How to Hire Friends or Family Members

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of TimePeace: Making peace with time – and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  I recently received the questions “What is your #1 tip on hiring friends or family members?”

Small business owners may look to family and friends for staffing assistance.  Even if you are not a business owner, you may feel obligated to recommend a friend or family member.   Though you may know and trust these people more than a stranger, there are several things to consider up-front.

There’s always a high risk of losing the friendship or creating bad feelings with the family member or friend. It’s just a risky business proposition. If you are still going to do it, here are 5 tips to implement to make is a smoother experience.

1)     Have the right reason for hiring your family or friend.

Example of the wrong reason:  Simply to help them get on their feet and you feel obligated because they are ‘family’.  This isn’t the best reason to invite a friend or family member into your business.  If you want to help them out, help them with their resume, forward job leads their way, pay for their skills training or certification course, coach them in other attributes that you feel is keeping them from success, etc.   There are many other ways to help them get on their feet, other than having them affect your business and your quality of life.

Example of the right reason They have the right skills, personality, work ethics, business reputation, professionalism, exceptional work experience in relevant industry, you have successfully worked with them in the past, and you would love to work with them in the future.  They are also mature and feel that your relationship will not be affected if the business relationship does not last.

2)     Documented detail expectations and work contracts.

In the interview and hiring phases, get everything in writing.  It’s especially critical to have formal contracts when working with friends and family.  This assures everyone is on the same page and that you have a ‘meeting of the minds’ before you start. Have the contracts and documented approved and signed by all the appropriate stakeholders.  Any modification of these agreements must also be documented, approved and signed.

These documented expectation and work contracts should be instituted for all employees; but critical for family and friends that you hire.  Follow-through on any consequences or rewards documented in those signed contracts.

3)     Avoid being their direct report on the job.

To eliminate daily conflicts, it might be good to assign your family or friend to an experiences and high-performing manager or mentor.  Share the particulars with your manager to assure him/her that your family member should not be treated any differently than any other employee.  Share the PBC and IDP documents with the manager (Sign up for the Professional Development Toolkit to learn more about PDB and IDP documents).  Also, tell your family or friend that they need to go through the manager or mentor – and not directly to you regarding work issues.

4)     Proactively eliminate venting to other family members.

Because this is your friend or family member, you will have mutual family and friends in common.  And they might have a particularly hard day and vent to mutual friends and family members.  Realize that it is very possible that you might hear “through the grapevine” some grievances and complaints; and friend in common might feel obligated to take a side in the conflict. This will not only cause strain on your relationship with your employee but with the family and friends you have in common.

Before you hire your friend or family member, outline your grievance policy and procedures.  Make it very clear that you expect him/her to take any grievances directly to his/her manager.  If the issue is associated with the manager, they should follow-up with their 2nd line manager.  Make I clear that you will not tolerate any side-routes through family members.  There will be consequences to not following this grievance policy that could include probation or lose of position.

This grievance policy should be abide by all employees – but especially critical for employees that share family and friends.

5)     Be over-diligent in equal treatment to all employees.

If you feel you need to institute a new policy, procedure change, rewards, bonus, advance pay or improvement plan, you need to institute, document and announce the change for the entire company.  You need to avoid the perception that your family member is receiving special treatment (either positive or negative treatment).  You can do this by being over-diligent in your documented company policies.  You also need to document all your employee interactions regarding performance reviews, rewards, performance improvement needs, reasons for pay increases or decreases, etc.  Error on the side of too-much proof regarding all employee interactions and performance issues.

Bottom line:  I am not recommending anything that should not already be done for regular employment and company policies.  The key is not to deviate these procedures based upon a personal relationship with the potential employee.  If you friend and family member feels uncomfortable with the level of professionalism of your business, then your company is simply not a good match for them.  It’s best to find out at the interview stage.

 

In my IT Professional Development Toolkit, I go into the: who, what, where, when and how to accomplish all of the above. I also have a transferrable skill worksheet.  For more information about the toolkit, please contact

 

vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
6420 E. Broadway, Suite A300
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-760-2400 or (877) 853-9158
info@vconferenceonline.com

 

 

Or sign up for my weekly Time and Career Management Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/

What’s the Bravest Thing You’ve Ever Done At Work?

