Latino Leadership 2.0

There was lots of dancing and hugging--and occasionally--crying.  Other times there were discussions about the environment, art, life, and work, sprinkled with jokes and anecdotes about our Latino roots.  A support group? No. It was Juana Bordas' Latino Leadership retreat in the Colorado mountains.

I had the privilege to join eighteen mid career professionals from across the U.S. in early November and attend the eleventh annual  Latino Leadership Development Program (LLDP) created by Juana Bordas, author, social entrepreneur and the founder of Mestiza Leadership International. Each day started with some kind of awakening--physical or intellectual.  We stretched our limbs to the tune of an inspirational song while we also learned to engage each other. "Latinos are kinesthetic learners," Juana said while leading the morning stretch. "We learn by doing."

Photo credit:  Liz Treviño

The program combined assessment tools generally used in leadership programs--Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, FIRO-B Test, 360  Feedback and the Change Style Indicator--with sessions and group dynamics about leadership styles, decision making and  teamwork. The icing on the cake was the opportunity to openly discuss how our heritage and being Latino influence how we are as leaders.  During one session titled Latino Assets, the group reviewed a list of "dichos" or sayings in Spanish and discussed how these translate into cultural values that can then be applied to the workplace.  For instance, the saying "donde come uno comen dos" (loosely translated to "do more with less" or "there is always room for one more") speaks about the value of sharing which can be translated into inclusion at work.

Having studied and participated in many leadership programs, I was struck by how the retreat meticulously interwove the results from assessment tools, group exercises, sessions and personal anecdotes into one customized version of leadership. As days unfolded, the group started to craft a new and improved version of themselves as Latino leaders.  A version that includes community building, work and life balance, self care and honoring our Latino culture.

Juana explained the vision behind the program, "The LLDP integrates cultural assets with mainstream leadership practices and asserts that high potential Latinos have a competitive edge since they add value through their multicultural backgrounds. This is particularly important because of America's expanding diversity."

Genesse Park, Denver, CO. Site for one of the group exercises.

Photo credit:  Anna Giraldo-Kerr

Alicia Avila, Business Liaison at Denver International Airport, said of her experience,“ Managing and leading in today’s world of work demands that we stay innovative, current, and inspired. This Leadership training program is one that every Latino interested in leadership wisdom should take and then impart to every Latino colleague!"

And as if that was not enough, each participant had the opportunity to have an individual session with a professional coach.  A team of coaches descended on the third day and meet privately with each person to devise a personal and professional action plan.

The end result:  Re-energized and refocused professionals ready to make a greater contribution in the workplace and community while leveraging their Latino roots.  All while having gained a group of colleagues and friends for life.  Who knew Latino leadership programs could be so uplifting, empowering and-- most importantly--fun?

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The language of success

To have or not to have a one-page biography

Most career counselors and coaches sing the praises of having a knock out resume. Consider having a bio. A biography that is.  Bios (the preferred term) can be as short as 150 words and as long as one page in length.  The idea is to capture the essence of your professional experience and milestones in one or two paragraphs.

How to get started?

• Learn from others.  Do a search of other people's bios to get ideas.  Bios are mostly used to describe background and expertise of speakers. Organizations use bios to highlight the professional experience of their leadership team. Industry and professional associations are good sources to find examples. Look at those in the line of work of your interest. After reading a few, you will notice a certain type of messaging that tends to emerge.  
• Expand on your elevator pitch.  Using your elevator pitch as a launching pad, you can add more detail to how you describe yourself (e.g. accomplishments, areas of interest, awards). Note that one key difference is that the elevator pitch is communicated in the first person ("I have 10 years of experience in financial services and ...").  Bios are written in third person ("Anna has ten years of professional experience in financial services and ...").  Another difference is that the elevator pitch is used in one on one situations when engaged in conversation.  The bio is used as a written tool in printed and digital channels to introduce someone to an audience.
• Have a template.  Once you have a general idea of what your bio will say--based on your elevator pitch--write a draft of what you would like to share. Start with a summary of your career highlighting industry and functions.  Continue with goals accomplished ("During her tenure as a hospital administrator, Anna facilitated a cross-functional team to address customer concerns.  Customer satisfaction increased 40% as a result of their efforts.").  Having a template will allow you the flexibility to update your bio as you acquire more experience.  

