How Effective Are You?

How Effective Are You?
In the realm of time management, the word effective is used quite often.  In fact, there is usually a comparison made between effective vs. efficient and of course, both are needed for professional success.

As a reminder, a common definition of effective is doing the right things at the right time to get the best results. However, in this post, I’d like to expand our thinking around the concept of being effective.

I believe increasing our “effectiveness” is more important than ever in creating and maintaining value to our organizations. It’s a must have and do career strategy.

An Expanded View
Consider effectiveness to not only be getting the right things done at the right time, but additionally identifying and  addressing needs, identifying potential solutions, and getting high-impact results.  In essence, effectiveness is beyond just executing tasks.

If this expanded view of being effective is to be realized, then what’s needed in order for this new version to occur?

Consider the following:
1.    Broader knowledge of the players involved in key situations, their roles, their strengths and weaknesses.
2.    A clear understanding of the core needs of the company.
3.    Identification and laser focus on the core needs of internal and external customers and how your role (and that of your team or department) addresses and impacts those core needs.
4.    How does the specifics of your job description contribute to the above.

Compiling the information to the above will craft a bigger picture from which to work to develop and increase your effectiveness. In fact, you may need to volunteer to tweak your job description.  There are a lot of job descriptions out there that are not “value based” job descriptions (meaning they are more about being busy than get high-impact results).

From this big picture access how you go about your work week, what you do with your time and how the tangible results of the day impact this big picture.  If you’re a manager, do the same with your team.

Then ask yourself this question, “Am I getting things done or am I getting things done that also impact the bigger picture.”   Getting things done that impact the greater picture are high impact results.

The irony of productivity is we can go a full work week, get things done and yet have little to no activity that significantly address the big picture.

Coaching Tip: Plan and work with the big picture in mind. Make sure to track and language your performance with this in mind. This is a beneficial strategy in performance reviews.  You can communicate and show how you’ve demonstrated results with more value.

Career Management Bonus Tip: This is also a great strategy for how to communicate your experience in a job interview.

Leadership Lessons from Tiger Woods

First let me say, my heart is very sadden by the public display of the dismantling of a public image and there in is the reason why I decided to write this post.  There are many lessons  here for professional success, professional credibility and leadership and management success. The grace of it?….we are learning from someone’s mistake, other than our own. I invite the readers of this post to do so humbly.

Usually I don’t use this blog to discuss sensationlized news, yet I felt compelled to comment on this particular occurrence and even more so after reading a thought-filled blog post that I found very instructive.  You can read the entire post from the other blog, Orin Woodward Leadership Team,  provided at the end of this post.  What I want to do is submit my thoughts in light of that post.

My Thoughts:

One of the guiding themes of my practice and any coaching and training I do is leading, managing, living from the inside out.  Who we are on the inside dictates the kind of person we’ll be on the outside. This truth proves itself out, time and time again.

That’s why it’s so important to work on our insides more than any other area.  There are many managers and leaders who want to fix the people around them rather than consider, “what about me has allowed these circumstances to occur.”

I do carry the belief that people of great talent, those in high levels of leadership and influence need to be especially attentive to what’s going on on the inside and have someone in their life they deeply trust to help them effectively deal with their own inner activity no matter how unpleasant it might be.

To stay grounded and truthful with the good and the bad about ourselves is essential to a successful life and complete health.

It’s very common to talk to a leader of an organization and discover they feel isolated and that there is no one in their life that they can talk with about deeply intimate issues, that in some cases they are embarrassed about.

Perhaps that was true in Tiger’s case.  Perhaps he has struggled with sexual addiction (if this is true) from an early age or it surfaced after his father’s death to fill a emotional hole left with his Dad’s profound absence.  These are all assumptions of course.

What is not…we all need to continually practice internal honesty as the first source of living a meaningful, productive, successful life. How we do that will be reflected in every activity and relationship we have in every context.

This post serves as my summary of the following points from the post referenced above…truly profound and worth a read.

Key Points:

I. Leaders need to build their lives upon the solid foundation of good character and morals, not on gifts and abilities.

II. Leaders must understand that having great career success does not cause us to experience or feel internal significance and satisfaction

III. Leaders need to develop good coping skills so they can courageously confront reality instead of escaping from it.

IV. Leaders must not feed an ego-driven lifestyle.

VI. Leaders must understand that money, material possessions and a beautiful spouse cannot fill the vast empty space of an unhealthy emotional soul.

