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Wouldn’t we ALL like to be mentally stronger in 2014?! Cheryl Conner of Forbes spoke with Amy Morin about her tips from LifeHack.org – the article on tips for “Mental Strength” went crazy viral. Read the Forbes article here. As we start the New Year, maybe take a moment to consider these 5 simple tips Amy shared with Forbes in a follow up discussion. I loved them because there were some tips in there I think will really help me in 2014 so I asked my spouse ( a newly minted photoshop wizard ) to make a poster to say thanks to Amy! Here it is below, if you want a larger version, tweet me at @UinvitedU and I’ll email it to you. The article sparked more great discussion, like here in Fast Company. Thanks for some helpful wisdom Amy and Forbes, as always, you rule. Lastly, Forbes sat down with Amy for a quick 5 minute chat about what IS ‘mental strength’ in our busy digital age (below). Best of luck in 2014 my friends – thanks for reading! Paul

There’s someone I want you to meet. Her name is Lisa Taylor and her team at Challenge Factory is changing the way Canada works. Two years ago she helped change the direction of my career. Lisa also helped me create positive impact in my sector (philanthropy) by teaching people about a career in fundraising outside the traditional channels who often don’t create ways strangers can learn about what we do. In gratitude and admiration, I named her one my networking MVP’s of 2011. I have sent dozens of people in my network, some in my family to Lisa and her team. Her work has been featured in every major national newspaper, a CBC documentary and more – check out this resource page I’ve made on the impact of her work! 2014 is on your doorstep, if you want it to be a blowout year – it’s time to contact Challenge Factory. Not sure it’s for you? Read this. MOST IMPORTANTLY: Lisa was kind enough to reach out to me and offer my network a personal discount if you are referred by me. She’s already offering one right now, this referral is ON TOP of that. Just mention my name when you call or email her team lead Cayla Allain at cayla (at) challengefactory (dot) ca or call them at 416. 721 –8494 or tweet Challenge Factory . Look, things have changed in the working world. You know this. We can’t treat our careers like ‘something that just happens’ any more because there aren’t any jobs for life. It’s time to invest in YOU and it doesn’t have to cost a lot, it costs nothing to have the discussion about where you want your career to go and is CF the right team for you. Email or call Lisa and her team TODAY. Don’t wait. Especially if you think it’s time to change sectors, her “test drive a career” programs are ground breaking. I want to thank Lisa for being an unwavering support in my work and career. For being a northstar for Canadians who want to find more than just a job.  Don’t forget to sign up for Challenge Factory’s enews, or follow Challenge Factory on Twitter and LinkedIn . I leave you with some words from Lisa on finding meaning in your career. Can I be of help in 2014? Has it been a while since we talked? Let me know, January is a great time to take a walk and talk about you and where you are going. Thanks as always for reading, keep in touch, Paul

Looking for a job when you need one is like looking for a parachute after you’ve jumped out of the airplane, it’s like looking for a date the morning of Valentines day, like looking for someone to kiss at 11:55pm on New Year’s Eve….you get the point. Anyone who has ever seen the very popular show “How I Met Your Mother” has heard of the move “the naked man” ( surprising someone on a date naked ) which apparently is successful two of every three tries. I know it sounds lazy and uncouth, but this is what our current interview system is. We skip the getting to know each other part and try to ‘seal the deal’ too quickly. How does this work out? Most people leave jobs because of work environments and supervisors that “don’t fit”. Well wouldn’t we know more if we took the time to get to know our potential boss and workplace? A resume read and couple of interviews is not enough time spent to get to know each other and decide to spend 8+ hours a day for the next few years. These days when I speak with hiring directors, they constantly express that they don’t want to post a mid level or senior job but they just can’t think of one or two ideal candidates let alone five to interview. And so they turn to the decades-old horrible HR dance made MORE unbearable by the Internet which encourages people to spam-cv the world. I was helping a peer who was thinking a year out for a new position. This person is kind of a celebrity in my profession. I have heard dozens of people say “oh I’d LOVE to work for” this person or this organization. And yet very few of them has ever said hi at a conference, asked to meet for coffee, made an impression and none of them kept in touch with this person. I’m not talking about sucking up here. I’m talking about thinking ahead… My magic three steps:
1. Say hello at a conference or networking event
2. Follow up with a note, then connect on LinkedIn
3. Have coffee twice a year and use email/social media to keep in touch That’s it!!! In the end this person is going to have to do way too much work to meet the right people….and so they’ve turned to the HR dance when this job could have gone to someone with true passion for the leader and the role. So dear network, lets get to work. In 2014 I know you’re thinking about a change. Think about that top five list of leaders, employers, companies, charities and lets get networking! It’s holiday networking season, get thee to events! Step one is NOW. A great job move takes six months to a year to cultivate,  it’s your whole life! Start today.. In the mean time, here are some great networking tips for the holidays from the Wall St. Journal. Enjoy!    Paul Nazareth

