Category Archives: Career Concepts

A Way for Silence

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When you fall down, are you alone or are you in public, or was someone nearby that helped you stand straight.  Because I have a weak right ankle, there have been a few times I have fallen down during the daytime in pubic when the pavement was not even.  The way of Silence surrounding this event is astonishing.

Since I did grow up in a football family, I watched the 2014 Super Bowl.  Early on,  sports announcers gave positive explanations why the Professional Denver Broncos may have been nervous and missed certain plays.  This worldwide event has been taken apart and analyzed by many experts in the sports field.  This blog is focusing on a different aspect to this event. . . The way of Silence.

Many of us have grown up with advice, “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything.”  When someone is down, you don’t step on them and make they feel worse.

I took a look for a reporter’s take on the 2014 Super Bowl published this morning and found: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1947809-super-bowl-2014-blowout-score-was-most-shocking-result-in-years.  The way of Silence was taken by a reporter who gave quiet reflection.  He wrote in a positive way how the Broncos were not the only Offense Team beaten in a Super Bowl.  The way of Silence allowed reframing to take the sting out of the Broncos performance.

We can’t change what happened yesterday in our careers.  We can only Choose Who We Want to be Known As when we fall down.  Hopefully, we can fall into the Way of Silence and reframe the situation.  Have a great week!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coaching & Change Agent

Notes:  http://en.wordpress.com/tos/

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1947809-super-bowl-2014-blowout-score-was-most-shocking-result-in-years

Feed, Fodder or Feedback

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Feed, fodder or feedback — it’s the Monday morning “quarterbacking” of what your impressions, comments and responses are about an event, project or idea. Within our culture, the idiom, “Feeding frenzy” is an aggressive attack on someone by a group. … Continue reading →

The SOMETHING we deal with wherever we are…

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Last week when I awoke, it was one degree outside.  When I came home, some 13 hours later and as I opened my car door and stepped out, it felt wonderful and much warmer.  It really did.  I checked my cell phone and was surprised to read it was only 14 degrees.   What?  That’s all?  The something we deal with wherever we are is getting through our day the best we can by being resilient.

Snow fell this week in Vietnam; it caused a traffic jam, not primarily because of the weather.  Many people who had never seen snow drove to see where it fell.  Snow fell over the Middle East as well.  A Jordanian Prince joined other people to help a motorist out of a snow bank.  Below is a Picasso image of resilience that the editor(s) of http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/   chose to represent resilience.  What do you think?

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When we are at our workplace, the SOMETHING we deal with  usually comes up when an emotional response takes place.    [Should I take a moment and manage my emotions before speaking to anyone else?]   How did this happen?  What’s the first response to our staff?  What information do we need that we don’t as yet have?  What must we address right now, later today or tomorrow?   How am I dealing with the element of survival at this moment?  What can I do that I haven’t done before to control myself, and remain aware of what’s going on to assist other people?

As you choose Who You Want to be Known As this week, when YOU deal with that SOMETHING, consider this – – – 395807_157593734356934_1584943477_n2karlinsloanwordpressdotcomGoogle121713

I hope you Shine brightly, whatever your activity this week.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach and Change Agent

Note:  The images shown in this blog post were allowed to be copied and pasted from Google Images.

 

December doesn’t take a back seat, ever!

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Is it the end, or the beginning.  You DECIDE.

We often consider what’s left to do during the month of December.  Many cultures within our communities celebrate a number of  holidays in December, usually with streams of LIGHT.  What if December doesn’t take a back seat, ever!   What if you start considering what’s important to you today in your career and what you presently know you have to work at to achieve it.  Here are a number of food for thought quotations for you to consider:

 

Make a pact with yourself today to not be defined by your past. Sometimes the greatest thing to come out of all your hard work isn’t what you get for it, but what you become for it. Shake things up today! Be You…Be Free…Share. Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

If your dream is a big dream, and if you want your life to work on the high level that you say you do, there’s no way around doing the work it takes to get you there. Joyce Chapman

 

The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.  Thomas A. Edison

 

Sometimes there’s not a better way. Sometimes there’s only the hard way. Mary E. Pearson, The Fox Inheritance

 

Every job from the heart is, ultimately, of equal value. The nurse injects the syringe; the writer slides the pen; the farmer plows the dirt; the comedian draws the laughter. Monetary income is the perfect deceiver of a man’s true worth. Criss Jami

 

She was tough in the best sense of the word. She’d taken blows, the disappointments, and had worked her way through them. Some people, he knew, would have buckled under, found a clutch, or given up. But she had carved a place for herself and made it work. Nora Roberts

 

All success comes down to this . . . action.   Rob Liano

 

Whatever action comes to mind, Choose Who You Want to be Known As.   Have a great 1st week of December.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and Career Management Coach

Note:  The above quotations are found at http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/hard-work.

