Meaningful and Fulfilling Work

At times there may seem to be a conflict between profit and meaningful work.  This is where the values of the leader come into play.  Here is an example of just that.

The board of the supermarket chain here in Massachusetts fired the CEO of the supermarket and replaced him with two other people. The employees refused to work for anyone except the former CEO. At the time this first happened I thought that their loyalty was remarkable. I still do.

Now over a month has gone by and the employees are still not working. The chain is a family business and the board is made up mostly of family members who are aligned with two different factions. One faction is with the former CEO who owns 49.5% of the company and the other faction is aligned with his cousin (Arthur S) who owns 50.5% of the company.

This family has been fighting for 10 years in and out of court. To say this firing is fueled by anger and vindictiveness is an understatement. At first I thought the striking employees were not working because their love of the former CEO (Artie T they call him). That is partially true.

The reason they love him though is because they have a secure job where they are well paid for what they do. Newspaper articles report that they get more money than most supermarket employees at other chains.

So because they are working for someone they admire and respect, get paid well for it and provide food at a reasonable price to the community, the work is meaningful and fulfilling to them.

Board Battles Affect Everyone

The board has 3 “independent non family members” one of whom recently shifted alliances so now the board favors the cousin who was not CEO (Arthur S).  Once he had the majority of the board under control he was able to fire his cousin.

It is not only the employees who are now affected by the strike. The stores can’t be restocked without employees at the warehouse filling the trucks. Truckers are out of work. Vendors can’t collect money that is owed them and can’t supply food because employees don’t unload the deliveries.

Customers are boycotting too. Meat and produce is gone but staples are still on the shelves of some stores. Prices have been very low compared to other supermarkets in the area so those who used to shop there have boycotted in the hopes that the market will return to the way it was before. This means shopping at more expensive places hopefully temporarily. (I have been doing this.)

What a tragedy! It is possible that everyone will lose in this. The supermarket is losing its value so the board members will lose money; the employees are not working so they also are losing money. Suppliers have no orders for goods so they lose money too. Customers will have to get used to higher food bills.

Lessons for those who want meaningful and fulfilling work

For those who want meaningful and fulfilling work what lessons can we learn here?

• If you have a job that is meaningful and fulfilling be grateful but be aware. This family has been fighting over the company since the 1990s.

1. Have a plan of what you will do if something happens to change the environment and working conditions where you work.

• Meaningful relationships bring loyalty. Bad relationships are toxic. Artie T knew how to build strong relationships with the employees by learning their names and something about their lives. The employees continue to say that the business is like a family.

2. Build relationships with people who share your values and feed those relationships. Bad relationships are toxic. Stay away from them. Good relationships help you to grow and thrive.

• Vendors are suffering too. Many said that over 50% of their business was with this supermarket.

3. If you are a business owner, be sure that you are not so dependent on one client or customer’s business. If that client/customer leaves, you may be forced into bankruptcy.

• Members of the Board of Directors have a responsibility to make sure the company is profitable. According to reports in the newspaper this company was already profitable but the board members wanted it to be even more profitable. They were angry that the former CEO (Artie T) paid too much money to the employees in the form of bonuses and salary. They value profit over the work of the employees.

4. Here is a conflict in the values of different factions of the board. It appears the former CEO values the employees and the board members aligned with his cousin value making the company more profitable. The board needs a good PR expert because this makes them look greedy and Artie T looks generous.

• Artie T was a master at building a loyal and hardworking team. It is interesting that in the last decade that loyalty was lost in most other businesses.

5. The lesson for business owners, members of boards of directors, CEOs, presidents, and managers is that your employees are a valuable resource. Treat them fairly and build a loyal hardworking organization.

In the end this has been sad for everyone involved. Neither faction is blameless. This will make an interesting business case for business schools. What do you think? Is it money over meaningful work for you? What have you learned from your experience?

Meaningful work can come and go. Some find it in their first job and others are near retirement and still haven’t found it. Still others find it and then something changes and once again they need to re-evaluate what meaningful work is for them.

There are many steps taken to find meaningful work. Each job you have gives you clues as to what really meaningful work is for you.

Think back to when your work was meaningful and see if the following questions would be answered by “yes”. Would you add any questions to the list?

Ask yourself these 10 questions and any others that are important to you about your current position. Some may be more important to you than others. What are the questions you would want to answer about a new position to insure you will have meaningful work?

1. Is the work so interesting that at times I lose track of time because I am so engrossed? You be the judge here. Time can pass quickly for other reasons than interesting engrossing work. Usually someone who is passionate about what he/she is doing gets this engaged and interested.
2. How frequently does the work feel meaningful and fulfilling to me? Every job has some routine “chores” that have to be done but it is easier to do them with meaningful and fulfilling work to look forward to. What percentage of your time is spent doing ‘chores”?
3. Am I using my highest strengths to do the work? We all have many strengths but some are just easier and more enjoyable for us than others. When you use the strengths that are easy and fun for you the work gets done better and faster.
4. Is the work I do serving a higher purpose? Meaningful work often is work that is connected to your values (what is most important to you.) Meaningful work may bring in a nice paycheck but the most important part of the work is not what is in it for you but how it impacts others.
5. Do I feel connected to that higher purpose? You may be working at a place that has a higher purpose but it is not one that is important to you. You can see the value of your work but there is other work you feel more passionate about.
6. Am I eager to come to work each day? One of the first signals that your work is not satisfying you is when you are actually dreading going into work each day. It happens to many people and yet they continue to force themselves to stay in the job and to go in every day.
7. Do I work with people who share my values and value me and my work? If you are working with people who do not share your values or do not value you and your work, you are probably at risk especially if their values conflict with yours. Companies want their employees to be comfortable working together and being a cohesive team. Sometimes personalities get in the way of teamwork. This can make the workplace intolerable for everyone.
8. Do I feel supported by the management of the business? If you are left adrift by management it can be very scary. Regular feedback from your manager about your work and the strategy of the company is important for you to feel part of the team. Without that you may be at risk without knowing it.
9. Is the work environment conducive to my doing my best work? Years ago they allowed people to smoke in the office. It did not bother me much but a friend had real trouble breathing and complained. She was harassed and made fun of for voicing her opinion. That certainly did not allow her to do her best work. She resigned. The environment can have unhealthy elements, noise, distrust between team members. There are a lot of different attributes of a toxic environment. Can you change the environment? Sometimes you can.
10. Am I learning and growing in this position? To be really engaged in your work there has to be something that you are learning. Learning and growing provides the excitement that keeps you moving forward. Without it meaningful work will become less engaging. Be sure to find a learning area in your work.

Coaching Opportunity

Use the above 10 questions as an assessment of your job. How did you do? If something is missing from your current job or if you are at a point in your life that you want to find work that is more meaningful and fulfilling, I would love to coach you. I can help you to either improve the job you currently have or find something new that is exactly the right job for you. Imagine how you will feel when you wake up each morning looking forward to work! Create meaning, satisfaction and fulfillment in your life and your work. It can happen for you. Just call me at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com

A friend shared with me that her 30 year old daughter, Lois, had just lost her job. The real estate investor that Lois worked for decided to close his business in January 2015. Lois had been analyzing investment property for him and enjoyed the work. Her mother of course was worried about her and suggested she use the next few months to network with different business groups in order to find a new job.   Lois response to her mother was, “I don’t need career advice from my mother.”

Needless to say my friend was hurt and upset.   In the past when Lois had career issues her mother complained that her daughter ignored her advice. She had asked me to coach her a few times. I was willing as long as Lois called me directly to ask for coaching. She never did. No one can coach or advise someone who doesn’t want it. Lois clearly felt she knew what she wanted to do.

Lois actually was working on her own plans. According to her mother she had just signed up for a course to learn to be a bartender. My friend was appalled. Her comment to me was, “We didn’t send her to college and graduate school to be a bartender! She has a Master’s Degree in Finance. She can do better than that.”

