Author Archives: Laura Lee Rose

About Laura Lee Rose

Laura Rose, author of the business and time management book: TimePeace: Making Peace with Time, the Book of Answers: 105 Career Critical Situations and Business Marketing for Entrepreneurs is a certified business and efficiency coach. Laura Lee Rose has been in the software and testing industry for over 20 years. She’s worked with such companies as IBM, Ericsson, Staples, Fidelity Investments and Sogeti in various client advocacy and project management roles. The techniques she used in her business coaching and client advocacy work saved these companies both time and money, which resulted in on-time, quality product delivery with higher client satisfaction. Even though Laura excelled in the corporate environment, she felt a calling toward something more. Laura now uses her time management, work life balance and personal development skills as a efficiency coach and Corporate Exit Strategist. Laura Lee Rose helps people blend their goals and dreams into their everyday lives. Laura uses creative transition strategies to help her clients realize what really matters to them. Combining inspired action with practical, tangible techniques easily lead you toward more autonomy, freedom and balance. If you are ready for your next chapter, learn more about Laura and her products at www.LauraLeeRose.com

5 Biggest Mistakes People Make in Presentations

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This question came from a busy professional.

I’m searching for career experts who can tell me the biggest mistakes people make
when making a presentation at work.
Most everyone has heard of the more common mistakes of not making eye contact with the audience and relying too heavily on note cards.  But here are some of the bigger mistakes that you may not be aware you are making.

  • Covering too much
  • Not properly tying the topics together
  • Not having a CTA
  • Not closing the deal
  • Not having someone else edit

 

We will go through each in detail, explain why it’s such a big
mistake and then give advice on how a presenter can avoid making the mistake.

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Career path options in the digital marketing industry

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This question came from a busy professional.

What are career path options in the digital marketing industry?

There are several career options in digital marketing because there are several outlets within digital marketing.

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How to stay connected as a remote worker

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This question came from a busy professional.

How do you stay connected as a remote worker? 

As a remote worker, how do you fight feelings of isolation?  Especially looking for advice that newcomers to remote work can use. Thank you! 

In these technological times, it’s even simpler to stay connected.  With the advent of video conferencing, online chatting and texting, there is little reason to feel isolated.

Take the initiative

The real issue is that you have to take the initiative.

  • It is not the companies’ responsibility to make you ‘feel included’.
  • It is not the companies’ responsibility to make sure your network and build the proper working relationships with the right co-workers, sibling departments, other managers, and executives.
  • It is not the companies’ responsibility to make sure you keep their jobs.

Get involved

The very best way to “fight the feelings of isolation” is to simply “get involved”. Some things that a newcomer to remote work can do to “feel more included”:

  • Go into the office for face-to-face business networking.
    1. Even though you have the benefit of telecommuting, this does not relinquish your responsibility for your own business networking goals.
    2. Schedule monthly or bi-monthly visits to the office.
    3. If your location is a large distance, arrange for travel to the site at least once a quarter for a few days.  Line up the important meetings with co-workers, managers, executives, and mentors that are beneficial to your career growth and professional advancement.
    4. Your career is your responsibility – and the adage “out of sight, out of mind” is very relevant to remote workers.
  • Schedule weekly or bi-monthly one-on-one meetings with your managers and mentors. Stay on your manager’s and mentors radar by scheduling frequent and regular one-on-one meetings.
    1. Keep the meetings short (15 minutes in length) and have agendas and meeting goals/purpose identified in advance so that you are not wasting these important people’s times.
    2. YOU facilitate and conduct these meetings to show your intentions and initiative. Ask about your performance and share the type of projects that you would like to be assigned to. Review the gaps in your skill set that you need to accomplish to gain those desired positions.
    3. YOU suggest/ask for things that you would like as rewards for meeting certain goals.

Use Technology

  • Make use of today’s video conference technology.
    • Supplement your phone meetings with video conference calls. Consider including video status reports in your email reports.
  • Conduct and facilitate Brown Bag Lunch professional development series on new technology or operational procedures.
    • Teleconference technology like Skype allows remote employees to both attend and present.
    • Take the initiative to present on high-profile, company driven topics. Arrange for guest speakers that are expert in these areas. Request that the company caters in lunch for these special training and educational events.

Got the extra mile

  • Go the extra mile with every interaction.
    • For example: If someone emails you, call them back.
    • If you get someone’s voicemail, leave them a time/date when you will be calling them back or a timeframe when you will be available to talk.
    • Don’t allow phone tag. Take the responsibility for making that meeting happen.

I have an online course 10 Tips for the Telecommuter that may be of interest.

I know your situation is different.  If you would like additional information on this topic, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

I am a business coach and this is what I do professionally.  It’s easy to sign up for a complimentary one-on-one coaching call, just use this link https://www.timetrade.com/book/WFSFQ

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

How to stress less throughout the day 

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This question came from a busy professional.

How to stress less throughout the day 
What are some tips for a busy woman regarding how to stress less throughout the day? What are some
ways in the morning, afternoon, and night that you can relax a little more — physically, mentally, emotionally? Easy ways and easy to remember!

