Will you be blossoming this spring? 6 ways to help you blossom

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month” (Henry Van Dyke, Fisherman’s Luck)

I am reminded of this, as the 21 March is ‘officially’ the first day of spring yet we have seen temperatures plummet, heavy snow fall and relentless wind. Like the weather, life can often be unpredictable and unexpected.

Sometimes we need reminding that we have it within us to find the solutions to the challenges that we are facing. By harnessing our strengths, our inner resources and drawing on our past experiences we can get through such events. Have self belief.

“O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?” (Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ode to the West Wind)

   “In the depth of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer” (Albert Camus)

Whatever the dark depths of winter held for you, the shadows that lingered, the disappointments and despair, spring brings hope and light after darkness.

The snow will melt, the buds will emerge, the grass will grow, the sun will bring warm sunshine. The bulbs which have laid dormant, endured the hard ground and the freezing temperatures will burst forth showing their vibrant colourful flowers.

Likewise, this can be a time for new beginnings, so show yourself some compassion, forgive yourself and others and move on. You have weathered the worst. The best is yet to come.

“And I, what fountain of fire am I among, This leaping combustion of spring?” (D. H. Lawrence, The Enkindled Spring)

As we come out of our hibernation and slumber, spring brings renewed energy into our lives. Soon the trees and flowers will be blossoming, the dawn chorus will be heard and the summer migrant birds will be returning.

Likewise, use some of your energy to develop, grow and let your authentic colours shine through. You will blossom.

6 simple ways to blossom

1. Slow down and be mindful

We live in a world of busyness and 24/7 communications at our fingertips. Life can pass us by and soon we are in our 40’s, 50’s and in our declining years and wondering what it was all about!

Declutter the mind from information overload and take a few minutes each day to sit and stare into space blankly, watch the sky, dream, listen to the silence / your breathing… Go outside, look up at the sky, marvel at what’s out there, listen to the birds….

You are part of something much bigger. Be mindful of what is around you: touch it, feel it, taste it, listen to it, experience it…

2. Do something different as often as possible

Come out of auto pilot and break that pattern. According to Alejandro Lleras, our brains register constant stimulation as unimportant, to the point where the brain erases it from our awareness.

Why not try something new for lunch/ dinner, take a different route home, walk down a different street, watch something else on TV, read a book that you would never dream of reading….

3. Stretch yourself

Take a small step outside your comfort zone and stretch yourself. It may be difficult, uncomfortable and you may not succeed or get it right first. Have self belief, persevere and keep going.

It is often through undertaking such acts and learning from failure that we develop resilience, grow and achieve some our greatest accomplishments. It helps to build our inner strength and resourcefulness to enable further positive coping.

4. Find new perspectives

In the words of Milton Erickson, “each person’s map of the world is as unique as their thumbprint.There are no two people alike…no two people who understand the same sentence the same way…so in dealing with people try not to fit them to your concept of what they should be”

Try to see things from other people’s perspectives. Put yourself in their shoes and understand where they are coming from and gain an insight into worlds.                        Strike up a conversation with someone who you don’t know that well and listen to their perspective and expand your worldview.

5. Take a break

Giving your mind and body a rest and time to recharge your mental batteries which will  improve your productivity, creativity and focus.                                                                    Taking time out from a familiar environment can help to bring new perspectives on everyday life.

Perhaps get away from where you live and spend some time at a place that you have not visited before. You are more likely to view your life back home with an objective, outsider’s perspective.

Take time out to reflect, gain clarity, examine your priorities and commitments and to connect with family and friends and those who matter to you.

6. Be generous and grateful

Reach out and help others – whether it is a listening ear, volunteering your time, getting involved in your local community… The more we do for others, the more rewarding, enriching and fulfilling our lives become. It also helps to build a network of connections, friendship and support – all of which will increase your well being.

