About That Road Less Traveled.....

About That Road Less Traveled..... I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and Iâ€" I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost wrote those words as part of The Road Not Taken over a hundred years ago.     The complete quote is below, but most of us only remember the last few lines about the road less traveled.   Its often framed to mean that taking a chance, breaking away from the norms, the expected, the masses will somehow set you free, or make you rich, or lead to the fulfilling of all your fantasies.    I would suggest thats all delusional. Value Judgments On Being Average For at least a few decades, theres been a constant beating of the drum that somehow being average or normal, whatever those words may mean, is to be avoided.   And Im sure that many have, indeed, found treasures beyond their wildest dreams by venturing down that unknown path. But there is nothing wrong, or less, about being average or normal.   Ive wished many times that I could be.   And its okay to take an average stroll down the street or through the woods or on the beach. No, you dont have to be the best, or have a viral social media experience to lay claim to a quite wonderful life.   Average can be awesome, if you let it.   Normal, simple, calm, and predictable is a pretty nice place to be if you know the terror of living in chaos.   Buy me a drink sometime, and Ill tell you my story. You Dont Know What You Dont Know Yes, each of us comes across many divergent paths.   Too often, society, indulging in ones fantasies, or any one of the seven deadly sins entices us to make choices that alter our lives FOREVER.     Too often, theres no going back once the path is chosen, the door you walked through was a one-way door and it is bolted shut after youve passed through. Read Frosts words once again.   Are they really filled with a teasing of some unimaginable wonderfulness?   Or are they a warning?   A warning to choose wisely and cautiously, because the path you choose will . . . change . . . everything?   What was the sigh about?   Was it bliss?   Or sorrow? Choices, Choices . . . and Consequences Barbara Streisand once sang the words there are no mistakes, just lessons to be learned.    I suspect there are many, many more lessons, and accompanying trials, along the road less traveled.    Yes, in addition to the occasional gemstones and treasures.   Like the hopeful miners of gold rush days, youll never know for sure the prices that youll pay for the hope of finding gold. For every miner who found a handful of yellow metal, thousands perished, poor.   I think I hear their echoing sigh, just now. Its Okay To Be Average Mediocrity.   Average.   Just an everyday, common Joe or Jane.   Its okay if that describes you.   Treasure where you are, and   in the present moment, choose wisely. Because youre going to have to live in the next moment, too.   Ill see you on the other sighed. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood Looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth; Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same, And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and Iâ€" I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Expand Your Resume Writing Business - How to Increase Your Income in a Positive Way

Expand Your Resume Writing Business - How to Increase Your Income in a Positive WayExpand Your Resume Writing Business: Should you add a service that you have been doing for a while? You may be surprised to find out that you can still make a lot of money with your writing business while still being in it full time. By taking advantage of the Internet, you can become your own boss.In today's economy, it is extremely hard to be successful on your own. You can find yourself on the outside looking in if you don't manage to keep up with the ever changing economy. As a result, people are taking their money and talents elsewhere. This could put your resume writing business in jeopardy.If you want to expand your resume writing business in a positive way, you should look at your own expansion plan. There is one that you can implement right now that will help you out tremendously. Take the following tips into consideration.The first thing you need to do is find a service provider that you can start working with right away. If you know how to write professionally, you can easily land a contract with someone already established. Make sure that you provide a quality service that will earn you repeat business.You must remember that your own name will have to be on the service, and that is enough for most people. As soon as you have found a service that you feel comfortable working with, all you have to do is start building up a list of people who can benefit from the service. Once you do this, you can send them promotional materials about the service and build trust in that way.After you have sent out the promotion and started bringing in new business, you can begin to do some press releases to get the word out that you are expanding your resume writing business. This will show prospective clientsthat you are an expert in the field. You can also increase your leads by sending out informational information and starting new contact to your existing clients.One thing that you w ant to keep in mind when you expand your resume writing business is that it takes time and effort. Be sure that you don't give up on your clients once you have gotten your business started. Always do what you can to make sure that your clients continue to stay happy.There are many service providers who will charge you for advertising and referrals. While these will help with your expansion, they may not bring in as much income as what you are used to. If you choose to become your own boss, you can build your business in a positive way by finding a service provider that you can work with.

