Half-full or Half-Empty?

March 4, 2010 -- 5:55 am

Are you a half-full or a half-empty kind of person? Are you optimistic or are you sure to find the down side if there is one to be had?

One of my favorite books is Arianne de Bonvoisin’s First 30 Days. In it, she outlines nine principles of handling change and building a more positive perspective. Her first principle is “People who successfully navigate change have positive beliefs.”

Positive beliefs come from you – you may not be able to control the things that happen to you but you can control how you respond to them. You can choose to see “half-full” – upbeat, optimistic and confident – or choose to see “half-empty” – down, pessimistic and unsure.

Consider these ways to build a more positive perspective:
1. Notice when you become negative and immediately focus on something positive. Have others help you see your behavior.
2. Read a power quote or an inspirational passage to start your day on a positive tone.
3. Create an upbeat “break” during the day. Focus on 3 things that have gone well so far.
4. Choose your friends wisely; associate with positive and confident people.

To make the point, here are some great half-empty/half-full perspectives from the website www.businessballs.com.
o The project manager/engineer says the glass is twice as big as it needs to be. 

o The bar fly says is not about whether the glass is half full or half empty, it’s about who is paying for the next round.
o The consultant says let’s examine the question, prepare a strategy for an answer, and all for a daily rate of…
o The worrier frets that the remaining half will evaporate by tomorrow.
o The fanatic thinks the glass is completely full, even though it isn’t. 

o The entrepreneur sees the glass as undervalued by half its potential.
o The computer specialist says that next year the glass capacity will double and will cost half the price.
o The Buddhist says don’t worry, remember the glass is already broken.
o The personal coach knows that the glass goes from full to empty depending on the circumstances, and reminds the drinker that he can always fill the glass when he wishes.
o The grammarian says that while the terms half-full and half-empty are colloquially acceptable the glass can technically be neither since both full and empty are absolute states and therefore are incapable of being halved or modified in any way. 


You control your attitude. Know yourself; choose to be positive and upbeat. It is great for your health and happiness.

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Get Hired in 2010 – Step 5 – The Talent-Based Resume

March 3, 2010 -- 5:21 am

Face it, the old skill and experience resume is outdated, ineffective…dead. Today’s work is more about your brain than your hands. Hiring managers want to know how you think, not just what you have done. Your talents and thinking show what you are good at it; your experience shows you may have done a job before but that doesn’t mean you were good at it.

So to determine if you are a good fit for the job, hiring managers need a new style of resume – one that gives them these three things:
1. What are you great at (what are your talents and passions because they reflect your greatest performance areas)?
2. How have you used what you are great at (in other jobs so they can see it in action)?
3. What value have you created for other companies (so they can see the value you can bring to their company)?

See a sample of the new Talent-based Resume.

Here is what the captions mean:
#1. What are you great at?
List your talents and the things that make you successful. Are you great at building and sustaining relationships? Are you focused, driven and goal-oriented? Are you great at solving problems and paying attention to details? Are you great at inventing, creating and innovating? Don’t be humble, be bold and confident.

#2. How have you used what you are great at?
Hiring managers want to see you in action. Were you able to diffuse angry customers successfully? Were you able to keep a project on track or under budget? Were you able to work with a variety of personalities, and get the job done well? Hiring managers are not interested in everything you have done; they don’t have time for that. They want to see you use your talents – they want to see that you can do what you say you can do. Provide work experience that supports your talents.

#3. What value have you created for other companies using your talents?
Companies are hiring you because they want you to create value for them. They are investing in you and for this investment they expect a return (the same way you expect a return when you invest your money in a mutual fund or bank). The greater the return, the more valuable you are to a company. Tell them how you saved 5% on overtime costs by rearranging the work schedule. Tell them how you invented a new service that added $30,000 to the bottom line. Show your impact with numbers. Show the specific value you have brought to your other employers.

New workplace – new resume. Use the new talent-based resume because it provides the meaningful information hiring managers want. It helps you stand out and get hired.

Please forward this to your friends who are job searching. Help them get hired in 2010.

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Don’t Let Little Things Become Big Things

February 25, 2010 -- 5:24 am

Day in and day out little nuisance things happen to us – little things – you stumble, drop some papers, take a wrong turn, spill a cup of coffee or lose your cell phone connection. In our busy and over-scheduled lives, little events become big events. And when already frazzled, a truly large event now becomes completely unmanageable.

In 2004 Dr. Robert Sapolsky published a book titled, Why Zebra’s Don’t Get Ulcers. In it, he presents that animals and humans are equipped to handle both calm and danger. The parasympathetic system runs all of the routine internal body systems, day in and day out (periods of calm). The sympathetic system is designed to help us survive in a period of danger, stress or euphoria, and interrupts the parasympathetic system.

