Category: Improving Yourself

Many ambitious professionals are so involved in projects and fire fighting that they forget about managing their careers.

Don’t let these seven career mistakes derail your career.

1. Burning bridges along the way.
Each profession may seem big – but, as you move up in your career, you come to realize how ‘small’ each really is. Something you said or done may comes back to haunt you.

2. Not having big enough goals.
A key career stopper is setting your goals too low or not being willing to put in the time it takes to reach goals. Believing “I could never do that” or, “They’ll never give me the go ahead” means it probably won’t happen. Take risks, try new things, initiate and learn and grow.

3. Playing office politics.
Some people pick the wrong battles to fight. When you get enmeshed in gossiping or office politics, you forget about the goals, mission and getting the job done. It’ll lead to a lack of outcomes – a career killer every time.

4. Having a bad attitude.
“It kills even the most talented,” said one top executive, who has observed many talented people rise and fall. Negative attitudes slow you down, but good ones are jet fuel, enhancing all you do. Attitudes, like skills, are learned and therefore can be changed, improved or updated.

5. Thinking that money is everything.
A great salary doesn’t equate to happiness. For most people – executive or staff – money means very little if you are truly unhappy. Job satisfaction is the number one reason people elect to find a new job. What gets you up each day excited about going to work? Take control of your career! If you don’t, who else will?

6. Not asking for feedback.
Quiz your boss regularly about your performance. Don’t wait for your annual review. Nip any problems in the bud. for example, at the end of a project, “What could I have done differently? What skills do I need to work on so I can handle more responsibility down the line? What’s the best approach for getting those skills?”

7. Not working at a job you’re passionate about.
“People float through life as if it were boring, drudgery or a nuisance – often complaining, yet never determining what would fulfill them,” noted a nonprofit director. The true key to success is discovering your inner passion and then finding a way to work in that arena

Career Success Tip

The greatest career mistake bright, ambitious professioals make is not learning from the mistakes of others. Don’t let these seven mistakes sabotage derail your career.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

“Saying thank you is more than good manners. It is good spirituality.” – Alfred Painter

Thank YOU for taking the time to read my A-Z Spirituality in the Workplace series and share your comments. I was inspired to write this poem to capture the essence of this work.

The A-Z of your Soul at Work

May you…

feel blessed with Aliveness

don’t just wish, but really follow your Bliss

foster deep Connections with those who matter most to you

Receive Divine inspiration for true guidance and direction

be Engaged and fully present in all that you do

take having Fun seriously

instill the power of Gratitude to change your perspective and your life

find the joy of Happiness following you wherever you go

breathe life into the Inspiration within you

be the Joy to others you want to have in this world

don’t hold ransom your random acts of Kindness

Love unconditionally, Love unconventionally and Love uncontrollably

Share your devotion, recognition and Motivation with others

know when to say No to doing more so you can say yes to loving more

feel the Oneness that surrounds us at all times and in all ways

be purposeful about living out your God-given Purpose

wrap yourself in the calming presence of Quiet

remember to revel in your Relationships

lead with Service and follow with more

spend Time loving the time you spent

let your Uniqueness light the path for others to shine theirs

value the gift of Vulnerability to open the valley of your soul

work Wholeheartedly at everything you do

surprise others with eXtra special touches from the heart

Yearn for more of what your soul longs for

never forget this about life – get a little Zany with it!

With love and gratitude,

Janae Bower

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.

I left my present job, which was stable but had limited opportunities, and went to a larger company that is so different. I think I’ve made a mistake.

This was a frantic call I received from a project manager who’s dealing with buyer’s remorse. It seemed like the best job ever. The money was good and the benefits great.

But a dream job can turn into a nightmare if you haven’t checked out the company’s culture before joining it. The career challenge of moving into a new organization is like moving to a new country — you need to learn the language, connect with the people and know the do’s and the don’ts of appropriate behavior.

Advice from a job changer

Mary, wanting to be in senior management at a large metropolitan hospital, realized she will need to change jobs, each one with increased responsibility. This probably means moving from one hospital to another. She makes it a habit to take several steps when she applies for a position and after she accepts it.

During the interview she asks:

• What skills and behaviors will be successful here?
• What is the average tenure of your employees?
• How does the company define success for itself?
• How would you describe the corporate culture?

