Kit Prendergast, PCC
Kit brings you a wealth of expertise and experience as well as a wonderful spirit, energy, and a gift for inspiring you to create the life you truly want for yourself.Kit's Tips & Books
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Tag Archives: inspiration
Do You Have the “Right Stuff” to Become a Free Agent?
I am a free agent and love it. Earlier in my working life, I worked for both San Diego County and for Kaiser Permanente HMO (west & east coasts) and enjoyed both a great deal. But as my professional career has matured I’ve gravitated to working for myself as a sole practitioner, independent contractor, business owner etc. I’m all those things rolled into one. Yes, I work harder, but I enjoy the challenge of using my years of experience and expertise in any way I want.
But being a free agent is not for everyone. Here are three questions I would suggest you ask yourself before making the leap into this new way of working and of being.
- Do you have the initiative and drive to build a business from the ground up? It takes focus, commitment and a large dose of optimism to stay with it. Do you have those qualities?
- Are you willing to learn the new skills – or hire someone who does – to market your business, to establish the infrastructure and to do the business of running the business?
- Is the rest of your life fairly stable? Do you have a separate income that can help pay the bills until this new venture is profitable? Can you commit the necessary time and energy?
No time is a perfect time. But with some careful planning you may find that becoming a free agent is just perfect for you in this time of your life. Lots of other people of all ages are embracing this idea – think about it!
Posted in Kit's Tips
Tagged Career, entrepreneurship, inspiration, Multigenerational, Visioning
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Free Agent Nation
Free Agent Nation: The Future of Working for Yourself, Daniel H. Pink, Business Plus Hachette Book Group, New York, New York, 2001.
I am a big Daniel Pink fan! Ever since I saw Pink present at one of the international coaching conferences, I have been buying his books and using his strategies and ideas in both my training and coaching work. In Free Agent Nation Pink captures the evolution of how professional work is being defined now by the Millennial generation. He gives us an appreciation of how our history as a country, and particularly the economic trends, have influenced these significant changes in today’s work world. Pink’s books are always on the cutting edge and this one is no exception!
Emotional Intelligence: Use It or Lose Your Career!
You may think I’m exaggerating but it’s true. The #1 reason professionals stumble in their career advancement is because of their lack of social and emotional intelligence. They may have all the knowledge, skills and even years of experience but they have earned a reputation for not being able to get along with their colleagues, direct reports or even their bosses. In short, their own self-awareness; empathy for others and ability to manage their own emotions is limited or nonexistent.
These folks (are we talking about you?) are just known for being difficult – they don’t listen, are confrontational, unpredictable and even arrogant in their beliefs. They may be in a supervisory or middle management position because they have been with the company for so long but now their career is on thin ice and they wonder why. But others know why . . .
So what exactly is “social and emotional intelligence”? Here is a excellent working defination from the Institute for Social & Emotional Intelligence (ISEI), Denver, Colorado.
- “Social and emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of our own emotions and those of others, in the moment, and to use that information to manage ourselves and manage our relationships”.
I’ve been giving workshops on emotional intelligence (EQ) for years – it’s truly my favorite topic because it impacts every aspect of our working and personal lives. I’m delighted now to be in an intensive coach certification course (October – November) through ISEI with my Australian coaching colleagues to learn even more. I’ve already started to pull new ideas and tools into my training courses and with my individual coaching clients.
So let’s remember that 80 – 85% of our career success at the upper levels depends on our ability to connect, communicate and collaborate with others. Our own personal work experiences confirm that research. We have all known industry leaders who have those qualities – they inspire, motivate and engage their teams and employees resulting in people working harder with energy, creativity and greater flexibility. The result? Less employee turnover; higher productivity and greater profits for the company.
This is emotional intelligence competencies in action. Let’s be known as one of those leaders!
First 3 Steps to Creating Your Career Portfolio
We can learn a lot from artists, photographers and savvy career professionals who have always taken the initiative to routinely collect examples of their best work. They then organize these examples in a variety of ways depending on who they want to show these examples to and for what purpose. We can do the same. Start your own career portfolio by taking these first three steps (keep it simple):
- Buy a large plastic box (your Master Portfolio) with five hanging files.
- Label the files with P.E.A.K.S. (Personal Characteristics; Experience; Accomplishments; Knowledge and Skills).
- Go on a scavenger hunt. Find documents (certificates; evaluations, testimonials; photos etc) that are “evidence” of your efforts in each of these areas. Toss them into the folders.
Now this just gets you in the right mind set. It’s a delicious feeling of “I can do it” and the proof is right here at my fingertips. That’s a great shot of confidence – realizing that you have done a great deal and as a result you have a lot of value to offer others.
With this memory jog and resulting momentum move on to creating your own LinkedIn profile. Pull ideas and inspiration from your Master Portfolio. This is a process, so relax and enjoy giving yourself the recognition that you have earned over the years. And pick up Jason Alba’s book (scroll down) for step-by-step instructions on how to create your profile and how to use LinkedIn effectively.
Using the MBTI to Make Life Easier
There are at least a hundred personality assessments on the market today – all with the promise that if we know ourselves better we will be happier and more successful in both our personal and professional lives. We can take Emergenetics; the DiSC; the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI); Skill Scan; StrengthsFinder 2.0; Career Liftoff; Knowdell’s Motivated Skill Sort; the traditional 360° Assessment; Personal Branding surveys; Emotional Intelligence self-assessments and the list goes on and on.
But are they worth it? Can they help us learn something about ourselves that we didn’t already know? And how can we use the information to make our life a bit easier each and every day?
My answer is yes! A bit of self-knowledge wisely applied can go a long way. But first make sure to ask and answer these two questions for yourself ahead of time:
- What do I want to learn about myself?
- How will I apply that learning to my life today?
The answers to these two questions may be more difficult than you think. That is why it is important to take the assessments under the guidance of a certified administrator that can clearly delineate the differences in the assessments, what you can expect to gain and then help you clarify how the resulting knowledge can benefit your goals at this time in your life.
But what about all the on-line assessments? Yes, they have certainly gotten better in the last few years with many providing you with a robust report with more detail than maybe you even wanted. A word of caution – be careful of the freebies. You may be left with more questions, be more confused and more vulnerable for them to sell you a bigger package. Look before you leap!
I am biased though and believe that nothing takes the place of talking with a real live professional that knows and cares about your own goals. I want to know that they really know what they are talking about. Over the years I’ve obtained certification in several of the well-known assessments. I weave them into the beginning of the leadership or career transition coaching that I’m doing and people love them. Maybe it’s the mystery of figuring out “Who am I really?’ or maybe it’s just trying to figure out what makes their husbands tick?
My favorite is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). It’s the best-of-the-best because once we know and really understand our own innate “preferences” life really does become much easier. And the icing on the cake, is now we know what motivates and energizes other people both in our families and in our work settings. We also become a little less critical and a lot more appreciative of the “gifts” we all bring to the table every day.
Posted in Career Tips & Strategies, Communication Tips, Emotional Intelligence, Inspirational Leadership, Navigating Change, Personal Development, Your Time & Energy
Tagged Career, happiness, inspiration, learning, optimism, Positive Psychology, Relationships, Talent Development, Visioning
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