Seiden

How to Build a High Quality LinkedIn Network

Jason Seiden — Wed, 16 May 2012 13:17:27 +0000

I spent last night in DC, where I talked about LinkedIn to a financial group in DC. These were savvy, successful individuals whose organizations are just starting to embrace social media. One of the more common questions I was asked during the cocktail hour:

“How many LinkedIn connections do you have?”

There is a rich body of science behind how human networks function… and understanding the gist of it can lead to a much more effective connection strategy than connection counting:

We know from Professor Mark Granovetter, for instance, that large, loose networks that connect you to disparate groups are more powerful than small, close-knit ones where everyone in your network knows everyone else. This is called the strength of weak ties.
We also know that there is a natural limit to how many simultaneous relationships a person can manage. That number, on average, is 148. It was discovered by anthropologist and Oxford professor Robin Dunbar.

The size of your LinkedIn network

Based on what we know, we can conclude that there is such a thing as too small a network. This seems to make intuitive sense to the people we work with: if you’re only connected to 15 people, then it’s hard to use LinkedIn to connect to new opportunities. You’re too dependent on the same 15 people all the time.

We can also conclude that there is also such a thing as too large a network. Having someone in your network doesn’t mean you’ve earned the right to call. It takes time to nurture a network, and you have only so many hours in a day to do it. Putting too many people you don’t know into your network is like downloading the phonebook: impressive, but worthless because most of those people would be unresponsive to your call. Better to have a smaller network of people you can call who will make warm introductions for you.

The shape of your LinkedIn network

Focusing on the shape of your network size can lead to a network that is size-optimized for both reach and responsiveness. To get started, visit http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com to see a visual representation of your network. Here’s mine from 2011:

(Sorry about the cropped legend in the bottom right. I’m not near my graphics editing software.)

Each dot represents a person in my network. LinkedIn has algorithmically organized them based on who knows who, and how. That hazy area in middle, for instance, includes my hometown and college friends, many of whom know one another. The green blob at top includes people I used to teach with as well as former students of mine—they know each other, but not the other people in my network. The same goes for the people in the light blue blob at seven o’clock—which includes LinkedIn employees I’ve come to know over the past year or so.

A strong personal network will have a number of these distinct “blobs,” and each “blob” will be manageable in size. This shape positions you as someone who can quickly draw resources from many different networks—or who can connect people across networks to help them access the resources they need. Here’s a personal example of how this works: my attorney was recommended to me by my next door neighbor. When I looked him up on LinkedIn, he was in a blob with my fraternity brothers. Turns out, he graduated from my alma mater a year before I got there. I made one phone call to a college friend to vet him, then decided to hire him. We hadn’t even spoken yet.

Compare that to what would have happened if we had not been connected, or if we’d been connected through 6 dozen random people I didn’t really know… in neither case would I have been able to vet him as quickly or confidently.

Ways to get your network’s shape right

Break your network into segments:

Current job
Previous jobs
Personal network
Aspirational connections (mentors, teachers, etc.)
High school
College
Grad school
“Specialists” (lawyers, accountants, and others who you don’t need every day but who you need in a hurry when you do need them!)
“Open” (sometimes, you just want to connect with people and you won’t have a reason)

When connecting with people, think of the segment they fall into. It’s those last two categories that tend to explode and cloud up our networks, so watch them carefully. And periodically delete connections that don’t convert into deeper relationships. You can do this by going to the “Contacts” menu bar item on your LinkedIn profile, selecting “Connections,” and then, over to the right, looking for the link to “Remove connections.”

Relax: the person you remove receives no notice of what you’ve done.

Managing your network as a collection of segments will help ensure that you’re thinking strategically about who you connect to. It will also help you keep things manageable even as you broaden out. Two quick notes about implementing this approach:

Be fluid. Networks evolve over time. Guidelines will serve you better than hard and fast rules.
Be inclusive. You used to be in sports before you got into sales? Great—you’ll have quite the network!

Have fun!

Networking, ultimately, is about engaging the human side of business. If you’re stressing over it, you’re missing something. There’s plenty to stress about in business. Making friends and connections shouldn’t be one of them.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

LinkedIn’s Financial Services Conference – Takeaways

Jason Seiden — Fri, 11 May 2012 01:58:31 +0000

As I write this, I’m in NYC at LinkedIn’s financial services conference. Seeing lots of friendly faces from clients and partners, plus making new friends and connections, too. I’ve also been learning a surprising amount.