Once in the position, she advises:

• Do not assume that what made you successful in one company will work, even within the same industry.
• Ask a lot of questions — of your manager, of your peers, of whomever is willing to help you.
• Ask for expectations in terms of output, time, and content for all work assignments.
• Develop a glossary of company buzz words and phrases so that you, too, can sound like an old hand.
• Find the best possible guide to the company, someone who has been around forever and knows how everything works.

Career Success Tip

On-boarding is one of several career challenges you may face. Successful transition into a new organization or a new position requires a quick understanding and adaptation to a new culture, new people and a new political arena. So don’t jump ship yet. Rather focus on learning the new ways of working.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

One of the reasons I got interested in writing about spirituality at work is that we spend so much of our waking hours at work. Why not enjoy it? Joy is a foundation for having energy for what you do. It’s amazing to me how many people still believe that they aren’t supposed to enjoy work. Perhaps you grew up hearing a parent say, ‘that’s why they call it work’. Check your beliefs and the messages you were given about work. Did you learn that work is supposed to be endured or enjoyed? Your beliefs about work drive the energy you bring to your work. You have a chance to re-write that script for how you want to work and what energy you bring to your work.

Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work

In my first book, Path for Greatness, I wrote about aligning your gifts, purpose and passion. One way I believe people can work spiritually is by finding greater wholeness, meaning and connection in their work. Seeing the positive ways you impact others through your work helps you connect with a larger meaning and purpose in your work. How are you using your gifts to make a difference in your workplace? Look for those small or large ways that you positively impact others through your work.

Here are a couple ideas for you to energize your work (and life) by examining how you are using your gifts, purpose and passion:

1. Take inventory of what your gifts are, large and small. Have colleagues or people who know you well tell you what traits, strengths or unique attributes you have. Ask them to share a story about a time when you made a positive difference to their work or life.

2. Get recommendations on LinkedIn from colleagues, customers or business partners. This is a good way to learn what others think are your strengths and talents.

3. Once you get clear on what you offer to others, how you contribute to their work or well-being, then celebrate, celebrate, celebrate the positive impact you’ve made on other people. Give yourself a High-Five! Recognize that what you do matters.

4. Make a time line of your work and schooling to date. Indicate those events when you felt really excited about what you were doing. See if you can find a pattern for those things that bring you joy and energy.

5. Look at the activities you do now in other aspects of your life. What would you like to have more time to do? Where is your deeper hunger? How can you carve out more time to do those so you can fill your cup with more energy?

6. Are there things you are yearning to do that seem to call you consistently? Sit with those yearnings and still your mind. Ask your Inner Wisdom to show you/ make clear how you can use your gifts and passion. Keep your eyes and ears open over the next week and see what synchronicities occur, what signs you get to offer your gifts with passion and purpose.

7. Are there dreams you’ve had that you keep deferring? Look at what you can do this week to move at least one step closer to that dream.

Answer this list of ideas and see what gets stirred. Those stirrings may come from things you want to change. Let the stirrings create greater energy to birth something new. Moving from winter to spring, from dormancy to new beginnings, feel the deeper rumbles of things waiting to emerge.

As we approach the Spring Equinox, plant the seeds for what will bring you more energy in your work this year. Renew yourself with those things that bring you joy, passion, and greater purpose.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” The paperback version available on Amazon. NOW NEW!!! the pdf version of Path for Greatness is available for download from her website.

It makes me smile to finish up this series with Z is for Zany. I believe at times we all need to let loose and be a little crazy and “out there.” It’s fun and can really lighten things up.

Personal Style

We all have a personal style. A weekly update from Oprah shared tips on how you can find your own style, here the example was for fashion. It was interesting and made me think about how my fashion (or lack of it) projects my personal style. I do believe we also have a personal style at work too. How might people describe yours? Maybe you’re someone who always gets people laughing or you’re the one that people can always count on. Or would you be pegged as the “negative Nelly” always complaining about something? We all bring a personal style to our work, whether we are conscious of it or not.

Professional Zaniness

Being a speaker and trainer, I’m very aware of the importance of having and living out our personal style. It’s our job to observe others and try out things to see if it fits our personal style. For example, we might observe others and often wish that we could be more eloquent with our words or better able to tell a story that really draws others in.