Lois already had a real estate license and has been selling real estate even while she worked in her full time job. Her mother told me Lois had been doing a lot of reading about managing her money. She knew exactly how much she needed to live on and had saved enough to manage without a full time job for six months. In her reading Lois found advice on having multiple steams of income so that a person would not be totally dependent on one job. She already had the real estate license and now bartending would be a second.

I was impressed with what Lois had planned and told her mother this. It sounded to me that she had thought through what it would take to make her happy at work and she was implementing it. While I understood her mother’s distress over Lois becoming a bartender, I thought it might turn out to be a great way for Lois to network. I shared this with her mother who smiled but still said she was disappointed.

Parents want what is best for their children. They base their suggestions on their own experiences. Times change however and different generations want different work experiences. Lois has chosen her own path – the one that she believes will make her happy at work.

What do you think? Would you be looking for another full time job in your field or would the best choice for you be multiple streams of income?

Starting your working life is both exciting and scary. You want to be happy at work. Some find the job they want. Others have to take something that is different from what they were looking for. Whatever your first job is it is important to find something meaningful in the work that you do and learn about yourself from the experience. This job may be the first of many that will make up your career. Understanding what you find interesting and where your passion lies is the first step in having a fulfilling and meaningful career. To help you start your career, I’ve created a list of 10 ways to get your career on track. They are not meant to be implemented all at once but gradually.

1. Have a growth mindset. Whatever your first job is, make it a learning experience. Learn about the organization and how your job fits in. Learn what your colleagues do and how they fit into the organization. Make sure you understand your job and what is expected of you and then work to meet and exceed those expectations. Approach every job with a desire to do your very best. Look for the spark within you that makes the work meaningful.
2. Know your value proposition Know what you have to offer. What are your strengths, values and skills? Be able to tell your manager and others that you meet both inside and outside your company what you have that makes you uniquely qualified for the work that you do.
3. Start forming a network. Make a list of people who you want to maintain connection with. Possibilities include professors, friends, leaders of organizations, your managers, colleagues etc. Use an Excel spreadsheet or CMS software package to keep track of your network. Continually add to this list throughout your career. Use your network for support in the job or when you need a new job.
4. Find the spark within. Learn what interests you and what excites you in your field or another. Become aware of the spark within you that ignites your passion. Be open to new possibilities and changes in circumstances. Today it is rare that someone stays in the same job or with the same company for their whole career. Review your situation regularly to be aware of changes in yourself, the economy, and/ or your field.
5. Know your accomplishments. Think in terms of accomplishments. In every task you undertake, understand what the problem is you are solving, what the solution is that you are implementing and what the results are. Simply knowing how to do something is not enough today. Show you can do it and get results. Keep a list of your accomplishments for your end of year review and your resume.
6. Develop an expertise. Be the “go to” person for knowing something special. With an expertise that others do not have you make yourself a valued resource.
7. Develop your own plan B. What would you do if your current job and other possibilities disappeared? Do you have finances to cover a period of no income? Know your options for work either volunteer or other for your interruption time. What kind of a business could you start and run? Keep these ideas alive while you have a job by learning about volunteer opportunities, temp work, business plans, marketing methods and what it takes to start your own business. Have all this ready and available if and when needed.
8. Join professional organizations .They will help you to keep up to date with the changes in your area of expertise. Become active in the organization.
9. Watch the trends in your industry and others. Think about where there is opportunity for you to learn, grow and move your career forward.
10. Ask for help. This is not a sign of weakness. No one can have a successful career alone. Find mentors, sponsors and coaches to help you. Use your networking spreadsheet (#3) to identify them. Mentors are people in your own company that help pave the way for you. Sponsors are people who think highly of you and will recommend you for new positions. Coaches can help you to overcome any road blocks or obstacles that come in your way either in the current job or in finding a new job. Finally support can come through websites like The Ladders. The Ladders is a professional job matching and employment website for career-driven professionals. There are lots of people and websites out there willing and able to help you. All you need to do is ask.

One of the most viewed lists I have done in the last five years is 10 Ways to display Passion http://www.asparker.com/ppts0910a.html. If you don’t know how to display passion you may be confused as to what passion is. I know it has had me puzzled at times. Words can be confusing because they often mean different things to different people.

To begin with my idea of passion is much more emotional than I could feel for my work. To me passion is over the top. It is really excessive emotion. The way I feel about dark chocolate (passionate-always wanting more)  is not the way I feel about my work(satisfied and fulfilled).

That is not to say that people who feel passion for their jobs are wrong. They perhaps do have that emotional over the top connection or perhaps they just define passion differently.

When my son was in college he majored in East Asian Studies. He loves all things Asian including speaking Chinese fluently. I was delighted and encouraged him to think of a career in business where he could use this knowledge. He had other ideas. He wanted to be a psychologist. The Asian studies were interesting, he said, but his passion was psychology.

I must admit I just didn’t get it. As his mother I was eager to see my son settled in a lucrative career. Business with his fluency in Chinese seemed perfect. Today he is a psychologist in his own thriving practice. This he said was his passion and he made a good choice for himself.

One of my clients rejected the word passion. She said she had grown up to think that passion was wrong and not something that one should want. For her to feel passion would make her feel guilty. This was not a way she wanted to feel about her work. She was very firm in this belief with no desire to change it.

So what makes you happy at work? Do you need to be passionate about the work or does the work need to be meaningful and fulfilling. It’s your work so you get to decide. Some of you might feel you need both. We are all different.

Most of my clients want to feel engaged in the work that they do. They also want to feel a connection to something beyond their own wants and needs – a larger purpose. They want the work to have meaning to themselves, their employer and their community, country or world. Finding out what kind of work that is is what they come to me for.

The good news is that today employers are looking for employees that will be engaged in their work so they may resonate with the word “passionate” because it tells them the person will be engaged. If you are passionate about something, the employer doesn’t need to motivate you because you are already motivated.

If you are looking for meaningful and fulfilling work it will be up to you to know what kind of work that is and know what makes it so meaningful and fulfilling. Some people find a job and then find meaning and fulfillment in the job. Experience on the job gives you some clues as to what meaningful and fulfilling means to you.

There are many approaches to being happy at work. You may be passionate about something and find work that involves that something. You may have an interest in a particular industry or using a skill and find work in that industry or using that skill. You’ll then need to find out through experience what makes you happy at work. Every job you hold gives you clues as to what makes you happy at work.

Take Action

If you are serious about finding what makes you happy at work and would like to work with a partner and guide who will help to put the puzzle together so that you can find work that you love, please call me at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com.

After 12 years as a stay at home Mom and a one year return to teaching I decided I needed something new. I loved staying home when my children were little. There was a lot to do and I was busy. As they grew older they became more self-sufficient. They needed me less and were happy in school and with friends.

I wanted to find something that would make me happy too. (Even then I wanted to be happy at work!) I had a degree in teaching but when I returned to the classroom I found it was not as challenging and exciting for me as it once was.

No passion?

I did a lot of soul searching. What did I really want? What were my strengths-the ones I enjoyed using. How could I leverage my teaching experience in a new profession? Passion was not something I considered. I knew I wanted to enjoy my work but passion was a bit over the top for me.

I also did a lot of reading. Women had been limited to teaching, nursing or business administration when I went to school. Now all sorts of fields were open to me. I finally decided on sales.

My friends and family thought I was crazy. Teaching was dignified, prestigious, and steady work. Sales was not considered any of those. Teaching was perfect for a single mother. Some told me I did not have a sales personality.  My own father told me I’d never be good at sales because I did not know how to lie!!(Guess what he thought of sales people?!) Most wondered how I would make the sales necessary to make a living.

To be honest I wondered too. I was scared but motivated. I had two young children to clothe and feed. I knew I could make a decent living for them if I got good at sales. I was determined. (I probably was passionate about earning a good living for myself and my children.)

