The Power of Kindness
The other day, while driving to a meeting, the car ahead of me started to change lanes, apparently unaware of a car already in that lane. The horn blew and the car in front of me swerved back in to his original lane. Everyone was fine. And then the driver of the car that blew the horn pulled along side of the car in front of me, screamed, swore and gestured – then drove off like a madman. I saw the driver in front of me was visibly shaken.
I was meeting a colleague for coffee. While waiting at the coffee shop, I watched as person after person entered without holding the door for another person or greeting anyone.
At the checkout counter in a food store, I watched as a woman with two items and obviously pressed for time, asked to step ahead of a woman with a full cart. The woman with the full cart said “no” and reminder her it was important to wait her turn.
Watching these I was reminded of something I read recently in Krista Tippett’s new book, Einstein’s God. It was a quote from Philo “Be kind because everyone you meet is carrying a great burden.” Life is tough. All of us have difficult things going on and at times we can all be pretty fragile.
But notice our response when we hear a kind word, a respectful gesture or just a little bit of care. We respond in kind. We share the emotion. We feel better.
Check in on your words and actions. How kind are they?
Try these to build back some kindness in your day:
1. Commit to random acts of kindness. Smile, hold a door open, buy the person behind you in line a coffee, send a card, make a call.
2. Listen to your self-talk. Redirect it to positive and supportive, instead of negative and critical. When you are kinder to yourself, you’ll be kinder to others.
3. Plan your time better to eliminate the need to rush. A less hurried day has time for kindness.
The power of kindness is extraordinary. In a world that seems to dwell on challenges and unhappiness, redirect your energy into being kind to yourself and to others. As Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” And it starts with kindness.
For more information go to www.LiveFiredUp.com.
Get Hired in 2010 – Step 7 – The Interview
We are at the interview step. So far we have focused on knowing our talents, strengths and passions, and the jobs that need these. Focusing this way gives us a competitive advantage in job hunting. We have reviewed the talent-based resume and how to use social media to get noticed. Now – time to be great in your interview. Click here for all 8 steps of this plan.
I have put together the ten rules for a great interview. Click here to see each in greater detail. And while on the site, check out the other great ideas to get hired in 2010.
My ten rules for a great interview:
1. Think “fit” – how you fit and how the company fits for you.
2. Impressions matter.
3. Be positive, upbeat, optimistic and congenial.
4. Have three great questions ready to ask.
5. Focus on your value.
6. Be confident, not arrogant.
7. Make sure you know all the facts.
8. Look for common ground.
9. Remember the power of body language.
10. Have fun.
Your interview is your time to connect with them, impress them, show your fit and indicate how you will add value to the organization. Follow these rules and the interview will be a success. The job offer generally comes down to how you do in the interview. Know yourself. Be confident. Be great.
Share these interview rules with those others looking for jobs.
Go to www.LiveFiredUp.com for more job seeker information.
Light Their Fire
Tough times impact the attitudes and emotions of your employees. There are greater demands for those who still have jobs in the workplace; there are significant changes in the home lives of many of your employees. The recession has touched us all.
We can complain about how difficult things are, or we can realize that complaining just reinforces negative feelings. Nothing good is accomplished that way – at work or at home. So imagine if work were a place where employees were fired up! – excited, passionate and interested in what they do. Imagine the change in performance and how energy created in the workplace could then work its way back home.
So if you never felt it was your responsibility to fire up! your employees, it is now. Your employees are still in front of your customers, creating your brand, making an impression and impacting your performance. Energized employees consistently out-perform all others. Energized employees bring their energy home.
Consider the following ways to fire up! your employees:
1. Catch your employees doing something great, and thank them. Don’t focus on the negative; focus on the positive.
2. Add one thing (your employees love to do) to their jobs; employees who are emotionally connected to their work perform better and are happier in the job.
3. Have one “Fired Up!? event each week. It may be coffee and donuts, a copy of a DVD the team can borrow each night, a daily power saying, a daily joke, a personal story from a team member, etc. Give this responsibility to one of the team who would find the role engaging and fun.
4. Share more information and solicit more feedback. Employees are more engaged when they feel included, trusted and respected.
How we feel at work affects home; how we feel at home affects work. For many, home lives are challenging. Make their work life engaging, high energy – fired up! Not only can this improve their work performance but it will likely flow over into their home life. Maybe this is the change they need – and it could all start with you.
See more information at www.LiveFiredUp.com.
Get Up When You Fall
“The greatest glory consists, not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.? Oliver Goldsmith.
Some celebrities seem never to fall. Their careers keep rising, they have money, fame, great lives and great success. And then there are the other 350 million of us who deal regularly with disappointment, challenge and failure.
Failure – it is part of living a great life. In fact our failures are a means to better understand ourselves – to learn how capable we are. Think of it this way:
When we fail, we meet an obstacle we are unable to navigate around. This obstacle is a roadblock requiring us stop, think, observe, assess and learn. For the times we did not fall or encounter an obstacle, we were successful in our response – nothing new to learn. But obstacles require more thinking, more effort and more lessons. These lessons set us up for future successes.
So as you move through life, your greatest lessons will be in your failures. But you won’t succeed if you don’t get up from every fall.
So here is my “pick myself back up? approach – see if it works for you:
1. I go to my library of wise quotes and highlighted passages in books from wise authors; their comments and wisdom help me regain my footing and sanity.
2. I look at how I failed; I record 3 things that did not go right (what do I need to learn?).
3. I record three ways things could improve – and what I need to do to make them improve (what talents and strengths do I have I didn’t know about – or what resources and help from others can I count on?)
4. I record two things I am great at (because a bruised ego needs some good news).
5. I make a commitment to improve and give myself a high-five for being tough in a tough world – and then get a Starbucks.
Develop your response to getting back up stronger and more determined. Realize only you can do this for you. You own your life and all of or your responses. Learn to see a fall as a lesson to make your future days more successful.
For more great life wisdom, go to www.LiveFiredUp.com.
Get Hired in 2010 – Step 6 of the Plan
strong>Use social media to get hired.
Technology is a great new tool in the job hunting process. Our social networks put us in touch with so many more people – those who are hiring and may be interested in our unique combination of talents, strengths, skills and passions. Getting the word out is key. Use your social networks to get noticed.
Facebook:
Create a “get hired? Facebook page (not your social site – a true “qualifications-focused and get hired” site). Include:
o Core talents, interests and values as part of your bio.
o Pictures of you in the workplace, in the community and copies of letters of recommendation and commendations.
o Scan your talent-based resume as an image and add it to your photo album.
Twitter:
Use Twitter to share key aspects of your talents and aptitudes with your Twitter audience.
o Create a Twitter account for your job seeking. Name it appropriately.
o Search for and add hiring managers, HR professionals, entrepreneurs, roles that match roles you are looking for (nurses, health care, engineer, retail associate, accountant), associations, managers, etc.
o Send out a daily talent comment. Example: seeking accounting role; detail-focused; strong performer; value-focused.
o Develop a weekly series of 4 or 5 tweets that show off your talents and your ability to add value.
For more comments on each and for other social media ideas click here.
In the age of technology, use your connections wisely to let the world know your talents, interests and the jobs that are a good fit for you. Many people get hired this way.
For more Job Seeker resources, go to www.LiveFiredUp.com and click on Job Seeker.