We’re bracing for 105 degree temperatures this week, like much of the country. And with those temps, we’re praying that air conditioners hold out and black outs don’t happen … which got me to thinking.
 
Thermometers tell the temperature. Thermostats set the temperature. In the first situation, we adapt to our situation. In the second, we control our surroundings. Too often in the Fresno summer heat, I begin getting uncomfortable and forget that I have the power to turn down my thermostat.
 
There are times when it’s useful to adapt (blessed are the flexible, for they will not break!). And yet, all too often we forget that we have the ability to reset the thermostat.
 
If you’re in career transition, start by controlling the basics:
 
·      being able to clearly articulate your value and return-on-investment to employers
·      choosing industries that are experiencing an uptick
·      moving to a region with low unemployment
·      proactively selecting good-fit target companies…learning about their culture &       
       needs
·      upping the number of hours you spend on personal marketing and networking
·      asking for help from people who will give you honest feedback
·      getting an accountability partner in place—you’re 7 times more likely to succeed
       with someone holding you accountable!
·      upping the number of face-to-face or voice-to-voice meetings you have
       each week … and making sure the meetings are with people who have some
       influence in the hiring decision
·      participating in professional associations to increase your visibility
·      doing some volunteer work for people less fortunate than you to keep perspective
·      considering a part-time position to make ends meet or accepting a
       less-than-dream-job temporary position, recognizing that many of these positions
       lead to more when you demonstrate your value over time.
 
And don’t forget to control the basics in your personal life:
 
·      the amount of exercise, rest, and nutrition you give yourself
·      the amount of news media you allow yourself to consume, especially if
       discouraging news is discouraging you
·      the people you surround yourself with, whether positive and uplifting or negative
       and dispiriting.
 

Next time you feel the heat turning up, control your thermostat!

Recently I had the opportunity to present at The Career Thought Leaders Conference in Baltimore. I experienced many “highs” from the programs presented and especially reveled to be in the company of more than 150 career professionals—all thought leaders in their own rights, doing impressive things for clients, companies, and the communities they serve.

At the conference, I presented a session “From Stuck to Unstoppable” that highlighted some strategies for shifting from stuck, stalled, or spinning your wheels to unstoppable, stress-free, and successful. Here are just a few highlights:

Play the “Blame Game”:

I doubt that anyone reading this is blaming others for their situation, right?! However, if you know of someone who has a tendency to blame other people or circumstances for their “problematic” situation, have them try this:

• Reverse the blame game by pointing fingers at yourself.
• Ask yourself, how have my actions or inactions contributed to my circumstances?
• What can I do to change the circumstances?
• What will I do to change the circumstances? (yes, this question is different than the prior one!)

Note: I am NOT proposing a guilt trip or advocating self-deprecation with this exercise; the goal is simply to find ways that will help shift your thinking from victim to victor.

Be a Control Freak:

You read that right! Be a control freak: control the controllables and sing the theme song, “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” Some questions to help shift into control mode and take charge of your time (your most precious commodity):

• What do you need to say “no” to?… “yes” to?
• What do you need to re-prioritize?
• What will happen if you don’t devote time to this?
• How much time will it take you to _____? Where is that time in your schedule?
• When’s the best time of day to do that task?
• How much time are you spending on resume tweaking and/or Internet surfing?

Reframe and Reclaim:

Our limiting beliefs about challenging situations often drive us to a place of fear, frozen with indecision and inaction. If you know of someone who fits the bill, consider this exercise:

• Stand up and find a space in your room where you’ll have room to move a few feet in several directions.
• State your current perspective on the challenging situation.
• If the current perspective were at 12 o’clock on a clock face, step over to the 3 o’clock position.
• State your perspective from the 3 o’clock position by answering the question: What perspective would a trusted advisor or your most faithful advocate have about this situation?
• Step to the 6 o’clock position.
• State your perspective from the 6 o’clock position by answering the question: What is your perspective one year from now where the situation is resolved, and you’re looking back with gratitude and peace about the resolution?
• Step to the 9 o’clock position.
• State your perspective from the 9 o’clock position by answering the question: What does this situation look like from the perspective of the living legacy or eternal impact you want to have on your world?
• Finally, ask yourself, which of these positions will make me the most empowered?

Of course, adopt the position that will allow you to think and take action from a place of perspective and choice.

Interested in the entire presentation that you can deliver to your audience of job seekers or career-minded professionals? It’s just one of the products available for sale (complete with presenter scripts for all 22 slides) as one of my “Done for You” presentations. Just contact Lyndsey@TheAcademies.com for more info!

Have you ever had a “bone marrow” person in your life? Someone who was FIERCELY supportive of you? Someone who saw your potential when you couldn’t? Someone who spoke truth into your life in a way that encouraged and uplifted you?

