Author: WorkAuthentically

Change and Body

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

I enjoy change! I know it’s something that makes me weird, but I embrace it. You see, I’m an improver at heart. I love to find ways to make systems, processes, and environments better. And I especially love helping people live into the best version of themselves through change.

Even though I love change so much I’ve literally written a book on it, change is still a challenge. It’s something that I have to work at and something my clients struggle with too. So for the next several weeks, we’re going to explore answers to the question: Why Is Change So Hard?

Our bodies are complex pieces of equipment that do a whole lot of things for us from providing a physical repository for all of our bones, muscles, and organs all the way to breathing automatically and pumping blood so that all those parts keep on functioning.

Our bodies are designed to keep us safe, which is awesome in the wilderness when a threat is nearby, but it’s a whole lot less helpful when we’re trying to make change happen and drop those 15 pounds we gained during quarantine!

Our bodies basically give us only 3 options when faced with a threat (and more often than not, doing something new is considered a threat): Fight, flight, or freeze. As you can imagine, battling against change, running away from change, and doing nothing in the face of change aren’t overly helpful responses.

Especially if you want or need to actually change!

Know that your body is going to protest the new thing, at least at first. And be prepared for that response so you can move beyond it. And if you’re looking for more guidance, I am offering a Change Conqueror virtual workshop designed to help you tackle any change you want to make in work or life (whether you’ve chosen change or not!).

#PositiveAction You can make change happen. Take a deep breath. And do it again. In fact, keep focusing on your breath until your body has stopped freaking out in the name of safety! Yes!! You got this!

 

Image by Ryan McGuire from Pixabay

Ambiguity

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

Anyone else besides me feel like they’re swimming in ambiguity? There is a lot of unknown right now. As we get closer to the fall season and kick off our 6th month of hanging out at home, many things feel as uncertain as they were at the start.

We don’t know how long we’ll need to continue our physical distancing. We don’t know what the school year will look like or how it will work. We don’t even know what sports schedules will be!

Not knowing can be scary, but we don’t have to act out of fear.

We can choose to control what’s in our control. Here’s a few ways I’m approaching it. As for the distancing piece, I’m still scheduling virtual calls into the future. If instead we can meet in person and hug for a really long time, great! If not, I can control how connected I’m going to be.

As for school, I know that learning is going to happen and the most likely path includes an element of virtual learning. That was a challenge this spring, but we learned a lot and can adjust this fall as a result. I’m also working to create a little dedicated space for both my kids so that they can do their best work. I can’t wave my magic wand and build out a ton more space, but I can be smarter about where they are situated as well as how I schedule my days.

For sports… I’ve got nothing. We are instead using the time we would have spent spectating and doing other activities. We are making up our own holidays (a belated Merry Half Christmas to you all!). We are reading long books aloud as a family. We are singing and dancing to music. Basically, we’re making up our own fun.

Much as I would like to know exactly what’s next, I can’t see into the future. Both those facts were true BEFORE the pandemic started. So I’m choosing to control what little I can and let the rest go. What about you?

#PositiveAction Write down one thing that’s driving you crazy to not know. Then let it go in whatever way feels most satisfying.

Some ideas: Recycle it. Shred it. Burn it (safely!). Wrap it in duct tape. Glue it so it can never be opened again (can you tell I’ve been getting school supplies in order?!?). Bonus points for sharing what you did with me!  

 

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

Find Your Place – Part 3

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

In case you’re just following along now, we have been exploring the 3 S’s… those 3 things to keep in mind when you are trying to find your place. That place could be how you fit into the organization where you work. It could be how you fit in a movement or take action or volunteer your time.

Most of us struggle with finding our place in different dimensions of our lives, so it’s important to find actionable steps you can take. And you know I’m the Positive Action person, so I’ve got some ideas!

