Fishing for opportunities in career and business

Many people wait for opportunities, such as the right job, or business lead, to come to them, trusting that they will spot it, floating past in the raging torrent of information that rushes past us on a daily basis. The river of opportunities is bursting with rumours, stories, newspaper articles, social media feeds, contacts and plenty of polluting, timewasting junk too! The river banks are crowded, with competitors fighting for survival, to nab the opportunity before someone else. People may pick a particular river or stream, say a networking group or a jobs website, and they go fishing, with the same rod, bait and lures, time after time. They might get lucky, and they might not; depending on whether they’re standing in the right place at the right time. The river is constantly flowing, and it’s easy to miss opportunities –  if you try to catch two fish at the same time, you can easily lose both… you might find yourself up to your waist in water, thinking “how long do I need to wait? I’ll just wait a little longer, until the summer, until I have more money….” and then perhaps you never stop waiting… You can waste an awful lot of time, energy and motivation while you’re standing in the river; you justify your position, after all, isn’t everyone doing the same thing?

So could we be more effective at seizing opportunities?

The answer is found upstream – the river of potential opportunities is made up of lots of little tributaries; bubbling springs of activity; business being done day-to-day in companies and organisations all over the world. In spite of what we may be led to believe, organisations are constantly starting, upskilling, upsizing, downsizing, merging – all in a constant stream of changes which demand new people and skills. So the place to go, when you are looking for work or new business, is to the source… what organisations are the “tributaries” that could benefit from your skills or services, and would be a good fit for you? Who are the people you need to talk to, that have problems to be solved, and are looking for those skills? What bait are you going to use – what is the unique quality and skill that you have that will attract them and deliver value to them?

The advantage of going upstream is that you’re identifying those chances as they arise, when you have more ability to influence what happens next, and best of all… you will be one of the relatively few people who are prepared to go upstream and talk to the people who need your skills. When you do, you’ll be ready and waiting to grab the big fish, with both hands!

Blogger’s Note: I have resisted the temptation to include all the possible puns and wordplays in this post – and there were many– but you can feel free to use them in your comments! Over to you!

Liz Barron, Realize Coaching – www.realize.ie

The egg and the ego

When we’re being tempted by shiny chocolate eggs, it’s easy to forget the traditional symbolism of the egg – which represents springtime, new beginnings and in some cultures, immortality and rebirth.

The ovoid shape is one of the strongest engineering structures when under compression, as used in archways, and will withstand a significant amount of even vertical pressure. Try it! The shape will only crack if it has a weak area, or when you hit it in a particular spot, or dig into it with your spoon – the chocolate variety usually doesn’t last long enough for you to find a spoon.

The role of the tough outer shell is to protect what’s within, and sometimes we pay a lot of attention to the shell, without looking deeper.

I recently worked with a coaching client, let’s call her Catherine. Catherine’s work contract is going to finish up soon; she is caught between the desire to go into panic mode and start applying for jobs left right & centre, or to take the opportunity to find what she really wants to do.

Her passion is in  education, communication & working with people – for her, the administration role that she is currently in lacks challenge and motivation for her – she could do it with her eyes closed. She feels she has a lot more to give and more potential to fulfil.

During our coaching session, Catherine recognised that, having started her family at a relatively young age, and now in her thirties, she has never really focused on what she personally wants in life. She had difficulty describing what she was passionate about, her favourite colour or music – when she asked her children, she was shocked that they said, “Mum, you don’t have a favourite anything”… She has locked her real self away deep inside a public outer shell, and with this awareness, she now wants to start paying more attention to what the real Catherine wants, and how the real Catherine can begin to use her skills & talents to benefit other people as well as be more fulfilled.

She decided to take action, to take time for herself, to listen to what was going on, and to work on journaling her thoughts and emotions. She recalled that when she had been through tough times early in her life, she used to do exactly that, but she had forgotten about paying attention to her self.

So if we recognise that we have a hard outer shell, in order to face the challenges and opportunities that the world brings us, then what’s the inside for?

