Kickstart It!

In my opinion, there is nothing more scary in the business professional world than taking the entrepreneurial plunge. Bryan and Tim are shaking up Ely, MN with their new TexMex adventure.

They are Kickstarting it as well with impressive success. Right now they are hours from meeting their deadline and goal. Do you want to go and invest so you can always TACO 'bout it? See their awesome Kickstarter page HERE.

I interviewed Bryan and wanted to share with you some information about his adventure and experience with Kickstarter. My hope is that it will light a fire under that idea you have. 

Bryan has been an employee for most of his career. His partner, Tim, has been an entrepreneur since he was a teenager. Per Bryan when I interviewed him and got a sneak peek of 2 Gringos:

“Tim and I have been friends for ten years or so. We met through mutual friends when I began working at the Ely Steak House in 2006. I have worked in the hospitality industry for over 15 years. I love food and enjoy bringing smiles to people’s faces with that food and great service. Tim is a lifelong entrepreneur. He started his first landscaping business as a teenager and rode that business to where he is today. Owner of the Ely Bowling Center and now a part owner of 2 Gringos Grill. I have the food and service know how and Tim is very business savvy, so the two of us together makes us a team built for success.”

Bryan has been planning a long time too:

“I have had the dream of opening my own restaurant my whole life! I started thinking about what is now 2 Gringos Grill about 5 years ago. Throughout my years in the Ely restaurant business, there has always been a demand for Mexican food and really very limited options.”

I must agree with him. In fact, when I talk to the locals in the tri-city area way up here on the range.... You are looking at a four hour round trip to Duluth for a good Mexican meal. Not anymore.

Bryan's vision is well-developed. Considering his extensive experience, I would expect nothing less.

“My vision for 2 Gringos Grill and the dining experience as a whole is to transport the diner to somewhere a little more tropical and festive! Anyone who lives here knows that the winters are long and I wanted this to be an escape from the 30 below temps and dreary gray landscapes. In the summer I want people to come for cool frozen beverages and a fun festive atmosphere. The food is going to be delicious year round no matter if someone is dining in, carrying out, or getting a delivery. I also want people to know that they are welcome to stay and enjoy the atmosphere in a non-hurried environment while having food and drinks, or they can stop in for a quick lunch or dinner if they are in a hurry.”

So, less than one year ago, Bryan and Tim took over a Pizza Hut that was closed. Today it already looks like a fiesta. The craftsmanship that has gone into this renovation was very impressive to me.

Per Bryan:  “My favorite part of the renovation so far is just seeing the transformation from the old to the new, and knowing that we built it with our own hands. There is nothing in the building that we haven’t left our mark on. It is satisfying to know that we did it with the help of our friends and family.”

I have a love for Mexican food, and I am committed to serve my new community to the best of my ability. Bryan and Tim have the demand, the recipe for success, and most of all they're experienced.

Bryan shared with me his same passion for Ely and the Northwoods of Minnesnowta:

“My biggest inspiration for this project is my family and community. Apart from trying to achieve my dream of having my own restaurant, I am trying to build something for my family and community. I want to have a successful business to leave behind for my kids, and I want to bring something new and vibrant to the community while providing revenue and jobs to help keep our city going. I want my family to be here for a long time!”

Kickstarter had my attention along with all the crowdfunding out there a few years ago. How neat to allow the entire digital world to get behind your dream. I wanted to get some information from him about his experience with this platform so I asked him more questions. Not a surprise, I learned more about how crowdfunding works:

Regarding the simplicity of the platform and navigation to build your Kickstarter page:

“Doing the actual set up of the Kickstarter page is pretty simple. The preparation for it however is the hard part. There are many tools that they provide to help you build a campaign and tips and tricks to make your page more engaging. The biggest part of it is making a good pitch for your idea, and knowing what kind of rewards you are going to offer the people that are choosing to back your project. They recommend making a video to explain your project and that was the most difficult part for me.  Also, you can see a lot of Kickstarter videos that have a huge amount of production to them, many people actually hire professional videographers to make the pitch videos, but as I was trying to make my campaign on a tiny budget, I just went for it!”

