Tag: Goal

Goals 2014: 3 Ideas To Help You Stand Out In Your #JobSearch

Leave a comment

It is that time of year.  Your goals set last January have been accomplished.  Your summer break is a fading memory and you are back into the familiar rhythm of the working week.  Hopefully you are ready to take decisive action, rather than staring out of the window at the leaves changing colour.

Your Top 3 Job Search Suggestions

If you are looking to change of your job role, or place of work you might find you need to polish up your CV / Resume and covering letter.  The information in the Tweeted link helps you do just that.

Basically the Guardian’s Job Goddess suggests that jobseekers should remember to:

  • Start their letter by talking about the fit between their experience, their skills and the role for which they are applying
  • Specify how much impact they have had in similar roles (How many customers did they have? How much revenue did they generate?)
  • Demonstrate their continuous learning strategy by mentioning what recent qualifications or experience they have gained.

Who Will You Share These Suggestions With?

If this isn’t the right time for you to be moving on who do you know who would benefit from this information?  How will you share it with them?  When are you going to do it?  I’m sure they will be grateful that you passed these ideas on.

Tweet your feedback to me @RogerD_Said or use the Comment section here.   I would love to know how these ideas help in practice.

Goals 2014: What Does Equality And Diversity Mean To You?

Leave a comment
What Is Your First Thought When Equality And Diversity Is Discussed?

What Is Your First Thought When Equality And Diversity Is Discussed?

Does one of your goals involve adding your voice to discussions on life in the modern workplace?  If so, do you want to contribute to the important conversation on improving equality and diversity outcomes?

I’ve good news, if your answer is ‘Yes’, as I have designed a whole-day leadership workshop on that topic and I could use your help in refining delegate materials.  I want to ensure delegates have some topical quotes to look at relevant to the experiences of teams, clients and organisations in a variety of sectors in the UK, US, EU and territories beyond.

Your Chance To Offer Some Feedback

Do take a moment to look at the bullet point questions below and offer some feedback by replying to this post, or comment through the Contact form (or via Twitter @RogerD_said ) before 19:00 BST on Monday 16 June.

If I use one of your quotes in the workshop materials you and your organisation will be credited (please say if you prefer to be anonymous).  Many thanks in advance for your help.

  • What does authentic leadership in equality and diversity look like?
  • What are the benefits of getting equality and diversity strategies right?
  • What are the challenges on the horizon for equality and diversity stakeholders?

Want To Take The Conversation Further?

If these questions have whetted your appetite and you want to take the workshop conversation further please feel free to get in touch (there’s a further chance to continue this conversation in September, so feel free to contribute your Comments below this post or across social media).

Additionally, there are more ideas relating to your work and life goals in the Archive section here and on Facebook and Google+ too.  Or if you are a LinkedIn user you can visit View Roger Dennison’s profile

Goals 2014: How Well Does Your Leadership Reflect Your Equality And Diversity Goals?

Leave a comment
How Effective Is Your Leadership On Equality And Diversity?

How Effective Is Your Leadership On Equality And Diversity?

If you are like many leaders it is probably a challenge to get through your To Do list and deliver your everyday goals.  If you prioritise your medium and longer term goals too, this post may appeal to you.

What Effects Does Dominant Group Thinking Produce?

Here is a 58 minute video by anti-racist speaker Tim Wise, which is worth a look, if you have time and you have stretching leadership goals which are inspired by your equality and diversity values.  In case you haven’t time for the full video there are excerpts on Youtube which you can search for.

To my mind the key take away from the video is this: Being in the dominant group can leave you thinking you have the luxury of not having to care what other people think.  That attitude will make it harder to deliver on equality and diversity goals.

The upside of dominant-group thinking is simple: You face no obstacles to getting your goals accomplished.  You don’t experience anxiety.  You also don’t need to spend time on reflection about the impact of your words.  You can behave as you want to.  After all, you are acting on behalf of people like yourself, aren’t you?

How Do People From Diverse Backgrounds Respond To Dominant Group Thinking?

People from diverse backgrounds in your current or potential audience may take a different view.  On the least damaging end of the scale if you misspeak on a one-off basis you may not face any lasting consequences.  Get in wrong often enough and the authenticity of your brand values may be called into question.

What Are The Real World Consequences Of Sending Out The Wrong Equality And Diversity Messages?

In the US, major league basketball franchise owner Donald Sterling has experienced some major consequences following media coverage of comments he made about the sort of person he wanted courtside.  Being banned for life from the NBA and forced to sell his team, the LA Clippers for $850m, may influence him to rethink his approach to equality and diversity.

In the UK, BBC television Top Gear’s presenter Jeremy Clarkson is reportedly on his final warning from the corporation, after another controversial week.  Notwithstanding the 350 million viewers his programme receives globally he is having to rethink his approach to how he broadcasts.