I got a chance to take my Dad for a drive in a new mustang once – his comment on owning an original 1960’s Mustang and being in the current version was… “sure the original was great, but it was bare-bones. With today’s improvements this is an outright better car” I was expecting nostalgia. LinkedIn is ten years old, check out this awesome look back at the company that started with 4,500 profiles in year one and today is fast approaching 250,000,000. Like the updated Mustang, it’s an outright better platform today. My personal tips last year are totally out of date. As we end 2013, here are my personal tips to help you get in shape for the new year ahead! 1. Titles are so last century. Who are you really? Are you going to work one job for your whole career? Then why are you using goofy HR language to define yourself? Sure there’s the whole SEO argument but I truly feel you need a more realistic, holistic description. Same thing goes for a photo if you use one. Do NOT crop a wedding, graduation or group shot. Lastly, customizing your URL. It’s the secret handshake between fellow users, take 30 seconds to customize yours. 2. Your summary is NOT a cold blob one big bio. It needs to reflect the story of your past, present and future career told yes, in your own voice. Make it engaging, it’s not a novel it’s a 20 second ‘digital greeting’ especially in a world where your next client or employer WILL read it before meeting you. 3. Consider using the amazing new rich media portfolio and slideshare options to give your profile personality and colour. A picture tells 1000 words, your summary should be short, here’s how to say more with less. 4. Introductions. Never, and I mean NEVER use the standard “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” – customize EVERY single invitation. Start with people you worked with, mentors and expand outward. Slowly! If you wouldn’t invite them to your office, don’t let them in your network. Lastly, most LinkedIn users have some sort of post-secondary education. Never have I seen so many people invest so much money in a network they don’t use. LinkedIn has a powerful new alumni search function to help you reconnect with that nerd roomate turned tech-billionaire buddy from back in the day. 5. Managing your contacts. This is NOT a numbers game. You are CEO of You Inc. and this is your org-chart. Who is on your personal board, who are your generals, lieutenants and new recruits. Don’t forget to keep that tree trimmed, dump deadwood at least once a year. Most of all, use LinkedIn’s new contact features – they are outrageously awesome. It now reminds you about your last conversation and when to contact them again! You have a CRM at work, this is your career-relationship-management system! 6. Endorsements Vs. Recommendations. As I write this, I have 1,619 endorsements. They make me feel nice but they don’t really indicate expertise, rather how my network regards me ( thanks network!). More important are recommendations, they have become as important as that list you give HR when you’re applying for a job. You really need to focus on getting a few from previous employers and mentors in your sector. 3 to 5 are the minimum, over 20 is too much if you’re on the job hunt. 7. Time management. The number one thing people ask me about social media for business is “Paul how do you make the time?!”. My answer? As in all things, be strategic. Schedule a few minutes, I mean like 15 minutes a month to start. 15 a week to scale up and 5 mins a day if you plan on being a power-user. But first, go to settings and turn off ALL notifications, you drive the car, the car doesn’t drive you..it will bother you less, believe me. What do you do when you’re on? Just 1 ‘status update’ with an industry article per month, or week but max, one a day. Be active in groups, start and comment on discussions of just one or two, even if you’re a member of many.Consider using schedulers like Hootsuite to save you the time with updates ( it’s my Twitter secret ). 8. LinkedIn’s Company pages are no longer a ‘nice to have’. If you are a business owner, or PR/HR for a company or social-profit charity you NEED to have and maintain a company page. You can upload free marketing and product information and even have company updates. There is even new free analytics to help you keep track of activity. The ability to target your updates is just one of the many awesome business benefits of this feature. Working in philanthropy this is one of my reminders to charities, you are incorporated so make sure you have a page!! If only that when you create one, LinkedIn automatically links ALL current and former employee pages to your site. Here is a quick awesome video link. 9. Use Content! When I speak about social media for business audiences always ask “how do you get such amazing Twitter content from our sector?” Again, strategy says, if your own network and LinkedIn’s own amazing ‘Influencer’ network is producing SO much great content why not use it? Cross-functional use of schedulers like HootSuite allow you to take great content (from your ‘home’ page) and re-use it ( and engaging your LinkedIn network on Twitter with promotion of their services thrown in ) on other platforms like Twitter, or Pinterest etc… 10. Master mobile… these days I spend less time networking in coffee shops and more time on the go ( after all, sitting is the new smoking right Nilofer? ). I’m not saying I don’t use LinkedIn on a desktop but learning how to use your tablet to read content and your mobile phone to ‘look up’ someone before a meeting means you’ll be a better networking ninja on the go. As Mitch Joel says, we’re approaching the ‘one screen’ integrated world, be ready. Great news for tablet users, LinkedIn JUST launched a whole new iPad app and a new mobile introduction tool! If you haven’t seen LinkedIn’s videos they are fantastic. And I often introduce myself at events by saying “hi, my name is Paul, networking is my oxygen and LinkedIn is my lungs” because the platform has done so much for me personally and the world of business networking these past ten years. It’s not perfect, but it’s getting there. It’s a key tool in the future of social business. If you haven’t read co-founder Reid’s book, do it, it was written for you. LinkedIn, it’s your personal career engine. I’ve given over 100 talks on using LinkedIn for business. If I can help your charity, your company or with your own profile, please reach out. Hope this post was of value, share your tips in the comments below!  Thanks for reading, Paul Nazareth

