winning workplace strategies
TRANSCRIPT
Winning Workplace Strategies Vol. 1 A Personal Development Guide for Navigating Your Career Success
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Winning Workplace Strategies
A Personal Development Guide
For Navigating Career Success
Jackie Capers-Brown
Winning Workplace Strategies Vol. 1 A Personal Development Guide for Navigating Your Career Success
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Copyright © 2013 Jackie Capers-Brown
All Rights Reserved
Feel free to email, tweet, blog and pass this e-book around
the web…but please do not alter any of its contents when
you do. Thanks!
Grow Forward & Flourish
@
jackiecapersbrownblog.com
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Intro: First Off, Nothing Works Unless You Do
The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. No
matter how much you might dream about your career success, dreaming
about it will not make it happen. You have to take actions that align with your
specific career goals to achieve the success that is possible for you.
The problem is that most of us do not take actions that match up with our
goals – we are not “congruent” with our goals and we continue to miss
opportunities to grow forward and flourish in our careers.
If you want to shave years off the time, it takes to get to your “stretch” goals
you need to do some stretching yourself. You know this already but you have
not been consistently making efforts to change it.
Let us talk about the reasons that you are not taking proactive steps to
“stretch” beyond your present position, skills, and responsibilities right now:
Fear and Distraction.
Fear. Taking decisive action towards your goals in the face of uncertainty can
be scary. You know what is even scarier, you living a life below your potential.
Straddling on the sidelines because you allowed a fear (false evidence
appearing real) to take you out of the game before you could learn what is
possible in your career.
Distraction. Yeah, you have a lot going on in your life. Have you considered
that you have too much going on and how that could be a reason, why you
have not been able to focus your energies in an effective manner to achieve
your career goals?
If you completed a time management worksheet, which documented your
actions for every work hour in the past 7 days, what values and priorities in
the workplace would it indicate by the manner in which you spend your time
at work?
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Time does not stop. Change is happening at a rapid pace. You have to decide
if the life experiences that will come because of your career success are worth
facing your fear and stretching yourself beyond what you presently believe to
be conceivable in your career. Your mama cannot do it for you. Your daddy
cannot do it for you. As much as I believe that you can do it, I cannot do it for
you. You have to create your career success.
In this short and to the point personal development guide, I share eight-career
success tips that I have personally practiced from the beginning of my work
life to prepare and position myself for professional opportunities.
These tips will provide you with a strong foundation of actionable steps that
can support your efforts in the achievement of your career success. Millions of
highly successful people from all occupations have utilized similar personal
development tips to broaden their skills and increase their capacity to play a
bigger game when it comes down to their career success. You are a part of
this great community of people. This is a FREE downloadable workbook so
spread the word by sharing it with others (I hope you will).
Second: Make the Best of the Hand You Have
If there was one bit of advice about life I heard from my parents on a
consistent basis it was this, “You’ve got to play the hand you’ve been dealt.”
Influenced by this mindset and approach to life, I witnessed my parents, time
after time; maintain a bulldog tenacity towards overcoming daunting
challenges.
My parent’s display of grit nurtured within me the belief that every challenge
is figure-out-able. They made it clear that faith attached to action was what
mattered most in making situations better. My parents did not spend a lot of
time wallowing in “spilled milk.”
There tenacity in the face of numerous challenges had little to do with rather
they felt like doing something or not, they wholeheartedly believed that
positive change could only come about as a result of focused action.
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This homegrown version of continuous improvement certainly plays a role in
my belief that challenges in life strengthen our resolve to be more and take
on more in life. That is, if we do not run from them.
Something for You to Think About as You Read this Guide
Anytime you play a card game, you hope for the best. You never know how
your hand will look until the last card is dealt. From that point on, to the end
of the game, you play your hand with the intention of winning.
There are several variables in the card game, your hand of cards, the other
player’s response to the cards that you play, the atmosphere etc…that can
certainly effect the result of your card playing experience. In spite of these
challenges, you continue to play with the belief that you can win. Moreover,
the more games you play the greater your odds of developing the intuition
and skills to win, repeatedly.
Apply the following winning workplace strategies with a similar attitude and
effort towards the progression of your career assignments, and you will
navigate a sustainable and successful career.
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Career Success Tip #1: Develop a Success Consciousness
There is a familiar saying, "it's not what happens to you, but the meaning you
attach to what happens to you that matters most." This is evident in many
families, as siblings experiencing the same home environment often interpret
their childhood experiences differently from one another. The difference in the
meanings associated with how each child perceived love, support, and
encouragement from their family circle plays a critical role in their
development of emotional and social intelligences necessary for healthy
relationships as a teen and into their adult life.
