Feeling Fearful? Parents Going Back to Work Needn’t Worry

I’ve been having babies - and then bringing up our young children - for the last 6 years. It’s been an extremely enjoyable (and challenging!) time. I should post another time about my parenting experiences; it will make for an amusing read!

During this delicious period of changing nappies; breastfeeding tired and hungry babies at 3am; potty training; nurturing; teaching; growing in pride; and having numerous stressful meltdowns (that’s me, not just the kids) I’ve tried very hard to juggle both working with parenting and, in more recent years, have taken a career break to focus solely on the children. 

But the time is coming where I want to go back to work and over the last 12 months or so I’ve started tuning in to the conversations at the school gate. 

Many parents, just like me, are looking into the career options available to them. And most are sharing their fears about re-entering the workplace. 

They talk about having a lapse in self confidence; a fear of being able to function again in a corporate environment; and reveal the doubts they have about their skills and abilities. 

Parents with young children might be surprised to learn that they aren’t the only people who take time out of work to pursue other priorities.

Although the largest group of ‘career breakers’ are those who want to care for young children, many other adults take time out from their careers to travel; look after elderly or unwell relatives; take on an internship, to try out a new potential career; or take sabbaticals. 

So if you’re a stay at home parent, looking to go back into work at some point, you will be thrilled to know you aren’t alone and your concerns are also not uncommon. 

Here are some simple tips to get you thinking positively as you make the next step into ‘career world’:

The Role

1. Consider the next role you’d like to move into. Is it the same role you previously had or do you want to try something different? Do you need greater flexibility than you had before? What sort of role would really energise you? What salary would be needed? 

2. Consider the skills required for this new role. You might go online and review current job ads. You might talk to people in the industry. See what skills and qualifications are being asked for. Do you have them? If not, could you acquire them? Are there courses or qualifications you could complete now to help you hit the ground running once you are ready to interview?

Your Strengths 

1. Brainstorm your own offering. What value can you add? Brainstorm what you really enjoying doing (tasks; how you like spending your time at work; what energises you most). Brainstorm your skills. Your qualifications. The courses you’ve completed. Think about what you do really well. Write all these things down and review what you uncover. 

Just because you’ve been at home for some time doesn’t mean you’re suddenly unemployable! Many parents go back to work after a career break and lead very fulfilling professional lives thereafter. 

Don’t listen to the wimpish voice in your head! Take action and start outlining everything you DO have to offer. It’s a great first step to getting yourself back into the swing of working. 

Rebecca

Your Best Career Opportunity is NOW

Your career is only as good as your current opportunity.


Most people think about their careers in linear form. In other words, they judge where they are based on their career to date and where they want to take it.

There's nothing desperately wrong with that of course but it isn't terribly inspiring.

The past is, well, the past. It's gone. And yes, of course past experience can be valuable when pursuing your next 'step' and yet, in some respects, the past in uninteresting.


The future is where 'goals' sit: aspirations to achieve a particular level of success perhaps. Or to work your way up the ladder.


Again, there's nothing wrong with this thinking, those goals just may never happen due to choice or other factors.


The truth is, your career is happening right now beneath your nose. And my question to you is: "Is your current career giving you everything you want right now?"


The opportunity isn't in the past or the future. It is here, right now.


So, right now, are you choosing to make the best of this opportunity?


Are you getting the most from it?


Are your values being met?


Are you utilising your deepest strengths?


Are you delivering the value that you know will make you feel most fulfilled?


If you answered 'no' to any of those questions you need to challenge yourself by asking, "What's missing?"


And make sure that your next career opportunity plugs those gaps.


Rebecca

Not 'Ambitious'? Don't Worry; The Only Way Ain't 'Up'

"So, how ambitious are you?"

"Yikes!" you think. "I'm not ambitious at all... I was dreading him asking me that."


Interviews. Performance reviews. Chats with your boss. All of these situations could result in your degree of ambitiousness being called into question.


There appears to be a widespread perception in the corporate world that to be any good, or to be regarded as an asset to your company, you must also be 'ambitious' (which, in most corporate cultures, means 'wanting to work your way up the ladder').


