What Does It Take?

What does it take?…If we substitute the word “will” for “does” in this Blog’s heading, how is the question changed?  Although I don’t study the origin of words, I believe the question, “What does it take?” is a general question, seeking a general answer.  What will it take? is asking for direct specificity of what it takes, with a sense of determination.

What will it take for YOU this week to complete, to create, to find, to begin…whatever you may want and haven’t gotten to yet.  We are some 10 days to the Summer Solstice, with all its wonderful distractions calling us elsewhere.

So what will it take for you this week to be Who You Want to be Known As.  Enjoy!

Many thanks to all the wonderful people who found value in this Blog over the past five months!       “Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coaching & Change Agent.  06/11/12

Ethics to YOU Too! tmpending [Blog #3]

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Ethics to YOU too! TMpending [Blog #2]

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Ethics to You Too! [tm pending] [Blog#1]

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Going Home?

“Most of the time, you can’t go home.  In my case, you can go home.”   Lionel Richie

I heard this phrase spoken by Lionel Richie recently as he was interviewed about his new business venture with country music stars.  It was quite sometime since I listened to someone utter those words, and I thought – what do we bring from our “homes” to the workplace?

When we think about “home”, do we mean our upbringing home, or where we live now, or a place in our life that “felt like home”? Were you the first-born or the last-born child? Were you the compromiser, middle child? Did you have a small family, a large family or no family?

Whatever your sense of “home” may be, what positive values do you bring to the work place from your feelings of “home”?  What impact, if any, does your sense of home have for you today, in what you presently do?  Since your life experiences have led you to where you are today, I wish you a good week in all your actions of Who You Want To Be Known As.

Jo Ann M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent 03/25/12

Impressions Of You. . .

How often during your career did you learn your impression of someone is not correct?  What did you do about it, if anything?

We all go through this process of deciding whether someone is a “good match”.  People within a large organization have the advantage of tapping into the company’s best practices for solutions.

Over a year ago, I spoke to someone who was working through the decision thought process of what type of employee he wanted in his company.  So he started with himself.  What type of behaviors did he work well with?  What values did he hold in his life?  Were these the same values he wanted to see in his employees? And why?  Taking the time for self-reflection is a very big first step.  It surely is a necessary one in deciding Who You Want To Be Known As.   Have a great week.

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

March 12, 2012

Better Days Ahead for You. . .

A while ago, I caught myself becoming annoyed by a perception of rude behavior.  Have you been in that situation recently?   The second time it happened with this company, I asked the person I was speaking to, if I said something he thought was inappropriate.  The answer was, No.  I did explain to him why I asked the question, in an effort to see if I said something that may have led to the other’s behavior.  He then put me on hold.   What I subsequently learned was that he listened to my prior call, and verified what had happened.  He said I was okay, but was I really?

Reframing is a Coaching concept.  It means to restate the issue in a more favorable light, resulting in positive thoughts.    As you become more aware of how YOU are facing the situation, you are able to move the focus from frustration to – how can I find the answer to move the process along for me because I am responsible for my actions?

Reframing is not necessarily keeping your emotions in check, rather, it is about becoming aware of what’s driving the frustration, at that moment, and how you move out of it.   All of this may take seconds or minutes.  Learning what it takes to move through our emotions during the day is a process.  Yes, a process which takes practice.

Who do you want to be known as…a frustrated person, feeling stuck?

Who do you want to be known as…a proactive person, learning to Reframe an awkward or uncomfortable situation for yourself?  Understanding how choosing a different way to approach a situation, leads to understanding yourself better.  You may surprise yourself so that you will have a better day in whatever you may be doing.   Have a great week!

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

March 19, 2012

International Coaching Week February 5-12, 2012

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This week is International Coaching Week 2012.   Professional Coaches who are members of the International Coach Federation around the world join together to inform their communities about the benefits of coaching and the value it brings to people.

My gift to you today is a Coaching Tool, which is an interpretation of the Johari Window (JW).   The JW is used all over the world in everyday life, in many professions, industries, as well as government agencies. Decades ago, it was created and developed by Business Psychologists Ingham and Luft [see note below.]

Many of us have heard the phrase, ““feeling the pain” of not having something, or pushing ourselves through “the pain” in a sports activity.   Take a look at the Coaching Tool; it is called the Pain/Gain Window.  When you read through the tool’s window text, keep in mind how you would answer the questions.  Since most of us have something in our lives that we want, and don’t quite immediately know how to get it, this tool may assist you in your focus of the issues.

Try it out.  I presented it to someone a few months ago.  The professional, was thrilled to learn of a tool that organized thoughts and emotions together.

Have a great week and Enjoy!    Jo Ann M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent  as well as International Coach Federation (ICF) member.

Notes: (1) Discussions about the Johari Window and its applications can be found by visiting http://www.mindtools.com, http://www.businessballs.com and http://www.en.wikipedia.org.

Just One Minute. . .

While housekeeping in my apartment late Sunday afternoon, I listened to a Spiritual Leader* speak about his views on how people seem so angry all the time.  Have you noticed the angst coming out of mouths of people lately, or for quite some time?  Spiritual Leader Rabbi Harold S. Kushner described it as “free floating rage.”

This was my first experience hearing Rabbi Kushner speak.  He came across as so honest and forthcoming about his life experiences that I was drawn into what he had to say.  I was attuned to coaching questions that were intertwined within his talk… When was the last time you experienced a random act of kindness?  How happy are you in your life right now?  What are you doing about it?

People have been so resilient over the past few years, dealing with unforeseen weather conditions, too much rain or too little; drought conditions; hurricanes, flooding, power outages lasting more than one week in outlining metropolitan areas,  first-time horrific tornadoes in some U.S. cities; earthquake tremors reaching across a few U.S. State lines or occurring in places close to our homes for the first time.  Whew! That’s just the weather and not everything else going on in our lives.  Is it any wonder we don’t seem to be agreeable?

Finding just one minute today to consider how much you really have coped with and what you are continuing to cope with in your life just might help you. After you’ve taken a few minutes to do so, why not give yourself a pat on the back.  Acknowledge your coping mechanisms for all the good that you’ve accomplished for yourself and for others.  Consider taking just one minute daily or weekly and keep reminding yourself the good that you do.   You may find your mood shifting upwards and becoming the person You Want To Be Known As.

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

*30 Good Minutes.org  (Sunday, January 22, 2012).