For many the use of family life dynamics as an example on the development
of your perspective towards life experiences hits a chord in your heart. That
was the intention, to get your attention.
The "meaning" we attach to all of our experiences influence what we believe
we can and cannot do. If we are to a success consciousness toward our life
and work experiences, we need to be conscious of the role that our life
experiences and social conditioning play on their development.
Reality supports this truth; we do not engage the world as it is, but as we are.
As a man or woman thinks, so is he or she. Therefore, developing and
maintaining a winning perspective towards experiences in the home,
workplace and in your communities (physical and online) benefits the overall
quality of your life.
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The Power of Your Assumptions
To develop a success consciousness towards life, first, you have to challenge
the assumptions you have had about what is possible in your life. Why is this
important?
Because your assumptions are the root of your perceptions, and your
perceptions are the lens by which you see yourself and the world. If your
assumptions about yourself and life are based on a limited, vision of what is
possible then you will approach your life, your career, and anything else that is
of importance to you with a limited or scarcity mentality.
If on the other hand, your assumptions about life and yourself are the result of
an expansive vision of what is possible in your life, you will approach life, your
career, and anything else that is important to you with an expansive,
abundant and success consciousness.
In his blog post, What Lies Beyond The Haze of Social Conditioning, Steve
Pavlina states," The most common way to shrink someone's perspective is to
put them into a state of fear. Make them feel their survival is threatened. Fear
shrinks perspective. Fearlessness expands it. Fearlessness can take the form
of unconditional love, service, transcendence, or even just curiosity."
Our social conditioning influences our assumptions about life. Unless we
challenge our assumptions, each of us could live our entire life based on
erroneous or outdated thinking influenced by other people. This is sad, but
true. It is imperative that you think about what you think about in order win in
life.
The Power of a Success Consciousness on Your Career
On May 5, 1985, I became employed as a housekeeper at the Columbia
Marriott Hotel. With no professional pedigree except my farmer’s work ethic,
a commitment to personal excellence, and a vision to provide an inspiring
future for my two children, I went to work with a tireless passion that fired up
my persistence and determination to overcome daunting odds. As a result, I
became an award-winning hourly employee, a “Best of the Best” department
manager at Marriott’s Columbia Courtyard NW property, and an award-
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winning business leader as the GM of Marriott’s Fairfield Inn property in
Wilmington, NC.
I could have easily accepted the notion that because I was “just” a
housekeeper that I had little- to no influence on the day-to-day operation of
the business. This was certainly an assumption held by several of my co-
workers. Instead, I chose to maintain a different outlook. Instead of waiting
and watching to see what the company was going to do for me, I pursued
opportunities to make a difference with each interaction I had with guests, co-
workers, department managers, and vendors. Day after day, I chose to act on
my belief that I had the power to contribute value to the business.
The success I experienced with Marriott came because of several factors, a
few of which were:
Despite its challenges, I am passionate about working with the public.
I have always believed that a large part of my life’s purpose would be
linked to inspiring others to believe and express their potential. Working
for Marriott provided me numerous opportunities to build up others.
I enjoyed working for a company that demonstrated a commitment to
values that are important to me as a female and African-American.
With this in mind, it was easier for me than maybe for others to align my
decisions and actions with the process of preparation that was required for
me to seize advancement opportunities within the company. I took full
responsibility and authority over my work life and made a commitment to
achieving the level of success I believed was possible with the company.
I did not allow the opinions of others affect my willingness to prepare myself
so that I could seize opportunities that would elevate the quality of life
experienced by my children. The decision to “take the lead” in my work life
and adapt my perspectives to succeed in places of employment based on
what was happening there vs. “how it was done at so and so” is a key reason
why I have been able to sustain a successful professional life.
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8 Reasons Why a Success Consciousness Adds Value to Your Career
Developing a winning attitude toward your experiences in the work place adds
value to your career in the following ways:
1). A success consciousness influences your attitudes and behaviors. Rather
or not your perspective has been influenced by "seeing" life with a scarcity or
abundant mentality, one thing is for sure, you think, feel and behave
according to your most dominant thought and emotional patterns.
2). A success consciousness helps you recognize when your outlook on a
situation is being influenced by a limited view of the circumstance.
3). A success consciousness winner’s enables you to establish personal
values based on principles that never change and are not subjective to
changing realities.
