As you know – I think – I love to be inspired. Reading works by genuine people often fulfills that need of mine. David Whyte, poet, writer, and academic has written a book which I’ve found to be so satisfying. I wanted to share this particular passage with you, but encourage you to find and read this book. I found The Three Marriages, Reimagining Work, Self and Relationship while on vacation and was mulling over that conversation I have so often with my peers and clients — how we ‘do’, ‘find’ or ‘create’ balance. Sometimes I think we just need to throw that idea out completely if we’re living fully in all areas of our lives — and at other times I see that there is just an ebb and flow of energy that helps us to be better at holding everything at one time than at another. Read More
Author: Daisy
December 2009 Newsletter
Daisy Swan & Associates – December 2009 Newsletter change [cheynj]: a transformation or modification; alteration; the passing from one place, state, form, or phase to another. In the past three years, I have had the good fortune of reconnecting with some very old friends – classmates and colleagues. They aren’t really very old people, but our friendship is. How many old friends and acquaintances have you connected with through Facebook and LinkedIn, in the past three years? While these technologies feel somewhat overwhelming to me at times, I must say I’m really grateful to have some of my old pals closer than they were a mere three years ago, when I didn’t use these sites as much as I do now. In fact, it’s bringing me great satisfaction to reflect on how these friendships have been re-kindled over the past several years. Who would’ve… Read More
Where's Your Bar?
Where have you set your bar when it comes to expectations? If you haven’t thought about this for a while then the end of the year is a good time to do it. 2009 has been a tough year of reflection, it seems to me, for a lot of people who had to check their expectations, and then check them again. Life has decidedly not been cooperating with the way many of us thought it was supposed to go. I regularly reflect on my values and goals, set new intentions and develop new ‘visions’ of what I’m aiming for. This is what I do for myself and with my clients. Expectations are tricky though. If they’re too high we can get frustrated and angry when reaching what we expect to reach continues to be out of reach. Set them too low and our body can slump while we lean downwards… Read More
An Email Exchange about Leadership
Last night I received this email. You’ll see my response below. I’d welcome comments. I suppose that what I’m about to ask you for is not your main area of expertise, but I’m going to ask anyway (as a starting point, if nothing else). Lately, I have been through much searching for answers regarding my life and work. Ultimately, I have come to the conclusion that the best first step for me to take would be finding the right company to work for. Toward that goal, I wonder if you can direct me to resources, ways, places or people who know more about companies’ cultures than just what they tell prospective investors? As a pointer, let me say that I currently work for a company whose ownership and management is arrogant, greedy, selfish, malicious, culturally limited, closed-minded, and would rather employ and promote their cronies who do barely-passable work than… Read More
Job Search Success: How They Did It
I’ve been collecting stories from clients and others to share how people are landing jobs even during these difficult days. We’ll keep updating this as they come in. “I feel really alive” Just wanted to check in and let you know how I am doing. School is fantastic! I am only about 7 weeks into the program and I love it. We are learning a lot of medical assisting techniques and information, and then on to the radiology portion of the program. I can give all kinds of injections and even draw blood already. I am going to try to pass the phlebotomy test for my license, and then I can start working in the medical field right away. I have never even said this before, but I love my life. Everything is very chaotic with school every day and then working in the afternoons, and then studying at night,… Read More
Are You a Leader?
Do you consider yourself a leader in your field? Are you a leader disguised a follower? Is your boss getting in your way of leading and undermining your abilities to lead? Doesn’t just thinking about this make you mad? The upheaval our world is experiencing is making leadership opportunities more available to more people who might not have thought they could take the reigns and make an impact. Could that be you? I’ve worked with young clients who went from frustrated retail clerks to being in strong, thought leader positions because of the things they just knew how to do — and of course their willingness to get out there and try some new things, meet new people and ultimately package themselves and their skills in a compelling way. Don’t just get mad. Get going! Now’s the time for new people and to create opportunity for themselves; for those… Read More
Managing Your Career as a Business
Entrepreneurial Edge: Managing Your Career as a Business By James Flanigan Amid job uncertainty, more people are finding online employment sites and social media a way to take control of their own careers. EMPLOYMENT experts have some advice for the many Americans either looking for work or fearing they soon will be: Consider yourself an entrepreneur — of your own working life. The term entrepreneur is usually applied to people seeking to start their own small businesses. But those in the recruitment and employment industry say the uncertainty in the current economy means that workers need to think of their careers as their own small businesses. “The lesson of today is that you’re working for yourself,” said Janice Bryant Howroyd, the founder and chief executive of Act 1 Personnel Services, a staffing and employment company. “Most people say they’re giving their lives to the company, but it’s more of… Read More
Tell Us about Your New Job
Are you discouraged by the headlines about unemployment? I’m ready for some new ones. To that end I’m asking for your stories about how you found your new job or career — whether you worked with me or not. I know plenty of people who have created or found new positions and I want more people to hear the story that this does happen and how. Please ~ if you or someone you know has a story to share, please have them send it to me. We’ll post it. We need to give the other side of the story of unemployment to give others hope and inspiration. With heartfelt thanks, Daisy… Read More
What Do You Want?
Deceptively simple question, right? When I ask people this question I see their eyes drift upward and to the right. I see them start to envision what they have and what could be. Simple answer: to be happy. To enjoy success. Then we begin to drill down. What’s your version of success and happiness? You might think it’s the same for everyone, but it’s not. In two years will you be doing the same work with the same people? Will your commute be shorter or longer? Do you imagine you’ll have more time with your kids and your spouse? Have a spouse? What do you want your friendships to be like? Are you spending enough time with friends? And are you making more or less money? And when you think of the people you work with, are they doing what they, and you, are doing now or is… Read More
Ethically Right?
Knight Kiplinger of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance was queried in the October issue about the decision of a guy who accepted a job offer, was trained and became part of his team, only to quit when he received a better, higher paying job offer a month into his new job. Kiplinger said this was unethical and that the fellow should have told the company who offered him the higher paying ‘dream job’ that he was honored but unable to accept the position because he had started in his new job already. I’m curious what readers, both job seekers and those who have or do hire candidates, would think and do in this situation given the economic situation of the day. Hiring is a tricky business. Sometimes hiring managers aren’t able to move as quickly as they want to and a candidate ‘gets away’ before they can make their offer. This leaves… Read More