The Bravest Thing You’ve Ever Done At Work
Although I’ve done many brave things at work, this  was the most unforgettable because it not only hits an uncomfortable  topic – but shows how a truly, integrity-based company responds when  something is pointed out to them.
I was a manager of 12 developers and testers  at the company; and had just received a glowing performance review  rating.  Since I was a manager, I understood how the raises were  calculated based upon my review rating and current income.
My manager looked very pleased as he asked: “Well,  how do you like your raise?”
“I like the raise very much.  It’s the base  salary that I’m not too happy with.”
His face fell. “What do you mean?”
“I think my base salary is lower than most people  doing my level of work and at my performance level.”
My manager took a looked at my base salary and  nodded to acknowledge that he heard what I was saying.  “Okay.  Let me  look into this”.
“Thank you.  I really appreciate  it.”
The next time I met with my manager he said that I  was right about my salary and described a plan to adjust it.  He said that  because of my query, the company did a department review of all the  salaries and discovered that I wasn’t the only one not being compensated  appropriately.  Because the correction wasn’t just one person, the  company did not have the available funds to correct those  affected, all at once.  But they were going to continually increase  the salary of the affected employees with periodic raises every 4 months until  they were compatible with the average pay scale for our industry and  location.
I very much appreciated their response because it  illustrated two things:
1) The fact that they didn’t want to loose a  valuable employee because of a salary dispute.
2) Their integrity to not only correct my salary,  but anyone else’s salary that was below the national range.
I was very impressed with the way my manager (who  was 1 of  the 4 founders and co-owner of the company) handled the  conversation.  But I suspect that if he wasn’t one of the co-owners, the  story might have had a different ending.
Tell me your story.

Just released: A NEW professional resource from Laura Lee Rose!

 

 

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Should I Give Discounts?

 

Should I Give Discounts?

IT Professional Development Series

By Laura Lee Rose

 

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of TimePeace: Making peace with time – and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  Steve Wynkoop and I talk a lot about designing and managing our professional careers on a weekly interview on SSWUG TV. One recent question popped up last week, regarding providing discounts for start-up companies and nonprofits.

 

A student asked:

I have been approached by non-profits as well as other small start-up companies to give them a discount on my products and services. Should I give them a discount?

I am not a big fan of devaluing your worth. Your time and effort is very valuable. And a non-profit or small business is not that different from any other business. They are still in the business to generate money. Non-profits may not focus on making a profit but they still have to budget for working expenses, they still pay their employees, still generate income (through sponsors and donations). Your service becomes a necessary expense for their company.

Having said that — I do see value in trade or bartering. For instance, you can give a discount in trade for advertisement in their newsletters, websites, and programs. If they provide a service that you can take advantage of – you can discount in trade for XX hours of their service.  If their client base matches your target market, you may have other opportunities for additional promotional opportunities.  For instance, you can arrange to become their sole vendor to their clients in your chosen product or service.

Example: Restaurant may want you to create a website for them. They are just starting out and are asking for a discount on your webdesign service. You have your own bills to pay and you want to attract clients that really value your time and expertise. You want to attract clients that are willing to pay you what you are really worth. On the other hand, you would like to see these people succeed. You can offer them a discount in exchange for:

1) A mention in their menu

2) A mention on their website (Website designed by: signature)

3) XX number of complimentary meals

If they want you on a retainer to maintain their website – you can include XX number of comp meals a month in addition to your discount price.

 

One warning: Do not accept barter for something that is not of value to you.  That’s comparable to giving your services away for free.  Make sure you continue to feel that your worth is being appreciated, by investigating alternative solutions that better meet your goals and success.

