Why Making New Years Resolutions Suck - Later in the Year

Why Making New Years Resolutions Suck - Later in the Year Remember waking up on New Years day and having all those good intentions to transform your life with a set of goals and resolutions that would totally allow you to become a new person in some way, versus all the previous years? The way you know you are going to wake up 365 days later and be a whole lot richer, thinner, happier and more successful. If only we could stick to those resolutions, hey….. I have always been an advocate of setting personal and professional goals as it allows you to focus on personal development and learning, rather than just a sense of drifting along and New Years resolutions are always an apt time to get stuck into some action points of the long stretching year ahead. However, I fear I am facing a U-turn on what has been my mindset for almost 20 years in that I don’t think I actually believe in New Years resolutions anymore something I have been debating internally all year long….. and in fact as we head into the latter part of the year, it is even more prominent in my mind that my conclusion is- New Years resolutions suck. Why do we set them in the first place? My cynical answer is that it is the done thing to do: every magazine, website, blog, and employer will have a predictable “Let’s set some yearly goals” and I was definitely always guilty of this. I would set myself goals in the following areas: Health/ fitness-related However, as I am now at my fittest the last few years it was about maintaining my levels and weight as opposed to changing anything- so does that satisfy the definition of a goal? Financial As I am self-employed, my goal was always centred around revenue I generate through Qui Recruitment; there may be other goals such as investments and insurance policies- however, those are often “booked in” for annual revenue during the year around their renewal dates so not something you should ignore or wait until 1st Jan for? Home Having recently bought a new house in 2018 due to my divorce, this made a mockery of previous years where I would focus on one room renovation as a yearly goal. As I have learned over the last 12 months, you do what you can, when you can afford it and when you want it to happen!! And often you have to work around the specialists who are doing the renovations as everyone knows al good decorators are booked up months in advance So do you see my point? The premise of New Years resolutions is to give you a fresh start and focus to your new year. However in business, we may write a years business plan but we will review it quarterly at the very least- we will amend areas that have changed and rewrite the goals accordingly Instead of New Years resolutions, why not write a list of what you want to actually achieve right now, at the moment, and learn to become more receptive to opportunities as they happen, becoming more pragmatic and intuitive in how you live your life. We live in an ever-changing world where the pace is getting faster and the parameters alter more frequently. Or am I wrong and actually, just because I have experienced certain life events over the last 2 years which have made me live my life a little more freely mean that I am a fool?

The Difference Between Empathy and SympathyAnd How It Can Improve Your Career

The Difference Between Empathy and Sympathy…And How It Can Improve Your Career Have you ever told someone, Im sympathetic to your cause. Well, if youre trying to sincerely connect with them, that really isnt the best thing to say. Turns out, having empathy is a better approach. According to author and University of Houston professor Dr. Brené Brown, empathy fuels connection, while sympathy drives disconnection. In the entertainingly-animated video below, she shares the four aspects of empathy, as determined by nursing scholar Theresa Wiseman in a 2007 study. Having Empathy: The Four Qualities As Brown explains in the video, these are the four qualities of empathy: The ability to recognize the perspective of another person Staying out of judgement Recognizing emotion in other people The ability to communicate that recognition effectively Empathys Role In Your Emotional Intelligence Over the past month weve been focusing on Emotional Intelligence  (EQ) and how it can positively and negatively impact your career. One of the key components of your EQ is empathy. But even if you arent working on increasing your EQ, merely cultivating empathy can help your career. The father of Emotional Intelligence, psychologist author Daniel Goleman, recently published a post on his blog titled, Empathy 101. In it, he outlines the various types of empathy and how they impact us and our careers. Regarding cognitive empathy, Goleman makes this comment: This way of tuning in to another person does more than give us an understanding of their view â€" it tells us how best to communicate with that person: what matters most to them, their models of the world, and what even what words to use â€" or avoid â€" in talking with them. Increased connection with teammates, and better communication with your boss or employees?  Seems the benefits of increasing your empathetic tendencies abound. Habits of Highly Empathic People So if youre ready to do a little empathy cultivating, heres a start.  Roman Krznaric, the author of Empathy: A Handbook for Revolution,  provides a list of  Six Habits of Highly Empathic People.  He recommends adopting one or more of these habits: Cultivate curiosity about strangers Challenge prejudices discover commonalities Try another persons life Listen hard and open up Inspire mass action social change Develop an ambitious imagination Theres more detail on each of Krznariscs habits on his post at  GreaterGood. So practice a bit, and see how effectively you can increase your connection with the folks you worth with each day.

