It can be tempting to minimize the importance of writing a well-thought-out cover letter.  After all, when you’re done writing or rewriting your resume over and over again you are just eager to get it out in circulation. 

Slow down and remember that your cover letter is just as important as your resume.  Without it, your reader may never look at your resume.  But with a clear and concise cover letter your potential employer or networking contact becomes interested in learning more about you.  That’s what you want.  And hopefully, your reader is also motivated to invite you to discuss the position further or to come in for a formal interview.  Bottom line . . . your cover letter opens up doors for you to move to that next step in the hiring process. 

Keep It Simple & Targeted

But you don’t have to start from scratch.  Use the hard work you put into your resume to identify what makes you unique and valuable to this specific employer for this specific position. Note that I’m saying “specific”.

Your cover letter must be very targeted.  It should clearly tie in your qualifications, skills and talents to what this potential employer is looking for – their needs at this time.  You are positioning yourself as their best solution. 

Keep it simple by remembering that your cover letter just needs to do these five things:

1. Introduce Yourself
2. Capture the Reader’s Interest in You
3. Highlight & Link Your Qualifications to the Needs of the Reader
4. Identify the Clear Value You Will Bring Upon Hire 
5. Motivate the Reader to Call You! 

An excellent resource is “Cover Letter Magic, 3rd Edition” by Wendy Enelow & Louise Kursmark, Career Masters Institute, 2007.  I use this book all the time because it gives a clear road map (with six steps) on how to identify your key selling points; condense them into strong summary sentences and then how to integrate them into customized cover letters.  Almost makes it easy to do! 

It's Just Invented

I closed my eyes and remembered what an incredible presence Twist was on that stage in front of 1,400 coaches from around the world.  And she was talking about this funny subject of money.  It’s a subject near and dear to the hearts of all us entrepreneur coaches but Twist put a whole different perspective to it.

Money Was Invented

Money doesn’t grow in our natural world.  It is an human invention and was originally created to facilitate the sharing of goods and services.  But somewhere along the way we started to give immense power to money – even over human life.  People will go to the extreme all in the name of money - damaging personal relationships; destroying natural resources and always their own soul, values, time, energy and spirit.

Now, rather than relating to money as simply a tool that was invented to make life easier we have come to assume that money is everything –  it has control over our lives and happiness.  Interesting . . .

A Coach’s Perspective

Recently, I met an accomplished young woman executive that was looking to fast track her career into an area that really didn’t interest her.  “Why?” I asked.  “To make more money”.  She gave many reasons around having more material possessions but more happiness?  This conversation was a powerful confirmation of what Twist was talking about.  The power we give money . . . do we really want to give away our heart and soul?

Susan Whitcomb, founder of Career Coach Academy, identifies three “building blocks” we can use to start clarifying our own unique brand.

• First, think of the Adjectives that others would use to describe you. These are typically the soft interpersonal skills such as ethical, committed, motivated or level-headed.
• Second, think what Nouns or titles would be associated with you? These are the hard industry specific skills such as a strategist, a troubleshooter, a problem solver.
• Third, what Verbs would describe the value you bring? This is the result, impact or advantages you bring to your work.

The last step is to identify the key needs of your target marketplace and then how your brand aligns with these needs. Stay flexible and creative. Your brand will evolve and represent you at your best!

The wonderful cartoon on this brand new book caught my eye! Dvorak writes in a simple “cut to the chase” style that captures the essence of building, designing and then maintaining a brand for you as a professional.

He takes us through the steps on building your personal brand and then how to maximize the Internet and social media to promote your brand. Dvorak even has an excellent chapter on promoting your brand during tough economic times – very timely. But my personal favorite is how to add humor to your brand.

And I’m not the only one that struggles with “stuff” overload . . . even my corporate attorney Dad, who at age 93 still works, has been talking for weeks about not being able to find anything on his desk.  I tried to help him yesterday and even I couldn’t find anything on his desk.

Is it hopeless?  Is it worth the effort?  Yes, but it takes real determination ’cause frankly it’s not much fun to unload the office and start reorganizing from scratch.  But “decluttering” is the best thing you can do for your psychological health, your work productivity and your pocketbook.

