Forget Work-Life Balance And Build A Lifestyle

In a recent talk, Tony Hsieh, the CEO and founder of Zappos was asked about how the company manages work-life balance.

Hsieh replied,

“For most companies (work-life balance) implies that work must suck so much you need a life on the outside. At Zappos we’re more focused on creating a lifestyle. We don’t think of it as one or the other. Most Zappos employees leave work and hang out with other Zappos employees.”

He’s right. While it’s usually done with good intentions, focusing on work-life balance is killing your corporate culture. Like Hsieh says, the mere term implies that work must be so terrible that you need to stop thinking about it the second you walk out the door.

This was a great philosophy – in 1890. In the days of 8 hour shifts on an assembly line, everyone had work-life balance. When the machines shut down, there were no widgets to be made; you couldn’t work if you wanted to. And there was no point in dreaming about how to get the job done better or faster or how to beat the competition when the machine dictated everything you did.

Its 2009 and things are different now. We live in a knowledge based world. The companies who dream, innovate and change the world are the ones that win. No one is making world changing innovations in 8 hour shifts, 5 days a week. Ideas come in your sleep and breakthroughs come at happy hours.

Start-ups are doomed the second people start talking about work-life balance and begin thinking of each other as nothing more than “coworkers.” They need to be best friends, they need to work around the clock, or at least be thinking about work around the clock, and they need to kick and scream and fight together, just to survive. So start-ups create a culture where work is a lifestyle. Zappos is well past the start-up phase, but they’ve managed to do this too.

Stop worrying about work-life balance or how to give people as much time off as possible, and start thinking about how to create an environment where people never want to take time off. Not because they’re scared or intimidated, but because they can’t think of anything in the world they would rather be doing than working with their peers and friends to achieve a common goal.

The employees you really want aren’t looking for a job, they’re looking for a lifestyle. Create one for them.

Brazen Careerist Is Live! Go Check Out The Site.

As most of you know, Brazen Careerist has been live since March 2008. But, really, we just launched it yesterday. The site has gone from an idea, to a tiny aggregator of 50 Gen Y bloggers, to a network of thousands with social networking features like profiles and groups. And now, we're taking the giant leap to turn the site into a career management tool for next-generation professionals.

You might be thinking, why does Brazen Careerist keep changing what they're doing? My response to that question is, we didn't really have a choice. Over the past six months we've listened to the community and we've listened to the marketplace. And what they both keep telling us is that young professionals (Gen Y) are looking for a professional home on the internet.

On the community side, our groups feature has continued to take off and members now think of Brazen Careerist as a full scale social network. New members are joining every day and engagement on the site is increasing dramatically.

When I read the bios on some of these new profiles, I'm blown away. We have successful entrepreneurs, marketers, freelancers, IT workers, and more. And they're all driven, motivated and accomplished. Our members now think of us as a professional network, and it became glaringly obvious that we had to give them what they wanted.

On the other side, the marketplace needs a young professional social network. Here's why.

Facebook is home base. We all know this. Facebook is where you share your personal information, send messages to established offline friends, and browse through photos from the good ol' days of college. Facebook is not where you meet new people, build a network, and have work related conversations.

Linkedin is the dominant player in the online career network space. It's where you should have a professional profile because it's where your boss and your future boss probably hang out. But the average age on Linkedin is 40, and the profiles emphasize experience – something people in their twenties are a little short on.

When we looked at all of these factors, we realized, there's a huge niche that needs to be filled – a professional network for Gen Y – and our community that started as a little blog aggregator is in the perfect position to fill that niche. So, with this launch, that's what we've done.

First of all, we gave the site a complete facelift, improved the user experience and made just about everything customizable to you – the way a social networking site should be. But most importantly, we completely revamped our profiles to emphasize ideas over experience. The new profiles aggregate everything you say or do on Brazen Careerist. From blog posts to group chatter to profile updates, the new profiles display all of this activity in a feed to show that your experience and background aren't the only indicators of success. Your ideas and potential matter too.

