Career 01 (Sep 08 - Mar 10)

[kennynah]

better dont have business card at all...

[sidney]

I was wondering abt the from professional to chef idea. Use back Maslow to explain. Be Chef would be their "self actualization" stage, whereas their previous high flying job provides them sufficient income not to worry abt their basic needs in monetary terms, therefore, food, shelter and safety is taken care of. Just as what Aspellian explains also.

[kennynah]

these had beens, some probably got fired or sacked, too expensive to be rehired, too big an ego to accept lower pay, lower echelon job roles,.....chef...convenient solution....
this is the other possibility....in maslow's hierarchy, it is into the lowest level...a level of need to survive...

as usual, just an alternative view on an unimportant subject....hahaha...so, bird talk here..

[sidney]

I got it from my friendster blog i wrote last yr.

Identity or freedom
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007
Job or money?

Identity or freedom?

I sometimes wonder what i seek. Sometimes i think i found it; sometime no.

Sometimes i’m content; sometimes really sick of it.

I knew if what we does does not come from the heart, seldom we can last. I think i had reached the end for learning. Job to me, i realised, isn’t a safe harbour for identity. What i’ve earned, although much more than in the past, make me wana burst out laughing as i’ve realised, its not how much we earn but how much we can retain that matters.

This is one job i dun regret; but i feel ready to let go anytime now. If its identity, then i’m seeking for all the wrong reasons. If its money, then its a bigger joke. I do learnt alot of things though. These lessons were precious wherever i go.

Now
In retrospect, I realised if i do not have job, there goes my identity for sure. Money always in short supply. That time i wrote, i still have money in the bank; when i realise money do dry up if we dun work and keep on consumming. Guess what? I wake up one dae, type resume and determine to find my identity and smell of paycheck. Soon enough... I'm back to work. lol

As for freedom.. when i'm at hm slacking bumming around when i should be working ploughing for my future, i feel no peace of mind anyway.

[winston]

My peak career position in life would be printed "rich bum" on my business card:)

Actually, the very rich bum dont have any titles etc. on their business card.

It just has their name. That's it. Once you have arrived, you dont really need titles..

[iam802]

hey...then I must be a "rich bum". There is no title on my business card.

[winston]

The OSREAR Success Technique By Bob Cox

One of the best ways to accomplish a big project is to get advice from people you respect. But it's not always easy to go up to a boss or mentor and ask for their ideas. So I've developed a technique that can help. I call it the OSREAR Success Technique.

Make it easy for your boss or mentor to help you by breaking down your problem into four parts:

O - the Overview. Start off by writing out "the big picture," the general problem you are trying to solve. Keep it to one or two sentences.

S - the Snapshot. Outline what's been done to date to solve the problem. Again, keep it to a few sentences.

RE - the Result Expected. What are you trying to achieve?

AR - the Actual Result. What happened? Where are you now?

When you have finished, you will have defined the problem and your attempts at solving it in a clear, easy-to-understand manner. You can then present this list to others when asking for their assistance.

You've made your problem so clear that it should be very easy for them to offer you advice. Once you've collected a few suggestions from people you trust, you can develop a plan of action and tackle your problem head-on.

[kennynah]

how about this IASETR method :

I - It. meaning this acronym

A - Ain't. alternative to mean "isn't"

S - So.

E- Easy

T - To

R - Remember

[winston]

BACKSTABBERS LOSE© Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
www.OptimizeInstitute.com
www.WorkplacePeopleSkills.com

Whatever are people thinking when they are two-faced? Are they really thinking that people are stupid and can't see the forest for the trees?

When meetings take place surreptitiously, behind closed doors and blinds, suspicion builds. I was working with a finance department for a major agency. The director was well-known...and feared...for her supposed 'open door' policy. Loudly she proclaimed that anyone at any time was welcome to come and speak with her in her office. She declared that she wanted open communication and everyone feeling able to talk with her. Sounds great. So, what was the problem?

When a brave person would muster up his or her courage and take her at her word, it was likely that, in moments, the yelling voice of the director could be heard throughout the department, complete with language suitable for a gutter! Oh, but that was not all. Seconds later, the door of her office would slam shut and the blinds would snap. The hopeful employee trapped inside. And, the abuse would continue.

