Schedule Bulging Managing Career and Personal Time

Schedule Bulging Managing Career and Personal Time By Jacqui Barrett-PoindexterEvery day is filled with the same number of hours: 24. So why is it that some people think that magically, another two to three hours will somehow materialize?While you can find ways to make your life more efficientâ€"to think more quickly and to get more to-dos checked off your  list  in a limited amount of timeâ€"the reality is, you can only move so fast and get so much completed.When you try to squeeze just one more thing into an already bulging schedule, the result often is that something gets lost in the shuffle, or quality of results suffer. The longer-term loss is that your reputation takes a beating and the level of trust in your word plummets.Making the best use of your time is not easy, but it is a worthy challenge. If youre ready to tame the time-management beast, check out these three suggestions:1.  Stop saying, Lets get together.  Before tweeting, Facebooking, or emailing your enthusiasm to meet up, chat, Skype, or phone another person, consi der the realities.  Is your schedule so jam-packed  through the next six months that there is no way you would feasibly make time to meet with that other person? Then stop saying those three words, because when you fail to follow-up, your sincerity is put into question.Instead, do this. Show you value the other person in other ways. Read and comment on their blog posts. Be thoughtful. A quick, thoughtless, Youre a rock star, will not suffice. Instead, identify something specific in the post that resonated, or add value, by extending the conversation.Mail them a handwritten card, thanking them for something they did in the past year that made an impression on you. If youre compelled, include a gift card to their favorite coffee shop. You get the driftâ€"show you appreciate the person in a meaningful, specific way.To read the rest of this post over at U.S. News, please visit: How To Tame The Time-Management Beast.

Making Real Connections

Making Real Connections Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'-Z9ixgDOSXtAY2bYrWZz2w',sig:'54aYWeQWHoePt2eBCtBUsPpVSkW0ea9c2_zLkAQIoBw=',w:'509px',h:'339px',items:'935630096',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Confession: I’m an extrovert who dislikes networking events. I like meeting new people, but I find making small talk tedious within a few minutes of arriving. Superficial chat exhausts me, and it’s rare to make a true connection at most business events or parties. Achim Nowack knows why. Nowack is the author of Infectious: How to Connect Deeply and Unleash the Energetic Leader Within. His book outlines the principles of connection and how to form deeper connections with people we know and care about or people we have just met. His first chapter is about conversation, and he says everything we think we know about conversing is wrong, including the first (mis)directive of conversation: Find Common Ground as quickly as possible. Nowack recalls spending time with some young people in a training program. As they bonded through conversation, the subject of music almost always came up. Most of the kids (unsurprisingly) favored rap and hip hop, music that Nowack abhorred. He quickly decided to simply listen to their likes and then talk about the kind of music he liked. “These conversations often became much richer than if we actually liked the same music,” he writes. “It made us dig deep to explain what we liked about our music, how it made us feel, and why we chose to listen to it. How rewarding those conversations were!” The common ground turned out to be why we listen to music, not the music itself. The challenge with these kinds of conversations is that most of us don’t have the vocabulary or the insight to address deeper issues. It requires introspection, something most of us spend almost no time on.  To form thoughtful opinions, we need time, space, and quiet. Those three things are almost completely absent from most people’s busy, loud, screen time-obsessed lives.   Here’s a quick test: if I asked you how your favorite music makes you feel, what would you say? Another sacred cow Nowack takes on is vulnerability. We learn to be wary â€" even fearful of letting others see our flaws. Nowack writes: “My vulnerability may mean that you like me less because I don’t have the answer you seek. You may like me less because I am not the idealized person you desire. You may like me less because I choose not to play nice. You may like me less because I reveal the very flaws you seek to hide within yourself.” So we armor up in social situations, providing a slick and edited version of ourselves that makes it hard for anyone to connect to us authentically. And this is not merely a lack of confidence that we outgrow as we mature; in fact it can get worse as you become more successful. Nowack writes: “The more successful I am in life, the greater the risk in the vulnerable moment. If I screw it up, I can screw up a lot of things, big time. But every time I show up with my social blinds drawn tight, I perpetuate a relationship that keeps out the light. Not taking any risks in showing the personal cracks guarantees that I will be viewed as a business robot that nobody really wants to work with.” Nowack wants to make sure you don’t confuse vulnerability with oversharing; the object isn’t to bare all in front of new acquaintances. Oversharing puts people off and damages your professional image. Being vulnerable is admitting that you might not have all the answers, that you, too, are a work in progress, that you struggle with the same things others do. When you can open up to admit your imperfection, people can open up to you. And together, you can create real, meaningful common ground.