A few things that have really stuck with me so far:

$1.7 trillion-with-a-t has been cut from consumer credit markets since 2009. Where my brain goes: a smaller pool of buyers working with a smaller pool of resources means US banking is about to get more competitive… And that means business models will need to adapt.

Californians have an aggregate debt to income ratio of 170%. In Texas, the ratio is 70-80%. The US and Europe–mature banking markets–are shrinking, while emrging markets are growing. Where my brain goes: fin serv’s infrastructure needs to move. This is a huge opportunity (albeit a lurchy one).

52% of investors want to be able to engage their financial advisors via social media, yet only 4% actually do so today. Where my brain goes: to the social goes the spoils.

Morgan Stanley found in their pilot that 30% of financial advisors had gotten a new client thru that channel, and that 10% of those financial advisors had taken in more than $1 million in new assets. Where my brain goes: Finally, some hard data! Can’t wait for the case study.

My company, Ajax, helps professionals use social media to drive top- and bottom-line results. We do this at scale for companies that want to roll social media training out to hundreds or thousands of employees. Today was great validation for our business model. I saw that within the context of financial services, corporate investment in social literacy makes sense–both strategically and financially.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

What’s your dignity worth?

Jason Seiden — Tue, 08 May 2012 03:31:57 +0000

Actually, this is bullsh*t. What matters is what you do for others.

When I talked with my wife last night, I let go of my need to be right and got important information about the impact I’m having on our kids. I also got a smile and laughter at the same time rather than a fight.

When I met with one of my advisors the other day, I gave up my ego and got priceless insights on my business in return, along with a commitment to help me beyond what I had asked for.

When I saw a GI doc the other week, I got a clean bill of health and it only cost me my dignity.

“Ego” has been a recurring theme on my blog… with reason. Loving yourself is overrated.

Know yourself. Understand yourself. Appreciate yourself. Value yourself. In today’s language, love means something else. Something more ego-based.

And when it comes to ego, all I can say is… give it up. It’s worth nothing until you do.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

Was it obvious? Yes. But don’t be a dick about it.

Jason Seiden — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 16:35:58 +0000

“Want dirt? Just dig! It’s a very simple approach that works every time…”

That’s what Clint wrote in response to a recent Facebook post. It’s good advice. So is this:

“Want to know the ending? Just read the book!”
“Want to know the optimal trajectory for a rocket to put a satellite into geosynchronous orbit? Just do the math!”

That second example’s probably a little ridiculous… unless you’re a rocket scientist, in which case it’s probably pretty obvious. In fact, even the first one, which must look simple to you, is impossible for someone who can’t read. In high school geometry class, there was one kid who, every time he did a problem at the board, would begin explaning his proof with, “It’s really very easy once you think about it…” He didn’t stop until one of our classmates got up and punched him… and our teacher sided with the puncher.

My point is, don’t be a dick when an answer is obvious to you. If you ever look in the mirror and wonder why you’re not running a company (or country, or planet), comments like these could be a big part of the reason. Leadership is never about making people feel bad because they don’t know something, and these comments make people feel bad.

This has been a hard lesson for me to learn personally. Turns out, I’m great at dropping dickish comments like the one Clint laid on this Facebook post. (Wish I weren’t.) Over the years, I’ve kept track of things I’ve said that others have pointed out to me that were hurtful. Here’s one that got me into a heap of trouble:

“I brought my telemarks to give myself a challenge while I ski with you.”

I said this to my wife, who’s a great skier.

That was a bad, bad, day.

To help me with comments like this, I’ve developed an approach: I assume everyone has a story, and that my job is to reflect back to them the best version of their story. I want people to see their best selves reflected back to them through what I do and say. As an “approach” it’s actually kind of ridiculous. I started developing it in college, and it’s only just now starting to work for me. Not very efficient.

Then again, maybe 20 years to learn a life lesson ain’t all that bad.

(See? Perspective changes everything. It’s all in how you tell the story…)

But back to Clint. What if he’d said: “The good news is that this will bring more transparency to the way we live our lives,” or ” This is a good reminder that the whole person comes to work—not just the professional”?

