Cash In on Your Career

MIRACLES --- Fun, Easy Things You Can Do Every Day to Achieve Your Dream

2011-09-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

You have started to identify what it is you want to go after. You have uncovered your purpose and you have a pretty clear vision of your heart’s desire. (If this is not clear, you are going to want to invest time and energy in exploring this deeper http://www.winning-directions.com/products.asp ). You have seen a dream begin to unfold in front of you like a beautiful lotus flower. You have systematically explored and revealed to yourself the kind of environment in which you would thrive. You have brought your skills, talents, and abilities, one at a time, into view. You now understand and embrace your uniqueness and the vision you have for yourself.

The most common hurdle folks face at this point is, “Where do I start? How am I going to make my dream come true?” This kind of uncertainty can manifest itself into fear and can stop us dead in our tracks. Because we don’t see a well-worn path in front of us, we often times believe the journey is going to be long and hard. Not knowing where the road to our dreams will take us makes us hesitate and even put off the very things we need to do to begin our voyage.

A favorite query posed by people attending my workshops is “Are we going to talk about the strategy of how I begin to transition to making this dream my primary source of income? How can I pursue my dream and have people pay me for it?”

My response: “Miracles can and do happen!” I usually get unsatisfied gazes in return. People in search of a fulfilling career don’t want to hear about miracles. In the past, miracles haven’t abounded in their lives and most folks just aren’t convinced that one is going to simply show up in one the most important endeavors of their life, the very thing they want to hang their future on. Skepticism abounds, believe me.

“Well,” I tell them, “you can plan miracles in your life.” Eyes begin to light up again, ears perk to listen. By dedicating time daily to their miracle plan, they can and will see themselves growing in the way that will bring their hopes to reality.

In the next few weeks, I would like to share with you a strategy that I’ve used for years as a career coach. It’s a method that will help you build your MIRACLES. Yep … you guessed it. Do you feel another acronym comin’ on? In the next series of blogs I would like to offer techniques and insights you might want to use to help you be confident that you are moving in the right direction. You can and should become a well informed consumer about the path you take with your career and the upcoming blogs will reveal another letter of the acronym and another method that will allow you to take the right course of action to achieving your dream.

So stay tuned…

Adding Strengthfinders 2.0 to your System

2011-09-22T11:13:00.000-07:00

Hey Hi Everybody,

Still P.U.M.P.ed up?

I’ve heard back from quite a few of you ... I’m really glad! Feel free to reach out and contact me here or via email (Susie@winning-directions.com) or that old fashioned thing called a telephone 262-391-3828. If you have questions or you would like to flesh out an idea or two, I’m happy to do that with you. That’s what our Coaches Corner Forum is intended to do. I love it!

Last time we talked about initial steps to helping you “P.U.M.P.” up the Passionate Performance of the members in your team The PUMP Up Your Bottom Line System. We revisited the D.I.G. concept. We explored the D. and the I. and the G (Give your Gifts) we will cover in future conversations.

Here’s a quick review:

Discover what truly makes them unique

Inventory their successes and their achievements. We covered a technique that would help in inventorying situations where they “hit it out of the park”. They will start to collect a story or two, using the C.A.R. stories formula, Challenge – Action – Results, this is where the 80%-20 rule starts to kick in. These mini stories begin collecting evidence that supports their 20% - their “go to” strengths that will generate their 80% results. This is where they can begin to maximize then capitalize on their “Inspired action not just their Required action”.

Here’s a tip

As I mentioned in the PUMPed presentation, I’m a huge fan of the book and assessment tool Strengthfinders 2.0 by Tom Rath. http://www.strengthsfinder.com/home.aspx . My recommendation is to have this report along-side while they are crafting their C.A.R. mini stories. I encourage individuals to read through the report and circle the words or phrases that reflect the essence of who they feel they are. As they begin to write (and I feel it’s important to write these stories out – not just think through them) they should “harvest” the words and phrases they’ve circle. It’s wonderful to have your team members start to read these stories out load, to either you their leader or to the team. You can see their confidence in who they are, grow right in front of your eyes. They start to see a pattern in how they make a difference, starting to emerge. They are having a stronger sense of who they are, what they do and soon – they will have a strong positive view of the organization. We will talk about that soon. After all, you ultimately want them not only believing in themselves, but the company for whom they are working. Right?

The 80 / 20 Rule

2011-09-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard of the 80 / 20 rule? AkA The Pareto Principle. It was named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of income in Italy was received by 20% of the Italian population. The common application speaks to the assumption that most of the results in any situation are determined by a small number of causes. As the numbers work, 80 percent of your outcomes come from 20 percent of your inputs. A good example of the theory is frequently applied in the context of a sale-force of an organization. It reflects the performance of the top sales people of an organization. It simply stats, that 80% of the sales volume of a company often comes from only 20% of the sales force … the Top Performing 20%. It’s where most companies reap the highest financial rewards for the products or services they sell. These individuals have refined and mastered their skill sets to the point where they’re well oiled producers; they are extremely effective and know how to be “Rain Makers”. Without a doubt, they are extremely valued by the organization.

Well let me share a secret … the same premise applies to you on a personal level within the collection of strengths you possess. You have a wide range of skills you can perform – some at an extremely effective / dynamic level and some --- well, not so much. Right? Let’s look closer at how this ratio plays out for you. You have selected talents you’ve naturally relied on over many years. You have honed them into a collection of highly valued abilities. If you think about it, you’ll see what I mean. You have skills, talents and abilities that you tend to “fall back on”. The stuff when you use, you know you can, as I like to say, “hit it out of the park”. If you take the time to examine your success path, you will recognize that you are dramatically more effective when you put these assets to work and leverage them. Let me give you an example. Let’s say you’re very good at understanding and then communicating the strength of an idea or strategy. You have the ability to get to the core of the positive impact with grace and tact quickly. You ask questions that are insightful. Then actively listen to gain as much detail from whom you are talking. You then position the conversations to highlight what you have just learned and gain trust easliy. This is a real asset to you and any organization with whom you have a working relationship.

