"Do BETTER. Because You can. Because You want to. Because it's time."
~ Barry Zweibel, GGCI
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Category: Success at Work

Write it Down!

Helping you not have to remember what you keep forgetting anyway…

Ever agree to do something for someone and then … totally forget?
Ever had every intention of “remembering to remember” an important task and then subsequently … didn’t?
Ever been stopped right-in-your-tracks by one of your amazingly pithy observations or insights that … disappeared as quickly as it arrived?

If so, chances are good that it happened because you didn’t write anything down. So, yeah, write ‘em down:

to-dos
reminders
ideas
outlines
plans
questions
commitments you make to others
commitments others make to you
[insert your ideas here]

It makes sense on a number of levels:

Most obviously, you dramatically decrease the whole forgetting thing.
You also increase the probability of actually getting done the things you want to get done.
By writing everything down you can now give yourself full permission to … FORGET! Yes, that’s right! You see, once you realize that you routinely write down all the things you want to remember, that means that you can rely on the fact that you DO write these things down, which means that you no longer HAVE to remember! Get what I mean?! It’ll all be right there for you whenever you want a reminder of whatever IT is!

And that will do wonders for clearing the distractions (and static) from your mind so that you can be more fully present with whatever’s happening.

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on July 27, 2010

filed in Coaching, Life, Success at Work

Why Make Work Meaningful?

“Meaning making is as valued as money making for your work teams today, according to University of Michigan business professor Dave Ulrich.” So says CIOInsight.com as a preface to its “The Real Value in Making Work Meaningful” slide show. “While corporate money-making has obvious ROI, Ulrich identifies key performance indicators that can help every CIO determine the value of engaging employees with meaningful work.”

According to Ulrich, “Investment in employees too often translates to fancy lunches or performance-based bonus plans without addressing the value of the work itself.” Now I like this — especially since it falls right in line with the teachings of one of my all-time favorite management theorists, Frederick Hertzberg.*

So, while the complete 14-slide presentation can be linked to above, here, for your more immediate viewing pleasure, are some excerpts:

(Clicking on slides in this gallery will expand them to full size.)

—–

*For more on the work of Frederick Hertzberg here’s a post about it from the GottaGettaBLOG! archives: http://www.ggci.com/blog/2006/01/how-do-you-motivate-employees.htm.

So what do YOU think? by Barry Zweibel on July 26, 2010

filed in Coaching, Information Technology, Leadership Development, Success at Work

2010q3 GGCI Newsletter

The 2010q3 edition of the GottaGettaCoach! newsletter is now on-line at: http://www.ggci.com/newsletter/GGCI-2010q3.pdf.

The Botany of Self-Doubt • Topic: Fear and Courageousness • Subject: What to do when self-doubt strikes and how to manage it more effectively.
The ABCs of Good Employees…& Bad Bosses • Topic: Leadership Development • Subject: Why “A-players hire A-players; B-players hire C-players” is misguided, at best, and downright inflammatory, at worst.
What Job Would Make You Happy? • Topic: Career Development • Subject: Time for a change? Try this visualization exercise to figure out where you should go next with your career.
A Noun Called ‘Happiness’ • Topic: Personal Fulfillment • Subject: A simple way to ‘tune in’ to more happiness.
On Being Fully Present • Topic: Personal Development • Subject: A quick set of five tweets about the concept of being Fully Present.
It’s “Nuts” Trying to Get Your Unmet Needs Met at Work • Topic: Personal/Professional Development • Subject: It really is. So here’s how to get those unmet needs met elsewhere.
LeadershipHaiku • Topic: Leadership Development • Subject: More // Leadership coaching / in seventeen syllables / for busy bosses. //
Clean Hands Clear Conscience • Topic: Personal/Professional Development • Subject: Researchers report some interesting new findings about the benefits of washing one’s hands.

As always, questions, comments – and suggestions – are welcomed.

Enjoy~ – bz

P.S. If you’re interested in learning how coaching might help you or your staff, phone (847-291-9735) or email (info@ggci.com) to schedule an exploratory phone conversation.

