- what yearly income they want to make
- how much their business needs to make to pay them that year income
- how many sales they need to make to generate that business revenue
- what their leads-to-sales ratio is (i.e. how many doors do they need to knock on, to get 1 sale)
- how many leads do they need to get – to achieve the number of sales they need to get to generate that business revenue
- what are the start-up costs of the business
- how many years are they planning to get in the black
Tag Archives: Goal Setting for Success
Are you killing your career? 10 reasons why your career is stalled.
Hiring interns for the first time
How to do things that scare us.
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 GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into professional development and real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
If you are enjoying these tips, please refer and pass along to others.
So, how do we gather enough courage to take that next step? And transition to that next level? One of the most effective tools to conquering fears (and how to do things that scare you) is to focus on the advantages that conquering that fear will provide.
Try it and let me know what you think.
In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into this in detail.
If you liked this tips, more can be found at www.lauraleerose.com/blog or subscribe to my weekly professional tips newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/
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
Keeping a job offer alive
Keeping a job offer alive
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 GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into professional development and real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
It’s usually bad news when your job offer is put on hold. Sometimes the offer disappears. So what strategies can you employ to make sure you keep that offer alive even if the employer has to suspend plans for bringing you on board?
Today we are talking about our careers and things we can do to keep moving forward. Steve and I were talking about when people are pushing their careers forward; and find themselves applying for positions and then waiting; applying and waiting; almost an unending cycle. Sometimes the jobs can go ahead, placed on hold, temporary hiring freeze, or reorganization issues that suspend our momentum. What are some of the things we can do to stay on the short list or field of vision?
One important acknowledgement is that others will not be as diligent about your career as you. You are totally responsible for your own career and professional path. Others can be helpful; but you have to drive that bus. Some things you can do to increase your chances are:
Especially in these economic times, hiring managers, HR and recruiters have hundreds of applicants and resumes in front of them every day. It’s unlikely that your resume will continually stand-out as time goes by, without some effort on your side.
Some things to try with internal job postings:
People do business with folks they like, know and trust.
- Be proactive in staying on their radar
- Recognize that others are not responsible for your career.
- Schedule monthly lunch dates, phone call, email an article that they (the recruiting department or team) may be interested in, or an update on one of your current projects that they are interested in. This level of “touching-base” doesn’t have to be frequent or elaborate. Just something to remind them that you are still out there and are interested in working with them in the future.
- Add them to your regular LinkedIn.com professional network and stay on-top of what their department is doing.
- Make friends and build relationships with the other team members of that group or project area.
- Invite and escort them to any speaking engagements, seminars or professional association gathering that they might be interested in attending. By attending the event with them, gives you additional relationship-building time.
- Clarify the essence of what you are looking for – versus a specific ‘job title’. Many positions share transferable skills, projects, high-profile results, functions and environments – but they may not have the same ‘job title’. For instance, a Project Manager, Program Manager and Operational Manager all provide essentially the same functions – but at different scope and level. Usability Lead, Customer Advocacy Agent, Quality Assurance and Beta Program lead all provide similar functions – but in departments. You may find an equivalent match in a different area under a different job title.
- Be open to creating your own position. If you know want to stay in development but want more hands-on with clients – pitch your own position as a Technical Support Designer that works with high-profile clients to create one-off utilities that are specifically customizes to fit their needs. Once that client is satisfied – you program manage how to safely implement it into the regular maintenance stream. This single position combines: Tech Support, Business Requirement Design, Change Management and Program Management skill sets.
Continually demonstrate your worth and value to the company and department
- The fact that they had to place their hiring on hold because of budget or organizational issues; doesn’t negate their need for resources and help. It only suspended the “HOW”, not the “WHY” or reason for hiring. Let them know that you realize that they are currently understaffed and offer assistance (especially in the area or position that you are interested).
- Keep them updated on what you are working on to see if they can re-use or share your code/libraries with them.