How to Decide

How to Decide In a previous post, I wrote about impediments to making a decision, based on the work of Theodore Isaac Rubin, M.D. Rubin is the author of over 30 books, including Overcoming Indecisiveness; The Eight Stages of Effective Decision Making. He’s a psychiatrist has served as president of the American Institute of Psychoanalysis and has helped thousands of people overcome serious issues. He presents a great blueprint for making decisions, big and small which will be a big help if you’re faced with a career decision. One of the first things that will help, according to Rubin, Is to lose your fear that there is only one “right” and many other “wrong” options. Just about any option can work, he writes, if you can commit to it and take positive action on it. In other words, success or failure isn’t built into the option itself; it depends on your execution.   There may be better options based on different priorities, but almost any solution you will consider will have a defined list of pros and cons that you can judge. Having a defined list of priorities is the key to confident decision making. Your list of priorities might be global (family, health, quality of life) or specific to a decision (no more than a 30-minute commute each day; requires no more than 25% overnight business travel.) Knowing what your values and priorities are helps you evaluate each option carefully and objectively. Agreeing to priorities in advance with the people who matter (your partner or spouse, people who depend on you) will help you stay calm during the evaluation process and give you a common language to discuss or justify a decision. Having confidence in your choice is key to success, Rubin says. “Loyalty to the decision is really loyalty to yourself.” When you choose an option and stick with it, you validate it in your own and others’ eyed; when you don’t decide on an option, you invalidate all the options. So here are the eight steps to making a decision: List and observe all the reasonable options available to you. Don’t be afraid to list options that seem scary or unlikely. Your evaluation process may uncover ways to make them work (or less scary.) Allow a free flow of feelings and thoughts about the options. Which ones scare you? Which ones feel right, if they could work? Don’t dismiss any feelings as wrong; just write down your responses to each option. Observe the list of feelings, thoughts and possible drawbacks to each option. Are there any that stand out as positive and possible? Relate your options to your values and priorities (either global or specific to this decision.) Which one seems to support your values and does not violate any of your agreed upon priorities? Choose. Pick one option and discard the others. Go back to the original definition of a real decision by Dr. Rubin: “a free, unconditional, total, and personal commitment to a choice or an option.” This must be your choice, made under your own power and by your values, and you must commit to it unconditionally for it to work. Register the decision. This does not  mean, according to Rubin, that you take time to evaluate how you feel about it. That would be taking a step back. By registering it, he means that you put yourself on record as having made it. “I am enrolling in the MBA program this fall.” This is also the final step of discarding your emotional attachment to any of the other options. This stage lets you say goodbye to any “woulda, coulda, shoulda” feelings that may linger. Invest in the decision. Start focusing your energy on moving forward. If you made a decision based on something other than your personal values, this is the stage that will give you trouble. If you still want it all and can’t give up on the discarded options’ benefits, you’ll know it here. Investment means you can take the next and final step. Take optimistic action. “Action” means tangible steps toward making the decision successful. If you never take action, the option will die on its own. “Optimistic action” means that you have invested energy and have confidence that you will be successful. Remember, it’s your execution that determines your success. The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want.  (Ben Stein)