P. P.S. The GGCI Newsletter Archives are at: www.ggci.com/newsletter.

So what do YOU think? by Barry Zweibel on July 20, 2010

filed in Acronyms, Coaching, GottaGettaCoach!, Job-Search, Just for Fun, Leadership Development, Life, Networking, Oddly Curious, Success at Work, Twitter

Instant Energy Boosters

The July 2010 issue of Real Simple magazine listed 25 instant energy boosters. Here are some of the ones that caught my eye:

Tackle a dreary, do-I-have-to-get-out-of-bed day with a burst of color - “In general, saturated, warm colors (the red, orange, and yellow of ROY G BIV) are considered most energizing, while cool tones (like green, blue, indigo, and violet) are calming.”
Get a whiff of citrus - “The smells of oranges, lemons, and grapefruits have been shown to be energizing, so simply add a slice or two of your favorite to a glass of water.”
Get the giggles – Not sure where to start? Try a good youtube.com video!
Sit up straight - “Another thing Mom was right about.”
Enjoy your daily cup of joe - “Just don’t overdo it. Experts agree that you can have roughly 300 milligrams of caffeine a day to reap its benefits fully.” (A Starbucks’ grande has about that much; a Dunkin’ Donuts medium, about half that; Hershey’s Kisses have about 1 milligram each.)
Pop a peppermint – “Smelling peppermint “Stimulates the trigeminal nerve, which stimulates the area of the brain responsible for arousal and can make you more alert.”
Be nice to a stranger - A definite energy- and mood-booster.
Rise and seek sunshine - “If you can go outside within 15 minutes of waking up for 20 minutes and fast east, even on a cloudy day, you’ll get enough light to energize yourself for the day.”
Beware of energy vampires - Examples include chronic talkers, whiners, blamers, controllers, and such. Practice creating separation between you and them.
Exhale - “Many of our toxins are expelled by breathing” so regularly take a few deep breaths throughout your day.
Write a thank-you note - “It’s tough to be stressed and feel grateful at the same time.”
Think like a golfer - “Most golfers don’t focus on all the bad shots they have had. They focus on the great shots, and it makes them want to play again and again.”
Settle in for a rejuvenating night’s sleep - Yes, sleep is often in short-supply and comes at a premium. And yet…use the “G BIV” part of the color spectrum…or the color pink which “has even been used on walls in rooms where violent prison detainees are sent to calm down.”

The article lists a dozen other ideas, as well, but you get the picture, yes? Please feel free to add YOUR suggestions below.

—–
Image Source: http://www.frontrange.edu

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on July 6, 2010

filed in Coaching, Just for Fun, Life, Success at Work

Rules of the Leadership Road

“We need some basic rules of the road — clear rules every leader would need to follow, or risk having their licenses suspended.” So says Monica Moses in the June 2010 issue of Workforce Management magazine. Interesting notion.

Her suggestions for what some of those rules might look like?

Give people regular feedback on their performance. Take five minutes every month and tell each direct report what’s going well, what could be better and how you will help. People need to know where they stand.
If an employee is not living up to your expectations, tell her exactly what needs to improve and establish a timeline for improvement. If she doesn’t come up to standard and you need to make a change, tell her privately.
As the boss, your job is to harness the skills of those who work for you and help them reach their potential. Nurture their talents for the good of the organization.

“Leadership,” she says, “is a code of honor. “There are leaders who get results and practice compassion and integrity. There just aren’t enough of them.”

Spot-on, Monica!

To further her Rules of the Leadership Road construct, I would like to add a few additional road-rules, based on how an auto insurance carrier might evaluate the “driving skills” of a leader:

Ticketed “moving violations” and “at-fault accidents” (“events”) will remain on a leader’s permanent record for three and five years, respectively — even if s/he changes employers.
All “events” will trigger a commensurate decrease the leader’s Safety Rating (read: pay).
The first “at-fault accident” may be waived under an Accident Forgiveness Policy, but only if the leader officially asks for forgiveness from whomever s/he mistreated, AND such forgiveness is given.
One “moving violation” can be expunged through the successful completion of a certified training, tutelage, or executive coaching program, AND submission of a written introspective-analysis of the “event” and the Lessons Learned from it.
More than three “events” within a three-year period automatically results in the leader being put on a formal performance improvement plan.

Hmm, that would likely raise the leadership bar, don’t you think?!

And what about you? What are some other Rules of the Leadership Road that you’d like to see?