I am not a scientist, so here is my simple summary of his findings. When we are calm (we are not affected by the nuisance events), our internal maintenance systems respond – we stay healthy.

But when we get upset (the brain senses danger – big or small), it activates a fight or flight response. The body calls all its resources to be ready for something big, shutting down its focus on the daily support functions. We are now ready for a fight or a flight.

Here is the point. The body is designed to handle a temporary fight or flight response. Animals know this. And according to Sapolsky, when the lion gets his prey, or the zebra gets away, the fight or flight response ends and the body resumes its normal response. But humans are different. When we experience recurring nuisance events, we move our systems into a state of perpetual stress; we constantly signal to our bodies to be ready to fight or hit the road. And when this happens, the regular, healthy and maintenance functions of the body are interrupted. The result – a challenged immune system resulting in ulcers, cancer, diabetes and other illnesses.

How we perceive events activates emotions; emotions activate neurological and biological responses in our body. We must train ourselves to manage our emotional responses to all types of events – to know what is danger and what is only a nuisance- to stay healthy and sane.

So consider this:
1. Is this a nuisance and you should laugh it off? (Laughing is great for our health).
2. Is this truly serious and worth the attention?

Life throws out small tests to get us ready for larger ones. Manage your responses and use fight or flight only when it is needed – the body was designed that way. Learn from the zebras – they don’t get ulcers. They don’t let the little stuff get them down. That way, when they need to run, they are really ready – and they survive. And at every other point, they are loving life.

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Get Hired in 2010 – Week 4 of the Plan

February 24, 2010 -- 5:08 am

I have been presenting a new way to get hired in 2010 – click here to see my full plan. Today – it is time to talk about fit.

Here is how it works: identify what you are good at and passionate about doing AND the hot industries or jobs that need your talents and passions. These are the jobs to apply for.

Let’s see an example:
Your talents: You are detailed-oriented, love being in charge and are focused on great results (these are your talents). Your passions include persuading others, organizing, leading things and making a difference.

Hot industries: Healthcare

Job possibilities:
o Medical office manager
o Security in medical facility/hospital
o Facilities employee/facilities manager/Spa management

o Hospital/health facility management

o Medical records management

o Personal trainer

Hot industry: Accounting/Regulation/Finance

Job possibilities:
o Accountant, financial analyst, tax specialist
o Compliance auditor, government auditor
o Researcher for investment company, demographer or trend analyst \
o Forensic accountant
o Actuary

Hot industry: Technology

Job possibilities:
o Geek squad
o PC application specialist

o Artificial intelligence engineer
o CAD technician
o Repair technician
o Network engineer

These are just ideas – see the process in action. Know you. Know your world. Find your fit. Use my list of Hot Jobs to help you consider what roles allow you to play to your strengths.

Go to www.LiveFiredUp.com for more tools – click on the For JobSeeker link.

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Make Work “Personal”

February 22, 2010 -- 11:35 am

If you want the best from your employees, they must feel personally connected to their work. This “personal” focus is new to the workplace; many businesses have not learned how to make work personal and it is showing in the results.

Here’s what I mean. When we were an industrial (make things) economy, workplaces were very impersonal. Your personality, interests, emotions and attitudes were kept out of the workplace; you had your procedures to do over and over – and that was work.

Today, our workplace is an intellectual and service workplace (much of manufacturing has moved offshore). Business happens in the relationships and connections our employees make with customers; employees are face-to-face and phone-to-phone with customers. Relationships, feelings, emotions and connection matter – in fact, these are today’s profit drivers. The humanity of your employees is what attracts and retains customers.

Consider the following ways to make your workplace more personal:
1. Spend time with each employee to learn his/her talents, values and interests. This will allow you to customize jobs around particular interests and strengths.
2. Ask employees not only what they think, but what they feel about events. Much of business is conducted on feelings; workplaces that encourage employees to be emotionally connected to their work encourage stronger customer relationships.
3. Appreciate each employee’s diversity. Think of your employees as M&M’s – you hire them for their thinking (the filling) but you celebrate and appreciate their diversity and culture (the candy coating). See my article “A Sweet Diversity Lesson.” Openly appreciating and celebrating employees’ diversity personalizes the workplace – they feel included.

Remember, how you treat your employees is how your employees treat your customers. Make it personal with your employees and they will make it personal for your customers.

To catch up and personally connect your employees, see the tools, resources and articles on www.LiveFiredUp.com, click “For Managers.”