I often refer to these as “your deliverables”. What you bring to the table, so to speak. Once you have identified and understand your strengths and how you use your assets; you begin to know how you can make a difference in a big way. Here’s where it starts to play in your favor. Now you can begin to create an environment where you are highly valued, by leveraging - using this strength as your 20% to create results - big results … your 80%. But let me ask you a question, “Do you know what your 20% are? If you want to find out more about how you uncover this you might want to read Are You Thriving … Or Just Surviving?

Every Employee (Potential Employee) Needs a Sponsor

2011-09-16T09:55:00.000-07:00

My definition of a mentor is a wise and trusted advisor. Do you have one? Do you have many? I have, over the years, sought out the guidance of many a person whom I valued their opinion and sought out their advise. I tuned to them consistently. They taught me how to make short cuts to a successful outcome. They showed me where the “land minds” were. I was able to avoid costly, even wasteful investments of time or money because of their input. Even though having a mentor who can be a role model is very valuable, there are times when a mentor, especially if the workplace is a common one, may not be enough … even more so if they are a mentor who is of the “assigned” version.

Don’t get me wrong, I think building a bond between working colleagues is a great, if not important idea. I just feel that developing that relationship to the point where that individual can become your sponsor is more impactful. A sponsor goes beyond the classic mentor, they become your advocate. They would be willing to put your name on the table when an opportunity comes up for which you are well suited. They become a champion for you – even campaign on your behalf.

How do you build that kind of a relationship? It comes from a good history … a track record of trust and observed success in your performance. Being able to communicate, then demonstrate one’s assets - how one makes a difference to the success of a project, department and yes the overall success of an organization is the key. Having a mentor’s guidance transform into a sponsor is to ask for their role to shift – for them to take an active part in helping you succeed. Your part is providing them with the evidence of why they should offer your name to the decision makers. You need to exhibit, “This is why I feel I can make a difference. Here’s what my vision of this role would look like.” Then ask, “Will you champion my cause?”

So go ahead, look for, then build, the kind of relationship with a great sponsor who can help you get to your desired level.

The PUMP Up Your Bottom Line System

2011-09-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hey Hi Everyone,

Still PUMPed up? Remember what that stands for? … Passion Ultimately Means Performance.

As we discussed in our session on Friday, 9/9 a couple hours of throwing ideas around is hopefully informative. But it’s the long term investment of coaching your team – guiding them to implement and hone the techniques we talked about, that’s where real results (the Magic) happens. A few of you asked if there might be a way to keep a dialog going to help coach you through this process. So to that end, I would like to add tips and techniques on an ongoing basis to support you in that effort. Please view this as a forum, a “Coach’s Corner” if you will, where we can share ideas, ask questions and build onto each other’s ideas and resources. But most importantly, keep the momentum and the process moving forward.

Building the kind of employment engagement we were talking about will take some time and effort – but that’s where your natural assets of developing people, kicks in … AKA coaching. As Brigitte Richerson of Potawatomi put it so well, “I thrive when I helping someone maximize their true talents”. Can we drop in the 80% / 20% rule here? I think so.

My friend, Dr. Stan “Break Through” Harris, say’s, and I agree, “You have the opportunity to implement a SYSTEM”. He defines a system as.

Save

Your

Self

Time

Energy &

Money.

Ok, Ok. It looks like I’m not the only acronym lover. Anyway.

Here is a system that we discussed, the PUMP You Up System, that will provide you with techniques that can ignite your team’s desire to “want to put skin in the game”. Why? Because they know they have gifts, talents and a history of success they know they can leverage to contribute to success of your team and the organization over all.

Let’s review what the first step of the system looks like.

Tip # 1. D.I. G.

Discover What Makes You Truly Unique

How do we do that?

Inventory Your Successes and Achievements

Then

Give Your Gifts

My first recommendation is that you gather your team. Have each member do their Love Tos vs Have Tos Walk Down Memory Lane exercises (seen below). Have them start this process as a group. Have them find at least 5 situations, but if they can find 10 that’s better.

YOUR LOVE TOS VS HAVE TOS
WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE

Write down a few of your favorite and most meaningful activities you have had professionally.

Think about a few situations that have brought you great satisfaction? What are some events that have given you a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment? You felt you “hit it out of the park”. You, “nailed” it. You made a big difference to its success. Think about statements like…

I’m at my best when I’m…
I’m very proud of the results when I’m …
The type of environment I thrive in is …
When I’m involved with this activity I could spend hours at it, but it never seems like it. Rather, it’s effortless.

Go over your list from your Love-Tos vs Have -Tos and reevaluate your list. Select the top five of your experiences. They should have the following qualities:

You feel proud of the outcome.
It needs to be one of your favorite experiences, you thoroughly enjoyed it.
You need to recognize you are good at the activity.
You had to meet and overcome a challenge or objective (very important).
You feel you made a significant contribution to the success of the situation

Then if you would like to go on with your group in this session, have them start to flesh one or two of their situations into a C.A.R. (Challenge Action Results) story. Eventually they will want to do all ten situations. Let them each share a situation, as you did with your small group.

We will start with this, and I will share with you how we can build onto this in your next group sessions in the next posted tip.

Good luck – have fun!!! Remember it’s supposed to be fun. Let me know if I can help you.

