Accelerate Your Search™ Now

You are growing fast, maybe faster than those around you.  As you look forward to your next position the terrain looks a bit bumpy.

You know that speed over rough terrain can be very dangerous.  One wrong turn could flip you on your head, cause a spin-out or worse.

This is the time to understand the terrain.  Look around, listen, and assess what your fine-tuned instincts and intuition are telling you about the terrain.  It is time to cut the clutter and step forward with intention.

One of the first steps is to carefully pause and look at your own energy, the energy within your organization, and the energy of your current industry.  When you are growing fast and taking care of day-to-day business, reflective pauses are necessary to avoid missteps and to get an accurate read on your surroundings.

Next, be sure you are ready for and open to the opportunities around you.  Have those key heart-to-heart conversations with your boss.  Ask if he/she is happy with your leadership, direction and results.  Ensure you are aligned with your boss, the organization’s direction and achieving results at the expected pace.

Then, ask about the future and where your boss views you in six months and two years.   You may be looking to make a move outside the organization or industry, that is fine.  No matter your direction, you need to know how others view you and the actions/results they expect you to achieve.  Not understanding your boss’ expectations creates a blind spot.  Blind spots can be deadly as you speed over rough terrain.

Finally, create a process for yourself (and one that your boss will appreciate) to follow up, check in, and communicate what you are doing and your results.  Most people believe others know about your actions and results — it is the old “actions speak louder than other words.”   Allowing your actions to speak for themselves might have worked in 1950, but now it a sure way to be out-of-sight, out-of-mind.

Ditch the “I refuse to brag about or tout my results” mindset.   If you want to get promoted and earn what you are worth, help others know and understand the value of your results.  Life and work are busy, helping people keep up-to-date also helps others navigate the terrain ahead and is viewed as a valuable service.

Navigating the road ahead is not just about you and what you want.  It is also about helping others get what they want.   An intentional path with a specific, well executed plan accelerates your journey over the roughest terrain and helps you avoid an out-of-control spin.

Do you have a question about navigating your next promotion?  Post your question below or contact me directly.

“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”  ~ Seneca

You have declared your desire for a new job — at least to yourself.

You have ‘itchy feet’ and are ready to walk out the door.
You want more recognition, satisfaction and compensation.
You are flat unhappy at work — be it with your boss or the work — you name it and you’re not pleased about it.

What’s holding you back from searching for a new position?

Is it time?  Fear?  Or a concern about your next salary level?

Maybe you are unsure of what to do first.  You know the marketplace has changed since you last search for a job.

Good news is that a little focus, clarity and planning will help you accelerate your search.  Here are 6 questions to help you do just that:

1. Why do you work?
2. Why do you really want a new job?
3. What value are you known for in the workplace?
4. What type of organization do you desire to work for?
5. Who do you know in the organizations where you desire to work?
6. How will you connect with the people you know?

Taking the time to answer these questions before you start to update your resume will help you in your quest for a new job.  It is easier than you think to accelerate your search and reduce job search stress.

Of course, if you need more clarity, you can dig a little deeper.  Ask additional questions to help bring sharp focus and clarity to your next career move.  What questions would you add to the list above?

If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends using the links below!  Post a note, share your question and thoughts in the comments.  If you want help accelerating your search and landing the job you want contact me HERE.

Do the following statements sound all too familiar?

“All the jobs go to internal candidates.”

“You must know someone inside or have a inside contact.”

“If you have experience and a track record, you are out of luck, good companies don’t hire experience.”

If so, here is some information to ponder:

According to data published [01/2014] by Great Place to Work Institute (compiler of the annual list of Best Companies):

• The average number of positions filled internally, for those organizations on the Best Companies list, was 30% — meaning that 70% of the positions went to people new to the organization!
• Additionally, 28% of new hires were referred by current employees.  This supports that having an inside contact can help.
• Of the 100 Best Companies appearing on the list, 24 plan to fill 1,000 or more positions this year and only 9.9% of those positions will go to new college grads.  To me, that says experience matters 90% of the time!

Be careful who you listen to and how you interpret the data.  Good employers are always looking for talented professionals.  Landing your next promotion takes work, preparation and a well executed plan.

While flying by the seat of your pants can work, preparation and a plan usually generates faster, more effective results.

If you hate job searching and want to land your next position faster and with less stress, request my 162 ways to Accelerate Your Search by clicking here.  And, don’t forget to implement the strategies!

Have an amazing week!

Here are six tips that ease stress, magnify minor acts and help you sustain your career year after year.  Success and unending happiness are not far from your reach.

