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The 3 Greatest Networking Myths

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on August 4, 2009
in Advancement and Personal Development
. 0 Comments

networkgroup The 3 Greatest Networking Myths“Leveraging the power of networking is essential for ongoing career and professional success.”

Yes, I know it sounds like a broken record, you’ve heard it before, but can you honestly say that you’ve mastered one of the simplest and most powerful forces that exist in business?

Unfortunately to this day, the term “networking” often conjures up many negative stereotypes and countless misconceptions as to what networking truly is. As a result, one of the most effective (and inexpensive) allies to your success routinely sits on the sidelines as “more important things” hold your attention. Networking continues to be an incredibly effective way to gain new clients, find strong employees, and overall move forward in your career.  While there are many great resources on how to expand your network, the focus of this post is to help jumpstart your efforts and get past the false impressions and misconceptions that may be holding you back.

“Although the concept of networking has been tainted by misconceptions, wise leaders know how to prioritize relationships, recognizing them as the surest sources of prosperity and stability.” – John Maxwell

I came a cross a quick passage where leadership guru John Maxwell addresses some of the most widely held myths that hold us back from proactively networking.

Myth #1: Networking is for self-promoting schmoozers.

Networking isn’t solely the realm of desperate job seekers or overeager socializers. Nor do you have to hand out business cards like candy in order to network. Networking simply involves making mutual connections, and everyone benefits by forming them. By tapping into our connections, we can share ideas, pass along opportunities, and benefit from one another’s expertise.

Myth #2: Network is only for salespeople or outgoing personalities.

You may not be a salesperson and you may not be outgoing, but you can’t deny that business, at its core, is founded upon relationships. Regardless of your position or personality, you’d be wise to intentionalize your social interactions. If you neglect your network, you’ll be isolated when your life hits a rough patch. Conversely, if you cultivate your network, you’ll be buoyed by support whenever hard times come your way.

Myth #3: Networking, by nature, is uncomfortable, forced, and contrived.

We tend to imagine networking as speed dating awkwardly applied to the professional level. Nothing could be more inaccurate. The best networkers authentically share themselves (their talents, knowledge, resources) to benefit others. This can happen casually and genuinely, both at work and in informal atmospheres.

networkingcircle The 3 Greatest Networking MythsIf you find yourself falling victim to these or any of the countless reasons that could hold you back, stop today! Challenge yourself to meet to people, make new contacts, and develop these associations into mutually beneficial relationships. You’ll be surprised where they might lead you.

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Tips for Successfully Leading Teens

Published
by
Kyle Ryman
on August 2, 2009
in Gen-Y and Guest Posts
. 2 Comments

teenagers Tips for Successfully Leading TeensToday’s guest post is from Kyle Ryman of ProfessionalLeader.com.

Who Are “Teenagers?”

What Influences Them:

Most of the time when you are talking about leading teenagers, you are talking about leading people who are sophomores in high school to freshmen in college. For these “teens,” their schooling is the dominant factor in their life. One result of this is that you will have to be flexible in their scheduling. For instance, they can only work late afternoons or evenings during the school week. However, they are often available during the weekends. Further more, teens are normally able to work full time during breaks from school.

Also, some of the best teen workers are going to be highly involved in extracurricular activities. You, as a leader, must take this into account if you want to retain the best in teen labor. Additionally, friends and family are incredibly important to this age group and will exert incredible influence over them. As a leader, you must be prepared for this as well if you want to lead teens effectively.

Common Motivators:

Very rarely will you find a teenager who is working for a particular company because they see themselves building a career with that company, or they like that company’s retirement benefits, etc. What motivates teens is a paycheck. But the “why” behind that motivation is important, and it can be broken down into three broad categories:

  • They want disposable income:
    Basically, a lot of teenagers want to be able to buy the latest and greatest iPhone, or pay for their texting habit, or buy that car that they always wanted. Or, in some cases, they work to finance their party habit. Apparently alcohol is expensive…
  • They want to save for college:
    There are also a lot of teens who come from families that have a decent income level, but still not an income level that can afford to help pay for college. College is expensive, and whatever amount of money they will be short in financial aid they will have to generate themselves.
  • They want to help their family:
    There are also a lot of families where teens are needed (or expected – especially in this economy) to help support the family. While they generally are not the primary provider of the family, a teen’s part time income can really help out a financially struggling family.