4). A success consciousness helps you recognize how the way you see a
problem can actually be the problem. Einstein stated, "The significant
problem we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at
when we created them."
5). A success consciousness allows you to hear and respect the perspectives
of others even when they differ from yours.
6). A success consciousness unleashes the divine potential within you. It aids
in your ability to challenge limitations as you enlarge the vision and territory
of your life.
7). A success consciousness empowers you to remain focused and
determined to achieve your goals, regardless of how many times you have to
regroup and move forward with a degree of uncertainty hovering over you. It
prevents you from accepting a temporary state as a permanent way of being
and living.
8). A success consciousness winner’s recognizes that lasting personal change
occurs first from the inside out. Often we pray and hope for a situation to
change. Normally it is a change in our outlook that sparks the necessary
actions to change the situation.
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In his book, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes, "if we
want to make significant quantum change, we need to work on our basic
paradigms." He goes on to say, "The more aware we are of our basic
paradigms, maps or assumptions, and the extent to which we have been
influenced by our experience, the more we can take responsibility for those
paradigms, examine them, test them against reality, listen to others and be
open to their perceptions, thereby getting a larger picture and a far more
objective view."
When your assumptions are based on principles that are not subjective to
changing realities, they are sound. When your assumptions are subjective to
changing realities, then it is time you take a more proactive approach to
rewriting the narrative of your personal story to include the best life your
tenacity and hard work can muster.
Through the development of smart thinking and smart behavioral habits, you
can begin to release yourself from internal restraints that limit what is
possible in your life. You are much more capable, smarter, and stronger than
you give yourself credit.
Developing a winner’s perspective towards your life and career experiences
empower you to see, think, feel, and respond differently to various
circumstances. When you think different, you do different, and as a result, you
experience different.
As you embrace new and enriching experiences with an expansive view of life,
your career will embody greater possibilities. Henry Ford stated, “If you think
you can do a thing, or think you can’t do a thing you are right. Nurture the
belief within you that you can succeed in your career and you will.
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Personal Development Assignment:
Today, begin to think about the assumptions you have about yourself,
about others and about life in view of the previous list of how a success
consciousness adds value. Begin to challenge those assumptions, which
hold your best self in captivity because of fear, self-doubt, lack of
courage and confidence. “Limits, like fear are all an illusion,” says
Michael Jordan.
What have you learned about your strengths and weaknesses in the
workplace during the previous 3 to 6 months?
Have you been open to constructive feedback to improve your work
performance or have you allowed an assumption about your direct
supervisor prevent you from having an ear to hear and gain the
understanding that you need to play a bigger game?
Based on what you have learned about yourself through self-
assessment and constructive feedback from key professional
influencers in your life, what will be your area of focus for improvement
in your work performance for the next 30, 60 and 90 days.
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Career Success Tip #2 Set Your Mind and Keep It Set
The development of the courage to succeed in life is different for everyone. It
is a certainty that without courage the reservoir of potential dwelling within
you will go untapped. A common barrier to courage is the fear of the
unknown. In the book, Maverick Mindset, Doug Hall writes, “We want detailed
itineraries with clearly focused beginning, middles, and destination. Life
doesn’t work that way.”
Each of us experience fear and self-doubt. We have those moments in life in
which our doubt overshadows our faith in God and our ability to succeed in
the face of challenging circumstances. Moments like these are a part of our
journey.
As human beings, we are at our best when we are growing When we are
working towards the accomplishment of something that is meaningful to us
the tasks associated with manifesting whatever it maybe ignites our passion
and sense of purpose.
As you navigate your career path with the purpose of achieving goals relevant
to your desired career destinations, it is crucial that you develop a made up
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mind. You have to maintain a positive belief system at the core of your being
so that it anchors you in the face of challenges that will certainly happen.
Your thoughts are creating energy of emotions and behaviors that are like
magnets in your life. Dr. Caroline Leaf writes in Who Switched Off My Brain?
“A thought may seem harmless, but if it becomes toxic even just a thought
can become physically, emotionally, or spiritually dangerous.” She goes on to
say, “Thoughts are measurable and occupy mental “real estate,” thoughts are
active, they grow and change. Thoughts influence every decision, word, action,
and physical reaction we make.”
Personal Development Assignment:
Get a mason jar and label it “My Courage in Action.”
On post it notes, write down moments in your life in which you have
displayed courage in the face of fear.
Use these notes as a reminder, in moments of fear and self-doubt, that
you have what it takes to succeed.
