Category: Improving Yourself

If you’re struggling with your workload or with a particular task, it can be difficult to ask your boss or your colleagues for help. If you admit that you can’t handle everything, will they think that you’re not capable? After all, you should be able to do your work on your own, right?

Asking for help makes many of us uncomfortable. But it’s critical especially when risks are involved. After all, would you rather get the help you need or jeopardize your career by missing key deadlines, or producing poor-quality work? What’s more, many bosses operate a “no surprises” rule – they’d much rather be alerted to a problem early than be surprised (and perhaps embarrassed by it)

Ask the Right Way

There are right ways and wrong ways to ask for help. Asking for help the right way can make you look as if you’re in control, and can help you seem focused and dignified. Asking the wrong way could make others think that you don’t have control of the situation or that you’re unable to handle the stress of your job. Here’s how to ask for help the right way:

• Realize that people may be happy to help you.
  People are often flattered that you’ve asked them for their expertise. So, don’t be nervous.
• Practice or role-play how you’ll ask.
  Realize that your body language sometimes says far more than your words. Also control your words and emotions. If you become anxious or babbling or intimidating , it may not only damage your reputation but it can make the other person reluctant to help.
• Explain what steps you’ve already taken.
  This shows that you’ve done what you sensibly can to resolve the situation yourself.
• Develop possible solutions on your own.
  For instance, don’t say, “I can’t handle my workload.” Instead say, “I think that handing over Project X to Karen will help me to put my full focus on Projects Y and Z.”
• Be specific about what you need.
  Don’t make a vague request such as, “I need help with this report.” Instead, explain precisely what you need: “I’m having difficulty creating an Excel template to generate graphs. Can you please help me with that?”
• Show appreciation.
  Always say thank you after someone has helped you. If you’re in a leadership role and a team member gave you much-needed assistance, you might want to offer some type of reward, or at least thank the person in front of the team.
• Offer your help in return.
  Whenever people help you, make sure they know that you’re happy to consider returning the favor if they ever need it.

Career Success Tip:

Most of us will need to ask for help at some point in our careers. This may be difficult, especially for managers, but it shows that we have humility and good judgment. Do a self-assessment first. Learn how to get organized or manage your time better, if this is the source of the problem. If you do need to ask for help, do so when you’re fully in control of your actions and emotions. Be aware of your body language and develop possible solutions that show that you’ve tried to solve the problem yourself. See Are You a Workaholic?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

I attended a conference last week where one of the speakers shared a quote her mother used to tell her. I’ll call it the Principle of Two Hands:

You were given two hands. Use one hand to help yourself and the other to help those around you.

One Hand to Help Yourself

Let’s look at how this principle applies to your work projects. The most obvious way is to take action where you can rather than procrastinate or delay. Procrastination often is a sign of resistance. That which you resist, persists.

Chunk down the project you need to complete and do one piece of it today to start making progress. Once you feel some momentum, you build energy to keep moving forward. If you’ve imagined the project as being too overwhelming, you’ve defeated yourself before you even start. Often the task isn’t as daunting once you get going on it.

Are you feeling stuck or blocked and can’t find your way around a barrier? Have you asked for help or do you think you need to do it on your own? Using one hand to help yourself doesn’t mean you need to do everything by yourself. There are resources all around you. Expand your horizons a bit to see what assistance and resources are available to help you move forward.

Do you need more focus and clarity on next steps to reach an important goal? Often working with a coach helps you shift perspective about a block in your path. Perhaps there’s a mentor or advisor you can call on to provide some insights or shed light on new approaches to take.

Pay attention this week to how you are helping yourself or standing in your own way. Pride can be a motivating force, but ego can hold you back if you think you know it all or can do it alone.

One Hand to Help Others

Give with an open heart and you never know the impact you will have one someone’s life.

• How are you extending your second hand to help others?
• When was the last time you helped someone with their work purely for the sake of helping them succeed?

This week as the effects of Hurricane Sandy unfold, we’re all called to step up and show up as the radiant, magnificent expression of Love in Action.

Extend your hand in loving service to strengthen the chain of caring and kindness.

Bright Blessings.

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

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Dr. Linda Ferguson is a job and life coach, author, and speaker guiding people to move through their stress and challenges quicker so that they can find greater balance and joy.

BUY Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

Sign-Up on Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com for valuable tools to live and work with greater passion and purpose.

I’ve had my current job in accounting for a little over two years. I’m very good at my job to the point where some of my colleagues and friends are urging me to go after a management position.

