Mentoring Others: Giving Others an Opportunity

It’s been a very busy month with training commitments, a flurry of family arriving in town and the excitement and rush of high school graduation festivities for my daughter, Barbara. She is off to Syracuse University in New York along with many of her classmates who are also heading to the East Coast for school.

As I watch the excitement of these new chapters unfolding, I am struck repeatedly of how important it is for these young adults (and us older folks too) to find and maximize our opportunities not only in this life chapter but in that next exciting chapter. And it’s those relationships, the professional and the personal, that open doors and help pave the way.

• Give Informational Interviews
• Invite a young professional to partner with you
• Create opportunities for several of you to collaborate

Pass the mantle of expertise down to that next generation. Then you can jump to that next adventure for yourself.

Learn How to Tell Your Story: The Secret To Job-Hunting Success

Do you get a little nervous and tongue-tied when asked to describe your accomplishments in job interviews, an annual performance evaluation or even at networking events? That’s normal. It’s not that you don’t have anything to say – actually you have lots to say – what’s probably making you nervous is the task of getting your story out there smoothly, briefly and with enough pizzazz to keep your listener listening.

So try a new, old approach . . . story telling. Everyone loves a good story! And people remember a good story because it creates a visual image for them. We come alive while both telling stories and listening to them. Stories are powerful, but they do take planning to avoid the pitfall of a tale that goes on and on and on.

Design Your Stories for Job Search Results

Here’s how to design your story for job search purposes. Think of an accomplishment in your professional life that you are particularly proud of and describe it in one short paragraph using the C.A.R. format.

C = Challenge (the challenge you faced)
A = Action (the action you took
R = Results (the positive results that occurred)

Do one story completely through, and then do a couple more. Create a cheat sheet for yourself with the C.A.R. format. For each story hit each of the three points briefly. Practice out loud a couple of times but don’t overdo it. You want your natural enthusiasm to come through as you’re telling the story.

Good luck out there, and if you see me along the way, tell me your best story. I’d love to hear it.

Find Your Inner Motivation, Your Personal Key to Both Success and Happiness

For years, business has used the “carrots and sticks” style of motivating others. Reward behavior you want and punish behavior you don’t want. These extrinsic motivators can work well for routine, non-creative work that just needs to be churned out.

But our 21st century world now is far more complex and challenging. And we desperately need the best and the brightest ideas and solutions. Luckily, that’s what most of us also want. We yearn to be doing interesting, creative work that makes a difference.

So, here’s the challenge.

Look at your work schedule for this coming week. What responsibilities, projects and tasks are coming up for you? Now, think about what excites you, what gets your energy going, what do you think is well-worth your time. You are very likely most motivated when doing those activities because they satisfy our deep human need for autonomy, mastery and purpose. These intrinsic motivators are:

• To direct our own lives (autonomy)
• To learn & create new things (mastery)
• To do better by ourselves & our world (purpose)

Now ask yourself, “How could I bring more of what really motivates me into my work week?” Start by making small shifts. Keep up the momentum by acknowledging your progress each night. When you hop into bed, ask yourself, “Was I better today than yesterday?” Try it. It works!

Declutter Your Life One Piece at a Time

Simplify your daily life in three ways – your physical space, your relationships and your daily routine. In coaching terms this is called a “clean sweep” and it works!

De-cluttering creates a wonderful feeling of space and with it a renewed energy. But it can be overwhelming as you look around your house, office and your daily “must do” lists. So let’s keep it simple. Let’s stay with the rule of “one”. Just pick one in each of these areas to simplify in March.

• One physical space (a closet; a drawer; the pantry; one room; top of your desk etc.)
• One relationship that is an energy drainer
• One daily routine that is no longer really effective

Start with de-cluttering a small physical space – it’s the easiest. Don’t be surprised if you get on a roll and find that as one area gets de-cluttered that you move into another and then another. You can either set a time limit or go by the project. Just make sure you set a clear ending time so that you have that wonderful satisfaction of having completed the job by the end of the day. Next day, move on to a relationship or a routine.

Keep it simple. Just do one at a time. It’s like pushing the reset button!