With the changing environment of the workplace, it has become more and more challenging to move up the corporate ladder than in the past. Gone are the days when the boss could walk by your desk and see how diligently you were working. As more employees are telecommuting or reporting to bosses in different geographical locations, being a visible employee and advancing your career takes careful planning and focus. It is now necessary to take responsibility for your own career advancement.
Here are several ways that you can take charge of your own career:
1. Talk to your boss. Have a direct conversation with your boss about your future with the company and your career goals. Stress to him that you are interested in being a valuable asset to the company. This shows both confidence in yourself and interest in the success of the company.
2. Ask for more. Let your boss know that you are willing to take on new projects or assignments that will further develop your skills and help the company. Taking on more responsibility will make you more valuable to the company.
3. Sharpen your professional and people skills. Continual learning is important to sharpening your professional skills. Because the marketplace is continually changing and evolving, keeping up to date on these changes will further increase your value to the company. Being professional, friendly, outgoing and helpful to coworkers, other departments and customers will help you develop relationships that could provide opportunities for you in the future.
4. Find a mentor or coach. A mentor can help you develop the skills you need as you move up the corporate ladder. Whether you have a mentor inside or outside of the company, a mentor can provide valuable career guidance to you as well as useful information. A coach can help you develop strategies and provide you with valuable perspective as you face the challenges of moving forward in your career.
5. Sell yourself and build your reputation. Careful self-promotion is a good way to create visibility within your department or company. Make sure that influential people are aware of your major accomplishments and the benefit to the company. Building your reputation as an innovative, dependable, professional, and valuable employee will further help you sell yourself.
To learn more about developing your career, check out Get Smart! About Modern Career Development by Dr. Michelle Casto or call Nexus Coaching Partners for a complementary consultation to get your career moving forward. During the month of April, we are also offering 20% off our career assessments. Call us today and see if we can help get you moving forward!
Warmly,
Coach April
www.nexuscoachingpartners.com
"Bringing Inspiration to Life"
Monday, April 14, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Creating your life vision
Do you know where you want to go in life?
Do you know who you want to be?
Carl Jung, one of the founding fathers of depth psychology, once said, “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” Those words are so true. By looking inside ourselves, we can turn our dreams into reality.
To get started figuring out where you want to go in life, think about these questions:
Where do you want to be in 2, 5, or 10 years? What do you want to be doing?
Imagine your future life…are you single, in a relationship, with children, empty nesting, retired? What job are you doing? What activities are you involved in? What are your hobbies? What quality of life do you wish to enjoy? Are you in a position to contribute to a cause or interest? So…How are you going to make it happen? Another one of my favorite quotes is from an unknown author and says, “Seeing yourself as you want to be is the key to personal growth”. Careful soul-searching on these questions will help you grow as a person.
Next, visualize what you want. Try envisioning the life you would like to live, your ideal life. Would you like a new career? Go back to school? Have children? Travel around the world? When do you want to retire? What do you want to have done by then?
Ask yourself “What does my life look like…”
In 12 months time?
In 2, 5, 10, 20 years time?
I know it seems a little weird to think about what you want to do in 20 years but it is important to know where you are headed so that you know how to get there. Much like a car trip, you probably wouldn’t want to set out with just the idea to head north. If you know that you are headed to a particular destination, you will take the roads that lead you there. If for some reason you get off course, you can look at your map and know you need to make adjustments and get back on course or to redefine your course altogether. Speaking of redefining your course, this can happen too, and is perfectly normal as you grow and change throughout your life. This is where a periodic review of your plan comes in handy.
After you’ve given some thought to your ideal life and envisioned what it will look like, you’ll want to write out your goals. Try writing goals in the following areas: relationships, career, family, health, financial.
Then commit to your vision and goals and take action. Joel Barker, an independent scholar who has done considerable work in the area of corporate leadership says that “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” This is a very powerful statement that shows the connection between our vision and our actions. And while you may not be out to change the world, these words are very applicable to our lives.
Even more simply stated, your goals will remain daydreams without action. So in this step, we are going to write down our commitments so you know what you need to do.
Ask yourself these questions:
· What do I need to do?
· What needs to happen to achieve my goal?
· What is something I can do today to move me a little closer to my goal?
· Who do I need to help, support, or hold me accountable for the completion of my goal?
It’s very important to be very specific in detailing your commitments. The more specific you are, the better your chances for success.
These three steps can transform your life from a vision in your head to a reality! You first begin by visualizing what you want from your life. Then use that vision to set your goals. Once you’ve set your goals, commit to them and take action. Robert Collier, one of the first success authors, once said “Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin.” It doesn’t matter how big your first step is. The point is that you took the first step!
These are the basic steps to get you started. I want to emphasize that your goals and action steps be written down on paper, not just stored in your head, and reviewed periodically.
I challenge you to get started on creating your life vision and see what happens! Start living your ideal life beginning now!
Do you know who you want to be?
Carl Jung, one of the founding fathers of depth psychology, once said, “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens.” Those words are so true. By looking inside ourselves, we can turn our dreams into reality.