Ps. A shout-out to Clare, one of my LinkedIn mentors who now has a business helping executives and managers get their personal profiles in shape! Want to get on the LinkedIn fast track? Call Clare.

In my network, folks know me as the guy obsessed with the future of ‘social business’ – so I should be excited about social media right? It’s the opposite. My own mentors in the medium remind me, social media is over a decade old now. The experts are light years ahead, but I still can’t mention the concept with out the ROI defense and Facebook being mentioned to shut down the conversation. It’s driving me nuts. Enter Mitch Joel who gave a name to our current digital divide in business… purgatory. I agree 100% – there are two parts to this book that make it a MUST read for anyone who is on board with digital and curious about the future. #1 Reboot your business In 2014 everyone is going to be asking,what’s our Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn strategy. Sorry, that’s a 2012 question. The real questions is, how do we make the entire experience seamless? The future is on one screen – stop thinking about platforms and devices. Mitch has been in the digital trenches with his consulting company, he’s been engaging using blogs, podcasts and writing online for the world’s biggest business brands ( Harvard Business, Fast Company to name a couple ) I highly recommend following him. One of the world’s most well known authors in marketing Seth Godin has been walking with him and if you want to watch, this long discussion online is exactly why you should read this book if you work in business and wonder if this is worth your time reading. Most of all his attitude towards strategy, disconnected devices ( not a 24-7 tweeter, like me he has a family and his phone is always on silent ) the reality of time management really comes through. He’s more business than social. #2 Reboot YOU A question people ask me when we talk about ‘digital skill building’ is how they will help us stay employable in 2014 and beyond. Something my peer Promod Sharma addressed in his review of the book. Famous leaders often paint a picture of a career as a straight line, and sure there are still people who’ve had a 40 year career in one company. But the future, is indeed uncertain and the line has become… a squiggle as Mitch puts it. What does that mean? Watch/read this fantastic Fast Company interview with the famous digital educator, Amber Mac. It’s about being flexible in times when massive industries are not, and they die. You know this, you are watching them die right now! The tree that does not bend breaks, which will you be?! Why is this book your personal roadmap to adapting to the digital future? In “Reboot You” Mitch is crazy specific about:

