Archive for the ‘career’ Category

Yesterday I went to the DMV to get my license renewed. The officer gave me a little card with traffic signs and descriptions. Cramming before before the test? As I sat there waiting (for over an hour), I studied the signs and wondered what difference it would make if there were signposts on our career roadmaps. Maybe we would be better navigators of our careers if there were visible signs.

If you’ve stopped and are not moving in your career, there are people behind you urging you to go on, but before you do, make sure you are heading in the direction you want to go. Do you feel that you have accomplished what you set out to do in your work or where you are working? Have you been holding back and not giving your best? Are you not sure what you want to do when you “grow up”? It’s time to get moving!

Something happened and your job has been eliminated (downsized, right-sized, re-engineered, fired). Your job has come to an end and you have no idea what to do. This could be a great opportunity for you to do something you really want to do. I’ve worked with many people who have found themselves in this situation, and the ones who stay creative and open-minded are the ones who find opportunities – many where none existed.

Many of us grew up being taught that your career should look like a ladder, sometimes referred to as a linear career path. “Climb the corporate ladder, push your way to the top” are some phrases we’ve heard throughout our career. However there are many of us who don’t enjoy that type of career path. And in today’s economy and global marketplace, that type of career path is disappearing quickly. So, what we do? Don’t be afraid to get off your safe road and take a side road, maybe many side roads. Just be sure it’s the road you want to take.

Maybe you are in the job market and have interviewed for a job that you just don’t feel right about. Perhaps something is just “off” but you don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s work that you’re not very excited about – but it’s better than nothing. Or, maybe you are finding that what’s important to your organization is not what’s important to you. Have you been asked to take a new role but are not motivated at all to take it? Is your boss asking you to do something you feel is out of integrity with who you are? Please … Do Not Enter! These are all signs pointing you in the direction of extreme caution. Trust yourself to know what is right for you.

Although there may not be physical signs on our career roadmaps, there are many indicators if we just pay attention. The world of work today in the future is looking very different from the way it looked in the past. I believe we all need to be leaders of our careers and navigate our own paths through these tricky waters in our work. Let’s stay in the driver’s seat of our careers and be sure to recognize the signs that guide us towards careers that we are steering.

Last week I was at the NCDA (National Career Development Association) conference in St. Louis. I had such a great experience – it was everything I wanted and more (professional & personal growth, ideas to bring back to my clients, and networking with great people). Several themes emerged for me during this conference, and I would like to share them with you (so I will).

• When you least expect it, expect it. Our world is filled with chaos (recession, wars, health issues, and so on). It’s good to have goals for our lives, but we can’t predict what the future holds, so we must learn to be agile and not get too attached to our goals. You may have heard the saying, “enjoy the journey.” Today this is evermore true. We need to be sure that we aren’t building systems that keep us complacent. In order to thrive in the midst of chaos, we must use these unexpected shifts to jolt us out of our complacency to regenerate our careers and lives.

• Work IS personal. You may have heard someone say, “It’s not personal. It’s just business.” Phooey! We are human beings, not human doings. When we bring our ALL of ourselves to work, our collective brilliance helps companies grow, evolve, and innovate. It’s up to us to find ways of identifying and communicating our unique strengths and discover how we can create more value for ourselves AND our employers.

• Identify and clarify your value. Each of us has gifts that are needed and wanted; not using our gifts could be doing terrible damage to ourselves and our communities. Storytelling is a way to bring clarity and understanding to how we create value in our work. Everyone has a story and everyone loves stories – it’s been our preferred method of communication for thousands of years. We need to learn how to tell a compelling story in a way that describes more than just our credentials and qualifications. You are much more than a resume. Use your career story to illustrate your character, identity, and personality so that others get a glimpse into who you are as a person and as an employee.

• Old ways don’t work. Stumbling into jobs, not changing with the times, political maneuvering, expecting someone to take care of us – these strategies (or lack thereof), won’t work in present and future economies. The lack of job security, globalization, greater emphasis on corporate social leadership, and rapid technology development forces us to view work in an entirely different context. We have to change. Unfortunately change can be very stressful for many people, and it doesn’t have to be. This new way of working requires us to be visionaries and strategists when it comes to leading our careers.

If you aren’t feeling all that confident about managing your career or haven’t given a lot of thought about your career, I’d love to help.

I recently read an article written by President Obama, and he mentioned that he was so impressed with his daughter’s poise while they have been in the White House. Many writers also point to President Obama’s poise. In fact, when I Googled Obama and poise, there were over 162,000 records. This article is not about the Obamas; I tend to stay as far away from politics as I can. This is just an example. Another example is from my local newspaper as the writer speculated that a college baseball team went to the semi-finals and lost their poise, although they had extraordinary talent and team spirit.

So I became curious. What does poise mean in the business world? Why do you need it? How do you get more poise?

First of all what is poise? Some definitions of poise: self-confident manner, composure, steadiness, stability, state of balance or equilibrium, grace, refinement, and lastly, a product used for bladder problems. I’ll stay away from the bladder issues for now.

Why do we need poise?

Based on the definitions above, I believe that having poise is essential for any leader (and most of us are leaders in some way). Who wants to follow someone who is unstable, ineffective, or incompetent? Poise isn’t just for people in the public eye, speakers, or executives. We all can use poise in every aspect of our lives as we interact with others. The poise I’m talking about is being your best. You aren’t worried about pleasing everyone or controlling anyone. When you have poise, you stop wrangling with yourself and find ease in any situation.

How do you gain more poise?

Focus on others. How can you serve, educate, validate others? I remember losing my poise one day during a talk. I became very nervous and could not collect my thoughts. The problem is I was focused on me. What did they think of me? Did I sounds competent? Upon reflection, I realized I could have regained my poise by focusing on the audience and what I might offer that would be of help or encouragement to them. When we focus on ourselves, many times we are intensely critical and perfectionistic. Most people really do want you to do well!

Focus on an object, mantra, a word or your breath. Think of something physical, emotional, or spiritual that will help you to stay focused: a rock, a card with a mantra or verse on it, an image on your desk, and so on. Make it real and personal for you – something that is inspiring, affirming, and motivating.

Listen with curiosity and interest. You may have heard the saying, “You have one mouth and two ears, so listen twice as much as you think.” This is hard for some people, but I can assure you that you will have fewer fences to mend if you monitor what you say. You are not required by anyone to give an immediate answer (except perhaps in boot camp). Seek to understand. Test your assumptions.

Put content into “buckets.” You may get into a situation where you are called on to give a quick answer and don’t have a lot of time to rehearse your response. It is important that you respond (not react). Take a breath, focus, and make a list (in your head or on paper) of 3-5 points of what you want to get across. Then speak slowly and clearly and ask questions to ensure the message has been delivered accurately.

Listen to your body. If you get into a tense situation, think about how it feels in your body. When you start to feel that tightening or sickening feeling, pay attention. Then, ask yourself what is really going on. Is there a boundary being crossed? Do you really want to be in this situation? Your body is giving you esssential information about what is important to you.

If you have other ideas for bringing more poise into leadership, I’d love to hear from you.

Happy Monday!

~Diane