- Offer to facilitate any code review meetings or document results of those meetings for them – as a way to help them with the tedious documentation compliance aspects of design and development (while at the same time getting the birds-eye view of how they internally work).
- Facilitate Brown Bag Lunch learning series on topics they are interested in and continually invite them (especially in the area or position that you are interested).
Use this time to become the perfect match
- Use this time to fill in your skills gap. For instance, if your top competitor for this position has better presentation skills or marketing/sells savvy – use this time to join Toastmasters.org, or some relevant professional organization. Start networking to bring in potential new clients and sales leads.
- Report your achievements in those gap areas, such that they see your commitment to continuous improvement.
If you are interested in something outside your company – do the above items AND add the following:
Add technical recruiters to your list of resources.
- Technical recruiters can skim and filter an abundance of positions for you, without having your resume out there for everyone to see
- Create a video or Youtube video resume for external recruiters to make use of.
Use your social media contacts
- Use your social media like LinkedIn.com or other professional pages. Keep your resume and profiles are accurate and relevant to the position that you are interested in
- Social media pages (such as Linkedin.com) have Job-Postings. Take the extra step to look up who actually posted that job and build a relationship with that person through that social media.
- Start conversations and discussions on your social media pages to be recognized as an expert in this area.
- Make use of Youtube.com to video your presentations, blogs, articles on relevant technical issues.
Create your own networking opportunities.
- See what types of networking or speaking engagements others in your ‘dream position’ will be attending in the future – and arrange to bump into them there.
- Post your speaking engagements and networking meetings on your professional media pages and invite your social network to those events.
- Post your articles, blogs and vlogs about this field – and follow-up with webinars and chats, to be recognized as an expert in this area.
Try it and let me know what you think.
In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into this in detail.
If you liked this tips, more can be found at www.lauraleerose.com/blog or subscribe to my weekly professional tips newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/
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
You can’t get your refund, if you don’t mail in your tax forms…..
A friend of mine asked me to help a friend of his with their taxes. I worked on this friend’s (first-removed) back taxes from 2010 with great results. After filling out some simple forms, his was owed a very nice accumulated refund. I had the forms done, appropriate W2 forms clipped to the right forms, the envelops addressed and even stamped. All this gentleman needed to do was to review, sign, fold and mail. The paperwork mentioned that he would get his refund in 2-4 weeks.
4 weeks later, I asked this friend-first-removed if he had received his refund yet. He confessed that he has the forms signed, but he has not mailed them in yet.
“Well — you know you can’t get your money, until you mail in forms in….”
It’s the same in life and work. It’s more difficult to get what you really want if you don’t explicitly ask for it and then follow-through with your plan.
- You want a new position or a promotion; make your manager and mentors aware of your aspirations.
- You want to speak at local conferences; submit abstracts to those conferences
- You want a raise or bonus; ask your manager what are the specific requirements to receive a raise or bonus.
- You want to make extra money; ask HR what other side projects you can do to make additional money. (Some companies pay you for technical articles, patent ideas, sale referrals, some off-hour billable tasks, etc)
- You want to spend more time with family; investigate flex hours, working from home, or 4-day work week options
Is there anything you are procrastinating?
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 GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into office etiquette on various real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.Whether we a member of the staff or the owner of our own business, thinking like an owner provides additional solutions that we otherwise would never consider.
For more worksheets (like the individual development plan,and the individual network strategy worksheet) check out my Worksheets for Success at https://www.lauraleerose.com/worksheets-for-success/
Links:
Try it and let me know what you think.
If you liked this tips, more can be found at www.lauraleerose.com/blog or subscribe to my weekly professional tips newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/
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
Leveraging Links
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 GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into office etiquette on various real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
Most professionals have a LinkedIn.com account and profile. They accept requests from friends, coworkers and family members that they already know. Then they stop there.
- Is your social media connections assisting you in your professional and career goals?
