Career Planning Information











{September 6, 2008}   7 Career Goal Setting Tips

You are ready to start your first career or embark on a new one. You haven’t really decided what exactly you want to do but you know that it has to be something fulfilling. One of the most important things you can do for your self is to sit down and do some career goal setting.

You are the person who knows better than anyone else about your career goals and it is time to decide what you want for certain.

If you aren’t sure what you want to do there are a number of ways for you to find out this information. Here are 7 career goal setting tips to help:

1.Write down everything you like to do — although most people may find this tedious and wonder what it has to do with career goals, it is one of the most important steps you will take. By writing down what you like and what you don’t like you will have a list of traits that would work for you in a job.

2.Take a career test – many companies have you take a personality profile of some type and it is a good idea. If your company doesn’t offer it, you can find several online. It is important to get a test of your personality that also gives you a list of careers that match that personality type.

3.Do research – do a bit of research on the careers and see which ones match your list of things you like to do. You may find that here are careers you never thought of before that you may be happy doing.

4.Continue personal development – since the world is constantly changing, start reading in the fields that interest you. Find out the new innovations. You can gain a lot of knowledge by reading or listening to audiotapes on a variety of subjects. Many you can borrow from your public library.

5.Develop a networking plan - there are people within and without a company that can be instrumental in helping you with your career plans. If you aren’t sure how to talk to people, start by just talking to them about who they are and what they do. This will lead to other conversations.

6.Find a mentor in the field – when you are currently in a field you like or you have chosen a couple, it’s a good idea to find a mentor in the field who has been their longer. They can give you career goal setting tips that will help you move forward.

7.Think large and small – what types of things can you do to pursue your goals right now? If you have to go to school or find a job in the field, you may be able to do smaller things that will lead to the larger goal.
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Career goal setting tips are helpful as you pursue the job of your choice. Make the best out of this time.
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5 Quick Tips to Control Your Career and Your Future!

It’s unlikely that anyone today will stay with one employer their whole working life. As you make choices regarding your career your identity comes from these choices and not your employer.

Who is making a lifetime commitment to your career? It’s surely not your employer, no matter how benevolent they might be. The person controlling your life is you, so if you take responsibility for your life and your future you’ll be far ahead of most people. It’s counterproductive to blame circumstances you cannot control or to blame your employer, your supervisor or co-workers.

If you feel powerless because of where you work, or the career you are in, wake-up and get started on your future. Everyone, with a bit of planning has the ability to quit their jobs and start with another employer, another career or start working for themselves.

The job market is relatively soft right now, but the economy will change and if you plan for a job or career change you future success starts now.

Five Ways to Quickly Get Control of Your Career and Your Future.

1. Research job opportunities all the time.

This doesn’t mean you need to send out five resumes every day. What is does mean is you are constantly looking for opportunities. Some may be internal-with your current employer-some may be external.

Some opportunities may be additional education, self-study, networking with outside organizations, and becoming a player in a career related organization. All will provide you with a constant stream of valuable career information.

If you get stuck and don’t see a way out, work hard at getting help. Career coaches are everywhere, how about a mentor or someone from your network.
Build up your support team and soon you’ll have a group of people working on your behalf.

2. Don’t use money issues as the reasons holding you back.

If you use this as an excuse for making a career or job decision you are shortchanging yourself. If you think you need a certain income to live well, there are many families living better but earning 10%, 20% and even 50% less than you do. How do they do it? Do some research.

After your research then make your plans and you’ll soon find that financial issues will drop off your worry/excuse list.

3. Honestly assess where you happiness comes from.

If it were money, millionaires would be the happiest people on the planet. And earning 25% more may or may not increase you level of happiness. Probably not as there is always 25% more, and 25% after that.

After you’ve built your career plan and you take action this is the fasted path to fulfillment and happiness, not ruminating about what you cannot control.

