Tag: Job satisfaction

3 Steps Toward Personal #Success

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Picture by Otto Rascon on Pexels.com

One day I want to be as wise as James Earl Jones (he provides the voice of Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga).

Or maybe as creative as Clint Eastwood (a film director and musician).

I might even settle for a touch of William Shatner’s curiosity (well known space explorer).

Although these gents are now in their nineties their wisdom, creativity and curiosity were always present.

Having said that, our own unique talents can sometimes lie below the surface of our everyday armour. We can be scared to show others just how talented we are whether we are fifteen, or fifty. We have to decide we can be vulnerable, then get and hold other people’s attention.

So we need to get out of our own way and actively chase after personal success. If we are doing this, our life goals should include:

  • Working to increase the amount of happiness we get from our day
  • Promoting others’ well being
  • Building an intriguing set of memories for others to remember us by

How does that sound to you?

Helping Ourselves On #WorldMentalHealthDay

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Solving Problems Is Easier When We Act Together. (Picture credit Photo by August de Richelieu from Pexels )

Today, of all days, it is worth saying that life without good mental health is hard.

From my experience, in the developed world, it can still feel dark, stressful, and overwhelming to struggle on alone.

In developed and developing nations stigma about mental health conditions can affect outcomes. In some countries and cultures mental health taboos can leave those issues to silently fester in the dark. People affected can hide their illness. It can feel their secret shame to bear alone.

Left untreated their illness can become more significant than it needed to be. That is bad news for their loved ones, their colleagues and everyone else affected.

So, to change those outcomes, wherever we live, tackling mental health issues needs to involve:

  • Recognising something is making our life more complicated than it needs be
  • Reaching out to professionals who are able to help
  • Staying in touch with good listeners amongst our family network and friendship circle
  • Being kind to ourselves

What has worked for you, or people you know?

Always worth remembering, wherever in the World we find ourselves, and whatever else is important in our lives, struggling alone is not a solution.

We are stronger together.

#Business As #Usual ?

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Now We Can Work Together Much More Should We? – Photo From Fauxels From Pexels

Step 4 in the Covid-19 recovery process means fewer restrictions. 

Step 4 doesn’t mean everything is back to business as usual, workwise.

In fact, it could take a while for ‘usual’ to emerge.

Blended Working: Pros and Cons

How does a blended approach of 50:50 working from home and an office sound?

The Pros are obvious:

  • Less hours commuting
  • More creative contact with diverse colleagues

The Cons are less obvious:

  • Quiet pressure to work just a bit more (early morning / in the evening / on the weekend)
  • More exposure to any toxicity in the workplace and the potential to get into disruptive relationships

What We Choose Affects Our Happiness

Our choices will affect our happiness.

A well-thought through choice will help build job satisfaction.

A casual one could cause damage.

So, it is worth taking time to figure out what we want from the work we do.

That reflection will help us form new work goals which help us deliver better results.

Why not have your say. What will you do differently, when you go back to work?

Photo by fauxels from Pexels

3 #Leadership Lessons From 3 Lions

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Last week, like 30 million others, I watched the Euro 2020 final between England and Italy.

England’s confident, diverse team had reached a major final after more than 50 years.

At the end of extra time, I watched 19-year-old Bukayo Saka step up.

His penalty would make the difference.

It did.

His shot was saved.

That result was painful, but Gareth Southgate and the rest of the team held each other up.

But some ‘supporters’ tried to tear them down.

Cue a wave of online racism.

Monkey Emojis.

The N word.

The usual crap.

Not the kind of thing anyone should ignore, whether it is obvious who is creating it, or hidden behind a screenname.

And that’s why Saka, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, and their teammates take the knee. Despite the boos.

  • Because leaders set the tone for their teams.
  • Because drawing attention to a problem isn’t ‘gesture politics’.
  • Because the process of change is uncomfortable.

What Happens When We #ChooseToChallenge ?

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A Black Woman Working In A Laboratory
Picture credit CDC at Unsplash.Com : Women Work In Science Technology Engineering Mathematics

My Mum and Women like her lived through incredible times

During the late 1960s and early 1970s the Race Relations Act and the Equal Pay Act arrived.

Legislation meant that Black women could not be excluded from the job market by employers.

 Which meant access to greater job choice.

Jobs with prospects.

Jobs which paid Women equally for their labour.

These changes didn’t happen by chance. They didn’t make everything perfect.

They did come about because Women and Men chose to challenge inequality.

Great journeys begin with the first important step.

Happy International Women’s Day!

(Picture credit CDC at Unsplash.Com)

Someone Looking At The Sun On The Horizon

2021 #Resolutions What Goals Will You Be Working On?

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This year has been brutal.

Looking back there have been highs, but the lows have been heart breaking. 

Work.

Money.

Health.

Where have you felt the impact of 2020?

The New Year won’t be a repeat of the last. I will be making some changes in 2021. Perhaps you will too?

If so, feel free to fill in the short survey below, say what you plan on changing and as a result influence the type of content which I create.

What Do Want From 2021?

I am looking forward to reading about your goals.

Meanwhile, Have a Great Christmas / Holiday Season and a Peaceful New Year. 

(Photo credit Joshua Earle on Unsplash )

3 Steps To Getting Stuff Done

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Nothing betas the feeling of getting stuff done – Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels

Wow.

We have made it to the end of January.

Blue Monday is behind us.

Eleven months lie ahead.

And that is a lot of space for completing goals.

To be fair I’ve accomplished one of my main 2020 goals already (there are plenty left on my list).

This was one I had put off, as there is some pain linked with it, which made it harder to deal with.

