1. First and most important, decide exactly what you want to do.
Many people network with the wrong people because they have not figured out what they want to do.
2. Network with people who are doing exactly what you want to do.
Many people waste their time on social networks with people ... Views: 1305
The mid-life crisis occurs for a reason
Up until about 40, we spend our lives building, collecting, acquiring. We do our best despite in some cases our upbringing, society pressures and our economic conditions. Around 40, however, life starts to take on new meaning. Usually this is a result ... Views: 4067
Let's start with some definitions
First let's define the difference between right work and wrong work. Wrong work is work which you don't enjoy. The work feels stifling and constraining. Having wrong work you don't look forward to going there every day. You secretly hope some crisis occurs so ... Views: 1174
Take a new approach
Right now millions of Americans are either out of work, recently laid off, or afraid of being laid off. There are millions more, who simply work at jobs, which provide no meaning. They work only in order to get a paycheck.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself
Society ... Views: 1358
Let’s face it: Most people spend way too much money on things they don’t really need. The more money we make, the more we tend to spend. This endless cycle of materialism has led many people to confuse the word “need” with the word “want.” As in, “we need a big-screen TV for our new home ... Views: 14521
Managing and coaching is different
Think of the best coach you ever had, either at work or outside of work. What did the coach do that was effective? How did the coach interact with you? What kinds of things did the coach help you to achieve? Now think of the best manager you ever had at ... Views: 5395
What is happiness?
In many ways happiness is very subjective and judged differently by each person. My observation is that people are most happy when they feel in control of their life. Much of one’s life occurs at work thus happiness at work is an important factor to consider. Many factors ... Views: 2496
What is a system?
A system is comprised of many processes. These processes have ins and outs. Processes have starts and stops. They can be mature, or developing. Some of them work smooth and some have multiple broken links. It can be helpful to look upon management work as running a complex ... Views: 1403
Are you over 40?
Good. Then you won't need permission from your parents to read this article. If you are under 40, I give you permission now! I would guess if you are over 40 you have begun to question your life and your work. Good. This is normal and healthy. Perhaps you have also started ... Views: 1174
Labels at work
It can be easy as a manager to label people as bad or good performers. This performance labeling tends to be a convenient way to quickly categorize people. It is efficient for human resources. Once labeled, people can be given promotions or demotions, merit or punitive action, ... Views: 1569
Vision and structure
To be a strong leader takes a compelling vision for people. It also requires an ability to set up goals and follow-up on it. In addition to this, to enable great things through people, it takes a softer side, a caring side. That is what you call coaching. Focused on ... Views: 1421
Employee recognition
Does this sound familiar? It’s a Friday and another day at the office. Today is employee recognition day. As usual once a month the department manager gathers the whole group for a one hour meeting. Employees come to the faceless conference room and await the monthly ... Views: 1859
Meet Kyle
Kyle is 42 years old, married with two small children 12 and 10. Kyle has worked the last 16 years in the financial services industry. Through hard work and long hours he is now a director at his firm making $125,000 a year. He leaves his house daily at 6:15 a.m. to get to his ... Views: 1146
Most people are good at being unhappy at work
There are so many people who are already unhappy at their work. So probably I don't need to teach them since they are already so good at this. But for those who want to change bad habits a reminder sometimes is a good idea.
1 Work for JUST the ... Views: 2057
The culture treats people as commodities
I see it everywhere - people working in jobs which carry little meaning and provide little support for personal development. Worst, the culture treats people as commodities. Performance review systems, manager-employee meetings, and even rewards are ... Views: 7025
Why many teams don’t work well together
Have you ever wondered why the team that you were on didn’t work very well together?
Many teams originally were set up to fail. In sports, you build teams from individuals with best achievements. In business, we hear many times, the sports analogy ... Views: 1837
What is self-awareness?
