Like a good wine your career should be getting better with age.

As we move through life we often lament the loss of our youth.  I mean it's practically encoded genetically that we value youth, vitality and the endless possibilities of our future over the realities of aging, slowing down and having to live with the choices you've already made.

I've had the privilege of working with people who in one way or another are committed to improving their lots and are doing it through a focus on their career.  In my view it's never to late to embark on a new career.  NEVER.  I mean, that time it would take you to retrain or change careers is going to come and go anyway.  Why not put it to good use and focus on something that can provide you with a great source of inspriation, fulfillment, meaning and enjoyment. 

If you look at all the definitions of career you will see that a career is a series of experiences (learning, teaching, doing) that are unified by a central or core component.  Like a fine wine left to mature, your career can do the same thing.  The more time and effort you invest in it (becuase it's enjoyable, fulfilling and rewarding - not because you have to) the greater the rewards will become over time.  You also continue developing your skills in a certain area and you can then take advantage of the time honoured law of supply and demand.  The more skilled you become, the more likely your skills will become scarce and intersect positively with demand.  At this point you can often derive income.

Remember though, not every career is worth keeping or maturing.  Some jobs are simply vinegar no matter how you bottle it.

Be great.

I believe effective communication is everything.  I think that if an individual is able to communicate effectively then there ability to create and access opportunities in life is enhanced.  Their capacity to resolve disputes and negotiate positive outcomes from most situations is almost assured. 

Have you ever been engaged with or by an effective communicator?  You feel like you've been better understood, had an opportunity to state your position or point of view and are crystal clear on the other parties perspective.

If you pause to consider for a moment.  Statistically speaking half of the population are below average IQ.  Fact.  So what does this mean for the incidence and occurence of effective communication I wonder?  I'm not sure if there are studies linking IQ and communication skills together but my anecdotal experience would suggest that while a higher IQ may not guarantee improved communication it does require a modicum of intelligence to be able to communicate effectively.  So.  Are we as communicators (effective or otherwise) relying on the capacity of our communication partners to bolster our own effectiveness.  Are we able to overcome barriers and code our messages in such ways as to ensure they are understood by those that hear them?  Or, as I suspect is the case, do we walk around a fair chunk of the time bot not understanding and not being understood.

Want one simple tip about communication that when implemented will greatly improve your communication effectiveness? 

I thought you might.  For those of you who have heard this I apologise but encourage you to revisit the principle and keep applying it.

We have two ears and one mouth.  That reflects the listening to talking ratio.  Listen twice as much as you talk. 

Try this out and see what happens.  Oh yeah, you can ask questions and still be listening.  You don't have to be absolutely silent (in fact listening is better when you're not).

Have fun, be great!!

Sean

I am a 4th year apprentice butcher and have been out of my trade now for more than ten years. I desperately want to finish my trade, is there anyway that I could finish it at tafe, if not could you please point me in the right direction if possible. I also failed tafe.  I was having a hard time back in them days, as most young people do. But since have cleaned my act up. Thank you for your time it is much appreciated.

I'm not sure the ramifications for you having been away from your training for 10 years.  The best person to speak to about this would be an expert in Apprenticeships.  Follow this web link to find an Australian Apprenticeship Centre in your area and make a time to talk to them.  http://www.australianapprenticeships.gov.au/search/aacsearch.aspOnce you have a better understanding of the problem you're trying to solve (this is another way of saying "fix the situation you're in") I will be in a better position to be able to help you further.

Let me know how you go.

Fake it till ya make it baby!!

I recieved an interesting piece of advice the other day.  I was having a discussion about a white paper and we were debating the differences between a scenario and case study.  My challenge was that I didn't have a suitable case study (real life example) of the exact service/s I wanted to promote - they're new you see and I have to start somewhere.  I know how effective case studies are in marketing materials because it allows the reader to identify with the problem, the situation, the solution and the outcomes.  It makes it familiar and relevant to them.  Not a blah blah list of I do this and I do that...  When I [rather sheepishly] suggested that we could use scenario's (hypothetical situations, solutions and outcomes) my collegue picked up on my reluctance.  I didn't (and don't) want to be percieved as talking a good game but with little substance.  Her kinds words were "be the company you want to be". 

My sardonic spin on that is "fake it till you make it".  It got me to thinking about presentation though.  In so many areas of life (business, employment, relationships, sports, academia etc) it is vital that we pay some attention to how we present ourselves. 