In my mind, that definition is limited and is actually held by only a small percentage of the working population and yet, their definition has become the standard to which everyone else thinks they must adhere.

A Client Said...

I had a client recently who was talking about his performance review and how he should handle 'that' question about ambitiousness. "If I was talking to friends," he said, "I'd say the truth: I don't want ever to be a senior manager leading a massive team."


"And how would you reply if your boss asked the same question?" I asked. "Well, I would have to tell him what he expects to hear: that I'm ambitious and want a top job in the long term."


Surely the problem with this is that this client could well end up with exactly what he doesn't want: a job that doesn't inspire, engage or motivate him.


I often like to challenge the 'rules' that are created by perception; it is just in my nature.


So What Does 'Ambitious' Mean?


I believe that being 'ambitious' simply means 'to have ambitions - goals, needs, a mission - that you yearn to fulfil'.


Yes, a small percentage of people do have ambitions to be the next CEO/COO/CFO.


A larger group have ambitions to reach a certain level of seniority, or to manage a certain number of people, and then want to stay put.


And then there are some people who have ambitions to compete in a triathlon every month and so fit their training around their working week.


Some people have ambitions to spend as much time as possible with their families.


Some people have ambitions to seize every learning opportunity they can.


'Ambitiousness', by my definition, is about having a mission (or goals, or ambitions) that you believe deeply in and that you pursue with as much energy and passion that you can muster.


So, To Your Next Meeting...
So should you be cautious when discussing your ambitions with your manager?


Well, that's up to you.


But all I suggest is you get very clear about what your deepest ambitions really are across life and work, for an engaged, happy and enthusiastic employee will always be more likely to deliver, both for themselves and for their organisations.


Rebecca



Rebecca Wells is a Career and Executive Coach with a specialism in Personal Branding for Corporate Women. She believes that women are phenomenal and add long lasting commercial value to business and yet often struggle to understand their value or believe deeply in their abilities to succeed. Her coaching programs are designed for talented and savvy professional women who simply need that extra push to achieve their greatest fulfillment and success.

At A Career Crossroads? Use Your Values To Guide Your Decision.

Andrew Penn, CFO Telstra

Last week I attended a networking function, co- hosted by The Financial Review and The University of Sydney's Business School.


The CFO of Telstra, Andrew Penn, was the keynote speaker who offered a series of very honest thoughts about a range of topics, most notably for me: his views on effective career management.

Being an individual and coach who believes deeply in the power of values - and the importance of seeking outcomes that support those values - I was thrilled to hear what Andrew had to say about his own career choices.

He told us that he realised early on how important both 'challenge' (a value) and 'opportunity' (a value) were to him: any role he has taken, since starting out as a clerk in a shipping business, had to meet these criteria.


What a simple strategy: to ensure your values are met.


Consider your career today and where you want to go. What do you really want to get out of it?


Might it also be 'challenge' or 'opportunity'?


Or perhaps to broaden your 'knowledge' or deepen some specialist 'expertise'?

(These are all values: they are factors that are important to you).


Perhaps you need your work to bear 'immediate results' or maybe you enjoy seeing 'results over a longer time frame'?


Whatever your values, be mindful of them. Basing your career choices on them will bring you untold fulfilment and success.


Rebecca


Rebecca Wells is a Career and Executive Coach with a specialism in Personal Branding for Corporate Women. She believes that women are phenomenal and add long lasting commercial value to business and yet often struggle to understand their value or believe deeply in their abilities to succeed. Her coaching programs are designed for talented and savvy professional women who simply need that extra push to achieve their greatest fulfillment and success.

The 5 Futile Behaviours That Every Smart Woman Knows Will Strangle Her Career

Futility is a depressing thing: you push and push and push and still don't get a result. But what's worse, is you chastise yourself for not getting that result.

Women are constantly setting themselves up for failure by going out to achieve outcomes that, in some instances are never, ever, ever going to happen.

Stop wasting your time!

Here are the five behaviours that you must stop doing right now, if you're serious about getting ahead in your career.

