Kit Prendergast, PCC
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Tag Archives: Career
The Value of a Career Brand
Build your own career brand before someone else does it for you. And they will! Take control over how others see you, how they remember you and then if they want to do business with you. This is your reputation and a positive reputation is essential for a successful career. But it does take some real thought, time and commitment – and only you can do it.
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!
Build Your Own Brand
Build Your Own Brand, by Doug Dvorak, 2010.
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.
“Resiliency” at Friday’s Beer Club
It’s Friday night at our regular beer club gathering and we’re having a lively conversation about a recent workshop I had given on “employee fatigue”. Several people were weighing in on the complexities of today’s work world and the resulting stress of trying to keep up in order to keep one’s job. Lots of ideas were being tossed out along with the rounds of beer.
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.
New Choices in 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!
Posted in And a Bit More, Navigating Change, Personal Development
Tagged Career, change, energy, motivation, Positive Psychology, transition
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That Used to Be Us
That Used to Be Us: How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back, 2011, Thomas Friedman & Michael Mandelbaum.
This brand new book was recommended to me by a coaching colleague, Priscilla Binder. As our year winds down, I’ve been reading more of these books that address our country’s economic situation -because of the ripple effect on people’s lives and careers.
Friedman’s book is probably the best I’ve read. It’s not a quick read because there is so much there – it is filled with powerful insights backed up with a wealth of research and statistics – but you will walk away thinking and possibly shifting some of your own career plans for 2012.