Jennifer McClure`

Helping Leaders Leverage Influence & Create Maximum Impact.

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Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile to Build Your Personal Brand and Grow Your Career

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 076

How valuable is your LinkedIn profile? Hint: The answer is very!

If you don’t believe me, grab your phone, Google your name in quotes (“Jennifer McClure” for example), and hit enter.

Unless you’ve got an extremely common name, you’ll likely notice that the first page of search results for your name returns a number of social media profiles – which may include yours, as well as others that share your same name. And included in those top 10 results is likely a link to your public LinkedIn profile, or at least one created by one of your namesakes.

Whether you’re searching for your next job, open to career growth opportunities, or looking to grow your personal brand, or your business, your best opportunity to get noticed online is to have a robust, fully complete, and active LinkedIn profile.

While LinkedIn is straightforward – create a profile, connect with people, post and share your content, etc. – you may not be getting the most out of it as you would if you were to create an intentional strategy for using LinkedIn.

There are multiple ways that you can optimize your LinkedIn profile to build your personal brand and grow your career. By doing so, you can use LinkedIn to build your credibility as a thought leader and your reputation as a business leader that others want to work with or do business with.

You can also readily access a vast network of people and resources that you can utilize (for free) for your personal and professional development.

In this episode, I’m going to share some of my favorite tips and strategies for creating a LinkedIn profile that stands out, works for you, and increases your opportunities!

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

  • Why a LinkedIn profile is valuable
  • What makes a great LinkedIn profile?
  • 8 profile photo best practices
  • How to maximize your background photo
  • Tips for an effective LinkedIn profile headline
  • Tips in writing your About section
  • 10 profile summary tips

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 76

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“People ARE searching for you online – or they should be – and you have a simple and free way available to you to deliver exactly the credibility, image, and authority that you prefer, by being intentional about how you use LinkedIn.” ~ @Jennifer McClure

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

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Is It Still Possible to Build Your Personal Brand Using Social Media in 2023?

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 075

We’re off and running in 2023, and I hope that you’re finding your footing after digging out of your email inbox, and resuming the regular rhythms of meetings and deadlines.

If you’re like me, you’re likely back to being busy – maybe even overwhelmed once again, so I thought I’d share some thoughts with you this week about one of the prime culprits of overwhelm for many of us – which is of course, is social media.

What used to be a great platform for connection, building personal relationships, and building your brand has now sucked a chunk of time out of us. And it has led us down this path where communication is made less civil, and sometimes, even hurtful.

Do I still think that leaders who want to stay current with business trends, and what’s happening in the future of work should be active on social media?

Yes, I do, because there are still ways you can use social media to grow your career or your business.

Today, let’s walk down the social media memory lane to see how these platforms have evolved over the years.

As you seek to continue to build your brand or grow your career this year, I’m diving into what’s working and what’s not working with these different social media and online platforms, in the next few episodes.

Next week, I’ll start with the most impactful of all – LinkedIn.

Make sure that you’re subscribed or following the Impact Makers podcast in your favorite listening platform, so you don’t miss an episode.

And, if you’d like to make an impact on someone in your network today, please share this episode with them, so they can embrace the future of work, and develop and grow the leadership skills necessary to make a positive impact at work and in life, right along with you!

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

  • The evolution of LinkedIn and how it’s helping business people until now
  • Twitter then and now
  • How Facebook has become a ghost town now
  • The popularity of Instagram today
  • Should leaders be active on social media?
  • Using social media to build meaningful relationships

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 75

Key Quotes From This Episode:

“We have to be intentional and strategic about how we spend our time [on social media] consuming content, and how we create and share content to attract and engage the right people who want to hear from us and want to hear what we have to say.” ~ @Jennifer McClure

“I also still believe it is possible to build meaningful relationships with thought leaders, peers, and professionals in your industry and career field. But it takes time and more than a daily picture of your favorite cup of coffee to make those things happen.” ~ @Jennifer McClure

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

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My Mother’s Legacy: What It Means to Be an Impact Maker

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 074

Who is the first person that comes to your mind when asked who has made an impact on your life?