- Are you using your social media contacts smartly?
- Are you connecting only with people you already know instead of the people that can help
- you in your development?
We typically associate with folks of the same socioeconomic circles. Studies show that your salary and income are typically within 20% of the group of people you regularly hang around with. So, if you want to jump to a different salary or professional level, we may need to change who we hang around with. If you want to leap to the next professional rung, we may want to find ways to network with people that are of that next desired level. In other words, surround ourselves with the success we want to achieve.
We can use our social networking profiles to do this.
For a quick review of the steps, watch the video and purchase the Leveraging Links Zipinar Ebook.
To create your individual networking strategy, sign up for our free workbook at: http://eepurl.com/njCWz
Make a quarterly goal of increasing your networking circle by 10% in the right direction.
Other things to consider:
1) Invite the authors of your favorite technical journal articles to your LinkedIn.com network
2) Socialize at the cafeteria and create intellectual discussion groups. Add them to your LinkedIn.com network
3) Conduct Brown Bag Lunch series on important topics to your industry. Offer to send the presentation and whitepaper to those that connect with your on LinkedIn.com
4) Work on white-papers with your manager on items that can be shared and published. Invite your readers to link with you on LinkedIn.com
5) Select a side-hobby and invite those folks to your linkedin.com network.
Try it and let me know what you think.
URGO method to reduce overwhelment and stress
URGO
Urgent Rating Graphing for Overwhelment
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 GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into office etiquette on various real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
Every day we are inundated with new tasks, special requests, and high-profile client requests. But we rarely truly take the time to relationally and realistically prioritize to our best career advantage. A co-worker is in the middle of some family issues and you end up picking up his/her slack. The company undergoes some re-organization, and your project lists has increased. Often times we don’t feel we have a choice, but you really do.
Below are some quick steps that gives you a visual chart that clearly outlines which project or task to spend your time on.
I call this my URGO (Urgent Rating Graph for Overwhelment) method.
- Identify your imperatives or career goals
- List your significant time sinks or tasks
- Score each task 0-5 (5 being the most in aligned with your goals) for each listed goal
- Chart the results
- Create a career plan to accomplish those priority action items.
Example:
Step 1: My professional goals and mission statements
- Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
- Become the GoTo MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
- Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
Step 2: List your current tasks and desired tasks
- Have a great, innovative approach to solving a new market problem that might open the company to a whole new market
- Team mate is growing through some tough times and I am stuck picking up his/her slack on maintenance issues
- Assigned to an end-of-life product that has been scheduled to be dropped. But a few clients won’t upgrade to the new product; therefore, the ‘drop’ schedule continues to be postponed.
- Although I am not behind, I would like some time to get ahead of my current project.
- Next Generation Project X is the next high-profile product. My business proposal would fit perfectly in that scenario.
Step 2: Take each task and objectively rate or score it for each of your career and professional goals
Make a proposal for a new solution to the executives
- Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
- Score 5 – I feel that this is innovative and can be used in our company’s next generation product
- Become the GoTo/ MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
- Score 4 – If this goes as I expect, I could be implementing this in Project X. I could become one of the technical leads on Project X
- Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
- Score 4 – This would get me off some of the ‘end-of-life’ product and out of maintenance duty
————————————–Total Score 13
Continue to pick up slack for a co-worker
- Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
- Score 0 – It could be considered being a team-player, but neither my manager nor executives actually recognize or acknowledge that I’m doing this. Right now, I’m doing it. I’m not even sure my co-worker realizes the extra work he is putting on me. Besides, this really isn’t even my responsibility. It’s my manager’s role to manage everyone’s changing work schedule. Not allowing my manager to know what’s going on is not to my benefit.
- Become the GoTo MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
- Score 0 – Once again, no one is aware of what I am doing for my co-worker.
- Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
- Score 0 – This just keeps me stuck on this maintenance project.
