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This is a Time to Be Grateful,
Reflective
 We’re well into 2009 and considering the economic circumstances,
it’s time we all sit back and reflect on our lives, both
professionally and personally. Understanding where you are and where
you’ve been will help you choose the right path to follow for the
future.
7 Things to think about:
- In the last year, have you grown as
a person?
- What do you consider your greatest
accomplishment?
- Where have you run into challenges
recently?
- What lessons did you learn from
these challenges and how can you avoid them in the future?
- Make a list of the things you are
proud of and grateful for.
- What recent decisions improved your
life?
- Pinpoint an area in your life that
you would like to improve.
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More than 65% of people end up getting jobs through networking.
The hardest part of networking is your own internal resistance. Out
of shyness, many people avoid going to networking events. With a
little preparation, you can overcome your reluctance. Here
are a couple of questions you should ask yourself before your next
networking event:
What do you have to offer others? Take a few minutes to
think about what your individual strengths and assets are. When you
speak to people at networking events, it's helpful to give everyone
you meet an explanation of what you can do for them. When people
understand what you have to offer, you've established a good
starting point for future conversations. Knowing what your strengths
are will also help you feel more confident.
Whom do you need to know to get where you want to go? Where
can you find those people? With the tough economy, don’t hesitate to be out there meeting others—it’s a lot more productive than sitting behind a computer.
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Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcom Gladwell, (author of Tippping Point and Blink)
Of all of Gladwell’s books, this has been my favorite. It's an easy and interesting read.
As a coach who helps people with career and life issues, I have always been fascinated by what
it is that makes people successful. Is it their abilities? Their motivation? Family?
While factors like family, education, and environment are certainly helpful, Gladwell's book illustrates that many of the factors that lead to success are "outliers," or "something that is situated away from or classed differently from a main or related body."
Gladwell investigates many successful people and, contrary to popular belief, illustrates that
many of the factors we normally consider essential to success
- like education at an Ivy league university or exceptional IQ -
are actually not a factor in determining success.
One of my favorite stories from Outliers is that of the
Beatles. When they came to the USA in 1964, they were well
received and immediate stars. Did this success happen
over night? Not at all. By the time the Beatles had arrived in the United
States, they had already performed together 1200 times. That is most unusual for bands,
and likely a major factor in their success. By practicing together
so many times, they kept learning and were motivated to get better.
Practice and mastering your craft, according to Gladwell, are
more important than all other factors.
In my mind, the key is to understand there are many factors for success
- one can never have enough practice or contacts. As Daniel Pink and Rob Ten Pas say in
Johnny Bunko- the Last Career Guide You’ll ever Need “Persistence trumps Talent”.
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Do you know someone who wants a new career direction? Has been laid off? Is confused? Might want to go back to school?
Have them call us at Career Matters.
We help people find their gifts and their directions. We work with people from
16 –90.
We offer testing, coaching, help with resumes and networking, finding jobs and interview skills
Call (720)489-9409 or visit AnneAngerman.com.
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