4. Blaming others or taking a routine negative approach to a situation is a lose-lose proposition.

How you view situations matters. If a problem becomes framed as an opportunity you’ll be well on your way to controlling the situation. Search for the best in every situation, taking the optimistic approach will put you more in control of your career and your future.

5. Do the best presenting in your “brand.”

Looking your best starts with physical conditioning. What is your ideal weight? Do you regularly exercise? Do you go out of your way to build in some physical activity into your daily routine?

Working in a three story building-how often do you use the stairs? Going shopping? How about parking at the edge of the parking lot and getting in some extra walking. You get the idea.

What you wear can make a difference. Recently I meet with a manager who was dressed in what looked like Goodwill castoffs. He didn’t impress any member of my team and he had to work extra hard to get his points across. This is not to suggest that he had to wear a $2000 designer suit, but freshly pressed khakis, with a shirt without a frayed collar and shined shoes would have made at least a neutral impression.

Need assistance with the rest of your appearance? Get help, get a regular haircut, etc.

Also, as part of your career planning work hard to improve your ability to communicate, both in writing and in making an oral presentation. Improvement in this area will also improve your “brand” and will pay big dividends.

Controlling your life, career and future is no easy task. Once you make the decision to start, work through one thing at a time. Keep it up and before you know it you will put together a record of personal achievements and career advancement. The time to start is now.



An informational interview is an interview you set up with someone who works in a job that interests you, and it can be a fantastic way to explore a possible new career. The point of the interview is not to ask for a job. Instead, you gather information about a specific type of job while building your network of business contacts.

Whenever I tell clients about informational interviews, I know they are skeptical. I’m sure plenty of them think it’s something silly that career counselors tell people to do, but no one really does it.

Actually, that’s not the case. An informational interview is an extremely useful tool for developing your network, learning about new careers and sometimes even finding job leads. It’s also the best way I know for gaining in-depth, (mostly) unbiased inside information about a career.

People often worry that they’ll have trouble setting up an informational interview saying, “People at work are busy. They won’t have time to talk to me about their job.” For the most part, this is not true. In my own experience setting up informational interviews for myself, clients and friends, I would say about 8 out of 10 people asked are willing to participate in an informational interview. Those are pretty great results; far better than you would get simply cold calling for job leads.

Who Should I Interview?

Normally you would arrange an informational interview with either a human resource professional in an industry that interests you, or with someone who does the type of job that interests you.

If you want to know about the routine tasks of the job, the responsibilities that might not be obvious to someone outside of the industry, and the positive and negative aspects of doing the job, your best bet is to talk to someone who does the job.

On the other hand, if you want to know about labor market trends in your field of interest, whether employers are hiring, what skills, experience and education you’ll need to get a job in that industry and the typical career progression for someone in your field of interest then you would typically be better off talking to a human resource (HR) professional who works in the industry that interests you.

HR professionals probably won’t be able to tell you a lot about the day to day aspects of the job itself, and people who do the job often won’t be able to tell you a lot about the labor market in their field of work. It’s smart to interview a few different people in the same field so you’ll have different perspectives to consider.

How Do I Find People to Interview?

First decide what industry or job interests you, then, I would suggest asking people you know whether they have any contacts in that industry who you could call to request an informational interview. You can also look in business directories or on company websites to find the names and contact information for people you might want to interview and give those people a call.

It’s best to avoid using email initially when you’re arranging an informational interview; calling is much more effective because phone calls are more personal, and they are not as easy to ignore as emails.

Ideally, you should arrange a time to meet with your contact in person. Occasionally you’ll reach someone who will ask to do the interview right away, over the phone. It’s not ideal (you get better information in person), but have some informational interview questions prepared for those situations because they can still be good opportunities to get some inside information about a career that interests you.

Be sure to go to the informational interview prepared to ask smart, well thought out questions. You’ll find a link to sample informational interview questions at the bottom of the article. Be professional and dress to make a good impression. Do respect your contact’s time; if you asked for a twenty minute meeting, keep the interview to twenty minutes (unless your contact clearly wants to continue talking).