Be grateful for what is present in your life. Take time out each day to appreciate what you have. It will bring you joy and you will begin to appreciate the simple things in life and those that matter to you.

What has helped you to blossom ? What tips can you share?

What small changes are you committed to making?

Connect with me on Twitter and LinkedIn

I will be following my own tips and returning to Guyana, where I spent the first decade of my life. Located on the north-eastern shoulder of South America, Guyana is the continent’s only English-speaking nation. It occupies an area the size of the UK  but with a population of .75m.

It is part of the ‘Guiana Shield’ which with the Amazon Basin forms the largest equatorial forest in the world. It has 4 mountain ranges, over 100 waterfalls, more than 1500 rivers, 18 lakes, home to more than 800 species of birds, 200 types of mammals…some of which I aim to see and  explore!

Life can be like a bowl of spaghetti: Making sense of midlife

It has been 6 weeks since my last blog post. I have had so much that I wanted to write about and whilst have mulled them over in my head have not managed to put fingers onto the keyboard.

I was very disappointed in myself that I couldn’t find the time to write which was used for other things that took priority.  This made me question my own expectations of myself which were unrealistic but also ‘what was taking my time up and why?’

My work commitments remain the same but my commitment and time for matters outside of ‘work’ (that generates an income) seem to have mushroomed.

I got to thinking that sometimes life can be like a bowl of spaghetti – all messy and tangled up. And why does this stage of my life seem more complicated and more about ‘me’ and ‘who I am’ and ‘what I am’?

In trying to untangle and make sense of the ‘why’ and find some meaning, I investigated some possible explanations of the things that may happen in midlife:

Striving for individuation

According to Jung (1971), the goals of the first half of life (age 35 to 40) is to make one’s way in the world and to become a specialist (for example in family, business, profession). In the second half of life, the goal is individuation – the process of becoming inwardly whole, discovering one’s true self, living a life aligned to one’s authentic self where your actions speak your purpose and your values mesh with your lifestyle

Gaining affirmation in society

The age of 40 marks the onset of the midlife transition following a period of questioning and exploration around work advancement, gaining affirmation in society, independence and seniority during the “becoming one’s own man” phase (Levinson et al 1987)

Increasing sense of self

Kolb (1984) categorises human development into three areas: acquisition, specialisation and integration. The middle era of specialisation is concerned with security and achievement and recognises this conflict with personal fulfilment.                                       The transition into the third era is about bringing this conflict into the open – a process that can be gradual or sudden. This results in a shift in the frame of reference that is used to experience and appraise one’s life. With an increasing sense of self, there is a sense of integration and wholeness.

Caring for others

Middle adulthood (35-65 years) is defined as a period of generativity versus stagnation. The former is the ability to look outside oneself and care for others (parenthood, in community and societal involvement), leaving a legacy to the next generation. Inability to accomplish generativity leads to self-absorption and stagnation ensues (Erikson 1980)

I can see some of the above in my own path which has shed some light and understanding on the possible meaning behind the ‘why.’

For the cynics, who may question, ‘Does this make a difference? Will it alter anything?’ Perhaps not but it is learning and adding to one’s worldview and perspective.

Our lives have many facets, all of which are intertwined and connected and sometimes can seem like a tangled mess – like a bowl of spaghetti!

Are you in midlife? How has your life changed? Does any of the above resonate with you? What would you add?   

Read more at:

Erikson, E.H. (1980). Identity and the life cycle: A reissue. New York: Norton

Jung, C.G. (1971) Stages of Life. In J. Campbell (Ed.) The portable Jung. New York: Penguin Books

Kolb, D. (1984) Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, N J: Prentice Hall

Levinson, D.J., Darrow, D.N., Klein, E.B., Levinson, M.H., and McKee, B. (1978) The seasons of a man’s life. New York: AA Knopf

Images: David Castillo Dominici at FreeDigitalPhotos; Flickr user Life’s a feast Gail Rast

I’m a professional coach (MA in Coaching & Mentoring) helping you to progress, make successful changes, be a more effective leader and communicator, improve your performance and team working.                                                                                                               I work with women who are advancing their careers and businesses, women who have left  employment to build profitable businesses AND develop teams and people within organisations through coaching, mentoring and leadership development programmes.

