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!

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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

Celebrate Achiever, Celebrate in 13 Ways

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

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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!

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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!

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

If Your Life Was A Book What Would The Title Be?…

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

This Question was posed by Think & Grow Prosper. It sparked my interest so I decided to read a synopsis of the over 4K Visceral responses. Some Synchronized, some humorous, while others left readers in deep thought. Here I share:

  • No Apologies
  • I don’t know
  • God’s Journey
  • Nope,Wrong Book
  • Sunshine
  • Dreamer
  • Fate of Tragedies
  • Where’s the Donut?
  • Burnt Desires with regrets
  • Journey of Mistakes
  • Uprising
  • The Chronicles of Surviving in Today’s Society
  • The Endless Possibilities of a Life Lovingly Lived
  • Why me?
  • Wasted Years
  • Don’t Have your Children 16 Years Apart and Here’s Why
  • Never Ending Circle of Struggle
  • And the Caterpillar Became a Butterfly
  • The Great Forever
  • No Limits
  • From Concrete to a White Picket Fence
  • Life Happens
  • Hot Mess Empress
  • The Conqueror of Fears
  • Just Go With the Flow
  • Incredible
  • This Thang Called Life
  • Still searching
  • Rising from the Ashes
  • Masked
  • This Girl Just Want to Have…

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Career: The 7 Signs That Tells You When To Look For New Opportunities…

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

pexels-photo-845451.jpeg

We have all been there. Times when we feel we are at a crossroad and don’t know whether to stay with the company, or whether to go. It’s not an easy road. Certainly a time for deep reflection and analysis. But it can be done using helpful strategies.

7 Signs That Tells You When To Look for New Opportunities

Extracted from theMuse, here are my top 7 WHENs that you can use to know when it’s time to move on.

  1. When you are unhappy most of the day. What’s the point of being unhappy doing what you do?
  2. When the only way you can move up is when your boss retires. Oh well, need I say more?
  3. When you get passed over for a promotion more than once
  4. When your company is cutting back or your industry is shrinking. Astonished?Commonsense really…extinction is at hand. Be alert. Keep your eyes…

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Going Solo. Here’s The Thing About Contactlessness

Contactless – Not involving contact. Not requiring touching or interaction between people

Hungry? Order a meal. It’s not a problem, Uber delivers. Need a last minute birthday gift? An outfit to go on the town with your boo? These sure ain’t no problem these days. Amazon delivers, and if you have prime.., that’s even better. You get it in a day!

Smartphone, e-maps, e-mail on the go. Hit the pause button during a movie are things that our little ones can’t fathom living without.

Don’t call me. Text. WhatsApp. Not to mention the gazillion channels on our big screen TVs, yet we still can’t find the right one to watch. Netflix anyone?

Religious? Going to church? Overrated. That’s a thing of the past. Thanks to the pandemic, We meet online. Those old folk shut-ins ain’t got nothing on us.

These days it seems if you drink you can still drive. All you need to do is program your smart car to take you home – driverless… or so you think. I fathom you’re on your own if the cops catch you. And we could go on and on.

Our High Tech World

What has our society come to? Even the Bible has been translated into so many versions that I can hardly recognize John 3:16 anymore. Some versions have totally missed the meaning. But then again who reads the Bible anymore? After all, we are able to listen to all those famous preachers on demand. Who needs to read when we can listen to what they want to share with us. Let them preachers read it and tell us.

Sigh…

We have it all wrong. Our lives need the stillness and quietness that only comes from reading the word and listen to the still small voice. Only then we will be able to hear what’s said to those hurting and in pain. Only then will we be able to perceive what and how the good lord wants us to lead others to him for the peace that only he provides. Only then will we be able to comfort those who mourn. Only then will we be able to rejoice with those who shout with joy unspeakable when their blessings come through.

Going Solo

Our contactless society invites opportunities for :

  • Solo Sadness
  • Solo Mourning
  • Solo Fears

Going solo means no one has to know. But as often said, what’s done in quiet comes to light when those who are sad find themselves overwhelmed. The effects are the sad fruit of suicidal thoughts which become evident. And… before we jump to say that couldn’t happen to me… reflect on the signs of the rich and famous. Those who suffer in silence unable to face it anymore. Travel enthusiast Anthony Bourdain; Comedian Robin Williams; Miss USA Cheslie Kryst are just a few. We join with their loved ones as they still mourn.

Tis sad indeed. Our contactless society feeds aloneness, even in a crowd.

Let’s together do what we can in our small corner to connect with those behind closed doors. And if they won’t answer… that’s when you counter with direct help. Mental illness is a big thing that we can no longer sweep under the carpet and play hush-hush. Contact those trained to help.

Things To Do

Things we can do are:

  • Shut up and listen.
  • Pay attention. There is always a sign(s)
  • Check in on friends who go quiet or missing
  • Invade their privacy … but do it wisely, quietly and with caution
  • Be real. A genuine spirit can be felt just like the hypocritical ones
  • Don’t be afraid to ask “Are you okay?” It sounds simple but it’s the thing to do
  • Pray. It works. Ask for wisdom, guidance and that spirit of discernment

Here’s hoping this reflection motivates and inspires you to reach out to a friend or loved one today.

How are you coping in our contactless world? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

On Becoming An Author. 7 Steps To Success…

We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.

Anais Nin

Becoming a published Author involves nothing but interest and writing. Connect with an agent if you wish to go the traditional route. Interested in being self-published? Here are 7 basic steps to to get you going.

  1. Write. Write. Write. If you don’t write you have nothing to publish
  2. Invest in an Editor. Publish quality work. Nothing turns off readers more than errors in published work. Even if you are a great writer, you are too close to your work. Get it edited.
  3. Book Cover Design. Invest in a Professional Cover design. You can do it yourself but hey, come on. Again this is an issue of quality which increases your selling power (or need I say, the lack thereof)?
  4. Get an ISBN. Needed as a unique identifier for your book. Free ones available but… you get what you ‘pay’ for.
  5. Price it. Decide on your price. Consider books in your genre etc.
  6. Get Your Book Reviewed. People buy based on other’s impression right? So get your book reviewed by bloggers, friends, foe? yikes!
  7. Launch it. Market it. Here’s where the fun begins! It’s not a secret. Market it. Get the word out!

Need help? Let’s connect.

Happy Writing!

24 Inspiring Success Quotes For New Entrepreneurs…

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

As life evolves, keep up. ~Patricia Chin

I had the pleasure of sitting in on an intimate conversation with Reggae Music’s Matriarch Patricia Chin in an interview with G. Cole, as she celebrated 40 years of founding VP Records. She has promoted and released music for renowned artists the likes of Shaggy, Sean Paul, Beenie Man, Beres Hammond, Taurus Riley, Romain Virgo, Etana, Elephant Man, Morgan Heritage, Lady Saw, Freddie McGregor, Dennis Brown and many more. Taking Reggae music from unknown to where it is today, she shared tips on how entrepreneurs and goal-seekers can achieve Success in today’s fast changing world. Here I share 24 of my personal faves:

24 Inspiring Tips For New Entrepreneurs

  1. As life evolves, keep up. There’s opportunity for everyone.
  2. Think outside the box – do what others aren’t doing
  3. Always think of new ideas
  4. Get into the full circle of business 
  5. Listen to…

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