thoughts on your shadow

I spend some time making sure I appear distinct and properly professional. You likely do as well. Are you also thinking about what you leave behind?

I thought about this when running the other day. The sun was bright. The snow dazzlingly. My shadow was far longer than I am tall (and I am tall - 6'2" for those who haven't met me in person yet).

What kind of shadow do you cast?

What kind of talk will people have about you when you leave their immediate company?

Are you making a good lasting and distinct impression?

What can you do about that?

Business is personal

When they say "it is not personal, it is just business" be prepared. Something is up. Get real! All business is personal. That is why the culture of the business matters. That is why people report leaving a job not because of the company but because of their manager.

So why would you use a generic invitation for someone to connect with you on LinkedIn?

Impersonal Network Requests. A generic “I’d like to invite you to join my professional network” request does not create a warm, personal connection or give the receiver any reason to accept your invite. It conveys that you couldn’t be troubled to wrote a sentence or two. Worse, the receiver might not even remember who you are!  Every request should be customized, reminding the receiver of your past connection and a positive association. It only takes a few seconds and goes a long way towards building a strong connection.

Read more of the posting here  http://blog.jobfully.com/2010/10/avoiding-linkedin-faux-pas/

And the next time you connect with someone on LinkedIn, make your request personal. After all it is business!