Guest blog article written by Kathleen Sexton, Career Counselor, Founder & CEO of Kairos Learning

Can you list your top 5 strengths easily if someone asked you?  Being able to acknowledge your top strengths is very helpful during different phases of your career path.

Informational interviewing/networking
During informational interviewing to explore new career opportunities, it’s very helpful to ask the people you’re talking with a question like “I’m very good at strength #1, #2, & #3.  Where do you think I could put those to use?  What type of career fields or jobs would let me use them frequently?”

Resume development
When you’re creating your resume, you want to highlight your strengths frequently.  You can use accomplishment statements to demonstrate your strengths.

Job interviewing
You want to showcase your strengths in your responses to interview questions.

Performance reviews
When you’re talking with your manager about your development plans for the next year, it’s helpful to articulate your top strengths. Talk about how you’d like to use them more and the benefits of doing that for the team as well as your career satisfaction.

If you would like to assess your skills, check out these websites’ online tools:

• VIA Signature Strengths Assessment is a free, online assessment through the University of Pennsylvania’s homepage of Dr. Martin Seligman, Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of positive psychology, a branch of psychology which focuses on the empirical study of such things as positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions.  http://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.edu
• Skillscan’s Career Driver is an online, self-directed skills assessment tool that provides you with a profile of your transferable skills and preferences — knowledge essential to identifying satisfying work options, creating a career development plan or strategizing your next career move.  There are 2 different reports you can get -- Career Launcher Report for individuals planning their first careers or Career Transitioner Report – individuals considering a career change.  It’s $14.95.  http://www.skillscan.com/
• Marcus Buckingham, a leader the strengths movement, has several assessments out and a new one being released this September.  Access to the assessments requires that you to buy his books and then get a link to the online assessments.  Now, Discover Your Strengths (Clifton Strengths Finder) and Go Put Your Strengths to Work (Strengths Engagement Test)

Additional Resources

Discovering Your Strengths and Putting Them to Work (60-minute webinar, 7/27, 8:00 am PT)

Career Management in the Age of the Apps (2x60-minute webinars, 7/11, 7/18, 12:00 pm PT)

Social Networking for Career Development (2x90-minute webinars, 8/12, 8/19, 9:30 am PT)

Guest blog article written by Alicia R. Maher, M.D., Founder of ScienceForTheJourney.com

“I prefer strawberry,” the little girl said, as I tried to hand her pomegranate juice. Such a simple statement but I was struck with how easily she knew her preference and expressed it.  It often seemed like I spent thirty years trying to figure out what was acceptable to want, with the end result being that I had no idea what I really wanted.  If I didn’t like what others did, I either tried to force myself to go along with it, convince the others why what I wanted was better or analyze what was wrong with me for having different preferences.

I see this with so many adults.  We are often trying to ‘grin and bear’ a situation because that is what is expected of us.  However, we weren’t designed to repress our feelings.  In fact, emotional repression is experienced within our bodies as stress, causing the release of the stress hormone, cortisol.  When we continually repress our emotions, cortisol remains at high levels causing a decrease in immunity and making us more vulnerable to injury.  It is almost as if the body has this built-in mechanism for causing physical problems to get us to take notice, when we refuse to listen to our emotions.

A large part of our ability to be at peace with situations that bother us is to get in touch with an internal reference point. Whether we choose to focus on what is going on around us or within us determines our relationship with ourselves and with the world.  If we’ve lived our lives trying to figure out what the world wants from us, we become like falling leaves, moving whichever way the wind blows.  How we feel depends on whatever is going on around us. If things seem to be going well in our external world, we feel great. If something isn’t, we don’t.  But what if we could establish a connection to the deepest aspect of our being, the place where we are grounded and content, regardless of people, events and circumstances?  What if we could experience tranquility, despite the inevitable ups and downs of our external environment?  Luckily, we can.

This has been compared to the ocean. If you have ever been scuba diving, you know that despite waves and turbulence on the surface, as you descend into the deeper part of the water, there is stillness.  But how do we dive beneath the choppy surface of what is going on around us, to access that calm deep within?

