Women who lead have the ability to see opportunities in setbacks and the will to make themselves heard, a new book contends-

 Is there a secret formula some women know that propels them to the top? What consistent threads did you find in the success stories that remarkable women tell? 

One of the crucial consistencies is that each of them said they made a commitment early in their career to find personal satisfaction from what they do. About 20 per cent of the women said they knew even when they were children that a career in business would make them happiest 

I came into the study with the preconception that maybe the women who make it big just have an easier time of it, or that maybe they have better luck. But, as it turns out, every one of them had to overcome obstacles and find ways to turn difficult situations around. They all had a turning point that could have made them quit, but they persisted and moved on after adversity struck. When they experienced failure, they were able to see opportunity in the setback.

What was the most common obstacle they had to overcome?
 
More than 60 per cent of the women said they didn't naturally have the confidence to speak up for themselves early in their career, and they had to gain that confidence to succeed. Recurring themes were that, starting out, they held back because they didn't feel they had anything important to say, or they believed that, since they were in a junior position, it was not their place to insist that their viewpoint be heard. 

But most told of a breakthrough moment in which either something they should have said but didn't led to a failure, or they were given the floor by a senior person and made a contribution that led to a success. From then on, they made a conscious decision to make their voice heard - and to insist that others they lead speak up as well. 

For example, Shelly Lazarus [former chief executive officer of ad firm Ogilvy & Mather and now chairwoman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide], stated that she had that insight early in her career. Another woman she worked with asked her to cover for her while she snuck out of the office to see her child's school play. She told the woman to come right out and tell her manager she was taking off. At that point, she realized that, "if you have to be afraid for who you are, you will be afraid all your life." 

From then on, she said, her motto has been: "Just stand up, do what you need to do and smile about it. Look them in the eye and say, "If you don't like it, fire me, and I'll find another job, because I'm talented enough and I'm committed enough ". 

 You also found that women had to break free of limiting expectations that others may have about what are appropriate occupations for women. Because there were so few women in leadership in previous decades, many of the leaders said they had been regularly advised to give up the dream of reaching senior positions. 

Ann Moore [chief executive officer and chairwoman of Time Inc.] stated that, from childhood, her mother expected her to be a nurse, like every other woman in their family. But her mother was also a great organizer for her church and a local political committee and she [Ms. Moore] realized she really wanted to lead, and that her strength and interests were in guiding teams. 

She said she stuck to her goal of reaching top management, even to the point where early in her career she decided to turn down a promotion to a production function because "it would have been the wrong fit." Her refusal made her superiors furious, and she said the decision kept her stalled in the same job for several years, but ultimately she found her way into the role she really wanted. As for those angry bosses? "They are not here now and I am," she said. 

Is there a process by which women gain the courage to take more risks? 

Another consistent thread in the stories women told is that they were prone to be risk-averse. Psychological research shows that when women are under stress, their brains are more prone than men to dredge up memories of past failures and emotional wounds and they are more likely than men to withdraw, rather than risking another failure. 

The book further mentions that many of the women interviewed said that they had learned to consciously reframe stressful situations by using basic techniques such as talking back to the voice of fear in their head or looking at opportunities to find alternatives and move ahead, rather than remaining frozen in indecision. 

An example is Ellyn McColgan [until recently, president of the wealth management division of Morgan Stanley]. She said her insight came in 1992, when a team she was leading at a previous financial group had a large loss and she was given 90 days to turn the situation around. She was terrified about taking risks but she kept in mind: "What is the worst thing that can happen? ...I might get fired." In that case, she decided: "So what? Go get another job." 

That defiant optimism helped her get over her self-doubt and pull the team together, and they got results back on track. "A natural reaction to failure is to be afraid and to get smaller," but what the experience taught her- "what you should do is get bigger. Failure is an opportunity to grow. ... It might hurt while it's happening, but all things that help you grow hurt."
 

The book amazed me as to how all the top women leaders seemed to see opportunity everywhere. They have learned that when you aren't obsessed about what could go wrong, it's more easy to find opportunities and ideas for making things come out right.
 
Did the women feel they had an advantage over their male colleagues? 

Most women have an inherent strength in a behaviour psychologists call "tend and befriend," a desire to help build community and nurture and reduce the level of anxiety and fear. Virtually all of the women concurred that their ability to maintain connections with people in the organization and not burn bridges along the way not only helped them rise to the top but also gave them higher satisfaction ... .
 

