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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
Earlier this morning, I caught myself becoming annoyed by my perception of unacceptable behavior. I called a company I’ve worked with for most of my adult life. My loyalty to this professional financial service company was not misplaced. A potentially difficult situation … Continue reading
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Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow was another one. Dr. Seuss (posted by Lynne Morris on Pinterest.com). We don’t often think “we’re having fun” while we are working. Yet we do. And if you are not enjoying your day, … Continue reading
Following a Presentation Meeting last Saturday, I decided to walk some 10 blocks West to where I parked my car. I was greeted with a phenomenon you don’t often see everyday — one of the great bridges in Chicago, rising … Continue reading
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Spirituality and President’s Day? It isn’t often we consider our former President’s as being spiritual. Yet our Forefathers definitely were. Perhaps because they led our Nation in time of war, their thoughts turned to a presence, greater than themselves. Separated … Continue reading
Early this morning, I watched a TedxTalk by Dr. Brene Brown, who is a well- known researcher on the subject of Shame. Dr. Brown’s talk included this comment: Vulnerability is our most accurate measurement of change. After playing back this comment, I thought … Continue reading
Last week, I was waiting on the arrival of someone and took the opportunity to write a few anagrams. Here’s one of the anagrams:
Earn the
Trust of someone who
Has a burning desire to help you succeed.
It takes patience and practice to
Connect as a
Servant leader…just go for it! © Jo Ann M. Radja
Servant Leadership has been followed by many companies for quite some time, yet it is not a mainstream management method in most companies. Servant Leadership is a way of getting to know the people who work for you so that you can assist them in their success. An outward example is a company that provides an on-site day-care facility.
Two months ago, I posted a blog on mindfulness entitled, “A Phone Call.” Underlying the theme of mindfulness is servant leadership. What it means is that when I serve you by more fully understanding you, your role, and its impact to the team, group or department, I serve myself as a leader. I am not a successful leader unless the team succeeds. Whatever may stand in the way of the team’s success is also standing in the way of the leader’s success. This dependency cannot be understated.
Treating each other as a customer is another perspective of understanding servant leadership. Why do you trust your team members? Why do you trust your leader? What can you do if the level of trust is poor? How do you convey to others that they have damaged the trust relationship? How would you want someone to speak to you about rebuilding trust in the workplace?
Trust, mindfulness and servant leadership in today’s workplace is sought by many people because most people want to be engaged in what they do. You were hired to perform a service, whether to someone inside your company, or outside of your company. As we approach the beginning of the Fall Season at the end of this week, whatever service you provide, let it be Who You Want to be Known As. Enjoy your week as you FALL forward!
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent
Recently, I was introduced to a quotation by Napoleon. I am not sure whether his quote is still universal. The quote is: “Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich. ” The world is populated by more critical thinking people due to either higher education or skilled life experiences. In my view, the issue of Napoleon’s quote is not about religion per se. It is about people wanting and needing an understanding of life that their cultural myths did not fulfill.
What does this quotation have to do with Career Management Coaching? Our cosmopolitan and open land communities now have more choices than Napoleon’s community did. Communication networks over the past 30 some years have so connected the communities of the world, that we love hearing what’s happening, almost instantly. People of all ages share real and on-time information.
The question we face daily is how do we handle all of the information we learn, or hear? How does it affect our lives and the people that we come in contact with? What can we do to channel this on-going communication in the direction of our choices, whether in our business dealings, our home life or our spiritual life.
To choose is, to be responsible and accountable for our actions that follow our choice. Many more people discuss and are familiar with the concepts of responsibility and accountability, from different perspectives, than during Napoleon”s time. Today, spiritual guidance warmly assists us, as opposed to being the only source of our sense of fulfillment, as Napoleon believed, long ago.
There is no “magic” answer in our path of discovery of how we act. We strive to be the best we can be in whatever we do, as we Choose Who We Want to Be Known As. Enjoy your week!
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent
It may happen often — you hear the phrase, “I remember you when you were. . .”. What are you doing now? As you respond, there is a pause before hearing. . . “Really, how did that happen?”
Pre-conceived notions tend to stay with many of us for a while. When someone has not kept in touch with our lives, they have not witnessed how we have grown as individuals, because we are life-long learners. We certainly grow and change everyday, both physically and mentally.
How have you changed your viewpoints, attitudes, likes, dislikes from what they were ten years ago, five years ago, or even yesterday? What made you happy? What made you laugh? What made you pause to think? What was hard to do? What came easy for you? What positions have you held in recent years and how have you grown? What have you learned that increased your knowledge of yourself and those around you?
We keep up with our lives and those close to us as best we can. As you change from day-to-day this week, Choose Who You Want to Be Known As. Enjoy your week.
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent
Author: Ethics to You Too!™ http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/171791
Quite sometime ago, Author Michael E. Porter wrote a book entitled, The Five Forces that Shape Industry Competition. The five forces are:
RIVALRY Among Existing Competition
THREAT of New Entrants
Bargaining Power with Suppliers
Bargaining Power with Buyers
THREAT of Substitution – Products or Services
I believe each of these five forces lead to coaching experiences. How do we deal with threats, either perceived or blatant? How do we deal with rivalries…in a good-natured way…with good sportsmanship…or cutting down your competition for no sound reason?
What do you do for new team members…welcome them…put them through another round of proving themselves…or solicit input to work their strengths and weaknesses into the team matrix?
When a new project is handed to the team, what role, if any, do you play to bargain for a position and why? Do you bargain for the benefit of your team and the success of the project…or for yourself?
While most of us are not award-winning Olympians, we do share an inner force that moves us to do our best, to receive a paycheck. We deal with issues of rivalry, bargaining power and competition. May the force within you this week, help you Choose Who You Want to be Known As. Enjoy your week.
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coaching & Change Agent
The Five Forces That Shape Industry Competition, by Michael E. Porter, Economist Edition (1979). Reviewed November 11, 2011.
Note: a quick search on Bing.com or Google.com will provide you with a multitude of examples of Mr. Porter’s “Five Forces”.
Career Management Coaching 