One of the ways that I would describe my style is zany – playful and lighthearted. So I’m not the one who might come totally dressed in clown outfit to make a presentation, but I’m one who will lighten the mood to make it fun and playful. This is zany for me and it works. I strive to connect with my participants in a comfortable way while stretching them to see things in a different way. I tend to do this in a playful way often using props or demonstrations. For example, in one of my trainings I have participants take off their glasses and give them to someone else to wear. We have fun with it as people are laughing at how “stylish” their new look is or how their new “vision” looks. I had one gentleman say while laughing, “you are really pushing us now.” I explain how this playful exercise really has an important point – how we all see the world through our own lens or glasses and how different the world looks when we see it through others.

Personal Zaniness

Our work is often carried over in our personal lives as well. Another example of how my zaniness is displayed is through the annual Valentine’s Day party that my husband and I host every year. This is our 10^th annual party and here is a picture of me with the theme for the year, a slumber party.

What my husband and I have found that we more we get into it, the more others will also have fun getting into the mood. We decided many years ago that we didn’t want to have the ordinary party where people get together, most who don’t know each other, eat some, drink more and then go home. We decided that we would have themes, play games, have team and couple competitions. Now that we’ve been doing this for a while, our friends know what to expect and really get into it. We have a great time and it’s always memorable because of it zaniness. Our friends ask us months in advance about our theme.

Like Caribou Coffee says, “life is short, stay awake for it.” I would also add, “so why not get a little zany with it!”

Share with us, how you get a little zany!

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Janae Bower is an inspirational speaker, award-winning author and training consultant. She founded Finding IT, a company that specializes in personal and professional development getting to the heart of what matters most. She started Project GratOtude, a movement to increase gratitude in people’s lives.

There are times when a lateral move can be as important to your career as a promotion. Is this one of them?

Here’s a reader’s situation.

“I have a boss who is sitting out time till his retirement. I can’t move up until he goes. Another manager has given me some hints that I could transfer to her department. It would not be a promotion. And people, who work for her, tell me she is tough and demanding. I’m not sure it’s a wise move.”

It seems you have a choice between going stale or being shaken up. You know what you would be leaving but do you know what you’re getting into? So before you decide:

Dig deep and wide for insights.

Set up a meeting to find out about the position and its responsibilities as well as your new boss’s style, expectations and goals. If you have a mentor, ask his or her opinion about the value and consequences of this specific move. If you feel comfortable, even talk to your present boss about this potential opportunity. Some things to consider:

• Can you work with her? One person may see her high expectations as demanding; another might see it as a high level of professionalism. What do you see?
• Is this department in a growing mode or is it hanging on for dear life? You don’t want to leave a secure position for one that may be laying off or outsourcing.
• What’s the company’s attitude toward people who transfer out of one functional area to another? Is it seen as “job hopping” or as gaining operational knowledge?
• What about your motivation? Do you see this move as an escape from boredom and frustration or as an experience that will help you move upward at another time?

Now it’s time to decide.

You can stay where you are – bored, frustrated, sitting on your hands until you boss retires or making a move – new boss, new responsibilities, new expectations and a certain amount of uncertainty. What is it going to be?

Career Success Tip

Lateral moves are a valuable strategic career management option if it provides you with a working environment where you can thrive; a good fit between you talents and the position’s responsibilities; and opportunities for growth and advancement.

Readers, what do you think? Have lateral transfers enhanced or detracted from your career growth?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Throughout my career, I have spent a great deal of time speaking with employees and potential employees about their career goals and paths. Almost always when I interview a candidate, they tell me that they are looking for a job that has growth potential and that they see themselves in a leadership position. It sounds so similar from every candidate that I am sure that this response has been programmed into them like a type of brainwashing. It makes me smile inside for a split second while I listen to the response. Obviously as a recruiter, I don’t accept that as a final answer.

When I am meeting with employees, there seems to be a similar response and not just from the top performers. I get the response from the majority of the folks and despite the fact that they have no idea how to lead or even what it might entail, often they seem to want to be promoted. It’s like other natural progressions in life. I wonder how many of the married or divorced folks out there followed the dating, engaged, and married progression because it is an expected norm in our society. (And we can’t forget to add the live together phase in that progression.) And then at some point into the path, they realize that marriage is hard and it takes work and compromise and some degree of emotional intelligence and communication skills to work. And everyone can seem to identify with a bad spouse as equally as they can identify with a bad manager. Even if you can’t articulate it, you know it when you see it.

