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.

Anthony Robbins’ 6 Core Human Needs

According to Anthony Robbins, top peak performance coach, "We are all driven by the need to fulfil six human needs. These six, basic human needs are not just desires or wants, but profound needs which serve as the basis of every choice we make".

Here are Robbins’ list of Human Needs:

1. Certainty
The need for security, comfort and consistency.

2. Uncertainty
The need for variety and challenge.

3. Significance
The need to feel important, needed, wanted and worthy of love.

4. Love and Connection
The need to feel connected with, and loved by, other human beings.

5. Growth
The need for constant development emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.

6. Contribution
The need to ‘give beyond ourselves’ and give to others.


Clearly, your 'needs' must be met to enable fulfilment and joy in your life but is it ever possible that those needs might cloud your judgment? Or slow your progress?

I believe so.

Your 'needs' are crucial to understand and even more important is your ability to take action despite them.

You might want to read my recent post 'The 5 Futile Behaviours That Every Smart Women Knows Will Strangle Her Career' in conjunction with this list of Human Needs and let me know what you think.

Rebecca

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

SMH: Women Struggling With a Need to Please

I'd love to share Cosima Marrimer's article in this weekend's Sydney Morning Herald 'Sunday Life' magazine.

If you'd like to download the link to the article click here. Otherwise, read on!

JUGGLING careers, family and social lives, women feel stretched in all directions but are unable to say no, a Sunday Life magazine survey reveals.

More than 1500 women responded to the What Women Want online survey, discussing their bodies, relationships, careers, their worries and hopes for the future. While most readers report being fairly content with their busy lives, the survey revealed that managing competing demands remains an ongoing challenge.

When asked what personal quality they would most like to nurture, one-fifth said they wanted to be more assertive and confident. A further fifth said they would like to slow down and take the time to appreciate what they have in their lives.
''I am always doing things for others and rushing around like a mad person,'' said Kylee, 42. ''I would like to be able to slow down and smell the roses but life is too busy and [there is] always something to do or someone to see or help.''

Advertisement Leanne, 47, said: ''I would like to nurture the ability to say 'no' without guilt.''

Sabah, 21, felt similarly: ''I always say yes to people. I need to think about myself for a change.''

A quarter of readers said achieving work-life balance was their biggest challenge, compared with 15 per cent who nominated ageing gracefully, 13 per cent who said maintaining relationships and 10 per cent who cited managing a household and/or finances.

Despite the stresses in their lives, readers are more concerned about the sisterhood as a whole. A total of 60 per cent identified violence against women as the female issue that most urgently needs to be addressed, ahead of more support for at-home carers and closing the gender pay gap.

And while Australian women are paid, on average, 20 per cent less than their male peers, two-thirds of readers feel their work doesn't discriminate against them because they are female. Nearly half of working mothers said their careers had progressed since returning to work. Although money ranks third as a motivation for going to work, 81 per cent said they would choose a pay rise over more flexibility in their jobs.

Most women said they were happiest spending time with their partner, children or friends. They report healthy sex lives, 40 per cent having sex at least once a week. But, given a choice between sex, chocolate, a good book or sleep, more women opted for sleep than anything else.

Body image remains a concern for most readers, 70 per cent classifying themselves as overweight. Seven in 10 have been on a diet but less than half felt it helped them lose weight.

The survey revealed frustration with the fashion industry; three-quarters of respondents said they had trouble finding clothes to fit their body shape and hundreds wrote detailed critiques of modern fashion. Yet not many readers have turned to intensive cosmetic surgery to improve their looks, just 11 per cent going under the knife.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/women-struggling-with-need-to-please-20121117-29iyh.html#ixzz2CdPP4OTd

Personal Branding Quick Tip 3: Understand your Value

What am I talking about, 'value'?

Each of us has an inordinate amount of talent to offer the world whether it's about solving problems; making others feel good; how you think; or bringing more money through the door.

You are sitting on a mountain of value and, to develop clarity of what your personal brand stands for, it's important to understand what exactly you can offer (and are already offering) the people around you.

The key to this is simple: be honest with yourself. Now is not the time to be bashful!

To keep it easy, focus on just one situation for now, such as work.

