"Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
Vince Lombardi, American football coach
THE INTERACTIVE COACHING PROGRAM
THE FUNDAMENTAL COACHING PROGRAM
THE CAREER PROGRAM
THE WEALTH PROGRAM
THE RELATIONSHIP PROGRAM
If you're not...
If you're not prepared to be wrong, you'll never produce anything original.
Ken Robinson, The Element
Whoever said that...
Whoever said that looking for work is a full-time job is obviously employed. The job search is more like being self-employed. There's no one telling you what to do and you only get paid if you produce!
If this is the case, the importance of thinking strategically about the job search must be at the forefront. The problem, however, is that the job search is often a reactionary process due to the stress of losing a job or the need to make a transition into another position. Both of these work against the job seeker, from a psychological as well as a tactical perspective.
Psychologically, the signs are usually expected and clear. For example, there may be an onset of mild depression which causes an inability to focus on the task at hand. Tactically, the job seeker may be unrealistic about their job choice — as the job search goes on, this can potentially mean wasting valuable time and energy.
So what can the job seeker do?
Thinking strategically about the job search from the beginning is vital in order to reduce the time it takes to find a job. Most often, the job seeker focuses on their ideal job, their "dream job," the one they've been trained to do. The problem here, though, is that this typically limits the job related opportunities available to us.
The strategic job seeker, on the other hand, actually runs a parallel job search.
Prior to commencing with the job search, it's important to look for your "dream job," but to also look for opportunities that support you eventually getting your ideal position. Those supporting jobs should meet the criteria you have set for moving you closer to getting your dream job. For example, if you want to be a teacher, you need to list all the skills and experiences required to be a competent teacher: teaching, curriculum development, leadership, etc. Taking those skills and finding them in other jobs will not only build your competencies but also position you as highly competitive when you do get an interview as a teacher. Taking a job as a tutor starts to make more sense when you know you can acquire the skills necessary to increase your value to the employer.
It's important to think long term when it comes to the job search. Strategically determining your job search path is critical if you want to effectively and efficiently make the transition to the labor market. Although taking a job other then your dream position may feel wrong, it's more about how the job you're taking fits into becoming more competitive in the labor pool. Get strategic about your job search and you will reap the benefits down the road!
If this is the case, the importance of thinking strategically about the job search must be at the forefront. The problem, however, is that the job search is often a reactionary process due to the stress of losing a job or the need to make a transition into another position. Both of these work against the job seeker, from a psychological as well as a tactical perspective.
Psychologically, the signs are usually expected and clear. For example, there may be an onset of mild depression which causes an inability to focus on the task at hand. Tactically, the job seeker may be unrealistic about their job choice — as the job search goes on, this can potentially mean wasting valuable time and energy.
So what can the job seeker do?
Thinking strategically about the job search from the beginning is vital in order to reduce the time it takes to find a job. Most often, the job seeker focuses on their ideal job, their "dream job," the one they've been trained to do. The problem here, though, is that this typically limits the job related opportunities available to us.
The strategic job seeker, on the other hand, actually runs a parallel job search.
Prior to commencing with the job search, it's important to look for your "dream job," but to also look for opportunities that support you eventually getting your ideal position. Those supporting jobs should meet the criteria you have set for moving you closer to getting your dream job. For example, if you want to be a teacher, you need to list all the skills and experiences required to be a competent teacher: teaching, curriculum development, leadership, etc. Taking those skills and finding them in other jobs will not only build your competencies but also position you as highly competitive when you do get an interview as a teacher. Taking a job as a tutor starts to make more sense when you know you can acquire the skills necessary to increase your value to the employer.
It's important to think long term when it comes to the job search. Strategically determining your job search path is critical if you want to effectively and efficiently make the transition to the labor market. Although taking a job other then your dream position may feel wrong, it's more about how the job you're taking fits into becoming more competitive in the labor pool. Get strategic about your job search and you will reap the benefits down the road!
Courtesy of the November 2009 Flownotes
Networking isn't a...