Persistence Pays Off.

What I knew about myself is that I learn by doing and once I set my mind to learning something I am very persistent. What is that old saying, “Where there is a will there is a way.” My plan was to get a job selling a technical product that required me to “teach” the client about the product. I was sure I could do that.

My first sales job was selling answering machines (in the days before voice mail) for a company that sold telephone peripherals. Frankly the company had only male sales people and they were looking for a woman. (As Barbara Corcoran says in her book “Use what you’ve got.”) Few people even knew what answering machines did or how they worked. It was my job to educate them. In the two years I worked for this small company I was their top producer. I didn’t produce enough to carry the whole company however and they folded. To say the least I was devastated.

New Career Plan

Back to square one I needed to figure out a new career plan. Now that I had had a successful experience in sales I decided I wanted to sell a more complex product in a large corporation-one that would never go out of business.

Since I had been selling telephone equipment, I decided to target New England Telephone (NET) as my first choice. I applied to many other places but NET was the place I really wanted to work. As part of AT&T it looked solid!  I tapped into my network (before social media) and found some really useful connections. Luckily one went to bat for me and got me an interview with NET.

An interview and role play.

During one of the 5 parts of the interview process with New England Telephone I had to role play a sales call! You can imagine how nervous I was before it. (Looking back I realize how much I wanted the job because the idea was enough to make me want to run away.)

I was given a case study to read and absorb before the role play would begin. It was a challenge sifting through the huge amount of data they provided and remembering enough of the facts to engage with the customer. Often when I am nervous my mind goes blank. I needed to calm myself enough to absorb the important details.

I learned that I would be selling advertising products to two people who worked for a manufacturer. I had to convince them to place an order. Talk about stressful!! I’d never done anything like this in my life. With my heart in my mouth I began to talk to the customers. I did my best to persuade them but had no idea whether what I had done was good enough to get me the job. I heard nothing for a week. It seemed like a month! Then one day when I had almost given up I got the call with the job offer. I was thrilled.

Thinking about this today (this happened over 20 years ago) I am struck by my persistence and determination. Without any skills I set out to learn how to do something I had never done before (sell) and then to get a job selling for a company I had admired all my life. That I succeeded seems amazing to me now.

Are you ready to make a change in your career or your life?

When I first went into sales my family and friends were very negative about my idea. I would have loved someone who was neutral to listen to me. There might have been some sales opportunities that I overlooked. I had never heard of coaching then. When I lost my job I would have liked a neutral party to help me prepare for my next step. Again coaching was not available then.   If you are transitioning from one career to another, one stage of life to another or you would like to make a change, I can be of help to you. While my clients could do this by themselves, I make it easier for them and help them to see what their blind spots are. I am a sparker. Are you ready for a coach? Call me at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com to find out if coaching is for you.

Happy at work

To be happy at work it is important to enjoy and learn from your co-workers. A cohesive team makes work more enjoyable. It is important to form good relationships with people in your workplace. Your co-workers will become part of the network you will use in the future when you are looking for a new job. Studies show you increase job satisfaction with solid workplace friendships. Consider these tips to establish significant relationships. Remember when you help others you end up helping yourself too.

1. Align with top performers. Find the acknowledged top performers in your company and interact with them. Be aware of skills and talents you have that could help them. Offer to help when appropriate. When I was new to my sales group I sat next to an experienced sales executive. Since he had many new accounts and I had none (I was in training) I offered to call his new potential customers to see if they had an immediate need and make an appointment. I was very successful and he was grateful. When he got promoted he recommended me to take one of his best accounts!
2. Create an influence map. This is a short list of people inside and outside your department that can have a positive influence on your career. Get to know some of these people.
3. Nurture the relationships that can do you the most good. . A sales executive I knew had a great sense of humor. He connected with a Vice President by making a joke that she found really funny. Later when she was able to, she promoted him to a manager in her district. I must admit that I was horrified at the time because I thought he was incompetent. The tip works however and some very competent people move forward this way.
4. Meet co-workers one on one to get to know them better and form deeper connections. Look for common interests inside and outside work. Are there ways for you to work together? As a sales person selling a technical product I was often assigned a technical support person. Getting to know many technical support people made it easier for me to know who to request for support. I looked for people I could depend on and who I got along with. The right person made the work more fun!
5. Ask people in other departments to help you to understand how their department works. In my sales job I got to know the people who placed the orders. They helped me to understand how the order should be written to avoid mistakes. It was a very busy department but they attended to my orders immediately because they knew and respected me.
6. Keep the conversations you have with co-workers positive. No one wants to be around negative Nellie. If you are down on the company keep it to yourself. Find upbeat topics to discuss with co-workers. If you have problems at home, hire a professional who can help you to solve the problem.
7. Offer to cover for someone who is on vacation. This offer has two benefits. You learn what the responsibilities someone else has and you now have someone who will likely do the same for you when you take a vacation.
8. Say positive things about your co-workers publically. Everyone likes acknowledgement. If you know someone did a bang-up job on something, mention it to others. Your other co-workers will be pleased to be “in-the-know” and the co-worker who you acknowledged will feel good. When someone supported me really well, I would send a message expressing my gratitude for the good job to his/her manager.
9. Offer to assist when you can in high profile projects. These are the projects everyone is watching. It is good to be visible to your manager and other interested managers. Obviously you want to do good work so that your exposure will be positive.
10. Keep in touch with those with whom you established relationships when they or you move on. Whether you move on or a colleague does, stay in touch. Your network is helpful especially if you connect with people frequently so they know about you and your career. Most people begin to think about their network when they begin to look for a new job. It is better to have a warm network to use in times of need.

Tips gleaned from Money Magazine article Help Co-workers Help You

*Song from the Book of Mormon with lyrics and music by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone

Coaching Opportunity

Not everyone who is unhappy at work needs to change jobs. I’ve worked with many clients who just needed a spark to ignite their understanding of facets within their current job that need adjustment. The spark helped them to see a situation in different ways, view their job from another perspective and then find a new way to work. I can do the same for you. That is why they call me a sparker. Email me at asparker@asparker.com or call me at 781-598-0388.

How can you identify a company’s values and why is it important? Your values can be defined as those activities that are most important to you. When your life is in great shape they are the things you are naturally drawn to. When you honor your personal values your work is effortless. If you are working in an environment, which has different values from yours, you have to work harder. Sometimes the values are just wrong for you and you feel your integrity is compromised.

There are two steps to take in order to know if you have a match between your values and the company’s. Knowing your own values is the first step. In my coaching work I help my clients understand and work from their values. The second step is to understand the values of your work environment.

A client of mine found herself working for a company whose values were different from hers. Sally was a sales professional working for a communications company. She had recently changed employers because she had been offered a sizable increase in salary. Six months at the new job and she called me. “I think I have made a terrible mistake,” she said.

The “mistake” she identified was taking the new job in a “dog eat dog” environment. Her former employer had had a team spirit and an environment where training was a priority. She really missed her old company. Sally was uncomfortable with her new employer because she did not share the values of the company.

The first step I used to coach Sally was to help her identify her own values. One tool that we use together is the TruValues Assessment. You can contact me for this valuable tool.

Once you know your own values how do you find your employer’s or potential employer’s values? One way to do this is to look at the company’s vision and mission statement. These should give you an idea of what the company says is most important. A company that wants to be on the cutting edge of technology might value creativity and innovation in all parts of its operation.

The next step would be to visit the company and see if it lives its stated values. Some companies will tell you that they have a set of values but their employees see it differently. Look for ways the company “walks the talk”. In the case of this cutting edge company perhaps it allows employees several hours of unstructured time to create during the day.

