Is it an Escher Artwork or A Natural Event?

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Posted on December 29, 2016 by Jo Ann M. Radja

Math is where the answer is right and everything is nice – you can look out the window and see the blue sky – or the answer is wrong and you have to start all over again and see how it comes out this time.

Carl Sandburg

Earlier this evening, LinkedIn Pulse published my Blog entitled, “Why We Sometimes Don’t Make a Choice” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/why-we-sometimes-dont-make-choice-jo-ann-m-radja by @Coach_Jo_Ann on @LinkedIn. I used a few photos to explain Choice and how the Philosopher Tom V Morris, offered insights into that subject.

I shot the photo, above-left, yesterday morning. It is frost on a window. As I was putting away my flash drive, I remembered the graphic artist and mathematician, M.C. Escher. He was well-known for intersecting images, similar in concept to nature’s frost pattern. An example of Escher’s artwork is shown above-right. As we are almost at year’s end, we often think about what went well for us and what we want to improve in our careers. While we are not all artists, artwork in all forms within social media, offer a space away from our careers to relax and enjoy life for what it is. Relaxation brings clarity to our thoughts so we welcome each day for its own sake.

As You Choose Who You Want to be Known As during the new year of 2017, may your choices bring peace, happiness and contentment in your chosen career. Happy New Year!

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

http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

Why We Enjoy Lights at Year-End Holidays

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The solace it brings

to see the Light, no matter where we are in the world and no matter what year-end Holiday we celebrate, the Light is most important to us.

Anon

It is our humanity we wish to remember at this time of the year and I would like to share with you one of John O’Donohue’s poems, in his book, To Bless the Space Between Us.

May you listen to your longing to be free. May the frames of your belongings be generous enough for your dreams.

May you arise each day with a voice of blessing whispering in your heart. May you find a harmony between your soul and your life.

May the sanctuary of your soul never become haunted. May you know the eternal longing that lives at the heart of time.

May there be kindness in your gaze when you look within. May you never place walls between the LIGHT and yourself.

May you allow the wild beauty of this invisible world to gather you, mind you, and embrace you in belonging.

Happy Holiday in the Lights you celebrate as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As.

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

https://www.wordpress.com

What’s Your BEST Daily Change?

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It was cold and dreary this morning and yet, a few hours later, it is brisk outside and full of sunshine. Was this a change in opposites or just a 180 degree change of outlook – (from which we had no input)?

Change is in the air this Friday in October. The Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers are in a Pennant race. Halloween is around the corner. Night football is played on television, and many businesses are gearing up for the last quarter of the year and we find ourselves “right in the middle of it all.”

If we want to focus on one item in our career development before our life becomes more hectic than it already is – what would that be? In other words, What’s your Best daily change? Here are some thoughts on this subject:

Choose a path to stretch yourself, or:

However you define your Best daily change, I hope it becomes intertwined with how You Choose how you want to be Known As. Have a great Day and Weekend!

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

http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

When Mindfulness becomes a Personal Mantra

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Heedfulness, Mindfulness and Introspective Awareness help us retain our core values in life. The Dalai Lama

While leaving a Professional Building before Labor Day Weekend, I noticed a few available individual public trays of current magazines. One of which is called, YOGAChicago , September – October, 2016. It was a surprise to see the lead article written by Mia Park entitled, “Reflections on Mindfulness by Illinois Politicians at the DNC.” [this past Summer]

Ms. Park quoted a number of Illinois elected officials who shared how Mindfulness was incorporated in their public lives:

Senior US Senator Dick Durbin – “A moment of reflection is valuable….for you to consider what your political career might be able to accomplish. Real world reflection helps to set the stage for value-driven policy making.”[paraphrased].

Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, Cook County Board of Commissioners – “When you’re going off into battle to debate legislation, remember who you are accountable to.” “It’s important to be conscious of that always – it will keep you away from the forces that have led many politicians astray – money, special interests, and many other vices that make you cease to be a public servant.”

Theresa Mah – 2nd District – Reflects on how mindfulness for politicians can acutely keep uppermost in their minds why they became public servants for the people they serve.

The complete Mia Park’s one-page article, includes the Secretary of State, Jessie White is at this link :http://yogachicago.com/2016/08/reflections-on-mindfulness-by-illinois-politicians-at-the-dnc/

The quotation by The Dalai Lama was found at page 107 of his book, Beyond Religion, Ethics for a Whole World. (2012) He explains that:

Heedfulness relates to being vigilant and conscientious about what we do;

Mindfulness, in the context of living an ethical life, is about recollection of one’s core values and motivation; and

Introspective Awareness means being honestly aware of our behavior and bringing it under control. Of course, this does not happen overnight. It requires practice.

As You Choose Who You Want to be Know As, consider how a Mantra of a mindful thought will bring you closer to the person you want people to see. Enjoy!