Futile Behaviour 1.
Trying to tick everything off your to do list

If you're anything like me, you will constantly have a to-do list the length of your arm. You believe that the list gives you security: that feeling that you're 'on top of things'.

In fact, all the list does is set you up to fail because you and I both know that however many tasks get ticked off your list, new ones are added just as quickly.

The key, I have discovered, is to know which tasks have any real value and which should be dumped off your list entirely.

Knowing what not to do is as important as knowing what tasks to complete.

Action:
Review your to-do list.
- Which tasks serve no purpose at all?
- Which can be binned immediately?
- Which tasks could you delegate straight away, either up or down the chain?
- And which tasks will create outcomes that will make a real difference to you, your team or your company?

Having answered these questions, you will now have a 'dump, delegate and do' list. Signpost the tasks on your 'do' list that will make the greatest impact, the most quickly, and get to work only on those.


Futile Behaviour 2:
Seeking perfectionism

Perfectionism, by its very nature, is impossible to attain. You will always want to tweak and finesse... and then tweak a bit some more.

Quite simply, stop wasting precious time.
Action:
Ask yourself:
- Is trying to 'make things perfect' really helping you?
- Is it getting you where you want to be professionally?
- If so, what are you NOT doing when you're spending your time seeking perfectionism?
- Would anyone notice if you completed a task 5% less well? How about 10%? Would it make a significant impact to your end outcome or not?

And finally, whilst you're striving to be 'perfect', what are your peers up to??? They're your competition by the way.


Futile Behaviour 3:
Trying to be liked by everyone

The world is made up of different people. That is what makes it interesting.

We have different personalities. Different quirks. And different views about whether  or not dogs are 'better' than cats.

I don't know about you, but I don't like everyone I know. That would just be silly.

We don't all share the same values for a start which creates an automatic 'dislike' for one another. So if, I don't like everyone I know, why would I expect everyone else to like me?

The truth is, you don't need to be liked by everyone. Someone might not like you, but respect you highly. I don't know about you, but that would suit me fine.

Action:
Get realistic about who you really need to have 'on your side' and quite simply, who doesn't really matter all that much.

Spend the majority of your energies trying to influence the opinions of people you like, respect and who can help you achieve your goals.


Futile Behaviour 4:
Waiting to feel certain before making a decision

A UK newspaper recently ran a story about a fortune teller who makes her predictions using asparagus. Now, I don't know about you, but I don't know how accurate asparagus would be in foreseeing the future. I expect it's not.

Trying to know what lies around the corner is about as futile as it gets. Yes, you can have a 'best guess' based on 'the facts', your gut feel, and the opinions of your most trusted advisors. But none of us can ever really know the future.

If we did, the GFC (global financial crisis) might never have happened and I wouldn't have ever dated anyone who let me down. :)

Action:
Read my post here about how to arrive at better decisions with greater ease.

When faced with your next decision making situation, where you feel unsure, repeat this sentence 5 times in quick succession,

"I am never going to know for sure how this will turn out; that is exactly what makes the world such a fun place to live in. But I do trust myself, and my judgment, to make the best decision that I can today."


Futile Behaviour 5:
Waiting around to be recognised

Although 'recognition' is a major need that we all have as human beings, it does not necessarily follow that you need that acknowledgement to come from other people.

Much more important is to know, in yourself, that you have done a great job.

Of course, receiving praise from external sources is wonderful. But just don't sit around waiting for that stuff to come your way; you could be waiting a lifetime.

Action:
'Self validation' is a skill that you can easily learn if you do it regularly. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What were your expectations before you started?
- Did you meet those expectations?
- What value did you add?
- How would you rate your performance out of 10?

Once you've answered these questions, get into the habit of writing your achievement down. Even better, keep an 'achievement journal'.

When it comes to your next discussion with your Partner, or Vice President, make sure you have those achievements top of mind. Share them with him and make sure they are known. You might receive some praise (and you might not) but either way, rest assured: if you have self validated and you have made it known what you have achieved, you have done everything that you can to influence their good perception of you.


******

Now, Over to You!

