preparing

Are You Focused on the Right Things?

When is the last time you reviewed the work that you are doing? I have spent time with a few different people this week on the work that they are doing in their groups and exploring if they could accomplish it in a new way. The conversation usually starts with a few questions like, “where are you overloaded or what are you or your team saying yes to instead of saying no?” They can usually come up with a list…
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What Are You Doing With Your Vacation Time?

Many people are taking time off at this time of year so they can be with family and friends and recharge during the holidays. How many are actually not working though? Does it feel like you still have to check in even though you are on vacation? The point of the recharge time is to give yourself space to be away from it and not focus on work. One of my friends felt like the one way she could get…
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Are You Taking the Time to Look at Your Day?

Do you find that your days, weeks and months are running together so much that you barely can keep up? I used to compare it to being on a merry-go-round that never seemed to stop. With this pace, it becomes a challenge to make sure that you are focusing on the right things. Some people like to take time before leaving work or before they go to bed to plan out their next day. If it becomes too long of…
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Are you ready for a big opportunity?

Opportunities come along every day, but are you ready for them when they happen? It would be great if you could predict what to know and when to be ready, but you can’t. All you can do is to prepare yourself as much as you can, be ready to learn on the job and from others who can mentor you. Let me share a story with you that illustrates this point. A football player named Jordan Howard played the…
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Mastering the Art of Personal Branding: Building an Authentic Image

Many of your peers have great experiences, skills and knowledge that might be similar to yours, so what makes you different? How do you add value? What makes you unique? Everyone has to figure out this answer for themselves. Being able to articulate your brand through conversations and actions can make a big difference with people who can have an influence on your career. What is your personal brand? I love to ask clients to describe their personal brand at…
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Managerial Alignment Makes All The Difference For Your Success

I have had several conversations this week on the importance of aligning with managers and stakeholders. It seems like common sense, but in the day to day of getting stuff done, it is something that may be forgotten. When I ask them about it, they usually think that their manager “probably” knows what they are doing, but they aren’t sure. It is important to always consider whether you have done it or need to do it. This is a type…
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Making a Big Impact on Your Team

Have you stopped to consider what type of impact you are making as a leader? There may be big things that you have done to support a team member or on a project, but most of the time it is how you show up in the little moments that count. These are the moments that team members remember forever. Here are some ways that leaders show up that make a difference: There are hundreds of examples that I could have…
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