When I was brought in to act as consultant, trainer and coach, my task was to create a functioning team from these nine people. One screamer, three middle managers living on tenterhooks and five subordinates afraid to speak or step sideways. Whew! You can believe that there were many days that those folks seriously considered sick leave!

People enjoy power. Some people abuse power. And, they do it from fear. No one needs to abuse power when they feel secure, when they know they are competent and capable, when they have nothing to prove.

Some people feel they have to stomp on and mess with folks in order to get a promotion. In some dysfunctional businesses, this is true. I was recently working with an executive coaching client who had a boss who wanted harmony at any price. He was petrified of managing conflict in his office. My client was bringing in great clients, with their money, but her subordinate
did not like her. The boss, in his wisdom, decided to release my client rather than deal with the underhanded and in-her-face behavior of the subordinate. All in the name of peace. Strange things happen in the corporate world sometimes.

Of course, the opposite could also happen. The person who brings in the most money could be allowed to trample over the subordinates because the bottom line is more important than respect.

A reader wrote to me about a director who plays power games. This woman calls meetings at inconvenient times and invites her favorites along. This requires folks to shift priorities, upset family plans and give up weekends just to satisfy this woman's whims. But she takes the abuse of power to a whole new level. Once everyone has changed their plans to accommodate her,
she changes her mind, changes the meeting time, and the shifting begins again. What an incredibly insecure woman!

Backstabbing, gossiping, greed and power games are a sign of an unhealthy organization. Worse, though, those who engage in these things are wasting vital energy and making themselves miserable. You might think that eliminating these things will eliminate you from the promotion ranks. You might think that I 'don't understand how the game is played'. Believe me, I do. My question to you is "Are you willing to give up your integrity and peace of mind on a daily basis in order to play into someone else's misguided power games?" What is the real prize?

Yes, I know, you need the pay check. We all do need to be able to earn our keep. How about this, though? How about you behave in integrity with your values and refuse to play? Wouldn't that feel better? Would you enjoy each day more? And, eventually, folks will get the message.

Here are a few tips for you:

BE THE APPRECIATOR

Mention the things you appreciate. Comment on the things you like. Discuss what you prefer.

William James, the father of psychology, said, "The deepest craving of the human nature is the need to be appreciated." Appreciation is cost-free. Move the things you like forward by talking about them. It takes almost no effort to find something you appreciate about each person you know. Just give voice to it. Guess what? You'll be appreciated.


NEVER SAY ANYTHING YOU DON'T WANT TO BE TRUE

Wow! This one can change the face of the planet, let alone the culture of your workplace. Speak only about what you want to see happen, what would improve things. Focus on the positive and give voice to it.

No, this is not Pollyanna thinking. That's why I wrote the book, 'What You Pay Attention to Expands'--because it is true. How much energy do you lose when you engage in the 'poor me' and 'ain't is awful' conversations? You're doing it to yourself.

I'll bet you would not list gossip, backstabbing or negativity as one of the desirable values you hold dear . But, are you behaving as though that were true? Remember, your behavior is your belief and there is no way around that one!


BE PRO-ACTIVE

First rule of change: Be the change you want to see in the world. That's what Gandhi said and I believe it is paramount. How many people expect behaviors from others that they are not demonstrating themselves?

Talk about what you want to create. Keep the buzz going about what is possible. Influence the culture of your workplace with your presence. Be strong. Be the voice for fair play and reason.

Would that person who calls those meetings that inconvenience everyone be happy if it happened to her? No, she would be the first to complain. Would the person who runs to you with the latest gossip be thrilled to be the topic of conversation tomorrow morning? No, he would be outraged and declare it unfair. Would the backstabber cry when stabbed? Louder than
anyone.

Stop this nonsense. Just stop it. Refuse to play. It will soon end the game and, if not the whole game, it will end the game around you.

I'm not talking about being a wuss, a doormat or a snob. This is about being in integrity with what you value, with being the person you most want to be. Use your energy, time and resources in ways that make you feel good every day. After all, it is your quality of life you're creating!