Have any of these behaviours been slowing you down?
What have you done about it?
What are you going to do about it?
Love to hear from you!
Rebecca     Rebecca Wells is a Career and Executive Coach with a specialism in Personal Branding for Corporate Women. She believes that women are phenomenal and add long lasting commercial value to business and yet often struggle to understand their value or believe deeply in their abilities to succeed. Her coaching programs are designed for talented and savvy professional women who simply need that extra push to achieve their greatest fulfillment and success. 

5 Strategies to Ensure Your Next Salary Review Meeting Works For You

Your next review meeting - where you will discuss your salary, bonus package, the hours you work and other perks of the job - should already be in your diary.

You might be lucky, and have a manager who is organised and has already scheduled your meeting; many clients however complain that this is not the case for them. Either way, follow these 5 tips to help you achieve success in your next salary review:

1. Get a meeting in the diary now!
2. Be thinking now about what you wish to negotiate: salary; bonus; flexi-time etc.
3. Set expectations early.
4. Be prepared.
5. Don't back down.


Let's look at each of these in turn:


1. Get Your Review Meeting in the Diary, Today

Quite simply, make sure you have a meeting in the diary. It's amazing how many people complain that they haven't had a review in 18 months and yet have never asked for a meeting to be put in the diary. It is your career, remember that!


2. Be Thinking Now About What You Wish to Negotiate

This is your meeting. It is to discuss your performance, your career and your ROI.

ROI stands for 'return on investment': what return do you want for the investment of time and energy that you have given towards your organisation's success?

This is not your manager's meeting, however much you might think it is. Just because he or she has the power to decide how you may be renumerated, it does not follow that they are there to run the meeting.

You must run the meeting. Have your own agenda: decide what you would like to be discussed and agreed upon at this meeting.

- Do you want to negotiate a raise in salary? If so, do you have a sliding scale in mind?
- What other factors do you want to negotiate: car allowance; flexi time; share options; performance bonus?


3. Set Expectations Early

I think it's useful to let key decision makers know what you want well in advance; I am not a big believer in hoping people will be able to read your mind!

So, if you're looking for a promotion this time round, it is sensible to make that clear well in advance. Don't wait until your review meeting to have that conversation. It might be too late. Setting expectations means that hopefully you're on the same page; you don't want to sell why you're worthy of the promotion in your review meeting - your manager should already have been sold!


4. Be Prepared

You must focus your discussion on your results. In other words, what results have you delivered for the organisation? Think for example about the stats behind your accomplishments:

- Have there been sales uplifts under your tenure?
- Have you renegotiated a contract that has cut costs?
- Have you streamlined a process that has reduced time and cost?
- Have any of your team members been promoted under your management?

The more you attribute your requests for higher pay with the value you have added - and continue to add - the easier it will become to achieve the salary outcomes you are looking for.


5. Don't Back Down

If you don't achieve the outcome you are looking for, try hard not to be downhearted.

But whatever you do, don't hide your disappointment. Say you are disappointed. This in itself can change a decision and you may be able to negotiate a deal.

However, it may also make no difference at all. If that is the case, that is frustrating but it doesn't mean you miss you. By backing yourself you will have demonstrated the belief you have in your value.

You could suggest your pay is prioritised next time round, or you might request an alternative means of renumeration (through flexi time for example).

Keep your eye on the prize and continue to ask for what you deserve.

Rebecca

The Top 4 Reasons Employees Quit

This post, written by Kazim Ladimeji of the Career Cafe, struck a chord with me.

So much so, I wanted to share it word for word with you. It's written with a recruiter in mind but the learnings are just as important for a candidate seeking out a new job.

Here's what Kazim had to say:

"A few years back, PwC published some interesting findings of 19,000 exit interviews within their organization, where one of the key questions that was asked of employees was the simple question, “What was their reason for leaving?” The four most common reasons for leaving their organization were, in order of rank:


1.Limited career/promotion opportunities

2.Supervisor lacked respect/support

3.Compensation

4.Job duties boring/no challenge.

These findings resonate well with a later and similarly expansive Gallup Poll, which took into account the views of employees from 44 organizations and 10,600 business units. Gallup found an almost identical top four reasons for employees voluntarily leaving. Between these two substantial surveys we have a fairly good grasp on why good employees leave voluntarily.

