ETP Manhattan

Labels: ETP Member Spotlight, Take Action TODAY

Contact: Phyllis SheltonPublic Relations & Event DirectorIPower Global SolutionsPhone: 201-222-5390
Email: http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=PRevents@Success4U2.net

Empowering (ETP) Today's Professionals NetworkPhone: 732-367-5580
Web: http://www.etpnetwork.com/


For Immediate Release


Empowering Today's Professional (ETP) Network gives back to the community by introducing high school students to social networking


Successful graduates of Cardinal Hayes High School collaborate to introduce student members of the Cardinal Hayes Investment Club to the art of making people connections through networking
Bronx, NY, March 4, 2008: Leopoldo Benavides, Secretary of the Cardinal Hayes Alumni Association, ensures student members of the Investment Club at Cardinal Hayes High School, in the Bronx, receive a well-rounded education by being exposed to various topics outside of financial strategies. Recently, members learned how to expand their sphere of influence in making connections with people through the art of networking. This engaging presentation was given by Rod Colon, Cardinal Hayes graduate and founder of the Empowering Today's Professionals (ETP) Network. After the presentation, Investment Club members shared their appreciation with Rod. "Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences and knowledge of networking. I value your lesson and will try to begin building more and more relationships" offered one of the students.

Over the last twelve months, a close relationship has developed between the Cardinal Hayes Alumni Association and the Empowering Today's Professionals (ETP) Network. The synergy has evolved thanks to the efforts of some Cardinal Hayes graduates and their active involvement in the ETP Network: Jose Despian is a lawyer, Frank Boughner, who was previously a guest speaker at an ETP networking event, is an educator, sports coach and President of the Cardinal Hayes Alumni Association, and Julio Barreto is a lobbyist and journalist. At a 2007 ETP Network event, Fr. Joseph Tierney, Cardinal Hayes High School President, spoke briefly about the importance of the Alumni Association's goal in attracting alumni from all ages back to the school and reminding them of their social responsibility for making the school better than graduates left it for the next generation of "Hayesmen". Rod Colon then built on that theme by stating "We have added to our goals that 2008 is the year of community service for our ETP membership. As a proud Cardinal Hayes graduate, I'm honored to be able to give back to a high school that provided me with a quality education, that contributed so powerfully to my success."

About Empowering Today's Professionals (ETP) Network

The mission of the ETP Network is to provide each member with an empowered career/business plan that leverages a powerful "trusted network." The ETP Network services provide each member with programs tailored to the professional and their ME, Inc. business. Key to a successful career management program is accomplishing the 4 ETP Goals (Ideal Job/Business, Career Backup Plan, Trusted Personal Network and Multiple Sources of Income).Email: http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=Rod@etpnetwork.com Web: http://www.etpnetwork.com/ Tel: 732-367-5580

About Cardinal Hayes High School Alumni Association

The mission of the Alumni Association is to enhance, advance and promote the excellence of Cardinal Hayes High School. The Association seeks to inspire lifelong loyalty and pride among alumni and friends of Hayes by strengthening their relationship with Cardinal Hayes High School. Up Hayes and all its loyal men!

Email: http://us.f562.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=alumni@cardinalhayes.org Web: http://www.cardinalhayes.org/ Tel: (718) 292-6100

Labels: ETP Member Spotlight, Networking Tips, Your World is Your Community

Where have you been? Where are you going?
by J. R. Renard
email pcman.jrenard@gmail.com

Like the backward and forward looking Roman god Janus (for which the month January is named) this is a time of the year we take stock of what we have accomplished and where we think we are going to be heading. However, beyond a few spoken, half-hearted resolutions to incorporate change, the vast majority of us let time and habits determine our destination. Far too many people wind up in situations not of their choosing. So the question to ask yourself is "If I don't know where I am going, how do I know when I get there?"