To get started figuring out where you want to go in life, think about these questions:
Where do you want to be in 2, 5, or 10 years? What do you want to be doing?
Imagine your future life…are you single, in a relationship, with children, empty nesting, retired? What job are you doing? What activities are you involved in? What are your hobbies? What quality of life do you wish to enjoy? Are you in a position to contribute to a cause or interest? So…How are you going to make it happen? Another one of my favorite quotes is from an unknown author and says, “Seeing yourself as you want to be is the key to personal growth”. Careful soul-searching on these questions will help you grow as a person.
Next, visualize what you want. Try envisioning the life you would like to live, your ideal life. Would you like a new career? Go back to school? Have children? Travel around the world? When do you want to retire? What do you want to have done by then?
Ask yourself “What does my life look like…”
In 12 months time?
In 2, 5, 10, 20 years time?
I know it seems a little weird to think about what you want to do in 20 years but it is important to know where you are headed so that you know how to get there. Much like a car trip, you probably wouldn’t want to set out with just the idea to head north. If you know that you are headed to a particular destination, you will take the roads that lead you there. If for some reason you get off course, you can look at your map and know you need to make adjustments and get back on course or to redefine your course altogether. Speaking of redefining your course, this can happen too, and is perfectly normal as you grow and change throughout your life. This is where a periodic review of your plan comes in handy.
After you’ve given some thought to your ideal life and envisioned what it will look like, you’ll want to write out your goals. Try writing goals in the following areas: relationships, career, family, health, financial.
Then commit to your vision and goals and take action. Joel Barker, an independent scholar who has done considerable work in the area of corporate leadership says that “Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world.” This is a very powerful statement that shows the connection between our vision and our actions. And while you may not be out to change the world, these words are very applicable to our lives.
Even more simply stated, your goals will remain daydreams without action. So in this step, we are going to write down our commitments so you know what you need to do.
Ask yourself these questions:
· What do I need to do?
· What needs to happen to achieve my goal?
· What is something I can do today to move me a little closer to my goal?
· Who do I need to help, support, or hold me accountable for the completion of my goal?
It’s very important to be very specific in detailing your commitments. The more specific you are, the better your chances for success.
These three steps can transform your life from a vision in your head to a reality! You first begin by visualizing what you want from your life. Then use that vision to set your goals. Once you’ve set your goals, commit to them and take action. Robert Collier, one of the first success authors, once said “Visualize this thing you want. See it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin.” It doesn’t matter how big your first step is. The point is that you took the first step!
These are the basic steps to get you started. I want to emphasize that your goals and action steps be written down on paper, not just stored in your head, and reviewed periodically.
I challenge you to get started on creating your life vision and see what happens! Start living your ideal life beginning now!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Overcoming obstacles, challenges, and disappointments
I was recently faced with a major disappointment that really made me question my abilities. I felt like giving up. Looking back on it, it wasn't that big of a deal. I accepted it for what it was, learned from it, and moved on. The truth is that we are all faced with disappointments and challenges in our lives. The way we handle these situations affects the ultimate outcome. If you look at some of history's most successful people, you will find that many of them endured significant obstacles and disappointments and overcame them. How did they do this? The main way is with perseverance and determined focus. They never gave up. Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed 700 times. I have not failed once. I have proven 700 ways that won't work." Wow! That's some kind of attitude. Considering that he is one of the greatest inventors around and we use many of his inventions every day, I think we're all pretty lucky that he didn't give up. Where would we be if he accepted failure? Perhaps we would never have had the phonograph or a lightbulb.
What can we learn from people like Thomas Edison? We can learn to never give up and to learn from what didn't work. The learning part is so valuable. Like Edison said, he never failed. What if we looked at our failures and chose to not consider them failures? What if we chalked up the experience as successfully learning what didn't work? The situation is the same - only our reactions are different.
My challenge to you this week is to approach your obstacles, challenges, and disappointments differently. See if you can turn a potentially negative situation into a positive one by learning from it and persevering. I would love to hear what impact this has for you!
Wishing you much success,
Coach April
What can we learn from people like Thomas Edison? We can learn to never give up and to learn from what didn't work. The learning part is so valuable. Like Edison said, he never failed. What if we looked at our failures and chose to not consider them failures? What if we chalked up the experience as successfully learning what didn't work? The situation is the same - only our reactions are different.
My challenge to you this week is to approach your obstacles, challenges, and disappointments differently. See if you can turn a potentially negative situation into a positive one by learning from it and persevering. I would love to hear what impact this has for you!
Wishing you much success,
Coach April
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Going the distance
Last night as I was running on the treadmill, it occurred to me how much life is like a marathon. For those that don't know, a marathon is 26.2 miles - a long distance by almost anyone's standards. Running any distance requires preparation and training - you can't just run the entire distance immediately. It takes weeks, months or even years of training before you are ready to run a marathon. Isn't life a lot like that? We start out as infants, learning to crawl, walk and talk. From there we move on to childhood and then adolesence, learning more about life and the world around us. These first 18 or so years of life is our training to prepare us to go the distance. We get an education, develop our morals and values, and learn the skills we need to be successful in life. Then the race begins. The rest of our lives are a test of this training and preparation. Sometimes we find it necessary to revisit or adjust our training. Other times, we are well prepared to keep running. But we're all in it to go the distance and finish our race!