There are a few things we all can do to reduce stress throughout the day.

Stress and strain is often generated by working or worrying about something for an extended period of time.   Therefore, breaking up your day and changing focus several times a day will reduce stress throughout the day.

Some things to try:

  • Take regular breaks
  • Listen to some music while working
  • Schedule stretch and breathing breaks
  • Put on the Do Not Disturb sign
  • Incorporate Agendas into everything
  • Schedule Professional Development time during your week
  • Mind your own business

Take a Regular Breaks

A break is merely a change from what you were previously doing.   It doesn’t necessarily mean to stop working (although you could).  It could mean to change focus to a new project or merely pausing on your current project to report the status of that project.

Some examples are:

  1. Take a walk around the office or parking lot
  2. Check in with a client or co-worker on a different project
  3. Take stock on the progress that you have already made on the current project

Listen to music while working

Music sooths the savage beast.  Therefore, listen to some music while you work.  It is virtually impossible to be stressed out while humming.

 

Schedule stretch and breathing breaks

Set your Fitbit or timer to take regular stretching and breathing exercises.  Oxygen is a great stress reducer.   Stretching and breathing exercises sends oxygen to your important muscles (including your brain).  These stretches and breathing exercises can be done at your desk or during your walking breaks.

Put on the Do Not Disturb sign

Just because an event is happening “now” doesn’t mean that it is urgent.  It merely means that the event is happening now.  Endless interruptions cause stress.   Therefore, eliminate or reduce interruptions by blocking out time to actually work.

Some things to consider:

  • Block time to turn off the phone and ignore the email.
  • Make sure others are aware of your “Do Not Disturb”
  • Respect your DND time. If you can’t respect it, no one else will

Incorporate Agendas into everything

Stress is often generated when you feel out of control.  One trick is to incorporate an Agenda into everything you do.  We are used to meeting agenda but this strategy works well for most everything.

Simple meeting agenda includes:

  • Purpose or goal of the meeting: What you want to accomplish by end of a meeting
  • Attendees of the meeting: People that are required for the meeting to have a successful conclusion
    • If they are not in attendance, the meeting does not happen
  • Time length of the meeting: How long you are spending on this meeting
    • After the time has expired, schedule a different meeting to continue
  • Agenda topics: List only the topics that are required to accomplish the meeting goal.
    • Other topics are scheduled for another meeting
  • Summary: Review of what was accomplished, what is outstanding, action items with owners and timeline

These items work well for most anything.

Take a work task.  Before you start on the task, create the following agenda.

  • Purpose: Outline the goal or purpose of the task. What will be the results?
    • Identify the success criteria upfront – before you start
    • If you hit the success criteria early, STOP
    • If you don’t know the success criteria, you don’t know when to STOP
  • Attendees: Who will it benefit and what do you need to complete the task?
    • If you don’t have all the information, reschedule to project
    • If you don’t have all the information, your new task is to get all the information
  • Time Length: How long with the task take and how much will it cost?
    • Take the time upfront to estimate the time and cost of the task
  • Agenda Topic: What are the minimum actions you need to take to accomplish the task?
    • Scrutinize all your steps
    • If a step doesn’t support the overall goal, it is an unnecessary step
    • Omit all unnecessary steps
  • Summary: After the estimated time passes, what items our outstanding, what do you need to complete it and who do you need it from.
    • Report progress against the original goal
    • If you didn’t take the time to outline the goal upfront, you can’t effectively report your progress

Schedule Professional Development time during your week

Another way to take control is to be the owner of your own destiny or professional development.  Create your individual professional development plan.  Schedule training and development time during the week to work on your advancement goals.

Mind your own business

Stress can also be caused by imaginary problems and issues.  Lots of stressful things that come up during the workday are actually none of your business.  Stay focused on your individual roles and responsibility.  Respect other people’s competency and allow them to complete their tasks.  Abandon the idea that “if you want something done right, you have to do it.”

If the item is actually a “MUST DO” – it will get done by someone.  You don’t have to do it.

I know your situation is different.  If you would like additional information on this topic, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

I am a business coach and this is what I do professionally.  It’s easy to sign up for a complimentary one-on-one coaching call, just use this link https://www.timetrade.com/book/WFSFQ

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

How to quit a job without burning bridges

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This question came from a busy professional.

 How do you quit a job without burning bridges?

 

I work for a consulting company and just got assigned to a 3-4-month project at the client site due to begin in early May or early June. I found out about this project last week and unfortunately, I wasn’t given a choice. The concern that I have is that I was already planning to give my resignation notice in early May and leave the company by the end of May at the latest.

I would like to tell my supervisor now that I won’t be around to take on the critical project, so they can find a replacement right away and run it by the client – but I need to iron out the details with my potential new employer first. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse. My supervisor has been good to me and I don’t want to put her in a difficult situation, as she would need to find a replacement immediately after I begin the project and the client will not be thrilled about potential delays in project delivery.

Given the timing and importance of the project with a key client, I run the risk of burning bridges. Not sure what I should do. Any advice helps.
Without knowing much about your current situation – the problem doesn’t seem to be your current job.  The problem is how long it is taking the new employer to iron out things with your new position.  Therefore, I recommend focusing on fixing that area first.