VII. Leaders need to understand the underlining motivation behind what drives them.

VIII. Leaders often equate performance with acceptance.

Eight Lessons Leaders Can Learn from Tiger Wood’s Life

Please pass on to colleagues and friends.  To our personal and professional success! JoAnn

A Key to Performance Success – Do This Unique Assessment

As the end of the year approaches, (which is hard to believe), it’s a ritual of many to take stock of the year that’s gone by. By the way if you don’t do that, that’s personal and professional success tip #1 – make it a habit to do an in depth assessment of how your year has gone.

Related to performance success, this is essential and I want to recommend a method that is a twist on the more traditional ways of approaching this.

To follow is a link to an assessment tool called – Annual Portfolio Evaluation.  What is unique about this assessment approach is the human part of the equation commonly known as our strengths and weaknesses is now reframed as an ASSEST OR LIABILITY, which is the language used on a company balance sheet and other company resources.

I think that this is the key advantage to using this approach.  You and those you use this with can feel a greater sense of responsibility to what you can contribute, in essence the value you and members of your team bring to an organization.  Framing it this way vs. “strength and weakness,” adds a whole new dimension to working in the context of human resource. In fact many use the word human capital vs. human resource.

This also can be used in developing a Personal Development Plan or integrating the information into any development program currently being used in any organization.

Conversely, there is something called a “liability.”  A liability is explained in Websters a follows:
3 : one that acts as a disadvantage : drawback.

This is a useful way of helping somone see that what would otherwise be considered a weakness is actually a cost.  The message is stronger – that behavior or lack of skill is costing you and the company.  There is a cost. As somone who runs my own firm, I am keenly aware of what weaknesses I have and how they tangibly translate into costing me money. Each employee needs to constructively feel that on some level.

This message and experience is much stronger than, “you’ve got a weakness.”

I recommend you download the free assessment sheet above and give it a whirl.  Got any questions? Don’t hesitate to contact me at joann@joanncorley.com

To your success! JoAnn

It Bears Repeating – Facebook Firings are Real

So…be vigilant in managing your personal brand on line. See other posts regarding this as well.

It’s a fact – EVERYBODY…every entity, potential employers, work comp lawyers are checking, researching, dare I say spying on you!

It is also a fact that ANYTHING on line about you is fair game.

If you google the phrase “facebook firing,” you’d be amazed at the amount of links that show up.

I want to bring two stories of late to your attention.  First a woman whose disability compensation was canceled and a Georgia teacher showing pictures of an overseas trip where she was innocently tasting and drinking wine….and yes ….she was fired for that!

1. Disability Piece

2. Georgia Teacher

Coaching Tip: Assess the pictures on your site.  Is there ANYTHING that could be misinterpreted regarding your employment.  Get feedback from others or a career advisor.

If you’d like a independent eye, I’d be happy to look at your site – just contact me here: joann@joanncorley.com

Is Coaching the Next New Form of Employee Training?

Is Coaching the Next New Form of Employee and Management Training?

The Answer is YES! – Call It C.I.T. and… it’s a refreshing alternative to management training seminars.

In fact, more and more companies are putting corporate coaches on retainer.

You know corporate coaching has been around for a long time, mostly confined to the context of executive coaching, but now it comes in the form of time management coaching, communication coaching, performance coaching, leadership coaching, success coaching, and the ever popular personal life coaching. It can be whatever you need it to be and that’s the point!

In a climate that calls for smarter use of training dollars than ever before, companies are beginning to look not only to a more blended learning strategy that includes e-learning, webinars and tele-conferences, but also one-on-one delivery and help.

Coaching is a customized version of training, particularly when you couple it with targeted learning, which is the model I use. In fact I call it C.I.T. – customized individual training. It is a way to gain the highest level of return on investment for every training dollar spent.

Here’s a couple of questions and answers to expanded our understanding of coaching and its value.

What is Coaching?
What is a coaching relationship (short-term or long)?
A partnership
A committed alliance

What is a Coach?
An objective, key relationship who listens to what you are saying, helps you to set priorities and acts as a sort of “compass” to steer you on whatever course you choose; a facilitator of change.
Can be described as:
Sounding board
Advocate
Partner
Believer
Supporter
Informer
Resource

What Does Coaching Offer?
…a structured time and safe place to address specific situations

…working with goals by setting, planning and evaluating the process of meeting them and problem solving to name a few.

… A synergy that fuels your will, mind and heart to accomplish/ attain what you desire.

In the case of career coaching, it is working through a planning model to map out a desired career track. It’s a time to get honest and objective feedback from someone who does not have an “agenda” for you, but is committed to supporting your agenda.