Having confidence in yourself and your abilities is essential to getting ahead. It helps to establish trust, respect and confidence from others. But first, you must be realistic and honest with yourself. Before you try to convince others of your awesomeness, take some time to evaluate your skills and determine whether you truly are ready to move up to the next level in your career. Asking yourself the following questions is a good way to start.

1. What is the next step in my career path?
You must know where you are going if you ever expect to get there. What is your next career goal? Decide what job title fits the position you’d like to advance to next.

2. What qualifications do I need?
It’s time to do a little research. Go to a popular job-search website and search for openings. What type of education is typically required for this position? Do you need to go back to school for another degree or take some continuing education courses? Are there certifications required that you do not possess? Take steps to obtain the training you need to be qualified for the position.

3. Do I have enough experience?
Sometimes, you need two or three years of experience in one position before you can advance to the next level. But while you are waiting, you can improve the way you are perceived in the organization so you are already positioned to get the job when the time is right.

4. Am I performing at the next level?
Ask your boss for opportunities to work on projects that will stretch your abilities and help you grow. Demonstrate that you are ready to take on more responsibility by taking the initiative without being asked.

5. Do I want to put in the extra effort to manage?
Managing people requires involvement in employee motivation, retention, performance, and a lot of other things that can eat up your focus and your time.

Even if you have the skills, you’ll need to convince higher-up you can do the job. You need to think through your qualifications for the job and be ready to spell out the reason why you shroud be “hired” for that position. See Influencing Your Boss and Influencing Up.

Career Success Tip:

If you want to further your career but do not have the skills and experience to get that promotion, there are things you can do both inside and outside of your organization. Talk with your supervisor about your goals. Perhaps you brush up with professional development courses or work on projects that give you greater visibility. Volunteer work can add to your resume if you take on leadership roles in well-respected organizations.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

PART 1

Before I hit the send button to officially submit my proposal in the contest, I printed off the proposal along with my book cover. I went outside on this gorgeous summer day and in bare feet walked our labyrinth. As I did this, I prayed to God and the angels for gratitude in blessing me with writing this book. Then symbolically and spiritually I gave it to them, releasing it now in their hands. This picture I took as I felt the divine light shining upon me when was doing this.

PART 2 – Flying High

Part 3 – Nice Try

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.

Stressful situations are all too common in a workplace that’s facing budget cuts, staff layoffs, and department changes. It may become harder and harder to manage your stress and emotions under these circumstances, but it’s even more important for you to do so.

Here are seven strategies to help you deal with frustrations, irritations, worry, anger and disappointments so you won’t have an emotional meltdown.

1. Stop and evaluate.
Ask yourself why you feel frustrated. Write it down, and be specific. For example, you’re wasting time and could be finishing a report. Then think of one positive thing about your current situation. For instance, if your boss is late for your meeting, then you have more time to prepare or time to catch up on emails.

2. Focus on how to improve the situation.
If you just received a not so good performance review, probably fretting or complaining about it won’t help you keep your job. Instead, bring to your boss a concrete action plan for improvement. This is the time to be visible, to be valuable and showcase your variety of skills.

3. Avoid negative people.
If co-workers gather in the break room to gossip about job cuts or management changes or whatever, don’t go there and worry with everyone else. It doesn’t change the situation. It just aggravates it! Rather, surround yourself with more positive, upbeat folks.

4. Be professional, no matter what.
If you have to work with someone you don’t get along with, set aside your dislike or irritation. Act courteously and focus on the work that needs to get done. Besides that person may have something you need in the future.

5. Remain calm.
Negative criticism can give rise to anger or feelings of inadequacy. Expressing these emotions will put you, not the critic, in a negative position. When the hammer drops, pause, take a couple of deep breaths to settle down and decide how to respond. One way is to go into active listening by replying, “So what you’re saying is……Can you explain…….”

6. Pull back.
Take a moment to realize that things won’t always go your way. If they did, life would be a straight road instead of one with hills and valleys, ups and downs. And it’s the hills and valleys that often make life so interesting.

7. Smile!
Strange as it may sound, forcing a smile – or even a grimace – onto your face can often make you feel happy (this is one of the strange ways in which we humans are ‘wired.’) Try it – you may be surprised!

Career Success Tip:

We all have to deal with negative emotions at work basically because certain people or situations “get” to us. Coping with these feelings – developing emotional intelligence – is now more important than ever. A person out of control is not a person who wins friends or influences people. It also can bring down your career. Also see Job Stress Tips.

I’m always inspired by Jeffrey Swartz, former CEO of Timberland Co. He understands that who you are being at work matters just as much as the activities that you do.