Connect with me on Twitter; LinkedIn; Join me in celebrating International Women’s Day

What stories are you telling to our future leaders?

Monday 21st of January was a particularly snowy day with 16 cm of the white stuff gently floating down to transform the landscape and cause the usual UK chaos.
As a result schools were closed and my two children took this opportunity to have some fun time in the snow. My eldest had crafted a snow figure and after work, I decided to spend some time with her and her creation.

Some props were used to create a story that contrasted against the backdrop of the pure white snow. The innocent figure was transformed into a sophisticated woman complete with a wig, beret and a scarf. And then we let our imagination run wild as we crafted and told the story of the LadyKiller….(you will have to imagine how that went…)

We humans have been telling stories since the beginning of time. Our lives are stitched together by stories. The stories we tell are the lives that we have led or are leading, the things that we have done or are involved in, the issues that are bothering us, the challenges that we are facing or have faced….

What stories have you been telling recently and to whom?

Stories can be used in any aspect of communication to create a journey of imagination in which transformations can happen.

This is also applicable to almost any aspect of leadership such as change, portraying your brand and values, influencing, unifying people towards a common vision, purpose or goal, imparting and sharing knowledge, motivating, inspiring…

When you tell a story that is powerful, authentic and which touches the listener on an emotional level, that story becomes memorable and will stay with the listener.

And for this reason, storytelling has a crucial role in developing future leaders. As a leader are you using your personal leadership stories to engage, develop and grow future leaders – be it in the workplace, in the community, in school, at home….?

If you are not telling stories, you are missing out on a great opportunity to utilise a highly effective medium for learning, engaging, opening dialogue, finding common ground… with the next generation of future leaders.

Stories that connect are those that include an element of challenge, hardship, unusual moments, learning through failure, showing some vulnerability, compassion…

Leadership happens in the context of our daily lives through our relationships with others and our everyday actions. This provides rich fodder for you to add to, develop and grow your leadership stories.

As you continue to learn, your stories become dynamic and evolving with your continued experiences.

This creates a supply of stories to tell and if you tell them well, you will have a captive audience who will  vicariously learn from what they are hearing and experiencing.

So next time you are involved with the younger generation (at work, at home, at play…) think about what stories you can share that will help to develop their leadership.

More on storytelling:

• Tips on developing your storytelling: using storytelling as a communication tool
• What can you learn about leadership from your elders?
• What stories are you telling?

How often do use storytelling as a communication tool? What stories have you been telling recently and to whom? What would help you to share your leadership story / journey?

I’m a professional coach (MA in Coaching & Mentoring) helping you to progress, make successful changes, be a more effective leader and communicator, improve your performance and team working. I specialise in working with leaders, teams and women through a blended approach of individual and team coaching, training, facilitation and action learning.

The tale of the red dress

Today I made a bold decision and updated my profile picture. It has taken about 6 months to finally change my ‘public face’! It is a step away the former  traditional image that I have used publicly.

Why so long?
I am now 46 years old and have never had the courage to wear red. It seems such a bold colour and one which to be honest I have never had the confidence to wear.

Whilst out shopping last year, by chance I came across a lovely red dress. I tried it on, it looked ok and I bought it.

I thought I would it wear at Coaches Connect, an event that I host which brings coaches  together to share good practice. I tried it on at home and my youngest response was ‘Mum, why are you wearing a dress like the lady from the Kellogg’s Special K adverts’? Are you hoping to lose some weight’! 

I don’t weigh myself, eat in moderation and most of the time healthily and exercise as often as I can.
Needless to say I didn’t wear it.

