Category Archives: Advice from a Life Coach
August 9, 2012 The Most Important Leadership Quality
A recent article published in the Harvard Business Review claims that one quality rises above the rest when it comes to great leadership: self-awareness. In the article, titled “How Leaders Become Self-Aware”, author Anthony Tjan poses a question to help us understand what is meant by self-awareness: “What motivates you and your decision making?”
Are you prepared to respond? Unless you have already made practice in self awareness part of your everyday and you’ve taken the assessments and consulted with others, you may struggle to answer Tjan’s question.
Tjan outlines three steps that all of us can take to become better leader in our life. Because I do a lot of work with self-awareness as an Insights Practitioner, I’m always combing through new resources for my coaching when it comes to self-awareness. I thought Tjan’s pointers were spot on and provided some great ideas for improving effectiveness and interactions.
Test and Know Yourself Better
This translates simply to take a personality test. I know it sounds simple (and the process can be as simple as answering questions about yourself for half an hour online, in the case of Insights Discovery), but this quick gesture, when given reflection, can transform the way you work and your relationships with others. Tjan advocates self-assessments because “they facilitate self-reflection, which leads to better self-awareness.”
Watch Yourself and Learn
This step plays out on a more long term scale, but can have big takeaways when done correctly. The process of this step is simple: when making a big decision, always record your reasons for that decision and then revisit these reasons 9-12 months later. What panned out and what didn’t? Tjan labels this practice as feedback analysis and explains that its effectiveness is found in two steps: “a) codify rationale and motivators and b) reflect and assess outcomes.”
Be Aware of Others, Too
Self-awareness is no good if you live alone on an island—the real power of this knowledge reveals itself when you interact with others on a team. “Knowing your natural strengths and weaknesses makes you a better recruiter and allocator of talent,” says Tjan. But this knowledge is most effective when you’re aware of the strengths of those around you, because this results in a group of people who both “understand and complement each other.” A strong team is founded on the diverse approaches and skills of its members, and because these members approach tasks differently, this promotes learning and feedback within the group—it leads to innovation.
Have questions about self-awareness? Feel free to contact me for answers.
Tags: Career Coach Advice, Delegation, How to Change Your Life, Improving Relationships, Insights Discovery
July 25, 2012 No Sweat, No Fail Networking
By Margaret Smith, UXL: Creating Successful Leaders
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER
Networking… Just the shear mention of the word makes my knees buckle and my deodorant is challenged.
Networking is, however, one of the most important skills to perfect, no matter where you are on your career journey. Did you know that more than 80% of jobs today are found through contacts, not over the internet or by blindly sending a resume.
You’ve probably familiar with the phrase “It’s who you know, not what you know”, and for a period of time, a lot of us could afford to ignore this little axiom. Well, the times certainly have changed. Now, more and more people are discovering the truth behind this common message.
Today, your contacts (and your contact’s contacts) are the real door openers to the interview.
Networking is essential to the job hunt, but it’s not limited to those looking for employment. Even if you currently have a job, a new position may be searching for you. If you don’t have the right connections internally your name may not come up—opportunity missed!
No Sweat, No Fail Networking
The first step is to figure out where to go. Where can you find the people that you need to meet—where do they hang out? Find the events and activities that attract the people and organizations you need or want to meet.
The 3 Parts of Successful Networking:
1) Know your Audience: Who will be there? Who do I need/want to meet? How do I “show up”?
2) Have an Objective: Is my objective to collect 15 business cards or to meet the 3 most influential people at the event? You will achieve what you set your mind to do.
3) Be Prepared and Practice: Know how you will introduce yourself, what you do or what you want. Make sure you have a request ready, such as “May I call you next week to set up some time to learn more?” or “Whom in your organization is involved in what I am interested in?” or “Who do you suggest I meet here tonight?”
Practice is the fun part. Stand in front of the mirror, watch your body language, smile, and figure out ways to share your energy so people enjoy their encounter with you.
Don’t forget to follow up via phone or email with the people you meet and remind them of something from your conversation.
Okay, now my knees stopped shaking and I am writing down my introduction so I can practice for that event on Monday night…Good luck!
July 13, 2012 How You (Yes You!) Can Get Creative at Work
By Margaret Smith, UXL:
SPEAKER | CAREER COACH | CERTIFIED INSIGHTS DISCOVERY PRACTITIONER
I was surprised to discover two really helpful articles in the recent USA Weekend insert (usaweekend.com) in my Stillwater Gazette. I decided to share some of the most important ideas with my readers.
Last week I wrote about an article on building a successful business based on the perfect team. This week, I’d like to focus on an article addressing a different subject—that of sparking creativity—by author MeKenna Grant, and featuring advice from creativity specialist Tina Seelig.
Now, before we dive into some great tips for supercharging our creativity, I think it’s important that we face a common hang up that many of us have when it comes to “being creative.” The problem is that many people believe that we’re either born with creativity, or we’re out of luck—we’re “uncreative” people. It’s like picturing creativity as a gift we’re given that cannot be taught, handed off, or fostered.
This way of thinking about creativity is downright wrong, and it limits potential, says Tina Seelig, author of inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity and award-winning educator at Stanford University. Seelig urges readers to understand that creativity can be easily taught and learned.
Interested in learning to ignite your own creativity and start embracing challenges and creating new ideas? See Seelig’s handy tips below.
Use Metaphors and Analogies to Connect the Unfamiliar
Seelig suggests turning to devices commonly reserved for literature to get your creative juices flowing. This means using metaphors to compare things to one another and connect unfamiliar pairs. “By comparing one thing to another, you uncover fascinating parallels that open up a world of new ideas,” she says. “Connecting unexpected people, places, objects, and ideas provides a huge boose to your imagination.”
Make Space to Be Creative
It’s not always easy to make room for new ideas, different ways of thinking, and different possibilities. This means it’s important that you work to give yourself creative space. “Creative space leads to creative work.” As a great example, Seelig turns to creative animation powerhouse Pixar, the company behind movies such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. We learn by this example that creative space can be made by working with a group. It’ll help you gain insight from others. Seelig explains that it’s best to have “a group composed of individuals who bring different perspectives to the table, who respect different working styles, and who resolve conflicts along the way.”
As a final note, Seelig reminds us of the all-important, final ingredient when it comes to creativity: “Great teams also have a healthy dose of playfulness.” Add a little more fun to your next brainstorm, and you’ll be sure to generate some fresh ideas.
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