As of this afternoon, 4/20/2016...... They are getting really close to their goal and deadline:

Per Bryan: “It feels great to be so close, but yet very scary because we are not there yet! The thing with Kickstarter is that if you do not reach your goal, you get nothing. All those people that pledged support for your project will end up not getting charged for the project if we don’t reach the end goal. So it is a bit nerve racking being this close yet still a few thousand away from reaching our goal. It is very gratifying to have watched it grow over the last few weeks because every time someone backs us, it is a vote of confidence in what we are trying to do!”

Do you have the urge to build your own empire? Let Bryan's advice motivate you:

“Go for it! Make sure you take a lot of time planning your pitch before putting it out there to the public. Get a lot of opinions from family and friends, see what works and doesn’t. Once you go live with the project, there are a lot of things that can’t be changed, so make sure that what you want to put out there as a message is in line with what you are trying to do! After you go live, just make sure that you are getting it visible to the public and the audience you are trying to go after. There are many ways to do that, some free, some cost money. Do what you can afford, and have faith in your idea!”

I happen to love studying people. Their ideas, passions, and dreams are important to me. When I moved to Ely in 2015, Bryan was one of the first to offer me the excellent service I have come to expect. The least I can do is study them, spread their ideas and passions around the world, and hopefully, help 2 Gringos reach their goal.

So if you are inclined to invest, you have hours to do so. I believe this business will be a whopping success.

This year, Ely has its first ever Annual Canoe Festival in early June.

2 Gringos will be open by then and I hope to see you there! Feel free to send me a message or email and I will recommend the places that fit your desires. Trust me, after you visit us, you might want to come back again and again. Ely has tons of accolades for various reasons. See more about my new home HERE.

As always, thanks for reading and remember.... Everyone has the right to write.

Live Your #Love out #Loud

http://www.picmonkey.com/blog/we-claim-valentines-day-for-all/

What do you truly love? Is it your job, your family, your friends, or possibly all of the above? It is all of the above and more for me.

Do the world a favor and spread the love today.

Tell people what you love and tell people that you love. I love writing, long walks in the woods, snowmobiling, fishing, cooking, travelling, gardening, and most music. I enjoy all cultures, like to study languages, and think that the more I learn, the more I love. Also, I truly and deeply adore LinkedIn. Don't you? Where else can you read the thoughts of millions? Simply put, I love it!

I bet you are wondering what this is about. This is a short note on a lovely day to give you reasons to live your love out loud.

#1 - Live your love out loud because that is the only way anyone else will be able to acknowledge or participate in that love. Don't you want company? Misery does.

#2 - Expressing love and adoration for any person, activity and/or experience is a way of expressing joy and happiness in my opinion.Try it today and you will see. Maybe go beyond the traditional folks you honor on this holiday, if you even celebrate Valentine's Day. See more about Saint Valentine.

#3 - Life is short. Make the most of it by expressing open love and support for the things that you feel passionate about.

I hope I have convinced you to live your love out loud.

If your are riding the proverbial fence, consider this. Loving promotes your mental and physical health as well! See more here:

From Medicine.Net: 10 Surprising Health Benefits of Love

From Women's Day: 8 Surprising Health Benefits of Love

From Prevention.Com: How Love Keeps You Healthy

As always, I appreciate you reading, liking, and commenting. It is precious fuel to my writer's fire. Got a LOVE story to share? Share it with me privately or publicly below!

Elizabeth Dehn

@elizabethdehn

Elizabeth is an engaging professional communications and digital marketing specialist, focused on altrocentrism and sustainability.

'Attracting a network of professionals and organizations with similar plights to connect them for further good.'

See my other Articles on LinkedIn

Publishers & Bloggers @LinkedIn - Share your work with a group of like-minded, innovative, and supportive professionals! #PubNBlogLl

Publishers & Bloggers Group Chat Join our "Twub" viahttp://twubs.com/PubNBlogLl

Publishers & Bloggers Group is a Global Support group for writers publishing Online or in Print. "Everyone has the right to write." Elizabeth

****Author's Note**** Special thanks to John White the owner of Publishers & Bloggers. I am honored to be featured on LinkedIn's #WhatInspiresMe Channel on Valentine's Day, 2015. I am so inspired by this platform every day and now I can cross one more thing off of my #bucketlist.

Bullying: Epic Sensitivity or Ethical Epidemic?

