The object of a person’s ambition or effort; an aim or desired result is the defined meaning of GOALS
TED Talk asked individuals in a public forum to share their 2023 goals. Aghast I was when many chimed in sharing their own personal goals. Many chimed in with a few snippets shared here. One person replied … “No goals. No achievement. Just letting life happen”. Hmmm, to not plan is to just go with the flow. That may be good at times but what happens when you periodically assess? What result do you expect to find?
If you’re not measuring, you’re not managing it
Peter Drucker
Another said he was working on achieving his ‘2020’ goals. One may be quick to laugh until we remember what happened tin 2020. Yep! The pandemic. So that person is still focused on working that goal….hence the comment.
No matter who you are, no matter what you did, no matter where you’ve come from, you can always change, become a better version of yourself.
~Madonna
Longing to pursue a Dream? Experiencing a Strong desire to pursue that career change? Are you a New leader lacking confidence? So many of us experience one or more of these 5 Signs yet stay stuck for years.
You feel Stuck
Wanting to pursue a lifelong dream
Long to become your best self
Career Advancement and Personal Growth
Desiring to feel confident
As a Certified Master Coach, let’s get you or someone you know unstuck today. Ask me how and make this your best year yet.
What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.
Jane Goodall
Nancy got the promotion! Yessss! Now what should she do? It was exciting when she Ditched her Job for a new and better opportunity. When Nancy learnt that she got the new role that came with higher salary and perks, she could hardly retain her joy. But as she began thinking deeply about her new role, she found herself nervous because she was new to management. She asked herself, what if I fail? What if they don’t like me? What if they realize I am a fraud? Tons of questions but the truth is to get out of this rump, there are things Nancy can do.
These three simple tips will help Nancy overcome her fear. At the minimum, she should be able to manage the jitters. In addition, there are books that deals with the art of managing for the new leader. Angela Robinson shared 12 Books for New Managers. Below I recommend 7. Take a look at the list below and choose one, two or a few that will help you grow in your new role.
7 Books Every New Manager Should Read
Be the Boss Everyone Wants to Work For: A Guide for New Leaders by William A. Gentry Ph.D.
The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael Watkins
Welcome to Management: How to Grow From Top Performer to Excellent Leader by Ryan Hawk
The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You by Julie Zhuo
The First-Time Manager by Jim McCormick, Loren B. Belker, Gary S. Topchik
Everyone Deserves a Great Manager: The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team by Scott Jeffrey Miller and Todd Davis
Everyone Deserves a Great Manager: The 6 Critical Practices for Leading a Team by Scott Jeffrey Miller and Todd Davis
From the list, which do you like the most? Would you read and/or recommend to others? Do share. We would love to hear!
October is crisp days and cool nights, a time to curl up around the dancing flames and sink into a good book
Fall Festival! 🍁📚. Great day for Family Fun at Keiser University, PSL Great people, good reads and tons of excitement that kicked off Fall season galore. Photos share a few memories
𝓢𝓮𝓵𝓯-𝓬𝓪𝓻𝓮 Walk away from people and situations that cause you pain.
From people who put you down. Walk away from things that poison your soul.
Think about your inner circle. Are they adding value? Find yourself always feeling sad and down caused by others? Look deeply. Maybe it’s time to walk away.
Stories, Poetry, Writings and Gleanings inspire prowess
Dr. Shelly Cameron
Mentors Matter: Memories of My Lifelong Mentor Dr. Ulysses Van Spiva
By Ralph Hogges
Looking back over my life brings forth memories of my struggles to achieve educational and career opportunities in the White Supremacy’s Deep South and the special person that God put in my life to protect, teach and guide me. His name was Dr. Ulysses Van Spiva. He was an amazing blessing in my life. I write to share some of those memories of my lifelong mentor with you.
After earning my master’s degree at Tuskegee Institute (University) on May 16, 1972, I was hired as a personnel administrator in the University Personnel Relations Department at Florida International University (FIU) on August 28, 1972. FIU was a new university in the Florida’s State University System, scheduled to officially open on September 14, 1972.
Standing on the elevated steps of the Primera Casa (First Building) on that Grand Opening day ceremony, with city, county and state VIP officials and numerous other leaders, I glanced here and there, searching for some black employees, but finding only a few. They were mostly janitorial and lawn workers.