1. What do you offer your company in terms of your skills, innate talents and experience to date?

2. Which areas are you under-capitalising on?

3. What can you do that no-one else can?

Knowing why you are such an asset is critical!   Read Tip 2 here: Love Yourself or Give Up Now   Read Tip 1 here: Your Personal Brand Relies on Your Happiness

Emotions: The Way To Ruin a Good Relationship

Isn't it interesting how raw emotions can be tasted in a room? Say you entered a room where two other people had just had an argument - you'd probably subconsciously 'sense' the tension in the air and get a gut feeling that something wasn't quite right. Emotions - both happy and negative - can have a profound effect on the energy in the room. I'm sure there's some science to explain that... I don't know what it is, but I'm sure there is some! I'd welcome your feedback and ideas on that one... Think of the grumpiest person you know. Got one? Right... I bet you that being around them, when they're being overtly negative, has a dulling effect on you. You probably feel uncomfortable - maybe like you're treading on eggshells? At worst, their behaviour could make you feel sad. As children we used emotion to get what we wanted. Babies and toddlers cry for attention, or throw a tantrum to try and get their own way. Most of us learn that negative emotion isn't enjoyable to others and develop new ways to influence people and retain our friends. Some adults however stick to their guns and continue to allow grumpiness to take over. And it's ugly. If you're keen to see your relationships last another 10 years+ and to know that people enjoy being around you, it's worth asking yourself these questions: * Do you allow your emotions to negatively effect others? * If so, what do you gain? What are you losing? * And most importantly, what are you prepared to do about it? Take action and enjoy the outcome! - Rebecca

The Power of Authentic Behaviour

Authenticity is about being 'true' or 'real' to yourself and to those around you. What happens when you are inauthentic is essentially a values clash. What am I talking about, a values clash? Well you have a set of values that sit in your subconscious. These values are a reflection of your true self. When you act inauthentically, you act against your own values which will inevitably result in your feeling uncomfortable. You might even reprimand yourself: "Why did I just say that?" "Why did I just do that?" In a corporate environment it is easy to act inauthentically. You might behave in a particular way because you believe it is expected of you. You might act inauthentically because you wish to protect yourself from showing what you truly think or feel. This is all perfectly natural but I do believe you can behave authentically, in a way that does not create an inner conflict or that does not make you feel uncomfortable. The first step that a Neon Zebra would take is to know her own values. Here is a starting point - ask yourself these questions: 1. What is important to me about how I behave at work towards others? 2. What is important to me about how others behave towards me? 3. What will I absolutely not stand for? 4. How do I wish others to perceive me? 'Values' are not as complicated as they might appear at first and once you've got a better understanding of what yours are, I guarantee you'll feel stronger and more certain about yourself, freeing up valuable thinking space to help propel you forwards. - Rebecca

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

Stop Indecision and Allowing Other People to Sway Your Views!

Here's a mini-questionnaire for you:

A) Do you find it difficult to make decisions without first consulting others for their opinions?

Or

B) Do you 'just know' when you are making the right decision?


A) Do you find that you are easily swayed by other people and readily change your mind when they disagree with you?

Or

B) Do you accept that other people have different opinions to you and know that you don't need to agree with their views?


If you answered A) to both questions this implies that you have an 'external' perspective, meaning that you rely on external feedback before feeling comfortable reaching a decision.

If you answered B) to both questions you are more 'internal' i.e. you look inside to find your solutions and answers.

Both perspectives have benefits and costs.

In terms of the latter, overly 'internal' people can be regarded as arrogant, with no desire to listen to any alternative viewpoints whilst extreme 'external' people can take forever to get anything done and drive everyone nuts in the process!

When building a strong personal brand in the workplace it is vital that you work on your ability to 'look inside' to find the answers to your challenges. Know why you have chosen a particular option without feeling the need to justify it. Listen to other people if you wish to - it doesn't mean they are right and you are wrong. You could both be right.

Appearing decisive and holding firm are both very important as you grow as a leader. And who knows - perhaps you'll sway others along the way!

- RW

Wake up! Why Perfectionism Is a Load of Twaddle

Have you ever looked at something – a task you just completed; a cake you just baked; a hairstyle you created - and then asked yourself what was wrong with it?

What is that?

I did it the other day – I was talking to a SEO company about optimising my LinkedIn profile. All they needed was my password so they could do the work.

I knew there were certain bits on the profile that weren’t up to date and asked them to hold fire until I’d done it. God forbid; the SEO would work, bring more people to my LinkedIn page and it wasn’t already perfect!

The sad reality is, we often look for what is wrong with a situation before we look for all the reasons it is right.

