May “The Fourth” Be with You!

This post appears simultaneously on LinkedIn…….

“You have your moments. Not many of them, but you do have them.”

“Hope is not lost today. It is found.”

— Princess Leia, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

“Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.”

“Do or do not. There is no try.”

— Master Yoda, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

This week many people in the USA, including myself, will proudly “fly the geek flag” and wish others tongue in cheek albeit wholeheartedly that the “force be with them”. We will collectively rewatch and requote our favorite scenes, players, and quotes. We will collectively take to social media in support of  Star Wars and its forward thinking universe and characters. Thursday, May 4th is Star Wars Day and I’m counting down. Especially since this year marks the passing of the uber-insightful and talented Carrie Fisher, who has immortalized beloved Princess Leia for generations to come.

Star Wars Day is a day of widespread fond, avid, and vocal commemoration of a cultural touchstone which has universally affected the Theory of Mind i.e. the “inner landscape” of people from different generations and different parts of world. It is a non-denomination day that should make us think seriously about ourselves and others. It should make us hit our inner “pause” button and take stock of our values and ambitions; especially as professional women in the iEra i.e. the age of the startup and mass networking thanks to our growing symbiotic relationship with technology. Star Wars provides a relatable story regarding The Hero’s Journey , famous quotes inspiring one to hone their own communication and artistry, lessons in creativity and productivity, and takeaways regarding mentorship and one’s career and career goals.

Is it any wonder May 4th is on my blogger radar?

To date, this diverse, deceptively simple interwoven and ongoing saga has provided much fodder for academics, “growth-hackers“, ethicists,  and behavioral psychologists,  as well as those in business and the entrepreneurship arena. This powerful, moving  tale of taking sides in the war of Good vs. Evil, and the pursuit of Answers, Truth, and Personal Growth, has been instrumental to many of us trying to pursue purpose not just profit, maintain a sense of humor in the midst of challenge and adversity, and hone our skill set to foster our own  empowerment and  leadership acumen.

So what have I learned from Star Wars? 

A lot actually, beginning with the complex, nuanced, and wonderfully depicted relationships between Leia and Han Solo, Luke and Yoda, Padme and Anakin, Rey and Finn (A Force Awakens),  and Imwe and Malbus (Rogue One).

I also learned all about the 3 Es….

I learned all about the importance of the 3 Es; something I keep in mind when I’m writing, speaking, and working with children with Autism/special needs and their families/service providers:

• Educate others using your own talents and trials by fire
• Entertain others while providing necessary takeaways and constructive criticism
• Encourage change in yourself before demanding it of others, and be patient and unafraid to fail along the way

What additional 4 takeaways can I share in honor of 5/4/17?

1. We are all interconnected. We all have opportunities in our personal and professional lives to think “We” instead of “Me” and act on it. To create a seamless, user-friendly, collaborative and self-sustaining ecosystem that benefits others; economically, educationally, physically, emotionally, and geographically. Cross-pollination collaboration and cultural shifts at the workplace are happening, need to happen more, and need to happen right now. So get out there in real space and cyberspace and connect more meaningfully and authentically! 
2. We are all storytellers and characters in someone’s story, and our Story is fluid and ongoing. We all have opportunities in our personal and professional lives to create our Story, reverse engineer it,  and ensure that the information is made readily and unobtrusively accessible. We are all in the “driver’s seat” of our own Millenium Falcon– our Story; how it proceeds; its wording shared with others, its chapters, its routines, breaks from said routines, attempts to reboot them, and recollections of lessons and interactions from those we meet along the way. So make it a good one, and keep moving forward to add pages!
3. We are all able to better harness time, to create a better workflow, a better balance at home/work between Process and Outcome. We all have the opportunity to reduce our multi-tasking to truly  “live in the moment” and honor the Journey, not just the End Destination, should we so choose. We all have an “inner time clock” allowing us to transition as needed, and intuitively understand the importance of breaking down every process into three components; beginning, middle, and end. This is an area of difficulty for children with Autism; something I wrote about previously here and here.  We all have innate strengths and skills we can harness, to better harness time. To better harness outcomes for the greater good, and contribute to the process of improving problem-solving en masse. Collaboration re: problem-solving and innovation, and subsequently getting your “fifteen minutes of fame” for your cause has never been easier.  Thanks to our myriad social media feeds and global connectivity, we can more efficiently and effectively identify and connect with our “tribe”. Know your place and time. Timing is everything as they say. Not all trends and/or current events are “triggers” for you to change trajectory, or branding of self/service for that matter. So don’t just say– do, and stay on your time-table! Make sure you are being productive, not just busy!
4. We are all indebted to a power greater than ourselves, and we need to honor that. How? By living with integrity. By living in passion of our beliefs. By striving towards the ability to independently “connect the dots” for greater self-awareness and growth; personally and professionally. We live in an age of instant gratification and reinvention on so many levels, where we change our minds, our circle of friends and “influencers”, our geographical location, careers, and even marriage partners, much more frequently and nonchalantly than our parents did. Getting bogged down in the “change the channel” mindset and minutiae of our daily lives can lead us to myopic thinking contributing to “tunnel-vision” beliefs about our own achievements. We often forget the Big Picture, including those who helped us along the way. So retain your core mission and values, be mindful that nothing is coincidental– not even those who cross your path, and be grateful for what you have been given. 

May “The Fourth” Be with You!

Best,

Penina

 

Spring- A Time to Reboot & Read!

“What I need is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction.”

— Suzanne Collins, Mockingjay

“The moment you doubt your ability to fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

— J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Hello! Happy World Book Day!

I know, I know– it’s been a while <sheepish grin>…..

But I’ve been busy <sideways smile>.

I’ve been busy in Real Time with family occasions and obligations and helping out friends in need. I’ve been busy making a real effort not to multi-task as much, and truly live in the moment; professionally and personally. I’ve been busy trying to pursue purpose, not just profit.

When I haven’t been working in Manhattan wearing my Educator & Autism Specialist hat, I’ve been traveling/speaking/consulting in the USA, wearing my Woman Entrepreneur hat. I’ve been sharing various social communication, ed-tech, digital citizenship, and leadership lessons offline; those gleaned on my own ongoing journey, and those gleaned from the thought leadership of others. Lessons from others found in books and eBooks, newspaper and magazine articles I find via Apple News,  Flipboard for iOS or its Mac alternative, library apps like Hoopla and Zinio, and posts from bloggers and other people I follow on social media sites such as  Twitter, Google+, and Pinterest.

I’ve dropped in again today, on World Book Day 2017 to spread the message…..READ! <pointed glance>.

This message is also timely because we are about to hit May, AKA Graduation Month. I will be celebrating this milestone for the first time as an Aunt, within my own family….my first nephew will soon graduate from high school!

Take time to read! It’s not only going to make you smarter and more resilient but a better version of yourself! Reading makes you less stressed and stronger! Reading is good for your health, for your brain functioning, for finding inspiration to face adversity and hardship, for getting leadership takeaways, (since we are all leaders in the making), and for your “soft-skills” development! Reading helps you hone all those characteristics which showcase your humanity, empathy, and morality. Those intangible traits which make up your Theory of Mind i.e. psyche and perspective.

As an unconventional authorpreneur and entrepreneur, with a background in English, communications, educational technology, and behavioral pediatric speech-language pathology, I’m an avid, eclectic, and enthusiastic reader! One who truly believes that books are the BEST gift ever! As I’ve written previously:

 

Books are the only tangible presents which foster both inherent genius and hard-earned talent and fuel our ambition using our minds and hearts/souls. Books contain universal truths that unite us in a way that other tangible gifts (such as gadgets and clothes) can’t. Those gifts increase the divide between the “Haves” and “Have-Nots”, and decrease the balance between humanity and technology, which is becoming more crucial by the day. Furthermore, books are the only tangible gift that help a person reap numerous, long-term, and meaningful, intangible rewards.

 

It is so easy now to read free  books, and to even read them on your smartphone or tablet when you are on the go! (and who isn’t?). Reading, especially reading whole books “just because” i.e. on a myriad of topics, has reportedly unfortunately declined in the iEra, especially in teens and ironically college students; our workforce of tomorrow. I read somewhere recently that researchers are actually finding that a person’s brain is rewiring itself and changing in the iEra, thanks to our access to digital technology and exposure to overstimulating environments causing “sensory overload”. In the next generation of children entering school, the visual cortex may very well be larger than the auditory cortex!

In the next generation of children entering school, the visual cortex may very well be larger than the auditory cortex! What does that mean for language and literacy development? Yikes! Could it be that reading  may very well become passe, thanks to our growing obsession with Instagram and SnapChat? (two social media channels I’m proud to say I totally ignore).

This is an ongoing, growing concern, despite an increase in free local library access in the USA, an increase in levels of overall national literacy, and a plethora of reading material available online. This includes entire tomes, texts, and highbrow and lowbrow material to peruse in the blogosphere thanks to sites such as Medium and BuzzFeed. This is disquieting to me on so many levels.

This is disquieting to me on so many levels; as an educator, social entrepreneur, and a thinking human being in the twenty-first century. The future of work and our workforce in general hinges on our collective learning of specific skills and on getting a well-rounded education!

The future of work is not just a catch-phrase, but a looming silent revolution, a fluid, radical period of change– all about disruption. It is a time already upon us, where success is being redefined daily, as is the search for meaning and what a growth mindset is all about. Innovation is actually  not a linear process, nor is it a result of  linear thinking i.e. a “silo” mentality.

We live in a time of collective awe and wonder, where anything seems possible. A time of experimentation with trial and error where failure is actually condoned, grit and a “can-do” attitude are lauded publicly, and  emotional intelligencematters more than IQ.

Yet there’s a paradox, an oxymoron, a dichotomy to our existence and attempts to validate our existence. To validate our choices of profession and activities we engage in technologically and educationally when “offline” and behind the curtain of transparency.   The physical, mental, spiritual, and societal journey from “Me” to “We” has become increasingly complicated and inauthentic. Many of us just lived through a polarizing election year and an especially dreary winter, where inertia prevailed together with the cold; the bleak outer landscape influencing our own inner one.