How To Apply For A Digital Apprenticeship

How To Apply For A Digital Apprenticeship Are you thinking of applying for a  digital apprenticeship? In this post you can find how to apply to a digital apprenticeship in a handy infographic. The infographic is produced by Neoman Studio who also have an interactive infographic for the same. For digital apprenticeship or any apprenticeship for that matter, there are some universal rules: Get Organised Get to know people in the office Dont be afraid to ask for help Learn from senior colleagues Have a great attitude Why look for a digital apprenticeships? Currently at least 270,000 companies make up the digital economy. Revenue reported by digital companies is growing 25% faster than that of non-digital companies. On average digital employers hire three more people than non-digital employers. As for apprenticeships, they are growing too 868,7000 people were in an apprenticeship in 2012/13. And the funding bodies are taking note of the trend as seen by the funding increase in apprenticeships. An extra £170 million was announced in the 2014 budget to encourage small businesses to take on more apprentices. Thats a lot of moolah! In this infographic on digital apprenticeships, you can find various sectors that your answers will lead to. It depends how helpful it is, however once you have an answer its worth speaking to someone about your ambitions. It helps to talk to people. 3

Change Your Life, Manage Your Inner Chimp

Change Your Life, Manage Your Inner Chimp First of all, allow me to introduce you to Marje. She is my inner chimp. She tends to  become dominant when I have had too much coffee, not enough sleep, have a  situation that I feel is out of control or when my kids refuse to do as I ask for the 9th  time.  She drives me mad. She isn’t wanted a lot of the time, and  yet without Marje, I fear I  would have little passion and energy when all else fails me. Are you aware that you too have an inner chimp? I came across the concept of the inner chimp having read the globally renowned,  groundbreaking mind management book, “The Chimp Paradox: The mind  management programme for confidence, success and happiness” by Prof Steve Peters.  I was recommended reading  it by the head teacher at  my girls’ primary school and it was in  relation to the burgeoning feistiness my daughters were starting to develop through  their junior years. So I spent a week reading this book and without sounding  dramatic… It totally changed my life from that moment onwards The book is all about learning to understand and manage your emotions and thoughts, so you can be the person youd really like to be and remove anxiety. I actually read it whilst on holiday and I made loads of scrawlings in the book (I  know, really bad behaviour but it was Marje’s fault, not mine, honest…) I called out  to my husband really interesting anecdotes or tips and before we knew what we were  doing, we sat reading it together realising this was a eureka moment as a family.  No more losing our cool when the kids start to bicker, and anyone with kids will  know that this is a daily occurrence and usually when you are desperate to get out of  the house/finish an email/return an urgent call etc.  We took some great lessons  from the book as a family and in fact, the most poignant  was an exercise which asks you to imagine you are 100 yrs old on your death bed and  your great great nephew asks you what he should  do with life. We wrote down  various insightful wisdoms and fr om that list, we devised our family mottos of “Be  Charitable” and “Be Kind”. Manage your chimp at home and  work Even 2 years later, if my daughters (who are 11 and 9) start to lose their tempers, you  often overhear the other one saying, “manage your chimp!”…. it is contagious once  people can see the benefits.  Within a work context, “The Chimp Paradox” has been invaluable. The ‘Dear John’  texts or emails from rare candidates who fail to be brave enough to pick up the phone  to withdraw from a process and prior to this mindset, I would have gone off my  rocker (abstractedly as I have never shouted at a customer ever). whereas now  I take  a very calm approach. Marje may doodle something nasty on my page but genuinely  other than a frown, I react very calmly and pragmatically now. Cool, calm collected Following a satnav to a client meeting that sends me around the bend literally when  you are already running late for a new client: now Marje stays firmly in her box and I  simply take the view that by calling ahead to my client to explain I may be a few  minutes late, I no longer get stressed out by these marginal events that otherwise can  cumulate into a really horrid feeling.  