What Does It Take To Be Successful In Life? - A snippet on Goal Setting

Every invention, every success or celebrated cause on earth were all at one point residing as mere figments of someone's imagination. Until a greater force birthed the ideas into reality.

Remember Newton's First Law of motion: “Every object continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless COMPELLED to change that state by external forces acted upon it”.

I have never met a young Nigerian without a grandiose business idea. Every young person i know either want to become Don Jazzy, D'banj, David O, Tiwa Savage, Nice, or Dangote.

But unfortunately, many of them don't understand that it’s one thing to have a bright idea and another thing to SET THE GOAL to achieve those "Dreams".

The following are my favourite word pictures for Goal Setting:

A.      Guided Missile: This is an unmanned explosive-carrying vehicle that moves above the earth's surface in a flight path controlled by an external or internal source.   There are many kinds of guided missiles, but all have the same ultimate function: destroy enemy "targets", i.e., personnel, tanks, vehicles, airplanes, ships, and weapons, including attacking missiles.

When launched out of a jet or battle ship (as seen in my favourite war movies) smart bombs go straight to their targets (whether you're asleep or awake, they’ll deliver). The simple logic is "They’re programmed to pursue and destroy SPECIFIED TARGETS”.

B.      Homing Pigeon: If you take this graceful domestic bird in a blind-folded cage. Travel 1,000 miles in any direction in a car. Change your course and keep spinning around as you go, with several twist and turns in your journey. When you finally release the bird; you can bet its going straight back home that same hour (unerringly). (This creature comes with in-built super-self navigation system). This bird has an innate homing ability, meaning that it will generally return to its own nest and its own mate. Flights as long as 1,800 km (1,100 mi) have been recorded by birds in pigeon racing competitions. Homing pigeons are called messenger or carrier pigeons when they are used to carry messages. Only two creatures on earth possess this incredible ability (The Pigeon and Mankind).

C.      Laser: a device that emits light (electromagnetic radiation) through a process of optical amplification of light. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. You’ll appreciate the laser more when you compare it with the almighty SUN. The Sun dispels billions of wattage of energy daily; without achieving anything spectacular. Simply put, the sun is powerful but not focused.  Laser on the other hand concentrates its little energy to achieve some serious businesses for mankind. Check out the list of what lasers can be used for:  Medicine (Bloodless surgery, laser healing, surgical treatment, kidney stone treatment, eye treatment, dentistry)

Military (Marking targets, guiding munitions, missile defence, electro-optical countermeasures (EOCM), alternative to radar, blinding troops). Law enforcement (used for latent fingerprint detection in the forensic identification field). Product development/commercial (laser printers, optical discs (e.g. CDs and the like), barcode scanners, thermometers, laser pointers, holograms) Cosmetic skin treatments (acne treatment, cellulite reduction, hair and tattoo removal.

Focus is a powerful thing.

A research was carried out and this is the outcome (ask Anthony Robbins about this):

Guess what successful people think and talk about most of the time:

1. What they want. And

2. How to get what they want.

And take a wild guess at what unsuccessful people think and talk about most of the time (Yes, you guessed right):

1. What they DON'T want.

2. And what they're unhappy about.

The question is: What do you think about most of the time?

You see, your outer world is a reflection of your inner world.

If only you can DECIDE what you want. You'll begin to move (unerringly) towards your goal (and ultimately your PURPOSE in life) and your goals will move towards you almost magnetically.

Show me your CLEARLY SET Goals, and I can predict your future.

Every step you take towards your goal increases your faith in yourself.

Invest whatever time it takes to achieve Clarity about your goals.

DESIRE is the starting point of Goals Setting. "Intense" is the operative word here: Intense Desire.

What does it take to be successful in Life? (Brian Tracy was asked). And the answer is this:

1. What do you want in Life?

2. What price do I want to pay?

3. Get started with paying the PRICE.

Make goal setting a Lifelong habit. (Don't die as a couch potato). Resolve to be like the Homing Pigeon, the Guided Missile or the Laser, be committed to your own cause. Be focused.

Believe in yourself. If you don't believe in your cause, nobody else will (or should).

SET CLEAR GOALS FOR YOUR LIFE.

  

(This is another article that's typed on my Blackberry while in traffic today: Inspired by Brian Tracy audio books)

See you at the Top!

By Leke Oshiyemi

HR-Expert| Recruiter | Conference Speaker: on Human Resources Mgt. Personal effectiveness. Social Media.