I do understand that people can be nervous about arranging informational interviews, but they are really well worth the effort. Conducting informational interviews is a fantastic way to gather detailed career information, build your business contacts and find job leads. They are truly a powerful strategy for career planning and job search.



Computers have become a common and needed part of life in today’s society, making computer education imperative for children. Young children will typically begin to show an interest in the home PC by their toddler years. While it is may be a good idea to begin introducing your toddler to the computer in very short sessions, most children can began to learn and understand a computer’s functionality by preschool age.

Preschool age children can learn to turn the computer on by themselves and will quickly learn to operate the mouse. Simple games that teach and reinforce basic school readiness skills are great for this age. Computer education for preschool age children should be limited to short sessions of about 30 minutes a few times a week.

Many childcare facilities offer computer time as part of their weekly curriculum for preschoolers. Structured games and activities give young children an opportunity to explore the way a computer works. Games that require dragging objects across the screen are excellent for building mouse skills in beginner users. Chose age-appropriate software and websites that involve alphabet and color recognition, shapes, counting, or short stories that are read aloud. Activities that feature music are also enjoyable for a preschooler’s computer time.

Kindergartners are normally still exploring the basics of computer use and will probably do best with activities that reinforce simple skills. As children become more comfortable with the computer, more complex games and activities can be introduced. Computer education for kindergartners typically consists of short sessions of no more than an hour, playing games that correlate with their classroom learning material.

By first grade, children have usually gained a good understanding of how to use a mouse and they are learning to use keyboard letters to type. Games like Typing Instructor for Kids can help young children become fast and efficient computer users. Early elementary age children are ready to move beyond simple reinforcement and skill drill activities to the many different functions of a computer.

First through third graders should use the computer as a supplement for their classroom work. A student studying about stars and planets can use the internet to search for pictures and information about constellations. An assignment about Africa can include a search for videos of African animals. Allow your child to work on his own, but stay close by to prevent access to inappropriate content and to answer any questions.

Software programs that allow children to create, like an art or publishing suite designed specifically for kids, can boost creativity along with providing exposure to technology. Grade level skills can also be practiced and enhanced with math, reading, and spelling computer games. There are a number of kid-friendly websites that provide search engines, games, and interaction opportunities.

Computer education for children should also include writing and creative writing activities. First graders are beginning to familiarize themselves with the keyboard and can write short letters or emails. By second and third grade, children can use word processor programs or writing software designed for children to write and publish their own short stories and poems, as well as use email to write to relatives.



You knew that first impressions were important in your interview, and you obviously aced that, because now you’ve got the job. However, did you know that first impressions are equally as important when starting a new job?

During your first hours, days, and even weeks on the new job, your new boss and coworkers are going to form their opinions of you, and these will likely color the rest of your time with this employer. For instance, if you earn a reputation as a slacker early on, it will be difficult to shake that label for long enough to earn a promotion, even if you deserve it. Conversely, if you work hard during your first few weeks on the job, your boss and coworkers will be much more likely to overlook rough periods in your performance later on.

Here are ten tips for creating stellar first impressions when starting a new job.

Take Time Off Between Jobs

At a wine tasting, guests are served bland foods to cleanse their palates between wines. Likewise, taking time off between jobs helps you to shake off the old routine and prepare for the new.

Humans are creatures of habit. Any job, but especially one at which you have spent a considerable length of time, establishes a sense of routine in your life that you may unknowingly be reluctant to change. Even a few days off between jobs can help you to prepare for a new routine and a new work environment.

Do Your Homework

You probably did a certain amount of research on your new employer during the application and interview stages. Now is the time to finish your research and round out your understanding of your new employer. If you are taking time off between jobs, you can use that time for this purpose.