Happy running and I'll see you at the finish line!
Happy running and I'll see you at the finish line!
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Don't forget to breathe!
During my fitness class yesterday as we were doing a particularly challenging modification of crunches, the instructor reminded us to not forget to breathe. At the time, this struck me as a particularly odd comment. After all, breathing is one of our natural biological functions - we don't have to think about doing it - it just happens. Then I realized that I was holding my breath!
How often do we forget to breathe? Maybe not in the literal sense, but in the sense that we take things too seriously, get wound up over little things, and just don't take the time to relax like we should. A well known benefit of yoga is the increased awareness of breathing. Meditation also focuses on breathing and the clarity and calm that deep and controlled breathing can bring.
My challenge to you today is to focus on your breathing. Take several deep, cleansing breaths and notice how it feels to both your mind and your body. Use this technique frequently and see how calming it can be.
Don't forget to breathe!
April Mims
Life Coach, Nexus Coaching Partners, Inc.
http://www.nexuscoachingpartners.com/
How often do we forget to breathe? Maybe not in the literal sense, but in the sense that we take things too seriously, get wound up over little things, and just don't take the time to relax like we should. A well known benefit of yoga is the increased awareness of breathing. Meditation also focuses on breathing and the clarity and calm that deep and controlled breathing can bring.
My challenge to you today is to focus on your breathing. Take several deep, cleansing breaths and notice how it feels to both your mind and your body. Use this technique frequently and see how calming it can be.
Don't forget to breathe!
April Mims
Life Coach, Nexus Coaching Partners, Inc.
http://www.nexuscoachingpartners.com/
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Let's GO!
I thought I was an organized person but it turns out that I'm only a surface level organized person. What does that mean? Well, it means that my house is fairly neat, all my bills are paid on time, I never miss appointments, and I know where to find just about everything. However, if you were to visit my home, I would die of embarrassment if you looked in most of the bedroom closets or at my filing system or in the kitchen cabinets. If you tried to open my front hall closet, I would likely throw my entire body in front of the door to block the view (and to keep things from falling out). Granted, most people don't look at my house in that much detail but I figured that I would need to be completely organized if I wanted to call myself an organized person. That's what started my mission to organize and lead to the developement of my "Let's GO - Get Organized" program.
The mission is to develop a plan over several months to get everything organized and decluttered. It took a long time to create the mess so realistically this isn't a weekend or even week long endeavor. Once one area is organized, the challenge is to KEEP it organized while moving on to other areas.
More details about the program will be coming soon and will be fully explained in my free telecourse on February 5th. To find out more about the teleclass, please visit http://www.nexuscoachingpartners.com/new_classes.
Let's GO!
April Mims
Life and Career Coach, Nexus Coaching Partners
http://www.nexuscoachingpartners.com
The mission is to develop a plan over several months to get everything organized and decluttered. It took a long time to create the mess so realistically this isn't a weekend or even week long endeavor. Once one area is organized, the challenge is to KEEP it organized while moving on to other areas.
More details about the program will be coming soon and will be fully explained in my free telecourse on February 5th. To find out more about the teleclass, please visit http://www.nexuscoachingpartners.com/new_classes.
Let's GO!
April Mims
Life and Career Coach, Nexus Coaching Partners
http://www.nexuscoachingpartners.com
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Your Most Valuable Asset
As I prepare for an upcoming teleclass about taking care of yourself, I've spent considerable time pondering the subject and looking at my own life. The premise of the workshop is that we are our own greatest asset - we have so many different roles to play in life that if we don't take care of ourselves, then everyone and everything else will suffer in some way. Because many of us spend so much time caring for others, I wondered how we would answer these questions and what those answers would tell us.
* Do you take time out for fun?
* Do you feel guilty when you aren't "doing" something?
* When was the last time you did something "just because"?
* How well do you take care of yourself?
Honestly answering the first three questions answers the fourth question. This leads to one more question:
What are you going to do to change this?
This is my challenge to you today: Do something for yourself today, even if it is only for a few minutes. You may just be surprised how taking care of yourself can help you take care of others.
Take care of yourself today and every day,
April Mims, Life and Career Coach
http://www.nexuscoachingpartners.com
"Bringing Inspiration to Life!"
* Do you take time out for fun?
* Do you feel guilty when you aren't "doing" something?
* When was the last time you did something "just because"?
* How well do you take care of yourself?
Honestly answering the first three questions answers the fourth question. This leads to one more question:
What are you going to do to change this?
This is my challenge to you today: Do something for yourself today, even if it is only for a few minutes. You may just be surprised how taking care of yourself can help you take care of others.
Take care of yourself today and every day,
April Mims, Life and Career Coach
http://www.nexuscoachingpartners.com
"Bringing Inspiration to Life!"
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