As a recap, those 3 S’s are:

  1. Strengths
  2. Start
  3. Stretch

What does it mean to Stretch?  It means to do things you may not have done before. It means to be flexible as the situation changes. It’s all about adaptability (which btw was identified as one of the top skills for 2020 before anyone knew just how true it would be!).

Finding your place can be messy work. It may not be immediately apparent how you can best help the organization that you want to help.

Often, we have an image in our head of how we can swoop in, do some awesome work, and have thank-yous come pouring in. Spoiler alert: It almost never goes like that!

Instead, we may offer to share our strengths and get told no or ignored completely. We may start something and join a group, but because we didn’t feel an immediate connection, we stop going.

This is where we need to lean into the stretch! It’s time to try doing something else, or volunteering for the thing no one wants to do even if its not our strength. It can be uncomfortable to be flexible and adaptable, but the more we do it, the less awkward it becomes!

Finding our place often has nothing to do with us and everything to do with the bigger picture. The folks that are in it only for themselves don’t stick around too long (you’ve probably crossed paths with some people like that!). The people that see how their contribution, however small, is helping the greater good are the most likely to keep at it. And I’m all for more good in the world, especially right now!

#PositiveAction Practice adaptability by re-engaging with a group or offering a different kind of help than you have previously. There’s room for all of us as we find our place together.

If the last few months have been challenging or overwhelming and you want to talk with someone about finding your place in a movement, at work, or in life, I’ve opened up some 30-minute slots (FREE!) on my calendar. Use the contact form to reach out for more details.

This is the third in a three-part series on finding your place, whether in a movement, at work, or in life! See part 1 and part 2 here.

 

Image by MattHrusc from Pixabay

Find Your Place – Part 2

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

We started to explore the 3 S’s… those 3 strategies to leverage when you are trying to find your place. That place could be how you fit into the organization where you work. It could be how you fit in a movement or take action or volunteer your time.

Most of us struggle with finding our place in different dimensions of our lives, so it’s important to find actionable steps you can take. And you know I’m the Positive Action person, so I’ve got some ideas!

As a recap, those 3 S’s are:

  1. Strengths
  2. Start
  3. Stretch

Today we’re going to explore the shockingly simple, but surprisingly difficult second action to take: Start.

Start somewhere. Start anywhere. Just start.

So often, we struggle most with starting, whether a dreaded chore, a big project at work, or deciding where to volunteer our limited time. Instead of starting, we wait. We wait for a better time or something more convenient or any number of things. And then it gets harder to start.

As I shared after writing my first book, one of the hardest things I had to do to make that dream happen was to actually write. I’d thought about writing for 20 years, but I hadn’t started writing. I needed to just start somewhere, anywhere really… and wouldn’t you know the momentum of starting kept me moving forward toward my goal! It wasn’t an easy path, but if I didn’t start, I would never have seen that dream come to life.

Don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed by the complexity. Some of the world’s most complex and challenging problems would be best served by having more people start on them. The climate crisis, systemic racism and so many other challenges we’re facing will benefit from people being willing to start. Does changing one light bulb to use less electricity or participating in one protest fix everything? No. But it’s a little bit better than it was before.

How do you become a millionaire? START saving. How do you become more fit? START exercising. How do you find your place? START! It’s one small action after another that eventually gets us where we want to go.

So start somewhere. Start anywhere. Just start. And keep following the path that appears.

#PositiveAction In whatever space you are trying to find your place, just start. Start doing something, anything and see where that takes you.

This is the second in a three-part series on finding your place, whether in a movement, at work, or in life! See part 1 here.

 

Image by Siggy Nowak from Pixabay

Find Your Place – Part 1

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

2020 has been a wonderful year if you enjoy a large amount of ambiguity. This is a strength for some people, but for many of us (myself included!), that simply isn’t the case. We’ve seen a global pandemic, parallels between COVID-19 and the climate crisis, and the Black Lives Matter movement take center stage and we’re only halfway through the year.