Let’s think about 3 scenarios where this could hold us back:

Applying for a job:
Only applying if we have 100% of the skills requested in the job description.

Fear: “I can’t apply for a job fraudulently / I will get found out / I need to be ready.”
Cost to self: Wasted time and energy
Solution: Focus on the skills you do have and sell yourself based on them.


Doing your hair:
Only going out on a date if our hair is absolutely, positively, 100% perfect.

Fear: “I can’t be seen out without every hair in place / What will he/they think of me?”
Cost to self: Wasted time and energy
Solution: Focus on getting your hair done to the best of your ability… then go out and enjoy yourself!


Employing a cleaner:
Only getting a cleaner in when you have already cleaned the house from top to toe.

Fear: “What if the cleaner thinks we’re dirty or have a dirty house?”
Cost to self: Wasted time and energy
Solution: Ask the cleaner to do her/his job and get over it.


Learnings:

1. Life is too short to be seeking perfection in everything we do.

2. We learn ‘on the job’ anyway – if we don’t have all the knowledge right now, if we want it, we will obtain it.

3. There is a whole lot more that is right about our outputs than is wrong – choose which you wish to focus on.

4. Give yourself the respect you deserve – focusing on the negatives will wittle your confidence and esteem away… what use is that to anyone?

5. We have limited time and energy and it would be better spending both in ways that enrich our lives, rather than wasting either worrying about a load of twaddle.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic – how does perfectionism help or hinder you?
- RW

Words of Wisdom: Catherine McDowell, MD of ANZ Private Banking

Today I read an interesting interview in a recent issue of 'inFinance' with Catherine McDowell, who is the Managing Director of ANZ Private Banking.

In it, she talks of her experiences - she says,

"I learnt at an early stage that a lot of your career progression is based on a couple of fundamental tenets: always be good at what you do; make sure that you've got the training and you are performing. And network. You've got to manage your own career and plan."

She goes on to say, "Having a mentor or coach for me was absolutely critical ... I was very committed once I decided I wanted a full blown career."

Here are my learnings from this:

1. To be good at what you do, it's important to know what you do really really well... and then do it.

2. Assess gap areas: for example skills you know you need to develop or knowledge you need to expand - then set a simple action plan for how you want to attack these areas in the next 90 days.

3. It's not necessarily what you know, but who you know. Networking is vital. I'll be sharing some top tips on this soon.

If you need help getting clarity for yourself on any of the 3 tips above, get in contact with me at any time.
-RW

3 Tips To 'Give Back' Without Running Yourself Into The Ground

"I love giving my time to help other people: my friends, my kids, my community, my husband. But I find it leaves little time for me." - Renee

I'm sure we'd all agree: it is wonderful to want to give to others. In my role as a coach, I find it phenomenally rewarding to see clients blossom and take action to make positive change to their lives and partly due to my inputs. However in any role where you give your time to others, it is also vital to know your own boundaries to protect yourself and to ensure your good intentions are not taken advantage of. Here are some tips that might help:

1. Know what is and is NOT accceptable to you. This goes for everything: the behaviours and attitudes of others; how you use your time; which of your values are non-negotiables. Then set yourself some rules, or guidelines, to reflect this.

2. Set clear expectations by communicating your rules to those around you. It's always best to do this from the outset in any relationship but it is possible to do so in an established relationship too.

3. You don't need to say 'yes' to everything! If you would prefer to say 'no', do it! It can be extremely liberating! - RW

3 Tips To Enjoy More 'Me' Time - The Value of Self-Care

We all know it's important to look after ourselves; without 'health', we've got very little! Despite knowing this, taking time out to relax is still low on the priority list for many of us.

If 'feeling selfish' is your barrier it's important to note that there is an enormous difference between 'selfishness' and 'self care'. The latter is all about making the time to nurture yourself; to wind down; to clear your mind so that you are more effective - both for yourself and others.

Here are some tips to help you make 'time for me' more of a priority:

1. Say 'no' sometimes! Put your own values and priorities first more often than you are doing and remember this is you being 'self-caring' not 'selfish'.

2. Diary everything else around your 'me time' rather than trying to shoehorn some relaxation in at the end of the week!

3. Once you're in the midst of enjoying some well-deserved 'me time' live in the moment and do enjoy it! Turn everything else off and if any self-imposed guilty thoughts creep in, remind yourself of the importance of self-care!

- RW