Take care and …

“Keep it Passionate”

Susie Mathews

Susie@winning-directions.com

262-391-3828

www.cashinonthepassion.com

Ten Years Reflecting Life Changes

2011-09-12T08:33:00.000-07:00

In honor of the tenth anniversary of September 11th, I thought it would be nice to reflect on the magnitude of that day and how it has impacted your life and the choices you have made and are making to this day.

That tragic day was a wake-up call. If you were like me it sent me into a tail spin. I felt helpless and wanted to do something, but I feared we, as a nation, were out of control. I felt there was little I could do to get a real sense of control over that horrifying ordeal. The sense of fear and anger was taking over. But the overwhelming feeling was, “Life is so precious”.

I was not alone. Many people I talked with told me similar things. We had discussions of how to seriously re-evaluate priorities. We considered things like: What is truly important to me? What do I have control over in my life? What do I need to change in my life? Life’s too short to keep putting off something that has real meaning and purpose.

I would like to invite you to revisit the events of 9/11 as an opportunity for a challenge. Think about if there were things in your life you wanted to change. It might have been building stronger relationship with those you love. You might have wanted to shift the direction of your career. You simply may have wanted to laugh more or find more meaning in your everyday activities.

Let me encourage you to summon some of those memories and answer the following questions. After that day:

What did you feel was truly important to you?

What did you feel you wanted to change about your life?

Was there something you felt you had been putting off that you wanted act on?

Now let me ask the most important question of them all … Did you do anything about it?

In a time where everything feels like it’s out of control, what can help us get back on track is to understand there are things in our lives we have the ability to have control over. Even if that objective feels insurmountable, taking one step at a time in that direction will help you live a more authentic, genuine life, one filled with fulfillment and worth.

There is the real challenge, what action – what one step can you make to move yourself to get you on your way? Then ask yourself the same question tomorrow, then the next day, etc.

Are You Thriving … Or Just Surviving?

2011-09-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

Let me ask you a question, are you sailing along in your career? Or does it feel like your sail is only half way up the mast and you’re struggle to get anywhere? Do you feel you are performing at less than your maximum potential? A recent Gallup Poll said that 74% of Americans are disengaged with what they are doing for a living. The sad reality is, when it comes to their careers, the majority of U.S. workers are not going after what is meaningful to them at all. Rather, they are jumping through hoops, doing what somebody else wants of them. These unfulfilled souls function like organizational robots. They go through the motions of their day unchallenged and unfocused. As a consequence, they merely perform whatever it is they are supposed to be doing, putting in no more effort than what is required of them. Hummm … sound familiar?

In their heart they can feel the desire for something more. This purposelessness begins to eat away at their spirit like a cancer. They crave an opportunity to make their mark on the world, to make a difference in life. They hunger to be energized by doing work they believe in, something that has personal meaning and purpose to them.

Make no mistake, this kind of lack in fulfillment and personal driving force is dangerous. Not only for the individual but for the company who employs such people. Without a sense of purpose, one will march along on a programmed treadmill that results in a less then peak performance. The question remains then, how do you discover that environment in which to thrive? How do you uncover your greatest potential and create a clear vision for your individual strengths?

But here lies the challenge. It’s been my experience that when I ask my clients to tell me how they have made a difference, I typically get a black stare. Most – as high as 90% can’t tell me. In my opinion, that’s the starting block. Sadly, they really do know, but they simply haven’t taken the time to discover it, take ownership of it, then put it into a game plane for their career path. Without doing this, there is limited success in leveraging one’s personal potential.

Understanding one’s personal history of contribution, how one has made a difference is the key. I have an exciting and easy way to implement a solution

You have to DIG!

Discover Your Gifts

Inventory Your Successes and Accomplishments

Give Your Gifts

Discover Your Gifts

First, I suggest you go back through your history and write down a list of things in your work history that have brought great satisfaction. I call these your Love Tos vs Your Have Tos. What are your favorite and most meaningful activities? Think about situations you felt you “hit it out of the park”; you were “hittin’ on all cylinders”. What are some events that have given you a true sense of fulfillment? The answers to these questions are the clues to your gifts. Once you bring these gifts into focus, you will begin to see a pattern where you are thriving.

Inventory your Successes and Achievements

From this list identify your top five situations, ones in which they felt you’ve made a difference. Each achievement needs to possess the following qualities:

It needed to be one of your favorite experiences, one which you thoroughly enjoyed doing.
You met and overcome a challenge in the process.
You felt proud of the outcome.

Next, take each of these top five experiences and create what’s commonly known as a C.A.R. mini story. These stories should be based on three criteria:

What was the Challenge?

What kind of Action did I take?

What were the Results?

Once completing these initial exercises it’s not uncommon for someone to feel a sense of real accomplishment and genuine pride. You should be able to begin to describe, qualify and quantify your self-worth … how you make a difference.

Give Your Gift

Put these newly recognized gifts into action. A gift is not a gift if it is not given. Once an individual understands how they have made a positive impact they have a stronger sense of purpose. They take more ownership of their contribution to the overall success of your company. Yes, they become more engaged.

Now, let me pose a few questions. First, do you think if given the chance to discover your unique strengths, and know them inside out, upside down – backwards and forwards you know you have a track record of making a difference - would you feel better about where you are going with your career? Second, do you think your company might be the direct benefactor of your newfound fervor? Now if you learn to leverage these assets, you are on the path of creating an environment where you can thrive … not just survive. I will talk more about how you can do this with 30, 60, 90 Day Vision and Strategy

Our Returning Vets are Great Hires

2011-08-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Time Magazine is showcasing what I've been saying for a long time. Our returning Vets from Iraq and Afganistan are "The New Greatest Generation". Highly developed leaders that know how to focus, overcome and get it done. As one soldier noted, the life-and-death decisions he made in warfare make the decisions in the workplace pretty easy by comparison. Check out this video, but more - read the article when you can Aug. 29 2011 edition. To all my Vet friends, Love ya - thank you for your service once again. Hire a Vet if you get a chance. You will be glad you did.

