Reciprocity Is A Powerful Key To Your Business Success

Aug 23, 2018 | Business, Careers, Goals, Women

Reciprocity Is A Powerful Key To Your Business Success

When I opened the Triad West Positively Powerful Program division some time ago, I knew that sponsorships and marketing would be important in the development of my Woman Awards, Summits and other events for transformational leadership. Being a tenacious learner and collaborative person, I asked a very successful and influential corporate woman who was a great sponsor and philanthropist, “How do you make an ask (the term used for requesting funding)?” She said one word, “Reciprocity”.

Reciprocity: mutual dependence, action, or influence. The practice of exchanging things with others for mutual benefit.

I’ve never forgotten this. At the time, like many entrepreneurs with a good idea, I didn’t have a lot of marketing dollars to build on but what I did have were my own unique ways to authentically reciprocate. They have proven to be beneficial in building my relationships and businesses. Here’s how reciprocity works. It is not just about the money.

Successful businesses are based on successful relationships.
Advocate for other people that you believe in. In the case of a company, tweet about them.
Do virtual introductions and include why you are introducing them to each and what’s great about them.
Respond authentically and in a positive manner to those that write, call, or email you. Do this consistently. Your silence could close the door on future beneficial opportunities for you and if nothing else make them wonder about the quality of the friendship.
Support others financially to the extent that you can but don’t jeopardize your own financial situation. The same is true when your time, treasure, and talents are requested.
Be kind and considerate. Don’t criticize or gossip about others.
Say “no” with grace, empathy, and compassion when you are not the asker but the one who is being asked.
You are a philanthropist – own it – and give what you can financially, with support, with wisdom, and/or by inspiring others. All of these are ways to make meaningful deposits into the banking account of your life. Reciprocity is giving back and paying it forward with intention.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Dr. Maya Angelou

Joel Martin, Ph.D., MA, BFA, Wharton Fellow is an international practitioner of leadership development, diversity, and inclusion and an executive coach. She’s focused on what works now in the real world and how to apply it in ways that matter. She is a 15+ Year International Training Designer and Facilitator, President Triad West Inc., Founder Positively Powerful Woman Awards and Programs known and is known as the Transformation Generator.

6 Tips that will keep you vital.

Jul 24, 2018 | creativity, Goals

6 Tips that will keep you vital.

Be Vital: Absolutely necessary or important; essential. Full of energy; lively. Concerned with or necessary to the continuation of life.

I asked a good friend after he’d finished a big project, “Are you going on a vacation now?” His answer was, “No why should I? Sit around and do what?”

Here’s what’s working for him, for me and could for you too:

Shorten/eliminate the time you spend with resentment, envy, anger, resignation, worry, self-pity, Make a difference. Give a compliment. Make what’s new and wonderful in the world you! Spend some of your time being busy at something you love doing. Really busy. Lose yourself in it. Be in your zone about it.
Work with people you want to be around, want to get to know and build a community of sister/brothers, friends, colleagues, thinkers and be inclusive – it’s fun! However, you describe them, whatever they look like, whatever their background, there are people that you get to know and like being around. If you want to always be vital, surround yourself with diverse folks who lift you up not bring you down.
Rest and renew (R&R) yourself. This will stop any burnout and keep you productive and resilient. Take a break every 2 or 3 hours. Walk around. Read a travel magazine. Meditate. Practice Tai Chi. Call a friend. And as long as you keep healthy, which R&R will help you do, you will look younger, be more engaging and feel more excited about what’s ahead and life in general. And that is very attractive.
Also get some sleep… a comfy mattress does wonders for a tired body.
Continue to be one of those people who amaze others by how great you look. If you don’t like the clothes you are wearing, don’t wear them. Get something that is new or renewed. I’ve re-discovered consignment shops for example.
Last tip: Watch the good stress, new client. Great date. It can burn you out too just like the bad stress if you don’t watch out and get your R&R and ZZZZzzzs…..

Got a tip you’d like to share? Put it here.

Achieve Your Goals — But First, Define Your Role

Jul 1, 2018 | Career Advice, Careers, Coaching, Goals, leadership

Achieve Your Goals — But First, Define Your Role

Last year, I became a philanthropist at age 28 through joining the African-American Women’s Giving & Empowerment Circle. My engagement in the circle came with three key benefits: I help drive capital to local female founders, I’m learning the dos and don’ts of philanthropy, and the circle members serve as an informal “board of advisors” of accomplished and connected mentors for me.