It’s time to reboot. It’s time for the renewal of Spring to remind us that each and every one of us can make a difference; in ourselves and in others. Each and every one of us holds the key to our future, to rebooting and reinventing ourselves and our mission, to thrive, not just survive. It’s time to better balance humanity and technology and actual productivity with the pursuit of busyness. It’s time to rediscover ourselves again and discover new sides to ourselves. It’s time to learn more. It’s time to read more. 

What’s on your reading list? What will help you reboot? Connect the dots and think differently? Grow? Learn a strategy or skill? Get in touch with your inner child? Escape a little to decompress and stir the imagination? Tickle your sense of humor? Touch your heart?

Here’s what’s on my Reading Radar this Spring: 

1. Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant
2. Double Bind: Women on Ambition by Robin Romm
3. Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Startup Bubble by Dan Lyons
4. This Fight is Our Fight: The Battle to Save America’s Middle Class by Elizabeth Warren
5. The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career by Alexandra Cavoulacos
6. Creativity Inc: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull
7. We’re All Wonders by R.J. Palacio
8. Dot by Randi Zuckerberg & Joe Berger
9. Mapping Innovation: A Playbook for Navigating a Disruptive Age by Greg Satell
10. Machine Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future by Andrew McAfee & Erik Brynjolfsson

All leaders are readers. All who read learn. All reading results in growth. Go forth and blossom!

Happy Spring!

Happy Reading!

Penina

 

At the Crossroads of Social Good

“I believe in the power of the voice of women.”

— Malala Yousafzai

 

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.”

— William James

 

Walking the Walk:

I’ve been away from the blogosphere for a while, occupying both intellectual and physical space in both the education (special needs/Autism) and entrepreneurship arenas. Trying to better balance my own seesaw of humanity and technology; personally and professionally, while contributing to both. Trying to continue the “journey for change” I first embarked on 5 years ago, when I started my consulting company Socially Speaking LLC.

I’ve spent time doing this wearing various hats, and in various boroughs in New York City. I’ve had the privilege of meeting many different people from all walks of life and schools of thought. People coming together because of one commonality and one growing realization:

At the crossroads of education and entrepreneurship is where you find the seeds for social good. 

 

This is something I started to experience first hand when I began lecturing around North America in 2010. That spurred my own growth and the 2012 launch of my Socially Speaking™ iPad App, and my raison d’être for creating The NICE Initiative. It’s why I wrote my business book, The NICE Reboot, and have previously blogged here, for The Huffington Post, and on Tumblr. It’s something I’ll be speaking about in Newark NJ on 1/19/16.

The Truth About Social Good:

Social good is not new, but it is noticeably catching on. More and more of us have realized the importance of social entrepreneurship as a way to change the world and address national disasters. Both education and entrepreneurship are intertwined with social good, now more than ever. This is seen in the growing trend towards online learning and the gamification of the MBA. There is a paradigm shift in education resulting in the creation of student-centric learning. It’s all about creating “learning experiences”. This is trickling down into the startup arena where the  rules of engagement are also changing. Good entrepreneurs understand the importance of communication and technology in an almost intuitive way. It’s why for us, digital citizenship is crucial, as is acting like digital natives; no matter one’s age or geographical location.

Social good is the new frontier. It is the invisible country without a map, which knows no borders or time limits, and is accessible to all. Social good is the only true catalyst for meaningful change and overall success; for both the individual and communal pursuits we aspire to. It affects our mindset, especially when it comes to how we pursue entrepreneurship and work/life balance. It should affect our game plan and career trajectory, and should affect our best practices in our ongoing quest to balance our cravings for humanity and technology. The future of world peace depends on it. The future of work depends on it.

So how can one hone their entrepreneurship by harnessing the power of social good? 

Three Takeaways:

Here are 3 practical suggestions to ponder as we look towards our journey in the new year…….

1. Use your social media platform creatively and consistently as a sounding board and proverbial petri-dish to promote causes you care about, that can incite social media activism in others.

2. Use your job as a drawing board for honing a diverse and creative skill set of both soft skills and tech skills, so that you are ready and able to more effectively collaborate with others in real time and online.

3. Find ways to provide a product/service to a niche market that will promote good by contributing to the welfare of others, making a real difference. A quantifiable, global, and long-term difference in quality of life for the user. This goes beyond the revered “user experience” and is actually about leaving a self-sustaining legacy.

 

Wishing everyone a meaningful, joyous, and socially good new year,

Penina

Life Lessons from Christopher Columbus

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.”

— Amelia Earhart

“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

— Christopher Columbus

Three years ago this week, during this month of October, which is ironically Breast Cancer Awareness Month, my cherished best friend (since late childhood), first mentor, and founding silent business partner, Dr. Natalie “Nechah” Hochstein PsyD, discovered that the chemo just stopped working. She learned that her days were numbered and accepted the news with the humor and quiet grace so typical of her actions and persona.

Nechah started to feel quite poorly in October and began to rapidly deteriorate. After a valiant 3 year battle, she bowed out, and passed away from stage IV breast cancer, a mere two months later, on December 12,  2012. I was with her on the last day of her life, where she gave me some last minute advice. She also asked me to publicly share my work (and hers) with others.

So I spent the last three years lecturing around North America full time, and publishing my experiences.  I shared my various takeaways in The NICE Reboot: A Guide to Becoming a Better Female Entrepreneur and in Autism Intervention in the iEra: Practical Social Communication Strategies for Integrating Toys and Tech in Treatment. I spent the last three years profoundly missing her; trying to find ways to pursue purpose and profit to honor her memory, and trying to make sense of this convoluted collective pathway known as living.

Nechah’s life and overall teachings as a child psychologist, woman warrior fighting breast cancer, and a fellow startup entrepreneur, have profoundly impacted the way I now approach things. How I see life,  the world in general, and the process of problem solving; as a professional woman and Autism Specialist, as a social entrepreneur, and as a human being. How I view things like happiness, learning, introspection, creativity, and innovation.

My own professional odyssey as a modern woman, an educator, leader, and “techie” interested in the brain, gender, and tech, coupled with the journey I embarked on with Nechah (when she was first diagnosed in 2009), provided many life lessons on a variety of topics. After careful reflection, I realized that they can be watered down to three takeaways I specifically learned from her. Three takeaways from her favorite quote; one by Christopher Columbus, just in time for Columbus Day:

“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”

— Christopher Columbus

What are the 3 takeaways?

1. Crossing the proverbial ocean happens a lot in life, and must be seen as an adventure, the way teaching kids should always be viewed. So that the environment impacts you as much, if not more, than you act on/impact on it. So that you can discard what’s not working and streamline.  So that you can let go of old ideas and let new ones in. So that you forestall inertia, cynicism, and stagnant thinking; all of which contribute to entrepreneurial perfectionist tendencies and fatigue.

2. Happiness is a verb, one that manifests itself most when transversing new terrain figuratively and physically. One that depends on taking action and being proud of it. One that depends on honing one’s character traits and positive outlook. Both of which affect one’s mindset (thoughts) and attitude (deeds). Both of which are integral to the human process of self actualization, first posited by Dr. Abraham Maslow, and made popular again in today’s socially connected startup culture and social media circles.

3. Reading voraciously, whether a paper book or on a tablet,  is a necessity, not a luxury, a life-long habit to empower you, help you create and live your personal brand, and nurture your mind. Reading helps you develop your inner landscape AKA Theory of Mind i.e. empathy and perspective. So that you increase your knowledge, emotional IQ i.e. empathy, and creativity; all of which are integral to professional (especially entrepreneurial) success. Especially in today’s tech-savvy, eager to learn, uber-competitive, and globally connected society!

Learning takeaways from others, especially those whom we respect, is essential for us to better ourselves; professionally and personally. We need them to counteract cognitive bias and obsolete best practices, no matter which industry one is in. These takeaways shape the way we develop emotional intelligence and teaching/mentoring strategies for others, not to mention developing ways to actually do good for others.

Each of us has innate leadership skills and real contributions to offer others. Each of us has the ability to rise above our circumstances, obstacles, and choices, to leave the people and the planet better off than when we first arrived on this earth. But first we need to bear witness to the wide experience of being human, and share those takeaways with others. Just like Dr. Oliver Sachs did before passing away from liver cancer on August 30, 2015, and just like my friend did, before her untimely death as well.

If life is like a conveyor belt propelling us forward, it is so crucial that we take the lessons of our pasts with us into the Great Unknown; for ourselves and for others.

Best,

Penina

Note: This post simultaneously appears in LinkedIn and in Tumblr.

   

Penina Rybak MA/CCC-SLP, TSHH, is the founder/CEO of Socially Speaking LLC, and the creator of the Socially Speaking™ Program and Socially Speaking™ iPad App. Her work was published in Italy in 2014 in the European textbook Special Educational Needs, and in her new book Autism Intervention in the iEra. Penina has spoken around North America on the topics of social communication development and strategies, iPad App integration into professional workflows and educational curricula, personal digital branding and social media, and practical and psychological aspects to female entrepreneurship. She is also the author of The NICE Reboot-A Guide to Becoming a Better Female Entrepreneur: How to Balance Your Cravings for Humanity & Technology in Today’s Startup Culture. To learn more about her work, visit  sociallyspeakingLLC.com, and follow her on Twitter: @PopGoesPenina. She recently became the Clinical Support Specialist at the new Autism PreK Program for The Kennedy Child Study Center in Manhattan.

Turning Our Perceptions of Failure Inside Out

We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.”

— Whoopi Goldberg

“Success is not final and failure is not fatal; it is the courage to continue that counts.”

— Winston Churchill

In the summer of 2010, my best friend since late childhood was suddenly diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer, during a routine physical. A funny, humble, gifted, scholarly, child psychologist with a head for business and a heart of gold, she was in the midst of planning a startup launch with me for a unique consulting business. One that would pair education and entrepreneurship to promote women leadership in the special education arena. Socially Speaking LLC was born the summer Pixar’s Toy Story 3 wowed audiences at the box-office and the original iPad® wowed people at home.
At that time, I was a school based pediatric speech-language pathologist/Autism specialist, with a head for technology (especially Apple™ tech), and a flair for public speaking and writing. I was in the middle of creating my Socially Speaking™ Social Skills Curriculum pairing toys and iOS tech in treatment of young children with Autism. It later became the basis for my national/international Socially Speaking™ Seminars, my 2012 social skills assessment iPad® App, and my 2015 published book Autism Intervention in the iEra. Some of my work was also recently featured in Apps for Autism: Second Edition (2015).