• How to make sense of all this mess
• Exactly how to adjust  your carer and mindset
• What skills to build and how to build them
• How to market yourself, step by step, tips and traps

The book is filled with other book recommendations making it truly a roadmap to business and personal success in a time when success is the new survival. Please share your comments below or with me on Twitter. I leave you with a quick video on the book below, and if you have time listen to this great podcast interview with Mitch or watch this 20 min video interview, OR leave the last video on while you wash dishes/fold clothes. It’s a 45 min investment in your sanity. I’m off to sleep, and let me tell you I’m sleeping better now after reading this book. Purgatory is a lot easier to deal with when you know, it will end and you have the map to heaven. Thanks Mitch, with gratitude, Paul Nazareth

Hello! I wanted to say a special welcome that was longer than 140 characters, and let you know what to expect for your follow… I am on Twitter with a purpose. You won’t see pictures of my lunch, or me with celebrities or my kids making cute faces (much). You WILL find content on:

• Fundraising, philanthropy and charitable giving
• Business, management, strategy and leadership
• Networking, career and personal development
• Learning to use Social Media for Social Business
• Local content on Toronto , Canada

You’ll find other social feeds and my mission statement HERE This is not a social profile. It’s 95% business ( 5% Other ) I am obsessed with the future of “Social Business” and “Social Profit” and I’m excited to find more business and fundraising professionals who are too.  I help tweeps with career development, job searches in the end – I exist to help passionate professionals succeed. So please, engage and share your wisdom and stay in touch. Thank you for investing your time on twitter with me! Enjoy this quick video on ‘social business’  Paul Nazareth

I have read almost 150 books on networking, passed 10,000 of public speaking time, volunteered for thousands of hours for charities washing floors, cooking food and being on boards, I’ve raised millions of dollars to help, change and save the world and I’ve coached a few hundred people to personal success. I’m often asked why I don’t write a book. This book is the answer why I don’t need to. When I first read this book, it was so in tune to my beliefs on networking, business, fundraising, community development that I got through it in less than a couple hours and scared a couple people in a coffee shop shouting “that’s it!!” a few times. I’ve been waiting for a book like this for years. ROI – Wow I hate this tiny little sharp, overused, passive-aggressive phrase. But it’s what everyone knows is behind our goals and ideas. Nikki has put together a book that addresses the networking and business solution for my personal trifecta of social good: 1. Associations: Boards of Trade, professional associations, community based member groups. They are the backbone of our for-profit and social-profit world but in 2013, honestly, most of them are struggling to get members and stay relevant. Nikki has dedicated one third of the book to them, and her solutions are practical but current. I gave copies of this book to my favourite associations with the note “this will save you”. 2. Charities: Nikki is a proud member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals and is an exhibitor/sponsor of several chapters. She has worked with them through her business sigma promotions and I must say has a keen understanding of the philanthropic ecosystem. I’m asked so often about how charities can leverage networks, personal and institutional for revenue – one third of this book is for you. 3. Entrepreneurs: I personally feel that business and charities are a bad match. Corporations have influenced good grassroots organizations to become as sluggish, ineffective, bureaucratic and meeting-over-moving-focused. Charities and entrepreneurs were made for each other!! This third of the book, about the pure steps to making profit using today’s social-media technology and networking techniques is a powerful read for all three readers. This book is not going to be a New York Times best seller. Nikki’s business is not publically traded, she doesn’t have a limo or private jet. But y’know, so many of those authors are more focused on selling the book then on your success, so many of those big businesses are dead weight in our economy and Nikki is a successful business owner who has thrived while giving back. She and my network agree on the definition of success, that triple bottom line between profit, community and the earth. I couldn’t recommend reading a book, or meeting a person more. As the end of 2013 approaches, will you hit your goals? Nikki can help. Thanks for spending your time with me today!              Paul Nazareth