Vulnerability

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It’s not often that we speak about vulnerability in our private lives.   We tend to look to the experts around us to assess and manage the risks we may be exposed to in our neighborhoods, our communities and the world at large.   Our governments strive to keep order for the common good and our well being.  Yet, Vulnerability is an attribute we may not apply to ourselves.  Speaking positively, we are, have been and will continue to be vulnerable.  It’s how we learn about ourselves.

Staff within the Federal Government (at fs.fed.us) describe Vulnerability this way:

FSFedUSGoogle110313vulnerabilityandvaluesWhat’s the exposure if we pursue this strategy?  How are we ready because we’ve taken into account our sensitivities?  Will our contemplated action(s)  be in keeping with our value system?

Adjustment goes hand in hand with being vulnerable as demonstrated by the following graph from a Peace Corps worker named Bailey:

Baileyspeacecorpexperiencejuly2012fromGoogle110313Choosing to become vulnerable allows you to work though and learn about yourself in ways you had not considered before.  If you drew your last few months of activities, what would your graph look like?  How often did you consider yourself to be Vulnerable?  What sensitivities did you realize you had by letting go of a habit, or by learning something new?  

A well-known International Coaching Expert, Brené Brown describes Vulnerability as follows:

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Very recently, I attended a two-day Coaching Seminar on cultural competency.   I participated in a brief exercise to understand and recognize Vulnerability.  It was an enlightening experience.  So please enjoy your activities during this first full week of November as You Choose Who You Want to be Known As.

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach and Change Agent

No ONE is looking…

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The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching.  Coach John Wooten

Another Season has begun this week and people seem busier than ever to catch up on what may not have been finished or even started on their “short list” for 2013.   Many of our Leaders continue to show how they manage themselves in times of increased disharmony in the world.   While the detractors seem never to be satisfied, it’s a lesson for us to witness the positive history unfold before us.

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Wherever we work, we’ve seen situations that don’t make sense to us.  How did that person get the promotion?  What’s the story behind that?  What could I have done differently to  place myself in line for a promotion?  Why didn’t I create an opportunity to be considered for a promotion?        We accept realities of what we can do and what we cannot do.  Yet, as human beings, we work on how we accept the unknown and what the unknown means in our day-to-day lives.

The quotations about Character shown in this Blog remind us of a quotation, from different perspectives.  http://www.bartleby.com/cgi-bin/texis/webinator/sitesearch?FILTER=colQuotations&query=character+is+who+you+are+when+no+one+is+looking  Leaders may not always be right.  They may not always be aware  when someone is “looking” at what they do.  They may not be aware how often someone is watching their performance under very stressful situations.  They do, however, influence us and challenge us to decide whether we agree or disagree with their actions.

3ab79fde905ba3028fbadca1b7841856_viewthosewhodonothingforyogoogle092513uWhat do you do best when challenged with an unknown?  How do you handle yourself when your boss is watching you at work?  Do you act the same way with your co-workers as you do with your boss?  When no one is looking, Who do you want to be known as?

Have a great Fall Season as you look, watch or be yourself!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coaching and Change Agent

What’s your EXERCISE?

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“EXERCISE.  .  .  Accountability,  Ability,  Learning,  Professionalism, Intuitiveness” A few days ago, I heard a phrase that resonated with me.  It was spoken by a Senior U.S. Government Official.  The phrase is, “It’s not an empty exercise.”  Many of you in … Continue reading →

Pushing, Pushed, Push

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Pushing, Pushed, Push sometimes is very helpful to try out a new option, opportunity or idea you or your company may have.  Forum groups have been part of mainstream America for well over 25 years.  We want to know how … Continue reading →

What are YOU doing here?

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Don’t let other people’s opinion define who you are.  Les Brown

A few years ago, a Group Member posted the above quotation.  I keep a copy of it in one of my travelling see-through make-up bags.  It is a reminder of how we choose to manage our own emotions within our careers when meeting other people we come in contact with.  Have you ever been asked the question in a somewhat unfriendly way in your career —  “Why are YOU here?”  During the past few years it’s a question I’ve been asked at business conferences, meetings and sometimes during networking events.

 

When I hear the question I answer it directly.  Surprisingly, my response may not be what the other person expected or wanted to hear.  Because we are responsible for our own actions,  we can’t know the other person’s hidden agenda(s).  Opportunities do, however,  present themselves daily to be mindful so you can acknowledge and accept someone else the way they are.

 

What is the first thought that comes to mind, when you hear this question?  How many seconds do you pause before speaking?  What message do you want to convey in your answer?  Why is it important for you to continue the conversation?  How can you reframe the question so that you manage your response?

 

As You Choose Who You Want to be Known As, consider reframing a response, based on your values.  Have a great week.

 

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent

Speaking up at work . . .

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Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.  Winston Churchill A few times last week I was questioned about who I was, what I did and whether … Continue reading →