Your #Career : 5 Foolproof Tips To Make Your Mentorship Count…Mentoring Arrangements can Become a Waste of Time for Both Parties If you Don’t Take a Few Key Steps.

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You took the first step and asked someone to be your mentor. Congrats! Whether you chose this seasoned pro to help you hone specific skills or to give you long-term career advice, it’s up to you to drive the relationship—so you get the most out of the time you’re both putting in.

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It's important to realize that you don't actually need to like an employee's personality.

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“When you work with a mentor who can give you a lay of the land, support you when you’re faltering, and help keep your goals on track, you’ll get from A to B faster and more intelligently because you learn how to avoid common pitfalls and stay dedicated to your process,” says Gerard Adams, cofounder of media company Elite Daily, entrepreneur, and self-made millionaire.

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right? It’s a give and take, but with these tips, you’ll be able to maximize your mentorship and jumpstart your career.

1. PUT ASIDE YOUR EGO

If you’re the type of go-getter who’s upping your job game with the help of a mentor, you’re probably a motivated, driven and accomplished person yourself. But in this role, you’ve got to remember that you’re the student, and he or she is the teacher. So relax and allow yourself to be taught. That means respecting your mentor’s opinion, considering everything they say carefully, and ultimately, taking your ego down a notch.

“In mentorship, it’s important to be a good listener,” says Adams. “Many people don’t take constructive criticism well and can’t manage their ego that tells them they’re always right. Know that you are always going to be learning, and be willing to listen when advice is brought to the table.”

 

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2. SET A CONSISTENT MEETING SCHEDULE

Chances are, your mentor is extremely busy. He or she hasn’t gotten where he or she is by slacking off. So be respectful of your mentor’s time by scheduling your meetings in whatever way is most convenient for him or her.

“Students can get the most out of their mentorships by setting a consistent meeting schedule with their mentors and using every minute of those meetings to their best interests,” says Greg Stahl, vice president of marketing at Varsity Tutors, a live learning platform based in Boston. “These check-ins could be in-person, via Skype, over the phone—whatever allows the mentorship to fit seamlessly into the mentor’s schedule.”

3. KNOW THE RIGHT QUESTIONS TO ASK

Too often, and especially in mentorships with younger people, mentees know they want a mentorship but don’t know what they want out of it. That’s why coming to each meeting with guiding questions, based on what you want to accomplish, is key to a successful relationship—plus, it saves you from wasting time figuring out what to focus on.

“If you’re still a student, questions could relate to how you can prepare for your career path, how to balance remaining schoolwork with making decisions about your postgrad plans, how to effectively make these decisions, and so on,” says Stahl.

You should also learn why your mentor has made certain professional decisions. It’s helpful to become familiar with your mentor’s career arc and how he or she has achieved professional success—but it’s even more useful to understand why your mentor made such decisions. That way, you can apply a similarly discerning thought process to your own professional choices.

“Try to learn how their mind works,” says Susan R. Meyer, president of Life-Work Coach in New York City.

4. FOCUS ON THE OUTCOMES

Create a series of short-term and long-term goals—and check in periodically with your mentor so you can track your progress. This will not only help keep you focused and accountable, but it will also show your mentor that his or her advice is valued.

“Demonstrate that their investment of time, effort, and expertise in you was worth it via a disciplined focus on key milestones you commit to,” says David Nour, CEO of The Nour Group, a consulting firm based in Atlanta. “They have to see you improve, grow, and become a stronger professional. Otherwise, they’ll lose patience and you’ll take the wind out of their sail to want to continue to help you.”

5. BE GRATEFUL AND KEEP IN TOUCH

Usually, mentors don’t owe you anything. They’re taking you under their wing under the goodness of their hearts (and they see potential in you). And their investment in you can and often does lead to real results.

Ashley Hill, CEO of College Prep Ready, a Cincinnati-based scholarship firm, remembers how influential her mentor was in finding career success (she was a graduate assistant in her biological sciences degree program).

“She took time after class and outside of office hours to help me understand the class material as well as give career guidance,” says Hill. “This relationship led to a $10,000 internship and allowed me to discover my love for research. As a result, I am in a very fulfilling career that is using those research skills to assist students in leveraging talents and achievements to find and win merit scholarships to pay for college.”

Someday, you may find the roles reversed, so it’s important to be grateful, especially after you’ve found success.

 

FastCompany.com | JON SIMMONS, MONSTER  | 08.26.16 5:00 AM

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Best of FSC Blog: #JobInterview – 11 Job Interview Tricks that are Hard to Master, But will Pay Off Forever..