There are risks. You may be happier. People may gravitate towards you and want to play on your team. You may become a leader and have the opportunity to demonstrate a better way of doing things.

Of course, there are other risks. You may be seen as different and no fun at all. Some folks don't like people to rain on their pity parties! Or, you may catch the eye of the offender in power. Guess what? You'll be the one who is promulgating positivity. You'll be the one showing that there is another, a better way, to make it through the work day. And, they just may
want you on their team. Why? Because you are easy to be around.

OK, now, do the math. You're easy to be around while sharing what's possible for the team, department or company. That has to be attractive. Hang in. Backstabbers lose every day. Not only will you be winning every day personally, you very well may win the day. Be a shift shaper!

[millionairemind]

Other than good looks, I followed a BBC documentary several years ago that proved that taller men earn more than average height men. Ever noticed that most CEOs of Fortune 500 companies are above 6 feet tall?

Do Pretty People Earn More?
Looks Do Matter at Work
By CareerBuilder.com
You know the woman -- the one who could wear a paper bag to a board meeting and still manage to look both beautiful and perfectly professional. As if it weren't annoying enough that she maintains her obnoxiously flat abs by lifting doughnuts to her mouth, it turns out your gorgeous co-worker may also be out-earning her less genetically-blessed colleagues.

Good looks can have a real impact on workers' bank accounts, according to research by Daniel Hamermesh and Jeff Biddle published in the Journal of Labor Economics. Attractive people earn about 5 percent more in hourly pay than their average-looking colleagues, who in turn earn 9 percent more per hour than the plainest-looking workers. This means if an average-looking person earned $40,000, their prettiest co-workers would make $42,000 while their least attractive colleagues brought home just $36,400. Plain-looking workers may also receive fewer promotions than those awarded to their more striking contemporaries.

Steven D. Spitz, D.M.D. and owner of cosmetic dentistry firm Smile Boston, said he once had a client who wanted his assistant to get veneers, and was even willing to pay for the dental work -- as long as the assistant asked for it. "He said this was a woman who was really good at her job and he was moving up (within the organization), but he couldn't take her with him because her teeth were so bad," Spitz said. The assistant never came in for the dental work, and Spitz said he didn't know what became of her career.

Are pretty people just more talented?

It remains uncertain whether the handsomest people translate their good looks into higher productivity, but students do consistently give better-looking professors higher evaluations than they give their less comely teachers, according to research by Hamermesh and Amy Parker at the University of Texas in Austin. Still, many experts warn against assigning too much value to beauty in the workplace, arguing that even if your good looks do get you in the door, they may not get you much farther.

"A person can be breathtaking in person and destroy that within the first five minutes by acting in a way that seems superior or behaving in a way that is lewd or provocative," said Francie Dalton, President of Dalton Alliances Inc., a consulting practice providing executive coaching to C-level clients. "Although I very firmly believe that looks are the first thing one notices, I am not convinced that looks trump things like competencies, interpersonal skills and other factors," she said.

Richard St. John, author of "Stupid, Ugly, Unlucky, and RICH," says he's so unconvinced of the connection between good looks and competence, he often chooses to hire the "visual underdog." "I'm not saying looks won't help you be successful at getting a date," St. John said. "I'm saying looks won't help you be successful in other areas of life."

Unfair, but legal

Unlike religion, national origin or disability, discrimination based on looks is legal in most jurisdictions, said James McDonald, Jr., managing partner of the Irvine office of employment law firm Fisher & Phillips LLP. Washington, D.C. and Santa Cruz, Calif. are two of the only municipalities with laws explicitly protecting workers against discrimination based on physical characteristics or personal appearance, he said. Still, that hasn't stopped workers from launching unsuccessful lawsuits.

Fortunately, there's -- literally -- more to attractiveness than meets the eye. Researchers Markus Mobius and Tanya Rosenblat found that confidence makes up 20 percent of perceived attractiveness. To ensure the image you're portraying is a confident one, be sure your posture doesn't betray your nervousness. Keep your back straight, head high and make eye contact with your associates.