Managing the New Employer

If you cannot iron out things with the new employer relatively quickly, this is a red flag that any future issues will also be difficult to complete.  If your new employer is unable or not willing to complete these things in a reasonable time frame, this is not a good sign.  The new employer is putting his/her best foot forward at the time of hire.  This is as good as it gets.

So, you need to start on the right foot with the new employer.

Transparency with New Employer

Transparency is always a good thing when starting a new position.

  • Tell your new employer that you need to iron these things out very quickly (within the next week or two).
  • Tell your new employer what is going on with your current employer and upcoming contract.
  • Set a reasonable deadline to “iron out the details” of the new job.

The new employer will appreciate that you don’t want to put your current employer in a bind.  This illustrates that you will be as conscientious with the new employer as you are with your current employer.

Next Steps

At this point, you have 2 directions to go:

  1. Deadline is accomplished
  2. Deadline is missed

Deadline is accomplished

If the new company makes the agreed-upon deadline, at that time – talk to your current manager about your plans to leave at the end of May.

  • Offer to mentor and train someone else during May on this new project.
  • Offer to use the time to document and automate any tasks to make it easier for your replacement.
  • Offer to conduct any training sessions, video or record any training tutorials to make the transition easier.
  • Don’t feel guilty or apologize that you didn’t tell them sooner because you really didn’t know sooner.

Deadline is missed

If the new company cannot make the agreed-upon deadline, consider this a RED FLAG.

  • Give the new employer additional time (3-4 months) to iron out those details (during which time you complete the other project).
  • Let the new company know that during that time you will be working on that other project for your current company.
  • Offer to do some part-time projects for the new company during that time.
  • Revisit that new company again in 3 months to see if those “details are ironed out”.
  • Line yourself up to join that new company full-time at the completion of that other project.

You always have options and say when it comes to your career and future employment.

Time Management Tip for People Who Work-From-Home 

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This question came from a busy professional needing a time management tip.

 I need a Time Management Tip for people who Work-From-Home 

What are some of your secrets to successful time management when working from home? I know the usual suspects: Create a dedicated workspace, get dressed for work, etc., but what are your most interesting and creative ways to manage your time?

One of the most effective and creative way to help manage your time is to actually “measure” how long it takes you to accomplish your regular tasks.  After all, how can you improve your time management skills if you don’t know where your time is going?

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How to communication that you are not looking for advancement   

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This question came from a busy professional not looking for advancement.

 

Looking to speak with a career counselor about how to communicate with your boss when you are content with your career or not looking for advancement at this particular time.

 

This is a tricky one because you don’t want to give the impression that you never want to improve yourself, advance yourself or receive a salary or bonus.  The exception is if you are planning to retire from the workforce in the next few months.

Why you don’t want to do this

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5 Ways to Make Yourself Stand Out at Work

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A busy professional asks a question regarding working relationships.

I’m looking for meaningful, effective ways that employees in nearly any scenario can make themselves stand out in a good way.

It goes without saying that above all, you must continue to produce high-quality work, make the most of your time at the office. We don’t want any of the below to affect the quality of your regular duties or responsibilities.
In other words, if you are not already doing the below – you are already standing out (but in a bad way).

Once you have accomplished the below, you can focus on the next 5 ways to make yourself stand out.

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When do you need a new career vs. just a new job?

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A busy professional asks a question regarding career advancement.

When do you need a new career vs. just a new job?


When you’re burned out in your current job, how do you know if it’s time for a new career vs. just a new job? What questions should you ask yourself? What criteria should you be thinking about?

This is a question that everyone should ask – even before “burn out”.  But, as you pointed out, many don’t consider it until they are “done” with their current job.

Avoid Burn-Out

To avoid burn – have a career development plan (3, 5, 10-year plan) and regularly do a career assessment against that plan.

Some steps to get you on that path:

  • Work with a success coach, mentor or business coach to assist you in your career and professional development plan.
  • Include your professional development task in your professional yearly review discussions
  • Share your career goals and professional development plans with your manager
  • Schedule various tasks to accomplish throughout the calendar year to achieve those year-end, 3, 5 and 10-year plans.

Never too late

If you don’t have a career development plan, create one now.  Decide where you want to be, do and have in 3, 5, and 10 years.  Consider a 360-degree view of your life in 3, 5 and 10 years.  To assist you in this, feel free to download this Dream Sculpting Worksheet.

New Career or New Job

Once you have your career development plan, it is critical that you regularly evaluate it.  As you gain new experiences, skills and interests, you are changing.  The career path that you defined 3 years ago may not fit the person that you are today.  Take the time to reassess your professional and personal desires.  Make sure you are not only staying on target – but that this target is still what you want.

The Next Career Step Challenge Worksheet may also help you with deciding if you need a new career or just the next logical step in your current career development path.

I know your situation is different.  If you would like additional information on this topic, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

I am a business coach and this is what I do professionally.  It’s easy to sign up for a complimentary one-on-one coaching call, just use this link https://www.timetrade.com/book/WFSFQ

 

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.