Inside, the white is there to protect and nourish the yolk, which contains the embryo and all the information needed for the chick to develop into an adult… whichever came first… if we can get past our ego and our outer shell, and tune in to our real feelings, values and wants, that will give us all the information we need to help us move in the right direction.

We all have to some degree a hidden self, that we only see or pay attention to occasionally – if we are happy and fulfilled generally in what we are doing in life, it’s usually because we have made choices that allow us to be that way, and that we are in tune with what we really want.

Our outer shell may withstand the ongoing regular pressures of day to day life, but its often only in times of crisis, when the shell cracks, that we get the opportunity to see what’s inside – things can get pretty messy then, and you have to decide if you’re going to allow yourself to crack up, or use the opportunity and make omelette.

As CS Lewis put it “It may be hard for an egg to turn into a bird: it would be a jolly sight harder for it to learn to fly while remaining an egg.”

Liz Barron, Realize Coaching

Check out our regular workshops and personal development programmes www.realize.ie

Time to clear out?

If you feel like you are weighed down with problems… maybe it’s time to have a clear out?

In the physical sense – over the recent bank holiday weekend, several people I know were doing a spot of spring cleaning, and shedding stuff they no longer wanted.

In the personal sense too, in your mind or heart … what can you clear out and let go of?

If you take stock of what you have in the attic you call your head, what are the cluttered areas?

Stuff from your childhood, your kids toys, a matchbook from your honeymoon, blunt & broken tools you don’t use any more, letters from old flames, old bank statements, seized up exercise equipment – all representing different aspects of you and who you used to be – do these things define you?

They may have helped to shape who you are – but do you still need them?

• What are your priorities – the most important areas to tackle?
• What stuff do you want to keep?
• What do you need to let go of- maybe it’s time to let someone else deal with it, or have the benefit of something you don’t want any more?
• What will you get from creating this space for yourself?

At home, I recently cleared out a whole load of “stuff” that had accumulated over years; it’s amazing how much mental freedom it creates, and how satisfying it is to let it all go, so there is a connection between the two. I asked myself, am I ever going to use this again? And, if I don’t get rid of this now, someone else will anyway, so might as well do it now!

Recycle, upcycle, donate, sell or bin it (responsibly!) ; it’s taking up space in your life.

Get your “house” in order – get rid of just one thing every day – what can you let go of today?

Liz Barron – Realize Coaching www.realize.ie

Check out our upcoming workshops & courses to help you realize your potential

How cleaning products and economics can help your job hunt

I don’t necessarily mean you to find a job as a cleaner, but if that’s what you want, then go for it! I do unfortunately know more about cleaning than I do about economics – about the only thing I vaguely understood and retained was the law of supply and demand. So let’s look at how cleaning products and applying basic economics can make the jobs market work to your advantage. Yeah, who knew!

When supply of jobs was plentiful, the candidate paid a low price to get a job – people (the “buyers” of jobs, if you like) didn’t have to invest much or put much effort into finding a job – in fact they frequently had a choice of opportunities, and the benefits were often significant.

If the supply of certain types of jobs is low, then people have to be prepared to pay a higher “personal” price, or sacrifice more, or put more effort into getting the job than they would have before, and perhaps have to put up with reduced benefits and remuneration.

Many people were used to operating in a supply driven model of job-seeking, where you work from a list of available jobs. However many jobs are never even advertised, and are filled directly from employers personal networks.

So how can we reverse this situation? Let’s look at the product we’re selling…

What if you consider yourself, the candidate, as a limited edition product?

Because you are – very few people will have exactly the same skillset, experience and abilities to the same degree that you have.

If supply of your particular unique “package of skills” is low, then there should be lots of opportunities and employers who could use that skillset; therefore demand and the price the employer will pay for the product should be high. This applies whether you are looking for a  role as a permanent or temporary employee, or a part-time or consulting type position.

If supply of your skillset is high, and therefore demand is low, then you need to work on what the things are that differentiate you, set you apart from all the rest, to make sure that you as a unique product are memorable, and have clear advantages over other candidates.

