18 Career Enhancement Caveats
Core value investing in your career Many people walk through their lives never, ever being better at something than anyone else. What is it that you know or do better than almost anyone else in the world? What is it that you do uniquely well? Do your core values for yourself and your family fit with what you are doing, where you are putting your energy, what you are developing, and where you are focusing/immersing yourself? In your career, as well as in your life, to achieve full capacity and happiness, all of you must be going in the same direction. For career and personal success to achieve its fullest potential, the inside and the outside must match: strength, motivation, passion, strategies and goals must be consistent with who you are and be an extension of who you are -- not to define yourself, but to be defined by you. The application of focus and direction on your potential and goals with all of you going in the same direction allows expansion of strength and measurable results to achieve your vision. Knowing what you want to achieve is crucial, with a game plan, specific steps, and measurable results. Review your responses in these four areas. What do you want to achieve? What do you want to maintain without change? What do you want to change? What do you want to delete or avoid? Investing in your core values is synonymous with the pursuit of simplicity. Your decisions are your self statements, not statements about anyone else. Simplicity includes not taking things that others say personally, but recognizing that they, too, are making self statements; discerning internal versus external point of reference; owning rather than blaming your decisions and their results; creating reality rather than believing in fate. Change does not happen, you create it. Your assumptions and beliefs drive your behavior. Coming to the end of the past is not enough: you have to have a purpose, a dream consistent with your internal ideal in order to have hope. A game plan and goal actualize hope, the confident expectation that something good can be created. You move toward what you picture in your mind. Pinpoint focus and laser precision of that picture allow the pathway of a plan and the flexibility of strategy to have a context and meaning. What you believe to be true about yourself will become true. What you believe will work well can be changed to become that which works well. Change may involve new ways of thinking, doing, being, and growing. If you let someone recommend a solution or strategy for you, unless you fit it to your situation and ideal, you will be getting a suit tailored to someone else. If you want to change your life, your performance, and your career, change your mind first. At times, however, you may simply look for patterns in your behavior, find out what is working, and create that more often, and that will change your mind. A wise and experienced addiction counselor who was one of my treatment team members would say to some of his clients, "Sometimes you just gotta act your way into thinkin' and feelin' different." 18 Career Caveats When your head and your gut (what you think and feel) both agree, and act accordingly, you won't go wrong. It is disregarding, deleting, or covering over one or the other that results in compromise. Emotional goals and internal values must be consistent with external plan and vision. Having a definition of success and an internal ideal of "good enough" are essential for satisfaction. Epicurus indicated, "Nothing is enough for the man for whom enough is too little." A passage in one of Schumann's piano sonatas marked, "As fast as possible" followed a few bars later with the admonition, "Faster." The most outstanding characteristics of the superachievers I have known are that all of them love their work and their play. Rich is knowing you have enough. An internal definition of success may not be easily mapped. And it may be defined differently by men, by women, and even individual by individual. The familiar model of male competition makes measurement of external success clearer. But internal success is measured by ideals, relatedness with important others, and comfort with one's self; esteem that only results from having internal ideals and leading up to them. Long-term goals are necessary to keep perspective, while short-term goals are necessary to sustain enthusiasm and tolerate frustration. Short-term setbacks are an essential part of achieving success within the orientation and organization provided by long-term goals. In learning to walk, the toddler's fall is not a failure but part of the process of learning to walk. When you have the endpoint of your purpose clearly in mind, you can more easily keep setbacks in perspective. Respect the boundaries between work and private life. In order to be fully immersed in your work at your office, and your private life when you are home, a clear boundary between the two must exist for each day, each weekend, and for designated vacation periods. In order to be maximally effective when you are at work, making time for a private life and for play is crucial. Creativity, which can be nurturing in itself, needs time to ferment, develop and expand. Though you may enjoy and feel rewarded by your work, play is equally important. Develop your emotional and interpersonal expertise as well as your technical expertise. Both can be finely tuned and mutually enhancing. Consider also when different listening positions may be more effective. At times a colleague or employee may need your empathic ear; at other times, an objective, even confrontational position may be needed. Part of establishing a goal is identifying who you need to work with. Then identify the skills, knowledge, and abilities you need to develop in order to reach the goal. Thinking, feeling, and imagining are all active forms of doing something. Yet thinking, feeling, and imagining are different from action. Physical action is not the only form of doing something. You can't simply apply willpower to become happy or undepressed; the emotional issues that interfere and facilitate have to be addressed. A potential space between urge and action is where judgment resides. "What is in my best interest?" is a question that can always be in the background, and at times the foreground. Thinking about something and considering it is a response, one that may be necessary at times when you feel the urge to act, or may be feeling the pressure from others to act. There are few true emergencies in life. You'll never do anything important that will feel comfortable in the beginning. Mastery requires you to proceed despite your anxiety. You can't learn to swim by figuring