Everybody has goals. What you think or feel, you generally do. If you are hungry, you eat. If you want money, you work. If you are bored or lonely you fill your time and attention with people or distractions. But what about the BIG stuff you want to be, do or have?? For that kind of achievement you need goals that cut through the day to day needs and distractions and half-hearted resolutions of the New Year.


What kind of BIG stuff?? Well that is up to you. But it all starts with a pen, paper and some dreams. A GOAL is nothing more than a dream with a DEADLINE! Believe me, it pays to write them down and review them EVERY day. The only way to create the future you desire is to take action in the present. NOW is the moment of effectiveness where you are either moving towards your goals or not. So instead of drifting around in the sea of life, why not set a course for the destinations of YOUR choice?


Here is a brief, yet effective method for accomplishing this:

1. Write down your dreams, wants and desires in the following format:I must (be, do or have) [insert the situation, or object of desire here].This is not the time to be wishy washy. Tell the universe what you want and its already in the works. Read up on "The Secret" or "The Law of Attraction".

2. Take each "I must" dream statement and make them SMART. There is a lot of info written about

S - Specific - the universe hates generalities. The more detail you can write about your goal makes it more real to you. So use your imagination and describe it detail.

M - Measurable - How many?, How Big? How Much?? Whether its a Cholesterol score or money in the bank... Whats the
number?

A - Action List - What are the steps you need to take in order to achieve your dream? This will change and might not be clear in the beginning. But as you start on the journey it becomes clear what is needed to do.

R - Relevant - Do I really want to do this? Does it conflict with my values and beliefs? How is it related to my other dreams? In other words -- What is your WHY for doing this?? Another hard question that needs to be answered. If you don't believe in the dream, you won't want to work on it.

T - Time Bound - When do I want this goal? What is the schedule of accomplishment. If you don't have a deadline, all you have is a wish.

3. Review these goals EVERY DAY!!! Have them in your planner or in your pocket or someplace handy. The "noise" and events of the day will distract and delay and push you off course. Take some action on your goals everyday for NOW is all you have to make some change.

In closing remember:

Yesterday was History. Tomorrow is a mystery. But Today is a Gift. That's why they call it the Present.

Now, make something Happen!!

Labels: ETP Member Spotlight, Take Action TODAY

I decided to write this because today happens to be the one year anniversary of me being laid off. And with this being the Holiday season, if you don’t have a job, it can be especially disheartening and painful. But, I wanted to give you some encouragement to those in transition.

I was laid off on Dec 11, 2006. I did not seeing it coming. I mean, how could I? I was a good employee and always received good evaluations from the user community. Ironically, that very morning, I was featured as a representative of the IT Staff at an in-house competition. But at 2:15, I was downsized by HR. Oh wait, I’m sorry they actually called it “right sizing." Well I can tell you it did not feel right to me.

You may notice I referred to myself as an employee. I had been working with Rod Colon as my coach for over a year but at that moment I still thought of myself as an employee. What followed was me going through the “poor Mike” process. But I did not get sympathy from Rod, I got a plan to solve the problem. With Rod’s rock and roll attitude and the “ABC to the Job Search”, I had no time for “poor Mike.” I was too busy continuing my search for new clients (Me Inc.) and networking. Both of which I had been doing while I was employed. I was ready and needed Rod’s extra push to move me into action again. This is why I recommend Rod Colon as a coach.

Currently, I am working for a Client I love. I have a written career backup plan and am working my way to 200 plus Linkedin connections. I am developing multiple streams of income. I am a much happier person. The Empowering Today's Professional methodology works.

I encourage you to keep up with your job search through the holidays. See the enclosed article for added incentive. Keep networking and YES looking for a full time job is a full time job.