Here’s How to Start . . .

These three steps work well for me - modify for what works well for you.  As my twin sister would say “Don’t over think it.  Just keep moving”.

First, set the timer for 45 – 50 minutes so you have an end in sight (or go by project).

Second, identify one small area – the top of your desk, a supply cabinet, a bookcase – just one area that feels doable.  Now literally walk over and pick up everything in that space and carry it into another room.  Yes, just pick it up (don’t sort it) and just carry it into an empty room and put it down on a table in three rough piles:  Keep, Maybe, Toss.  Later you’ll go in and do a quick sort of those piles.  Warning . . . don’t put it on the floor because you’ll never get back to it.

Third, once you’ve cleared out this area stand back and look at it.  It looks different doesn’t it?  And I bet it feels different as well.  Clutter drains energy.  So when you create this physical space you are also creating even a more powerful psychological space.  Give yourself a pat on the back – you did it – and now the ball is rolling.

Keep up the momentum by decluttering another small area each day.  You’ll be pleasantly surprised how one success builds on the next.  You’ll find that there is an optimum time to do this.  A time that you don’t mind doing something kind of mundane and mindless like decluttering.

Putting Things Back

But now you need to bring some things back.  Decide how you what your office space to look.  Be bold.  You may decide to move your furniture around, switch up the pictures, change the decorations or maybe just bring in some fresh flowers each week.  Make it yours and make it good for your soul.

Now go back to that room where you have your three piles.  Touch each item first and decide if you really need it to do your best work.  Is it really necessary?  Is it functional?  Does it contribute to making your office space “feel good”?  Keep it simple and don’t over think it.  But just bring back about 1/3 or less of what you took out.  Remember, more is better!

Now, tomorrow (Saturday) my twin sister and I will head down to my office to continue the momentum of decluttering.  With her help and a bit of nagging we’ll knock out a couple of hours and then hubby Wally will come in on Sunday to help with rearranging the furniture.  That’s before the Super Bowl game!

Fire . . . just when we thought Northern Nevada was through with its share of community crises another huge wild fire hit Reno last Thursday afternoon, January 19th. The winds were blowing at 80 miles an hour with gusts of over 100 miles an hour – not terribly unusual for our upper desert.  But one accidental spark over in Washoe Valley was enough to begin a fire that burned 3,700 acres of rugged sagebrush; ranch land, horse pastures and 20+ houses.

As a wall of fire crested the ridge right above our local high school and just down from our house my husband and I zipped over to help our good friend, Yvonna Estep, evacuate her home.  Within minutes Yvonna, along with all her neighbors, was packing up her dog, cats and personal belongings into her car as the police were going door to door enforcing the mandatory evacuation.  We left a hastily scribbled note on the door saying the house had been evacuated – important for the final sweep.  As for us there was no time to waste . . .

Ice . . . the irony was that it was snowing so hard on the Donner Summit that it was difficult for the California Interstate Fire Services to make it over the mountains to help Reno.  After all, fire trucks usually don’t carry snow chains.  I never heard the end of the story but I’m sure they finally made it – they always do.

So later that night, over a glass of wine, we huddled around the news to learn that temperatures had dropped and with the beginning of a snowstorm down here in the valley the fire was being contained.  It took another full 24 hours for the highway between Reno and Carson City to be reopened up for local residents to return to their homes.  When I drove through on Sunday morning the rebuilding had already begun.

This is our 5th major community crisis for Northern Nevada in as many months.  We’ve been on national news too many times.  But no doubt Nevada is resilient and will rebuild.  That’s hope and optimism.  And there’s truly never a dull moment in Northern Nevada.

I introduced the idea of teaching ourselves resiliency.  One of our colleagues, who had had a tough day at work, questioned what resiliency really was – did it even exist?  I assured him that yes, it does and what a gift it is for those that have it.

What is “Resiliency” Anyway?

Emotional resiliency is simply the ability to successfully respond and adapt to difficult life situations.  Resiliency is a subtle, quiet quality that one might not notice or appreciate unless they are looking for it.  Resilient people often don’t even know they possess that quality – it’s just the way they’ve learned to see and cope with life.  Resiliency is actually a learned skill that improves with age, practice and experience.

