I am attending the 12th Annual Talent Management Summit as a participant and as a moderator. This post is not about the summit. It is about the power of social media and a personal branding wake-up call.

The Power of Social Media

@TalentMgmtSmt was extremely kind on Twitter when they said, "12th Annual Talent Management Summit is proud to welcome super blogger and HR Expert @lisarosendahl to the speaker faculty!"

Although I am not an expert and don't consider myself a super blogger, I appreciated the thoughts just the same. So, how did it come to be that I was asked to moderate? It goes to Shauna Moerke, aka the lovable HR Minion. She did it. Experienced conference attendees are probably thinking right now it's a moderator spot, not a key note speaker, get your feet back on the ground. My feet are firmly planted and you have to know that the offer to moderate, as cool as it is, is not what blows me away right now.

I am blown away by the amazing gesture. Shauna, whom I have not yet had the opportunity to meet in person, recommended me. Wow, what an awesome compliment.

If we have not yet met, how do we of know each other? We've gotten to know each other through our blogs, HR social networks, and Twitter. If not for social media, I would not have had the opportunity to know Shauna or to meet so many other amazing people. Considering this is what I'm gaining as an entry level student in social media, imagine the possibilities!

Personal Branding

Whether you realize it or not, people are forming impressions of you each and every day. I received the following e-mail this week in response to my post, HR Matters. I'm in Print!

Congratulations! We really enjoy your thoughts....3-4 of us at Company X are following you. You are a prime example of building a brand on-line. You have become SO WELL KNOWN from your Tweets, Blogs/use of social media--pioneer you are!

I know the sender. We have spoken a few times, but we have not met. She also has an impression of me based on my blog and Twitter. She even used the "B" word - brand. Whoa. Me building a brand on line? Branding was something for me to take a look at "some day," but really, isn't that what we all are doing every time we post a comment, picture, link, or tweet?

What do you know about branding? One recent, simple, solid, straight to the point post on branding I like is by Jason Seiden. Jason offers his 3 steps to a kickin' personal brand: be self aware: know who you are; be honest: tell the truth about who you are; be at ease: be comfortable with who you are.

Personal branding or not, this is general all-around good advice for simply being, connecting and getting to know others. How do you measure up?

Final Note

If you are thinking about making the leap into social media and are hesitant, think again. Take it one step at a time. Comment on a blog, follow a colleague on Twitter, set up a Facebook page or establish a Linked In profile. Connect with a friend or two and let your network grow naturally and at your pace.

You are your own brand. Manage this wisely. Be authentic, be nice to others and be prepared for the unexpected.

There are many books available that proclaim their ability to manage change. But seriously, can you really manage change? Change happens and when it does, it happens to people. Any time people are involved, a lockstep 1-2-3 approach to anything is simply is not going to work. So, when I am asked to review a process, procedure or book that seems to promises to do just that, I am always a bit skeptical.

Les Allan, the Managing Director of Business Performance Pty Ltd, writes on business and organizational change and he recently released the second edition of his book, Managing Change in the Workplace.

Change is a process and Les Allen notes that each and every one of us as either initiated change or been on the receiving end of a change. In the introduction Les states that "moving to a new way of working is inherently messy," and that "it is people - thinking and feeling people - that will carry through your change." He goes on to state that his guide, "will not provide you with a magic solution to the complexities and uncertainties" of change.

And that is where he had my attention.

Managing Change in the Workplaceis not your usual book on leading and managing change. The chapters sequentially move the reader through a change process and provide valuable information on understanding change,principles guiding successful change programs, the CHANGE Approach, managing resistance to change andmanaging change through projects and through teams.

The CHANGE Approach is the heart and soul of the guide and offers a "disciplined understanding of how organizations achieve real benefits through change." The phases of the CHANGE Approach are:

Create tension. Articulate why change needs to happen
Harness support. Get key stakeholder on board.
Articulate goals. Define specific and measurable outcomes.
Nominate roles. Assign responsibility to specific individuals.
Grow capability. Build necessary systems and competencies.
Entrench changes. Institutionalize the change.

Managing Change in the Workplace is different from other guides because it is packaged with a reusable and customizable change program workbook. Regardless of where a reader is in planning or implementing a change process, or how comfortable they feel in leading change, there is something in the guide for them.

Readers can scan the chapters and pick out the chapter or section that interest them the most.They can use all or part of the workbook.They can tailor this guide to their needs and the needs of their supervisors or team members. As reader works through the guide and workbook, they actually are able to apply the lessons learned to their current change program.

Managing Change in the Workplace is a solid, practical guide from beginning to middle to endfor anyone embarking on a change initiative for the first time, wanting a refresher on the change process, or facing resistance to change and definitely worth a look.

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Book Review: Managing Change in the Workplace

Lisa Rosendahl