I wish you all well and look forward to seeing you at future Empowering Today’s Professional events and hearing from you during the conference calls. Remember you might have lost your job, but in time you will end up in a better place. I know I did. We are all business owners now so keep looking and keep growing and always be ready for the next adventure!!
http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/career-articles-end_of_the_year_is_prime_for_job_hunting-238
Mike Canfora
Michael Canfora
President, Vision Business Services
President, MBHS Alumni Association
Host, Manhattan Networking Group http://etpmanhattan.blogspot.com/
"The Manhattan Networking Group we take the work out of the networking"

Labels: ETP Member Spotlight, Take Action TODAY

By Chip Hartman, September 11, 2007

In the time it takes to read this sentence, hundreds of ETP Network members worldwide will be contacted for job interviews, sign employment contracts, and make long sought-after career changes. Of course there are many other networking groups that can make similar claims, and after all, aren’t these groups all pretty much the same? You join the group, make some phone calls, share leads over the Internet, and then prime yourself for the big interview, right? Then you accept the job offer, start collecting the handsome paycheck, and toss your networking contact list into the shredder because, after all, who needs it anymore, right?

Oddly enough, ten or fifteen years ago, this might have been a likely scenario. In today’s business environment, however, this plan of action is part fantasy and part death wish. Of course it’s normal to regard the attainment of a career goal as an exhilarating and rewarding event in one’s life, but it’s also a grave mistake to regard it as an endpoint on some career management timeline or as the final link in a long chain of seminars, handshakes, business card exchanges, and 30-second elevator speeches.

What’s become increasingly clear in today’s fast-paced technology-centered business environment is that the power which drives success comes from the networking machinery in use once the career management journey is initiated. The principle in play is simple and elegant: The more unique and polished your networking machinery, the greater your chances of not only attaining your career goals, but re-engaging that very same machinery without missing a beat if the new position suddenly vaporizes.

ETP Network members know that theirs is a most uncommon network, a network built with meticulous care over the years by founder Rod Colon in his mission to empower today’s professionals with the tools, resources, and values needed to achieve their career management goals. But what are the real secrets of its success? What makes the ETP Network such an uncommon network among so many other groups?

1. Becoming CEO of ME, Inc.

New ETP Network members are automatically designated the CEO of ME, Inc. and charged with the responsibility of planning and executing the strategic takeover of their own careers. As CEOs of ME, Inc., ETP Network members are expected to permanently discard the all-too-human traits of tolerating obstacles and wallowing in negativity. Instead, fledgling ETP Network CEOs quickly learn to master the art of problem-solving, put a positive spin on virtually everything they say and do, and convert obstacles into opportunities.

Not long ago, a new ETP Network member contacted Rod Colon seeking to engage his services as a career coach. Just ten minutes into the call, the neophyte member was shocked to discover that Rod did not wish to coach him — at least not right away — because of the negative tone infusing everything he said. Rod assured him that once his inner values were more properly aligned with those of any real CEO, he would be most happy to coach the outer man. So is this a hard-nosed, intolerant, and uncaring approach to dealing with a new member? Not at all. This is the networking equivalent of “tough love” and it’s highly effective because it places the onus for success on the member, not the coach.

2. The Reciprocity Factor

In a particularly insightful book about networking called "Never Eat Alone", author Keith Ferrazzi describes a person he calls “The Networking Jerk.” We’ve all seen networking jerks. They prowl big networking events and view them as parcels of real estate to be bulldozed by relentless invasions of personal space and an abject disregard for tactful introductions. To sum it up, the entire focus of the Networking Jerk is “What can you do for me and how soon can you do it?”

ETP Network members learn early on that truly successful networking is predicated by a genuine desire to offer one's skills and talents to individuals, small groups, or even entire organizations without assurances that favors will be returned proportionally or that “opportunity dividends” will be instantly dispensed. In simple terms, if your goal is to get a job – quickly – and you find it necessary to step all over fellow networkers to get it, the ETP Network is not for you.

3. The Never-Ending Learning Curve

When it comes to networking, hubris ranks as one of the world’s deadliest sins. Once mired in believing that we know all there is to know, it’s painful to admit that we’ve been wrong or that there is far more to learn in the quest to manage careers and form meaningful bonds with people who might want to help us along on our journey. Keith Ferrazzi goes a step farther and proclaims hubris a career management killer.

