Tag Archives: LinkedIn Pulse

Impossible fun . . . with curiosity

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th6NJHG7XZMickeyMouseclipartBING092515It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.   Curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.  Walt Disney

Earlier today I published a post on LinkedIn Pulse with the Title of The Three R’s.  http://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/three-rs-jo-ann-m-radja.  Here is a modified version of that post.

A man in a creative job had been working on a new project. He submits it to the client and a discussion ensues. Even though the project was deemed unacceptable for the marketplace, he believed the discussion was fair. It was such a shock and a setback to subsequently learn his staff was hired away from him (except one man) by the company who deemed his work was out-of-fashion. This story occurred sometime during the 1920’s.  Whether it is a myth or a restatement of history, unfortunately, this story rings true for many people.
The terms of reinvent, re-engineered, retooled or right-sized were not spoken in this creative man’s era; his story has universality for us today, some 90 years later.  What Walt Disney did with his one employee was to collaborate and re-work his original drawings. Mickey Mouse was then born and introduced to the community. Many of the action terms we use today – customer driven, vision and focus, brain-storming new ideas and visualizing real-world activities for the new character – took place in the development and implementation of the Mickey Mouse character.

How quickly do you rebound from a serious let-down? What did you tell yourself to regroup and continue on? Did you re-frame the situation or just recognized perhaps the timing was all wrong? Stating these questions another way: What feedback did you receive that continued the spark in you to recognize, relate and resolve your actions to the next step? How frequently do you rely on YOUR three R’s As You Choose Who You Want to be Known As?

During the month of October, I hope your three R’s work to your best advantage as you recognize, relate and resolve.

The Three R's542by478

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

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. . . on the Contrary

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Earlier today I published two anagrams you might enjoy reading on LinkedIn Pulse at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/whats-contrary-you-jo-ann-m-radja. The text of that post now follows:

C onventional wisdom

O ften, yet not always, is right.

N ow is the time

T o consider whether the

R isk we’ve focused on merits,

A n all-out program

R oll-out this quarter. I vote

Y es. How about you?©Jo Ann M. Radja

E nergy to keep up with

T he reading

H as its downside. The upside

I s the kernel of applicability to understand

C onsequences we face in the

S hort term.©Jo Ann M. Radja

                 Have a great Fall Season in your career as you Choose Who You want to be Known As.

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

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Bias, Bias why are you here?

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image from BING043015

Writing can be an incredible mindfulness practice.

Jon Kabat Zinn

Earlier today,  the following Blog was Published by LinkedIn.com/Pulse, under my name as a LinkedIn Publisher.  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bias-where-you-jo-ann-m-radja. It was originally published under the title, “Bias, Bias where are you?”

I’ve modified the title for this careermanagement blog to, “Bias, Bias why are you here?” and added the above quotation from Jon Kabat Zinn.

“We move forward, pause, and keep on going. Yet, bias judgments of other people, bubble up, unexpectedly. Addressing these comments is not a simple task. Gossip is insidious. When it is spread by those who hold a position of authority, people believe it is true when it is not. Damage can occur when the gossip impedes your ability to work through your day, under stress.

Among other considerations, Mindfulness provides a stepping stone that gives you the support you need to handle the bias judgments. You will come to your own realization of how to handle the gossip. Stepping stones to handle the gossip have been handed down to us from present-day thought leaders, family members, educators and sages in past centuries.

Many people take the first step of speaking to the gossiper. Be prepared for an outburst; be calm and remember – this other person has a problem. Since you do not want to control the gossiper, take the first step to control how You Want to be Known As. You are responsible for your own actions in any conversation you have. Conventional wisdom tells us that gossipers are unhappy people who seek attention and who may be self-sabotaging themselves to gain some notice or popularity.

We all have an innate knowledge of what is right for ourselves (ethics) and how we want to be treated in situations that occur in our Careers. This understanding is the basis for my By-Line shown above, Choose Who You Want to be Known As. It can be subjective for you personally (considerate, pensive, hard-working, enjoys good humor), or objective as your actions with others are known to be (ambitious, collaborative, thoughtful, good listener, team-oriented).

It’s the last day in April, 2015 in your Career. Here’s an anagram for you to consider:

E nvy crept into the conversation

T he moment she couldn’t hide

H er feelings.

I t was unbecoming and noticed by the group.  It

C ontinued as her professionalism wained – although unwittingly,

S he set an example of what not to do as a leader.©Jo Ann M. Radja

Have a great month of May, 2015 when it begins tomorrow!

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

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Reflections on the 1st Friday in February 2015

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3dmagicmodelsdotcomTurtlecroppedThe Willis Clan Turning Tragedy into Triumph    We are resilient this Winter no matter where we call home.  I hope you enjoy this link for a bit of music as well as an earlier Blog, published under my name today at LinkedIn Pulse https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/friday-reflections-next-week-jo-ann-m-radja.  The text now follows:

“It is difficult for most people to live up to The Golden Rule, and consequently few of us do so with complete consistency.  Tom Morris

We confront horrible evil and we see the most exalted forms of good more often in art and history than in the ordinary course of daily life.  Tom Morris

Love is simply the most important key to proper success, authentic happiness and genuine meaning in life. . .  despite any appearances to the contrary in our world.  Tom Morris

If you want to communicate your differences quickly to customers, change your label.  Mike Michalowicz

You make a decision, often, on less than one percent of the information, because you have to.  Mike Michalowicz

Identify your top clients and remove the rest of your less-promising clients.  Mike Michalowicz.”

