NETWORLDING

Winning Work Places' 2006 Best Bosses

‘Um – yeah, I’m going to need you to come in on Saturday,” this quote from the popular movie Office Space has been uttered countless times since the movie came out seven years ago. Everyone has experienced a difficult boss and we have all complained about that particular person.
However, instead of complaining about what some bosses lack, why don’t we identify the qualities that make a great boss and celebrate the people who are the best bosses?
This is exactly what Winning Work Places, in collaboration with Fortune Small Business, have been doing. This September 27 at the Mid-America Club, they will hold the:

2006 Best Bosses Conference & Celebration

Winning Work Place seeks to honor innovative leaders of small and midsize businesses who have created tightly knit workplaces and inspired intensely loyal workers.

They have been collecting nominations from happy employees who work for innovative bosses since October. With nominations now closed the list has been narrowed to 34 finalists.

In the descriptions of the pervious nominees and winners there is an obvious pattern; bosses who listen. Almost every boss nominated was described as “always available and eager to listen to employees ideas.” In fact, Colin Angle CEO of iRobot Corp. and a 2005 Best Boss recipient said that their major design and most successful product was originally an employee suggestion.

Other important features that nominees and winners have introduced into their businesses are: cross training, a sense of collaboration and teamwork, and open-book management. Most of these companies also have a turn over rate that is half what is normal for their field.

The Conference and Celebration will be held on September 27, 2006
at the Mid-America Club -
Aon Center, located at
200 E. Randolph Drive, 80th Floor 
Chicago, IL. For more information: Click Here.

If you have a boss that must be nominated, the application process for next year's Best Boss award will begin October 1, 2006.

Best Bosses of 2005

10.4.06 Event with Diversity Concepts

Upcoming Event

Diversity Concepts endeavor to create a business environment where all employees are respected, valued and included in the business process, the organizational environment and the integrated culture of their workplace.

Diversity and inclusion are critical to the success of any organization. They strive to develop meaningful discussion that is proactive and fully dependent on openness and complete candor. The goal is to aid clients in developing, implementing and maintaining a workplace environment that enables and encourages all members of their workforce to contribute to their fullest potential. The creation of such an environment is necessary for the successful exchange of ideas and perspectives that will ultimately lead to positive changes.

Diversity Concepts is proud to partner with Lumen Legal to present its 2006 Diversity Legal Networking Conference being held October 4, 2006 at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. Join with General Counsel, In-House Corporate Counsel, Judges, Lawyers and Diversity Experts in a dynamic, interactive seminar focusing on diversity issues in today's legal world. This innovative seminar is designed to provide lawyers with tools to implement and maintain successful diversity programs as well as increase their overall effectiveness as attorneys. Also included will be a networking lunch and cocktail reception following the seminar where you can meet and discuss pertinent diversity issues with in-house counsel, lawyers and diversity leaders in the legal community.

Special guest speakers include:

Melissa Giovagnoli - Networlding "The Concept - The New Diversity Paradigm"

Illinois State Senator Kwame Raoul;

Nadine Lacombe - Illinois Department of Transportation;

David Askew - Deputy Chief, Illinois Attorney General Office;

"Uncle Sam Wants You! - All of You!, A Government Perspective"

MCLE credits for Illinois attorneys. Cost for the event is $495. REGISTER HERE.

Blogging Exchange

A few days ago at a downtown restaurant I over heard two businessmen complaining about another “waste of time meeting” they had just come from.
“We spent half the time talking about why we were meeting instead of actually meeting.”
“The other half we spent talking about when we would meet again.”
“Next we will have a meeting to plan a meeting.”
“But before that we will have to meet.”

Why are we wasting all this time meeting, if nothing really productive comes from it?

Yesterday the most productive of meetings occurred - an exchange.
Melissa Giovagnoli of Networlding decided to bring together a talented and diverse group of people to exchange ideas. Six of us met to discuss blogs, exchange ideas, and dialogue about how we could help one another. In this current day and age, every business needs a blog! It’s a whole new world that has exploded!

Jon Malysiak and Scott Allen who own Jonathan Scott Inc. which is a Literary and Right Agency arrived hoping to learn more about what blogging could do for their company. Present to help them were myself, Derrick Sorles, and Michael Snell, who also run a leadership development organization called Inside Your Chicago. They have recently started their own impressive blog and in record time. Both Derrick, Michael, and myself have just undertaken a sharp learning curve trying to master the blogosphere.

After the introduction and background updates we discuss blogging basics and the benefits of blogging all of which are outlined in the blogging FAQ.
Our next arrival was Karyn Pettigrew, the author of “I Quit – And Choose Work That Aligns With My Soul” and the recently published pocket book “An Invitation”, which will be a series of inspirational and enlightening books. With her introduction complete and the basics covered, we turned our conversation to how we could use blogs to help each other.

Writing about each other’s blogs, establishing many hyperlinks, and setting up trackbacks would collectively raise our ranking in search engines and increase traffic to everyone’s blogs.

The results of the meeting:
An exchange of information that will allow everyone to increase their success.
Jon and Scott learned about how a blog could help them personalize their business and promote upcoming book releases. Blogs are also a great medium for them to promote their authors and establish dialogues between author, publisher, and reader.

Karyn also learned a tremendous amount about blogging. She was also able to share thoughts from her new pocket book, “An Invitation”. She discussed the importance of setting and inviting in an intention in one’s life. She also sparked a discussion of a “by the slice” form of information packaging. The packaging of information needs to be broken down into smaller pieces, or “sound bites” in order to hold people’s attention and transmit knowledge that will stick. This information is particularly helpful in creating smaller and more concise blog post.