We don’t have resolution yet on how any of these things will turn out, which creates uncertainty as we face the ambiguity. And if you’re like a lot of my friends and clients, you’re not entirely sure what you can do or how you can be a part of the changes that are happening. Though when in doubt, wear a mask!!

To that end, we’re going to spend some time looking at 3 things you can do when you’re trying to find your place, whether in a movement, at work, or in life! Those things boil down to the 3 S’s:

  1. Strengths
  2. Start
  3. Stretch

You’ve heard me talk about strengths before and I’ll continue to talk about them because they are foundational to your career. Knowing and using your strengths sets you up for success, plain and simple.

So when we are faced with any existential sort of question (What is my place in the movement?  How can I get involved?  What flavor of ice cream should I get?) knowing your strengths is the best place to start. If you aren’t entirely clear on your strengths, I highly recommend the StrengthsFinder 2.0 assessment and book.

Why is knowing your strengths so important?

When you know your strengths, you can offer them to the world. And the world needs exactly the things you’re great at.

If you’re gifted in strategy, let others know that you’ve developed strategic plans and would be happy to help if they need it. If you’re detail-oriented, offer to be a second set of eyes on a document before it is shared.

It should be obvious, but if you’ve never used social media, don’t volunteer to head up a social media campaign. It feels good to be helpful and many of us struggle with saying no, but when you know your strengths, it’s a lot easier to say no to something that doesn’t align with them. You likely can suggest a different way to leverage your communication strength, for instance letter writing.

A note of encouragement: the first time you offer up your strengths to others, it may not be what they need in the moment. And unless they are gifted with the strength of strategy, they may not be able to see where and how in the future you and your strengths may fit. Know that your strengths are extremely valuable, regardless of the point-in-time need. Keep offering them up and you’ll find a great fit for them somewhere and it’s often in even better ways than we first imagined!

#PositiveAction Offer to share your strengths with one person or organization this week and see what develops!

 

This is one of a three-part series on finding your place. We’ll explore Start and Stretch in the next two blog posts.

 

Image by S. Hermann  from Pixabay

Use Your Career Story to Stand Out

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

Your career story encapsulates all the things you use to tell other people about your work. It includes your resume and LinkedIn profile, but it also includes things like a digital portfolio, your social media accounts, your personal brand, even conversations you have with co-workers.

If you’re like most people, your career story is the most underutilized tool in your career path toolbox. So let’s talk about how you can use your career story to stand out from the sea of blandness that so often permeates everyone’s career story.

There are many reasons why it’s important to stand out, but the one we’ll focus on is gaining a slight edge.

Think about it. The most pivotal decisions that other people make affecting your career are usually around whether to hire you, promote you, or give you that amazing, career-changing assignment. In all these decisions, is the person that has to make the call is comparing you with your stellar skillset to some skill-less person they met on the street? No! They are comparing you with similarly qualified individuals.

It’s usually a hard choice because any of the people they select will likely be successful in the role or assignment. What ends the tie? It’s the person that has a little extra something, that can tip the odds imperceptibly in their favor. The one with the slight edge.

So wherever possible then, you want to be the person with the slight edge! You want to be telling your career story in ways that are easy to understand and remember so when it comes time for that big decision to be made, you have the slight edge.  How do we do that? There are 3 must-have career story components.

  1. Authority – Show and share your expertise
  2. Advantage – Demonstrate the value you bring
  3. Authentically You – Your unique approach, style and way of being!

Can it really be that simple? Absolutely! As long as you remember that your career story is not simply a point in time resume or LinkedIn profile. It’s ALL the ways you tell others about your work. Things like:

When a co-worker asks you how you think that meeting just went. When your boss inquires how initiative XYZ is going. When you meet someone for the very first time. When you rate yourself on an annual performance self-review. When you chat with co-workers at lunch.