1.  Harness the unique power of good habits.  Be a slave to habits grounded in the principles important to you.  You will quickly tap into amazing opportunities, success and wealth beyond your current imagination.

2.  Act every day with intention.  Do the work you need to do.  Focus on the blind spots that hold you back.  Discard the notion that the acts of preparation, reflection and work on yourself is busy work.  Those who decide only to do surface personal work for fear of what they will uncover stall career growth and progress, holding desired success inches out of reach. Overwhelm and doubt always knock at the door of minimal action.

3.  Believe in yourself.  Believe in your strengths, your gifts and your skills.  Believe in all that you are.  The unique journey before you is leading you to success.  Belief in yourself is not optional, it is required.  Believe NOW!

4.  Initiate, practice and repeat.  Your simple commitment to repeating productive practices push failure out of sight.  Repetition soon creates habits which will subdue activities that previously lead you astray.

5.  Today, not tomorrow, is the day to begin.  Why waste another beautiful and amazing day you can never recapture?

6.  Success awaits you.  It is yours, uniquely given.  Be ready, able and willing to embrace those daily actions that many already call habits.

Habits create processes and ease stress.  Habits will magnify strengths and sustain your career success and unending happiness.

What powerful habit energizes you?  Post your habit and how it boosts your career below.

Commit.  Plan.  Execute.  Those are three powerful words shared with me by  Hank Sullivan.  Even more powerful is the question he asked me, “What are you willing to do different?”

It was close to a decade ago that Hank asked me that question for the first time.  I had heard the question before, yet on that day, instead of offering a quick reply, I paused.  Why?  Maybe it was because I knew he was genuinely interested in my response.  Or, maybe I had grown wiser.  Perhaps it was the tone of his voice.  I don’t really know what it was.  What I did know was that I did not know the answer.

What was I willing to do different?

Maybe nothing!  Maybe I was not willing to do ANYTHING different.

Life was okay.  While not what I hoped for, business wasn’t bad.  I had a ready excuse when something was not completed or didn’t go as expected.  My most common excuse?  Lack of time.

The first answer that popped into my head was, “What if I’m not willing to do anything different?”  I respected Hank far too much to give that answer.  In all honestly, I don’t recall what I actually replied — or if I replied at all.

What I do know is that question remains a powerful one, even today.  This one question made me realize that if I was not willing to step outside my comfort zone very little would change.

So, in great times, good times and not-so-good times, I continue to ask myself, “What are you willing to do different?”

When my results are “fine” and I’m okay with that (a rarity!), I don’t feel the burden to change.  It always come down to what I am willing to do.  If I am not willing to do anything new, the results will not change.  When I create and execute a plan, the results are predictable.  If the results do not measure up, I can easily see what to adjust to bring me closer to my desired results.

Are you fine with your currently results?  Yes?  Fabulous!  Continue to commit, plan and execute.  Your year will be predictable and your results will remain steady.

Or, do you want to improve your results?  Then the answer is simple.  Dare to do something different.

2014 is almost 1/12 complete.  What are you willing to do different?

If you want to take different action, yet are unsure what to do or if you need assistance landing the job you want, contact me.

“What simple things do you do every day that impact your life and income?”

“Please share the ones that absolutely help you enjoy life and work and improve your personal income.”

I recently asked the above questions to my clients and colleagues earning 6+ figures.  While not a scientific survey, I’ve compiled the top and most common tips to share with you.

Why do so?  To help you make 2014 a year of improved performance, higher earnings and, simply, more fun!  Perhaps you too can adopt a few of the things that these highly productive, and happy, people find helpful.

Here are the results:

1.  Maintain your health and care for yourself.  Eat right, rest and exercise.  Self-care, staying fit and maintaining your health adds to your wealth and well-being.    This is a top tip on almost every list!

2.  Know yourself and leverage your strengths.  Performance and earnings increase when you do what you do best.

   “Once I learned to stop focusing on and trying to fix weaknesses, my income jumped 26.5 %.  What an impact that had on me and my family.”  – DDA

3.  Look ahead and set goals.  Know where you want to be in a year, 5 years and 10 years from now.

4.  Maintain personal discipline and be organized.  The tips on this vary.  While there is no one way to do this, each person queried stated that having a set of rules or guidelines for achieving tasks and goals is important.  Whether lists, calendars or assistants, find your system and use it daily.

5.  Read and continue to learn.  Read books, newspapers and blogs.  Read to your kids or family.  Learn and stay current.  Many shared they re-read books that impacted them.  Odds are when you re-read a book, you will learn something new.