Well, if you had asked me who has been an impact maker in my own life, then my answer would be my mother. But her legacy is so much more than the impact she has had on my life.

My mother died at the age of 83 in 2020. (Actually, she was 85, but I said 83 in the podcast, for some reason.) I don’t have any hurt or pain around her passing because I truly believe she was living her best life. She was a woman of faith, who lived a life of service. She was a person who reached out to others and gave something without expecting something in return.

This episode includes some personal reflections on my mother’s life and her impact on me and others. Hopefully, this will remind you that you’re never too old or too inexperienced to step out in faith.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

  • The three pillars of successful aging
  • The importance of a social network of friends for longevity
  • Writing bible verses on index cards
  • What to do when you find yourself living a life you had not planned
  • Being good stewards of the things we allow into our visual and auditory
  • What it means to impact other people

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 74

Books Mentioned In This Episode:

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

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10 Activities Leaders Must Embrace to Lead With Impact in the Future of Work

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 073

As we close out 2022, I’m focusing this month on how I can best prepare myself – and you – for a successful 2023.

In my world, this time of year is typically filled with prediction posts and podcasts, where thought leaders share what they believe will be the challenges and opportunities ahead in the new year, related to the world of work.

Since my focus is on preparing leaders – like you – to embrace the future of work, and to develop the skills necessary to lead with impact, instead of making predictions that may or may not come true, I’m sharing 10 areas and activities that are critical for leaders to focus on, in order to lead with impact in the future of work.

1. Fight for Flexibility for Your Team Members

People want to effortlessly work how, where, when, and for whom they want.

2. Prioritize Career Growth and Development Opportunities for Your People

  • According to Gloat Research Group’s Great Resignation 2.0 Report, the number one reason given by employees who took a new job as to why they would leave again was the lack of career development opportunities.
  • The same survey revealed that 54% of the employees surveyed reported that their employers either don’t take their future interests and aspirations into consideration enough or not at all.

3. Help Your People to Connect with Meaning and Purpose in Their Work

Connect people to something bigger than themselves and help them contribute.

According to Gallup research, a 10% improvement in employees’ connection with the Mission or Purpose of their organization leads to an 8.1% decrease in turnover and a 4.4% increase in profitability.

I love this quote from Laszlo Bock, the current CEO & Co-founder of Humu and former Google SVP of People Operations: “The single biggest thing you can do [as a leader] is make the work feel meaningful.”

What is an organization’s Purpose? It’s what we do for our customers. Some good examples:

  • Nourishing families so they can flourish and thrive – Kellogg
  • We fulfill dreams of personal freedom – Harley Davidson
  • We help people get jobs – Indeed.com

4. Commit to Real Change and Action with Your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Efforts

  • Set meaningful goals
  • Track progress
  • Hold leaders accountable
  • Incentivize leaders

To learn more about how to do this, check out Impact Makers Episode #51 – The Value of Taking a Strategic Approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Jennifer Ingram.

5. Invest in Your Leaders – Specifically Front-Line Supervisors

The biggest gains businesses will witness in the future will come from hiring and training the right managers, who care for, develop, and maximize the strengths of every single employee.

Why is this so important?

Gallup found that 70% of the variance between the highest engaged teams and persistently disengaged teams is just the manager (based on meta-analytics of 100 million employee interviews).

6. Focus On Skills Identification and Development

I think this quote from Jonas Prising, Chairman & CEO of ManpowerGroup, sums it up:

“Helping people to pre-skill, upskill and reskill for in-demand roles in this Skills Revolution remains the defining challenge of this decade. It was important before the pandemic and is even more critical now – to create a better workplace where everyone is able to unleash their full human potential and have a more equitable share of the prosperity.”

Listen to Impact Makers Episode #64: Creating Career Pathways to Unlock Opportunity for the Workforce of the Future with Matthew Daniel to learn more.

7. SEE Your People

  • Show Appreciation.
  • Give Recognition.
  • Value Differences.

According to the results of a SurveyMonkey/Bonusly Survey, 63% of employees who are regularly recognized were “very unlikely” to look for a job in the next 6 months, and 89% of employees who are rarely recognized are open to accepting a new job.