Bullying in America’s Schools: Epic Sensitivity or Ethical Epidemic?

By: Elizabeth Dehn

Minnesota School of Business

December 7, 2014

Abstract

Although most can agree that bullying exists in all schools in America, the consensus about eradication and education past this behavior is a bit more split. Some feel that bullying is a regular course of behavior for kids and immature humans. They feel that there is a natural tendency of childhood to tease and poke fun at what is different. Others believe that these behaviors are life and death and can be destructive cultural patterns with deep roots. Is there a way to eliminate any blind-spot on school grounds or is it more productive to focus on teaching children how to navigate them? Through interviewing an elementary school principal and nurse and a 5^th grade girl, I explore the underworks and perceptions by the parties who are most affected by these behaviors, the students and their leaders (the teachers, administration & supportive staff). I conclude that this is not an issue of epic sensitivity and rather is an ethical epidemic that will only be changed effectively by those who are modeling the behaviors and educating the offenders. Support must be given to all parties involved in a way that does not judge, condemn or punish. Instead it must hold the strong peer groups and the students accountable for their actions and have a planned strategy for restitution and rehabilitation for repeat offenders while empowering students to take reasonable actions that will diffuse the situation or at least separate the parties involved.

See: http://www.coroflot.com/jennyfer/logos

Bullying in America’s Schools: Epic Sensitivity or Ethical Epidemic?

            Bullying and other abusive behaviors to peers are likely as old as civilization and man himself. Bully the verb means to “treat abusively, or affect by means of force or coercion.” (Merriam-Webster) This is a social issue that knows no bounds and has devastating effects on individuals. From www.stopbullying.gov the research supports that bullying effects not only the individual who has been bullied but also the individual who is bullying and others, including bystanders and even family members of the parties effected.

This behavior clearly affects the parties involved and any witnesses and therefore is a social issue and problem to address. Per that site, “Bullying can affect everyone—those who are bullied, those who bully, and those who witness bullying. Bullying is linked to many negative outcomes including impacts on mental health, substance use, and suicide.” (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services) This social problem must be addressed in a way that allows for the curiosity associated with those who are different, the strategy involved must embrace the diversity and prove its benefits to the evolution of the community.

The way to stop this behavior is to educate and support behavior that transcends this child-like reaction of name calling and witty yet abusive remarks. Instead our culture needs to cultivate better ethics and a higher sense of accountability and support from peer groups to ensure the support is there for growth.

The Interviews: Principal, School Nurse, and Fifth Grader

When I interviewed the principal and school nurse at the same school that I interviewed the fifth-grade girl. I asked similar questions in hopes of finding where the inconsistencies in perception were most obvious.

For one, the administration thinks it is way more ‘under control’ than the student body, who thinks the policies are just in place to make parents think good things are happening at school. The principal when asked, felt that the policies for talking to the students and supporting better choices were effective in deterring repeat offenses when it came to bullying. In addition, the principal was keen to make sure and say that he felt it was a result of the policies being re-iterated by the teachers and other staff of the schools.

When the principal asked if he felt he was doing everything he could to deter and deal with bullying incidents, he was quick to say yes he did feel he was. On my other interview, I learned about effective group overlap and repeat offenders. The school nurse seemed to think that there were more repeat offenders than rookies-of-the-day so to speak. When I persisted about the possibly repetitive nature of the victims and offenders lists and asked about cross-over, she had no choice but to admit that there are trends that cannot be ignored. She went on to say that in her years at the school in question some who tended towards bullying behavior as kindergarteners still behave in that way as pre-teen fifth graders.

Whether you have heard about new initiatives and laws regarding bullying in schools or not, I caution you to consider your own childhood. Did you know the blind spots and/or open opportunities that existed in your educational environment? If you were so inclined to act inappropriately then of course you would choose this window. This is a prevailing theme in much of my research as well. Many articles state that although there are initiatives and community activities to raise awareness, these behaviors are still pervasive and the bullies just speak under their breath instead.

One incident expressed by the interview with the fifth grader detailed this situation. She stated that she knew the vulnerable 20 feet beyond eyesight of the bus attendant but before the range of vision of the bus driver. Her main goal at the end of class was to make it through that 20 ft. window unscathed. She recounted a memory from last school year where the person on her bus who bullied her made it in time to strike in the window and how she felt so victimized even though she knew that it could happen and there was nothing to be done about it.

