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Challenge Yourself

June 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Do not sit back and let the world pass you by, challenge yourself.  It is the best way to discover something new.  It is an opportunity to see what you really can do.  In the challenge process you might learn something too.  This is why I recommend that you challenge yourself.

That is exactly what I did as a member of the 30 day blog challenge.  I have been learning from Jeanette Cates for a number of years, so when she mentioned a 30 day blog challenge I knew it would be work.  Dr. Cates is all about getting it done, taking action and obtaining a specific outcome.   But 30 days of posting to my blog, I thought that was going to be impossible for me.  I am a speaker, consultant, coach and not a big writer (so I thought).  Besides what was I going to write about every day?

Well I must tell you that the 30 day blog challenge has been one of the most productive things I have done this year.  Not only did I meet a number of interesting people, share information, discover new things, but the blog challenge forced me to be more creative.  I found that I was running out of things to write so I took my flip camera with me and did what came naturally for me, talk.  I found a number of interesting things to talk about right in my community, videotaped myself and then wrote a post about the topic.  Was it time consuming, yes because I wanted it to be perfect, (type “A” personality) but it was so rewarding.

If you are looking for an opportunity to expand your mind, become more creative and inspire yourself to write on a daily consistent basis then the 30 day blog challenge is for you.  If you do not think you could do it then that is even more of a reason to do it.  Why?  Because that is exactly what I thought and I made it, 30 posts in 30 days, doing a post for each individual day and not missing one.  If I can do it you can too.  If there is another 30 day blog challenge you want to make sure you join it.  I highly recommend it.  Thank you Dr. Janette Cates for helping me boost my creativity by joining you in the 30 day blog challenge.

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Who Ate Chicken Little

June 29, 2010 By 7 Comments

While reading a fellow blog challenge member’s blog a memory came back to me that I would like to share.  The blogger Rob of “The Mid Life Opportunity” blog posted an article on “Leaving the Rat Race – The Mid Life Devil’s Advocate View” which spoke about raising livestock, chickens and pigs, for meals as a cost saving measure.
The entire concept brought me back to a story that my mother shared with me.  She told me she received a chick for Easter when she was a little girl.  This was a customary practice for a number of people to do at Easter for their children.   My mother named the chick, Chicken Little. Usually the chick would run around the house for a little while and then die.  But Chicken Little did not die but grew up to become a chicken. When it was large enough to eat her grandmother killed it and had it for dinner.

My mother’s aunt who lived with my mother and her grandmother could not bring herself to eat Chicken Little.  The fact that was Chicken Little was considered a pet by my mother’s aunt and an animal rose to serve as a meal by the rest of the family. It is a mindset and it is your mindset that will determine what you will do.

So I ask you if this was the situation today in your family and you were raising an animal who some people in your family considered as a pet, would you kill and eat it.  Just to finish the story my mother and everyone else in the family, except her aunt, ate Chicken Little.  Her grandmother said that “Chicken Little was smooth like butter”, when she was eating it.  Not everyone could eat Chicken Little but when you are hungry there is not much choice.  So I ask you again would you eat Chicken Little?  Please share your comments below.

Filed Under: Humor, Relationship, Video Tagged With: , , ,

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up

June 28, 2010 By 14 Comments

When we were little kids we had all kind of ideas of what we wanted to be but very few of us ended up being that person.  Some wanted to be a fireman, doctor, nurse, teacher why, because those were the people we came in contact with.   The truth is we should have looked at what we enjoyed doing to as children and pursued that.

Is it too late to do now?  Of course not but you need to be focused in the process.  It will take a little reflection and memory searching to find out what you enjoyed.  An easy way to speed up the process is to ask people who are old enough to remember what you enjoyed.  That person might have been an uncle, parent, or grandparent, make sure it is someone who spent a lot of time with you growing up.

Tap into that knowledge and use it to your best advantage.  After you discover what you enjoyed apply it to your current life and think of how that would apply.  One of the things that helped me in this process was the book Strength Finders 2.0.  Reading this book and taking the test in the back will reveal your top 5 strengths.  You want to make sure that you purchase the book new, because the test in the back of the book is only good to use once. With this information you can take an objective look at your life and discover how you can apply your strengths.

Working from a position of strength makes you more productive and confidant.  You feel empowered when you are using your strengths.  Do not spend time on your weaknesses.  You may have to develop a process to manage them but do not spend time trying to improve them.  You will get more leverage by spending time focused of developing your strengths.