Coaching additionally provides:
structure to the development process
insight
measured outcomes
accountability
encouragement, affirmation, support
clarity
focus
unleashing passion
discovering & breaking down mental barriers
unlocking potential
uncovering deep desires
sorting through thoughts feelings and emotions
goal creation
life plan design

Key Advantages
o    Specific and Directed Attention -you bring up the issues most critical to you at that moment.
o    Time Usage-this most valuable commodity is used exactly how you wish.
o    Scheduling Flexibility (the times are arranged at your convenience.  If a change needs to occur, it can be done without affecting a group or any sessions being missed.)
o    Sustained Momentum – through consistent contact and action you are able to keep your goals in front of you because there are so many other legitimate needs clamoring for your attention as well.
o    Results – through coaching goal setting and planned action is discussed thereby achieving measurable progress towards your desired results.
o    Current Information – I bring the skills of research and resourcefulness to this collaboration to compliment your efforts.
o    Confidence- planning & action breeds confidence and clarity.

Coaching Tip: Evaluate your learning strategy.  Ask yourself, “Am I learning efficiently and effectively?” “How is that impacting my return on investment for the training dollars I’m using?”

If this post has prompted you to want to learn more, don’t hesitate to contact me for a quick chat.  You can so so at: joann@joanncorley.com

Online Brand Management – A Career Management Must

Social Networking can provide career opportunity, help with career information, help with career planning and even help you advance your career….but you’ve got to manage your on line “rep.”

It’s almost as if we don’t have a choice.  Earlier this year…(and when I checked it was January…phew has time gone fast)…I wrote a post about integrating social networking into your career management strategy, which includes career search. In that article, I mentioned being careful about what’s out there about you, at least in terms of what you have control over.

I recently ran across a site that offers a useful tool that can help you actively manage your on-line presence or brand. One of the things this tool/service helps you do is regularly monitor if your name shows up in a search and what it says.  Why does that matter?…because people are becoming more “free wheeling” with information not just about themselves but about US TOO!  AND….it may not be all good.  I mean some of the stuff I’ve read has absolutely NO discretion.  Remember recruiters search…those who hire search…for stuff about you – online!!!

Though I’ve not engaged this service yet, I wanted to bring it to your attention to consider…to let you know it exists.  This service for some of us will be a save time issue.  I mean how many of us have time to consistently do searches on ourselves one line. (Though I do recommend that’s done  at least once a quarter.) The site is Brand-Yourself.com.

In fact what drew me to the site was an article of how someone found a job using Twitter. Rather than comment, I’ve provided the link for you to read in full. Hey ready for a career move?….be ready to “tweet.”

Here’s the bottom line.  Social networking is here to stay. It is only going to gain more of an influential foothold in our lives AND in our professional lives.  My coaching tip is to embrace it, leverage it, and effectively manage it.  In fact make it a career goal to do so.

Coaching Question:  How can you use social sites more strategically than you are right now?  My next post will have  at least one practical answer to that.

Should you need help in this area, don’t hesitate to contact me…if it’s just for free advice or formal career coaching:  Work Life 911 is the link you should have and use….and pass it on to friends…just in case they need it!

To your success, JoAnn

A New Way of Looking at Management

As we move forward in this “new economy,” I think it would serve us well to give new definitions to many common areas of our professional lives.

One key area of note is that of management…how we see it, how we define it, and our relationship to it.

I would like to propose a new way of looking at management. Here’s what I suggest…let’s look at the concept of management as one in which everyone is engaged…everyone is one and doing it! What do I mean? Upon closer inspection, the word manage or management goes way beyond a title and using it that way limits the use of the potential of every employee.

In fact when you look at the primary definition of the word manage, here is what you’ll find: to handle or direct with a degree of skill. In looking at this definition, you’ll determine that in order to be a successful professional in any content you need to effectively “manage” whatever is required.

Management is not necessarily a title – it is a behavior…a behavior that is done with a needed level of skill…by everyone!

Now with that said, in order to ensure professional success, the question then is what key areas should be considered to be managed…where do the essentials skills need to lie? Here is my core list:
Your ability to manage…
1. Yourself
2. Information
3. Stuff & Work Space
4. Time
5. Priorities
6. People/Relationships (which includes your boss)
7. Your role in a process
8. Your knowledge and use of technology
9. Your career/work-life

In future posts, I’ll expand on each of these and in my Management-in-Minutes Library there are plenty of tips and lessons that will help you build effectiveness in each of these areas. A sample of one is included in the link at the end of this post.

Coaching Tip: Review this list… assess on a scale of 1-5 (5 being the highest) where you are in your skill set. Where there are gaps, create a PDP (Personal Development Plan) which creates a plan for you to gain knowledge and increase your skills in these key areas.

Here’s a lesson from the Management-in-Minutes Library that addresses area #1 – Managing Yourself.  The lesson is entitled: Your Power Point (and that doesn’t mean the slides.)