So if you want to increase demand for your services, how do you do that?

The product: If you were a specialised cleaning product, how would you “sell” yourself? Think of Barry Scott on TV… he certainly catches most people’s attention by pointing out how his cleaning stuff can take the bother out of cleaning your bath or shower. People are influenced to buy because they want the benefits. You need to point out the benefits to a potential employer or client of what you do… not just your qualifications or what systems you worked with or how many paper clips you were responsible for, but what outcomes and results you delivered in previous roles.

The consumer: Target your buyers – develop a targeted list of the people and organisations who want and would benefit from your unique product. What problem can you help them to solve?

Focus on both the product and the consumer, in your CV, cover letter and interview preparation – if you do it and they don’t buy it, then either you haven’t got your message quite right yet, or they don’t want or need your skills, so try someone else who does!

Good luck with your plan for market domination!

Liz Barron, Realize Coaching www.realize.ie

 

 

Memories of Patricks Day in Wexford

Crepe paper hats in green, white & gold; could only be made in Ireland. The tricolour flags and green satin badges with gold plastic harps stuck on… made in China; these were the posh ones. Or you might have ones you made in school out of a cereal packet, some ribbon and kitchen foil… Rooting around in the garden to find a bit of shamrock … “no love that’s clover, see the white circles around the leaves… not the same thing at all”, and when you find some, pinning it to your coat. Wearing your good clothes and getting the day off school, and a day off Lent.

In the church, “Dochas linn Naomh Padraig” was supposed to instill hope, but was the most depressing dirge ever; nothing though could quell the excitement of sitting through mass, knowing that the parade would start soon after. Starting at the Swan and preparing for the walk along the Main Street, passing Woolworths, Woolheads and the Wool Shop, all long since gone.

Boy scouts, sea scouts and girl guides proudly bearing their banners; firemen, gardai and knights of malta with shamrock pinned to their caps, marching to the beat. The band with the big bass drum, and the friar who played the fife – wearing his smart black band uniform instead of his usual brown robes and sandals. The band leader with his kilt and bearskin hat, and silver staff – he looked like a giant. Irish dancers freezing in their embroidered finery, dazzling white socks and bare legs with the blue tinge of March; light opera singers and pantomime players on the back of tractors & trailers; miles more crepe paper attached to each float, blowing in the breeze or sodden in the rain.

Liz Barron 2012

FREE Introductory Workshop March 28 for our next “Reach your Personal Best” course

Following great feedback so far from the participants on this year’s first “Reach your Personal Best” course, we are pleased to be running a second course this year.

Our next course starts on April 18th, but we will be again hosting a free Introductory Workshop to anyone who wants a taster of what the six weeks will cover.

FREE Introductory Workshop on Wed March 28, 6.45pm to 9:30pm at the IMI Campus in Sandyford Co Dublin.

Further information & booking on www.realize.ie

Make your own luck, with the shamrock

Traditionally on St Patrick’s Day, the shamrock with its three leaves is used as a metaphor to represent the Christian trinity… NOT to be confused with the elusive four-leaf clover which represents good luck!  How can the shamrock inspire us on the road to recovery?

Given that we are known for having “the Luck of the Irish”, the three leaves of the shamrock could represent three qualities that I believe uniquely characterise most Irish people – we can build on these and make our own luck.

