|
Staying In Shape
Why Lawyers Should Eat Bananas by Simon Tupman is a book that caught my eye both because of its unusual title and because I coach lawyers who are growing their practices. The book cover says it gives "Inspirational Ideas for Lawyers Wanting More Out of Life" Much of what Mr. Tupman writes about is appropriate career advice for anyone, lawyer, business person or manager . He is an advocate of "Working smarter not harder" and so am I. I really liked his list of attributes for smart workers and number 8 on the list particularly appealed to me because it underscores much of what I say to my clients. Number 8 says that smart workers "stay in S.H.A.P.E." Each letter of course stands for an element that he believes is vital in order to stay marketable. Skills Today all workers have a responsibility to keep their skills up to date. If you are waiting for someone else to pay for your training you may wait yourself into obsolescence. If you are in business, someone else will take away your business if you let your skills stagnate. If you work for someone else, your employer may find that another employee who has more advanced skills can do your job better or faster. In my AT&T days the Internet was just coming into general use. Those people who could support it technically were the ones whose jobs were more secure. HealthIt is something you may take for granted but you need to be proactive about your health. Proper diet, enough sleep, and exercise all help you to have the energy you need to do your job. Often my clients will say to me that they just don't have time to exercise or have a well-balanced meal. They say they have other priorities. I ask all my clients to make themselves their number one priority. You can't be good to others (clients, family, co-workers, friends etc.) unless you are good to yourself. Attitude How do you approach a problem or something new? If you believe you can't do something, you won't be able to. As a sales manager I found it was so much easier to work with sales executives who were proactive and saw lots of possibilities rather than the ones who had a negative attitude and whined about their problems. People with positive attitudes attract success. Persistence Life has its ups and downs. Everyone will have the experience of trying something that doesn't work out as planned. What do you do when this happens? Do you quit or do you use the failure to learn and grow? Thomas Alva Edison said, "Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results. I know several thousand things that won't work." Rather than being upset by failure regard it as just one more data point on the road to success. EnthusiasmWhat is it that keeps you working at your job, business or job search? Somewhere in your mind you must have a vision of what you want to achieve that really excites you. Having enthusiasm for the end state (your vision) will get you through the toughest days. As you can see the critical element here is knowing yourself. Look at each of the 5 elements and ask yourself how you stack up. Is there something that is holding you back? Take action! 1. Identify the area that you would like to improve. 2. What is one step you could take to improve yourself in that area? 3. What are your challenges? 4. What steps can you take to overcome those challenges? 5. Take the step and start again. Having difficulty? A coach may be able to help you to overcome the obstacles and move forward. Alvah Parker is a Business and Career Coach as well as publisher of Parker's Points, an email tip list and Road to Success, an ezine. Parker's Value Program© enables her clients to find their own way to work that is more fulfilling and profitable. Her clients are managers, business owners, sole practioners, attorneys and people in transition. Alvah is found on the web at http://www.asparker.com. She may also be reached at 781-598-0388.
MORE RESOURCES:
Jobs City of Rochester (.gov)
Careers West Virginia Department of Education
Careers Washington State University
Work With Us National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Careers The Guggenheim Museums and Foundation
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Dont Quit Your Day Job! Convincing Your Boss To Let You Telecommute, Part 1 of 2
Are you desperately trying to find a telecommute job so that you canquit your current one? Hold on! Your job just might have the potentialto be done from home.With the right approach, a little research and a good proposal, manyemployees are selling the idea of telecommuting to their employers.
Illegal Interview Questions -- Be Prepared
I'll quickly cover the following:A) Why Employer Ask Illegal Interview Questions.B) Examples of Illegal Interview Questions.
How to Give Job-Winning Answers at Interviews
Human Resources personnel, professional recruiters and various other career experts all agree: one of the best ways to prepare yourself for a job interview is to anticipate questions, develop your answers, and practice, practice, practice.There are plenty of websites that offer lists of popular job interview questions, and knowing the types of questions to expect can be very useful.