Anne Mulcahy [chairwoman of Xerox Corp.] summed it up by saying, "One of the most important ways to be successful is actually to create an army of people who are rooting for you. It's nice to have the support of the person you work for or a board, but the most important support you can get is from the troops." 

And what do they say about helping others to succeed? 

Many of the women whose rise to the top came in the 1980s and 1990s did not have mentors and they say they wish they did have someone to help open up opportunities and help them through the corporate maze. 

Because of that, many of them talked about taking the effort to help sponsor a young protégé, helping open doors and push them through if they are reluctant to go. They confide that often these are women who they think of as a younger version of themselves.

While it can take a commitment of time to act as the equivalent of a personal trainer, several of the leaders said they have found it very rewarding. 

Is there a magic mantra for women executives of today and future ?? Come, let us find out...

Also at http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/how-they-managed-to-rise-to-top.html  
 
 
In a recent meeting, I witnessed an amazing event as a promotional opportunity was lobbed over the net to ten able managers, only to fall and crash upon the conference table with no challenge whatsoever. In this post, I’ll give you the insight into this unfortunate event and a few tips on how to build the courage to take advantage of opportunities.


In a casual lunch setting, 10 managers sat around a conference table awaiting the definition of their fate that would roll of the lips of their General Manager. For the lucky ten, their manager had tendered his resignation and would be leaving the company in two weeks. This meeting would give the managers some idea of who would be the replacement. Would it be someone from inside the group, outside the group or from their parent company?


The GM spoke first, stating that he had already submitted his plan, although the decision would have to be approved by someone in the corporate office. His first question to the group opened the floor to discussion and suggestions on how they would like to see the transition go. Now before I go on with the story, this is what many of us call an opportunity. If you were one of the ten and wanted to be considered, you might ask if the position could be filled from within the group. This would imply that you are willing to step up to a higher level of authority and challenge. Back to the story….


No words were spoken. Everyone sat with a blank stare on their face. Several of these managers had previously expressed concern and even the desire for promotion. Yet, when the opportunity came up, they didn’t seize the chance to influence the direction of the GM’s decision. Without any rebuttal, the lunch discussion turned into a broad sweeping clarification of the company’s bigger issues. The door was closed and the opportunity vanished just as fast it had appeared.


While research suggests that levels of courage are influenced by character traits, particular states of mind and the values, beliefs and social forces acting on a person, it is the states of mind we’ll focus on here. There are four key states that can be used to improve your level of courage; that is, self-efficacy, means efficacy, state hope and resiliency.


Self-efficacy is the confidence you have in yourself and your ability to achieve specific outcomes. Looking back at our ten managers, did they all lack confidence in their own ability to convince the GM that the position should be filled from within? This could explain their silence. To avoid such situations, courage can be improved by mastering two aspects of self-efficacy: skill mastery and situational control. By learning new skills, one can build self confidence. My approach to this is constant personal development, achieved through reading books, taking classes, attending seminars and so on. Over the years, I’ve overcome the fear of the unknown. This allows me to improve my situational control, or how I attach emotions to unique situations. For example, the meeting with the GM should have been a positive experience as it provided an opportunity to improve one’s position. The more you learn to place a positive impression on such situations, the easier it will become for you to engage in them.


Means-efficacy refers to the belief that the tools you have available are sufficient for the task at hand. If you believed your speaking skills were nothing short of excellent, stating your desired position for the replacement of your boss would have been all too easy. You would have avoided offending anyone in the room while ever so gently identifying yourself as the ideal candidate for the position. Building means efficacy is aided by studying yourself to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Once you’ve illuminated your weak spots, you can turn them into strengths by developing them as if they were new skills; thereby, increasing your confidence and self-efficacy.


State hope is the belief that the task is possible and that you can complete it in the required time frame. If those ten managers believed that the manager had already made his decision, since he did state he had already submitted his plan for the replacement, their actions would have been inline with this belief. They would have considered it a waste of time and possibly an opportunity to hurt their career rather than improve it. State hope can be improved by modifying your attributions to such events. It’s similar to the movie with Jim Carey, entitled “Yes Man.” Too often we reduce our state hope to a level that essentially keeps us from developing any confidence. Surely you know a person who always thinks things are impossible and too much trouble to deal with. You can overcome this disability by drinking more Redbull, as Jim Carey does in the movie. This will drive you to action and away from procrastination.

