We’ve all heard the term “play up your strengths, overcome your weaknesses” for years now. Turns out, that is not really such wise advice! Research has proven that trying to overcome your weaknesses actually causes you to “dumb down” your strengths!!! Focusing on your strengths in this economy is the wisest thing you can do. Don’t know what your strengths are? It might be a great idea to embark upon a journey of “self discovery” to uncover your behavioral style, your motivators and your predominant character strengths. There are a number of assessments out there to assist you on this journey; most are fairly inexpensive and readily available online. It may even be a good idea to enlist the aid of a career coach to help you “make sense” of it all and support you in uncovering the unique blueprint that is “YOU”! ...read more
By Career Coach- Career Development April 21, 2009
One of the most common phenomenons I see in the world today is acting “as if” the same rules apply. The reality of the situation is our world is changing rapidly and almost nothing is the same any longer. The greatest gift you can give yourself is a reality makeover!! As you go through your day, ask yourself if your actions are still effective and/or appropriate? Do the same rules apply or am I operating under a completely different venue? I love the visual of “bobbing down a stream of well-being.” It evokes a picture of you floating down a stream, encountering obstacles and correcting your course as necessary. But what if the character of the stream actually changed? What if you had previously been floating down a fairly rapid stream with an obstacle here and there…but no level 4 rapids? Perhaps you were navigating quite easily in a kayak…and enjoying the ride! And then, SUDDENLY, you rounded a bend and you saw that you were headed for a sheer drop and several miles of class 4 rapids??? An upgrade in reality and strategy to handle that reality would be in order—or else!! Navigating the current economic situation is very much the same. The old rules no longer serve you well and you must navigate the new playing field with great attention to immediate challenges and to keeping on course so that you end up where you started out to. The chaos theory states that one of the most important points in any system is how that system reorganizes after a huge change. If the system reorganizes itself to adapt to the new environment, there is a great chance of survival. If the system clings to an outmoded reality and continues to operate “as usual” there is almost certain demise. With this in mind, it may be time to do a reality check in your life. What behaviors / expectations / beliefs no longer apply? What new and more effective ways of being and believing will take you where you want to go? Instead of buying into the whole doom and gloom vision painted by the media these days, why not ask yourself “how can I most effectively navigate this new reality?” And more importantly “how can I allow this new reality to serve me well?” ...read more
By Career Coach- Career Development March 31, 2009
When you are looking to change jobs, one of the first things you are advised to do is network. This is great if you are outgoing, love to meet new people and are naturally engaging. The rest of us, however, think of networking as the boring and dutiful obligation of “working a room” by shaking countless hands and gathering business cards. With a bit of planning, this doesn’t have to be the case. Here are a few tips to give you a different perspective of the whole networking scene and to help you navigate it with at least a modicum of enthusiasm! • Be prepared! Arrive with plenty of business cards and a pen. While this sounds simplistic, many people view networking events as something they “must do” (as in get a root canal) and don’t bother to properly prepare. • Decide before hand how many people you plan to interact with…and then follow through. Make the number realistic, but don’t set your standards too low either. • Instead of acting like a guest at the event, put yourself in host mode and make it a point to seek out and greet as many people as possible. • Remember that people love to talk about themselves so remember the 5 w’s…who, what, when, where, and why. Even introverts can ask “are you from here”, “where did you go to school”, “who do you work for”, “where did you grow up”, etc. Just make sure you don’t get yourself caught in a situation where the person feels so engaged with you that you can’t get away! • Listen to see if there might be a problem you can solve and make a referral to someone in your business network. This can also give you a great excuse to contact them again. • Use your time wisely! Spend no more than 10 minutes with each person, and do not linger with friends and associates. • Exchange business cards with everyone you meet and ask if you can contact them next week. • Make notes on the back of the business card to help you remember the person and what their needs might be i.e. building a new house, new to the area, starting a new business, etc. • Follow-up with each person you meet. Most people go to networking events, collect business cards and never do anything with them. Sending them an article they might be interested in, calling to give them the phone number of someone who may provide a service they can use, or even just making a quick “hello, I really enjoyed meeting you last week” type of call works. ...read more
By Career Coach- Career Development March 31, 2009
Safety is protection for a person or object from danger, risk or injury. Consistent patterns of believing, thinking and responding in a risk prohibitive manner denote a culture of safety. Safety rules are guidelines designed to lower the probability of danger for a person or object. The following list... ...read more
In a declining economy, enrolling in classes offered online can allow you to pursue a degree program in a different career or to supplement your current degree. What's more, online classes allow busy professionals to take classes at times more convenient to them. ...read more