Winning Strategies

Comments from Readers- "I don't like my job"

I get your emails.... you say that you don't like your job.

WHAT?

What do you not like about it?  Is it simply that you are working outside of  your passion?  or does the job require you to spend more time on burdensome administrivia than actual getting to the 'work' part of things?  Take a moment to document (for your own sanity) the WHAT.  Try to avoid simply feeling statements and define exactly what you feel would make it right if you controlled the situation completely.

PASSIONS/STRENGTHS?

Does it focus, do you think, on the fact that you are not working in your strength area?  Watch this short video from Marcus Buckingham :  http://youtu.be/ZNt7wCS2Yh8
I encourage you to go to http://www.simplystrengths.com and figure out your strengths.  I believe Marcus is a genius on this stuff....his books, videos , speaches and advice is right on.

YOU ARE DRIVING THE BUS

For years I sat on a fictional 'bus' that was my career journey/path and waited for someone to turn the bus the way that I wanted my career path or journey to go.  I was frustrated.  Why wasn't it going where I wanted it to go?   THEN- REVOLUTION-  the light bulb went off in my head.  I was driving the bus.  YOU are driving your career path and journey.  YOU decide the path that your job and career take.

TAKE IT AND RUN

My advice?  Take your passions, your spirit, your energy, and your job desires and RUN....run to the next job (if you hate this one); run to a different position, a different boss, a different X, Y or Z.  YOU are driving.  You control the journey. 

Make it a great trip.

School Prayer

I didn't write this, it is a post I took from facebook, written by a student.  I do believe that this great country got this way because it is One Nation Under God.  What have we done to not allow God's name spoken in the schools of our great country?  How could we have gone so far off course from our forefathers?  How could we let ourselves get to this point, far away from the God that blessed our nation and paved the road for the life we enjoy?  How could we say that it is wrong to do what we came to this country to do?  We came to worship God.

We didn't have shootings in school when we allowed God's name to be spoken.  What have we done?

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.

If scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.

Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.

For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.

We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.

We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd.

It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take

 

A 2 Hour Vacation

I got up at the crack of dawn today to hike to Fisherman's Warf in Monterey, California. The sound of the waves crashing into the shore never ceases to relieve my tired spirit and renew my body and mind.

Monterey, California comes across as a sleepy , laid back area with wonderful beaches and views.

At the early break of dawn, before the sun rose, I could hear sea otters and sea lyons noisily finding their morning food and talking to one another. Someone told me the hotels on the water have installed sound proof glass so people can sleep through all the sea otter commotion.

As I walked down the beach, the light of day began to peek over the horizon. Light shed over the incredible views and- as in life- as I traveled, the views grew even more beautiful.

My feet sank into the sand and sand oozed through my toes. Waves ran towards me, almost covering me in water up to me knees. I ran away from the waves, laughing like a little child- perfectly content to play alone on the beach in the early morning hours.

I feel blessed. I travel on for miles, entering Cannery Row. I spot a Starbucks and am excited at the thought of a warm, hot liquid to warm me. It is 50ish in temperature.

We can refresh ourselves in the shortest amount of time. Watch the serene video and close your eyes, listen to the waves and the noises of the ocean.  http://youtu.be/xCLoTAv8U38

Take a 2 hour vacation this weekend. Do something that you truly enjoy!

 

Texas Football- Ain't Nothin Like It

I remember the first football practice that I attended with one of the boys to.  I am from Michigan, and I had little clue as to how serious Texas was about their football.  I sat through hours and hours of football practices through the years, but it is just a game people (shhh, don't tell the people in Texas that). 

Tonight I watched my 7th grader playing football.  They won, 24 to 13.  It was exhillerating.  It was cool outside, and the wind provided a nice breeze.  The boys played hard, and Caleb played a fabulous game. 