Let’s connect!

www.linkedin.com/in/lekeoshiyemi

www.twitter.com/lekeoshiyemi

www.facebook.com/lekeoshiyemi

lekeoshiyemi@gmail.com

LinkedIn and Your Job Search: Use LinkedIn to Enhance Your Employment Options

What do Microsoft, Ebay, Netflix, and Target have in common? All these companies (and many more) have used LinkedIn to recruit candidates for employment.

Kay Luo, Director of Corporate Communications at LinkedIn, explains why, "The main reason that companies are using LinkedIn is to find passive job candidates. Another reason why companies are using LinkedIn, is because referrals from their employees are highly valued because they typically have a higher success rate (hence the popular "employee referral bonuses"). LinkedIn helps companies leverage the networks of their employees."

How Employers Use LinkedIn

One LinkedIn member (who will remain nameless because his company doesn't know he's job seeking) I spoke to received an inquiry less than 24 hours after posting his profile. He was amazed at how fast a former colleague found him.

Steve Goddard obtained his current job through LinkedIn. Recruiters working for his employer, VMware, Inc., searched LinkedIn's database of information for people with relevant skills sets and experience pertaining to VMware's existing requirements.

The recruiter discovered Steve's work history, downloaded the information, circulated it to group managers, and then contacted him. After a couple of lengthy phone calls, VMware scheduled an on-site interview. After that, it was hiring as usual.

Steve told me, "I regularly get head hunters or recruiters with small start up operations, that have found my contact information through LinkedIn, calling me or emailing me with new job openings and hiring opportunities." From the company's perspective, Steve noted that VMware internal recruitment staff believes that LinkedIn has been a tremendous help with recruiting.

It's also important to note that LinkedIn has reached a point where it's almost unprofessional not to be on LinkedIn. There are members from all 500 of the Fortune 500 companies. LinkedIn members comprise 130 different industries, and include 130,000 recruiters.

Search LinkedIn

Take a few minutes to search LinkedIn and I'm sure you'll find lots of contacts from your current and prior employers, clients, vendors, and schools. All those contacts have the potential to help you grow your career or find a new job. In addition, it can be a good source of employment references, as well as reference checking.

Job Search

You can search the Jobs section of LinkedIn by keyword and location or use the Advanced Search option to search by more specific criteria.

How to Use LinkedIn to Find a Job - Or Have a Job Find You

·         Create a Profile. Create a detailed profile on LinkedIn, including employment (current and past), education, industry, and web sites.

·         Consider a Photo. You can add a photo (a headshot is recommended or upload a larger photo and edit it) to your LinkedIn profile. Note that it must be a small photo - no larger than 80x80 pixels.

·         Keywords and Skills. Include all your resume keywords and skills in your profile, so your profile will be found.

·         Build Your Network. Connect with other members and build your network. The more connections you have, the more opportunities you have, with one caveat from Kay Luo, "Connect to people you know and trust or have a business relationship with, no need to go crazy and connect with everyone."

·         Get Recommendations. Recommendations from people you have worked with carry a lot of weight.

·         Search Jobs. Use the job search section to find job listings.

·         Use Answers. The Answers section of LinkedIn is a good way to increase your visibility. Respond to questions, and ask a question if you need information or assistance.

·         Stay Connected. Use LinkedIn Mobile (m.linkedin.com) to view profiles, invite new connections, and access to LinkedIn Answers from your phone.

By Alison Doyle, About.com Guide

Why Corporate Nigeria SHOULD Join LinkedIn!!!

I am always amused whenever i come across professionals, executives, business owners, government officials, recruiters, consultants, head hunters, and even job seekers on LinkedIn.com, with 2 or 10 connections. That immediately tells me how much they know about Social Media and the power of networking. Maybe they’re too busy to reap the immense benefits of “being Linked”, or got the invite and simply just signed-on and went into what i call “LinkedIn Coma”, or worse still, they joined but want to keep their privacy?!

(Helloo, why exactly did you join LinkedIn?).

To my mind, every professional and business person in Nigeria should be on LinkedIn. If you represent a business or brand, if you have something to say/sell to the world (about a product, service, an idea or a cause), if you’re employed, unemployed, or under employed If you’re a consultant, trainer, public speaker, blogger, entertainer, politician, an event manager, or you’re seeking to recruit staffers for your company etc.; In my estimate LinkedIn is your best bet. According to www.inc.com: “Today, LinkedIn is the No. 1 social media platform for professionals. Estimates of professional participation in LinkedIn are as high as 83%”.  

