Showing posts with label career advice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label career advice. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Dr. Adele Scheele on HOW TO FIND A MENTOR
There are certain necessities in life, and having a mentor is one of them. No matter where you are in your career -- just starting, rising, stuck, at the end -- you need such a coach. In fact, you need a series of them.
Where do you find them? Look around you and see whom you admire. Potential mentors are busy working in your department, in your organization, in your profession. They are not typically your direct bosses, who need you in your place (although, some who are promoted might take you with them). Search for outstanding people two or three levels above you in experience and talent. You will discover them talking in meetings and at conferences that you sign up for, even if you have to pay for it. Watch for those who are smart, on the rise (if they have not risen to the top already) and genuine. Seek out those whose advice you might value for ways to think through problems, tackle dilemmas, handle difficult (but critical) people and get noticed and tracked. In short, increase your opportunities. Imagine how they might guide you and, hopefully, have the power to nominate you.
But don't wait until they find you. You have to start the process. Compliment them after they have given a presentation, and tell what impressed you. Ask if you can talk to them about a project you are working on, one in which they have expertise. Don't think of it as asking them to sign on as your life mentor; instead, ask for their take on your work and a suggestion to make it better. Then report back what happened, what didn't. If their advice failed, think about whether you followed it well or if timing was against you. Sometimes they are wrong twice in a row, and you have to move on to another. It's not uncommon.
Continue to ask for specific advice along with initiating conversations about their careers and the state of their organization and profession. Celebrate their continued successes. It will make stronger bonds as well as underscoring what it takes. And, as you rise, look for other experts. Every CEO has a board to talk to; every smart politician has a kitchen cabinet, at the least. Every successful person turns to and relies on brilliant others to advise them. No one does it alone.
Thank them each time. An absent thank-you note is a sure sign of selfishness, ignorance or overload. But authentically successful people make time to write thank-you notes or email. Always. Sometimes, they even send a token gift of celebration. Some also remember birthdays. Think of mentors as your family, your work family, for whom you are always on your best behavior.
Find talent by working with it. Get yourself active by joining committees and taskforces in your organization. Certainly join and participate in professional associations. Or, consider civic, religious or political volunteering as well. Getting mentored is not a formal process, but you can learn this networking skill and make your way in. Sign up for unpaid work; learn by doing and watching those who do it well. Growth and leadership need development through belonging. Only through that process can chance be at your side.
Being catapulted up by mentors is an education in itself. You'll learn many skills, technical and strategic savvy, along with the nod from someone who does more than mentor you -- someone who can sponsor you and nominate you for a position for which you would otherwise not have been considered.
The unspoken rule is that you must show yourself to be one of them. By demonstrating your work and your relationship, you gain their trust.
Taking the risk of connecting to sage others, over and over in your careering progress, will yield unimagined opportunities. And it will be a model for what you will do for others, in turn.
Make your luck happen!
***
Dr. Adele is the author of "Skills for Success" and "Launch Your Career in College." Visit her website, dradele.com
Where do you find them? Look around you and see whom you admire. Potential mentors are busy working in your department, in your organization, in your profession. They are not typically your direct bosses, who need you in your place (although, some who are promoted might take you with them). Search for outstanding people two or three levels above you in experience and talent. You will discover them talking in meetings and at conferences that you sign up for, even if you have to pay for it. Watch for those who are smart, on the rise (if they have not risen to the top already) and genuine. Seek out those whose advice you might value for ways to think through problems, tackle dilemmas, handle difficult (but critical) people and get noticed and tracked. In short, increase your opportunities. Imagine how they might guide you and, hopefully, have the power to nominate you.
But don't wait until they find you. You have to start the process. Compliment them after they have given a presentation, and tell what impressed you. Ask if you can talk to them about a project you are working on, one in which they have expertise. Don't think of it as asking them to sign on as your life mentor; instead, ask for their take on your work and a suggestion to make it better. Then report back what happened, what didn't. If their advice failed, think about whether you followed it well or if timing was against you. Sometimes they are wrong twice in a row, and you have to move on to another. It's not uncommon.
Continue to ask for specific advice along with initiating conversations about their careers and the state of their organization and profession. Celebrate their continued successes. It will make stronger bonds as well as underscoring what it takes. And, as you rise, look for other experts. Every CEO has a board to talk to; every smart politician has a kitchen cabinet, at the least. Every successful person turns to and relies on brilliant others to advise them. No one does it alone.
Thank them each time. An absent thank-you note is a sure sign of selfishness, ignorance or overload. But authentically successful people make time to write thank-you notes or email. Always. Sometimes, they even send a token gift of celebration. Some also remember birthdays. Think of mentors as your family, your work family, for whom you are always on your best behavior.
Find talent by working with it. Get yourself active by joining committees and taskforces in your organization. Certainly join and participate in professional associations. Or, consider civic, religious or political volunteering as well. Getting mentored is not a formal process, but you can learn this networking skill and make your way in. Sign up for unpaid work; learn by doing and watching those who do it well. Growth and leadership need development through belonging. Only through that process can chance be at your side.
Being catapulted up by mentors is an education in itself. You'll learn many skills, technical and strategic savvy, along with the nod from someone who does more than mentor you -- someone who can sponsor you and nominate you for a position for which you would otherwise not have been considered.
The unspoken rule is that you must show yourself to be one of them. By demonstrating your work and your relationship, you gain their trust.
Taking the risk of connecting to sage others, over and over in your careering progress, will yield unimagined opportunities. And it will be a model for what you will do for others, in turn.
Make your luck happen!
***
Dr. Adele is the author of "Skills for Success" and "Launch Your Career in College." Visit her website, dradele.com
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Job and Career Questions? JOB Fair in Santa Barbara Patty DeDominic
Calling all Career Resources and Employers!!
There will be career resources and a special Job Fair area--at the
California Women's Festival on March 5 & 6, 2010 in Santa Barbara.
If you would like to register, please visit http://www.womensfestivals.org/
Scholarships are available if you apply on line and request a scholarship due to financial need.
Special Student rate of only $25.00
EMPLOYERS please consider attending and talking to outstanding California Job Candidates:
For more information please fill our the exhibitor form
Put "Employer" on your application for a 20% discount. If you apply and pay prior to February 2, 2010.
Patty DeDominic invites you to get up close and personal with inspiring resources and connections which can make a world of difference in your career. This Career Fair and Conference is open to men and women from all over the USA with special emphasis on Southern California.
Meet representatives from the National Association of Women Business Owners http://www.nawbo.org/ SCORE, free counseling for those who wish to start or expand their businesses; UCSB Career Center and UCSB Women's Center; Girls Inc, Women's Economic Ventures; Green2gold.org; Future Women CEOs;
Conference and Job Fair is open to men and women of all ages.
Earl Warren ShowGrounds
Friday March 5, 2010 4-8 PM
Saturday March 6, 2010 8-6pm
This conference is co sponsored by community leaders, not profit organizations and private corporations including AT&T, Wells Fargo Bank, Santa Barbara Bank and Trust, Ricoh-USA, Christie Communications, The Weidemann Foundation, Gold, global organization for leadership and diversity & DeDominic & Associates. Event produced by Patty DeDominic
Friday, April 17, 2009
Your First Real Job by Patty DeDominic with David Harder
Getting YOUR First paid Job takes Special Creativity & Tenacity.
David Harder of Inspired Work Services Inc. and I think
alike in many areas. We both work towards a VALUE set,
we offer resources and expertise freely, hoping it will be of
use to others.
Today we want to start a dialog for those starting their First Paid Job.
Just yesterday I was thinking it was time to talk about getting my first job....and today David sends me some thoughts on that very subject. Is that response about my intentions or just good luck? As Oprah Winfrey has been quoted saying "The harder and smarter you work, the luckier you get" So getting answers to questions you need answered or getting your first job...there are similar principles at work. It is not Luck....but you can make yourself luckier by preparing yourself and working past the obstacles. So, today two empathetic professionals, Patty De and David Harder, people who see trends and who feel the pain for job seekers, offer some tips on getting past the "No Experience" traps.
How hard was it to get my first, non family member job?
It WAS hard.....and I remember it (the hurt) as if it were yesterday.
Even though I was looking for my first real job over 40 years ago (in the 1960's)
I can still recall the pain of rejection and the feelings of insecurity and even anger when it seemed no one would hire me. The common excuse was ... "Sorry, we need people with experience and you've never had a real job. We do not hire people with no experience here."