I had a career as a speech therapist and then decided to take a risk and become an entrepreneur.  I left my comfortable, somewhat predictable full time position in a school district where I was on the tenure track, and opened a door to the unknown. I traveled all around North America giving conferences and consultations on all manner of things related to social communication and iOS technology.

My best friend worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help me launch and manage my startup, all while juggling her own private practice, her part time job at the International Center for the Disabled (ICD) in Manhattan, and her chemotherapy appointments. She did it with such practicality, grace, and humor; all of which I have tried to embed in my company’s DNA, mission, and its brand.

We often joked that our shared history (which includes traveling abroad together during the gap year after high school, and then attending college together), similar Theory of Mind (our inner landscape and emotional engagement with others) and dissimilar approaches to problem solving (I tend to be a less linear and more “outside the box” thinker) made for great teamwork, not to mention great conversations. The results of those conversations are what I put into practice right away, while marketing myself on the road, and on social media, and what I put into my 2014 business book, The NICE Reboot: A Guide to Becoming a Better Female Entrepreneur-How to Balance Your Cravings for Humanity and Technology in Today’s Startup Culture.

When my best friend, mentor, muse, and silent business partner lost her long, valiant, and painful battle with breast cancer in December 2012, I felt totally lost. But I knew it was time to truly share what she had taught me– by example. I took the plunge and decided to remove the safety net, and delve into freelance consulting/entrepreneurship full time, by myself, without venture capital.

I remember trying to find solace, strength, and meaning as I went through all the 5 stages of grief  first documented by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross. I lost myself in my full day seminars and extensive travels, in Pixar’s ode to Girl Power, Brave, in seeing/enjoying that “Aha” moment while teaching others best practices re: Autism intervention and/or how to integrate the iPad® into their workflow, and in writing. I took time to become an authorpreneur; penning The NICE Reboot and a subsequent column for The Huffington Post at Arianna Huffington’s personal invitation. I also remember spending a lot of time in real time and online, pondering the nature of innovation, success, a meaningful legacy, and what it means to succeed and  lead.

Through trial and error, and viewing the world through a “Why not?” lens focused on the power of the human spirit, I learned about myself, and about the beautiful tapestry of this thing called life. I learned life altering and sometimes painful lessons which I will always cherish. I learned about personal digital branding, about  resiliency, harnessing time,  creativity, the art of storytelling, the importance of balancing humanity and technology, and the importance of taking time to play and make good products that “do good”.

I also learned the value in looking deeper under the surface; at people and events, to see the Big Picture. I learned that everything one experiences and everyone one crosses paths with, can and does provide teachable moments. Ones which enable a person to “connect the dots” in unusual and meaningful ways, and remain authentic to his/her true self and calling.

For the past 3 years I have had one foot in the special education arena and one foot in the women entrepreneurship/leadership arena. I have straddled “the fence” (sometimes to my own detriment!) and actively pursued tangible and intangible, profitable and purposeful, and easy and difficult opportunities on both sides of it. To strategically collaborate. To provide thought leadership. To make a real difference in the lives of others, and thereby enhance my own personal development and sense of accomplishment. I have experienced triumphs and tribulations, successes and failures,  “eureka” moments followed by periods of befuddlement, and many sleepless nights and jam-packed days meeting more great people and seeing more wondrous things as a tourist than I can count.

Throughout all this, I have continuously sought to learn, to do, to change my perspective about things, and adapt. I have sought out all kinds of takeaways from so many sources, to pack in my proverbial suitcase and to allay my fears. Fears about my legacy, my trajectory, my balance sheet, and ultimately my desired outcome(s).

It wasn’t until I recently saw Pixar’s best movie yet, Inside Out, that things crystallized for me. I gained clarity about what it really means to be a self-actualized human being who exercises one’s Theory of Mind to adapt. I discovered the power in saying “no” after 5 years of saying “yes”. I realized that it’s time to embark on a new journey of collaboration and self-discovery. I understood the need for change, like the 11 year old girl named Riley, whose family moves from snowy, bucolic Minnesota to sunny, crowded San Francisco, which is the catalyst for this film.

I cannot stop raving about Inside Out to everyone I meet; especially in the Autism community and education arena! I’ve always loved the Pixar “origin story” and what the company stands for. I use examples from the Toy Story films in all my Autism related seminars. I devoured Creativity Inc. which is the ultimate behind the scenes look at the “Pixar Process”,  and is probably the best management book out there– ever. I even wrote about it and about creativity, and “feeding the beast”, and how the nature vs. nurture debate impacts productivity and success.

Success in life; especially in entrepreneurship, is an ever-changing, fluid staircase. One which requires introspection, hard work, and resiliency to make the stairs increase in number. I’d like to write about 3 life lessons I gleaned from this Oscar-worthy, brilliant, deceptively simple movie. One that should be on all our summer homework lists as we build those staircases; in our minds and in our lives.

What I Learned About Life from “Inside Out” (Without Spoilers):

1. Memories Lie.

They are not always true representations of what happened. Memories are colored by our own perceptions of people/places/events at the time of that experience. This can be a scary proposition, because memories fade but never truly disappear. So “acting on instinct” could potentially be an unproductive way to tap into those fuzzy memories and make poor decisions. So can living in the past and holding on to prior best practices and cultural mores.
2. Own the Bad. 

It’s the bad times in life that help a person “step up” and grow, and have a deeper appreciation of the good times and not take them for granted. Take ownership of your bad days, mistakes, your anger and sadness, and other undesirable events and feelings which help shape your present and future self. Life’s “bleachable moments” are necessary to retain for greater progress, independence, and success, and should only be erased with Clorox on TV!
3. Rock the ‘People Power’.

We all need our inner circle (whose members come and go) to “have our back” and keep us “on track” in all ways.  All human beings crave social and emotional connections with others to forge bonds that promote well-being, learning, and problem solving. This is what drives us in our quest for validation and meaningful interactions; at home, work, at school, and online via social media. Thanks to technology, collaboration has taken on a whole new meaning. Thanks to Inside Out, the way we collectively view others and their needs, will never be the same.

Pixar and all it stands for, is a shining example of the future of work where creativity reigns, and the conundrum surrounding the quest for better balance of humanity and technology is always addressed. Inside Out is a shining example of the power of a best friend, albeit an imaginary one named Bing Bong, who can change the course of a person’s life (not to mention thought processes) and be that person’s  hero.

Riley learns to let go, and to embrace change. Joy learns that change is good, and that there is no “I” in team. I have learned how I myself can better help others develop a mindset and legacy of turning Me > We. As Tina Fey says, “there are no mistakes, only opportunities.”

I will be taking my tech savvy, my knowledge and experience in Autism intervention, and my entrepreneurial perspective and mindset and applying them to my my new job.

I’ve just been hired to be the new Clinical Support Specialist at the Kennedy Child Study Center in Manhattan. New program, new location, new school year, new supervisory leadership role, new possibilities, and new ways to help children with special needs redefine success and failure. All while continuing to share my Socially Speaking™ company vision and work which I started with my best friend 5 years ago.

Seems like a lifetime ago, but that’s just my perception…..

I want to sincerely thank everyone who has physically, virtually, emotionally, intellectually, collaboratively, and creatively accompanied me on my journey.

I am a better person as a result, and eternally grateful!

Best,

Penina

The Depreciation of the Value of Creativity

“The creative adult is the child who survives.”

— Ursula Le Guin

“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”

— Albert Einstein

The human psyche is such that “feeding the beast” is not always a good thing, except when it comes to creativity, something I previously wrote about here on WordPress and in this article for The Huffington Post. The truth is, we live in a time where getting things  “on demand”, whether they be material goods or information at our fingertips, is eroding our innate creativity.

This is a growing problem for our society and the economy alike, because creativity matters.

It is the backbone of innovation, especially for twenty first century students. It is the antidote to conformity, especially for the modern entrepreneur and leader. So one has to ask:

Is the value of creativity being depreciated? 

It is so important to hone creativity and play skills in children; which is why my new book, Autism Intervention in the iEra is all about pairing toys and tech (iPad Apps) in treatment. It’s so important to understand the psychology behind the depreciating value of creativity, which is perfectionism; something I wrote of in my business book The NICE Reboot.

Perfectionism destroys creativity; and the ability to innovate. Perfectionism is a beast that gets “fed” when one spends too much time in “their head”, or isolated, or comparing themselves to others, or engaged in tasks that promote busyness instead of true productivity, and skewed performance instead of balance.

As we all know, balance in all things is crucial for overall wellbeing. You know what else is crucial? Taking time to listen to the whispers of the inner child residing in each of us, which grows fainter as we grow older. Why? So that we can bust the myths that hold us back; myths we hear from others and myths we fabricate in our heads. Myths which arise from fear of failure and fear of change.

So how can we overcome our fear? By understanding the causes of creativity, which I posted below. By understanding that creativity results from making mistakes, from trial and error,  and engaging in collaboration with others. By actively seeking and and going towards the “road less traveled by”. By understanding that creativity is not a hobby.

It is a way of life.

Don’t conform.

“To thine own self be true.”

— Shakespeare (Hamlet)

Best,

Penina

Happy Mothers Day 2015!

A little Star Wars humor to enhance your day 🙂

Here’s hoping y’all get a great and meaningful gift that keeps giving!

Check out Penina Rybak’s Amazon page and learn more……

Reflections of an Authorpreneur

“A great story arc involves and depicts the hero’s struggle to orchestrate change; for himself, herself, or for others, by finding new ways to work and invoke lessons and the causality loop that life is based on.”

— Penina Rybak, The NICE Reboot: A Guide to Becoming a Better Female Entrepreneur, page 166, (2014)

“Your time is limited. Don’t waste it living someone else’s life.”