This is unknown territory for many. In school we are seldom taught to do deep reflection. As we get older and become adults we get caught in the cycle of productivity and consumption. As a result self reflection becomes something to be avoided so as not to slow one ... Views: 10866
Why big changes are important when feeling stuck
Do you feel stuck in your life now? Feeling stuck can be a result of many factors. It can be financial problems, loss of job, loneliness, boredom, or just a sense of angst about your life and direction. It might be that your days are busy, and ... Views: 11648
What is joy?
It's activities which make you feel good, happy, cheerful ,positive and content. Only you are the judge of joy and what the experience is like, especially when it comes to work.
Why is joy important at work?
We spend the majority of the time in our lives working. Isn't this ... Views: 1060
What causes management problems at work?
Anything but a system
Many management systems are anything but a system. These organizations are a collection of people, habits, different behaviors and expectations. Management is driven largely by external behavior (The bigger boss) and ... Views: 1902
I get asked a lot what it is like to live a self-described authentic life filled with happiness, joy, fulfillment, and a sense of making a contribution. So with this article I decided to share what I do. Try out these steps for yourself and you will also see an emerging life which works better ... Views: 1288
In mid-life, many of us are unfulfilled in our lives and careers. We have a deep longing for change. We often feel that we’ve waited too long to pursue our dreams, and believe that we have no choice but to settle for our current lot in life. Choosing how to fill such a deep void is no small ... Views: 705
The most common financial mistakes managers make
In many organizations managers are not taught how to manage their budgets. In some cases managers are given budget responsibility but not budget authority. In these organizations it takes 5 levels of signatures to get a few hundred dollars ... Views: 1196
Have you ever asked yourself if you are living the life you were meant to live?
Have you ever asked yourself, as you pondered your life, is this all there is?
These are great questions to ask when you reach forty and beyond.
Who Needs an authentic life?
If you are satisfied with the status quo ... Views: 881
How does one ask better questions after 40? This is not an easy task. Normally, by this point of life, we have established our routine of life. We have jobs whether we like them or not and relationships whether we like them or not. As a result of this, to make a big change seems impossible if ... Views: 1129
Labels at work
It can be easy as a manager to label people as bad or good performers. This performance labeling tends to be a convenient way to quickly categorize people. It is efficient for human resources. Once labeled, people can be given promotions or demotions, merit or punitive action, ... Views: 2473
Coaching the vocation of mid-life
by Milt Bullard - Correspondent
Posted on October 21, 2005 http://www.brentwoodpress.com/html/bwdhome.htm
Since moving here last July, one thing Craig Nathanson has noticed is “the 10,000 people commuting out of Brentwood down Vasco Road to miserable jobs.” It ... Views: 918
Failure to communicate
Failure in communication is the biggest problem of management. When this occurs, it affects everything. Overall performance of people decreases, goals are not clear, people build incorrect assumptions, and relationships at work suffer. Especially during challenging ... Views: 1587
Why the search for perfect work is important!
First, because no one will ever walk up to you in your current job and ask you! Your family members won’t ask you because change can be threatening. This is a question you must ask yourself. Work impacts our sense of self, our self-esteem and our ... Views: 1118
What does it mean to work virtually?
You work on your own away from others. While you might have contact with others via phone, email, and these days Skype you are alone in your work environment. You may or may not have a set schedule depending on whether you work for others or not. You will ... Views: 907
It seems all the news is bad these days — jobs are being lost; retirement is in jeopardy for millions — and no end in sight!
But did you know? This is good news for those over 40!
Sometimes we need a crisis to finally make positive changes in our lives. When it comes to changing ... Views: 975
Step One: Envision exactly what would be just perfect for you!
Many people stop on this first step by their negativity. But no one is going to do this except you. Take some time and create a picture in your mind of the work which would be just perfect for you. Is it working in the health ... Views: 1324
Finding Your Place in the World
Mid-life is a great time to lean on your dreams
This is the fifth article in a ten-part series, based on Craig Nathanson's trademark "Ten P" model for vocational happiness.
By Craig Nathanson
The Vocational Coach™
Dream, dream, dream
I used to daydream a lot ... Views: 4016
There’s a famous song lyric that asks: “Is that all there is?” Every seven seconds, an American turns 50 years old. So there’s a good chance that song is running through some of their heads.