If a company has an easily recognizable culture then it is simpler to understand what its values are. More and more companies today are working to identify with and support a culture that focuses on the essence of their business. In their book Finding and Keeping Great Employees Jim Harris and Joan Brannick suggest that companies must “align staffing and retention activities to the company’s core culture”. The following are the four cultures Harris and Brannick have identified:

1. Culture of Customer Service – Being the best at serving their customers
   2. Culture of Innovation – Being first to market with a new product.
   3. Culture of Operational Excellence – Dedicated to improving processes
   4. Culture of Spirit – Serving a greater good such as the environment

A company that is customer service oriented for example would be customer driven. Every employee would understand how he/she was connected to the customer. The customer’s needs are put ahead of the company needs in order to build long term relationships. Employees who hear a customer’s problem are expected to own the problem.

People who value being empowered and being the best would thrive in this environment. If you were a person who loved to learn (another value), you would be eager to hear what the customer wanted and then to learn how to provide it. The point is that what matters most to the employee is also critical to the company’s business and the employer and employee are aligned.

Whether you are an employee interested in finding a more fulfilling job or a business owner trying to hire in a very competitive environment, understanding the company’s values will make you more adept at satisfying your own requirements and making a significant contribution to the business.

Downsizings, mergers, and acquisitions often impact the values of a company. Even someone who is satisfied with his/her employer today will need to reassess when changes occur. Knowing your own values and being alert to the clues that identify the values of the organization can help you in this ongoing assessment.

Free Values Assessment and Coaching Session

Would you like to learn what your values are and clarify exactly what is most important to you? Take my values assessment. Once you have completed the assessment , I am offering a free 30 minute coaching session to help you understand and clarify the importance of your values to you. For a copy of the TruValues Program and  a 30 minute coaching session, email me at asparker@asparker.com or call me at 781-598-0388.

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My client, John, had recently lost his job. What was most puzzling to him was that up until he got his notice his manager had given him very positive feedback about his performance. The truth was the company had eliminated the budget for his job function. His work was good but they decided they did not need that work done any more.

At 50 years old he was just fed up by the general lack of integrity he saw in employers and came to SCORE to learn more about how to start his own business. The other SCORE counselor and I were surprised when he immediately took charge of the agenda. (Note: SCORE is a volunteer organization of business owners and corporate executives some of whom are retired. It is part of the Small Business Administration in the US. SCORE members counsel thousands of businesses every year at no cost to the business owner.)

He had prepared a short presentation to show us exactly what his skills were and the kind of business he was planning. He then presented a potential client list. This list was made up of people he knew in the area and people with whom he had had past business relationships that he had nurtured over the years. It was an impressive list. Finally he told us about his financial reserves and what he thought he would be able to invest in himself in order to get the business off the ground.

The other counselors and I were amazed. It is rare that anyone is that well prepared. He certainly had a jump-start on the process. He would need our help to get a business plan together but given his presentation we knew he was well on the way to his “Road to Success”.

Of course he had concerns. Having a paycheck coming in on a regular basis along with insurance and other benefits provided a sense of security that he wanted too. At this point though he was beginning to believe that even working for someone else was not secure. The real reason for his enthusiasm for having his own business was that he would be able to design the life he really wanted to live and part of that life would be a business that he could run with integrity-his vision.

More and more unemployed people, frustrated employees and retiring workers are thinking of starting a business as an option for themselves. They commonly ask us how long it will take to get going. It’s a question with no easy answer. It depends on the preparation that is done and the best time to have done that preparation is while working for someone else!

I’ve written before about the importance of having plan B. It could be that for today’s environment you need both a plan B and a plan C. If plan B is a plan for getting your next job working for an employer and then plan C is one for working for yourself. The good news is that some of what you do for plan B will be useful for plan C. You can start both by defining your skills, talents, values and behavioral style. Which of your skills, talents and values are most important to you? Based on your behavioral style how do you like to communicate? Where are the gaps between what you have and what you need? Where can you get training on the things you need to learn?

For both plans you need to be aware of the marketplace trends. Just as you will ask yourself, “Where is my employer or industry headed?” for plan B, you will ask yourself “What is happening that will affect my business?” for plan C. Trends give you an insight into what people are buying or doing.

In my opinion today everyone needs to think of himself as self-employed. Employers aren’t going to take care of employees the way they have in the past. In the US we have only to look at what they are doing to health insurance, pensions and training. A person can’t depend on them even when they are employed. If you are not actively updating your skills yourself, working on understanding yourself better, saving money to create substantial reserves, and planning for a non-employed period in your life, your time to re-employment will be adversely affected.

My client had done his homework. He knew his skills, had a network, had enough reserves to carry him while he went through a few months of startup expense, and had a vision of what his life would be like when he was running his own business. With all this pre-work done and with a good business plan his chances for success are high.

Take Action

• Make a list of your skills and talents? Make a list of business ideas using these skills and talents as a basis? Explore these and find a fit.
• Make a list of the people in your network. If you already have a list, make sure you have everyone listed in a good contact manager. Find a good process to maintain contact with the people in your network.
• Begin to write a business plan to see if any of your business ideas could make enough money to support you.
• Visualize yourself as a business owner. What do you do all day? What parts of the life are attractive to you? What parts are unattractive? Is there a way to visualize this so you will feel drawn to it and energized by it?

Turns out some of the people at Amazon.com are unhappy at work. If you read the NY Times article about the Amazon.com workplace it does not sound like a place I would like to work – bosses are demanding, employees are driven to tears, no patience for taking time for cancer patients to get treatments, caring for aging parents, staying home with sick child, or accommodating new mothers. The article says however that some people find it thrilling and that the environment brings out their best.

Large businesses where lots of people want to work often take advantage of their employees. I’ve worked in a situation like that and for me it was very unpleasant. I am much more a collaborative rather than competitive person. I found that kind of environment stifling. We are all different. Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon) says if he worked in the environment  described he would quit. I think even in the company I worked for the top executives did not know what was happening in the middle and bottom layers of the business but they liked the results. It seemed to me that they decided it was better for them to stay ignorant.

What do you do if you work for that sort of company or if you are planning to? The first step is to know and manage yourself well. Then I’d say keep your options open, your network active and be prepared to leave if you are mistreated in a way that impedes your ability to feel good about yourself and your work. I’d be happy to help you or anyone who is unhappy at work to take the steps necessary to be happy at work.

“She found her voice?” the panel moderator stated questioningly.  What does that mean?  Shouldn’t she have found it by this time?

These were the questions posed by moderator after the New Hampshire primary election in the US in 2008.  Of course he was referring to what the media was saying about Hilary Clinton.

“Finding your voice” has a lot of meanings.  It could be taken literally.  I get laryngitis occasionally so every time I recover I “find my voice”.  That is not what people meant here though.

“Finding your voice” in this context, means finding a way to express your ideas so that you connect with others.  We all have ideas and thoughts that we feel strongly about-especially the ones we value most –our values.

When people explore those values, they are trying to find their own truth.   This is what I would call finding the spark within.  When they talk about this truth they get excited and wrapped up in what they are saying.  In fact sometimes it sparks something emotional in them.   That emotion or passion is energizing to themselves and contagious to others.  It feels very real and authentic to the audience.

Working in an area that allows us to frequently feel that excitement and enthusiasm is what makes a career fulfilling.  How many people lose that feeling of passion because they get busy with the day to day tasks of their work?

Perhaps that is what happened to Mrs. Clinton. Day to day campaigning is rigorous. She just needed someone to ask her a question that reminded her of the reasons she was doing it.  We all need that at some time in our careers.  Some need the reminder more often than others.

Notice that this year the ads she is running are focused on what is important to her – her mother and her grandchild. I don’t know about you but I can relate to that!!

I’ll speak for myself here and say that I can get so wrapped up in getting things done that I sometimes lose site of the big picture.  For the last 4 months I have been working on updating my website.  While the website work can be fun and interesting, it isn’t the kind of work that I would label my calling.

My website however is important because it provides me a means to engage in that calling.  It is through my practice that I have the opportunity to feel that passion as my clients find their own voices either by uncovering a new career, making their current career work or by building their businesses. As I get engrossed in my website I do need to remind myself frequently of the reason I am doing it.

