 30 and attached to their smart phones? Are you a large corporate employer with multiple offices and hundreds or thousands of employees to supervise? Your corporate culture will determine the specificity of your policy, its tone, its contents, and its enforcement policies.
2. CONSISTENCY: Provide clear guidance on how to use your trademarks and copyrights consistently on the Internet. Also, caution against use of third party intellectual property without clearance. If marketing to children, the policy should delineate rules for COPPA compliance.
3. TRANSPARENCY: Require employees, third party bloggers, and marketers to disclose their material connections to your company when posting information about your company. Otherwise, you (and they) may find themselves under investigation by the FTC for violating its Guides on Testimonials and Endorsements.
4. CONFIDENTIALITY: Take care to protect your confidential information with a clear list of do’s and don’ts for employees. This includes any posts about project ideas or meeting locations.
5. MEDIA: Clearly state how employees should handle media contacts. The policy should include a clear statement of how to respond if the media approaches an unauthorized employee and should direct the employee to notify the authorized personnel within the company.
6. RESPECT: Caution employees about speaking respectfully about your company and fellow employees. You do not want to open yourself to a discrimination or harassment suit.
7. DETAILS: Provide examples throughout your social media policy wherever possible. Employees will understand the protocol of good behavior if you provide real life examples of prohibited behavior.
8. SEPARATION: Encourage employees to separate their professional and personal social media presence. This means separate Facebook profiles or groups and not friending professional contacts on the personal page.
9. TRAINING: Provide hands on training sessions to employees that incorporate active discussions, hypotheticals, and role-playing. These seminars should teach employees how to behave responsibly and clearly demonstrate what the employer will not tolerate.
10. MONITOR: Monitor your employees’ online behavior, but think carefully about when to discipline and when to use the social media conversation as a chance to communicate your side of the story. Consult an attorney to understand your rights and obligations as an employer before taking disciplinary action.
Remember that your policy needs constant updating in the changing world of social media. Most importantly, does your company have a social media policy?
©Kyle-Beth Hilfer, P.C. 2010. Kyle-Beth Hilfer, Esq. specializes in advertising, marketing, promotions, intellectual property and new media law. For more information about her and her law practice, please visit Kyle-Beth Hilfer Law.
From Ladder to Lattice: Career Advice for Forward-Thinking Companies
Posted by: | CommentsI was reminded of one of my favorite books, “Mass Career Customization: Aligning Today’s Workforce with Today’s Nontraditional Workforce,” by a recent article in which the author listed his 10 worst business books of all time.
In my view, “Mass Career Customization” is one of the best business books ever published, garnering awards when it was first published three years ago. Since then, social media has spawned many changes in how employees communicate with each other and manage their careers. Companies have lost much control of their key messages to employees, not to speak of customers.
Climbing the corporate lattice
I just went through the book again, which I had filled with many yellow highlights, and it holds up even better on second reading for precisely the reason that social media and the depressed economy have changed everything about how we live, work and view our careers.
The Corporate Lattice
For those who don’t have time to read the book, there is an excellent summary on Deloitte’s website, as the authors, Cathy Benko and Ann Weisberg, work there. Here is the key premise:
“…we see the corporate ladder model for career progression already giving way to what we term the corporate lattice. In mathematics, a lattice ladder allows one to move in many directions, is not limited to upward or downward progress, and can be repeated infinitely at any scale. In the real world, lattices are living platforms for growth, with upward momentum visible along many paths. The corporate lattice model of career progression allows for multiple paths upward taking into account the changing needs of both the individual and the organization across various intervals of time.”
They give a number of examples of how this works, such as the former Marine with an MBA who stayed home for three years with his children. He didn’t get off the career ladder, he simply went sideways for a while, in a lattice movement. The lattice model, which Deloitte has adopted, is an example of employee engagement at its best.
Gen Y Workers Would Stay Put
“Even Gen Y workers, who have a reputation for being fickle, would actually rather stay with one organization if that organization delivered on its commitments and allowed them to grow and contribute” on their terms with the support of their company, say Benko and Weisberg, .
There are too many gems to include in this post. I hope I have piqued your interest and you will go to Mass Customization to learn more.
