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Fitness – Physical, Emotional and Spiritual

January 27, 2012

One of the secrets to Turbo Charge your Career is being fit. I am not talking about joining a gym necessarily. I am talking about getting physically, emotionally, and spiritually fit. Pump Me Up To be physically fit, all you need to do is eat food that is good for you. You know what that means. If not, go to http://thetennisdad.com/blog and my son Ryan will help you. Also, it means getting enough sleep, and limiting your alcohol consumption. I recommend you quit alcohol completely, but moderation is fine as well. And stop smoking. Today. For exercise, walk around the block to get your heart rate up. Use it or lose it!! Emote with me baby The next key is emotional fitness. This is a complex subject that I address in my book, but basically it means clearing up all of your emotional baggage. Address your relationship problems. Apologize to those you have hurt, get over the men or women who have hurt you, and resolve to address all future mistakes immediately. There is a lot to this to process, but making amends and dealing with mistakes quickly is very important to emotional well-being. I See Dead People The part

When should I discuss compensation?

January 24, 2012

Yes, that is a tough question. You don’t want to be too forward and ask before you have even had an interview do you? No, of course not. You do want to seem assertive and show interest in the position, and asking makes you seem worldly, right? Well maybe, but not automatically. It can also make you seem inexperienced and greedy. The real answer is you don’t ask. You have to go on interviews without having any idea what the compensation is. Quite often there is a phone interview and your current compensation may come up as a question. If you must answer, then you must, but you should avoid it anytime you can. “But why oh guru of the job market? Won’t I be wasting everyone’s time if we are far apart?” you ask. Yes, it is possible that you are way over or way under the compensation for the job, but if that is true then someone made a mistake in qualifying you for in the first place, or you did in applying for it. A phone interviewer should determine from your current job title and level of responsibility if you two are in the same ballpark salary-wise.

I hate my job! (Choosing Your Career)

January 23, 2012

As a career coach and senior executive, I can’t tell you how often I hear people say “I hate my job. I just don’t know what to do with my life. I really hate my job. What do you think I should do?” That is a very tough question that I can’t answer for you. It is a completely personal choice based on a lot of factors. I can also tell you that that question does not always come from high school seniors or college students either. Many of my clients, men and women in the 40′s and 50′s still express the same concern. Their dilemma is very understandable since we really receive little or no actual guidance on this subject in our youth. High school guidance counselors are geared more to making sure you get into college if that is what you want to do. Most people simply trip into their careers, or have their careers chosen for them by their parents. What are you passionate about? Choosing a job is not that hard. Anyone can do it. Just look around you and say “I want to be that when I grow up.” But, choosing a career that you

What is the practical financial value of a college education?

January 22, 2012

As a career coach, I have had all types of clients. I have spoken to everyone from entry level people to the CEO’s of $1 billion plus companies. I have also spoken to many groups about career planning, business strategy, and even retirement. Most of the questions I answer are pretty traditional about compensation negotiation, interviewing techniques, and resume tips. But, recently a reporter asked me what I thought the true value of college education was to the long term success of a person’s career.

More on emotions

January 15, 2012

As you may be able to tell from my postings, I am big on telling stories and big on controlling your emotions. My reason for doing so is that I have seen countless examples where people have said or done things “in the moment” that they wish they could take back. In many cases, the outcome was career limiting, if not fatal. Boxing I was watching boxing on TV one Saturday with my Dad as a young teen. That was a treat back then because it didn’t happen very often and there was no pay per view (or Don King!). The match was going along swimmingly for one boxer, when his opponent suddenly hauled off and hit him with a low blow. It looked intentional and hurts me now just to recount it. I honestly wince as I play back that cheap shot in my mind. After the affected boxer got his wind back, and his testicles descended back into their original anatomical position, the fight resumed. But something had changed. The boxer who’d been wronged no longer boxed. He came out throwing these hay maker punches all the while leaving himself defenseless. The other boxer easily avoided the punches

I need a new job!!!

January 10, 2012

In recent weeks, several of my clients have asked my help in finding them a new job. They each have different reasons for wanting to change jobs. Some just want more money. A few are not comfortable with the financial health of their current employer. And, I have one entry level client and one recently “outplaced” client that just need help getting started. Finding a job is not necessarily that hard, but finding the right job does take a plan. There was a time in the recent past when people would just shotgun resumes or respond to every job ad they saw. That method does work, but it is a lot more painful in terms of time, and success. If you think about it, you need to hit the right company at the right time looking for your credentials. Odds seem a little against you. So, it is best to create a plan of attack, and to work your plan. The first rule of thumb that people need to know in the job search is that, as non-scientific it may be, you should expect to spend about one month per $10,000 of salary hunting for that new job. If you

Never, ever surprise your boss

January 2, 2012

I hate surprises from my staff. You can surprise me on my birthday or at Christmas, but I never want any surprises when it comes to business. One important concept of management that is never taught, and rarely discussed is how badly managers hate surprises. Surprises can come in many forms. A project may be late, an important sale doesn’t materialize, or the budget gets blown. Whatever it is, we hate them. Now, that is not to say we hate bad news in general. We may not like it, but if you give management enough time to react, then we can manage the bad news. It is a simple concept, but many people are simply not taught it, and therefore don’t teach it to their staff. Let’s say that you are an important member of a team of programmers all working on a major system. The rest of the team is very dependent upon your contribution to be completely successful. You are toiling away in private, but for some reason you just keep slipping farther and farther behind. You begin to realize you are going to be a week late, but choose not to share that information with your supervisor

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Career and Management