Click here or picture for today’s Paulcast. 6min Thanks for investing your time with me today! Stuff I mentioned:

• What is netwalking?
• Nilofer Merchant: Sitting is the new smoking
• My first group netwalk
• Why Starbucks rules for networking
• Why Moleskine note books rule for networking
• Following up after networking
• Mitch Joel’s book : Ctrl + Alt + Del
• Two great netwalking articles: 1 & 2

Let’s make our meetings move! Thanks for listening,     Paul Nazareth

On vacation this summer ( see ‘my break from business books’ ) I wanted to read something different, but that still taught me something of value in my career – note I didn’t say work – something that would help me evolve into who I want to be. So many of my mentors, my personal board, encourage me to read biographies. But with the exception of two great biographies, Nelson Mandela and Frank Sinatra – no business leader bio’s ever felt like “must reads”. Until the recent death of Steve Jobs. Here was a guy who had changed the world, certainly my world. Someone fascinating who I didn’t really know that much about except that he loved “walking meetings”.  And I’ve been obsessed ( mostly thanks to Seth Godin ) about what does a business professional look and feel like, expressed as an “artist”? The book does not disappoint. It’s almost 600 pages but it moves quickly through every aspect of his life, challenges, strengths, gifts and weaknesses. I learned so much about things I care about – business, life, loss and what it takes to make great things, and make things great. It was at the same time that I visited a place I usually go to think. The Art Gallery of Ontario. There’s a room, that I have walked by a number of times that struck me on this visit. A fascinating immersive room dedicated to world renowned artist David Milne. In it I got to delve into the mind, the life of an artist in hundreds of different ways. It was a powerful perspective-shifting experience that helped me understand how I could adapt this thinking to the life I’m trying to build. My deepest thanks to those who donated to and created this amazing space. My last read on this vacation from traditional business books was a treat, something I’ve been dying to read for a while now. Andrew Zuckerman’s “Wisdom” advice from artists, musicians, scientists, thinkers from around the world. I sat in this place, and just devoured the thing I seek most in this world –—the life-learned wisdom of people who have made the world a better place. A vacation from books, with books.        So pick up Steve’s bio before Ashton Kutcher and Hollywood messes up his memory. Learn what was behind every one of these funny and thoughtful moments and this now legendary Standford speech…. In the mean time, visit the AGO and I leave you with…some Wisdom. Paul 

I used to be a long weekender. But time has marched on, being a Dad x 2 now and having a job that engages every part of my brain, pushed me to take a break this past summer. But I realized… I kind of forgot how! Now it’s no secret I’m a business book addict ( if you haven’t seen my blog on the topic here it is ) and many of my peers know me as the “social business” guy. But with endless events/evenings like this even I know, it was time to disconnect. So I took the digital vacation but it was really hard to have this time and not use it to read. Now, I was a staple at the nightclubs in University, but libation + gyration no longer provides me with euphoria or peace. It was then a mentor gave me permission to read fiction again. A random tweet had reminded me that my favourite artist Douglas Coupland had put out a book ( about the disappearance of bees and our over-connected culture ) and had published an awesome lecture-story he told about the end of the world on radio across the country.   Recently great article hit the pages of Canada’s national magazine Maclean’s asking “Do Books Have the Power to Heal?” Darn right they do. My brain had been circling the drain for weeks, frustrations, negative thoughts, challenges were gumming it up. I gleefully read several thousand pages in 4 days ( if you haven’t read Steve Jobs’ biography, it’s worth it! ). One night, I sat outside, under a veranda in a thunderstorm engrossed in a book…I looked up and realized. Wow. I’m clear. I came out the other end of my vacation mentally refreshed, happy, rejuvenated and excited at the brain-reset and the creativity it jumpstarted! This is your brain on fiction indeed. As Lisa below tells the TED folks, books have power in life. It’s a nice reminder that the office and cubicle crowd have much to gain from it too. So – tell me dear reader. Who is your favourite fiction author? CanLit celebrity Margaret Atwood just put out the final book in her latest trilogy – Thanksgiving approaches… Thanks for reading, please, share in the comments below! Paul