Derrick and Michael have been busy this last week launching a blog to go with the website for Inside Your Chicago. Four weeks ago they knew very little about blogs. Now, they are like a sponge, soaking up everything you-need-to-know and then some! Michael has had over 15 years of creative writing for people like Siegfried & Roy and filmmaker Michael Moore. Derrick’s unique perspectives help frame how to inform and educate today’s leaders innovatively through the message and experience.

Melissa is constantly a wealth of ideas and information. She discussed the importance of putting quality material on the web, building quality content and having a talented team to support you, if you can not do it yourself. Melissa just published her 12th book, “The Wisdom Network”. And actually, today’s meeting was in fact like a wisdom network meeting. Getting a group together who can collectively problem solve and brainstorm ideas.

In just 90 minutes, I think we all left with a wealth of new information. I definitely got a number of new ideas about the blogs I currently do. Many of the ideas I had, I now know how to implement. Back to blogging! Until next time…

Brenna Walters

Contact us:
Melissa Giovagnoli
Scott Allen
Jon Malysiak
Derrick Sorles
Michael Snell
Karyn Pettigrew
Brenna Walters

Blog FAQ

So, GM just started blogging and your next-door neighbor sent you to their blog so you could read every detail about their trip to Niagara Falls. Most major news stations have a blog and every member of myspace is automatically granted one. So, what it this blogging thing all about and how can what started as on-line journaling give a personality to your business and help you grow. Let’s start with the basics.

1. What was a Blog?

A weblog, which is usually shortened to blog, is a type of website where journal entries are made and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
Everyone can have a blog and the subject matter can range from the tribulations of a 16 teen year-olds life to a discussion board on CNN latest headlines.

2. What are Blogs now?

Blogs have no doubt changed since LiveJournal and Blogger both opened the blog frontier to non-techies in 1999. After a surge of personal blogs, corporations starting noticing that if a blogger wrote about their product or service then more traffic was drawn to their website. Even more helpful was when a blogger would include a link to a company’s web sight. Empowered with this information GM started their own blog where they share information about new projects, answer questions, and let customers share their idea. GM officials have said that the blog was wildly successful in not only increasing traffic to their website but more importantly giving their company name and face. “People really get into your company when they can read a message from Bob the designer about the latest project we are working on”

3. What is the Future of Blogs?

Corporate Blogging and Marketing Blogs are fast becoming a powerful way to draw traffic and convince your audience that you have the strongest ideas and products in your marketplace. As more and more corporations start their own blogs, the power of the blog is undeniable. The computer company Dell recently launched a blog and have been very excited about the results because people feel connected to the people at Dell. New research by Jupiter research group has suggested in their report that 70% of companies would be blogging by the end of the year. In the “Relationship Age” the ability to put a names and faces to your company is invaluable and companies are starting to see blogging as the perfect vehicle to do that. Think of using your blog more as a way to reveal the human faces behind your company. When your blog expresses a natural enthusiasm for your products, a genuine interest in the needs of your customers and reveals the people who work for them, you are on the right track. This is the future of your blog.

4. How will my Blog be different than my Website?
At its core, a blog, short for weblog, is a website. These days blogs mirror an online magazine more than a website. Blogs differ from most corporate websites in three important ways.
• Acting as your company’s brochure your corporate website is somewhat limited in how much information can be presented. Frequent changes and discussion would only confuse a site visitor. The content on a blog changes as frequently was you want it to. New information can be updated at anytime.
• Blogs are highly personal. Who knows who writes what you see on most company websites? The blog has a personal voice which puts a human face on a company and gives it a personality
• Blogs are often interactive – they invite feedback, or comments, from their readers, which are then published alongside the article or entry about which the comment is made. Thus, your blog can be useful in obtaining free research and can tie people closer to a company by making them feel involved by commenting.

The most important thing to keep in mind about creating a blog for your business is that blogs, by their nature, are authentic. A blog that is just a bunch of promotional marketing speak will get nothing but derision from its viewers.

5. Why should my Company have a Blog?

Blogging is a way to communicate to your audience on a personal, one-on-one level. The feedback that a company can receive via a blog is tremendous and invaluable.
Company blogs are used for many purposes, most falling within the realm of PR and Marketing. However blogs can do much more:
• Feature Company News
• Assist Brand Development
• Increase Search Engine Rankings
• Deliver Product Information
• Generate Buzz
• Community Development
• Increase Traffic to a Website
• Generate Interest and Enhance Sales
• Boosts your Online Presence
• Position you as an Expert in your Field
• Deliver Messages to a Target Audience
• Fastest Way to Share Knowledge
Blogs are just a vehicle for communication to engage your most loyal customers and most ardent critics. Blogs can give your business the edge it needs in the marketplace.

6. What are the drawbacks to blogging?

Time. Blogs must be updated frequently — several times a week, if not daily in order to hold readers’ attention. Most small-business owners have no time because they’re constantly working on their businesses. This is the exact reason a small business needs a professional blogger - someone who can post quality content on the blog about the business owner’s company and the mission and strategy of the company. We can provide news, related topics and information in many different niches with many different angles and expertise. This is exactly why a blogger is a position necessary for a business owner. If your company does not require a full time employee due to their size or other restrictions, Business Blogging Now is perfect for you.
7. How can a Blog help my Company turn Negative Feedback into Positive Change?
One of the best things about a blog is that they are interactive. They are a great medium for feedback about what is working and opportunities your company has. The key is to use the feedback to your advantage. You have a free focus group here. Listen to the comments and reap the benefits.
In addition comments can be seeded to promote further discussion and can become a place where you “talk” to your customers. You have the opportunity to answer questions, respond to requests, and connect with your customers.

8. How do I get started?

Contact Networlding at:
401 N. Michigan
Suite 1248
Chicago, Il 60611
312.836.3700
Click Here