Many Solutions Offered

So although in black and white and according to the teaching staff, the issue is addressed and diminishing, I suggest another end-route has been created so that the bullies can strike where they lack consequences. Blind spots are a good example but the internet is a better one. Cyber-bullying exists even for grade-school kids that share comments on an online game. Is the lack of accountability at the heart of this epidemic? Could a good dose of accountability and support for peer-modeling of ethics be what this social issue really needs? How do you hold children accountable in a way that does not judge or condemn their behavior and instead supports their growth past the ignorance?

A local organization has formed to be advocates of bullied children with the goal of stopping the cycle of violence. www.youthfrontiers.org is run by the Pacer center and has an amazing list of initiatives, resources, and links for parents who want to get help or find ways to get involved in this social issue. One of the most amazing concepts I have found on this issue, as expressed to me by the fifth grader I interviewed, is the ICI method.

This method is described on a pdf I found by Youth Frontiers and taught via Kindness Retreats for local schoolchildren. Per the article, “ICI: Three Steps to Being a Hero: ICI stands for ‘Interrupt-Compliment-Invite Away.’

This is a technique for students to safely disrupt bullying situations without putting themselves in harm’s way. First the student interrupts the situation by calling the victim’s name (students should not engage the bully at any time); next, the student compliments the victim; finally, the student invites the victim away from the bullying situation to a safe place.” (Youth Frontiers Inc., 2011).

This is genius-level diffusion strategy in my opinion. I feel that the implementation and support of this strategy by peer groups would go a long way to disrupt the cycle of verbal and physical abuse in our American schools. This is the strategy that the fifth grader I interviewed believes would also be effective, if as she put it, “kids really did that when someone is bullying.”

The Roles Involved

The nerdy, dorky or ‘different’ students were those who were bullied when I was growing up yet I now think it is a bit different today. The fifth-grader that I interviewed said that if you considered yourself a nerd or did exceptionally well in school that made you popular, not a target. She also explained to me that the majority of the children she sees bullied are different in appearance, culture, behavior or any combination of the three. I asked her a list of questions regarding the incidents, whose responsibility it is to ensure the educational environment, and what she thought should be done by whom. Her answers were a bit different than I anticipated. She felt that bullying would be around as long as students who were different were present. When asked about responsibility and authority over the issue, she stated that it was the teachers and ultimately the principal that should be responsible for working on a resolution.

Whether you think that kids are over-sensitive these days or that bullying is as old as man, you must consider that there is a more productive way for our youth to socialize and interact.

I think that starting with Generation X & Y it was more about status and materials for peer relationships and that trend has snowballed into this digital age our Millennials will eventually lead. I feel we could do so much more adding accountability and support systems that focused on breaking the cycle through peer-support and education. There is another organization called www.bystanderrevolution.org which is adding an opportunity and a tone of accountability to those who are standing by when this behavior happens. ByStanderRevolution focuses on “Simple acts of kindness, courage, and inclusion anyone can use to take the power out of bullying.” (ByStander Revolution)

My unique approach to this problem involves this diffusion by bystanders and supportive behavior modeling from peer-groups but it goes one step further to make it easy for the victim to be heard. I feel that anonymous tip lines and a way to submit a complaint anonymously regarding bullying would go a long way in protecting the victim yet making sure there was a way to hold the perpetrator accountable without exposing the victim to further hassle from the bully.

The fifth grade student I interviewed was the most open-minded about my idea and thought it would go far in giving students the push they needed to come forward. The administrators, the principal and school nurse, claimed that anonymity already exists for the victim involved, making it clear to me that this was one area of major discrepancy in perception from the children to the adults.

Whether we can end bullying in our schools once-and-for-all or not, we must do more to cultivate accountability and support anonymity so that victims can feel comfortable coming forward. We must also cultivate practices in peer-groups that are similar to the ICI method described in this paper and intend to diffuse and stop these situations before they escalate. I feel that much more should be done to hold the children accountable.

Implementation Plan

·       Step 1: Announce New Strategy and call on suggestions from students, teachers & parents.

