Lessons Learned from the Snow
I heard on the news this morning that we have had more snow so far this January than any previous January on record. Every week we have at least one storm and most weeks it’s two. Shoveling is now a part of our normal routine.
The first big snowstorm was stressful for me. I had two speaking engagements planned which required some travel. I stressed over whether or not to cancel the events, thinking foolishly that maybe the weather forecasters would be wrong and the whole storm would blow over. It’s happened before, right? Not this winter. Every storm ends up being even stronger than originally forecasted.
What’s of particular interest to me is that now, because the challenge and obstacles come with some regularity every week, I have a different attitude about planned events. My whole winter calendar is now in pencil and subject to last minute postponement.
Here are some of my thoughts about life and snow:
1. We do have the ability to overcome barriers and roadblocks. As we are exposed to more and more challenges, we seem to be better equipped mentally and emotionally to cope.
2. Shoveling snow is a lot like building your career or your business. It takes a lot of really hard work and at times it seems overwhelming. Little by little, shovel by shovel, you end up clearing a path and moving forward. Persistence works in your favor.
3. The new snow fall is beautiful. We tend to romanticize about how pretty everything looks until we have to face the practicality of clearing the snow and dealing with logistics. In the beginning, we also romanticize about starting our own business and how wonderful it would be to be your own boss and have flexible time. The practical side is how will you make money? Do you have enough money saved for a start up? What is your business model? We romanticize about how wonderful it would be to be a CEO and then the reality of leading a company and all the stress and complexities associated with that position kick in.
4. It’s important to be flexible and let go of things we cannot control. Weather is at the top of that list. We can make plans and contingency plans and at the end of the day, we can only do so much planning and then we have to let it go. This is a tough one for me. What about you?
5. It’s important to remind ourselves that each snowflake is very fragile and delicate. When combined with zillions of other snowflakes, however, it has tremendous clout. The snow can literally paralyze cities and regions of the country. Isn’t there a lesson there as well? Alone, we may not feel very powerful. If we reach out to others and build a strong network to collaborate and build our businesses and careers, we have the support and strength of many.
OK. Since it snowed over a foot again last night, I need to go out and shovel.
Where is the January thaw? I’m ready for a meltdown!!
You Got the Interview. Now Get the Job.
Congratulations! It’s not easy to land an interview for a new position these days. The market place is overloaded with qualified applicants seeking employment, and the fact that you made it this far is indeed encouraging.
But, you still need to ace the interview and it’s critical to do some preparation to showcase your talent and communicate how your expertise will benefit the company.
Here are some tips to help you differentiate yourself in the interview.
1. Identify and understand your value proposition. What are your strengths? What are your accomplishments? Make a list of each and write down how these qualities have helped you in past positions and how they have contributed to your recent success. Give specific examples.
2. Review the job description. List all the responsibilities, qualifications, and expectations for the position.
3. Match your expertise and value proposition to each line item from the job description. For example, project management experience may be one requirement. How do you meet this requirement? List your experience from past positions.
4. Write a benefit statement for each of the above items. In other words, how did your specific contribution benefit that company? As a project manager for ABC Company, I led a team of 10 engineers to successfully complete a high profile project that resulted in a 25% increase in revenue within six months.
5. Research the company, the company mission, recent successes and challenges.
6. Align your experience and values to where the company is headed. For instance, maybe you are interviewing with a community bank that has a goal of becoming more visible and sensitive to the needs of the community. How does the fact that you live in this community benefit the bank?
7. Gather as much information as you can about the interviewer, the decision maker, your potential boss. Ask pertinent questions to better understand the position and the expectations as well as what the decision process is and what is important to the company or decision maker. Use this information to show how what you bring to the table will benefit the decision maker (perhaps your potential boss) and the company. For example, you’ve heard that your potential boss is no nonsense and bottom lined oriented. Tailor your conversation to his personality. Be direct. Stress how your experience contributed to net revenue.
8. Review your value proposition and benefit statements. Practice with a friend or family member so you are comfortable talking about how the company will benefit from your talent.
After completing the above exercise matching your experience and value proposition to the job description and company goals, you will feel confident that you are qualified for the position and ready to communicate specifically why you are the best candidate.
In order to differentiate yourself, it’s important that people understand how your value benefits them. Keep this in mind at all times and make the transition statements during your interview that state not only your accomplishments and expertise, but how that can help the company reach their goals.
Do you have an interview coming up? Be prepared to ace the interview and showcase your value. I now have a two session coaching program specifically designed to help you prepare for interviews and performance reviews.
Advocate for an Advocate
A recent Catalyst study demonstrates that mentoring does not help career advancement to the degree that sponsorship does. Mentoring is defined as career advice and guidance and sponsorship is advocacy. Usually sponsors have more senior positions than mentors, and it is their responsibility to advocate for an individual and pull them up the ranks to a top level position in the company. The study shows that men receive more sponsorship than women and this has a direct relationship to the number of men promoted to top positions. Women receive more mentoring and, in fact, are sometimes “mentored to death” with no upward mobility.
The recommendation from Harvard Business Review and Catalyst is for organizations to adopt formal sponsorship programs similar to IBM Europe. Companies now understand the impact of diversifying their talent pool, especially in leadership roles.
However, the companies that have formal sponsorship programs are few and far between.
High performing women need to take control of their own career advancement. They need to advocate for an advocate or sponsor. They need to be their own PR specialist every day.
Here are some suggestions:
- Be proactive, intentional, and strategic. Communicate your intention to advance your career.