—–
Image Source: http://smart-driving.com

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on June 16, 2010

filed in Leadership Development, Success at Work

Clean Hands Clear Conscience

This in from Science magazine: Researchers from the University of Michigan report that washing one’s hands after decision-making helps lessen the cognitive (postdecisional) dissonance of that decision. (Cognitive dissonance is that uncomfortable tension caused by our conscience second-guessing the decisions we make.)

Per researchers Spike W. S. Lee and Norbert Schwarz from the Department of Psychology, University of Michigan:

“After choosing between two alternatives…postdecisional dissonance waseliminated by cleaning one’s hands. Physical cleansing seems to more generally remove past concerns, resulting in a metaphorical “clean slate” effect.”

What’s interesting here, aside from the obvious good news to soap companies, is that while prior research has shown that washing one’s hands helped reduce cognitive dissonance after making difficult moral decisions, this research shows that washing one’s hands also helps reduce one’s cognitive dissonance after making nonmoral (neither moral nor immoral) decisions, as well. The washing of your hands acts to clear your conscience!

So, the next time you start second-guessing yourself, or are feeling like you have to overly justify to yourself why you decided as you did, stop…and go clean your hands.

Your conscience will likely thank you.

—–
Image Source: http://edina.k12.mn.us

So what do YOU think? by Barry Zweibel on June 1, 2010

filed in Life, Oddly Curious, Success at Work

A Seat at the Table

Another post from the April 2004 GottaGettaBLOG! Archives:

No doubt you attend more meetings than you probably care to. And no doubt, many of those meetings aren’t the best use of your time. So to suggest that there are some meetings that you’d actually WANT to attend must seem pretty absurd. But it’s not.

There are four types of meetings:

(1) the kind you attend that aren’t worth your time (most?)

(2) the kind you attend and are glad you do

(3) the kind you don’t attend and are glad you don’t (many?)

(4) the kind you don’t attend but wish you could

It’s this last category that’s worth another look. Consider:

:: What kind of meetings are these?

:: What would you be able to contribute if you did attend?

:: What would you be able to learn?

:: Who needs to know what meetings you’d like to attend?

:: Does he/she/they know?

Sometimes, you DO have to ask for a seat at the table. But when you know the answers to the questions outlined above, the asking (and answering) often becomes easier.

So ask!

—–
Image Source: http://people.smu.edu

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on May 19, 2010

filed in Success at Work

Synergy versus Leverage

Continuing my stroll through the GottaGettaBLOG! Archives, I found this interesting post from January 2004:

I got into an interesting conversation about distinctions yesterday. Specifically, it was about the difference between ‘synergy’ and ‘leverage’. Here’s what we concluded:

Synergy is the idea that 1 + 1 > 2. In other words, when you’re working with someone on something at work, at home, at school, or wherever, the two of you can accomplish more working TOGETHER than you could if you each worked separately. So it’s like a teamwork, or delegation, kind of thing.

Leverage is the idea that 1 > 1. That is we can increase the amount of work we can do as individuals by changing HOW we work. So leverage is like a time-management, strategic implementation kind of thing.

So here are two questions related to these definitions:

How can you increase the synergy you have with other people?
How might you increase the leverage you experience in doing the things you do by yourself?

So what do YOU think about this? Share your comments below.

—–
Image Source: http://www.sd104.s-cook.k12.il.us

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on May 14, 2010

filed in Life, Success at Work

Are ‘soft skills’ really important?

From the GottaGettaBLOG! Archives, this one from December 2003:

On one of the message boards I frequent, someone asked for a good definition for the term ‘soft skills’. Here’s how I replied:

“When I think of ‘soft skills’ I think of how airline pilots can smoothly land a plane. Sure, a crash would address the basic need – to get us out of the sky – but we passengers wouldn’t be so quick to line up for the next flight now would we?!

In a business (and leadership) context, soft skills are what enable safe landings, too – they encourage and motivate people to literally and figuratively stay on board, regardless of how bumpy the flight has been.

“Now isn’t that a refreshing way to look at it?”

Research increasingly shows a definite value Return on Investment (ROI) when a leader works on his/her ‘soft skills’ - http://www.ggci.com/ROI/SurveySays6.htm#calculation.
—–
Image Source: http://cdn-www.airliners.net/

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on May 11, 2010

filed in Coaching, GottaGettaCoach!, Information Technology, Leadership Development, Success at Work

It’s “Nuts” to Try to Get Your Unmet Needs Met at Work

Continuing to look back through my blog post archives I came upon ”Getting Unmet Needs Met” from November 2003 that still seems as relevant today as it was back then:

The thing that makes people ‘nutty,’ if you pardon the continued metaphor, is that they all-too-often try to get their Unmet Needs met in the wrong places, like the workplace.