————————————–Total Score 0
Working on ‘end-of-life” and maintenance products
- Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
- Score 2 – One of the few people around here that still understands this old technology. Everyone else has either quite or has moved onto the new platforms. But this technology is currently obsolete. My company is just behind the curve on ending it.
- Become the GoTo/MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
- Score 0 – I don’t have a chance to even learn a new technology because of my current maintenance tasks.
- Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
- Score 0 – Without my intervention, I’ll be stuck on this ‘end-of-life’ and maintenance gig. I’ll become the only one with this old technology knowledge and they won’t be able to remove me from this spot.
————————————–Total Score 2
Although I am not behind, I would like some time to get ahead of my current project.
- Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
- Score 2 – The current projects are on the technology that is being phased out. I can not be regarded as a thought-leader with this project. As long as I don’t fall behind, my remaining time should be spent on other things.
- Become the GoTo MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
- Score 0 – This is not new technology. Therefore, spending more time that I need on this is fruitless.
- Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
- Score 2 – If my project is actually phased-out, I will be available for a new project or position. But there’s no telling when that will be. It’s been in this same state for 2 years already.
————————————--Total Score 4
Next Generation Project X is the next high-profile product. My business proposal would fit perfectly in that scenario.
- Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
- Score 4 – This project is getting lots of visibility. I already have ideas on the next directions on this platform.
- Become the GoTo MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
- Score 5 – My proposals will tie my ideas to the Project X evolution schedule. We will be no only able propel the development cycle forward but be able to patent and license how we are doing it.
- Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
- Score 5 – My blending my business process ideas directly into the Product X infrastructure, I will be building a foundation for a promotion and leadership role.
————————————–Total Score 14
Step 4) Chart the results
From the chart, you can visually see that Getting the Next Gen Project X and Presenting your proposal to the executives are your top career and professional goals.
Step 5) Create your career plan with those to priorities in focus.
Some suggestions would be:
- Stop picking up the slack for your co-worker. Talk to him/her honestly about the issues and encourage them to talk to your manager about it.
- Start diverting your time to creating that proposal and interviewing executives on what they are really looking forward to in the next fiscal year.
- Start volunteering your time on Project X and networking with the Project X managers.
- Prototyping your process as it would look and feel in Project X
- Continue to work on your proposal and demo/practice on Project X team and managers.
- Start patent disclosure meetings with your company legal departments.
The above is just an example. Your goals and tasks will be different and more complex than the above. But this method works on a variety of situations from task priority, career management, risk analysis, and much more. It takes the emotional out of the decision process and allows you to focus on the ROI for your professional career development.
Try it and let me know what you think.
What else do you need to continue to move forward? Tell LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info — and she will try to make it happen. It can’t be given if no one knows you want it…. Ask for what you want.
If you are having trouble keeping up with the assignment, let’s talk….
On the Move? Things to Consider Before Relocating for Work
Traveling across the country for a new job may be just the adventure you’ve been waiting for. Like all adventures, relocating for work comes with its share of challenges. Being honest about the benefits and drawbacks of moving for work can save you time, money and family struggles down the road.
Show Me the Money
One big relocation incentive is a pay increase. But extra zeroes may not make much difference when the boxes are all unpacked. Ask yourself these questions regarding price vs. rewards before relocating:
- Can I sell my home and break even or make a profit? If you can’t sell your house in a timely way and make enough from the sale for a down payment on another home in the new location, the difference in salary may not be worth the move.
- Is the pay substantially better than where I am? Although the pay may look like enough to make moving worth the effort, some serious number crunching can help you get a clearer picture. Compare utility costs, fuel costs, taxes, as well as the cost of food in the new location. Are there added perks to the new job, like a car that could save you money? Take time to compare 401k plans, profit sharing and potential bonuses between your current job and the new offer. Adding everything together helps you get a clear picture of how much more you will make if you relocate.
