Have you ever received an email that was in all lowercase letters? Or an email that was in all caps? How about an email that contained no punctuation? In this age of ever changing technology, we are able to send and receive emails all day and night. We must make sure that we are responding using basic email etiquette. This means that we must make sure that our emails are always professional and courteous. Regardless of whether we send the email as we sit at our desk or if we are at home sitting on the couch, we must make sure that it’s professional.

Here are a few simple items to remember as we send emails:

• Never use all caps
• Use proper punctuation
• Don’t use run on sentences
• Never use all lowercase letters
• Don’t over abbreviate
• Read the email before hitting send

If we follow this simple reminder it may save us from embarrassment later on down the line. Remember emails are something that can always be referenced to at a later date. You want to always make sure that your employer or potential employer views your communication style as positive, grammatically and factually correct.

 TJ Williams

As I sat down to write the latest in my series of hugely popular blogs, I was reminded that sometimes you just need a friend…………. Friends that think your blog is hugely popular!

There are a lot of many different kinds of friends. You can have close friends, old friends, new friends, best friends. There are casual friends, intense friends, easy friends, and high maintenance friends. Some friends you see all the time, and have nothing to say to each other. Other friends you can encounter after many years and pick up as if no time has passed at all. The kids today have something called a “BFF” which I have been lead to believe is a Best friend “Forever”. This strikes me as a very long time, unless you actually marry your best friend (which I did 29 years ago!). There is a saying that if you work in Washington and want a friend, you should get a dog, which, of course, is “Man’s best friend”.

Friends not only can make you happy, but they can help you be successful in your chosen career. As we have discussed in previous editions of my hugely popular blog, they form a critical part of your network. We often discuss networking in relation to finding a job, but we should also look at it as a great asset when trying to do your job too.

Making a cold call can be and is a daunting task for many people. Having a friend make the introduction greatly eases the conversation and increases the chances of a successful outcome. Knowing someone to call when trying do “X” (whatever that is) makes you a valuable asset to your company. Having a connection that can assist in furthering your business’s goals will put you in a position to lead rather than follow. Being the one to make the connection also allows you to stay involved in the more interesting projects.

You often hear that people try to separate their private life and business life. I’m not sure that is a very good idea, they are tied together whether you want them to be or not, so why not turn that into a positive? This all works unless, you don’t have any friends. Of course everyone has friends, but some don’t have any that can double as contacts for business. If that fits you, then quite frankly you need to get out more often! Get involved in groups and activities that interest you, not just groups in your industry. Volunteer for a charity, join a club, get out of your comfort zone and meet people that are not “just like you”. You will find that not only will you make new friends, but you will enjoy life a little more as well.

Until the next installment of my….”hugely popular blog” follow me on twitter @KHCO00

Have a good day my friend…….Matt

FoxBusiness recently published an article by Dr. Woody entitled, How to Be the Office MVP in 2013. Dr. Woody is author of The YOU Plan: A 5-step Guide to Taking Charge of Your Career in the New Economy. In his FoxBusiness article he brings up four to-dos in order to become the office MVP. His list includes: be a team player, seek out a challenge, publicize the positive and do what you say you are going to do.

While all of the above are important in the office I believe that doing what you say you are going to do is one of the most critical things you can do in the office. Workplace relationships and respect are built on trust. If you are someone who says you will do this and that and everything else, but you never seem to follow through people will notice and realize they cannot rely on. Trust is everything in the office.

I decided to ask some of Incepture’s leadership and managers what qualities they think the “Office MVP” must possess. Here’s what they had to say:

Incepture’s CEO, Earnie Franklin said, “Someone who is focused on our mission and vision and lives out our company values every day.”

“An office MVP is someone who: makes it a point to take a personal interest in their co-workers, sees a need and addresses it proactively – without being asked and will follow through with no lip-service,” said Libby, Incepture’s Marketing Manager.

Amy, our VP of Operations said, “Having a positive attitude, willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done, helping others when they are in need, bringing a sense of fun with you every day, and representing your team and the company in a positive, professional manner all while achieving great results for your primary responsibility are what make a true Office MVP.”

Chelsea said the following quote from Walt Disney speaks to one of the qualities an Office MVP must possess: “Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we're curious... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

After gathering the above responses, I noticed a few qualities that were repeated: a positive attitude, getting the job done no matter the circumstances and representing the company in a positive fashion are all essential if you want to be the office MVP.

Tell us: What traits do you think a person needs to be the Office MVP?