ZKQ Blog

Would you hire a Leo?

Earlier this week, I wrote a post for Handshake 2.0 about the value of using assessment tools during the hiring process. Jennifer Leake, founder of Assessment Pros, explained to me that tools like the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and DiSC were never intended to be used for hiring purposes, but are best used to understand behavior and for self-assessment. I appreciate her explanation. While I have used MBTI for team building, I had always wondered if it could be used during the hiring process. I understand now that there are tools better suited to that.

In the post on Handshake, I wrote that, back in the 70's, I had been turned down for a job because I was born under the zodiac sign of Leo. My would-be employer already had two Leos working for him and he did not think adding a third would make for a good mix. While I was shocked to be turned down for that reason, it was several years later that I came to understand why he felt that way.

As I moved up and took on more responsibility in the various companies I worked for, managing teams and supervising staff were included in the promotions. Just like the manager who turned me down, I found I, too, needed a good mix of employees -- a well rounded group of people and personalities who could work well together. Turns out, getting this is more difficult than one would think, but tools like the MBTI really did help me in more than one enterprise and, today I carry with me the lessons I learned from those experiences. 

According to Astrology-online, Leos are the "most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert of all the zodiacal characters." I share a birthday with Robyn Smith, Susan Saint James, and Magic Johnson. Other famous Leos include Andy Warhol, Benito Mussolini, Rosalyn Carter, Jacqueline Kennedy, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Hmm...makes me wonder...would I hire me?

Remembering Dad

     A Jeweler's Hands

Dad's hands are thick and wide
Wide enough to palm a basketball
or so I think as I pass the ball to him

With both hands he catches it
pushes it toward the pavement
On the rebound he reaches out
his hand stiff like a paddle

He misses

He has no rhythm for dribbling
nor is he built for basketball
Tall, but not thin
Dad's build is thick and wide
like his hands

Yet I've seem him lift the
smallest springs and wheels
and cogs from a broken watch
and lay them out on felt

And with the tiniest of tweezers
replace them in proper order

He can mount the most precious
of stones in a four-prong setting
for a man and a woman in love

And with the skill of surgeon
cut the words “Love is forever”
on the inside rim
of a gold wedding band

            Z. K. Queijo, 1990

Blogging with Purpose

 The post Top Content by Top Content Creators for Handshake 2.0 lists the titles and authors of articles published in 2009 that attracted the most visitors to the site. It's exciting to see that several of the posts I wrote made the Top 10 list for the year.

Knowing this fuels my confidence as a writer and as a content creator. It makes me think that if I can create good content for Handshake 2.0, then I can do so for my own business, SmartCollegeVisit.

My writing experiences over the past year have taught me that writing just to be writing (which was the reason I launched my very first blog years ago) is just blogging. Later I figured out that creating content means blogging with a purpose. To me this means delivering useful, or perhaps insightful, information in a way that tells a compelling story.

In the month that SmartCollegeVisit has been live, I've worked to deliver content in a variety of formats ranging from the retelling of parents' stories about visiting colleges with their children to showcasing a single interesting place unique to a particular school. The post with the highest traffic thus far is Student Panel Highlight of Radford Open House. We'll have to wait 11 months to see if it holds on to its First Place title.

Images from Virginia Police Work Dog Tribute

 


  

 
  All photos taken using Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 on loan to me by Olympus.

 

Honoring Virginia Police Dogs

At the reception to honor Virginia Police Work Dogs, hosted by the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech, I sat with friend and sculptor, Larry Bechtel following the unveiling of the state's first-ever tribute of this kind. Larry was the artist chosen to create the sculpture to honor fallen police dogs.

I watched in respectful silence as officer after officer stopped by to shake Larry's hand and thank him for creating the exquisite statue of the German Shepherd who stands with his right paw lifted in salute. The names of the 12 dogs who have died in the line of duty are inscribed on the base of the statue.

One officer from Albemarle County stayed for a while telling the story of how Ingo, his K-9 partner took a bullet that saved the officer's life. It had been six years since Ingo's death, yet the pain and sadness of the loss remains sharp. "I spent more time with Ingo than I did with my family," said the officer. "My kids still have their dad because of Ingo. We still have his collar." Ingo died on October 24, 2004.

The tribute drew K-9 units from all over the state. The dogs and their handlers stationed themselves in a semi-circle at the back of the sculpture. Uniformed officers, all of them tall and strong, impressive in their dark-colored uniforms of black, blue or brown, carried a single, white, long-stemmed rose and placed it atop the base of the statue as the name of their fallen K-9 partner was read aloud by Virginia's Attorney General William C. Mims.

I don't know what it's like to lose a partner--someone you've trained with, trust, and respect--someone who is with you day-in and day-out and understands you with a single nod of your head or movement of your hand, but I witnessed the strength of this unique bond among the officers and their K-9 partners. Together they honored their fellow officers at a place where toughness and tenderness meet.