 

For example:  A business and success coach asks you to redesign and develop her new website at a discounted rate.  You don’t really need her coaching services and don’t see a fit at first.   But instead of dismissing it right away or giving the discount for free – you investigate a little more.  Asking the important who, what, where, when and how – about her business; you discover that her client base is other entrepreneurs in various fields.  Her primary focus is providing training to other start-ups and new business owners.  With this information, you design a barter, vendor and affiliation program with the following goals:

1)     Be the exclusive web-design vendor for her training classes, training DVDs, and promotions trade shows.

2)     Be prominently displayed and recommended on her website

3)     Be recommended to her clients as their website designer as they get started on their new business

4)     Be one of her speakers at her various trade shows, seminars and retreats

5)     Become an integral part of her support team and staff when guiding her clients through the deployment of their brand and websites.

If the above was not the case, it is recommended that you direct the life coach to someone else that could make use of her services.  This way, you will get the advantage of providing referrals and assistance to others (which puts you in good standing with both businesses).

 

In my IT Professional Development Toolkit, I go into the: who, what, where, when and how to accomplish all of the above. I also have a transferrable skill worksheet.  For more information about the toolkit, please contact

 

vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
6420 E. Broadway, Suite A300
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-760-2400 or (877) 853-9158
info@vconferenceonline.com

 

 

Or sign up for my weekly Time and Career Management Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/

Avoid the ‘Let’s do lunch’ dance

This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and efficiency coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  In my Professional Development Toolkit package , I go into professional development and real-world IT topics in detail. If you are interested in more training in these areas, get signed up

Take this scenario:

  • Co-worker emails you: “Can we meet at the end of this week on this topic?”
  •         But in the email, the person does not suggest any date or time for this important meeting.  It’s just a quick one-liner with the above message.
  • You quickly email back:  “Of course”
  • You and your co-workers emails only took 10 seconds to initiate and respond, but nothing was really accomplished.  And no one took the responsibility for actually setting up the meeting.  Nothing really got accomplished here.  You are very busy and you feel that if he was the one requesting the meeting, he should be the one championing it.  He feels he is very busy and if it was important to you, you would push it.  Weeks go by without any progress and you both loose out.

2nd scenario:

  •  You get into the following email on Monday:
  • Co-worker: “Can we meet at the end of this week on this topic?”
  •         But in the email, the person does not suggest any date or time for this important meeting.  It’s just a quick one-liner with the above message.
  • You email back:  “Of course.  I am available this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 9:00am and 11:30am.  Please pick a 30 minute slot that fits your schedule.  If none of those time slots are convenient, please send me 3 alternative dates and times – so that we can get this on our calendars.”
  •          Even though he is asking for the meeting, you are taking responsibility (able to respond to complete the task of setting up the meeting) for getting this in the calendar.  He had the opportunity to provide a handful of dates/times for the meeting that was convenient for him – but he didn’t do it.   Therefore, you provide various time blocks (that is convenient to you) to give your co-worker an opportunity to pick a time that fits in his schedule.  While you are waiting for his response, you feel somewhat restricted or in a holding pattern because you have essentially promised all those time slots for now.  But it also gives you some freedom  to schedule things around those time slots.
  • You get no response for two days.  Since you are very busy, you feel that you are in a holding pattern on this (because you could really use some of those time slots that you temporarily promised your co-worker).  You don’t want to resent your co-workers for not responding to you and you want to feel free to do what you want to do with your own time.  Therefore, you resend your previous response and also call him.   By calling him, you are escalating the request.  Because they are not at their desk, you leave a voice mail requesting them to respond to the email meeting request.
  • An hour later, you get an email from him stating: “I apologize I am so far behind this week. Can we perhaps shoot for next week? “
  •            The email still has no specific date or time for the meeting. There is still no closure to this. He did not match the urgency level of the communication.  This means, if someone calls you because you have not responded to them — you should match their urgency by calling them back.  Emailing back may be quicker for you – but it does very little to build that working relationship in a positive direction.  Emailing may be easier for you to send an excuse for not responding – but it does very little to build that working relationship in a positive direction.   Even though his email took him 10 seconds to write, it will doesn’t accomplish the goal of setting up a meeting and hurt his business reputation.
  • You respond: “Certainly.  Let’s meet on Monday, June 10 at 11:00am for 30 minutes.  The agenda will include: ……”
  •             At this point, you have given him ample opportunity to select a specific date/time of his convenience – and he continues to elect to leave it up to you.  You have given him ample opportunity to pick up the phone to rectify his delay in setting the meeting.  After all, he was the one that requested the meeting; he was the one that asked for it to be conducted ‘later this week’; he was the one that failed to respond with an explicit date/time and he was the one that postponed it to the following week.  Regardless of his professionalism, you need to keep a professional demeanor.  You are still working toward building a positive working relationship.  So, you take the responsibility (able to respond and complete the task) to set the meeting date,  the pace and agenda of the meeting.
  • Even though you did all you could do to help move this forward, it took 3 days of back-and-forth emails to accomplish this.