I would be happy to help you in your strength finding journey.  I recommend that you purchase the book and give me a call after you have taken the test.  Send me an e mail or a message on my contact form to tell me what your top 5 strengths are.  I would be happy to work with you.

Filed Under: Business, Leadership, Your Talents Tagged With: , , , , ,

Your Business Card

June 27, 2010 By 8 Comments

Do you have a business card?  If you do not you need to get one.  You do not want to attend a networking group or interview without one.    Your business card says something about who you are.  It should have your name, title, email and phone number at the least on it.  Some people like to place a saying about their business or what they are known for on the back of the card.

I thought this was a good idea and use to have a saying on the back of my business card until it was suggested that I leave the back of the card blank.  This was done to allow the person who I left the card with a place for them to write a note on the back of my card.  People write where they met you,  their impression, or as a reminder to send your some type of communication.  I left the back of my business card blank from that time forward.

I recommend using a high quality stock paper for your business card and recommend getting the card laminated too.  Your business card will feel rich in hands of the person you give it to and leave a good first impression. Be sure to obtain the business card of the person you are speaking too.  It is an opportunity for you to reach them again in the future.

Filed Under: First Impression, Job Search, Video Tagged With: , , ,

A Resume Folder

June 26, 2010 By 4 Comments

Do you have a folder for your resume?  If not I recommend that you get one.  It is an opportunity to stand out of the crowd.  Remember you are trying to become not only memorable but unforgettable. By placing your resume in a resume folder you are saying that you take care and forethought in presenting yourself.

I suggest getting a resume folder that is color coordinated with your resume.  I like to use Ivory 20 to 24 pound bonded paper.  If you go to an office supply store you will be able to purchase a matching resume folder.  Why do I suggest Ivory over White colored paper?  Ivory color is easier on the eyes of the reader.  It is your goal to make your correspondence, cover letter and resume as easy to read as possible.

If you are on an interview you want to ensure that you have a least five copies of your resume with you.  Why? You do not know how many people you will be interviewing with.  You would like to give each person a copy of your resume.  Asking that the interviewers make copies of your resume says to the interviewer that you came unprepared.  Do you want that to be the impression you leave with the interviewer?  I do not think so.

Being prepared means that you also have copies of your references.  Why?  Your interview might go so well they may make you the offer and ask you for them.  You may be asked to complete an application for employment and they want to do a background check.  Either way you are prepared and do not have to think about who you would use and what their correct contact information.

Being prepared for the interview will only work to your benefit in the long run.  Feel free to add your comments below.  I enjoy hearing from you and answering any questions you may have.

Filed Under: Resume, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

A Cover Letter That Fits You to a T

June 25, 2010 By 2 Comments

A cover letter is like a calling card for the job seeker. It is the first impression that the Human Resource professional will get about you.   This is why it is so very important that you ensure your cover letter presents you in the best way possible.

Let’s think about this for a moment.  If you were the Human Resource professional looking at cover letters what would you like to see?  I believe you would like to see a well organized, cover letter on a quality bonded paper, with no less than 12 point type.  I would recommend that the cover letter text be typed in a sans serif font which will make it easy to read.

How many cover letters do you think that a Human Resource professional will look at in a day?  40, 60, they can look at more than 100 letters and resumes in a day.  With so many cover letters passing through their fingers how do you increase the odds of your cover letter being chosen?  You make it easy for the reader to see that you have exactly what they are looking for to fill the vacant position.  Makes sense does it not.

The best way to do this is to include in the first sentence of your letter the name of the position with any reference numbers associated with the job posting.  The next step is to draw a two column table in your word document.  On the left hand side the table heading will be “Position Requirements” and the right hand column heading will read “My Qualifications”.

Under the “Position Requirements” heading you are going to review the job offer and review each job requirement in its own individual row (similar to a grocery list). In the “My Qualifications” column you are going to write how your experience meets the qualifications of each specific job requirement.  This format is commonly called the T letter, because of the headings of the two columns with a line between looks like the letter T.  It is the best way that I know relate your experience to the job and make it easy to read in a cover letter.

We are not finished yet.  To write a cover letter that will fit you to a T you must relate your value in it.  Your value is not the job but rather the result of you accomplishing the job.  For example, if the job requirement says, “handles phone call and greets customers” your qualifications may read, “excellent customer service skills, focused on exceeding customer’s expectations on the telephone and in person greeting everyone with a smile.”  This shows the result of you doing the job which is the benefit of hiring you over someone else. You do not want to answer, “Customer receptionist and greeter” because even though you are it does not relate to the experience the customer will receive from hiring you to do that job in this new company.