The other part of our profiles showcase standard resume information including work experience and education to give a complete picture of who you are and what you have accomplished – even if it's not 20+ years of experience in a single field.

On a personal note, the past few months have been crazy at the Brazen Careerist office. We've pulled countless all nighters, we've had our fair share of arguments, we've had plenty of great discussions, and Photis, our lead developer even managed to lock himself out of his office an hour before our final load balance test, only to pull a MacGyver and climb through the roof to get to his computer. (This was hilarious, you can see photos here) All in all, it's been everything a pre-launch period is supposed to be and we've all had a great time doing it.

So please, check out the site, create a profile if you don't have one and let us know what you think because community feedback is what made the site what it is today, and it's what will make the site great in the coming months!

How to Get the Most Out of Your Campus Career Center

Note: This is a guest post from Kelly Cuene. Kelly is a friend of mine and a Career Advisor at The University of Wisconsin. Most people I knew in college, including me, didn't take advantage of their career centers until it was too late. That's unfortunate because your career center really can be a great resource. If you're in college, I urge you to take Kelly's advice and get the most out of your career center, before its too late.

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I realize many students have serious concerns about the quality (or lack thereof) of their campus career center. It's also important to know, however, how to get the most from your career services office. Some basic tips:

Do some work on your own, first
Student services staff are always trying to conveniently deliver information to students (notice the increasing use of videos, blogs, podcasts, websites and social networking sites by campus staff). Seriously, we have committees, surveys and focus groups trying to figure this out. If you look for these first, you'll have a more productive appointment with a career advisor because you can ask follow-up questions or apply that information to your own situation.

Be prepared for an appointment
Before you visit with an advisor, think about what it is you hope to get out of the appointment. What questions do you have that you need answered? Some students with whom I meet apologize for bringing in a list of questions to ask. No worries – preparing questions in advance is awesome. It ensures all your concerns are discussed and our time is used effectively.

Visit early
Fall career fairs often launch campus recruiting for the year and usually take place just a few weeks after classes begin. This catches students off-guard, who have to scramble to prepare, or worse, miss out on great opportunities entirely. This is especially important for business majors and any students hoping to pursue careers with corporate employers, who conduct the bulk of recruiting in the fall. Plan ahead and hit the ground running once you get back to campus. Bonus points if you visit during the summer when few students are around.

Don't believe the grand daddy of all career center myths
If nothing else, please do not wait until senior year to visit the career center! Most career centers are not in the business of handing out jobs once May hits. Advisors teach students to conduct a job search and build their brand, developing career management skills to be used long after graduation. Figuring out what to do with your life requires on-going assessment of your values, skills, strengths, interests and priorities. A career advisor will be more valuable to you if they can spend 2-3 years getting to know you and your needs, as they evolve.

In addition, your advisor is part of your network – nurture that relationship over the long-term to gain more from it. Advisors often have valuable contacts, including their own personal connections, and are more likely to share those when they know students will use them responsibly and professionally. Demonstrate, over time, that you are both those things.

Make an effort to attend group advising sessions or career workshops
Students tell me they prefer to skip group sessions because they want one-on-one attention from a career advisor to discuss their unique situation. I'm not sure if this is a millennial thing or what. Chances are, however, the issues are not as unique as students think. Many individuals struggle with the same questions. Group advising or workshops help you learn from others experiencing the similar things.

If your career center sucks, let someone know
Most colleges and universities, regardless of type, have a hierarchal structure. Academic departments and faculty are priority because they carry out the teaching and/or research missions of the institutions in a direct way, on a daily basis. Even a college president or chancellor is nothing without the support of faculty.

This means resources are often allocated other places before they go to undergraduate student services. It's possible your college career center is lacking the financial or human resources it needs to meet student expectations. Start with the college career center staff if your needs aren't being met. Most staff want to hear students' ideas about how to improve services. But, if you feel like what's going on is an issue beyond the career services office, let your voice be heard. Students can have a huge impact!