3rd scenario:

  • You need to setup a meeting with a co-worker
  • You email:  “I am excited about this upcoming project and really want to hear your thoughts on this topic.  Can we meet at the end of this week on this topic?  I am interested in discussing the following XYZ to accomplish <goal A> .  I know we both are very busy and expect this talk to take only 20-30 minutes.  I am available this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 9:00am and 11:30am.  Please pick a 30 minute slot that fits your schedule.  If none of those time slots are convenient, please send me 3 alternative dates and times – so that we can get this on our calendars.”
  •         You also call and leave a voice message that summarizes what you sent in an email.  In the voice message, you include the reason for the call, call back information, and your availability.  In the phone message, you show your personality and enthusiasm for this topic.  You emphasize that you are really looking forward to working with him on this.  You are friendly and enthusiastic.
  •         The email and the phone call took you about 5 minutes to do.
  • Your co-worker calls back relatively quickly: “Hey.  Thanks for your voice and email.  I was thinking the exact same thing. Great minds think alike. My boss it out of town this week, so I am pretty swamped.  But this is very important and I don’t want it to sit too long.  Are you available on Monday, June 10 at 11:00?
  •            You say, “Yes.  That’s a great time.  Do you think we can cover those topics in 30 minutes?”
  •             Your co-worker:  “Absolutely.  I’ve looked over the agenda and it looks like you have covered all the important highlights.  If we can’t fit them in, we can schedule another meeting before we exit that meeting.”
  •             You: “Sounds like a plan.  Talk to you Monday at 11:00am.  And thanks for taking your time on this.  I really appreciate it. “
  •             Your co-worker:  “Heck, no.  I appreciate you including me in this project.  It’s really the direction that I want to go.”
  •             This telephone conversation takes less than 5 minutes and builds rapport and a collaborative atmosphere. Within 30 minutes you and your co-worker have the meeting, the pace, the agenda all ironed out (versus the 3 days just doing it by email) and so much more.

This email dance happens quite often between busy people.  Even though email seems a quick way to communicate – it’s often not the most efficient way of communicating and completing tasks.  Email often takes people days to accomplish the same thing that a phone call could accomplish it in 5 minutes.   Just because email seems convenient, it’s not always a productive way of communication.  Before you send an email, consider the following:

1) Have you included everything that the receiver  (not you, but the audience of your email) needs to accomplish your request.
Sending a quick one-liner:  “We should meet something this week”  is not providing all the necessary information for your audience to accomplish your request.

Leaving a voice mail: “Call me” is not providing all the necessary information for your audience to accomplish your request.
2) Have you emphasized the proper importance by your method of communication.
If someone is calling you because you failed to respond to their email – you need to match their level of urgency.  Do not disrespect them by quickly emailing a one-line excuse like “I am very busy.  Can we do this next week.”  Take the hit in person.  Call or even drop by their office (if you are located in the same place), to apologize for the mix-up.  People don’t normally loose their reputation on a mistake.  They loose their reputation on how they react or respond to their mistakes.  If you go out of  your way to take responsibility for your actions and go beyond expectations on making amends – you actually will improve your professional reputation.

