Ron Swanson is a man of few words.  But when he speaks, it’s best to pay close attention.  On a recent episode of NBC’s Parks and Recreation, Swanson offered this piece of advice:

“Never half-ass two things.  Whole-ass one thing.”

These nine words basically sum up every complex productivity system out there today.  Whenever your focus is divided across multiple items, your output will be far less effective and efficient than when you’re laser focused on one single thing.

In today’s tech-driven world, it’s easier than ever to lose focus – but keep Ron Swanson’s words of wisdom in mind the next time your attention begins to stray from the task in front of you.

Image source: NBC.com

OK I lied.  There aren’t actually 365 reasons that it has been (more than) a year since my last blog post.  It’s the same reason over and over and over.

I’ll give you a hint: She’s about 2 and a half feet tall and loves to say “dada”.

And since I might not show up here for quite some time again, a quick note on personal branding.  Building a personal brand is important for almost everyone today.  It’s especially important for those searching for a new or different job.

But, keep in mind that your personal brand isn’t perishable.  A year with no activity and Google still remembers who I am.  So do the real connections I formed through blogging, social media, etc.

So start every day at the top of your priority list.  If that’s building a personal brand – awesome.  But if it isn’t, don’t lose sight of what’s really important.

And with that, here’s baby Lola and what she’s been up to during her first year.

The following is a guest article by Joshua Waldman of careerenlightenment.com.  Enjoy the article and check out Joshua’s site for tons of additional tools and resources.

There isn’t much of a choice. People who deny they have a personal brand simply end up with a very bad one and struggle with their careers. But people who proactively manage it are ahead of the game.

I was at a Project Manager’s networking event the other night. I noticed something about them that I noticed about many other job seekers… they were technical, to the point, but not necessarily comfortable networking. Let’s just say they were more introverted than other groups I’ve spoken for. Sure, these qualities can be great assets; they get their jobs done, don’t let emotions get in the way of delivery, and don’t waste time.

But these skills don’t necessarily translate well in a job search.

Everyone Has a Brand

During one conversation, a man told me that even just coming to this event was a huge challenge for him. And that running his job search around building a personal brand was WAY outside his comfort zone.

So I explained that a personal brand doesn’t mean you have to jump around the room pretending to be something you are not. Think about Spock, from Star Trek. He certainly has a brand: “meticulous,” “professional,” and “straight to the point.” Spock’s character is so consistent that you can almost anticipate what he’s going to say next.

Start Finding Your Brand

Your personal brand is a combination of who you are and how you can solve someone’s problems. And having a consistent and compelling brand will help you throughout your career.

As an introvert, you will probably find the self discovery side of branding easier than the other-person’s-problem side. So here is a quick, three step exercise you can do in the next hour to get yourself a personal brand and avoid getting stuck.

The next time you are at a networking event, or writing your profiles online, you’ll be much more confident about how you present yourself.

Step 1: Ask Yourself and Write Down the Answers to the Following-
What qualities do you have that help you do your job better than anyone else? How have you been remembered by potential employers in the past? What are the three things you want someone to remember about you when they first meet you?

Step 2: Make Sure Your Answers are Consistent
Take a look at what you wrote down. Do the answers reflect who you are as a person? Do they solve real business challenges of the companies you’ve targeted? Do your resume and online profiles reflect this message? If not, make adjustments to your brand position.

Step 3: Boil it Down to it’s Essence
Once you are comfortable with the description of your brand, boil it down to a statement. Your statement will be like, “I’m Josie and I’m a database wizard with a passion for complexity” or “I’m John, and I love translating business problems into on-time deliverables.” Mine is, “I’m Joshua, and I love helping job seekers find their dream jobs though the use of social media”.

What’s yours? Feel free to comment below with your brand-statement.

For more great tips to help you discover and communicate your own personal brand, check out my new book Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies.

Joshua Waldman helps frustrated job seekers leverage social media to find work FAST!  He is the founder of CareerEnlightenment.com and the author of the new book, Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies.  Sign-up for his newsletter today and get access to his exclusive training videos for free.

The following is a guest article by Joseph Gustav of Pounding the Pavement.  Enjoy!

There are some situations that employees dread: the evil necessities. These situations are uncomfortable for many people because one has to assert oneself and often do so to authority figures. However, they are necessary to get what you want, need, and deserve as an employee. Here are some of the most common awkward work situations and how to approach them with confidence — and handle them professionally.