3 Tips for Leading Teenagers:

With all of the above in mind, here are three tips that you can use when leading teenagers in the workplace.

1. The threat of being fired only goes so far:

For most teens, being fired doesn’t hold the same sway as it does for an older worker. Why? Because, most teens’ primary motivator is to earn money that they don’t “need.” Even teens who work to help support the family don’t feel the same burden of responsibility as their parents. So, if you are a “leader” (or “tyrant,” you pick) who relies on this to motivate your people, then you and teens will probably not work out.

2. Encourage socialization at work:

As was mentioned before, friends and family are incredibly important to this age group. What that means for you, the leader, is that the more attached teens are to the people who make up your organization, the more incentive they have to work hard and to be professional. You can help accomplish this by encouraging socialization (at responsible levels) at work. Having friends at work is probably the most powerful motivator there is in getting teens to come in and work hard.

3. Really mentor them:

The reality is that, most of the time, you and your organization will be your teen workers’ “first rodeo.” Since they lack any significant experience with the work world, you are going to have to mentor them on things like professionalism and acceptable behavior at work. If you don’t, then they will get themselves (and possibly others) in trouble. If you do, then they can prove just as capable as any other worker you employ.

My Question to You:

What have you done, or seen done, that has been effective in leading teens in the workplace?

Kyle Ryman is a guest contributor and author of ProfessionalLeader.com. He is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army (infantry), and a recent graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.A. in History, Minor in Communications, and Certificate in Leadership Development and Study.

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Terminal Leadership: When the End is Near

Published
by
Kyle Ryman
on July 23, 2009
in Guest Posts and Leadership
. 0 Comments

leadership flatline Terminal Leadership: When the End is NearToday’s guest post is the first in a series from Kyle Ryman of ProfessionalLeader.com.

Your Dilemma as the Leader:

As a leader you may one day be faced with the reality that your organization’s days are numbered. The potential reasons for this are many and range from the plant closing down permanently, to a round of layoffs moving through the company, to the Halloween super store closing for the season. No matter the “why” though, as a leader you will have a dilemma on your hands: how will you lead people who have less and less reason to come to work in the morning?

Your Game Plan:

As a leader, you know very well that the key to getting people to accomplish the organization’s mission is to know what makes them tick. But, when your organization, or your people, is down to the home stretch these motivations change. Bobby will never be promoted now, so why bother? And Jeanne will never see that pay raise, so who cares? This is a tough challenge for any leader! However, there are some general strategies that you, as a leader, can follow to ensure that your organization will continue to perform until the last hour of the last day.

1. Strengthen your bonds with your people.

Here’s the deal. Because the end is near, what motivates your people has changed. Your star performer can suddenly go to your problem child since his or her career ambitions were just destroyed. However, just because your people’s motivations have changed doesn’t mean you can’t lead them. You just need to find out what they changed to! Focus on getting to know your people again and strengthening your bonds with them. Then you will be able to effectively lead them again. Or, at minimum, they will follow out of respect for their relationship with you.

2. Strengthen your team’s internal bonds.

No, there probably won’t be any time (or money!) for staff retreats. However, continuing to make team-building a priority will continue to pay dividends in this period of an organization’s life. Team-building will help maintain, if not strengthen, your people’s bonds with each other. These bonds can be your best friend as a leader. After all, someone who just cannot be motivated any other way will still come into work just so that they won’t let their buddies down. Again, these bonds are another tool for you as a leader to put into your bag.

3. Give your people something to look forward to.

Just because the end is near doesn’t mean that your role as the organization’s visionary is over with! Give your people something to look forward to. Plan a party for the last day of work. Or, promise (and deliver on) a generous severance package. The point is that they will only get it, or be able to participate if they continue to work until the last hour of the last day. You will give them a powerful incentive to stay loyal until the end if you promise even just a small reward for all of their hard work. Trust me, even the promise of a cheesy employee party can go a long way…

4. Carve yourself a new “stick” (and hope you won’t need to use it).

Sometimes even the best leaders will need to bring out their “stick” (discipline program, etc.) to deal with subordinates who just will not perform with the end looming near. However, the end brings out interesting dynamics in your ability to use your stick. For instance, who cares about getting written up when you won’t be climbing that corporate ladder after all? Or, what threat is there in getting fired if your company won’t be around anyways to answer inquiry’s from future employers? And, what’s an extra two days of pay after all? Your challenge as a leader is to find that single, tangible, thing that actually holds sway. While what you may actually be able to do will vary considerably from leader to leader (and never be draconic!), common practices include withholding severance pay or denial of re-hire status for seasonal employees. Nobody wants to use their stick, but sometimes, very rarely, your hand will be forced.

