Tag Archives: Values

“Curiouser and Curiouser”

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Google051414We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence then. . .  is a habit.  Aristotle

 

A trusted  friend of mine and I had interesting chats about how office politics is like story plots from Alice in Wonderland,  by Lewis Carroll.   While we both held management positions, you do need to have an outlet in the office where “venting” can occur.  It was always a safe conversation, without violating any departmental confidences.  In fact, when we were close to ending the talk, we both looked forward to saying, “It’s like Alice in Wonderland, isn’t it.”   We smiled,  and moved onto the next Curiouser and Curiouser  situation we were paid to handle.

 

Today, some 150 years after Alice in Wonderland was published, we apply curiosity differently in our careers.  Curiosity is a good thing, especially in a coaching environment.  People want to be understood and a Coach wants to understand the client to facilitate the client achieving the agreed, targeted goal.

 

Curious – an act of empathy to learn from and engage another person.©

 

Curiosity – An emotional concept for serving another person.©

 

Curiouser and Curiouser – An ability of demonstrating servant leadership in the workplace.©

 

Have a great week As You Choose Who You Want to be Known As when curiosity presents itself!

 

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

Ethics and Compliance Week 2014

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Our system of morality is a body of imperfect social generalizations expressed in terms of emotions. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

Early in the morning, he wanted
To meet.
He was late for almost an hour and never apologized.
It seemed he totally forgot.
Can leaders make mistakes? Yes, they can. A
Servant Leader would own his accountability. ©

Everyone was ready for the meeting. It
Touched many to
Hear the first Speaker’s enthusiasm of her strategy, that
Increased attention to the message. It
Caused many to sit up.
So keep an open mind for the name of the industry as the
company’s name may surprise you. ©

Have a great week in your Career!

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

If you’re interested, The Society of Corporate Compliance & Ethics (SCCE) has expert videos for you to take a look at:  http://www.corporatecompliance.org/Resources/ResourceOverview/ExpertVideos.aspx

 

Judging, judged, judge

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The frog never judges, never evaluates, and never gives advice – it merely offers questions.  Dr. Karl Albrecht

 

Frequently in our careers, we find ourselves being judged by our actions, or lack of action on an issue.  How do we handle it?  We may answer, “I forgot,” “I guess I didn’t make it a priority.”  “Thanks for reminding me, I’ll take care of it right now.”   The answers are many and varied in response to someone who may be in a situation of  Judging, Judged or Judge.  Dr. Karl Albrecht in his 2004 book entitled,  Conversations With a Frog (http://www.amazon.com/Conversations-Frog-Dr-Karl-Albrecht/dp/0913351172)  guides us to consider asking questions and not evaluate or judge someone because within a professional coaching situation, questions are the norm.

 

Dr. Wayne Dyer offers the following thought:

Green_Leaf_2WayneDyerquoteonjudgingothersBING032414This quotation begs the question of whether how you would act in a situation comes out in a conversation and not how the person you may be speaking to has acted.    It’s a learned practice not to judge others.   Experts tells us a new habit can be learned within some 21 days.   The Season of Spring often helps us look forward to new ways and opportunities to develop ourselves.   If it’s a good fit for you, consider how you Choose Who You Want to be Known As in the next situation of Judging, Judged, Judge.

 

Have a wonder Spring Season in your Career!

 

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

 

 

 

Courage can build Trust

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Be sure you put feet in the right place, then stand firm.

Abraham Lincoln

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E-Everyone gossips, people say.

T-Today it takes courage to reply

H-How the Office doesn’t permit gossip.

 I -Interesting how the first step to

C-Confirm what the values of an office are

S-Seems daunting to many people. ©Jo Ann M. Radja

E-Extra documents need

T-To be shown to verify

H-How you can afford a debt.

I-It’s easy to obtain.

C-Confidence builds trust

S-So that collaboration can begin.©Jo Ann M. Radja

Have a great day as you Choose Who You Want to be Known As!

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

Notes:  http://en.wordpress.com/tos/

What Pieces are YOU picking up?

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A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.  David Brinkley

CT weather1.JPGOne way of interpreting David Brinkley’s quotation is to understand you have to be self-reliant in your life.  You Choose Who You Want to be Known As at any given moment of  time.  Sometimes we surprise ourselves and other times it a great effort to work through whatever process is before us.  The question becomes. What pieces are you picking up in your career?

The photo above could be seen as plastic pieces on asphalt or another mixed media art project in the making, or a schematic design of a puzzle maze or magnified pieces of broken glass.  The reality is,  it is a cracked ice formation on the Chicago River.    What we see is perception.   Our perception is formed by past experiences, the present moment, the time of day, our culture and our values.   How mindful we are of our emotions and the emotions of others will drive our perceptions as well.