So how do you know whether it is right for you to follow this progression? Are you a good fit for the leadership ladder or are you better suited in a different role. See below for a few signs that you are not ready:

• You often say things that hurt people’s feelings.
• You would rather just do things yourself for fear that others will mess it up or not follow through.
• You are afraid to tell people the truth for fear of conflict.
• You want the job because it pays more or provides you with power over others.
• You don’t want to share your rationale behind decisions you make.
• You take over the job’s of others because they are too incompetent or too slow.
• You have no patience with new employees.
• You assume everyone is motivated in the same way you are.
• If someone disagrees with you, you automatically think they are stupid.
• You have a difficult time controlling your emotions at work and often say things you regret later.

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For more resources, See the Human Resources library.

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Sheri Mazurek is a training and human resource professional with over 16 years of management experience, and is skilled in all areas of employee management and human resource functions, with a specialty in learning and development. She is available to help you with your Human Resources and Training needs on a contract basis. For more information send an email to smazurek0615@gmail.com or visit www.sherimazurek.com. Follow me on twitter @Sherimaz.

I know many small business owners who struggled the last 12-18 months due to the economy. Many lamented at how rough it has been and are looking forward to business picking up this year. I took note about how they were using their downtime. Those who focused on their fears had a harder time with the uncertainty and doom & gloom news. Those who saw this down time as an opportunity to explore new options rode the waves skillfully through this unexpected downturn. These tsunami surfers used the down time to revise their website, learn about social media marketing, get more certifications, cultivate strategic alliances etc. It was interesting to note those business owners who specifically saw their down time as a God thing. They used it as a chance to deepen their faith or saw it as God’s grace that allowed them to pursue other opportunities.

Too often when we have downtime we quickly try to fill it with some other activity. Yet that isn’t how nature works. Nature follows with the rhythm of action and stillness, creativity and renewal. I recently completed the 40 days of the Winter Feast for the Soul program (see my January 11th blog). Those who joined me for weekly meditation gatherings said that they found the 40 minutes of daily reflection not only energizing, but very helpful to ground them throughout their day. We all felt that using the darker winter time for quiet reflection or meditation was beneficial for our soul. Now as the spring starts to emerge we are more ready and focused. Several participants said they want to continue longer than the 40 days because they found this quiet time so valuable and meaningful.

Downtime to renew your Spirit

Rather than seeing down time as time out from your work, look at ways you can use downtime to renew your spirit. Think of it as God Time. That is after all what the Sabbath represents, time to be quiet, reflect on your spiritual path, engage in prayers, meditation or spiritual practice to connect more intentionally with the Holy One. Our frenetic 24-7 business climate doesn’t seem to support taking a whole day off from busy activities to connect more intentionally with the Source of our being. Yet often it is in the silence, or the non-doing, that we get clarity, renewal, or affirmations for our next course of action.

Next time you are delayed from doing something, perhaps sitting in traffic, waiting for a delayed flight, or not getting projects started when you expected they would, look at this downtime as a gift. See it as an invitation to explore some aspect of your spiritual practice. Take this time to deepen your connection with your Higher Power. If you feel fear, stress, or uncertainty about your future, how can you use your down time to strengthen your faith?

You are always supported in your journey whether you are aware of it or not. Stay open to all the marvelous opportunities that await you when things don’t move forward as you planned. May you experience the gracefulness of sweet suspense in the unexpected slow times.

Bright Blessings unfolding for you.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” – paperback version available on Amazon. NOW NEW!!! the pdf version of Path for Greatness is available for download from her website.

P.S. Thanks to all of you who commented on my last post about The Power and Meaning of Money. I’ve recently uploaded the first five chapters of my new book, Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand, on my website. Go there to get a copy of these chapters. I’ll upload the remaining chapters in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

“I’ve been in this position for four years. My boss drops hints about where I might go from here, but nothing comes of it. I feel stuck. ”

When you have been in a position for a while you may feel like you have reached a plateau. But I think that plateaus are not necessarily bad. They don’t always signal a stalled career. It could also be a time to recharge and get ready for the next opportunity.

