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You’re Ready For A Career Change… Is Your Resume?
You finally did it. You made the decision to leave a career that makes you dread every Monday morning and pursue one that you feel is your true calling. Congratulations! Making the decision was the hard part, right? Unfortunately, no. You’ve...
After the latest and accurate advice pertaining to classroom management.
After the latest and accurate advice pertaining to classroom management. When you are on the lookout for top-quality advice about classroom management, it will be easier said than done extricating the best information from ill-advised classroom...
Travel Light to Work
As a frequent traveler, my goal for each trip is to travel light. Despite thoughtful planning, sometimes that goal is shattered when I go to close the suitcase and realize I need a larger, or even second one. I can't always get my packing right and...
Are You Resume-Ready?
What if a recruiter called you today? Would you be ready to jump
on the opportunity she offers you? If not, you could lose the
chance to better your career, as jobs go FAST in this
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How E-Learning Helps Develop Special Skills
When the words "distance learning" are used, it's often with the idea of achieving a degree or attaining a specific certificate. But what if your company needs specialized learning opportunities? Or what if you are a small company and simply don't...
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Assessing Your Progress
I'm not a big fan of New Years resolutions. Sure I've made
dozens of them, all with good intentions and a bit of magical
thinking, believing this time the resolution will stick. Maybe a
few have, but generally these wishful self-promises end up
broken. And when that happens my self-esteem suffers.
You see, every time you break a self-promise, your self-trust is
weakened. Every time you give up on your commitments your
self-confidence takes a hit. And every time you look back on
broken resolutions, your self-assessment hurts, not helps, your
performance future.
By contrast, I am a huge fan of goals or dreams or aspirations
or targeted focus. Call it what you like. Mine come in a variety
of forms, anything from a life-to-do-list to aspirational
dreams. But their achievement hinges on the same element -
incremental action. I learned in twenty years of management the
power behind small steps.
One baby step, then another and another eventually leads to
achievement. Most of us are unlikely to hit home-run equivalents
with our work or life goals. But by incrementally nibbling at
them, we can accomplish most anything, actualizing life dreams
and winning at working. Like the Chinese proverb reminds us,
"The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small
stones."
So, instead of New Years resolutions, I suggest you try an
alternative this year. First, assess your progress. Second,
align your direction.
Start by writing down your accomplishments for the last twelve
months, asking yourself, what's different today from a year ago.
These don't have to be big or
work-only achievements, but note
incremental progress in any part of your life. If I can do more
sit-ups this year than last, that goes on my list. If I've read
thirty books, I put that down. If I have a better relationship
with a client, it's there.
Now, take a few minutes to savor your list, breathing in the
powerful feeling of personal progress. It's amazing how good it
feels to see what you're accomplished. Whenever I observe a
tangible list of what I've achieved in just twelve months, it
fuels my energy for what I can do in the next twelve. And that
leads me to the second part of the experience: seeing where I'm
headed. Like a compass, the list helps me align my focus and
build incremental goals in the direction I want to be traveling.
You see, people who are winning at working leverage the power of
incremental progress to build their performance, reach their
goals, actualize their dreams and impact their results. In the
process they build their self-esteem, self-trust and
self-confidence. They know accomplishment breeds accomplishment;
success produces success; and progress multiplies progress. Want
to be winning at working? Start fueling your progress with
incremental action.
(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.
About the author:
Sign up to receive Nan's free biweekly eColumn at
http://www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over
twenty years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice
President. Currently working on her first book, Winning at
Working: 10 Lessons, Nan is a columnist, writer and speaker.
Visit http://nanrussell.com.
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