- Let others know within the organization that you are seeking a sponsor. Your mentor might be able to help identify and facilitate this.
- Create visibility and credibility for yourself in the organization.
o Take on high profile projects.
o Make sure your position has P&L responsibility.
- Identify your value proposition. What do you bring to the table?
- Develop your web of influence (key stakeholders, decision makers, influencers, connectors) to assist you in reaching your goal.
o Build and leverage these relationships.
- Learn to communicate your value.
o Talk about what you bring to the table and tie it to business outcomes and results for maximum impact.
- Broaden your influence outside the company.
o Develop your subject matter expertise through social media, community organizations and board positions.
Here’s the bottom line: you need to take control of your career. If you have the goal of sitting in the C-Suite, start by communicating this goal to others and find out how you can get a sponsor to take you under his/her wings and move you up the ranks. You need to advocate for an advocate and create the visibility and credibility within the organization to get recognized and rewarded.
Need some help promoting yourself at work? I have 2 new programs designed to help you connect with your value and talent and communicate your unique value proposition to others to move up the corporate ladder.
It takes more than talent and hard work to get ahead, especially in this busy business environment. If you want to get promoted, you need to take control of your own career and learn how to differentiate yourself.
Both the Executive Mentor Program and the Private Coaching Program for Mid Level Managers can help you tackle your inner barriers to success as well as the external cultural barriers of your work environment.
Don’t waste any more time waiting to be recognized when you have the ability to move your own career forward. One-on-one coaching from an executive coach gives you the attention and focus to improve your leadership and management skills as well as your ability to promote your talent.
Are You Ready for a Dazzling, Love-Filled Life?
What if you could feel like you’re in love EVERY DAY of your life? And what if you could dissolve any heartache, pain, or emptiness and experience the ecstasy of an open heart?
You can. . . by learning how to Love for No Reason.
In her extraordinary new book Love For No Reason: 7 Steps to Creating a Life of Unconditional Love, my friend and colleague Marci Shimoff, #1 New York Times bestselling author, shows you how to experience a deep and lasting state of love that doesn’t depend on another person, situation, or romantic partner. You’ll be able to:
- Open your heart and be a magnet for love.
- Enjoy more fulfilling relationships with others AND yourself.
- Turn off your body’s stress response and turn on your body’s love response for better health and well-being.
- Experience more success and satisfaction.
- Help your family, community, and the world.
Marci’s onto something BIG. I’m heartily recommending this breakthrough book to everyone, giving it two VERY enthusiastic thumbs up!
Get it TODAY, and you’ll also receive the exclusive “Love For No Reason Gift Package” as a BONUS. Click here:
P.S. If Marci’s name sounds familiar. . .it should! She’s the author of the international bestseller Happy for No Reason, six top titles in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, and a teacher in the hit film The Secret. Now, in Love for No Reason, Marci shares the most important life-changing message of all. I urge you to get a copy today! http://www.thelovebook.com
GPS Your Life and Career
I have always traveled quite a bit for business, and before every trip I would diligently print out my airline ticket, the rental car information, and directions from the airport to my destination.
Often this meant trying to read Mapquest directions while driving on a highway or in the dark. It never worked well and thank goodness I’m still alive after several close calls with other cars on the road. The biggest challenge, however, was having Mapquest dump me some strange place that was not where I wanted to go. Have you ever experienced that?
But now we have GPS, the Global Positioning Satellite, and somewhere up in the sky there is a satellite that knows where I am and beams down directions for me. It provides a step by step navigation and helps me stay on course so I get to where I want to go. How comforting is that?
Don’t you wish you had a GPS for your life and career? Wouldn’t it be great to simply plug in your dreams or goals for your life and career and have someone tell you in a very confident assuring voice how to get there?
Imagine if you took a wrong turn every so often or a detour, the GPS would “recalculate” and bring you pack on course.
It is common this time of year to set goals. We’re often so much better at setting the goals than keeping on track until we reach our destination. Here’s my suggestion: find a “GPS Buddy”.
Ask a colleague, friend, coach or mentor to hold you accountable this year and help you with your own personal navigation system. A “GPS Buddy” could make a huge difference in how well you navigate in 2011 toward your life and career goals.
What are your goals for your career or business? It is important to be intentional and focused to be successful.
In this fast paced business environment, people are just too busy to seek you out so you need to strategically plan how to create your visibility, how best to communicate your value proposition and to whom. Without this GPS or strategic plan, you are quite simply less likely to reach your career destination.
I am offering two new programs in January to help women differentiate themselves and confidently communicate their value so they attract more clients or win the promotion they deserve. These programs are limited to just 10 women! RESERVE YOUR SPACE NOW!
The 90-Day Intensive for Entrepreneurs and the 90-Day Intensive for Managers help women overcome their barriers to self promotion and create powerful personal messages about how their value can benefit others. Self promotion is a must have skill in today’s workplace if you want a successful business or career!
I have extended the Early Bird Discounts until January 10th to give you all a chance to get caught up from the holidays. If you register before January 10th you will receive:
- A $700 discount!
- A free 60 minute strategy coaching session with me to create your unique plan.
- A free ebook , How to be Happy for No Reason, with best selling author, Marci Shimoff
- And if you are one of the first 3 women to register, you also get a free 60 minute PR strategy session with publicist, Lisa Elia.
Sign up now to propel your business and career forward in 2011!
I hope you can join me for a successful and amazing 2011.
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