Aug
18

Accelerate the transformation of your life and career

Cindy Key Action Tips, Career Management Add your comment
notes
 Summer is ending and fall is a time of transformation.  If you are ready to move to the next level, now is the time.  Life is ready for you — it always has been. 

If you want to enjoy the last few weeks of summer and be ready to jump into fall, spend a few minutes this week setting the stage.

Transformation only happens when you are truly ready to shift and take action.  

Here are three steps that will help you be ready for your personal transformation this fall:

  1. Listen to yourself.  Listen carefully to what you want and then write it down.
  2. Jot down your concerns about getting what you want.
  3. Be truthful with yourself about each of your concerns.  Did you note all your concerns?  Did you note the real concern(s)?  Don’t stop with the surface issues and concerns.

Review your notes.  Reflect on the data.  For example, if you want a new job and you are concerned about the salary, make sure this is your real concern or your only concern.

Then ask yourself, “What can I do to address the salary of the job I really want?”  Often the limits people initially see are easily overcome.

These steps can help you accelerate your transformation to the life and career you want.

If you want to create personal transformation faster you can partner with a coach, a trusted advisor or mentor.

Try the three steps and share you comments below.

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Aug
11

Impact, Fun and Conversations

Cindy Key Action Tips, Career Management, Interviewing 1 comment
conversation

“Everything happens through conversations.” – Judith E. Glaser

What impact and fun will you create today with a conversation?

Conversations do count.  How?  They foster and nurture impact.  They boost fun.

Do you ever sit and watch a conversation?  What do you see?  You see smiles or frowns or puzzlement on faces.  You can see the sparks that are created and oftentimes, you can feel the energy of the conversation.

Have you ever been in traffic and seen and felt the energy from a conversation? Some mornings, seeing another driver’s animated face or their hands flying around the steering while engaged in a hands-free phone conversation, is very entertaining.

Conversations do change the world.  They connect people, data and have impact.  People ready for next level growth understand the value of conversations.

Conversations are magical.  They can land you a job, a raise, or a new client.  They help you surpass what was previously possible and expand your reach.

A conversation will shape relationships, bring joy and other feelings, too.  Those on track to the next level know how to leverage conversations and understand how to take a stand with a conversation.

Most leaders have the ability to pick out potential and a person’s current knowledge and skill during an initial conversation with a candidate.  Leaders seeking to grow organizations hire for the future.  Subsequently, they listen and carefully observe conversations with new employees for the first five to nine months.

The interview is not an insignificant data gathering moment.  These conversations can be labeled, rehearsed and staged.

Want to grow?  Leverage all conversations.  They all count.

Want to succeed in interviews?  Have conversations.

Here are tips uncovered by a leader who, after for 10 years of excelling, could not grow the division he led, nor get a promotion.  In fact, his blind spots around conversations had him on the edge of being fired.

  1. Conversations occur aloud between two or more people.  They are not the chatter and banter you have with yourself or your ego.
  1. Conversations begin by listening.  Listen and hear what are others discussing, talking about and what concerns others have.
  1.  Conversations are not only about you and what you think is significant.  An impactful conversation meets people where they are and uncovers what is important to them.  Then you can transition the conversation to mutual opportunities and greater outcomes.

What tips or lessons have you gained from leveraging conversations?  Share your comments or tips below.

Do you want to accelerate your success, have fun, and make an impact by turning interviews into conversations?  Great!

If you want support to get different results with your interviews or leadership conversations let’s talk.  Give me a call.

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Aug
04

Discovering Company Culture – It is easier than you think!

Cindy Key Action Tips, Career Management, Job Search Focus 2 comments

cultureHave you given culture much thought?  Seventy-five percent of the executives I work with rank culture more important than pay.

Is the culture of an organization important to you?  Are you struggling to discover a company’s culture?

If you are looking for a promotion, new position or considering a career transformation and fit is important to you, may I suggest you give some thought to culture. Start by think about the culture of your current or last company.

I believe there are two critical things to understand about an organization’s culture:  (1) all organizations have a desired culture and (2) an actual culture.