- Will the new company help with moving expenses? Moving across the country is expensive. Calculating how much the move will cost and whether your new job will to pay for it is an important part of your decision-making process.
- Will the company cover temporary housing? If you are moving to a large city like, say, Phoenix, finding the right neighborhood for your family can take a lot of time. Many companies offer a short-term housing allowance to cover apartment rentals to give you and your family time to find the right house, neighborhood and school district.
The Relationship Factor
No matter how good the job offer, relocating can be difficult on relationships. Spouses, significant others, children and extended family are all part of the equation. Consider the impact your move will have on those you love by asking yourself these questions:
- How will the move affect my spouse’s career? If your spouse has achieved certain career goals or is working toward them, relocating for your job may not be in her best interest. Be willing to say “no” to a new offer for the sake of your spouse.
- What about the children? Moving can be harder on children than anyone in your family. Changing schools, making new friends, getting used to a new neighborhood can be devastating for children if not planned intentionally and strategically. Consider carefully how relocating will impact your children and, if they are old enough, get them involved in the conversation.
- How will my extended family react? If you live near aging parents, consider how moving will impact them. Do they need help with their daily routine? Will moving mean multiple trips back and forth each year to meet their changing needs? Do your parents provide support like babysitting? How will your family replace this in a new town?
Are you a free bird or a butterfly?
I know the title is a little strange, but indulge me for a moment. Most of us really appreciate the freedom and lightness of flight. We are attracted to a stress-free environment that allows us to flow in our areas of genius and passion. We all realize that we are more productive, effective and empowered when we are work and passions are closely aligned. And when we are so aligned, we feel we are a bird in flight, floating on air, flowing where our genius takes us.
Even if 100% of our day isn’t in-flight like that; most of us have pockets. We often find ourselves in the ZONE or flowing.
Now — when we’re in those pockets or zone … are you a free bird or are you a butterfly or a combination?
Some definitions:
Free Bird: Has lots of experience and freely shares it. A bird is light, free and flowing. Consumes just enough to stay light; confident that more opportunities will become available exactly when you need it. The abundance mentality allows the bird to stay unencumbered and light. They soars, shares (drops) their experience on others and flies away. When their knowledge drops on the right flower or field, it fertilizes, feeds and energizes. When their knowledge lands on unexpected people, cars, benches; it annoys.
Butterfly: Has lots of experience and freely shares it. A butterfly is light, free and flowing. During the process of collecting nectar, some pollen sticks to their belly and legs. This allows them to continue to fly unencumbered (like a bird) but have more beneficial affect on those it touches and lands on. While they are going about their normal activity of gathering nectar, they deliberately focus on where they land; therefore, their knowledge and experience land on those that are asking.
Using this in the office:
How can we be the best of both? Maybe we want to be a hummingbird of such. Something that is a combination. What is the one thing we can do TODAY, that allows us to be an opportunity agent to others and ourselves? An Opportunity Agent collects appropriate contacts (pollen) as they go about their regular business (their nectar). Because they are building a network and contact database, they can cross-pollinate among their contacts at the appropriate time. Instead of only providing their singular experiences, they can connect their important contacts with other high-caliber contacts, resources, and networks. This provides an exponential benefit to those they land or connect with.
By deliberately and mindfully staying in contact with the significant people you cross paths with, you have the option to extend your wonderful network to others in the future.
Available free tools like Linkedin.com helps you do this almost automatically (like the butterfly or humming bird). I have a short free videos on how you can easily do this with the social media tools of your choice.
Check out http://lauraleerose.com/snapebook/ for the It’s a SNAP video
Check out http://lauraleerose.com/leveraginglinks/ for additional tips on leveraging the links you already have.
Send me your tips to staying in touch with your significant contacts.
And if you don’t already have a Business Networking Plan for 2013 — check out my Individual Networking Strategy Workbook. It is intended to help you create a networking strategy to supports and propels you toward your career goals.
In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into these things in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.