Asking for a raise. Money matters are always hard to deal with, especially when asking for more of it. First off, research your company or firm’s pay raise policies. There may be a process for asking for pay raises, or you may receive an annual pay bump automatically. After you’ve scheduled a meeting, prepare your case — prove that the work you’ve done is valuable enough to warrant a pay increase. Your request should be based on reasons of merit rather than your own financial status. Be straightforward, be specific about what you’re asking for, and if your request is denied, do not take it personally. Instead, ask what you need to do work-wise to make it happen in the future.

Disagreeing with a supervisor. Though this may be extremely uncomfortable, it is your duty as an employee to let your boss know when you think a decision of theirs is hurting the company. When approaching your supervisor, be completely objective; anger and defensiveness have no place in these kinds of meetings (and I emphasize meeting, NOT confrontation). First, think through as much as you can your boss’ perspective on the issue. During the meeting, let him or her have the floor first and voice their reasons. Ask questions to help you understand better their rationale. Then present your case as diplomatically as possible. If it becomes clear that your boss agrees, ask for a follow-up meeting to work further on the topic.

Expressing an unpopular opinion. Again, this is not easy, but necessary for the good of the company. Telling a boss their new plan has serious holes in it or telling a co-worker their work is subpar and hurting the firm is an unenviable task. The best way to go about it — without hurting feelings — is to justify your responses and offer solutions. Come off as a critical thinker looking out for what’s best for everybody rather than someone looking to attack others’ work and person. Be tactful, not caustic, be honest, and be positive.

Alerting a supervisor to a troubling situation. You’ve got a situation on your hands, like a deadline will be missed, you may lose a client, or your numbers are down, and your boss doesn’t know yet. It’s always better to be proactive and up-front rather than hide; doing so will increase the ramifications of the event and show you to have less integrity and professionalism. Be responsible and acknowledge your part in the situation, be direct and forthcoming about the situation, and then offer solutions. More often than not, your boss will be all ears to work with you on righting what is going wrong.

Joseph Gustav regularly shares his insights as a guest blogger for Pounding the Pavement. He also works as a contributing writer for Guide to Career Education on topics related to completing your high school diploma at home.

Photo credit, Jake Mates.

It’s Sunday Scoop time again, and having missed last week I had two full weeks of articles to choose from this time around.  I’m 100% certain you will love these links – happy reading!

3 Ways to Be Awesome in Everyday Life by Tim Tyrell-Smith

With a title as strong as this one, I was hesitant to believe the article would be as awesome as suggested.  I was wrong! These three suggested “ways to become awesome” are each phenomenal mini-lessons we should all remember.  Kudos, Tim.

Madonna’s 6 Secrets to Personal Branding Mastery by Stanford Smith

There is simply no denying that Madonna has built an enduring personal brand – one that has lasted multiple decades, yet been fluid enough to change with the times.  These six rules apply to everyone, superstar or not.

Are You A Slave to Your Email? by Ali Hale

A quick, on-point reminder to not to let e-mail take over your work or personal life.  This is an easy to say, but much tougher to follow through upon principle.  Read this article and sooth some of your fears.

You’re Famous by Seth Godin

Don’t think you’ll ever be famous?  Think again – by Seth’s definition, you are already famous, and gaining more fame by the day.  Looked at through this perspective, the folly of endlessly seeking increased social media followership comes into view.

8 Tips for Embracing Change in Social Media by Suzanne Vera

I think we can all agree that the social media landscape is ever-changing.  What better way to recognize that fact by taking steps to embrace change head on – and even plan for it.  Suzanne’s list of 8 tips is top-notch.

I hope you enjoyed this week’s list of articles.  If you loved these links and want to be sure to see next week’s edition, subscribe here to have the Sunday Scoop (and more) delivered straight to you.

Photo credit, catcubed.

The following is a guest post by James Adams.  Enjoy it, and share your thoughts on these tips in the comments section below.

Your personal brand separates you from the nameless masses. The label that you place on yourself identifies who you are and what you do. To promote that personal trademark, your strategy needs to include social networking venues like Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn and Technorati. Establish long-term goals for your personal brand and work toward a definitive purpose. Here are several tips for developing your personal brand.

Planning is essential

Before embarking on your brand quest, set specific goals. What do you want others to think when you speak about yourself? Take a critical and objective look at where you are now. Set realistic goals based on those observations. These goals should not be hollow. It is easier to create a map when you know your destination.

Find your niche

Where do your opinions diverge from the conventional thinking? What aspects of your expertise have not gotten enough attention? What sets you apart from those who have already created their personal brand? Knowing this information will help you further define your own identity.

Treat it like a strategy game

In strategy games, you need to think several moves ahead. You need to have contingency plans for your opponent’s activities. The best time to come up with alternatives and branding ‘moves’ is before you go live with your ideas.