Roll on a few months and I took over the role of Chair of the Ilkley Business Forum . This meant that my picture often gets printed in the local newspaper. And I often get teased by my good friends for using the same photo and one which is over 5 years old.

Fast forward the end of 2012 and I met up with someone with whom I connected with on Twitter. From the photo I was expecting a 30 something year old with a full head of blond hair. Imagine my surprise when an older person aged late 40′s/ early 50′s with grey hair turned up. The look on my face must have been a give away!

I started to think why am I holding onto an old picture of myself? I have aged, my hair is longer, my head is sprouting these pesky grey hairs and my face is more wrinkled.

And why am I afraid to wear red?  My word for 2013 is ‘Bold’ and with that in mind I decided to be brave and contacted photographer Suzy Mitchell. Suzy’s images are in the moment, distinctive and captures the essence of who you are in a natural way. She has taken some memorable pictures of my family and my previous ‘professional picture’.

This is image that I chose and for weeks did nothing with as I kept mulling over…

• Do I look like a professional person?
• Should I have worn the traditional black and white?
• Should I have been less smiley?
• Should I have…

And that stopped me in my tracks…as a professional I am mindful of what others think of me and how I portray myself.

On the other hand, I am values driven, self-aware, live my life with purpose and try to be my true authentic self all the time, every time…I am confident and assured of who I am and what I am.

Is this much ado about nothing? I could always take another picture wearing black and white and looking seriously professional …..

What defines ‘professional looking’ and a ‘professional image’?

Is red a colour not suitable for work? 

Do people take you less seriously if you are not conforming to the traditional work image? 

About colours
There is a host of information and articles on the psychology of colour. A recent one was on the psychology of branding.
Whilst writing this, I undertook a ColorQuiz test which is free. Whilst taken with a pinch of salt it has summed me up very well

Images: Flickr users by Bienenwabe and evilgreg3000; Suzy Mitchell

I get knocked down, but I get up again

How do you get through a meeting when everything that you say is met with opposition?

This was the situation facing me last Friday. Later on this year, the community project that I am leading is putting on an ambitious event. We have aimed for stars, dreamt big, shifted mindsets and gathered support and momentum in making it happen. It is starting to take shape, there is energy and am feeling quite proud of what we have achieved so far.

And as I sat in front of a small group of people explaining our proposal it is met with continual opposition. For every sentence I uttered there was a negative response – ‘it wouldn’t work’, ‘something similar is already planned’, ‘you’ll struggle to get permission’….with a number of ‘I know this sounds negative but…’

Within a few minutes I went from elation to deflation and from being proud to feeling unworthy. I could literally feel the energy draining away from me. And as I told my story, argued my case, tried to engage them emotionally, I knew that it didn’t matter what I said, I would not get their approval and support. I maintained my composure, remained professional and tried to be rational and objective.

By the time I left, I knew that I had ‘lost’.

 For the rest of the day I struggled to focus due to the multitude of emotions that were surging through me – from anger and outrage to plotting exposure and revenge!

I could have quite happily carried on in this state though was sharply reminded of the words of Eckhart Tolle about ‘dwelling on a situation mentally’ and ‘carrying in your mind the insane burden of a hundred things that you will or may have to do in the future’

Using self coaching, 2 questions surfaced: ‘What do I need to focus my attention on right now? and ‘What action can I take ?’

So I:

•  Talked about it – I met up with a few friends for coffee, ‘blew off steam’, gained some fresh impartial perspectives and more importantly a sounding board which prevented me from taking some rash, knee jerk actions

• Reflected:

a) I did not do enough preparation and made assumptions – I am not into politics, local council, government…I don’t know much about what they do and how they do it….These people turned out to have powers that I didn’t even know existed!

b) More so, they had networks and connections that I have never heard of and this made them influential and powerful.

There was a lot of learning to be done and information to be gathered which I spent the evening doing - albeit too late!