Book review Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Book review Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog There are some companies that seem completely unafraid to do things differently. While others cling desperately to business as usual, I admire organizations who try alternative ideas and Zappos is one of these companies. For those outside of the US who have not yet heard of Zappos, they sell shoes and clothes online and they do so with huge success: Their sales for 2009 was $1 billion. Thats a lot of shoes and for a company thats only 10 years old, thats nice going. Zappos have about 800 employees in their HQ in Las Vegas and another 700 in the warehouse in Kentucky where all products are shipped from. And what truly separates them from many other organizations is how they treat their people. Zappos has committed itself to great service and has realized that the only way to consistently deliver great service is to have happy employees. And thats what Delivering Happiness is about. In the book, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh tells his own story he co-founded an IT company that became worth millions and then felt he had to leave it when he discovered that he was no longer happy at work there. The company was sold to Microsoft for $265 million. Tony ended up investing part of his money in a strange guy with a weird idea: Selling shoes online. After several false starts and slow growth in the beginning, Zappos found the winning formula and the rest is history. So what is their winning formula? Its culture! Zappos have defined their culture and spend a lot of time, money and energy on maintaining and developing it. And here it is: 1. Deliver WOW Through Service 2. Embrace and Drive Change 3. Create Fun and A Little Weirdness 4. Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded 5. Pursue Growth and Learning 6. Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication 7. Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit 8. Do More With Less 9. Be Passionate and Determined 10. Be Humble They hire people based on who will fit into the culture, and theyre quick to fire those who turn out not to fit. Their hiring mantra is hire slowly, fire quickly. Typical interview questions include: If you had a theme song, that played every time you walked into a room, what would it be? On a scale from 1 to 10, how lucky are you? To make sure that new hires join Zappos for the culture and not for the money, they will give all new people the offer. Its simple: If you quit in the first 2 months, you get your salary plus an extra $2,000. Yes, you read that right: Zappos will pay people to quit. And since most new positions are in the call center or warehouse (jobs that dont pay all that well) $2,000 is serious money. Zappos have had to adjust that policy recently: Because of the financial crisis, less and less people took the offer, preferring to stay in a stable paying job even if they werent that thrilled about the workplace. So Zappos have now upped the amount to $3,000. In addition they also pay their people a salary that is above average and offer great perks like free food, free snacks, etc. The result of this and more (like great parties, freedom to design your own workspace, etc.) is a happy workforce and excellent customer service. It doesnt stop with the culture their business model is equally great. 1 year return policy on all products, free return shipping, their 1-800 number is right at the top of every web page (they actually want customers to call them) and when you do call in, a live rep is only one keypress away, not buried somewhere in a phone menu labyrinth. In fact, average wait times hover around 20 seconds when other companies can easily take 20 minutes to reach on the phone. All of this and more is described in Tonys book and I highly recommend it. Not only is it a fun and easy read, it offers a great insight into the history and practices of Zappos and its always fun to hear from people and organizations who are not only unafraid of trying new ideas but who seem to revel in it. Zappos definitely do. In that respect, this book reminds me of one of my all-time favorite business books, namely Ricardo Semlers The Seven-Day Weekend. It is, however, the first business book where the author spends a whole page on his undying love for Red Bull and a few more pages on how hes been inspired by the community at techno raves :o) The book is in three parts: Part 1 is Tonys story from his childhood to founding Linkexchange and Zappos. The second part is about how they do things at Zappos and the final appendix is about the science of happiness, which Tony urges all businesses to study. I could not agree more. The book will not only give you a peek into the mind of Tony Hsieh, it will also give you about a million ideas you could out into practice in your own business or work life. But most importantly, it will show you just how far out of the ordinary a business can go if it has the courage to do so and just how much success can be found out there. The book comes out on June 7 read it! Related Read more about Delivering Happiness here or buy it here. Bill Taylor talks about Zappos. Happiness at Zappos. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Want to Be a Better Leader Ask These 2 Scary Questions