What You Should Take Away:

Terminal leadership is hard. The most important thing that you, as a leader, must take away from this discussion is that what motivates your people will change when the end is coming near. It may not seem like it at first, but the closer the end comes the more your people will change. You should strengthen your bonds with them, strengthen team bonds, give them something to look forward to, and carve yourself a new “stick.” While terminal leadership is hard, it can be done.

What have you, as a leader, done (or seen done) when the curtain was coming down on your organization?

_______________________________________________________________________________

Kyle Ryman is a guest contributor and author of ProfessionalLeader.com. He is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army (infantry), and a recent graduate of Texas A&M University with a B.A. in History, Minor in Communications, and Certificate in Leadership Development and Study.

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Tips For Getting Promoted in Down Economy

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on July 9, 2009
in Advancement and Personal Development
. 2 Comments

With unemployement numbers higher than they’ve been in years (9.5% as of June 2009), it sounds odd to be talking about promotions.  When businesses large and small laying off employees, the natural inclination is for us worry about holding on to our jobs. Who wouldn’t! Yet for some, these challenging times may present an opportunity to differentiate yourself, get noticed, and position yourself for a step up the ladder.

Even admist restructuring, when there are fewer employees in an organization, those who survive often have increased opportunities to move up. Speaking to this, renowned career coach Marty Nemko presents an interesting video for U.S. News & World Report with advice on how to position yourself for a promotion in a down economy.

Video - “Getting Ahead in a Down Economy“getting ahead Tips For Getting Promoted in Down Economy

1. Hitch youself to a star.
2. Get involved in the companies core.
3. Get involved in professional associations.
4. Utilize online tools to brand yourself.

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The Foundation of Management - Free eBook!

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on June 28, 2009
in Education and Managing
. 1 Comment

foundation2 The Foundation of Management Free eBook!No One is Born Knowing How to Manage

There was a time when the term “manager” suggested someone who controlled. Today the manager must facilitate. In the past, the manager kept people in line. Today the manager must lift people up. In our rapidly changing world the manager’s most vital role is to make sure every employee is performing at the highest possible level. And today, how well you perform this vital role determines your success.

“Today’s manager must emphasize vision, not supervision.” - Jack Welch

Jack Hayhow is back at it again, this time with his latest installment entitled The Foundation of Management. Since interviewing Jack back in February, I’ve followed much of his work both imprint and video briefs. His book, The Wisdom of the Flying Pig, has become a staple in guidance and inspiration for aspiring leaders.

In this most recent eBook, Jack explains fundamental principles and practical techniques that great managers use to propel employee performance.

Key topics include:

  • The Role of the Manager
  • What Great Managers Know About Motivation
  • The Four Key Activities of All Great Managers
    1. How to Communicate Explicit Expectations
    2. How to Provide the Information and Resources to Do the Job Right
    3. How to Measure, Recognize and Celebrate
    4. How to Show You Care by Encouraging Growth

Once again, Jack and his team at Opus have been generous enough to offer a free copy of this eBook for those looking to expand their management skill set.foundationebook1 The Foundation of Management Free eBook!

To download your free copy:
1. Click this eBook order page.
2. Enter coupon: JH-FOUNDATION
3. Click the “redeem coupon” button.
4. Fill out the fields and download your free eBook.

__________________________________________________________________________

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Is Your Business Leveraging the Power of Social Media?

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on June 25, 2009
in Technology and Thought Provoking
. 5 Comments

social media growth Is Your Business Leveraging the Power of Social Media?Social media has been the hot topic for some time now, seemingly expanding its reach each and every day in various capacities. For marketers, these social platforms have already been marketing game changers, providing endless opportunities for connecting with consumers in deeper and more meaningful ways.

Social networking sites (“Member Community” sites) eclipsed E-mail in global reach at 68.4% vs. 64.8% in February 2009. And even more significant, in only the first few months of 2009, the reach of these sites is growing at a brisk pace, faster than any other online sector. – The Nielson Company

From a global perspective, it’s interesting to note how quickly this phenomenon is continues to expand. The graph below, from Nielsen’s Global Online Media Landscape shows the growth from 07′-08′ on a country-by-country basis. Significant growth in a one year period.

social networking growth Is Your Business Leveraging the Power of Social Media?