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Okay, you’ve wowed your potential employer with your résumé and cover letter. Now, they actually want to talk to you — over the phone, via Skype, or in person.  You can rest assured, you’re definitely qualified for this job. Now, it’s up to you to seal the deal and ace the dreaded job interview.

free- women at meeting

Some people are naturals at selling themselves to hiring managers. Others aren’t. Either way, you’ve already put in a ton of effort, so you might as well take steps to rock your interview.

Here are 11 tricks that might be hard to master, but will take your interviewing experience to the next level:

Establish the right mindset beforehand

Get yourself hyped for the interview.

This can be pretty difficult for some people, especially if you’ve got a lot on the line. Try taking some deep breaths. A good trick for maintaining a sense of calm is visualizing your success and accepting that rejection’s a possibility, but not an inevitability.

If you’re nervous, as Steve Errey of “The Daily Muse” writes, it’s important not to assume your interviewer is there to be judgmental and mean. The hiring manager is not your opponent — odds are, they’re hoping to feel wowed.

“You were asked to come in because someone at the company wants to get to know you,” says Errey. “The hiring manager wants to hear more about the experiences he read about on paper, and I promise you no one is looking to see how much shaking you can do in those boots of yours.”

 

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Prepare some good questions

Job interviews are scary. By the end of the ordeal, you’re probably thinking that the last thing you want to do is drag on the experience with more questions.

However, asking good questions that demonstrate your knowledge and interest in the job is exactly what you have to do in order to demonstrate your interest and engagement.

Because it’s often impossible for some people to think up informed questions on the spot, write some down beforehand. Rehearse them a bit, if that makes you feel more comfortable.

Break the ice with some good conversation starters

First impressions are important, so you really want to get off on the right foot at your interview.

Still, job interviews are often present a somewhat intimidating conversational environment, so finding the right conversation starter can be pretty tricky. It can be hard to make a perfect first impression when you’re super nervous to begin with.

Rachel Gillett previously reported for Business Insider that the key is making the job interviewer feel like they have your undivided attention; good conversation starters include asking about the person’s weekend or referencing a post you liked from their organization’s blog or social media platforms.

Be open about your weaknesses

When the hiring manager asks about your greatest weakness, it can be tough to come up with a good answer. Whatever you do, don’t say that you work too hard. Kudos to the person who first thought that up, but it’s pretty much a cliché at this point.

Discussing a lesson garnered from finance author and speaker Ramit Sethi’s appearance on“The Tim Ferriss Show,” Richard Feloni of Business Insider broke down how exactly to answer this tricky question — identify your real biggest weakness and describe how you’ve corrected it.

Maintain good body language

Projecting confidence doesn’t come easy to everyone. Still, it’s a crucial part of selling yourself in an interview.

Slouching, fidgeting, and averting your eyes are all behaviors that might make you appear awkward — or, worse, deceptive.

It’s definitely hard to control, but if you’re prone to these habits, make a special effort to reign them in during your interview.

Do your homework when it comes to money

Money — it’s an awkward subject to begin with, which makes it especially easy to bungle in a job interview.

Doing your homework is key to avoiding salary-related awkwardness in your conversation with the hiring manager. Know your worth. Know the market. When wages come up, try to frame it so the interviewer throws out the first number — and remember to remain flexible and honest throughout the discussion.

Take it slow

To paraphrase the S.O.S. Band, take your time and do it right when it comes to job interviews.

Shana Lebowitz reported for Business Insider that this strategy especially benefits shy people, allowing them to show the interviewer that they’re confident enough to handle the pauses and engaged enough to carefully consider each answer. If you rush through your conversation, you risk sounding incoherent and nervous.

Stick to your thesis

If you’re anxious or speaking with an inexperienced interviewer, it can be easy to swerve off-track in your interview. You might end up babbling about your career highlights reel, when you really should be demonstrating the value you can bring to the organization.

Make sure to always keep the focus on what you can do for the organization. Treat your interview a bit like an essay. Everything you discuss should pertain to one thesis — why you’re a great fit for the job.

Keep things real about your motivation

This question is so simple that it’s subtly tricky to get right. You want your response to stand out, but you don’t want to sound corny or fake.

The key thing is to not overthink this one. The ideal response would be real, but upbeat. Ponder this one before your interview in order to prepare.

Ask about next steps

Especially for individuals who are particularly nervous or new to the hiring process, it can feel a bit daunting to ask about next steps.

Still, asking about the follow up process demonstrate to the hiring manager that you’re pragmatic and serious about the job.

Plus, as Natalie Walters previously reported for Business Insider, if your interviewer is enthusiastic with their response, that’s a sign that your interview went very well.