·       Step 2: Compile suggestions and the objectives described here (accountability, peer support, diffusion, education)

·       Step 3: Announce Anonymous tip line and email address and new policy for dealing with accusations of bullying. This process should be known by all at school and include meeting with both parents and an authority figure with the school where the student is asked about peer relationships and given the opportunity to get appropriate support for the situation. It should also include a process for false accusations.

·       Step 4: Implement new policy and test-run for a set period of time (3-6 months to one school year.)

·       Step 5: Compile data relating to invested resources, incidents that occurred, and suggestions from the school staff and students as to how they felt the newly implemented process worked toward providing the most comfortable educational environment for all students.

·       Step 6: Re-design plan if needed and re-launch with new initiatives, plans and timeline for evaluation.

There is a reason to re-evaluate the plan and success of any plan to support decreasing a social issue and concern that is affecting the community. The most startling statistics that I found were from 2007 and the Stanford Medicine website, “Nine out of 10 elementary students have been bullied by their peers, according to a simple questionnaire developed by researchers at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine. What's more, nearly six in 10 children surveyed in the preliminary study reported participating in some type of bullying themselves in the past year.” (Conger, 2007)The one thing that I know for sure is that a child that feels safe at school learns much more than one that is scared to go there.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tennie-mccarty/bullying-and-body-image_b_2812718.html

References

ByStander Revolution. (n.d.). About Us. Retrieved Dec 1, 2014, from http://www.bystanderrevolution.org/about

Conger, K. (2007, Apr). School Bullying Affects Majority of Elementary Students Stanford/Packard Researchers Find. Stanford Medical: News Center. Retrieved Dec 1, 2014, from http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2007/04/school-bullying-affects-majority-of-elementary-students-stanfordpackard-researchers-find.html

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Definition of Bully. Retrieved Dec 2, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bully

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. (n.d.). Effects of Bullying. stopbullying.gov. Retrieved Dec 1, 204, from http://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/effects/index.html

Youth Frontiers Inc. (2011). Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat Primer. Retrieved Dec 1, 2014, from http://www.youthfrontiers.org/downloads/KindnessRetreatPrimer.pdf

Back In The Day....

Back In The Day of Paper Lists 

By Elizabeth Dehn 

6/30/2014

Also Published on LinkedIn

            When I first got a job working for Aria Communications, my life was filled with demands. My need for some spending money is what drew me to the position, and that I could ‘walk to work.’ I was a junior in highschool, and attending SCSU post-secondary via the PSEO program. Aria offered flexibility and evening hours, which were the only ones I had available to give.

            Prior to that I had also worked at Discovery Zone (a play center for children that is no longer open.) Losing the job at Discovery Zone was tough to swallow, especially getting the call on April fool’s day (April 1^st) notifying me that they would be closing the location. I actually thought my manager was ‘just kidding’ and hung up on her. She called back and that is when I found out it was for real. As sad as I was, I would not be who I am today without Aria Communications. So, when I reflect on these events I see that they were ‘meant to be.’ As a young girl and pre-teen, I had helped my mother with her entrepreneurial ventures, answering phones and doing secretarial-type tasks. Looking back I am sure that experience helped me pass the phone interview.

            Aria Communications was an organization that did fundraising, sales, and direct mailings to a variety of prospects for varied clients. We worked for universities, hospitals, AAA, public radio & tv, and many more. As a telepro, it was my job to interrupt dinner and convince former students, patients & the like to donate to the ‘cause’ or ‘renew’ a membership. Many of the people who started with me did not last long. All my friends would ask, “Doesn’t everyone hang up on you? I couldn’t handle that.”

Aria offered flexible hours and a decent hourly rate, but the job was very taxing. Going into each call with a smile is a difficult task sometimes, especially between 6:30-7:30pm CST!

Despite the pushback on the phones and the treatment that I received from some of the people I called, I stuck with it. I would usually have at least one great call per shift, sometimes even more. I chose to focus on that instead. Another reason I stayed with this organization so long was the great leadership. I had mentors and managers that made sure to pick me up on the ‘down’ days with jokes, stories, or even empathy. 

They regularly secretly monitored us and we got to hear our calls. My managers back then Kim and Laurie made sure I knew what it was going to take to perfect my phone persona. Thanks! The goal of the evaluations was to ensure that we were meeting the expected call standards. Back in the day it was 10 yeses/nos per hour. The additional benefits of these exercises was feedback and reflection. It has shaped who I am today.

