Part One: Networks rule »

What Is Upwardly Mobile?

June 17, 2008 | Author: Promise Phelon | Filed under: Uncategorized

Introducing UpMo … off the record.

It was May of last year. A warm beach in southern Cambodia helped me relax and unwind, yet I still couldn’t help but think about the swarm of resumes that flooded my inbox that morning. At the time I was CEO of a rapidly growing management consulting firm—The Phelon Group—which I’ve since sold to a partnership of very smart people. I didn’t immediately recognize the names on those resumes—some I didn’t even recognize after consideration. It took me almost as long to recall the names and my relationships to them as it did to download the dozens of files over the 56K connection. This was not a coincidence. After all, many resume-pushers were desperate and on the verge of that layoff they’d heard whispered about after an all-weekend board meeting.

As the gentle rhythm of the lapping Cambodian waves lulled me into a sense of serenity, I had an epiphany. I suddenly realized that if the conventional wisdom, which says that much of our professional opportunity comes through our networks, is true … and if, as the resumes in my inbox reflect, most people do a poor job at managing their networks, then the majority of us are missing out on the right opportunities and leaving a lot of money on the table.

At that moment, with the sun on my face and my toes in the sand, I vowed to change the current state of affairs. I vowed to change the paradigm from networks as last-minute resources to the lifeblood of how we manage our careers. That vow has birthed a company, tools and insights that professionals like you can use to acquire the core competency and skills you need to be upwardly mobile. If you want to chart your career, learn how to get there in a way that has less risk and more return; if you want build a network that truly helps you achieve your goals, then UpMo is right for you.

Introducing UpMo … on the record.

Upwardly Mobile, Inc., affectionately known as “UpMo,” Is a tools company based in Sunnyvale, California. UpMo will deliver online solutions to help mid-career professionals build, nurture and leverage relationship networks for career growth and satisfaction. Through a technology platform and a proprietary methodology, UpMo, like a GPS, will illuminate the pathways that take upwardly-mobile professionals like you to your career destinations. And UpMo also acts as the transport system itself: it equips and enables you to move along those pathways by leveraging people you know—and by building bridges to those you don’t. We don’t compete with LinkedIn, Xing, Spoke and other professional networks; instead, we help you leverage those connections to drive action.

Why bother reading?

  1. You’re dissatisfied with your job or in the midst of transition and want to start managing your career—which means managing your current relationships and building the network necessary make you effective in your current endeavor, your future one and the space in-between… like now!
  2. You’re a consultant, a real-estate person, financial advisor, a small business owner. Your relationships are directly tied to revenue or income ; your networks are directly tied to net profit. You want to hone your networking skills and access new ideas and techniques that will differentiate you.

If you’re in either of those two positions and have stories about how networking has helped or hindered you, let us know. UpMo is actively studying the practices, habits and norms of professionals with breakthrough careers and phenomenal networkers. We’re doing significant research to learn how those at the top of their game—high earners and high career professionals—use networking to drive their success. We plan to bring those results to you, as well as game-changing ideas, new thinking and tools that will help you better manage your career and your network.

I tell you this: the people who win and who get what they want professionally aren’t the folks sending their resumes in bulk when they get the pink slip. Instead, the people who get what they want—people we call “elite networkers”—are those serving and cultivating a broad yet relevant set of relationships to gain the access they need to greater insights, support and opportunities. And this is what we will deliver.

 Subscribe to this blog’s feed to get the latest UpMo interviews, research, techniques and tools you can use to get your name out there, remembered and recognized when you need it most. I’d also love to hear from you.

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