Oh, that was painful and I recall lamenting "How can I get experience if no one will hire me..... it is a viscous cycle"
Today, David Harder is offering a piece of career advice for college graduates:
Over the years, college graduates told me, "But I've never worked. How do I get in the door."
In listening to about a 1/3 of these candidates, I've observed they have been very well raised. How? They are cordial, use a minimal of junk language, they listen, they are respectful of my suggestions. Young people like this have either been raised very well or they have gone through significant therapy. So, I suggest, "Tell them! I've done nothing except get this degree (if appropriate, with good grades). But what I can tell you is that I was brought up in a loving home that gave me high quality attention. They helped me develop good manners. They have good work ethics. They were terrific role models. If I get the privilege to work here, you can expect me to show up on time, engage with everyone respectfully, learn as quickly as humanly possible and fix problems without demanding special recognition. That is how I was raised and that is how I will work.
If you didn't have such a loving family:
I grew up in some challenges and I rose above them through hard work and finding terrific mentors. If you hire me, you can expect someone who is respectful, shows up on time and is tenacious. Through my short time on earth, I've learned that if I put my mind to something, it happens. I might ask you for suggestions, help or feedback, but I will get it done - usually ahead of time.
David Harder is President & Founder of Inspired Work, Inc. You can visit his website at
http://www.inspiredworkservices.com/
Let us hear your career and job search questions. Please post a comment and we will answer directly or on line. Patty DeDominic www.dedominic.com
David Harder of Inspired Work Services Inc. and I think
alike in many areas. We both work towards a VALUE set,
we offer resources and expertise freely, hoping it will be of
use to others.
Today we want to start a dialog for those starting their First Paid Job.
Just yesterday I was thinking it was time to talk about getting my first job....and today David sends me some thoughts on that very subject. Is that response about my intentions or just good luck? As Oprah Winfrey has been quoted saying "The harder and smarter you work, the luckier you get" So getting answers to questions you need answered or getting your first job...there are similar principles at work. It is not Luck....but you can make yourself luckier by preparing yourself and working past the obstacles. So, today two empathetic professionals, Patty De and David Harder, people who see trends and who feel the pain for job seekers, offer some tips on getting past the "No Experience" traps.
How hard was it to get my first, non family member job?
It WAS hard.....and I remember it (the hurt) as if it were yesterday.
Even though I was looking for my first real job over 40 years ago (in the 1960's)
I can still recall the pain of rejection and the feelings of insecurity and even anger when it seemed no one would hire me. The common excuse was ... "Sorry, we need people with experience and you've never had a real job. We do not hire people with no experience here."
Oh, that was painful and I recall lamenting "How can I get experience if no one will hire me..... it is a viscous cycle"
Today, David Harder is offering a piece of career advice for college graduates:
Over the years, college graduates told me, "But I've never worked. How do I get in the door."
In listening to about a 1/3 of these candidates, I've observed they have been very well raised. How? They are cordial, use a minimal of junk language, they listen, they are respectful of my suggestions. Young people like this have either been raised very well or they have gone through significant therapy. So, I suggest, "Tell them! I've done nothing except get this degree (if appropriate, with good grades). But what I can tell you is that I was brought up in a loving home that gave me high quality attention. They helped me develop good manners. They have good work ethics. They were terrific role models. If I get the privilege to work here, you can expect me to show up on time, engage with everyone respectfully, learn as quickly as humanly possible and fix problems without demanding special recognition. That is how I was raised and that is how I will work.
If you didn't have such a loving family:
I grew up in some challenges and I rose above them through hard work and finding terrific mentors. If you hire me, you can expect someone who is respectful, shows up on time and is tenacious. Through my short time on earth, I've learned that if I put my mind to something, it happens. I might ask you for suggestions, help or feedback, but I will get it done - usually ahead of time.
David Harder is President & Founder of Inspired Work, Inc. You can visit his website at
http://www.inspiredworkservices.com/
Let us hear your career and job search questions. Please post a comment and we will answer directly or on line. Patty DeDominic www.dedominic.com
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Do What you Love........
Aaron Neville
& Patty DeDominic
at the University of California
at Santa Barbara
If you've been around
for more than a few
decades you will know and love the Neville Brothers.
They do what they love.
These Louisiana men can cause people to jump to their feet and chant, dance and give wild applause. This was the case not too long ago with the Neville Brothers overwhelmed all of us at UCSB. Old and Young, hip and conservative....none of us could sit still as Aarom cruned and serenaded the audience along with his talented band of brothers.
I vowed to write this short article to remind all of us that we need to follow our true hearts desires when finding our career callings. Aaron Neville has a very distinctive and unique voice. Perhaps when he was a child he was thought as "different". He also loves to make him self look unique...as you can see from the attached photo, he is not a conformist in any way!
If you would like to hear some of the Neville Brothers unique and distinctive sound please go to their site, click on the link above.
I asked Aaron if he always knew he was destined to be Special? "When did you know you had a unique talent, a special voice and a gift to share with others? Did you need a lot of encouragement or did you just "know it"? Aaron Neville told Patty DeDominic, (conservative) Los Angeles Business Coach and author, that he always knew...... he just let his talent show and people responded. He said he would sign for anyone who wanted him to and would show off, and get himself little perks for sharing his gifts. Neville told me "I used to sign and get let into Movies for giving them a little show". He was tired that night, the group had flown across the country, given over two hours of the most fantastic music I had heard in years and now they were smoozing with some of the donor of the UCSB Arts & Lectures program: he was still working.
The brothers are an amazing example of people who are living their dreams and sharing their talents. They do what they love and it surely shows!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Use F.E.A.R. to Foster Your Career & Job Searches
FEAR......
It is scary when you are out of work or when you have lost a job due to unforseen circumstances.
Use Your FEAR to help put you in the best frame of mind for a job search.
F. E. A. R.
Focus…. Focus on what you really want to do and who you need to network with.
Exposure … connect with your friends, potential employers, Craig’s list and the other job boards in your preferred city or industry. They can't hire you if you are hidden. Get out there!
Attitude …. Is really important. If you feel there are no opportunities you will be right…. DECIDE today that some lucky employer is out there just waiting to connect with you. Go find them and give them the opportunity of meeting and hiring you! They will be so happy they met you, won't they?
Reputation. Your network will precede you and building a credible reputation as a great resource, a resilient person and skilled professional all take time. Work on it every day!
Honor and preserve your reputation......it is one of the most valuable assets you possess.
If you would like to work temporary till you find the right full time position, you could register at http://www.selectstaffing.com/ They are the firm that purchased PDQCareers.com and my other firm CT Engineering. Select has hundreds of offices across the USA.
Friday, March 6, 2009
Learn by Doing...The Mutual Benefit of Sharing Your Skills... Geraldine Baum LA Times.....
Lois Draegin, 55, lost a six-figure editing job. She now works unpaid for a start-up website, trading her knowledge for new online skills.
By Geraldine Baum March 6, 2009
Reporting from New York -- Sitting in a bare cubicle, with her reading glasses perched halfway down her nose and typing away on a laptop she'd brought from home, Lois Draegin looked a bit like the extra adult wedged in at the kids' table at Thanksgiving.This accomplished magazine editor lost her six-figure job at TV Guide last spring and is now, at 55, an unpaid intern at wowOwow.com, a fledgling website with columns and stories that target accomplished women older than 40.
"The Women on the Web," or WOW, needed Draegin's magazine-world wisdom, and she needed their guidance through a maze of technology that was as baffling to her as hieroglyphics. In a search for a new job in the media, she had suddenly found herself techno-challenged. She didn't know a URL from SEO.It wasn't until she was teamed up with Randi Bernfeld at WOW that she understood the obsession with terms such as search engine optimization (a method to increase traffic to a website) or used Google Trends to pick story topics and write a uniform resource locater (Web address)."She's my mentor," Draegin said of 24-year-old Bernfeld.
"No, she's my mentor," Bernfeld replied.They were working at adjacent desks, and most often it was Draegin who was asking Bernfeld questions across the barrier.Joni Evans, former president of Simon & Schuster and chief executive of WOW, has recruited several other victims of the downsizing in publishing as interns -- her site's way of doing good in a bad economy."I think of this as a very WOW model -- women helping women, bringing us all back to our true ethic of empowering each other," Evans said. She is one of five founders of the site; the others are columnist Peggy Noonan, "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl, advertising executive Mary Wells and gossip columnist Liz Smith.