Send the perfect thank you email

Let’s say you rocked your interview. It’s easy to become so relieved that you forget one crucial step.

You don’t want to have the job interview-equivalent of a Simone Biles-esque vault, only to fall flat on your face during the landing.

This happens when you really click with the hiring manager, and then forget to send a thank you note. Seriously, something as simple as a thank you email shows that you care about the job — in some cases, this could make or break your prospects.

Send a thank you note that looks something like this within 24 hours of your job interview.

 

Businessinsider.com | August 24, 2016 | Jacquelyn Smith and Áine Cain

 

#Leadership : How to Fire Someone So They’ll Thank You For It… Firing People is Never Fun, But it can Leave Everyone Better Off if it’s Done Right.

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I described how our new CEO determined that we had to fire almost half our team. This sucked for many reasons, but the main one? It was emotional. Firing a terrible person is easy, but how do you fire a good person who is a bad fit in a way that doesn’t hurt them?

Free- Man at Desktop

In an earlier post, I described how our new CEO determined that we had to fire almost half our team. This sucked for many reasons, but the main one? It was emotional. Firing a terrible person is easy, but how do you fire a good person who is a bad fit in a way that doesn’t hurt them?

That was the next lesson from our new CEO, JT McCormick. He showed us how to fire someone, not just with dignity and respect, but in a way where they actually thank you for the experience. Literally, three of the five people he fired wrote him emails thanking him afterwards.

Here’s exactly what he did:

1. Transition from coaching them up, to coaching them out.

As I wrote in the last post, before you fire someone you should identify where they’re not performing, show them, set clear objectives, and give them the coaching they need to achieve them. If you’ve done this, and they nail it, grea — you won’t have to fire them.

As you are working through this process, you generally know if they are going to make it or not. If they don’t look like they’re going to make it, then the process to fire them starts. You start to move from from coaching them up, to coaching them out.

Related: ‘Mentoring’ and ‘Leadership Coaching’ Are Not the Same. Do You Know the Difference?

Done right, the processes naturally flow into each other, because they’re both about empathy. “Once you shift to coaching them out, it’s a very delicate series of conversations to get this person to see that they’re not a fit, see why they don’t fit and where they can’t grow with the company, and maybe see a path for them towards something else,” McCormick said. “The first coaching out conversation is diagnosing whether they’re not performing because they’re in the wrong chair. Ask them, ‘If you could do any job in the company, what would it be?'”

If you get a decisive answer, McCormick said, then you have to evaluate if they have the skills for that role. You can even test them in that role.

If you get an answer like, ‘I’m not sure’, then go one step further and ask them if they could create any role in the company — for themselves, what would it be? Have them describe the perfect job for themselves. “If they can’t tell you that,” McCormick said, “then it’s obvious, and not just to you. They’ll start to see this isn’t the place for them.

“The best result here is that they describe a job that does fit them really well, but does not exist in your company. Then they not only see that the company isn’t the right place for them, but that a place does exist for them somewhere else. So the real thing you’re trying to understand yourself, and help them to see, is not only are they not performing, but they’re probably not performing for a reason, and so the best thing possible for them is to move jobs.”

 

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2. Make the dismissal about their dignity and humanity, not corporate HR rules.

Once the decision has been made to fire them, it’s time to stop coaching them out, and fire them. Now you make it completely about them. During the firing conversation, don’t focus on why you’re firing them; that groundwork has been laid already. Now it’s time to help them.

In the firing conversation, McCormick said, don’t focus on the negatives of what they’ve done. “We’ve already talked about this over the past few weeks, so why do that? I’ll go over it quickly, and then move on. I want to focus on the best plan of action for the exit so this person can move on with their life. You want to do right by them.”

This also means not talking to them in a dry, corporate, distant style. It means talking to them and like a human, and treating them like someone you know and value and care about.

“Big corporations have turned firing conversations into these HR nightmares where they’re afraid to say or do anything,” McCormick said. “The conversations are so cold and cutthroat, they really dehumanize people. To hell with that. You know this person, they are a good person, treat them like it.”

Related: The Right Way to Fire An Employee

But this also means not pretending everything is fine. It’s not. They’re getting fired. “On the startup side,” he said, “the problem I see is that entrepreneurs let their feelings get in the way of saying what needs to be said. You have to be able to have a straight conversation with someone regarding the stark truth of what’s happening. Candor is a way of being kind.”

And sometimes, this means letting them say goodbye.

McCormick expands on that thought — “For many people, if they aren’t a complete asshole, you let them say goodbye, especially to the people they were friends with. Especially in startups where some of these folks were key in helping the growth of the company. You let that person save face and exit gracefully. You don’t escort them out with security, like they’re some animal. You treat them with respect by showing them you care about them.”