Let it be known that your place of work is NOT the place to get most of your Unmet Needs met.

Got an Unmet Need for RECOGNITION? Instead of trying to grandstand at work, why not spend some quality time with your kids instead?

Got an Unmet Need for APPRECIATION? Instead of trying to hog the credit at work, why not do some volunteering, or be particularly kind to a store clerk instead?

Got an Unmet Need for POWER AND CONTROL? Instead of trying to boss everyone around at work, why not pick up a challenging hobby that you can master, or do some exercising?

Got an Unmet Need TO BE RIGHT? Instead of making others wrong at work, why not do crossword puzzle, or buy your significant other a nice little gift?

Got an Unmet Need to be the CENTER OF ATTENTION? Instead of spending countless hours mindlessly chatting with coworkers, why not get a puppy or cat, or host a party instead?

The less you use your workplace as a place to get your Unmet Needs met, the easier it will be to do a better job – with less stress and strain. So the next time you feeling out-of-sorts, do these three steps:

(1) Figure out what Unmet Need of yours ISN’T being met.
(2) Name it.
(3) Go do something about it – outside of work, that is.

You’ll be glad you did.

Image Source: http://grace-ed.org/

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on May 10, 2010

filed in Coaching, Life, Success at Work

Post-Outage Evaluations

Here’s a re-posting of a blog entry I did on back in October 2003, called Effective Post-Mortem Discussions that still has plenty of relevance for anyone in Information Technology Systems Management, or Operations:

The crisis is over. The situation is past. Now how do we bring closure to this difficult set of experiences?

Most people don’t use post-mortems, but I think it’s an important step to bring closure and allow healing – especially after a difficult situation. Here are the steps I’ve used to great success:

1. Gather all players together (including vendor personnel, if appropriate) and thank everyone for their efforts. Focus on trying to put everyone at ease so they know it’s not an inquisition and it’s okay to relax. [This is not about ascribing blame, but about officially putting an end to the crisis .]

2. Review what happened by having people ‘tell the story’ of what happened. Encourage everyone to add to the story no matter how small their role. Look to understand, not to blame. Show everyone the utmost respect. [Make this a conversational process so that both large AND smallpieces of the story are shared.]

3. Look for Lessons Learned. Ask “What did we learn from all this?” “What changes do we want to make moving forward?” etc. [There are two very important goals, here: (1) to understand what happened (the 'root cause'); and (2) to understand what needs to be put in place so that this same problem NEVER happens again.]

4. Assign follow-up tasks and due dates, as appropriate. Have someone put these assignments in writing and distribute to everyone within 24 hours. [Track these deliverables carefully through to completion, because now that the crisis is over, employees likely have other, more urgent, things to work on and these assignments may never get done unless they are tracked.]

5. Make them laugh. Thank them again. Get ‘em back to work.

Hope this helps.

Image Source: http://testdevices.com

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on May 5, 2010

filed in Information Technology, Leadership Development, Success at Work

The ABCs of Good Employees … and Bad Bosses

Many leaders attempt to upgrade an organization’s hiring practices by reciting their ABCs: “A-players hire A-players. B-players hire C-players.” But my view is that this admittedly clever phraseology is misguided, at best, and downright inflammatory, at worst. Here’s why:

Many A-players don’t know HOW to hire A-Players. Let’s face it, many A-players are A-players simply because their skills and talents happen to be particularly well-aligned with the key functional responsibilities of their current job. But, one’s ability to interview and select others is rarely considered one of those key functional responsibilities–it’s typically just “something else” they’re also responsible for. So when asked to actually interview applicants, A-players often don’t know how to do it. You see, anyone who DOES know how, knows it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to learn how to accurately identify people who truly CAN bring fresh ideas, new ways, diversified perspectives, stellar capabilities, and more, just from asking a job applicant a handful of interview questions. And it’s probably fair to say that many A-players never took the time (or had ample opportunity) to learn the ins and outs of effective hiring and selection because they were so busy being … A-players! But as such, A-players often DON’T hire A-players, even if you want to think that they do.
Some A-players do hire A-players, but not all jobs require A-players in them. You see many (most?) A-players want (need?) a steady stream of new challenges and opportunities to continue to learn and grow, advance, thrive, and maybe to show off a bit. But some jobs are more about one’s mastery of responsibilities than the expansion of them. So putting an A-player into a job that requires mastery, but not fast-track expansion, creates a mis-match that neither benefits the individual, nor the organization – not to mention the negative impact it can have on the person’s co-workers.
It is ridiculously arrogant to categorize B-players and C-players as being somehow “Less Than.” B-players and C-players are typically not overpaid (as so many A-players are); not as political (as so many A-players are); and not as needy (as so many A-players are). They also tend to be very nice, honest, caring, human beings who are more than willing to give you an honest day’s work, too. “Less Than?!” I don’t think so.
B-players and C-players routinely do exceptional work, every day. B-players and C-players can–and do–make important, and lasting, contributions to the success of countless organizations. Ever wonder why A-players get to work on so many cool, new, high-profile, initiatives? It’s due, in large part, because the B-players and C-players are taking care of the “ongoing” part of the business so the A-players don’t have to. It’s good to remember that, actually.

I think the thing that bugs me the most about the whole A-, B-, and C-player thing, though, is how disingenuous it often is: Far too often a boss will blame B- and C-players to hide his/her own inability to: strategize; prioritize; communicate effectively; say ‘no’ to unrealistic pressures from above, when necessary; make tough decisions; share credit; take responsibility; and generally be the type of boss people WANT to work for.

Yes, it’s far easier to blame others–it’s certainly easier than looking in the mirror and seeing someone who really isn’t as much of an A-player as he or she would like to believe, eh?!

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on April 29, 2010

filed in Acronyms, Leadership Development, Success at Work

What is Collaboration?

from LeadershipHaiku

//
Collaboration
/
is finding a common ground
/
from which to advance.
//

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on April 26, 2010

filed in GottaGettaCoach!, Leadership Development, Success at Work, Twitter

More Research on Executive Coaching

Executive Coaching has gained recognition as being one of the most positive and powerful tools in the armoury of organisations which truly wish to ensure that their most importance resource, their people, are working to their potential.

Research indicates that the top reasons for utilising an executive coach include:

1) Sharpening the leadership skills of high-potential individuals (86 per cent);

2) Correcting management behaviour problems such as poor communication skills, failure to develop subordinates, or indecisiveness (72 per cent);

3) Ensuring the success, or decreasing the failure rate, of newly promoted managers (64 per cent);

4) Correcting employee relations problems such as poor interpersonal skills, disorganisation, demeaning or arrogant behaviour (59 per cent);

5) Providing the required management and leadership skills to technically oriented employees (58 per cent).

More coaching research results — and information on working with GottaGettaCoach! — are available at: www.ggci.com/research/.

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on April 20, 2010

filed in Coaching, GottaGettaCoach!, Leadership Development, Success at Work

Stop Slouching!

This in from Scientific American Mind magazine — Good Posture Boosts Self-Esteem.

According to a study in the October 2009 issue of the European Journal of Social Psychology, researchers asked college students to rate themselves on how good they would be as job candidates and employees. Those told to sit up straight with their chests out gave themselves higher ratings than those instructed to slouch while filling out the rating form.

Once again, Mom was right.

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Image Source: http://www.vusd.k12.ca.us/washington/ESPversion/images/slouching.jpg

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on April 19, 2010

filed in Job-Search, Life, Success at Work

The Interpersonal Influence Inventory

One of the behavioral-type assessments I like to use is the Interpersonal Influence Inventory (III) as it measures the behaviors that individuals use when they attempt to influence others. For over 20 years, this popular learning instrument – now in its fourth edition – has helped thousands of professionals assess their own influence styles and work toward communicating more effectively.

One’s Influence Style, of course, is influenced by several factors:

Individual Factors
- Past Experience — what we’ve learned about which behaviors lead to positive or negative results
- Attitudes and Beliefs — the internal messages we send ourselves about how to act and react
- Self-Confidence — our ability to stand up for ourselves and our rights in varying circumstances
Situational Factors
- Rewards in the Environment — ways a work environment “encourages” desirable behaviors
- Costs of Influence Style — ways a work environment “penalizes” undesirable behaviors
- Rules and Laws — ways a work environment differentiates desirable and undesirable behaviors

In it’s simplest form, the III self-assessment answers the question: How do you “come across” to others in your organization?