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

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How to manage the Common Good

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BING_012815NYBlizzardAn earlier version of this post was published by this author today with LinkedIn Pulse, under the title, “Managing the Common Good” at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/managing-common-good-jo-ann-m-radja.  Here is the text for your convenience:

“Managing the Comon Good

Quite some time ago, a friend of mine at work asked if I wanted to join her on a trip to Worchester, Massachusetts. She was a young Board Member of a national ethnic organization and planned to attend the annual conference. Of course, I jumped at the chance and received the okay to take a Friday and Monday off from work. Some seven months earlier, while on vacation, I met a guy from Nantucket, and was excited to see him again, as he was a student at Worchester College.

We travelled in the “dead of winter.” The day before we were scheduled to leave, a snow storm hit; the wind drifts blew snow against the Holiday Inn, covering the first two floors of the Inn. We were blocked in and couldn’t get out. We stayed an extra two days until it was safe to leave the Inn and drive to Logan Airport. I was thankful my employer understood the situation and the Worchester, MA community had the necessary equipment to dig out from the storm.

Early this morning, I read that Worchester, MA, had some 31 inches fall during the past two days. The entire Nantucket community had no electric power and the temperature was sub-zero. A reporter wrote how he had to climb out of his home window to get outside because the door, which opened only one way, was blocked with snow. It was predicted that The Storm of the Century would blow through the Eastern Seaboard. The Common Good Theory came into Play. State and Local Governments issued Orders to protect communities from harm and ensure safety.

We often don’t take notice how local government protects its citizens. The organization of various agencies, fire, police, transportation, weather, medical all have to come together. It is no small feat to ensure the Common Good when interpreting weather is not an absolute science. No known entity controls the Weather. Scientists and educated people interpret data and reasonable judgments are made. Should we really blame someone for not knowing, ahead of time, how miles above the earth the wind abruptly shifts and a forecast is no longer wholly accurate.

Management, whether private or government does not have all the answers. It surely recognizes this fact and decides the next step, based on presently known information. Governing from the “Syco Slate” game* of “Maybe so”, or “Without a doubt,” or “Most likely,” doesn’t work. Let’s look for the random acts of kindness that took place by government employees who worked on our behalf, in difficult weather conditions. Isn’t that the real story, together with the careered government people who looked out for us?

As you Choose Who You Want to be Known As, consider who looks out for you, when weather conditions, stand in the way of your career choice.

Enjoy your career this week!

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

http://careermanagementcoaching.me @Coach_Jo_Ann

*Syco Slate is the predecessor of the Magic 8 Ball of chance.

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Vulnerable…Vulnerability

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I wrote the following post on January 13, 2015 and would like to share it with you.  It was published by LinkedIn Pulse at https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/vulnerability-mainstream-jo-ann-m-radja-1.  The Title is “Is Vulnerability Mainstream?

“While vulnerability has quite a few definitions, we surely have understood different nuances to the word vulnerability because of our recent cold and freezing weather. Bursting pipes in the bowels of public streets, schools or retail stores have sent cold water into streets and buildings.

These challenges have drawn on our resolve and resilience to meet our daily tasks. We personally have no control over these occurrences and have learned quite easily how to manage ourselves when they occur. Yet, whether vulnerability is becoming mainstream for us personally, is an issue many people are now facing in their place of work.

During the 4th quarter of 2013, I had attended a Coaching Conference where an exercise was introduced. We had to pair up with a person near us – face that person – and look at their face for a few minutes, without speaking. We are not used to purposely looking at someone because starring at someone, in our culture, is impolite. What I learned later was that this exercise was an exercise in vulnerability. How comfortable are you in looking at someone’s face, close range. What happens first when the comfort level subsides, do your eyes look down, do you move your head, or your whole body? What are you protecting yourself from, yourself, their gaze upon your face or what you think they see in you?

Switching to 16 months later, while attending a networking event, I noticed that quite a few people were comfortable directly looking at a face, close range, while engaged in conversation (not side-by-side). Others kept a specific distance between faces. Someone engaged me in a conversation and felt very comfortable looking at my face for quite a few minutes. Perhaps we tap into our sense of courage before we allow vulnerability to occur. Would you agree?

Culture surely has an impact on whether vulnerability is considered mainstream. So, what’s your level of facial vulnerability as you engage someone at your workplace? As You Choose Who You Want to be Known As, consider whether your facial expressions represent the best of you. Have a great career week!

‘Jo Ann’ M. Radja, Career Management Coach

Notes: Exercises in Trust have been used in corporations and classrooms for decades. Facial Vulnerability seems to be now entering the mix. If you have examples of participating in a Facial vulnerability exercise, please share your comments with me. (Psychologists are also writing about this exercise as one example to see if you are compatible in new personal dating relationships.)”

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