One way is through mindfulness.  Minfulness is calm awareness of one's body functions, feelings, content of thought, or awareness of being aware.  It is the ability to live in the present moment, without distraction. Mindfulness techniques cause one to pay attention to his or her present emotions, thoughts and body sensations without passing judgment or reacting.  This can involve calmly observing the breath as it goes in and out. Another technique is to engage the senses, taking note of the sounds, smells and sights around them.  As thoughts come through one’s mind, they can be labeled “thought” and allowed to pass on through like clouds in the sky, without judgement or attachment.

Minfulness techniques, such as these, are another way that we can actually rewire the brain.  A study in the journal Psychological Science demonstrated how this occurs.  Researchers put people into a scanner that revealed which part of their brains were active as the researchers showed them photographs.  When the photographs were of angry or fearful stimuli, the instinctual, reactive part of their brains would light up.  The researchers then had these subjects do a mindfulness practice for several weeks.  Whenever the subjects noticed anger or fear, they would label it “This is anger”, “This is fear”.  When the researchers tested them again with the same photographs, they found that a different part of the brain was now lighting up.  Now, angry and fearful photographs were activating the higher order parts of the brain, the part associated with thinking in words about emotional experiences. So, instead of experiencing reactivity upon these stimuli, their brains were now taking a step back from it.  You can imagine the profound advantage of this change.  When stimuli activate this part of the brain, you can choose an effective response, rather than just react.

Additional Resources

The Stress Management upcoming workshop: 7/18 and 7/25 (10:00 am to 11:00 am Pacific Time)

The Wellness Track special offer: Join now for only $35!

Guest blog article written by Lynda McDaniel, Founder and Director of the Association for Creative Business Writing

Lately, I’ve talked to several people who told me that creative business writing isn’t really practical. Somehow the word creative makes them think it’s silly or frilly or not really useful.

Not so. Creative business writing is more effective because:

• People will read (i.e., finish reading) what you write.
• Creative business writing engages them.
• Readers who are both mentally and emotionally involved are more likely to buy and/or buy in.

Here are three creative tips to get you started:

Creative Business Writing Tip #1: Similes.  Similes help your readers immediately grasp your point because you compare your topic to something already familiar to them. The office was as quiet as Wrigley Field in January.
Our program works like a bustling cafeteria.

Creative Business Writing Tip #2: Alliteration. Webster’s defines alliteration as: “Repetition of an initial sound, usually of a consonant or cluster, in two or more words of a phrase.” Why bother?  Alliteration is memorable. There’s a reason the Better Business Bureau chose that name.

Creative Business Writing Tip #3: Dialogue.
Dialogue breaks up copy, adds white space, and brings live voices into dense material.

When you add creative techniques to your business writing, you’ll stand out and get the attention you deserve.

Additional Resources

The Effective Business Email Writing upcoming workshop: 7/19 (11:30 am to 1:00 pm Pacific Time)

The Business Writing Track special offer: Join now for only $35!

Guest blog article written by Deanna Moncrief, Nutritionist, Founder & CEO of Benchmark Wellness

I will share the top 3 nutrition decisions you can make to feel better, age slower, and, well, that’s it.  Is there anything more important?  Here we go:

1. Avoid Red #40.  And Blue #1.  And Yellow #5.  There is much debate on whether these artificial colors commonly added to foods should be banned from the FDA’s Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) list, but my reasoning is much simpler.  Besides the arguments for and against any cancer-causing or attention-deficiency effects in humans, foods to which artificial colors are added are typically lower in nutrition quality and high in sugar (although perfect for office pranks).  A notable exception is fresh oranges, which are commonly sprayed with a chemical called Citrus Red #2.  This colorant is known to cause cancer, but luckily it doesn’t penetrate orange peels into the pulp.  Lucky us (sarcasm added).