6.  Market yourself and stay connected.  One of my mentor says, “Not marketing yourself is selfish.”  Share your talents and passions with everyone who needs to know — you never know when you can be of service.

7.  Invest your time wisely.  Time is the great equalizer.  We all have the same amount of time each day.  Think about, plan and invest your time wisely.  Invest in yourself each day.  If you don’t invest in yourself and think you are worth investing in — why would others take a risk on you?

8.  Don’t fly by the seat of your pants.  It is fine to take risks and to be spontaneous, but know the impact of what you are doing and then decide what you want to do.  Don’t just allow things to happen.  Make a decision.

9.  Be personally responsible.  Whether the outcome is good or not so good, own what you do.  When you’ve made a mistake, own it, and figure out how to correct the action.

10.  Be who you are.  Be comfortable in your own skin.  Know who you are and show and share it with the world!

Enjoy these tips.  Adapt them to help you.  Unleash your uniqueness, your energy and earn what you deserve this year.

Do you have a great tip?  Post it below.

In late January, I am hosting a 3-part workshop:  Identify, Leverage & Own Your Uniqueness.  The workshop is designed to help you quickly identify your strengths and see how others view those strengths, so that you can stand out in the eyes of hiring managers.

If this opportunity speaks to you, drop me an email.  I will send you the details and information on how to sign up for the workshop.

Have an amazing week!

My wish for you is amazing abundance and success in the new year.  You possess everything you need to launch a fun, exciting and prosperous 2014!

Now, you might have a doubt or two.  We all do sometimes.  Turn all that doubt, fear and stress into belief, hope and absolute optimism.  Before you stop and say, “Forget it!” — remember your thoughts drive your beliefs, your beliefs drive your attitudes, your attitude drives your behaviors and your behaviors drive your results.  All results are impacted by your thoughts — your happiness, abundance, prosperity, who you are and how the world sees you.

If you don’t like your results, look at your thoughts first.  Your thoughts and your focus are the drivers of who you are and who you become.  Below is a four-step process to help you move forward with optimism:

1. Select one of your distressing thoughts.  For example, you made a call and the call was not returned.
2. Change the distressing thought into a successful thought, i.e., I placed a call and it was returned within 2 days.  Notice that finding successful thoughts is as simple as looking for the opposite.
3. For the next 24 hours repeat the success thought 7-9 times during the day.  You are on your way to changing your thoughts.
4. Repeat this practice for 21 days.  Yes, the average time to change a thought or a habit.  Warning:  it may take more than a few days before you repeat only the success thought.  The old distressing thought is a habit and you may repeat it before you check it and return to the success thought.  That is O.K. — just stay the course.

Change your thoughts, change your life.  May you have all the change and success you desire in the coming new year!

Have an amazing year!

Unlocking and unleashing your uniqueness isn’t hard.  Yet, it certainly can feel that way.  Why is that?  I believe that our talents come so naturally to us that we fail to recognize them as unique, and, as such, we don’t focus on that uniqueness.

The systems in our schools and workplaces are not designed to encourage us to look for and leverage those things that make us unique.  Instead, the focus falls on our weaknesses or other areas of improvement.  When encouraged to only seek out and improve your weaknesses, you shift your focus and it is easy to overlook your strengths.

Life is very busy and our brains assist us by filtering all that information.  Research shows we create the filters in our brain through what we focus on.

You know the adage, “Seek and you will find,” right?  If you focus solely on your weaknesses, that is what you will see — all other information is filtered out.  It is hard to see what you are not looking for and you may very well overlook the “special sauce” that makes you unique and successful.

Here are three steps to help you unleash your uniqueness and accelerate your success:

1.  Identify your strengths, gifts and talents.  Begin by compiling a list.  Think about what you do well, what you like to do and what you are good at doing.  Next ask friends, co-workers, even your manager (or look back on old performance reviews) to define your strengths. Then take assessments like StrengthsFinder 2.0, MyNextMove, and 360Reach Personal Branding Survey.

2. Review your strengths list and for each item, ask yourself these questions:

• Does this make me compelling to the decision-makers in my life?
• Does this set me apart from others who do the work I do?
• Does this inspire me and why?
• How does this help me achieve my goals?

3.  Next, put a star by your top three strengths.  Create focus around those strengths.  Observe how these help you achieve your daily duties and bigger professional goals.  Select actions every day that highlight your strengths.  Keep a list of how your strengths help you achieve your goals, inspire you and enhance your performance.