• We are known for our sociability – we love having “the craic” (translation: fun. Pronounced “crack”) The craic is not an illegal substance, but equally can cause rapid heartbeat, loss of inhibitions, spontaneous dancing and  romantic entanglements! We were once famous for our thousand welcomes, which seemed to wane somewhat during the boom, but now we seem to be reclaiming that status. Being a small island nation, formal and informal networking is crucial to success in career and business; whether over a pint of plain (beer/stout) or a cappuccino. Most Irish people genuinely want to connect with others, have a laugh where possible whether at work or play, and help each other out. Those who are unemployed or underemployed are finding fulfilment through doing new things to help others, which in turn is creating new opportunities for them to develop their skills, meet new contacts and make progress. How can you connect more, help others out? How can you use the genuine goodwill and support of your network and community to help you with your goals?
• We are renowned for resourcefulness & creativity – we have a seemingly disproportionate amount of talent represented on the world stage for such a small population – whether in literature, music, comedy, art, innovation. In my work as a career & business coach, many clients say that they are not creative, but when they think back, they often recognise ways in which they enjoyed creating something, perhaps as a child or young adult. In previous generations when times got tough, Irish people had to be creative and resourceful to survive and solve problems– this is something that is deep in our psyche. How can you be more creative with what you do? What new ideas & sources of inspiration can you find? How can you get better results by working differently or making changes to what you or your organisation does?
• We have a highly skilled & educated population – historically our island was famed as the Land of Saints & Scholars. None of us can claim to be saints, but in spite of challenges in our education system, we have a strong tradition of lifelong learning and continuous development, and our system is still one of the best in the world (48% of people with 3^rd level education, compared to 38% OECD average). The presence in Ireland of many world leading multinationals in the technology, medical and pharmaceutical sectors is testament to our skilled & educated workforce. So if you are to develop your skills and knowledge in business, how can you learn more? Through networking, events, formal education? How will you learn more about yourself and what motivates you or gets in your way?

If there is one negative characteristic that we Irish tend to share, it is that we often undersell ourselves, are reluctant to reflect on our successes in case we get “above ourselves” … that little voice that many of us have in our head that says “who does s/he think s/he is?”  If we can get past worrying what other people think of us that will remove many of the limits we impose on ourselves and our potential to succeed.

The three characteristics that we share are among the top five listed by IBEC as being in increasing demand by businesses and employers – so it will serve all of us well to focus on our strengths, rather than worry too much about what we don’t do so well. So perhaps this year on our national holiday, we can use the shamrock to remind us of our strengths.

If we can do less “drowning the shamrock”, (consuming copious amounts of alcohol), we will still have “mighty” (excellent) craic, and thus avoid being “as sick as a small hospital” (extremely ill). If we can keep a clear head, we can focus more clearly on our strengths, and make our own luck – as quoted by US President Barack Obama on his visit to Ireland last year – “Is Féidir Linn”… Yes, we can.

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Liz Barron http://www.realize.ie

Are you in a “bad relationship” with your employer?

Maybe it’s not you, maybe it’s them. Recently I’ve worked with several clients who are finding it difficult to work with their boss; either a specific individual, or the organisation that employs them. Obviously this is a symptom of the pressure and times we live in, but still doesn’t mean that you just have to put up with it.

One client described how she suddenly realised that her interaction with her employer was just like a bad relationship, and she had had enough of those in her life, so it was time to break up.

Another client talked about unrealistic demands and increasing pressure to deliver, but at the same time, her boss would not give any clarity on measurable goals and targets, which made it all the more difficult to know what was expected.

Finally, another client talked about feeling undervalued and taken for granted, being shouted at and bullied… he feels that the things he previously enjoyed about working in the organisation, and the things the organisation now stands for, are no longer compatible with him and what he needs and values. He is finding this “mismatch” between his principles and what he is seeing on a day to day basis to be quite stressful, and is working on some strategies to help deal with it differently in the short term, but also to start looking at all of his options, including moving to another role.

So just like any relationship, maybe when the honeymoon period is over, it’s time to reassess what you value in yourself and your co-workers, and what values you expect from a potential employer. Even when you’re out of work, this can be a good approach to identify the best potential options for you, irrespective of what sector you are looking in.

So ask yourself three questions…

1 – What do you value in yourself? People sometimes find this pretty difficult, as it can be surprisingly tough to sum up what your values are; sometimes they are personality traits, sometimes habits, sometimes beliefs, sometimes skills. Usually though, people will use phrases like honesty, trust, communication, being proactive or whatever qualities and principles you feel strongly about.