2. Eat no trans fats.  Trans… transportation?  No, for you organic chemistry geeks like me, trans fat is the common name for the trans – as opposed to cis – isomer of unsaturated fat (think Crisco).  This particular type of fat is known to increase “bad” cholesterol while lowering “good” cholesterol.  This combination of cholesterol changes leads to clogged arteries which lead to heart disease and stroke.  Two things surely to hamper your ability to live well and look great.

3. Eat 9-11 servings of vegetables and fruits daily.  Wow!  Nine to eleven?  Don’t hyperventilate; you might be surprised to learn how small a serving is (the fact that a majority of American adults are overweight is a testament to how few of us know what constitutes a serving size).  Close your fist.  Look at it.  Now imagine a nice bowl of cherries the size of your fist.  Or a crown of broccoli.  Or a big, juicy slice of watermelon.  A Frisbee-sized plate filled with lettuce, sliced beets, carrots, yellow bell peppers and tomatoes would contain 5-7 servings by itself, so eat a salad for lunch and you still have time to meet your quota by dinner time.

Feeling and looking great depends largely on what we eat, and eating well doesn’t have to be difficult or confusing, just deliberate.

Additional Resources

The Eat Well to Work Well upcoming workshop: 7/26 (11:30 am to 1:00 pm Pacific Time)
The Wellness Track special offer: Join now for only $35!

I mentioned to you a few weeks ago that I attended a presentation by Christine Heckart, CMO of NetApp, in which she shared some valuable insights, ranging from high level concepts to practical advice on how to lead, manage, and get results. I also talked about one of her insights which was "THINK BIG, start small, move fast!" I reflected on how THINK BIG applies to our daily productivity effort and provided related tips and techniques from our Accomplishing More With Less methodology. Now it is time to consider "start small."

start small

Here are some "start small" tips and techniques that will help you undertake significant projects and initiatives with ease and elegance:

• 40 minutes at a time: When people ask me, how long did it take to write your book? I use this opportunity to tell them "40 minutes" which takes them by surprise at first, until I add "at a time." The 40 minute chunks and working in bursts are powerful technique that can help us move mountains one bucket at a time and feel rewarded after every bucket.
• Micro-Planning™: This is a journal technique that is simply but very powerful. It consists of breaking down the task that we are undertaking into small steps, and jotting these steps down. This is ideally done at the beginning of the 40 minute period, for the 40 minute period. We are talking "small!" But we are also talking "BIG" because this micro-plan helps us stay focused like never before, recover from unexpected interruptions like never before, and reach meaningful accomplishments like never before.
• Immediate Priorities Matrix™: This consists of listing our immediate priorities in a matrix, and breaking them down into steps, including estimates of how long each step will take, and the related deadlines. The matrix turns ambiguity and stress into action. It helps dissolve the illusions and bottleneck and puts us on the road to implementation, one step at a time.

Stay tuned for the "move fast" tips and insights. For now, THINK BIG and start small and share your thoughts with us in the comments section below!

Additional Resources

• 40 minute focus for breakthrough results
• Live Interview with BNET--The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook
• The Accomplising More With Less Workbook at Amazon.com

Barry Cardoza's presentation at our lunch & learn webinar this week (The Cyber Threat--No Boundaries) provided some invaluable insights on a topic that we may otherwise take for granted in our busy lives until it suddenly interrupts our life and bring it to a standstill: The cyber threat.

What are our threats today?

Barry indicated that the threats can come from a variety of sources including:

• Script Kiddies
• Criminals
• Industrial Espionage
• Insiders
• Foreign Governments

Here are some attackers profiles

1. Insiders: Insiders have a unique advantage due to access/trust. They can be motivated by revenge, organizational disputes, personal problems, boredom, curiosity, or to “prove a point.”
2. Script Kiddies: Relatively untrained hackers that find exploit code/tools on the Internet and run them indiscriminately against targets. While largely unskilled, they are numerous.
3. Criminals: Cyber based attacks offer new means to commit traditional crimes, such as fraud and extortion. Organized cyber-crime groups have adopted legitimate business practices, structure, and method of operation.
4. Terrorists: Cyber-attacks have the potential to cripple infrastructures which are not properly secured. In addition, cyber-linkages between sectors raise the risk of cascading failures throughout the Nation.

