Even the best employees have to say no once in a while. We all want to be known as the person who can be counted on to deliver great work on time, every time. Not only does consistency make you a popular coworker, but it hopefully makes those above you take notice and helps you climb the career ladder faster. But while saying yes to every request might make everyone happy (including yourself, in the short term), it isn’t always in your best interest. Sometimes, you need to say no. “I had a client who really liked to be involved in a lot of things so she ended up taking on way more than she needed to,” says career coach Daisy Swan. “But at a certain point, it meant she was waking up at four in the morning to get work done. She was working a full day… Read More
Career
Should You be in a Certificate Program to Retool?
Career Development and Educational Options Abound Certificate programs, and other short terms classes, are now easy to find to help everyone update their technical, data, social media and e-commerce skills no matter where they are in their career trajectory. For example, General Assembly (GA), with local locations in Santa Monica and DTLA (and all across the USA) offers intensives that many of my clients have enrolled in to increase their skills and open new career doors as data scientists, data analysts, coders and product managers. My son actually attended GA in their intensive 12-week Data Science program over the summer before he went into his sophomore year. He’s now graduating from college with a great job doing work he loves, and has a bright future ahead in the Big Data world. Many other programs, often called Boot Camps, are available online and in other cities, that provide rigorous, hands-on training. UCLA… Read More
Do You Know How to Keep Your Next Options Open?
I want to share one of the top issues most of my clients and I discuss early on in their work with me. These scenarios, below, may sound like a familiar. If so, and you’re a former or current client, please don’t think I’m using your personal story here…it could be one of many of my clients! Something happens. Something changes. A client has been working in a particular job or industry for years. Could be 7 years, could be 20. Working diligently, head down, doing a good job, maybe really liking their work…but… something happens. There’s a re-org and they’re suddenly let go, or the client has gotten married and now they need to switch gears and find something that is more lucrative, or flexible for a new baby on the way, or maybe they’ve been traveling so much for work that it’s putting a strain on their marriage… Read More
70% of Workers Feel Disengaged at Work. Are You One of Them?
Are Your Bored at Work? Do you know when you’re bored? Do you make repeated trips to the fridge, find yourself leaving your desk to get coffee more than you really need to, stopping what you’re doing to chat with a co-worker? Maybe you’re spacing out, checking your phone and social media a lot, going through the motions in meetings, or even kicking up a little interpersonal drama with co-workers? Sounds like boredom to me. Boredom can actually be as stressful for us as over working. Either way we can become exhausted, demotivated and resentful. The Perils and Possibilities of Boredom Lately I’ve been hearing more clients talk about their boredom at work so I know it’s a trend. What worries me is that I heard this a lot from folks a year before The Great Recession…and I probably don’t need to tell you that after that clients either didn’t… Read More
An End is Always a Beginning.
As we transition into a New Year we are always encouraged to make New Years’ resolutions. I have never been one for New Years’ resolutions although I do quite a bit of reflection at the end of each calendar year, and also at the start of my personal new year – my birthday – which happens to fall at the middle of the calendar year, and provides me a sense of my path, and to know if there’s one actually in front of me. The end of a year is always the beginning of a new one, just as the end of a job or a relationship marks the beginning of a new something (Perspective? Learning?) or someone (to ourselves?) in one way or another. We go through a process of letting go (or not) and then potentially seeing ahead to what’s new. Introspection isn’t everybody’s thing; it has been… Read More
Interviewing for Your Dream Job? This One Thing May Get You Hired!
Ahhh, the job hunt. It’s exciting, frustrating, and at times even nerve-wracking. You’ve prepped your resume, you’ve had your eye on the job posting for weeks. And then it happens: you get called in for an interview—for your dream job no less. After logging countless hours paying your dues, how do you capitalize on your opportunity to advance? I spoke to Daisy Swan, a certified career coach in Los Angeles, and asked her that same question. She handles interview preparation, resume writing and career guidance every single day so I knew she’d be an excellent source of information – and inspiration – for those waiting on deck for their dream job interview. 1. BE PREPARED This almost goes without saying, but being prepared, of course, is a huge part of landing your dream job. Swan says that knowing background information about the company, as well as any recent developments… Read More
Bad Behavior and Your Happiness
The kinds of issues I discuss with clients often seem to come in waves. Patterns emerge. Of course I’m usually hearing about various levels of distress that women and men are experiencing at work, and not surprisingly, a difficult boss or team dynamic prompts a lot of people to seek my assistance. Lately many conversations with clients seem to revolve around bad behavior of managers and people in power and how to do what’s best given the circumstances. On a broader level, as well, we’ve all been watching the undoing of many men who have used their power and status in despicable ways; while we feel relief that their gig is up, we’re also asking why did the unmasking of this undermining abuse take so long? It’s hard to speak truth to power. When we want to bring difficult topics and issues to light we know we need to be… Read More
Procrastinating much? Feeling Stuck…Yuck!
Four Strategies to Get Yourself Back into Action. Procrastination is way more common than I ever realized. Most of my friends, colleagues and clients struggle with procrastination. Even though I tend to be a doer, I see how my ability to put things off has gained momentum. Our lives are so crowded by input from all sorts of technology and other distractions…especially if we’re creative and curios people! I can be happily sidetracked by reading articles online, my fascinating hard-copy magazines and books, or doing lots of little inconsequential projects around my house. All good things…but am I getting to the things I know I want and need to do? Um…no. Sound familiar? Here’s what I’ve found helps me to stop procrastinating and do what needs doing. Maybe this will work for you, too: Spend time thinking about what you really want to see happen in your personal or professional… Read More
What Can I Expect from Executive Coaching?
What is an Executive Coach? And how will I benefit from working with an executive coach? What can I expect from an executive coach? Reasonable questions. We all hear about people having coaches but what do they really do? How do they really help? The coaching ‘industry’ has grown so much over the past 20 years; you can find a coach for anything you need support with. Executive Coaching covers a lot of territory, and you’ll find executive coaches of every personality and style. Identifying, and work through, the challenges High achieving men and women face similar challenges in their leadership roles…reaching goals, motivating teams, hitting their numbers, juggling responsibilities while keeping their eye out to identify new opportunities amidst change in the marketplace or within their organization. Foundationally, both men and women need to effectively communicate with clients and colleagues but there’s no doubt that women have very particular… Read More
Reflections on Teaching Mindfulness in Recovery
I am always filled with anticipation and curiosity when I walk into the workshop room. On this particular foggy morning (there is often morning fog in the central coast town of Pismo Beach), there are seven people in recovery ranging in age from 19 to roughly 55. There’s a jovial friendliness between the men and women seated in red or black leather chairs. Everyone is dressed casually – shorts, sweatshirts, and baseball caps. As I take my seat, no one seems to take notice; the laughter and talking over one another continues until I speak up, “Hi everyone! Let’s get started!” A few people are quiet but others continue the jousting until I again say, “Hellooo, let’s get started!” Working With Recovery Patients at The Haven Since I have checked in with the other staff at The Haven, I know that several people here in recovery have recently left the… Read More