Keeping wallets classy and protected against modern chip threats

Keeping wallets classy and protected against modern chip threats Your wallet is probably one of the most important things that you carry around with you on a daily basis. Depending on how much you trust you r wallet, you carry a number of very important items in it ranging from money to documents and cards of different kinds. However, many people are afraid to use wallets because they don’t find them secure anymore. That’s where Ibricraft comes in, as it puts an offer you can’t refuse on the table. RFID secure wallets The wallet is usually where most people choose to store their credit cards. The thing about credit cards today is that they come with a magnetic band that allows the user to simply bring the card close to a scanner in order to complete a purchase. There’s no swiping or inserting involved, and that’s pretty neat. It also poses a serious concern for the user’s security as many scammers and thieves are using this modern technology to their advantage. You can get valuable information off such cards by simply walking with a scanner in hand near an unsuspecting victim. RFID secure wallets are the optimal response ot this threat as they block the scanner’s capability of reading information off the card. Ibricraft hones its skill in providing the best selection of such wallets which aim to keep the user’s pockets secure and full until they choose to go spending of their own accord. Staying classy There’s no reasons why efficiency and aesthetics can’t work together. That’s the mentality behind Ibricraft’s working etiquette and so its selection of wallets comes with classy and aesthetically pleasing designs. Ibricraft puts a lot of emphasis on leather crafting and always works on improving its resolve in this department. As a direct result, the leatherworking on Ibricraft wallets is exquisite and is sure to please. There are several types of leathers and patterns used for the Ibricraft wallet selection, ranging from oiling coating and full grain all the way to cross grain. This gives the consumer all the liberty they need in selecting the kind of wallet that will suit their style best from both a practical and aesthetical perspective. Today, you don’t need to choose between staying protected and staying classy. The best of both worlds can be found in products that provide and high level of quality. If you are using RFID enabled credit cards or cards of any type, you are going to need to make sure that you are completely protected. There’s no reason why you wouldn’t take this opportunity to get something that will compliment your overall appearance and give you a plus of style.

Skills to Add to Resume

Skills to Add to ResumeAn employer may be willing to have you complete an additional section on your resume which highlights the skills you have acquired which would enhance his business. This is a viable option if you feel that you would not be able to finish a section on education that you think is necessary for the position that you are applying for. You can write down the skills that you have gained in business management, professional sales, accounting, general management and other business fields. If you are applying for an executive position, you can provide information on your sales record, employee of the year awards and executive coach certifications.Many employers are looking for a skill or two here. It does not matter if they find it helpful or unhelpful as long as they are included. You will probably have to do some brainstorming for this section and be prepared to write about what you learned and applied to business. The skills that you wrote down will need to be organi zed and listed by skills. You may also want to take some time to research each skill you have taken part in and write about how it will help your new employer.Skills should be clearly defined and grouped into these four sections:The three types of skills that you can add to resume which include:Abilities: These skills are generally gained through work experience, participation in sports, non-profit or volunteer work and are generally what you use every day to get through the day. Ability to communicate and persuade, work well under pressure, an ability to control anxiety, and a willingness to work hard are all examples of abilities that you can list. Ability to make decisions and resolve conflicts is an example of a problem solving skill which can be added to resume. This can be helpful when describing yourself in a job description.Non-profit/sustainable organizations and service work are good examples of organizations that offer skills training and specific needs. Examples include: car repair shops, domestic violence shelters, food pantries, child care centers, bookstores, adoption agencies, community garden organizations, pet owners associations, junior colleges, health and wellness centers, and many more. Many organizations are willing to provide business training and other resources to learn about your particular career.Academic Skills: Academic skills are developed through studying, reading, and performing well in the classroom. Examples of academic skills include: studying for standardized tests, taking tests and exams, completing assignments, completing term papers, reading textbooks, researching the course material and papers. The list of academic skills is almost endless, but examples of skills you can list include: scholastic achievement, academic writing, spelling, mathematical and research skills, and basic vocabulary skills.Skill Acquisition: You can write about the skills that you learned or gained that have aided you in your employment. Examples of this would be your ability to utilize computers effectively, or your application skills.