it out on paper or in your head. Mastery and effectiveness convert anxiety and uncertainty to comfort. Anxiety is often assumed to be bad, as a signal of danger as if may have been in an earlier context. Consider anxiety as a signal that you are proceeding in new territory, beyond where you've been before. Anything really important requires a commitment to going forward despite discomfort. Assess what reaching a goal will do. It is important to know what achieving a goal will do in order to distinguish clearly what it will not do. For example, reaching a career goal will not undo the past, or make other troubles go away. Having more money won't make a marriage relationship better. Just having a choice can make choosing the same thing feel very different. Not only can you change, but you can choose how you change. Insight and understanding are internal change; external change is another step in and of itself. Every step of growth and change involves its own mourning; you have to relinquish a past position in order to move ahead. What you decide to accept undergoes a change. The only familiar territory is behind you. Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard said, "Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards." Growth and change are hard. The only thing harder is not growing or changing. Recognize your own limits in order to achieve success. It may be difficult to recognize those limits and to seek the advice of others. It may seem a weakness or an acknowledgement of limitation to consult with an expert. Failing to recognize the limits of your knowledge in any area, or being unable to admit mistakes, can profoundly hamper your judgment. Admit mistakes in order to cut losses. For instance, the prospect of selling a plunging stock at a loss may make the loss so concrete and real that you will have difficulty selling. As long as the stock isn't sold, you can retain the hope that it will rise again. It is as if the loss is not real until the stock has sold, because it's only a loss on paper. The hope of salvaging a loss may ensure further losses. Be able to recognize that success and sound decisions in one arena did not guarantee success in others. Physicians and other professionals are notorious for believing that since they have achieved success in one specialized field, their ability automatically spreads to other endeavors such as investments. With little time to research investments or conduct business activities, uninformed decisions may prevail. Be willing to seek suggestions, critiques, and advice and not to take it personally. Consulting only with those who mirror and agree with your opinion is far easier than listening objectively to critical or contradictory information. The decision to seek consultation from individuals knowledgeable in specific areas may be as logically sound as it is emotionally difficult.Distinguish lack of information and organization from unconscious conflict. Further information, strategy, and redoubled efforts will continue to not work if emotional conflict creates a barrier. To make an informed decision if the structure/plan itself is inadequate and needs to be changed, performance at the full level and capacity within that structure is first required. Planning and strategy are essential components of a game plan. Planning is creating an agenda for what you want to happen. Strategy is having a view and structure of how you will proceed. Strategy includes flexibility, because you can't always predict exactly what will happen or how you will need to respond. The most common reason for failing at a game plan is not having one. The second most common reason is having a game plan but not sticking to it. Examine the process that gets you to a good result. Examine the process that gets you to a bad result. You can learn immensely from both. Any plan for success must incorporate the understandable fear of taking risks and making mistakes as a necessary stepping-stone to goals. David Krueger, M.D. is an Executive Strategist/ Professional Coach (http://www.executivestrategist.biz) Email execstrategist@aol.com.He is author of 11 books on success, money, work, and self-development. This article is excerpted from Dr. Krueger's 12th book, soon to be published, LIVE A NEW LIFE STORY: The Essentials of Change, Reinvention, and Personal Success. | | | | RELATED ARTICLES Mastering The Lunch Interview Interviews can be nerve-racking, brain-draining, headache-inducingexperiences. These days, recruiters have found a way to make theinterview even more difficult by combining the experience with ameal. This means that in addition to listening to the interviewer,formulating intelligent responses, and trying your hardest to beconfident, you now have pay attention to how you look while eating. Looking for a Qualified Medical Billing Specialist Families, mothers, employers, and medical practices all interact in one way or another with a medical billing specialist. When medical billing is required, a qualified medical billing specialist can help you process your claim quickly and thoroughly. Medical billing specialists work in many different areas. A variety of tasks require a medical billing specialist to be familiar with medical transcription, medical codes, and electronic medical records (EMR). 5 Ways to Combat Job Burnout Job burnout happens when the stress or prolonged frustration of a job or career contributes to emotional and physical exhaustion. The ability to cope with general life stressors outside of work is strained. This combination results in a lack of motivation, fatigue, irritability, and sometimes depression. Job burnout presents a significant challenge for everyone supporting the burned out individual. Speak Up: Your Job Is At Stake! How good are you at standing up for yourself? History Reports: When Your Resume Equals, I Did This, I Did This, I Did This Do these sound familiar? Mystery Shopping - An Excellent Part Time Job Or Additional Income Source Though the name itself may seem a bit mysterious, the concept of mystery shopping is actually straightforward. Also referred to as secret shopping, performance evaluations, service checks and frontline evaluations to name a few, mystery shopping allows companies to obtain a "snapshot in time" by trained researchers who know in advance what they are to evaluate. It provides management a method to quickly yet efficiently evaluate their business practices, deliverables, and employees from the perspective of a non-biased consumer. Learning a Foreign Language Many people love learning languages or would like to learn a language and use their language skills in a job. In today's global economy the demand for language skills continues