To research or brush up on your new employer, read any materials about the company you can get your hands on, including the employee handbook. Your goal is two-fold: to understand what the company does and how you fit in, and to know what to expect in the workplace. If you or someone in your professional network knows someone at the company, plan to meet them for lunch or coffee before your first day – a little inside information can go a long way toward a smooth transition.

Dress Professionally

Presenting a neat appearance reflects positively on your work ethic and habits. Therefore, when beginning a new job you should always dress a notch or two above what is expected. Once those critical early days or weeks are over, you can relax a little without worrying about being perceived as slovenly or a poor worker.

If you have done your homework as suggest above, you should have a feel for your new employer’s dress code. However, if you are unsure it is always better to err on the side of too professional rather than not professional enough.

Arrive Early, Leave Late

Always being the last one in the door and the first one out will make it seem like you don’t actually want to be there – a dangerous impression to make, particularly during your first few weeks on the job.

Instead, always plan to be a little early, and don’t be in a rush to leave at the end of the day. Besides giving the impression that you are enthusiastic and ambitious about your work, you will also gain a reputation of never being late unless there is a real emergency – a valuable reputation to hold.

Get to Know Your Coworkers

Part of settling into a new job is integrating yourself into the workplace’s social network. Like it or not, you spend more waking hours with your coworkers than with almost any other people in your life. Moreover, these people’s opinions of you can directly impact your success with the company, not to mention your day-to-day happiness with your job.

Whatever you, don’t distance yourself from your new coworkers. While it may be tempting to frequently have lunch with your old coworkers, you may be inadvertently signaling to the new group that you are not “one of them.” Instead, socialize with your new coworkers over lunch and coffee as much as possible. Lunch dates with old coworkers can help you to maintain a strong network, but should not be overdone.

Ask for Help

Asking for help is an important part of settling into a new job, yet many people worry about seeming incompetent. In actuality, the opposite is true. By not asking for or accepting help from your coworkers, you risk ostracizing yourself from them, not to mention wasting time and energy on avoidable mistakes.

However, you also don’t want to ask the same questions over and over. If you know you may have a hard time remembering a complicated procedure, or that you have a bad memory in general, take notes whenever you get help. By only asking each question once, you will come across as a quick learner to your boss and coworkers.

Take Initiative

The first few weeks on the job, your new employer will most likely give you a more relaxed workload than your coworkers are expected to carry. Although the expectation is that you won’t be up to speed right off the bat, your employer also expects that you will let them know when you are ready for more work.

Use your light workload to focus on mastering and completing the work you have been assigned, and let your supervisor know if you will need another assignment soon. The sooner you can handle a full workload, the better the impression you will make. You may also opt to volunteer for special projects in order to really get noticed – but only do this if you are sure you can handle the extra work.

Make a Plan

Having a plan can help you monitor and achieve your goals during your first few weeks on the job. Your plan should include all of the things you are expected to learn, as well as a few goals you set for yourself to keep you motivated. Prioritize your goals to help you remember which skills are more important to master. Remember, the point is to keep yourself challenged so that you stay motivated, but not so challenged that you get discouraged.

A nice touch is to share your goals – and your progress – with your boss. To you, this may seem awkward and anal-retentive. To your boss, it will make you appear organized and ambitious.

Communicate with Your Boss

Just as sharing your goals with your boss can help promote a positive impression, communicating other aspects of your settling-in can encourage trust and confidence in your abilities. Your boss has hired you because you seemed like the best person for the job; in other words, he or she has taken a chance on you, and will appreciate updates on your progress.

Maintain a Positive Outlook

Optimists almost always make better first impressions than more negative people. Those who maintain a positive attitude in the face of a new or challenging situation tend to be looked on more favorably. Smile when you meet people for the first time or pass coworkers in the hall. Avoid complaining about anything, and stay out of the workplace gossip during these critical early weeks.