The other part of the panel moderator’s question seemed to imply that you find your voice once when you are young and that is it.  He asked, “Shouldn’t she have found it by this time?”  Some people are lucky enough to find their voices when they are young and continue to express it in their work over their entire lifetime.  That does not happen for everyone however.  Some people don’t find it at all, others find it at different points in their lives, and still others find their voice changing over time with each new job.  It is never too late to start searching for it.  (The Now What? Program is a way to find your voice.)

Sometimes however it may be that you need to rediscover that voice in a new job.  There are complexities to “finding your voice”.  It is not just what you are saying but how you are saying it.

In the Hilary Clinton example she may have found her voice as a Senator, as a Secretary of State and as a public speaker but she hadn’t quite found it as a candidate for President.   There may be different ways to connect to the new larger audience. It is your decision as to whether she has found it now!

How about you?  Have you found your voice?  If you have, it will allow you to communicate that excitement to clients or potential employers.  The spark within you will propel you into a successful practice and/or a fulfilling career.

If you haven’t found your voice, here are some ideas to begin to uncover it.

1. Values are often important to using your voice.  When you speak out of your values, you tend to speak with passion and conviction.  Try the TruValues program by re-subscribing to my newsletter.  Go to http://www.asparker.com/samples.html and subscribe today. Tomorrow you will receive TruValues in your email.
2. Purchase the book Now What? 90 Days to a New Life Direction at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Now-What-Revised-Edition-Direction/dp/0399173161/parkerassociates and take the quiz at the beginning of the book.  It will identify your blocks to finding your voice.  Interested in reviewing the quiz with me?  For $125 we’ll go over the quiz and I’ll give you some tips to begin removing the blocks. Sign up for the Now What program and I will credit the $125 toward your coaching sessions.
3. Once you have found your voice and know what you are passionate about, you will need to know how you present yourself to others and what that presentation says about you to other people. The DISC behavioral assessment will tell you this.  Now you can assess whether the way they perceive you and the way you want to be perceived are the same. If you want to change that perception a coach can help you to do that. My clients take the DISC assessment online and receive a very detailed and complete report back.  They are always amazed that a 10 minute assessment can provide so much information.  Interested in taking the DISC?  Call me at 781-598-0388.

Good systems support the business owner by helping him/her to make good decisions. Instead of juggling the many tasks the owner organizes his/her tasks into processes or systems. Every business has several key systems that when run properly will help the business to be profitable. Monitoring the systems and watching key measurements in the system will help the owner to know when to make changes and when to keep doing the same things.

Having an operations manual for your business will allow you to have one place to go when you want to redefine a process or update a key measure. The operations manual is also helpful to new employees as they begin to learn how your business works.

If you are or plan to be a business owner having and monitoring your systems can prevent overwhelm and burnout so that you can be happy at work!

1. Prospecting System – What are the activities that you participate in on a regular basis that generate prospective clients for your business? Once you know the answer to this then you can define a system that works for you. i.e. It generates the number of prospects you need to fill your business with ideal clients or to sell amount of product you forecast. Be sure to define the steps of the system clearly in your operations manual and then work that system consistently by tracking the results to insure effectiveness. (See measurement systems)
2. Prospect Conversion System – What do you do once you have a prospect to convert him/her into a client? Define the step by step method to move the prospect from having many questions to having a thorough understanding of the benefits of the product or service so that they are ready to sign a contract or make a purchase.
3. Cash Flow System – How does cash flow through your business? Determine the amount of cash you need to keep your business running properly and then develop a process to review the cash flow periodically to see how the business is doing. Have a process in place to predict an excess of cash or declining amounts of cash. Develop methods to handle both conditions. This will help you to see why cash is so important to the life of your business.
4. Bookkeeping System – Keeping up to date with how your business is doing financially is imperative for the business owner. Keeping track of expenses will help you to make good buying decisions. Watching the inflows of your business will tell you if your Prospecting and Prospect Conversion Systems are working. This is an important system that can be done by using software or by hiring a bookkeeper. In either case the owner must look at the reports to understand if the business is profitable.
5. Billing System – Sending out bills on a regular basis helps to keep your business financially healthy. What are the inputs necessary for the bill to be generated? Be sure that those responsible for the inputs know when they are due and who gets them. Who is responsible for generating the bill? Define this important system and check to make sure it is followed properly. A late bill or a bill that doesn’t explain the charges clearly can create customer dissatisfaction.
6. Payroll System – Whether you are a solo with part time help or a company with many employees it is necessary to define the time frames and methods that you and your staff will be paid. It is important to determine who is responsible for this system and what the inputs are that are necessary in order to have the system work properly. A poorly run payroll system creates employee dissatisfaction.
7. Hiring System – Define the steps you take in order to hire each type of employee in your business. What must be done before the hiring takes place? What is needed during the search? What is the decision making process? Once a decision is made, how are the candidates notified of the decision? All these questions must be addressed in your hiring system.
8. Appraisal System – Each employee is entitled to feedback on his/her performance during the year. Most companies have a formal appraisal at the end of the year. There are steps involved in the formal appraisal process as well as the inputs to that evaluation during the year. It is important to have your own unique process that is clear to employer and employee
9. Measurement Systems – Define the key measurements in your business and then a process to keep track of them throughout the year. Each measurement must be reviewed with a particular frequency and adjustments made to the business based on the trends the measurements show.
10. Workflow System – Define how the work flows within your business. i.e.How does a client file or order flow through the business? How does the phone get answered in your business and how does the call get handled? What happens when you take on a new client/customer? How does the work get tracked? Who makes the decision when there are conflicts? Define the inputs of each employee involved. Where are the handoffs within the workflow? Look for places with no coverage and define it.

If you have good systems, your business runs more smoothly. You have time to do your work and have a life too! You are happy at work. Systems also help to identify problems that are impacting your profitability.

Need help with your systems?

What is the weak link in your business and how can you improve it?  If you are not sure how or what to do to make your business run smoothly, hire a coach to help you.  I can help you to remove bottlenecks, strengthen weak links  and make the process work efficiently.  Fixing  a poorly working system will improve the bottom line and make more time available for the process owners.  To work with me, Alvah Parker,  on process improvement either email me or call me at 781-598-0388.

Several years ago there was a lot of talk about the book The Secret. It was on the best sellers list for a number of months. When a friend offered to lend me her copy, I decided I was curious enough to take it. I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Skeptical at first I now realize that many of these concepts have been true in my own life. There are many I have discussed and used with clients. You may recognize some of these from previous lists. Here are 10 that have worked for me:

1. Gratitude – Thinking about what is good in my life puts me in a much happier mood than thinking about what is not good. The author of The Secret says that when you think about what is not working in your life you attract more of it. Conversely if you think about and are grateful for the good in your life you will attract more of it. All the more reason to write a gratitude journal or just sit quietly for a few minutes and feel gratitude for all that you have.
   Alvah’s note: There are lots of things to be grateful for. For me it is the little things that give me pleasure-things I could miss if I wasn’t paying attention. For example my list today:
   • Sitting by my window as the birds come to my bird feeder. There is a cardinal that comes and eats the seed that falls to the ground. I am grateful for the cardinal who is bright red and always cheers me and the black and white chickadees that cluster around the feeder.
   • Listening to music. I just got a recording of the musical Anything Goes by Fats Waller. Hard to sit still through This Joint is Jumpin’
   • Watching my plants grow in the summer and enjoying their fruit and/or flower. In the winter I always have a vase of flower buds that I enjoy watching open up.
2. Thoughts are things – Your thoughts have energy. In fact your life story comes directly from your thoughts. You frame your internal dialogue and picture of yourself in your mind. You get to write the plot of your life story. It is how you interpret your thoughts that make your story. You have the ability to have the story be wonderfully positive!! It’s the only way to go.
   Alvah’s note: If you have a loud inner critic as I do, this one is a challenge. It is worth the effort though to tame it so that you have a good positive story in which you are the hero.
3. Become Aware – To understand if you are keeping your thoughts positive start to check periodically how you are feeling. If you are feeling good, you know that your thoughts are positive and you are happy. Now you are in the right frame to start to attract what you want in life. If you are not feeling good and are not happy, find ways to change your mood.
   Alvah’s note: For some tips on how to do this read my list Ten Ways to Help You Recover From a Bad Mood
4. Know Your Life Purpose and Live it – If you know what your purpose is to do in life and find ways to incorporate that purpose in your life daily, you’ll be able to maintain that happy feeling and attract more of it into your life.
   Alvah’s note: Not sure of your life purpose? As a Certified Life Blueprint® Facilitator I guide people through a program that uncovers their true life purpose. Send me an email asparker@asparker.com if you are interested in finding out more about this program.
5. Do the Work You Love – Find meaning and joy in the work that you do. This will keep you joyful about your contribution to the world.  Alvah’s note: See my note above. That same program will identify work that you love.
6. Set Your Intention – Know what you really want in life. Whatever your goals are, you have the ability to make them happen. At this point you don’t have to think if these goals are possible or how you will make them happen. Your goals can be big or small – just set the intention without any negative or questioning feelings.
7. Believe it is possible for you to achieve your goals – Again you don’t have to have a plan yet. You just must be able to believe enough in yourself and the universe to know that it is possible for this to happen to YOU.
8. Meditate – Find some quiet time to just feel good about where you are and who you are. Think about all the really special parts of your life. Stay in that good place and breathe.
9. Visualization – Imagine that you have achieved your goals. See yourself in the present accomplishing whatever it is that you dreamed about. Come back to this visualization frequently as though it actually is happening.
10. Take Good Care of Yourself – If you feel as though you are sacrificing for someone or something else, you will be resentful. This will attract people and situations that cause more resentment. Find ways to love yourself first so that you can then love others fully.

Zap Your Tolerations

What are you tolerating in your life that gets in the way of your being happy? Maybe there are projects in your home that are unfinished. Perhaps an old relationship still haunts you. Is there something you want but haven’t been able to get? Tolerations are draining. They sap you of energy. I can help you identify yours and together we’ll come up with a plan to zap them. Interested? Call me at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com.

Years ago when I was a successful sales professional for AT&T I had a conversation with a colleague about where I wanted to go professionally. My goal I said was to become a large global account manager. “Oh” he said, if that is what you want you are headed in the wrong direction. Stay here and you will end up a manager in middle markets.” That meant managing a group of other sales people handling smaller accounts.

I thought about what he said and realized he was right but I was doing well and was not unhappy so I continued doing what I was doing. Where did I end up? Just as he predicted- a manager of people with smaller accounts.

What I know now is that if I find myself headed in the wrong direction I am responsible to make the correction. I never thought about having a career strategy. Without one I moved ahead but not where I wanted to go.

What would I do differently today? When I realized I was not heading in the right direction I would decide how I would make the correction. Whatever the next step toward that correction was I would set my intention to make it happen.

Take a moment to take stock of your career. Are you heading in the direction you want to go?

In the same way it is important to know what you want in your life. Are you doing the things that will make you happy and healthy? What do you need to do to get both your life and your career moving in the right direction?

There are three simple steps. The first is that if you really want to do this you must make it a priority. Step one is to set your intention. I’d suggest focusing on one course correction in your life and one in your career.

In the case of my career perhaps my next step is to find a global account managers to talk to,  I could find out how they got to that position and ask what advice they had for me.

If in my personal life I wanted to exercise more I could set my intention to exercise three time a week.

Your thoughts are important here. So if you are thinking “I should do this.”, it won’t work. You must first change the thinking and feeling to “I want to do this.” “I’ll make it work” That makes it a priority.

The next step is to ask yourself why you want to take this step and then write down the benefits you expect to get. These can be used to remind yourself of your intension.

With my career issue I would have needed to work to find the reason I was so complacent and ambivalent about changing my direction. It may have that I did not want to rock the boat (Things were good as they were) and it probably was fear of change. Rereading the benefits of the change might have got me to recommit to my action step. (Fear of change is a fear that coaches often help clients to work out.)

In the case of my life I have committed to exercising three times a week. It took me a few months of sticking with this routine to notice that I am stronger, my weight is stable and I have more energy. To maintain the benefits I know I must continue.

Again the only way this will work is if you have truly committed to doing it and really want to form a new habit or make a change in your career. With exercise it is an appointment I make with myself and I rarely change it. With your career you’ll need to see the long term benefits of getting to where you want to go

These steps can be used with any change of habit or career change. As with anything you do the secret is what happens inside you. You must really want it. If it is important to you, you will find a way to make it happen.

Take Action

1. What step could you take this month that would move you in the right direction for your career or your life ?
2. What could you do to set your intention strongly? (You’ve got to want it.)
3. Try making the first step for a week. How did it go? Let me know!

Need some help? Coaches work with people who want to make changes in their lives.

What makes you happy at work? It is easy to stay happy when times are good. It is more challenging when life has thrown you a curve. In difficult times it is important to bounce back. Resilience is that quality that enables people to face adversity and adapt to it without lasting difficulties. A resilient person can “roll with the punches”. We all can become more resilient. Knowing the characteristics of resilient people can help you to become more resilient. Here are some of the main characteristics of resilient people:

1. They are strong people who realize the importance of having a good social support system and are able to surround themselves with supportive friends and family.
2. They look at the bright side of a situation. They believe in their own strength and their ability to address and overcome any problem. During a crisis they are good to have around because of their optimism.
3. They have a spiritual practice. They have faith in themselves and the universe to overcome anything. (This doesn’t mean you can’t be resilient if you don’t have a spiritual practice. It just means a connection has been found between those who have one and resilience..)
4. They are childlike in their interest in what is going on. They are curious about situations. They experiment, wonder about things and laugh. They are not caught up in what was (the history). They focus on the new possibilities.
5. They are connected to what is most important to them in life (their values) and see meaning and purpose in what they do. Instead of getting emotional about a situation they align their thoughts and actions with their values.
6. They focus on the important things and don’t fight things they cannot control. Resilient people save their energy to fight the battles that are necessary. They know what they control and what is out of their reach.
7. They take responsibility for their physical well-being. That allows them to be physically and emotionally resilient. They eat healthy food, exercise and get enough rest. This buffers them from life’s stresses.
8. When a problem arises they seek solutions. They can live with uncertainty and ambiguity until they find the solution. This gives them room to grow.
9. They always see something negative as an opportunity to do something better or get something better. They consider adversity a challenge not a threat.
10. They don’t take themselves too seriously. They have a sense of humor about life’s challenges.

Tap into your resilience

Want to be more resilient? Take action. A coach can help you figure out what is going on for you so that you are able to tap into your resilience. Not sure if I can help you? Call me at 781-598-0388 to see if I am the right coach for you. Together we can decide if a coaching relationship between us would work. Email me at asparker@asparker.com or text me at 617-240-5353.

Recently a reader wrote this to me, “I am still bothered when people call me a perfectionist. In school, people call my daughters perfectionists too. The inference is, you are wrong to work so hard on a project getting all the details right. Why can’t you be mediocre like the rest of us?

In sports, we are allowed to be perfectionists — that’s called the motivation to win. A coach who doesn’t win (makes mistakes) can be fired. As a woman not in sports, my same drive is seen as a negative. So the next time someone calls me a perfectionist, I am going to respond: “Yes, I see myself as someone who is motivated to win.””

What does it mean when others label you a perfectionist? Is it a compliment? One of the definitions in the dictionary for perfectionism is “A propensity for setting extremely high standards and being displeased with anything else.” As the writer points out this is acceptable in sports. Isn’t that what the Olympics are all about?