Similarly, McKinsey’s Great Attrition Great Attraction Survey found the number one reason why people left a job without another one in hand was uncaring leaders.

8. Grow Yourself

  • Own your Personal Development.
  • Set goals, track your progress, and hold yourself accountable.
  • Challenge yourself to learn aspects of business and leadership that are not within your current responsibilities.

9. Develop Your Influence

  • Invest in relationships.
  • Build trust.
  • Share your ideas.

“You don’t get influence through control. You get influence through other people’s positive experience of you. You get influence through people wanting you involved – not by telling them you have to be.”
— Neil Morrison, Former Group HR Director, Penguin Random House now Group HR Director at Severn Trent Water

10. Embrace (and Lead) Disruption

  • Change is a constant.
  • Stay curious and seek out ways to lead change efforts.

Did you know that leaders are much more likely to engage in quiet quitting than their actual workers? Listen to Impact Makers Episode #63: Defining Return on Workforce Investment in the Future of Work with Dr. Alexander Alonso and learn what you can do to mitigate this.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 73

People & Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Workplace from Meta

Show Sponsor:

This episode of the Impact Makers Podcast is sponsored by Workplace from Meta.

Everybody’s talking about the metaverse these days, but Workplace from Meta is different – I mean, the clue’s in the name, right?

Workplace is a business communication tool that uses features like instant messaging and video calls to help people share information. Think Facebook, but for your company.

It’s part of Meta’s vision for the future of work – a future in which your job isn’t just something you do, but something you EXPERIENCE. A future in which we’ll all feel more present, connected, and productive.

Start your journey into the future of work at workplace.com/future.

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

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5 Things I Plan to Start, Stop, and Continue Doing in 2023

Impact Makers Podcast Episode 072

Start? Stop? Continue?

When I was in human resources, as part of review processes, I learned to look at things to start, stop, and continue rather than just talking about traditional goal setting.

With 2023 right around the corner, I thought I’d share five things I plan to start doing, five things I plan to stop doing, and five things I plan to continue doing next year.

Hopefully, this will encourage you to do the same as part of your goal-setting process as well.

Start

  1. Goal setting and tracking
  2. Daily planning/time blocking/using Trello
  3. Prioritizing learning/professional development
  4. Investing in my relationships
  5. Scheduling time for content creation

Stop

  1. Starting my morning with my phone
  2. Allowing busy work to fill my day vs activities focused on achieving my goals
  3. Not prioritizing my email list community
  4. Putting off writing a book
  5. Taking my friends and family for granted

Continue

  1. Using Profit First in both of my businesses
  2. Participating on the Defense Business Board
  3. Listening to podcasts for professional development
  4. Outsourcing what I’m not best at/working with a team
  5. Podcasting ?

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 72

People & Resources Mentioned In This Episode:

Workplace from Meta

Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals by Michael Hyatt

Full Focus Planner

Trello

Profit First: Transform Your Business from a Cash-Eating Monster to a Money-Making Machine by Mike Michalowicz

Defense Business Board

Impact Makers Podcast Episode #70: My Favorite Podcasts Related to the Future of Work, Speaking, and Entrepreneurship

Emerald City Productions – Making Your Podcast Sound Great

Show Sponsor:

This episode of the Impact Makers Podcast is sponsored by Workplace from Meta.

Everybody’s talking about the metaverse these days, but Workplace from Meta is different – I mean, the clue’s in the name, right?

Workplace is a business communication tool that uses features like instant messaging and video calls to help people share information. Think Facebook, but for your company.

It’s part of Meta’s vision for the future of work – a future in which your job isn’t just something you do, but something you EXPERIENCE. A future in which we’ll all feel more present, connected, and productive.

Start your journey into the future of work at workplace.com/future.

Connect with Jennifer:

Send her a message [https://jennifermcclure.net/contact/]

On LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jennifermcclure

On Twitter: https://twitter.com/JenniferMcClure

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jennifer_mcclure/

On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JenniferMcClureSpeaker

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