Oprah states in the booklet, The Best of Oprah's, What I Know for Sure, when
she is faced with a difficult decision, she asks herself: "What would I do if I
weren't afraid of making a mistake, feeling rejected, looking foolish, or being
alone? Remove the fear, and the answer comes into focus." Is it any wonder
why her life and work continues to expand? Do you think that it could have
something to do with the perspective she holds about herself, other people,
and her experiences? I believe so.
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Career Success Tip #3: Are You A Carrot, Egg, Or Coffee?
Do you notice that in the midst of the change occurring in your workplace that
you are becoming increasingly frustrated? How much of your frustration is
dependent upon you clinging to assumptions, that “something should have
happen by now” maybe you can take the message from the following parable
and begin to apply your energy towards that which you have influence to
change, instead of ruminating over that which you have no control. It is
possible, that if you focus on what you can control the amount of frustration
that you experience about challenging circumstances will decrease.
You have lived long enough to recognize that life does not always go as you
might hope, plan or pray. One of the greatest lessons that I have learned is
that many times when I have been faced with unexpected challenges and
delays to achieving a goal the situation did not change until I changed my
outlook on it which influenced my approach to it. As I shifted my perspective
and challenged limiting assumptions related to what “should be, or could
have been,” my frustration decreased and I was able to gain the clarity
needed to proceed forward.
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A Parable: When Things Don’t Go As You Plan
There is an old parable about a boy who was so discouraged with failing in
school he told his grandfather he wanted to quit. His grandfather filled three
pots with water and placed each on the high fire. Soon the pots came to a
boil. In the first, he placed carrots, in the second he placed eggs, and the last
he placed ground coffee. He let them sit and boil, without saying a word. In
about twenty minutes, he turned off the burners. He fished the carrots out and
placed them in a bowl. He pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.
Then he ladled the coffee out into a bow. Turning to the boy, he asked, “Tell
me, what do you see?” “Carrots, eggs and coffee, the boy replied. Then he
asked the boy to feel the carrots, which he did and noted they were soft and
mushy. His grandfather asked him to take an egg and break it. After pulling
off the shell, the boy observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, he asked the boy to
sip the coffee. He smiled, as he tasted the coffee with its rich aroma. The boy
asked, “I don’t understand. What does this mean, if anything?”
His grandfather laughed and explained that each of these objects had faced
the same adversity – boiling water – but each reacted differently. “Which are
you?” the grandfather asked, “When adversity knocks on your door, how do
you respond? Are you a carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity,
becomes soft and loses strength? Are you the egg that appears not to change
but whose heart is hardened? Or, are you the coffee bean that changes the
hot water, the very circumstances that brings the pain. When the water gets
hot, it releases its fragrance and flavor. If you are like the coffee bean, when
things are at their worst, your very attitude will change your environment for
the better, making it sweet and palatable.” So which are you, the carrot, egg,
or coffee?
It is certain that as imperfect human beings we will not hit a home run each
time we face unexpected challenges. In our quest to grow forward and
flourish, we can strive to develop spiritual wisdom and emotional intelligence
skills, which will help, improve our ability to be like coffee when we face
adverse circumstances. It is possible that we can develop habits that enable
us to maintain a state of calm in the midst of our storms in life. True peace of
mind is not dependent on circumstances. It comes from developing a core of
inner strength that serves as an anchor in the midst of our storms. The ability
to maintain a peace of mind in the midst of difficulty enables you to gain the
clarity to determine what your next steps will be to move your forward.
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Career Success Tip #4: Stack the Odds in Your Favor
In the January 2011 edition of Black Enterprise Magazine, CEO, Earl G.
Graves, Jr. writes in his Executive Memo, "some(people) are waiting to wake
up from the nightmare (The Great Recession and sluggish recovery) hoping for
a return to an era when credit was readily available, jobs were plentiful, and
individuals spent freely. I am here to tell you those days are never coming
back. You need to fully embrace today's economic and financial realities."
In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins writes, "You absolutely cannot make a
series of good decisions without first confronting the brutal facts." Are you
leaving your career progress up to chance or happenstance? Without a clear
vision and the implementation of specific purpose-driven actions, you do not
have a compass by which to direct your focus and energies to achieve your
career goals. How do you expect to get to your desired career destinations
without a vision and a plan for implementing purpose driven actions?
Leave Nothing to Chance
Embrace what is happening NOW in your workplace. Complaining and
murmuring about change will not stop it from happening. Change is the one
constant in our lives. Individuals that are flexible and adaptable to it, adjust
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much better in the workplace than those who resist or attempt to deny its
reality. Instead of burying your head in the sand to a changing reality, be bold
and embrace it with a fresh outlook.
