Gaining Control Over Social Media

Tonight I want to address an issue I am seeing on an continued basis. Your personal online content. I read a terrible Facebook rant over the weekend and I’m sickened that a business professional would put her hateful opinions for clients and peers to read on her personal Facebook page.

Now, some of you might say that it is her personal page. Sure it is, it is just archived onto Google’s search engine for the world to read. She is entitled to her hateful opinion but she is going to have business lost to it. Peers will soon catch on and stop referring her too. I will not repeat what she said, only that it is filled with hate and aimed at a certain demographic of sexually orientated people.

I can’t stress enough that nothing you write is personal anymore. Friends can quickly become enemies and take screen shots of your “private” social media accounts for all the world to see. Don’t ever write anything on your personal pages that you wouldn’t want to proudly read- out-loud- in front of a client or potential client.

As a business professional, you don’t have a personal life. Your clients’ lives are your obligation- both personally and professionally when it comes to branding and visibility. Voicing your own opinions online (even via a personal account) will harm your own reputation- right or wrong, this is the culture we live in.

Keep it professional and keep those negative or opinionated posts off of social media!

Twyla Garrett

Handling Conflict in Business

Your employees are not always going to get along. In fact, you might not get along with some of your clients. This doesn't mean business should stop, profits should be loss, or people should change jobs. There are many positives that can come from conflict. It is knowing how to spot them that is the key.

The first thing you should when a conflict arises is quickly and professionally address the issue. You want to set aside a time, neutral place, and date to discuss the issues. Send out the invitation to the meeting to all parties involved and set the ground rules in the email or faxed invitation. Basically, setup the agenda, how long everyone has to present their key points, and possible outcomes and conclusions that may be drawn from the meeting. This will keep everyone focused during the meetings, offset a desire for any potential personal attacks, and bring you closer to resolving the issue.

Think about who cares the most about the outcome and also try to listen to the other party. We all can't be right or wrong all of the time You should always look to arrive in the middle with the other party if a conflict is present. If you push to win, you can push away a great employee or life-long client. But, if you meet that person half way, you have developed a loyal employee or client for life.

Being professional and handling conflict don't always go hand-in-hand. If you can grasp the concept and make the situation a win-win and creative learning experience then you're truly a wonderful leader.

Until next time,
Twyla