I think that would have made the same point, only in a more positive way that would have made him more attractive.

It’s OK to know you’re good. It’s great to use how good you are to make others better.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

I’m working on my influence by using more positive statements.

Jason Seiden — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:12:19 +0000

Getting to Yes! - Great book. You should read it.

I’m working to eliminate negative statements. I pay pretty close attention to the way people talk—and this is one area where I can use some work. I’ve witnessed too many miscommunications over the years because someone missed a “not” or forgot a “don’t.” I’m training myself to lead with positives, end with positives, and use positives in the middle. Especially when giving directions. When I’m giving directions, I’m working to stay focused on what should be done and to communicate it often.

Using a couple of TV clichés as examples—”Don’t touch that dial!” and it’s close cousin, “Stay tuned!”—here’s why I’m working to save the “don’t's” for the Q&A:

When I say “Don’t touch that dial!”…

Only some of you are actually paying attention. The rest of you hear “… touch that dial!” or “… dial!”

All of you, regardless of how closely you were paying attention, are now focused on the dial.

Human beings lack impulse control. If you’re focused on that dial, you’re going to touch that dial.

On some level, that “don’t” is causing you to equate me with negativity. Negativity is bad.

(Have you ever even seen a TV with a dial, BTW?)

When I say, “Stay tuned!”…

I’ve got you focused on the right stuff even if you’re only partially listening.

Positive statements are simpler. A “don’t” message requires you to invert it to figure out it’s true meaning. I know from emails I’ve received from readers of How to Self-Destruct that there is a sizable minority of people who are apt to misread negative language. Sometimes entirely.

Positive statements sound more declarative. So maybe a few of you will stay tuned simply because I sound authoritative. Bonus!

Pay attention to how people speak and I think you’ll find the same thing I have about negative communication leading to problems.

This is my next stop on my quest to become a better communicator. What are you working on?

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

GSMI Social Strategies Summit in My Hometown!

Jason Seiden — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 16:54:20 +0000

Looks like next week’s GSMI Social Media Strategies Summit in Chicago is sold out, which is freaking awesome and totally not surprising, especially with a roster like this speaking!

I’m thinking of organizing some festivities for the night before… more on that in a moment…

If you’re not coming to Chicago for this event, you need to get to one of GSMI’s next summits. Events are coming in Miami, Denver, Boston, and London. Get yourself to one. I’m confirmed for the Denver event already.

Here’s what I’m looking forward to:

The people. It’s almost guaranteed that someone at your lunch table will have an answer—and probably a good answer—to whatever social media question you have.

The vibe. Movers and shakers emanate an energy that makes you smarter just by being in their presence. I walk into GSMI and can feel that these are people who don’t just talk, they do.

Carissa Miklusak. She’s retooled her presentation, and I’m eager to hear her new opener. Plus, these are the only times we get to talk. (It’s a scheduling thing.)

The sessions. Great content, well organized, every time.

Meaghan Edelstein. Conferences are like weddings: they tend to reflect the personality of person who organizes them. Meaghan organizes these, which is why they’re fantastic, duh. Can’t wait to see your smile, Meaghan!

Want to keep tabs on the conference but can’t make it? Many of us will be on Twitter… follow me and watch for the hashtag come Wed 4/18!

Pre-event night out?

How about a meet-and-greet the night before the conference? No doubt I’ll be downtown… not sure where yet… but if you’re flying in for the conference, or live in Chicago and want to meet some of the folks flying in for the conference, drop me a note—Twitter, Facebook, email, it’s all good—and I’ll keep you posted on the plans.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

Every Partnership Starts 50/50

Jason Seiden — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:19:12 +0000

To underscore the joke that entrepreneurship can be taught in a classroom, here’s a gem I heard repeatedly as an undergrad with that concentration: draft partnership agreements on day one.

“Write the pre-nup while you’re still in the honeymoon,” my profs all said.

First of all, you can’t write the pre-nup on day one, you can’t afford the attorney.

Secondly, you don’t know enough.

Thirdly, even if you could do it, you wouldn’t, because partnerships all start the same way: 50/50. If you don’t start 50/50, you’re not a partnership, one of you is working for the other—regardless of title.