So what can we do?

The first thing we can do is to become aware of the issues and help create such awareness at our companies and communities. The next thing we can do is to team up with the variety of organizations who are working diligently at prevention and preparedness and become part of this effort.

Download Barry's presentation to learn more. Barry offered to help you customize this presentation and connect you with agencies such as DHS, Secret Service, and the FBI, so you can present it at your organization.  Contact Barry at BarryCardoza@BarryCardoza.com for more information.

About Barry Cardoza

Barry Cardoza, Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), and Principal of Barry Cardoza LLC, specializes in Business Continuity Program Development, Enhancement and Analytics. Barry has over 40 years of experience in business management, business process analysis, and continuous process improvement.  This experience has been within many different industries and includes over 20 years within the banking industry.  Previously responsible for Union Bank’s Business Continuity strategy, policy, compliance, and program implementation.

Sumi Das, host of the The One Live show at BNET asked me during the show:

“What advice (relating to managing interruptions) do you have for those of us who work in a deadline-driven industry, and even for people who don’t, if is not an option to only check email once every couple of hours--you may need to respond to a message immediately upon receipt, particularly if it is from your manager!”

This was my answer

“Checking e-mail once every couple of hours in today’s work environment? Not only this is not possible, but I think it may be counter-productive.

We live in a highly collaborative work environment, and we are highly interdependent, so we need to check e-mail more often and keep the issues and decisions moving along.

What I recommend is checking e-mail after each focused session.
So if my current task requires 20 minutes of focus, I stop checking e-mail during this focused time, and then the first think I do after the 20 minutes is check e-mail.

This is the message that I want everyone to hear: The highest levels of accomplishments are achieved when we work in bursts. A burst of focused effort, followed by a burst of collaborate effort, and then followed by a burst of play time to get re-energized and ready for more.

Now e-mails from managers are a whole different story. Managers need to become more aware of the impact that their e-mails have on their team and not expect immediate response. When issues are critical and require immediate response, use a different way to notify their team. Something they should discuss with their team and agree upon ahead of time.”

View the recording of the show for more tips about Accomplishing More With Less! And learn more about The Accomplishing More With Less Workbook.

Wanting things to be right, especially right the first time around, can be stressful or even exhausting and not to mention counter-productive. This is a trap that we all fall into and those of us who may admit to be procrastinators and/or perfectionists are likely to fall into it more often.

One strategy to fight this phenomenon back is to work in iterations. I described this strategy a while back and outlined 5 iterations that can get us going swiftly and help shatter procrastination and perfectionism. Most recently, I used this strategy and adapted it as follows.

• Iteration #1: This worked wonders. My project, which seemed daunting at first, transformed into a fun and exciting endeavor. This iteration gave me the permission to be creative and to approach the work from a problem solving perspective. Ideas started to flow without being restricted by filters and critical judgment. When there were gaps in my information or knowledge, I made a note of it, and kept going without that information. I was unstoppable during this time.
• I skipped iteration #2 because I didn't have much time and my project was short term.
• Iteration #3: Now this iteration started to flow easily. It is still in my opinion the more difficult iteration but a lot less daunting than if this work was approach all at once without iterations 1 & 2. Iteration #3 is when we take our original playful work and take it to the next level. This is where we fill in some of the gaps and address the issues in more depth. This is however also the most rewarding iteration because this is when results start to shape up and become more concrete.
• Iteration #4: In this case, this involved sharing my plan with others and discussing them via a virtual meeting. Involving others helped get some alignment on the goals and implementation plan, and avoided having me invest time in areas that weren’t consistent with the stakeholder’s vision and desired outcome.
• Iteration #5: This is still going on. Refinements are underway. This iteration is turning out to be more fun and relaxed than anticipated.

Rediscover fun and excitement in your work! let the power of iterations work for you and overcome stress, procrastination, and perfectionism! Try this out and report back in the comments section below!