Draegin took the internship at WOW as a creative way to fill out her resume while waiting out a collision of bad events that has stalled her career: She is in a media industry that was in a free-fall even before the recession took hold.Other laid-off workers are attempting to be inventive by using newer social networking tools like LinkedIn and Twitter to find jobs. Some are even employing what Betsy Werley of the Transition Network calls the "extreme consulting model.""These are people who have defined a great set of skills and said, 'Since everybody is stretched and needs some of what I can provide, I'm going to work as many different jobs as I can.'
Employers are more flexible about how they think of workers, and employees are more accepting of what's acceptable to me."Werley cited the example of a lawyer who is training as a mediator while getting paid to be a career coach, a public school advocate and a lawyer."She's using every skill she has," Werley said.Still others are more like Draegin, delaying what could be a futile job search by trying to learn something new.
A group that focuses on sabbaticals, yoursabbatical.com, reported that an out-of-work consultant who recognized early on that it was a terrible time to job-hunt decided to do a Spanish immersion in Peru for three months, giving the economy a little time to strengthen, and allowing him to return with "fluent in Spanish" on his resume.After Draegin started at WOW's unglamorous offices in Midtown Manhattan, no one knew quite how to describe her position.Was she a "senior" intern, an "executive" intern, a "midcareer" intern -- or, as she prefers, an apprentice?"We're just glad to have her," said Deborah Barrow, WOW's editor in chief, who knew Draegin from the magazine network and dreamed up this scheme to give her a two-month, three-mornings-a-week internship.
Draegin has been getting a lot out of the experience because this has not been a business-as-usual internship. As in: Get me my coffee, pick up my dry cleaning, and if you're lucky, by the end of the summer we'll let you write a caption.
Draegin has been learning by doing and watching and asking for help. Arriving before 8 one day, her immediate task was to look for story ideas and mash together information from other websites into a brief news item for the "Wow Watch" column. Finding topics was easy enough -- Draegin fits WOW's demographic and instinctively understands the interests of its savvy readers.
But she repeatedly had to check her gut instincts against that all-important tool -- Google Trends -- to make sure her ideas would attract readers to the website.
That morning, she chose to put yet another angle on a story about the California mother of octuplets who has been omnipresent on the Web.Draegin quickly cranked out four paragraphs emphasizing that the "octomom" had decided to give all eight babies the same middle name -- Angel.But everything else Draegin did that morning was more complicated.
In the past, she hadn't bothered to learn such skills as writing tags and URLs because she was paid to think globally about the direction of her magazine. Now she had to think globally not only about each topic but about every word she wrote in the URL, headline, subhead, tag and links in the story.Everything had to be crafted to draw readers."It's really a challenge to do all of that at once," Draegin said.
Leaning back and crossing her arms thoughtfully during a break, she admitted that her mind sometimes wandered. "I find myself wanting to turn my head to what would be good for the website overall -- what kind of writers, kinds of new columns. That's just what I'm used to."But a daunting task that lay ahead snapped her back to the keyboard: She had to transfer eight babies' mug shots from an NBC video to her story. She still hadn't successfully done a screen grab (saving a Web page as an image). After several attempts, she splayed her fingers, the nails unpolished, flat on the keys in frustration: "Hey Randi, I have no idea how to get these pictures onto my story."
Draegin's lean frame slumped back from the computer.She and her younger mentor were a study in contrasts. Draegin, who lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side and summers in one of Long Island's vacation colonies, was dressed simply, wearing no makeup, short brown hair, a lavender suede shirt and black pants. Bernfeld, who commutes to work from Long Island, where she grew up, wore thick black eyeliner, long blond hair with dark roots and a stylish short dress that looked like an oversized gray sweater.Seconds after Draegin's cry for help, Bernfeld's fingers, the nails sparkling with polish, were flying across the intern's laptop, and eight pinched little faces appeared on the page next to the story.
The 2007 University of Florida graduate also had to remind the 1975 Washington University graduate to scroll through Google Trends before she wrote the tag and headline."She took a whole course in this in college," Draegin said with a deep sigh. "And to think, I took European intellectual history."At one point, Evans stopped by Draegin's desk and asked: "How's our intern?"Draegin plucked off her glasses and said with a smile, "Surviving!"Later, Evans boasted that Draegin was, not surprisingly, a fast learner."She was so excited that by her second day she wrote a news story that was a big hit," said Evans, explaining that Draegin's first story received 200 clicks by viewers, whereas her second drew 5,000.
As for what Draegin has done for the site beyond writing a few briefs every morning, well, perhaps that's not as obvious. But there are moments. Like during a discussion of the Israeli elections, Draegin discreetly corrected the pronunciation of a younger staffer who referred to the current foreign minister as "Tipsy Livni.""Yeah, we really should do a story on Tzipi," Draegin said pointedly. "She's really a wowOwow woman!"
Draegin has definitely found her internship beneficial in ways she hadn't expected. While she has long been proficient on Facebook and LinkedIn and has owned a Kindle for more than a year, working at WOW has revved up her interests in the online world. She now tags and pokes and occasionally writes on somebody's wall. She is considering Twittering -- just for the fun of it.Draegin also corresponds regularly on Facebook with her 20-year-old niece, who is still in college and preparing to launch her own career. Shortly after Draegin landed the WOW gig, she used Facebook to tell her the good news. Her niece responded with a message that made her overqualified aunt giggle:Now they both had internships.
By Geraldine Baum March 6, 2009
Reporting from New York -- Sitting in a bare cubicle, with her reading glasses perched halfway down her nose and typing away on a laptop she'd brought from home, Lois Draegin looked a bit like the extra adult wedged in at the kids' table at Thanksgiving.This accomplished magazine editor lost her six-figure job at TV Guide last spring and is now, at 55, an unpaid intern at wowOwow.com, a fledgling website with columns and stories that target accomplished women older than 40.
"The Women on the Web," or WOW, needed Draegin's magazine-world wisdom, and she needed their guidance through a maze of technology that was as baffling to her as hieroglyphics. In a search for a new job in the media, she had suddenly found herself techno-challenged. She didn't know a URL from SEO.It wasn't until she was teamed up with Randi Bernfeld at WOW that she understood the obsession with terms such as search engine optimization (a method to increase traffic to a website) or used Google Trends to pick story topics and write a uniform resource locater (Web address)."She's my mentor," Draegin said of 24-year-old Bernfeld.
"No, she's my mentor," Bernfeld replied.They were working at adjacent desks, and most often it was Draegin who was asking Bernfeld questions across the barrier.Joni Evans, former president of Simon & Schuster and chief executive of WOW, has recruited several other victims of the downsizing in publishing as interns -- her site's way of doing good in a bad economy."I think of this as a very WOW model -- women helping women, bringing us all back to our true ethic of empowering each other," Evans said. She is one of five founders of the site; the others are columnist Peggy Noonan, "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl, advertising executive Mary Wells and gossip columnist Liz Smith.
Draegin took the internship at WOW as a creative way to fill out her resume while waiting out a collision of bad events that has stalled her career: She is in a media industry that was in a free-fall even before the recession took hold.Other laid-off workers are attempting to be inventive by using newer social networking tools like LinkedIn and Twitter to find jobs. Some are even employing what Betsy Werley of the Transition Network calls the "extreme consulting model.""These are people who have defined a great set of skills and said, 'Since everybody is stretched and needs some of what I can provide, I'm going to work as many different jobs as I can.'
Employers are more flexible about how they think of workers, and employees are more accepting of what's acceptable to me."Werley cited the example of a lawyer who is training as a mediator while getting paid to be a career coach, a public school advocate and a lawyer."She's using every skill she has," Werley said.Still others are more like Draegin, delaying what could be a futile job search by trying to learn something new.
A group that focuses on sabbaticals, yoursabbatical.com, reported that an out-of-work consultant who recognized early on that it was a terrible time to job-hunt decided to do a Spanish immersion in Peru for three months, giving the economy a little time to strengthen, and allowing him to return with "fluent in Spanish" on his resume.After Draegin started at WOW's unglamorous offices in Midtown Manhattan, no one knew quite how to describe her position.Was she a "senior" intern, an "executive" intern, a "midcareer" intern -- or, as she prefers, an apprentice?"We're just glad to have her," said Deborah Barrow, WOW's editor in chief, who knew Draegin from the magazine network and dreamed up this scheme to give her a two-month, three-mornings-a-week internship.