— Steve Jobs, Stanford University Commencement Speech (2005), Chronicled in Becoming Steve Jobs

The new biography on Steve Jobs came out today, and even though I haven’t read it yet, it’s gotten me thinking. I never met him but he had a tremendous impact on me, personally and professionally; something I mentioned in this tribute video. Thanks to his gracious funding of the NY TRAID Project in the 90s, and accepting me into that program with Westchester Institute for Human Development, I became one of the first speech therapist/ed-tech Apple™ evangelists in special education. I wrote about this, and him, in my business book.

It’s been roughly a year since that book,  The NICE Reboot , was published by Maven House Press. Approximately 1 year since I spoke about it, and my work as one of the prototypical Apple™ educators and evangelists,  at a panel discussion (where I was the only woman speaker) in Silicon Valley with other social entrepreneurs sponsored by Hack for Big Choices. A year since I started blogging about woman leadership and founders (and about the state of female entrepreneurship) for The Huffington Post. A year since I systematically and consistently provided my NICE perspective on everything related to startup life in the iEra.

I’ve written about so many things in my various blogposts…. here, on Tumblr, and on LinkedIn. I’ve shared many insights and links of others, from the 3 E’s of the technology revolution to the rise of the storyteller entrepreneur, from retaining one’s humor to honing creativity and a collaborative mindset.  I’ve also tried to shed light on the true nature of the woman entrepreneur’s journey today; so different than that of yesteryear and of her male counterpart. From mentorship to the myth of the lone warrior entrepreneur,  from open letters to the Startup Sisterhood to one about the power of positivity, I hope my posts have been entertaining, as well as educational!

When my best friend and mentor lost her battle with breast cancer in 2012, I honored her last request; that I begin writing “Penina’s Pointers”.

So I did.

In addition to blogging, I  wrote misc. seminar handouts for my special education Socially Speaking™ Program which I’ve been lecturing about around North America since 2010. I wrote white papers about entrepreneurship on Slideshare. I created the Socially Speaking™ iPad App, and wrote two books, the second of which is about my trademarked social skills curriculum, finally out in this spring.

For a long time,  I strongly felt that providing thought leadership was my part of my calling, and I heeded that call. Now it’s time to heed another one.

I now have opportunities in real time to heed other calls related to my work as an Autism specialist, iPad Evangelist in special education, and social entrepreneur. I will be focusing on that. I’ve learned so much from the forks in the road to get to this point, especially when I took “the ones less traveled by”. I have gained much from my unique travels since launching my company Socially Speaking LLC.

I want to express my gratitude to my readers and fellow entrepreneurs. I want to thank the diverse people I’ve met, the eclectic virtual mentorship I’ve been exposed to, and the social media contacts I’ve cultivated. I am grateful for those who have crossed my path, enriched my life, and enhanced my appreciation for the most noble of human traits; curiosity.

Many people have asked me what I’ve learned, and what takeaways I can provide other authorpreneurs. They want to know what to expect, especially as I get ready to publish my second book, Autism Intervention in the iEra (which is about the integration of toys and tech i.e. iPad Apps  in today’s lesson plans). I don’t have all the answers, and am certainly not speaking for all writers or entrepreneurs who got published, or for women leaders for that matter.

I’d like to simply share 4 lessons I’ve learned based on my own journey, my own readings about the paths others have taken, and what I’ve seen along the way. What became clear to me as I took time for the past 18 months to explore detours, make mistakes, try new things, and ultimately, stay true to my company’s mission; to better balance humanity and technology in the iEra.

1. Consumers have changed, and their expectations re: interaction with an  author,  have changed with it.

Consumers have come to expect a social media presence and a clearly laid out digital footprint from authors, well before the actual book comes out. Their buying habits have changed, and there are many distractions and “blingy” products out there clamoring for their attention. That’s why understanding and implementing personal branding, digital marketing via social media, and strategic collaboration (online and offline), is so important! Especially with people outside of your industry! We are all in sales, no matter what job we have! As Shakespeare said in As You Like It:

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances.”

2. Content driven experiences for storytelling and marketing purposes must be part of the book, and the social media hype surrounding it.

The process of telling stories and sharing them online or at speaking engagements has taken on new meaning, thanks to the ease with which we can use pictures and video as popular mediums, find free visual images online, and understand and utilize the structure of storytelling. Think of the Super Bowl ads. Think of how Canva went viral in a relativity short time. Think of Pixar’s Rules of Storytelling and Ed Catmull’s excellent book, Creativity Inc.

3. The Digital Age has changed the rules of engagement and ease by which a person publishes/distributes content and streamlines it for niche markets, but it doesn’t change the fact that quality trumps quantity. 

It’s becoming much easier to become an author, but just because people can write a post or book, should they? This applies to a book’s reading material, demographic, and even Amazon reviews of the work of others. It’s why I have carefully chosen to have my first book published the traditional route, and my second self published. It’s why I decided to write one book about female entrepreneurship best practices, and one book about Autism intervention and social communication development best practices. It is also why I carefully choose which books to read and recommend. Think of it as careful content curation for future thought leadership, authorpreneurship, and/or digital marketing purposes. Think of it as proactive digital reputation management, part of due diligence in today’s workplace.

4. Readers want static information at their fingertips; something taken for granted in this age of websites, Google searches, mobile devices, and overall instant gratification. But it’s important to remember that a true authopreneur fosters innovation and problem solving for others, and acts as as an agent of change in his/her ecosystem by connecting the dots that are unseen. 

We human beings are hardwired to seek answers and pursue a life of purpose, while at the same time yearning for a “quick fix”. We want to push the envelope re: the unknown frontiers such as space and science, yet maintain a healthy respect for the intangible such as faith and love. This oxymoron is what us towards self actualization, the highest achievement in Maslow’s Hierarchy. It’s what makes for the conundrum every authopreneur faces…. If we learn by doing, then how much should we be telling…. in our books and blogs?

This question is on my mind today. This question will continue to resonate with me as I take time off from blogging (but not from social media:)

I am taking time to explore and check out new horizons and vistas and new job opportunities. I hope to learn new things from new fellow travelers I meet; all catalysts and comrades on my personal and professional odyssey to live a life that matters, has meaning, and allows me to better balance humanity and technology.

It’s time to concentrate on my “live” ecosystem and work towards crafting a self-sustaining legacy. It’s time to say “no” to some things and “yes” to others.

A successful ecosystem, whether in real time or online, is only as successful as its members who become agents of change. That means that its overall impact is predicated on the impact its members have on others. On the impact its members have on what they don’t do, don’t follow, and don’t say, just as much as what they do. 

A successful ecosystem has educators who act as catalysts for change. It has authors who act as scribes, bards, anthropologists, and analysts. It also has individuals who take entrepreneurial action to disrupt the status quo. People who take a stand, make an effort to stand out, try to collaborate with others. Those who diligently work to bring others together; country, culture, and rituals. So that we can all find new solutions to old problems. So that we can all positively affect the people and the planet. So we can change our overall inner script, our family life, our community life, and our work/life balance in the process.

Let me leave you with this question:

What would you do with more time?

To be continued…..

Best,

Penina

In Honor of International Women’s Day 2015

“We can all agree I think, that making the most of women…half the population! is vital to securing our future.”

— Nicky Morgan: Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, United Kingdom

“To be truly transformative, the post-2015 development agenda must prioritize gender equality and women’s empowerment. The world will never realize 100 per cent of its goals if 50 per cent of its people cannot realize their full potential.”

— UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

You can find more on my LinkedIn Blog and Tumblr Blog:

“An Open Letter to the Sisterhood of the Startup Arena”

In honor of ‪#‎InternationalWomensDay‬ and ‪#‎NationalReadingMonth‬….and the post I just wrote on WordPress recommending the ‪#‎Outlander‬ book by Diana Gabaldon 🙂

See more here.

What’s the most important message to share with other women entrepreneurs today?

Best,

Penina

What Kind of Reader Are You?

“I try to write parts for women that are as complicated and interesting as women actually are.”

— Nora Ephron

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”

— Dr. Seuss

March is National Reading Month; good news for those of us in the Bibliophile Club 🙂

Today was World Book Day; all thrifty and resourceful bookworms unite and rejoice! Whether you are an authorpreneur like myself,  or looking to empower little girls to push the envelope and grow up to make a difference, there’s a book out there–maybe several, calling your name.

But before you heed the call, take a moment to answer this question….

What kind of reader are you?

• The one who reads books over and over?
• The one who wants to know what the book is about before reading it at all?
• The one whose job revolves around books?
• The one who uses books as a tool to harness creativity for a job not involving books?

As I wrote in my own book, The NICE Reboot, being an avid reader has profoundly influenced my life, and enriched it in so many ways. So thanks to all whose words I’ve read and pored over, and whose voices have resonated with me across time and space!

“I am a better person, and certainly a much better entrepreneur that I would have been, had I not been introduced to all your voices and ideas, at pivotal moments in my life. Patterns, seemingly random patterns. The strides I have made both personally and professionally, through the gains I have made by my exposure to all of you, have coalesced into one entity, that of this book.”

So what’s on my current radar, as a modern woman and a female entrepreneur?

1. Martin Levin’s adorable All I Know About Management I Learned from My Dog: The Real Story of Angel, a Rescued Golden Retriever, Who Inspired the New Four Golden Rules of Management  (which I reviewed on Amazon)

2. Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter’s upcoming Triggers: Creating Behavior That Lasts–Becoming the Person You Want to Be (which intrigues me as both as an entrepreneur and educator.)

3. Roxanne Gay’s unvarnished Bad Feminist: Essays (which interests me as a woman trying to find work/life balance in today’s complicated era.)

4. Diana Gabaldon’s epic ode to woman power, Outlander (which is currently $1.99 in the Kindle Store,  thanks to Jamie Fraser fans everywhere waiting for the STARZ TV series to resume April 4 🙂

5. Veronica Roth’s twisty tale of humanity’s foibles, Insurgent (which was made into a movie out this month! You can read my Huffington Post piece on Divergent here.)