Statistics such as these make it hard to deny the rapid growth and raw power that social media commands. Nevertheless, many organizations have been less than speedy with their entry into this digital environment. Some with good reason as it may not fit their organizations objectives, yet others hold out simply due to lack of understanding and fear of the unknown. The thought of navigating the social landscape can be a challenging task, especially for beginners uneasy about getting their feet wet.

Regardless of reason, that fact remains that there are many companies simply sitting on the sidelines, missing a prime opportunity to establish direct relationships with their customers and the possibility of transforming this “two-way communication” into increased sales.

While I don’t claim to be an expert in this area, my pure fascination of the digital marketing revolution fuels my desire to stay abreast of the changing dynamics. If you or your organization is one of the many sitting on the sidelines, I’ll challenge you to take the first step and educate yourself on social media and the possibilities it brings to the table. Introspectively evaluate your current marketing efforts and decide if this is a field you should be playing on. It may or may not be, but the one truth is that sitting on the sidelines waiting and wondering is no longer a viable option.

Where to start…

If you haven’t already done so, finding solid website hosting and creating a content rich home base is your first task. Taking it to the next level, 360i has developed a Social Marketing Playbook, designed to help marketers evaluate the social marketing opportunities available, determine which ones are best for their brands and develop a strategy following best practices for achieving success in social media.

The goals of the Playbook are to:

  • Provide a framework for establishing a set of clear objectives and strategy when approaching social marketing
  • Encourage thinking of social marketing as an opportunity to have a continuous, valuable exchange with customers
  • Advance discussions on amplifying marketing results through the integration of social marketing and offline campaigns

It’s an excellent read that will provide a foundation for the concepts and terminology you’ll need to understand. Download it here.

Secondly, I recommend following a few cutting edge digital marketers. With the landscape in a continual state of flux, they provide a fresh perspective on how to keep your company’s strategy current and relevant. While there are many excellent bloggers that I follow, I’ll keep the list short for the purposes of this post. A few that I recommend (in no particular order):

Feel free to comment on any additional resources that you have found helpful.

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10 Tips on How to be Taken Seriously as a Leader

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on June 21, 2009
in Gen-Y and Leadership
. 4 Comments

gen y respect 10 Tips on How to be Taken Seriously as a LeaderEarning credibility and being taken seriously continue to be challenging issues for many Gen-Y employees as they step into roles of increasing responsibly.

In preparation for advancement, many training programs focus solely on building “competencies,” the cornerstones to success. I agree the ability to negotiate, communicate, influence, and persuade others are indispensable qualities when it comes to leading successful teams. And there is no doubt that enhancing these skills builds one’s credibility and sets the groundwork for long-term success. However, for Gen-Y Leaders, the risk of undermining that credibility early on is very real thing. Many sabotage themselves, losing control and credibility before they even have the opportunity to utilize there abilities, simply by falling into classic traps that are easily overlooked.

Highlighting this point, authors Caitlin Friedman and Kimberly Yorio, offer some basic and practical suggestions that lay the foundation for being taken seriously when moving into the role of team leader. The following ten steps can be found with greater detail in their book, The Girl’s Guide To Starting Your Own Business.

1. Be on time every day. It’s your business. Lead by example.

2. Don’t make a habit of leaving early. Your employees will resent you if you walk out the door at three and call them from the gym at five-thirty to check in.

3. Don’t go drinking with your assistant. Or swap stories. You need to set the example. What you do in your private time away from the office should remain fodder for your peers, not your subordinates.

4. Don’t ask them to do anything that is not work-related. It’s rude and fosters resentment. This includes walking your dog, picking up your dry cleaning, and buying your personal holiday presents, unless, of course, the job is personal assistant.

5. Don’t let them hear you on personal calls. Not only will they will imitate you for months if they hear you refer to your spouse with pet names, they will feel entitled to be on their own calls all day.

6. You are not their friend. Be a pleasant boss, but never leave the door open to talk about personal drama. You want your employees to feel comfortable talking to you about serious personal problems (especially if they will impact her job performance) - a sick mother or child-care problem, for example. But the last thing you can afford is to become a surrogate therapist for employee dating or marital woes.