Draegin has been getting a lot out of the experience because this has not been a business-as-usual internship. As in: Get me my coffee, pick up my dry cleaning, and if you're lucky, by the end of the summer we'll let you write a caption.
Draegin has been learning by doing and watching and asking for help. Arriving before 8 one day, her immediate task was to look for story ideas and mash together information from other websites into a brief news item for the "Wow Watch" column. Finding topics was easy enough -- Draegin fits WOW's demographic and instinctively understands the interests of its savvy readers.
But she repeatedly had to check her gut instincts against that all-important tool -- Google Trends -- to make sure her ideas would attract readers to the website.
That morning, she chose to put yet another angle on a story about the California mother of octuplets who has been omnipresent on the Web.Draegin quickly cranked out four paragraphs emphasizing that the "octomom" had decided to give all eight babies the same middle name -- Angel.But everything else Draegin did that morning was more complicated.
In the past, she hadn't bothered to learn such skills as writing tags and URLs because she was paid to think globally about the direction of her magazine. Now she had to think globally not only about each topic but about every word she wrote in the URL, headline, subhead, tag and links in the story.Everything had to be crafted to draw readers."It's really a challenge to do all of that at once," Draegin said.
Leaning back and crossing her arms thoughtfully during a break, she admitted that her mind sometimes wandered. "I find myself wanting to turn my head to what would be good for the website overall -- what kind of writers, kinds of new columns. That's just what I'm used to."But a daunting task that lay ahead snapped her back to the keyboard: She had to transfer eight babies' mug shots from an NBC video to her story. She still hadn't successfully done a screen grab (saving a Web page as an image). After several attempts, she splayed her fingers, the nails unpolished, flat on the keys in frustration: "Hey Randi, I have no idea how to get these pictures onto my story."
Draegin's lean frame slumped back from the computer.She and her younger mentor were a study in contrasts. Draegin, who lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side and summers in one of Long Island's vacation colonies, was dressed simply, wearing no makeup, short brown hair, a lavender suede shirt and black pants. Bernfeld, who commutes to work from Long Island, where she grew up, wore thick black eyeliner, long blond hair with dark roots and a stylish short dress that looked like an oversized gray sweater.Seconds after Draegin's cry for help, Bernfeld's fingers, the nails sparkling with polish, were flying across the intern's laptop, and eight pinched little faces appeared on the page next to the story.
The 2007 University of Florida graduate also had to remind the 1975 Washington University graduate to scroll through Google Trends before she wrote the tag and headline."She took a whole course in this in college," Draegin said with a deep sigh. "And to think, I took European intellectual history."At one point, Evans stopped by Draegin's desk and asked: "How's our intern?"Draegin plucked off her glasses and said with a smile, "Surviving!"Later, Evans boasted that Draegin was, not surprisingly, a fast learner."She was so excited that by her second day she wrote a news story that was a big hit," said Evans, explaining that Draegin's first story received 200 clicks by viewers, whereas her second drew 5,000.
As for what Draegin has done for the site beyond writing a few briefs every morning, well, perhaps that's not as obvious. But there are moments. Like during a discussion of the Israeli elections, Draegin discreetly corrected the pronunciation of a younger staffer who referred to the current foreign minister as "Tipsy Livni.""Yeah, we really should do a story on Tzipi," Draegin said pointedly. "She's really a wowOwow woman!"
Draegin has definitely found her internship beneficial in ways she hadn't expected. While she has long been proficient on Facebook and LinkedIn and has owned a Kindle for more than a year, working at WOW has revved up her interests in the online world. She now tags and pokes and occasionally writes on somebody's wall. She is considering Twittering -- just for the fun of it.Draegin also corresponds regularly on Facebook with her 20-year-old niece, who is still in college and preparing to launch her own career. Shortly after Draegin landed the WOW gig, she used Facebook to tell her the good news. Her niece responded with a message that made her overqualified aunt giggle:Now they both had internships.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Career Development - To Those Who Do It Right
CAREER DEVELOPMENT - TO THOSE WHO DO IT RIGHT
Sometimes Career Development involves just taking stock of, and reinforcing, what we’re doing right. This article is an acknowledgement of all those hard-working corporate managers & executives, at every level, who come to work each day and give it their all.
This is to you, the managers & executives who drive Corporate America - especially those of you in the major companies.
Too often the focus of Career Development discussions is on correcting negatives, or developing new skills. Sometimes we need to just take stock of the things we do right, and reinforce those characteristics & values for ourselves and others. Getting an occasional pat on the back helps the ol’ libido too.
Having “been there and done that”, I know first-hand that the corporate world is a unique environment, requiring a great deal of it’s managers & executives. They live under a constant barrage of rules & regulations, often setting rules for themselves beyond those imposed from above. They often work in “vanilla” environments, in tiny offices or grey cubicles; bathed in fluorescent light.
It can be difficult to establish individuality; the culture requiring a high degree of conformance.
There is constant scrutiny; from higher-ups, the Board, Regulators, and -of course- the “never-satisfied” Investors & Analysts.
No one is truly their own boss; at any level. Many initiatives require committee or project-team participation. Watchful eyes are everywhere. Decisions of any consequence often require involvement by several layers of management. The hours can be long, the work tedious, and the rewards nebulous.
Sometimes it’s hard to keep an eye on the big-picture, what with all the complexities.
The business environment can be fierce, and failure is often harshly dealt with. The government and media attitudes toward big business can be downright hostile at times; making everyone’s job more difficult. Some moron will get caught in an illegal or immoral act and everyone comes under a new spate of scrutiny; guilt by association being the primary driver.
As a manager or executive, you’re expected to provide leadership; but there are restrictions on your freedom of action. I was watching the Golden Globe Awards on TV recently, and was reminded of the abstract manner in which most managers & executives must derive satisfaction from, and recognition for, their work. There are few award ceremonies; usually just the retirement parties when one is being kicked out. There are few plaques, or trophies, or other concrete acknowledgements of achievement. No one’s taking pictures of managers & executives walking the red carpet in fancy tuxedos & gowns. No media representatives are asking for “warm & fuzzy” interviews. There are few blatant opportunities to crow one’s accomplishments and “shine”; no tear-filled acceptance speeches.
If you’re one of the army of people who regularly and reliably come to work and give your best; honestly, morally, and decently - give yourself a pat on the back.
You are an example to yourself and others of why America is still a formidable economic force despite all the competition, and despite all of the outside interference. You are the soldiers and leaders who drive the economic machine. You are shining examples of what’s right in America.
I salute you - and I encourage others to follow in your footsteps.
If you’re not one of these people, it’s past-time to get with the program.
Good luck to you all.
Al Walsh, Owner/Founder, Walsh Enterprises - Business Advisors
Sometimes Career Development involves just taking stock of, and reinforcing, what we’re doing right. This article is an acknowledgement of all those hard-working corporate managers & executives, at every level, who come to work each day and give it their all.
This is to you, the managers & executives who drive Corporate America - especially those of you in the major companies.
Too often the focus of Career Development discussions is on correcting negatives, or developing new skills. Sometimes we need to just take stock of the things we do right, and reinforce those characteristics & values for ourselves and others. Getting an occasional pat on the back helps the ol’ libido too.
Having “been there and done that”, I know first-hand that the corporate world is a unique environment, requiring a great deal of it’s managers & executives. They live under a constant barrage of rules & regulations, often setting rules for themselves beyond those imposed from above. They often work in “vanilla” environments, in tiny offices or grey cubicles; bathed in fluorescent light.
It can be difficult to establish individuality; the culture requiring a high degree of conformance.
There is constant scrutiny; from higher-ups, the Board, Regulators, and -of course- the “never-satisfied” Investors & Analysts.
No one is truly their own boss; at any level. Many initiatives require committee or project-team participation. Watchful eyes are everywhere. Decisions of any consequence often require involvement by several layers of management. The hours can be long, the work tedious, and the rewards nebulous.
Sometimes it’s hard to keep an eye on the big-picture, what with all the complexities.