Managing junior people is something I no longer do (my choice and I am happy for  it!) but those I have  shared the  â€œmanaging your inner chimp” mindset with, who have management responsibility, have taken my advice and read the book  greedily, realising the potential of how this mindset allows them to take a much  calmer approach to the unpredictable and varied issues that they may have to deal  with on a regular basis. Back in the box I refer earlier to the fact that Marje is still needed. Of course she is, very much so. The  expression “flight or fight” refers to us relying totally on our inner chimps when we  face danger.  But I am happy to say that Marje has a box in which I put her most of the time.  Within the parody, I visualise this as a box of safety for her- it is not a punishment; it  is where she feels safe and comfortable until I need her.  I am not a psychologist (although I would love to explore a degree in the future as the  subject fascinates me and I think with 18 yrs in recruitment I could utilise a lot of  experience gained to illustrate how people think, certainly in a work context) however  I recently did a very unscientific post on LinkedIn asking people which management  book they would recommend to others (predominantly recruitment professionals) and  although a few others were mentioned casually, the unanimous winner was “The  Chimp Paradox” with some, like myself, commenting that it had also changed their  lives. Read for yourself Last October, I held a private party to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Qui  Recruitment and during my ‘Thank you’ address to the guests (who were all hiring  decision makers and business owners), I talked about this book and how it had to be  the ‘eureka’ moment for me; the nemesis of those seeking a different way to think and  work.  I am not perfect and Marje still has certain moments which are unpredictable (she is  the moody me) but I hope those who have read the book agree with my synopsis and  those who have not yet read “The Chimp Paradox” will do so.  Thank you for reading this blog and as ever, I look forward to reading your comments and genuinely appreciate the shares. Image: Shutterstock

Writing an Objective Statement For a Resume

Writing an Objective Statement For a ResumeIf you are just starting out in the field of business, writing an objective statement for a resume is something that you will have to do. You may be wondering what all this is and why it's necessary. Let's look at what you need to know about writing an objective statement for a resume.First of all, let's examine what a statement is. A statement is simply a writing and summarizing of the idea that the person writing the essay wants to communicate. It's a way of clearly communicating an idea. However, when writing an objective statement for a resume it's very important to ensure that you have a clear idea of who you want to communicate the idea to. You don't want to get this wrong, as it could lead to potential problems later on.If you haven't already done so, you should read a few articles about writing an objective statement for a resume. You want to make sure that your writing conveys the correct message. A well-written statement for a resu me can help you land the job that you've been looking for.When you write a statement for a resume, you're essentially using it as an outline of your resume. This means that you'll need to write a statement for a resume which provides the writer with the basic information about your background. However, you'll also need to include a detailed description of your interests and how they may relate to the positions that you're applying for.Writing an objective statement for a resume is all about communicating the intended purpose of the resume. This is important because you don't want to leave yourself open to someone getting to your resume by reading through the information that's included in the statement. If you can communicate the actual purpose of the resume, you'll avoid any potential issues down the road.Another thing that you'll want to keep in mind when writing an objective statement for a resume is that it will be a solid outline of your resume. However, it isn't the complete r esume. In fact, most employers won't be able to see the rest of your resume. You'll still have to provide them with all of the other information that they need to make a decision.The last thing that you should keep in mind when writing an objective statement for a resume is that it shouldn't be too detailed. Don't try to explain everything that is included in your resume. Instead, just summarize what's on the resume and show off the things that you're good at.Finally, remember that this is a short statement and you should be able to quickly get through the details that are included on your resume. All in all, it's a great way to provide the employer with a brief overview of who you are and what skills you possess.