Heroic Images: TIME Meets the New Greatest Generation - Video - TIME.com

www.time.com

Live Life Large

2011-08-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

Well, we can live life large ... full of love and happiness ... or ... we don't. Forgive me, I think it's that simple. Love the life you have... Choose to make the journey - down your life path, if not, it will raise it's head later. Then it might be too late. LOVE,... love if you can, and love everything about where you are personally. Then things... magically fall into place. I always love that.

Love you.

Suz

Office Drama

2011-07-29T07:10:00.000-07:00

Someone wrote me this last week and shared some concerns with their organization and how it was starting to affect his performance. He asked for my advice. I see this as “Office Drama”. Here’s part of what he shared.

Here are the issues: The company I work for is a very big operation, which involves a lot of people. I'm an introverted type of person; I like to mostly keep to myself. But I admit maybe that hasn't served me well. However, I can honestly say there are some problems here that I might have little control over. Most of the other people in my department have bad attitudes towards the company and also towards men (there are 4 other people in my department- all women). There is not a day that goes by when I don't hear them ripping on men, sometime bashing them pretty bad. They are pretty vocal about it. The men issues, maybe they should talk to the men in their lives directly, but they don't seem to care that I hear it.

Thanks,

Dear R,

It's seems you are facing a very - perhaps all too - common issue. Sadly, people are often, way more concerned about what others are doing than what they, themselves can do. As a result, this “office drama” can bring the performance of many down, including, it appears one’s own. My recommendation if you feel you need to say something – be direct – but not confrontational. Something like, “My gosh, you all really have it out for us guys. I hope I’m not on your list.” This can let them know, you are sensitive to what they are saying. But more to what you can, my advice to you is to take these my earlier comments and look honestly at the only person you have direct control over ... yourself. What I mean about that is, if you worry what others are doing - thinking -saying and let it negatively impact your performance and your contribution to the success of your company - you are simply putting yourself at risk ... at risk on many levels, way too many to go into in this response. You only can control your attitude about how you want to make a contribution to the success of your organization. That is why they hired you; frankly that’s why they hire anyone. I would encourage you to keep this notion in the forefront of your mind. Ask yourself - constantly- what am I doing today - right now, that will make a positive difference to this company? How can I go the extra mile in the quality of my work? You do that and everything else will fall into place. You don't - well there are consequences for people who get caught up in the drama and they find them self not pulling the rope in the right directions. Don't be a consequence.

I hope this is not too hard of a message to read, but I feel it's an honest reply to your concern.

As always, take care,

Susie

Are You Talking to the Right People? - Informational Interviewing

2011-06-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

Informational interviewing is a wonderful way to learn more about this pathway opening up in front of you. I ask people, “Now would you buy a thousand dollar business suite without trying it on first, to see if you like it, if it’s the right color or if it even fits?” I would guess probably not unless you have so much money that it doesn’t matter to you if you waist it. But if you are like most of us before you hand over that kind of money you want to make sure it’s going to be something you are going to be happy with. Well why wouldn’t you want to do the same thing with how you are going to make a living. Don’t you want to know, without question, that you’re going to enjoy this thing at which you’re going to be spending over 50% of your waking day… maybe more? Here’s my point. If you spend hours, maybe days in finding the outfit that makes you feel like a million bucks. Don’t you owe it to yourself to take the time to really get a feel for what this new career is all about? How does this career look on you? Does this profession make you feel like a million bucks?

You want to talk with people who are doing the kind of work you are interested in doing.

This is how you would go about the information interview process.

First, create a list of people who would actually do the kind of work you are interested in. Ask your friends or relatives if they know anyone who is in this field or does something similar. You stand a much better chance meeting and talking with them if you use their name as a referral. Such as,

“Hi my name is Kathy Smith and Carol Jones suggested I give you a call. She told me you’re in (the field you are interested in). I am very interested in learning more about this field. I’m not sure if it would be a good fit for me, that’s why (Carol) suggested that I contact you. She thought you would be a good source of information and you could give me a better understanding about the opportunities in this area. I was hoping that I might make an appointment with you and spend twenty minutes to find out more about what you do?”

If you are a job seeker and you specifically know what kind of career field you are looking for and just want to meet people who might be able to assist you in connecting with decision makers consider this approach. One thing I would like to caution you about. The person you want to conduct an informational interview may say something like, “Sorry, we are not hiring right now” and dismiss the meeting. So you want to be careful to share with them you are exploring option within the career field and you would value their opinion. This phone or email introduction might look like this:

“Hi my name is Kathy Smith and Carol Jones suggested I give you a call. She told me you’re in (the field you are interested in). I am very interested in learning more about options in this field, that’s why (Carol) suggested that I contact you. She thought you would be a good source of information and you could give me a better understanding about the opportunities in this area. I’m not asking if you’re hiring. Rather, I would enjoy the opportunity to meet you and I would truly value your opinion. I was hoping that I might make an appointment with you and spend twenty minutes to find out more about what you do and get your insight on the industry?”

If you are sheepish about calling up strangers and asking for a help, I suggest you take one of the above paragraphs and use it as your script - type it out on a piece of paper in large bold font so that its easy to read. Of course exchange you name and the name of your friend. Then practice it over and over out load… it makes a huge difference from just saying in your mind. If I were to pick a number I would say thirty times, because when giving a speech to an audience, professional speakers are coached to practice their new bit thirty times before they present it when it really matters.

