Expatriate Coach Anne Egros uses social media to check in back home, especially with LinkedIn — where I met her via a comment
on the guest post by Victoria Ipri:
Anne Egros, Pharm D, is an independent professional coach, based in Brussels, the Capital of Europe and home to international organizations including EU & NATO.
She has been an expatriate for 20 years, working at management levels for Fortune 500 companies in USA, Japan and Europe. She understands the needs and challenges of global leaders and international managers in multicultural environments.
A member of ICF, the International Coach Federation, Anne has always been passionate at inspiring people to become effective multi-cultural team leaders focusing on excellence in getting results and people development across borders.
Meet Anne: founder of Zest and Zen International
How Anne got her social media start:
It all began on LinkedIn after an invitation by a Japanese colleague from Tokyo in 2005.
“LinkedIn helped me keep clients overseas and get new ones very rapidly when I moved from Atlanta to Brussels in 2009.”
Other social media sites now fit into her business model:
As an expat who moves to different countries every three to five years, she sees great potential building and maintaining relationships all over the world via online platforms.
“I typically coach individuals abroad who seek support from people who have significant business experience with deep understanding of expat issues both professionally and personally.
“When I post a discussion on LI, people who relate will contact me. Then I offer a complementary coaching session via phone, Skype, or in person.”
Anne opened a Facebook account in 2009, but she shut it down because she didn’t like sharing personal things on a public place. Her Twitter experience began and ended abruptly when she didn’t get it initially. Then she met a business owner who explained how to find followers — and great value. [Twitter is where she found me.]
“I learn a lot by searching by key words, and I love the serendipity and spirit of true networkers who offer meaningful connections. For now, though, Twitter is not generating a lot of traffic to my website. LinkedIn has a much larger ROI, but I’m open to seeing greater rewards from Twitter in the future.”
What philosophies underlie Anne’s practice?
- Her company motto: “The enjoyment you get from life is equal to the positive and creative energy you put into it; that is the essence of Zest. Add the wisdom of Zen and you get the vision, purpose and strength to meet daily challenges with confidence.”
- “People with clear purpose and vision can make a difference in their own lives and in others.”
- Japanese proverb: “Vision without action is a daydream; action without vision is a nightmare.”
- Friedrich Nietzsche: “What does not kill you makes you stronger.”
Fitting social media into a typical day’s activities:
- Wake at 6:30 and prepare breakfast for family, check on emails.
- Bring kids to school, stop at the gym for an hour of dance or aerobics, etc.
- At home, check email, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
- Coach clients via phone or in person.
- Lunch with a new person once a week.
- Two hours a day on her blog and other social media sites.
- Taking care of family in the evening.
“I spend about two hours a day with social media, trying to write one or two blog posts per week and 3-5 discussions per week on LinkedIn.”
How Anne describes her Work Life:
“I love learning new stuff and am an Information Addict. I enjoy making a difference in the lives of others, especially by helping them discover what they really want — and become Masters of their own lives: (1) lighting inner fires and (2) transforming fear and negative self-talk into positive thinking.