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!

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…

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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!

Out There Without Fear: Culture And Dance Anthropology …

Out there without fear

Joelle Powe

Culture. Dance. Dancehall Music

Culture. Dance. Dancehall music. The Study? How does that connect? Curious, I reached out to young 23-year-old filmmaker, Joelle Powe. She shared the intriguing story of her own curiosity that led to her Anthropological Journey through Culture and Dance. A journey of success which exposed her globally to becoming a documentarian. Even before then, she was recognized in Washington DC for her work done in the Caribbean and globally.

Listen to the interesting and delightful conversation. No doubt it will motivate and inspire you.

Thoughts? Do share. We would love to hear.

Cheers!

6 Powerful Women In Reggae Speak…

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

From Tanzania, Jamaica, and across the United States, 6 powerful women in reggae shared their thoughts on women singing, songwriting and the associated struggles of survival in a predominantly male role.

It was a such joy to cohost the event with artistes Marcia Griffiths, Carlene Davis, Jah9, Naomi Cowan, and Etana as we celebrated the occasion of VP Records Miss Pat’s new book. Thanks Dr. Claire Nelson, white-house champion of change and Founder of the Institute of CAribbean Studies, Washington DC

Missed it? Listen here

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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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7 Books Every Writer Should Read…

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Readers make writers and writers make readers 
~ Carl McKever

Writers write for many different reasons. Never Meaningless, the reasons are specific to each writer. Naturally writing for ordinary work as in preparing policies, reports, or memos differs from the writing writers do, which often is for their own satisfaction. Some writers write poetry. Some write short stories that ignite passion, joy, or pleasure as in fiction writers. Others write non-fiction sharing their own true stories, those of a loved one, or some about topics they care about as in Success. Whatever your reason for writing it makes sense to read a lot in order to write with finesse that satisfies yourself or your audience.

7 Books To Strengthen Writing

Here are 7 books that will help to strengthen your craft:

  1. Elements of Style by William Strunk, Jr.
  2. Working People Talk About What They do All Day by Studs Terkel

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Binge-Watching For Personal Growth. 9 Must-See…

Dr. Shelly's avatarSuccess Strategies

People are hungry for something Different

Miles Millar

Binge Watching is the practice of watching multiple episodes of a television program in rapid succession, typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming.

Dictionary.com

Patty’s text excitedly read “hey, I’m here binge watching your YouTube videos”. Hmmm an untapped medium, I thought about it and decided to share a few of the top videos. Below are 9 listed and shown below for your convenience. Go grab a snack and tune in. Build your personal growth as a writer, leader, new entrepreneur and more.

Happy watching!

  1. A Conversation With Reggae Music Matriarch Pat Chin On Overcoming Barriers As A Woman In Business
  2. 15 Leadership Traits
  3. Get Unstuck. A Literary Conversation with Lawyer Turned Author Meg Nocero
  4. Authors Of Color Books, Literary Hooks And Nooks
  5. LIVE Interview with Journalist Grace. How She took The Step From Career To Entrepreneur
  6. Simply The Best Or…

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It’s August Goal-Seekers. Anything’s Possible With These Quick Tips…

It’s August. Anything’s Possible

Dr. Shelly c

It’s August. Way past mid-year. How are your Goals progressing? Go check the list and the strategies you wrote. Didn’t record them? Sad… because that’s the first step in your goals being manifested. But no fear, it’s never too late. Write them down now. Add strategies…you know… those ways to achieve them. Don’t forget to include deadlines to hold yourself accountable.

Connect With Your Network

Progress slowed? Pandemic in the way? Frustration aside, if you’re a writer, keep writing. Don’t stop. New entrepreneur? Keep plugging. Keep pushing. Build in that daily motivation and that resolve to never give up. You will get there.

Need to change that frustrating job? Don’t quit. Plan. Revisit and update your public profile (Resume, LinkedIn). Connect with your network. Get those leads. Don’t forget the traditional job search methods and applications but do combine it with networking. It’s one of the primary ways to get a job and other leads.

Dive into the book Ditch It Switch for help. Valuable tips included.

Need help? Let’s connect.

Cheers!

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