3. Let them know you will support them, and then actually do it.

That final conversation also needs to let them know, very clearly and specifically, what you are going to do to help them now. Remember — for you, this is the end of their tenure at your company. But they’re not dying. For them, this is their life.

For starters, McCormick said, his company gives the best severance package possible. “If possible, I like to pay eight weeks severance. To have a two month safety net to find their next opportunity really makes them feel safe and cared for, and they can relax,” he said.

McCormick tells employees not only will he write them a recommendation, but he’ll tell them what he’ll say in it. “I give them suggestions about what jobs to go after, based on our earlier conversations about what they want. I even offer to refer them to places I think they will be a good fit with.

“And most importantly,” he continues, “I tell them that this doesn’t have to be the end of our relationship. I’ll answer any questions, and I’ll give them any advice or help I can. Email me. Call me. Text me. I’m here for you if you need me. And I mean it. Most don’t take me up on this, but they still appreciate it, because they know it’s real. And they feel valued and cared for, even while being fired.”

And it works. Done correctly, McCormick said, the fired employees will learn a lot about themselves, and will eventually end up in a better place in their life because of what they learned from the process. “And they will email you and thank you afterwards.”

Related: The Secret to Becoming Exactly Who You Want to Be

I never would have believed this until I saw it happen. Three different people from our company sent our CEO thank you emails after they left. His coaching had helped them see things about themselves, and his candor and kindness had been a real benefit to them.

Firing people is never fun, but it can leave everyone better off if it’s done right.

Your #Career : 10 Quick Changes That Help Your Resume Get Noticed…If the Applicant Does Not Obey the Rules, the Resume or Application Goes into the Proverbial Black Hole and Never Reaches its Intended Destination.

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The adage “What you don’t know won’t hurt you” is very misleading, especially for people in transition or otherwise contemplating a career change. Not only is the contention untrue, but also it in fact hinders the ability to get what you want. Furthermore, it conveys a false sense of positive feeling. For example, those in transition are advised to customize their resumes to the job openings they’re applying to.

ResumeInHole

Sounds logical, but it’s a laborious process that can take hours of close work, even though, at the end of the process, clicking on Submit or Apply gives a sense of satisfaction. But it’s a false satisfaction because nowadays, most if not all such submissions are going through electronic software called an applicant-tracking system, or ATS, which has its own rules.

If the applicant does not obey the rules, the resume or application goes into the proverbial black hole and never reaches its intended destination. That’s where the hurt comes in, because the applicant will never learn why it happened or how to correct the process for next time.

 

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So, what to do?

 

Here are several suggestions. They apply only to electronic job applications, which means you should have two versions of the resume: one for ATS software so that it will reach a recruiter and another one for a human.

  1. Submit your resume in Microsoft Word format.
  2. Do not include tables in formatting the text.
  3. Be aware that there are many ATS providers, including archaic and new versions. As a candidate, you have no way of knowing which one your resume will have to deal with, and pdf files or files formatted in other ways might not be able to get read into every type of ATS software.
  4. Don’t format your resume by way of the use of a resume template.
  5. Use the standard, customary section headers for sections and put them on separate lines.
  6. Type those section headers in all capital letters, such as “Professional Experience,” but do not type anything else in all caps. Of course use a capital letter at the beginning of a sentence, for the words in course titles and for all proper nouns.
  7. Be consistent when listing your previous companies and titles — whichever you want to list first for emphasis.
  8. List a company name with its appropriate suffix such as Inc. or LLC. Otherwise, the company name could be mistaken for a different company.
  9. Separate each resume section by a blank line, but never add a blank line within a paragraph.

Do not number the pages because computers see all information as continuous. Your page number would wind up appearing at random somewhere in the middle of the document.

As you can see, the foregoing steps may appear as details, but as another adage goes, “The devil is in the details;” and that notion could be both crucial and decisive for your future career.

 

Entrepreneur.com | August 27, 2016 | Alex Freund

 

#Leadership : 5 Insights from a Classic Leadership Book by an Executive Coach Who’s Helped over 150 CEOs … If you’re Set on Progressing in your Career, You’ve got to Commit Yourself to a Course of Personal Development, Which will Likely Be as Uncomfortable as it is Rewarding.

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“What Got You Here Won’t Get You There“ highlights the 20 workplace habits that keep business leaders from success.  Author Marshall Goldsmith, a top executive coach who’s worked with more than 150 CEOs and been named multiple times to theThinkers50 list of influential management thinkers, published the bestselling book with Mark Reiter in 2007.

marshall-goldsmith

Marshall Goldsmith.YouTube

His goal was to help managers at all levels pinpoint exactly which behaviors they need to change and how to do it.  The thrust is that just because you’ve been able to get by with your counterproductive habitsdoesn’t mean you’ll be able to reach the top of your field with those same tendencies.