2 – What do you value in others around you? Often these are similar to what you value in yourself, but we also like to have people around who complement (and compliment!) us; so if you’re naturally quiet and shy, you might want to have people who are fun to be with and help you to get out of your comfort zone now and again!

3 – What does (or would) the organisation you work with (or want to work with) value? How similar are these values to what you value, and the people you want to work with? This is often the clincher for people when assessing whether they want to stay with their current employer, or find a new role. When our values are being challenged on a day to day basis, we find it difficult to sustain over a long period.

Sure, there are many things that can keep us in a “bad” relationship… and sometimes “doing it for the sake of the children” can just be an excuse! Fear of the unknown, people telling you you should be glad with what you have, wanting to wait for the right moment, are all things that can hold you back. We often begin to blame and doubt ourselves and get into quite a negative mindset when we feel that the organisation is no longer the same as what we signed up for.

So you have a few choices; you can learn how to change your reactions and make the best of where you are, by working on how you respond to situations that press your buttons. It’s not easy, but often with coaching support people find this approach pays dividends in all aspects of their life.  You can develop an action plan to move onward and upward from where you are – or maybe something else entirely. Or you can do nothing and just keep on doing what you’ve always done and keep waiting. What’s it going to be?

Liz Barron www.realize.ie +353 86 8162281

Check out our next six week open evening programme, starting March 28, to help you “Reach Your Personal Best in 2012″

Time to let go…

Well, it’s finally happened. After fourteen years of our relationship, we’ve been through good times and bad, through two house moves and two children growing up, countless baby bottles and cups of tea. We have lots of history, but it’s time to let go. Things ran smoothly in the early days, but lately we’ve had a few breakdowns.

So we invested a lot in patching it up, but now in the longer run it seems the cycle has come to an end. At times it’s been a very stop/start affair, with unpredictability on both sides, and occasional arguments about getting loaded – the rights and wrongs of it. Buttons were being pushed, but it just wasn’t happening. It was particularly difficult over Christmas when family and visitors stayed with us for the holidays – it was really under pressure. Every time I thought about it, I could feel myself become angry and resentful, instead of being grateful for it.

It’s become such a drain on the whole family, that my husband and I finally had a long discussion. We both felt that something was blocked and no matter how much we wanted to hold on to it, we agreed it was time to say goodbye.

Time to switch off and disconnect.

Time for a new model.

 

So, yes, we’ve finally ordered a new dishwasher.

What are you holding onto that you need to let go of ?

How to give up “giving up”!

If you’re a plant, you need water, food, the right kind of soil as well as sunlight and a certain amount of warmth to grow. You need to develop a sturdy root system to support your growth in the longer term.

The seasoned gardeners among us will agree that they certainly aren’t thinking about what their plants need to give up, in order to grow and thrive.

At this time of year, when many people try to give up bad habits, in order to renew themselves and prove their commitment to achieve something, it’s great to feel the support of other people who are also trying to improve themselves. However the phrase “to give up” also suggests surrender, throwing in the towel, admitting defeat… so maybe “giving up” something means you have failed before you start! If we could frame it positively, perhaps we might have more success.

So what if we could think of ourselves as that little plant, and all of the things that we need to nourish and grow.

What would help nourish your root system, help you be more grounded? Are you getting enough sunlight and fresh air? Are you getting the right kind of nourishment?

Instead of thinking of “giving up”, can you think about things you’d like to do more of?

Maybe something for your body, like exercise classes or doing some more walking.

Maybe something for your mind, like reading a different kind of book, starting a new course, meeting some new people.

Maybe something for your spirit, like more time to think, reflect or pray, whatever makes sense for you.

Maybe something about how you interact with others, being more tolerant, more understanding, more patient, more tuned in…

If you do have habits that are stunting your growth, then think about how you could replace them with healthier choices, again focusing on what you are doing more of, rather than less of.

Our families and our communities value us for what we are, rather than what we are not – use the support of other people around you to develop positive habits, and give up “giving up”, for good!

Now… time to make like a tree, and leave