Andy Robinson’s Career Success! Career Tip of the Day

Too many of us allow criticism to slow us down or, many times, stop us cold in our tracks.  Dealing with criticism can be difficult sometimes, but we should not allow others' opinion detract us from our intended actions, goals and objectives.

ALWAYS make it a point to assess the SOURCE of the criticism before taking action or changing your direction.  Some key questions to consider in assessing the source of criticism include the following:

• Does the critic have knowledge or experience in this particular area?  If they're an expert in the area, maybe you have something to learn from them.  But if they have little or no knowledge in the area and are simply offering unsolicited advice, politely thank them, but ignore their comments or suggestions.
• Are the critic's comments sincere?  If someone is offering well-meant, well-intentioned, constructive criticism that is sincere and "from the heart," you may want to listen carefully -- their ideas MAY be helpful even if they're not an expert in the area.  If the criticism is insincere, sarcastic or is simply meant to undermine your efforts, then ignore it -- politely excuse yourself from the conversation.
• Did you ask for feedback or is the criticism completely unsolicited?  If you've asked for someone's honest opinion, be prepared to listen -- whether you like their answer or not.  You do NOT have to agree with their opinion, and you may dismiss it altogether.  In these situations, listen with an open mind and consider truly helpful points that are offered.  If the criticism is unsolicited, you have no obligation to listen or seriously consider the comments.  Never let unsolicited feedback or criticism cause you to give up on your dreams, goals or objectives.
• Does the person WANT you to do well?  If so, listen carefully to their comments and consider constructive advice that might help you overcome obstacles and challenges.  If not, then simply discount or ignore their advice -- many people who have given up on their own dreams criticize the efforts of others.  Don't let their comments take you off track from the direction you're moving in.

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

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We interviewed Debra Fine on the Career Success Radio Show several weeks ago.  Debra is the author of the book "The Fine Art of Small Talk," which offers a wealth of advice in how to start a conversation, keep it going and leave a lasting positive impression of yourself.

Mastering "small talk" is key to networking and relationship development -- it enables you to effectively establish rapport, command the attention of others, and boosts your self-confidence in conversational situations.

One of the things that Debra mentions in her book is a list of "Conversation Killers" -- topics that you DEFINITELY WANT TO AVOID initiating in a conversation.  Those conversation killers include the following questions and topics:

• Are you married?  Do you have any kids?  What are you going to do with either one of these if the response is "no"?
• How's your job at "ABC Company"?  Unless you know the person VERY well, don't assume anything.  Avoid putting the person on the spot or in an uncomfortable position.
• How's your wife? ...or How's your husband?  Again, don't make ANY assumptions regarding relationships; the answer to this line of questioning can bring a conversation to a screeching halt.
• Who'd you vote for?  Politics is definitely a "no-no" -- don't even think about going there.
• Where'd you go to college?  Those is did not go to college or did not complete their degree find this question uncomfortable.  If it comes up in the conversation, it's okay to talk about it, but avoid initiating the topic and avoid making any presumptions about the individual's educational background.

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

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LinkedIn has definitely emerged as the de facto choice for online business networking -- whether you're looking for a new job or career, seeking new business opportunities, selling services or products, researching companies or simply seeking knowledge or information pertinent to your job needs and interests.

LinkedIn WILL work for you and is an excellent networking tool, but it's effectiveness is in direct proportion to the AMOUNT OF TIME you devote to the platform and the quality of time you spend.  A minimum of 45 minutes to an hour a day can reap great rewards if you spend that time constructively with "giving first" as your mantra.

Develop a weekly routine of devoting an hour a day, four to five days a week, engaged in some of the following high impact activities:

• Continuously expanding your connections. Spend time each week seeking out connections -- former colleagues, current and former client contacts, vendors -- current and past, college alumni, and other current and former business associates.
• Join and become active in Groups relevant to you.  Seek out and join a minimum of ten groups relevant to you and become ACTIVE in those groups -- participating in group discussions, sharing useful information and news, responding to questions, etc.
• Give and seek out recommendations.  Recommend former vendors, work associates and other business contacts.  Ask for recommendations from others.  Set a goal to reach a minimum of 10 recommendations.
• Ask questions and answer questions.  Use the LinkedIn Q&A function -- Review and answer questions relevant to your areas of expertise.  Done regularly, you can quickly establish yourself as a recommended expert within the LinkedIn community.
• Regularly update your "Status."  Share useful information and articles through your status update.  You can use a URL-shortening service such as http://bit.ly to post informative blog articles and news.  Share the title of the article and the shortened URL for the article.  This is an excellent way to give to your network.
• If you have a blog, integrate your blog postings into your profile using BlogLink -- this application is easy to add and will list your five most recent blog postings within your LinkedIn profile.
• COMMUNICATE!  Look for ways to share information, give useful advice, ask questions, introduce yourself to others and engage in online dialogues.