My LinkedIn Story

I have been a member of LinkedIn since: October 7, 2008. I can’t remember exactly who invited me or how i stumbled in. I can imagine that the invite came into my email inbox saying “Leke, I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”. I must have clicked on the “Accept” button because the message came from a trusted associate. And afterwards, i went into “LinkedIn Coma”, like many people i see online today. Unknown to me, i had just joined one of the most powerful business resource platform of the 21^st century! For most people who “accidentally” joined LinkedIn like i did, they usually ask “Now, i’m on LinkedIn, Now what?”

This was my question too until i attended a Booth Camp (for HR-professionals) in Lagos 2010, where a young man briefly discussed Social media/LinkedIn. Then, i had my “Aha!” experience and an understanding of the power of LinkedIn.

And since then i have: studied LinkedIn, trained many individuals, spoken at seminars and conferences about this amazing platform. Using LinkedIn i have: recruited local and expatriate employees, helped a number of people find jobs, developed power relationships across the globe, collaborated with very experienced professionals on various projects, recruited board members, have been recruited as a board member for an international NGO, have obtained professional help/answers to difficult business questions, joined and participated in very interesting group discussions, created and managed a vibrant professional LinkedIn group, mentored some young professionals, connected with some great mentors and have exponentially increased my “social capital”. etc

You too can succeed professionally or in your business using LinkedIn by making connections and capturing great opportunities on the Web’s #1 Business Networking Site.

While most folks are still wondering if Social media is a fad or a revolution, LinkedIn has suddenly become an essential business networking tool for professionals across all demographics. Today, there are over 161 million members on the site. Some have fondly referred to LinkedIn as the “Facebook of business”. To my mind, this professional networking site can be a valuable resource to Corporate Nigeria. LinkedIn is not a play ground like Facebook seems. It’s got that “office ambience”. Rather than connecting users to one another just for socializing sakes, LinkedIn connects users to the business world of “serious business minded people” providing them with a virtual platform to display professional work experience, connections, and groups. And like I said before, if you want to market yourself for job opportunities, business endeavors, or networking opportunities, LinkedIn is the place for you.

About LinkedIn

"LinkedIn is the office, Facebook is the barbecue in the backyard, and MySpace is the bar," referring to the three major social-networking sites. ~Reid Hoffman CEO of LinkedIn.

§  Founded in December 2002 and launched in May 2003.

§  A Public quoted company, revenue for the first quarter (2012) was $188.5 million, an increase of 101% compared to $93.9 million in the first quarter of 2011.

§  In October 2010 Silicon Valley Insider ranked the company No. 10 on its Top 100 List of most valuable start ups.

§  As of December 2010, the company was valued at $1.575 billion in private markets.

§  It was reported that LinkedIn earned $154.6 million dollars in advertising revenue alone in 2011. This number was actually higher than that of Twitter who earned $139.5 million dollars respectively.

§  Has more than 14 million Business Owners.

§  LinkedIn is still young and still growing with over 4million new sign-on per month!

§  All 500 of the Fortune 500 companies are represented in LinkedIn. In fact, 499 of them are represented by director-level and above employees!

§  It’s Facebook for serious minded business people.

§  Houses world corporations and business leaders (Of Fortune 500 companies, SMEs, NGO etc)

§  Free consultancy platform.

§  You can reach the world and be reached.

§  Has more than 14 million Business Owners.

§  It’s the most untapped Business resource of all social networks.




What Can Corporate Nigeria Do with LinkedIn?

The following are some of what you can accomplish with LinkedIn:

1.        Go beyond borders: Network with resource people locally and internationally.

Share information, Ideas and opportunities with 161,000,000 professionals! World’s largest professional network on the Internet with 161 million members worldwide (As at February, 2012), and still growing rapidly (That’s equivalent of the entire population of Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria!)

2.        Increase your visibility: let the world know what you do.

3.        Meet professionals in your field to share and collaborate on projects and business opportunities.

4.        Increase your chances of employment: LinkedIn is 21^st century’s resume. Call it resume 2.0

5.        21^st century recruiting platform for employers and head-hunters. Find great professionals (local or expatriate) to recruit into your business: 80% of recruiters now use LinkedIn for head-hunting!

6.        21^st century Job finder’s platform for the under-employed/Unemployed.

7.        Reduce your recruitment cost and increase your chances of short-listing a great staff.

8.        Publish your articles, positive ideas and business concepts to business people: Publish or perish. (NB: Be weary of sending unsolicited marketing messages to other users on LinkedIn)

9.        Raise great Board members for your local brand: Or be invited to the board of great businesses.

10.     Find yourself a great mentor or become someone’s great mentor.

11.     Make your local business go “Glocal”: Think Big, Start small, and Scale up fast!

12.     Promote your Brand: Use LinkedIn as your branding focal point.

13.     Drive traffic to your existing business website.

14.     Ask important questions, and help some find great answers on the platform.

15.     LinkedIn connects you to your trusted contacts and helps you exchange knowledge, ideas, and opportunities with a broader network of professionals.