The Importance of Good Impressions

Because Americans only stay in each job for an average of about four years, it is safe to say that this job probably won’t be your last. So why put so much effort into making a good first impression?

While it’s true that this job is most likely a short-term solution, it still has the power to impact your career. Making a good impression might benefit you at this job by helping you to get promotions and special projects that look good on your resume and supercharge your career. In addition, starting a new job off on the right foot improves your chances of creating long-term networking contacts.

By following these ten tips and starting every job on the right foot, you can create solid stepping-stones from which to eventually reach even your loftiest career goals.



There are many ways to add value in the workplace. The most basic is to show up and perform the job you were hired to do. Let’s look at four ways to improve your value-add at work without spending a dime.

1. Start with Your Reputation

An old saying goes like this: “A good name is hard to regain once it is lost.” The trick is never to lose your good name to start with. So what’s your reputation saying about you?

Don’t let your name be tarnished because you’re late all the time. Learn how to manage your time more effectively. Sign up for a time management seminar like Franklin Covey. This type of seminar will teach you how to prioritize your activities to align with what’s most important. That’s a valuable skill you can use over and over again. The more you use this skill the better your reputation gets.

Do you do what you say? Are you in the habit of over promising and under delivering? Stop it your reputation is at stake! You have complete control over what you say. Start doing what you said you would. Else be selective with your words. Whatever you say people are expecting you will do it. If you don’t plan to do something, don’t say you will.

2. Be Willing to Learn

The most tedious jobs can be rewarding when learning opportunities are taken. When a new class or training is offered, sign up for it. Keeping your mind active by constantly learning new things makes you valuable.

Be willing to learn from others. No one person can know everything, even though some act like they do. We can all learn from each other. I am some what of an advanced Excel user. Yet, I still run into others who show me great keyboard short cuts!

Use what you know. Put into practice any skills you’ve been taught. For example, say you took an email etiquette class. Your employer will expect you to craft email messages using the tips you were taught.

Don’t forget to share. If you come across a new short cut, or fancy way to format a presentation, share it with your co-workers. That way the whole team benefits from your experience. A word of caution: Don’t act like you know it all. Instead offer gentle humble suggestions that are more readily received by others.

3. Know Your Company’s Priorities

Take time to learn about the company you work for. Discover history behind it. What are they known for? Who are their customers? What products or services do they sell to meet the customer needs? What goals does your company have? Are they trying to increase market share? Are they trying to create new markets?

Understanding your company’s priorities helps you map your job to the bigger picture. When you know how your part fits in the larger context it drives your motivation. Improving your internal motivation allows you to put up with lesser important burdens for the stake of the larger, more important goal. Having a hard time figuring out how your part fits? Ask your boss. Talk to others about their part. Maybe hearing how Jane Doe fits may help you envision your place.

4. Get Creative and Make Things Better

Just because you have a job with specific tasks that are not very efficient, it doesn’t mean you should continue to do it that way. There may be a better way to organize the tasks. Try doing things differently. You may change a process for the better and save tons of time for you and your co-workers.

Look for problems. Listen for business needs. What is not getting done? Why? Ask why a few more times to get to the root cause. Figure out who’s involved, ask questions. Then brainstorm ways to solve the problem. Two heads are better than one. If you have a room full of people, that’s even better.

There’s always something you can do to make the situation better. Asking questions may reveal information being requested is no longer needed. For example, I know someone who stopped sending a certain report to see if anyone would miss it. Guess what? No one missed the report and she stopped producing it. Other times there might be improvements for better systems or documentation. Still other times questioning might reveal the need to automate a manual process, which could save time and money. Which ever you choose, do something to make it better. What good is it to recognize a need and not do anything about?

Let’s recap what we’ve discussed so far. Tip 1 was about focusing on your reputation. Take small steps to improve your reputation. Tip 2 talked about how your willingness to learn becomes a value to your company. Tip 3 discussed the importance of knowing your company’s priorities so you can understand how your job fits with the bigger picture. Tip 4 was all about making things better. Solve problems. Improve your working conditions. All of these tips can help you increase your value-add at work.