Lastly, Resilience is the ability to bring yourself back from the brink of disaster. Improving reliance is accomplished through happy thoughts or what I call the FDH mindset (Fat, Dumb and Happy). That is, every task is something you need to do so you don’t dwell on whether you achieve success or failure, you just do it and celebrate the sense of accomplishment of having done it.


Success, to me, is the intersection of preparedness and opportunity. When opportunity crosses your path, you need a little courage to grab hold of it. While these four mindsets don’t give you all the answers to growing the courage of a lion, it does give you some specific targets for improvement. Good luck and always remember, if you see an obstacle in the path of your career, run over it.

 

Reference-
http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2009/11/ten-careers-die-from-lack-of-courage.html

http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/are-you-leader-take-look-at-yourself.html
 
 
I’ve read interesting takes on that question lately. Some good points, and some… not so much. What defines professionalism? Based on various pieces I’ve read, it’s certainly subjective. Whatever the definition anyone uses, it’s often THE factor that tips the scale from one candidate to another in the hiring process. 

In trying to define it, the dictionary doesn’t seem to be much help. Webster defines professionalism as: “the conduct, aims, or qualities that characterize or mark a profession or professional person.” …sounds like a circular definition. 

Having been a leader for over 15 years and interviewing hundreds of people, I’ve gathered some observations: 

~ There is no single characteristic that makes someone ‘professional’. Invariably when someone impresses as being professional, it’s a combination of a number of traits that creates that impression. 

~ It’s not the occupation! Often, people think you need to be a doctor, or lawyer, or senior executive to be considered professional. However, I know of people that are in lower level blue-collar positions that I consider more professional than some C-level executives. 

~ Attitude. Certainly attitude creates a positive impression. However, I believe it is also a critical component of professionalism. It’s not just whether someone is upbeat or not, but also whether they are a solution-finder or nay-sayer. A professional is someone that sees opportunity, not just finds reasons that something can’t be done. 

~ Competence. With that perspective regarding attitude, competence in your field is therefore also vital. In order to be professional, you have to know what you’re talking about. You have to be able to have understanding and insight into relevant issues in your field and be able to articulate solutions. 

~ Communication Skills. You may have a great attitude and be highly competent in your field, however, if you can’t communicate your insight or ideas effectively to others, you miss the mark. Communication skills don’t refer to an accent, but rather the ability to be understood, speak in clear terms, and make complex subjects understandable. 

~ Appearance. Unfortunately, often “unprofessional appearance” has been used as a euphemism for racism, sexism, discrimination against the obese, or some other such discrimination. Those are misguided and shouldn’t be a factor in considering a professional appearance. However, appearance does matter. It’s not necessary for someone to expensive business suit. However, clean and appropriate clothing, fit properly, and arranged well do play a part in a professional image. A mechanic in well fitting and well cared for cover-alls can create a professional image as well as a C-Level executive in a tailored suit. Dirty, wrinkled, sloppy, and unkempt appearance damage a professional image regardless of the field you may pursue.  

~ Appropriateness. Inappropriate language, slang, appearance, or subjects have as much to do with damaging a professional image as anything else. Running off on unrelated tangents in a conversation, cursing, or wearing a polo shirt to a formal executive interview each create an impression that you don’t grasp the particular role. Like it or not, but ‘bucking the system’ rarely gets rewarded when pursuing a new job.  

These are obviously all personal opinions. However, I have seen each of these factors play a large part in my own impression of someone’s professionalism. Observations that are regularly supported by the feedback I get from my HR colleagues. 

Also, at http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/what-makes-someone-professional.html

Disclaimer : The above information is a personal opinion and not intended for any particular person living or dead. This is for research purpose/ dissemination of knowledge only. 
 
 
“People will not remember what you said or what you did; people will remember how you made them feel.