Take stock and then take action.

1. Don’t assume your boss will look out for you.
Placing primary responsibility on your boss for advancing your career is not a smart move. She’s probably more concerned about her own, especially in these are difficult economic times. So use this time for your own career planning.

2. Clarify if it’s you or the company that’s the problem.
Are you burned out? Has your last performance appraisal been a downer? The worst thing is to pretend everything’s fine. The problem may be you. What can you do right now to get you back on a success track?

However, if you’ve been getting good performance review and have advanced with regularity then ,most likely, it is not you that has stalled. It may be the company. How well have they dealt with the recent recession? Are they starting to show signs of growth?

3. Tune up to be in the right place at the right time.
Remember have skills, will travel. Periodically inspect your skills portfolio. Which skills are state-of-the-art and in great demand? Which skills are somewhat rusty that need to be improved? How many are transferable to other areas inside your organization or even outside to other companies or industries?

The best way to find out about new opportunities is to stay connected with others. Who, in your company, are in a position to know where the potholes and potentials are? Also look outward. Be involved in your community and your professional organization. The more visibility you have, the more opportunities will appear.

Career Success Tip

If you career stalls, don’t wait for the career fairy to appear and make everything better. It’s up to you. What career options can you start exploring for challenge, variety, or greater personal satisfaction? What internal training or external seminars will enhance your marketability? Who can mentor you to get your career moving?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

My post this week is based on ideas explored in my forthcoming book, Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand. I have a chapter on the ‘Power and Meaning of Money’ because I believe if you don’t fully understand the role that money plays in your life, you won’t be able to align fully your values and deepest desires with how you live your life.

I like to use Jacob Needleman’s book, Money and the Meaning of Life, for class discussion in my business ethics classes. It is a fabulous book to get people to reflect on the power of money in their life, and more importantly, on the beliefs they have about money and what money represents. According to Needleman, we can never really use money well in our life if we don’t understand the meaning we derive from it. For some people money means security. For others it means status, respect, independence etc. Unless we know what money means to us we’ll never have a healthy relationship with it. Money will control you rather than you controlling your money.

Inner and Outer Worlds

In his book Needleman asks the reader to determine what use money has for their internal world and external world. Needleman’s idea of external and internal world corresponds to my description of the physical world (outer) and the spiritual world (inner). The more you integrate these worlds, the more authentic you’ll live and the more intentional you’ll be in how you use money. The external world is usually fairly easy for people to address. You see that you need money for transportation, housing, food and clothing. Those are the external ways you use money for things that support your material comforts, and your physical necessities.

What about your inner world, your spiritual life? How are you using money to support that? Are you providing the resources (money and other resources) to support a rich inner life as much as you support your outer world? If not, why not? Do you desire a rich inner world to the same degree you desire a rich outer world? If not, why not?

Conscious Relationship with Money

It’s been said if you want to know what’s important to someone look at her calendar and her check book. The two commodities seen as most precious today are time and money. How are you using these to reflect Who You Are?

Money is perhaps one of the most powerful tools in our modern era for saying who we are, showing our inner world through our outer world of possessions and lifestyle. Look at your life today and see how money has defined who you are – by where you live, where you have traveled, the recreational activities you do etc. Do you share your money freely with others, strangers or family? Are you afraid of money – how to ask for it, how to use it, how to have it?

The power and meaning you give to your money determines how you live your life. Your ability to integrate a rich spiritual life with material possessions reflects how well you bring your values, beliefs and desires into your world.

I invite you this next week to examine more carefully how you use money as an expression of who you are. There is power and meaning to money much larger than most of us consider. Start to develop a conscious relationship with money this week beyond the typical exchanges you make for food and gas. What does your use of money say about your inner world and your outer world?

May you find balance, wholeness, and joy in bringing the fullness of your inner world to expression in your outer world.

Coming Soon! Sample chapters of my book, “Staying Grounded in Shifting Sand”, will be available FREE on my website (www.lindajferguson.com) . You will be able to purchase the entire book as pdf or select several chapters.

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For more resources, see our Library topic Spirituality in the Workplace.

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Linda is an author, speaker, coach, and consultant. Go to her website www.lindajferguson.com to read more about her work, view video clips of her talks, and find out more about her book “Path for Greatness: Spirituality at Work” available on Amazon.