Thee are high profile examples, but I think the basic principles are applicable to businesses generally.  Take a few moments to review your situation.  How well do you feel your organisation is doing on Equality And Diversity at the moment?

What Question Can An Authentic Leader Ask Of Themselves To Improve Their Equality And Diversity Focus?

Whether you are in the US, UK or further afield here’s a question that can ask yourself to improve your leadership:

  • What action will I take, this month, as an authentic leader to help my organisation make better use of its diverse workforce (or to demonstrate our commitment to equality goals)?

Feel free to continue this conversation about the relationship between authentic leadership, your values, and equality and diversity within your organisation.  Do let me know what impact your action has, when you start to see some results.

By all means take a look at the further ideas relating to your work and life goals in the Archive section here, on Facebook and Google+ too.  Or if you are a Linkedin user you can View Roger Dennison’s profile and connect with me there.

Goals 2014: 2 Questions To Help You Distinguish Yourself At Work

Leave a comment
image of a latte

A Latte – Good For Creativity, Reflection And Patience

Is your local coffee shop your ideal third space, away from work and home? Do you reach your goals more easily with a cup of your favourite coffee in hand? Or maybe you mooch about with a Mocha when you want to refocus your work and life?

If you answered ‘yes’ just then, you may want to learn more about the BBC’s collaboration with the Open University. The first episode of Business Boomers sheds light on the subject of the rise and rise of the coffee shop, a thriving part of the hospitality sector, even after the global economic crisis of 2007-08.

Coffee Shops As Places To Change Your Life

As Chris Ward’s book ‘ Out of Office’ suggests, the wifi enabled coffee shop is a place where you can change your life, or have the big ideas which can change the world around you.  Here’s a link to the Business Boomers Open University mini site: if you are very curious you can also click on a programme summary here – Business Boomers Coffee Shop Pdf

Despite the new types of working venues and the new technologies to support that work times are still tough.  The focus remains getting the best possible results from limited resources.  How much of your To Do list gets done, or thought about outside office hours?

What Is Your Third Space?

One of my local third spaces – Cafe Le Delice – attracts customers for work and leisure by offering an attentive quality of service; handmade food; and flexible usage (reserving a private room for a voluntary project meeting for instance).  This makes it the kind of venue where work  can still get done, after the 9 to 5.

There’s an analogue to the coffee shop as third space destination of choice.  How does an individual stand apart from his or her more prominent peers, when their offer seems similar?  How do they retain the work-life balance they want whilst giving their best performance?

Your 2 Questions To Help Distinguish Yourself At Work

Here are two related questions to work on:

  • What is your unique offer and how does it stand out in quality terms from everyone else’s?
  • What actions will you take in the next 12 weeks to further differentiate your brand from others; improve your prospects; and enjoy your free time?

Help yourself to the further ideas relating to your work and life goals in the Archive section here, on Facebook and Google+ too.  Or you can go to LinkedIn and View Roger Dennison’s profile

Goals 2014: 3 Questions To Help You Decide Where To Offer Your Acts Of Service

Leave a comment
Your Connections Increase In Number When You Volunteer

Your Connections Increase In Number When You Volunteer

Were you following my previous posts about the reasons you should have a volunteering goal and the benefits coming your way from volunteering?  If you missed the posts on Contributing to your Community click in the Archive for 30 March and the Morale post is located there dated 8 April.

Your Acts of Service

That wider conversation led to me making a contribution to a discussion with Forbes online magazine contributor and Twitter user @tomwatson  You can get a flavour of the back and forth via this tweet:

This goes to show once you start offering thoughts and sharing views you quickly encounter the major benefit of volunteering: being connected means you can offer acts of service to others.

How Can Dunbar’s Number Help You Serve Your Contacts?

Mind you, if you can only hold stable relationships with 150 people it makes sense that as many of those people as possible are folks to whom you can be of service.  So here’s 3 questions for you based on Dunbar’s Number (those 150 people):

  • Do you want to offer service to your 5 most significant contacts, or do you feel obligated to do this (it is more authentic if you want to take action)?
  • What common characteristics do your top 5 contacts share?
  • How does that information shape the acts of service you will offer them this week?

Good luck to you with your offer to serve others.  You can get more ideas by checking out – and Liking if you want – my posts on Facebook and Google+ too.  Or if you use LinkedIn you can View Roger Dennison’s profile

Goals 2014: What Kind Of Management Do You Want To Receive?

Leave a comment

Here’s a question to ponder as the end of the reporting and financial year draws near:  How much does your progress at work depend on the effectiveness of your manager, or supervisor?

Some people want a line manager who is closely involved in the day to day aspects of their career.  This can reassure the job holder that their performance and development needs are at the front of their manager’s mind.  That could be crucial if progression, development or bonuses depend on the supervisor’s feedback.