3) Combining communication methods is often the most efficient way to accomplish a task between team members.
Combining email and phone calls is a good combination to accomplish tasks.
Combining phone calls (with an email summary of what occurred on the phone) and face-to-face meetings (with email summary of the meeting minutes) is a good combination when possible.
Combining email, phone calls, face-to-face meetings is a great combination when possible.

Bottom line: Combining communication methods and providing enough information in your communication saves time.

In my Professional Toolkit, I provide worksheet, templates and guidance on how to accomplish these things.    In my Book of Answers: Companion piece to the Professional Toolkit, I have 100 work-life scenarios like the above.  The scenarios show how to accomplish your goals in similar situation.
For more information on how to get this toolkit or the “Book of Answers”, please contact:

vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
6420 E. Broadway, Suite A300
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-760-2400 or (877) 853-9158
info@vconferenceonline.com

Try it and let me know what you think.

What should job hunters highlight for a contract job?

This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and efficiency coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  In my Professional Development Toolkit package , I go into professional development and real-world IT topics in detail. If you are interested in more training in these areas, get signed up

What special steps do job hunters need to take if a company is contracting?

If a company is looking to hire contract consultants, their main focus is to make sure the candidate will hit the ground running. People are normally searching for contracts because:
1) They are behind in their delivery schedule and are looking to quickly make-up the time with additional resources with no need for training or learning-curve costs.
2) They don’t have the expertise in-house to accomplish the task – and do not have the time or budget to training in-house expertise
3) They discovered an unexpected need for an additional resource with a certain skill sets and they don’t have any available people at this time.
In all three cases, the contractor will have a limited time to produce. Therefore, they need to emphasize that they have the ability to produce at the get-go. Therefore, in your resume, highlight past products and services that are comparable to the current position needs. Illustrate the design to market speed rate of your past contracts. Include satisfied client testimonials on your professionalism and productivity.
In my Professional Toolkit, I provide worksheet, templates and guidance on how to accomplish these things.  For more information on how to get this toolkit, please contact:

vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
6420 E. Broadway, Suite A300
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-760-2400 or (877) 853-9158
info@vconferenceonline.com

Try it and let me know what you think.

10 hidden time wasters that you may be doing

This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and life coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  In my Professional Development Toolkit package , I go into professional development and real-world IT topics in detail. If you are interested in more training in these areas, get signed up

Many of us have complained about the lack of time at one time or another.  If you are consistently running out of time, there may be a few things that you are unknowing doing.  Some of the top hidden time wasters are below.  We often fall into their trap because we don’t readily recognize them.

  1. Allowing things to repeat without investigation and/or fixing
  2. Not recognizing opportunities that propel us forward
  3. Not reusing our own accomplishments to our advantage
  4. Spending time on unimportant items
  5. Spending all our time making and putting out fires (creating critical/ stop production situations for ourselves).
  6. Using imagined dependencies to stall us
  7. Working hard to stay in the same place; using energy to keep the status quo
  8. Not asking for exactly what you want
  9. Complaining with no explicit call to action
  10. Spending energy and attention well past the benefit

 

In my Professional Development Toolkit, I discuss how to get around all of the above.

But a quick remedy is to recognize that ‘item’ is an anagram for ‘time’ (the words use the same letters but in different order).  Remember this and then  every time an item crosses
your desk, ask yourself: “Is this Item worthy of your Time?”

Let’s take the last item 10:  Spending energy and attention well past the benefit.

This could include certain tasks at work, your current position, some work or home projects, hobbies and even some people.  As you evolve and develop you should out grow things like jobs, hobbies and even certain people.  The games and interests that you had at 5 years old are not the same interests you have today.  It is the same as your continue to progress through your life.  But sometimes we stay too long in the same place.  Perhaps it is out of a sense of misguided  loyalty or perhaps simply because it is comfortable and familiar.  Either way, the longer you stay focused on an item beyond it’s benefit to you — the more time you are wasting.  This is even true if the item seems like a worthwhile task.

For example:  You would like to get $15 for your old wooden bench-swing.  You decide to make it more presentable to assure your $15 asking price.  You sand it; you stain it; you oil it; you and add decorative stencils. You now have spent 4 days on it to acquire $25; when having it quickly power-washed (as you are already power-washing your deck) would have accomplished the same goal.