Often there is a big difference between the desired culture and the actual culture.  This may be because the organization is growing and changing.  Culture does not usually change fast.  Organizations in transition may also have teams or key leaders wearing grey or rose-colored glasses.

Here are proven steps to researching and discovering company culture:

  1. Begin by recording your view of the company culture.  Note why you have this view, then note the evidence that supports your view.
  1. Look for and read about what the organization states about its culture.  Note your sources, then note the behaviors and actions that indicate there is evidence of the stated culture.
  1. Connect with and ask a representative sample of people within the organization about the culture.  Note what your sample tells you.  Realize that cultures have sub-groups or sub-cultures.  Be sure to gather data from a diverse group of people or you may only discover part of the culture.
  1.  Connect with and ask vendors and customers about the culture of the organization.  Realize that cultures have layers and may look and feel different from various angles or points of view.  Again note what you are told.
  1.  List what you discovered about the culture.  Verify your data.  Determine what you have learned about the culture.  Note how you fit (or don’t) into the culture you discovered.

Don’t forget company cultures evolve and change at a pace different than many other elements of business.  Be careful if you are only talking to people who ‘once upon a time’ worked or did business with the organization.  As you review your notes, think about the key factors that influence a company’s culture:  growth rate, age of the company, industry norms, competitiveness, company strategy and supporting tactics.

Also, culture is influenced by the leadership and management style of those you work for and the job itself.   The culture of an IT department may differ from the culture of an accounting department.

In five simple steps you have collected the data to discover and analyze the culture of a company you are interested in joining. When your transformation includes finding a specific culture or if culture in general is important to you, this data is helpful.

Will you invest the time and resources to discover some of the key components of the company’s actual culture?  If you need help removing your culture blinders, assessing where you fit, or seeing the blind spots that tripped you up in the past, let’s talk.

Have an amazing week!

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Jul
28

Is doubt killing your career?

Cindy Key Career Management, Mindset Add your comment
doubt

“Wherever there is danger, there lurks opportunity; whenever there is opportunity, there lurks danger.  The two are inseparable.  They go together.”~ Earl Nightingale

Doubt will kill your career.  Doubt will stop transformation in a second.

Does doubt and danger lurk in your life?  If so, it may well be killing your career.

Do you view doubt as danger?  When doubt and danger are inseparable, you may overlook opportunity.  Your brain and body work together to help you survive.

Opportunities may require you to step out of your comfort zone.  Does the area outside your comfort zone feel like danger?

For most people, their career is not filled with danger.  There are exceptions, such as military careers, skydivers, etc.  Similarly, most career opportunities are not a threat to survival.

Now that does not mean that I have not had days when an opportunity didn’t feel like danger, sending all my systems into survival mode.

Or, from time to time that real danger does not appear in my life.  Recently it appeared on the highway during a morning commute.  That morning I was delighted that “divine intervention” and all the amazing systems of my brain and body worked together to keep me safe.

Doubt is different from danger. Can you separate the two?

The Earl Nightingale quote above is a reminder that the line between danger and opportunity can be very thin.

Doubt will kill your career if you can’t see the opportunities.  Blind spots show up when doubt is ever present or hangs around too long.

The executives I work with know that awareness, experience, knowledge and preparation build confidence.  They also have learned to pay attention to doubt, to pause and gather facts and create the best responses in all situations.

If your career trajectory is ready for a transformation, learning what these executives know about paying attention to doubt can change the game, enhance your sense of freedom and allow you to have the fulfillment you desire.

Doubt and danger are different.  Danger is cars spinning around on the highway out of control.  Learning to feel and leverage doubt helps you turn those moments — those “thin” points of opportunity — into unique situations with better than envisioned outcomes.

If stress and doubt are killing your career and you are not ready for life support, let’s talk.

Shifting you view of blind spots is easier than you think. Contact me.

I’d enjoy helping you transform your career.  Have an amazing week!

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Jul
21

Do you trust yourself & others?

Cindy Key Career Management, Mindset, Personal Branding Add your comment

trust“You can trust people, trust them to be exactly who they are every time” – Mastin Kipp

Do you trust yourself?  Why not?