Of course, ordinarily staff retention is a key focus of the ‘at work’ HR Business partners and employee relations team. However, upon knowing these top reasons for employees leaving it becomes clear that there are real steps that recruiters can and should be taking to not only hire staff well, but to hire staff in a ‘sticky’ way so they stay for the long term. Thus, putting recruiters in a strong position to be able to say that they make a meaningful contribution not just to staff attraction, but staff retention. This also raises their profile within the organization they work in or serve.

Listed below are the top four reasons that employees leave and four corresponding actions that recruiters can take during the recruiting process to help counteract these issues.

1. Limited career/promotion opportunities. Recruiters should check that the candidate’s career development and advancement expectations are closely aligned with what the organization is able to offer. That is, can the business meet the career development needs of the candidate? If the answer is no, then this candidate may be a risky hiring prospect who may be likely to leave prematurely.

2. Supervisor lacked/respect support. Recruiters should develop job descriptions with detailed manager profiles so the employee can see their potential supervisor’s management style and team culture – and see if it will be a good fit. Ensure that the candidate’s preferred style of being managed matches up with the manager’s preferred style of management as a mismatch could lead to an early voluntary exit by the employee.

3. Compensation. Be concerned about candidates who are singularly focused on compensation. Why? Because, if, as a subsequent employee, they become dissatisfied with their pay, the fact that they don’t place much value in other areas of the brand offering like culture, training and career development opportunities, means these other perks will not serve as retention devices. This type of ‘money fixated applicant’ will be much more vulnerable to premature departure than a candidate who places value in many of areas of the brand offering.

4. Job duties boring/no challenge. Clearly, recruiters should be encouraging line managers to produce comprehensive job descriptions that accurately reflect the duties, responsibilities, scope of the role, flexibility, and key contacts in order to provide an all-round feel of the role. Also, make use of Realistic Job Previews (RJP) which is a process where you give the employee a view of both the positive and negative aspects of the job. Research shows that use of RJPs means the employee will be better able to cope with the stresses and strains of the job and be more satisfied.

I believe that the modern recruiter or talent acquisition professional can add greater value to the organizations that they serve or work for by placing an emphasis on hiring ‘sticky’ employees who are selected to not only be good, but to actually stay for the longer-term and enable the employer to fully realize the investment they made in the new recruit."

Thanks Kazim!

At a Career Crossroads? Define Your 'Meaningful Contribution'...

Fulfillment in life, and at work, often boils down to your contribution. And more particularly, your meaningful contribution.

Both terms 'contribution' and 'meaningful' will mean different things from person to person.

'Contribution' might be about...
... the time you offer to others
... the financial input you give
... the thinking you provide

And 'meaningful' might be about...
... who you help
... how you help them
... or why you choose to make that difference.

What I have discovered, working with hundreds of people now in the areas of career change and career fulfillment, is that 99% of the time, it boils down to needing to feel prouder of the inputs and outputs of your day.

Quite simply most of us are looking to make a more 'meaningful contribution' and feel as though we are adding greater value to the world around us. Perhaps the key to professional happiness is understanding how you would define this idea?

- Rebecca

Personal Branding Quick Tip 1: Your Personal Brand Depends On Your Happiness

When we look at personal branding strategy for a client, who wishes to raise his or her profile at work, one of the most important factors to understand is whether or not they like what they do for a living. Imagine standing infront of an audience of 500 people - their eyes fixed on you, waiting for you to speak. I am sure you'd agree that task would be a whole lot easier if you were about to speak on a topic you were passionate about. All too often people are looking for quick fixes: ways to bring fulfilment to their work without addressing the biggest question of all: "Am I happy in my job?" Effective personal branding starts when you feel aligned with the goals you are setting; enjoy the environments you find yourself in; get energy from the people you work with; and love the outputs of your day. So before embarking on a personal branding journey ask yourself how happy and fulfilled you are at work. And if you're struggling to find anything positive to say, your first step should be to understand your personal and professional values to see what really matters most to you. - Rebecca

Why Your Current Career Plan is Failing You

Watch this tip on video!