The change occurring within your organization is providing you with
opportunities for growth, development and career wins. You may not
recognize it at first, but that does not mean that it is not present. Embrace an
expansive view of the change that is occurring.
Pay attention to the focus and direction that your organization is taking NOW.
What are the challenges that your organization will be facing during this influx
of change? How can you become a “go-to” person for solutions that contribute
to its success? Your answers to these questions provide you with the starting
insights of what you need to begin to do to stack the odds in your favor for
career success within your organization.
As soon as you begin to feel comfortable in the consistency of your
performance in your present position, take the opportunity to volunteer for
jobs or tasks that increase your exposure to key executives and those who
would be responsible for making the hiring decision about your “next” desired
position with the company.
Be Ready to Play a Bigger Game
Proper preparation, peak performance execution and the proper positioning
of your knowledge and unique ability increase your promotional opportunities.
You cannot sit on your laurels after you have experienced a degree of success.
You have to demonstrate that at each level of your career progression that
you are able to stretch yourself and play a bigger game.
Own your audacity to believe that you can succeed. Your season for better, for
progress is NOW! It is up to you to maintain a state of unswerving faith in the
face of the brutal facts of your reality. Some people have had worse and done
better than you do; some people have had better and done worse than you do.
In each case, these results came down to the quality of decisions and actions
taken by each individual.
Therefore, your career success is dependent upon your capacity to get clear
about your desired career aspirations, make quality decisions, and take
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purpose-driven actions. Embrace the truth of the "new normal" within your
organization. Prepare and position yourself to create and seize professional
opportunities that build your portfolio of skills and experiences. Continue to
stack the odds in your favor for career success.
Personal Development Assignment:
Creating a vision board or book will help you gain the clarity necessary to
navigate a career path that empowers your full potential. In her article, Seeing
is Believing: The Power of Visualization, Angie LeVan writes, “Brain studies
now reveal that thoughts produce the same mental instructions as actions.”
She goes on to say, “So the brain is getting trained for actual performance
(and experiences) during visualization. It’s been found that mental practices
can enhance motivation, increase confidence and self-efficacy, improve motor
performance, prime your brain for success, and increase states of flow – all
relevant to achieving your best life!”
Your task in the following weeks is to collect a collage of images that
reflect the experiences you want to manifest in your career. Gather
words and phrases, which reflect who you will have to be to do what you
have to do to achieve the level of career success you desire.
Place these images, words and phrases in a scrapbook or on a poster
board in a way that inspires you
Get a picture, or take one of yourself that you really like and paste it on
the cover of the scrapbook or in the center of the poster board. Write a positive affirming statement on the front of your scrapbook or
at the top of your poster board. For example, at the bottom of my vision
board I have this statement: “Opportunities abound for me to utilize my
gifts and talents to be a blessing and be blessed in life.” Place your vision board or scrapbook somewhere that it evokes you to
look at it every day. Spend at least 5 to 10 minutes in the morning and
evening using your imagination to stimulate positive emotional energy
towards having the courage to seize opportunities relevant to your
career goals. Do not underestimate the power of visualization.
Professional athletes, entertainers, and successful people in all
occupations engage the power of their brain to manifest the success
they want.
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Career Success Tip #5: Develop Your EQ
Emotional competence is the single most important personal quality that
each of us must develop and sustain to experience continuous success in life.
An emotionally competent person performs better under pressure."
Dave Lennick, Executive VP, American Express Financial Advisers stated:
“People don't care about what you know until they know how much you care.
Today's marketplace is much more demanding and fierce. Leaders in all
walks of life are redefining how they approach their staff and colleagues to
compete in the New Economy. Any organization that desires to survive and
thrive in the current economic landscape must begin a push towards the
development of its leadership and staff members "soft skills.”
Whatis.com defines soft skills as the personal attributes that enhance an
individual's interactions, job performance, and career prospects. Unlike hard
skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type
of task or activity, soft skills are interpersonal and broadly applicable.
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Make a list of the top five people who have had the greatest impact on your
life. Without looking at your list, I am sure that the individuals listed
demonstrated a sincere concern for your well-being and success at some
point. Your feelings of high regard for these individuals are largely due to their
demonstration of "soft skills.” Their demonstration of care and concern
toward you, on a regular basis, left an impression on your heart and mind that
cannot be erased. Here is something for you to consider, whose life have you
affected in such a way that if they created a list of five people that made a
difference in their life, you would be on their list?