Books are the gifts that keep giving; to ourselves and to others. As I wrote in a previous post here on WordPress:

“Books are the only tangible presents which foster both inherent genius and hard-earned talent and fuel our ambition using our minds and hearts/souls. Books contain universal truths that unite us in a way that other tangible gifts (such as gadgets and clothes) can’t. Those gifts increase the divide between the “Haves” and “Have-Nots”, and decrease the balance between humanity and technology, which is becoming more crucial by the day. Furthermore, books are the only tangible gift that help a person reap numerous, long-term, and meaningful, intangible rewards.”

What will you be reading this month?

Best,

Penina

 

 

 

What’s in Your ‘Trep Toolbox? Part 6: Tech Tools

“You can be good at technology and still like fashion and art. You can do it your way, on your terms. ”

— Marissa Mayer, Yahoo CEO

“It’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough. Technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that is what yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.”

— Steve Jobs, Co-Founder and Apple CEO ( iPad 2 Launch in March 2011)

This week’s post wraps up my current series here on WordPress. Over these last few weeks, I let you peek inside my ‘trep toolbox and inside my proverbial to-do list re: workflows and tools I use/plan to use for increased  productivity, performance, and online visibility. Today’s entrepreneur needs to balance humanity and technology and reboot, so that he/she can sustain momentum, step up and lead, flip the script as needed, and have a real impact. Especially with all the hoopla about net neutrality. 

Technology impacts our lives regularly now, from smartphones and social media to wearables, and everything in between.

What separates the digital immigrant  from the digital native?  

The answer lies in how one approaches technology and its potential to shape a person’s digital citizenship and spur change.

Here’s what I wrote about digital immigrant educators and mavericks like myself,  in my soon to be published textbook on Autism intervention in the iEra:

“They understood and embraced the power and potential of innovation through digital citizenship as a way of life, not just a way to harness technology to accomplish tasks for greater productivity. Each of them started me on my journey towards fully realized digital citizenship, which should be the professional development goal of every educator and service provider in the 21st century classroom and workplace.

Being a seasoned Apple™ technology expert and subsequent iPad Evangelist taught me the value of using digital visual supports to tap into the inner landscape of children with Autism and special needs. It also taught me the value of seeking out multi-sensory learning experiences and then providing them for others. That’s why I advocate for the combining of toys and tech in treatment for a truly holistic approach to enhancing working and episodic memory.

I learned that designing teachable moments that promote what we now refer to as digital citizenship must involve the synthesis of design, functionality, and portability. I learned that digital citizenship is as much an attitude, a way of life, as it is a skill set in need of steady cultivation for future success; professionally and personally.”

Honing one’s digital citizenship and tech savvy go hand in hand in the startup arena, where it’s all about streamlining, wearing many hats, and using tech to maximize efficiency and productivity.

That’s why I love my swiss-army-knife entrepreneurial tool of choice, my iPad; something I wrote about extensively in my business  book,  The NICE Reboot:

“A tech gadget’s greatest selling point is its customization feature. It resides within each App, in terms of the hardware and user interface, which you customize by tweaking the settings button on the control panel. It also resides in each App’s toolbar, which can often be tweaked by the individual user at any time. This allows for better integration of the hardware and software portions of the mobile device.”

So what’s on my tech radar in the iEra?

What do I recommend entrepreneurs consider, try out, and spread the word about?

Here are 4 Apple™ related tech tools I’ve used and found both customizable and quite helpful; the two reasons I’ll use any kind of technology to begin with!

1. Kindle App for iPad: Used for Content Curation

I remember getting one of the first Kindles and being very impressed. But I was blown away when I started using the Kindle App on my iPad! Reading has made a real comeback, thanks to Amazon’s Kindle and Kindle App. From reading all kinds of books to Emailed PDFs of proposals, I can both “power up” and “power down” as needed; learning, growing, and traveling to far away lands without ever leaving my chair. Best of all, Kindle has some cool tricks that makes for a truly customizable reading experience!

2. iMazing for Mac (Windows version was released 2/6/15): Used for Productivity

Upgrading our devices, and/or their operating systems, are necessary evils. Thanks to iMazing (formerly DiskAid), I can easily and pretty much painlessly transfer my data (Apps, music, SMS, Contacts, Calls, Photos) and even remember where I put which App on my device. iMazing allows me to literally recreate my previous setup either via “backup” or “cloning” by using a snapshot of my home screens. Talk about the ultimate customization helper! Best of all? One free trial (15 days) works 3 times!

3. Notability for iPad (Notability for Mac also rocks!): Used for Presentations & Social Media

I have used this versatile, inexpensive, and visually appealing App since it first came out around 3 years ago, and still give it rave reviews! It’s a robust, comprehensive virtual project manager. Notability is a note taker, audio-recorder, PDF editor, Infographics creator, and mind-mapping generator; essential for us multi-taskers! There are many ways to use it to customize lists, notes, presentations, and documents, making life much less complicated and much more portable! Best of all? Use iCloud to sync across devices!

4. Desk for Mac, Desktop Publishing Client for OS X Yosemite: Used for Blogging/Social Media and Content Creation

Desk launched a few months ago and was updated on 2/19/15 and all I can say is…wow! As a multi-platform blogger (WordPress, Tumblr, The Huffington Post) I can truly appreciate navigating the easy user-interface, the easy drag and drop (for pics/video) mode, the easy text editing (word count AND character count included), and the fact that I can quickly publish. I enjoy the vintage yet modern “feel” which lets me concentrate (a very uncluttered space appears when I start typing…a nice change from other platforms!) and customize both my blogpost experience and the actual blogposts! Best of all? I can export my writing as a PDF, RTF, or DocX file!

All products and projects are the sum of their parts, which is why using technology helps me manage all the “moving parts” I encounter on a daily basis as an entrepreneur. The tech sector may resemble the Wild West of yesteryear, but it’s important to understand this point, which is excerpted from The NICE Reboot:

“Mobile technology is a product of creativity, functionality, productivity, undercutting prices, and marketing attempts. That’s why there are free, paid, discounted, and holiday themed versions of prototypes. Their success is determined by the fast-paced roller coaster ride in which they are unveiled, hawked, and finally purchased by the consumer. And if the consumer isn’t tech savvy to begin with, the entire process becomes more confusing and frustrating.”

So what’s a digital immigrant to do, to prepare for the future of  work?

Remember what Elizabeth Bennett tells Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice?

“Perhaps you should take your aunt’s advice and practice?”

Best,

Penina

What’s in Your ‘Trep Toolbox? Part 5- Three Public Speaking Tools

“With his unshakable optimism, his heroic vision, and above all, his splendid speeches, Churchill roused the spirit of the British people.”

— Gretchen Rubin, Author: The Happiness Project

“Neuroscientists are finding that what passes as a typical presentation is usually the worst way to engage your audience.”

— Carmine Gallo, Author: The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs

Today’s startup culture demands a level of tech-savvy and communication skills unlike years past. It’s why somebody like me, a communications specialist/speech-language pathologist and educational technology consultant turned entrepreneur has gotten an inside look at the changing business landscape. I have traveled around North America since 2010 as an iPad Evangelist and public speaker re: Autism intervention, productivity, and personal digital branding.

It’s why I will be speaking at this event on 2/24/15 at a unique venue, Joynture on Wall Street,  in Manhattan. I’ve invited people who are interested in thinking differently about entrepreneurship; the journey and end-game. Why? Because as Henry Doss writes in this thought provoking post:

“Speaking about and to innovation is not the same thing as speaking about or to specific outcomes. When we speak about innovation, we are speaking about states of being, of system conditions, of potential.  The language of innovation is a language about culture, and for this reason, it must be a language of narrative, and stories and tales.”

I have flipped the script or rebooted my quest to innovate many times in my life; personally and professionally. It has resulted in honing my speaking skills and changing my Story, so that I am unafraid of taking risks, of leading with emotion, and of change. I believe that entrepreneurs can change the world. It begins with speeches which inspire, and linger in the minds of the audience, long after the lights have been turned off and the last live-tweet was fired.

It’s something that drives me to make my presentations an experience, not an exercise in endurance. It’s something that’s made me create a toolbox of public speaking tools if you will, to help me achieve that goal. Let me share 3 tools I use:

1. Keynote for Mac

Keynote for Mac (or for the iPad) blows. Other presentation tools. Out of the water. While there are many presentation aides to choose from, Keynote consistently delivers! It provides a seamless, entertaining, fully multimedia, visually appealing, and easy to use speaker program to create memories and meaningful dialogue, not just a message.

2. Kensington Wireless Presenter “Clicker”

The Kensington Wireless Presenter is a dream come true for speakers who like to walk the room and maintain control of the slides. I hate podiums and have been known to roam, and engage the audience up close and personal; sometimes sitting amongst them and taking questions or chatting. This “clicker” has awesome reach, not to mention it’s small enough to fit into my purse, making packing for travel so much less tedious!

3. VidToMp3 Music Converter 

We live in the iEra where portable music is all the rage. Customizing one’s “playlist”  for pitches, presentations, and a personal theme song to increase motivation is now the norm. Depending on my mood, my audience, my topic, and my venue, I will use music in different ways, requiring me to create a robust music library without going into debt 🙂 I therefore recommend the VidtoMp3 site, which I’ve happily used for several years, to grow my list of music files I can tap into as needed.

Being a successful speaker is about mindset, not just efficiency. It’s about knowingly creating a legacy, not just a “filler” for one’s resume.  As Dr. Oliver Sachs writes in this heart wrenching, beautiful post:

“I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.”

Today’s speaker must find ways to deliver great content while melding showmanship with technological prowess, and humor with poignancy. Dr. Sachs and Steve Jobs are masters in their craft; excellent speakers and thinkers, who embodied this repeatedly, as seen from YouTube and their many filmed talks.

Steve Jobs had his  presentation tactics. What are yours?

To be continued…..

Best,

Penina

 

What’s in Your ‘Trep Toolbox? Part 4- Self Awareness Tools

“When you love yourself, that’s when you’re most beautiful.”