The quote above has become a favorite of mine.  I like the truth in it.

I think it was Kerri Konik who first introduced me to this Mastin Kipp quote.  Thanks Kerri!

People are who they are.  People are worthy, funny and insightful.

All people have gifts and talents unique to them.  People are resilient, graceful, and caring.  People are amazing!  All people have an essence unique to them.

Yes, this is my point-of-view and I realize it is often not a popular point of view.  Over time, many have shared with me how wrong I am on this point.  Others protest and disagree with me, stating they cannot support my point of view.  I understand.

The world is full of different points-of-view, so much so that often people begin to believe that just being themselves is not enough.

Yes, there are days when I am not focused and not aware of the essence of every person around me.  Yet, I do trust that I can pause and, with a moment of focus, am able to capture a person’s essence and, usually, the person’s unique gifts.

People are flexible and adapt.  Some people work hard to change, adapt, and adjust who they are for various reasons, needs or concerns.  Some people move away from their essence if they feel they need to do so to survive or maintain the status quo.  Some people live in the present, being who they are in a conscious manner.

Perhaps those who disagree with me view people differently.  That is okay.  Seeing who people are, at least for me, requires being present and trusting myself first.  Then I can see and trust people for who they believe they are now.

What circumstances, thoughts or beliefs shape your trust of others?  Of yourself?  What needs shape your trust when you look in the mirror each morning?

Do you trust yourself?

Do you communicate trust in yourself?

Trust is critical in hiring and finding a job.  People hire and do business with people they know, like and trust.

Does your brand allow you to build and to shape your know, like and trust factor?

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Jul
14

Nature Sets Intentions. Will You?

Cindy Key Action Tips, Career Management 6 comments

summerIntentions will transform your career, your search and your life.

Summer is here.  Look around.  There are signs of the season change everywhere.  Mother Nature is calling us to be outside and to enjoy all she offers.

Warm, longer days.  Bold greens, bright yellows and blooming flowers.  Nature changes her look and her intention for each season and she invites action.

What do you notice?  Nothing?  Maybe that is a blind spot for you!!

When you notice things you haven’t seen before or something grabs your attention, pause to reflect.  Be curious or explore.

You might be surprised what you learn.  Or what you view in a different and/or interesting manner.

There is amazing freedom and forward movement in simple changes, a pause or a simple intention.

Make one intentional change.  Do one thing different and expect a different result [your intention].  See what happens.  Notice the transformation!

If you are anything like I was in the past, you are saying, “Okay, but what intention?”

Here is a simple July assignment: Update your email signature block.

You use email daily in your job search, right?  If you have had the same email signature for sometime . . . CHANGE IT!

Create a new look and feel for your email signature block.

Set an intention for this action to have an impact in your daily life.  An intention could be:  “All my emails will be answered.  I am positively looking forward to having all my emails answered.”

Be careful here — this intention is not a goal.  It does not get measured or tracked.  Just set it and release it.   It’s an intention.

Intentions are mindful, present thoughts, set and released.

If you are a results driven person like me – be careful – stop and release the intention.  It does not need an action plan or a method to track the results.

Be present.  Watch and note what happens.

Have you had great experiences setting intentions?  Do you struggle?  Both have occurred for me.

Looking forward to hearing your stories and comments.  Please share them below.

Do you want support setting intentions?  Are you ready for your amazing transformation?   If so, I am happy to help, give me a call.  Talk to you soon.

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Jul
07

Can you see the opportunities?

Cindy Key Action Tips, Career Management, Mindset 6 comments
See the Opportunities
 Every day, in each moment, there are opportunities before you.  Do you see them? 

An event, an encounter, a lunch with a friend can connect you to an amazing opportunity.  The challenge, at least for me on occasion, is whether or not I recognize these moments as opportunities.

My secret is to pause, if only for a moment.  Then, in that moment, there is a flash or a smile or just a knowing that opportunities abound.