Want to Be a Better Leader Ask These 2 Scary Questions What if there were two questions you could ask your team that hold the key to helping them be more productive? Two questions that help you be a better boss and deliver better business results. Would you ask them? Frankly, it’s crucial to ask these questions if you want to have a happier, more productive team. It also sets you further along the path of being a great boss and great leader. One who brings out the best in people. Asking these questions can be scary I was introduced to these questions a year ago by Strategic Coach, which helps entrepreneurs be more successful. But did I run back to my office and ask my team? No. Not right away because I was scared of what I might find out about myself. The first question is: “What’s frustrating you about our business and the way we’re doing it right now?” You can substitute other words for “frustrating you”, such as irritating you, bugging you, bumming you out. The second one is: “What’s exciting you about our business and what we’re doing?” Again, you can substitute other words for “exciting you”, such as inspiring you, jazzing you, making you feel pumped. When you’re the founder or boss or person in charge, asking these questions can feel like a personal thing. What if the frustrations are all about you, or it becomes a whining session? What if they can’t think of even one thing they’re excited about and you sit in awkward silence? And if you’ve been the equivalent of the “office ogre” that the team is afraid of, then people may not feel they can answer honestly. But those are all excuses. Having just asked my team, I can tell you that what I’ve learned is ground breaking. It’s going to change the way I run my business â€" for the better. And it will take the productivity of the entire team up several notches. Even if it was scary. For me and for them. Create the conditions for successful feedback Whether you’ve been a good boss or bad boss in the past, this is a chance to turn over a new leaf and be the wonderful leader you know you can be. It’s an opportunity to open up the lines of communication in a more powerful way. It’s all in how you go about it. So, start by creating the conditions for success. This means creating a safe space both for you and for your team members to have this important conversation. Here are a few ground rules to consider. Come in with the right mindset The conversation will go best if you come in with an open mind. One where you are willing to learn how you could be better. That means avoiding these conversation killers: being defensive, entering into a debate on every point, being skeptical, being judgmental. You need to be okay with whatever they say and demonstrate that in your reactions. Otherwise, you won’t get much useful feedback in the future. Receive feedback with an open mind and the willingness to learn how you can be better. Choose a quiet time To get the best results, choose a time when things are relatively quiet and you can have an open ended one-on-one conversation. While the conversation won’t take a long time, it’s best if you don’t have to interrupt the flow before the dialogue comes to a natural conclusion. Listen Once you pose the first question, sit back and listen. When you’re listening, don’t think about other things, and don’t interrupt. When there’s a pause, ask if there’s anything else. When you truly listen to understand, it’s amazing what gems of insight you can gain. Be willing to make changes When you ask about frustrations, it’s important that you’re prepared to take action to address the things you can (and want to) change. If you’re not willing to take action on things that will help your team be more productive, then don’t bother asking these questions. It will backfire. The changes you choose to make should be guided by making a positive difference without changing who you are fundamentally as a person. And of course, they have to make sense. You’re not committed to doing every single thing that people bring up. Just do what you can. For example, it could be adjusting your approach to managing the workflow, or negotiating with