Engage social platforms

You have been told that you need to have a presence within every single social networking sphere. Each audience is different. Each sphere adds to your brand and your personal reputation. Start with two or three methods of engaging your audience. Use forums and LinkedIn. Use Twitter and your personal blog. Pick two of these platforms. Watch the activity within these arenas to determine whether they are appropriate for your needs.

Perform a trial run

Bloggers can lose interest in their subject long before they have established a personal reputation. Before advertising yourself and establishing authority, make sure that you can follow a writing schedule. This will prove that you can stay on subject as well as give you content.

Execution is the next step

After developing a framework for your personal branding strategy, you need to execute your plan. Each step for the first year should be planned. You should know how often you will post on your blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook. You should know what your profile will say on LinkedIn, and which blogs on which you want to guest post. Give yourself ample time to determine the effectiveness of the campaign.

Domain name

Choose your domain name based on the personal brand which you wish to create. If you are the X expert, make sure a correlation is made between you and X. The simplest option is to fashion a domain based on your name or a permutation of your name.

Interaction

You know who the movers and shakers are within your field. They are the ones with thousands of unique monthly readers. They are the ones with whom you need to associate. Interact with the bloggers of your favorite blogs by intelligently commenting. Do not say, ‘hey, nice post,’ but give those people an idea of why you enjoyed the post and why it was poignant. This gives you exposure and a reason for readers to come to your blog.

Scheduling

Create a schedule which is based on your personal habits. Do you write your words for the week in a single sitting? Do you wish to have a theme for the following week? Each move which is made should be absolutely deliberate. Focus on having more interactions which will positively promote your brand.

Planning is the foundation of your personal brand. Execution builds the structure of that brand. Your brand is your business and your reputation.

James Adams currently works at Cartridge Save where he reviews and compares printer ink.

Photo credit, susanne nybergh.

Hi again everyone. A little late with the Sunday Scoop this week, as today was my birthday. After spending a beautiful day in San Francisco watching the Blue Angels zig and zag around the Golden Gate bridge, I’ve finally returned to reality. Enjoy this week’s “best of the web”.

If You Do This in an EMail, I Hate You by Matthew Inman

A hilarious, yet oh-so-true look into certain email practices that you should 100% never ever, not in a million years, ever think about doing yourself.  (Yet, admit it, we’ve all done them once or twice)

Five Ways to Build Someone Up At Work by Tim Sanders

What a great topic for an article, right?  The act of building the confidence of others around your office is a triple whammy – they win, you win, the company wins.  Not many other actions can have such a profound impact.

250 Words: What is Your Time Worth by Tim Tyrell-Smith

A simple, yet powerful concept.  Whether you are employed or unemployed, every hour of your time is worth something.  Chances are, you are underestimating just how much that little task or short meeting has really cost you.

4 Ways to Give Legs to Your Presentations by Amber Naslund

Here is my one birthday wish – please, please, please promise me you will never give a presentation created in PowerPoint and then read word for word from the screen.  Once you’ve followed that rule and delivered a killer presentation, keep these four tips in mind too.

Demonstrating Strength by Seth Godin

In two words, Seth Godin’s blog can be summed up as concise brilliance.  This “article” demonstrates Seth’s strength in communicating a complex idea in the simplest of fashions.

That’s it for this week’s recap.  If you loved these links and want to make sure to see next week’s edition, subscribe here to have the Sunday Scoop (and more) delivered straight to you.

Photo credit, Miss Millificent

It’s Sunday again – time to deliver the best links from around the web this week.  Enjoy!

Personal Branding Basics for 2011 by Chris Brogan.

I’m of the opinion that personal branding has essentially been around forever, in some shape or form.  Yet, the intricacies of today’s world have dramatically altered the tools and tactics essential to the process.  Here’s how to get a head start on building a personal brand in 2011.

Unleashing the Rudy Within Us by Suzanne Vara.

Suzanne Vara + the inspirational figure that is Notre Dame football player Rudy Reuttiger = a can’t miss article on how to turn your dreams into reality.

50 Can’t-Fail Techniques for Finding Great Blog Topics by Carol Tice.

Can’t think of a topic to write your next article about?  Think again – follow this list and you just might have 50 new ideas.

How Tucker Max Got Rejected by Publishing and Still Hit #1 New York Times by Tim Ferriss and Tucker Max.

Tim Ferriss is a fairly controversial dude.  Tucker Max is an indisputably controversial dude.  This collaborative article on perseverance is too informative to miss, even if you don’t care for one of its authors.

There is No Glory in Defeating Yourself by Jake LaCaze.