Anyway, my method to get even the painful stuff done is simple;

  • Clearly define what needs doing
  • Set a specific time aside to do it and
  • Line up a reward for afterwards

What works for you? You can share your secret to success on Twitter @RogerD_Said

The 7 Key Lessons About Service I’ve Taken From #NHS70

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7 Principles Behind Great Service – Picture from Pexels.com

I’ve spent a lot of time recently in the company of nurses, physiotherapists, doctors and other NHS (national health service) professionals. They are in the business of service delivery. Their customers are very demanding (if our own health or that of a loved one is in question we won’t always be reasonable in what we want). They are passionate about the quality of the work they deliver.

In my experience the professionals in the NHS mostly produce the right results at the right time. So, on the 70th birthday of the NHS here are 7 points we can take away from what health care staff do well day after day:

Assertion

Saying clearly what needs to happen next and asking for cooperation to bring it about.

Boundaries

Knowing when to say ‘no’, because a different action will produce a better result.

Care

It helps everyone to know what kind of result the person receiving the service is looking for, then it becomes easier to tailor work to achieve that outcome (and care about the progress towards that goal)   

Decisiveness

Keeping in touch with the boundaries involved and going to find help when we are out of our depth (without thinking too much about how it will make us look).

Ego

We all achieve better results when we are thinking and acting in others’ interests, without ego getting in the way.

Faith

Believing that colleagues and the other people in our network can achieve great results in unfamiliar areas.

Generosity

Remembering to say ‘thank you’ for the service you receive that helps you achieve more and feel better.

What Do You Think Good Service Looks Like?

These are my ideas about the basics behind the delivery of great services. If you have experienced impressive service who was responsible for providing it? What did they do to make things go well? How did you let them know you were pleased?

Feel free to Like and Share this post of it has been helpful to you.

 

All the best

Roger

3 Steps To Achieve Your #Goal of Greater #Job Satisfaction

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A Firework Display

A Firework Display – Picture Credit Morguefile

This is the time of year for fireworks. Ideally every day we spend at work would be the kind of day to celebrate with them.

Is your work exciting, challenging and fun? If it isn’t your next goal could be changing that situation.

The Facts

According to May 2016 employee-outlook research by the CIPD* nearly a quarter of UK employees are dissatisfied with their role and ready to go elsewhere:

Job satisfaction in the UK has dropped to its lowest level in over two years and job seeking intentions have risen to almost a quarter (24%) of employees – a two and half year high.

What Options Do We Have If Work Is Dissatisfying?

Here are 3 steps to take if you want to move past the stuck-in-a-rut feeling

Achievements – List them. Take stock of what you have accomplished in the last 12 months and write down how these wins tell your story. How does the learning you have completed make you attractive as a member of a new team? Where could the new skills you have displayed add value to a new project? When have you stood out as a leader and what can you contribute beyond your day job?

Bravery – Practice it. Successful job changers spend time in uncomfortable situations. It is uncomfortable to plan how to plug gaps in your resume /CV. Getting feedback from practice interviews can be tough. Having your job applications go nowhere can be demoralizing. Keep trying.

Choices – Make smart ones. Is there a local project you can volunteer for which allows you to use your existing skills and gain new ones? Which network can you become active in to connect to people you can help? How can you use social media to show others what you are capable of?

What Is Your Next Step?

Rather than wait for the New Year why not use the ideas above to start making changes to your story. If you are inspired to take action use the comment section to tell others what you are going to do. You can Like and Share too

All the best. Roger

You can find out more about UK employees’ outlook at http://www.cipd.co.uk )

Here Are 3 Life Skills You Gain As A #Carer

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Words Related To Work

Skills Matter – Wherever They Come From (Image From Alvimann From Morguefile.com)

Dementia Awareness Week just ended* and it has put the spotlight on the role played by thousands of part and full time carers out there.

In particular I’ve talked to several people involved with caring for Dementia patients. Those conversations reminded me of the many valuable skills you get from caring for others. Skills which offer a lot to employers seeking fresh talent..

Professional Skills Gained Through Volunteering

Ever focused exclusively on the goal of helping others and lost track of your own priorities? Not to worry, there is an answer to the question:

OK I have done a lot of caring – how do I run those talents into worthwhile job skills?

The skills you use to look after others look good on a resume or CV, especially if you can relate them to the types of employment that interest you.

The trick is to explain the situation in which the skill was used, what task you were responsible for and the action you carried out. What results did you achieve illustrating the skills you want to highlight?

There is a long list of skills from which you can choose, including the following:

Action Planning

You need to be aware** of what you want to achieve before you can become a good planner. Once you are focused on your main task you will be ready to help to bring about the right results, at the right time.

However you go about your planning (maybe you use a wall chart, a smart phone app, or a diary) you still know what results you expect to create at each stage.

You also know which legal, medical or financial rules you have to follow at each stage to get what you want.

What does a successful final outcome look like?

Managing Collaborations

It is exhausting to try to achieve results on your own.

How do you communicate with others so you build new relationships and bring allies into your world?

What do you offer to bring their skills on board?

Problem Solving

Even the best plans can get derailed by unforeseen problems.

Obviously you will have tried to manage the basic risks involved in your project. What does your Plan B look like, should things go wrong?

How will Plan B bring the overall project back into line?

How do you record what you have achieved to ensure you learn how to get better results next time?

Your Next Steps

Thanks for reading about 3 of the key skills which caring can add to your CV. I would love to hear from you. What skills have you gained through volunteering? How have you used those skills in your professional life?

Use the Comment section to share your story, or Tweet me @RogerD_Said. If this post was useful please share it with a friend who would benefit from reading it.

Finally…

*Here is a useful link about Dementia – https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/

** Here is a 30 minute video I recorded recently, worth a look if you would like to learn more about self- awareness. http://bit.ly/Self-Awareness-Superstar-Part-1-Of-3