Never measure employees on metrics they cant control - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Never measure employees on metrics they cant control - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I once?worked with a large insurance company, where the?claims handling employees were measured on a number of factors, including average customer wait time on the phone. This is a very typical metric or KPI for call centers and customer service centers but it suffers from one fundamental flaw: That number is outside of the control of the employees. The math is simple: Wait time depends on how many calls come in?minus the number of calls employees handle. The latter is something employees can control, the first one is completely outside of their control. Wait times = calls coming in how many calls we handle. In the case of this insurance company, employees were busy and wait times were going up because of the weather. An unusually wet summer had resulted in several floods all of which lead to a massive increase in the number of calls coming in. As an employee of?this insurance company you have very little influence on the weather and yet your performance rating is directly?affected?by it. This is patently unfair and a surefire recipe for unhappiness, frustration and stress at work. What happened in this?case was that the claims handling employees would get a weekly email with a red graph showing how much they were falling behind on their KPIs. This graph was also proudly displayed in all offices and in the cafeteria and covered in every department meeting. And every week it just got worse, even though the team was doing their very best and working as hard as they possibly could. Even though all employees and leaders knew that the weather was to blame, this still?significantly lowered morale and created a lot of stress. Workplaces everywhere are giving employees metrics and KPIs in the hope of measuring and ultimately?increasing performance. I am incredibly sceptical of this whole approach, but it is especially damaging when your performance is rated on factors you do not control. We know from any number of studies that a lack of perceived control and self-efficacy?leads to frustration and stress so if your workplace has to have metrics, at least make sure that no one is measured on factors they have no control over. And remember: Its not enough for the metric to be partly under your control.?If just one component of a metric is outside of your control, the whole metric is. In the example above, even though the?number of calls employees handle is something they can control, the weather clearly is not and therefore the whole metric is suspect. In the case of this insurance company, we got them to scrap that metric and instead focus only on the number of calls handled which is?something employees control directly. This made the employees much happier at work which in turn made them more productive and the number of calls handled actually increased week by week. Your take What metrics and KPIs are you measured on? Are they inside or outside of your own control? Do you find them generally beneficial, ie. that they make work more pleasant and help you do a better job or generally detrimental? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

What to Do After Youve Landed the Job - Hire Imaging

What to Do After You’ve Landed the Job - Hire Imaging Continue to nurture your network. You’ve just landed a fantastic new job. That’s wonderful; and congratulations! Go add value and make their world a better place! But don’t think of this as the finish line or ending. Keep your network and your search for work that you love, humming! Continue to manage your career as its CEO. Continue to nurture your network. Hopefully you’ve built a great network during your job search. Keep it flourishing, so that you never have to build from scratch if there is a next job-search time. This is important. Make networking a priority throughout your career â€" successful and happy in your current role or not. Here are some ways to do it: Attend at least one networking event each month. Schedule and keep at least one networking meeting a month (coffee, lunch, drinks, dinner). Commit to at least one networking group that you will participate in on a regular basis. Stay on the radar by keeping your social media presence updated and active. Continue to embrace and manage inevitable change. Even if you just landed your dream job, it will inevitably change; and you will change at some point. To do what you love for a living, think of it as a long-term lifelong â€" process. The old adage by Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, “Change is the only constant,” is so true. Companies get acquired. Great bosses leave, and crummy ones come in their place. People get laid off. People move. And your own needs change! What you want today may not be what you’ll want five years from now. This may well not be your last job. Gone are the days when people collected their gold watch for 30 years of service. It’s rare. This is not really a bad thing; in fact, it’s a climate that allows people to continually follow their dreams. But you have to stay in the saddle and in control. Here are some ways to do it: Keep your own resume and career communications suite updated, so that you’re not scrambling should you need it yesterday. Also update your “wants” and “do not wants” at least annually or more frequently. Take inventory of your fit list. What do you like doing and do well, where do you like doing it? What are the things that matter to you and need to be in the mix? Keep notes on every wonderful thing you do at work, to build future resumes and to capture what makes you valuable. Be sure to note data (such as increased revenue, cost savings, efficiency boosts, and other metrics). Create and cultivate your own team of support people. Your board of advisors, if you will. Your bone marrow people. Choose those folks you consider your mentors, important connections in your life, those you respect in your field, and so on. Make regular connections with them. Stay on top of their careers, as well as yours. Find someone you can mentor or coach. One of the best ways for us to grow individually is by helping others learn. It adds to your value. Sharpen your saw regularly. Take advantage of any offered training at work, or pursue your own to keep your networking, business, and technical skills razor sharp. Stay connected and up to date on the latest in job search and career issues Read and research! Pay attention to the market. Watch your industry. Commit to being well read in your area of expertise. Enjoy this new opportunity! Have fun! It’s when you stop having fun that it’s often time for a change. So, kudos on your new job! Stay in the driver’s seat. So when that inevitable change happens â€" whatever it is â€" you’re ready to keep chasing and and grabbing those dreams!