Winning Strategies

Think Like a CEO

You have a limited amount of time with which to spend your day. CEOs understand this, they closely manage their schedules and their time- evaluating what they can personally accomplish, and what they must allocate out to others.

I started to understand this when I began to work in product management years ago for IDX. We had so much to accomplish, and a limited amount of time and resources with which to accomplish it. We were a traveling workforce, with families and clients around the world. We had to decipher the important tasks, prioritize them, and 'get them done' the best way possible.

What can you outsource in your life? Are there home tasks, yardwork, housework, painting, running errands, grocery shopping, bill paying, or other activities that you can outsource? In order to be super efficient- I have outsourced a large percentage of my life. It helps me to accomplish the things that only I can do. I run my life like a CEO runs his/her company. I have someone that cleans my house, cooks, does the lawn, runs personal errands, manages PR for my speaking/books, manages my website, scans and pays my bills, creates gift baskets for clients/friends on special occasions and other activities as needed. I work my exec day job, conquer wife duties and mom activities, squeeze in a few speaking events a year, run a weekly motivational blog, and write books (trust me- this is plenty).

You don't have to outsource everything, but consider outsourcing something that allows you more flexibility and time in your life to do the things that you enjoy. Consider finding an alternate plan. It doesn't have to cost more. Hiring someone to come once a week to cook 3 meals has actually been less expensive than take out. Closely evaluate not only your time, but the money you spend when you can't get to it.

Wishing you many happy days of productive time management. Let me know what works for you.
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New Speaking Pitch Video

I just completed a new speaking pitch video a few weeks ago.  Enjoy!

Link to it here:  http://youtu.be/Sf88jt177cs

Need a Job, How You Can Help Employers Find You

It is a new job market.  Gone are the ways that we use to look for and find work.  It is the digital age.  One of the guys I work with teasingly told me that I could work as a sales rep for LinkedIn (very funny Hunter).  The truth in the matter is, it IS NECESSARY TODAY to have your information loaded on an online forum where you can network with people you've worked for/with and allow recruiters to FIND YOU!

You can do this in an assortment of ways, pick the ones that work for you:

• Create a profile on http://www.LinkedIn.com  Complete it like an online advertisement of your strengths and what you have been able to achieve at work.  Write an action oriented write up that gets the attention of those that read it.
• Upload a resume on http://www.careerbuilders.com   Create a query that identifies and notifies you of positions that you are interested in.
• Join Sales Ladder/Market Ladder http://www.theladders.com/  .  Consider paying them to help you locate your next position. If you are in the right bracket, they will guarantee you that they will find you a job or your money back. 
• Buy your own domain on GoDaddy  http://www.godaddy.com  .  This could be a fabulous way to be found by your next employer.

Join the digital age.  Explore online resources that get you looking for information in new ways.  I know that you can do it.  Get started today.

Our Life's Path

Years and years ago I took the Myers Briggs personality test. It was a requirement at Sharp Healthcare back in the 80s (yes, I know- that was a long time ago). I haven't thought of it in awhile and couldn't even have told you how I scored.

Last night I logged onto www.YourLifesPath.com and took the assessment (at the request of the leadership team where I now work). I am intrigued by any resource that helps us better understand our strengths, weaknesses and how we think and act.

We like to know where we are strong, and I speak a lot on that topic. But we also need to know where we are weak. In knowing our areas of weakness, we can ensure that we, as leaders, lean on others strong in the areas that we don't shine.

I have worked with incredible leaders through the years. Each of them had an understanding of BOTH their strengths and their weaknesses. Have you done a thorough assessment of YOU? Do you know what areas you are strong? (Great resources available on www.strengthsfinder.com ). Do you REALLY understand your limitations? Take a closer look. Increase your awareness.

You will find that with increased knowledge and awareness in these areas, you will become a more valuable resource to your companies.
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Take Some Risk

We don't like taking risks. Most of us like playing it safe. Playing it safe doesn't usually land us anywhere exciting- nor put us into a position to do well at work. Sometimes you have to take risks. Sometimes you have to try things that you haven't tried before and step out into places that you haven't been.

At first, it will seem uncomfortable and strange. In places that you haven't been - there are people that you haven't met, things you haven't tried and new experiences awaiting you. Be bold! What do you have to lose? Step out into an area, company, department or position that is new to you. You will learn new things and meet new people.

I've recently started a new position. I'm in the process of meeting the team and discovering the company. I've been most impressed with the number of people that I've met there that have boldly stepped into new positions and new areas, bringing with them a fresh and new perspective. It is invigorating. Their perspectives are fresh and new.

Boldly walk into new areas of your life, exploring and discovering new places and opportunities. Your 'risks' will be rewarded.
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Hidden Talents in our Workforces

I was a homely little girl.  I was certainly no Cinderella (smile).  I was a bookworm; always busy studying, reading,  or playing the piano.  I loved solving problems, and Triginometry was my favorite subject.  Hidden inside were talents and gifts that went unseen to those around me for years to come.  I didn't discover my strengths until I was well into my 30's.  That's not to say that I didn't do well at work, or succeed in things that I tried.  I simply had not found the things that I did the very best of all.

I often think of that little girl when I think about our workforces and the employees within our companies.  How many talents do they have hidden within that we, as corporations, have not tapped into?  How many of them are working away at jobs or positions within our companies, yet they do not know what they are gifted at?  How many unique strengths do they have that we have not used in the advancement of the strategies and successes for our organizations?

Explore the talents of your workforces.  Marcus Buckingham and team have great books and assessment tools on the subject:  http://www.strengthsfinder.com

 
Find the hidden talents in your workforce.  Implore your teams to use their talents and gifts at work.  Your teams will accomplish more, achieve more, and push your organization towards success by using the talents that they were born with.  Hunt for the skills, put them to use, and benefit from the amazing results that your teams will achieve.

Happy hunting.

 

New Book on Branding- Brand YOU- Coming Soon

New Book on Branding---Coming Soon!

My newest book is about developing your personal brand. It will aid you in taking control of your brand, shaping it, and defining the brand for YOU or YOUR Company that will sell or market you to a market wrought with stiff competition and difficult to acquire positions. It will help you with critical thinking that can recession proof your career and your company whether you are an employee seeking to climb in status and position, an entrepreneur seeking to grow your company or an executive running or working in a company.

Big companies understand the importance and value of a brand. They develop it, focus on it, pour resources into the marketing and advertising of it, and they reap the benefits of a well-developed and advertised brand. Think Nike, General Electric, Quaker, Sony, and Apple. The world is evolving. Understanding the importance of building a personal brand is a vital step to not only surviving (layoffs, cutbacks, reductions in force, restructures, buy outs, bosses that don’t like you) but thriving (promotions, new opportunities, pay raises, new responsibilities, a job you love).

The pages of this book will give you a boost at creating your own personal brand. It will inspire and motivate you with suggestions and ideas that will move you in a positive forward motion, giving you what you need to create a list of ‘To Dos’ that when done in easy steps will walk you towards increased profitability and success.

Watch for this book….coming October 2011 to a bookstore near you.


Read more about it at: http://www.brandyounow.com