Are you too young to have a bio? Not really.  Anyone who is career minded can benefit from having a biography.  Having a resume is a great first step if you are in the job market.  Having a powerful elevator pitch will help you get noticed in networking situations.  But having a bio will add another dimension to your professional identity.  Give it a shot!

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The art of following up

At a recent workshop about networking, I had to bite my tongue.  Although the tips and techniques shared were effective in emphasizing the importance of building relationships long term, another concern bothered me:  how to follow up with someone after the initial meeting.

Picture this scenario.  You attend a workshop, career fair or a networking session.  The most natural next step is to exchange business cards or to ask for someone's card to stay in touch.  What really happens afterwards? Nothing.  There seems to be a belief that having someone else's card in our possession is enough to reach out to them later when it is needed.  False. This is not the most effective way to follow up with someone we just met.  They may have met many people that day.  So, how do you stand out? By following up right away.  Here is how.

• Send a quick and short note within two days.  Include where you met to give a point of reference. Mention something about discussed during your conversation that will help remember you.  Here is an example:  "Good morning Ms. Smith, it was a real pleasure meeting you at the Careers in STEM workshop at Princeton University last Monday.  As an engineer (here you include your current professional status), your comments about the outlook for job growth in the field of chemical engineering were highly encouraging." 
• Rank the relationship.  Decide whether this contact is someone with long term potential or if you are mostly interested in a more tactical relationship like an informational interview or a resume critique.  Beware: if your main goal is to have her introduce you to a hiring manager, you must be patient and take time to build trust. 
• Find ways to remain top of mind.  A common way to remain on your contact's radar is to send occasional emails with articles or links related to her area of interest.  Other ways to build engagement:  ask for a short meeting for an informational interview, extend an invitation to participate in a future workshop, conference, or send a note during a major holiday.

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Career lessons from the Occupy protests

Whether you are in favor or against the Occupy Wall Street protests, and its subsequent spin offs, one thing is clear to me as a career coach:  Those involved in organizing protests have two types of skills that have allowed the movement to endure and grow.   One is communication skills.  The other is teamwork.

Communication skills allow parties to interact, to send and to receive messages effectively. Occupiers--as they are referred to--have maximized the power of technology to disseminate their message, recruit volunteers and keep the media informed.  This skill also comes in handy when discussing issues with opponents or those eager to learn. Being able to describe their concerns in a clear, concise and engaging manner has helped them gain status as an emerging influencing voice for the American people.

Team work skills are mainly about working effectively with others towards a common goal. Occupiers provide a vivid example of some of the most common tasks handled by teams: Delegating duties, negotiating outcomes, and organizing resources.  The media reports that occupiers have been dutiful at operationalizing the different support systems they need to focus on their protests.  For instance, they have a current list of supplies on hand and have rotation schedules for cooking, cleaning and inventory management.

How do these apply to you and your career?

I am not asking you to join the occupiers.  That is a very personal decision.  What I would like to suggest is for you to reflect on your level of comfort and dexterity. In other words, how are your communications and team work skills?  You might say that you did enough of that already in college.  And I would say back that practice makes perfect.  Do you think that any major sports super star says "I am great already.  I am the best golfer, soccer player, swimmer, etc.  I don't need to practice?" Never!  The key from getting from good to excellent is to keep at it.

One last thing about excelling as a communicator and team player:  It applies to everyone and to every type of career.  These two skills are just as important to the college student studying biology, to the young graduate looking for work in psychology, or to the seasoned professional making deals in international finance.

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The ABC's of job fairs

Believe or not job fairs are still around.  They are the most effective vehicle for employers to maximize their recruitment dollars.  Aside from the usual advice about preparing for a job fair (i.e. bring lots of resumes, visit every booth, have a firm hand shake) here are three commonly suggested tips with a twist.

Attitude.  By attitude I am mainly talking about the way you carry yourself.  Yes, you are looking for work.  Yes, you are really hoping that this time you will get an interview that will lead to an offer. But do you have to look, sound and appear desperate? No! In addition to exuding confidence through your clothes, hair, and accessories, attitude is also about your posture and most importantly your disposition.  In other words, how are you enduring the constant selling of yourself?  Are you able to keep your head up high and continue to smile even if you keep hearing, thanks for no, thanks?