You want to communicate a message that relays the value and the experience the customer will have from the company hiring you.  Remember the company wants to hire you for the value you will bring to the organization.  Making it easier for the reader to see your qualification as they directly relate to the specific job requirements is the best way I know to get you to the next step in the hiring process.  Best of luck with your next cover letter and make sure that your cover letter fits you to a T.

Filed Under: Business, First Impression, Job Search, Resume Tagged With: , , , , ,

Food For Thought

June 24, 2010 By 4 Comments

Have you ever heard of a business allowing a competitor to come into their physical plant and run their business out of the same physical plant?  Well that is exactly what Mr. Lawrence Hackney owner of the Wood Pit BBQ restaurant did.  A fellow competitor, James Turner, who owned a restaurant and catering business in Newark, New Jersey, saw his business go up in smoke as a result of a fire which started next door to his restaurant.   Mr. Turner had clients like Prudential that he had contacted to serve and no place to do business.

Mr. Tuner first found refuge in a church kitchen in Newark, but it did not have a smoker and his specialty is smoked BBQ.  In stepped a retired municipal court judge, Ernest R. Booker who frequented both BBQ restaurants.  Mr. Booker informed Mr. Hackney of the fire that Mr. Turner had experienced and wondered if he would consider helping Mr. Turner out.  Mr. Hackney reached out to Mr. Turner and said “Listen, I have a barbecue pit and two smokers. You’re welcome to smoke your meats.”  This began an unlikely pairing of two competitors working together in harmony for the better good.  You can read more  about this story at New Jersey.com

Why share this story?  To illustrate a point that we all know about but rarely see in the business world today, genuine care and concern for one another even if that person is a competitor.  As leaders in the organizations and companies which we have responsibility for leading this would be considered counter intuitive, but I would like to challenge you to look at this from a different prospective.  Not the prospective of destroying your competitor but rather partnering and growing with your competitor.

Partnering with a competitor in today’s economy will not only help save jobs and reduce unemployment but it also says something about you as an individual and the mission of your company.  Having more competition in the market place makes our economy stronger and will ultimately result in a wider variety of products going to market.  I believe that we have to stop thinking about limitations as leaders of companies and organizations but rather look at the possibilities of alternatives never attempted before.

Following the example of The Wood Pit owner, Mr. Lawrence Hackney, we all would benefit if businesses looked for opportunities to partner with businesses which may suffer the loss of closing down permanently.  The fact that this is not usually done, but it feels right to do is the reason that we should.  This is why my mastermind group decided to meet at The Wood Pit BBQ Restaurant.   We learned about the story from one of our members Pat Ferdinandi and thought that this would be an excellent place for us to meet.  You see in our master mind group we are all speakers so you might think that we are in competition.  This could not be further from the truth.  We share information with each other in an effort to make us better in our own speaking businesses.

This may sound counter intuitive, but it really is not.  We believe there are a number of clients who can benefit from our individual services and topics.  We improve individually by providing the best information in our own unique styles to our clients.  So we are not really in competition, because we are all individuals with our own unique way of presenting.    The advantage of sharing information allows us to reduce our learning curve through our own unique experiences that we openly share with each other.  This is the same thing that Mr. Hackney did with Mr. Turner.

I would like to leave you with this food for thought.  What kind of city state or country would we have if every business realized that they would benefit from a collaborative working relationship with potentially faltering competitors?  Just take a moment to think about this question.  If you live anywhere near Montclair, NJ I would urge you to visit The Wood Pit BBQ Restaurant.   It is worth the trip, some of the best BBQ I have ever had, and the sauce is out of this world.  Besides, a leader who willingly would help competitor in the same line of business is running a business that we all should support.

Filed Under: Business, Leadership, Relationship, Speaking, Video Tagged With: , , , , ,

Do You Have A Mastermind Group

June 23, 2010 By 4 Comments

Do you have a mastermind group?  Not sure what it is? A master mind is a group of like minded individuals who share common interest.  They are willing to meet with each other on a regular basis and assist in supporting and holding each other accountable to reaching their goals.

The best thing is this can be a focused, high energy group that can provide insight that any one individual would not be able to obtain if they were just brain storming alone.  Having other people who share the same interest provides synergy and helps everyone benefit from various points of view on the same topic.

I am a member of a master mind group of speakers who are looking at expanding their impact in the various markets they speak.  We share a number of things in common, we are members of Toastmaster International, we have competed in speech competitions (even competed against one another), and we enjoy sharing information with each other.