If you’re set on progressing in your career, you’ve got to commit yourself to a course of personal development, which will likely be as uncomfortable as it is rewarding.

Below, Business Insider breaks down the book’s five most important insights on becoming an effective leader:

1. Don’t fall into the ‘superstition trap’

Your destructive habits — from taking credit for others’ efforts to constantly making excuses — probably aren’t what helped you reach this level of success, and they definitely won’t help you get further.

Here’s Goldsmith:

“One of the greatest mistakes of successful people is the assumption, ‘I behave this way, and I achieve results. Therefore, I must be achieving results because I behave this way.’

“This belief is sometimes true, but not across the board. That’s where superstition kicks in. It creates the core fallacy necessitating this book, the reason that ‘what got us here won’t get us there.’ I’m talking about the difference between success that happens because of our behavior and the success that comes in spite of our behavior.”

 

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2. Technical chops aren’t enough for leaders

Interpersonal skills get more and more important as you climb the corporate ladder.

Here’s Goldsmith:

“At the higher levels of organizational life, all the leading players are technically skilled. They’re all smart. They’re all up to date on the technical aspects of their job. …

“That’s why behavioral issues become so important at the upper rungs of the corporate ladder. All other things being equal, your people skills (or lack of them) become more pronounced the higher up you go. In fact, even when all other things are not equal, your people skills often make the difference in how high you go.”

3. Your effectiveness as a leader is based on others’ perceptions of you

What you think of yourself doesn’t matter as much — so stop trying to conform to some arbitrary notion of your unique self.

Here’s Goldsmith:

“It’s an interesting equation: Less me. More them. Equals success.

“Keep this in mind when you find yourself resisting change because you’re clinging to a false — or pointless — notion of ‘me.’ It’s not about you. It’s about what other people think of you.”

4. Listening to what other people say is the most important skill for a leader to develop

That’s especially true if you’re trying to change your habits.

Here’s Goldsmith:

“The only difference between us and the super-successful among us — the near-great and the great — is that the great ones  [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][listen] all the time. It’s automatic for them. For them there’s no on and off switch for caring and empathy and showing respect. It’s always on. They don’t rank personal encounters as A, B, or C in importance. They treat everyone equally — and everyone eventually notices.”

5. You need to pick and choose your areas of improvement

It’s best to focus on what’s causing the biggest problem among the biggest group of people.

Here’s Goldsmith:

“Take a look around your office. Someone’s the best salesman. Someone else is the best accountant. Someone else is the best manager. No one is the best at everything.

“This isn’t a license for mediocrity. It’s a reality check. It’s your permission to deal in trade-offs and pick one thing to improve upon rather than everything.”

 

Businessinsider.com | August 26, 2016 | Shana Lebowitz

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#Leadership : The Best 25 Motivational Quotes To Kick Start Every Morning… Your Ability to Stay Motivated isn’t just for your Personal Benefit; IT affects Those Around You as Well: your Team, your Investors, your Families and Friends. When you Can stay Motivated, Everyone Around you is Improved.

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Thoughts become things, and as entrepreneurs and leaders, it is especially important that we remember to pay attention to our thoughts every day and motivational quotes are a great way of doing this. Your ability to stay motivated isn’t just for your personal benefit; it affects those around you as well: your team, your investors, your families and friends. When you can stay motivated, everyone around you is improved.

young green plant in soil for agriculture, business growth or environment concepts (isolated on white background)

As you start each day, let these motivational quotes from some of the best minds on the planet, past and present, inspire you think positive, inspirational thoughts habitually throughout your days.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.” — Mother Teresa

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” — Leonardo da Vinci

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.” — Vincent van Gogh

“Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs.” — Farrah Gray

“The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me.” — Ayn Rand

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.” — Amelia Earhart

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“Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.” — Chris Grosser

“What seems to us as bitter trials are often blessings in disguise.” — Oscar Wilde

“Being motivated costs you nothing, but can get you everything.” — Murray Newlands

“I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.” — Florence Nightingale

“Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement.” — W. Clement Stone

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” — Woody Allen

“Your time is limited so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” — Steve Jobs

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar

“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”— Arthur Ashe

“The battles that count aren’t the ones for gold medals. The struggles within yourself — the invisible battles inside all of us — that’s where it’s at.” — Jesse Owens

“You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don’t try.” — Beverly Sills

“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” — Christopher Columbus

“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I’m possible!’”— Audrey Hepburn

“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” –Thomas Jefferson

“Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out.” — Robert Collier

“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear — not absence of fear.” — Mark Twain

“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” — Vidal Sassoon

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the service of my vision, then it becomes less and less important whether I am afraid.” — Audre Lorde

Entrepreneur.com| August 26, 2016 |  MURRAY NEWLANDS

Your #Career : 5 Steps To Prep For Leaving Your Job To Start A New Business…According to a Survey from Deloitte, Two-Thirds of All Millennials Plan to Leave their Job by 2020 and 44% say they Would Leave their Employer in the Next 2 Years. If you Have Got the Itch to Leave your Job, You are Not Alone.