•  Started to take action. Stephen Covey’s Circles of Control and Influence pops into my mind. What can I do to increase my circle of influence? I have become involved in the voluntary and community sectors and need to build my own influence and networks within them.                                                                                I have arranged to meet up with some influential people who I hope will become my advocates.

As I write this, I am reminded that when we are stretched, challenged and faced with obstacles, whilst finding them difficult, uncomfortable and sometimes painful, it is through such acts that we build our resilience, grow and develop. Bring it on!

What is your experience of such situations? How did you handle them?              What tips and advice can you share? 

Images by Flickr users nathangibbs, raz city, nick tomlinson

Song by Chumbawamba: I get knocked down, But I get up again, You’re never going to keep me down

I’m a professional coach (MA in Coaching & Mentoring) helping you to progress, make successful changes, be a more effective leader and communicator, improve your performance and team working. I specialise in working with leaders, teams and women through a blended approach of individual and team coaching, training, facilitation and action learning.

What stories are you telling ?

On the evening on the 21st December, the travelling crib came to our house.

The crib begins its journey on the 1st of December travelling to a different family’s home each night before returning to church on the evening of the 24th December for the Christingle service.

It’s a church tradition and has been a part  of my children’s lives for as long as they can remember.
What makes this travelling crib extra special was that the figures were made by their hands at the age of 5 and 8 years old. Back then we decided that we would make some new figures for the crib as the existing ones were worn and shabby.

Rather ambitiously, I had decided that instead of cardboard figures we would make them out of clay. Not being artistic or having worked with clay before, we enrolled as a family in a pottery course and spent several months making our figures for not one but 2 cribs!

As you can see, they are very rudimentary in every way, though that didn’t matter in their eyes. For them, they were able to recreate a magical story that happened thousands of years ago.

From the putting together of the stable, laying out the straw, hanging the star, positioning the figures, lighting the candle…they were able to bring that story to life and into their lives.

And over the past 8 years, the 2 travelling cribs have rested in hundreds of homes and been handled by hundreds of little fingers as they create their own stories through one that has passed through centuries.

That evening of the 21st December as we lit our candle not only did we reflect on the story of Christmas, but also of the time that we spent together making, shaping, painting…those figures.

Each year as the crib comes to our house those memories are resurfaced – the feeling of the wet clay through the fingers, of waiting impatiently for the clay to dry, of mixing colours to paint the figures, of trying to craft a sheep that looks less like dog and more like a sheep….

As I listened to them I became aware of the happy memories that they have of making them, of contributing to something that is shared by others and of how it has become part of their lives and probably a story that they will pass down to their own children.

It made me realise that we are the stories that we tell.  Stories are part of who we are, what we have done, are doing and become part of our identities and give meaning to our lives. The stories you tell is the life you that you are living or have lived.

As the new year approaches, be mindful of spending memorable moments with those who matter and engaging in activities to create stories that will last and be treasured and shared through the  generations.
May you have some powerful and wondrous stories to tell in 2013.

What  stories have you told recently ? What stories have you been a part of? What stories have you passed down to your children? 

Flickr by The Doctor & Missus

Connect with me on Twitter @verawoodhead and on LinkedIn

I’m a professional coach (MA in Coaching & Mentoring) helping you to progress, make successful changes, be a more effective leader and communicator, improve your performance and team working. I specialise in working with leaders, teams and women through a blended approach of individual and team coaching, training, facilitation and action learning

Wishing you a joyful Christmas

To my readers and connections: You have all in your own way enriched my conversations, perspectives and worldview.

I am grateful that you have been a part of my world in 2012 and hope that this will continue in 2013. Vera

Should the young be taught leadership?

I was heartened to read Jack Zenger’s HBR article ‘We Wait Too Long to Train Our Leaders’ as it echoes much of my own perspectives and beliefs.