All the best to your career success.
_______________
Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyRobinsonCareerTips.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

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"Think of a ship leaving a harbor. And think of it with the complete voyage mapped out and planned. The captain and crew know exactly where the ship is going and how long it will take - it has a definite goal. And 9,999 times out of 10,000, it will get there... It's the same with a human being." - Earl Nightingale, author, The Strangest Secret

How clear is YOUR sense of DIRECTION for where you want to go, what you want to achieve and the value you'd like to deliver to your customers, clients and employer over the next 30 days? 90 days? Over the next year?

CLARITY is key -- knowing where you want to go and what you want to accomplish -- but equally important is the quality of the PLAN for HOW you'll get there.

Consider your Top 3 goals for the next 30 days -- goals that will really make a difference in your life or in your work if you achieve them, and ask yourself these questions:

• Are these top 3 goals written down and clearly stated, i.e., SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-based)
• Are these goals in a place where you can SEE them throughout the day
  
• Do you have a well-thought-out Action Plan for how you'll achieve each goal?  Is that Action Plan written down?
• Do you review your Action Plans on a daily basis?
• Do you have a "very next action" noted on your daily calendar for each of the Action Plans?
• Do you have time blocked out on your calendar to achieve your "very next actions"?
• Do you monitor your progress against your key goals on a daily basis?

Follow the above guidelines and it's highly likely you'll be celebrating the success of achieving these key goals 30 days from now.

All the best to your Career Success!

_______________

Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyRobinsonCareerTips.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

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Actively seek out opportunities over the course of each week -- several times -- to spend substantive/quality one-on-one time with your boss, manager or direct supervisor.  Use those opportunities to remind your manager of your continuing value contribution, including:

• Demonstration of getting things done ahead of deadline.
• Evidence of getting things done under budget.
• Surfacing great cost-saving and expense-reduction ideas.
• Evidence of your going above and beyond the call of duty with respect to projects and assignments.
• Offering to tackle the jobs or projects that everyone else is avoiding.
• Evidence of new business generated through your efforts -- individually or as a member of a team.
• Sharing client or customer feedback offering testimonial to your great service or excellent work.
• Keeping your manager fully aware and "in the know" on important matters -- minimizing surprises.
• Effectively managing your boss' expectations -- under-promising and over-delivering.
• "Saving" a client relationship that was "heading south."
• Leadership involvement in outside activities that effectively promote your company and enhance the company's goodwill in the community.

Never assume that your manager or supervisor is aware of all of the great things that you do.  It is YOUR JOB to communicate that good news and keep your boss fully informed of the value you continue to deliver.

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

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Build Upon Your Key Strengths - Know your areas of key strength and continue to build your proficiency in those areas.  Your areas of key strength are those things that strengthen you when you're doing them. 

Some people are excellent public speakers, others are excellent writers, and others are excellent at teaching others. 

What are your areas of passion and key strength?  How well are you deploying those key strengths in your work life and personal life?

Formulate an inventory of your key strengths.  Write them down and develop an action plan to commit to ongoing mastery of those areas.  Mastery of your key strengths will definitely put you on the road to career success and enable you to LOVE what you do for a living.
_______________
Andy Robinson
CEO and Executive Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com

Let's Connect: www.AndyOnFacebook.com or www.AndyOnTwitter.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living."

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Look for -- and Appreciate -- the Positive Stuff. The current financial turmoil and resultant effect on the job market continues to be a broadcast focus of the news media -- we just can't seem to escape it.  Negative news seems to surround us -- striking fear and anxiety in many and paralyzing others.  What we don't hear enough of is the GOOD stuff that is coming out of our current financial crisis -- the positive things that people are doing now that will ultimately make them better leaders, better parents, better friends and better people.

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In these tough times, it is absolutely critical that you continue to demonstrate your value to your employer, to your clients and to your colleagues on a daily basis.  Adding Value is THE buzz-word for "safe-guarding" your career and propelling yourself to the top of your profession.

Actively seek out opportunities over the course of each week -- several times -- to spend substantive/quality one-on-one time with your boss, manager or direct supervisor.  Use those opportunities to remind your manager of your continuing value contribution, including:

• Completion of an important project or key task ahead of its targeted due date..
• Evidence of getting things done under budget.
• Surfacing great cost-saving and expense-reduction ideas.
• Evidence of your going above and beyond the call of duty with respect to projects and assignments.
• Offering to tackle the jobs or projects that everyone else is avoiding.
• Evidence of new business generated through your efforts -- individually or as a member of a team.
• Sharing client or customer feedback offering testimonial to your great service or excellent work.
• Keeping your manager fully aware and "in the know" on important matters -- minimizing surprises.
• Effectively managing your boss' expectations -- under-promising and over-delivering.
• "Saving" a client relationship that was "heading south."
• Leadership involvement in outside activities that effectively promote your company and enhance the company's goodwill in the community.