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After you’ve chosen a career path, it’s easy to feel like you’re locked into that decision for the rest of your life. Maybe your job isn’t fulfilling, isn’t providing you with sufficient opportunities to develop your leadership, or you just feel like there is nothing new there for you to learn.

Free- Door to Building

According to a survey from Deloitte, two-thirds of all millennials plan to leave their job by 2020 and 44% say they would leave their employer in the next 2 years.  If you have got the itch to leave your job, you are not alone.

The average American switches careers six times throughout the course of their life–meaning there’s a lot more room for second chances than you might think. You may know it’s possible to make a career change, but understanding how to take action in your own life is a different matter.

Meet Eric Finnigan, a professional copywriter and founder of Autopilot Email, an email marketing service agency that helps companies boost their revenues by $100k+ through automated emails. Today, Finnigan works a schedule on his own terms structured around projects he cares about. But just months ago, he was working a 9-5 for a corporate company that drained him.

 

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I spoke with Finnigan about how he was able to leave his former career and restore purpose to his work on this week’s episode of Unconventional Life, “How to Leave Your Corporate Job and Pursue Your Dreams.”

Fresh out of college, Finnigan found himself broke and in debt, with all his credit cards maxed out and nowhere to turn. “I had this moment where I was like holy cow I just went to college and in theory I should be set financially, what’s going on?” he says. “It was kind of this panic moment where I realized I had to make money.”

Like many new graduates in this position, Finnigan was eager to start paying down his debt and immediately got a job. Over the next seven years, he would dedicate nearly all of his energy to getting promotions and salary raises until his financial insecurity faded to a distant memory.

Step by step, Finnigan climbed the corporate ladder to the position of Vice President, managing a $36 billion portfolio for his investment strategist company. His salary was abundant and he occupied a luxury apartment in NYC… yet something was missing.

“I would sit at my desk and think, do I really want this? I had this moment of yeah, I had succeeded in what I wanted to do, but what I had been working towards it turned out wasn’t the thing that was actually fulfilling for me,” Finnigan reflects.

Upon that realization, Finnigan decided it was time to make a change.

He still depended on his job as a source of income, so he didn’t just quit on the spot. Instead, he began investing all of his free energy into his lifelong passion for writing, which he never pursued because he didn’t believe it could be profitable. Within several months of studying the art of copywriting, Finnigan felt confident he could monetize it and quit his corporate job.

Today, Finnigan has created a livelihood around copywriting and has become one of the most sought-after contractors in his industry, running six and seven figure campaigns for many multi-million dollar clients. But the doubt and uncertainty that accompany making a major career change were not lost upon him. Below, Finnigan shares how you can succeed in making a similar transition.

  1. Learn from others. Immerse yourself in the stories of others who have already made this transition and are thriving on the other side. Listen to podcasts and seek out news articles to encourage, motivate, and inspire you to do the same. You’ll begin to feel like it is possible for you, too, and you’ll benefit from learning from their mistakes and advice.
  2. Ask for help. Ditch the mindset that you need to figure it all out on your own. “For me it was a matter of pride,” Finnigan says. “Have humility–you can make it much faster with help.” Asking for help might look like reading books, enrolling in courses, or finding a mentor. Guidance and accountability are essential to your success.
  3. Hustle on the side. Use your current job as a safety net so you don’t put too much pressure on yourself to “figure it out,” which can actually be counterproductive. Be reasonable and give yourself time to develop your new skill until you feel confident that it will be able to provide for you financially. Be prepared to put in the hours both for your current job and your emerging passion. “I worked 4 to 5 hours a day in addition to my job,” Finnigan recalls.
  4. Understand success isn’t linear. Unlike working in a corporate job, success isn’t linear when working for yourself. “It’s not like plug away for a few months and get your first paying customer, then in another few months get your 5th paying customer,” Finnigan says. “It’s frustrating coming from the corporate world, where you work hard and get a bonus at the end of the year.” While you may struggle at first, don’t be discouraged. Keep at it and be mindful of how you measure success–fulfillment is equally as important as profit.
  5. Create your own urgency. “If there’s no urgency on your end, no one’s going to create it for you,” Finnigan says. Develop a timeline for your goals to keep yourself on track and be willing to let go of whatever may be holding you back.

