Referrals Trump Resumes, Don’t You Think?

If you were looking to hire someone to clean your house or take care of your lawn, what would you do first? Post an ad on Craigslist or ask your friends if they know anyone? What would mean more to you? A good looking resume, or a person who comes highly recommended by a trusted friend or adviser who has worked with them before?

Happy New Year!

The beginning of a new year is always exciting. It finds me looking forward to the opportunities and challenges ahead and, of course, setting those daunting Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Raising the bar and committing to tangible results is a healthy exercise for our team, as it provides a road map for the things we hope to accomplish in 2012 and beyond. One of the tools we use is a tactical map. Check it out and see if it can help you reach some of your business goals this year.

Goal Setting Here We Go — 2012 is Here!

New Year’s resolutions, goal setting, becoming that “new” person; be kinder, be nicer, become more philanthropic, lose weight, become fit . . . Does this sound oh so familiar?

Have you ever thought about one or even several of these as possible New Year’s resolutions?

Time to Reflect, Look Forward

My husband and I went to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” this past weekend. I was dragging my feet when he suggested we go, as I felt like I had a million other things to complete on my “to do” list. When it was all said and done; however, I was so grateful for my husband’s idea! I’m embarrassed to admit that I’d never watched the entire movie until last Saturday night. I’ve seen so many of the other classics, but this particular movie had somehow escaped me.

Living Thankfulness

Being thankful should not just happen on the fourth Thursday in November. This is akin to only going to church on Easter and Christmas. The big man knows if your heart is in it, or if you are merely going through the motions. But, what exactly is being thankful anyway? Is it saying thanks for something you have received and then just going about your business? I believe that if we open our minds enough here to say “no, it’s more than that!”, we will see that being thankful is not just giving or saying your thanks, it is about living your thanks. It is showing through actions rather than telling through words.

Define Your Wish List Prior to Embarking on a Job Search

“I am underpaid.”

“I can’t stand my boss.”

“I HATE my job.”

These are very powerful statements that I hear on a regular basis from normal people all around the country. These statements come from actuaries, bankers, food production professionals and sales people who are frustrated. Normal, talented, hardworking people are humbled every day by confounding professional situations that affect them both inside and outside the normal work hours – these frustrations permeate their personal lives, affecting spouses, children and others in their wake.

Who Do You Go To?

Last month we talked about career derailers and this month is dedicated to advancing your career by aligning your relationships with your goals. Whether you are building a work team, a network of trusted advisors and / or selecting mentors it’s essential that you choose wisely. Ironically, a friend, advisor and customer (all the same person) invited me to a luncheon last month that tied into this topic. The key note was a Wall Street veteran Carla Harris, one of the most successful and respected women in business today. Carla shared her strategies for thriving in the workplace at the Women’s Fund of Omaha’s 11th Annual Fall Luncheon.

I’m honored to pass on my interpretation of Carla’s “pearls of wisdom”.

My Love/Hate Relationship with Texting

I have a love/hate relationship with texting. I can’t deny the fact that it’s super convenient to quickly send or reply to a text without having to actually call someone. I mean, let’s be honest — sometimes we just don’t feel like talking on the phone!

Professionally, texting has totally changed the way we are partnering with our clients and candidates. And for me, this is where the love/hate relationship comes to play. As I mentioned, I love the convenience of being able to connect with a hiring manager or candidate via text when I know this is the only readily available avenue through which we can communicate during an otherwise hectic work day.

Win Your Next Interview

Are you ready to win the interview? You might find yourself interviewing with the owner or founder of the organization you want to work for, and, as we learned in my last post, if you position yourself in the wrong light you could blow the interview and lose your shot at a dream job. This time we are going to explore how the entrepreneur sees things in order to prepare you for the interview.

There are three major things you need to know about the entrepreneur to win in an interview.

Look for Empathy in Your Future Leaders

Almost every organization I work with is trying to hire better leaders than the ones they have right now. I say almost every one, because they all say that they do, but some act in completely opposite ways. The battlefield for acquiring true leaders is ferocious as we head into the back half of the Gen X era leading this country. Here is the problem I see. Again, every company wants better leaders, but most can’t understand what a leader even is. That is why there are so few transcendent organizations, and elite levels of success are so hard to come by. We often get seduced by sexy dollar signs when trying to define leadership. I can say this forthcoming statement with 100% conviction. The very best organizations I work with do not try to train people into leaders. They identify leaders, and help develop them into greater leaders.