Article by Anat Baniel, author of Move Into Life 

Normally, when we think about vitality, we think about people, about our own vitality and how we can augment it. However, when looking at our business, we can also gauge it in terms of its vitality. The Nine Essentials for Vitality are what the human brain requires to keep us energized, creative, healthy and full of life. Since people create business, the same principals apply the ‘brain’  of your business and can help your business move from surviving to thriving. 

1. Movement with Attention: Our brains are organized through movement.  As we introduce new patterns of movement, combined with attention, our brains begin making thousands, millions and even billions of new connections.  Not only is this true physically of our brains and bodies, it is also true of the movement you generate in your business.  Encouraging movement in your business, and paying closer attention to the various elements of your business can bring the vitality of your business to a higher level.   
2. The Learning Switch: Learning occurs in the brain.  However, for the brain to do its job, the “learning switch” needs to be turned on.  It is important to cultivate a culture of learning within your business. By doing that you will get more vibrant, intelligent, and creative employees that can become a tremendous source for the success of your business.
3. Subtlety: Your brain thrives on subtlety, on gentler, less-forceful, more-refined input.  What we discover with this Essential is that subtlety generates new possibilities that can open up remarkable new possibilities. Learning how to listen for the subtleties in interactions with employees and business partners, learning to reduce the force in communications, can open up worlds of possibilities that weren’t there before.
4. Variation: By introducing variation into the way you think, you will discover new ideas and solutions that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible.  Even if everything in your business is “good enough,” or is going along “pretty well,” or maybe even “couldn’t be better,’ we encourage you to be on the lookout for opportunities to introduce variation to energize your business and to usher in ever greater creativity. 
5. Slow: Slow gets the brain’s attention and gives it time to distinguish and perceive small changes and form new connections.  It is true that we live at the speed of light in this present age—there’s fast food, the fast track, fast turn-around, accelerated processing, instant printing, instant messaging, and the quick fix.  When you intentionally create time for Slow for yourself and your employees, you change the culture of your business and allow for greater intelligence to come forth on the part of everyone.
6. Enthusiasm: Enthusiasm is the amplifier by which you can turn up the volume, boosting the energy of everything you do, think, or feel.  Enthusiasm can take the seemingly small and turn it into something new and magnificent.  It is of utter importance for everyone in the business to develop their ‘enthusiasm muscle’. You’ll be amazed how becoming enthusiastic about ‘small’ stuff allows for the miraculous to occur.
7. Flexible Goals: Goal setting is important for getting what we want from life.  However, how we go about achieving our goals can become a real impediment by creating resistance to change.  Rigid and forceful approach to goals limits our vision and creativity and gets us to miss opportunities and solutions.  Holding your goals loosely gives you permission to adjust, invent and even exceed the initial goals.
8. Imagination and Dreams: Imagining and dreaming can change your life as well as your experience in your business.  You can invite your employees to write down their ideas, and dreams for the business. What they imagine for the business. Have them share it with each other and see the impossible becoming possible.
9. Awareness: Awareness is different than attention, which was part of Essential #1.  Attention is when we focus on something; it is possible to pay attention without being aware.  Awareness is the highest level of human functioning. Instill a culture in your business that values awareness of self, others, and that which is occurring in the business. You will help develop a culture that values the greater good. 

Your physical, mental, and emotional vitality is essential for your business vitality and success!

Thank you Anat!

Additional Resources

• Move Into Life, by Anat Baniel! The Nine Essential for Lifelong Vitality, you can learn more about the essentials and how to apply them in your life and to your business. 
• For more information on how to vitalize your self and your career log onto www.anatbanielmethod.com

In my recent interview at BNET, we got to work at the whiteboard. I drew and explained the breakthrough concepts behind the Results Curve which have helped thousands of business professionals manage their focused and collaborative time!

Now you can share this with your manager, your staff, your colleagues, so that you can better synchronize your focused and collaborative time, so everyone starts to become more awareness about where everyone else is in their workflow before you interrupt them:

40-minute focus for breakthrough results--at the whiteboard:

Looking forward to your comments here and on YouTube!