other parts of the organization on your team’s behalf to change the way things are done. So, be willing to change your behavior and approach to be more effective, but make sure you’re still being yourself. Be prepared to troubleshoot If your team member starts to whine and complain, then keep your cool and guide them back to a constructive place. You can get their help in focusing on the most important frustrations by saying something like, “Thanks for sharing your thoughts with me â€" you’ve clearly given this a lot of thought. Are there one or two that you care most about?” Or, shift the focus to things that are in your sphere of influence by saying something like, “Thanks for sharing that. I can see what you mean, and I even share some of those frustrations. I’d like to focus on the ones that I can do something about.” Say “thank you” The best response to feedback of any kind is to say “thank you”. Then take actions that make sense. Answers from my team When I asked my team members about their frustrations and irritations, here’s what they said: “There are times I need your input, but you’re hard to reach.” “You’re always so busy â€" I feel bad interrupting you unless it’s absolutely urgent.” “I feel like I’m not in the loop on the latest developments.” “The changing nature of priorities is limiting what I can contribute.” “It’s hard to figure out which projects are the priorities â€" everything seems equally important.” “Everything’s just firing in. Some prioritization would be helpful.” “I wish we could be more strategic and planful. We tend to just dive in. We always get things done but it’s usually in a rush at the end.” “I come in with a list of things you’ve asked me to get done, and then you change things and divert me to something different. So I fall behind.” “I’d like a lamp on the desk â€" it’s kind of dark where I sit.” Wow. I learned a lot about myself and how that’s reflected in the way I run the business. I do struggle to prioritize because I’m impatient and want everything to be done right now. I am always busy and traveling around the world, so you can’t help but interrupt me. I love new ideas and can’t resist chasing them and substituting them for something that’s more mundane that’s been in the plans for months. On the other hand, I was pleased that they all felt comfortable to tell me the truth. In fact, these are all areas I’ve wanted to improve on. It’s just taken on greater urgency because my behavior is affecting my team and our results. Actions I’ve chosen to take As they say, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. So, now that I know, it’s up to me to do the things I can to help them be more productive: Return my team members’ emails first. Have a regular catch up session with each of them individually. Set out priorities more clearly so people can identify what’s most important. Create a decision making filter so we can all assess new projects as they come up. Enlist one of my team members to manage me and keep me on track so I don’t derail the plan with new “shiny objects”. Buy a lamp. When I asked the second question about what they’re excited about, each team member had a different answer. Some were excited about a new product we’re launching, and others were inspired by being able to make a visible difference to the business. Just as the first question about frustrations told me a lot about myself as a leader, the second question showed me something about my team members. When you know what excites people and motivates them, you can help them get more of it. And that will help the whole team become more productive. When you know what excites people and motivates them, help them get more of it. What will you do? Asking these questions and getting feedback from your team can be scary. But you know what? They’re already thinking these things. So you may as well benefit from knowing how you can help them do more and be better. Now, it’s your turn. What will you do to get comfortable with asking these questions so you can help your team be more productive and successful? And by the way, you’ll be helping yourself too! Leave a comment and let me know.