Individuals in a workplace who are able to make a connection with leaders,
co-workers, customers, and vendors improve their chance of enjoying a
satisfying workplace experience. Leaders who create a workplace culture, in
which individuals feel respected and valued, and believe that their
contributions make a difference to the success of the organization stand a
better chance of thriving in the New Economy.
In a businessweek.com article, Daniel Goleman writes, "Organizations need to
have leaders who inspire joy and engagement. Disengagement is one of the
huge problems in the global workforce. People do not feel any emotional
connection to their work. The job of the leader is to make work matter and
make it pleasurable. Great leaders do that."
The Single Predictor of Workplace Success
Peak performers understand the importance of working well to achieve the
common goals of a group. Daniel Goleman wrote in his book, Working with
Emotional Intelligence, "Emotional Intelligence is the largest single predictor
of success in the workplace.” He describes Emotional Intelligence as
"managing feelings so that they are expressed appropriately and effectively
enabling people to work together smoothly towards their common goals".
"The good news" he writes, "is that the level of your Emotional Intelligence
can continue to grow, develop, and change as it is largely a learned area of
expertise.”
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According to Goleman the four major skills that make up emotional
intelligence are:
Self-Awareness: the ability to read one’s emotions and recognize their
impact on our interactions and decision-making.
Self-Management: involves controlling one’s emotions and impulses and
adapting as needed to changing circumstances.
Social Awareness: the ability to sense, understand and react to others
emotions while comprehending social networks.
Relationship Management: the ability to inspire, influence and develop
others while managing conflict.
Becoming a Person of Influence Requires Soft Skills
Developing your soft skills increases your capacity to become a person of
influence within your organization. Individuals who can improve the level of
employee engagement within their organization are able to inspire greater
levels of "discretionary effort" from individuals in workgroups.
Discretionary effort is often the result of the emotional connection an
employee feels towards a particular person of influence in the workplace. This
connection compels an individual to go that "extra-mile" to meet and exceed
the company and customer’s expectation. Individuals who can maximize the
performance of a work team stack the odds in their favor for leadership
success.
When You Care, They Care
Through the development of your Emotional Intelligence skills (EQ), you can
expand the emotional connection that you have with your team members.
Expanding your emotional connection with those in your workplace requires a
commitment on your part to take the lead.
The following tips will help you in the development of your soft skills:
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1. Look at yourself honestly and commit to ongoing personal and professional
development.
2. Reduce snap judgments of others by getting the facts about a situation.
3. Think before you speak.
4. Take responsibility for your team's results. Hold yourself accountable.
5. Walk your talk.
6. Express appreciation and compliments to others for specific performance.
7. Foster positive emotions towards others.
8. Respect diverse opinions. Agree to disagree.
9. Develop active listening skills.
10. Be respectful towards others at all times.
Your beliefs, perceptions, and assumptions influence your interactions with
each individual in your workplace. They persuade your approach to every
workplace experience. Make great effort to maintain a proper perspective on
a situation to avoid allowing your emotions get the best of you.
Developing your emotional intelligence equips you with an understanding of
how to better manage your emotions and remain aware of the emotions of
those in your sphere of influence. As a team member striving to navigate
career success, you want to demonstrate a positive and caring regard toward
others. Doing so increases your job satisfaction and workplace success.
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Career Success Tip #6: Lead from Any Position
John Quincy Adams stated, "If your actions inspire others to dream more,
learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” Leadership has
more to do with a person's character and personal habits versus a position,
title, money, or power. A position or title determines the level of authority and
influence given to a person by an organization. A leader's character
determines his or her overall effectiveness and capacity to achieve results.
Regardless of your position in your organization, you have the potential within
you to develop effective leadership skills. Your ability to take advantage of
your present work environment and stretch yourself beyond "just your
position" enables you to better prepare and position yourself to achieve
greater workplace success.
By stepping up your efforts to lead in your current position, you increase the
value of your contributions to your organization's customers while positioning
yourself for additional leadership responsibilities. Leadership skills are vital
for every position within an organization. Customers are demanding that there
concerns be addressed immediately with the person in front of them,
regardless of their position. Management is not for everyone but if you desire
to follow that track, the development of your leadership skills will certainly
position you for future growth and opportunity.
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The following is a list of character attributes required to increase leadership
effectiveness from front line staff members to executives:
1). Build strong alliances.
2). Persuade rather than coerce.
3). Subscribe to honesty and integrity.
4). Never respond with vengeance or spite.
5). Have the courage to handle unjust criticism.