Keeping your ROI (return on investment) in mind, “Is this Item worthy of your Time?”

I go into more detail in the Professional Development Toolkit.  This DVD set contains practices and exercises regarding time management, career management, work life balance strategies and how to better quantify your performance to the company’s bottom line.  for information on how to purchase this toolkit, contact:

vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
6420 E. Broadway, Suite A300
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-760-2400 or (877) 853-9158
info@vconferenceonline.com
If you liked this tips, more can be found at www.lauraleerose.com/blog or GET SIGNED UP to my weekly professional tips newsletter.
The weekly newsletter contains tips on:
1)      Time management
2)      Career maintenance
3)      Business networking
4)      Work life balance strategies

If you haven’t taken advantage of your introductory time management coaching session, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

Five things I have learned from Justine Timberlake

Constantly Re-inventing oneself is one way to way to stay relevant.

Recently Justine Timberlake toured the talk-show circuit to promote his new 20/20 Experience (part 1) CD.  I don’t know much about Justine Timberlake, but have learned a few things since he started his promotion tour.  This was his first CD in 7 years.  Along with writing and performing his own music, he has been busy making movies, starting a clothing line, doing various TV appearances and hosting various music event, co-owns three restaurants, etc.

With this minimum information, it seems to me that Justine Timberlake is constantly re-inventing himself; is well blended; and is future focused.  His professional and personal life seems passionate, diverse and deliberate.  Whether people interacted with him on Start-Search, The New Mickey Mouse Club, N-Sync, promoting his various albums, working on his various movies and outside interests – most describe him as a perfectionist that doesn’t seem to work hard at it.  One person described him as “One take Timberlake”.  He seems to do things perfectly and easily. He also draws influences from various other artists on his different albums like:  Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder (on his Justified album); David Bowie and Prince on FutureSex/LoveSounds, and other various artists.

So what are some things we can learn from JT:

1)      Be open to various coaches and influences that you connect with.

  1. Look for people that are where you really want to be, and investigate mentor or coaching opportunities.
  2. Select several mentors for different attributes.  One person will not be a perfect coach for all your desires.  Select on mentor to help your with marketing and promoting yourself; select another for your financial goals; select another for your technical expertise, etc.

2)      Constantly look for the ‘next opportunity’.  And it doesn’t necessarily have to be in your professed field.  Justin opened himself not only to movies, but clothing lines and restaurants.

  1. In our case, take a look at adjacent roles and positions – as well as the jobs exactly in our defined field.
  2. For instance, if you are a programmer, look at positions in the testing fields, technical support manager positions, business analysts, etc.

3)      Share your wealth.  Like most successful people, Justin focuses his charitable efforts in many directions from the Justin Timberlake Shriners’ Hospitals for Children Open (celebrity golf events), Wildlife Warriors (for animals), and various music foundations and music education programs in his hometown of Memphis, TN.

  1. We often do not have the same amount of funds to our disposal as most celebrities do, but we can volunteer our time and attention to our favorite causes.
  2. Select an organization that can promote you forward as well.  For instance, if you are a web designer, volunteer to create websites and web pages for your favorite causes help both you and the organization.

4)      Pursue other things during breaks and hiatus.  During a hiatus with N-Sync, he created his own music and album.  During a short break in touring, he did movies, etc.

  1. When you are in a gap (for example between jobs), take classes;  volunteer for other organizations; consult for other people, etc.
  2. If you have a comfortable 8-5 job, use your leisure time to learn a new craft or start a new endeavor.

5)      Don’t forget where you came from.  Memphis, TN is often a home base for Justin’s tours and charitable focus.

  1. Add family and community to your imperative list.  Schedule time in your calendar for  your family and community.

How to narrow your career options.

