Career Development
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Successful People Make Their Own Luck
A while back I wrote about a book called The Luck Factor by Richard Wiseman who claims that you can learn to be lucky. In fact, Dr. Wiseman even lists five steps for learning to be lucky. First, don't assume there is nothing you can do about any situation. Make the decision to take control. Second, do something now. Third, make a list of various options. Be creative. Brainstorm. Come up with as many ideas as you can. Fourth, decide how you will move forward. Consider every possible alternative. Fifth, take action.
Create Your Success
I'm often asked for my best thoughts on what it takes to become a career and life success -- the key competencies. I always tell my coaching clients to think systematically, to break success down into some manageable components. Here is a summary of what I tell my coaching clients on how to become a career and life success. Put these points to use and you will succeed, just like my coaching clients. Do it yourself. Realize that no one is going to do it for you -- not even your executive coach. You have to take personal responsibility for your success.
Create Your Success by Faking it Till You Make It
Self confidence is one of the keys to career and life success that I discuss in several of my books. If you want to become self confident you need to do three things. First, choose optimism. Believe that today will be better than yesterday and that tomorrow will be better than today. Second, face your fears and act. Don't let your fears get in the way of your confidence or success.
Do What Scares You the Most
If you want to become self confident, you need to do three things: 1) become an optimist; 2) face your fears and deal with them; and 3) surround yourself with positive people. Today, I'd like to focus on fear -- that uncomfortable feeling that prevents you from taking the action necessary to get what you want in life. What scares you? What have you done to overcome this fear? For many years, I would tell people that I really wanted to start a consulting business. Yet I never seemed to actually start it.
Conversation Skills for Success
If you want to become a dynamic communicator, you need to develop three skills: conversation, writing and presenting. The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the word "dynamic" as, "Marked by continuous and productive activity." In many ways, this is a good definition for an effective conversation. In a conversation, two types of activities occur simultaneously: speaking and listening. In good conversations, both of these are continuous and productive.
Successful People Think Win-Win In Conflict Situations
Relationship building is one of the four keys to career success. As a career success coach, I am always reminding my clients that they must build strong, long lasting mutually beneficial relationships with the important people in their lives. Unfortunately, no human relationship is without conflict. That's why you have to become adept at resolving conflict positively. I know a little bit about conflict resolution. It was the topic of my dissertation at Harvard.
Common Sense and Success
I chose November 4 as Use Your Common Sense Day because it is Will Rogers' birthday. Will was a great American humorist who was famous for saying, "Common sense ain't all that common." We are all born with five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. These senses help us navigate our way through the world.
You Can't Brown Nose Your Way to Success
Your boss and other leaders in your company are some of the most important people in your life. You need to build strong relationships with them. Yet, you have to be careful about stepping over the line. USA Today had an interesting article on brown nosing.
Successful People Beat Procrastination
Rodger Constandse runs a great site called Goals to Action. Yesterday, I received an e mail from him on the subject of procrastination.
Career Success Advice: Be Nice
I liked the 2010 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony for its simple elegance. As I was watching, I took note of a line in Slam Poet Shane Koyczan' tribute to Canada, We Are More… And some say what defines usr Is something as simple as "please" and "thank you" The Canadian audience roared when they heard that line. After all, Canadians are known for being polite. Creating positive personal impact is one of the competencies that comprise my career success system. If you want to create positive personal impact, you need to do three things.
Hard Work and Success -- One Follows the Other
This is a tough time to be looking for a job. Many of my career success coaching clients are having difficulty getting interviews let alone landing a job. However, I heard a story not too long ago about a new MBA from NYU who got five job offers. He did it by creating unique resumes especially tailored to the job for which he was applying. This takes work, but in this fellow's case, the hard work paid off. In the old days -- before computers -- creating unique resumes for every job for which you apply would have involved a mega amount of work. In the digital age, it's a lot easier.
Successful People Develop Their Natural Talents
The other day I saw a great quote on line. "What we are is God's gift to us. What we become is our gift to God." It was from Eleanor Powell. If you don't know Ms. Powell, she was a well known dancer and actress who appeared in many musicals in the 1930s and 1940s. She was a good dancer, but an amazing tap dancer. In her day, she was known as "the world's greatest tap dancer." I love the quote -- it gets at the heart of commitment to taking personal responsibility for your life, career and success. God (or the universe, if you are so inclined) gives each of us certain talents and abilities.