If you don’t get names from friends or family, don’t… I repeat … don’t skip the informational interview process. Find someone to talk with. You can look in the Yellow pages or here’s something I always recommend you try. When you don’t know anybody who knows somebody you want to talk to I suggest you call a local Chamber of Commerce (three or four in your area for that matter) and let them know you want to do some networking. You can tell them you want to interview someone in your field of interest. Sometimes, they might invite you to attend a networking meeting, which is great. If they extend this invitation, I would strongly suggest you try to attend. But due to the nature of Chambers being attended by business owners, they may not invite you to the meeting. Don’t be offended; simply ask if they might recommend anyone who is a member that you might be able to connect with. More times than not they will help you and give you a name of a member and contact information. If you are lucky and get invited to a meeting, don’t hesitate to call this person in advance and tell they were recommended by the Chamber and would you be willing to meet them at the next Chamber meeting? I would not suggest you attempt to interview this person at the meeting, its best to just build a foundation in your new relationship then ask for a second meeting.

Once you have scheduled an appointment you want to prepare questions that you will want to cover. Because you want to be able to hit your pressing concerns you will want to write your questions down in a notebook so you don’t forget any of them. I have prepared a list of questions you might want to consider using. However, this is only a guideline – if you are meeting for only 20 minutes you may realistically have time for only four or five questions. So think this through carefully.

Tell me about your role with this organization.
Can you share with me some of the kind of projects / responsibilities you have?
Tell me about how you decided to get into XYZ field.
What do you feel were some key choices along your career path that has brought you to this point in your career field?
What are some of the most surprising things you find in this line of work?
What are some insights you have for the future of this field?

This is where you might give the person a 30-second overview of your background then ask something like …

For someone with my history, what might be some opportunities that you might see as a good fit?
What would be important for me to consider as I explore this field?
What are things you think I should invest my time and / money in developing myself a career in this field.
What are things I should not waist my time or money on?

Although all these questions are good ones for you to fold into your own collection, the one you do not want to leave the interview without is the following. This is the most important question to ask.

Do you know anyone else with whom I should talk that does this kind or work or something similar?

This is the most important question to ask because you want to talk to a number of people, the more the better.

Here’s a hint on establishing and building good report with the person you are interviewing. I know this interview is ultimately to help you get a better understanding of the career field. But when you are doing the interview, make the interview all about them. I now refer to this as “Brown noise 101”. It sounds stuffy, but it’s really very effective. Your conversation doesn’t want to come off like it’s all about you, at all; you don’t want to appear selfish, “I want to do xyz, what can you do to help me?” and here’s why. Most people are simply put off by people who seem to be me, me, me. Rather, people love to talk about themselves, it makes them feel important, they like to talk about their achievements; sharing their vision just makes them feel good. So, I highly recommend you let them feel good. If you can approach this dialog from the point of view, “Wow, I really think what you are doing is great. I want to be more like you”. You give them a bit of a taste of celebrity. And the more you put them in the spotlight, the more they will tell you about who they are, what they do and how they did it. Plus, they will become more of a champion for you. They are more willing to help you in other ways. When you ask for a referral, they are feeling so good about you because you make them feel so good about themselves they will be happy to give the names of other people you should talk to. Why, they might even pick up the phone and call them and tell that person, they want them to meet you. It happens all the time. The miracles begin to fall into your lap.

How Do You Find the Masses Who Can Help You?

2011-04-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I ran into someone who has been in the job market for quite a while. It was great seeing him, but I was sad to see he had not landed anything yet. He is a human resources professional and has an impressive background. I’m fully aware that as a result of all the massive layoffs that have occurred over the last two and half years, HR is one of the areas that took the hardest blows. If you have fewer people – you don’t need as many people in the HR department.

I asked if he was attending any HR association meetings like SHRM (Society of Human Resources Management). He told me, ”No, the fee was kind of high. He was, however, meeting with another group that was primarily a version of SHRM but they are more like a support – networking group for HR professionals who are in transition.”

I told him, “I’m glad to see you are getting out and networking, but I don’t want to mince words here. You need to be meeting with as many people in your profession that are currently employed.”

The best place I know to find this is to go where the masses are, your professional associations. They are fertile ground to plant seeds. This is so critical that if there is a fee to attend that covers the cost of a meal – be willing to make the investment. It can shave weeks, months if not years off this discovery process for you. But here’s the great thing about membership fees, you don’t have to belong to the association or networking group to attend the meetings at first. Most associations are always looking to grow in their membership. So the majority of them are happy to have you join them as a guest to find out more about their organization. You can call them or contact them and let them know you would like to attend as a guest. Further, if you choose to join, most associations have special reduced memberships for those who are in transition. So I would encourage you to do some research and find - then attend as many associations, or networking groups you can find that are relevant to your field of interest.

Here’s Tip #1.

Make sure you have a professional business card that reflects your desired profession – include your specialty if you have one. You want to offer your card to everyone how’s hand you shake. Now the critical step, you want to make sure you ask for their business card too. This is essential! As you close your conversation, you might want to say something like, “I would really enjoy talking further. May I contact you in the future – maybe I can buy you a coffee?”

Later that day or the next, you can reach out to the people you met and send them an invitation to be LinkedIn. When you send your invitation, rather than defaulting to the pre-stocked message, personalize your message to the conversation you had at the meeting. Something such as, “It was a pleasure meeting you at the SHRM meeting I would enjoy the opportunity to get to know you and your organization better. May I invite you to join my Linkedin?” Once a day or so has gone by, I would encourage you to contact the people you met and ask if they might be interested in meeting for coffee or a drink after work. I always suggest saying something like, “I really enjoyed meeting you at the SHRM meeting, I’m interested in opportunities in the XYZ field. May I buy you a cup of coffee, I would truly value your opinion.”

