Be Proactive, Personal Vision

Habit 1:
Proactivity means that, as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions.

There are three central values in life: the experiential (that which happens to us), the creative (that which we bring into existence), and the attitudinal (our response to difficult circumstances). What matters most is how we respond to what we experience in life.

Proactivity is grounded in facing reality but also understanding we have the power to choose a positive response to our circumstances.

We need to understand how we focus our time and energy to be effective. The things we are concerned about could be described as our "Circle of Concern". There are things we can really do something about, that can be described as our "Circle of Influence". When we focus our time and energy in our Circle of Concern, but outside our Circle of Influence, we are not being effective. However, we find that being proactive helps us expand our Circle of Influence. (Work on things you can do something about.)

Reactive people focus their efforts on the Circle of Concern, over things they can't control. Their negative energy causes their Circle of Influence to shrink.

Sometimes we make choices with negative consequences, called mistakes. We can't recall or undo past mistakes. The proactive approach to a mistake is to acknowledge it instantly, correct and learn from it. Success is the far side of failure.

At the heart of our Circle of Influence is our ability to make and keep commitments and promises. Our integrity in keeping commitments and the ability to make commitments are the clearest manifestations of proactivity.


From the book: 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey

Leslie Forbes
January 17, 2012

www.HireOpportunities.com

Written career goals are hugely important tools for preparing for a successful job search campaign. Well thought out written goals provide unwavering direction and create a natural “organizing” factor to your search efforts. By committing to a journey or career path you will find yourself advancing faster and your accomplishments steadier than “the competition”.

Ask yourself if the time and effort involved in preparing written goals really matters. Check this out: Our consulting staff estimates that approximately 90% of “A” players come to their initial interview in our office with written goals, without any prompting on our part. At the other end of the scale we have found in the bottom 40% of talent we assess, or the “C” players, fewer than 10% will have any goals committed to paper. Any surprise the most frequent “reasons” offered by the “C’s” is they want to “remain open” and “not limit my search”?

This reveals a very important question to the second tier of candidates making up the 50% group of “B” players; could the “difference maker” of a successful career be something as small as written goals instead of undefined hopes? Educational background and results of “B’s” are often very consistent with the Top 10% or “A” players; many times we have actually found GPA to be indistinguishable between these 2 groups. Years of work experience on the job has also proven to be an ineffective tool for measuring success. Size of company worked in is also a poor area to measure success.

Many of the “A” players we represent honed their skills in smaller, more challenging environments than their big company peers. Fewer than 20% of evaluated “B” candidates were able to produce written career goals on their first meeting with our consultants. Take note of this groups most frequent “reasons” for not keeping written goals; “my goals are whatever the company needs me to do” leads with “wanting to remain open” as the second most frequent. What a classic example of sitting on the fence ready to fall either way.

Let’s review the math and you decide: “A” players in any given discipline make up 10% the talent pool and 90% keep updated, written career goals. The “B” player category represents 50% of the talent and less than 20% can produce written career goals. At the bottom of the talent pool the “C” players, representing a full 40% of total employees, we find fewer than 10% utilizing this powerful tool.

Coincidence or could written goals actually be a powerful tool for career success? What is the real cost of not “having enough time” to organize a written career plan for your future?

In future issues we will look at a simple 1-2-3 for creating compelling career goals.


www.HireOpportunities.com is a career resource written by Rick Marshall, president of Marshall Career Service, Inc. located in Fort Worth, Texas. Marshall and his staff are recognized as one of the leaders in the placement and recruiting profession specializing in career opportunities located in the North Texas area. Client companies and qualified candidates working with Marshall Career Service enjoy a true level of personal service not found in today’s resume driven times. To learn more about our areas of expertise please follow this link to our website. www.marshallcareerservice.com

Effectiveness Checklist

One of the reasons New Year’s Resolutions seldom work is there is no plan put in place to assure you accomplish your goals; most of the time those resolutions are just “pie in the sky” wishes.

If you are serious about improving and have a desire to learn, grow, and be a more effective and productive leader, contact Leslie Forbes at Marshall Career Service and request a copy of the Effectiveness Checklist to be emailed directly to you.

Then simply institute this checklist and have the commitment to consistently follow-until-through on these things. It is highly recommended that you customize this list and create your personal Work Effectiveness Checklist that will improve your level of Productivity by removing those little distractions that stay in the back of your mind and allow you to be “on top of your game” while at work.

Leslie Forbes
Research Specialist
(817) 737-2645
lforbes@marshallcareerservice.com

Best Practice

It is the time of year to get yourself ready for year-end review, self evaluation and an honest look at where you are currently at on your career path in relation to your stated goals.

We all know it is easy to get off-track with how busy things are day-to-day and week-to-week within our jobs. Now is the time to sit down with a pen and paper to review the highlights of last year. And I stress “highlights”.

Sit down, take a few deep breaths and clear your mind. Now, write down what you’ve Achieved, Accomplished and Contributed over the past year – whether you were recognized for it or not.

All too often we fill ourselves with things we are unhappy with. We allow ourselves to get off-track; to focus on things we don’t have - instead of things we do.

Have you considered that your boss and the others you work with are just as human as you are? And that they are just as sensitive to their own shortcomings and just as challenged to come up with their highlights for the year?

“A best practice” in career self management is to recognize and acknowledge yourself, recognize and acknowledge those who work for you, and recognize the contributions and acknowledge the people who you report to.

Never forget rule #1 of self management: “We are always doing the best we can based on what we have to work with.”


Rick Marshall
President of Marshall Career Service

November 29, 2011

Change Agent

“I am personally convinced that one person can be a change catalyst, a "transformer" in any situation, any organization. Such an individual is yeast that can leaven an entire loaf. It requires vision, initiative, patience, respect, persistence, courage, and faith to be a transforming leader.”
― Stephen R. Covey

Leslie Forbes
November 17, 2011

Conditioning

"From the first catch-phrases flung at a child to the last, it is like a series of shocks to freeze his motor, to undercut the power of his consciousness. 'Don't ask so many questions, children should be seen and not heard!'–'Who are you to think? It's so, because I say so!'–'Don't argue, obey!'–'Don't try to understand, believe!'–'Don't rebel, adjust!–'Don't stand out, belong!'–'Don't struggle, compromise!'–'Your heart is more important than your mind!'–'Who are you to know? Your parents know best!'–'Who are you to know? Society knows best!'–'Who are you to know? The bureaucrats know best!'–'Who are you to object? All values are relative!'–'Who are you to want to escape a thug's bullet? That's only a personal prejudice!'"
-Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, Part 3, Ch. 6

Leslie Forbes
November 17, 2011

First Things First

“The first step to getting the things you want out of this life is this:
Decide what you want.”
- Ben Stein

Leslie Forbes