The business environment can be fierce, and failure is often harshly dealt with. The government and media attitudes toward big business can be downright hostile at times; making everyone’s job more difficult. Some moron will get caught in an illegal or immoral act and everyone comes under a new spate of scrutiny; guilt by association being the primary driver.
As a manager or executive, you’re expected to provide leadership; but there are restrictions on your freedom of action. I was watching the Golden Globe Awards on TV recently, and was reminded of the abstract manner in which most managers & executives must derive satisfaction from, and recognition for, their work. There are few award ceremonies; usually just the retirement parties when one is being kicked out. There are few plaques, or trophies, or other concrete acknowledgements of achievement. No one’s taking pictures of managers & executives walking the red carpet in fancy tuxedos & gowns. No media representatives are asking for “warm & fuzzy” interviews. There are few blatant opportunities to crow one’s accomplishments and “shine”; no tear-filled acceptance speeches.
If you’re one of the army of people who regularly and reliably come to work and give your best; honestly, morally, and decently - give yourself a pat on the back.
You are an example to yourself and others of why America is still a formidable economic force despite all the competition, and despite all of the outside interference. You are the soldiers and leaders who drive the economic machine. You are shining examples of what’s right in America.
I salute you - and I encourage others to follow in your footsteps.
If you’re not one of these people, it’s past-time to get with the program.
Good luck to you all.
Al Walsh, Owner/Founder, Walsh Enterprises - Business Advisors
Monday, January 19, 2009
Dr. Adele Scheele on Staying the Course
Goal Accomplishment:
HOW NOT to get derailed.
Most of us know how to set goals, what seems to separate the Top Achievers from those who accomplish less is Sticking to the Big Goals and Staying the Course to the Winners Circle.
We asked Dr. Adele for some tips on Staying on Track with New Year's resolutions and success tracking in general.
Most of us know how to set goals, what seems to separate the Top Achievers from those who accomplish less is Sticking to the Big Goals and Staying the Course to the Winners Circle.
We asked Dr. Adele for some tips on Staying on Track with New Year's resolutions and success tracking in general.
Here are some key pointers to keep you motivated and on track.
1. Be aware that you are valuable and worth it.
1. Be aware that you are valuable and worth it.
2. Ask others who have achieved their dreams and ask what they did in dark times.
3. See how others got back up and who helped them.
4. Don't listen to nay-sayers or family or friends who may be against your succeeding (yes, some will be; figure out why)
5. Read/listen to biographies of achievers in your field and outline their steps.
Adele Scheele, PhD, Career Coach, Business Strategist and Advisor to students, educators and high achieving professionals. One of Patty DeDominic's personal friends and mentors for over 20 years.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Jack Smith, of Collaborative Strategies, Inc., a World President's Organization member: 10 Thoughts for Business Leaders in 2009
Ten Thoughts For Business Leaders in 2009
.
1. Face, understand, and share the brutal facts (including the realistic worse case).
2. Be bold, (i.e., wake up every morning and ask: What is the boldest, most aggressive action and/or decision I could make today?).
3. Focus, protect, and plan around your strengths (e.g., key people, capabilities, and customers).
4. Prune everything that is weak, marginal, or unprofitable.
5. Have a six month supply of cash on hand or in clear view (at a minimum).
6. Raise and/or reset your expectations of employees and suppliers (e.g., hours worked, breadth/depth of responsibility, performance metrics, terms, etc.). Note: Use these difficult times to re-orientate your thinking and make your business stronger.
7. Communicate with and inspire/energize your people and your customers (e.g., positive recognition costs nothing and your ability to help absorb anxiety is greater than you think). Note: Get out of your office and on the phone!
8. Don’t think you have to go through it all alone. Most of the very successful CEO’s I know place considerable importance on having people outside of the firm that they can confide in.
9. Know that the years 2011, 2012, and beyond are likely to be some of the best years yet for your business in terms of growth and profitability (if you manage effectively in 2009).
10. Money has never been and will never determine who you are. You are…how you treat your family, friends, employees, business relationships, and what you do for charity, community, and our country.
Lastly, a favorite quotes for these times:
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” -Bertha Calloway
.
1. Face, understand, and share the brutal facts (including the realistic worse case).
2. Be bold, (i.e., wake up every morning and ask: What is the boldest, most aggressive action and/or decision I could make today?).
3. Focus, protect, and plan around your strengths (e.g., key people, capabilities, and customers).
4. Prune everything that is weak, marginal, or unprofitable.
5. Have a six month supply of cash on hand or in clear view (at a minimum).
6. Raise and/or reset your expectations of employees and suppliers (e.g., hours worked, breadth/depth of responsibility, performance metrics, terms, etc.). Note: Use these difficult times to re-orientate your thinking and make your business stronger.
7. Communicate with and inspire/energize your people and your customers (e.g., positive recognition costs nothing and your ability to help absorb anxiety is greater than you think). Note: Get out of your office and on the phone!
8. Don’t think you have to go through it all alone. Most of the very successful CEO’s I know place considerable importance on having people outside of the firm that they can confide in.
9. Know that the years 2011, 2012, and beyond are likely to be some of the best years yet for your business in terms of growth and profitability (if you manage effectively in 2009).
10. Money has never been and will never determine who you are. You are…how you treat your family, friends, employees, business relationships, and what you do for charity, community, and our country.
Lastly, a favorite quotes for these times:
“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” -Bertha Calloway
Friday, January 16, 2009
Building Skills by Doing, by Patty DeDominic
Today I had a chance to listen to presentations by experts on Crime Prevention and Gangs on the California Central Coast at a meeting of the World President's Organization. The Chief of Police, the Executive Director of the Police Assistance League and the Director of Youth CineMedia, an organization which gives kids opportunities to learn film making shared some of their accomplishments and challenges with about 40 business leaders. Each had an important story to tell and talked about the importance of community getting involved in helping solve local problems and challenges regarding public safety and crime. Most of the remarks today were focused on concerns about gang violence and prevention and each of the professionals invited input and community leaders' support.
The work that committed adults can do to help kids is endless! But there is MAGIC that can happen when adults show interest in kids, particularly those at risk of failing in school or getting into serious trouble. If you care about your own community and want to meet some fabulous new people and help others with their potential, perhaps this is something you want to get involved in.
Learning by Doing As in the age old "on the job training" there is no better way to become proficient and confident at something which could end up as a job or important career step. What are YOU doing to build your own skills utilizing new technologies? Consider getting involved as a volunteer in youth activities..... you'll gain new skills and provide a much needed resource in your community.
One such Youth program is YOUTH CineMedia, whose tag line is "creating change through the lens of today's youth" www.youthcinemedia.org
Located in Santa Barbara, California, this important not for profit is helping kids gain valuable skills and is keeping them stimulated in the process. To be able to edit video is a skill that will lead to creative expression and could lead to a lucrative career. This year several of the kids films will be shown at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.
I encourage all professionals to build their own skills by doing. I also encourage you to consider following in the path of some of America's leading corporations and philanthropies, like AT&T, Young President's Organization and the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara by getting involved with youth programs.
The work that committed adults can do to help kids is endless! But there is MAGIC that can happen when adults show interest in kids, particularly those at risk of failing in school or getting into serious trouble. If you care about your own community and want to meet some fabulous new people and help others with their potential, perhaps this is something you want to get involved in.
Learning by Doing As in the age old "on the job training" there is no better way to become proficient and confident at something which could end up as a job or important career step. What are YOU doing to build your own skills utilizing new technologies? Consider getting involved as a volunteer in youth activities..... you'll gain new skills and provide a much needed resource in your community.
One such Youth program is YOUTH CineMedia, whose tag line is "creating change through the lens of today's youth" www.youthcinemedia.org
Located in Santa Barbara, California, this important not for profit is helping kids gain valuable skills and is keeping them stimulated in the process. To be able to edit video is a skill that will lead to creative expression and could lead to a lucrative career. This year several of the kids films will be shown at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.
I encourage all professionals to build their own skills by doing. I also encourage you to consider following in the path of some of America's leading corporations and philanthropies, like AT&T, Young President's Organization and the Women's Fund of Santa Barbara by getting involved with youth programs.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Follow Your Dreams from Jack Canfield sent in by my Grandniece Anna
The following story comes from the CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
FOLLOW YOUR DREAM
By Jack Canfield
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro (Near Aunt Patty's home in Santa Barbara / Monecito!) . He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, "I want to tell you why I let Jack use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy's high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
"That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200- acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
"He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.'
