Category Archives: Communication

Culture Diversity Awareness Perspective

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Be forceful with yourself, learn to integrate the negative, harnessing its force to cross the boundaries that would confine you.  John O’Donohue

Earlier today I published the following post: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/weekend-cultural-perspective-jo-ann-m-radja for your weekend reading. . . thPZBEH363 Easter Tree Egg BING 032416

“Most of us read daily – reports, emails, online newspapers, LinkedIn posts, etc. A Spring surprise occurs when you click on a post and a brief read becomes memorable because it provides a new perspective.  The document I read is a brief read and is a take-away from a Nonviolent Leadership for Social Justice Retreat, written by Shameless Heart Coach, Marina Smerling.

Very simply, we are reminded to look into ourselves first.  Pay attention to what emotions are bubbling up in you when a trigger of words are spoken.  You begin the conversation because you know yourself very well.  And yet, an unconscious bias is trying to take hold in you while you want to control your reaction to the trigger of words.  A practice of not helping someone who didn’t ask for help may be the key to handle a trigger of words.  The issue is not the trigger itself, it is how are you handling yourself in the situation.  What are YOU paying attention to within yourself.

A perspective of how to handle yourself is to reach out as an ally.  As an ally you take away the “rank and privilege” connotation.  “I am your ally” is welcoming and creates a space that answers the question, “Why are your here?”

The photo above depicts a cultural practice of an Easter Tree.  What? you might say. Why would someone want to do that?  Perhaps it is another opportunity to understand the diversity in our community that believes the Easter Eggs represent new beginnings.  New beginnings is a universal concept that each of the member Coaches of the LinkedIn Group: Coaches for Equality and Diversity (CED) represent to foster understanding of these issues and its dynamics to the world at large.

 So what new beginnings during this Spring Season are you contemplating, as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As?   Whatever holiday you practice during the 2016 Spring Season, have a Happy Holiday!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja

Martha Lasley, Co-Founder of Leadership That Works, posted in the CED Group Marina Smerling’s document; written permission to share it with you was  given by Coach Smerling via Coach Lasley: http://www.leadershipthatworks.com/documentFiles/665.pdf

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December Musings for YOU…

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Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Holidays.  The above photo was shot last evening of the Prudential Building, here in Chicago, across from Millenium  Park.

This is the search result for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s “So This is Christmas…”

John Lennon – Happy Xmas (War Is Over) – YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8Vfp48laS8

Artists: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Plastic Ono Band

Featured artist: The Harlem Community Choir

Album: Some Time in New York City

Released: 1972

Lyrics: So this is Christmas, and what have you done / Another year over, a new one just begun / And so this is Christmas, I hope you have fun / The near and the dear ones, the old and the young… Full lyrics on Google Play
 ————–

Last week I published a Post on LinkedIn Pulse and Twitter.  Here is the link: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/jingle-all-way-jo-ann-m-radja

https://twitter.com/Coach_Jo_Ann/status/677295234523529216

However you celebrate the December holidays, please Choose Who You Want to be Known As during the festivities.

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

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Impossible fun . . . with curiosity

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th6NJHG7XZMickeyMouseclipartBING092515It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.   Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.  Walt Disney

Earlier today I published a post on LinkedIn Pulse with the Title of The Three R’s.  http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/three-rs-jo-ann-m-radja.  Here is a modified version of that post.

A man in a creative job had been working on a new project. He submits it to the client and a discussion ensues. Even though the project was deemed unacceptable for the marketplace, he believed the discussion was fair. It was such a shock and a setback to subsequently learn his staff was hired away from him (except one man) by the company who deemed his work was out-of-fashion. This story occurred sometime during the 1920’s.  Whether it is a myth or a restatement of history, unfortunately, this story rings true for many people.
The terms of reinvent, re-engineered, retooled or right-sized were not spoken in this creative man’s era; his story has universality for us today, some 90 years later.  What Walt Disney did with his one employee was to collaborate and re-work his original drawings. Mickey Mouse was then born and introduced to the community. Many of the action terms we use today – customer driven, vision and focus, brain-storming new ideas and visualizing real-world activities for the new character – took place in the development and implementation of the Mickey Mouse character.

How quickly do you rebound from a serious let-down? What did you tell yourself to regroup and continue on? Did you re-frame the situation or just recognized perhaps the timing was all wrong? Stating these questions another way: What feedback did you receive that continued the spark in you to recognize, relate and resolve your actions to the next step? How frequently do you rely on YOUR three R’s As You Choose Who You Want to be Known As?

During the month of October, I hope your three R’s work to your best advantage as you recognize, relate and resolve.

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

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. . . on the Contrary

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Earlier today I published two anagrams you might enjoy reading on LinkedIn Pulse at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-contrary-you-jo-ann-m-radja. The text of that post now follows:

C onventional wisdom

O ften, yet not always, is right.

N ow is the time

T o consider whether the

R isk we’ve focused on merits,

A n all-out program

R oll-out this quarter. I vote

Y es. How about you?©Jo Ann M. Radja

E nergy to keep up with

T he reading

H as its downside. The upside

I s the kernel of applicability to understand

C onsequences we face in the

S hort term.©Jo Ann M. Radja

                 Have a great Fall Season in your career as you Choose Who You want to be Known As.

