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Mother’s Day in the US is almost here.  Since 1915, the second Sunday in May has been set aside to honor mothers, celebrate mothers and the role mothers have on our lives and in society.

Most of us have many mentors and coaches in our lives. Often our parents are the first coaches we experience.  

My mother without any formal training as a coach or mentor is a good coach and mentor.  Not always of course, did I listen, or want to hear what she had to say.  Yes, we have over the years had the intense mother vs. daughter discussions, disagreements and major differences in opinion.  Maybe that is our relationship or the norm.  I don’t know the answer to that question.

Actually, my mother is a good coach and connector.  She is also a good role model.  Connections from my mother helped me get many of my early jobs. From early babysitting engagements, project work typing insurance policies and what I view as my first ‘real’ job. 

When I look back over the years, especially when I was in high school some of the best career advice I ever received came from my mother.  That career advice had a positive and lasting impact on my career.

Did you receive career advice from your mother?   What was that advice?  Will you share your favorite career advice from your mother below?

Here is some of the advice I received from my mother:

Relationships count.  Building and nurturing relationships in your life and in your career matter.  My mother often encouraged me to see and understand the point of view of others, to learn about other people, what they liked and disliked, then to find a way to make a connection and build a relationship.  A skill that when honed is valuable to your career.

Service matters and when done gladly all the better.  Don’t just do the minimum, always do your best and then something extra.  My mother always adds the extra thing. It is part of her personal branding. Delivery of expected service and doing the job you are paid to do just covers the basics.  The skill of grateful service and adding value does set you apart from the crowd.  Something extra of significance to the person or organization you are serving adds instant value, gains favorable attention, encourages referrals, and repeat business, items critical to your career. 

I hope you will share some of the career advice you received from your mother, or someone special to that you will celebrate on Mother’s Day.  I thought it would be a cool way to honor my mother this year on Mother’s Day.  Join me in this honor if you wish. 

Sharing the advice your mother shared with you seems like a great way to say thank you and honor that advice.  Mothers you are also welcome to share the career advice you have given to your children if you wish.  Thanks for sharing your treasured advice.

Enjoy Mother’s Day on Sunday as you celebrate in whatever special way fits you!

Mother, Happy Mother’s Day – thank you for being a coach, a mentor, a role model, a friend and a wonderful mother.  See you soon.  Cindy

If you are not turned in and aware of  SOPA maybe it is time to learn about it …

It can impact you, small companies, large companies, it might impact what you pay for any service or product you access online and it might well impact your job search.

Learn more:

http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2011/12/21/confused-by-the-stop-online-piracy-act-heres-sopa-for-dummies/

I hope you will learn, be informed, and share your views whatever they my be with those in Congress.  Congress will decide on this matter.

My view is mine alone, I don’t think SOPA will stop piracy.   I do think it will increase costs for small business and non-profits, slow job grow in those areas, limit some options and have a huge impact on the structure of the internet which currently allows the free exchange of information.  Including access to key people and hiring managers. 

If you enjoy and use the internet to exchange and share information today with a minimul cost, like your connection and access tools, get informed.  Share your view with Congress.

Today I am sharing a in my post a great piece from Valerie Sokolosky.  Valerie shared this last week in her newsletter, Valerie’s Voice and I asked her if I could share it with a group I belong to and she graciously agreed.  It was so well received I wanted to share it with you too. 

It is a great message for November or anytime about the choice of staying positive.  Enjoy!  Thanks Valerie Sokolosky for allowing me to share this message.

Staying Positive is a Choice

By Valerie Sokolosky

Negative messages are everywhere. According to research, 77% of the messages we get every day are negative. No wonder! Just turn on the TV, read the newspaper, get on the web—and you’ll see it. There are even sites now that are for the sole purpose of putting in negative remarks. Yuk.

 So how can we stay “up” when things seem so “down?”

 First, recognize what we can’t afford to do…sticking our head in the sand and not looking at the news is not an option. As professionals, we simply must stay attune to the world’s happenings. So here’s one thing I’ve started doing…and it works!

 Every morning before I get out of bed, I think of five things I’m grateful for—usually one is simply getting up in the morning.

 Seriously, that sets the tone for my thinking more positive through the day. Then when something negative comes along, I can much more readily say “Oh well,” or at least I can keep from letting it get me into a negative mind set. 

 This seems appropriate for this time of year with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Try it…you’ll like it…along with the turkey!