Work Scenario:  You have 25 years of experience in various skills.  You could go into consulting, you could start your own business, you could go back to school to learn a new skill, you could do so many things that you don’t know where you should start.  Instead of focusing on ‘what you want to do’, you are actually focusing on ‘what you could do’ – which is giving you this waffling affect.
You feel overwhelmed because you are looking at so many directions.
Take it in little steps. Decide on tiny decisions that helps you focus on what you really want.
Don’t focus on “what I can do” – instead, visualize what you really want to do.
1) Decide if you either want to be an entrepreneur or work in a company/corporation.
2) Visualize yourself in either environment and decide which you are most comfortable in.
3) For the time being – forget what you ‘can do’. Focus on what you really want to do.
4) For instance: Now that you have decided on company/corporation (as an example) – decide if you want to work with a small or larger company.
5) Once you have decided on the size of the company (as an example) – decide if you are more comfortable consulting daily with people or organizing or administration activities.
6) Once you decide what you are more comfortable with, your focus will be more deliberate and not all over the place. For instance, if you now decided that your preference is to work in a small company with paper/administration type things — you can better focus your attention and energy on the coding and billing route. If your preference is consulting daily with people in a large company – that helps you better focus your energy on jobs in that type of environment.
In my Professional Toolkit, I provide worksheet, templates and guidance on how to accomplish the above.  For more information on how to get this toolkit, please contact:
vConferenceOnline.com/Bits on the Wire, Inc.
6420 E. Broadway, Suite A300
Tucson, AZ 85710
520-760-2400 or (877) 853-9158
info@vconferenceonline.com

How to make an impression at your next business lunch

Professional Work Scenario:

You’re hosting your boss or a client at a business lunch – what can you do to really make a good impression and seal the deal?

This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and life coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  In my Professional Development Toolkit package , I go into professional development and real-world IT topics in detail. If you are interested in more training in these areas, get signed up

Hosting Etiquette is same in most cases.  Beyond the regular things you might do, review the following and see what you think:

  1.  Find out their favorite foods and make reservations to a restaurant that provides high-quality cuisine of that type.
  2.  If it’s a group environment, make sure the restaurant have enough options to satisfy a diverse group of dietary and religious needs.
  3.  Arrive early – to be at the restaurant before the first guest.
  4.  When you arrive, tell maitre d’ that you are to receive the check at the end of the meal. Do this before you are seated.
  5.  Make it clear to your guests that they can order pre-dinner drinks, even if you are not ordering a drink for yourself.
  6.  If a guest(s) is more than 10 minutes late, seat the rest of the group and ask the maitre d’ to seat the late-comer when they arrive.
  7.  When meals arrive at different times, suggest that those that have received their food to start eating. Follow your instructions to make them feel more comfortable in doing it.
  8.  If an error is made by the staff or kitchen, tell the guest that you will handle it (so that the guest doesn’t have to have that difficult conversation and illustrate that you are a problem solver). Then speak to the server politely and explain the situation without blame.
  9. Don’t discuss the price of the meal when paying. Don’t make a big deal about paying the bill.
  10.  Allow the guest to lead the conversation and topics. Don’t interrupt their story to tell your tales. Don’t use the conversation to show off. Use the conversation to understand their perspective and understand how they can best benefit from your association with them.
  11. When commenting on their opinions, say “Yes – and I have also noticed ….” to introduce an opposing viewpoint without introducing conflicts and contradictions.
  12.  Even when you invite guests to order whatever they want, some guests will hesitate to order. Most guests try to order something priced in the same range as the other guests. And if you make them go first, they don’t have a range to use. Make some recommendations to put them at ease with the pricing.
  13.  Don’t openly complain about the service, restaurant, location, etc. They will wonder that if you don’t like this place, why are you bringing them there? Avoid negatives in speech and actions.
  14.  Don’t point out problems, create solutions at all times.
  15.  Mirror body language and speech pattern to convey that you are synchronized. Paraphrase what they are saying to make sure you understand what they are trying to convey, before you respond. Seek to understand first, then to be understood (from Steven Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

Try it and let me know what you think.

p.s. If you didn’t register for the Light Your Fuse seminar last week, you missed a great event.  If you would like to replay the event, please contact me at LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info I can make sure you get a link to the replay sessions.