Every week I talk to clients who are so busy and have calendars that are filled with meetings. When we talk about meetings that they say they want to have with influencers, they tell me that there is no time. That may be true some days, but I ask them if they can identify one 30 minute slot per week that could be used for networking. Of course they have at least 30 minutes, it just needs to be prioritized….
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Every week there seems to be a theme that occurs with my clients. This week that theme is value. The value conversation shows up in different ways depending on their thoughts and how they perceive themselves. It may require some reflection to understand what is going on at a deeper level. Here are a couple examples to look at with a few questions and potential solutions. I am frustrated because the person I have to work with is only focused…
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It is time for some straight talk today about managing up. Some people view managing up as a negative and that the people who do it are using that time to gain favor over other team members. The truth is anyone has the opportunity to build a stronger relationship with their boss. If someone else is doing it well, then learn from them instead of seeing it as a bad thing. Here is what it really is – Managing your…
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Are you ready to overcome perfectionism and get things done? I was a perfectionist for so long. I was even proud of myself for being a perfectionist which is hard to imagine now. I am sure that I made everyone else around me feel that they needed to be that way too. I realized that those expectations weren’t good for me and it definitely wasn’t good to place those expectations on my team. I had to change the way that…
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Creating Experiences This year one of my goals was to create experiences with family, friends and even by myself. I wanted to create simple moments, but also to travel to places that I haven’t been to before to create new memories and be inspired. This past week I spent some time in Arizona with friends. We had cool weather which is definitely not what people generally associate with Arizona but I will take that any day over the really hot…
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A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats The Iowa Women’s NCAA College Basketball team just took one step closer to the National Championship last night. It wasn’t a given that they would win especially when the first half didn’t go as well as they had hoped. I don’t know what the Iowa team discussed at half time, but they came out of the locker room looking like a different team. They didn’t give up, they kept fighting for every point. They…
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I met with a woman yesterday who needed help quickly. A friend of hers that I had helped recently recommended that she contact me. She had a big career negotiation/decision to make and it was a bit complicated. She shared what the options were and her background which was impressive. We talked about the options for the role negotiation that she had to do, the short term and long term plan for her career and most importantly I reminded her…
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Are You Adding Value? If you struggle to show your value, you are not alone. You try to do everything perfectly so you will get feedback from your management that you have done it…however, the feedback you hoped for never comes. So what happens next for you? You get frustrated. You disengage. You become skeptical that the recognition you crave will ever come. You may even feel that you are wasting your time. Let me share an example of what…
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Are You a Good Influencer ? Influencing is a subtle way of getting someone to do what you want vs. forcing them to do it. It isn’t a bad thing. It can be a very effective tool to use. Influencing people helps you proactively move things forward that may be stuck. However, it is important to build relationships with people who can help you in advance, not just when you need them to support you. Characteristics of a Good Influencer…
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What value do you bring? What was your first thought when you read that question? Most likely something to the effect of…I know I add value, but I need some time to think about it. I am asking you to come up with this answer and know it without hesitation. Why? If you don’t know your value then how can you own your value, talk about it and show it to others? The truth is you can’t…at least in a…
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