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

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“Talk to Inform” – Your Storyboard

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0511-1204-0312-1815_Woman_giving_a_presentation_at_a_lectern_clipart_imageBING080615 As is often the case when you are looking for something, you come across another idea.  Here is an idea that may be of interest to you when you want to create a storyboard for your next writing, presentation, or meeting at the office.  It’s called, “Talk to Inform – Visual Aid Mate.”   [I am not the author and unfortunately, this color visual  aid shows no company name or copyright information.]

It consists of 10 boxes printed on legal size paper, landscape print setting.  Talking to Inform not only requires a Subject, but the Importance of the Benefit to your audience as well as an Outline of how you are going spend the audience’s valuable time during your Talk on the Subject. [Boxes 1 through 3]

Boxes 4 through 8 contain the Body of the Talk that may contain your personal experiences, expert opinions, analogies, statistics, facts and examples of how your Subject Matter relates to the audience.  Boxes 9 and 10 represent how you Recap and Confirm the Benefit to the audience.  So completing these 10 boxes and you’re done!

We all look for ways to streamline our work flow and I hope this brief idea is helpful to you when you need a self-management tool.    Have a great week in your career!

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

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When is Right, right?

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It usually comes down to what may be expedient, most likely to occur or even, “What’s in it for me?”  I found the above Dilbert cartoon, shared from tumblr, as an example of how we may inadvertently show ourselves as not demonstrating integrity, as in, “When is Right, right?”

Described as the most active public Philosopher in America, Tom Morris, explains that,

“The distinction between what is right and what is easy is one of the most important contrasts that can guide us in our lives and in our careers.”

If we are uncomfortable, uneasy or afraid to take the right step, we place roadblocks to do what is right in our actions at work.   We may even “self-sabotage” ourselves in our careers because we do not trust in our abilities.     Even though the cartoon character, shown above, was labeled as a work avoider and gave an “only if than” response, he quickly recognized it was wrong, then ran to make it right.

However, you Choose Who You Want to be Known As, be true to yourself in your decisions.  Have a great Day!

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

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Notes:  Morris, Tom. If Harry Potter Ran General Electric, Leadership Wisdom from the World of Wizards.  Currency Doubleday Publisher (2006), page 159.

Notes:  tumblr_mi8h0xtKme1rliu6yo1_500PromotefirstonbasisofIntegritythenmotivationalthenjobs

 

 

Appreciate your continuing to Visit this Blog

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Thanks to all of you for your Comments and Likes this year.  It is much appreciated. With gratitude, Jo Ann M. Radja

1st Day of July, 2015

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It’s the first Day of July and here in the Midwest, many people begin to prepare for the 4th of July weekend, here are a number of ideas and thoughts to consider:

 

F orever and always we say

T o celebrate and

H old our values high.

 

O nly in America do we truly enjoy

F reedoms other countries only admire.

 

J ustice wrapped

U p in red, white and blue.

L iberty, life and the pursuit of happiness for

Y ou.©Jo Ann M. Radja

 

 

May the sun in his course visit no land more free, more happy, more lovely than our own.  Daniel Webster.

 

The United States is the only country with a known birthday.  James G. Blaine

 

Where liberty dwells, there is my country.  Benjamin Franklin

 

Enjoy your day!

 

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

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LABEL, LABELED, LABELING

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It’s interesting how people want others to know who they are. We like to be known either by our strengths, by our family position or by what we do for a living. Yet, there are times when a situation arises where we may say,   “Please don’t label me as . . . . .”  We express those words because we want to choose how we are evaluated, and perhaps because the label we heard “rubbed us the wrong way.”

Our salary depends on our performance for a position that we chose to accept. So, our employer does label us for the position we hold and we agreed to that label.  Under what circumstances does labelling come into play in our careers?    While researching a few blog ideas, I came across a fresh presentation of how people can be defined in their roles at the office.   It is called Dr. Edward de Bono’s “SIX THINKING HATS” [registered mark].  The California State University at Los Angeles prepared a brief slide share presentation explaining each “Thinking Hat” …

http://web.calstatela.edu/faculty/jpark/Six%20thinking%20hats.ppt

Should you be a Red Hat and strive to become a Green Hat, how would you obtain the educational training to do so?  Online and brick and mortar classes are available as well as many Human Resource Departments.  Business and Civic organizations also offer programs for self-development.  As you Choose Who You Want to be Known As let your Label shine though as you manage your career.  Enjoy your day!

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

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Notes: http://www.debonothinkingsystems.com/tools/6hats.htm

 

 

Mid-May 2015 Musings. . .

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May you be strengthened By yesterday’s Rain.  Walk straight in tomorrow’s Wind and Cherish each moment of the sun today. Catherine Hislop

 

 

Your business and your life will change when you really, really get it that some people are not going to change, no matter what you do.  And that still others have a vested interest in being destructive.  Dr. Henry Cloud, Clinical psychologist

9acf4a288e85459c705fe521bd88dbd0PostedonPINTEREST051215fromLifeHackdotorgPosted on Pinterest by Guillermo Alvarez:  “You shouldn’t point out things about people’s appearances if they can’t fix it in ten seconds”.   AND  “Don’t get mad.  Don’t get even.  Do better much better.  Rise above.  Become so engulfed in your own success that you forget it ever happened.”

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Embrace the negative and try to see the beauty within Nature and the Community where you live.

Enjoy your week in your chosen career as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As!

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

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