Why i really want Corporate Nigeria on LinkedIn?

§  As at today (June 2012), Nigeria (Africa’s most populous country with 165million people) is grossly underrepresented on LinkedIn with regard to Internet averages.

§  Total number of LinkedIn visitors from Nigeria is lesser than 400,000! (According to the report above)

§  There’s need for the global community to interact with corporate Nigeria: we need to forge better strategic alliances, and cross pollinate our business thoughts and ideas with advanced business communities. This can take place, real-time, on a daily bases. And there’s no better platform to achieve all this other than LinkedIn.

§  Corporate Nigeria can equally use this platform to disabuse the mind of the world about Nigeria and Nigerians, as we project our positive/Professional side.

§  I predict that someday, most Nigerian recruiters will use this platform for 90% of their recruitment drive, because it’s cheaper, easier, faster and better. (The general implications of this will be discussed in another article).

§  Summing it all up, it is my belief that increased presence of corporate Nigeria on LinkedIn will ultimately bring us prosperity as a country. (If we stay on the positive track in the usage of this great platform).

§  My dream is to see 5,000,000+ Nigerian professionals on LinkedIn by June 2015!

LinkedIn Visitors by Country

Source:http://www.booleanblackbelt.com/2010/09/linkedin-demographics-and-visitor-statistics/

How Do i get Started (11 Baby Steps)?

1.        Go to www.linkedin.com and sign-up. ( That is if you’re not already a member)

2.        Upload your picture-Your privacy is not an issue on LinkedIn!

3.        Invite your existing contacts to join you. It’s a game of numbers! (Upload your Yahoo, Gmail, Ms-Outlook contacts)

4.        Sell your expertise and experience!-Describe your achievements and goals.

5.        Write your summary-Stating WHY you joined LinkedIn (attracts like-minded people)

6.        Join groups- You can join up to 50 groups of your choice.

7.        Participate in group discussions- 15mins per day is enough. Discuss. Share. Collaborate.

8.        Ask for recommendations – be recommended!

9.        Promote and attend events.

10.     Tip and trick – customise your public profile URL, make it your name!

11.     Use the right keywords on LinkedIn! (watch out for my next article on “How to increase your connection on LinkedIn”)

Testimonials and Co

How I Found My Dream Job Using LinkedIn, Forbes

"I conducted a LinkedIn search for the company and discovered that one of my former co-workers, a direct connection, was connected to someone there through previous work experience..."

"...As you can guess, since I wrote this article, the former co-worker graciously introduced me and even praised me (hallelujah!) to the person at my first-choice company. Two days later, I received a phone call inviting me to schedule an interview. A week and a half later, I was hired." ~Avril David, an energy and environment analyst for Project Performance Corporation (In Forbes)

"You may not be surprised to learn that companies such as technology powerhouse Salesforce.com use social networking sites to search for job candidates, but even buttoned-down firms such as Allstate have gotten with the program. In fact, 40 percent of Fortune 100 companies use LinkedIn specifically for that purpose. That’s why it’s critical to have a profile on LinkedIn..." ~CBS MoneyWatch

See you at the top.

By Leke Oshiyemi

HR-Expert| Recruiter | Conference Speaker: on Human Resources Mgt, Personal effectiveness and Social Media/LinkedIn.

Let’s connect!

www.linkedin.com/in/lekeoshiyemi

www.twitter.com/lekeoshiyemi

www.facebook.com/lekeoshiyemi

lekeoshiyemi@gmail.com

How “Typos” Can Kill Your Career- By Leke Oshiyemi

How “Typos” Can Kill Your Career- By Leke Oshiyemi

I can bet most of us have come across what has been referred to as ‘typos’ or ‘errors of ignorance’; which are commonly (and especially nowadays) found (well embedded) in a written matter.

By way of definition ‘errors of ignorance’ are simply put, spelling errors caused by ignorance, while typographical errors (popularly known as ‘typos’) are mistakes made by accident while typing or transcribing something. For the sake of this write-up, I’ll refer to both errors as ‘typos’.

An informal comment posted in an on-line chat, a formal article, a paragraph in a memo, or even a simple comment on a blog, which could have been informative, engaging and even entertaining suddenly, leaves a bad taste in the readers’ mouth as a result of avoidable errors. Some people call them “printer’s devil”.

