Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The average American will work 45 years in their lifetime.
Each year it seems like time is moving faster and faster.
The US is currently at a low in unemployment.

I was recently talking to one of my friends who work in HR. She said that one of the most common mistakes she sees people make in their career is staying in a position too long.

When asking yourself “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” consider these questions.
1 – Am I learning?
2 – Am I developing skills that align with my larger career goals?
3 – Do I have a clear plan for what’s next?
4 – Do I believe there is something better out there for me? Am I ready to take the risk?
5 – Is there room for me to grow in my current role?
6 – Are there things I haven’t yet mastered in my current role?
7 – Are there responsibilities/tasks I can take off my manager’s plate?
8 – Do I have more days where I’m happy or unhappy at work?

If you’ve been asking yourself “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” let’s talk through it. Send me a message below.

Taking Feedback Gracefully

Feedback is a gift but only if we can hear it. Receiving positive feedback is easy and motivating. It’s a great way to learn your strengths, understand where you are effective, and a resource to use during performance reviews. I actually have a folder in my inbox called “Be Awesome Today!” where I save positive feedback emails. I go back to those emails if I need a little pick me up or if I’m prepping for a performance review.

Negative feedback can be difficult to really hear but also gives us great insight into how we can grow.

While receiving feedback, it’s important to stay in the moment and keep listening.  As much as we want to defend ourselves and share our POV for situations where we may not have acted our best, it’s important to listen to what people are saying.  Perspective is reality, especially at work.

Listen and take in all the negative feedback.  Take notes and then walk away.  Think about it for a couple days.  Then make an action plan for going forward.  Feel free to involve your manager as well.  After you have processed the feedback, you can talk to your manager about the negative feedback.  And if you feel there was a specific situation where you acted at your best but are getting negative feedback, walk your manager through that situation and ask advice for how you could have done things differently.  It’s amazing how when we give ourselves space and time, we can respond better.

Finally, always remember your end game!  What’s your ultimate goal: better relationships at work, a promotion, or shaking a reputation you don’t want?  Then what actions can you take that support your ultimate goal?  Control your controllables (how you react at the office, how you react to feedback) and forget about what you can’t (other co-workers focusing on you and not them).

A Note of Gratitude for the Characters in your Career Story

With Thanksgiving approaching, it’s a great time to pause and reflect.  You’ve done some pretty amazing things in your career.  Who are some of the main characters in your career story?  Did you have a teammate that was with you in the trenches when you made that impossible deadline?  Was there a manager that pushed you to the next level?  What about a mentor that pointed out some of those bad habits that were holding you back?  Or a hiring manager that took a risk on you even though you weren’t 100% qualified for that job?

Take some time this Thanksgiving to send your main characters a handwritten note, (or LinkedIn message, text, email, carrier pigeon, an Edible Arrangement, whatever) to share your gratitude for the role they played in your career story.  And be specific.  None of your career highlights happened without other people.  As Dr. Henry Cloud shares, “there is no such thing as a self-made man.”

Thank YOU for reading this blog.  You are a character in my career story as I grow my own business and build new connections.  If you like what you’ve read, you can sign up on my home page to receive each blog via email.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Jenn

The 8-Week Career Goal Challenge Begins this Friday!

Do you have a New Year’s resolution to find a new job, earn that promotion, or develop as a leader?  Let’s spend the next 8 weeks prepping for your New Year’s career resolution!
Every Friday (November 10 – December 29),  I’ll email out a 15-minute challenge for you to complete.
By the end of the year, you’ll have your SMART goals to grow your career in 2018!  This 8-week challenge is completely free, so join and encourage your friends too as well!
Sign up below to participate and let’s go!

 

 

3 Ways to Get Inspired about your Career Growth without picking up a Book

I’m not much of a reader but I’m always looking for inspiration.  Sometimes we can just put our head down and push through with the daily grind of work.  But if we don’t take some time to get inspired, our career won’t advance!

Here are three sources that I focus on to get inspired.

1 – Podcasts: I spend a lot of time in the car and on planes.  I use this travel time to get some career inspiration through Podcasts.  I tend to start with HBR IdeaCast and then check out specific episodes in other feeds, like an episode on the Gender Pay Gap from Freakonomics Radio.  For an inspirational music break between podcasts, I listen to the Hamilton soundtrack – that’s some really great leadership rap right there!