I shared these in my blog ‘Everyday leadership’ where I posed a few questions around leadership becoming more mainstream, leadership in our everyday daily actions and introducing leadership in schools.

Leadership exists in every aspect of our daily lives through our relationships with others, how we interact, how we communicate, our response to situations, our behaviours and beliefs…Each of us has abundant opportunities 24/7 to demonstrate, practice and build on them.

If these opportunities exist why is it that they are not being taken advantaged of?

I wonder if this is about a lack of understanding and awareness or does the word ‘leadership’ have connotations which seem beyond everyday reach?

For me, the most obvious way for young people to learn about leadership is to see it being role modelled – in their homes, schools, clubs, in the public arena… Young children learn from the actions and behaviours of those around them.

How do ‘people’ learn and develop leadership behaviours and whose responsibility is it? Individuals parents, teachers, employers, government…?

As an individual and parent I believe that we should each take responsibility for the behaviours that we role model to those around us. While some of us may consciously choose to do this, for others it may not be something that they are even aware of.

Which poses the question ‘How do you raise this awareness ’?
To gain widespread awareness and change will require collaborative effort and large scale campaigns such as the Change4Life campaign, to name but a few things. And perhaps less Britain’s got Talent and more ‘Britain’s got Leadership’!

If leadership was on the curriculum in schools, how would it be taught? Discussing and highlighting theories and concepts are useful but limited unless students are given opportunities to put them to the test and practice them. Leadership is very much a journey and thus needs continuous practice.
Teachers will also need to reinforce such leadership behaviours. They can only do this if they themselves have gone through or are going through that leadership journey.

This goes back in full circle to my perspective of everyday leadership and at all levels – its courses through the entire organisation – be it a home, community,school, small business, large organisation or country!

Would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on this? Do you think leadership should be taught in schools? Do you consciously demonstrate leadership at home?

Image by creativedoxfoto at FreeDigitalPhotos

Do your New Year’s resolutions and intentions rarely make it past February? Making changes in your life, career, work?  BE BOLD  and join me.

Connect with me on Twitter @verawoodhead and on LinkedIn

Vera is a professional coach (MA in Coaching & Mentoring) helping you to progress, make successful changes, be a more effective leader and communicator, improve your performance and team working. She specialises in working with leaders, teams and women through a blended approach of individual and team coaching, training, facilitation and action learning

7 simple yet powerful ways to get the most out of your team

Do your staff just turn up to work, do what is required of them and then go home?

One of the challenges of leadership is to create an environment where people actually care about what happens in the business,  to the business and its success.

Imagine the impact on your business if all of your staff were working to their full potential and productivity. How can you achieve this and get your people to do their best every day?

Through your actions, behaviour and influence you can create an environment where people feel that they are valued, can contribute, do meaningful work and can see the results of their work.

Why?

These are the things that contribute to a happier workforce. Research shows that engaged happy employees are 47% (iOpener) and 43% (Hay Group) more productive. Companies with engaged workforce have profit margins that are three times higher than low scoring companies (Towers Watson).

An example of how engaged employees can impact the bottom can be seen in Lululemon which reported a near 50% jump in profit in Q2 of this year and saw revenue soar to nearly $283M, an increase of 33 per cent over Q2 2011.

Whether you run a business, lead a team or manage a group of staff, here are  7 simple yet powerful things that you can do to get the most out of your staff.

Share and engage

I am always amazed by how little employees know of their company’s strategy and purpose. Engage with your people so that they know where your organisation is heading and the ways in which you intend to get there. Tell them how the business is performing in the competitive environment, what changes and developments are afoot. Don’t let them guess!

The more you share, the more valued your employees will feel and will develop a better connection with the business. Help them to see the bigger picture and how their roles contribute to this and the bottom line. Show them the link between their daily efforts and how this contributes to the success of the organisation.

Listen

It is impossible to demonstrate good leadership without listening. Listening builds rapport, trust, better relationships and connectedness.