This month, GottaGettaCoach!, Inc. is offering the Interpersonal Influence Inventory (III) for just $25 when you use coupon code “HALF-OFF-III” when ordering at: http://bit.ly/dn4yVz.

For more information on the Interpersonal Influence Inventory (III) and the other assessments that GottaGettaCoach!, Inc. offers: http://www.ggci.com/leadership-development/iii.htm.

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on April 15, 2010

filed in GottaGettaCoach!, Leadership Development, Success at Work

What is Confidence?

from LeadershipHaiku

//
What is confidence
/
but helping others see you
/
at your very best?
//

So what do YOU think? by Barry Zweibel on April 12, 2010

filed in Coaching, Leadership Development, Success at Work, Twitter

NBD Mid-Level Managers

Baseball’s back! And, okay, the Chicago Cubs record is a lowly 1 win and 2 losses. But that 1 win happened last night, so they’re actually on a wining streak! (Go ahead, say what you will; I’ve heard it all before!)

Last night’s win went to Randy Wells, who threw six shutout innings against the Braves. Wells, 28, burst onto the scene last year with a 12-10 record (after only 4 games in the “Bigs” in 2008) and is continuing to impress those around him. But even though he’s not all that young for a Major League pitcher, his spirit is:

“I’m not at the stage of my career where I can distinguish which games are big and which games aren’t,” Wells said. They all are (big) for me.”

I like that! Not just because he’s a Cubs pitcher, but because what he said is also relevant to middle managers about their attitudes and leadership tendencies.

You see, when (small l) leaders are faced with a new challenge, problem, or issue, the first thing that too many of them do is assess “how big of a deal” it is … so to decide what NOT to give their all to. Then, anything they consider to be NBD (No Big Deal) is wait-listed, DE-prioritized, or flat-out ignored. As a former middle-manager colleague of mine was fond of saying, “NBD — If they want it bad enough, they’ll ask twice.”

Is it too Pollyanna-ish to wonder how much more could get done if (small l) leaders treated every task, assignment, project, and initiative, etc., as Wells treats each and every one of his starts?

Sure, Wells only plays once every 5 games, while leaders typically get (at least) 5 issues to deal with before finishing their (first) cup-o-coffee. Yet one of the things that separates (small l) leaders from (capital L) Leaders is that (capital L) Leaders consider EVERY task, assignment, project, and initiative, etc., as Wells does — as big, and proceed accordingly.

How about you, Mr./Ms. Middle-Manager? What’s holding YOU back from treating them ALL big? Chances are, it has something to do with how well you do (or don’t) delegate.

NBD? Hardly!

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on April 9, 2010

filed in Coaching, Leadership Development, Success at Work

2010q2 GGCI Newsletter

The 2010q2 edition of the GottaGettaCoach! newsletter is now on-line at: http://www.ggci.com/newsletter/GGCI-2010q2.pdf.

Levels of Success • Topic: Editor’s Note • Subject: It’s rarely an all-or-none sort of thing
How to Get Happier • Topic: Personal Development • Subject: Five how-to’s to incorporate into your daily living
LeadershipHaiku • Topic: Leadership Development • Subject: My latest side-project — it’s well-worth a look-see if I do say so myself!
Assessing Your Leadership Capacity • Topic: Leadership Development • Subject: Foundational concepts for expanding your Leadership reach and impact
A “Tweet” to Start Your Day • Topic: Personal Development • Subject: Some Morning Thoughts courtesy of my Twitter-stream
Tylenol for Social Pains?! • Topic: Fear and Courageousness • Subject: Acetaminophen — it’s not just for headaches anymore!
GGCI News from Last Quarter • Topic: News of Note • Some GottaGettaCoach! highlights from 2010q1
Name it; Frame it; then, Claim it • Topic: Job Search Improvements • Subject: An interviewees guide to the Inner-Game of powerful interviewing

As always, questions, comments – and suggestions – are welcomed.

Enjoy~ – bz

P.S. If you’re interested in learning how coaching might help you or your staff, phone (847-291-9735) or email (info@ggci.com) to schedule an exploratory phone conversation.