Jake is a friend and fellow blogger – and we possess a shared trait that is fairly frustrating: Our favorite football teams are both consistently terrible.  Amidst the sadness, Jake has found a lesson applicable to just about everyone.

That’s it for this week’s recap.  Good stuff, right?  If you want these links (and more) delivered straight to your digital doorstep next week, subscribe here.

Photo credit, JessicaFM.

It’s that time again – time to recap the best articles and resources found around the web this week.

How Justin Bieber is Killing Your Blog by Lisa Barone.

Bloggers know how tempting it can be to write about the hottest, most click-worthy topics.  Yet, for those blogging to build a personal brand, how helpful is that practice?  Not very.  Instead, pick a topic that few are writing about, or, share a unique idea that you can claim as your own.

These Opinions Are My Own by Amber Naslund.

Recently, Price Chopper responded aggressively to a single negative tweet – going after the tweeter’s employer (as listed in their bio).  Amber Naslund examines the blurred line between “public representatives” and “individuals” today.  Where do you stand on the subject? [Hat tip to Jenn Pedde for linking me to the article]

The SEO’s Handbook – 53 Resources for First Time SEOs by Neil Patel.

Search engine optimization is a mysterious thing for most – this list of resources helps you crack the code.

The Power of Not Giving Up – One Blogger’s Story by Naomi Dunford.

A tale of perseverance by one of my favorite writers.  If you’ve never checked out Naomi Dunford’s IttyBiz.com, you are in for a real treat.

Silence as a Business Edge by Chris Brogan.

Social media and information-delivering tools can be real assets to your business or personal development.  Yet, sometimes, a little silence can be darn powerful too.

That’s it for this week’s recap.  If you loved these links and want to make sure to see next week’s edition, subscribe here to have the Sunday Scoop (and more) delivered straight to you.

Photo credit, Photo Giddy

To some, Lady Gaga is the ultimate poster child for personal branding success – and to others, she represents a perfect example of taking it too far.  Gaga is truly a polarizing figure, and her tendency to do things like wear dresses made of meat ensures she will remain that way.

Yet, one particular lesson learned from Lady Gaga isn’t extreme or shocking – in fact, it is quite simple and rooted in common sense.  During a recent concert (which I attended, insert jokes in the comment section), Lady Gaga hinted at her upcoming album and a few early critiques she has received.  The critical consensus is that the album might not appeal to those who aren’t fans of hers already.  Her response… “Who cares?  Nothing matters more to me than my current fans.”

Thus, I give you the Lady Gaga Rule of Social Networking:

Appreciate the importance of your current network.  Finding new connections should be secondary to maintaining existing relationships.

Admittedly, this can be a difficult rule to remember – especially across the social web.  With your number of Twitter followers, Linkedin connections, Facebook friends, etc on constant display, it’s easy to get caught up in the “hunt for more”.

And of course it is true that Lady Gaga likely has about 200 million more “connections” than you.  No matter. This principle applies whether your network totals 4500 or 45.  As with most things in life, successful networking is “quality over quantity”.

What are a few ways by which you can show your appreciation for your current network?  We are presented with endless opportunities everyday, really.  Here are a couple of easy ones:

• Dig through your old Rolodex or contact list and dial up a few old connections with whom you’ve lost touch.
• Monitor your Linkedin connections for recent profile updates.  Profile updates show when a connection may have been hired, fired, or promoted – all instances in which you’d likely want to reach out.
• Make a Twitter list of your favorite tweeters (especially folks you know “in real life”) and seek opportunities to retweet their articles or individual tweets.
• Check your email inbox – any messages from your network that have gone unresponded to for far too long?

None of the action items described above are rocket science.  (Unless you are a rocket scientist who has lost touch with your fellow rocket scientists…)  But, tasks like these are essential to nurturing existing relationships.

So, while the lure of the “new connection” and unseen opportunity around the corner can be enticing, keep the Lady Gaga Rule of Social Networking in mind.  Show each friend or current/former colleague how much you value them – and avoid turning a solid relationship into a bad romance.

Photo credit, VJ Alisa.

This is the first installment of a new feature at Personal Branding 101.  Every Sunday I will give you “the scoop” as I see it – providing links to the most interesting, useful, or downright comical pages I’ve come across that week.

Most links will be related to personal branding in some way or another – but as we all know, personal branding is defined rather loosely.  Here are this week’s top picks…enjoy!

The World’s Worst Resume by Jake and Amir.

Struggling with your own job search?  Take a moment off and enjoy the fact that your resume is definitely better than this one! (Note: Contains adult language and admittedly juvenile humor, please don’t click if you are at work or might be offended).

The Amazing Windup Salesperson by Christopher S. Penn.