"The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive an F?'
"The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.'
"The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.'
"Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.'"
Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, "I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000- square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace." He added, "The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week." When the teacher was leaving, he said, 'Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids' dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.'"
Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.
From Chicken Soup for the Soul
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
FOLLOW YOUR DREAM
By Jack Canfield
I have a friend named Monty Roberts who owns a horse ranch in San Ysidro (Near Aunt Patty's home in Santa Barbara / Monecito!) . He has let me use his house to put on fund-raising events to raise money for youth at risk programs.
The last time I was there he introduced me by saying, "I want to tell you why I let Jack use my house. It all goes back to a story about a young man who was the son of an itinerant horse trainer who would go from stable to stable, race track to race track, farm to farm and ranch to ranch, training horses. As a result, the boy's high school career was continually interrupted. When he was a senior, he was asked to write a paper about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up.
"That night he wrote a seven-page paper describing his goal of someday owning a horse ranch. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a diagram of a 200- acre ranch, showing the location of all the buildings, the stables and the track. Then he drew a detailed floor plan for a 4,000-square-foot house that would sit on a 200-acre dream ranch.
"He put a great deal of his heart into the project and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, 'See me after class.'
"The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, 'Why did I receive an F?'
"The teacher said, 'This is an unrealistic dream for a young boy like you. You have no money. You come from an itinerant family. You have no resources. Owning a horse ranch requires a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the original breeding stock and later you'll have to pay large stud fees. There's no way you could ever do it.' Then the teacher added, 'If you will rewrite this paper with a more realistic goal, I will reconsider your grade.'
"The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, 'Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.'
"Finally, after sitting with it for a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, 'You can keep the F and I'll keep my dream.'"
Monty then turned to the assembled group and said, "I tell you this story because you are sitting in my 4,000- square-foot house in the middle of my 200-acre horse ranch. I still have that school paper framed over the fireplace." He added, "The best part of the story is that two summers ago that same schoolteacher brought 30 kids to camp out on my ranch for a week." When the teacher was leaving, he said, 'Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids' dreams. Fortunately you had enough gumption not to give up on yours.'"
Don't let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what.
From Chicken Soup for the Soul
By Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
Friday, January 2, 2009
Advice for New Grads from Career Coach, Kay Stout
As a career coach, here are suggestions I give recent grads.
1) Select 4 geographic areas you will work (ie Houston, LA, Boston, Oklahoma City)
2) Join your college alumni group and your social fraternity group. Research groups for shared interests/professions. Send email through college system to the identified individuals.
3) Find those groups on Linked In - - and join. Also be sure your LI Profile accurately highlights your core skills as well as you education.
4) Get connected to people within the LI Groups with which you have an additional connection, ie where they live, where they work or where they have worked in the past.
5) Build your network
Please leave comments for me if you would like a personal answer.
Kay Stout, Coach
Kay Stout, author of: http://anotherpointofview.typepad.com - - brings more than 20 years of career coaching to the internet. Her experience includes Right Management Consultants and host of "Your Career Connection" on Clear Channel's KTOK. She is recognized for her concise, to-the-point advice that helps professionals move their careers forward.
1) Select 4 geographic areas you will work (ie Houston, LA, Boston, Oklahoma City)
2) Join your college alumni group and your social fraternity group. Research groups for shared interests/professions. Send email through college system to the identified individuals.
3) Find those groups on Linked In - - and join. Also be sure your LI Profile accurately highlights your core skills as well as you education.
4) Get connected to people within the LI Groups with which you have an additional connection, ie where they live, where they work or where they have worked in the past.
5) Build your network
Please leave comments for me if you would like a personal answer.
Kay Stout, Coach
Kay Stout, author of: http://anotherpointofview.typepad.com - - brings more than 20 years of career coaching to the internet. Her experience includes Right Management Consultants and host of "Your Career Connection" on Clear Channel's KTOK. She is recognized for her concise, to-the-point advice that helps professionals move their careers forward.
Middle Eastern JOB Journal, One Woman's Journey of 2009
THE MIDDLE Eastern JOB JOURNAL of Sally S*
My name is Sally and I live in Kuwait with my husband who was born near by. I am an American and plan to stay here as my husband builds his career. I would like to build mine too.
Over the next few posts, I'll tell you more of my story.
It has been an exciting journey and I am eager to apply my accounting skills in a highly productive business environment. This is a week which I have enthusiasm for my chances.
Now that I have been here in Kuwait for a year I feel like I am beginning to know the lay of the land. As an accountant, I know that my skills are in demand and that my chances of getting hired are better than a local single woman.
This sure isn't KANSAS! There are some big differences here and the first thing I see is that women really are in a different class than men here. I rarely see executive women. (like never!!)
All resumes require photos and disclosure of Marital Status.
This sure isn't KANSAS! There are some big differences here and the first thing I see is that women really are in a different class than men here. I rarely see executive women. (like never!!)
All resumes require photos and disclosure of Marital Status.
There is a big line drawn for opportunities for Women.
From what I have heard about working in the Gulf Region from Americans who are in UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and other Gulf countries is that the corporate culture in Gulf countries is more productive than allot of offices in America.
Many companies in the Middle East and Gulf Region would hire a married female, especially American, before they will a single female as the region has a divided line between male and female. In Saudi Arabia, many of the high level positions in a company are for males, not females. Some jobs that are advertised in newspapers and websites such as http://www.bayt.com/, are gender specific.
The protocol for sending a resume here in the Middle East is that you must affix your picture along with details such as your nationality and marital status. This is not the norm in the USA.
More of Sally's JOB Journal inthe coming weeks.
*Sally S. is a real person however this is not her real name. In order to protect her identity and
Enable her to share her true thoughts we have changed her name.
*Sally S. is a real person however this is not her real name. In order to protect her identity and
Enable her to share her true thoughts we have changed her name.
Kuwait
(thank you Wikipedia)Located in the north-east corner of the Arabian Peninsula, Kuwait is one of the smallest countries in the world in terms of land area. The flat, sandy Arabian Desert covers most of Kuwait. Kuwait is the only country in the world which has no natural lake or water reservoir.[30] There is little difference in the country's altitude with the highest point in the country being 306 m above sea-level.[7] It has nine islands, all of which with the exception of Failaka Island are uninhabited.[31] With an area of 860 km², the Bubiyan is the largest island in Kuwait and is connected to the rest of the country by a 2,380 m long bridge.[32] Sparse vegetation is found along its 499 km long coastline.[7] Kuwait City is located on Kuwait Bay, a natural deep-water harbor.
The land area is considered arable.[7] Kuwait has some of the world's richest oil fields with the Burgan field having a total capacity of approximately 70 billion barrels (1.1×1010 m3) of proven oil reserves. During the 1991 Kuwait oil fires, more than 500 oil lakes were created covering a combined surface area of about 35.7 km².[33] The resulting soil contamination due to oil and soot accumulation had made eastern and south-eastern parts of Kuwait uninhabitable. Sand and oil residue had reduced large parts of the Kuwaiti desert to semi-asphalt surfaces.[20] The oil spills during the Gulf war also had drastically affected Kuwait's marine resources.
The land area is considered arable.[7] Kuwait has some of the world's richest oil fields with the Burgan field having a total capacity of approximately 70 billion barrels (1.1×1010 m3) of proven oil reserves. During the 1991 Kuwait oil fires, more than 500 oil lakes were created covering a combined surface area of about 35.7 km².[33] The resulting soil contamination due to oil and soot accumulation had made eastern and south-eastern parts of Kuwait uninhabitable. Sand and oil residue had reduced large parts of the Kuwaiti desert to semi-asphalt surfaces.[20] The oil spills during the Gulf war also had drastically affected Kuwait's marine resources.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sage Advice from an old Cowboy
An Old Cowboy's Advice
Your fences need to be horse-high, pig-tight and bull-strong.
Keep skunks and bankers and lawyers at a distance.
Life is simpler when you plow around the stump.
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor.
Words that soak into your ears are whispered...not yelled.
Meanness don't jes' happen overnight.
Forgive your enemies. It messes up their heads.
Do not corner something that you know is meaner than you.
It don't take a very big person to carry a grudge.
You cannot unsay a cruel word.
Every path has a few puddles. When you wallow with pigs, expect to get dirty.
The best sermons are lived, not preached.