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Never Miss An Opportunity To…

February 18, 2010 -- 9:55 am

With Valentine’s day just behind us, I was reminded of our tradition to take a day and celebrate special events. We celebrate mothers, fathers, pilgrims, veterans, workers, religions traditions, famous people and presidents. Overall, a good idea.

What struck me more is the concept of a holi “day.” If these are really important events, why do we limit the celebration to just a day? Shouldn’t they be recurring events or recurring celebrations?

Here’s my thought. Holi “days” aren’t cutting it. The daily celebrations are too infrequent and don’t encourage enough of the right behaviors to last all year. In a world that is increasingly unkind, selfish and confrontational, couldn’t we make an improvement if we were to extend the celebrations? Couldn’t we stay more focused on being kind, considerate, passionate, loving and respectful?

So I decided to create a “never miss an opportunity” list – a list of things I should celebrate or do on a regular basis – not just once. Here’s the start of my list. What would you add?

Never miss an opportunity to…:
o Tell (and show) the people you love how much you love them and what they mean to you.
o Share a story about your life’s success and failures to teach someone else.
o Make someone else feel important, even if you did most of the work.
o Show your patriotism and respect for your country.
o Show your tolerance for someone who does not look like you or believe in what you do.
o Stop and appreciate a flower, a tree, the wind, a star, rock formation or any other part of nature.
o Know yourself, your talents and passions, so you can build a life that makes you happy and helps you feel content.
o Say thank you, hold a door open, let another person or car pass ahead of you, or to be kind to someone you don’t know.
o Give away some of your “extras” to someone who has no “extras.”
o Learn something new to expand what you know and your contribution to the world.
o Make the first call even when it is the other person’s obligation or turn.
o Share a call, thought, card or gift with someone you love or who needs to hear from you – just because.
o Say you are sorry when you hurt someone – even if you didn’t mean to.
o Allow another to have an opinion different than yours, and still respect them.
o Spend more time with your pet.
o Sing, dance, laugh, tell a joke, cry or be more human, even when others you don’t know are watching. Invite them to join it.
o Smile at someone you don’t know.
o Bound out of bed, excited you have another day.

How will you never miss an opportunity to connect the very special people in your world? And what can you bring to the world that will make it better for all of us? Never miss your opportunity to celebrate and to make a difference.

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Get Hired in 2010 – Week 3’s Plan – Know Your World

February 17, 2010 -- 5:33 am

Week 3 of our plan to get hired: Know your world – what fields are hiring, what are the hot jobs and the growing industries.

It is not the same world that was in place when many of you got your last jobs. The nature of work changes quickly – some industries die, others grow almost overnight. So what is hot and what is not with jobs. And what hot jobs need your talents and passions.

So here is how to proceed:
1. Connect to information that keeps you current about the hot jobs. Google “hot jobs” and see links. Connect to www.Smartmoney.com, www.monster.com, www.hotjobs.yahoo.com, and www.careerplanner.com.

2. Identify the industries that interest you AND are growing industries (why select a job in a dying industry?).
a. Growing industries:
i. Healthcare (including mental health, wellness and fitness)
ii. Technology (including web, design, engineering, programming)
iii. Accounting/Regulation/Finance
iv. Retail/Customer Service
v. Transportation/Travel
vi. Education/Teaching/Instruction
vii. Entertainment
viii. Law enforcement/Law/Government
ix. Science, Pharmacology, Medical research
x. Trades/Life Services (including construction, plumbing, electrical, landscaping, hair styling, bakers, mechanics, etc).

b. Companies who are hiring:
i. Click here for the link to see Hot Jobs’ top 100 companies who are hiring.

3. What jobs are Hot Hot Hot!
i. Click to my “Hot Job” list by industry.

Staying connected is critical for you to be aware of the opportunities and to know how to start the process of finding the right job for you. Always know what jobs are growing and which are fading. Position yourself in a high growth industry.


Next week – we focus on a finding a job that fits you. These are jobs that match your talents and passions and give you a competitive advantage in the hiring process.

See the great “get hired” tools at www.LiveFiredUp.com – click on “Job Seeker.”
Pass this on to your friends who are job hunting.

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There Are No Shortages of Business Opportunities

February 15, 2010 -- 10:26 am

The trick is learning how to change your vision to see opportunities instead of just challenges, failures and hard times.

Great companies didn’t waste a minute complaining about the recession. They saw things had changed, regrouped and rebuilt a new strategy for a changed world. They said to their employees, “We need more ideas – keep the ideas coming.”

