Fatherhood On Father’s Day…

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

How Do Dads Do Things Differently?

CNN Headline news posed the question to fathers. Tune into my Conversation with Senior IT Expert Daveyton Blake who is a Father, Coach and Community young adult Mentor. Dads of all kinds will be intrigued by the intense truths explored in this interview.

Listen in now and share with a dad this Father’s Day.

Cheers!

View original post

Career Transition: Bezos Minimization Framework…

The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide that you are not going to stay where you are.

J.P. Morgan

The Regret Minimization Framework is a simple mental model to minimize the number of regrets in the long run. Jeff Bezos after a conversation with his boss asked himself what he would regret more when he was 80 years old: Trying to build something he had strong conviction in and failing, or failing to give it a try? He realized that not trying would haunt him every day (Utkarsh Amitabh HBR).

Walking away from a great job is not an easy decision. I know that because I did it. I walked away from a great career in the pharmaceutical industry. Naturally, this decision came with it’s fair share of ups and downs but when you decide to make a decision based on purpose, all you need to do is weigh the consequences. Like Bezos did, he considered himself at age 80 and thought about it in the context of regret. If you know Amazon, then the rest is history.

As a Certified Professional Coach who specializes in career transitions and people management, I have help many leaders become clear on the next step in their career journey. It may not mean that you want to venture out into entrepreneurship. It might very well be that you want to shift into a new career in the same company or another. I reflect on a client who left his career in the financial industry to venture into a new career in social work. Hmmm, pretty drastic change, right? But the change proved satisfying.

So what’s your plan? What’s your purpose? What’s your passion? Can’t figure it out? Let’s connect.

Have a success story? Do share, we would love to hear.

Cheers!

7 Job Interview Red Flags…

Opportunities don’t happen, you create them

Chris Grosser

Harvard Business Reviews top Job Interview Red Flags by Rebecca Zucker . Here are my top 7 favs.

  1. Constant rescheduling and disorganization
  2. Disrespecting others
  3. Values conflict
  4. Lack of clarity or consistency in answers to your questions
  5. Bait and switch – job starts to sound different from job description
  6. Resistance to change (they say they want to change but not so)
  7. Excessive number of interviews or drawn-out interview process (c-suite longer than junior position but when it reaches 14, hmmm…

Which red flag stands out for you? Any missing? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Photo by Rachel Claire

22 Companies Celebrating Juneteenth: America’s Newest Holiday

On June 17, 2021, Juneteenth became an official federal holiday. Federal employees will have it as a paid day off. Many companies are taking steps to officially recognize this day to support people of color following the protests of systemic racism and inequality in the U.S. Here are a list of early forerunners taking the lead on this from 2021-2022:

Companies Recognizing Juneteenth

  1. Nike
  2. Target
  3. Best Buy
  4. Adobe
  5. Capital One
  6. JPMorgan
  7. Chase
  8. Lyft
  9. Nike
  10. Quicken Loans
  11. Spotify
  12. Target
  13. Uber
  14. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
  15. Conde Nast
  16. National Grid
  17. Eventbrite
  18. Yelp
  19. Allstate
  20. Fiat Chrysler
  21. Ford Motor
  22. General Motors

What other companies have added this to their list of holidays? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Celebrate Achiever, Celebrate in 13 Ways

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

img_6482

The most beautiful things are not associated with money; they are memories and moments. If you don’t celebrate those, they can pass you by. – Alek Wek

I love challenges. I set goals, and do everything to accomplish them. Then when I do, I move on to the next goal. As the head of Head of Human Resources for many years, I relentlessly celebrated the achievement of others on the job, but I never stopped to celebrate my own personal achievements. In recent years I came to value the importance of celebrating life’s triumphs. I guess it comes with maturity. There is something gratifying to it. Besides, it leaves a lasting legacy on those close to me.

Oh how to celebrate? The question was asked and many Bravely Expressed  and jumped in. But I found Sarah Starrs list of ways to celebrate insightful. Here I share my top favs!

