Group Think

I've had the opportunity to facilitate a Master Mind group over the last few months and saw first hand, once again, the power that "group think" has. Amazing results in members' personal and professional lives were had, along with great fun and new friendships.

We met every other week in person, each briefly reviewed our last 2 week's activities toward the goals we'd set at the beginning of our program, brainstormed any hot issues, then set the next 2 week's action items. Email follow up with the accountability reminders were sent during the in-between-meetings weeks. Most importantly, we encouraged, affirmed, and supported each other along the way.

So, why not consider gathering a group for one of my coaching programs? Do you have some friends who are thinking of making a career transition? Some co-workers who want to improve their performance? Some colleagues who want to move ahead in their lives personally and professionally?

If you are willing to share with others and gain the benefit of hearing what they think about your common situations, let's put the power of groups to work in your life!

Contact me and let's talk about what location, frequency of meetings, and content would help your group make headway and move forward!

760-941-5166 Debbie@LousbergUnlimited.com

Weekly Workplace Wisdom, May 10th

“People are as happy as they make up their minds to be” –Abraham Lincoln

Step Into It!
Choose today to be happy, to be successful, to be a leader. You have the power to make each day of your life the best it can possibly be. Hold your goals and values dear to your heart and always move in their direction. It all starts with the power of choice. Choose the best for yourself today.

Weekly Workplace Wisdom, May 3rd

“You can’t succeed by yourself. There are no rich hermits.”
(as seen on local company marquis)

Step Into It!
Something about work got you baffled? Reach out for help. There’s someone with just the right expertise with exactly the advice you need. There’s nothing like an objective opinion to open our eyes and see things in a new light. Don’t forget the people who’ve helped you get to this point and send a thank you their way.

Weekly Workplace Wisdom, April 28th

“Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”
~Arnold H. Glasow

Step Into It!
What motivates you? What cause or passion ignites that fire within? Can you integrate these things into your work? Think of the activities currently in your work life that empower you and figure out how to do more of them. Set yourself on fire and head toward success!

Not Just any Job, the RIGHT Job!

Most job seekers jump right to updating their resume as their first step in the search process. Most employees and entrepreneurs get engrossed in their day-to-day activities and have time for little else. There’s an important piece of your professional life that needs to be performed regularly in order to ensure that your work will keep you satisfied and successful for the long term: Take time to assess your current career path or your potential new job, and its match to what makes you happy.

For Job Seekers: Jumping into the first opportunity that comes along without evaluating your own strengths, preferences, wants and needs can lead to discontent and disillusionment at work. Take control of your search, own some power in the job search process and find a position that excites you, uses your best attributes, and provides you with meaning and satisfaction. Even if you feel that you must accept the next offer, you can ensure that at least you’ll be a few steps closer to your ideal job by self assessing.

For Employees and Entrepreneurs: It’s so easy to get on that treadmill day after day and not take time to step back to see the big picture of your work life. Take a long break or a personal retreat afternoon and evaluate where you are professionally and where you’re heading. Make sure you’re getting your needs met – gratification, acknowledgement, support, positive challenge, and rewards. Make some adjustments where needed and put yourself on the track of a meaningful career.

Get out pen and paper and answer these questions:

What work-related activities are you naturally good at doing?
What tasks have you been recognized for by co-workers and supervisors?
What types of things do you learn quickly?
What are some of your greatest career accomplishments?
List your favorite aspects of your last job which you’d like to experience again.
Define your hard and soft skills; prioritize them in order of preference.
What adjectives and phrases best describe you? How would your colleagues describe you?
What were outcomes of any formal career assessments you’ve taken?
What did you want to be when you were in school?
What interests and hobbies do you have now?
List your work-related values – those things that matter most to you on the job.
What are your personal requirements around factors such as salary, benefits, commute time, size of company, work hours, management style, company culture, and dress code?

Write your answers down. There’s something very powerful about getting an idea out of your head and onto paper. This tangible document, like a Job Search Journal, creates a road map and plan for creating the kind of work life you desire. Take time to get to the bottom of these questions and see what patterns emerge. Your answers are all keys to your strengths, passions, times and places where you are happiest. There is where your work should be centered.