Let’s revisit the general rule of telling anyone and everyone what kind of opportunity you are looking for. The mistake most folks make is they are simply asking, "I do XYZ, do you know anyone who is hiring for XYZ jobs?" Here is what I want you to take to heart. In reality, very few people know what actual positions are available in a given company unless they, themselves, are the hiring manager or they happen - just happen to see a posting within the company they work for. Maybe, just by pure circumstance, they may have been told by a friend or colleague they are looking for a XYZ person to hire.

Here is Common Mistake #1.

If you simply ask people if they know anyone who is hiring for what you are searching for, you will most likely get a, "Hum, let me think about that ... Gee, no I don't know anyone who is hiring, sorry." Well as much as I believe that person would truly like to help you, the conversation pretty much ends right there.

I don't like those odds. And I would guess to most who go about the job search, this conversation sounds pretty familiar.

I would much rather you have people champion your cause. People who would say, "I don't know if anyone is hiring for XYZ position, but I do know a couple of people I think you might be interested in talking with who do XYZ for ABC industry. They may not be hiring, but they might know a few other people with whom you should talk." Now, you can get some traction.

Solution to Common Mistake #1:

Ask to be introduced to anyone who is in your industry or specialty. You have a perfect opportunity to do a well thought out - well-executed informational interview. This approach has a great deal more impact with new acquaintances. There is no pressure to "interview for a job" you are simply "talking shop". You are learning more about them and their organization, how they are fairing in these tough economic times. Your passions ignite, their passions ignite and all of a sudden you are truly enjoying the conversation. You’re building a relationship. It’s good practice to ask them, “How can I help you? What kind of referral can I send your way that might support your efforts?” More importantly, you have found an ally. One who will be able to help you with the most important question of all … "Do you know anyone else with whom I should talk?" Then you can repeat the entire process. And as opportunities arise you will be on their minds.

30, 60, 90 Day Vision and Strategy

2011-04-06T07:47:00.000-07:00

Negotiating successful outcomes in the workplace can and will increase your value to an organization, but a lot of people are uncomfortable with the process and don’t try it. As a result they remain silent and continue to blend into the background. I run into people all the time that see an area in their business that could reach higher levels of performance, if only their company would embrace a new vision ... a new way of implementing promising – unexploited opportunities. But time and time again, most individuals don’t propose a plan of executing their idea because they don’t feel it’s their place to initiate these kinds of management driven strategies.

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about. The other day I was talking with an Attorney who works for a midsized law firm. She told me, “I would really like to see our firm use a marketing research company to help us with our marketing direction. I think we would get farther with our marketing budget and get better results.” She went on to tell me, “When I worked with a previous firm, I saw how effective it can be.”

I asked her, why she doesn’t propose the idea. She simply replied by saying, “I’m not in the marketing department. I don’t feel it’s appropriate for me to bring this up.”

I shared with her that many people who have experienced first-hand, the positive results of a practice or process are hesitant to offer a solution-oriented idea, because it’s simply not their turf. But most savvy managers and leaders know great growth of an organization comes from listening to people who see challenges and obstacles, and have a track record in understanding what can be done now to face and overcome those barriers.

I asked her if she had ever proposed a 30, 60 – 90 day plan before. She looked a bit baffled, but very interested in learning more.

This is what I shared with her and now with you.

What if you were to outline three things?

1. A few questions that framed the vision and strategy such as:

· What is the growth vision of our firm?

· What strategies are we using to reach that vision?

· If I were to share with you some results I’ve been exposed to that had dramatic positive result, would that interest you?

2. Then craft a three part, solution-oriented description of what you want to propose:

a. Set the stage; explain and establish the exact history of the situation. What were the challenges that were faced?

b. What were the specific actions that were taken

c. What were the results that were achieved by implementing this strategy, quantify them if possible

3. Then offer to work out solution-oriented action steps. Schedule to meet in 30 days to discuss your ideas.

Start by asking something like, “What if we were to explore this more? Would you like me to put some ideas together and we can meet in 30 days to go over them?”

Asking for 30 days is key, you don’t want to necessarily invest your time putting together a solution action plan if your leader(s) is not sold on the idea to move forward to explore. But exploring is exactly what will allow you to share your resources (i.e., the marketing research firm you have used in the past) and get buy-in from your leader. It shows you are ready to “put some skin in the game” and invest in the success of your organization.

It’s also very important to have no more than three steps. It becomes too complex of a project, very hard to roll out and manage. It may also become a bit threatening if there are too many items on your agenda. Plus, if you spoil them with a high number of ideas, they may expect it all the time. You want to learn to manage expectations.

Once you have your solution action ideas together you want to be prepared to work through the list with a willingness to adapt. The last thing you want to do is present your ideas as “It’s my way or no way at all.” You should have target items and resources that you want to try for the next 30 days. Schedule an appointment right then and there to meet 30 days out (60 days from original conversation) with the intent to review, what has worked and what has not. You want to come to this discussion with the knowing you will want to modify our ideas and action plan to make it stronger. You may need to involve other individuals and resources? Then it becomes a bit like the directions on the back of a shampoo bottle “rinse and repeat”. Once you have met to assess the value of the plan and what elements need to be changed. Schedule to meet again in 30 days to repeat the process (90 days total).

Here’s why this works, you have a track record of success, and you’ve been a part of process that has made a positive impact. You don’t have to be the expert; there are people, companies or organizations that specialized in this kind of thing. Simply put, you are making a recommendation of what you know has worked before.

Workplace negotiating starts with wanting to make a positive contribution. And the more your employment contributions are consistent with your employer’s objectives and function, the more you’ll have, as Alan Sklover puts it, “’the power of purpose in your pocket.’ And one thing’s for sure: it’s hard to keep down a man or woman who is purpose-driven.”