Your people’s feelings and opinions are as important as yours. Give them the time, space and opportunity to express them. It demonstrates that you value what they say and that they have a voice which is heard. You may not agree with what is being said and will have shown that you value their perspectives.

When staff members have a say, come up with ideas, suggestions and solutions, they will have a vested interest in how these are being used and implemented. This creates a sense of ‘buy in’, shared ownership and engagement with the business.

Practice everyday leadership

Leadership is everywhere around us and is embedded in our daily lives and makes us who we are. It exists in the context of our relationships and interactions with others. Every meeting that you have, staff that you engage with, customers that you speak with are all ways of demonstrating your leadership.

Are you seeing the same behaviours and actions in your staff? You are only leading if others choose to follow and if they are not following you, you may need to look in the mirror and ask what you need to do differently?

Treat each person as an individual

Get to know your staff or team on an individual level. Find out what makes them tick, where their interests and strengths lie and use them for mutual benefits and to maximise potential.

This can be as simple as chatting with them over lunch or a coffee in the staff canteen or even better, take them out for a coffee, away from the office environment and get to know them.

No time? That is another way of saying that this is not a priority or important to me. Just as you make the time to build connections and relationships with your external networks, find the time to do the same with your internal networks and people

Develop your people

Training and development budgets are often the first to be cut in times of an economic dip which is ironic as this is the time when effective leadership, innovation, team work and good customer service are required.

If you cannot afford to send your staff on relevant and appropriate training courses or invest in coaching or development activities, look for new and innovative ways of developing skills and learning.

This could be interventions such as  work shadowing, mentoring , use of free online resources, knowledge exchange in a lunch and learn session, using an action learning approach to solve organisation problems by bring people from different departments or areas together to work on an issue…

Give timely feedback

Feedback on progress helps to spur people on. Give positive and focused feedback all the time. Do it immediately as it reinforces the behaviour you want to see. Focus on specifics and describe the behaviour and its impact. When giving negative feedback ask the team member to assess himself. Get him to diagnose where he went wrong and what he would do differently next time.

Reward  Recognise  Praise

Recognising and genuinely praising staff for their effort and their contribution goes a long in making staff feel valued and appreciated. Rewarding staff for good work does not need to be cheesy nor expensive. Some sincere words, a card with a well written note, a bottle of wine, cinema tickets, fish and chips lunch … are all inexpensive ways of showing that you value the contribution that they make.

What would you add? How do you engage and get the best out of your team, staff, people?

Images: Ambro digitalart at  FreeDigitalPhotos; RobotJAM Pam Eveleigh Flickr users. This article was published in the Yorkshire Times on the 19 Nov.

Looking to make some changes in your life or career and could benefit from some support? Join me and  BE BOLD  in 2013.

Connect with me on Twitter @verawoodhead and on LinkedIn

Vera is a professional coach (MA in Coaching & Mentoring) helping people to progress, make successful changes, be better leaders and communicators, improve performance and team working. She specialises in working with leaders, teams and women through a blended approach of individual and team coaching, training, facilitation and action learning

Don’t leave your career to fate. 5 tips to help women manage their careers

In my last article, I shared the story of one of my clients, Susan who like many mums get  caught up in the treadmill of work, family and life and don’t take time out to actively manage and make plans for progressing their careers.

3 fundamental questions were asked to help Susan get started:

•  What does the bigger picture look like and where am I currently in it?
•  What am I really doing here?
•  How am I able to progress within my organisation?

In this post, I share 5 tips that Susan is taking to manage her career and how you can utilise them as well.

5 tips to manage your career

1. Be seen to be strategic

Demonstrate that you know and understand what the key priorities and challenges of your organisation are. Know who your key stakeholders are and seek out opportunities that will help you to engage with or be known to them.

Identify how your role fits into the bigger picture and the contribution that you are making and communicate this when opportunities arise.  Keep up to date with trends and publications in your industry and use them to influence your work.