The opportunities to tell your career story are everywhere. You need to decide if you’re going to take advantage or if someone else will have the slight edge for that awesome assignment you’ve been hoping for…

#PositiveAction Share your career story with a close co-worker making sure to include your Authority and Advantage while keeping it Authentically You. Practice until you’re comfortable sharing it at every opportunity!

 

I’ve had people ask me how they can help support my small business during the pandemic, especially if they’re not in need of career services right now. It’s as easy as shopping at Amazon! By clicking that affiliate link, my business earns a small commission (usually 1%) on what you buy. It’s like dropping a penny on the street for my small business to pick up, without all the back and forth and tossing of change!  

Successful Failure

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

We’ve finally made it to the homeschool home stretch. It’s our last week. We did it. I can honestly say I’ve never been so happy for summer break before! In fact, last year at this time, I was worrying about how to balance my work and client commitments with my kids home from school for 3 whole months (different year, completely different perspective…).

Although our homeschool adventure is over (at least for now), I wouldn’t necessarily say it was an overwhelming success. We did what we needed to by focusing mostly on the minimum requirements. It wasn’t always pretty. It wasn’t without crying (by both the kids AND me). But it’s done.

I will not be winning any awards for this work. In fact, I don’t even think I’d win top homeschool teacher in our house! So let’s just move on, shall we?

Work can be like that sometimes. We give it our all, but it doesn’t end up being a success. We aren’t in the running for any awards or even a thank you from co-workers.

Sometimes, that’s because the work didn’t play to our strengths. Sometimes it’s circumstances outside our control (anyone ever built awesome software only to have it decommissioned a few months later when the company gets bought out? Or was that just me?). It’s the amazing report we share with the executive team, only to have it shelved for another time, which is usually code for NEVER! It’s the product we release with much fanfare… only to hear crickets chirping in response.

I learned a lot from my homeschool experience, similar to the times when I failed at work. The learnings can be awful, brutal, excruciating even, but they teach us as well (or better sometimes) than our success stories. Here’s the three things that I was reminded of during this experience. Sidebar, have you noticed that sometimes you’re re-learning a lesson you thought you knew?  Apparently, I needed to be re-reminded of these lessons in a new context.

  1. Doing work aligned with your strengths is critical – there are roughly a kajillion reasons why I didn’t consider majoring in elementary education in college, but primarily because it’s not something I’m interested in or particularly skilled at. This homeschool experience reminded me yet again just how tough and misery-inducing work can be when it doesn’t align to your strengths. If that’s you right now at work, I’m sorry. It sucks. Know that your strengths are valuable, even if your present work conditions don’t see the value. And look for any opportunity you can to do work more aligned with your strengths.
  2. The learning curve is steep AND stressful – this is true for the things you’re excited to learn, but I found the curve to be steeper and WAY more stressful since it was a topic I wasn’t particularly keen on learning. I needed to step up my selfcare game significantly to help with the stress (running, using the familiar to find comfort, old things, etc.) in order to make it through. If you’re about to make a job change, plan ahead and know that you’re going to need more time for stress management.
  3. Always find something to celebrate – making it through to Friday felt like a major accomplishment most weeks and was worth celebrating. Pizza for dinner! There were enough other issues going on that we needed to find any win, no matter how small since it often felt disorganized and downright ugly, but hey, progress was the goal, not perfection. We’d ask what was working for the kids and try to lean into those things. We got VERY creative with schedules and tried things even if we didn’t think they’d work (because nothing could be worse than the first week!). If you’re on a tough project at work right now, the thing your team could use most is some celebration, no matter how seemingly small the win is. Those small celebrations make a big difference. If you’re having a hard time seeing all the little things that are awesome, then check out The Book of Awesome, which is sure to help you find something to appreciate no matter what!

I have no idea what the future holds, if or when I’ll be expected to homeschool again. I’ll be slightly more ready if there is a next time, but definitely won’t be holding any space on my trophy shelf for one of those homeschooler of the year awards. Better keep these lessons handy just in case!

