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Browse published articles attributed to Alvah Parker, with full-archive search.
At a time management presentation for a group of paralegals one of the participants asked what to do with something on her “To Do” list that she keeps putting off doing. Procrastination! What a stress producer! Nearly everyone present said this was an issue for them too. I have to admit that ...
Cindy was a new manager in a mid-sized company. She had worked for years for a manager who had discussed strategies with her and encouraged her to try new things. He had given her constant feedback and approval. When her manager got promoted Cindy was promoted to her manager’s job. After about six months in her new job Cindy was ready to look for another job. What was missing? Cindy missed the feedback and acknowledgement she received from her previous manager. Her new manager was only interested in her results and left Cindy to find her own strategies.
Perhaps like me you chose a major in college or had graduate work in a field that you sort of fell into. It is hard to know exactly what you want when you are 16 or 17 years old. In my day the choices for women were nurse, secretary, or teacher. I chose teacher because I couldn't type and ...
Having a clear vision of where you are headed is really important. If you have no vision then any direction will be acceptable even going round in circles! :) To begin finding your vision you must allocate some quiet time. Since I coach busy people I know that sitting quietly without doing ...
One aspect of meaningful work is being compensated adequately for the work that you do. Whether you are currently in a practice having survived a lay off or negotiating for a new job, you are probably finding that raises are small or non existent and offers are lower than what you were used to. ...
Storytelling for Fun and Profit Storytelling - It’s a hot topic these days. What do I mean by storytelling? One website says that it is “a narrative account of a real or imagined event or events” That same website (http://www.eldrbarry.net/roos/st_defn.htm) says “Stories connect us with our ...
There are many parts to a successful job search and the job seeker has to orchestrate them in a way that gets them to all come together so that he/she receives in multiple offers simultaneously. Here are some tips for those of you in the midst of a Job Search. They will be useful if you are part ...
The best way to find a job is through the people you know. If you want to establish some new relationships, networking is one way to do this. Some people think of networking as going to lots of meetings. That is only one piece of networking but not the total picture. By attending meetings ...
There are many who are predicting that after this downtu in the economy the workplace will look different from the one we've known. Peter Weddle, a job board expert and writer on career topics sees a workplace with fewer permanent workers. Weddle says that employers are hit with a depressed bottom line as well as rapid changes in customer tastes and needs. To respond to both in a cost effective way these employers see that they will need only a core of full time employees. He says that only the most talented workers will have those full time jobs.
All the professionals I work with are eager to find a simple way to add new clients. Most are already busy and tell me they have to struggle to find blocks of free time to “do marketing”. Of course some marketing does take large blocks of time but I am here to tell you that not all ...
Social Networking (Web 2.0) The buzz about it is unbelievable. Are you wondering why? It's because using social networking can be the key to your positioning yourself as an expert in your field. By blogging or using sites like Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter, you can reach hundreds ...
If you are looking to earn more money working for an employer, there are lessons you learned that may be getting in your way. Do these warnings sound familiar? • Don’t brag about yourselfnn • Don’t be a job hoppe • Don’t be a “social ...
A vision of your dream can move you toward success. It can motivate and energize you. At our first meeting Terri told me she had recently broken off a relationship with someone. Her former fiancé was consumed with building a boat to sail around the world. His enthusiasm for the project was ...
Clients work with professionals whom they trust. Building trust is an ongoing process. Here are 10 ways to build trust with both old and new clients. 1. Keep your agreements with your clients – If you promise delivery on a particular day, make sure to deliver when it was promised. Even ...
What is your life purpose? Is it helpful to know what it is? Thisn list provides some ideas about life purpose that may be helpful to you ifn you have ever wondered about yours. 1. Your life purpose is something you have always known eithe consciously or unconsciously. 2. Your life ...
At a Women’s Bar Association lunch one of the atto eys ordered a diet soda and then explained to the rest of us that her children were doing a “healthy living” program so she stopped buying diet soda to drink at home. She said having this diet soda was a real treat for her. She then ...
My friend, Dovid Grossman, who is the father of nine children, told me he intended to have a website and teleclass series dedicated to the Hero’s Journey for Dads. He wanted to use the framework of a Hero’s Journey to engage in a discussion with fathers on parenting. I was somewhat aware of ...