After you form the partnership, here’s what generally happens next: your business starts having some success. You gain momentum and make decisions, and sure enough, you discover that the partnership isn’t actually 50/50. Some days you’re up, some days you’re down, but on the whole, you figure you’re carrying more of the weight.

You start planning to talk to your partner about this, and every time the conversation date gets close, something happens and you find yourself “down” in the partnership. You delay the talk, hoping you’ll be “up” when the time comes. It comes, but you’re busy. You delay again. Now you’re down. Delay. You try to have the talk but your partner delays. After awhile, you realize that the conversation won’t be the black-and-white “You’re not carrying the weight” conversation you were hoping it would be. Instead, it’s going to be a battle of wills as you each try to steer the company so it plays more to your strengths. You try to wrap your head around this and what it means for the business and the partnership.

When you realize you have no idea how to have this conversation in a constructive way, you go back to pretending that 50/50 isn’t such a bad place to be. You go through every rationalization you can think of, because if you’re not 50/50, then you have to have The Tough Conversation and that no longer excites you, no matter how much grief your spouse is giving you about it at home.

Did you ever see the ’80′s movie, War Games, where the computer works through all the possible outcomes of thermoglobal nuclear war? That’s how you feel, except thermoglobal nuclear war seems easy compared to what you’re dealing with.

The amount of time you spend with these rationalizations depends on what kind of person you are. If you’re an impetuous bastard, it’s a few days and your company blows up shortly thereafter. If you’re a stone cold motherfucker, it’s maybe a few weeks, and may God have mercy on your soul. If you’re an entrepreneur with a crystal clear vision, it’s a few months. Most people, it’s longer, sometimes years. Some people put The Tough Conversation off forever.

Eventually, if you’re like most people, something happens and you react and suddenly you’re having The Tough Conversation. Ironically, for all the time you’ve spent thinking about it, you’re still not prepared. To make matters worse, your partner hits you with a critique you never saw coming—yet know instantly that it’s true. You’re in the mix, you’re overwhelmed, and now there’s no turning back.

Very few partnerships have what it takes to have The Tough Conversation and come out better for it. I’ve been blessed to be part of two such partnerships, one at work, and one at home. Don’t kid yourself: one person can’t create a good outcome here. It takes both parties to make the magic. Because at first, both people are going to think they want the ball, when the reality is, only a very small sliver of humanity can handle the pressure and ambiguity that comes after uttering that phrase. (If you have to ask, you’re not in that sliver.) A good partnership is one where both people agree on who the ball-owner is.

There are five ingredients to successfully having The Tough Conversation: (1) history, (2) trust, (3) transparency, (4) sincerity, and (5) balls (metaphorically speaking). These are complicated ingredients made from time, integrity, honesty, and commitment, and I’ll be damned if I know how to explain the alchemy that makes them work together.

All I know is, if you’re not willing or able to invest in these ingredients, don’t take on a partner. It’s that simple. Because while partnerships all start 50/50, through a process that’s both tough and inevitable, they quickly become what they need to be.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

Embracing My Inner Rookie

Jason Seiden — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:19:06 +0000

This is me on our most recent ski trip. (If you’re reading this in email, click through to see the video.) It’s me, hitting a 5 ft jump. Though I barely leave the ground, I can assure you, it felt like I was in the air for a very long time.

The hardest part? Doing this crappy little boot-touch move 12 times in front of a bunch of people half my age, all of them knowing full well that this dinky move represented the absolute best of my abilities.

Put me anywhere else on the mountain, and I’d've skied circles around those turkeys. But I wasn’t anywhere else on the mountain, I was in the terrain park. Their turf. They were flying over this jump, doing 180s and 360s and full on backscratchers with their skis perfectly crossed. The little shits.

But a guy’s got to start somewhere, and for me, with all my gray hair and my 38 year old joints and my fears about what’ll happen to my wife and kids should I take a bad spill, this is where I started. And I’m damn proud of it.

I’m sharing this because I bet you’ve got something you want to learn, and I figure that if I can control my fear of physical pain and learn to jump at 38, then you can take a risk and learn something new, too.

What’s the worst that’ll happen to you? You’ll fail your first few times? You’ll look a little silly?