P. P.S. The GGCI Newseltter Archives are located at : www.ggci.com/newsletter. And please feel free to “share this” this newsletter with those in your network who might appreciate it. Just click on the link below.

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on April 6, 2010

filed in Coaching, GottaGettaCoach!, Job-Search, Just for Fun, Leadership Development, Life, Networking, Oddly Curious, Success at Work, Twitter

Wayne Gru

The the “power of networking” (thanks to Alan Iacobucci of API Consulting, Inc.for the introduction) I spoke with Wayne Gru, a very interesting fella who’s been “in transition” for quite some time now. As part of our wide-ranging conversation, Wayne mentioned that had been wanting to blog about what it’s like to be out of, and looking for, work.

Since the first step is often the hardest, I invited Wayne to post his very first blog entry here at GottaGettaBLOG! To his credit, he accepted my challenge.

So, ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to … Wayne Gru:

Well, first my thanks to Barry for allowing me to post to his blog. This is my first blog contribution anywhere and I’m excited to have this opportunity.

I met Barry only recently, by phone, through a networking referral from a long-time mutual friend; someone we both did business with in a previous life.

I much enjoyed our conversation as I am currently “in transition” and am always eager to meet other quality people and continue building my network. Barry and I share many common views, it turns out, on personal and professional development, the job search process, relationship building, etc.

He was nice enough to point out my positive outlook at this stage of my life notwithstanding the current hurdles that baby-boomers (and non-boomers) are facing.

An upside-down market is no fun on so many levels. But, it is what it is. I have always had that positive perspective, thankfully, and have been fortunate to share that optimism (sometimes cautious optimism) with others who are in a similar state today much as I would in that once-upon-a-time world of being gainfully employed.

That positive mental attitude is something that always came natural to me. I always recall my youthful experience of not successfully completing my initial foray into college. I then got a pretty basic full time job doing nothing very special but making a reasonable wage that I learned to save for the most part. Every week as I made my savings deposit, I would wonder what I would wind up doing with my life. I remember as clear as day always telling myself “I don’t know what we’re going to be but I KNOW we’re going to be successful”. (Subsequently, I made a successful return to college.)

The job hunt for me at this point is more down than up, notwithstanding positive prognostications for an economic recovery. But I do a lot of volunteer work to keep my skills fresh and do what I do best, which is “helping people get better.” I always believed that helping people get better was central to not only their own success but ultimately to the success of any organization. My activities currently include:

Facilitating a weekly job search work team (accountability group) of professional people, and
Working with a state/county non-for-profit organization helping others (from all walks of life) organize their job search and identify their skills, talents and abilities that can be shaped into effective job search tools.

Both are profoundly fulfilling for me personally when you can literally see the “light-bulb” go on during these sessions and even better, when I hear of their successful landing with a new employer. That, in turn, helps keep me focused and positive, knowing that the current market notwithstanding, I do have great skills and experience to offer.

I supplement these activities by doing some modest one-on-one work arranged solely by word-of-mouth. And in a related way, I also volunteer in a mentoring program at a local suburban college, which is a wonderful experience.

So, the long and short of this posting is that my attitude; that positive perspective, combined with a strong desire to help people get better, still burns brightly and will continue to guide me to that as yet undefined next opportunity.

My chat with Barry has also inspired me to get on with doing my own blog; something I have been vacillating on for a while but, no more. My blog is currently under construction, no doubt to be followed by my own website where I hope to be able to share with others the earned wisdom of my experience to do with as they please. More to follow.

Thanks Barry!

And thank YOU, Wayne. Thank you VERY much!

—–
Wayne Gru is a Senior Operations Executive with proven leadership performance, transforming business operations. He has demonstrated experience in leading organizations through rapid change, and his strengths include: Strong communication and servicing skills and building customer-centric, multi-disciplined teams that exceed objectives.

Wayne is able to rapidly create an atmosphere of trust and simplify complex issues into manageable components. His diverse expertise includes building effective teams, due-diligence, integration; relationship management, financial operations, compliance, internal controls, project management and business systems.

Wayne Gru can be reached at waynejgru@yahoo.com or 815-355-4381. He’d appreciate hearing from you — even if it’s just to hello!

Read Comments by Barry Zweibel on April 5, 2010

filed in Job-Search, Life, Networking, Success at Work

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