We were in our early 30’s and putting in long hours at work. My friend Monica and I were determined to do something healthy and decided to become walking buddies. The fact that we lived in adjacent condominiums made it easy to coordinate walks at the spur of the moment. Up and down the steep hills of our neighborhood we would go, burning off stress with each step and talking about anything and everything. Read more
So what do you do for work? Tell me about yourself. You will encounter some version of this familiar icebreaker on job interviews, airplanes, networking events, and cocktail parties. A variety of factors will affect your answer including how you feel that day and whether you’re in the mood for a real conversation. Read more
In the last issue, I told the story of the red cardinal bird who visits my friend. I offered the metaphor of “flying into the window” to represent the behaviors that hamper your effectiveness. I stated that the important thing is to get yourself to try something new. In order to do that, you’ve got to “bang on the window” in the moment you recognize that you’re caught up in the old habit and flying that familiar pattern. It’s the awareness and the ability to catch yourself in the moment that’s key. So how do you do that? Read more
The other day I was helping my client Debbie¹ update her resume. The financial services company she works for is going through layoffs, and Debbie is in job search mode. Her long-term goal is to get into healthcare technology, and she is enrolled in a certification program. As we considered her audience and how to gear her resume, we discussed that one logical route to an immediate job is to look for something similar to what she’s doing now: customer service with a financial company. Then Debbie slipped in the comment, “Well, I wouldn’t mind finding a healthcare position now.” Read more
I should clear up that mess. I should make that call. I should get moving on that. What I really should do is… Yikes, that list is endless! And while, yes, sure, we all should do a lot of things, the problem is that when you overuse the word “should”, all it does is produce a heaviness that is anything but motivating. It makes you feel like you’re already behind. Read more
Has anyone ever asked you to do something and you reluctantly replied “I’ll try”? That person may have walked away wondering whether you were really going to make the effort. Perhaps you’ve been on the receiving end of a compliment that went something like this: “You did a nice job but next time I think you should…” Most likely it was the second half of that sentence that you remembered. Read more