Check out this FREE resource for your career transition - Hallie Crawford

Check out this FREE resource for your career transition As I wrote in a previous post, business cards are NOT optional when youre in career transition. You absolutely have to have them. Your cards need to look professional, like you put thought into them. Always put your best foot forward in your job search. I recommend to my job search clients not to print them on a home computer, and use a more professional service. Vistaprint.com is one of those that can provide you with great low cost, or even free business cards that look clean and professional. The first impression counts. If you need help with what to put on your business cards, ask one of our certified career coaches any question you have in our 24/7 online career center:  https://www.halliecrawford.com/products/careercenter.html. Check out my YouTube video on this topic, Networking Advice: Business cards are not optional. Job Search Coach P.S. If you would like to learn more about our job search services, Contact us for a complimentary career consultation.

The Ultimate Solution for Resume Skills

The Ultimate Solution for Resume Skills Soft abilities, on the flip side, aren't simple to quantify. Hard skills can be classified in various ways, depending upon your job title. They tend to be more technical, and each industry or type of job will usually have its own required set. On the flip side, soft abilities, also called interpersonal or social abilities, are the ones which you have as personal qualities or you get through professional experiences. As you proceed through the list of skills above, make a distinct list with the skills which you already possess. Dependent on the help of our expert sources, here are a couple of broad kinds of skills your resume could include, together with unique methods to express them. Listing your skills provides a chance to showcase your abilities and experiences to prime employers for the remainder of your resume. You should be able to demonstrate financial analysis skills with KPI-driven results if you prefer to attain a long-term career in the business. Using Resume Skills Regardless of what job you need to apply for, opportunities will open for you whether it's possible to bridge the gap and demonstrate the essential finance wisdom and technical know-how. Thus when writing down your job skills take some time to strategize and find out the ideal approach to organize them in your resume. Technical skills are either something you've got or you don't, but they're always something which it is possible to learn. Exceptional people skills are a vital portion of what makes you such a standout employee who'd be an asset to any company that provides you with an opportunity to shine. Hard skills are measurable skills that are needed for a particular job. They are quantifiable and often learned from school or on the job. They are not skills that are hard to learn. Professional skills are extremely important additionally to include on your resume.

The Top Secret Details Regarding Trends in Resume Writing That Many People Dont Know About

The Top Secret Details Regarding Trends in Resume Writing That Many People Don't Know About For this reason, you would like to make sure your resume will help you distinguish yourself among the rest of the applicants as a fantastic fit for the position by tailoring the information that you include to your audience and to the position description. From the info it's possible to gather here, you will see it isn't as challenging to understand how to compose a resume as you might have thought. Just be certain the details may be readable. Even more, resume isn't a book and you must place only the most relevant information at the same page. What to Expect From Trends in Resume Writing? CVs finally have to designed in such a manner that they ought to strike an employer within the initial five seconds only. Resumes aren't an autobiography, you will receive the opportunity to throw your whole life to the recruiter while he or she calls you in for a resume. Your resumes are likewise being sent through email. Skills-based resumes may also enable you to combine related work and other experience during the skills-based headings. Many employers utilize search engines to discover candidates with resumes containing certain keywords and phrases. For instance, regulatory professionals typically understand how to manage investigational new drug applications with the FDA, and CPAs usually understand how to manage certain bookkeeping program. What's more, the simple to comprehend language is an additional merit because every customer can easily relate to the info. Resumes are waking to the most recent trends and requirements in the marketplace. It will probably be required to retool your strategy. Identifying the resume writing services' web platforms will be the principal task which ought to be dealt with care. There is an abundance of options so far as Resume writing services in India are concerned, it's a good idea to do a suitable check before picking the co rrect service provider with good experience. Templates are sometimes a fantastic roadmap, and they're able to supply a good backbone for you to construct upon, but again, customization is crucial to helping your distinctive abilities stick out in your executive resume. The Most Popular Trends in Resume Writing Even Professional resume writing services are attempting to produce and include the ideal infographics to the resume to make it even more striking and crisp. Each entry in the sections should get an asterisk or bullet at the start. Because you wish to provide a good deal of attention to both, you might not have much room left for different sections, like a resume summary, volunteer work, interests, etc.. To begin the calendar year 2016 with advantage over other men and women that are likely to submit an application for the exact same job as you will, I listed all important things you should think about when writing your resume. What You Don't Know About Trends in Resum e Writing Be specific, and offer relevant statistics wherever you may. Executives, for instance, have reached a level in their careers where they can clearly show their distinct value to a business or industry, and possible employers wish to learn more about it. An excellent salary survey for all kinds of careers and levels of experience can be discovered on www.monster.com. The most recent trends reveal that recruiters like to see and meet those who are result oriented. The Little-Known Secrets to Trends in Resume Writing Hiring manager aren't on the lookout for resume only, it's really essential for them what's going on around you, what can you do for living and several different aspects you won't ever increase your resume. You want to reveal passion for what you do employers aren't going to need a person who seems bored or indifferent regarding the job, particularly at the executive level. Education information should adhere to the objective portion in the event the appli cant is a new graduate without a lot of work experience. Resume is a significant element that may decide the fate of budding professionals regarding attracting opportunities on the grounds of their profile.