Do you know your leadership style? Do you understand why others follow you? Are you looking to become a leader? We are all leaders in some form or another You’ve heard the platitude that we are all leaders in some form or another. If we accept the generality of that statement, then we accept that leadership is a talent that we all possess. Yet is it really that generic? If we all have …
Significance. The word conjures up an impression of importance. “It was a significant milestone in his life” or “She played a significant role in the product launch.” Not a bad thing indeed. Significance and the CliftonStrengths® Assessment Until Significance™ shows up in the top 5 or 10 talent themes of someone who has taken the CliftonStrengths® assessment. People especially talented in the Significance theme want to make a big impact. They are independent and sort …
The topic was risk and its importance to the process of building or creating something. Whether as an entrepreneur or intrapreneur, uncertainty would be part of the formula. As the attendees weighed in with the ways in which they had taken risks, a handful of the 30 or so in attendance shared that the risk they had taken was to leave a six-figure career to become a leadership coach. Leaving the six-figure career was not …
Is that all it takes to find employees…really? A recent article in the Houston Business Journal caught my eye: How this Houston tube distributor draws in young employees. An “old” industry – oil and gas – is attracting younger workers. The average age of the company’s employees is 31. This is unusual for an industry that often conjures up images of stodgy, old-fashioned ways of working. Is this how you find employees? The industry also …
Leaders, I have a question for you. I want to know what the outcome was of your most recent: Performance review Team retreat Strategy meeting Did it close with energy, enthusiasm and expectation? Be honest here… Or was it “Rah-rah! See you at the office tomorrow.” “Thank goodness this is over.” We’re leaders. We aim to inspire and unite. But… For so many workplace activities, the latter response is prevalent. As leaders we want to …
So, you have gone and done it. You’ve committed to taking a risk in your career. Woo-hoo! Kudos to you. Now I have an important few words of advice for you… GO ALL IN! When it comes to taking a career risk, do these statements sound familiar? When taking a risk in your career, even a calculated and planned one like yours, so many people start with: I am going to try… I am doing …
We often desire to get to a state of harmony or balance, where we feel we know what needs to and will happen; that it is knowable, planned and foreseeable. While this may be a possibility for relatively immediate outcomes, most of the time our lives do not look like this. The world around us continues to spin and change – and emphasizes the importance of taking risks in our career. What career risk should …
Why bother? Why take a risk in your career? Things are rolling along. You get along well with your boss and teammates, for the most part. Compensation is fair, benefits are a plus, and you are learning and growing. Why rock the boat? Where do you want to be in your career, really? Is what you are doing now moving you in the direction you want to go? What is the end game for your …
The art of successful risk-taking involves the ability to identify (and even, create) the right career opportunities that are in alignment with your values and goals. Step 1 is choosing the “right” risks to advance your career… But how do you know which risks are the “right” risks – the ones that are “worth the risk” and move you in the direction you want to go? The first step is to identify what risk means …
A client recently took on a new position in an organization. She has been identified as a potential leader and is given the task of rebuilding a department decimated by turnover. Those remaining are there not by choice; they are there for the paycheck. Stepping in to a “new” leadership position To top it off, the “new” of the position means it is new to my client. She is coming in from the outside with …
Let your accomplishments speak for themselves. Don’t get a big head. Nice girls don’t brag. Have you heard any of these from well-intentioned parents or teachers? In a general sense, these statements are not bad advice. What Happens When You Let Your Accomplishments “Speak for Themselves”? But your career – and your success in it – is not general! It is very specific to who you are and the talents that you bring to the …
If you care about diversity and a stronger representation of women in your organization, How Women Rise needs to go to your “must read” list. Released in April 2018, How Women Rise is a collaboration between Marshall Goldsmith and Sally Helgesen. How Women Rise: A Brief Look at the Authors Marshall is an executive coach to leaders of many major organizations and is the author of What Got You Here Won’t Get You There, a …
It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Maybe you haven’t bothered to read some of my posts on networking because you may think it doesn’t apply to you. Tell me if any of the following statements sound familiar: I’ve got a secure job at a large company. My work is completely internal. I don’t have the time to network. Networking just isn’t one of my top strengths. I’m in a good place right …
It is not what you know… It’s who you know. If you’ve been following my blogs recently, you know that follow up is the key to successful networking… But, it doesn’t stop there. Developing connections into a meaningful network takes ongoing maintenance. Like a garden, you must tend to your network to yield a bountiful harvest. Here’s how: 1. Plant your seeds. – Get started as soon as you get the seeds. Seeds for your …
It’s not what you know. It’s who you know. What does that statement bring up for you? Do you think that it means you must have gone to the “right” school, been born into the “right” family, interned at the “right” company? Networking is all about relationships… The way the phrase is stated – with an emphasis on “who” – implies that we must know the “right” people to get ahead. Dig deeper and you …
It’s not what you know. It’s who you know. – the networking principal, right? The truth is, you’ve got this. You’ve been networking all your life. Don’t believe me? You will once you read on… How to Network Effectively? It’s Easier Than You Think. How do you get to know someone? Think back to elementary school and what you did to make friends. Remember those days? Shy, perhaps awkward, most of us asked a version …
It’s not what you know. It’s who you know. This often quoted phrase implies “networking” as the end-all, be-all. It doesn’t matter how smart I am or how experienced I am, all that matters is who I know. So I better get busy! Right? I said we were going to reframe networking using this phrase. Let’s start with the first part of the phrase. Networking: It is not what you know. We all take great …
I get lots of requests to help people with networking. Very often, I hear statements like: Can you talk about how to network when I am an introvert? How do I find time to network with my work and family duties? My manager says I need to build my network in the organization to get to the next level. How can I do that without appearing that I am just climbing the ladder? People say …
Determination – firmness of purpose; resoluteness. Persistence – firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition. There is a difference here, yes? Subtle… and yet a difference. Determination and Persistence: Both Are Required for Success Determination is focus on the purpose. Persistence is the continuation of action around that purpose. Both are required for success. Determination brings the clarity of “I have decided,” while persistence describes the action …
“Who is that? What is she doing here?” No, this isn’t a daytime soap opera or reality TV show. These are often the voices in our head that keep us from believing that we belong and that we deserve a seat at the table. Imposter Syndrome Can Strike Almost Anyone Often known as the “imposter syndrome,” it strikes the young and the experienced. Some say it is more common in women. All I know is …