Even when I was younger I was always questioning the process of everything. This habit led me to seek out and follow the process and those implementing the policies & procedures around me.

Who were these people in charge?

Whether in university leadership programs or professional associations I have taken an interest in the steering mechanisms behind my surroundings. By following the paths of leaders I have found the movers & shakers in my communities and given myself the opportunity to analyze the process & situations within each.

Ghandi said, “Be the Change”- I say, “Be the Challenger”- question the working parts, analyze the tasks at hand, look for and recognize inefficiencies in the process and address the policies and procedures that are not working.

Being the Challenger isn’t about pointing out the negative. It also means recognizing and building on strengths. Your own strengths, the strengths of others and the strengths of the situations. Bring these together and focus on those few things that work well and function best.

What do you challenge?

-Mike Toner

www.miketoner.com

When there is a mission involved people are more likely to share and care…

My mission is to share with you information and opinions from other people that influence me. I believe that if I can share their passions I can help create a more positive influence in the lives of those around me.

“If you get it, share it” sorta‘ thing…

Here’s a look inside my friends and heroes and while some may not know this firsthand, I admire and learn from you and get my daily dose of humor from you:

These are professionals, leaders, comedians, photographers, teachers, in no particular order:

Tripp, in Living the Truth, your demeanor and outlook always remind me of something larger than myself. Tripp sums a lot of my unwanted anxiety when he writes, “My stress and my worries are often slightly out of perspective.”

Jake: The future is safe with you teaching the next generation of leaders.

Lackeyman, you had the guts to change your major, pursue your dreams and turn your passion for photography, video and allthings multimedia into your life’s work.

Rob, you continually push the envelope with your comedy and your writing.

Geoff, you are a true social believer in social media for social good. I continue to learn the importance of putting the team before the individual- something I believe in and understand the challenge it has become in public relations.

Jonathan, I admire your entrepreneurial spirit.

Meghan: You have an opportunity to influence the direction of the US Army‘s future social media policy and how we learn and communicate with soldiers and their families and all American’s via these new mediums.

Mike: You rocked the DC Improv- keep making jokes.

The past few weeks have been alive with inspiration and hope for me. I am working on blog post which I hope to share sooner than later that involves an editorial calendar and the best way I can convey what this blog is supposed to be about.

I’ve got my mission.

I’ve got my outline.

Stay tuned…

I have always believed that hard work and dedication can get you what you want but it definitely helps to have someone who recognizes all that you have to offer.

My mother is one of the smartest ladies I know. She taught me from a young age that you cannot bypass long term goals in order to gain instant satisfaction. You must always keep the long term goal in mind and sometimes that means making sacrifices along the way.

If those small sacrifices ultimately allow you to reach your long term goal, then it is very hard to argue that those little sacrifices weren’t worth helping you to reach the final goal.

“Never let the things that matter most be at the mercy of those that matter least.”

-Mike Toner

www.miketoner.com

What are your thoughts and wishes?

What are your dreams, hopes and worries? Day in and day out I know what bothers me and what I need, but I believe it is more rewarding to know I can help others.

Whether it’s physically, mentally, spiritually, or emotionally- helping someone find direction or explore their passions is an awesome thing. By reaching out and extending a helping hand you make yourself welcoming and accessible.

I also like it when my friends reach out and make me think.

A good friend mentioned that my blog doesn’t exactly translate who I am. Got any advice?

-Mike Toner

www.miketoner.com

Photo Credit: lissalou66

My thoughts have been all over the place recently. From life & love to business & new media and how leadership and communication fits into it all this?

The conclusion: it’s easy for your passions to become your distractions. If I spend all of my time watching and reading what others do…then what will I do, what will I add?

Almost every moment of a recent car ride down I-95 I was thinking, “I should write about this or that…” with no real purpose or direction.

This is the difference between doing and dreaming, practicing and playing. Or as Robin Sharma puts it, “Ideation without execution is nothing more than delusion.”

Leadership is about dealing with distractions and staying focused on what’s most important. In your work and within your life, have the motivation to deliver with passion and execute with clarity.

-Mike Toner

www.MikeToner.com

Social Media is about engagement, right?

Yes, but maybe you started off with social media the way I did; quietly listening while learning the ropes, lurking and not really being social at all!

In fact, my first tweet was on October, 26th 2007. Great, except- I sent 15 tweets in the first month and not one was an @ message! I wasn’t talking to anyone… I wasn’t there yet.

Today, I am somewhere between participation and relationship building with regards to social media. I’ve made the mind shift from 1-way to 2-way, although I sometimes find myself reverting back to my old 1-way ways.

This almost implies tuning out a little, doesn’t it?

In order to concentrate on providing value, I may need to block out some of the noise. Perhaps stepping out of the echo chamber will allow me to focus on the task at hand. A Tim Ferriss’esque idea -no doubt.