Never assume that your manager or supervisor is aware of all of the great things that you do.  It is YOUR JOB to communicate that good news and keep your boss fully informed of the value you continue to deliver.

_______________
Andy Robinson
Career Success Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyRobinsonCareerTips.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

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Today, more than ever, it is critical that we continue to improve upon our strengths, shore up our weaknesses and stay current in the latest thinking in our field of knowledge.  With budgets tight, many companies are temporarily suspending traditional learning and training initiatives.  It is therefore up to each of us to take the initiative in “sharpening the saw” – improving and enhancing our ability to add the highest value possible. 

Those who make learning and professional development a priority will create significant competitive advantage for themselves, which in the current job market and economic times, has never been more important. 

Consider these ideas for keeping YOUR saw sharp:

• Read daily.  Keep a book in your car, at your office, next to your favorite chair at home.  Find time to read EVERY DAY.  Read for fun and for personal and professional development.  Pick ANY subject or area that you want to improve upon, and it's a sure bet that there's been a book written on it.

• Stay tuned to your favorite Blogs.  Bookmark and scan/review your favorite Blog sites on a daily basis.  Take a five minute break (see yesterday's article on "Recovery Rituals") to catch up on recent articles written.

• Teach something in your field of interest.  One of the best ways to learn and stay abreast of current events in your field of interest is to teach something to others.  Volunteer for teaching opportunities at work, at clubs and at professional organizations.  As part of your preparation, you'll be "forced" to hone up on your skills.

• Enroll in an evening class or weekend class at a local college or university.  In addition to learning something new, you'll have a wonderful opportunity to meet and network with other business professionals.

• Start a Blog in your field of interest.  Write often and frequently about what you love to do for a living.  Become a subject matter expert and broadcast your thinking and opinions through a blog site.

_____________
Andy Robinson
Executive Coach, Strategic Thinking Partner
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyRobinsonCareerTips.com
www.AndyRobinsonCoach.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living and achieve lasting career success!"

LET'S CONNECT:
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com
www.AndyOnTwitter.com

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It may be a cliche, but it really is "lonely at the top."  There are simply SOME THINGS that senior executives and business leaders cannot talk about to their colleagues, teammates and subordinates.  Senior people in organizations need someone they can talk to who is outside the organization; someone who is objective, with no agenda and no "axe to grind."

Many of today's high-performing business leaders are turning to a new breed of outside advisor -- the Strategic Thinking Partner -- to enhance their own leadership decisions and to dramatically improve their capability to deliver high-impact results and exceptional value.  A Strategic Thinking Partner serves as a leader's "personal" career success advocate and champion, in a unique role that no one else internal to the organization can fill.

"Your Strategic Thinking Partner is your 'personal' career success advocate"

Strategic Thinking Partners provide a valuable third opinion -- frank feedback, insightful questions, multi-company experience and bold challenges -- with no agenda other than helping the business leader become wildly successful and deliver amazing results.

Consider the value of an unbiased Strategic Thinking Partner who provides the expertise and a process framework to support YOU in:

• Forming and testing new ideas with an outside Partner who has no vested interest in the outcome and who has expertise and perspective across a variety of businesses and organizations

• Thinking through important decisions -- considering all of the pros and cons, weighing the advantages and disadvantages, surfacing "outside-the-box" ideas, options and alternatives

• Exploring your career passions and personal aspirations, ambitions and "big hairy goals"

• Discussing and deciding on ethical dilemmas
  

• Discussing and dealing with highly sensitive and important personnel and "people" issues

• Discussing important personal issues that may be impacting the job and performance at work

• Creating a "space" to think, mitigating the tendency to react too quickly to events and circumstances

• Helping to stretch your thinking and shift your perspective on viewpoints, situations and circumstances

• Drawing out ideas and solution alternatives to successfully solve key challenges and to deal effectively with obstacles and stumbling-blocks

• Helping to hold you accountable to the important and to keep you focused on "the end goal(s)"

• Giving you honest, candid feedback that your colleagues will not or cannot give you

Having a confidential Strategic Thinking Partner is like having someone else to figure out a new puzzle with, trying different moves and combinations, creating new patterns and possibilities.  Sometimes you CAN do this with your leadership and management team, but MANY times you cannot -- a Strategic Thinking Partner is there to fill the gap in those situations

_______________
Andy Robinson
CEO and Executive Coach
CRG Leadership Institute LLC
239-285-5575
Andy.Robinson@CRGLeaders.com
www.StrategicThinkingPartner.com
www.AndyOnLinkedIn.com

Let's Connect: www.AndyOnFacebook.com or www.AndyOnTwitter.com

My Passion: "Helping people love what they do for a living."

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