If you had to pick up pieces today that were left by someone else, what would your first step be?  Pick up the pieces, finish the task and then move on.  Ask someone for assistance because the job entails more than you are able to handle at this moment? or, walk away from the pieces and let someone else take care of it because it’s not your responsibility anyway?   Since the readers of this blog come from so many professions, there is no correct answer.  If the pieces are left for you to deal with this week, Choose Who You Want to be Known As.  Best of luck as you choose!
“Jo Ann” M. Radja, Career Management Coach and Change Agent

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A Way for Silence

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When you fall down, are you alone or are you in public, or was someone nearby that helped you stand straight.  Because I have a weak right ankle, there have been a few times I have fallen down during the daytime in pubic when the pavement was not even.  The way of Silence surrounding this event is astonishing.

Since I did grow up in a football family, I watched the 2014 Super Bowl.  Early on,  sports announcers gave positive explanations why the Professional Denver Broncos may have been nervous and missed certain plays.  This worldwide event has been taken apart and analyzed by many experts in the sports field.  This blog is focusing on a different aspect to this event. . . The way of Silence.

Many of us have grown up with advice, “If you have nothing good to say, don’t say anything.”  When someone is down, you don’t step on them and make they feel worse.

I took a look for a reporter’s take on the 2014 Super Bowl published this morning and found: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1947809-super-bowl-2014-blowout-score-was-most-shocking-result-in-years.  The way of Silence was taken by a reporter who gave quiet reflection.  He wrote in a positive way how the Broncos were not the only Offense Team beaten in a Super Bowl.  The way of Silence allowed reframing to take the sting out of the Broncos performance.

We can’t change what happened yesterday in our careers.  We can only Choose Who We Want to be Known As when we fall down.  Hopefully, we can fall into the Way of Silence and reframe the situation.  Have a great week!

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

Notes:  http://en.wordpress.com/tos/

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1947809-super-bowl-2014-blowout-score-was-most-shocking-result-in-years

The mid, mean or middle

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A few years ago while speaking to someone,  I used the phrase, a person’s viewpoint can “turn on a dime.”  It was the first time this phrase was heard by the person I was speaking to.  This idiom means that change can happen very quickly as a reaction to an event, whether inside ourselves or from one of our senses.     For many of us, we know that we change everyday, simply because we are one day older. We are able to change lanes while driving because we were initially trained to do so and we develop experience to safely do so.  We are able to change our appearance quickly with a new haircut, a new pair of glasses or a new style of clothing.  Yet, to change a behavior, to move from the mid, mean or middle is not an easy task.

Perhaps we need to remind ourselves that we don’t have to move from the mid, mean or middle (which is in the center or between two opposite sides).  It is a good place to be because it allows for an understanding of what is above or below you.  Why does your opinion differs from the first comment or the last comment in a meeting. . . or why caution may be necessary as opposed to rushing to judgment or ignoring that a problem exists.

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Opportunities are available to us.  We may have to create an opportunity or one may fall unexpectedly in our lap.  What opportunities have you noticed over the past few weeks of January, that you wished you had taken?  Was the opportunity what you wanted?  Or is your mid, mean or middle position keeping you happy in your career?  As you think about a difficulty that presents an opportunity now or tomorrow, Choose Who You Want to be Known As.

Keep warm and safe on this day, my WordPress 2nd Anniversary.   Thanks for your time in reading my Blog.

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

Feed, Fodder or Feedback

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Feed, fodder or feedback — it’s the Monday morning “quarterbacking” of what your impressions, comments and responses are about an event, project or idea. Within our culture, the idiom, “Feeding frenzy” is an aggressive attack on someone by a group. … Continue reading →

What’s your Influence?

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You don’t have to be a “person of influence” to be influential. In fact, the most influential people in my life are probably not even aware of the things they’ve taught me. Scott Adams We’re saying good-bye tomorrow to the year … Continue reading →

The SOMETHING we deal with wherever we are…

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ResilienceHefferBlogspotdotcomGoogle121713

Last week when I awoke, it was one degree outside.  When I came home, some 13 hours later and as I opened my car door and stepped out, it felt wonderful and much warmer.  It really did.  I checked my cell phone and was surprised to read it was only 14 degrees.   What?  That’s all?  The something we deal with wherever we are is getting through our day the best we can by being resilient.

Snow fell this week in Vietnam; it caused a traffic jam, not primarily because of the weather.  Many people who had never seen snow drove to see where it fell.  Snow fell over the Middle East as well.  A Jordanian Prince joined other people to help a motorist out of a snow bank.  Below is a Picasso image of resilience that the editor(s) of http://www.essentiallifeskills.net/   chose to represent resilience.  What do you think?

resilienceEssentiallifeskillsdotnetGoogle121713

When we are at our workplace, the SOMETHING we deal with  usually comes up when an emotional response takes place.    [Should I take a moment and manage my emotions before speaking to anyone else?]   How did this happen?  What’s the first response to our staff?  What information do we need that we don’t as yet have?  What must we address right now, later today or tomorrow?   How am I dealing with the element of survival at this moment?  What can I do that I haven’t done before to control myself, and remain aware of what’s going on to assist other people?

As you choose Who You Want to be Known As this week, when YOU deal with that SOMETHING, consider this – – – 395807_157593734356934_1584943477_n2karlinsloanwordpressdotcomGoogle121713

I hope you Shine brightly, whatever your activity this week.

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

Note:  The images shown in this blog post were allowed to be copied and pasted from Google Images.