For even more insight, take a formal assessment, such as the Myers Briggs Type Indicator, and add the results to your own self-discoveries for more clarity about your right and perfect work.

Self assessment provides you with information easily overlooked or forgotten once we get into our daily routines. Reminding yourself of when you are at your best and performing at your highest will boost your confidence and focus your job search or job performance. Spend some time on the most important person in your life – YOU – and make sure you’re in not just any job, but the RIGHT job!

Weekly Workplace Wisdom, April 12

"Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new."
--Og Mandino, Author

Step Into It!
Set out to learn something new this week. Find out about training classes to improve your skills, ask someone in the know to explain those mysterious technology features on your phone, read a biography of an interesting person in history. Learning is easy, fun, good for your health and career, and causes you to grow in so many ways. Never stop learning!

Building a Foundation of Self Confidence

Think about the times when you feel most confident at work. Is it when you’re running a staff meeting, analyzing reports, or talking with your customers? These situations are where your strengths and talents shine through and you handle them easily and effortlessly. Now think of the times when you are uncomfortable – making a formal presentation, meeting with a prospective customer, or interviewing job candidates, for instance. Drawing on self confidence in these situations can calm our nerves and give us the ability to face new things head-on. Others’ perception of us is their reality, so do all you can to influence them positively! Napoleon Hill says in Step 3 of his Self Confidence Formula (see below) to devote 10 minutes a day on developing it. Here are some ideas on how to do so:

Vocabulary: Listen to the words you use and how you speak of yourself, especially when nervous. Downplaying successes and pooh-poohing compliments send messages about our confidence level to others. Stay positive, self-supportive, and remember your previous achievements.

Self-Talk: What do you say to yourself when you make a mistake or are faced with a new challenge? Feeding your mind positive, loving thoughts about yourself are just as important as feeding your body with good food and exercise. Create some affirmations to help you through tough spots – “I am capable and confident”…”I handle new situations easily”. Appreciate your own best qualities and strengths.

Be Present: Put away distractions, especially all things that light up, beep and buzz. Be present with the person you’re meeting with – listen, interact, and make them your priority at that moment. Being fully present with them is truly a foundation for solid business relationships.

Posture: Pay attention to how you sit and stand when doing something unfamiliar. Take a stance that tells people you’re open to receiving information and input, while keeping in mind what accomplishments and benefits you already bring to the table.

Voice: In addition to words, pay attention to how you sound. Speaking calmly and confidently at a steady volume conveys trustworthiness and competence. Record yourself speaking before you enter into new territory.

Appearance: Be comfortable in your professional attire. Fidgeting with a stiff collar or itchy fabric will detract from your verbal message. Sometimes that tried and true older garment is better than something expensive and new. Dry clean, mend, iron and polish it up to make a great first impression.

Eye contact: Look people in the eye even when you’re uncomfortable. Making a connection via the eyes settles everyone’s uneasiness and helps express sincerity, openness, and interest.

Accomplishments: Remind yourself of what you’ve done successfully in the past. Chances are that you’ll pull from that previous experience to help you push through any new unfamiliar ones. Keep a running list of monthly successes and review it often and definitely before stepping into a new event.

Visualize: Close your eyes and imagine the task ahead already successfully accomplished. Do what the athletes do – play it out in your mind over and over again, so when the actual time comes, you’re comfortable and exude confidence.

Forgive & Forget: Get over any past mistakes that may hold you back as you encounter this new challenge. Think about it one last time, talk it out, forgive the parties involved, and let it go. Don’t carry it into what can be an exciting future.

Practice all these things and your confidence will soar. People will want to do business with you, have you handle their accounts, make referrals to you – all because of the way you come across and make them feel.

Having confidence helps us grow personally and professionally, and create dynamic exciting lives with new challenges and positive outcomes. By building confidence, you will carry yourself with respect and dignity, better connect with employees, customers and colleagues, and build a life of integrity.