Steven Wade Smith tackled three of the myths about hiring the unemployed in the weekly edition of the HR Examiner.  It is a great read.  I hope you will take time to read “Three Myths About Hiring the Unemployed” and share your thoughts and comments below.

Believe it or not, many are passionate about helping others find the job they want, and building teams of talented people to achieve goals.  Recruiters, HR professionals, workforce development professionals, hiring managers, those who have been unemployed and yes, those who right now find themselves unemployed are just some of the titles these passionate people engaged in this worthy work use.  I am proud, as a career strategist to share this passion with so many wonderful and dedicated people.

Myths as I understand them are traditional stories explaining some natural or social phenomenon.  Myths are stories – powerful stories. 

What is your career story?

Are you telling your story in a powerful manner?

What does your attire (any season) say about your brand? 

Is your summer attire too casual?  

What are the associations people make and hold in their mind about you based on your attire?

Yes, your brand and what people think of when they see you is influenced by your attire!

As you are expressing your brand don’t forget about the importance of the associations, images and thoughts that come to mind for others when they see you, hear you, interact with you.

Your brand is your image, what you say and what you do.  It is what sets you apart and what you are known for or what comes to mind when people think about you.

Love your flip flops?  Here’s a point of view on summer flip flops from Dannielle Blumenthal that I think is worth reading and pondering.

I agree your flip flops are cute and great at the Beach!

Have a comment or thought?  Post it.

This is a bitter sweet weekend for me …  it is the first Father’s Day without my Dad.

For years I have lived far from my parents home and I rarely spent Father’s Day with my Dad.  Yet, we always connected,  just a year ago, I could still call, laugh, write, email and get advice from my Dad whenever I needed it and somethings when he just wanted to offer it.

My Dad would tell you I didn’t always follow his advice or agree with it.  I drove him crazy and sometimes he drove me crazy too.  Today, I wish he was here to give me advice and a hug.  He was wise and taught me many things.

One of the many lessons was on networking and building relationships.  My Dad would not call it that or might not even agree he was a master networker, but he was.  He understood the importance of relationships, and built relationships wherever he lived, traveled, and visited.  He served others sometimes just by listening.

Our lives are connected in interesting ways and I do believe relationships are formed for a specific reason.  We have the opportunity to build relationships every day, some professional, others personal or casual, some are short term others long term.  Each relationship is unique and in my view, are all important – why because relationships are about people.  I know nothing more important than people and the interactions that you have with people.  There are perfect relationships and imperfect ones!

We build relationships in many ways and in many places.  On the highway, or in our communities, some relationships never exchange words, only smiles such as those shared on the way to the office, store, elevator, or train.

My Dad was not direct like I am, on occasion he offered tough love, but not daily as I am known for, his style and manner was different. He was great at starting a conversation anywhere, with anyone – as a kid that drove me crazy – but as I grew up I learned the value of his skill in this area.

Like me (maybe I learned that from him too), sometimes he did not get to the point quickly.  That drives others nuts, I know and he did too. His patience with others in a conversation was an interesting gift.  There were the things he learned because he was patience and listened in a unique manner.

May all fathers have a wonderful weekend, be blessed by the gifts you share with your children, families; friends and all those you connect and interact with daily.

If you are like me and without your father this weekend, may you be blessed by a memory and the many other wonderful relationships you have.

Tom McDonough at Appia has some great information in his recent 5 part post on LinkedIn.  

Give it a read and let me know your thoughts.

Volcanic eruptions are not everyday career bumps.  Would you be ready if you woke up one day to learn that a long dormant volcano in Iceland has erupted and you job was gone?  Would it feel like the end of the world?  There was a time in my life and career, that I thought so.  Today, I know better. 

An unexpected career bump can cause as much of an economic crisis to you, your family, your plans, goals, and retirement, as the grounding of flights has to the British and European economy.  The experts estimated the grounding of flights would be £520 million ($800 million) impact to the airline industry alone by April 18.   In our global economy, this event has impacted air travel, the Boston Marathon, the price of flowers and vegetables and much more.   Was this a totally unexpected event?    

It is my view the signs were there that something was up with the volcano.  Day to day most of the world does not have what is up with a volcano in Iceland on the radar screen.  However, both recent events and the fact that Iceland is known for its glaciers and volcanic landscape provide information that this was not a totally unexpected event.  

