Happiness CCIV

Jun 9, 2008 | happiness

Starting with a new client today, looking forward to meeting everyone and learning about their processes.

Letting Go

May 10, 2008 | blog, leadership

Sometimes it’s hard to let go of what we do.  What I mean is that it can be hard sharing everything that you know, and teach other people what your job entails.  The natural reaction is to hang on to that knowledge, be the expert, the guru that can do it all.

However, are you getting any real new chances, or does everyone believe that because you’re too valuable doing what you’re doing that they don’t send opportunities in your direction?  Holding on too tight to what you know can be detrimental to learning and growing.  Sometimes it’ll keep you from being able to try new things.

Hand it over

In order to gain real traction to take advantage of new opportunities, you need to start offloading what you’ve been doing.  It’s time to stretch yourself, challenge your skills with something outside your comfort zone.  To do that, you’re going to need to have more time to focus and learn.  You can’t do that holding onto what you do today.  It’s time to start mentoring those that want your job.

Create Change

To get started, you’ll need to create an environment for this change.  You have new habits to learn, and you should talk with your manager so they know what your plans are.  Odds are your company already has much of this in place, it’s your job to step in and let them know that you’re interested in something new.  By letting your managers know that you’re interested, and by doing things like sharing knowledge and cross training staff you show that your serious about it too.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lot of work, and it takes time to get it done.  However, it’s very rewarding to see people perk up at the opportunity to learn something new.  They’ll be more receptive to your ideas and you’ll find interactions with co-workers be less stressful if you’re sharing.

Sharing

This is true of nearly every successful person.  Sharing knowledge and enabling others to achieve their goals makes you a valuable person.  More so than if you hang onto that guru-level knowledge, keeping it for yourself in a vain attempt to make you indispensable.  Sharing makes you more valuable because it demonstrates your ability to learn new things and convey them to others – teaching.  Over time, you also learn the art of delegation, how to distribute workload to associates tasked with assisting you. This allows you to focus on more forward looking work – the fun stuff.

So letting go of the control over the knowledge you’ve accumulated for your job can be beneficial.  There are many variations and taking some leadership, organizational, interpersonal, and project management skills classes is a must to facilitate the change you’re looking for.  Just don’t be afraid of sharing that hard-won knowledge.  The rewards you reap for stepping out and taking the lead will be greater than staying where you were.

Photo credit: Radvixen

Do we realize how fortunate we are?

May 8, 2008 | blog

'THAT WAS EASY!' by spackletoe We live in age when anything is possible, at the touch of a button, or simply for the asking. The modern world is filled with tools and technologies that allow us to do amazing things. From communicating around the world in the blink of an eye, to reporting breaking news by the average person, to creating the perfect latte at home, our world makes things so easy.

It’s Easy

So if things are so easy, why are people not taking advantage of the tools and techniques available for networking themselves and building a better brand? Is the concept of reaching out to connect with like-minded or similarly skilled people that foreign to the average worker?  Or is it the tools?  Granted social networking and personal branding are not needed by everyone. Some people will, of course, simply shun the idea of publishing anything about themselves on the Internet, and they are welcome to that opinion.

However, if you’re at the foot of that corporate ladder looking up and wondering if it’s even worth it, you need to be thinking of how to position yourself properly. There are dozens if not hundreds of books on the topic that you can buy and use to build your brand. There is also a genuinely easy way to get started building the brand that is you. Be smart.

Beware the slip-up

With all the ways to interact and share your life online, sometimes it’s too easy to slip up. Whether you like using the pre-packaged social networks or you’re more of a DIY person and build your own. You need to make sure you are thinking about what people outside your social circle will see when they view your online presence. You’ve heard the stories of college beer parties being posted, or inside jokes traded with online buddies. These are some of the things that can be found months or years later.

So don’t let your reputation, your brand, be so easily tarnished by easy mistakes. Also, think about the tools you use to network. We are lucky to have so many tools at hand to build that brand and network. Choose the one(s) that best match your goals, message and style. Whatever you do, don’t hesitate to get started. Perversely, that is usually the most difficult step in the process.

Photo credit: spackletoe

Pin It on Pinterest