Coach’m Up Boni: CT Style – WTNH.com

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

I had a wonderful time during the interview and hope you enjoy it!

PepsiCo Announces their Women 5G Network

I had a wonderful time at my first Blogher conference in NYC.  There were many great moments but one that stood out to me was attending PepsiCo’s “Sofa Summit” and the launch of their Women5G Network.

Only 30 bloggers were invited to this intimate breakfast to discuss women as leaders, and I was very excited to be one of them.

It was moderated by award winning journalist formerly of CNN and NBC Campbell Brown, and included three of PepsiCo’s female leaders, Sarah Robb O’Hagan, Chief Marketing Officer, Gatorade; Julie Hamp, Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer, PepsiCo; and Dondeena Bradley, Vice President, Global Design and Development, Nutrition Ventures.

How cool was this?

A highlight of the conversation was having each woman discuss their path to success.  Some tokens of wisdom were:

Know your roles and responsibility in your career and home life.

Attend nontraditional conferences and find more niches for yourself.  Provide a broader platform of understanding.  (Meaning don’t sell yourself short or pigeon-hole yourself into one area.  Honor your passions.

Stay true to yourself and to your values.

Don’t be afraid to reinvent yourself.

When I heard Dondeena Bradley say that she reinvented herself many times, I was intrigued.  I couldn’t wait to ask a follow up question to her statement.  When I had the chance I raised my hand.  This was the best thing I did because I was only 1 of 4 women who were able to ask their question on camera due to time constraints.

My question was: “Dondeena, you touched upon the concept of reinventing yourself earlier.  I meet so many women who are afraid to do just that.  Can you give us your top 3 tips to help women overcome their fears?

Dondeena’s Answer:

Lean on your network: Dondeena wrote 10 letters to high level women in her company and other companies she worked with through the years.  She focused on what she admired about them and kept in touch on their career movements.  A woman from her network helped her land her current position at PepsiCo.

Create a community, so that women can network and reach out.  Focus on building relationships.

Listen and collect information in your area of expertise and distribute knowledge to others.  Be a resource.

Additionally, other pearls of wisdom given were:

Lead confidently: many times we create our own barriers around ourselves.

Be aware of the leadership around you.  Model their behavior, because change starts with you.

Speak up!  Say it in a way that doesn’t offend others but gets your point across.  Get your voice out there.

Adopt a “Who Cares” attitude and don’t be afraid to be provocative.

After the great Sofa Summit, a woman from PepsiCo’s PR firm approached me and asked if I would like to be interviewed on camera along with the PepsiCo leadership at their blogcast studio in the exhibit area.  Now ladies, let me give you a visual.  I was dressed in a t-shirt, flip-flops and no makeup.  I was dressed for schlepping through the conference, not to have an on-camera interview.  But you know what?  I said yes.  Always say yes.  Next thing I know, I’m on the 3^rd floor of the Hilton being placed on a beautiful white sofa with a PepsiCo leader on either side of me and getting makeup put on my face.  Ready for my close-up?  Not really, but I was so excited I didn’t care.  I put my game face on and did my interview as if I was wearing a $1000 suit and hot Louboutin heels.  It was a great opportunity and it taught me a lesson to always be prepared and feel my best because you never know what is going to happen next.

Leading the discussion, was “America’s Marketing Motivator”, Kathy McAfee and Image Consultant, Mallory Mason.  They led a well-rounded discussion on the importance of managing your brand from the inside and out.  It was a lively and intimate experience on how we create, sustain, and market our personal brands.  Including the biggest lesson of all — if you don’t manage your personal brand, others will do it for you by running with their first impressions and judgments.

Additionally, it is extremely important to be consistent with your brand instead of being scattered.  Many people go to conferences and have multiple business cards for each of their businesses and interests.  What this does is confuse people and dilutes your brand.  Instead you must find a common thread and define your brand handle.  In 2 or 3 words, sum up your brand.  For Kathy McAfee, it’s “America’s Marketing Motivator”, for a participant who was an executive assistant it was “The Go To Person.”  For me, it is “Coach’m Up Boni” because I empower others to rise up from their current situations to reach higher levels of success.  What is your brand handle?

Finally what I took away from this wonderful event, in addition to the great women I networked with, was the importance to be authentic.  Don’t compromise your values for others because when you are authentic, you build trust in your personal brand.  I am excited to be a panelist at Xcel, Inc’s next networking event in August on the topic of “Owning your Career.”  You can bet that I will have my brand handle ready and my personal brand in my soul.

