Tag Archives: career management

Which Way –Others to You?

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I read a Tweet this week about suggestions that change peoples minds*, and followed up on it.  One of the suggestions talked about the Hawthorne Effect – a famous 1950’s psychological study by Harvard University on whether office lighting had an effect on job productiity.**  Surprisingly, the researchers found out that productivity increased because the workers had the “attention” of management during the Study.

There seems to be so much written today about work engagement*** that Harvard University’s Study seems to have come full circle.  What attention are you given by your boss?  Why do you want attention? What does “attention” mean to you?  Why is it important to you?  When others pay more attention to you, does your motivation increase? Are you more engaged?

Which way does it have to be for you this week. . . attention from others equals greater productivity/engagement for you? Or, are you more attentive to others as You Choose Who You Want to Be Known As?  Either way, enjoy your week.

What Does It Take?

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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

Curious to Risk?

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Over the past few days, I had three curious experiences; namely, seeing both pink roses and white roses growing on the same bush, which exceeded my height.  Because of my curiosity, I was able to view a phenomenon of nature.

Curiosity also led me to meet a young entrepreneur and a very educated young woman.  Both women were similar in that they knew who they are and what they want in their careers; yet, they came from different backgrounds.  I acted as a servant leader to one and a customer to the other.  Both of these women taught me something I did not know or was unaware of.

Being curious in the context of taking a risk, whether small or large, is a principle of coaching.  Curiosity allows you to move out of your comfort zone and learn something new about yourself and the world you live in.

As you work in your career this week, consider a situation you have been curious about and take the risk to know Who You Want to be Known As.  Enjoy your week.

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

May 27, 2012

Your Time is Airline Time…

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This morning I read an online article posted by Gregory Karp, Reporter at The Chicago Tribune newspaper.  Karp wrote about a scientist at Fermilab, Jason Steffens.  Steffens studied the efficiency of airline boarding arrangements.*

Airlines provide safety and great customer service by boarding its passengers in a timely way.  They also increase the probability of saving flight air time and fuel, all things being equal.  There are five conventional methods of boarding customers:  Elites, board back to front, windows-middle-aisles method, random boarding and block seat boarding.

I’ve never taken into consideration, as a value choice, what method an airline chooses to board its passengers.  I’ve just considered safety, price, time schedules, baggage claim experience and customer service.  Is an airline’s boarding method important, when choosing as airline?     What value choices do you include in your work that may not be transparent to those around you?  How important is it for your team to agree upon its value choices necessary to complete the project?  What value choice would you like your customers to know you include in your services?

Have a great week as you choose Who You Want to Be Known As!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coaching & Change Agent 05/21/12

*Reviewed May 21, 2012, Gregory Karp, “Popular Airline Booking Configurations.” The Chicago Tribune Newspaper, originally posted on or about September 22, 2011

Ethics to YOU Too! tmpending [Blog #3]

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™©SCCEblog#3

Ethics to YOU too! TMpending [Blog #2]

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™©SCCEblog#2

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

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SCCEblog#1™©

What’s Old is New Again!

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Haven’t you heard this phrase?  The fashion industry reinvents fashion trends every 40 years or so.  An example of this is a scarf my grandmother owned and a slender neck scarf I wore in the late 1980’s.  They have the same color schemes, yet the design, form and function is different.

There are many management organizations which are still in business, e.g. Peter F. Drucker Institute, Zig Ziglar, Dale Carnegie Training, and the Grateful Dead Band.  The primary message each of these companies express is still relevant in our global communities.  The implementation of their messages probably wasn’t even considered when they were developed; yet practical applications currently abound in our workplace and are reapplied to fit within our lives.

There is much discussion, within conventional wisdom today, about four generations of employees working together.  What works, what doesn’t work and why.  Where does the responsibility lie for a better understanding among each of these four generations as to how they work and live together?  We’ve heard the phrases:  “They’re so old…they’re so young…I do things differently…they don’t understand.”

If we can start with ourselves and consider what triggers us to be comfortable within a different age group, it may lead to a better understanding.  What do we want someone older or younger than we are, to know about us?  All of us have been in this situation.  How do we want to be spoken to, and why – perhaps that’s the first step in choosing How We Want to Be Known As in our multi-generational world.  Have a great week!

Jo Ann M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent 0426/12

Pushing Against It!

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Last Friday, I attended a business presentation one-half block away from Chicago’s famous Lake Shore Drive.  Not only was the temperature in the high 40’s, the wind was everywhere.  The wind pushed me forward; it made me push against it, while I walked the final block to the meeting.  When I walked across the street, the wind pushed my hair upwards!  I felt like I floated into the building once I pushed through the revolving entrance.

We’ve all heard the phrase of “being up against it.”  It usually means getting something done in a short period of time.  So how do you “push” through whatever makes you feel you’re “up against it”?  What pressure do you feel when you are “pushing” to get something done?  What trigger points come into play while you are “pushing” to get it done?

The easy part is knowing you do have a deadline.  Many people thrive while “pushing against it”, but certainly not all.   During this last week of April, Spring continues to “push through” it’s seasonal cycle.  While you are “pushing up against it” this week, Choose Who You Want to Be Known As. Enjoy your week!

“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent 04/23/12

Why Are YOU Silent?

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Yesterday, I came across a misplaced copy of an article I was considering writing about.  The subject matter is: organizational silence*.  This phrase simply means not just speaking up when you know something is wrong.  It means continuing to work knowing you have no apparent options and hoping you are wrong.

It takes practice to know if something is amiss.  Why? Our perceptions may not be based on fact.  We may not work in an environment where it’s okay to bring up serious concerns.  Many people have learned to “go along to get along.”  Or, have you learned to only tell your boss what he/she wants to hear?

So my questions for you this week are:  How do YOU want to be told that a serious problem exists?  Do YOU want to hear the “short version” or the “long version”?  How do YOU know that something sounds true or not?  Placing yourself in the position of someone else may open up a perspective to help you learn more about YOU.

Organizational silence really exists in many forms, so Choose Who You Want To Be Known As.  Enjoy your week.

Jo Ann M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent 04/16/12

* Hefferman, Margaret. July 5, 2011. “A Corporate Epidemic: See No Evil, Hear No Evil Workers.” http://www.bnet.com/blog Retrieved July 21, 2011.