The question captures the ennui that many people feel in mid-life. They look up at the clock, see it ... Views: 866
Early one morning, Robert awoke, made his wife of 41 years some banana bread, took out the garbage and called to cancel a doctors appointment scheduled for the next day. He wrote a note to remind his wife to pick up the dry cleaning. All things considered, it seemed like a normal day.
Robert ... Views: 1042
People work to live, but most also live to work. A study on the meaning of work conducted back in 1987 revealed a strong attachment to work as a way of life. The study found that 86 percent of people would continue working even if they had enough money never to work another day. There could be ... Views: 834
Why hire in the first place?
Any employer hires for the same reason, they have a problem which needs to be fixed. When hiring, the best manager looks at three following factors: if the person has the ability to do the role, if the person has motivation to do the role, and if the person fits ... Views: 1265
How do you discover and live your passion?
This is the seventh article in a ten-part series based on Craig Nathanson's trademark "Ten P" model for vocational happiness.
By Craig Nathanson
The Vocational Coach™
This is a question we all want to answer…
…especially in mid-life where ... Views: 2672
Faith Shades did all the right things—all the things society expected. She attended law school, was involved in television and news production and was a top producing real estate agent.
Suddenly one day a new perspective emerged about her life and what she really wanted.
Today, Faith is the ... Views: 1444
Hank Bochenski’s story proves it is never too late to walk away from a life you feel trapped in and do something that you really love.
Hank spent 30 years in demanding senior positions at large high-tech companies. By the time he went home each day, he felt like all the blood had been drained ... Views: 835
What the audience needs
Did you ever give a presentation to a professional audience and think to yourself, what a boring audience. They didn’t ask questions, and they didn’t show any visible response.
Well, it is probably not their fault. Most people come to professional or technical ... Views: 1055
Do I have to change who I am to do what I love?
The answer is yes. When you go from one lackluster job to another one, not much personal change is needed. However, when you go from “just a job” to a vocation—that is, doing what you love—it does require a change. It ... Views: 762
Struggling with life transition?
This happens to many of us. This can be a result of many factors such as a job loss, a death in the family, a divorce, a financial crisis, or just a sense of feeling empty and unsure what to do next with your life. During this time, it is important to get ... Views: 1268
After 40, this is the most important pursuit in your life.
After 40, we start having less tolerance for an empty life. The routine starts to drag on us and we start thinking of what we should do with our life. This is a good thing. The most questioning starts with our work where we spend the ... Views: 1090
The importance of the RIGHT relationship
What happens to you when you have someone close in your life that you love and who loves you? Of course there are children, but in this article I am going to address your special relationship. It could be a spouse, partner, boyfriend, girlfriend or ... Views: 1073
There are too many examples of the lack of integrity today in management. If you wish to be a manager who gets great results with people, focusing on your integrity is a good place to start.
What is integrity?
Many people discuss integrity but may not understand it completely.
Let’s start ... Views: 1036
How do you define success?
If you are like most people, your definition of success is based on external factors. A nice house, perfect children, a trophy wife or husband, nice vacations, lots of material things, and of course, a great big salary.
What price will you pay for external ... Views: 653
A challenging time
This is a year of financial turmoil in which millions of people around the world have seen their retirement nest eggs shrink, and their houses decrease in value. For many, a generalized anxiety about their future keeps them up at night.
While I can appreciate this current ... Views: 817
People gain their self-esteem from their work
Work takes up the majority of one's life. The contributions we make, the feedback we receive, the new opportunities – all contribute to our self-esteem. When people feel good about their work, they communicate better, establish better working ... Views: 1088
Meet Joe. He’s a middle-aged bridge toll-taker in the San Francisco Bay Area. In a recent interview, Joe said he loves the role he has filled for the last 12 years. The job suits his purpose. He said: “If I can help someone start their day off right in the few seconds when they are handing me ... Views: 779