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

https://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

What’s Your Philosophy – On Mature Expectations?

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The best part of our lives we pass in counting on what is to come. William Hazlitt

We smile as we read text describing the difference between the use of “a” and “the.” It happened to me as I read a four-page paper by Luciano Floridi, Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information at the University of Oxford, entitled, “Mature Information Societies – A Matter of Expectations.” Mature_Information_Societies_a_Matter_of

Floridi’s premise is that “a” is more appropriate when discussing the digital information society because it refers to groups as opposed to “the,” that references one. Digital bandwidth itself, all over the world doesn’t provide a basis to judge the benefit of information to society. Rather, it is the expectation of information that drives education, understanding and innovation for each country’s philosophy of life. Expectations are viewed as mature when balanced by an acknowledgement that all people in the society may not be able to share your specific expectations. In other words, the right to expect more is coupled with knowing everyone may not equally be able to share in the output of digital information.

From a business prospective, companies work daily through expectations they have for their customers, their employees and stakeholders. Mature societal expectations point to three avenues, according to Floridi, as follows:

a) Education – Creates awareness of your own assumptions and expectations; Allows for justification, reasonableness and historical determination of your expectations.

b) Understanding – When society implements a particular right of use it recognizes deficiencies associated with the right of use.

c) Innovation – Mature expectations assist in creating informative actions, ordinary vs. extraordinary, normal vs. abnormal.

The philosophy of digital information results in mature expectations for the common good. Haven’t we all asked one or more of the following questions: How will this benefit the customer? Why are we moving foward on this project when the risk evaluations are not yet completed?

It’s time to recognize we all have a philosophy for the common good developed on the back of digital infrastructure. As you Choose who YOU want to be Known As in whatever societies you participate in, consider your Expectations for what you give, what the other person gets and what benefit is provided. Enjoy the upcoming weekend!

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

http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

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The resolution: A change. Progress. A transformaation. Michael Port

Earlier today LinkedIn Pulse published a Post for me entitled: “What’s Your Takeaway?” https://lnkd.in/dSPzdHZ by @Coach_Jo_Ann on @LinkedIn.

It’s a challenge for many of us to quickly embrace a new pattern, a new procedure, workplace situations we may not initially want. It is especially so after when we have committed ourselves to a project, put in the time and energy only to learn the project was “pulled.” It is our resilience that keeps us going and will do so during the balance of this year.

As You Choose Who You Want to be Known As, all the best to you in your career as you welcome the month of August, next week!

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

http://www,wordpress.com/disclosures

http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

When Mindfulness leads to Emotional Intelligence. . .

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At the heart of great leadership is a curious mind, heart, and spirit. Chip Conley via Brainy quote.com

Over the past few days, I’ve read a number of blogs from Social Media Influencers and Government Leaders. Stories emerged of how dysfunction not only causes breakdowns in communication but reason takes a backseat at a place of work. We may become a bystander to a discussion that causes us to become very uncomfortable and we don’t wish to enter the “fray.”

Some four years ago I was attending a Networking Event and was participating in a conversation between two men who were consultants. One man was from the East Coast and the other lived in a Chicago suburb. Another man, unknown to us, walked up and asked if he could join our group. We welcomed him (the black coat man) and he asked me about my business – that conversation led me to give him a sample coaching session. The man was eager and surprised himself by telling me something he had not told his wife; he was uncomfortable with the disclosure and decided to walk away. The two consultants offered that I shouldn’t have given my time to someone who clearly wasn’t appreciative of joining our discussion group.

What happened next was an example of personal mindfulness. The black coat man walked around the room and said to more than a handful of people, “You see that woman in the red jacket [meaning me] she won’t talk to me.” People began to ask, “Do you know that man?” It was unclear to many why the black coat man continued his pointing at me and saying she won’t talk to me.

Mindfulness allow you to become aware of your surroundings, what you are thinking, what you are feeling and what these sensations mean to you at that moment. Emotional Intelligence is a learned process where mindfulness forms the basis for you to manage yourself and by doing so, manage others. As you manage your emotions you are able to assist someone else likewise. Put another way, you observe what is happening around you, describe what it means to you, accept that someone else has something going on causing a disturbance, don’t take it personally and don’t become judgmental. While it may seem like a balancing act between your mind and your heart, in fact, it is a process that allow you control over how you are in the moment. The image above displays the end result of mind and heart balance – when you are comfortable in the emotional intelligence realm.

Emotional intelligence is a process and it most definitely can be learned. How you act in the moment is what I call, “Choose Who You Want to be Known As.” Since today is the last day of June we have another beginning in our imperfect world tomorrow on July 1st. Have a great month of July in your chosen career path!

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

http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

Do YOU have an Elephant in the Room?