In 30 days you will have unleashed your uniqueness!  I look forward to your sharing YOU with the world — post a comment below and share your unique strengths.

In January, I am hosting a 3-part workshop:  Identify, Leverage & Own Your Uniqueness.  The workshop is designed to help you quickly identify your strengths and see how others view those strengths, so that you can stand out in the eyes of hiring managers.

If this opportunity speaks to you, drop me an email.  I will send you the details and information on how to sign up for the workshop.

Have an amazing week!

Some time ago I began asking my clients and workshop attendees to offer feedback and share which tips they found most effective.   Below are the top five tips.  May they also help you reach out, contact and leverage the power of your personal network.

1.  Find the diamonds, rubies and emeralds among your old contacts. Annually go through your contact database.  Call people you haven’t spoken to in 3 to 8 years.  Update your data:  verify phone numbers, addresses, email addresses and organizations.  Discover what’s new with your contacts. If a number is disconnected or the person has moved on, place those people on your research list.  You might be surprised at how many people say, “I am so glad you called.”  For each contact reached be sure to note and schedule your next contact.  One contact and one follow-up per week helps you stay in contact with 100 people a year.

2.  Organize your contacts into categories.  Use your Contact Management System (CMS) and sort all of your contacts into five or six categories.  My recommended categories are:  1) those who can hire you; 2) those who can influence someone who can hire you; 3) those who can recommend you to someone who can hire you; 4) centers of influence with whom you have a strong relationship and who have an interest in your success; 5) to be determined (TBD) – these are people you just met or have not contacted in some time and therefore you are unsure of the most appropriate category; and 6) others contacts – family members or close friends who belong in your contacts, yet do not fit in one of the first 5 categories.

3.  Pick up the phone.   Allot one hour per day for phone calls.  Call those people in categories 1-3.  Be frank.  Explain you are engaged in exploring opportunities and seeking your next position and ask two questions:  Is there any assistance you can provide them at this time and what names can they give you of people who may need your assistance?  When possible arrange a face-to-face meeting within 3 weeks and secure the names of three referrals.   This is tough to do.  I know.  Face your fear of rejection and pick up the phone.

4.  Build your contact list.   What service can you provide to a group or association that will quickly build your contact list?  Who could use your assistance on a project (large or small) for free?  Offer to help and do it for free.  A former client called four contacts from his “who can influence someone who can hire you” category and offered to review 2-3 contracts for free and provide written recommendations.  Within six weeks, he had three interviews with hiring managers that liked his findings report and added 30 new, solid contacts to his list.

5.  Leverage the power of direct mail.  Mail requires thought, planning and an investment.  Sending direct mail to your top contacts pays dividends.  Unless you have invested in an email system with analytics and tracking features you may never know whether your email was delivered, opened or read.   However, direct mail that includes a strong call to action, such as, “Will you meet me for lunch downtown at your favorite deli at 12 noon, Tuesday, Oct 5 for a sandwich and conversation?” pays off amazing well and has a cumulative impact over time.

What is your favorite tip?  Do you have an adaptation or a success story?

Please share how you used one of these tips to manage your personal marketing and reach your contacts.

“The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.” ~ Muhammad Ali

Do you view the world differently than you did 30 years ago?  How do you view your career differently than you did 30 years ago?

Sharing — and owning — your story and life is an amazing and profitable journey.  It is not, however, without risk, fear and bumps along the way.

One of the bumps we all encounter is the need to adjust, adapt or change our point of view.  How have you changed your point of view?  Is your identity still tied to your career?

When I hear someone tie their identity to a job, title, or even a job loss, I immediately flash back to my 20’s and my point of view at the time.  Also, I recall how I felt when I lost the job I thought I would have forever.  I understand these emotions on a very personal level.

I have never forgotten those feelings, nor the lessons I learned due to my point of view at the time.    However, I did not waste 30 years, I adjusted my world view.

One of the shifts in my view is that I now believe I am enough.  I have and can access all I need to be successful.  The super cool thing is that you do, too!

I believe, without a doubt, that each person on earth is given unique skills and talents and is able to find a job that sustains their lifestyle and utilizes their gifts and talents.

You can find a job in tough economic times.  You can do work you enjoy.  You can move past a job loss.  You are not dependent on a specific employer or the state of the economy for your success.

Seeing, sharing and owning who you are as a person (not just as an employee) creates an amazing career and life journey.  You will never see the world the same.

Do you feel like you are wasting time?  Do you need some help to land the job you want?  Contact me and let’s talk about how I might be able to help.

I guarantee shifting your view will accelerate your search and will keep you from wasting years of your life.