— Zoe Kravitz, Actress: Divergent

“To thine own self be true.”

— William Shakespeare, Playwright: Hamlet

I’ve been writing about serious topics related to technology lately, especially in The Huffington Post. I’ve been reading about serious topics this week such as artificial intelligence and avoiding impostor syndrome as an entrepreneur. I’ve been recently blogging here about tools for the serious entrepreneur.

It’s time for a literary pivot where I attempt to live up to my company’s mission:

To help others better balance humanity and technology in the iEra.

It’s time for a lighter kind of post.

It’s time to take a break from looking outward, and focus inward on what I as Penina, a woman, a human being, an educator, and an entrepreneur, “bring to the table”…. that proverbial table we all seek.

It’s time for a self awareness check.

As I wrote this week on Tumblr:

This week is that Horrific Hallmark Holiday That Shall Not Be Named. It’s a time when relationships become fodder for consumerism, and the lines between networking and dating get blurred at the office. This week finds everyone reexamining their relationships, trying to find takeaways from those of others; fictional (think Brave, Bonny Jamie and Clever Claire, or Control Freak Mr. Grey and Awkward Ana) 🙂 and and real (think of the media coverage re: Patrick Dempsey and Giada De Laurentiis who both split from their respective spouses, just to name a few.)

A person’s self awareness impacts on one’s Theory of Mind; something I wrote about in my book, The NICE Reboot, and again in my upcoming textbook on Autism intervention in the iEra, out in April 2015. It directly influences one’s authorpreneur aspirations, and one’s interactions with others. This is something to keep in mind as an entrepreneur who needs to hone self awareness in order to find entry points to empathize, learn from, and collaborate with other people.

Opportunities to hone one’s self awareness abound in startup-land. Founders need to “stay true to their brand”. So that the trajectory, product launch, and strategic alliances all come together for smoother sailing and less stress; a reality of startup life.

Self awareness is thus crucial for today’s busy entrepreneur trying to balance humanity and technology when:

• Forming a startup team
• Giving pitches
• Attending networking events
• Giving presentations
• Exhibiting leadership in real time and thought leadership online

It is therefore part of due diligence for an entrepreneur to carefully consider which self awareness tools to pack along, to maintain heart centered leadership and emotional intelligence. To maintain creativity and avoid mediocrity.

I’m not a certified psychologist or an expert on human nature by any means and I promised you a laugh. 🙂

So I will provide 3 tongue in cheek suggestions to help you answer these 2 timely questions:

• How well do you know yourself?
• What skill sets do you have to employ, when the going gets rough? 

Here are some fun “tests” to take and find out!

1. Are you able to harness the power of perseverance? Which Outlander character are you?

2. Are you able to harness the power of visualization and imagination? Which Dr. Seuss character are you?

3. Are you able to harness your nurturing and playful side? Your sense of humor?  Which Pixar character are you?

In our quest to better balance humanity and technology, we often focus on the exterior, not the interior. We frequently try to learn new things without incorporating that knowledge into the sum of what we already know. We also often assign layers of meaning as well as anthropomorphic traits, to random things around us. From MOOCS to dogs, taking and discussing one’s “emotional temperature”  has never been more prevalent.

Excuse me please while I go and take mine 🙂

Best,

Penina

Core skills to navigate the Social Age

I don’t get to reblog posts of others, as often as I’d like, but this post by Julian Stodd really resonated with me as an entrepreneur who also sees social media as a catalyst for change and for building global ecosystems. I know he’s working on a book, which I look forward to reading! I also know that he’s on Slideshare….worth taking a look 🙂

Julian Stodd's Learning Blog

A premise of the Social Age is change: change in our ecosystem, change in the Social Contract, changes in how we work, learn, communicate and play. The skills we used to navigate the Knowledge Age will not suffice for the Social one.

Storytelling is a core skill: the ability to built commonality, so put shape around our intent, to build communities with shared values and purpose. It’s not the type of stories that organisations write, which are often designed to be broadcast to others, but rather it’s co-created and co-ownedstories, forged in the fires of discussion in our ‘sense making’ communities. The ways we write our stories is important, but also the ways we share them. We have to understand amplification and momentum, something many organisations fail to grasp.

When we talk about ‘narration‘ being a core skill, we can see this at three…

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What’s In Your ‘Trep Toolbox? Part 3- Four Social Media Tools

“Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance.”

— Cocoa Chanel

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”

— Albert Einstein

I’ve publicly spoken several times about the need for today’s entrepreneur to have a social media presence, which I wrote about in my book, The NICE Reboot, and in  this post on LinkedIn. It also led me to write about content curation tools in last week’s post here on WordPress, which led people to then ask me if I am a social media marketing expert.

The answer is no, but I will let Chris Brogan explain why, in  this succinct post he just wrote. It echoes my sentiments exactly! Like him, I consider myself an educator, a social media activist, and a blogger. Why?

Because I am a collaborator, and have “walked the walk” and “talked the talk” for years. That’s why I advocate for entrepreneurs to engage with each other on social media and create a meaningful and impactful digital footprint. That’s why I seek out strategic alliances which foster communication and concrete innovation.

Consider how I currently describe myself on my LinkedIn Profile:

Communications Specialist & Consultant: Autism, Ed-Tech/iPad, and Personal Digital Branding

Consider what I wrote in my latest Tumblr post:

A collaborative mindset is a mental model which a person purposefully constructs for the sake of problem solving. We often forget that collaboration is a dual process requiring both listening and taking action; sometimes simultaneously!

Consider what Dr. Juris Ulmanis wrote in this informative LinkedIn post:

The reality is that entrepreneurship is a skill that can and must be developed by doing.

One can say the same thing about social media. Especially because of the role of social technology in marketing’s new golden age. Especially because the changing business landscape demands that we devise a strategy to build a digital footprint blueprint from the ground up, so that we can keep pace with the blurring lines between businesses.

So how can we more effectively leverage our social media presence as entrepreneurs? By incorporating it into our War Room and using it in conjunction with our overall mission, strategy, trajectory, and networking needs. By assembling specific digital tools which can help us craft a timely social media plan. One that’s part elevator pitch and part visual commentary about the humanizing journey. One that’s based on our pursuit of global opportunity, and our understanding of the psychology of marketing. One which creates greater inclusive growth for all by increasing momentum and collectively transforming Me > We.

Here are 4  digital tools I personally use and recommend, to help me in my endeavors to: 

• Wield social media as a catalyst for authentic and innovative collaboration

• Balance humanity and technology; my NICE Initiative raison d’être and own entrepreneurial credo

1. Pocket. Pocket allows a busy entrepreneur to stay current (I pair it with Zite) and continue his/her education. Especially in the new economy, where a steep learning curve is a fact of life. It’s also a lifesaver for bloggers who cite others; strategically or stylistically, as I try to do. I tag categories, people, clippings related to specific projects, and even tweets I like for future reference. Best of all, I can access it without a WiFi connection; something I learned a while back while enduring a long plane ride!

2. Bitly. Bitly is a URL shortening tool that’s free, tracks when and how many people clicked the link, and even keeps a history of links for you despite not having or being signed in to an account. It has literally saved me time and frustration when reading online posts, posting my own, and citing the work of others in both my already published business book and my soon to be published (ETA April 2015)  textbook about Autism intervention; toys and tech (iPad Apps) for social skills development.

3. Hubspot Blog. I’m a huge fan of Hubspot’s blogposts, because of their relevant, useful, and interesting content such as this one about where to find non-cheesy stock photos, or this one about the history of Apple and Microsoft’s Ad-War. This is my go-to site for tips on inbound marketing, and its relationship to social media; something I mentioned in previous blogposts.

4. Automation Tools. I’m someone who believes in being and doing social things on social media like building ties, commenting, “liking” posts, reaching out and networking across platforms, and thanking others etc. So I’m not big on across-the-board automation, but I do gladly recommend Buffer and Hootsuite. I’ve been hearing lots of chatter about Tweepi, so it’s worth a look. But honestly, you need to have your own set of rules re: the do’s and don’ts of automation. There are only so many hours in the day and paradoxically so many opportunities for real and reciprocal social sharing. You decide!

Social media is a tool that allows today’s entrepreneur to grow, share, mentor others, educate, entertain, simplify the answers to tough questions, and make a difference. Let me end with something I wrote in my book,  The NICE Reboot: 

There’s a story of an Amish farmer who gives his new son-in-law a gift, a toolbox filled with various tools. As the young man lugs the extremely heavy and valuable gift away, his father-in-law calls out, “Don’t forget!” The young man responds, “I’ll always remember you gave me this wonderful gift.” The Amish farmer chidingly replies, “Remember which tool to use when.

To be continued….

Best,

Penina

 

 

What’s In Your ‘Trep Toolbox? Part 2- Four Content Curation Tools

“Embrace what you don’t know, especially in the beginning, because what you don’t know can become your greatest asset. It ensures that you will be doing things absolutely differently from everybody else.”

— Sara Blakeley, Founder: Spanx

“The product that wins is the one that bridges customers to the future, not the one that requires a giant leap.” 

— Aaron Levie, Co-founder: Box

Today’s entrepreneur faces new challenges which are shaping the growing need to plan to learn and play a relevant role in the future of work. Skill trumps distance; which is why a startup founder needs to think global, needs to think like a marketer, needs to think about leveraging educational-technology, and needs to understand how social media is a catalyst for visible change and thought leadership.

Today’s entrepreneur needs to better balance humanity and technology; the raison d’être of my NICE Initiative mission and the focus of my book; The NICE Reboot. This means honing your personal digital branding and social media skills, your emotional IQ i.e. soft skills, your tech-savvy and an understanding about disruptive technology trends, and your content curation skills.

Content curation is n0t only a digital marketing tool wielded by smart entrepreneurs looking to leverage social media to help customers. It is also the currency of collaboration, used to cite the work of others. Work that matters, which serves a purpose. Work which drives the social media activist to connect with like minded people and create an ecosystem which is purposeful  in thought and deed. I talked about this when I spoke to women in business at this HBA webinar earlier this week, and again on Wall Street this week in Manhattan when I was a panelist at this event.

