Sunday, January 27, 2008

You Deserve the Good Life - Join me in St. Maarten!

I'm very excited to announce a collaborative event with the JI Group coming up on April 23-28, 2008 in St. Maarten. The Good Life Festival & Retreat is designed for hard working professionals to rejuvenate your mind, body and soul.
As part of the Enrichment Series, I'll be leading visualization and meditation sessions based on my stress management model. I'll also offer exclusive, individual coaching on a limited basis (email or leave me a message on the message line if you're interested).
After you re-focus your mental energy, you can relax in the Good Life Spa, offering a wide range of beauty and body treatments. Or, take a dip in one of the freshwater swimming pools.
Sonesta Maho Beach is nestled on a 10-acre resort paradise overlooking Maho Bay and the Caribbean Sea on the south coast of St. Maarten, in the Netherlands Antilles.
It would be fantastic to have you join us at this uplifing, rejuvenating event. This "pearl" is a wonderful blessing for me because it supports the concept of attracting positive energy by sharing my vision for my practice with others. Might attending this event be a "pearl" for you in 2008?
If you want to learn more about JI Group (a network of talented professionals) and previous GLF events, check out their blog (they're sponsoring a contest to win a FREE event package). As always, if you have questions about my programs or coaching, leave a comment here or message on our message line. Take care and be well! :)

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

I'm Speaking at MLK Celebration on January 30

I'm truly honored to be the keynote speaker at a celebration in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. being held next Wednesday, January 30 at the Marriott in Bridgewater, NJ. The event is sponsored by the African Heritage Diversity Committee of HSBC Bank, USA.


The theme of the event is Share the Dream, Live the Reality -- Through Motivation, Leadership and Diversity.


In addition to being an opportunity to "practice what we preached" in our Public Speaking course for the OBT trainees, it's an exciting chance to reflect on how Dr. King's message is still relevant, thought-provoking and inspirational. If you're in the NY metro area, I'd be delighted if you can join us. Or, feel free to write or leave a comment on our message line about how Dr. King has helped you discover your competent advantage!

Wednesday, January 16, 2008

How Can You Recession-Proof Your Career?

Are we in a recession? I don't know -- I'm no economist. Many of you know I am a CNBC-junkie. And, there have been many guest experts debating this issue on air. What I do know is that we should be taking stock of how the "R-word" might impact our careers (and businesses, for my fellow entrepreneurs) in 2008 and beyond.

It seems to me that now would be a fine time to focus on the Know Your Market (KYM) principles of the Competent Advantage TM model. Why?

Staying on top of key trends and job forecasts in your industry will help you navigate your career if you want to make a change (or if a change becomes necessary as the market forces impact your current employer).

Do you know where are the growth opportunities within your industry? Are there pockets where companies make money regardless of a downturn in the economy? There has been some research on Careers with "Staying Power" -- there are likely suspects such as Healthcare and Internet-Based Services. Would you know how to leverage your skills and talents in these areas?

KYM also suggests that you understand how your current employer functions so that you can best prepare for internal shifts and adjustments. What do I mean? Do you know what your company does -- really? Do you understand how it makes money?

Sure, this would all be easier if you had a crystal ball and could see what lies ahead. I was asked at a recent seminar, "What should I do if I know my company plans to outsource aspects of my function?" While I would not want to underestimate the fear and other emotions that come with this realization, I would like to suggest that knowledge is power. The more you learn about your industry (e.g., growth opportunities) and your company (e.g., aspects that will be kept in-house) the better you can position yourself for the pending changes.

And, can you articulate how your strengths and contributions add value? I'll talk soon about how Creating a Buzz can be another recession-proof career strategy.

Thursday, January 10, 2008

NEW Competent Advantage Message Line

Hello, I realize that you may not be a writer like me, and that you might prefer to ask questions or make comments verbally. Well, guess what? I've decided to launch the Competent Advantage TM Message Line.

You can use the Competent Advantage TM Message Line if you have:
  • A question about something you've read here (or about something you've heard in one of our podcasts, teleclasses or seminars)
  • A career or work-life challenge about which you'd like to gain some input or ideas
  • A pearl or successful outcome that you're proud of and would like to share
  • An idea for a future podcast, teleclass or seminar
  • A useful source of information on career development or personal growth

Call (214) 615-6505, ext. 6717 and leave a message. I'll respond either via a post here in the community or via Gcast, on our Competent Advantage TM podcast channel.

I'm looking forward to hearing from YOU! :)

Thursday, January 03, 2008

A String of Pearls for 2008

Happy New Year!
I've been agonizing a bit about what to write in this first post of 2008 ... partly because I'm alternating between writing a proposal and a capabilities presentation ... yes, I'm writing to you as my "study break!" ;-)

And, also because I felt like the first post had to be profound (you know, the coach has to share a big "A-HA!" to start off the year with a bang). I've also been wrestling with where to come down on the whole resolution thing. It's true that my coaching and training programs center around defining goals and priorities. However, we coaches know that sustainable growth comes from behavior changes that often result in small successes -- which when strung together can lead to fantastic transformations.

So, while your resolution may be to lose 25 pounds or get a new job in a given timeframe. A small, successful behavior change may be to replace your 4:00 pm candy bar with raisins or nuts -- and to do it daily so that it becomes one of your good eating habits. On the professional front, it might be to identify one new industry website or periodical -- and to read it on a weekly basis so that you stay informed about your target industry.

Neither action alone will get you to your end goal. However, when "strung together" with other good habits, you'll be surprised at the changes you'll see ... the first day the pants seem looser, or the first time you're noticed for sharing a relevant anecdote at a meeting or event.

I share this with you because I too have some medium and large goals I'd like to accomplish on the business and personal frontiers (this being an anniversary year and all). So, let's make a pact to focus on creating pearls of small successes that when strung together lead us on the way to our larger goals. What do you think?