During my own adoption of social media, I focused heavily on reading and listening, so much so- that this has become a comfort zone for me to run back to. Recently, I have stopped reading my google reader everyday. Instead, I am going to do some thinking of my own and stop relying on old meme’s to create new content.

I hope that by eliminating distractions I will be able to provide quality information and value to my network.

Where are you on the social media curve?

-MikeToner

www.MikeToner.com

Sometimes a case of writers block takes a change of scenery, a new journal and a nice pen to get my thoughts and ideas onto the paper.

As you may have noticed, I write with a rational, cause-and-effect tone. This is me, this is how I write, but often I get stuck in this cause and effect mindset.

It makes sense- we all find a way to do thing things we’re good at. We all like to practice the things we enjoy and we continually do the things which we know we can complete, right?

“Practice means to perform, over and over again in the face of all obstacles, some act of vision, of faith, of desire. Practice is a means of inviting the perfection desired.”- Martha Graham

So, I’m gonna step out of my comfort zone and start practicing the hard things.

Writing with emotion is hard for me.

College students about to enter the workforce during these weak economic times have an opportunity to control what their potential employers will know and need to know about them- at least more than a paper resume could ever show. It wasn’t so long ago that I was applying for my job and I relied predominately on a piece of 8 1/2 x 11 1/2 piece of paper.

I crammed as much text as possible onto that resume. My reputation lay in the hands of the information I presented here and maybe the three individuals I list at the bottom as references.

If Barrack Obama taught us anything over the course of his campaign it was how influential an online resume can be. He built an online network unlike any other and used it to supplement his traditional campaign.

In the end, he used social media to get the job, so-to-speak.

The blending of real world networking and online social networking can be the difference between getting your first interview and getting your first job.

For the seniors in college, I encourage you to think about hard your facebook profile and yes, delete pictures that put your reputation in question. Share your life online, share your experiences, but share wisely.

Your employers will google you.

Those results are your new resume.

Do marketers avoid being persuaded by their own art?

Or do marketers love the hypnosis that comes from their own craft?

Over the past 3 years I’ve worked with a lot of marketing and PR professionals. As a result of the work I see happening around me I have become much more aware of my surroundings and the messages that are being sent to be from products and logos. Simultaneously, I have found myself analyzing and critiquing advertising campaigns.

I feel comfortable saying that most folks find a little enjoyment in making sure Apple doesn’t do something politically incorrect, or that Coca Cola doesn’t run into a communication crisis over water pollution or something, right?

We all want brands to do well- but not too well. I also think that fans of good branding campaigns enjoy that the message being received by them also says something about them.

But I wonder if marketers are a little too keen on the meanings of messages and ads they see in their everyday lives? Take McDonalds Olympic ads: I know that Olympians don’t eat McDonalds and drink soda. Or what about Gas and oil companies? We have all noticed an increasing amount of commercials and positive green campaigns. But- because I recognize the message being sent, what does that say about me? I still eat McDonalds. I still buy gas.

I think the interview with Exxon’s CEO, Rex Tillerman was one of the best examples of a company explaining themselves. He said his job is to provide, fast and reliable energy.”- That’s it- Not to save the world. Remember, he wants to get paid just like you and I – and I think he was correct in saying this isn’t up to just Exxon.

Consumers have the power. If we continue to buy cars that run on gas -we fuel the flames- so to speak. He explains that there is not just one simple solution; this will take a hybrid (some jokes?) approach. We will need to combine other energy sources; sun, water, light & wind, to create a balanced energy solution. Now I sound like a politician…

I believe that Exxon and others like them can sit back and wait for their consumers to tip the multi-faceted energy scales from oil to something else. But Green Ad’s do nothing for me.

We have to walk the walk first to bring about change- literally, walk.

When is bike to work day? Did I miss it?

Money, Money, Money. Do I get any part of this $700 billion bailout?

NO?! Why NOT?

Money’s tight. We all are feeling the crunch that our government and our banks have us in.

Part of me wishes the U.S. had just left the banks to their own devices. Let ‘em fail. I know, I know, this may have brought about another Great Depression, right? But maybe it would help eliminate the sense of entitlement we have. I’m mostly talking about the people who think because they have a credit card with a $10,000 limit they can buy 10 grand worth of clothes and tv’s.

There is definitely a connection between this sense of entitlement and what it means to live within your means. Earning a days wage and saving money isn’t what it once was.

The problem is bigger than us. The flow of money is complicated, so much so, that had the banks failed I think we would have seen a ‘grand depression’- yes- but only for a short time- long enough for a new wave of entrepreneurs and new ideas to take the lead and build our economy from the ground up.

Fixing a complicated and intricate economic process by throwing $700 billion may hold off the problem for a few years- but it is not a fix.