JJ's (Jan '05) Tips in this issue: 1. Overlooked Opportunities & Career Priorities 2. JJ's Favorite Quotes 3. Tele-Coaching & Tele-Mentoring Use the following tips as training tools. Present this situation to your group and brainstorm solutions together, or submit your own situation question to be answered in an upcoming newsletter. ------------------------------------- SITUATION QUESTION: ------------------------------------- What can I do to get out of my rut, and set some new career priorities for the coming year? --------------------- SOLUTIONS: --------------------- At the beginning of your new year, you are reflecting back over your last years, and wondering what career action to take in the year ahead because you are in a rut or would like to improve your career opportunities. Your prior year could have brought opportunities or possibilities, but you may not have taken advantage of them. Did resistance to change limit your options? When you resist making changes, possibilities and opportunities are often missed personally and professionally. Your resistance comes from fear of the unknown. Then your mind conjures up all kinds of disaster fantasies that stop you in your tracks. Psychologists tell us that 97% of all human beings resist change even when they know it will be good for them. They also tell us that the most important skill to have in business, especially as you grow older, is to change quickly. Surrender to change so you can quickly lock in a new comfort zone. Resisting only slows or stops the process and makes you miserable as you find yourself in limbo. Sometimes the worst thing that happened to you ends up being the best thing that happened to you, in time. Adversities force us to change. Look for opportunities to unfold in those changes. Are you overlooking career opportunities because of your resistance to change? What is going on in your workplace that you could seize as a possible career boost? Do your talents and skills need to be enhanced? Have you paid attention to the "soft skills" elements in your business? Were you and your manager pleased with the results of your latest performance review? Is your compensation competitive in your area of the country and adequate to meet your personal needs and obligations? Can you honestly say you enjoy your work? Do you say, "I GET to go to work," or do you say, "I HAVE to go to work"? Do you look forward to seeing your work families and interacting with them? Are you building bridges, one person at a time to eliminate the islands of teams that exist in your company? Better big-team teamwork will then start to happen. Are the relationships you have made at work a major reason you enjoy your job? Do people stay working at your company because they like the way you manage and lead them? A man in one of my audiences recently said, "People leave managers, not jobs." Have you become the "Manager of Choice?" Have you volunteered for an assignment that was meaningful to you or to your company? Have you helped others with their personal and professional development? Are you recognized outside your department as a team player? Do others on your team rely on your key expertise in one or more areas? Have you benefited by a mentor guiding you in your careers, and have you mentored others in their growth? Do you feel you are stagnating and need to learn something new? Do you need a new challenge? Do you have at least one to three professional colleagues you can confide in and trust their judgment? Do you get the credit you deserve, and are you high in the performance ranking compared to others in your group? ~~~~~~~~ Career development starts with YOU and what you are WILLING TO DO to attain your "Dream Job." Ask family and friends their opinions on what a "Dream Job" would be for you. Their insights may change your perspective or at least reinforce a direction worth pursuing. A young woman recently shared that she was changing jobs to cut the commute that was stealing valuable time away from her family and personal life. She also said the stress of the job was damaging her health, and she had to make the change even though the job paid very well. Another man told me his job was so stressful he was having anxiety attacks that culminated in severe back pain. His doctor told him to either leave his management job, or practice a change of attitude and incorporate relaxation exercises into his daily routine. He chose the latter and is pain free as he waits for the right opportunity to open his own business. His mind is powerful and so is yours! Companies want to retain employees who are revenue producers, skilled workers with unique skills, managers who deliver on their output commitments and high performers. Answer all the questions posed here and you'll know by your "No" answers what to prioritize into the coming year. Is it a better performance review, building bridges to other teams, managing your team by mentoring and motivating them, increasing your technical or soft skills, building stronger relationships, becoming a team player, surrendering to change, communicating with colleagues, family and friends or receiving coaching from your mentor, or perhaps becoming a mentor? It's your career year, so make the most of it by starting right NOW! PLAN TIME TO PLAN, MAKE A PLAN AND WORK YOUR PLAN! Be your personal and professional BEST IN 2005! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ http://www.jjlauderbaugh.com/about.html **************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------- JJ |