The personal branding lesson here?  It should never be all about you.  Really, it should be as little about you as possible in almost every circumstance.

Guy Spends Half His Life in the Minor Leagues, Finally Reaches the Majors by Ramona Shelburne

The lesson here is that given how much I despise the Los Angeles Dodgers, you know this story must be amazing for me to include it.  The most impressive case of perseverance you might ever come across.

11 Ways to Personalize a Linkedin Invite by Tim Tyrell-Smith.

Sending an invitation to connect on Linkedin with the stock language still inserted is just plain insulting to the recipient.  Here are eleven ways to make sure you never commit this faux pas again.

12 Social Media Buzzwords Redefined by Marian Schembari.

In her typical no-nonsense style, Marian takes on 12 of social media’s “most buzziest buzzwords”.  My personal favorite is #11.

That’s it for this week’s recap.  If you loved these links and want to make sure to see next week’s edition, subscribe here to have the Sunday Scoop (and more) delivered straight to you.

Photo credit, jessicafm

I’m a pretty frugal guy.  OK, who am I kidding?  At times I’ve been known to make Ebenezer Scrooge look like a spendthrift.  But even I know that cracking open the wallet for the right items can be immensely valuable in the long run.

As you build a personal brand and prepare for your future, the same principle holds true.  Don’t spend recklessly, but do drop a few pennies now and again on the most important items.

Here are 7 ways to wisely invest in your future:

1.  A Smartphone

This item is the most expensive one on the list, especially when you factor in long-term data charges.  No matter.  I simply can’t imagine operating without a smartphone today.  With an iPhone or Droid in your pocket, you are never more than two clicks away from news, email, social networks, to-do lists, banking information, live traffic and weather…the list is never ending.

If you dream to be a well-informed machine of productivity and connectivity, you can’t afford to go another day without a smartphone.

2.  Your Domain Name

If you only make one purchase out of these 7 items listed, let it be this one.  Buy the dot com for your firstlastname.com right this second if still happens to be available.  Or if taken, choose one of these alternates that Jorgen Sundberg suggests.  Even if the thought of writing your own blog or posting a bio on the web scares you to death today – take the plunge and buy your domain name anyway.  Twenty years from now, will you really have missed that $7.99 a year?

3.  Web Hosting

Deciding to self-host your own blog can be a tough choice.  Why pay money for something that WordPress and Blogger offer for free?  Oh, let me count the ways.  By self-hosting your own blog, you…

• Get to use that awesome domain you purchased in #2 above.
• Can design your website to look exactly how you envision.
• Become less dependent on your blog platform provider.
• Can implement the most robust tools and plug-ins.

The list goes on and on, including one hidden reason that is uber-valuable.  Hosting your own site forces you to learn how the web works in a way that would otherwise be impossible.  Painful at times, but well worth it in the long run.

4.  Premium WordPress Theme

This blog is “powered by Thesis WordPress Theme”, and thank goodness that it is.  Without the aid of a premium WordPress blog theme, I’m quite certain I would have gone crazy by now.  The user-friendly interface and enhanced customizability opens your current or future blog up to a world of new possibilities.  And the support forum is literally priceless – ask any question on almost any topic and you’ll have an answer quicker than you can say “What’s CSS?”.

5.  Business Cards

Haven’t business cards gone the way of the dinosaur?  Absolutely not!  To those contacts you meet who might not be as web-savvy as you, a business card is the best method for delivering your contact information.

And today, business cards are totally flexible – you can include as much or as little info as you desire.  Those Web 2.0 sites you know and love, like your website URL or Twitter and Linkedin profiles?  Include them all on your business card.  Looking to get hired?  You can even insert a QR Code linking to your resume.

6.  Flip Cam or Web Cam

We are living in a truly visual world today.  YouTube exceeds 2 billion video views every single day.  Heck, YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine.  How can you capitalize on these painfully obvious trends?  It is pretty tough to do so without some method of capturing video and audio.

A Flip Cam lets you record video from wherever you are, whenever you choose.  A web cam allows you to stream live on the web – which might sound like a crazy thought today, but will soon be far more commonplace.

7.  Books

Twenty years ago, your book choices were: paperback or hard cover.  Today, your choices are: Kindle, iPad, hard copy, audio version, eBook, Google Books, etc.

No matter how you choose to read them, you simply must read books – and read them often.  The brilliance put forth by authors such as Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin far outweighs the measly $10 it might cost to purchase the book in whichever form you choose.

These 7 ways to invest in your future are the tops I could come up with.  Have I missed any other brilliant buys that warrant cracking open the wallet?

Photo Credit, AlanCleaver and SeeMingLee.