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When the light around you lessens / And your thoughts darken /. . . Search yourself and see / That it is your own thinking / that darkens your world. John O’Donohue

whats-your-elephant-room-jo-ann-m-radja Here’s a copy for your reading:

“I just finished reading another LinkedIn Post about the paradox of innovation; namely, termination due to computer innovation. It took courage for an innovation expert who advises companies about innovation to share his personal story of how and why it came to be that his company fired staff. Yet, that ELEPHANT in the room idiom, had to be handled in a manner considering the employee’s best interest.

When we think about the idiom phrase of handling “the ELEPHANT in the room,” it usually refers to a subject matter that no one wants to discuss. Our brain perceives the conflict greater than it may be, represented by a large insurmountable figure.

Business Leaders accept the fact that the challenge of an ELEPHANT in the room must be dealt with. It is a conflict. Sometimes all that needs to be done is to have a conversation and the ELEPHANT is no longer in the room. Neuroscience, however, has offered a remarkable perspective, using an analogy of a Rider and an Elephant. The perspective is given by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology Neuroscientist, Mr. Emile Bruneau.

Bruneau explains the analogy as an example of how the brain handles conflict by stating – all the Rider can do is to train the Elephant because the Elephant is more powerful that the Rider. The Rider cannot control or fully understand the Elephant. While this story is recited in a Post by the United States Institute of Peace in an effort to teach people how to deal with conflict. I believe it speaks volumes for the business actions we are involved with. A tool is introduced to deal with conflict, “universal empathy.” http://www.usip.org/olivebranch/2016/05/05/dalai-lama-offers-hope-youth-leaders-and-vice-versa?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=event&utm_campaign=events_weekly

We know we cannot control another individual. Since we do not understand the perspective of the individual, represented by the Elephant idiom, we need to ask open-ended questions so that a two-sided conversation takes place. The How of this neuroscience perspective is to approach an Elephant in the room, with universal empathy. Questions such as, “How would you describe. . .” “What did you think would happen if . . .? “What did you expect would happen. . .”

What’s remarkable is that neuroscience now helps to explain the issue of how the ELEPHANT in the room, comes to be – in the first place. The ELEPHANT is an idiom character representing conflict, triggered by an unconscious bias. The tool — new phrase of “universal empathy” becomes a positive application to use with the conflict idiom.

The term “universal empathy” may become mainstream because it is an inclusive term. We want and do take the first step in handling a conflict. As we begin to practice the use of universal empathy – when we access our own Pause button – perhaps we can alleviate the ELEPHANT idiom character showing up. It’s another way of handling ourselves and Choosing Who We Want to be Known As in our chosen career. Have a great week!

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

http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

http://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

What’s Your 2016 Spring Surprise?

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Spirit is an invisible force made visible in all life. Maya Angelou

It happens often, you change for one reason or another. People you knew a number of years back are unable to accept the change. Apparently you surprised someone because of your development growth. What kept you together in a circle no longer applies It could be as simple as you no longer enjoy eating a certain food, or you lived in the same neighborhood and moved away, or you received a promotion that the other person wanted. Your Spring Surprise happens and you want to move forward.

Alternatively, you may be on the cusp of a change – in the process of transition. Your challenge is to assist someone to accept the transition in your career. Using the emotional intelligence matrix of. . .

observing,

describing,

accepting,

not taking it personally, and

not judging the other person. . . is one strategy to consider. Choosing Who Do You Want to be Known As during the transition process is your personal responsibility that you do not take likely.

This weekend as the Spring Equinox greets us, very best wishes for YOUR Spring Surprise. . .

So, I

Persevered.

Resilience paid off.

It’s the first day of Spring and

Not too late to

Give back to those who were kind to me.

Doubts tried to creep into my mind for a while this past winter.

And were swept away.

Yearnings will come true as you focus on

what’s important to you. ©Jo Ann M. Radja*

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

http://www.wordpress.com/disclosures

https://creativecommons.org/by-nc-sa

* This anagram was first published by me on March 20, 2015 via LinkedIn.com/Pulse

Career Management Coaching

Who Do You Want To Be Known As

Tag Archives: Curiosity

More Questions to Consider. . .

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Is it an Escher Artwork or A Natural Event?

Quote

Why We Enjoy Lights at Year-End Holidays

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What’s Your BEST Daily Change?

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When Mindfulness becomes a Personal Mantra

Aside

What’s Your Philosophy – On Mature Expectations?

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When Mindfulness leads to Emotional Intelligence. . .

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Do YOU have an Elephant in the Room?

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Earlier this afternoon, the following post was published under the title, “What’s YOUR Elephant in the Room?” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-your-elephant-room-jo-ann-m-radja Here’s a copy for your reading:

What’s Your 2016 Spring Surprise?

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Earlier this afternoon, the following post was published under the title, “What’s YOUR Elephant in the Room?” https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-your-elephant-room-jo-ann-m-radja Here’s a copy for your reading:

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