Re-jiggle your work strategy!

I realise that we go to work and think "Do I still want to work there?"Has that ever crossed your mind? I am sure it has entered your train of thought at some time in your career. The thing is what you do about it. The fact is no one’s job is perfect by any stretch of the imagination. Whether it is the physical side of the job or the daily intensity that makes you think about change. The important aspect to note is not to resign from your role until you have explored all avenues that could help you re-develop your role and stay where you are currently employed. All too often we make that irrational decision, resign and say "Oh dear, now what?" So how can you improve your current disposition and re-jiggle your work strategy? That is indeed the question you could ask yourself. A good starting strategy would be take a pen and paper and review your own current performance. Maybe think about are you doing justice to the role itself. Could it possibly be your own integration with your manager and co-workers. How focused have you been in ensuring that the role becomes your own. It could be time to step back, and not mingle with negative people and their nuances. This is just a brief outline of how you can improve your feelings about your current role. I have no doubt you can and will come up with more good and positive thoughts. Till next time... Solutioncoach

Effectively Manage your Career

Too many professionals allow others to manage their career instead of taking control themselves. We tend to get caught up in the process of the actual work instead of managing the career. It is imperative that you actually know what you want by setting goals and re-visiting them on a regular basis. They need to be visible at all times and measured against achievement. Probably a good way is to incorporate your performance reviews and check whether they complement each other. Feedback can be positive or negative, however it is what you do with it from that point, that is most important. Open your mind to these at all times which, in turn, will elevate your career. Keep focused on industry articles and books and make comments on them. This way you could develop into the “go to person" for advice. Team members are always looking to someone to help them with a problem. By becoming this person it will definitely enhance your career within the company. Do not be afraid to put yourself forward for new projects that may arise even if you think you don’t quite have the expertise. Make it known that you want to gain new skill and are prepared to go for new advanced experiences. Spend valuable spare time updating your professional and personal profile. This creates activity within the media, lets people know that you're around and your profile becomes more visible. Only you can manage your career and create a solution to promoting yourself for the future. Till next time… Solutioncoach

Embracing Diversity

"The concept of diversity encompasses acceptance and respect. It means understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences." A true and direct definition of diversity in a straightforward expression.I would,however,like to share my experiences of diversity and the practical application in a training environment.In my current role I am priveledged to lead classes of students from virtually every corner of the world.A more multi-culturally and language diverse group of people would in the true sense be very difficult to find.The class often attracts around thirty students on a weekly basis who attend with the focus of building confidence and creating and resourcing a new and meaningful future .These students take up their seats on a random first come first served basis so have no pre-conceived ideas of each other.What a refreshing thought. No labels whatsoever. I,as the lead trainer,have no idea who is in the room either. So what a perfect match! Sobering,delightful and mentally invigorating. Diversity in its natural form. Within minutes the banter starts and self-introduction commences. The common language is English which makes me think back where two students sat next to each other and only discovered after four days that they both were natural Portuguese speakers. In fact when they found out they had a good laugh about it. So back to diversity then. It is up to us as individuals to manage cultural intelligence by ensuring that we align ourselves and embrace it on a daily basis. After all, it is people who can and must make the difference within all communities. Make yourself authentic and believable and refrain from hiding behind others.Work together just as I experience every week. I know it can be done! Till next time. Stay focused! Solutioncoach

Why didn't I get hired or called for an interview?

A common question across the spectrum of the jobsearch sector."Why didnt I get hired or called for an interview?". There are many reasons, however let us focus on just a one for now which I think has the most profound effect on the question.Intially when you apply for a particualr role it is mostly assumed that you have some sort of qualification or experience to do the job effectively.Well,otherwise why did you then apply knowing that you don't really have the correct profile to be a successful candidate.It is your attitude that carries the most weight in all aspects of the journey to success. What I mean is two-fold. Your attitude to the application and your attitude in the interview. Your demeanour will always determine the result that you achieve and at the end of the day who can answer the question. Only you and no one else. Till next time Solutioncoach

Do you need a personal vision statement?