Other job holders are content with a different approach.  They prefer being set realistic tasks, whose delivery is discussed at quarterly reviews.  This approach gives them breathing room.  They get on with delivering tasks that are within their capability.

The Guardian’s Work blog has just highlighted a worst case scenario.  In this situation a line manager is so ineffective that their job holder is becoming ill through over work.  The customers needs are not being effectively met and team morale is suffering.  The manager is an obstacle to the job holder achieving their goal, of being productive and happy at work.

See what you think of the feedback offered in the Tweet (then have a go at the bullet point questions)

  • How do you influence your manager to give you the support you deserve?
  • What do you say when their input isn’t quite right?
  • When do you know it is time to take action to change your situation?

Goals 2014: How’s Your Job Treating You?

Leave a comment

If your workplace, or career, goal is linked to the health of the economy then there is good news today from the Office for National Statistics. The UK economy grew by 1.9% in 2013, its strongest rate since 2007.

That should make promotion, professional development, or job change easier, provided you are in the right part of the UK.

Actually, according to the Centre for Cities’ research published yesterday, London continues to be critical to the UK economy. That city is creating almost 10 times more private sector jobs than the second fastest growing city, Edinburgh.

Some of these factors feature in a recent job change query in the Guardian. Follow the link in my tweet to learn more.

Two final questions for you:

  • What sort of progress are you making on your work or career goals?
  • How much more progress could you make with coaching support?

A Reminder: Your Goals Matter

Leave a comment

Just three hours left of 2013.  Keep an eye our for two further posts before midnight.

Meanwhile, in case you missed it, this is another chance to see my recent Tweet poll about 2014 Goals.

Get in touch, if you want to start 2014 with my professional coaching support on your side. I look forward to learning about your goals.

That’s What Friends Are For

Leave a comment
Goal Setting

Goal Setting (Photo credit: lululemon athletica)

If you were to picture yourself sitting in your rocking chair, in your twilight years, what would you imagine were the highlights of your life?  Could they include your:

–       Big detached house in the country?

–       Fleet of fancy cars?

–       CV chock full of high-flying jobs?

If so you might want to think again.  Research conducted by Dr Gregory Bonn, a lecturer in psychology at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia provides compelling evidence that ‘close and enduring relationships are considered central to life satisfaction’.  According to the coverage in the Independent newspaper, material achievements are not too high on the list of Things That Make You Happy.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/money-cant-buy-you-the-good-life-8508265.html

 

Interestingly the survey findings also indicate that ‘Having a worthwhile career was rated as more important to a good life than having a successful one’.

 

There is a segue from the Independent story to one on the BBC news website.  It seems that the University of Chicago has researched the flip side of the ‘happy relationships equal happy life’ paradigm.  Their findings suggest that loneliness can lead to physical as well as psychological harm.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21517864

 

If that is sound information then it is timely, especially for the so-called ‘leftover’ women in China.  Their ambition and drive for early career success seems to have a downside.   According to BBC coverage, if these women mis-time their career peak they risk being viewed as too old for marriage.  The bad news is that over 25 may be ‘too old’!.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21320560

 

I wonder if these findings establish any useful goal setting principles?  One’s purpose in life fuels goal setting, so perhaps it is important that some goals relate strongly to building and maintaining healthy relationships.  These might take precedence over goals involving gathering material possessions.

 

That makes sense.  When goal setting we think about what we want to Be, then to Do and last of all, to Have.

 

Maybe the attachments to the key people in one’s life are more powerful and lasting than the links to physical possessions.

Related articles

GROWing Pains

Leave a comment
English: An artist's depiction of the rat race...

English: An artist’s depiction of the rat race in reference to the work and life balance. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rat_race Made with following images: http://www.openclipart.org/detail/75385 http://www.openclipart.org/detail/74137 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’ve received some useful performance coaching recently, to help me successfully suggest how the future contributions of a voluntary project group I belong to could be improved, improving my work-life balance.

It was good quality coaching, following the GROW – Goal, Reality, Options, and Will – formula championed by Sir John Whitmore amongst others.  It left me holding a clear set of actions for two, cards-on-the-table, meetings about the project.  I was going to influence greater participation from group at the first, grass roots meeting.  I was then going to suggest changes to the project vision in the second high-level event.

Of course reality doesn’t work like that.  In the first meeting no one wanted to participate more than they were already doing.  In the second meeting the request for help with the vision went up the line, and came firmly back down again.   The issue with the vision thing was ours to address, not anyone else’s.

Which goes to show that, where you can coach with improvements in your own performance in mind, you cannot expect your actions to produce specific outcomes in others.  After all, others haven’t been coached to ‘participate more’ or to ‘change their vision’.

All this possibly means my next coaching goal may have to be: ‘to successfully document my contribution to the outcomes of this project, so I can use my skills in another context  this year’.

(More information about Sir John Whitmore is  available on this website http://www.performanceconsultants.com/ )