Learning How to be Resilient

The best way to learn how to develop your own resiliency is to watch others.  In my workshops, I ask people how  they learned to be resilient.  Almost always they say it came from watching someone close to themselves – maybe a parent, grandparent or someone in a mentor role. .They may have also learned by going through multiple tough times themselves.  Additionally, they do these five things:

• Acknowledge the Reality & Move On
• Expect Change & Be Ready to Adapt
• Stay Connected with Others Everyday
• Learn From Past Experiences
• Find a Bigger Meaning & Purpose in Life

It sounds like alot.  How does one do this?  it takes self-awareness and the willingness to practice seeing and living life from a different perspective.  And a key component is emotional optimism.  A resilient person is an optimist person.  See my next blog for my favorite tips on how to self-coach yourself to be more optimistic and therefore, more resilient over the long run.

Many of us have read this book because it is truly one of the best books on stress management ever! It’s been around for years along with Richard Carlson’s first book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff . . . And It’s All Small Stuff.

Both books deliver a wealth of simple, practical and “easy to do” tips on how to reduce stress and conflict in our lives every single day. Carlson is a master at teaching us how to reframe our thoughts, our perceptions and our behavior to achieve a more harmonious and healthy life style. Pick it up again for the new year – and a few copies for friends as well!

As January picks up speed, I’m committed to consciously use my time and energy even more carefully this coming year.  As an extrovert, it’s easy for me to get involved in lots of activities and projects.  But as I get older and a bit wiser, I realize that “less is more” when it comes to managing my time on a daily basis. 

Leaders, managers and worker bees all do it . . . scrambling about to get multiple tasks done at work and even at home.  It easily can become a habit – a behavior that we expect of ourselves and as a result, others expect from us as well.  But the consequence is that nothing really gets done well.  We make silly mistakes and waste precious energy redoing tasks because we weren’t paying enough attention or we “didn’t have time” to do it right the first time.  Sound familiar?

“Scramble” Less to Get More Done

So here’s something to experiment with . . . simply slow down both your thinking and your actions.  Catch yourself when you start to scramble and coach yourself to do or think of only one thing at a time.  Concentrate.  That’s often a big challenge because of all the noise in our lives.  But when you do you will be pleasantly surprised by how much more effective you are.  You actually get more done.  And there is a ripple effect of feeling more in control, relaxed and focused.  It’s a great feeling – try it!

Promise of the New Year!

I caught the newspaper headline just as I was zipping out of the gym early this morning . . . “New Choices in the New Year”.  I like it!  That headline captures the spirit, hope and energy that as a professional coach I hope to bring to all my coaching and training clients.  It speaks to recognizing our own personal power in creating a future that we truly want at this time in our lives.

And that’s what we’re all thinking about this first week of January as the new year gets underway.  It may be a renewed commitment to a regular exercise schedule; healthier eating; more sleep; better time and energy management or a different career path.  This is a natural time to look back over the past year to see what has worked well and what hasn’t; what changes need to be made to move forward and then to use that wisdom to proactively plan for a “prosperous new year”.

The Power of Choice 

Let’s be honest and recognize that it’s all about choices . . . and it’s all within our personal power.  Everyday we make multiple choices – some move us closer to our positive year-long goals but other choices are made when we are hurried and stressed.  These are the choices that often distract or even derail us from what we really want in our lives.  It can be tempting to blame these poor choices on other people or outside circumstances but in all honesty we always have control over how we respond to these situations – even though we may not want to admit it.

Slow Down to Make Good Choices

So what’s the secret to making good choices for ourselves?  Bottom line . . . slow down and think about your choice before you commit yourself.  Make it a habit.  Push the pause button and think about how this choice may support or distract you from a higher priority goal.  That brief pause gives you a chance to think before acting.

But since daily life does move fast, don’t be too hard on yourself for making a few snap choices that you later find yourself regretting . . . it happens to all of us.   The good news is that as we get older and wiser that pause button gets much easier to push!