Happy new year! I’m still getting settled back in the DC area after a month away in Hawaii and Florida. My body is NOT happy about the change in weather, let me tell you! Part of me refuses to believe that it’s 2012 already. I feel like 2011 was a fast-moving year. Some parts of it felt rushed, which I didn’t like. I was on the road a lot, so it was nice to take a month off (mostly) to relax, spend time with family and get some reading and writing done.
What My Work Looked Like in 2011
I wanted to take a moment to reflect and summarize my public work over the past year. With 25 speaking engagements last year, I’ve been able to meet and learn from hundreds of nonprofit leaders around the country. For that, I am so grateful. If we met last year – anytime, anywhere - let’s reconnect on LinkedIn so we can stay in touch! I’d love to know what you’re working on for 2012 and if I can help.
Here’s a listing of my speaking and training work in 2011:
- March 2, 2011: Speaker, Maryland Nonprofits 18th Annual Conference, Annapolis. “Leadership Lineage Within Your Organization: Who’s Now? Who’s Next?”
- March 3, 2011: Moderator, “Technology Trends Among People of Color: Should You Rethink Your Social Media Strategy?” Foundation Center DC.
- March 15, 2011: Speaker, 2011 Nonprofit Summit, hosted by Ausherman Family Foundation, Frederick, MD. “Work With Me: How to Get the Best Out of All Four Generations in the Nonprofit Workplace”
- March 25, 2011: Speaker, YNPN Leaders Conference, Grand Rapids. “6 Ways to Rock Your Nonprofit Career”
- March 26, 2011: Speaker, BenchMark 3.5: The Fourth Conference on Nonprofit/Nongovernmental Management, the Third Sector, Social Entrepreneurship/Enterprise, Philanthropy and Voluntarism as a Field of Study in Higher Education, San Diego. “Technology and Education for Leadership in the Third Sector”
- April 6, 2011: Keynote Speaker, Securing the Future, hosted by Leadership Cincinnati and the Cincinnati USA Chamber of Commerce. “Cultivating the Nonprofit Rockstars in Our Midst”
- May 19, 2011: Keynote Speaker, Colorado Nonprofit Association Leadership Luncheon, Denver. “Cultivating Leadership Across Generations”
- June 9, 2011: Workshop Presenter, Psychiatric Institute of Washington, DC. “Social Media 101 for Mental Health Professionals”
- June 19, 2011: Speaker, AAUW National Convention, DC. “How to Get the Best Out of All Four Generations in Your AAUW Community “
- August 2, 2011: Special Program Speaker, Maryland Nonprofits, Silver Spring. “New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector”
- August 11, 2011: Webinar Presenter, Center for Nonprofit Management, virtual. “9 Ways to Build Your Professional Network for Career Advancement and Social Capital”
- August 25, 2011: Workshop Presenter, Words Beats & Life Board of Directors Training, Washington, DC. ”Building Your Professional Network for Social Capital + Community Change”
- September 8-9, 2011: Workshop Presenter, Texas Nonprofit Summit, Austin. “6 Ways to Rock Your Nonprofit Career”
- September 11-12, 2011: Workshop Presenter, Texas Society of Association Executives (TSAE) New Ideas Conference, Houston. “How to Develop a Personal Mission Statement” and “The Art of Managing Up”
- September 14, 2011: Workshop Presenter, ”Social Media 101 for Nonprofit Leaders.” Fair Chance DC
- September 22, 2011: Speaker, Tennessee Credit Union League CEO Conference, Kingsport. “New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector”
- September 28, 2011: Workshop Presenter, Foundation Center, Washington, DC. “Blogging 101: Why, What, How and Where”
- September 28, 2011: Workshop Presenter, DC Learns Adult Education Professional Development Center (AEPDC), Washington, DC. “How to Develop a Personal Mission Statement” and “New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector”
- September 30-October 2, 2011: Nonprofit Rockstar Leadership Intensive, Washington, DC
- October 16, 2011: Session Facilitator, Share Our Strength 2011 Conference of Leaders, Baltimore. “Sharing Our Diverse Strengths”
- October 19, 2011: Closing Keynote Speaker, Vital Signs: The Illinois Nonprofit Conference, Springfield. ”New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector”
- October 22, 2011: Full-day Workshop Presenter and Facilitator, National Association of Pupil Transportation’s Leading Every Day Initiative, Cincinnati, Ohio.