7. Pitch in when you can. If you have assigned what you know to be a tedious task, such as mailing five hundred company brochures, spend at least a few minutes pitching in. This is your team; make it happen together. A little willingness to get your hands dirty will go a long way when you need a really big ditch dug.

8. Do not share company financial issues or problems. If your employees suspect things are not going well, they will be looking for another job before you know it. There is a whole philosophy of open-book management that works in big public companies (the law requires it, anyway), but in small companies you don’t need your employees second-guessing your decisions.

9. If something goes wrong with a client or customer, you have to take the blame. As the boss, you are responsible for everything running smoothly. If you have a problem employee, you need to monitor him or her closely, provide more training, or let her go. You cannot make bad employees the scapegoats for mistakes.

10. Manage, but don’t smother. Granted this is your business and you’ve got the most to lose, but you’ve got to let your employees take responsibility for their workload. Guide, cajole, pester — don’t suffocate.

What other suggestions would you offer from your experience?

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The Leader’s Lifelong Learner’s Permit

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on June 8, 2009
in Leadership and Thought Provoking
. 2 Comments

learnerspermit The Leaders Lifelong Learners Permit

This past week I connected with Sangeeth Varghese, founder of LeadCap, a leadership organization building future leaders in India, and the author of Decide to Lead. Sangeeth and I both subscribe to the belief that in a world of continuous change, one the most valuable skills is the ability to learn. Below are some of his thought provoking comments recently published on Forbes.com, pertaining to leadership and being a lifelong student.

You should be educating yourself at every moment.

Learning is like the weather. Everybody talks about it, but nobody does much about it. True leaders, though, can never be switched off to learning opportunities. As John F. Kennedy wrote in a speech he was to give the day he was assassinated, “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.”
True leaders are beings who go around with a permanent learner’s permit. They use their minds to learn from even the most mundane things in life, and thereby they grow unceasingly. There are three broad ways in which they keep learning and growing.

First, leaders learn constantly. They actively strive to learn at every moment. They view taking a break as a chance to chew on information newly acquired, and to create an ideal state for imbibing more new information. Perhaps the best story of constant learning is that of Friedrich August Kekulé, who learned even in his sleep. He was struggling to decipher the structure of the benzene molecule, and it is said that one night he dreamed of a snake forming a ring by biting its own tail. Inspired by this, and prepared by all the research he had done, he saw how the benzene molecule could be in the form of a ring. He was correct. His discovery was a leap for organic chemistry.

Second, leaders learn continuously. That is, when they’re really at it they brook no distraction. Research has shown that it is more efficacious to study for one hour straight than for two hours with interruption. Interruptions break our train of thought and limit our ability to retain information. They take the power out of learning. Sherlock Holmes, the fictional detective, attributed much of his success to his remarkable ability to detach his mind at will to focus on the problem at hand. Would-be leaders can learn a lesson from that idealized, imaginary detective.

Third, leaders learn cyclically. They understand that life is never one-dimensional. It must be studied from every side and turned upside down. They learn by repetition and repeated review. Whatever subject they choose, they always find more to learn. When they move to new areas of knowledge, they stay alert to picking up knowledge pertinent to previous topics. This builds deeper understanding.sangeethvarghese The Leaders Lifelong Learners Permit

Leadership takeaway: Leaders never let their minds shut down. Whatever you are doing at any given moment–watching the news, working on a business deal, talking to a friend, reading this article–give it your full attention, and keep on learning.

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Free Webinar: How to Use Facebook for Business

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on June 1, 2009
in Entrepreneurship and Technology
. 3 Comments

facebook Free Webinar: How to Use Facebook for BusinessIt’s a fact. The Facebook phenomenon isn’t slowing down (at least anytime in the foreseeable future), as the site continues to hold its ground as one of the fastest growing websites year after year. According to Alexa.com (as of May 2009), Facebook is ranked number 4 for traffic on the internet, with users spending over 25 minutes on the site viewing the 13,000+ applications as they connect to friends, family and business associates.

With numbers like that, it’s easy to understand why more and more businesses are leveraging the power of Facebook to connect with their customers. According to a study released earlier this year, by interactive marketing agency Rosetta;

59% of 100 top retailers are now using Facebook.

With this number surely on the rise, it may be time to embrace the Facebook opportunity or risk being left behind.