Most of the stuff people worry about ain't never gonna happen anyway.
Don't judge folks by their relatives.
Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
Live a good, honorable life.
Then when you get older and think back, you'll enjoy it a second time.
Don't interfere with somethin' that ain't botherin' you none.
Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.
If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop diggin'.
Sometimes you get, and sometimes you get got.
The biggest troublemaker you'll probably ever have to deal with, watches you from the mirror every mornin'.
Always drink upstream from the herd.
Good judgment comes from experience, and a lotta that comes from bad judgment.
Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in.
If you get to thinkin' you're a person of some influence, try orderin' somebody else's dog around.
Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.
Leave the rest to God.
Are YOU a True Leader? by Al Walsh
Are You a True Leader, or Just An Acronym-Tosser?
Getting with the Program. Don't Stick you head in the sand!
There are many good business tools in use today for growing and improving businesses:
ERP, Lean, TQM, WCM, Six-Sigma, JIT, ISO, etc.
Some have been around for a long time, and some are relatively new.
These tools all address goals that business people have been trying to achieve since time immemorial. The major difference now is that information technology has improved to the point where it’s possible to develop business intelligence and process control on a scale previously unthinkable.
These tools & practices are becoming commonplace in the business world.
If you think you’re immune, you’re probably in for a rude surprise; even if you’re a small company. Shrinkage of the “supply-chain” world is forcing companies at all levels to implement them. You might get by “under the radar” for awhile as a small business, but eventually your customers are probably going to force your compliance if you want to keep their business. Likewise, you will be forced to impose these conditions on your vendors. Anyway, why you wouldn’t want to use every tool at hand to improve your business is beyond my comprehension. Certainly you want to use them wisely, and improper use can actually be destructive, but such investments can garner huge benefits.
So, that brings us to the question of what type of leader you are:
We’ve all experienced them - the people who throw acronyms around freely to impress, without having any comprehension of what they mean. Are you one of them?
We’ve also encountered those who summarily reject all such resources because they’re “too expensive” or “too complex for our business”, or for some other blanket reason.
I suppose there are also a few sheltered people out there who have no idea what I’m talking about (Good luck to you!).
Do you comprehend the myriad of good tools available to improve your business, or is your head firmly implanted in the sand?
If you’re behind the curve, it’s time to “wake up and smell the coffee”. Not only do you want to avoid getting caught napping by your customers, but you’re probably missing out on real fundamental opportunities. I’m a firm believer in exercising constraint in these matters. If you don’t really need a “fancier system”, or if things are working well and “don’t need fixin” - then by all means you should exercise caution. But what about tomorrow - How are you going to get your business to “that next level”?
If you’re just throwing acronyms around, you obviously are conscious on some level that these things have value. Isn’t it time to learn what they’re really about? I’d bet your competition knows. Most likely someone within your own company does, and is going to figure out what a phony you are; if they already haven’t.
If you’ve summarily dismissed all of these tools on some “intuitive grounds”, it’s time to take wake up and take a fresh look.
I mentioned in a previous blog that effective leadership involves taking a forward-looking posture; planning, setting goals, anticipating changes, and always looking for opportunities to grow the business & shine. There are tools & processes out there that are just “itching’ to help. It’s time to take a hard look at them.
For the sake of your business - for the sake of your career - become informed. Those businesses facing possible hard times in the current economy should especially be paying attention to tools that can make your company leaner and meaner. Your competition will!
Al Walsh is a Los Angeles area "Unrepentant Capitalist".
CAREER ROLES:~ CEO - V.P. - CFO - COO - Entrepreneur~ Executive Committee & Board Member~ Partner and Advisor to CEO's, COO's & Boards~ Multi-Disciplined Consultant & Contractor
Getting with the Program. Don't Stick you head in the sand!
There are many good business tools in use today for growing and improving businesses:
ERP, Lean, TQM, WCM, Six-Sigma, JIT, ISO, etc.
Some have been around for a long time, and some are relatively new.
These tools all address goals that business people have been trying to achieve since time immemorial. The major difference now is that information technology has improved to the point where it’s possible to develop business intelligence and process control on a scale previously unthinkable.
These tools & practices are becoming commonplace in the business world.
If you think you’re immune, you’re probably in for a rude surprise; even if you’re a small company. Shrinkage of the “supply-chain” world is forcing companies at all levels to implement them. You might get by “under the radar” for awhile as a small business, but eventually your customers are probably going to force your compliance if you want to keep their business. Likewise, you will be forced to impose these conditions on your vendors. Anyway, why you wouldn’t want to use every tool at hand to improve your business is beyond my comprehension. Certainly you want to use them wisely, and improper use can actually be destructive, but such investments can garner huge benefits.
So, that brings us to the question of what type of leader you are:
We’ve all experienced them - the people who throw acronyms around freely to impress, without having any comprehension of what they mean. Are you one of them?
We’ve also encountered those who summarily reject all such resources because they’re “too expensive” or “too complex for our business”, or for some other blanket reason.
I suppose there are also a few sheltered people out there who have no idea what I’m talking about (Good luck to you!).
Do you comprehend the myriad of good tools available to improve your business, or is your head firmly implanted in the sand?
If you’re behind the curve, it’s time to “wake up and smell the coffee”. Not only do you want to avoid getting caught napping by your customers, but you’re probably missing out on real fundamental opportunities. I’m a firm believer in exercising constraint in these matters. If you don’t really need a “fancier system”, or if things are working well and “don’t need fixin” - then by all means you should exercise caution. But what about tomorrow - How are you going to get your business to “that next level”?
If you’re just throwing acronyms around, you obviously are conscious on some level that these things have value. Isn’t it time to learn what they’re really about? I’d bet your competition knows. Most likely someone within your own company does, and is going to figure out what a phony you are; if they already haven’t.
If you’ve summarily dismissed all of these tools on some “intuitive grounds”, it’s time to take wake up and take a fresh look.
I mentioned in a previous blog that effective leadership involves taking a forward-looking posture; planning, setting goals, anticipating changes, and always looking for opportunities to grow the business & shine. There are tools & processes out there that are just “itching’ to help. It’s time to take a hard look at them.
For the sake of your business - for the sake of your career - become informed. Those businesses facing possible hard times in the current economy should especially be paying attention to tools that can make your company leaner and meaner. Your competition will!
Al Walsh is a Los Angeles area "Unrepentant Capitalist".
CAREER ROLES:~ CEO - V.P. - CFO - COO - Entrepreneur~ Executive Committee & Board Member~ Partner and Advisor to CEO's, COO's & Boards~ Multi-Disciplined Consultant & Contractor
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
How to Keep Your Job In Hard Times by Carl Winfield
Work your tail off," keep a high profile, and find a mentor, veteran job coaches say
By Carl Winfield
These are uncertain times for the U.S. labor market. Companies such as Merrill Lynch, Sony ( and Alcatel-Lucent, which have either posted losses or greatly diminished profits, are cutting staff as financial pressures mount.
And while the U.S. unemployment rate has held steady at 5.5% for the last two months, there are no guarantees that workers—especially those between ages 50 and 60—will be able to avoid further cutbacks.
This does not mean older employees should start looking for positions at the local Wal-Mart or the neighborhood car wash. Many have experience and knowledge they can leverage to keep their jobs. But with staffing budgets increasingly under scrutiny, it may pay to be proactive. The first and most important move workers should make: Look for new experiences with their current employer.
"People like to do what they're good at," says Melaine Kusin, vice-chairman at Heidrick & Struggles ( HSII ). "But it's just as important to volunteer for special projects and develop skills that can be applied to other parts of the business."
"Be Visible"
Employees can raise their profiles when they make the effort to join special committees or even help organize a companywide social engagement. "Conventional wisdom may say that you should keep your head down, especially during an economic downturn" says Meredith Haberfeld , an executive coach in New York whose clients include Credit Suisse ( CS ) and JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ). "But my suggestion is that you work your tail off to be visible about the results you're producing." Haberfeld also suggests executives toot their own horns.
But other consultants, such as New York-based Dale Kurow, advise executives to be careful about what they say in the workplace. "You want to be the 'squeaky wheel' in the sense that you're proactive," Kurow says. "But if you complain, you're probably going to be the first one out the door."
Becoming the life of the party may be a good way to call attention to yourself but, once all eyes are on you, workers have to put up or get shut out. The best way for executives to keep their jobs or move to the next level is to develop an understanding of the whole business, rather than the part that relates only to them.