I’ve often pondered the interplay of Beings and Doing. Our work world puts waaaaaaay more emphasis on doing- being productive, keeping busy, meeting deadlines, accountability for performance. How many performance appraisals give weight to Who You Are Being at work? …..What gets rewarded gets repeated.

So why not reward who you are being that supports a positive workplace? Think of how many projects get derailed because people don’t get along or can’t stand each other! If managers and executives paid more attention to who staff are being , it would help teams be more productive.

Notice this week how much energy you give to what you do vs. who you are being.

• Are you being kind?
• Are you being gracious?
• Are you being open-minded and open-hearted?

I love to share this story of how Jeffrey Swartz realized that who he was being as CEO of a Fortune 500 company was just as important as what he was doing.

Enjoy! Leave a comment below to let me know what you think of his moment of awakening.

Here’s a Special Bonus– This interview with Jeff shows his commitment to his faith and his belief that businesses play a vital role in social justice. He shares his views that engaged consumerism is the key to social change- “Interview with Jeffrey Swartz”

I am grateful for his commitment to corporate social responsibility and his understanding that work and spiritual life are interconnected.

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

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Sign-up on Linda’s website- www.lindajferguson.com to receive other valuable tools for living and working with heart.

Click to buy Linda’s 10^th Anniversary edition of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

Don’t say hello to your new job until you say a warm good bye to your old one.

There’s a lot to think about when you change jobs whether it’s because of a promotion, or a department change, or a move to a new organization. It’s an exciting time, but what can you do to make the transition go smoothly for you, and easier on the people you leave behind?

What should you do before you leave? Here’ are nine practical actions for your ‘to do’ list:

1. Bring your projects up to date.You can’t always complete every project before making a transition, but if you finish as much as you can, this will make life easier on the person who takes your place.
2. Prepare a report for your replacement. Detail what this person needs to know: future projects, who your clients are (and their contact information), tasks you recently completed, and how you did them and anything else that’s important.
3. Share ‘inside’ information. Think about what you know now that you didn’t know when you started this position. For example, if you’re in charge of ordering supplies, it might have taken you months, or years, to figure out which vendors give the best deals. Or there may be an administrative procedure that saves you time.
4. Take a copy with you. When you move departments, take with you to the new job an electronic copy of all the documents you prepare for the old job, containing details of where the files are, and the status of ongoing projects, etc. If your successor hasn’t started by the time you leave, or if the new person loses the background material you left behind, you’ll be able to help quickly, with a minimum of annoyance to you, when they track you down to ask about files and project status.
5. Help train your replacement. If you have the opportunity, this will ease the stress on both your boss and the person taking over from you. If your replacement hasn’t yet been chosen, consider briefing another team member who may temporarily take your place.
6. Contact key business associates. Let clients, vendors, and other key people know when your last day is, and whom they should contact after you’ve gone. Then they won’t be confused or frustrated if they try to reach you, and weren’t told of the personnel change.
7. Don’t brag. Don’t boast about your new position, say how happy you are to ‘get out of here,’ or talk about your higher salary. This is likely to leave a bad impression with your co-workers. Remember, they’re the ones staying behind. Be considerate.
8. Don’t make enemies on your way out. Keep your negative impressions about your boss, co-workers and peers to yourself. Also don’t bad mouth the company – it’s policies or programs. Leave with a good impression.
9. Say ‘thank you’ . If there are people who helped you at work, thank them. Be specific. For example, you couldn’t have completed a project without someone’s expertise.

Career Success Tip:

Job transitions can be stressful. However, by taking the time to prepare for closure, you can reduce the impact on both you and your team. Leave a good impression and don’t make any enemies on your way out. Remember, you never know when you might work with your former team members or boss or peers again. So don’t burn bridges that may come back to haunt you.

I’ve given presentations on spirituality at work to groups all across the country. Since spirituality means such different things to different people, I like to share a framework to help people understand one way to work spiritually. I offer this framework in my first book, “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”. In the chapter on spirituality vs. religion, I share a diagram for aligning your gifts, passion, and purpose in loving service for others.

Below is a video from a presentation I gave to a group of business people who really appreciated learning my approach to spirituality at work.

In this video I share my framework for how you can show up spiritually in your work. You’ll hear one of my favorite stories of a young manager who learned what loving service is all about.

Enjoy the video and spend some time this week thinking about how you are, or are not, aligning your gifts with your passion and purpose.

http://youtu.be/2kJXBchNJjk

The Light within me Radiates the Light within you.

– Namaste

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

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Linda J. Ferguson is the Author of “Path for Greatness: Work as Spiritual Service”.

Share this blog post with friends and colleagues if it spoke to you.

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