“These results support what we’re seeing in our day-to-day client work, which is that we’ve reached a tipping point with Facebook among retailers,” says Adam Cohen, partner with Rosetta’s consumer goods and retail practice. “Social media sites continue to be an important source of community connection, and savvy retailers are reaping the benefits of Facebook’s rapid extension into new demographics, such as Gen-X and seniors.”

Yet amongst the excitement, Cohen cautions retailers in the study’s press release. He advises against a haphazard approach to the medium.

“It’s important that retailers don’t just slap up a page because everyone is talking about Facebook. An effective Facebook presence requires that you carefully consider what your customers are looking for, what you would like to communicate, and what role a fan page should play in your overall online strategy. If you take all of these into account, it can be effective in building customer loyalty. ”

To learn more about how to effectively use Facebook to further your business, Search Engine Strategies is offering a free webinar entitled “How to Use Facebook for Business” this Wednesday, June 3, 2009 at 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT. It should be an interesting presentation that I’ll unfortuantly be unable to attend. If you’re able to catch it, please leave a comment below. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on the discussion. Details are below.

__________________________________________________________________________________
How to Use Facebook for Businessregisternow Free Webinar: How to Use Facebook for Business

Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Time: 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT
Cost: Free! But you must register beforehand.

Welcome to a world of conversations and relationships. Facebook is not an evil time-waster, a community just for college students, or something scary or irrelevant for marketers – even you B2B folks. Facebook is a tool for connecting people with those around them. And, as with any social media tool, marketers have an opportunity to use Facebook to expand their online footprint and engage with customers directly. Join this free webinar to learn how to get started using Facebook to market your business. Presenters - Ellie Mirman, Inbound Marketing Manager, Hubspot & Mike Volpe, VP of Inbound Marketing, Hubspot

Topics include:

  • What is Facebook and why it is important for businesses
  • How to create a Facebook Business Page and interact with prospects directly
  • How to promote your business on Facebook
  • How to track the success of your Facebook marketing programs
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Rypple: 360 Degree Feedback Reinvented

Published
by
Anthony Portuesi
on May 29, 2009
in Communication and Personal Development
. 5 Comments

360 feedback Rypple: 360 Degree Feedback ReinventedFor years now, 360 degree feedback or “multi-rater feedback” has become all the rage when it comes to training, development, and in some cases, performance evaluations. 

In a nutshell, 360 degree feedback is a method and a tool that provides an employee the opportunity to receive performance feedback from every aspect surrounding their role. Traditionally the feedback is given from a range of internal sources (including supervisors, peers, subordinates) and in some cases external sources as well (customers, business partners, etc.) 360 degree feedback allows an individual to understand how his or her effectiveness as an employee, coworker, or staff member is viewed by others.

“The purpose of the 360 degree feedback is to assist each individual to understand his or her strengths and weaknesses, and to contribute insights into aspects of his or her work needing professional development.” – Susan Heathfield, HR Expert - About.com

There is great debate as to whether 360 degree feedback should be used strictly for developmental purposes, or also used for end of year appraisals. Some argue that multiple sources lead to more well rounded fedback, while others feel that the method’s anonymity provides no recourse should one want further clarification on the feedback. Regardless of position, it’s hard to argue the power of receiving a full circle view of one’s effectiveness when it comes to personal development.

Recently while discussing the topic, a co-worker introduced me to Rypple.com, a quick and easy way to solicit feedback from managers, peers or really anyones opinion whom you respect. The flexibility of the system allows you to solict feedback from anyone,  about anything from performance, to opinions on a meeting, or input from a team members on a project. Everything is presented in very simplistic manner allowing you to simply enter your question, choose whom you want to ask it to, and then track your performance.

rypple Rypple: 360 Degree Feedback Reinvented 

What separates Rypple from other 360 feedback systems is that there are minimal constraints when it comes to what you can and cannot do. There are no pre-defined questions or limitations on who should give you feedback. The responses are completely anonymous, creating an open environment for honest and meaningful feedback. With this flexible functionality, some users have even employed the technology to survey customers and solicit feedback from clients.  

Rypple is a web-based and free for the basic service, (a premium version costs a nominal fee per month, with corporate options rising from there) allowing users to sign-up today and receive feedback almost instantly. Certainly an interesting twist on receiving feedback that caters directly to Gen-Y. To learn more, take the Rypple Tour and check it out yourself. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts or experiences if you’ve used it.

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