Every entrepreneur needs to easily and publicly define their company’s purpose, and learn to harness time in order to do so. Everyone has a productivity workflow to help them learn and get things done. It’s something discussed beautifully in the book Rework and in this great post about mind-mapping.

But what about your content curation workflow? What tools do you use?

Here are four of mine; used to help me learn, to promote thought leadership, and to collaborate with others by first networking and then establishing strategic partnerships and alliances: 

1. Blogs. Other people’s blogs. Writing for 3 of my own, here on WordPress, Tumblr, and The Huffington Post gives me the opportunity to learn, cite, and collaborate with others at an exponential rate. I have a blogger credo  which I wrote about here on WordPress and on LinkedIn.

Bloggers in particular, especially bloggers like the one I aspire to be, are innovators and both student and teacher in a universal classroom. Our blogger credo helps us actively collaborate and redefine culture for the better. It also helps us actively nurture collaboration, every time we cite someone else in our posts; especially if we are entrepreneurs.

2. Podcasts. Podcasts can be a great content strategy driver especially if the focus is a paint point or cultural trend on everyone’s radar.  They’re growing in popularity and can be done via Skype or Google Hangouts on Air. I did a podcast with Robyn Stratton-Berkessel, The Positivity Strategist a few months ago, which you can hear here.

3. Evernote. Evernote is the swiss-army knife App of efficiency, the mother ship of productivity, to the point that I have a premium account (paid) which I use several hours a day, every day. I use it in so many different ways: running my business, facilitating my visual thinking, appeasing my environmental conscience, writing and backing up my blogposts not to mention the chapters of my book and my handouts for my educational and entrepreneurial seminars, and of course to organize all my curated content. I organize them into designated notebooks, such as this one I’ve made public for others to access. I also organize all my saved stuff (notes, web-clippings, articles, photos, PDFs, Word Docs, slideshow files etc. via tags.

4. My Library Card. I adore the library, and adore what the library can do for us in the Digital Age. Information is truly the currency of the Digital Age, where people partake of constantly shifting streams and power hubs and entrepreneurial opportunities to broker this power along the pipeline. Reading is more than a hobby. Whether you are reading a paper book or a Kindle book, you are systematically sculpting your Theory of Mind and vision. Reading transforms you and keeps you healthier.  Here are 5 reasons to read my book, thanks to Diane Bertolin, and here are two great posts from Brain Pickings showcasing books, and Maya Angelou and Albert Camus as teachers, about the meaning of life.

Staying productive and harnessing time while learning and sharing are two of the most important reasons to assemble your own ‘trep toolbox.

Content curation is like building a house to store your strategy drafts, game plans, and autopsies of your entrepreneurial journey.

Whether you use some of the tools I mentioned, or come up with your own, like Liesha Petrovich‘s list and cool post about using Legos, it is clear that balancing our humanity and technology is good for our business, not just our sanity!

To be continued……

Best,

Penina

 

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What’s In Your ‘Trep Toolbox? Part 1- Four Suggestions

“Unless you choose to do great things with it, it makes no difference how much you are rewarded, or how much power you have.”

— Oprah Winfrey

‘You don’t concentrate on risks. You concentrate on results. No risk is too great to prevent the necessary job from getting done.”

— Chuck Yeager

The startup arena has its own ebb and flow, ‘prophets’ and pitfalls, challenges, risk profile, and “blingy” products and services unlike any other business landscape out there. The startup CEO’s journey towards success can be exhilarating, exhausting, edifying, terrifying, life changing,  lonely, and circuitous. There is often a steep learning curve, not enough hours in the day to get things done, an intangible personal cost involved, and a growing realization that the best laid plans get tweaked again and again, as does our faith in ourselves and in the process.

That’s why founders understand the benefits of collaborative mindsets, collaborative tools,  and collaborative resiliency. Founders also need to place value on doing a regular quality of life assessment, and having a sense of humor; all of which are so crucial to balancing humanity and technology in the iEra, which I wrote about in my book, The NICE Reboot.

Entrepreneurs are a different breed of professional, often displaying risk taker, optimistic, and creative personalities, and often wearing many hats simultaneously. A founder has to have these traits in spades, to voluntarily sign up to be in the biggest petri dish of all; the startup arena! It’s transparent, global, emotionally nuanced, increasingly complex, tech-driven, and collaborative, just to name a few.

So what’s in your entrepreneurship toolbox? What needs to be added so that you are relevant in the collaborative economy we find ourselves in today?

Here are my 4 suggestions, based on my 4 years “in the trenches”, my business book, and current online chatter:

1. An effective, versatile, multi-platform, consistent, and creative social media strategy which fosters social networking, content curation, personal branding, and thought leadership for a positive impact. One which facilitates social good overall and reciprocal collaboration. I will write more about this next week,  after I speak at this webinar for HBA on 1/27/15  and at this NYU panelist event on 1/28/15.

2. A few carefully cultivated brand advocates who will evangelize your service/product and energize and expand your sales channels and reach; online and offline. Who can change the way you crowd fund  if warranted, and how you embrace customer needs and discomfort when marketing. Client retention is something founders need to consider, not just big companies like Nordstrom!

3. Emotional intelligence that you actively work on, so that you can hone your Theory of Mind, your soft skills, and your intuition. They are all needed to better problem solve, and more effectively form strategic alliances and partnerships. So that your inner leader and diagnostician can shine in our collaborative economy. So that you build better teams for project management of various sizes. Teams which work together more organically and fluidly, to provide better outcomes and faster deliverables.

4. Several mentors of both genders, from the same and different industries as you, who have the same and different professional and cultural background, and from different time periods in your life as an entrepreneur and as a human being. It’s important to choose your mentor wisely! So that you plot a course of action appropriately instead of getting into “paralysis analysis” mode. So that you avoid power struggles as a mentee; one with with specific tech-savvy, leadership skills, and diversified learning experiences that older, more seasoned mentors may not share.

Time will tell what impact the myriad of voices on social media, services, products, and mentorship, all have on our entrepreneurship best practices in the shared economy in 2015. Time will tell which swiss army knife tools and skill sets are needed and sought after, and which are rendered obsolete and irrelevant by machine learning and advances in mobile technology.

But time has taught me the oxymoronic usefulness of building and reassembling my ‘trep toolbox while simultaneously thinking outside the “box” or as Deepak Chopra says, getting rid of the “box” entirely!

To be continued……

Best,

Penina

 

 

 

 

The Rise of the Collaborative Blogger- Entrepreneur

“Making money and doing good in the world are not mutually exclusive.”

— Arianna Huffington, Author, Thrive:The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a Life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder

“Successful business interactions today are a combination of high tech and high touch.”

— Barry Cohen, Author,  Startup Smarts:The Thinking Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting and Growing Your Business

In late October 2014 I wrote a post here on WordPress entitled The Rise of the Storyteller Entrepreneur. In it, I quoted from this article I had written for The Huffington Post around the same time:

Information is truly the currency of the Digital Age, where people partake of constantly shifting streams and power hubs and entrepreneurial opportunities to broker this power along the pipeline. All you need is a WiFi connection, some time on your hands, and a desire to learn. Oh yeah, don’t forget to polish your consulting chops and create and launch a product/service that renders someone else’s service/product obsolete. Or solves a major pain point collectively felt in our increasingly transparent and globally connected society.

We are all headed towards greater connectivity this year; technologically and socially. Wearable tech is becoming a reality, changing the curricula surrounding digital citizenship and the collaborative dynamic of the workplace and those in it. Collaboration, both the catalyst and the outcome, is causing a ripple effect felt in all arenas, especially in entrepreneurship and  The Internet of Things.

It’s been predicted that collaboration will become the buzzword of 2015 as a whole. It’s not just for startups or exhibitors at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas this month. The wearable technology trend is symptomatic of a paradigm shift in focus re: what entrepreneurs need to hone in on, and hone within themselves;  education and “soft” skills; the most crucial one being collaboration.

Collaboration is what separates the givers from the takers, imbues one’s work with higher purpose, and reconciles the high-tech and high-touch aspects to business transactions in today’s shared economy.

Education and collaboration can and will help us all better balance humanity and technology in the iEra.

Both are the raisons d’être of my business  book, The NICE Reboot, and my recently launched NICE Initiative mission. Collaboration in particular, and the connotation of connectivity to promote change, has been both an adjective and verb for me since I was small. It’s driven my outlook as both an educator and entrepreneur.  It’s shaped my behavior in the ways I formed friendships since childhood and later entered the workforce as an educator/speech-language pathologist and communications specialist.

It’s carried me as a startup entrepreneur who in 2012 created the first of its kind iPad App. It’s a collaborative, digital, user-friendly, developmental, and inexpensive social skills assessment protocol for both parents and professionals to evaluate and treat behaviorally at risk children, such as those with Autism. The Socially Speaking™ iPad App is available in iTunes and is part of my (soon to be published)  Socially Speaking™ Social Communication Curriculum and seminars I give around the country. You could say that my educator and entrepreneur DNA is spliced and co-joined in my workflow and the persona I present to the world.

Global connectivity through technology is rendering both laymen and tech-geeks, not to mention Millennials, the new breed of  artists and leaders. Leaders whose savvy branding via social media, website design,  and  innovation all stem from their collaborative mindset and execution. Leaders who understand the benefits of utilizing collaboration for social corporate responsibility and social entrepreneurship for the greater good and greater sustainability. Leaders whose attitudes are contagious and replicable; driving engagement in real time and online, offsetting fear, and most importantly counteracting the dark side of leadership; hubris and “silo thinking” reminiscent of the worst stories of corporate CEOs.

Social technology is also rendering both laymen and experts the new go-to thought leaders and virtual mentors, creating ecosystems and self-sustaining legacies and opportunity to do social good.  I will be speaking about this on 1/27/15 for my personal branding  webinar sponsored by HBA and Dr. Tasha Sims. I will also speak about this on 1/28/15 as a panelist at this event sponsored by NYU and Dr. Roger Kuperways. He has organized both the Startup Pioneers and Business on a Shoestring networks and networking events in Manhattan. They are two ecosystems and petri-dishes which hit home that learning the ropes of entrepreneurship; especially its culture and related etiquette, go far beyond getting an MBA.