Through these connections, I recently attended the Positively Powerful Women’s Leadership Summit; an event put on by Dr. Joel Martin, founder of the Positively Powerful Woman Awards & Programs. One of the questions at the summit presented an opportunity for me to reflect on how I am activating my potential and realizing my goals.

What role(s) do you play in your professional and personal life?

Working through this question is a great exercise to build legs under existing goals. The eight roles below can hone your leadership skills, and keep you on track to achieving your goals.

Strategist [Architect]

Becoming a philanthropist was a decision that I made as the strategist and architect of my life. The giving circle offered an affordable way for me to accomplish my goal of becoming a philanthropist sooner than I anticipated.

Much like the strategic plan for a business, the strategic plan for your life is not something that should be worked out once and then left to collect dust. Accomplishing one goal opened up space for another goal, and I kept my strategist hat on to plan a contiguous goal that aligned with my ideal destination — which is currently centered around entrepreneurship and venture capital.

Explorer [Opportunity Finder]

I’m actively strategizing where I am and where I need to go, but I play the role of explorer to test that the vision I have is accurate. Staying alert to opportunities allows for a more dynamic and agile strategic plan. I take in new information, and adjust my destination as I learn.

This last year, I utilized profellow.com to find and apply for a public policy fellowship in D.C. I was selected to participate and the five weekend trips that I made to D.C. opened me up to a new network and new thinking. One of the connections I made through this trip led to an interview with Google’s autonomous vehicle spinoff, Waymo.

The experience of interviewing with a Google company pushed my thinking outside of the conventional boundaries that I had somewhat unconsciously put up around myself. I have now altered my strategic plan to reflect bigger thinking.

Builder

While at a conference in Utah, Todd Johnson from Gallup, presented on Gallup’s new book, Born to Build. Todd mentioned the books overall purpose to shift the current introductory norm from “what do you do?” to “what are you building?”

I took that note to heart, and started seeing myself as a builder. In addition to future goals of becoming an entrepreneur and actually building a business, I am building relationships every day. Playing the role of builder allows me to transition from a passive role to an active role in achieving my goals, with a focus on execution.

Katelyn Harris Lange

is a current workforce development practitioner supporting cross-sector synergy and innovation in the Greater Phoenix Area. She is a philanthropist involved in the African-American Women’s Giving and Empowerment Circle, Phoenix Sister Cities Board Member, and the current Diversity and Inclusion Director with Net Impact Phoenix Professionals.

Translator

Life as a strategist, explorer, and builder produces a wealth of experiential learning. The onus is on me to make sure that my skills, experience, or background appears relevant to my career journey.

I take on the role of the translator to communicate my diverse experiences into a type of capital that I can leverage to get from Point A to Point B in my strategic plan.

Champion [myself]

I learned I need to do a better job of championing myself. The easiest way to do this is revamping an introduction or elevator pitch to highlight more of your accomplishments.

At the beginning of my professional life, I would plainly state my name and workplace when introducing myself to a group. How are people going to know about the many other activities I’m engaged in if I don’t tell them? Sharing more of my story (staccato sytle) in my intro will help others remember me and quickly identify mutual interests.

Celebrator [others]

The role of celebrator allows me to focus on others. Over the past six months, I have nominated three women that I admire, either for awards or “30 under 30” type lists. My first nomination actually made the list, and I think that gave me more gratification than her!

My journey is about success, but my success cannot come unattached to the success of others. What am I building and who am I building? I want to record more assists than points, and I will get to the top with no blocks and no steals.

In addition to nominating my sisters and brothers, I’m giving more positive feedback, more compliments, and more thank yous.

Asker

I’m working on becoming a better asker. I’ve built a great network, and I need to get more comfortable asking my network for help. Mentorship is continuously lauded as a great way to advance a career, but finding the right mentor and developing that relationship is easier said than done.

Moving forward, I will be more willing to ask for advice, connections, and funding.

Risk Taker

Another woman at my table, Linda G. Walton, founder of Achieving My Purpose, labeled herself as a risk taker, and it stuck with me. See, I meant what I said — no steals!

The final speaker of the night, Debbie Castaldo, VP of Corporate and Community Impact for the Arizona Diamondbacks, asked the group, “What would you do if you knew you would not fail?”

Small risk means small return. I want to achieve big things, and the sooner I get comfortable with risk, the easier it will be for me to quickly seize an opportunity after identifying it.

Now let’s put on our many hats and get to work with a new strategy, new confidence, and a renewed openness to infinite possibility.