Everyone, regardless of intellect, experience, wisdom, or self-worth, has the capacity to learn from others and build meaningful relationships. Arrogance is rarely appreciated in networking organizations and tends to build sudden and often disproportionate amounts of ill will and mistrust.

To counteract the tendency toward lapsing into arrogance, the ETP Network offers a smorgasbord of online training, seminars, forums, conferences, and a wide range of other resources that provide nourishment for the eager networker's mind.

4. Staying Interconnected

Harnessing the power of the Internet — the greatest switchboard ever built — ETP Network members live in continuous information-sharing mode. As members both nourish - and become nourished by - fellow members through forums such as LinkedIn, the effect is like a torrential downpour of leads, contacts, and opportunities in which no one seems to mind being without an umbrella.

As exciting as current Internet technologies are, ETP Network members can look forward to even more exciting developments such as unified communications, hybrid networks, cross-connecting contact databases, and MP3-based multiformat resumes. With new web technologies evolving constantly, it’s likely that the Internet will remain as one of the ETP Network’s most promising resources.

5. Mentoring and Coaching

Even CEOs recognize the need for developing special bonds with those who can guide them through particularly difficult business decisions. As successful ETP Network members advance their career goals, the spirit of compassion and comradery that are hallmarks of the ETP Network often compels many to seek out those who could benefit from a unique perspective or two. In this manner, the nurtured become the nurturers and they become eager to share their experiences, forge connections, and guide newcomers through the increasingly complex world of career management networking. The ageless cycle of acquiring and passing wisdom for the benefit of everyone is repeated yet again.

6. Cultivating Your Passion

People who exude passion about what they love to do are like magnets. Put a few in the middle of a networking event and let the natural ebb and flow of conversation take over and simply watch the crowd. Those who speak with genuine passion about their own interests are easy to spot because of the excitement, enthusiasm, and intensity with which they shape their surroundings.

ETP Networking events provide a unique forum for members to cultivate their passion and infect the crowd with their enthusiasm. From keynote speakers to first-time attendees, the opportunities are almost endless for individuals to bring excitement and energy about their genuine interests to the event.

It’s generally considered an impossible task to measure the impact of one person’s passion on someone whose mind is receptive to it. What is known, however, is that passion about work, academics, the arts, or just about anything else is very much like dropping a lit match onto a pile of very dry kindling. Only each individual’s willingness to learn and their desire to achieve true success affects the intensity of the fire.

A Shameless ME-Centric Conclusion

Although I am a new member of the ETP Network, I have found each passing day to be filled with unique challenges and opportunities. The challenges are often daunting but with each new attempt to meet them head-on, I find more and more opportunities also presenting themselves, waiting to be explored.

Yes, I am that new ETP Network member who Rod chose not to coach right away. Of course I now understand why this was a necessary decision for him. After all, I had gotten bogged down with decades of negative baggage and it took Rod all of ten minutes to spot it. After convincing me of the dire need to adjust my values, he gave me some sensible tips on how to make significant improvements in daily interactions with those around me. After putting those suggestions to work, I’m now getting more phone calls, people are starting to contact me again about my web communications business, and in general the world seems a lot brighter.

Then again, there was no way to outsource my values adjustment problem. As the CEO of ME, Inc. along with literally thousands of supportive fellow CEOs in this most uncommon network, the responsibility was all mine.

About the Author
Chip Hartman is a web communications specialist based in Montville, NJ. As an employee of AT&T Public Relations, he was part of the team that designed and developed AT&T's first intranet news portal, The InfoCenter@AT&T (SM). He's written numerous articles and designed web sites for AT&T's internal organizations such as AT&T Business Services, AT&T Consumer Services, Network Services Division, and AT&T Labs. He was awarded the 1998 NJ-IABC IRIS Award for his work on The InfoCenter@AT&T and likes to collect commendation letters from satisfied clients. Email: HalHart@optonline.net

Labels: ETP Member Spotlight, Networking Tips