The Brazen Careerist D.C. Recap: Why Bringing Your Online Community Offline is So Crucial

Last week's Brazen Careerist meet up in Washington, D.C. was an important milestone for our team. We've reached a point where we can finally take the community we've created online and use it to establish relationships offline.

I can't think of a more important goal to be able to meet as an online community manager. Because while we all know the Internet can be a powerful vessel for cultivating relationships, nothing beats the personal touch of face-to-face interaction.

So while I just wrote a post giving advice to would-be community managers, I don't mind reiterating one of my most important points. If bringing your online community offline is not one of your principal objectives you're missing a big part of the equation.

Social media use has a short shelf life for many users.

This is true for blogs especially. Most won't last more than 2-3 months. Even within a strong community good bloggers can lose focus or get bored.

I think it's because online just isn't enough. You can spend all day connecting with people all over the world–no boundaries–by the click of the mouse, but you'll be missing out on a whole lot of life. Sometimes a few boundaries are exactly what people need.

Bringing people together on a local level is exactly what some people need to stay engaged on a global level. While talking to some of our Brazen bloggers, it was great to hear people say the meet up gave them motivation to go home and write. It got me motivated too. And we all need that little boost of encouragement sometimes.

Global communities lack local appeal.

When you have a community of like-minded people online, and there are enough of them in proximity to each other to bring them together offline, don't miss out on that opportunity. It's a great way to strengthen the group in a way you normally can't accomplish via the web.

What was really cool about the D.C. meet up was that it won't end after the initial night. A few of our D.C. bloggers are in the process of making Brazen Careerist meet ups more regular. And you know when people don't need an open bar to get together that you must be doing something right.

Tim Ferro put it best. While he was thrilled that we came up and put together the event, he wouldn't mind doing it on a regular basis, with just our local D.C. crew.

"I'd pay for my own drinks just to get this group back together," he said.

A great way to connect your community with other organizations.

CORT Business Services, the official sponsor of Brazen Careerist, D.C., is a perfect example. Not only were they absolutely amazing hosts, but they also knew how to connect with a Gen-Y audience without trying to hard sell us on anything.

Brian Keating, CORT Account Executive, spent the entire evening chatting with community members who could totally relate to what their company does: Help young people like ourselves deal with the stress of job relocation by making the process more seamless and worry-free.

It was great to see a Gen-Y friendly company like CORT come to the meet up. Not only did they benefit from a night with an engaging group of young professionals, but we all enjoyed engaging with a company that's creating solutions to make twentysomething life a little easier.

So for all of you online community managers out there, don't get too lost online. Always look for ways to bring your community together in the real world. It will not only strengthen what you've created, but give you a gauge for where your community can go.

I for one can't wait for our next Brazen Careerist event. It gives me goose bumps thinking about where we can take things next. In my head, the wheels are always turning. But I'd love to hear what you think too.

How can online communities bring more to their members' offline lives?

Click here to check out more photos from Brazen Careerist, D.C.

UPDATE: Brazen Careerist, New York City is underway! Click here for more information.

10 Tips for Successfully Managing Online Communities

When I first became the community manager at Brazen Careerist, I was less than enthused. Nobody could tell me exactly what the title meant, exactly what the job was, and so I had no idea where to start.

Five months later, the work has become the reason I get up in the morning. And the reason I keep working late at night. I also feel confident explaining what I can do for a startup in one word—bridge.

When companies, especially startups, get caught up in the hustle of post-funding mayhem, a sturdy bridge is what will keep you aligned with your loyal, pre-funding customers. And those loyal customers are important when you're community building. It's a messy and erratic job, but somebody's gotta do it.

And while some companies think that community managers are pointless, there's enough buzz about the position to make a few tips for success worth reading about.