Related articles can be found on Handshake 2.0: Virginia Police Work Dogs To Be Honored and Virginia Police Work Dogs: "So that you may live, my life is yours."

Additional media coverage by WSLS: Memorial at Virginia Tech honors police dogs killed on duty | WSLS 10 http://bit.ly/4pDcHb

All photos taken using Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 on loan to me by Olympus.

A Year in Freelance

Today, October 6, 2009, marks the one year anniversary of my life as a freelance writer. While I've had many periods of my life where freelance writing was on-going, this past year was the first time when freelancing was the only job I held. I'm really proud of all the work accomplished and grateful for all that I learned during the process. What follows are a few of the lessons learned and observations made along the way.

10.06.08 Fly, Click or Drive: How will you get to your next meeting? was my first published article, written for the Blue Ridge Business Journal. In it, I provided an overview of online meeting software tools and how some local companies are using these tools in lieu of on-site travel to save money and, in most cases, work more efficiently with their clients. I can't provide a link to that article because it is no longer available online. That was one of the downsides to writing for a publication whose revenue model is driven solely by print advertising--either my article was not published on the journal's web site or, after a site crash, was not reinstated due to a format change.

The new format that emerged was an online page-turner publication which is about as effective as appearing only in print since none of the content is indexed on the web, meaning the content can't be found by search engines. It made me sad that my good work could not be found and read by the larger audience elsewhere on the world wide web. 

That was the downside. The upside was that I worked with really good editors and I was challenged to push myself to "get the story" and to write about topics that were totally outside my realm of first-hand knowledge. That was, perhaps, the best thing that happened to me while writing for the BRBJ. I covered a diverse range of topics related to business, technologies, and education. I met innovators, entrepreneurs and people driven by their passions, something I plan to continue to do throughout my life.

A little over a week ago, I notified the editor of the BRBJ that I was withdrawing my name from the pool of regular contributors due to my own entrepreneurial ventures. Yesterday, I learned that the BRBJ had laid off my editor due to reorganization by the parent company, The Roanoke Times. I was also told that most of the writing would be done in-house which, of course, means that there are now several really good freelancers and an editor looking for work.

During my time there, I met and interviewed the amazing researchers, teachers, and entrepreneurs that make our region rich with knowledge. There's always a good story worth telling in the Roanoke and New River Valley regions and now there are more writers ready to do so.

As for me, I continue to freelance for other online publications and my own blogs while working toward the launch of a new business. So, keep reading. There's more to come.

Ikea Heights Sparks Childhood Memories

Last Friday, when Matt Singley tweeted about the Ikea Heights web video series on Vimeo, I just had to click and, immediately, I was hooked. It wasn't the acting or the storyline that drew me in, it was the idea of living in a furniture store. I used to have that fantasy and, for a some portion of my childhood, it was a reality.

When I was a young child, my mother was a saleswoman for a home furnishings store. She used to bring me to work with her and let me play in the store. There were rows and rows and cushy sofas and chairs, stools that swiveled, and beds to lay on. It was a furniture fantasy land, and, just like the folks in Ikea Heights, I acted out various scenes based on the furnishings that surrounded me, the only exception was that I had to play every character or imagine them (and, of course, there was no camera crew). Still, it was a blast.

Today, when I watch Ikea Heights, I'm looking beyond the faces of the actors. I identify with the furniture settings, how the actors have used what Ikea provided in their displays as props for their story. I look at the shoppers trying not to notice anything unusual going on around them. I remember trying to be cool and nonchalant as if it was perfectly normal for a five year-old to be sitting at a desk pretending to write or sitting at a dining room table in the middle of a furniture store waiting for the dinner party to begin. 

So, hats off to Dave Seger and Paul Bartunek and the rest of the Ikea Heights cast! Thanks for the fun and for the memories.

IKEA Heights from DaveAOK on Vimeo.

HARO Helper for Gmail Users: How to use labels and filters

If you've ever posted a reporter's query on Peter Shankman's site HARO (helpareporter.com), then you know that you are likely to be inundated with responses. If you use Gmail, applying labels and filters can make the process of managing the influx of response email easier. Here's what to do:

Post your Query to HARO

From the Journalist page on HARO, provide instructions about what you expect to see in the subject line of the email responses to your query. For example, I included this statement at the end of my entry in HARO's query field: "Please include 'HARO Campus Tours' in the subject line of your response."

Label and Filter Responses in Gmail

When the first response arrived in my Gmail inbox, I used it to set up the labels and filters needed to keep track of all of the related incoming email.

