Category Archives: Concepts…

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
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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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Pepper Spice, Nuts, Fruit and other Bounty

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PinterestonBING112315a8c92ffe625b77a88ca1d83ef3f344d2Our workplace demonstrates how diversity enhances our well-being. We like to hear: “We’re glad you’re here.” “Thanks for bringing up that point, it adds to our conversation.” “I didn’t know that’s what it means in your culture.”

Our commonality looks for the difference we bring to the Table. It enables us to understand another viewpoint and how the viewpoint impacts the discussion.

With pride, we may bring to the Thanksgiving Table, pepper spice, nuts, fruit and our local Bounty – just a few of the diversity items we add to the mix of celebrating Thanksgiving. Because it is a centuries old tradition of giving thanks for a good harvest, our ancestors taught us to recognize how adversity shows us to step back and give thanks for what we did right during the year – whether during our career or personally.

New beginnings definitely took place during our career this year and we survived events we never contemplated. As You Choose Who You Want to be Known As this Thanksgiving, have a safe and enjoyable Holiday!

Shown below are a few websites that may bring a smile of knowing new facts about Thanksgiving —

8 Terrific Turkey Facts: http://www.livescience.com/17057-turkey-facts-thanksgiving.html

11 Surprising Thanksgiving Facts: http://www.livescience.com/41506-surprising-thanksgiving-facts.html?li_source=LI&li_medium=most-popular

Historical Facts about Thanksgiving you may not have known: http://www.plimoth.org/learn/multimedia-reference-library/read-articles-and-writings/thanksgiving-history

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

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LINING Your Portfolio . . .

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I do not pretend to start with precise questions.  I do not think you can start anything precise.  You have to achieve such precision as you can, as you go along. Betand Russell

I’m not sure when it exactly happened; I think it started with my first photography course at college.  Lines fascinate me, perhaps because what they represent in your mind becomes a design that you live with in your life and your career. As we approach the end of the month of August, another opportunity presents itself to create, enhance or begin a new line, lined or lining in your career.

Earlier today, I published another version of this theme as a LinkedIn Publisher at: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lines-lined-lining-jo-ann-m-radja.  Here is a copy of the text for your review:

“It’s somewhat rare that we do  not find a line running through our careers.  When our career began we had straight lines between a resume + interview + job offer.  Within a year or so our performance may have warranted  a testimonial or recommendation.  Our performance lined a file and formed a lining within our portfolio.

Today, many of us have accepted we move though our careers via a step line of asking many questions.  How are we able to >>>>>?     How can I modify my >>>>> to achieve >>>>>?       What do I have to do to complete >>>>>?  What are the expectations for this assignment and how will my performance be measured?   What questioning gives us are steps to embrace whatever perceived or real negative may lie before us.  More importantly, we exercise whatever control we have to accept and choose a line of action. 

We are presented with options and possibilities as we approach the last four months of  2015.  As you choose Who You Want to be Known As, what questions will you ask yourself to continue lining your portfolio?  Enjoy your 4th quarter of 2015!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Executive and 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

Anchors Aweigh to your Choices

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Today is the first day of Daylight Savings Time and we are adjusting to the loss of one hour.    I have come across a few articles recently about how the anchoring choice of a decision comes into play. The conversation of how we truly decide and move forward is always on-going.  Neuroscientists and Psychologists keep us busy reading their latest articles and the above picture shows another view of what goes on when we begin to make decisions.

Anchors Aweigh is a phrase used to release the weighted anchor holding a ship at the harbor.  Anchoring Decisions is a form of cognitive bias we all have which may be based on our education, culture, whether we grew up in a small or large family and the physical environment we enjoyed as children.  When we choose the first piece of information we hear about an event, we anchor on to it.  Although we may ask for some other information, we usually go back to the first piece of information we hear, because we unconsciously believe it to be true.

Perhaps some people haven’t considered how often they anchor what they hear.  Often times we wonder why someone may not move from a “position” and anchoring may be the reason.  Here is an additional view of how our unconscious bias influences our decision making.

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During this second week of March, 2015, consider how you Choose Who You Want to be Known As when reaching out to understand another person’s decision.  Have a great week!

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

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Saint Nick – December 6th

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Happy Saint Nicholas Day!  From the Third Century up to today, this day is celebrated throughout the world.  A wonderful explanation of St. Nick is provided under the heading beginning with Albania at this Wikipedia page:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Nicholas_Day

St. Nick’s kindness was extended to children, sailors and voyagers, during his lifetime.  Everyone of us is enveloped by that sense of kindness.  Be kind to someone during this holiday season to feel the goodness it brings back to you.

Enjoy.  “Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach

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“Is it form over function or function over form?”

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Here’s a Post which was published by LinkedIn.com within the past half-hour.:

 

“Have you ever been told, “That’s not what you are supposed to do.  That responsibility belongs to someone else.”  While you may have a Title for your position, it doesn’t necessarily explain what you actually do.  A Form usually relates to one thing and a Function relates to the activity of a specific Form.

The answer may lie in what binds the Function to the Form, whether by a job description, perceptions, testimonials or accomplishments.  As we begin to think about our upcoming Labor Day – how would you describe what you do – is it Form over Function or Function over Form? 

What do your customers expect from you. . . Function or Form? How often has it happened to you that you visit a retail store and what you wanted to buy is not sold by the Form name of the retail store?   Perhaps you contacted an Accounting firm, only to learn that the specialty service you want to hire is not found within the firm’s members?   Form over function sounds simple, but it isn’t.   

Another way of looking at form over function and function over form is to consider the word “feedback”.    Is feedback just a comment or response, or your understanding of what was said, or advice, or an opinion or a demonstration of your listening skills?  While you may have merely given encouragement to someone’s decision, it was received as advice, which was not your intention.   Perhaps this topic is another puzzle for us to work out in our careers because we live in a fluid, every-changing world.  

Consider as you Choose How You Want to be Known As, what is your answer to the Form or Function question.  Have a great day!” 

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

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“Sameness in our Relationships”

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I published this post on another media this afternoon on LinkedIn.com.  Enjoy your week as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As. “As questions arise about Ethics and its place in our society, it’s not something people discuss … Continue reading →