When you are committed to sustaining your career trajectory and transforming these amazing opportunities joy grows and so much more appears at your fingertips.  The executives I work with know this, yet most will tell you it is not always easy to seize the moments.

Sometimes blind spots dart in front of opportunities and in order to see them you must stretch or shift to get a clear view of them. Often the stress of your job, your everyday duties, takes over and the opportunities drift from sight.

Building and sustaining an amazing career, a functional team and a profitable business takes continued drive, action and consistent progress toward your goals.  It also takes a willingness to see the opportunities as you travel through your busy day.

Are ready to accelerate your success?

Here is a simple assignment to help you to see the opportunities:

  1. Pause at least five moments during the day, think and ask yourself,  “Can I see the opportunities before me?”
  2. As you pause be mindful and interested.  What are you feeling?  What do you know?
  3. Who or what is nearby?  Where do you see joy, smiles, opportunities?
  4. What is the thought that darts out to hide what you see?

Can you pause for a moment more to see the opportunities?

Great!  If not yet, don’t worry.  Pausing to see the opportunities comes easier with a little practice.  Try the assignment. Practice it at five points during each day for one week.

Check in and share your results below.  Want to help others see the opportunity?  Tweet “Can you #seetheopportunities?”

Do you want support to see the opportunities available to you?

Are you ready for your amazing career transformation?

If so, I am happy to help, give me a call.  Talk to you soon.

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Jun
15

What stories do you tell that limit your success?

Cindy Key Career Management 8 comments

sailboatI love the summer season.  It brings play, work and fun into a different space for me.

Most of all, summer is a reminder to create, design, and intentionally write the endings to the experiences and stories of my life.

What about you?

Do you have stories you tell yourself that limit your opportunities?

For years I had many ‘stories’ that created interesting limitations.  One in particular came not from previous work experience, but rather from a sailing experience.

In my youth, I learned to sail with my dad and family.  I enjoyed sailing and decided to buy a sailboat.  This is where my limiting story began.

It took me years to realize how one event created so many far-reaching limitations for me. Later I was offered an invitation to ‘open my sails’ and I immediately said, “NO.”    Not, “No thank you” or “Let me have the details” — replies that would have allowed me to assess the opportunity and risk.  My reply was just “NO!”  It was a time when the winds of change were strong.  In an instant, I felt the winds on my face and decided the invitation was too risky.  Why?  On that day, I was not sure.  It was later, while talking with my coach that I sorted out the reason.

The simple answer?  A story from the past that instantly wrote an ending to this invitation.  An ending that felt too risky.

Do you do this with career opportunities?

What story do you tell yourself that limits your opportunities?

Join me next week for more about my sailing story . . .

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Jun
09

Summer Distractions – What are yours?

Cindy Key Action Tips, Career Management 5 comments

summerLife is full of distractions.  This is never truer than in the summer.

June is filled with engagement and graduation parties, weddings, and Father’s Day.  July kicks off with the 4th of July and is followed by vacations and weekend trips.   August brings thoughts of back-to-school and other fall activities.

This is true for you AND hiring managers/recruiters.  However, with a little planning you can have fun and move your career transformation forward.

Can you set aside as little as one hour a week this summer to transform your career?

Good.  Then do it.  Mark one hour each week on your calendar to transform your career.

Here are three tips to ensure you avoid summer distractions and move your career transformation forward:

  1.  Use June to identify your direction.  Briefly assess where you are now and write down where you want to be at the end of the year, in three years and in five years with your career.
  1. Use July to clarify your unique value.  What helps you stand out?  What value do you offer?  How is your unique value relevant to those you can help you get where you want to be at the end of the year, in three years and in five years?  Jot down your answers to these questions and clarify your message.
  1. Use August to connect and to communicate your unique value/brand message to your network and brand ambassadors.   Make a list of those you need to contact and bring them up to speed on your plans.  Ask for help and support and set up fall meetings with the key influencers in your network.

One of the best (and easiest) ways to avoid summer distractions is simply to set aside at least one hour per week to manage the perception of others, define a clear message, be visible to those who can support you, and set a course for the fall.  You will not only enjoy the summer fun, but you will also strategically move your career forward.