Continue to learn and make use of in-house training and development opportunities. Seek out a mentor, sponsor, or champion to help you advance your career, give you an independent perspective, objective feedback and provide a sounding board for your current challenges.

2. Be known

- Build your profile

Build your profile within your organisation by getting known amongst the senior, executive and board level staff. Speak up at meetings and do not be afraid to put forward your perspective and in challenging those senior to you in an emotionally intelligent way. The more you do this, the better you will become at it. If this is an area that you are lacking in confidence, work on your communication and presentation skills or seek the help of a coach.

- Promote yourself

Self promotion is vital for your career growth. Women are not usually good about talking about their successes and achievements. You may have many accomplishments and think that your work speaks for itself and as a result others will notice. Don’t leave it to chance, take control and begin to actively manage and communicate your achievements.

Seek out ways to let people know what you are doing. You don’t need to brag, keep your comments brief, modest and tell the facts. Weave them into conversations when appropriate, for examples in meetings, updates, success stories in company bulletins, newsletter, intranet….

3. Become an effective Networker

- Internally

Identify influential people and those who can help support your career.  They might have qualities and behaviours that you admire, a specific skill that you would like to develop, or have influence within the organisation.

Make of list of 12 of these people and do some research on them – what are their roles, achievements, areas of expertise….? Knowing something about them before hand enables you to make a connection and have something to talk about when you meet them.

Find out how you can get access to them. For example, do they eat in the cafeteria, which events, functions, meetings etc….might they be present at? And when the opportunity presents seize it!

- Externally

Networking outside of your organisation can provide role models that may be missing in your own organisation. It will also give you insights into different organisations and a foot in the door for future job prospects.

Seek out people with influence who may be able to connect you with others or be able to provide formal or informal mentoring.

- Online

LinkedIn is a site for professionals and can help you to build your online visibility and brand. Here you can nurture your existing network by sharing information about your profession and sector and expand it by connecting and building relationships with peers in other companies and industries.

You can also join groups related to your sector; keep up to date with trends and thought leadership – all of which will help to support your career growth

4. Be bold

Ask for help if you need it and be willing to share your own knowledge and skills, for example by mentoring a junior member of staff. Raise your head above the parapet and ask for what you want.

Let it be known that you are interested in leadership roles and talk about your ambitions when relevant and appropriate. Look for opportunities that will take you out of your comfort zone such as stretching assignments, projects, tasks…This will provide you with different experiences, exposure and increase your resilience.

Seize them when they present themselves and refrain from falling into the trap of trying to rationalise and make assumptions about what they might entail and subsequently talking yourself out of it.

5. Be your best self and develop your leadership brand  

Do how others see you match the way that you see yourself? Is there a gap? Do people see the ‘real’ you?

Think about how you can manage perceptions so that it is authentic to you. Undertake a 360 appraisal and get feedback and use areas for development and successes as food for continual learning and development.

In question 2 of my last article you would have identified your strengths, purpose, passion and values and have a clearer picture of what’s driving you and what you stand for.

Work on developing this ‘authentic you’ so that you lead, communicate and build relationships in way that is unique to you. Build on this personal brand so that you are constantly developing the ‘best you’ and making your mark .

Cheering you on, Vera

What tips would you add? How are you managing your career?

Busy hardworking mum? Join me on my BE BOLD programme to take time out and be strategic in your vision for your career, business and life and make 2013 your best year yet

Images, courtesy FreeDigitalPhotos: ‘stockimages’, “adamr” “digitalart“, “digitalart” . A version of this article was published in the Yorkshire Times on 7 Nov.

I work with women who are advancing their careers and businesses, women who have left  employment to build profitable businesses AND develop teams and people within organisations through coaching, mentoring and leadership development programmes. Connect with me on Twitter @verawoodhead and on LinkedIn