Enjoyed this post? Subscribe to my newsletter for powerful tools to create a life that inspires you.

 

Forbes.com | August 25, 2016 | Jules Schroeder ,  CONTRIBUTOR

Your #Career : The Long-Term Memory Hack That Can Grow Your Network And Business…That Hiring Manager or Business Partner May Not be Ready to Act, but You’ll want Them to Remember you When they Are.

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 Entrepreneurs and job seekers both live or die by the relationships they build—with new clients, contacts, recruits, investors, and partners. But as any successful relationship builder can tell you, timing isn’t always on your side: Your dream client may not have the budget for your services right now, or maybe a strong candidate for a senior position just had a baby and isn’t ready for a move to a new company yet.
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In other words, not everyone you meet will be ready to act on an opportunity at the same time you are. Your job then becomes positioning yourself at the forefront of their long-term memories, so that when they are ready to act, you’re the first person they call. Here’s how to do that.

SINGING THE “CABBAGE PATCH KIDS” THEME SONG

The psychological process by which short-term memories become long-term memories is called “consolidation.” Simplified a bit, it involves neurons in the brain organizing and reorganizing themselves in response to stimuli so that a pattern emerges, helping long-term memory develop over time. Now, you can’t control time, but with the right approach you do have the power to be in the right place at the right time in the consolidation process.

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When I was 6 years old, my sister taught me the “Cabbage Patch Kids” theme song, and she’d make me sing it any time her friends were around. They found this really entertaining, which mean that at each recital I was prodded into, they were highly engaged. I’m 32 years old, and not only do I still remember every word of this song, but my sister and her friends do, too—in vivid detail. By consistently engaging my audience over time, I earned a place in their long-term memories.

Most of us have a song from our childhoods that we remember—lullabies, sing-alongs, Disney soundtracks, etc. But the same idea applies to business and building relationships. If you can continue to engage that client who can’t afford your services yet, or that investor who’s in the middle of a heated acquisition, you can carve out your place in their memories. And when the time is right, you’ll be on their mind.

LEND A HAND

To do that, you’ve got to get comfortable helping others without the expectation of getting anything in return. Aside from being a generally valuable life practice, this is also good for business and your career. We tend not to trust people who only look out for themselves and scheme to get ahead. But people who are helpful and generous with their time build more solid relationships.

A couple of months ago, a friend of mine asked me to write a testimonial blurb for her book, and I took the time to write something thoughtful, no strings attached. This month, I met with Casey Ebro, a senior editor at McGraw-Hill, about my own book. It just so happened that my friend’s book was being published by McGraw-Hill, and the blurb I’d written for her came up in one of Casey’s interactions with her team.

Within the next week or so, my own project was up for review, so in a somewhat serendipitous way, my name came to mind at the perfect time—right when we were working out the terms of our relationship. Prior to that, I was probably just a flicker in their short-term memories. But afterward, I started to earn a place in their long-term memories, an outcome I couldn’t have anticipated by writing an endorsement for my friend’s book.

That’s exactly why everyone should be interested in the practice of evolving from short-term to long-term memory. When you’re cemented in someone’s mind in a positive way, it increases the likelihood that when an opportunity arises, it will come to you.

INFORM, DON’T SELL

As a leader, you’ve likely spent a lot of time planning how to grow your business. But if you communicate with people in a way that signals sales and growth are all you’re thinking about, your relationships will suffer.

Take a step back and think about your habits when you communicate with others. Whether written or verbal, are you sharing an insight or idea or just focused on the sale? Here’s a simple litmus test: Ask yourself if you’re thinking first about what’s valuable to others and putting your needs second. If you’re not, pump the brakes on the sales pitch, and offer to educate them instead.

By positioning yourself as a trusted resource rather than a pushy salesperson, other people will associate you with what you’ve taught them and how you’ve helped them out—and that’s memorable.

If you can switch your mind-set like this (and do it consistently), you’ll become more likely to transition into the long-term memories of the people who matter most to you and your business. And that means you’ll be more likely to land a great opportunity when the time is right for them, too—not just for you.

John Hall is the cofounder and CEO of Influence & Co., a company that specializes in expertise extraction and knowledge management that is used to fuel marketing efforts. He is the author of the book Top of Mind, forthcoming from McGraw-Hill (April 2017).

