Be Upstanding to be Outstanding

It would be reassuring if we could always assume every person we dealt with in business was an upstanding citizen who could be trusted to be open, fair and honest. How successful might we all become if we strived to be the best we could be in our own businesses and everyone else was striving likewise in their own endeavors. There would be no more scams, rip-offs, cheating or deceit.

You may have heard of the expression “be the change you want to see occur in the world”. Yes, it can be a challenge in a world where a percentage of people do not understand the concepts of being considerate, honest or helpful, being in it only for themselves. One of the problems is that some people simply do not see themselves as others see them. They are not aware of their own shortcomings because in their minds, they don’t have any shortcomings.

How do you know if you fall into this category? No offence, but none of us can progress if we are not aware of our shortcomings, because without this knowledge, there is nothing to work with. So let’s quiz Joe Bloggs and if you find yourself identifying with the responses, you may have a little work to do on your self-development… : (more…)

Lessons You can Learn from Humpty

How many times have you heard someone say, “Losing my job was the best thing that ever happened to me!” Does hearing this sentiment make you scratch your head in puzzlement? How could something so negative be so positive? What’s the person’s secret?

Few of us begin our careers with the intent of doing something else. After all, we’ve invested quite a bit in getting to where we are. Much like Humpty Dumpty, we proudly sit atop our wall of achievements and accomplishments giving little thought to doing anything else. However, with today’s winds of change, it’s pretty likely that sometime in our working lives we will find ourselves tumbling from our safe perch. For most of us the great fall occurs when:

 Our job is eliminated through downsizing.
 Our company is acquired or merges with another company and the new situation no longer appeals to us.
 Our job stays the same but we just can’t get excited about it anymore.

So, after the great fall what are the secrets to putting yourself back together again – better than ever? (more…)

The Challenge for Today’s Manager

What do today’s managers have in common with yesterday’s? Despite progress and changes in the landscape of today’s modern business, the one constant, the one thing that has not changed, is that Managers are still playing the role of the middle-man… that go-between for upper management and the people they manage. The line they must walk is fraught with challenges and stresses, with each day presenting them with a new conflict of interests they must somehow deal with.

Managers are a species apart, expected to please all the people, all the time – which we know is impossible, right?

They must protect the interests of those they work for and those they manage. They must represent the view of those they work for and those they manage. When something goes wrong, guess who is in the firing line?

This is all in a day’s work for today’s Manager, who gets little thanks and acknowledgement, but plenty of criticism and blame.

But it doesn’t end there, in-house… (more…)

20 Ways to Find, Sustain and Share Happiness

Sometimes we get so caught up in the stress and pressures of juggling career and family commitments, building our business, networking, studying, budgeting, and so on, that we forget what is important. We forget that our basic birthright is to be happy, and that is such a simple concept that often it slips under our radar.

So let’s remember the basics and incorporate some happiness into our daily lives. And if Happiness was a soup, here are the ingredients… (more…)

Do What You Love, Love What You Do

I am deeply saddened when I meet people who are stuck in a career, company or profession that does not feed their souls every day.  Is this what life has to offer?  I know that there’s more because I was once caught up in having the right degrees, high level jobs and the big income.  I had all the trappings of what we were taught was “success.”  Only, I was miserable!  I didn’t sleep, ate poorly and had no time for exercise, friends, family or hobbies.  I was never able to stop thinking about my work and even when I was at home, I was on email at midnight.  I checked voicemail constantly on my vacation.  I was not controlling my life or my job.  I was in a rut, trapped by the trappings of so-called success.

MY STORY (more…)