Networking isn't a part of life, it's life itself! Everything we do is connected to our network. Whether it's asking for help from a neighbor or getting someone to introduce you to a contact, networking is an everyday occurrence.
The fact that networking is a prominent part of our life, however, doesn't necessarily guarantee that we are aware of when we’re doing it. Most of the our normal networking is subconscious, without challenge, offering few repercussions in asking someone for help. After all, networking is essentially the act of getting someone to help you accomplish an objective. When the act of networking is occurring, we seldom realize that we're doing it. It often looks like we're just receiving help from the people we're connected to.
If this is the case, imagine the potential networking can bring to us in accomplishing our goals if we bring it to a conscious level!
It is only when we focus on bringing networking to a level of awareness that we can become strategic. Doing this is actually quite simple; all you must do is set clear and concise goals. This forces us to think about who in our network can help us accomplish our goals.
Becoming a strategic networker does not only include the act of networking but the willingness and ability to set goals. Goals in and of themselves will help motivate us to seek out the individuals who can help us accomplish them. Without them, research suggests that it's much more difficult to remain motivated to network, especially for those individuals who feel uncomfortable doing it.
Once goals are set, the networking activity continues when we reach out to individuals in our network who can actually help. This requires a different competency then goal setting since it calls on our ability to leverage opportunities in our network. The act of asking someone for help can be more complex than we think. It's not just in the act of asking, but also in getting the individual to follow through and truly help us. This is where it gets tricky and requires us to think more strategically about this activity.
At the forefront of this process is our willingness to help as much as we receive. In order to do this, we must be aware of what we offer our network.
Bringing networking to the conscious level and thinking strategically about how we can leverage the resources in our network is critical if we are going to succeed. Setting goals that are easily communicated to the network and getting people involves a strategy that will increase the likelihood of people helping. Developing connection strategies and developing a networking plan is important if we are going to become more effective at networking.
The good news? Networking is a learnable and teachable activity! If we commit to becoming better at it, anything is possible!
The fact that networking is a prominent part of our life, however, doesn't necessarily guarantee that we are aware of when we’re doing it. Most of the our normal networking is subconscious, without challenge, offering few repercussions in asking someone for help. After all, networking is essentially the act of getting someone to help you accomplish an objective. When the act of networking is occurring, we seldom realize that we're doing it. It often looks like we're just receiving help from the people we're connected to.
If this is the case, imagine the potential networking can bring to us in accomplishing our goals if we bring it to a conscious level!
It is only when we focus on bringing networking to a level of awareness that we can become strategic. Doing this is actually quite simple; all you must do is set clear and concise goals. This forces us to think about who in our network can help us accomplish our goals.
Becoming a strategic networker does not only include the act of networking but the willingness and ability to set goals. Goals in and of themselves will help motivate us to seek out the individuals who can help us accomplish them. Without them, research suggests that it's much more difficult to remain motivated to network, especially for those individuals who feel uncomfortable doing it.
Once goals are set, the networking activity continues when we reach out to individuals in our network who can actually help. This requires a different competency then goal setting since it calls on our ability to leverage opportunities in our network. The act of asking someone for help can be more complex than we think. It's not just in the act of asking, but also in getting the individual to follow through and truly help us. This is where it gets tricky and requires us to think more strategically about this activity.
At the forefront of this process is our willingness to help as much as we receive. In order to do this, we must be aware of what we offer our network.
Bringing networking to the conscious level and thinking strategically about how we can leverage the resources in our network is critical if we are going to succeed. Setting goals that are easily communicated to the network and getting people involves a strategy that will increase the likelihood of people helping. Developing connection strategies and developing a networking plan is important if we are going to become more effective at networking.
The good news? Networking is a learnable and teachable activity! If we commit to becoming better at it, anything is possible!
Courtesy of the November 2009 Flownotes
Individual commitment to...
"Individual commitment to a group effort -- that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work."
Vince Lombardi, American football coach
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