These days most people accept that jobs are not for life anymore. People are more mobile and much more likely to change jobs every few years and even careers a number of times throughout their lives. And it is increasingly common that we may also find that we need to change jobs because of retrenchments, redundancies and closures. Having confidence in your skills and experience and your ability to deal with the challenges of starting over can give you a greater sense of confidence about your career, and whatever life brings your way.

Get support. Surround yourself with family and friends and let them know your situation. Stay in contact with those you care about and continue your usual social activities. Although you might not feel like it, now is not the time to avoid people or stop socialising. Your support crew will help you to stay motivated and positive and they’ll keep their eyes open for opportunities for you.

It’s not about you. Jobs, not people, are made redundant. Redundancy is now a common term and accepted as a part of modern working life. It’s not a reflection on you or anything you need to feel ashamed about.

Set up a HQ. Create an environment that it conducive to your job-search project. Set up a basic office at home that includes access to a phone, stationary, postage supplies, computer and printer. If you have small children or pets keep them out of this area and ask your children not to answer the phone while you are job searching. If you are basing yourself out of a job café or other facility, be prepared. Make sure that you have the tools you need to apply for jobs that appeal to you, including an up to date resume, referees and an email address.

Create an up to date resume. Create a captivating covering letter. Provide a detailed description of the achievements in each of your roles and the timeframes you have been in the role. Provide all contact details including phone number (land line and mobile), email and where possible a fax number. If you don’t have a fax at home, find someone close to you i.e. local business and ask them if you can use their number.

Get out. Become involved in local networks and community events. Investigate groups that meet regularly in your area and get involved. This is a great way to meet new people, make new contacts and find out about jobs that are available close to home.

Mind your language. Avoid using negative words such as ‘unemployed’, ‘on the dole’ and ‘I can’t find a job’ and replace them with positive perspectives such as ‘I will find a job suitable for me’.

Stay well presented. It only takes seven-seconds to make a first impression. Make the most of your seven-seconds by smiling when you greet someone. Invest in a good suit, if you don’t have one, borrow one for interviews; polish your shoes and ensure that your hair is clean and tidy. It’s easy to get out of the good-grooming habit when you don’t have to do it every day. Remember how important is it both to your self-esteem as well as to people’s first impression of you.

Stay motivated. Finding a new job is hard work; treat it as you would any work assignment – your fulltime job is finding a new role that you will enjoy. Just as with any job it can be frustrating and especially disappointing when you receive ‘rejection’ letters. Prepare yourself for the fact that you will receive these. They are not personal. Focus on keeping your goals in your mind and remind yourself constantly that there is a role out there just for you, it’s only a matter of time until you find it.



Marian Wright Edelman writes that our success should be measured not by how we help ourselves, but how we help others. The altruistic nature of this definition provides background for how we may view the success of our careers also. The problem is that in a hypercompetitive marketplace with an unforgiving investor base looking for constant share price escalation (not to mention somewhat burdensome regulatory requirements), the pressure on each and every employee to produce is higher than ever. How can we possibly put in the time to help our colleagues succeed when that endeavor could lead to our own failure?

Therein lies the paradox. If our success is truly measured by company-wide achievement that outperforms the competition, then it is our business to help each other succeed in the workplace. Now, incentive plans often do not motivate employees to help one another, but that’s an entire article in itself. How can we be “successful” by helping others to succeed in the workplace without compromising our own career goals?

The answer is simple and universal: SHARE INFORMATION

This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s true. By sharing information, you strengthen others while doing the same for yourself. Take for example, “that guy”. You know “that guy”. “That guy” is the one who hordes information so he can look better than everyone else in a meeting. He doesn’t attend work sessions with the team without managers present because he doesn’t want to share information. His motivation is to make himself look great in “big meetings” at your expense. He revels in establishing superiority to you and your colleagues. He plays dirty. You despise “that guy.”