 

FastCompany.com | JOHN HALL |  08.25.16 5:44 AM

#Leadership : This 100-Year-Old To-Do List Hack Still Works Like A Charm…The “Ivy Lee Method” is Stupidly Simple, and That’s Partly Why It’s so Effective.

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 By 1918, Charles M. Schwab was one of the richest men in the world. Schwab (oddly enough, no relation to Charles R. Schwab, founder of the Charles Schwab Corporation) was the president of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, the largest shipbuilder and the second-largest steel producer in the U.S. at the time. The famous inventor Thomas Edison once referred to Schwab as the “master hustler.” He was constantly seeking an edge over the competition.

Accounts differ as to the date, but according to historian Scott M. Cutlip, it was one day in 1918 that Schwab—in his quest to increase the efficiency of his team and discover better ways to get things done—arranged a meeting with a highly respected productivity consultant named Ivy Lee.

                                                                                                  Portrait of Ivy Ledbetter Lee from the early 1900s.[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Photographer unknown, via JamesClear.com]

Lee was a successful businessman in his own right and is widely remembered as a pioneer in the field of public relations. As the story goes, Schwab brought Lee into his office and said, “Show me a way to get more things done.”

“Give me 15 minutes with each of your executives,” Lee replied. “How much will it cost me?” Schwab asked. “Nothing,” Lee said. “Unless it works. After three months, you can send me a check for whatever you feel it’s worth to you.”

THE IVY LEE METHOD

During his 15 minutes with each executive, Lee explained his simple method for achieving peak productivity:

  1. At the end of each workday, write down the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow. Do not write down more than six tasks.
  2. Prioritize those six items in order of their true importance.
  3. When you arrive tomorrow, concentrate only on the first task. Work until the first task is finished before moving on to the second task.
  4. Approach the rest of your list in the same fashion. At the end of the day, move any unfinished items to a new list of six tasks for the following day.
  5. Repeat this process every working day.

The strategy sounded simple, but Schwab and his executive team at Bethlehem Steel gave it a try. After three months, Schwab was so delighted with the progress his company had made that he called Lee into his office and wrote him a check for $25,000.

A $25,000 check written in 1918 is the equivalent of a $400,000 check in 2015.

The Ivy Lee Method of prioritizing your to-do list seems stupidly simple. How could something this simple be worth so much?

What makes it so effective?

ON MANAGING PRIORITIES WELL

Ivy Lee’s productivity method utilizes many of the concepts I have written about previously.

Here’s what makes it so effective:

It’s simple enough to actually work. The primary critique of methods like this one is that they are too basic. They don’t account for all of the complexities and nuances of life. What happens if an emergency pops up? What about using the latest technology to our fullest advantage? In my experience, complexity is often a weakness because it makes it harder to get back on track. Yes, emergencies and unexpected distractions will arise. Ignore them as much as possible, deal with them when you must, and get back to your prioritized to-do list as soon as possible. Use simple rules to guide complex behavior.

It forces you to make tough decisions. I don’t believe there is anything magical about Lee’s number of six important tasks per day. It could just as easily be five tasks per day. However, I do think there is something magical about imposing limits upon yourself. I find that the single best thing to do when you have too many ideas (or when you’re overwhelmed by everything you need to get done) is to prune your ideas and trim away everything that isn’t absolutely necessary. Constraints can make you better. Lee’s method is similar to Warren Buffet’s 25-5 Rule, which requires you to focus on just five critical tasks and ignore everything else. Basically,if you commit to nothing, you’ll be distracted by everything.

 

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It removes the friction of starting.The biggest hurdle to finishing most tasks is starting them. (Getting off the couch can be tough, but once you actually start running, it is much easier to finish your workout.) Lee’s method forces you to decide on your first task the night before you go to work. This strategy has been incredibly useful for me: As a writer, I can waste three or four hours debating what I should write about on a given day. If I decide the night before, however, I can wake up and start writing immediately. It’s simple, but it works. In the beginning, getting started is just as important as succeeding at all.

It requires you to single-task. Modern society loves multitasking. The myth of multitasking is that being busy is synonymous with being better. The exact opposite is true. Having fewer priorities leads to better work. Study world-class experts in nearly any field—athletes, artists, scientists, teachers, CEOs—and you’ll discover one characteristic that runs through all of them: focus. The reason is simple. You can’t be great at one task if you’re constantly dividing your time 10 different ways. Mastery requires focus and consistency.

The bottom line? Do the most important thing first each day. It’s the only productivity trick you need.

James Clear writes about self-improvement tips based on proven scientific research at JamesClear.com, where this article first appeared. It is adapted with permission.

 

FastCompany.com | JAMES CLEAR | 08.22.16 5:00 AM

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