 My intention is to meet five people at this function who I really connect with and that two of them eventually become clients.” My friend was impressed while somewhat doubtful of my declaration. My actual success that night was that I met ten people with whom I connected, but I didn’t find the opening to give all of them my business card. It’s not that I’m shy - by nature I’m quite the extrovert. But I have a stigma about networking – I don’t want to be viewed as someone who only introduces herself in order to plug her services and hand out business cards. It’s a limiting stigma, one that would best be left at home with the bad breath, but I want to connect with people on a level that we both feel acknowledged, respected and heard. It’s when we have those connections with people that our networks become stronger. But my concerns are valid and I know I’m not the only fresh-breathed stigma-minded networker out there. 

Networking is not limited to selling oneself – in fact that outlook is its demise. There is depth to networking that goes beyond meeting people. It’s about connecting, building relationships and listening to the pulse of individuals who make up your network. It’s about listening and the art of inquiry. It’s about asking questions, providing answers and being engaged such that the person you’re talking to experiences being heard, respected and acknowledged. There is power in providing that experience for others. The golden rule of Networking- “People will not remember what you said or what you did; people will remember how you made them feel.”  

The old adage, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” is still the tall and solid wise oak of networking. Although that saying has been spun differently over the years and in different industries, it continues to be a networking motivator. Networking affects growth in careers, businesses, campaigns and whatever other groups and efforts that goes beyond the individual’s forward progress. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a network to move us forward.


We all know the appropriate actions for successful networking: meet people in person, make eye-contact, have a firm handshake, ask questions and follow through with statements of interest, ask for contact info and follow up with a thank you communication and request for further contact with that person or a reference for a future contact with another they recommend, etc., etc. In short, stay in communication and be consistent with your leadership brand.

What I encourage is to practice the art of connection as a part of their brand. You need to connect with people to instigate a meaningful relationship. Connecting is not only a catalyst to strong networking relationships; it’s also an expression of who you are for yourself, that person and the community or communities you represent. In other words, how you connect with people will make the biggest impact on building a relationship. The people you meet will always remember how you made them feel, not necessarily what you do or what witty comments you made during your conversation with them.

How do you connect with someone and make a lasting impression? It’s actually easy and with a bit of practice quite fun. In fact, when you begin to feel comfortable with a more intimate form of connection with people, you’ll discover a new level of enthusiasm when entering a networking opportunity.

Below are a few coaching tips on how to connect, build lasting relationships and brand yourself as a leader who people remember as someone who made them feel acknowledged, respected and heard:

Listen, listen, listen – If you are aware of the monologue in your head, you are not present to the dialogue in front of you. For example, if you are practicing your elevator speech while you are talking with someone, you will miss plenty of opportunities to authentically connect with this person because you will not hear what they are saying.

Ask questions and inquire into their interests and activities - There is power in asking a great question that came from having listened. Often you will find that by listening closely and being present, you’ll find yourself becoming curious about what this person is talking about; what they do; and who they are. Curiosity begets questions begets inquiry begets connection begets stronger networks.

Find a natural opening to share about yourself - When you are listening and coming from a place of being connected you will find many natural openings for sharing about yourself. For example, if you’re talking to someone who builds greenhouses for a living and you are a webinar facilitator a natural opening would be to say, “Hey I have an idea. We could create something great by teaming your knowledge on how to build a green house by developing a webinar that people pay to listen to online.” This opens up a new conversation, complements their skills and demonstrates that you were listening and connecting ideas on how to move this person and your relationship with them forward.

Be sincerely interested in what YOU ARE saying - Be excited about whom you are and what you are up to - confidence is a great branding tool. If you have a tendency to downplay what you do, who you are and how you present yourself, the people listening to you may not be inspired to listen or connect. This isn’t license to be arrogant, demonstrative or patronizing, it’s an opportunity to enthusiastically share with someone about what you have to offer as a person and as a network relationship. The more authentically, humbly and confidently you share the more drawn to you they will be.

Follow-up quickly with someone you connected with and especially mention the part of the connection that struck you most - If the person said something that interested you about themselves or what they do, mention that in your follow up communication. For example, “Shirley, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting you at the Executives of Prominence Awards evening and was quite impressed with the book you are writing. I would love the opportunity to have lunch with you soon and learn more about what inspired you to write about that topic.

Network with intentionality, become known as someone who listens, acknowledges and connects with people - people seek out those who are leaders. Be an intentional leader; humble, engaged, interested and in demonstrated inquiry with the people with whom you are connecting.