But here’s the thing: “That guy” may have short term success, but he can’t succeed over time. Think about it. He has to constantly come up with new information alone, without input from anyone. He isolates himself purposely, but he can’t benefit from collective thought. His ideas may sound good to him, but because he hasn’t shared them with others, he may not know that the idea has been tried and failed, or that with some feedback, the idea could be great instead of good. The pressure he places on himself to outperform multiples of people is immense. He’s destined to fail.

By sharing information, you strengthen everyone around you. You build a network of people who are willing to share knowledge and insight with you (especially at times when you’re not at your best). By helping others, you inevitably help yourself. In that scenario, you will outperform “that guy” faster than he thinks. The team with whom you share your information will be nurtured consistently produce great work. Now all your team has to do is assign credit to individuals for different aspects of the team’s winning performance. Promote team success and assign credit to all members. Everybody wins.

So the key to continuous success in your job and over the length of your career is sharing information. Clichés became clichés for a reason: Two (or more) minds are better than one.

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{May 7, 2008}   Fostering Team work

Annie Dias lists some guidelines that can help your team perform as a cohesive unit

Today teamwork has become far more significant that it was a decade ago. Team building skills, therefore, have come to be an essential part of seeking a new job or promotion into the next level of management.

There are several studies that show the effectiveness of working in a team and tell us that a team achieves much more than the same group of people working individually.

So, how can you become a team builder? How can you get the members of your team to work as a cohesive unit?

Here are some guidelines..

Communication: every member of your team must be allowed his share of talk time when he can voice his concerns, air his ideas, and share his thoughts. Any decision taken must be a collective one. Good communication also involves active listening among team members and every team members and values the suggestions of other members.

Trust: every good team must trust each of its members. Only then will they be active and productive.

Define Goals: set clear and specific goals to every members of your team. Team goals must be given separately. Each goal should also come with a set time limit.

Reviews: goals mean nothing unless you monitor them. For Example, you need to conduct a regular progress review on how members are proceeding and what glitches they may have come up against that could affect deadlines. Members of your team should be encourages to sit down regularly to take stock of the situation and review not only their goals but also that of the team so that they can work through any problems that may have arisen. 

Cooperate: every team member must be encouraged to collaborate and cooperate with the others in the team. Remember this is not about personal accomplishments.

Be professional: team members must be willing to set petty differences aside and work together for the greater good of the organization.

Diversity: every team member must enjoy and celebrate the differences in the others. They have to respect the value of being different and you must highlight the fact that being different means getting so many more ideas and new ways of approaching a situation.  

Enthusiasm: encourage members to jump into the team process with enthusiasm.

Collaborate: encourage each team member and see that they feel that they play a vital role in sharing the work.



{May 1, 2008}   Learning to lead

Acquire these simple traits to become a good team leader

Not everyone can lead. Very often we find individuals who are promoted into leading positions merely because they were high performers in their jobs. But leading is very different to doing a task-oriented job. It requires the individual to have other attributes. The main ones being…

Feedback: an essential quality you need to have if you want to lead others successfully. You need to learn hoe to give feedback. Most people are looking at you for praise, recognition etc..

Listening not hearing: gone are the days when you told someone what to do and to get on with having it done Today this attitude will not work You have to take the team along with you if you want to succeed in any new venture.

Get it Right: leading others also means maintaining the correct balance between delegating work to other people and tracking its progress.

Set targets: set Key Results Areas for each member of your team and see that these are realistic result oriented and achievable.

Train and develop: when you are leading you must also be able to train others.

Leading not a simple process: there are many facets to good leadership. And leading successfully means that you will have a company that is up ad moving with the times. You have to ensure that you are operating at peak performance levels yourself if you want others to emulate your example.



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