Tag Archives: mentoring

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.

WHAT ARE WE SEEING?

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As I was approaching a friend’s driveway, I noticed a young dog standing on three legs, by the side of the road next to my friend’s fence.   Perhaps the dog was standing in a yoga pose, with one leg bent upwards.  It was a first time for me to see a dog that way.

After I parked my car in the driveway, I looked at the dog, some 20 yards away.  The dog saw me and started to walk over, on four legs!  The dog started to walk around my car and smiled.   Another car approached.  The driver rolled down her window, as did I, and we spoke.  She said she also saw the dog standing on three legs;  she thought it was a lame lost dog, so she doubled back to check it out.  (What I didn’t know at the time was that the dog was a pit bull.)

The other driver had a spare leash in her car, which she fastened to the dog’s neck.  The dog seemed eager to come up to me and the woman driver couldn’t believe the dog did not belong to me.  The other driver was becoming insistent that I knew the dog and that the dog lived at the home I was about to visit.   Finally, the other driver offered and agreed to drop the dog off at a neighborhood shelter and we said our goodbyes.  

I later wondered how often we see something and are not sure what to make of it.  What do we do? How do we handle the situation?  What do our senses tell us?   Is our intuition working for us that day?

As we begin our week, how can we address a situation that may seem odd or uncomfortable – with a different approach.   Is our judgment taking over a situation instead of our being more aware, and keeping an open mind?   Whatever your choose, it will be Who You Want To Be Known As.   Have a great week!

Jo Ann M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent April 9, 2012

Going Home?

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“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. . .

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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. . .

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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

February 5-11, 2012 International Coaching Week

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On a rainy Saturday morning last Fall, I drove off to check out a number of apartments for lease. Within 20 minutes of driving, the sun came out and it felt a bit warmer outside. 10 minutes later, it was pouring rain everywhere. This weather pattern continued for a few hours until I began to head back to my friend’s home.

As I was driving, I noticed two young boys holding signs that were almost as tall as they were.  Since the boys stood on the opposite side of the street, I drove around the block and approached their signs. They read the school was having a fundraising car wash. The boys motioned where I had to find the car wash and I was surprised to see some 40 young boys and girls, most of whom were shorter than my car. They were organized into four washing groups. Parents were standing on the sidelines watching “the wash”.

When I was told to stop my car, it started to drizzle rain again. About 10 young kids surrounded my car; they were oblivious to the drizzling, armed with rags and buckets of soapy water, ready to give my car a good wash. After the tallest kid washed the roof of my car, four hoses washed down all the soap. Smiles surrounded my car from every direction. What fun these kids were having. It was the best car wash I ever had.

I gave a donation and eased my way out of the parking lot. I thought, “Who would have imagined a car wash taking place during today’s weather?” Yet, what an event it was…team work, responsibility, determination, organization, leadership, collaboration. It felt good to witness these values in action on a day that many people did not want to venture outside

Being aware of your surroundings and being aware of how you use social media is pretty commonplace today. Yet, it is not commonplace to understand how Awareness affects ourselves by allowing us see opportunities we didn’t see before. The capacity for Awareness is a Coaching principle. Perhaps this weekend you will have an experience to understand yourself differently by being more Aware of Who You Want To Be Known As.   Enjoy.

Jo Ann M. Radja, Career Management Coach & Change Agent 02/10/12

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. . .

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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).

Is it a Recommendation or a Testimonial?

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When it really counts, how often do you get a Recommendation from someone?  How did you feel when someone said, No, to giving you a Recommendation?

Social Media doesn’t provide standard definitions for a recommendation or testimonial.  How would you define these terms?  I believe a Testimonial is given when someone thought you did really well and perhaps wants to keep a relationship going.  A Recommendation is given by someone who paid for and was satisfied by the work or service provided (volunteer service work included).

Testimonials are positive and very meaningful.  They provide recognition for a given period of time.  A Recommendation usually overs a specific time period.  Recommendations place responsibility on the author to discuss the recommendation, if called upon to do so.  Lastly, Testimonials live on while Recommendations get stale with time, perhaps due to Recruiters wanting current information.

Are you very satisfied with the work someone is doing?  Why not take a few minutes now and make a gift of a Recommendation.  You will feel pretty good about it and it will provide a great service to the recipient.

If you received Recommendations upon entering higher levels of education, do they still matter five years later, or do they get placed in the nostalgia bin?   What happens to employment Recommendations?  They probably are never looked at again unless something goes amiss with the employee at a future date.

Although for different reasons, Bernie Madoff’s name wil be remembered for a long time, as will Dr. Samuel Mudd.  Dr. Mudd was the physician who unknowingly treated President Lincoln’s assassin.  (The phrase, “Your name is mud” is an outcome of Dr. Mudd treating John Wilkes Booth.)  What Recommendations and/or Testimonials were given to Madoff in his decades-long Ponzi Scheme.  What value do they hold now for a convicted felon who will be jailed, with no parole, for the rest of his life?

As I conclude this Blog, I am aware that I asked quite a few questions.  That’s the business of Coaches.  Please continue to write all future recommendations and/or testimonials with considerable care.  They are definitely necessary and I hope will reflect Who You Want To Be Known As, while serving someone you know.

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