"You need to take the lid off your thinking and take a look at how what you do relates to the rest of the business," says Kurow. "If you don't know how your part in the business is connected to the others, chances are you're not going very far."
Cultivate a Mentor
Workers who are more engaged with the day-to-day operations at their companies have a distinct advantage over those clock-punchers who focus solely on the tasks in their job descriptions. But staying in a job is also about building relationships. While it's advisable to work well with your peers, it never hurts to develop a close relationship with a mentor, particularly with someone higher up who can help keep you out of harm's way when the axman cometh.
"Partner with the CEO," says Ana Dutra , CEO of the Leadership Development Solutions group for Korn/Ferry International ( KFY ), "and with the corporate leadership."
The job market is getting tougher to negotiate for workers in all age groups. But according to coaches like Haberfeld , you can keep your job as long as you don't mind maintaining a high profile. Establishing yourself as a leader could make the difference between moving up or being moved out.
"The main element in your career plan has to change from doing what you have to do to impress your superiors to doing what you have to do to impress yourself," says Haberfeld
By Carl Winfield
These are uncertain times for the U.S. labor market. Companies such as Merrill Lynch, Sony ( and Alcatel-Lucent, which have either posted losses or greatly diminished profits, are cutting staff as financial pressures mount.
And while the U.S. unemployment rate has held steady at 5.5% for the last two months, there are no guarantees that workers—especially those between ages 50 and 60—will be able to avoid further cutbacks.
This does not mean older employees should start looking for positions at the local Wal-Mart or the neighborhood car wash. Many have experience and knowledge they can leverage to keep their jobs. But with staffing budgets increasingly under scrutiny, it may pay to be proactive. The first and most important move workers should make: Look for new experiences with their current employer.
"People like to do what they're good at," says Melaine Kusin, vice-chairman at Heidrick & Struggles ( HSII ). "But it's just as important to volunteer for special projects and develop skills that can be applied to other parts of the business."
"Be Visible"
Employees can raise their profiles when they make the effort to join special committees or even help organize a companywide social engagement. "Conventional wisdom may say that you should keep your head down, especially during an economic downturn" says Meredith Haberfeld , an executive coach in New York whose clients include Credit Suisse ( CS ) and JPMorgan Chase ( JPM ). "But my suggestion is that you work your tail off to be visible about the results you're producing." Haberfeld also suggests executives toot their own horns.
But other consultants, such as New York-based Dale Kurow, advise executives to be careful about what they say in the workplace. "You want to be the 'squeaky wheel' in the sense that you're proactive," Kurow says. "But if you complain, you're probably going to be the first one out the door."
Becoming the life of the party may be a good way to call attention to yourself but, once all eyes are on you, workers have to put up or get shut out. The best way for executives to keep their jobs or move to the next level is to develop an understanding of the whole business, rather than the part that relates only to them.
"You need to take the lid off your thinking and take a look at how what you do relates to the rest of the business," says Kurow. "If you don't know how your part in the business is connected to the others, chances are you're not going very far."
Cultivate a Mentor
Workers who are more engaged with the day-to-day operations at their companies have a distinct advantage over those clock-punchers who focus solely on the tasks in their job descriptions. But staying in a job is also about building relationships. While it's advisable to work well with your peers, it never hurts to develop a close relationship with a mentor, particularly with someone higher up who can help keep you out of harm's way when the axman cometh.
"Partner with the CEO," says Ana Dutra , CEO of the Leadership Development Solutions group for Korn/Ferry International ( KFY ), "and with the corporate leadership."
The job market is getting tougher to negotiate for workers in all age groups. But according to coaches like Haberfeld , you can keep your job as long as you don't mind maintaining a high profile. Establishing yourself as a leader could make the difference between moving up or being moved out.
"The main element in your career plan has to change from doing what you have to do to impress your superiors to doing what you have to do to impress yourself," says Haberfeld
Monday, December 29, 2008
New Year's Resolutions Tips by Dr. Adele
Advice for New Year’s Resolutions for more career satisfaction.
Tips from Dr Adele:
1. Write out what you hope to get to in a few years
2. Work backwards: to get there, what do you need to do
and who do you need to connect with this year?
What: skills, degrees, certificates,licenses, preparation
Who: associates, experts, colleagues, mentors,
3. What do you need to do/know in January?
4. Find a buddy and agree to talk everyday (5 minutes each
way) to tell progress and cheer each other on
NOBODY DOES IT ALONE
Tips from Dr Adele:
1. Write out what you hope to get to in a few years
2. Work backwards: to get there, what do you need to do
and who do you need to connect with this year?
What: skills, degrees, certificates,licenses, preparation
Who: associates, experts, colleagues, mentors,
3. What do you need to do/know in January?
4. Find a buddy and agree to talk everyday (5 minutes each
way) to tell progress and cheer each other on
NOBODY DOES IT ALONE
Friday, December 26, 2008
Internet Radio, Advice for Career Changers
http://www.webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-podcasts/67-success-made-simple-with-sharmen-lane/2556-week51
Please copy this address below and paste into your internet browser
and listen to Patty's PodCast "Success Made Simple" for Career Changers
with Sharm Lane
http://www.webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-podcasts/67-success-made-simple-with-sharmen-lane/2556-week51
Please copy this address below and paste into your internet browser
and listen to Patty's PodCast "Success Made Simple" for Career Changers
with Sharm Lane
http://www.webtalkradio.net/index.php/show-podcasts/67-success-made-simple-with-sharmen-lane/2556-week51
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Dr. Lois Phillips offers timely advice, Perfect your Presentation Skills!
Communications Consultant Lois Phillips PhD* suggests that anyone, but particularly career changers, spend some time in a course or with a coach improving their presentation skills. Public speaking both is and isn’t about interpersonal communication, which happens when we are speaking to someone privately but we can build on a few of the same skills. Any person delivering presentations – whether technical, motivational, or persuasive- needs to be attentive to the audience. Where are they coming from? What’s on their minds? Today’s busy people are wondering: “What’s in this (presentation) for me?” Delivering a presentation to a small or large group with poise and self-confidence is a critical skill If you are changing your career and want to move into a supervisory, managerial, or a political role.
Of course, any presenter needs to know the topic well enough to be seen as an expert who has ‘done their homework’ and to have a single overarching message, but I’ve seen dynamic speakers fail because they didn’t predict what was inevitably going to happen when they were finished speaking. Predict the tough questions, whether the questions are coming from skepticism, competitiveness, or resistance to the change you are proposing. People are impressed by speakers who are ready for the Q & A and who can bridge from even the most irrelevant question back to the main message.
Speakers tend to over-prepare, wasting their own time and the listeners. It’s not necessary to share every single idea or bit of research on a particular topic. It’s best to be selective and focus only on the information that will be useful to your listeners. Are these people on the staff of a company about to be acquired or merge? Do they need reassurance about the process of change? Are you pitching a new extraordinary product or service that will require risk and new capital? Are you wanting to build trust in your ability to lead the change effort? Whatever your purpose is, after all, you’ll want the listeners to leave saying “that presentation changed my life.”
*Lois Phillips is the co-author of “Women Seen and Heard: Lessons Learned from Successful Speakers,” Luz Publications, 2004.
Of course, any presenter needs to know the topic well enough to be seen as an expert who has ‘done their homework’ and to have a single overarching message, but I’ve seen dynamic speakers fail because they didn’t predict what was inevitably going to happen when they were finished speaking. Predict the tough questions, whether the questions are coming from skepticism, competitiveness, or resistance to the change you are proposing. People are impressed by speakers who are ready for the Q & A and who can bridge from even the most irrelevant question back to the main message.
Speakers tend to over-prepare, wasting their own time and the listeners. It’s not necessary to share every single idea or bit of research on a particular topic. It’s best to be selective and focus only on the information that will be useful to your listeners. Are these people on the staff of a company about to be acquired or merge? Do they need reassurance about the process of change? Are you pitching a new extraordinary product or service that will require risk and new capital? Are you wanting to build trust in your ability to lead the change effort? Whatever your purpose is, after all, you’ll want the listeners to leave saying “that presentation changed my life.”
*Lois Phillips is the co-author of “Women Seen and Heard: Lessons Learned from Successful Speakers,” Luz Publications, 2004.
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