These companies have learned to be optimistic – they see challenge as a good thing – as an opportunity to improve and invent. They are not afraid of change. They know their strengths and play to them. They rely on their employees and customers to feed them meaningful information; they stay connected to their world to know the facts. They use this information to constantly create opportunities to be successful. It is how they run their businesses.

I have been traveling a lot lately working with trade associations and companies to help them relearn how to hunt for opportunities. In good times, you hunt less effectively – you hunt better when you are hungry. Today’s recession is a great time to relearn how to think more cleverly about your business.

So over the next couple of weeks, I’ll share some of my coaching and insights.

I have assembled recommendations in a new on-line download titled The Hunt for Opportunities Success Manual. You can find it in the products section of www.LiveFiredUp.com. Also, I have added the Hunt for Opportunities link to provide information, articles, an idea center and other resources to relearn how to find, create and implement high-value opportunities, regardless of the economy. Great for you and for your employees.

Next Tuesday, I’ll present one of the steps – how to assess your company strategically – so you can play to your strengths. This is the source of some of your greatest opportunities.

Until then, check out the Hunt for Opportunities link and help your employees focus on seeing opportunities to be successful instead of dwelling on the difficulty of a challenging economy. Happy Hunting.

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Schedule Some Whine Time

February 13, 2010 -- 10:23 am

Go ahead, schedule some whine time – complain away.

Jill Bolte Taylor, the author of the amazing book My Stroke of Insight; A Brain Scientist’s Personal Journey, explains our left brain is our controlling, judgmental and critical brain; our open, accepting and optimistic brain is our right brain. In our performance-focused world, most of us favor our analytical left brain. We listen more to our “critic” that more readily finds fault and complains, than applauds and supports.

She shares that the right brain imposes fewer restrictions, judges less, sees things as they are, appreciates the richness of the moment, is open, creative and sensitive to nonverbal communication. This is the inner peace standard equipment we all receive – but we frequently can’t hear it over the louder, more controlling left brain.

So to manage the left brain judgmental rhetoric, she puts her “critic” on a time schedule. She allows it to whine rampantly for 30 minutes – then it is over. She even gives it a daily time slot. That is the only time any whining is allowed. And if the time slot is missed for some reason, she does not allow the whine time until the next scheduled session – the next day. What a great idea.

Each of us has things we need to complain about; it is part of our process to successfully deal with things. The problem develops when we allow too much our self- and social-talk to be negative and unhealthy – when our left brain critic takes over.

Focus on directing your self-talk into more a more supportive, caring and optimistic (right brain) dialog. Treat yourself lovingly and with kindness. Watch the caustic left brain “critic” that can sometimes keep us in line, but mostly sees us as underachieving and underperforming.

Learn from Dr. Bolte Taylor and build some whine time into your day. Impose a time limit – and when it’s over, it’s over – until tomorrow. Start with 30 minutes if you have a very loud critic. Set the timer. Soon, you will see you only need just a moment or two to vent, realign and move on. Silence your critic (left brain). Activate your admirer and dreamer (right brain). The conversation is so much better.

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Stand Out and Get Hired in 2010 – Week 2 of the Plan

February 10, 2010 -- 5:18 am

Week 2: Know your talents and passions – learn what you are great at and love doing.

Most people continue to apply for the wrong jobs because they don’t know what they are good at. And today, to have the best performance, you must work in job that needs what you are great at and are passionate about. Without these, you don’t feel capable, competent or excited in your work – and it shows.

So here is how to proceed:
1. Write down what you think you are naturally good at – your talents – this will be things like connecting with others, focusing on details, committed to big performance, great at listening and relating to others, creating order out of chaos…etc. Don’t be humble. List everything you are good at; things that come naturally to you. This is difficult for many people so try these other two options:

2. Next, write down what you are passionate about. What do you love to do – what gets you out of bed in the morning and what you could do all day? It may be teaching, helping others, running a business, writing, painting, cooking, selling…whatever you love to do. List as many as come to mind. You will find that you generally do not need help with this – each of us is far more aware of our passions than our talents.

Now: look for the intersection of your two lists – what are you good at AND passionate about doing. This is the starting point for finding a job that fits you. This is key to finding a job AND loving your job.

You may be great at connecting with people and passionate about sharing stories. A job in sales, customer service or retail in any industry may be a good fit. You may be great at focusing on details and precision and are passionate making a difference. You may find that careers in the medical field, IT, law or similar fields will play to your talents and passions.

Know yourself – because your next step is to learn what the hot jobs are – so you can determine which jobs are a good fit for you and which needs what you are great at. This will give you a competitive advantage in getting hired.

Click here for the full “Get Hired” Plan. See all the “Get Hired” resources at www.LiveFIredUp.com, click on “Job Seeker.”

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