Career Musings

Today’s post is about recognizing your value and asking for what you want, whether you are a man or woman!

Over the past several months I have become a fan of Morning Joe on MSNBC, with Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough and Willie Geist. After watching Mika interview some of the women profiled in her book “Knowing Your VALUE – Women, Money, and Getting What You’re Worth”, I decided to buy a copy. It’s an excellent read. She talks about how difficult it is for women to ask for what they want, especially asking for a raise or a promotion. While men are comfortable promoting themselves, and almost demanding what they want, women prefer to work, work, work hoping the boss will take notice.

While reading the book, I was struck by a couple of quotes from Valerie Jarrett, President Obama’s senior advisor.

“I felt like if I was deserving, then my boss should recognize that I was deserving.”

After one of her mentors said to her, “You can’t sit around waiting for people to recognize your work, you have to ask for it”, she gathered her courage and went to her then boss.  Soon after that discussion, she got the promotion and the front office she had wanted.

That bold, courageous move prompted Jarret to say, “If you’re not asking for a promotion…you’re not going to get the gold ring”.

See, even high profile people like Valerie Jarrett, Mika Brzezinski and others quoted in the book, found it difficult to ask for what they truly deserved, and when they did, they got what they wanted. You are no different! You are ‘high profile’ in your own right. What is it that you would like to ask for, but are fearful about? Are you afraid to ask for the job during the interview? Are you worried that in the current economy you can’t ask for a raise? Are you waiting on your boss to give you the promotion that you know you deserve? As a small business owner or a coach, do you feel uncomfortable charging the fee you deserve for the services you provide?

Whatever it is, you owe it to yourself to ask for what you want…today! Go ahead, promote yourself, and see what happens!

Have a productive Monday!

In May 2010, I began sending little picker-upper nuggets called ‘Monday Morning Rx’ to my newsletter subscribers. Sometimes it was a quote, sometimes something longer. You see, Monday mornings are tough for a lot of people whether or not they are in the job search. Anyway, I got busy and stopped a few months afterward. I believed then, as I do now, that everyone of us, at some point, needs a picker-upper when the going gets tough, so I recently restarted the Monday Morning Rx. Some posts have and will relate to career and job search, others will not.

Reflect on Today’s quote taken from Jon Gordon, author of The Energy Bus, and other books.

“Don’t Seek Happiness – Ironically if you want to be happier don’t seek happiness. Instead share your strengths and decide to work with passion and purpose and happiness will find you. The research shows that people are most energized when they are using their strengths for a bigger purpose beyond themselves. Whatever your job, decide to bring passion to it and find purpose in it. I’ve met bus drivers, mortgage brokers, janitors and fast-food employees who are more passionate about their jobs and happier than some professional athletes making millions of dollars. Every job will get mundane and “old” if you let it but purpose and passion keep it fresh and make you happier.” ~ Jon Gordon’s Positive Tip: 5 Ways to Be Happy at Work

Pass it along and help someone have a happy Monday.

Have a productive Monday.

How many times have you started something, then dropped it mid-way? It could be a hobby that you are passionate about, or a coaching program that fell by the wayside. It could even be a course you wanted to pursue to make you more marketable. But…you just didn’t have the zeal, the courage or the perseverance to see it through. You cannot succeed if you lack the conviction – the ‘belief in self’ – and you cannot succeed without commitment.

Today’s message is from Zig Ziglar’s little book, Success for Dummies.

“Success begins with the desire to be successful and the conviction that you can be successful. Then and only then, do you make plans to reach that specific objective of achieving success. After you make plans, you must be willing to commit to them. But no responsible person makes a commitment until he or she has a reasonable plan of action to fulfill that commitment.” ~ Zig Ziglar

Today, ponder on this math equation:

Conviction + Commitment = SUCCESS!

Have a successful week!

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It is (or used to be) the norm that a business card would include a name, title, phone number, email address, website and sometimes a tagline. That was yesterday. Today, in addition to the elements mentioned, the business card could contain one’s elevator pitch, branding statement or mini resume, thanks to the arrival of the QR (or Quick Response) Code.

A QR Code is a collection of symbols that when scanned by someone’s mobile device provides more detailed information about an individual. See the sample below which was created from my LinkedIn Profile using Pingtags:

As trendy as a QR Code may be, it could present a challenge to those without a  barcode scanner or mobile device with a QR Reader App. That said, from a job search or business perspective, it could be seen as another way for someone to set him or herself apart from their competitors and enhance their brand. What will they think of next?

What are your thoughts?

Related Website: Skanz

It’s time for the Monday Morning Rx, a positive picker-upper blog post for those who need encouragement! Every Monday morning, I will present a short message to help readers begin their day on a motivational note. Today’s message is a quote from Mary Kay Nash:

When you reach an obstacle, turn it into an opportunity. You have the choice. You can overcome and be a winner, or you can allow it to overcome you and be a loser. The choice is yours and yours alone. Refuse to throw in the towel. Go that extra mile that failures refuse to travel. It is far better to be exhausted from success than to be rested in failure.

Reflect on these words, identify your most challenging obstacle right now, and see how you could turn it into an opportunity.

Until next Monday, have a productive week!