The Rules to a Successful Career

The Rules to a Successful Career: Learn the dos and don’ts of engaging in a successful career path.

Personal Branding

• Building an image is the start to your career path
• You can initially destroy this image if you do not make yourself aware of the items
• Behave like a CEO

How to present yourself

• Keep your personal style but keep it classy
• Appropriate attire and accessories
• Personal Grooming
• Post night out presence

Presenting yourself in a meeting: making a stance, or giving your opinion

• How to say a few words with a powerful meaning, speaking with confidence
• Confidence in your stance and your appearance but not coming across as unapproachable
• SMILE

Taking and handling criticism

• How to ask for solicited criticism
• Taking the emotion out of it
• When its constructive or not

Teamwork: How to be a team player in a world where you are trying to get ahead

• Unfair and unbalanced teamwork
• Collaboration
• Project debrief- what worked? What didn’t? This is a positive way to provide feedback and correct the problem

Conflict Resolution

• Never assume. Jumping to conclusions. Hear all sides and think it through
• Always put yourself in other’s shoes
• Communication, communication, communication
• LISTEN!

How to be a step ahead of your competition

• Professional development
• Mentorship, coaching, sponsorship

Leadership

• How to be a leader. It’s not a title it’s a state of being. Act like a leader
• Leadership is taking control in situations. In helping to progress to a resolution

Lead by example. Be the person that sets the bar. Do the right thing.


Key Books to Read

• 5 Temptations of a CEO, Patrick Lencioni
• 4 Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive, Patrick Lencioni
• Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, Marilee G. Adams
• The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way your Lead Forever, Michael Bungay Stanier

A Synopsis of the book “The Power of Purpose: How to Create the Life You Always Wanted"

Change is never easy and as you mentally challenge yourself to think differently and adapt new systems and ideas -- your #1 challenge will be dealing with yourself. It is important that you learn to manage your mindset as it relates to managing change. This book by Les Brown focuses on dealing with our own fear of change. As Franklin D. Roosevelt stated, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself.” Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. The person who hasn’t made mistakes hasn’t accomplished anything. Have a YES, I can attitude and NO, I can’t aptitude. Continue to upgrade your skills and manage your fears by writing down the worst-case scenario and then tackling each of those fears. Keep your energy positive and only surround yourself with positive people that will fuel your desires.

Les gives a great analogy of a young man that was terrified of this big, scary dog. Every time he walked by the house, the dog terrified and paralyzed him. One day, the dog got loose and began chasing him. He ran as hard and fast as he could to get away from the dog. He finally decided to just stop running and face his fear. When he turned around and saw the barking, drooling and terrifying dog approach him, he realized that the dog had no teeth. The whole time he was afraid of a toothless dog. Many times, we fear that toothless dog.

Les discusses dealing with change by not sweating the small stuff because at the end of the day, it is all small stuff. We are all the directors of our own movie. The movie you are in right now has been created by your thoughts, your beliefs, and your actions -- you as the star and director can control your script.

-Bellaria Jimenez

Getting Plugged in After Moving to a New Area

Moving to a new city or state can be difficult when you don’t know anyone. In 2015, I left Richmond, Virginia, the place I lived in for 26 years – where my family and friends were – and moved to New Jersey. I spent two years in New Jersey before moving to Albany, New York. Three states in two years is a lot of moving and makes for a fun time when filing your taxes (ha!)

I knew no one when I moved to New Jersey or New York and my significant other’s schedule is ever-changing shift work, resulting in a lot of alone time. I wanted to make friends and get involved in my new area after each move. In Richmond, I left behind a great running group and knew that would be a good starting point after moving. I went to the Road Runners Club of America’s website and searched for a running group in the area, joined, went to their weekly runs, monthly happy hours, and trained with them for the NYC marathon in 2016. To this day, I keep in touch with that training group through social media. I did the same thing when I moved to New York, this time, plugging in with a running group affiliated with a local running store and am currently training for my third marathon – something I would not have done on my own.

Professionally, I joined an organization for women in the insurance and financial services industry (WIFS), where I was on the Event Committee and held the role of Treasurer last year. My company is very involved in the community and we have a few Volunteer Days throughout the year, which is always rewarding.

“In order to have a friend, you need to be one.” Social media has made it easy to get involved – you just have to be willing to put yourself out there. Facebook lists upcoming events in the area, there are apps such as Meetup and Nearify, and in both of my cases, the cities I moved to have a local website with upcoming events. In February, I hosted a “Galentines” get together, inviting women though a fitness Facebook group. Thirteen ladies showed up to my house with healthy snacks and flowers and we assembled our own bouquets at the Bouquet Bar. It was so much fun, and I knew none of them 10 months prior. Use your skill set, get creative, and have fun with it! It can help you with networking and just meeting new people in general!

With St. Patrick’s Day this weekend, I challenge you to get involved in your community in a way you normally wouldn’t.

• Is your town hosting a 5k? Run or walk it and ask a friend to join you!
• Is your town having a parade or Irish festival? Attend!
• Host a brunch! Irish Soda Scones |  Irish Coffee | Scrambled Eggs with Spinach Puree | Hashed Browns

Source

-Carrie Souleret