As you prepare for an informational interview, remember that you are not entering this as a job candidate; you are seeking to establish a connection with the company and learn more about your desired position.  The information you retrieve is priceless and can easily be converted into a successful campaign to later showcase your talents for future employment.

Below are 8 points for a successful informational interview:

1.      Choose a company you really like.

2.      Interview the direct supervisor of the position you would like to have or the position holder themselves.  Yes, I said interview them.  Ask specific questions about the company’s products or services, culture, and most importantly, get information on their current needs or goals.

3.      Your objective is to leave a genuine impression of interest in the company and their needs.  This is not about you.

4.      Don’t ask for a job!  This is not about you.

5.      Make the meeting about them, not you.  Well, you get the picture.

6.      Always leave your business card with them, but do not give them your resume unless they ask for it.  Don’t hard sell.

7.      The main point of the interview is for you to develop contacts and leave them with a good first impression.  If or when a position is available that matches your qualifications, you will be at the top of their mind.

8.      Follow up!  Thank them for their time and compile a synopsis of their current needs and goals.  In your signature include a link to your online resume or LinkedIn profile.  Go for the soft sell approach.  If you genuinely like the people you met with, continue to keep in contact with them throughout the year, as they may get promoted, change companies, or go into business for themselves.  You never know from where your next opportunity will come.

The Internet, and specifically social media sites and tools, are defining the new economy and our future success.  We can lead the call, as we are a growing economic superpower.  Research from the Selig Center for Economic Growth at the University of Georgia shows, “In sheer dollar power, Hispanics’ economic clout will rise from $212 billion in 1990, to $490 billion in 2000, to $951 billion in 2008, and to almost $1.4 trillion in 2013.”  The Multicultural Economy 2008.

Teaching our communities the power of the Internet to promote their businesses, and non-profit organizations while creating powerful intellectual networks with colleagues, investors, and constituents is vitally important.  Our economic independence and prosperity depends on it.

We have all witnessed the power of the Internet during the last presidential campaign and in bringing awareness to important environmental and charitable causes.  As an educational tool it is limitless.  With adult monitoring and supervision, we can help our children navigate responsibly, share ideas and engage with their peers in a productive way.  Social media used maturely, is a great tool to challenge negative stereotypes and perceptions by showcasing our intellect, personality, and spirit.

Whether you agree or disagree with Sonia Sotomayor’s confirmation, you cannot deny its significance to America’s history and its positive impact to the greater American Latino community.

Cited: The Multicultural Economy 2008, http://www.terry.uga.edu/selig/docs/buying_power_2008.pdf

I’m a huge “Dancing with the Stars” fan (please don’t judge), and there was a couple who had a disappointing performance the previous week, but came back and received great scores.  They were asked what made the difference.  The difference, they said, is they decided to focus on the character of the dance, the real soul, and then learned the techniques and steps later.  The same goes with your network, take notice of those around you who emulate the morals and standards you value before focusing on their business or position.  For example, you know people who are always kind to everyone regardless of title, and never compromise themselves for greed or pride.  Get to know them.  In my own journey, I decided to reach out to colleagues and company officers who really impressed me by their actions and unwavering character.

So let’s stop and think for a moment about who stands out in your mind as having fascinating interpersonal skills and a career history that mirrors or complements your interests and passions.

Then, come up with a lunch list.  Jot down a few names of those you would like to have lunch with.  For some readers, this will immediately take you out of your comfort zone but the reason they are on your lunch list to begin with is because they touched your spirit in a positive way.  So this should not be a painful activity but rather an uplifting one.  Include people that are easy to invite but also include 1 or 2 who would normally reside on your wish list.  Think big!

At these lunches, begin with explaining to that person why you wanted to have lunch.  Explain that you would like to learn what they do to keep their head above the nonsense and remain true to themselves.  The purpose is for you to express your respect and admiration for their character and genuine spirit and the kicker is, you don’t want anything from them.  You don’t want a raise, a job, a client relationship, a free product, or a favor.  Nada, nothing, zip.  You only want to spend some time and listen to them.  The person you choose will be flattered by your authenticity and openness.

You must place yourself on a higher plane than those who are only flattering and helpful because they want something.  So enjoy your lunch and broaden your network with like-minded people.