#PositiveAction If you’re struggling with something at work, think about how you can apply a lesson you’ve already learned to make it better. We can’t always turn failure into success, but we can definitely improve on it!

 

Important Programming Note: With the shift into summer and school letting out for the year, the blog will be changing to new posts every other week instead of weekly. If you are missing your Work Authentically fix, you can get a more regular dose of inspiration when you follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

 

Image by AxxLC from Pixabay

Sneak Preview of Get Out of Your Pajamas

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It’s a short week, thanks to the Memorial Day holiday in the United States, so this week’s blog is an excerpt from my new e-book, Get Out of Your Pajamas, Take a Shower, and Talk to Someone: Job Searching During a Pandemic, Economic Downturn, Recession, or Other Crisis. If you enjoy it, you can pick up a copy on Amazon today.

Communication

You may be wondering, “But what about my dog/cat/fish/child/parent/step-child/in-law/illness/circumstance/situation/other unnamed person, animal, or challenge that is making it more difficult to do my best work during this time?” My best advice is this:

Communicate. Communicate. Communicate.

Communicate and clarify expectations for yourself and others. Communicate your availability if you have specific times when you have other commitments (caring for children, pets, or parents, for example). Communicate how your work is going. Communicate any obstacles preventing you from doing your work. Communicate to your team on how they are doing and ask that they do the same for you.

A misunderstanding never starts with too much communication.

You seem like you’ve got a great handle on stress management and mental health, so I probably don’t even need to mention this, but… During any sort of crisis, (but also just in general!) don’t try to do it all! The stress will consume you in short order. Be clear and realistic about what you are able and willing to do.

Know that in times of uncertainty, communication can help lessen the fear, even if it doesn’t change the amount of ambiguity you’re facing. Your new co-workers will appreciate your honesty and authenticity and it will likely create or enhance an environment where they feel comfortable sharing in the same way.

#PositiveAction How can you communicate with honesty and authenticity today?

This ends the excerpt, but I wanted to share that this e-book covers several topics including how to activate your network, refreshing your resume and LinkedIn profile, interview prep, and more! I know not everyone loves reading, so it’s deliberately short to focus on what you need to know to be super effective in your job search and nothing more. Here’s to efficiency!!

Talk to Someone

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

Technology has dramatically changed the job search. You need to consider algorithms, ATS’s (that’s applicant tracking systems for those unfamiliar), your social media posts, and a whole lot of other things that you didn’t have to think about 20 years ago. Even 10 years ago, those things all mattered much less than they do today.

I talk to lots of job seekers that struggle with embracing these technological changes, partly because they prefer a more human approach. If you fall into this camp, I’ve got great news for you: keeping humans at the center of your job search will actually be much more effective than most other strategies!

Well this is surprising (but is it? Is it really?).

We’ve talked before about the importance of being kind, and relationship currency, and not being a grade-A jerk (or any kind of jerk!) when you’re faced with an interruption. Our relationships with others define not just our workplaces, but our entire lives.

So how do we bring our relationships into focus in the context of a job search? The first thing to do is tell everyone you know that you’re in the midst of job search. Some people may not know. Some may not remember, even if you did tell them already. This best done not through a generic post on social media about looking for a job, but rather reaching out to people individually and sharing with them specifically what you’re looking for in your job search.

And when I say everyone you know, I mean everyone! You’ll be surprised at who ends up helping you and who ends up ignoring your request (extend them a little kindness and know they likely have a good reason if they didn’t help). So yes, your former co-workers can be a good starting point, but don’t leave out friends and family, neighbors, acquaintances, and people you know through various community organizations and businesses.

I have a friend that has been looking for a job throughout the pandemic. He has done all the right things from a technology standpoint and has a great resume and LinkedIn profile. He recently was interviewed for one of the positions he applied for online, but the reason he got the call wasn’t because his resume made it through the ATS and was keyword optimized (although it did make it through).