60 Hour Work Weeks – Can You and Your Career Survive Them? In the 80s while I was an account executive for AT&T most people in my organization worked normal (for then) business hours. By that I mean they arrived close to 8 or 8:30AM and left between 5 and 5:30PM. By 6 PM the office was empty. ...
There is lots of talk of recession these days. Whether the talk is true or not here are 10 things you can be doing for your career to bolster your chances of working through rough times. The best time to start is right now! 1. Skills Proficiency - Be sure to be up to date in your skills. ...
Partnerships come in many forms. There are legal ones such as in business or marriage and there are loose ones when two people come together to work or share ideas but then go on to work or share ideas with others too. I partnered with Dovid Grossman to come up with this list of reasons to ...
Good relationships are essential to any career. It doesn’t matter ifn you have your own business or work for someone else that network isn critical. Lawyers, solo professionals, freelancers, and salesn professionals must constantly network and generate new business. You prove you worth ...
Remember the first day of first grade? Scary time! It felt veryn strange to be in a new school room with some friends but mostly new kids andn a teacher you had met just that day. It probably didn’t take long ton realize that things would be ok though. What did the teacher do to make ...
In all the years I have been working with atto eys I am always amazed at how many of them hate to delegate work. What frustrates most atto eys or any professional is the time it takes to explain what they need and then to review and correct the work once it is done. Most will concede that ...
What Makes Me Happy? My 10 Habits. What makes you happy? We are responsible for our own happiness so I want to insure that I do whatever is necessary to keep me happy and healthy. People are often focused on their goals. Instead these are habits I love to do and want to make sure I make time ...
As a former telephone system sales person I have listened to many people as they make and receive telephone calls. Some people are really good at it and others need improvement. Today with so many cell phone users calling from just about anywhere we all can be authorities on what makes a good ...
Many years ago my family and I used to go to my then husband’s parent’s home for holiday meals. His mother was an excellent cook and enjoyed preparing meals for us. She spent days preparing all the season’s delights and we came to the table eager to begin the festivities. Invariably when 20 ...
Many people are in denial about layoffs. There are many clues that one is coming but often people just choose to ignore the signs. Forewa ed is forearmed. If you notice several of these signs in the place that you work, it is time to get your resume ready and identify your network. Here ...
Did you take a vacation this year or skip it because of high gas prices? Americans have always been good at putting off vacations so this year they have a built in excuse. If you passed on a 2008 vacation so far and want to be happier and healthier, now is the time to take a ...
Who do you get to be every day at work? Can you be your authentic self or do you need to change your behavior to fit the expectations of your environment? Oh sure, we all do change somewhat when we work. You dress in a particular way that perhaps is different from what you prefer, your ...
"She found her voice?" the panel moderator stated questioningly. What does that mean? Shouldn't she have found it by this time? These were the questions posed by a TV program moderator after the New Hampshire primary election in the US. Of course he was referring to what the media was ...
Your resume must be error free – free of any typos, grammar errors and misspellings. Even a winning resume is in danger of being put in the reject pile if hasn’t been proofread. Certainly a resume with errors makes the job candidate look less qualified and it gives an unfavorable first ...
Years ago I had a good friend who loved to play tennis. Al wasn't a tennis star. He just loved to play and he especially loved to win! I'm not much of a tennis player myself but my son is pretty good and he enjoyed Al's company. One day the two of them went off to play a few sets on the ...
Are you to change jobs or careers? For some the move is to find work that is more fulfilling so that you will be happier. For others it may a step toward taking more of a leadership role. Whatever your reasons for the career change, you’ll want to do some self discovery work. These ten ...
Job satisfaction seems like a dream to some. It is amazing to me how many people really hate the job that they have. Feeling stuck can really make you feel depressed and discouraged. It is difficult to find a way out. If you are someone who is unhappy at his/her current job, try making a ...
In all the years that I have been working as a career and job coach I am always amazed at how many managers tell me they have no time to update their resume and keep their network active. “I know I should,” they often say, “but I just don’t have the time.” For continual career success these two ...
Everyday we hear about more layoffs. You will want to be proactive by starting a job search before it happens. That is a smart move but you must be careful. If your current boss gets wind of it you might be the first to be laid off. Of course if you have already successfully lined up a job, ...
When you leave a job after having had a demanding manager, you may feel like you just took off a tight pair of shoes. What a relief! Even if you have been laid off and you are not sure what your next step is there can be a feeling of freedom. Being accountable to someone else is ...