Yet the writer says that others see perfectionism as something negative. Like all strengths there can be a point at which it does in fact become a weakness.

A person may perform the functions of a job with a vision of the “perfect” way to perform or the “perfect” outcome of the work. If perfecting the work and progressing toward that standard gives someone pleasure and energy then it is healthy for him/her to continue.

The problem arises if the person starts to think of nothing else. He/she starts to exclude everything else in his/her life then it might be time to question the perfectionism. In fact to me the word perfectionism connotes that sort of obsessive behavior. My dictionary did not state this however but that might be what those addressing the reader are feeling.

Similarly if a person is working on a project and trying to get a “perfect” outcome, he/she can work at it and change their methodology sort of like a scientist with an experiment. If it starts to take over the person’s life then again the person has to question whether this is really what he/she wants to do.

The answer might in fact be that that is exactly what that person wants to do. At least then it is a conscious choice. You have to want to change the perfectionist pattern in order to do something about it.

I have known people who never finish a project or even are afraid to start something because they fear it will not be perfect. If this happens then he/she really has to decide what is more important getting something done or getting it perfect. This decision can be paralyzing and is often the root of procrastination.

Finally the reader says that people call her daughters perfectionists too. With children there is always the possibility that they are working toward someone else’s standard and not their own. Do they want to continue working on the project or skill? Is there some outside threat that makes them anxious about their performance?

We have all heard about stage mothers and parents who want their children to excel at a sport. Encouraging them to do these things is wonderful. Forcing them to do them perfectly is not.

One danger in being a perfectionist is demanding it in others. It is the person themselves who decides if the standard is worth working toward. (It is an individual’s choice.) Setting perfection as a standard for someone else is not fair. Children whose parents set perfectionist standards for them often later in life feel that they are not good enough. (My father was never satisfied with my getting an A. He wanted me to get an A+. I found that really difficult to live up to.)

Talented people are often labeled perfectionists. They could be scientists, great sports figures, or performers who devote all their waking hours to working on a problem or perfecting their craft to the exclusion of everything else. And who is to say that a life so far out of balance wasn’t just right for them? The next time you are working on something that is consuming most of your time because you want it to be perfect, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What would I rather be doing?
2. What parts of my life am I ignoring?
3. What is it about this project that takes precedent?
4. What and who are my priorities?
5. Am I living a life that takes my priorities into account?

If you have a sense of dissatisfaction with your life as it is, it is up to you to change it. Working with a coach can help you clarify what your priorities are. The coach can then help you plan a way to make your life reflect your priorities. I’d love to be your coach. Call me at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com

You have probably been asked to serve on a committee or team.  When possible it is important to choose those teams wisely. (There are times when your manager appoints you to a team and you are not given a choice.) Being a team player can give you visibility and credibility but if you choose the wrong team or work with a less than productive group you will lose the benefits. How do you decide which team/committee to serve on and then how do you make sure that team is very successful?  Here are some ideas:

1. Critical Path or Personal Passion – Be sure the goal of the team is directly connected to the bottom line of the firm and/or is a focus of your own personal passion. You will need to have energy around the mission of the team and you will want the organization to be supportive of the findings of the team.

2. Appropriate work for a Team? – Decide if the work can only be done by a team. If the work would be better accomplished by one or two people making a decision then don’t waste your time. You’ll be spinning your wheels on something that could be done faster with fewer people involved.

3. Mission of the Team – Ask about the mission of the team and what outcomes are expected. Get clarification if you don’t understand it.  The team can’t do its work if the mission isn’t clear. Make sure everyone on the team understands the mission too.

4. Benefit – Look to see if being on this team will benefit you in some way. Perhaps it will add a skill to your resume.  It might be a visible team and add to your standing in the firm or community.  It could put you in contact with someone that you want to know better.

5. Expertise Needed? – Be sure your expertise is required by the team. If you feel that there is a more qualified person, give the leader the name of the person who you think has that expertise. If possible, decline to work on teams that don’t seem to need your specific talent. This work should be a showcase for what you are uniquely qualified to do or the specific value that you add to the team.

6. Other Members – Ask about the other members and what skills they bring to the table. Discuss adding people who have skills you see are missing and are needed to accomplish the mission.

7. Quiet Members – Notice who the quiet members of the team are. Help those people to be heard by asking their opinions and asking them to repeat their comments if their voices are soft and not easily heard by others.  Find ways to help them participate.

8. Stay on track and focused – The team needs to keep to its timeline and within its budget. Complete your own work in the agreed upon time frame and budget and help others to do the same.  Offer support to anyone who may make the team miss a deadline.

9. Team Decisions – Make sure that everyone is comfortable with the decisions that are made each step of the way. Nothing is worse than completing the task and finding that someone disagreed with something done in the very beginning of the work.

10. Ease tension – There are often tense situations that come from teamwork. Not everyone agrees all the time. Find ways to actively listen to someone else’s point of view. Help by restating their ideas for the group if some people don’t understand it.  Make sure everyone understands all sides of the issue. Find ways to defuse the situation.  Take a break when things get hot.  Use humor to release tension.

Many of the ideas from this list are mentioned in the book How to Be a Star at Work Robert E. Kelley.  Kelley has done research on how star performers work. Published in 1999 it still has ideas of value to professionals in a firm setting and employees in a corporation.   This book can be found on Amazon.

Want to be a top team member?

Whether you are difficulty deciding whether to join a team or not or you find yourself on a team that isn’t working well, a coach can help you think through your situation and find your own solution.  Coaches don’t tell you what to do.  Coaches help you to uncover what would work best for you.  If I can be of help to you in a work situation, just call or email me to set up a complimentary coaching session.  It will give us each the opportunity to evaluate if we can work well together.  My email is asparker@asparker.com and my telephone number is 781-598-0388.

Employees that are happy at work are more productive and less likely to look for another job*.  They also can help you to attract new employees who are looking for a good place to work,  Employees who are happy are more engaged in the work they do and more willing to go the extra mile to help the company to be successful .  What can an employer do so that the employees in the firm are happy?

1. Know the values of your company so that when you hire people you know that the people share your values. Example: Winning, supportive, teaching, learning are values that may lead to very different companies.
2. Articulate frequently the vision of your company and how each employee supports that vision. Connect with your employees to show them how they make a difference to the company in doing their job.
3. Express appreciation and acknowledgement to employees. If you normally sit in your office make sure to walk around a bit several times a week.  Catch people in the act of doing something right and let them know you appreciate them.  Have periodic meetings where you reward and acknowledge top performers.  In a Massachusetts survey of workers each year they rank being appreciated, feeling that they are part of something meaningful, and having confidence in their future among the key factors that determine how they feel about their jobs.  At the bottom of the ranking-pay and benefits
4. Encourage employees to take their vacation time. Lead by example. Take your vacation too.  If you need some convincing that employee vacations are helpful to your businss read my blog article 10 Reasons Employers Should Insist Employees Take a Vacation.
5. Support and encourage work to be done during business hours. Discourage working more than 9 hours in one day or working 45 hour weeks.  Working too many hours day after day can lead to burn out.
6. Allow telecommuting for employees where it makes sense and flexible hours for employees who must be in the office. A study 1100 parents done by Flexjobs showed that 61% of the parents want to work because they enjoy their job and 85% wanted to be able to telecommute while 54% said they wanted alternative or flexible work hours
7. Empower employees to find their own way to complete their work. Reward results. Micromanaging sends the wrong signal to employees.  They feel less valued and less confident in their abilities.
8. Accept that at times an employee will fail. Help them to understand what went wrong and to learn from the experience.  Ask yourself if there is a lesson there for you too.
9. Help each employee to develop their skill set. Ask them what skills they want to build and how they want to use those skills in the work that they do.  Encourage growth of employee skills that help grow the business.
10. Encourage employees to take courses to either enhance their current position or to grow into a new position. Invest in your employees.  Happy employees mean happy customers.  Read the article Want happy Customers?  Satisfy your employees from USA Today.  Find the link on my Facebook page.