It’s because his neighbor was an employee at the company and looked up the job posting to see who the hiring manager was and then shared it with my friend. My friend wrote a nice, personal message to the hiring manager, which helped him stand out from the over 1,500 (!) people that applied online. On top of that, a former co-worker took the time to write my friend a glowing recommendation and sent it to the hiring manager. These three steps didn’t take a ton of extra time, but had a huge impact on the hiring process.

The odds of my friend being one of the handful of people getting a call for an interview are WAY less than the odds of finding one of Willy Wonka’s golden tickets. But my friend beat the odds by adding in something that algorithms can’t properly account for: human relationships.

#PositiveAction Whether you’re looking for a job right now or not, reach out to someone you know that you haven’t talked to in a while. It’s a whole lot easier to start a conversation when you don’t need something!

If you or someone you know is in the midst of the job search right now, I’ve got a short e-book that helps focus on the most important strategies (like talking to humans) to jump start your quest and help you stand out from the crowd. Check out Get Out of Your Pajamas, Take a Shower, and Talk to Someone: Job Searching During a Pandemic, Economic Downturn, Recession, or Other Crisis on Amazon today.

 

 

E-book cover image by Wolf Mountain Publishing

Blog post image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

So Now What?

Posted on by WorkAuthentically

As we all continue to acclimate to what’s being dubbed “the new normal” amidst COVID-19 (and let me go on record to say there’s been very little in my world that has felt remotely normal, but that’s the phrase we’re using anyway!), I find myself frequently asking the question, “So now what?” 

It’s a question that helps me figure out the best next step when I need to move forward, particularly when things I wanted, or counted on, or hoped for didn’t materialize. It keeps me from getting lost in the disappointment of it all.

I’m guessing that for many of us, that feeling of disappointment is a daily or even hourly occurrence.

There are things we hoped to accomplish that just can’t get done due to the people needing our time and attention right now, whether children, spouses, parents, co-workers, clients, and more. There are milestones we’re celebrating in new and different ways, like birthdays, holidays, even graduations. I’m sure the members of the class of 2020 are more than a little disappointed at this turn of events, even with national ceremonies planned. 

So now what? How do we move past that disappointment? Well, it ain’t easy, especially if you have been waiting a long time for a particular milestone. The disappointment doesn’t go away, but with So now what? you don’t get stuck there.

So now what? forces you to think about what else you can do. It shifts your attention to the future, instead of the disappointing past. Now that the thing you didn’t want to have happened has happened, what will you do next?

I’m not advocating that we ignore our emotions. I’m not trying to minimize the disappointment either. I’m advocating for preventing the negativity from taking over (I’ve been there and it’s no fun!).

I recently celebrated my birthday. This is nothing compared to the major milestones that many people are missing out on. The disappointment was there, though. I couldn’t do any of the things I would normally do to celebrate, like go out to eat, watch the Kentucky Derby, hit up a cool thrift shop, and meet up with friends. So now what? I could choose to wallow in my misery and sweatpants… or come up with a new plan.

I picked a meal we could make at home. I went on a hike at a recently re-opened state park nearby. I had some video calls from well-wishers. I tried a new homemade donut recipe and more importantly, I got to pick which plate I ate it on (anyone with younger kids knows how big a deal getting to pick a plate can be!). None of it was my first choice for celebrating, but it was a pretty decent plan B. I chose to have fun.  

So now what? It’s one of those questions I ask my clients frequently, especially when we’re talking about the future. Maybe that job posting closed before you got to apply. Worse yet, maybe you applied and never heard back. Worse still, maybe you interviewed and they loved you… but they decided to go with the other candidate and you’re the solid second choice. So now what? How will you keep moving forward in your job search?

In work and life, not everything goes to plan. In fact, I’m 1,000% confident that the past 2 months haven’t gone entirely the way you hoped or anticipated. So now what?

#PositiveAction Take one disappointing thing that’s happened recently and ask yourself, “So now what?” to find the next best step you can take given your present reality.