If you want to get ahead in your career in 2012 it's vital that you have a plan. It shouldn't be complicated - this is actually why most plans fail.

In fact it's far better if it's not. Here's a 4 Step process sure to take you to the top!

STEP 1
First up, think about your BHAG for the year. What's a BHAG? A Big Hairy Audacious Goal.

Your BHAG might have nothing to do with work. Perhaps your BHAG, like my friend Lisa, is to run a marathon in 2012.

Maybe you want to be promoted at work.

Whatever your BHAG, think BIG and think AUDACIOUS!

STEP 2

Next, ask yourself what 3 outcomes you absolutely need to ensure to see your BHAG is met. Say your goal, as it is for many of our clients, is to get promoted this year. Your three outcomes might be to:

1. Ensure I am known to key senior decision makers

2. Have an opinion and make sure it is heard in meetings

3. Find out what POs (performance outcomes) I need to meet to enable me to argue my case for a promotion

STEP 3

Create a table with your three outcomes in the left column. Then divide your table into 4 columns with each one representing a quarter (January-March for example).

STEP 4

Lastly, decide on what actions you need to take each quarter to ensure each of your outcomes is met... and stick your plan somewhere obvious, where you'll see it every day.

And then TAKE ACTION! Without that, you have nothing!

Career Checklist - Are You On Track?

It's easy to stick your head in the sand. Safe even. There are few things to challenge you down there. The problem with this though is that you also don't progress...

It's time to ask yourself some hard questions:

1. Is my career shaping up as I want it to?

2. Do the right people know about me and the contribution I make to the organisation?

3. Are my clients and managers raving about me?

4. What stops me from making this the career I want it to be?

5. What knowledge do I need to acquire?

6. Who needs to know about me?

7. What do they need to know about me?

8. What assumptions am I making?

9. What behaviours could I change tomorrow?

10. What attitudes need to change now?

Ask yourself these questions every 6 months or so and be really honest with yourself. It's incredible how much positive change can happen when we just spend 30 minutes like this challenging our current situation.

- RW

How to Avoid Self-Sabotage When You Land a New Promotion

We all suffer from limiting self-talk from time to time.

The difference between people who are successful, and those who are not, is that successful people acknowledge their 'inner gremlins' almost immediately and shout them down before they've had the chance to flex their muscles and gain any momentum.

This month's self-sabotaging self-talk is:

"What if I get that promotion and then make a mess of it?"

Isn't that funny? You proactively bust your guts to make a solid impression on the decision makers around you, are rewarded with a promotion and then immediately doubt whether you're up to the task.

Fear is a projection that you make into the future. It isn't real. It exists only in your mind. And you, like many of us, are very capable of conjuring up a multitude of possible outcomes, that may or may not ever eventuate in the future.

So for starters, stop making assumptions about the unhelpful things that might happen!

Any new opportunity poses new challenges. There are unknowns. There are questions. There is a lack of total certainty. And that's okay; you're pushing your boundaries and seeing what you're capable of. It's exciting!

Look at a new situation, like a promotion, as an opportunity for growth and learning. Expecting yourself to get everything right all of the time only sets yourself up for trouble.

See it as a step-by-step journey. You can methodically plan your steps to ensure you make all that you want happen in your new role. The key is not to overwhelm yourself - or to second-guess what the people around you are thinking of you as you commit to the journey.

Look for support. Ask for help. Seek a mentor. And if you also believe in your own experience and ability, you'll soar. Enjoy the journey!

-RW

Are You Repeating The Same Year or Enjoying New Experiences?

Have you been repeating the same year at work over the last 2-3 years or has every year during that period brought you new opportunities, learnings and growth?

Too many people get stuck in a rut professionally, doing jobs or tasks they could perform in their sleep. Where's the fun in that?

In my view, a much better use of your time is to use every month and every year as opportunities to grow; to challenge yourself; to seek new experiences; build new networks; and take on different responsibilities.

With every new opportunity, your self-esteem and confidence both enjoy a huge boost and you enhance your employability ten fold.