Bloggers in particular, especially bloggers like the one I aspire to be, are innovators and both student and teacher in a universal classroom. Our blogger credo helps us actively collaborate and redefine culture  for the better. It also helps us actively nurture collaboration, every time we cite someone else in our posts; especially if we are entrepreneurs. 

The Blogger’s  Credo in the iEra is something I have adopted and shared on my Pinterest board, The NICE Initiative for Collaboration and Entrepreneurship.

The Blogger’s Credo in the iEra: 

• I Think
• I Question
• I Reflect
• I Try
• I Struggle
• I Solve
• I Invent
• I Create
• I Learn
• I Teach
• I Collaborate

Blogging is more than a marketing gimmick or networking ploy on my part. It’s more than a means towards forming strategic partnerships in a digitally connected world. Thought leadership is the new frontier for social good, and MUST be shared and learned from!  Blogging can truly help people, especially entrepreneurs,  connect the “dots” between:

• One’s past/present/future trends and best practices

• An industry’s problems/solutions

• A professional service/product; need, perception, and performance

• A seasoned employer and employee’s relevance/irrelevance and skill set

• A person’s  inner and outer landscape i.e. Theory of Mind which drives the most important human pursuit of all; the cognitive-behavioral and moral transition of Me > We

Today’s entrepreneur blogger has the capacity to shape cultural trends. Today’s entrepreneur blogger has a more robust toolbox to generate calls to action and disrupt industries;  one blogpost at a time, one day at a time. Evan Burfield, Co-Founder 1776, wrote one of the most profound posts I’ve read in the past few years. It’s about the future of entrepreneurship and what impact really means. It really resonated with me as a blogger in both the education and entrepreneurship arena, and I have quoted him often:

At the end of the day, it’s cool that an entrepreneur can make a billion dollars from a blogging site. It’s profound, however, when an entrepreneur changes the arc of history by improving the way we educate our children, our health, or how we manage our resources.

The question to ask now is the one Mindy Khaling asks as winner of the 2014 Glamour Woman of the Year and in her upcoming book due out late 2015.

Why not me?

* A special thanks to my collaborative colleague bloggers, Diane Bertolin and Robyn Stratton-Berkessel for inspiring this post!

* This post also appears in my LinkedIn Blog.

Best,

Penina

 

 

Jump-Starting Collaboration

Thank you, Chris Boyd, for your insightful and succinct post which introduces us to my book, but more importantly, to your spot-on and laser focus on today’s best practices and startup trends! I am so pleased that two on your radar; mentoring and networking, are also on mine, and that you found my thought leadership in both my book and presentation to be of value! It was an honor being on the panel with you at the Generate Buzz LLC Personal Branding Event 10/28/14. It was an even bigger honor getting to better know you and your perspective since! I look forward to collaborating with you and continuing to learn much from your incisive and methodical mentorship!
Penina Rybak MA/CCC-SLP
CEO Socially Speaking LLC
Author: “The NICE Reboot: How to Become a Better Female Entrepreneur-How to Balance Your Craving for Humanity & Technology in Today’s Startup Culture”
Creator: Socially Speaking™ App for iPad
Websites: sociallyspeakingLLC.com, niceinitiative.com
Twitter: @PopGoesPenina

Standing Out From The Crowd

As we start the new year, I am taking the opportunity to review and share resources that I have found especially useful and relevant in recent months, and hopefully by doing so I can bring to a wider audience the insights of other practitioners.

To lead-off I can think of no better resource than “The NICE Reboot” by Penina Rybak.  Full disclosure: I had the pleasure to participate as a panelist with Penina, together with the equally enlightening Jo-Rose Portfolio and Alex Freund this past fall.  And by way of further disclosure, the event on ‘Personal Branding’ was put together by the dynamic Sara Greenhouse who I had met while presenting at a Generation Y networking event convened by the indefatigable Joe Finazzio earlier in 2014.  Which to me demonstrates how ‘networking’ in practice opens the door to new connections and collaborative opportunities.

Sub-titled ‘A Guide To Becoming A Better…

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The NICE Initiative Framework for Collaboration: My Written Elevator Pitch

“Most people in corporate settings don’t know about the theme of collaboration as a work style.”

— Liane Bass, Online Education Specialist 1/8/15

“Your elevator pitch must be memorable, not memorized!”

— Alex Freund, Landing Expert Career Coaching 1/8/15

Today I attended an excellent workshop on the do’s and don’ts of elevator pitches, given by dynamic speaker and career coach Alex Freund. I had the honor of meeting him a few months ago when we were panelists at the Generate Buzz  personal branding event where I spoke about digital avatars and one’s digital footprint. It’s something I will be speaking about again at this webinar for HBA on 1/27/15, organized by Dr. Tasha Sims.

Alex has a real knack for pinpointing areas of strength and weakness  in an individual’s delivery of the service/product. But he also has a keen understanding of the role that individual takes on as both a job hire and a harbinger of change for the collective; the company that hires him or her.

Because in today’s shared economy, people need to think about what everybody needs, not just what they need. 

That’s why it’s time to think differently about the future of work and the forecast for entrepreneurship in the iEra. Especially with regard to best practices pertaining to balancing humanity and technology. This is needed for better mindsets, workflows, and outcomes (i.e. deliverables). It is therefore time to think about how to practically foster a purpose-driven workplace and a culture of innovation. One where people are both strategic and altruistic in the way they deal with others and approach problems.

This is why I wrote my book, The NICE Reboot. It is a blueprint for the art and architecture of collaboration; often considered a soft skill  solely rooted in psychology. In reality, it is equally rooted in professional and personal gravitas of creativity, which falls in the domain of talent management. So I’ve officially teamed up with the creative connector and catlyst Jo-Rose Portfolio, Principal of Capital-3 Staffing Solutions, to launch The NICE Initiative. Collaboration shares DNA with project management dynamics as well, which is why I’ve also teamed up with the meticulous and methodical mentor Chris Boyd, Principal of Simply Best Practice. I had the good fortune to have met them when they were panelists with me at the same event as Alex Freund.

Thank you Sara Greenhouse founder of Generate Buzz,  for organizing such a wonderful event, and one that brings new meaning to The Butterfly Effect!

The nature of The Butterfly Effect is such that change is inevitable. As I wrote in my latest white paper, which is posted on my Slideshare page:

The nature of the workplace and the psychological and intellectual makeup of its workforce will undergo real changes in the coming years due to the:

• Increase of women in the workforce, including management and CEO positions
• Hiring of different generations working together; some for the first time
• Convergence of the Technology and Entrepreneurial Revolutions sweeping the globe

It is therefore time to rethink best practices and both the process and the blueprint which showcase them. Outdated business models and mindsets are actually hindering corporate teams in terms of productivity, efficiency, and relevance.

What can we do to work smarter, not harder? Why do we need to methodically connect the “dots” between achievement and mastery of the goals we set for ourselves?
When does teamwork actually facilitate innovation and leadership? Where do we channel our resources? Who needs to work together? How do people actually work together to promote real change?

 Innovation requires change. The dimensions of change may vary between people, between their workflows in the corporate sector vs. the startup arena, and between job seekers and entrenched executives. But it is becoming clear that the catalyst for lasting, widespread change that sustains innovation is education. It’s what spurs the competitive, solitary, sometimes grueling nature of work. It’s what gives communication its wings to be free, and be more in touch with humanity. It’s what imbues the DNA of any endeavor, and what nurtures its creative transformation.

The NICE Initiative Mission Statement:

Creative Transformation Through Collaboration:

The architecture of collaboration begins with practically determining starting points for remediation of a problem. This is accomplished by implementing a 5 step problem solving hierarchy which seeks to proactively leverage “group think” while targeting the individual i.e. different people’s skills sets and social intelligence to complete tasks. The architecture of collaboration is approached from a project management perspective. The artistry of collaboration is approached from a talent management perspective. Together, both can harness the true power of balancing technology with humanity to create synergy, more effective workflows, and resource allocation and management. This results in the collective inculcating of a unique mindset which fosters leadership, prevention and recovery, and ultimately change.

 The NICE Initiative Call to Action:

It’s time to update best practices which align with the people and the planet, not just forecasted revenue. To create a self sustaining legacy and business model for the sharing economy, we need to reconfigure our trajectory and the steps along the way. We can help teams develop strategies to sustain a competitive advantage with regard to networking, customer retention, and profit margins. These strategies are taught within this framework:

NICE Initiative Framework for Collaboration:

1. Education

• Goals

• Strategy

2. Talent Management

• Personal Branding

• Bridging

• Networking

3. Mentorship

• Mentorship

• Reverse Mentorship

4. Quality Control (Troubleshooting)

• Communication

• Active Process

• Prevention (Instead of Crisis Intervention)

☞ Research

☞ Backup & Recovery

The NICE Initiative Mindset: Transitioning From Me to We: 

The transition from Me>We is a necessity, not a luxury in the shared economy. Today’s workplace demands increased collaboration and transparency; especially in our globally connected, socially driven culture. We provide the blueprint for the implementation of better collaboration. One which transcends cultural barriers, gains and retains customer loyalty, and add value. We provided you now with a prototype, a framework to follow in terms of better balancing artistry and architecture, and humanity and technology.

I– What’s the future of leadership in the iEra? Today’s best practices includes honing my own skill set while facilitating productivity for your colleagues. The NICE Reboot provides a blueprint for both, including rebooting my mindset to become a better collaborator by connecting the dots re: catalysts for growth.

We– What’s The NICE Mindset? We are all works in progress, and having that mindset helps us fill in gaps by seeking out collaboration, thereby changing the trajectory of our actions re: balancing humanity and technology.

Us– What are the implications of having The NICE Mindset?                                                   1. Having this mindset enables us to increase our collaboration through diversified learning experiences through networking and group problem solving.

2. Having this mindset enables us to reduce our tendency to have silos and be perfectionists.

Join the Journey for Change! What do you want to collaborate on?

Penina Rybak, Founder/CEO Socially Speaking LLC