to grow as governments, businesses and organisations build relationships with foreign interests. What To Do When HR Calls... Generally, when you present yourself as a prospective candidate for a new employment opportunity, your information will filter through the Human Resources department. Since every company has their own hiring process, understand that you cannot always control when HR will call you. Our philosophy is that a prepared candidate will have a higher chance of success than an unprepared candidate. Travel Writer Jobs, What Are They And How To Find Them Travel writing jobs are few and far between. Getting into this field is hard to do and requires a lot of training and experience. But, there are many benefits to them. There are many individuals who would love to get employment opportunities in this field. And, because the world is faster and faster becoming accessible to more people, increasing employment availability can be found for travel jobs as well. But, how does a person get in and how do they do their job? How to Walk Away from an Opportunity thats Wrong for You Q. I just finished a job interview. Everything went well. But I can't get excited about the job. The people were nice but frankly, I got bored. Thank-You Notes: An Integral Part of Your Career Design There is one little practice that is vital to generating the interest of potential employers. It is critical, but very few job seekers actually do it. Tips for Terrific Telephone Interviews Telephone interviews don't just happen; they are the result of action you have taken. For example, when you are networking and the company representative becomes interested in your skills; when a company representative calls you in response to a résumé you have sent; or when you have previously set up the telephone meeting. Your goal is to achieve a face-to-face meeting at the end of the call. When The Going Gets Tough -- The Tough Keep Going If you've been in a job search for more than a few weeks you may be experiencing the feelings of defeat and despair, not to mention the urge to give up. It's been a tough year, and then some, for those who have lost jobs for whatever reason. Interviewing with no second interviews or offers coming in begins to wear thin - very fast. Tackling Your Unemployment Creatively Are you unemployed or been laid off? You are not alone if that is any comfort to you. Worldwide millions of people are in the same predicament as you are. Unemployment and lay offs are stark realities of the downsizing, reengineering, restructuring, and automation in a sluggish global economy where corporations are trying every trick in the book to reduce costs, increase productivity and keep the organization lean, mean and profitable. Every one of us has gone through the phase of being unemployed once or more in our careers. Planning To Work Abroad Working abroad can be an exciting, rewarding and horizon broadening experience; and if you take the time to plan ahead carefully before you go, you will make your transition into the overseas work place a smooth and successful one. The Pros and Cons of Telecommuting - As Seen Through The Eyes of a Seasoned Telecommuter Janelle Delacorte has been happily answering calls for the Home Shopping Network and various infomercials since November 2004. Six Factors That Can Cost You the Interview/Job Most job seekers know that an unprofessional appearance will count against them at an interview. Here are six MORE factors that can help you remain in the unemployment line: (1) Being unprepared for the interview. Prepare, plan, and practice! In today's tough job market, you MUST do everything you can to give yourself an edge... preparation is the key. (2) Not being able to communicate clearly and effectively. This is important during the interview and on the job. Being nervous can really mess up your communication skills, so being well prepared and practicing what you're going to say are always your best bet. (3) Being aggressive, arrogant, or acting in a superior way. No one wants to hire or work with people who think they're better than everyone else. Be careful with your attitude, even if you think you're surrounded by incompetent fools. Being confident is good. Being an arrogant jerk is bad. (4) Making excuses for failings. Your teacher never bought "The dog ate my homework!" and your boss isn't going to buy "The finance department gave me the wrong figures!" In the grown-up world, you have to take responsibility for what you are responsible for! You'll never earn respect by blaming others when things go wrong. (5) Saying unfavorable things about previous employers. Even if you left a job because the boss was an egomaniac who took credit for all of your hard work, verbally abused you in front of others, and poisoned the plant on your desk, don't say anything bad about him/her during an interview. When asked "Why did you leave your last job?" say something like "My manager and I both agreed that my advancement opportunities were limited there and obtaining another position was the best option for me and my career goals." (6) Having a poor/limp handshake. Why do people think you'll be a lousy employee if you have a lousy handshake? That's not really logical, is it? Doesn't matter. It just turns people off and gives them a bad impression of you. So make your handshake firm and confident but not bone-crushing. (It's not a competition to see who winces first!) If you DON'T want to be unemployed, don't let any of those traits apply to you! Why It Is Impossible To Raise Your Standard Of Living Working A Job Everything in nature has been endowed with what it needs to survive. There is no living thing that isn't inherently equipped with the skills and abilities it needs to secure its continued existence. Whether through instinct, size, camouflage or speed, no gazelle, lion or giraffe has to go to trade school to learn how to survive. That's the beauty of the divine plan. We, as humans, are part of this plan and each one of us is given something that sets us apart from everyone else; something that we can use to ensure our own survival. Your First Job "Your first job is an extension of your education" The Five Most Common - And Most Avoidable - Résumé Errors Writing an effective résumé can certainly be challenging. There are numerous rules and none of them apply 100% of the time. It is often much easier for people to craft their document if they understand the boundaries within which they will need to operate 100% of the time - the mistakes that should never be made and will brand a job-seeker as unprofessional. Eliminating all of these errors from your résumé will go a long way in improving your chances of securing an interview.
|