- November 15, 2011: Guest Speaker, George Mason University, New Century College, Fairfax, VA “6 Ways to Rock Your Nonprofit Career”
- November 17, 2011: Workshop Presenter, Thursday Network Greater Washington Urban League Young Professionals, DC. ”GPS for Your Life – Mapping Your Journey Through the Quarterlife Crisis”
- November 29-30, 2011: Opening Plenary Speaker, Conference of Nonprofit Communities of Hawai`i, Honolulu. “Cultivating Leadership Across Generations”
My consulting work in 2011:
I was also interviewed in a few press outlets in 2011:
- Hawaii Public Radio | The Conversation (aired November 21, 2011, my portion starts at minute 37:40)
- JET Magazine | Social Media’s World Changer (June 20-27, 2011 issue)
- Nonprofit Spark Radio | Nonprofit Careers and Young Professionals (July 11, 2011)
New products and services in 2011:
I took on a number of career coaching clients in 2011, most of whom either wanted to figure out how to improve in their nonprofit job or transition to a new nonprofit career. I also branched out a bit (this was very fun!) to coach other consultants and entrepreneurs on how to use social media to build their presence and platform online.
How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar, the book I co-wrote with Trista Harris continued to sell copies in ebook and paperback versions. We’ve added a special reader-only section with additional resources and it’s also on Amazon!
I also finally recorded a complete version of my popular 90-minute training on personal branding to advance your career, which you can purchase below.
Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career
Having trouble getting your name out there for juicy jobs, consulting gigs or leadership opportunities? If so, your personal brand may need some work! This 90-minute video training will explain the origins of personal branding, explore ways to “audit” your current personal brand and inspire you to leverage social media for your career. You will also find out how you can grow your professional network and become known as the “go-to” person in your field using four of the most effective online tools available today: blogging, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. By the end of this workshop, participants will have several strategies to add to their personal branding plan. This session will show you how to enhance your online presence if you already have one and how to get one if you don’t! As soon as you purchase, you will get immediate access to the 90-minute, pure content webinar recording as well as the PDF handout with all the training slides.
Three Themes for My Work in 2012
After reflecting on what my work looked like last year, I came up with a few intentions for what I want my work to look like this year. Perhaps my list gets you thinking about what your themes would be for the next 12 months. What words or concepts would help you stay mindful of doing your best, most meaningful work in 2012?
Alignment
Through my blog, as well as my speaking and training work, I’ve been able to connect with thousands of professionals all over the country. I surpassed the cognitive limit of 150 “friends” mark a looong time ago. Over the past year, I realized I was adding way more people to my network than I could realistically keep up with (or wanted to try to keep up with). It started to feel frustrating to not be able to answer all my emails, but I wanted to find a way to maintain connections with specific people in my life and work. This post helped out a lot. I also did a mass unfollowing on Twitter a few months ago. Now, I have a smaller number of people I follow on Twitter, plus a special, private list called “friends.” I’ve also culled my Facebook down further to about 100 people that I truly wish to keep tabs on. (I use LinkedIn solely to maintain my professional connections, so that rarely gets overwhelming.)
In 2012, I want to stay aligned with the people who matter to me and only partner with individuals and organizations that fit with the work I want to do in the world. This means saying ‘no’ even more than I do now, or, when I need to, saying nothing to the deluge of emails that hit my inbox every day (there is really no way to “keep up,” no matter what I keep telling myself). Because what I’ve noticed is that when I can focus 100% on doing the work that’s most important to me, I am able to meet the needs of my clients and colleagues in a more meaningful way.
Contribution
Over the past month, I’ve been thinking constantly about which aspects of my work make the most impact for the people I want to serve – nonprofit leaders, young professionals and now, entrepreneurs (especially women and people of color). My most popular speech in 2011 was New Leadership for a New Nonprofit Sector and I’m hoping to go deeper with that thread of writing and teaching this year. I also continue to see steady interest in my sessions on working across generations and building a strong nonprofit career. My goal in this speaking and training work is not to just illuminate the nonprofit sector’s challenges but to also surface the opportunities for change through authenticity, diversity, innovation and advocacy.
This year, as I strive to live in greater alignment with my strengths and values, I hope to have more organizations book me for leadership development workshops, especially the one that’s been the most immediately powerful for the personal growth of staff: development of a personal mission statement. I will also be asking myself with every opportunity: is this how I want to contribute? What unique gifts can I bring to the table?
Community
One of the biggest lessons that I learned about my work this year is how lonely it can be as an independent consultant/speaker/coach/trainer/whatever. (By the way, this month marks TWO whole years that I’ve been working for myself. Yay!) I’m an introvert and I work well alone. I’m comfortable with that, but I’ve also started to miss the feeling of community that comes with being on the staff of an organization and working on a team with colleagues I can learn from and grow with. I was struck by this in November, right before all the holiday parties began, when I realized that I didn’t have one to go to.
I’m not sure if my need for community extends to seeking a full-time position just yet. My plan right now, though, is to be on the lookout for opportunities to contribute to a great organization in a long-term capacity by January 2013, maybe sooner. In the meantime, I will be making it a bigger priority to connect with like-minded colleagues in person at least once every week, not just online.
So, those are my themes. I learned a lot last year and I look forward to learning even more this year! Here’s to an amazing 2012 filled with meaningful, purpose-driven work.
What did you learn about yourself or your work in 2011? What themes will you be taking into the new year?