The size of the mastermind group is important.  We started with a size of 5 and grew to 7 although we normally have around 5 people attend when we meet do to schedules and time constraints.  Our gender makeup is one female and six males.  One of the things that we enjoy is meeting over lunch and making it a working meeting.  We have selected restaurants which have free WIFI and bring our lap top computers.  This allows us to show our group members specific sites and tools on the internet we use and how they work.

Having a mastermind group is very similar to the study group I had in graduate school.  We want to ensure that the group is successful because our personal success is tied to the group.  We find that each of us has an area of expertise that we have to offer the group and benefit from the open sharing of this information.

Do you need a mastermind group? Only if you are looking to reduce your learning curve by leveraging the knowledge of like minded individuals who are focused on being successful.  And the best thing about the development of a mastermind group is that it is free.  Our payment to each other is our time and open sharing of information.  We like to meet over food because it allows us to develop our relationship with each other and make the work that we do together more enjoyable.

The most important part of development of a mastermind group is the outlook of the members.  Everyone must agree to respect each other’s opinion and be open to comments made by others.  Just like in the development of any group you may experience the various stages of forming, storming, norming and then performing.  If the group members are selected correctly the storming stage should be minimized by the desire for the group to be successful.  It is the need for the mutual exchange of ideas that drives the group.

If you are looking to reduce your errors, help others, open to new ideas, and have a true desire for success then a master mind group is for you.  I encourage you to find out more about it. Start a small group and meet.  If you have a question about how to start a mastermind group please feel free to contact me.  I would be happy to help you.

Filed Under: Business, Leadership, Relationship, Speaking Tagged With: , , , , ,

What is Your Brand Identity

June 22, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Have you considered what your brand identity is for your business?  What are you known for in the market place and how do your clients connect the fact that you offer what they need?  These are important questions that you need to answer and how you answer them can have a dramatic impact on the success of your business.

What would you say if I told you for less than $100 you can have the opportunity to find out the answer to these and a number of other questions on branding that can have a positive impact on your business?    My friend Lethia Ownes is travelling across the country conducting a 7 city tour to help you answer these questions in a seminar in a city near you.  In fact her tour will reach the half mark this weekend with her appearance in Baltimore.

Are you near or can you travel to the Baltimore area this weekend to hear her?  I highly recommend it. You can find out information at the Irresistible Brand 7 City Tour. For a limited time you may have the opportunity to bring a guest for free.  That is right, buy one ticket and bring a guest along at no additional cost.  If you have not had the pleasure of hearing Lethia speak here is a video of her discussing the Irresistible Brand 7 City Tour.

I hope that you enjoyed the video.  Take a look to find out more about this unique opportunity to listen to a certified Personal Brand and Social Media Strategist talk about developing Your Irresistible Brand.

Filed Under: Branding, Business, Relationship, Soical Media, Video Tagged With: , , , ,

Do Not Overlook The Details

June 21, 2010 By 4 Comments

We all have heard that we need to dress for success and I would like to clarify this statement.  Dressing for success might mean different things to different people.  Some people think of dressing for success as wearing a suit with a white shirt and tie if you are a man or a suit jacket and skirt if you are a woman.  This is true but we need to look a little deeper and pay attention to the details.

Shoes – What type of shoes are you wearing?  Depending on the culture of the organization that you are planning to do business with or going on a job interview will determine the type of shoe you wear.  This is especially true for women.  You do not want to wear too high of a heel especially if the office standard dress is conservative.  Men should make sure that their shoes are polished and absent of any marks or blemishes.  You may consider carrying a disposable neutral color shoe shine packet in your pocket just in case your shoes get scared in your travels.

Cleaners – Prepare yourself for the meeting in advance by placing your suit for this meeting in the cleaners.  Ideally you want to wear the outfit that was newly cleaned.  This will ensure that it is pressed and will present you in the best possible light.

Eat in Your Undies – Now I know this might sound strange but I recommend that you eat breakfast before you get dressed for the meeting.  This will prevent you from spilling something on the outfit you are going to wear.  It would be bad if you spilled something on your outfit for the day and had to wipe it off.  But worse than that, you might spill something and not be aware of it.  Eating and doing your morning preparations, brushing your teeth and the like should be done prior to dressing in the outfit that you plan to wear for the day.

Paying attention to these details will help you dress to make a good first impression.   Please feel free to share tips and strategies that you use when dressing for an important business meeting.

Filed Under: Business, First Impression Tagged With: , , , ,
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