Could this volcano continue sending ash into the air for 14 or more months or longer?  It happened before.  Like geophysicists who monitor what’s up with the Earth; top talent monitors what’s up in their business, operation and career, and they understand what the impact could be if an event caused a 14-month change to their revenue stream, aka their paycheck.

Knowing what is going on, requires an awareness and willingness to see the signs that tell you things are up in business that can impact you and your job.   For most, focus on career comes after all the other stuff is done.  What would happen to your career if it was derailed for 14 months? 

As with the volcano eruption, if you ignore or unaware of the signs around you; you get surprised!  Being aware and having a plan can help you avoid or lessen the impact of a sudden event that could derail or destroy your career. 

You can leverage your talent and be ready.  What if you walk in one day and receive a pink slip due to a 5% reduction of the workforce?  What if your job is changed to a new title or function that required you to do something that you don’t want to do for the next five, or more years even for the same money and the same earnings potential you have now?

Your career need not die, or change in a direction you will be unhappy with.  Nor should your bank account be destroyed by a business change, new boss, or some other event on the scale of volcanic eruption.     

Nature and business can be unpredictable.  Predicting volcanic eruption is not my area of expertise, career management is, and working with top talent to manage the career they want is not hard.  The tools are not complex nor are you dealing with factors as unpredictable as figuring out if a volcano will ground planes and changes lives forever. 

Top talent does not overlook, fail to monitor and study trends, or “see” what changes are in the environment.  Top talent does possible scenario planning. 

Scientists strive to understand what does and could happen when the Earth’s plates move.  Do you do this for your career?

For so many people, what’s up in the business, industry and the impact on their job is out of sight and out of mind.  They are clueless as to the signs of what is going on around them.  Even for top talent, it is easy to put your head down, go to work, focus on the day to day operation and never look up. 

The impact of “head down, tail up” working and never looking at the “radar screen” all too often results in being surprised by an unexpected event.  It also results in the misdirected view that your career path and your earnings are unpredictable and out of your ability to influence. 

What can you do to avoid this?  Understand your business, industry, and your job. Have an ongoing plan to accelerate your career and continually move it forward. 

Do these  five basics 1) stay aware of changing trends, 2) maintain contact with your network, 3) make your goals known, 4) have a plan to achieve your goals, and 5) update your résumé every 90 days. 

Simply executing on these basics will blunt the impact of an unseen or unpredictable event that might happen.   Top talent does not get caught “flat footed” time and time again.

What’s going on around you?  Have you allowed your busy life to take the place of staying focused on your career goals? 

Top talent does not stay on top by becoming overly focused on the day to day operations, and short term goals at the expense of long term goals, and the bigger view.  You know it is easy to waste time on meaningless stuff and stop doing the basics. 

Fix it now, before the eruption. Have a plan, execution the basics of the plan, review your progress, and as needed update to the plan.

What are you doing to accelerate your search or your career?  What will you do this week to lessen the impact to your career when a volcano does erupt?

Last April, Pete Johnson, posted a question on Linked IN and in his blog, “You want in? Career advice in 6 words”, asking others to share career advice in EXACTLY 6 words.  Many shared advice in just six words.

Today is April 6, and I thought it would be a great idea to ask you the same question Pete Johnson asked about a year ago.  Why?  First, it is a great question, worth asking again, and second, I wonder if the advice is different a year later.

Yes, a year can make a difference.  The job numbers look better.  Spring seems to have arrived a little early, at least in the New England.  Oh, yes and opening day for the Boston Red Sox was “Opening Night”.  Some things change, some do not.  Has your career advice changed?  What advice did you take to heart?

My career advice in EXACTLY 6 words is the same and has been for years.

Do what you enjoy, money follows.

What career advice can you offer in exactly 6 words?

Is your advice different than it was a year ago?

“Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.” ~ James Allen

This James Allen quote reminds me that my success begins with my thoughts and is nurtured by my thoughts and my vision.   My vision inspires, my thoughts provide direction, my goals act as a roadmap, and daily execution builds exceptional results and delightful conditions.

Having just returned from a wonderful trip that provided my husband, me, and an enthusiastic group of top performers with an opportunity to celebrate a terrific 2009, the most delightful part of the trip was the reminder of the power of a shared vision.  As the trip ended the eagerness and expectation of something just as wonderful for 2010 was clearly expressed.

What is your vision?

How do you cherish your vision?

What action items will you do this week to support your vision?