A Sobering Statistic: We are Losing too Many returning Vets to Suicide

2011-03-30T08:14:00.000-07:00

Normally when I blog it’s on strategies about career planning or the job search. But I’m compelled to share with you some insight about those who have made a sacrifice and have gone to serve you, me and this country. Veteran Affairs reported a staggering statistic, an average of 18 vets commit suicide each and every day. The University of Georgia conducted a detailed analysis from state authorities for 2004 and 2005. It found that veterans were more than twice as likely to commit suicide in 2005 than non-vets. PTSD (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder) is often cited as the primary cause.

One age group stood out. Veterans aged 20 through 24, those who have served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They had the highest suicide rate among all veterans, estimated between two and four times higher than civilians the same age. (The suicide rate for non-veterans is 8.3 per 100,000, while the rate for veterans was found to be between 22.9 and 31.9 per 100,000.)

I have joined alliances with an organization called DryHootch http://dryhootch.org . Dryhootch is a 501c3 nonprofit formed by combat veterans to "help veterans & their families who survived the war, survive the peace.” It’s a warm and inviting coffee house & resource center, a place where veterans can go to reconnect. DryHootch is a safe place where the troubles, fears, and worries of service and sacrifice can be addressed. It helps veterans learn skills on how to cope and how to deal with the memories that won't go away. Vet led, peer to peer counseling groups are held for addictions, PTSD, and family issues, all helping promote healing and reflection.

In March of 2010, the jobless rate for veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan reached 14.7 percent, nearly 50 percent higher than the official nationwide unemployment rate in the US. This only fuels the frustration and feeling of being out of control. Although I’m not qualified to address the psychological challenges these individuals face, I felt a need to lend a hand. My focus is to help them on their journey to find meaningful employment.

DryHootch opened their doors in August of 2010. They are faced with large tasks and at times overwhelming responsibilities. Unfortunately funds are very tight … but these are tough folks - doing tough work, putting heads down and doing what we can.

You are Head of Your Marketing Department

2011-01-17T07:31:00.000-08:00

In sales and marketing, everything starts with knowing how to differentiate their product or service from all the other products or services with whom they are competing. You are no different in selling yourself.

Allow me to challenge you to begin by clearly defining, “How do I make a difference?” Keep in mind, this starts by inventory your successes. It’s a goal to have at least three, very concise and plainly stated phases that declares your unique track record of success or contribution? How have you specifically made a positive impact on the organization (s) you have worked for? You will use these statements in your marketing material (aka, follow up marketing letters). It’s ideal to have ten or more of these kinds of statements inventoried in a “go to” word document. You can use these powerful tools to address the “hot buttons” you uncovered from the questions you asked in the interview. You might recall we discussed what you say and do after the interview might be more important in helping you get to the next level in landing an opportunity.

Remember, this is your product – the service you are selling. Good sales people will tell you, you have to know your product / service inside out – upside down – backwards and forwards for you to effectively close the sale. Same with you, this is a marketing campaign and you are the head of the marketing department.

Good luck and … “Keep it Passionate”

Susie Mathews

Join me for a complementary Wine Tasting, while receiving Career Transition Advise

2009-10-30T07:24:00.001-07:00

Hey Hi Everyone,

Come and join me for a complementary Wine Tasting and receive career transition advise and of course, there will be networking. This event will be sponsored by my friend, Hale Besaw, from Robert W. Baird & Co. It should be fun. She has told me if you want to extend this invitation to anyone who might find it valuable please feel free to do so. Please RSVP to Hale, or you can let me know and I'll forward it on to Hale. The details are below.

I hope you can join us.

Haly Besaw invites you…

Financial Consideration of a
Changing Career
Networking and Wine Tasting
Speakers:

Melissa Perrigoue, Proprietor
Vino 100
"Wine Tasting"

Justin Garrett, Regional Director
IVY Funds
"Beyond Boundaries?"

Susie Mathews, Motivational Speaker
President of Winning Directions
Author of "Ca$h is on the Passion"
and "Miracles Do Happen!"

Haly Besaw, Financial Advisor
Robert W. Baird & Co., Waukesha
"Financial Consideration During Career Transition"

Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Networking: 4:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Wine Tasting & Presentations: 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Vino 100
219 E. Erie Street (corner of Erie Street and Water Street)
Milwaukee, WI 53202
R.S.V.P.
Seating is limited. Please reply to Haly by Sunday, November, 1st at 262-523-5647 or hbesaw@rwbaird.com.

Take Care and ...
"Keep it Passionate"

Susie Mathews
www.Cashinonthepassion.com
Susie@winning-directions.com
WWW.winning-directions.com
262-391-3828

Can You Keep Positive Energy in an Interview?

2009-10-02T07:10:00.000-07:00

When I sit down for the first time with a client, I’m often struck with how someone might view his or her work history. It’s not uncommon for folks to focus on the pain or frustration of their previous situation. For me, paying attention to turning these kinds of thoughts around is probably one of the most rewarding things about working with a job seeker. Negativity can be pervasive, and although we want to acknowledge the tough road they have just traveled, it’s critical that we get them smiling genuinely, from the heart, about who they are and what they have to offer a potential client as soon as possible. I can assure you there is very little that will disqualify someone in an interview quicker than what is perceived as a negative tone. No one wants to hire someone who might be a drag on the energy of the company.

Here’s a tip I share, when asked to talk about your past work history I encourage people to talk about what I call their “Love Tos” and start the statement with something like, I just love ...

Here’s an example of what I mean.

“I just love to see my team hitting their mark. I feel like a proud parent, everyone understanding their roles and reaching the objectives of the company. I really enjoy being able to lead a department where everyone believes in what we are doing.” This is a dynamic way to say, “I have good management skills.” When you start a statement with, “I just love …” your genuine passions are engaged, your energy is egnited.