Have an amazing summer!

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May
19

Is your resume ready to work for you?

Cindy Key Career Management, Personal Branding, Resume Add your comment

Resume Help CIndy KeyA friend, business associate, or recruiter calls you with a great job opportunity.  They ask you to send your resume TODAY.  Yes, NOW, right now.  Are you ready to leverage this opportunity?

I regularly get calls where the caller says, “Cindy, this is Joe XX.  My friend, Dan XX referred me to you and I need a resume today. Can you help?”  I both love and hate these calls.  I love that the caller is a referral from a client/former client and I love to serve and help people.  I hate the call because often I am busy and I know my key referral partners are busy, too.  Most of all, I hate these calls because I can hear the panic in the caller’s voice as she describes a great position only to have a resume that is not updated, not ready to send.  Then, when I ask about her LinkedIn profile, the stress I hear doubles.

On this issue, here is my one suggestion:  act like a Boy Scout and “Always Be Prepared.”

If you have not looked at your resume in the last 6 months, it is time to give it an update.  Do it before you need it.

Business owners, this goes for you, too.  Banks, investors and strategic partners might ask you for your resume.

Also, if you are looking for a new position or seeking a promotion and you have been in the market for the last 90 days and are not landing interviews, it is time to take a serious look at your resume.  Your resume may well need an update.

Here are just a couple of reasons why you should update your resume:

  • The studies, research and technology that will be used in addition to a human looking at your resume have changed.  There have been many changes in just the last six months.
  • Many changes were implemented during the Great Recession and even more has changed since it ended.  With the growth of ‘Big Data’ there is even more information you can leverage to help give your resume more IMPACT and help you land an interview.  There is data on everything from eye-tracking studies, to keyword usage, to word count studies — confirming every word on your resume does indeed count.  New research is released all the time.

A recent study by Modestino et. al highlights what the study calls ‘upskilling’ by employers.  It paints a clear picture that employers are not looking for the same skills today that they were seeking in 2007, 2010 or 2012.   If you have not updated your resume to reflect your new skills, you might miss a good opportunity.

The study notes that employers have raised the skill requirements within specific types of jobs.  Understanding these changes in the market place, as well as the impact of time to hire for top professionals like you, is important.  Should you be working with a coach or other HR professional who keeps up with what employers are doing and what they are seeking in the candidates they want to hire?

I understand you are busy.  Most days it is tough just keeping up with your areas of expertise.  That is why I ‘keep up’ for my clients, past and present.  Don’t wait for the phone call to update your resume.  That added stress to your life is completely unnecessary — unless, of course, you are a stress junkie.  Update your resume regularly.  Do so on your time frame, not someone else’s.   If you are looking for information and resources on updating your resume, check <here>.

Even in a tighter labor market (think declining unemployment rates), employers continue to search for highly skilled workers for many different positions.  Employers call it ‘raising the bar.’

If it is time to you to update your resume, we are ready to help you.  If you are a do-it-yourself person, you might find these resources <link to the word “resources”> helpful.

If you want to avoid missing an opportunity that only comes along once in awhile, update your resume this month.  You can leverage your most recent experience, insure your resume is ready to go and communicate your unique value at a moments notice.  Go <here> to take advantage of one-on-one support with our May only special.

Summer’s coming — be ready for fun, relaxation and to take advantage of opportunities.  Avoid the run-of-the-mill update that looks like you haphazardly plugged in your last job and attached it to an email with little or no thought.  When you land the interview you may be scrambling to explain why your resume looks tossed together.

If you aren’t ready for the call when it comes, you may miss out on increased earnings, a great culture, and the launch pad for your next 5 to 10 years of success.  Employers who are seeking to hire professionals with relatively high skills expect you to be ready.  Are you?

Ditch the stress of missing out on something you want to do.  Ditch the stress of staying up all night to update your resume (you are not a college co-ed these days and paychecks of that size are, thankfully, gone). Get help now and be ready to land the job you want at the salary your desire FAST and with less stress.

Do you have a question or comment?  Post it below or give me a call.

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