I am blessed to have several people in my life who fall into that category. One of them is on the edge of passing from this world to her eternal address. She brought huge value to my life:

• When I fell in love with coaching back in 2001 and jumped in with both feet to launch Career Coach Academy before I had finished my foundational coach training, she read every word of my curriculum to make sure it was aligned with International Coach Federation (ICF) competencies.
• She conducted oral evaluations for a number of graduates from Career Coach Academy.
• Prior to turning my many manuscripts in to my publisher JIST, she read countless chapters . . . often with 12-hour turnaround in the middle of the night when deadlines were tight.
• And, of course, she expanded my capacity as a coach.

Here are just a few of my favorite powerful questions I learned through her modeling . . .

• What do you want this to look like in the long-run? (when I had charged ahead with enthusiasm and getting lost in details)
• What will happen if you don’t do this? (when I was wavering in courage!)
• What can you do in the next 7 days that would get you some traction? (when I was in overwhelm)

Who is this bone marrow person? Judy Santos. An ICF Master Certified Coach, founder of the Christian Coaches Network, and masterful teacher who, over the past dozen years, taught thousands of coaches through the Institute for Life Coach Training.

When she learned a few months ago that cancer had returned (after a valiant battle five years ago that earned her a clean bill of health after lung cancer), we had long talks by telephone. Over the course of our 10-year relationship, we had only seen each other three times face-to-face. I told her I’d love to fly up to her home in Bellingham, Washington to “just visit.” Despite a hectic schedule, I took three days a few weeks ago to do just that. It was priceless.

On learning that she took a serious turn for the worse this weekend, a friend asked me, “What would you want to model from her life to honor her?”

My answer: Be an intrepid trailblazer, a trust agent, and a respectful “truth teller.”

She was all of those to me, and more.

Bottom line: As a coach or person of influence, you can honor someone significant to you by modeling his or her most-admired attributes … today! And, if your “significant someones” are still alive, reach out and remind them what you admire most about them or what you appreciate learning from them. Like bone marrow, it will be a life-giving gift.

I love serendipity and allowing room for “Life” to intersect with best-laid plans. But sometimes I sway too far on the side of serendipity and don’t focus enough on clarifying the things I would like to create and achieve.

With a new year around the corner, I sat down to think about my intentions for 2010 and wrote up my personal list. Then I got to thinking about what a savvy careerist would need to be intentional about to create a career that is radically rewarding . . . here is a suggested list of “Career Intentions for 2010” you might want to adopt or adapt:

1.     Be Intentional: That’s right. #1 on the list requires that you focus on being intentional. It all starts with awareness. What do you need to do to stay focused on your goals and not let the busyness and distractions of life take you off course?

2.     Make Space for Career Management: Like exercise, it won’t happen unless you make space for it. Set aside time, at a minimum once a month, to evaluate where you are with your career plans and what adjustments you might need to make.

3.     Find Out What Your Boss (or Boss To Be) Wants: It’s impossible to experience career success without intersecting your desires with what your employer needs. When is the last time you asked your boss “How can I help you be wildly successful?”

4.     Share with Your Boss What You Want: Frame it in the context of company goals. For example, “Mr. Boss, I’m committed to helping XYZ Company continue on its course of success. Down the road, I see myself _____ [fill in the blank – for example, “contributing in a director role and coordinating new product launches that will allow us to be first-to-market in Web-based widget solutions.”] Then ask, “What would it take to make that happen?”

5.     Leverage & Collaborate with Your Career Community: These days, it takes the cooperation and collaboration of teams to make real progress. Who are the key members of your career community—the people who can help you get where you want in your career? Who needs to be added to that community? How can you reach out to them, learn what they need, and deepen connections?

6.     Know Your Value: Can you identify how you deliver a return-on-investment to your employer? If not, start thinking about how you can make them more money, save them money, solve important problems. This will allow you to become the “hunted” and not a “hunter” of new opportunities.

7.     Know Your Values: Are you honoring your values in your current work? Do you know what your values are? Whether it be the ability to make a significant contribution, work with integrity, take risks, etc., knowing your values and living by them is the one thing you can always control during the day.

8.     Don’t Give Away Your Power: If you’re in a difficult situation, don’t resign yourself to thinking, “I’m stuck. There are no options. This is the way it’s always going to be.” Instead, remember the saying “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” There are always options you can take action on, even if it’s only reframing your perspective.

9.     FAIL Forward: A wise soul once said that FAIL stands for “From All I Learn.” Make 2010 a year of learning, even in those places of unmet expectations and disappointments. Ask yourself, “What do I want to learn in this situation that will benefit my career long-term?” Likewise, identify what new skills, competencies, or credentials you want to add to your toolbelt in 2010.

10. Be an S.O.S. Worker: S.O.S. stands for Serve Others Selflessly. I’m not advocating being a doormat or a candidate for abuse. I am advocating that you “find the need and fill it,” without an agenda or expectation of a payback. Trust that it will come to you. Those who persevere, prosper.

Here’s to a year of prosperity!