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon to find mobile phones with ‘QWERTY’ keypads. Mobile devices have made typing-on-the-go an accepted norm and an integral part of the new age/pop-culture. There’s now a good dosage of typing that’s involved in our socio-economic lives. We type away naturally at work and at play; from casual emails/BB chats between friends to concluding major league business transactions.

However, some of us neglect the editing and proof reading of written text because it (sometimes) feel like a ‘JAMB’ examination (for those not familiar with JAMB, it’s a tough qualifying exam to gain admission into a Federal University in Nigeria).

BUT most of us are really not always conscious of the potential dangers of ‘typos’. It’s a known fact that when it’s a written material, you cannot determine how far it can go, or who will read (judge) it. Think about it for a minute and use your imagination as regards who might be reading your written texts.

Let’s use our imagination here; it might be your potential business associates, your boss, your supervisor, your father in-law or your potential employer!

Due to my job function as Human Resource professional, i have seen many CVs ‘over-flowing’ with ‘typos’! Now, if a candidate has no discipline to proof-read a 2 paged CV (which has been in his/her custody for a while), imagine what your judge (reader) is thinking and concluding about you. Your competence, skill, and ability to deliver on a job could suddenly be under serious review and appraisal behind your back. The unfortunate part is you’ll hardly ever get a chance to defend your ‘typos’. Listen, nobody cares about your excuse for errors! Maybe your eyes were tired or you were distracted before you pressed the ‘send’ or ‘print’ button. Some readers can be very critical/ judgmental you know.

Think about this credo for a minute: ‘All grammatical errors have impeding consequences’. Some consequences are trivial and some are serious e.g. heavy wastage of printing papers, loss of ink, loss of time, loss of energy, loss of money, public mockery, damage to company’s reputation, misrepresentation of brand, loss of clientele or a potential job opportunity. Some errors can indeed lead to huge financial loss. (Think about the cost of reprinting an entire day’s newspaper, book, magazine, etc due to errors in print. Some errors can even lead to a lawsuit!).

A job seeker recently posted this on a group discussion page on LinkedIn in response to a job advertisement/discuss: “Hi, Iam interestingly, kaindly snd job referees number to my emailing inboz: xxx@hotmail.com. I anm an gradute of ___University. I will appreciate employment with your comanies!” (And so on and so forth). Unknown to our friend, some Human Resources recruitment experts (my friends) were following the thread of conversation.  One of the recruiters called me afterwards to say “Leke, you won’t believe what I’m about to tell you, this particular lady was penciled down for a role within our company, but her ‘typos’ have just killed her chances with our organization”.

Yeah, I know some folks will think this “typo” judgement thing is too harsh or unfair. I must admit at this juncture that even I make typo mistakes sometimes too. Nobody is infallible (Disclaimer! Even this article has some typos!-Yeah, I know. Lol).

But, seriously speaking; we don’t know who is judging our typo(s) or the degree of loss that can potentially follow an “innocent typo”. And while we can get away with some errors in our letters, emails, memos, BB chats, tweets, FB comments, LinkedIn group comments, profile updates, websites, blogs, magazines, books etc.; nonetheless, there are potential consequences. (Either known to us or unknown to us)

The point I’m making here is. Let’s all try harder to painstakingly read through before we push the send/print button. “Being too casual in your writing can (potentially) make you a casualty”.

• Read that e-mail over again before pressing the ‘send’ button.
• Type and edit it first on MS-Word before you post that comment on-line.
• Ask your friend to help you proof-read before you send that email or written text.
• If it’s not already in the ‘urgent and important’ quadrant. Why not type it, save it, read it another time before you send it.
•  Use spell checker on Microsoft word to review the document before you print/send it. Use F7 function key (MS-Word).
• Try reading it aloud before you post it. (Works wonders for me).
• If in doubt, use your dictionary or Google to check the correct spelling. (Smart thing to do).
• When you’re typing, look up every once in a while and monitor your progress. If you notice a word is spelt incorrectly, fix it right away instead of waiting for spell check.
• Use the zoom-in function during proof-reading. Read it over in font size 18 until you’re done proofreading the document.
• Never ignore the red or green wiggly line that appears under misspelled words and incorrect grammar when you type. This can practically save your career.

Share your views/questions with me in the comment section and be sure to get it answered.

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Do have a great day. 

About Leke Oshiyemi: Leke is a Career Coach|Talent Management| Recruiter | Conference Speaker : Personal Effectiveness and Social Media. Connect with him | twitter: www.twitter.com/lekeoshiyemi | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/lekeoshiyemi