So the question I want to leave you with is....  "who do you want to be and how do you present yourself to be that person?"

Be great, have fun.

 Is commitment really necessary to succeed in life? 

Commitment is the glue that binds our desires to our actions, it’s hard to gather but if set is tough to break.  Organisations crave it.  Sportspeople live and breathe it.  Business leaders and motivators espouse it.  Spiritualists consider it essential (but might call it faith) and our personal relationships demand it.  Commitment as a concept exists in all aspects of our lives and without it… you’ll get nowhere fast. 

So how is your current level of commitment helping you out in the things that are important to you?  And perhaps more importantly, how can you improve your commitment. 

I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on this topic but my view is that commitment is ABSOLUTELY essential in order to succeed in life.  In fact, I’m starting to think that commitment may actually be one of the biggest predictors of your ultimate success.  Now I know there are loads of analogies and metaphors out there about getting what you focus on, about really valuing what it is that you’re going after, about using plans to achieve what you want, about tapping into your sense of purpose.  That’s all good stuff and highly relevant, but I’m not talking about that today.  I’m talking about good old fashioned blood, sweat and tears ‘commitment’.   As defined in an online dictionary commitment is defined as either:

• A promise or agreement to do something in the future
• Being bound emotionally/intellectually to a course of action or to another person/other persons.

So in essence it’s about an agreement that something will be done and the resolve (or staying power) to see it through, to stick with it and make sure it happens. I want you to think about your own situation.  What is it that you’ve committed to?  Is it your financial situation, saving for a holiday, trying to keep the winter warmer belly off this year, getting ahead in your career, being a better manager, spending more time with your friends or on your hobbies?  You can leave your comments here on our blog.   

Now for those of you who are having no troubles sticking to your commitments, that’s great.  What I’d love you to share with me and our other readers is what approaches you take to make sure that those things you commit to actually get done?  Especially when things are difficult or unpleasant? 

Now, for those of you who are struggling to remain committed to your goals, here are a few ideas.  Please keep in mind that these ideas all assume some level of planning and thinking has gone into establishing said goal and laying out a course of action for you to achieve it. 

Check With The Plan.  Make sure you have a plan, are still on track with the plan and that it is still fit for purpose. 

Revisit The Goal.  Are the goals still inspiring?  Do you still want them? 

Conduct a Scan.  Have a look at your situation, the environment you’re in.  Look for what’s different; it may give you some clues as to what’s eroding your commitment.   What can you do about what has changed?  What insights does that generate for you?  Example:  Change of seasons impacts early morning starts and exercise options pretty significantly.   

Increase Your Accountability. In some case’s simply enlisting the help of a friend or family member can help your commitment enormously.  You’re less likely to stand your friend up who’s on the corner waiting to go to the gym with you than you are if you’re on your own.   

Get Some Professional Help.  If your goal is really important to you and watching it slip away causes some distress, then perhaps you need to get some professional help.  Personal trainers help with exercise, financial planners help with money, therapists help with our emotions and behaviour.  There are plenty of well qualified people who can help whatever the topic.  If it (your goal) is really important to you perhaps you’ve underinvested in your commitment to achieve it? 

Check your reasons.  Understanding and emotionally connecting with the “why” you want to achieve a certain goal is a powerful motivator and can rekindle a flagging commitment.  Here’s what someone told me to do.  Try it and see if it works for you.   

Step 1.           Write down your 1, 3, 5 & 10 year goals... all of them.

Step 2.           Choose your top four in each category. 

Step 3.           List your reasons why you want the top 16 goals.  

For each of the top 16 (4 for each timeframe) write down all the reasons why that goal is important to you, the reasons why you want it.  It stands to reason that if you can’t come up with some really good reasons… reasons that will inspire you to action then the motivation for achieving that goal isn’t as strong as it needs to be for your commitment to weather all storms.  In this case ask yourself.  “Do I really want this goal?”  

So, if you’re struggling to stick to a plan, or failing to get traction on your important projects, maybe it’s your reason for doing the task in the first place that’s not quite lined up??   Let me know your thoughts on this topic, I’m very interested in it.  Please take some time and post your comments here. 

 As always, the tips and approaches above are sometimes enough to get unstuck but many of our clients need additional support and guidance.  If you would like to talk more about how we can help you with your plans and ambitions please feel free to give our office a call on 0402 054 303. 

For more information on our short blast workshop programs please click here. 

Have a great July and we'll speak soon.

 Sean