 I knew that for every 'no' or 'not interested' or even 'get a real job' I received, I got one step closer to the 'yes.' I just had to keep smiling and dialing. 

  It felt awesome to raise money for ‘great’ causes even if the method wasn’t broadly accepted. Some of the ‘high-donor’ lists were considered ‘cake.’ Most of the donors would be ‘renewing’ their gift and eager to hear how the ‘mission’ was going.

            We had paper lists. We had phones with real buttons and a handset. We did have ‘headsets’ but they were low-tech to say the least. Calling into residences at their dinner hour or on Saturday morning was not for everyone. I can remember my main goal being to get a word in edgewise and/or attempt to get through to those who were evasive to say the least. I was already a cultured young lady, living all over the US by the time I landed in St. Cloud, MN. I would attempt to get them talking about the weather or anything, just as long as they didn’t hang up on me immediately. I would work out my own individualized pitch relating to the campaign I was working on. I tried to bring what we now call ‘calls to action’ to each and every call.

       My point is that even all those years ago (more than 15) social selling was the way to go. By connecting to my prospects, I increased my conversion and got more people to donate (percentage-wise) than anyone else on most projects I called.

            Soon after my adventure @ Aria Communications, I decided that I wanted to leave St. Cloud, MN and move to Duluth, MN. There was also an Aria location there, so I was able to transfer and have a job waiting for me in my new city of residence. During this time Aria had decided to implement automatic dialers as a way to increase contacts. That transition was difficult on so many levels. In my personal opinion, this was not a great choice. The automatic dialers had to transfer calls to us waiting and that meant that there was a ‘delay’ that prospects and telepros would have to navigate and mitigate. Most people caught on quickly and when they didn’t hear someone right away, they hung up right away. This greatly diminished the effectiveness of our projects until they got the kinks worked out.

            In the summer of 1998, I decided to move even further away and went across the country to Seattle, WA. There I had many jobs related to the service industry and one more phone work position working @ Time Life. I sold box sets of CDs, Videotapes, and DVDs. The view from their office was the highlight of working that job, looking out at the Olympic range each morning took my breath away.

            So, despite how the process of reaching people has changed, the game is still a social one. I know that people responded to me because of my curiosity and blatant pleas for some conversation and/or interaction.

            Back in the day of paper lists, my main objective was to get them talking. I would ask various questions until I could finally go in and make my ‘pitch.’

            Now in the days of varied platforms and iron-clad gatekeepers, the objective has not changed very much. I still ask questions until I get them talking. Now I don’t even have to be the one to ‘pitch’ and get the credit card number or call back to ensure fulfillment by mail. By Mail!

            I was always interested, and never focused on being ‘interesting.’ It is amazing to me how the tools have morphed in almost twenty years but the main concept is steadfast. In order for your ‘mission’ to be successful, you have to become interested in who you are trying to recruit or enlist. The weird part about this ridiculously long story about prospecting techniques and tools is that originally, I didn’t realize what I was doing.

By getting interested in the people I contacted, I was positioning myself to bring success to my project. For me, it was easy to talk to them about anything BUT the purpose of my call and I would notoriously have low contacts per hour. Go figure. Knowing what I do now, I would suggest every person who is working in an industry where they have to contact others in a B2B or B2C environment get a list of questions together. Make sure they are open ended and you have more to follow up with if necessary. Get them talking. Amazing things will happen.

Please share with me your stories about how the industry you are in has changed in the last decade or two. As always, thanks for reading. I welcome all comments, suggestions and requests. My contact information is public on LinkedIn for a reason.

Special thank you to those who are asking about my next article. You know who you are and you know what you did. How can I ever repay you? That kind of fuel is priceless. I cherish each and every one of my supporters. What do you want to read about next? 

Elizabeth Dehn

@elizabethdehn

Photo Credits: 

Angry Guy on Phone: http://www.verstaresearch.com/blog/tag/survey-respondents/

Old Phones: http://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/3d-model-old-phone/371603

Pink Ringing Phone: http://carolsdreamworld.blogspot.com/2012_09_01_archive.html

Why Every Article On LinkedIn Is Good

Posted Via LinkedIn on June 6, 2014:

Have you written a comment on someone'e article posted via LinkedIn before? If so, have you stopped to consider the effort put into that article prior to calling it a 'name' or going way beyond constructive criticism to attack their professional credentials and/or experience level? If so, I wrote this article for YOU, mostly. I also hope my words inspire and fuel writers to take the stage because they have the right to write.