Taking Credit Where Credit Is Due

Taking Credit Where Credit Is Due Why is taking credit where credit is due  such a difficult thing for you to do? Your career depends on it, so its time to get over it! The title of this post from Forbes caught my eye.   It is something I know I have trouble with and so many others do too!   The Right Way To Sell Yourself at Work.   The author, Helen Coster confesses: The more time I spend in the workforce, the more I realize that my aversion to self-promotion can limit my career. The article makes these recommendations: Have a pitch ready when you need to introduce yourself. If you are an introvert, enlist the help of colleagues/friends to help spread the word about your successes (remember to reciprocate) Your reputation is about stories, not adjectives touting your good work William Arruda, the president of Reach Personal Branding, says: Building a strong personal brand isnt about telling people how great you are  Its about showing people how great you are. Keep track of your accomplishments.   Why? Peggy Klaus says: At this time of absolute chaos in the workforce, bosses are often doing two or three jobs instead of one.  They dont have the bandwidth to remember what you do every day. Heres How To Take Credit Many many years ago, ahead of his time, a wise manager provided me with GOALS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS to document my accomplishments.   Ive shared it with others along the way.   It is a simple solution to setting and recording measurable goals and accomplishments! What tools are you using to take credit where credit is due?

Companies Lose Brand Momentum When Handling Employee Departures Poorly - Pathfinder Careers

Companies Lose Brand Momentum When Handling Employee Departures Poorly - Pathfinder Careers Companies Lose Brand Momentum When Handling Employee Departures Poorly The other night, a couple of girlfriends and I got together to have an after-work walk, with drinks following afterwards to chat about work and life in general. One of them recently just left a business to take a job at a different company and was filling us in on the details of her new position. But then she paused. And provided a startling insight that many businesses often overlook which is very shocking. At her previous employer, no one (still) has not bothered to check voice mails being left at her old extension, NOR on the business cell phone she had turned in.  Messages coming into her former email address were also still going unanswered, according to a former colleague still working at the company. Unbelievable.  Given the fact that this person was in a high-profile sales role, its not too hard to imagine that many of the inquiries coming in are potential customers looking to get a quote or even book business. What happened in that moment of inaction and lack of proactive thinking meant that the company has actually exposed a brand weakness: they are not taking care of their clients and sending a clear message: the leadership doesnt care.  All of which further underscores the inelegant handling that many companies engineer around the departure of employees. Of course, some businesses get it and immediately redirect inbound inquiries to interim personnel or support staff to make sure that business continues on uninterrupted. But many dont. In this same conversation, I found out that another industry colleague had left their job at a separate company. There was, in this case, an auto-responder put on this persons email notifying people of the following:  I am not here.   Given this is also a high-profile business and position, what on earth is that saying to potential customers if they send an email and get this kind of reply?? I was horrified. This would absolutely turn off any potential customers  I know I would send my business elsewhere if I got this kind of message in return to a booking inquiry! The reality is that truly effective HR departments will take steps to smooth over employee departures to make sure the company doesnt lose any brand momentum and sales.  They will: 1) Determine an appropriate (and capable) interim person to direct callers to who can handle inquiries. 2) If no one is specifically tapped to handle inbound inquiries, then a staff member should be appointed to routinely check voice mails and emails to let customers know that there is a live body at the company who cares about their business. 3) If the departing employee is leaving on good terms with the company, it helps to smooth over the transition if they can leave a friendly, helpful outbound message letting customers know how their request will be handled by the company. It preserves the employees brand during their time at the company while solidifying the companys commitment to the customer by making sure they are serviced. Id love to hear themfrom my own experience, this is a chronic problem that is not addressed at many businesses. What horror stories have you heard about companies shooting themselves in the proverbial foot during employee transitions?