*From Fast Company article on 5-4-16

Feeling Stuck?

Feeling pulled in many directions?  Not sure what the right direction is for you at the moment?  With coaching you make your own decision and in the process begin to understand yourself better.  If you are stuck and keep going over the same thoughts time and again, it is time to break the log jam.  With coaching you will gain new perspective,  find a new path and you will know exactly what your next step will be.   If this sounds like something you would like to do, call me at 781-598-0388 to discuss your situation.

In the 80s while I was an account executive for AT&T most people in my organization worked normal (for then) business hours. By that I mean they arrived close to 8 or 8:30AM and left between 5 and 5:30PM. By 6 PM the office was empty. No one seemed to notice or care how many hours people worked. I had a boss nicknamed “Dry Cleaner Sam” because they joked he was “in by 10, out by 4”.

Usually I left on time with everyone else. Several times however when I had a big sale pending I would stay late to get the contract in order or to put the final touches on a big proposal or presentation. On those occasions I would get teased by my colleagues. They thought I was nuts for not waiting until morning to finish the work.

How times have changed! I noticed the change beginning in the early 90s. Now what I had been doing voluntarily became expected. Everyone was staying late-sometimes to 9 and 10 at night, even later. 40 hour weeks became 50, 60 or 70 hour weeks. Long hours became a badge of honor for some.

Today 50, 60, or 70 hour weeks have become the rule not the exception. Employees are penalized in their appraisals, pay and promotions if they don’t keep up those hours. Not only does this happen in large corporations, those in the professions especially lawyers feel the effects of this change.

What happens to children when both Mom and Dad have to work 60 hour weeks? I actually know attorneys who have two nannies, one for days and one for evenings!

I’m sure it is no surprise to workers that research is already showing that those who put in 50 hours a week have higher rates of hypertension which is a precursor to heart disease. Nancy Cleeland of the LA Times says, “Studies in Europe, Japan and the US have linked increases in cardiovascular risks and disease to a global push for greater productivity.”

I recall one manager in my office noticing that all of the managers had gained weight in the year that we had been in that branch. When I looked around I saw he was right. We weren’t taking time for regular meals and the vending machine we used was filled with candy bars and high calorie snacks. It is no wonder that obesity is also a huge problem in the US today.

What once felt like a badge of honor because only a few were doing it, now feels like a requirement for everyone. No one dares make suggestions about lightening the load or leaving early to spend time with the family. Lawyers on the partner track know that is not an option if they are to bill the required number of hours. Others realize that there are always other workers who are willing to work those hours and fear getting fired or laid off.

What can you do? The first step is to consciously put your health first. That means getting enough sleep, eating properly and getting some exercise. You will have little value to your firm if you are ill and not able to work.

Second begin to think of yourself as a free agent. This means that you take the responsibility for keeping your skills up to date by taking courses, writing articles and becoming known in your industry as an expert. You establish a good relationship with your network of contacts, people who understand your value and will help you if you need it. A free agent knows he/she can find work anywhere and can create good business for the firm or for him or herself if necessary. The less you are dependent on that job in your company or firm the more options you will see.

For many this solution will seem risky. The risk of doing nothing is even greater. Businesses today are totally bottom line focused and there is little loyalty to workers unless they have something unique that the business needs. If you have strong relationships and unique skills, you are valuable to your current employer, to other employers and to yourself. You hold the keys to your own future. What are you going to do about it?
Take action:

1. Take stock of your health and happiness. Know what makes you happy and healthy. Find a way to have healthy meals, get enough sleep each night and exercise at least 3 hours a week.
2. Make a learning plan. Where do you need to upgrade your skills? What skills do you know so well you could teach them to others? What expertise do you want to develop?
3. Who is in your network? Who are the 20 people you could contact if you needed a new job? What clients would follow you? When did you last have contact with them? Make an appointment with someone you haven’t seen in a while. Plan to meet with the others in the next month.
4. What makes you stand out in your work? Find something you want to be known for and start letting people know. You can be the “Go to” person for _______.
5. Hire a coach to help you. A coach can hold you accountable for creating and implementing your plan. If you want to do it but get bogged down, a coach can help find out what is holding you back. I particularly like to help busy professionals who want to create a business that is profitable and meaningful. I can be reached at 781-598-0388 or as asparker@asparker.com.  If you are serious about working with me we can set up a time for a free initial consultation.  There is no obligation on your part and in fact part of the consultation will be to determine if you can work with me and if I can work with you.  Coaching only works when there is trust and respect between the two parties in the relationship.

“Everyone has his own specific vocation in life. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated. Thus everyone’s task is as unique as his specific opportunity to implement it. We detect rather than invent our mission in life.”  Victor Frankl Man’s Search for Meaning

Several years ago a client questioned me about a quote that I had shared with him.   He asked, “But do you think we are unable to invent our mission?  That all we can do is detect it?”

Is it a mission or your mission?

I do think it is possible to invent a mission for our lives but finding our special mission that takes detection.

My doctor once told me that ever since he was a child he wanted to be a physician.  He just knew that that is what he was meant to do and he did it.  We often say that that sort of person has a calling.

I had a similar experience. Teaching was something I always knew I wanted to do.  The only teaching I knew about then was in a school setting and yet as time went on I realized that wasn’t the right place for me.  Teaching, my calling, was right but not chemistry or math as I had been doing and not in a school.

So although I thought I found my calling (life purpose) I did not find my mission.  It took me many years to detect that my mission was teaching others how to be happy at work.

Use your heart not your head

What is the difference between “detect” and “invent”?  If I “detect” my mission I have a feeling, an emotion. There is a spark that I feel within me.  If I “invent” my mission it comes from thinking about it.  The difference has to do with the heart (emotion) versus the head (thinking).

Can you invent your mission in life?  You might get lucky and invent the right one but it is only through feeling that you detect it is right for you.

There are probably a few people who hit upon their mission by inventing but most of us try at least a few different types of work before we detect our true mission.

Detecting your mission means you find exactly what you were meant to do in life, you are engaged by the work and it fulfills you in a really special way.  Many people search and invent potential missions until they strike on the right one. They know it is right when they feel the work they are doing is meaningful, satisfying and serves a purpose beyond making money for themselves. There’s spark of potential energy and possibility that excites them.

Having a mission in life is not for everyone. For some people “detecting” their mission is not important. Work is just a means to make a living and have a comfortable life.  Their enjoyment comes outside of work.

My father always told me work was not meant to be enjoyable even though he appeared to be absorbed by his work.  He was a great example of someone really fulfilled by the work he did.  I have spent a good part of my life searching for that type of work myself.  The journey has been interesting and looking back I can see a stepwise process that got me here. It wasn’t without it side trips and dead ends but eventually I found the spark for myself.

Work that is your mission in life can be done anywhere; in an office, at home, in a business, through a hobby, or through a volunteer organization.    It doesn’t matter what your mission is or where you do it, what does matter is the feeling of satisfaction you feel as you do it.

Take action:

1. If “detecting” your mission is important to you start by noticing what kind of work makes you feel satisfied.  Notice the feeling in your body. Consider your whole life.  Sometimes satisfying events happen early in life.  (I get great satisfaction in knowing that I taught a younger cousin to read when I was six years old.)
2. Find ways to do more of that satisfying work at your current work position or in a volunteer position.
3. My clients write a biography as part of their search for their life purpose.  The biography is done in bullet points.  Try writing yours.  What themes and events do you see that might give you some clues?

Find the spark  

Want to work with a coach to detect your mission?  Let me help you to find your spark. Call me at 781-598-0388 or email me at asparker@asparker.com.  If you struggle to psych up for work every day, this could be the answer.  It doesn’t have to mean changing jobs or changing careers.  It may mean doing the work you do today in a different way or seeing it from a different perspective.