6). Be decisive.
7). Lead by example.
8). Establish goals.
9). Be results oriented.
10). Encourage innovation.
11). Master the art of public speaking.
12). Communicate a vision and continue to reaffirm it with effective actions.
To have the greatest impact, your leadership has to be in service to someone
or a specific purpose larger than yourself to leave a legacy in the hearts and
mind of those you work with. A sense of purpose provides you with a meaning
that when attached to a passionate "why,” you feel compelled to persist in the
face of obstacles and roadblocks because of the compelling inner force of
your purpose.
Jim Collins wrote in his book, Good to Great, "Good is the enemy of great."
Do not accept the "status-quo" mindset that doing just enough is good
enough. It is no more painful to pursue excellence then to settle for
mediocrity.
Highly successful individuals understand the impact doing more than
expected has on the level of success that they achieve. They maintain a
personal sense of pride, regardless of the environment, which reflects in their
approach to and the quality of their work. They identify with being a peak
performer. They expect to perform at their best. For this reason, they continue
to create and seize opportunities to take the lead to do more great work.
When you model this behavior, you are in great company.
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Career Success Tip #7: How to Handle Your First Promotion
Congratulations, you just received your first promotion. Depending on your
organization, you will undergo the basic training necessary for you to achieve
reasonable success in your new position within an allotted period. It is
important that you make the most of your first 90 days in this new position.
Jay Abraham, Marketing Guru stated, "The people above you (bosses,
management and organization leaders) want one thing most of all - they want
solutions to problems. Solutions that make them look good and help them
achieve their goals. They want you to be a problem solver because a good
idea is a good idea regardless of where it comes from."
With your recent promotion, you can be sure that others will be observing your
behavior and approach to the day-to-day opportunities and challenges that
you will face. Your successful start in this new position will certainly show
those who signed off on your promotion that they did not make a mistake in
their choice of you for the position.
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It is important that you recognize the difference between being busy and
being effective. The latter produces tangible results, the first waste lots of
time.
The following tips will help you build momentum with effective approaches to
your tasks and responsibilities and a "can do" attitude toward achieving
results:
You have to take the lead in the development of your leadership capacity.
Your leadership growth and development is your responsibility. This means
you do not wait for someone to train you on what you need to know or
want to know to increase your performance; you take the initiative to make
sure that you receive the training. It is up to you to plan, prepare, and
pursue a path that leads to further leadership growth.
The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary. Those that
have placed their faith in you do so partly because they believe you will
consistently perform and deliver results. There is no resting on your laurels
in business. Celebrate your achievements but understand that the
demands on your organization by the marketplace will require that you be
able to step up your effort from one level to the next level.
Walk your talk. One of the most common complaints on employee opinion
surveys is related to the question, "On a scale of 1-10, 10 being "very
much" and 1 "never,” how would you rate the level of trust you have with
your immediate supervisor or manager?" In most workplaces, employee’s
trust of their immediate supervisor has a tremendous effect on the
business bottom line. Your character influences how others in your
workplace perceive your leadership style. When you are transparent,
communicate honestly with others, and maintain a sense of humility you
demonstrate that you are a leader that can be trusted.
Maintain a high level of passion towards the work that is required of you. It
breeds enthusiasm in the work environment. Ralph Waldo Emerson stated,
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
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Set up others to succeed. Beyond trust, nothing breeds loyalty from others
more so than working with a leader who they feel has their best interest in
mind. Give credit where credit is due. Praise often and when you have to
provide constructive feedback, do so in private. Always be on the lookout
for growth and development opportunities for those on your team. People
are hungry to develop their potential.
Communicate clearly the organization's expectations of responsibilities for
each member of your team. It frustrates team members when what they
think about their performance do not align with what their direct supervisor
thinks about it. Provide ongoing performance feedback, and you will
decrease or eliminate this frustration among team members.
Have fun. Do not take yourself so seriously that few people feel
comfortable being themselves around you. Develop and maintain an
approachable demeanor. It creates a level of comfort that creates a space
for open and honest communication to happen in your workgroup. People
prefer to be on the bus with people they like, even when they are not sure
where the bus is heading, according to Jim Collins.
Maintain a win-win attitude towards your new responsibilities, customers,
team members, and the management and leadership of your organization.
Over time, you will develop the credibility of someone who is trustworthy and
this will increase your influence in the workplace.
Personal Development Assignment:
Identify individuals in your organization that can serve as mentors and
help you successfully navigate its corporate terrain.