I thought about office life, and how refreshing it is when the 'team' is all playing together.  I thought about the amazing things that can be accomplished when the team is hitting on all cylinders and pulling towards a singular focus.  Stay focused, work together, and achieve as a team.

 

I Don't Know How She Does It

Yes, tis true.  The life of a working mother is, well, sometimes an atrocious collection of what we didn't accomplish and a long list of people that we have disapointed.  It is, often, not a  glory road, dispite the fun and exciting jobs that we may have. 

The movie, 'I Don't Know How She Does It' , does a glorious job of portraying the joys, and pitfalls of working motherhood in a day and age when the scales are still far from balanced, and the judgements and office politics still just as difficult to take.

A quote from the movie listed on the Amazon Preview Page states (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Know-Movie-Vintage-Contemporaries/dp/0307948560/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1316491449&sr=1-1#_):  
The women in the offices of EMF [Kate's firm] don't tend to display pictures of their kids. The higher they go up the ladder, the fewer the photographs. If a man has pictures of kids on his desk, it enhances his humanity; if a woman has them it decreases hers. Why? Because he's not supposed to be home with the children; she is.

Based on the book by Allison Pearson, it poses some thought provoking ideas:  At one point in the movie, Kate Reddy's observed that fathers that leave work early or schedule business around their family commitments are lauded as "involved fathers" when mothers doing the same are suspected of not being committed to their work or are seen as unreliable or unaccessible. This 'judgement' that occurs if you are not working around the clock for your job is often seen in the consulting firms.  I imagine that this movie and book will resonate with many a financial fund manager or consultant attempting to book 'billable hours' or compete in a highly competitive workforces where there is no shortage of other employees waiting to knock you down.

The insights in the movie/book highlight interesting social issues.  I would recommend this book or the movie for all male AND female executives, working to understand their workforce and the  dilemmas facing working parents today. 

The question that still resonates with working parents, both male and female:  How do we 'get it all done'?  This book and movie may not answer that resounding and very poignant question, but it will certainly cause you to laugh out loud while you watch the character struggle through her schedule, her 'TO DO' lists, and ALL that she tries to get done.  Maybe the book or the movie is a good gift for you parents that have never quite understood your life.

In my opinion, a 'must see' movie or must read book.  Enjoy!

Want to Learn How to Build a Personal Brand? I'll be speaking at the ACHE Early Career Event

ACHE is offering an early career event in Dallas to help you discover how to build a personal brand, to know and understand what recruiters are looking for, and to learn how to erode your fears around speaking publically.  I'll be walking through the basic 'build a personal brand' steps that are documented in my newest book, Brand YOU,  coming out in October.  If you need to build your personal brand, consider attending the event.  We'd love to have you.   

Event Information:

Date:           Saturday, 9/24/2011

Time:           8.00am - 12.00pm

Location:     THR ARL 12th Floor, Project Rm 3, 612 E. Lamar, Arlington, 76011

Fee:             $20 members, $30 non-members

Light breakfast provided.

Program objectives include:

· Understand the essential components to build your own personal brand.

· Review the importance of developing a strong personal and professional network.

· Leverage the power of social media to market your personal brand to your personal and professional network.

· Demonstrate proficiency with the essential tenets of professional speaking.

· Review the importance of developing and sustaining mentor contacts.

Faculty presentations include:

1. Developing Your Personal Brand,  Presented by Bethany Williams, ZirMed (that's me- grin)

2. Leveraging the Power of Social Media,  Presented by Kristina Witmer,Witmer Group

3. What's to Fear About Public Speaking?  Presented by Madhu Rao, Northcentral University

If you would like to register for this program, please go to http://northtexas.ache.org/x400.xml .

We hope to see you there!

Bethany Hamilton, Amazing Story- Amazing Girl

I watched Soul Surfer the other day and was amazed and delighted at the story. Often we 'celebrate' the lives of celebrities and lose track of life's true heroes. Bethany Hamilton is one of life's true heroes. She encourages all of us as we watch her tackle her struggles and lean on an unwavering faith. What a simply amazing role model she is for our youth.

