Career

Look here for tips from my blog for individuals wanting more from their careers or to take your career to the next level.

Present and Future

Have you ever thought that you could have been farther along in your career than you currently are?  Zen philosophy applies:  Stop agonizing about how this isn’t the way it should be, accept that this is the way it is, and put all of your energy into making it what you want it to be.

Simple words that aren’t always easy to put in place.  Work with some of these tips and see if you can shift some of your thinking.

Tip 1:  Get crystal clear about what you want.  You can’t change the past – it is what… Continue reading

Develop Your Peeps!

The beginning of the year is a great time to think about what’s next for you, your career and your staff.  The number one reason employees look for another job is prompted by their bad manager.  Employees stay – where and when they feel valued.  One of the easiest ways to value an employee is to encourage and support their development.  Here are some tips for you to use to develop your employees (or yourself):

Tip 1:  It’s about them, not you.  You may enjoy taking classes, looking for new responsibilities, having new experiences or heading up projects.  You… Continue reading

Hold ‘er Newt

I first heard the phrase from my husband.  He was raised in Iowa and was surprised that I hadn’t heard it (I’m from North Dakota).  “It’s Mom's way of telling us to hang on for just a minute before taking some (ostensibly) unwise action.”

I tend to forge ahead with decisions and actions.  I get impatient at times with people who don’t see my “big picture” and don’t move fast enough for me.  My husband will invoke “hold ‘er newt” when he wants to weigh a decision and course of action.  Which is the right way?  Both and neither.  We… Continue reading

Exceptional Performance

Exceptional performance is not a one time event.  It is something to work on and add to every day.  Perhaps that sounds exhausting?  Too much work?

It’s really very easy.  You’re performing anyway, so why not make it exceptional?  Here’s the challenge, pick one of the following each week to be exceptional.  Don’t forget to let your boss know.

Quality of WorkPolish your apple!  Your work demonstrates attention to specific directions; is accurate, thorough, and presentable; and is concise and timely.

Initiative and CreativityExpand your thoughts.  You are aware of what needs to be… Continue reading

Emotionally Self-Reliant

zenhabitsI follow a blog called "Zen Habits".  It is very well written and continues to remind me of some very important things in life.  Following is an exerpt from the latest blog post – I think you'll find this interesting.

We look for happiness from others, but this is an unreliable source of happiness. Other people will come and go, or they’ll be emotionally unavailable for their own personal reasons.

And here’s the thing: it’s not their job to fill our emotional needs. They are struggling trying to meet their own needs.

So instead of looking for happiness from someone… Continue reading