Insightful And Inspirational Wisdom for Aspiring, Beginning and Emerging Writers
By Indiana Robinson
My name is Dr. Indiana Robinson. I am a Jamaican-American author of 50 books, primarily in the nonfiction genre, and minimally in the fiction genre. Among the nonfiction topics I have published and am publishing are memoirs, biography, history, unsung heroes, visual arts, poetry, academics, music, ancestry, children’s activity, animals, meteorology, geography, spirituality, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), proverbs as social commentary, leadership, sports (cricket), culinary arts, and business. My sole fictional work is a novella comprising three short stories on companionship, trickery, and fable. I publish my books under the pen names of Inyaso, Dr. D., and a few others.
I am also an educator/dissertation chair and earned my doctorate at Nova Southeastern University a decade ago. My books are available from: https://www.lulu.com/spotlight/Inyaso.
Dr. Ralph Hogges asked me to answer the following questions. I hope my responses will be insightful and inspirational to aspiring, beginning and emerging writers.
Read more in magazinePower of the Blood at Work in You
“Veil Torn in Two” Volume 2
Release Date TBA
www.neatbooks4u.com
By Arnetha Thomas
We already said, “Our growth process is inevitable for maturity.” I’m reminded of the title “No pain, no gain,” secular hit song of 1988 by the late Betty Wright. Her lyrics are prevalent for todays’ problems. She sang about life troubles and to gain something, we must go through something. The late Betty Wright lived and grew-up in Miami, Florida.
Read more in magazineA Woman’s Worth
Excerpt from the Book: Rhythm and Hues – Twenty-Three Stories of
Hardship and Hope
By Corey B. Collins
At times like these, the woman wonders what the point of it all is. Recent news of the unexpected death of yet another close friend, a mere two years her senior, came out of nowhere and rained down on her like a storm for which she was woefully unprepared. Sorrow cements her to the cream-colored recliner in her living room. She looks down. Her lap cradles the framed photo. Moisture wells just beneath the lower lip of her left eyelid. Knowing she must conserve the lion share of her sadness for the marathon day of grief lying in wait at her friend’s funeral, she rations just one tear. It eventually breaches the rim of her eyelid, journeys the length of her cheek and pools at the bottom of her chin. Then, gravity continues to have its way. The picture frame intercepts the liquid before it meets the ground. She wipes the droplet from the glass housing the most recent image of her dog Ozzie. Her furry friend had been gifted by her older brother fourteen years ago as a comfort in the wake of the untimely passing of her longtime human companion and soul mate of thirty-six years. Lung cancer had been the thief that stole her husband. A familiar ring abruptly invades the woman’s airspace, rescuing her from her melancholy malaise. She answers her smart phone.
Read more in magazine
Let Healing Rise
By Rosemarie Cole
You are divided red and blue
My heart ache for you
If - My people pray
There will be ray
Of light and hope
Fill your crevices with love
Then blessing will come from
above
If – My people seek
I will speak
Of life and peace
I set you on a hill
For the earth – void to fill
If – My people turn
You will not be burn
By sparks of fire
Last Time
By S. Ettosi Brooks
The last time I saw Jamaica I’d said goodbye to my heart.
I lost it somewhere between Hope Gardens and Constant Spring.
So we meet, So we part.
I remember staring at the bus as it retreated from me carrying my love, hopes and dreams.
The moon, impassive to human foolishness, sent a soft shimmering sound floating by.
I looked through tear veiled eyes at her hard, bright fulness.
A baby in her mother’s arms stared at me. You know, the way children do as if it was God looking at you through their eyes?
Now, the child full blossoming with the careless beauty of youth, sashays past me. I knew it was her at once, but she did not know me. How could she?
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Learning Is Important To Your Retirement Journey
Excerpt from the Book, Retirement: The Journey and The Destination
By Patricia Reid-Waugh
A positive senior mindset rejects the idea that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” This adage has proven not to be true. Instead, we have embraced the reality of lifelong learning. While that adage may have originated from some people’s preference not to have to learn new things in old age, it says nothing about our ability.
