Lead Today: An Interview with Steve Keating

For Twitter users,inspirational and thought-provoking tweets by@LeadTodaycome acrosstheir screen daily-often asa retweetby someone theyfollow.If you are new to Twitter, follow@LeadToday and you will soondiscover all that is rightand possible withsocial media.So who is the person behind the leadershiptweets? Let me introduce you to Steve Keating in my latest interviewwith professionals who are making a difference in thesocial mediaworld.1. You offer some of the most re-tweeted inspirational thoughts of anyone on Twitter. So I have to ask... how do you come up with so many meaningful tweets?

Do You Hide a Company's Name on Your Resume?

We've all had jobs that just didn't work out.I know I have,and I discovered some important lessons through the experience.But do youhide the company's namefrom your resume - especially ifthebusinesshasa negative connotation publicly?A client of mine asked this very question yesterday.I am sharingher story withpermission to solicit additional feedback:Hi Brent. I have been working in<city> at acompany that facilitates exchange programs betweenthe US and China. I recently had to quit for a variety of reasons.The two most important being: 1). I had a really contentious and near panic-attack

Tim's Strategy: An Interview with Tim Tyrell-Smith

I am grateful for the opportunity to share with you the following interview with Tim Tyrell-Smith, Founder of Tim's Strategy, Ideas for Job Search, Career and Life.1.What is Tim's Strategy all about? What inspired you to create it?Tim's Strategy started in September 2008 as a blog called spin strategy where I offered advice on being efficient in your job search. I also had a separate, more traditional website where I offered free downloads of tools and templates I used during my own 2007 job search.My reason for doing it was to give back to the community that helped me back in 2007. I also

Spin Sucks: An Interview with Gini Dietrich

I am grateful for the opportunity to share with you the following professional advice from Gini Dietrich, Founder and CEOof Arment Dietrich, Inc., a firm that uses non-traditional marketing in a digital world. Gini is also author of themarketing and PRblog Spin Sucks.1. What inspired the Spin Sucks blog and what's the story behind the name?It has always really bothered me that PR professionals are seen as “spin doctors.” Sure there are people in our industry that will spin the truth to put their clients in a more flattering light, but that so rarely happens in places other than

Where Are You Going With Social Media?

I'm now reading (for the second time) the powerful book The Principle of the Path by Andy Stanley. The premise of the book is clear: Direction-not intention-determines our destination. This principle isn't something you follow like a rule. It follows you and it has the power to break you.If you choose a path of financial irresponsibility, you will eventually arrive at an undesirable and inevitabledestination. That's not speculation. That's fact. The author alsonotes that the same principle of the path applies to each of us relationally,academically, spiritually, physically, and professionally.Let

5 Guidelines for LinkedIn Invitations

We'll connect with friends from elementary school in Facebook. We'll reciprocate a Follow in Twitter (unless you are a MLM spammer). But when it comes to LinkedIn, everybody has their own rules for connecting.Admit it. You're received this generic LinkedIn invitation from somebody you don't know:I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.- BobWhat do you do?Perhaps the very funny Rob Cottingham has the right idea...So I went searching for the answer...I contacted a LION(LinkedIn Open Networker) in DC, a Marketing Executive in California, and a Product Manager at LinkedIn directly.Let's

Is Gen X Afraid of Facebook for Networking?

As a child of the 70's, I am a card carrying member of the (small but proud) Generation X. This generation is generally defined by people born between 1961 - 1979.On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to listen to a valuable presentation on Generation X by Harvard Business Review contributer Tammy Erickson. The webinar was titled The Leaders We Need Now. Are We Ready for Gen X to Take Charge? An interesting question indeed in consideration of the perceived Boomer-Y Love Fest (quoting Tammy).To its credit, Gen X does have top representation inthe White House (Barack Obama was born in 1961) and

8 Ideas for #FollowFriday

For those new to Twitter, #FollowFriday (or simply #FF)became an international event in early 2009. It started as a simple way to recommend other people to follow (and know)on Twitter. #FollowFridayis easy to join in and one of the most popular ways to show appreciation for others on Twitter.Here is an example:And a socialmedia cartoon from Rob Cottinghamthat hilariously captures thespirit of #FollowFriday:C.S. Lewis appropriately remarked, Friendship is born at that one moment when one person says to another, What! You too? I thought I was the only one.That being said, one challenge I haveexperienced

10 Secrets for Winning the Job Interview

I am grateful for the opportunity to share with you the followingcareer advice fromPat Williams, senior vice president of theNBA's Orlando Magic. Pat co-founded theOrlando Magic in 1987 and is one of America's top motivational, inspirational, and humerous speakers. He had addressed thousandsof executives in organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies and national assocations to universities and nonprofits. Pat and his wife, Ruth, are the parents of 19 children, including 14 from four nations.Pat Williamsisthe author ofover 55 books including the recently released Nail It! 10 Secrets

Ten Commandments for Better Networking

Do you suffer from “Butterfly-itis” at the very mention of networking at business functions? If you answered yes, you are not alone! Many business people and entrepreneurs get a bit uncomfortable when it comes right down to walking up to someone and starting a conversation. Many others are concerned about getting effective results from the time they spend networking.The process doesn’t have to be traumatic, scary, or a waste of time. When done properly, it can truly make a difference in the amount of business your company generates. With the right approach, you can use it

10 Ways to Spot a Spammer on Twitter

Spammers and catfish have a lot in common. They are both bottom feeders and are negatively buoyant, which means they usually sink rather than float. They are also resilient. They adapt to new environments when threatened. When spammers were blocked by email filters, they discovered a new ocean in Twitter. And like catfish, they grow bigger and smarter.Need tens of thousands of followers on Twitter? No problem. Just trick people into following you back.Need a good profile? Download a stock photo of another person.Need a trusting Twitter bio? Use words like Loving Dad and Soccer Mom.On Twitter,

Should You Stay Unemployed?

There is a silent debate going on for so many unemployed professionals in our country. And that is should they accept work for which they are knowingly overqualified? And as a result become underpaid relative to past responsibilities and income? Or should they keep looking?In a recent Washington Post article, a husband expressed frustration that his wife will not take a job because he thinks she is holding out for what she had beforee, a senior VPlevel marketing job with a Fortune 500 company. He and the author assert that the wife should take a job for financial reasons and to help mitigate