2 – My Network: I choose to invest in professional relationships that inspire me.  I gravitate towards inspiring leaders and that’s why I became a coach.  Who do you want to be when you grow up into the next stage of your career?  Are you investing in relationships with people who have great habits that you want to have professionally?  Are you building trust with your peers, managers, or that awesome person you met at a networking event so you can ask them advice and watch them in action?

3 – Online Communities: Last week I tuned into an Everwise WebEx about Advancement in Women Leadership.  And I’m inspired to put the 7 strategies into action!  There are a number of fantastic online seminars, YouTube videos, Instagram feeds, and LinkedIn Groups.  The topics are specific and endless.  Google exactly what’s on your mind and you may find something great!

This month make a conscious effort to pick your head up from work and get inspired about where you’ll take your career!

 

It’s already the End of the Year: 3 approaches to take

Okay, so if you look at a calendar, we still have two and a half months left in 2017!  But if you want to do something special for your team, employees, mentors, or co-workers, the time is now!

End of the Year is a time to recognize the work that has been done and success we have had while looking forward.  And while different professionals appreciate different things, they all appreciate something over nothing.

The Office Holiday Party:
Great for co-workers to build relationships with each other.  And those extravert social butterflies.

Tips:
– Empower a group of employees to plan the event.
– If you have a competitive group, add a level of entertainment and group competition to the event.  Karaoke, Family Feud, what’s fun and easy to do?

 

The Volunteer Event:
Great for connecting with each other and the community to make a real contribution. It could also happen during business hours which will still give employees their evenings and weekends free.  And can be a great message to customers.

Tips:
– Encourage employees to nominate and select the activity.  Some may have a personal connection with a volunteer organization.
– Make it special.  Work with the volunteer organization to share information with employees prior to the event, welcome your team to the location, and offers ways to continue to stay involved.
– If possible, engage with the people’s lives who will be improved.  This will provide a memorable experience and a deep understanding of the organization’s mission.
– Tell this story!  Make this experience last with a message to customers about what you are doing/did and why.

 

The Personal Note:
Start now and you can complete a handwritten note to everyone on your list.

Tips:
– To make is special, be specific.  What is something this person has done this year that made a strong contribution to the organization?
– How can you use this time to give them a “reason to believe” in the future?  What are you excited about?
– Embrace work/life balance and encourage them the opportunity to take some recovery time over the holidays and be ready to take on 2018

What is the best end of year thing your company has done for you?  What is the best thing you’ve done for your team?

Is your LinkedIn feed full of job postings too?

If your LinkedIn feed is similar to mine, you’ll notice a big uptick in job postings! The timing is great as most job seekers get serious now that summer is over.

Here’s to all the job seekers telling their career story effectively to land their next job in their career! If you’re ready for the next step in your career: new company, new position, or asking for that promotion or raise, reach out to me!

Are you tracking to use all your PTO this year?

About two years ago, MasterCard debuted one of my favorite commercials of all time.  Take 30 seconds to watch it now.

One main reason people leave their job is burn out.  It has definitely been a reason for me to leave a job.  A huge easy opportunity to reduce burn out is to use your vacation days!  Take time to rejuvenate, connect with family and friends, or explore a passion or hobby.

And if you’ve been a little cranky, unproductive, or unmotivated at work, your co-workers will appreciate you taking some PTO if they get you back at your best!

For more facts, information, and inspiration, check out Project: Time Off!

Inspire someone now by leaving a comment below about your dream way to spend some time off.

Wishing you a productive end to this year!
Jenn

Inc Magazine: The One Thing That Makes You Look Seriously Unprofessional at Work

This is a great article. Every job has an element of “figure it out.” Of course, you’re not going to apply for a job where you have all the skills and experience to do the job in your sleep – you have to stretch.

Inc. Magazine talks about when you admit you “don’t know how to do something” or you’ve “never done something,” you are really saying “I don’t want to learn or grow here.”

What’s the best skill you’ve learned unexpectedly at work?

Inc Magazine: The One Thing That Makes You Look Seriously Unprofessional At Work