View original post 195 more words

Plan A Solo Day…

If you never go, you will never know

Unknown

Plan a Solo Day. Yep, a Getaway all by yourself. Unaccompanied. But be very careful though, you may become a solo convert.

A Solo Getaway can be used for well needed Relaxation. A Writers retreat. To reflect on a major decision; to Plan or Strategize a Career Move or Entrepreneurship venture

You may also like tips here: Self: It’s about Time

So what are you waiting for? Go do it!

What’s your favorite getaway? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

21 Leadership Habits To Avoid

Follow the leader, leader, leader. Not always. Here are Marshall Goldsmith’s 21 habits that derail effective leadership.

  1. The need to win at all costs
  2. Adding too much value (the desire to add to every discussion)
  3. Passing Judgment
  4. Making destructive comments
  5. Starting with “no”, “but” or “however” (conveys I’m right, you’re wrong)
  6. Telling the world how smart we are
  7. Speaking when angry
  8. Negativity (let me explain why that won’t work)
  9. Withholding information
  10. Failing to give proper recognition
  11. Claiming credit we do not deserve
  12. Making excuses
  13. Clinging to the past
  14. Playing favorites
  15. Refusing to express regret
  16. Not listening
  17. Failing to express gratitude
  18. Punishing the messenger
  19. Passing the buck (blaming others)
  20. An excessive need to be “me” (exalting our faults as virtues)
  21. Refusing to accept responsibility for needing to change (that’s just who I am)

Hope the list sparks your interest as to the qualities to avoid to ensure your leadership is effective. Any thoughts? Do share. We would love to hear!

Cheers!

10 Challenges Graduates Face And How To Overcome The Fear…

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

All you need to know is that it’s possible

~Wolf

I was asked to speak with students who were about to graduate and take the steps as they embark on their career. In my curiosity to find out how to deal with their needs, I followed up with the enquiry to ascertain the major challenges they face as I spoke on the topic of Burst The Fear. I took the opportunity to share my own personal journey in the hopes that the graduating class would gain some inspiration of my own fears and how I countered them. Sky Dive anyone?

Here I share the top 10 challenges as gleaned and brief insights on how students and graduates can address them.

1.Lack of Money For Tuition

Lack of money is a common concern for students and graduates who wish to pursue further studies. There are many opportunities to combat this…

View original post 997 more words

In Mom’s Shadow

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

FullSizeRender

Mom, in your shadow is where I choose to be. I reflect on how much you sacrificed, how much you cared. I used to hate those calls which came sporadically. Calls that seemed to come at the wrong time… when I’m in a meeting, or at a function, or just plain busy with work. Yet all you wanted was just to say hello, I’m thinking of you.

Years later when you became sick, restricted  by the pains and incapacitation of physical movements brought on by a stroke, I longed for those calls. I longed just to hear you say hello…, but it was hard for you. All I had was the look in your eyes which said, I still love you my child. I still care. I returned the love and care with more force than I ever could. This warmed your heart and brought the sparkle in your eyes. You were happy…

View original post 53 more words

6 Top Things Aspiring Entrepreneurs Should Do in 2022

Authored By Nicola Reid

If you’re one of the many millions of people hoping to start a new business this year, congratulations. This is a journey that you will never forget. There are many twists and turns down the path toward entrepreneurship, and your actions now can make it a much smoother process in the days ahead. Today, the Success Strategies blog touches on a few things that all aspiring entrepreneurs should do when starting a business in 2022.

1. Evaluate Yourself

First and foremost, you have to evaluate yourself. Do you really have what it takes to be an entrepreneur? According to Alcor Investment Services, entrepreneurs don’t procrastinate and are continually solving problems. If you are the type of person that makes plans and takes action on them, you might be a great candidate for entrepreneurship. In addition to these “soft” skills, you should also be at least somewhat versed in marketing, financial management, and customer service.