Bring extras. Here extras refer to materials that might differentiate you from the rest.  Do bring your resume as this is a requirement to get your foot in the door.  But how about having some other type of collateral to showcase your talent and skills? For example, in addition to getting business cards, you could have marketing brochures made.  If your area is writing or research, you could bring a list of documents and studies that you have produced.  I have even seen links of short videos added in resumes as a way to stand out from the crowd.

Communicate clearly.  That is, communicate your value clearly.  This is another way of saying have your elevator pitch ready. And by ready I don't mean to sound like a broken record.  Your pitch must come across as natural although you and I know that you have repeated it a dozen times in front of the mirror. And do not stop at the elevator pitch.  Be prepared to answer questions as a result of your pitch.

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Elevator pitch tips

You probably have heard it many times,"when looking for a job, you must have an elevator pitch." An elevator pitch or elevator speech-- for those who might need a refresher--is a summary of who you are and what you are looking for.  And although it comes in many flavors, an elevator pitch, for the purpose of this post, is aimed at showcasing you and your talents and experience as a potential employee.

The internet offers thousands of suggestions on how to develop and deliver an elevator pitch, so I won't repeat what it has already been said.  What I would do, though, is pinpoint a few obvious-- but often missed--tips about creating an effective elevator pitch.

Be Short.  Experts tell us that an elevator pitch should be about 60 seconds long.  Have you ever tried to speak non stop for a whole minute?  You can say a lot in a minute.  So, if the idea of doing a 60-second summary sounds intimidating, think in terms of sentences.  For example, let's start with six sentences.  The first two could introduce you (e.g. name, industry focus, major).  The next two could address your professional experience and interest (e.g. internships, previous work, accomplishments).  The last two could link your experience to the employer's current needs and suggest next steps (e.g. interview).

Be Clear.  Sometimes in trying to impress someone in the shortest amount of time, we  use fancy words that could become tongue twisters or make us sound fake.  Use common language.  Your goal is to help the listener understand who you are and what you can do for them.  Quantifying results is a always a winner (i.e. increased revenues by 30%, decreased expenses by 40%).

Be Sincere.  This is a tricky suggestion because the success of delivering a flawless elevator pitch relies on having spent time rehearsing.  Be aware.  I suggest to spend time rehearsing, but do not come across rehearsed.  You must sound sincere.  Rehearse to the point that you feel comfortable saying it to anyone in front of you.  But do not, please, do not rehearse it with the intent of memorizing every word.  If you forget one word and go blank, you are dead in the water.

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Managing your professional reputation

Managing your professional reputation

When you think of the word reputation, what comes to mind? Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines reputation as a "common opinion or quality as judged by people in general."  Note the definition suggests a neutral meaning of the word.  In other words, one can have a good or bad reputation.  And, according to the dictionary, it is up to other people to decide!

How is this possible?

If you are not convinced, think about times when you have heard others talk about a friend, former colleague, or professor.  "He was sooo confusing.  I bet nobody understands what he means not even at home." Or,"she comes across so well put together.  She is probably busy interviewing for jobs." The man in the example may be a brilliant person but the "common opinion" of those around him is negative. Meanwhile, the woman in the example may always be nervous but knows how to project confidence, so no one around her notices.

Yes, it is not fair.  And, as we know from other experiences, life in general is not fair. And, although others' perceptions are a big component of one's reputation, the rest of the equation is about our own actions.  So, the good news in terms of managing your professional reputation is that it can be done. The key word is: managing.

To help you get started, take a look at the two factors we just mentioned in more detail:

Actions you have control over. Here the word actions is used loosely to mean traits, behaviors, skills.  These are all self-generated outcomes created by you.  They could be as subtle as posture, demeanor, eye contact or as obvious as a tapping on the floor, a fishy handshake or an eloquent presentation.  Through practice and  discipline, you can get better at any of these.  Again, you and only you have control over them.

Actions you do not have control over.  This is where people's judgments come in.  It is important to remember that people's opinions are based in their own experiences, biases and filters.  So, the woman who looks polished and confident to some could be perceived as cocky and snobby to others.  There is no way of knowing how people will judge her.  All she can do is continue to be prepared.

In a nutshell:  You are not able to please everyone.  But you can manage your professional reputation by proactively focusing on the actions you can control and being consistent in the image you want to project.

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