I offer three reasons that every article on LinkedIn is good:

1. Writing is good. It is good for the person writing. It is also good for anyone who enjoys reading it. If you beg to differ, please first visit this web page (which also has great tips on writing skills.)

http://www.skillsyouneed.com/writing-skills.html

2. Professionally networking via shared writing and experiences will aid in the growth for all via LinkedIn (thanks by the way!) Growth is good, no?

Did you consider your comments could stunt that growth for another professional? Please read how important LinkedIn is for professionals at:

http://www.job-hunt.org/job-search-mindset/how-employers-view-your-online-presence.shtml

3. This is the biggest one..... people are trying to have their voice heard and that is so good.

In a world where no one has their own consistent stage, and in many cases we are forced to use technology to communicate professionally. Isn't it good to read a unique perspective or hear the other side?

What will our world be if there is no place to professionally and comfortably speak your mind?

So, you wonder who I am and what I do, great! The point of this post is not to draw attention to me. There are two groups of people that need to take professional notice to this post:

#1 - The Haters: You know who you are and you have been looking for a typo this entire time. I hope you find it and you can move on to finding fault elsewhere. But first, I am honestly curious, Have you ever tried to agree with someone you didn't believe or trust? Its a life-changing experience. Please consider someone's heart exposed prior to posting a comment because when you publish your own words that is what it feels like. Please at least see the link below for constructive critique techniques if you don't plan on reading any further. Lastly, if you demean a writer via a comment, beware... If I find your comment I will likely defend the writer even if I don't agree with their post. It is their right to write and professionally respectful to refrain from replying with demeaning or degrading comments.

#2 - The Writers/Publishers: Keep being you. Obviously LinkedIn is a professional networking platform and I feel that within that spectrum there is all the room in the world for your experiences (PG) and your feelings relating to professional environment, culture, or any other pertinent topic for that matter. I have been so impressed with the effort and thought put into articles on this site that I look forward to what YOU publish on LinkedIn every day. The creativity and real-life examples can only come from you. If you run into a comment on your post that is difficult to swallow, find a way to agree with them or at least thank them for their feedback, it will make the situation better. Turning the other cheek breeds a different view for all.

If you read my article this far it means I got up the nerve to publish for the first time on LinkedIn and I want to personally thank you for reading this. 

I strongly advise constructive criticism, in fact I worship it. There is a professional way to go about this that does not include demeaning the writer. If you are unsure about how to word things in this manner, See this article:

http://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/how-to-give-and-recieve-positive-criticism.html

This constructive feedback is a gold mine for growth. Therefore, I look forward to your comments. Every single one. Give others the 'Thumbs Up' because writing is good.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Dehn

@elizabethdehn

http://internetmarketingedehn.blogspot.com/

+ElizabethDehn17

Disclaimer: I do NOT work for LinkedIn(although I would), so every opinion expressed in this post was my own regarding the do's and don'ts of this professional networking site. Thanks!

Executive Salaries: Too High or Just Right?

Questions on Salary

            The purpose of these questions is to glean information on your opinion regarding the executive salaries compared to the owner/stakeholder and entry-level employee. The goal is to assert your opinion on if Executives ‘make too much’ and/or ‘the balance between salaries is unfair.’ Do you think Executives ‘earn their keep?’

Please answer these three questions and return this document, you will be cited in my paper per APA standards and will receive a copy of my final draft of this paper. Thanks for contributing!

I appreciate you taking the time and look forward to your feedback on my final draft.

1.       How should the figure for executive salaries be decided?

2.     If you were to give a ratio that reflected Owner:Executive:Entry-Level

What would it be?

3.     Do you think they are over-compensated or paid appropriately & why?)

Please reply with your feedback. If you want credit for your thoughts please leave your full name, otherwise I will credit the username associated with your comment per APA standards. The final draft of this paper will be posted by June 15th.

Thanks for reading!

Elizabeth

@elizabethdehn