2. Decide on a Business Structure

Business structures are not just for major corporations. As a small business owner, you have the right to form your own entity. Doing so now can help legitimize your business. Consider filing as an LLC, which is a limited liability company. There are many advantages here, including lower taxes and reducing the possibility of your personal assets being targeted in case of a serious business flaw. You can use a local attorney or an online formation service, though the latter is much more affordable than the former.

3. Utilize Free Tools and Services

Even when you’re a small business, you must be prepared to break out your wallet (more on the financial commitment later on). However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t get some things without writing a check. You can use Google Docs to collaborate with your employees and customers and you can even find an image size converter online that allows you to upload photos to your website and social media. Although it might seem like a small thing now, fewer pixels in your images will make your site load faster, which can increase the amount of time customers spend on your domain. Search Engine Journal acknowledges slow load speed as the number one reason that people move to a different website.

4. Stay Motivated

As an entrepreneur, you will experience successes and failures. It is during these failures that you must remember to stay motivated and never give up.

5. Understand the Financial Commitment

Starting a business is a huge financial commitment, and many small business owners are unprepared for the sheer number of checks that get written each week. Remember, you have not only your startup cost but also business filing expenses, taxes, payroll, inventory, and more. Although this might sound like a lot, don’t despair. There are plenty of deductions you can take, especially if you use your home as your office. CPA Mark J. Kohler notes that you may even be able to deduct part of your vehicle expenses as a home-based business owner.

6. Strategize

Running your business means prioritizing everything every day. One thing you cannot forget is to pay attention to your customers and the competition to find out what they want. To do this, you will need to do market research and implement a product roadmap when you are ready to launch something new. Use a template (another potentially free online service) that helps you set deadlines and understand where you may have trouble in the process. Having your product launches mapped out ahead of time will help you prioritize and set more reasonable goals.

Launching your own business is one of the best ways to create wealth for yourself and your family. Although it may seem intimidating now, trust that you will soon have the experience to navigate the world of entrepreneurship with your head held high. Remember, no one ever got rich working for someone else, and your fears are the only thing stopping you from mapping out your own path toward success.

About The Author

Nicola Reid is an entrepreneur and small business owner from Texas. She created Business4Today.com to provide access to the resources members of marginalized groups need to turn their entrepreneurial dreams into reality. Through her site, she hopes to support the growing number of people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community who are taking the leap into small business ownership.

Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.com

Hate Networking? Here’s How to Do it Right…

Know where you want to go and make sure the right people know about it.

Meredith Mahoney

Are you one of the many who are reluctant to attend Networking events? Then when you do, sit quietly in a corner with no interaction just green with envy? That’s the story of many who hate networking. But it’s a necessary thing to do especially if you are planning to Ditch your Job or Switch it to entrepreneurship. Networking is interacting with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts.

Dr. Marcia Ballinger shared her article titled I Hate Networking and tips to do it right. Here I share 3 favs:

Networking Tips

  1. Learn from and Focus on Others. A networking meeting is meant for you to learn from and focus on the other person. Not yap about yourself
  2. Get To Know and Build Relationships. The people you are connecting with will almost never have a job. They will, however, have wisdom and ideas, connections and information. Networking is about getting to know the person and making/building a relationship. Job possibilities follow
  3. Engage in Meaningful Conversations. Networking is about having meaningful questions to ask the person you’re meeting. You actually end up doing very little talking. 

To dig a little deeper, here’s a discussion I had with Soft Skills Coach Maxine Barnett. Listen as she gives tips on how to do it right.

Pulling a good network together takes effort, sincerity and time.

Alan Collins

Is there anything missing or is there anything that resonates with you? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

Travel with Intent

A photographer's view of the world - words and images to inspire your travels and your dreams

Answering daily prompts

In this blog I'm attempting to answer wordpress daily prompts

Alex Tafur

Property Maintenance

Poesy Perspectives

embrace the magic

GREENLiGHT

When God Says Go

HEALTH | INSPIRATION

Mind • Body • Life

My Sister My Friend

Family. Youth. Parenting

Kamileon Photography

Your Focus. Our Lens.