Building relationships is about listening, talking and communicating. It’s an important part of your brand and who you are for not only the people with whom you network, but with everyone in your communities. The real key to all of this? When you’re intimately connected with yourself, you’re connected to everybody.

References-

(a)     http://www.careerleadershipcoaching.com/ and start developing an authentic relationship with all your networks.

(b)    http://www.careerrocketeer.com/2009/11/breaking-networking-stigmas.html

(c)     http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/how-to-network-to-improve-your-net.html 

Disclaimer : The above information has been cited from literature in public domain. This is for research purpose/ dissemination of knowledge only.
 
 
Interruptions ?  This article has been inspired by an overzealous talk show host I saw on television. Even though he had a knowledgeable and interesting subject, who was presumably willing to speak, the host kept up a non-stop commentary, not allowing the guest to get a word in edgewise. He constantly interrupted his interviewee — a definite No -NO. 

Interruptions at Your Desk- 

·         How should you handle an interruption when you are sitting at your desk working and someone knocks and interrupts you at an awkward time?

You can tell the person you are in the middle of something but can give him your undivided attention for two minutes. You might add that if he would like to schedule a meeting (open your date book) at 1 p.m. instead, that would be so much better. Jerome Shore from The Coaching Clinic calls this Extreme Time Management. Don't let anybody interfere. "I'd like to handle that now but what I'm doing must be done this morning. How about after lunch?"

Always give people an option, rather than a no. Even an unfavourable option is better than a no. When you have booked the appointment or given him his two minutes, walk him out of your office and close the door quietly to prevent further interruptions.

·         If you eat lunch at your desk, expect to be interrupted. You are, after all, at your desk. To eat in peace, close your door or leave your desk.

·         You may be required to field inquiries for your boss who has asked not to be interrupted. If someone superior to you wants to bypass you and see your boss in person, you can call your boss on a secured intercom and say: "Emma, I know you asked not to be interrupted, but Richard really needs to talk you for a few minutes. Shall I schedule time or can you see him now?" Using this method, you are off the hook: Emma will make the decision, and Richard knows that Emma is really busy. 

Interruptions in Meetings- 

·         If it's acceptable in your company culture to interrupt someone who is speaking during meetings and presentations, be prepared to handle the situation if you are the one doing the speaking ! When I am the speaker, I have my thoughts on a one-pager in point form. If there are any questions or digressions, I can be back on track in a second. 

Interruptions on the Telephone- 

·         If you are conducting a telephone interview, definitely don't interrupt the interviewee.

·         My pet peeve is people who do not pay attention to the person they are speaking with on the phone. When I used to call my sister in the States, she would talk to me while giving orders to her children — right into my ear, with me paying the long distance charges. After so many irritations, I had a game plan. When I called and she started interrupting herself with child-rearing, I said immediately that I would call her back at a more convenient time and hung up. Our conversations came to have far fewer child-rearing interruptions. Yes, people can be taught.  

When Interrupting is Beneficial- 

If you are at a party where a discussion had become very heated, try diffusing the situation by interrupting it. For example: "I'm sorry to interrupt, Perry, but I need you in the kitchen for a moment. I'm just not tall enough to reach the pan I need”. That situation aside, interrupting is not considered to be courteous. The next time you are about to interrupt, ask yourself: how would I feel if I was in his shoes? His time and thoughts are as important to him as yours are to you.  

Also at http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/time-management-tips.html

Disclaimer : The above information has been cited from literature in public domain. This is for research purpose/ dissemination of knowledge only.
 
 
As we have all seen over the past few years, blogs are popping up everywhere! Everyone from the famous Hilton Hotel chain to the cat lover around the corner from you are launching their own piece of the blogosphere.

Why are they doing it? Well for many reasons….but the ones you are probably interested in is the fact that they are top credibility and customer relationship builders for businesses and create many new opportunities to grow your business.

So, let’s get down to basics…and I do mean basics (anyone familiar with the blogging platform – avert your eyes now).

A blog is basically an online diary where you can share your opinions, expertise, favorite videos, relevant pictures…basically anything that you want to communicate to your target market of readers. What makes it different from your commerce website, is that the language is more conversational and should inspire comment and conversation with your readers.