- RW

3 Tips to Build a Simple Career Plan

Do any of the comments below resonate with your current way of thinking?
 "I don't enjoy my career."

 "I don't know what I want from my career; but I do know it's not this."

 "I am due a promotion; it's sure to be offered to me this year."

 "No-one seems to know I exist at work."


One thing in life is certain. Time passes by every, well... minute.

Are you spending your minutes as you wish to? Are you enjoying a fulfilling career that meets both your short and long term objectives?

If not, then it's time to get serious about how you want your career to be. Waiting around for someone else to take charge (or for divine intervention) won't get you any closer to leading a career that fulfills you.

So here are some quick tips to get the ball rolling:

1. A Career Plan can be as simple as a list of goals that you wish to attain in the next 6-12 months (or further if you are able to plan further ahead).


2. It should include all that you want to achieve during that time such as: projects you want to work on; skills you want to learn or refresh; training you want to undertake; people you want to build relationships with; financial or status goals you want to attain.


3. For each item you list, write a series of objectives to give some detail as to what each goal requires and establish some key dates whereby these objectives must be met.

Why Pride is Vital to Success

What does 'pride' mean to you? For me, 'pride' can be summed up by the All Blacks rugby team performing The Haka at the start of a match. It always sends chills down my spine.

There is a yearning. A mad passion. A fever that runs through their veins.

The eyes of every single player in that line up burns with a pride for their sport, their country and themselves as individuals. It's not every day that you are able to represent your nation, after all.

In my view, there isn't enough pride in the world. Outwardly at least.

What is it about human beings that makes us so quick to deride our talents, contribution and value?

If you'd like a surge of pride ripping through your veins here are a couple of tips:

1. Write down every instance that you can remember when someone important to you (friend, family, manager, colleague) complimented you or your work.

2. Think about instances when you were really proud of yourself and write them down. Perhaps...

- You over-delivered on a project at work.
- It was the day your child was born.
- You got a promotion.
- You showed tremendous courage.
- Perhaps you made a difference to someone else's life.
- Maybe you tried something new....

Pride is a phenomenally powerful feeling. And powerful positive feelings help us behave at our most resourceful and achieve our best outcomes.

And the key to pride is to have goals to aim for so that when you achieve them you have something to be proud about.

Take action today, in the next 24 hours, and think about the two tasks above. You'll be amazed at what you come up with!

- RW

The Importance of Mindfulness At Work

There are countless studies that demonstrate how much ‘presenteeism’ costs business.

“What is ‘presenteeism’?” I hear you ask.

If you are at work but spend a lot of time scrolling through facebook; chit-chatting about American Idol; or staring blankly at your computer screen then you are physically ‘present’ but not mentally so.

We can all ‘do mindlessness’ from time to time but this lack of engagement doesn’t just cost companies – you lose out too.

When I used to work for large corporates, I certainly welcomed doses of ‘presenteeism’ to give me some respite from my daily tasks. I have since realised that the reason, certainly for my own ‘mindlessness’ at the time, was the lack of fulfilment my job gave me.

Now, as my work involves either helping clients to achieve their goals or developing my own business, my passion and enthusiasm ooze out of every pore. There is no need for respite, there is no need for ‘a breather’… by finding my purpose, I have fulfilment and as a consequence, enjoy a conscious mindFULness in all that I do.

If you find yourself spending far too much time pushing your pencil around your desk; find excuses to avoid going to work; are dashing off for too many cigarette breaks; or making extra chocolate runs for your workmates, I’d ask yourself this one simple question:

Is it ACCEPTABLE that I am ALLOWING my time to be spent this way?

If it is, that’s fine. Only you can choose to make a change if you want it.

If it isn’t ok and you want to fill your time with projects, tasks and opportunities that excite you, thrill you, make you want to jump out of bed in the morning, and feel completely absorbed and passionate about what you do… then how about booking an Introductory Coaching session with me to explore who you really are and what you really want to do for a living.

You spend a third of your life at work – wouldn’t it be wonderful if that time gave you much greater fulfilment and you looked forward to each and every instalment?

Chat to me today to find out how.
- RW

© Rebecca Wells, Ask Rebecca How 2010.