All rookies look silly. That’s what we rookies do. We look silly. Did you see the video? Silly. And short, too. If you blinked, you missed the whole thing.

But next season—or maybe the season after that—I won’t be a rookie anymore. I’ll hit that jump and POP and hold my grab and nail it.

And won’t that be something.

So check your ego at the door, embrace your inner rookie, and go do whatever it is you’re itching to do. You’ll suck at it for awhile, and then you’ll be good at something new.

That’s how it works: short term silly, long term awesome.

Now it’s your turn. Join me and my cohorts… wear that rookie badge with pride!

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

My sister helps makes history!

Jason Seiden — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 20:24:53 +0000

There are benefits to being a big brother. For instance, sometimes, people in the family actually listen to me.

Like my little sister, Jackie Seiden (IMDb), who clearly grabbed hold of my Fail Spectacularly! credo and helped bring it to new heights recently as part of Adam Sandler’s Jack & Jill… a movie that just made history with a complete sweep of the Razzies.

Yep, Jack & Jill earned a trophy in every. single. category. ! These included Worst Picture, Worst Actor, Worst Actress, Worst Supporting Actor (Al “Dunk” Pacino!), Worst Supporting Actress, Worst Screen Ensemble (The Entire Cast—go Jackie!), Worst Director, Worst Remake, Rip-Off, or Sequel, Worst Screen Couple, and Worst Screenplay!

(What makes this even funnier is that I actually got in trouble with my parents when my 8yo daughter left the theater and called my sister to tell her the movie was “meh.” Oh, those kids.)

Jackie, I love you, and I’m behind you no matter what awards you win… or don’t win. And if you’re going to be in a Razzie movie, better to be in one that sweeps. That’s classic. Absolutely classic.

See you soon, and congrats on your win!!!

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

Sorry, you’re not that special. (Says Daniel Crosby, PhD.)

Jason Seiden — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 05:42:53 +0000

Daniel Crosby. I like this guy.

The presentation below is dead on. It’s a fun walk thru of the same principles that underpin How to Self-Destruct™, except I think he does it even better. Scary stat: 80% of all American households will not buy a single book in any given year.

Talk about failing spectacularly.

Daniel and I were in Austin together during SXSW 2012. We had a chance to hang out for a night. We were part of a crew of 9—that grew to 11—that rented a house that comfortably slept 6. They all went out to party Friday night, while we stayed in and talked and got work done. I like what Daniel’s about and where he’s going. He’s got a great head on his shoulders.

If your company needs more business savvy in its talent development, email me, I’ll introduce you to him immediately. First, watch his TEDx talk. I think you’ll enjoy it:

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

Time to Get Over Yourself.

Jason Seiden — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 10:19:42 +0000

I don’t care where you went to school, roll up your sleeves and do the fucking work.

You know where me and my Wharton and Kellogg degrees are all hanging out this weekend? We’re cutting and pasting screen shots from the web into a employer brand assessment Ajax is doing. You know why? Because this is the job that needs to be done this week, and I’m out of people to delegate to. So while my family skis, I sit here working. And I’m happy to do it—it gives me a sense of accomplishment and helps me provide for my family. I love skiing, but this is my contribution. This is what defines me.

Those people you think got lucky? They work their asses off. You may not see them working, you may not value their contributions, but make no mistake: they’re doing the job.

Get over yourself and do yours.

Jason Seiden is Co-founder and CEO of Ajax Social Media, a training company that shows professionals how use social media to work more effectively.

Seiden

How to Build a High Quality LinkedIn Network

The size of your LinkedIn network

The shape of your LinkedIn network

Ways to get your network’s shape right

Have fun!

LinkedIn’s Financial Services Conference – Takeaways

What’s your dignity worth?

Was it obvious? Yes. But don’t be a dick about it.

I’m working on my influence by using more positive statements.

When I say “Don’t touch that dial!”…

When I say, “Stay tuned!”…

GSMI Social Strategies Summit in My Hometown!

Pre-event night out?

Every Partnership Starts 50/50

Embracing My Inner Rookie

My sister helps makes history!

Sorry, you’re not that special. (Says Daniel Crosby, PhD.)

Time to Get Over Yourself.