Get involved with community causes that provide you opportunities to
network with like-minded individuals and build your leadership skills.
Develop your public speaking. As a former member of Toastmasters, I
encourage you to visit your local clubs to see how this inexpensive
program can help build your self-confidence in addition to your
communication and leadership skills.
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Career Success Tip #8: Increase Your Workplace Happiness
Research shows that our thoughts become our biochemistry as they flood our
thoughts with upper and downer hormones. Two University of Pittsburgh
psychologists, counted the ratio of good and bad thoughts in depressed and
happy people. Depressed people have one bad thought for every good one;
non-depressed people have two good thoughts for one bad thought.
In TheFeeling Good Handbook, David D. Burns, M.D. writes, “The more we
learn to counteract the negativity in our minds the more happiness we’ll find
room to bloom in our hearts.” A happy person it turns out is not a person with
a set of ideal circumstances, but rather a person who possess a certain set of
attitudes towards life.”
Here are eight tips that will improve your workplace attitude and happiness
on the job:
Get Out of Yourself: Choose to be generous towards others. Being good to
someone makes you feel good. Practice random acts of kindness towards
your boss and co-workers on a daily basis. Kindness fuels positive
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emotions that can serve as the catalyst that will spark the positive change
that you desire to see on the job.
Practice the Duty of Delight: Relish your talents by sharing them with
others to help them succeed in the workplace. The sharing of what you
know has a way of challenging you to stretch yourself to know more and do
more so that you have more to share with others.
Engage in Aerobic Exercise: Numerous studies show how aerobic exercise
is a great mood elevator. Get outside on a regular basis and take a brisk
walk for 10 minutes. It can do wonders for helping you maintain a calm
composure and clarity of focus, especially on your most challenging days.
This small act will help you feel better and make it easier for others to
approach and work with you on the job.
Be On the Lookout for Good: Make a point of recognizing the good in your
workplace. There is always going to be individuals who focus their
attention only on the not so good, standout by magnifying the positive that
is happening in the workplace. Specific praise of other people’s work
encourages their heart and inspires them to continue to do the same or
better.
Find Your Tribe: Workplaces are very social environments. The individuals
on your job possess many talents and interests. By reaching out to others
and getting to know them, you will begin to identify those with similar
ideas and aspirations as you. Creating a support network on the job
continues to be a crucial factor in the sustainable success of highly
successful people.
Stretch Yourself: Increasing your capacity to utilize and grow your talents in
ways that contribute value to the success of your organization expands
your sense of purpose and satisfaction, as you “know” that your work is
making a difference.
Practice Gratefulness: Neuroscientists have proven that every time we
appreciate something, we flood our bodies with endorphins, which produce
a sense of wellbeing. As the Old Irish proverb states, “Count your joys
instead of your woes. Count your friends instead of your foes.” I have found
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that by telling people that “I appreciate you” or that “I appreciate
something specific that they have done” helps me to nurture positive and
supportive relationships.
Expand Your Notion of Work: Aristotle believed that a happy life was to be
found in creating genuine friendships. You will spend a great deal of your
time and life energy working. I think it is smart of you to enjoy it as much
as possible. A positive attitude towards your job reduces bad stress, adds
to your wellbeing, and can better position you for advancement
opportunities.
As you engage your power to be happy in your workplace be mindful that
there is a high probability that you will become like a contagion and everyone
that you interact with will become infected with happiness. You can be a
catalyst for positive change and increase the happiness and
success experienced by you and others in your workplace.
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Last Words
Everything on your job is not going to go the way that you hope, pray, or plan.
You are going to experience unexpected challenges and change. This is
inevitable. You have the freedom to choose your attitude toward the
circumstances that you face on the job.
You can choose a way of thinking that helps to solve problems and increase
the success of your work group or you can choose a way of thinking that
becomes a problem to your co-workers and bosses. You have the power to
choose your workplace attitude and in doing so you will either increase or
decrease your happiness and success on the job.
You can approach each day with the intention that you will make the most of
your time in your present position and workplace. You may not be where you
want to be, but that does not mean that you cannot gain valuable experience.
In everything that you do, there is always life lessons that can be learn to
prepare you for your next steps.
You do not have to be working on your dream job to make the most of your
present job. It comes down to shifting your perception, maintaining a sense of
gratitude for the job and contributing in meaningful ways to the success of the
organization and those that work in it so that you feel a sense of satisfaction.
The consistent application of the winning workplace strategies in this book
will certainly empower you to take charge of your professional development
and growth, which will over time support your efforts of navigating a
successful career path.