As a business person, think about a blog as a conversation starter with your customer. Every time you write to your customer (by posting a note or article on your blog) you are blogging. As you are the author of your blog postings, you are considered a blogger. I share this with you because sometimes the above “blogging lingo” can overcomplicate such a simple concept, so it is best to understand these terms before you dive in.

Blogs allow your customers and prospective customers to learn more about you and your business as well interact in real time, through commenting on your posts. The by-product is that when you share your expertise with the masses, you build your credibility in your industry. And best of all…it can work as a direct funnel of pre-qualified leads directly to your website.

These are the steps to get started:

Sign up for a free blog on either Wordpress or Blogger (two most used FREE blog sites….I prefer Blogger)
Using their ready-made design templates, choose a suitable layout for your blog (make sure to use one that fits your message and topic….so no red hearts spilling out of baskets if you are an online chain of corporate herbal cosmetics).

And then start posting!

Ok, simple enough. But what the heck do you write about? The simple answer: anything that is related to your business or area of expertise. If you are an economist, write about some of the recent advances in economic policy. If you own a computer software company, share ten tips to a faster desktop computer.

A great way to easily generate activity on your blog is to look at every piece of information that you have written in the past (articles, ebooks, marketing materials, brochures, company bios, etc) and see if you can recycle it! Post it on your blog and you have instant content!

Now that you have a site, design and content…it is time to let people know it exists. Let everyone know about your little piece of heaven on:

·         Your email signature.

·         Your company website .

·         Social Media Networks (Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Xing).

·         Use Digg and Technorati to share your stories.

·         Send out an email blast to your database.

·         Anytime you write an article for anything online, make sure to add the link to your blog…even in discussion rooms and message boards .
Now that you have people coming, make sure that you write new blog postings packed with useful information at LEAST twice a week. The trick to effective blogging is not to do 100 posts a week, but to pick a number and hit it consistently. Once a week all you can spare, that’s fine if you make sure to do it every week.

Blogging does not create instant results, but as your audience of followers grow, so will the number of business opportunities. In my opinion, blogging is one of the crucial marketing mediums that every company and individual should not ignore. (Plus…it can be a lot of fun)!

What are your thoughts? How have you found blogging?

Write to me  at www.drshrutibhat.com

http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/do-you-know-what-is-blogging.html

Disclaimer : This is for information purpose only and should not be interpreted as business advise.
 
 
What happens on the Internet, stays on the Internet. How that affects your job search is up to you. 

Job seekers should not only manage how they come across in person, but on the Web, too. We often forget that everything you post online, from your Facebook profile to your Amazon book reviews, is out there for others to see and judge. 

"Most employers nowadays hop on Google to search a name as a preliminary step, either before or right after the interview," says Monique Tatum, author of "Jumping Off the Curb and Into SEO Traffic." "A positive and strong online presence can play a tremendous part in the employer's first impression." 

In 2009, 45 percent of employers used social networking sites to research candidates, according to a CareerBuilder survey, a 23 percent increase from last year. Thirty-five percent of employers said that what they found caused them not to hire the candidate. 

Times have changed: 

Not only has the use of the Internet, social networking sites, blogs and other news media skyrocketed in recent years; all of these things have revolutionized the job search. It used to be that if a hiring manager dug around online and couldn't find anything, it was a good thing. Today, however, if you have no online presence, it could be more of a career killer than if an employer found some digital dirt. 

"If you have an established career and no online presence, it is a big red flag for employers," Employers expect to find blogs, forum posts, LinkedIn profiles and many other sources of information about you. If you haven't been mentioned by other people in a professional context, employers will wonder why not." 

Sweep the dirt under the rug-

One of the easiest ways to get rid of your digital dirt is to create more of it -- except the good kind. Tatum suggests developing your own positive content by creating articles, starting a blog or posting to forums.  As long as you can smother any negative information about you, you should be OK in an initial employer search. 

Something to be proud of-

If you want to build a digital footprint that won't scare away future employers, here are five tips on how to do it: 

1.     Make your content useful.

2.     Join social networks, both for career purposes and social purposes.

3.     If you can't delete it, smother it.

4.     Avoid joining groups or engaging in online activities that could embarrass or restrict.

5.     Beware the cyber twin. 

Further details http://www.pharm-education.com/2009/12/build-digital-footprint-you-can-be.html 

Disclaimer : The above information has been cited from literature in public domain. This is for research purpose/ dissemination of knowledge only.