I pose this question to you in my final blog for 2013.DO YOU NEED A PERSONAL VISION STATEMENT? It is the time of year when we tend to consider our New Year Resolutions!In the majority of case these resolutions do not last more than a week, if that.The most common being "I want to lose weight" or "I want to stop smoking". I would suggest that the reason for failure is that none of these or in very rare cases are they written down. In other words are these resolutions committed to paper. It is like creating a contract with yourself , signed and sealed.The fact remains though why don't we do it.It is not a bad idea to share your personal vision statement with someone who cares about you,someone who can support your quest for success. Your statement can guide your life and help you achieve. It can be equated to you using a personal navigation instrument. A document you can refer to when you feel lost and directionless. These are some questions you can ask yourself to help you formulate your personal vision. What are the 3 or 4 things you need to do everyday to feel content? What are the 4 or 5 life values that are most important to you? People comment on your strengths.Develop them further. Work on your weaknesses.Convert them to strengths. Consider what 5 of your friends would say about you if asked. Think about these questions and answers and combine them in to your personal vision statement.Remember this will always be a work in progress and will require re-visiting regularly.And of course don't forget to write it down.I cannot stress enough the fact that getting started is the most important positive action you can undertake. Picking up that pen and paper is your commitment to change and personal development.Only you can change your path to success, no one else, just you. Look forward to 2014.Make it your year! Till next time Solutioncoach

How to overcome procrastination

I have no doubt that most people tend to put something off that really needs resolving , yet tend to put it off, and then put it off again.Psychologist Professor Cally Lay says procrastination occurs when there is "a temporal gap between intended behaviour and enacted behaviour".Therefore a significant time between intention to do it and when the task is really done. The essential fact about this problem is to recognise when you are in the procrastination mode.Most of us tend to fall into this trap and then realise with a startle that the job has not been done.It causes unnecessary avoidable stress which is really self-inflicted. The crux of the matter is how to deal with this universal problem and take effective steps to combat this demon that many people tend to experience. I believe to prioritise tasks is an effective way to deal with procrastination.This, however,can pose a problem if you tend to only focus on the things that you enjoy most and find easiest to do.It's about being honest with yourself and making sure that you can indentify which task need urgent attention.Take a pen and paper and write them down , then rank them in order of importance and urgency.However, here's the crux of the issue. You need to know and be honest with yourself as to which task is urgent and which is important....... “...the best possible way to prepare for tomorrow is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today's work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future.” ― Dale Carnegie, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. Till next time .... Solutioncoach

Interview question fascination!

I am always fascinated by the two interview questions that seem to be used very often ." What is your biggest weakness or what is your biggest strength"?I think it is often thought of as a trick to try and catch interviewees off guard or to really observe their reaction to these nebulous questions.Having experienced the usage of these ad nauseam ad infinitum, I am beginning to think that they are frivilous and certainly no value to either party.I think asking the weakness question is a trap to extrapilate useless and intimidating information from the interviewee.It forces the situation into sharing personal information in the process which is not required at this stage of the interview. I know that sharing a weakness can be extremely detrimental to the outcome of the interview and the possibilty of not being appointed to the role certainly increases.Therefore if you are prepared and think the question might be asked, try not to bring in any emotional viewpoint at all.An example would be " I get cross very easily if the work doesn't get completed" or "I get bored when people speak too much". It is always best to keep it simple . The strengths question could give you a chance to re-iterate your capiblity , however it is boring for the interviewer to hear " I have the experience" or " I am a quick learner". Try and think of something unique and exciting about yourself. The main issue is always be prepared because you just never know when these questions might arise. Till next time.... Solutioncoach

I am not getting responses to my applications.

I frequently get asked why don't I get a response to my job applications.If this is happening on a regular basis, then there has to be something wrong with the CV match to the actual job specifications. In other words does your CV have those all encompassing KEY Words. I am aware that this issue gets bandied around on a regular basis ,however it is up to you to make sure everytime that you submit your CV that you check, cross-match and cross-reference them. I know it is painful and laborious however it will make a huge difference to your success rate.It becomes a fruitless excercise to submit the same CV to every job that you apply for.That extra attention to detail will make a significant difference and no doubt attain a positive result. So here are some useful tips to increase your chances of finding suitable employment: 1)Select keywords from job application/adverts and mimic on your CV each and every time 2)Write a short and punchy cover letter 3)Make sure your headline summary/personal profile is convincing and accurate 4)Search in the right places 5)Apply for the right job suited to you-read the advert carefully Make your jobsearch and responses more frequent by following some basic rules. Till next time Solutioncoach