I’m so glad we are able to "rethink" the past. There is always some great stuff in our history. We just need to dust it off sometimes and look at with fresh eyes.

Take Care and …
"Keep it Passionate"

Susie Mathews
www.Cashinonthepassion.com
Susie@winning-directions.com
WWW.winning-directions.com
262-391-3828

Personal Branding; Your Important Message to Get Out There

2009-08-31T08:42:00.000-07:00

People ask me all the time, “How important is it to develop personal branding as they go about finding their new career?” Here’s my observation. Volvo’s advertising campaigns demonstrate they want you to invest in their cars because they are safe for you and your family, not because it is a high performance sports car. That’s their branding.

Your personal brand is your promise of value. It’s the way you differentiate yourself from your peers, your colleagues, and your competitors. It’s understanding, then projecting your unique combination of skills, talent, values and passions. It’s your niche. You just have to do a little investigative work to help bring that niche – your personal branding to light ... and life. Everything you've ever done--and just as importantly, what you have chosen not to do--over your lifetime reads like a blueprint for your success. Ultimately, how you have made a difference.

The first step on this journey is looking deeply and honestly at yourself. What are your unique skills? What are your unique abilities? I want you to think about and answer this question: Do you believe that you are unique? What is it that distinguishes you from the other six billion people on the planet. How do you make a difference? Give yourself a few minutes to really think about it. Write it down if you like.

Let’s look at your responses. Did you say something like, “I’m very personable,” or “I'm honest,” or “I work hard,” or “I enjoy working with people”? This is where many people searching for their futures go wrong.

“Wrong? That's not wrong,” you might say to me, with your feathers ruffled a bit, “I am all of those things. What do you mean … wrong?”

What I mean is, when you wrote those words, were you saying that these things are uniquely yours? Were you saying that you are the only person on the planet who is honest, that you, and only you, work hard? And, lucky you, you’re the only one who gets to enjoy working with other people. Hey, I’ve heard about you; you’re that person, the one and only person, who is personable. I think you’re beginning to understand what I'm getting at. Now, imagine someone hearing you say something like this in an interview. I can assure you, they’ve heard it before. It doesn’t stand out.

I don’t doubt that you have all of the characteristics in your response, but that’s not what I'm asking you for here. I want you to change your vision of yourself, to begin to think about the collection of things that make you truly unique, distinctly different from anyone else.

I want you to understand you have uniqueness, a greatness that only YOU possess. Like a rare, valuable jewel, it’s critical to identify the facets that uniquely set you apart from everyone else on the planet. By understanding your track record of how you have made a difference, you begin to define your personal branding.

Some like to craft a clever statement that helps represent them. To help you get a better understanding, here is an introduction (some might call it an elevator speech) one of my clients who is in banking and lending developed.

Hi my name is James Gottemoller. To help you remember my name Gottemoller rhythms with “got a dollar” and of course … I’m in banking. This is how I can make a difference for you and your company. It’s important to me that I help lenders clearly understand the customer information presented, to dig deep to avoid unnecessary risks, and prepare for a solid credit presentation. My intent is management has confidence in our abilities.
See how this reflects his values, even his passion, as well as his track record for his contribution to the overall success of the company. Jim told me that when he used this at a recent job fair put on by a company he would like to work for, “The hiring manager did a double take and it opened the door for more conversations.”

Branding, it’s important to get your message out there.

I know, I know. You hate that word networking

2009-08-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

Based on many of our conversations from last week’s High-Tech Community Resource Career Fair, there are so many folks that have real concerns about the progress of their job search. I will be blogging to offer pieces of advice on to how to advance your search for that dream career.

Tip # 1 Networking -

I know, I know ... you all hate that word. Everyone harps on how important it is to network. To talk to as many people as you can about what kind of work you are looking for. Your hopes are that somebody - anybody will know if there is an opening somewhere - anywhere. The mistake most folks make is they are simply asking, "I do XYZ, do you know anyone who is hiring for XYZ jobs?" Here is what I want you to take to heart. In reality very few people know what actual positions are available in a given company unless they, themselves, are the hiring manager or they happen - just happen to see a posting within the company they work for. Maybe, just by pure circumstance, they may have been told by a friend or colleague they are looking for a XYZ person to hire.

Here is Common Mistake #1.

If you simply ask people if they know anyone who is hiring for what you are searching for, you will most likely get a, "Hum, let me think about that ... Gee, no I don't know anyone who is hiring, sorry." Well as much as I believe that person would truly like to help you, the conversation pretty much ends right there.

I don't like those odds. And I would guess to most who go about the job search, this conversation sounds pretty familiar.

I would much rather you have people champion your cause. People who would say, "I don't know if anyone is hiring for XYZ position, but I do know a couple of people I think you might be interested in talking with who do XYZ for ABC industry. They may not be hiring, but they might know a few other people with whom you should talk." Now, you can get some traction.

Solution to Common Mistake #1:

Ask to be introduced to anyone who is in ABC industry. You have a perfect opportunity to do a well thought out - well-executed informational interview. This approach has a great deal more impact with new acquaintances. There is no pressure to "interview for a job" you are simply "talking shop". You are learning more about them and their organization, how they are fairing in these tough economic times. Your passions ignite, their passions ignite and all of a sudden you are truly enjoying the conversation. More importantly, you have found an ally. One who will be able to help you with the most important question of all, "Do you know anyone else with whom I should talk?" Then you can repeat the entire process.

See chapter 9 in Cash In On the Passion Do What You Love ... Love What You Do for more important strategies on informational interviewing.

Susie Mathews
Career Coach
262-391-3828
www.cashinonthepassion.com