Create the Label

1. Open the email query response note (the subject of the email should include the statement you requested in the HARO query).
2. Click on Labels from the menu.
3. Choose Create New Label and a box will open asking you for the label name.
4. Enter the name of your new label (ex: HARO Campus Tours). Click OK.

Setting up the Filter

1. With that same email note open, click on More actions from the top menu bar.
2. Then choose Filter messages like these.
3. Delete the contents of the "From:" field as this information will vary by responder.
4. Instead, use the subject field as your filter qualifier. Enter the instructional text you included in the query (ex: HARO Campus Tours).
5. Clilck Test Search to make sure your filter is correct. The list of email messages displayed will show you what gets filtered. If this is correct, click Next Step. If it's not correct, then change the parameters of your filter and test again.
6. Click the checkbox next to Apply the label.
7. Then go to the pull-down menu on that same line and select the name of your label.
8. To apply your filter to existing messages, check the box: Also apply filter to # conversations below. Then, click Create Filter to apply your settings. 

I like to create the label and filter as soon as I get my first HARO response, however, you can do this at any time to filter incoming and existing email. If you get responses to your HARO query and the source did not use your recommended text in the email subject line, you can still apply the label to their note by simply pulling down the Label menu and clicking the appropriate label name.

Using the Labels

Once you've established your labels and filters, a list of labels will appear in the left sidebar. Clicking on a label will open that list of filtered email messages. You can color-code your labels, as well as rename, hide or delete by clicking in the box to the left of the label name.

If you receive a response from a source who did not use the HARO subject line, you can still add the label to that email message by opening the note and selecting Labels from the menu bar. Make the appropriate selection from the list of labels. You should see the name of the label displayed next to the subject of the note when you return to your inbox.

If you use HARO often, I recommend setting up a separate label for each query. This will make it easier for you to follow up with your sources.

Work, Work, and More Work

A close friend and former coworker said to me one day , "Nobody loves work more than Kelly." Her words startled me, made me wonder "is that a bad thing?" In my head, I compared our lives like a checklist: two college educated, married, hard working gals with husbands and kids. The difference is what drives us. My friend is driven to do an excellent job as timely as possible and with no mistakes no matter what the task. She takes her work seriously. She knows if she does well, she gets to keep working and that is a good thing. There's no one I'd rather work with. When she goes home, she leaves work behind and her family is first and foremost.

It's never been that clear-cut with me. While I strive for excellence in my all of my work. There's no beginning or end. Work and family are both stimulating, demanding, intense, and wonderful. I certainly don't love my family less when I work more, or dislike work when I spend more time with family. Though, sometimes, I acknowledge the need to walk away from both once in a while. 

I've heard many people say that they would keep their jobs if they won the lottery. I always laughed at those words, until I thought about them. These folks obviously like, perhaps, love what they do. I can relate. Winning the lottery would not mean the end of work days for me, instead, it would be a tremendous opportunity to create new work. I can just imagine...

60 Articles and Counting

On July 7, 2009, the number of articles and posts I've written as a freelance writer hit the number 60. My freelance career launched officially nine months ago with the publication of my first article, “Fly, Click or Drive: How will you get to your next meeting?” which appeared in the October 6, 2008 issue of the Blue Ridge Business Journal. Number 60 was “The First Sale” which appeared last week in the business blog “Inside VT KnowledgeWorks.”

In between, I've been honored to interview well over a hundred people passionate about what they do. From newly labeled entrepreneurs to seasoned venture capitalists, from teachers and educators to doctors and scientists, from builders to technology geeks...the list of fascinating people in, or passing through, the Roanoke and New River Valleys, Blacksburg, and beyond is long and noteworthy.

Like many of the entrepreneurs I've interviewed, I, too, have had to work long hours, take chances, act on hunches, take risks, and rely on my own creativity to get the job done. Along the way, I've come to appreciate the important role the editor plays in making the final draft become the best it can be. It's been a pleasure to work with these fine editors:

Anne Giles Clelland, founder and president of Handshake Media, who publishes the PR/business blog: Handshake 2.0
Elizabeth Parsons, editor of the Blue Ridge Business Journal
Alec Rooney and Chris Winston who are both with the Roanoke Times and served as interim editors of the Blue Ridge Business Journal

Others, who have become part of my life since I became a freelance writer are celebrating milestones this year of their own:

Handshake 2.0 is one year old this month (founded July 28, 2008)
Stuart Mease marked his 500th blog post on Connecting People at www.stuartmease.com (July 9, 2009)
Barry Welch, owner of Internet Databases and developer of FurnishWEB, celebrates 10 years in business (founded May 3, 1999)

To those journalists and bloggers who write and publish daily, I know the number 60 may seem small, but as someone who began this freelance gig not knowing if I'd be able to get people to talk with me, meet deadlines, and write a compelling story, 60 is pretty big to me.