1. Be a social media ninja.

Last week at SummerMash Austin, Dan Healy, our new sales guy, got a first-hand look at why being up on social media is so important. People don't just wear nametags with their name on them anymore. They sport their Twitter I.D. as well.

While Twitter may be the hottest new thing among social media elite, young and old, the rest are just as important to know and understand if you want to be a great online community manager. Equip yourself on a variety of fronts and you'll optimize how connected you and your community can be.

So LinkedIn, Facebook and MySpace are just as important … okay, not MySpace.

2. Never turn down a cup of coffee.

Spending an hour of your day at a coffee shop with one person may be a waste of time for some people, but community managers need to learn to embrace it. I've gained some of my most valuable connections this way.

As a community manager, it's your job to learn to embrace the individual because there's not just one kind of customer in most online communities. Spend time with 1-2 people individually every week and you'll see what I mean.

3. Don't wait for people to come to you.

Some of your most valuable community members can easily go unnoticed if you let them keep quiet. Statistically speaking, about 25% of your community is going to be naturally introverted and slower to join the conversation, even virtually. It takes a little push to get some people engaged, but then they can't stop engaging.

It's your job to identify these members and find a way to get them more involved. Offer them help, or just encourage them from the sidelines. Don't be pushy, but don't be afraid to push either. There's a difference, and it's likely different for different people, too.

4. Know your community's goals.

While you're busy "embracing the individual," start embracing their goals too. Find out what they're looking to get out of branding themselves online, and use that information to help them achieve it.

Goals can range from starting a successful business to just expressing themselves as individuals. However lofty their goals may be, there's always something you can do to help them out.

5. Have an eye for potential.

It's quite likely that there will be members of your community without a clear goal or direction in mind, but with obvious potential for something bigger. And it's your job to figure out what that something is.

Recognizing potential is almost natural if you're accustomed to seeing the best in people right away. And if you have lots of A-team players in your life, you can probably identify high potential even in the youngest members of your community. Regardless it takes a little work, but the rewards can be unexpectedly huge.

6. Find a way to personally connect.

Maybe you both have a dog, or maybe you share similar alma maters, or maybe you just both enjoy watching some hit T.V. show.

Whatever the case, it's your job to find these commonalities. They're a golden opportunity to connect on a personal level. And it shows people that you don't see them as just another member of the community.

7. Display your genuine personality.

The problem with working in a business environment is that we all tend to act a little synthetic from time to time. But the one thing your community doesn't need is more corporate jargon. Show them your authentic, softer side instead.

Whether it's for a personal or professional purpose, communities are supposed to be fun, first. And community leaders are responsible for setting the tone so that goal is met for everyone.

8. Speak up for the community.

You're the spokesperson for your community. You're responsible for speaking up to the business side of your company on their behalf, even if you end up feeling like the lone wolf, or just the boy crying wolf.

Don't be afraid to bang heads and stir things up. At the end of the day, it's what you're being paid to do. And being the lone wolf is kind of cool anyway.

9. Take it offline.

Tonight we're hosting our first, fully-sponsored Brazen Careerist event in Washington D.C. and we're all extremely excited. Having the opportunity to meet a room full of people that you've been working with online for months gives me goose bumps.

Community managers should make an offline community presence one of their top priorities. And don't be afraid to think big either. Think Mashable big. The less you limit yourself, the more you'll realize is possible as your community matures.

10. Preserve the belief that you are helping people every day.

I should have made this #1, because if you can't believe that what you're doing makes a difference in people's lives, you shouldn't be doing it.

Traditionally, how we're valued in the workplace stems from quantifiable results. But a community manager's results aren't always quantifiable, and that's frustrating.

Keep your self-esteem high by reminding yourself that there would be a lot more problems if you weren't around. You help people with problems that can't be anticipated always, or even predicted, and it makes a difference.

My best days are when I receive genuine thanks from a person in my community regarding something I did that they thought I didn't have to. And even though I knew I did have to, it means a lot knowing that it made a difference.