How to Walk Away from an Opportunity thats Wrong for You
Q. I just finished a job interview.
Thank-You Notes: Your Thoughtfulness will be Rewarded
I get asked these questions over and over: "Should I send separate thank-you notes to everyone who interviewed me? Can I just send one thank-you note to the hiring manager and ask him/her to thank others involved in the process?"The answers are yes and no, respectively.Send a separate thank-you note to everyone who interviewed you, whether it was an informal pre-interview phone call, an interview lunch meeting, or the final formal interview after a lengthy process.
Are You a Nice Person? What Companies are Looking for in Recruiting and Retaining Great People
Hal Rosenbluth, author of The Customer Comes Second, states; "In our selection process, kindness, caring, compassion, and unselfishness carry more weight than years on the job, an impressive salary history, and stacks of degrees."Does your company hire these types? Are you one of them? Take the following quiz to see if you are:Agree Disagree1.
How to Track Your Right Career
Are you lost in the wilderness when it comes to choosing a career? Once, we knew the way. As children, we played at different roles, but some became our favorites.
Reviving Your Resume
A resume may not be who you are, but to a potential employer, it may be all they see of you and make or break your chance for your next interview. While many of us either spend long hours crafting the perfect resume (or pay someone else big bucks to do it for you) and may not want to mess with perfection, not updating your resume may cause more harm than good.
How To Write A Job Winning Resume That Puts Yours On Top
Many people would love to get a better job. And most of these same people have the proper training and skills to achieve this goal.
For Effective Decisions, Look Beyond Career Stereotypes
You've probably been taught not to stereotype people based on race, religion or sex. But when you make a career or business decision, do you still make decisions based on stereotypes?"Insurance sales reps must be gregarious.
How to Deal With Workplace Inflexibility
You've been a model employee: responsible, industrious, creative and productive. You've gone the extra mile time and again, with a smile.
Should You Join a Modeling School for Petite Modeling?
If you are thinking of breaking into the petite modeling industry and wondering if you should hundreds of doll ars on modeling school or classes you need to read this article. Here are few facts about modeling schools.
Where Will Your IT Staff Come From NOW?
The labor recession is over. During the course of the recession, almost 500,000 IT positions were lost according to publicly collected data and anecdotal information suggests even more.
So Youre Thinking of Changing Careers
"You don't have to take life the way it comes to you. By converting your dreams into goals, and your goals into plans, you can design your life to come to you the way you want it.
Self Describing Skills - Key Strengths
You need to be the best you can at describing your best qualities; particularly your key strengths. In my coaching practice I generally, at some point, ask my client: "What are you good at?" purely as a means to establish if they have already thought through this most important question.
How To Power Negotiate Your Next Bonus
A raise in your base salary is a permanent source of increased income. However, to increase your take home pay, you can also negotiate performance bonuses on specific projects, activities, or time frames.
How To Get That Promotion
If you're looking for that promotion or pay rise then you'll need to be noticed by your employer, so here's a few tips to stand out from the crowd:Have a Friendly & Positive attitude towards Everyone you come into contactProvide Service and treat Everyone as your customerBe Professional at all timesAlways look for extra work, especially when others are ducking for cover to avoid itWatch what your colleagues are doing, copy from the ones who are receiving praise for their efforts but learn to do it better than them, while avoiding doing what your "lazier or negative" colleagues are doingBe a Thinker and offer suggestion on how to do things better and more efficientlyPlan and follow your planDon't Procrastinate, do what needs to be done NOW!!Think ahead, when ask to do A & B, do C as wellAnticipate the next question and provide the answer before you're askedDress and Act as if you were already in the position you want to reachGo to lunch with successful people and learn from themDon't be afraid to ask questions and ask for helpAvoid Office PoliticsBe an Individual while being a team playerLearn everything about your company and productsFollow these tips and you won't need to ask for a promotion or extra money, it will happen automatically.Garry Munro is a successful consultant, speaker & coach.
Benefits of Mystery Shopping For Secret Shoppers
Mystery shoppers are people who are hired to scrutinize employees, products and customer services of any organization. The benefits that they get from mystery shopping are:They enjoy doing a job that's fun and frolic.
Common Resume Myths & Misconceptions
For the person crafting their first résumé the task can seem a little bit daunting, even a bit frightening. Human Resources [HR] specialists, résumé writing professionals, school advisors, and even friends and family members all have their say.
10 Tips For Writing A Professional Résumé
1. Start with an attractive layout.
|