Experience shows that it is never too late to pursue a dream. A positive retirement mindset is being willing to start from scratch where necessary. Early in retirement, I realized that almost everything I wanted to do involved learning some new skill or technique to complement the competencies I had acquired over the years. Was this a problem? Not at all.
I wanted to play the violin and the steel pan. Although I was an accomplished pianist and organist, fully functional in music theory, the violin and steel pan required different skills that I had to learn from scratch. I had to put on the beginner’s mindset and become that little girl learning music once again. At first, the idea was intimidating. But then it was invigorating!
I wanted to have an active presence on the Internet to maintain social engagement, access entertainment, improve my knowledge, and buy and sell products and services, among other things. This meant developing a broader range of digital skills than the basic computer competencies I had acquired to get by in the working world. I had to delve into topics like digital marketing, webpage building, and e-commerce, learning these tools and technologies for the first time. These skills did not even exist when I was in school. But, was I able to learn them at seventy years old? Absolutely.
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Gleanings of Hope, Leadership, Success and Inspiration
The Grave is filled with Dreams that were never realized
Les Brown
The inner feeling that quietly tugs at your heart. Look closely. Listen quietly. You will hear. For years, my mom wanted to write her story. She wrote on notepads, pieces of paper, the typewriter, then reached for the computer. A journey that lasted decades throughout her life. A journey that was never to be fulfilled. My sister too-like a Martyr stricken by the ravishes of cancer, dreamed of telling her story. But, like my mom, she too passed away with it in her heart quietly waiting. She accomplished much yet still had that silent dream that was never fulfilled.
The grave is filled with dreams that were never realized ~Les Brown
Today I write to inspire you, you, and you to go after your dreams, goals, and aspirations. A Certified Professional Coach, I smirk as I reflect on God’s sense of humor. I write on all things business gleaned from my research on success., leadership, and change. Strides before the pandemic I followed the Quest to write on stories of inspiration from over a decade of blogging and journaling. Intrigued by the quiet tug, I followed the lead as the inspirational series unfolded. It began with Green Light: When God Says Go; then My Safe Place and the soon to be published Red Light: When God Says No. Red Light came through a child’s handwritten note on a napkin. It was voiced by my daughter’s 10 year-old son who giggled as he asked me to write it. Intrigued, I looked up with a smile to the Lord and nodded in surrender. The prequel – My Safe Place was just being published. Who am I to disobey? The series unfolded.
Read more in magazine
Busy is good. That’s my favorite response to entrepreneurs who express that they are busy.
You see, we have all been there when there is nothing to do. No job. No contract. No financial inflow. What frequently follows is sadness, apathy, boredom, inability to meet financial obligations and the list goes on. For sure that ain’t good for our mental state and wellbeing.
Among Others
An 80-year-old grandmother was busy going to the gym, church, shopping, Medical visits to the doctor. Those activities kept her busy. It made her feel alive. Then suddenly her husband also retired. Now they both sit at home watching golf, tennis, jeopardy and wheel of fortune on TV. This past weekend she spent time in the hospital. Latency had stepped in.
The Deal
That’s what happens when we are not busy. It happens to entrepreneurs, workers, student or retirees. There’s no respect of persons.
Is Your Organization Selling what employees want to buy? The question Gallup posed most certainly creates a pause for both the employer who is searching for top talent and the job hunter who comes with his or her own fair share of what they will or will not accept.
9 Reasons Employees Accept Job Offers
Here are a few things that top talent seek in their next career move:
Great Pay and Benefits (duh)
Environments that are respectful, diverse and inclusive
Great Cultural fit to bolster a sense of belonging
Work in a location that is safe, easily accessible, and aesthetically pleasing
The desire for flexibility –remote or hybrid work
Work/ Life balance. Fast disappearing are those days of long working hours that when they get home they are no use to family or themselves
Financial Stability. People want to work where they don’t have to worry about the business viability as well as their own ability to cover expenses and save for their future
To work with great people (stress-free) and build key relationship with others in the industry
The ability to learn and grow that fosters self-actualization
If you are providing these things as an organization, you are well on your way to attracting and retaining top talent. Seeing gaps? Lets connect to get you you started on the road to improvement.
Likewise, as you reflect on the 9 reasons, what stands out to you? Is there anything you would like to add? Do share. We would love to hear.
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.
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.
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!