I run a motivational web site and blog (you're reading the blog now) (grin) for executives working hard to balance work and life and live their best lives.

Recently I had a peculiar question come through from my 'ask Bethany' portion of the site.

It read, "hi I was wondering if you could tell me a few tips of how to surf. me and my friend just love surfing but were not very good so please tell us some tips
love hannah YOUR BIGGEST FAN XOXO"

I didn't make the connection until Hannah emailed me back to say that the message was for Bethany Hamilton. I redirected her to the right Bethany.   Smile!

If you are looking for some motivational, log on and check out the 'other' Bethany's blog:http://bethanyhamilton.com/about/bethanys-blog/

Advice for Teenagers Thinking About their Future

Your future is a mystery.  But one thing I know is that YOU are in control of it.  You are in control of where you go to school, what you study, how well or how poorly you apply yourself to your studies, whether or not you take it seriously, and how hard you try at your first job. 

You are at the center of how your future will turn out.  There is a shifting process going on.  Your parents, who have been driving the bus for some time are now having to step back and let you take the driver’s seat.  They cannot continue to make all the decisions in your life for you although they may try.  it is a tough transition for parents as well as for teenagers.  You will live with the successes and failures, YOU will live with the decisions that you make and the ones that are made for you if you are unable to stand up for yourself.  YOU own the destination. 

Your future is a mystery just as mine was, or your mothers, or your coaches or teacher's was when they were your age.  We didn’t know what was around the corner.  We had hope and a promise for a bright future.  This is a story that you are writing.  This is your page turner.  You are writing the story that will be your life's work.

 I had no idea at the age of 10, what my future would hold.  What does your future hold?  You get to design it.  You get to mold it.  You get to make it what you want it to be.  Make it fabulous. 
 

Remembering 911

As the 10th anniversary dawns of the attacks on the US, we each pause to think on where we were that fateful day.

It seemed like a normal day. I rose at the crack of dawn and drove to the airport. I was commuting to Seattle to help run a company that had been acquired by IDX. The flight was a four 1/2 hour flight, but I was more than prepared with work and reading materials to keep me engaged for the duration. I had made this trip on a regular basis.

About 2 hours into the flight, the pilot announced that we would be turning around and heading back to Dallas. No info was given and we were left with pure speculation. At some point in our descent, my cell phone began to work and I made a call out to a friend that filled me in on the happenings. I shared the info with the startled flight attendants and other passengers. DFW airport was shut down, and we sat on the runway for hours- sitting in shock- wanting to hug those we loved and wishing we could get off the plane.

On this weekend of remembrance, I pause, remembering all that we lost and thinking on those that lost their lives on that fateful day.

Short Week, Long List of To Do's- and a Spark for the Fire

We may be enjoying a short week (due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday), but it seems that everyone I've talked to has a LONG list of To Do's.  We don't really take a day off, do we?  We really just JAM that extra day of work into the remainder of the week.  Why do we do that?

I also heard from someone unhappy in their relationship.  They said the romance is gone.  You know what?  It is up to us to create the spark.  A fire doesn't start without a spark.  Fires are raging through Austin Texas and houses are burning down due to the extreme drought conditions.  They believe that one way that some of these have started could be due to a truck on a highway that is dragging a chain that is maybe only slightly hitting the pavement.  That small spark could start a giant raging fire.

I think our relationships are like that.  Small sparks appleid over a long period of time can start a giant raging fire.  A little attention to our loved ones can payoff in the long run.  Work seems to force our hand and get our attention regardless of the situation.  It almost schedules for us.  What if we had project managers and 'bosses' of our home life that mandated we attend meetings and scheduled our romantic lives for us.  We should create those situations.  We should schedule our personal lives with as much passion and energy as we put into work.

Take a moment to schedule some passion into your week.  I promise that you will be glad that you did.