Oh, in case you’re interested, here is the other list I referred to “The 10 Worst Business Books of All Time” by Geoffrey James on BNET. He gives his reasons in the article, but I’ll simply list them here and you can decide if you agree with him.
#10: Reengineering the Corporation
#9: Jesus CEO
#8: The Fifth Generation
#7: Radical E
#6: Countdown Y2K
#5: Dow, 30,000 by 2008
#4: The Leadership Genius of George W. Bush
#3: In Search of Excellence
#2: Corporate Magick
#1: Leadership secrets of Attila the Hun
Do Job Hoppers Make the Best Employees?
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Is she checking the want ads again?
I was rather shocked the other day to receive my daily BNET newsletter carrying an article by Penelope Trunk entitled “Why Job Hoppers Make the Best Employees.” As of this writing the article had generated 127 comments ranging from huzzas to hisses. I didn’t comment but belong to the latter category. Here are her five points, which she describes in more detail in her article
- Job hoppers have more intellectually rewarding careers
- Job hoppers have more stable careers
- Job hoppers are higher performers
- Job hoppers are more loyal
- Job hoppers are more emotionally mature
To summarize her thesis, because they change jobs so frequently, job hoppers are challenged to a new learning curve at each company where they work and it makes her certain that job hoppers “know more.” People who work for lots of companies have a larger network than people who stay in one place for long periods of time, which is why she’s convinced that “job-hopping creates stability.” Are you getting the message, or are your eyebrows beginning to arch?
According to Ms. Trunk, “job hoppers are always looking to do really well at work, if for no other reason than it helps them get their next job.” In other words it looks good on their resume. This seems like a new high (low?) in cynical thinking. Also, she states, “job hoppers want to bond with their co-workers so they can all help each other get jobs later on.” This is after her point number 4, that job hoppers are more loyal. Huh?
And, finally, job hoppers are more emotionally mature, because they know when to quit – even if it’s after only two weeks in a job they hate. OK, a little bit of truth to that, the part about quitting as soon as you know you’re a square peg in a round hole.
Not Everyone Likes Job Hopping
But I’ve re-read the article a couple of more times and no where do I see anything that says many people don’t like job hopping. They don’t job hop over any burning desire to leave their companies for new and exciting adventures. They leave because they were fired or laid off. I wonder if she spoke to any people on the unemployment lines in her town to see how happy they were to be moving on to their next company – if they ever find a job.
Job-hopping can be emotionally wrenching. Even if you leave your former employer voluntarily, you can’t be sure the next job will be stimulating, energizing and filled with learning opportunities. It could just be another dud. Then what; start the search all over again? Think this is easy?
And who are the people hiring these go-getters who can’t wait to jump to their next jobs? Why, they are the grey beards, the “lifers” who have risen to positions of authority where they get to say who gets hired and who gets fired. And, as she points out, a lot of them are old guard and are suspicious of someone who’s had five jobs in five years.
Many companies engage their employees
The idea that you can become stale at a company after two years isn’t a universal truth. Many companies purposely rotate their employees through different departments to enhance their learning and to keep them engaged and energized about the company. They are the company’s future. My brother was a 34-year “lifer” at the company he retired from and he loved every minute he was there. He rose through the ranks from junior accountant to CFO. What’s so bad about that? Why is it laughable to have a retirement party for someone and give him a gold watch?
I’m a person who has made a lot of moves, not all entirely because I wanted to. I’m in an industry – marketing and communications – that is known for volatility. I learned how to move on, but the idea that I was planning my escape the minute I sat down at my new desk never occurred to me. For me, at least, it wasn’t possible to give everything I had to my company if my eye was always on the want ads.
Here is my advice to people starting out: delete the words “job hopper” from your vocabulary. It’s toxic to most employers. Sure, have a plan for your career, but be prepared for course corrections. Have you noticed how everything seems to change by the minute? Remember My Space? Or Gateway computers? Or Netscape? They were the rage for about five minutes and faded. Be happy if you’re in a company that recognizes and rewards you and is willing to invest in your future there. You’ll have plenty of opportunity for learning and bonding and advancement right where you are.
Staying someplace for 20 years means you’ll be calling the shots one day.
