YOU NEVER KNOW: How the Universe Can Change A Life in 24-Hours

“A good deal happens in a man’s life the he isn’t responsible for. Fortunate openings occur; but it is safe to remember that such ‘breaks’ are occurring all the time, and other things being equal, the advantage goes to the man who is ready.”  – Lawrence Downs

I couldn’t sleep a few nights ago and spent an hour surfing channels at 4am. I came across a preacher who said: Joseph woke up one morning as a slave, and went to sleep that night as a leader. No matter what my belief system is (or how silly some TV-evangelists are), I found the fact that I somehow clicked to this sentence at exactly the right time, and that my mind was open to hearing whatever it was the Universe wanted me to hear… were not coincidences. The preacher continued: Joseph’s life changed from dark to light in 24-hours. He repeated this sentence a few more times. And then I got it, and laughed out loud.

My favorite mentor is famous for saying: When the tragedy ends, the comedy begins. I laughed out loud because it resonated, and I felt silly for forgetting this. Last summer, I was about to leave New Orleans and move to Boulder, Colorado to continue on this path of finding a place to stay put for a long while. I got a phone call at the 11^th hour and was invited to work on a contract in Chicago – they even paid for my relocation costs. Via my network, within 24-hours I had a flat organized in an awesome neighborhood, a moving company set up, and a last-minute-short-term YES to a local contract I had been working on to help open their restaurant on St Charles Avenue.

I think others have had this experience, too. Of course this can go both ways: one moment you are totally OK, and the next your niece is in the hospital diagnosed with cancer. But I want to focus on the good stuff right now, on the fabric of the Universe that I think has a quirky sense of humor. It is no surprise that as I continue to look for work in this challenging economy, my spirits have been, well, down the rabbit hole. I have not gotten out of bed for some mornings, let my dishes pile up, ran out of tissues crying my pitiful guts out. I am talking deep rabbit hole behavior here. And then, I got called for a few interviews, then came a call for a second interview, some rejections sprinkled in, then another call to come to a well-organized job fair, and another call to work a 3-day promotions gig here in Chicago, via a networking contact I made 2 years ago in New Orleans.

Forward momentum lifted me out of the gloom, and the Universe sent a sunny heat wave to Chicago as icing on the cake just for me (I am convinced of this!). I woke up this morning actually smiling, said good morning to strangers on the way to my local café, truly enjoyed the one-shot Americano I always order (they know my order now), and read about all the St Patty’s Day activities planned for this weekend with a lighter mind, a giggle in my heart. Within 24-hours, my life has turned around again, and it doesn’t seem so hopeless anymore. Relief. Time does work wonders on the heaviness of our souls.

An ex-client of mine in Detroit, who has become a good friend, is rather good at being a cheerleader for those around her, and she sent me this e-mail today:

Hang tight.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Yes, the easy way out is down the rabbit hole BUT THE WORLD NEEDS YOU!
They just don’t know where to fit you yet (and other really cool people).
You WILL find your spot – so keep picking yourself up and moving forward!
You are too talented and we all need you!
Now – pray for my niece to make it through and she will be our inspiration…

You never know, right? I am going to attend a networking event tomorrow night at a lounge downtown, and it will get me showered, dressed up, and out of my flat. At the very least, I will have a free glass of white wine, nosh on a few appetizers, and connect to a local or two. I will take the “EL” to the Loop, walk among the living, and act as if. Perhaps I will meet a tall, dark, beautiful stranger on the train. Perhaps in the next 24-hours, I might get a phone call from my new company, whomever they may be, and life will look, taste, and feel differently. I don’t believe that ANYTHING is possible (except for theoretical physics and quantum mechanics), but it does seem that the preacher has a point – a life can change from dark to light in 24-hours. The trick is being open to it from a more positive, “fluffier” place, and not perched down, looking up out of a deep, dark rabbit hole.

Keep on swimming…

BIOGRAPHIES: A Message to Speakers, Authors, and Business Owners on Shameless Self Promotion

“Boxing was the only career where I wouldn’t have to start out at the bottom.

I had a good resume.”  – Sugar Ray Leonard

Seems that I spend much of my career-business coaching hours on sales and marketing, bios and curriculum vitae. And it seems that almost every client I have ever worked with says the exact same thing, over and over again: “I’m good at promoting and bragging about others, just not about myself. It feels impossible… What do I say?!” Of course, this lack of skill (at least in our own minds) to express all our qualities, quirks, and qualifications in black and white terrifies most of us. Even for really arrogant and cocky people. My theory is simple: when we write it down and format it in an official way (Bio, Resume, CV, marketing materials, website content, etc), it all becomes glaringly real. We look at these documents, read over every word, and ask ourselves: Did I (or my company) really do all that… and is this really me (my company)?

Here is someone who answers: Yes, you did… and yes, it is.

Hiring Managers and Decision-Makers know that self promotion comes with a twist – they look for information between the lines, possible embellishments, and any trace of in-authenticity. If they are good, they will know if what they are reading is real or not, exaggerated to the slippery slope of falsehood or embellished in that “normal” kind of Bio/Resume/CV way. The key is making sure that what you have included, you can deliver. If you can do that, then shamelessly promote yourself to your heart’s content.

A simple example: I once had a client who was genuinely brilliant, and had begun to engage in public speaking for local professional organizations. Most of his gigs were pro bono, but the exposure and experience gained was worth the generous contribution of his time. He was also a pretty solid speaker, and was often asked to return. I heard this story, took notes, and created a position for him called Public Speaker and Meeting Presenter. I noted where he had spoken to date, and a little information about his topic focus. I also added this info to his bio. Well, when he saw this, two things happened: first he felt proud and deeply inspired, and then immediately after this feeling, he felt deeply uncomfortable. “Can I say that?” he asked. “Can you speak and present publicly and are you any good at it?” I returned. Without a hesitation, he said “Yes.”  He wasn’t lying to me or to himself – he is a solid speaker and presenter, and in that moment, he knew it down to his gut. Voila… an excellent example of how shameless self promotion can work. He got over it, and we added it to his CV and bio.

One more thing to consider: do not lie. Do not falsify information or embellish to the point of nonrecognition. This is not only unethical and creates bad career karma, it is illegal and might burn bridges for you. Ok, you have been warned. Good career coaches have a talent for understanding this fine line, this gray area of documentation. However, we also adhere to a code of integrity that prevents us from stepping over a certain professional line. Just saying…

Here are three points to consider and two examples of Bios I have done recently. One is for a client who has been getting more public speaking engagements for his work with leadership and working in global IT environments (name/details are changed to protect client’s privacy), and the other one is mine. I change it every so often to update the content and relevance, but the nuts and bolts of writing a good one is there. Before you get down to writing, first consider these points:

• PERSONALITY: yes we want to know all about your Harvard PhD’s and all those awesome clients you have worked with, but where is your character and personality? Beware of dry language and lists. Some lists are unavoidable, so pepper in some creative images. Use a thesaurus and take advantage of the 500K words in our rich English language.

• ONE MINUTE COMMERCIAL: this is similar to your one minute commercial in that you might want to include a few key pieces of information – name, location, durations, title/position/job, industries or environments, qualifications/education (if applicable), clients or company names, and results. You can add testimonials to this as well, but I place mine on the last page of my CV after references. A good bio is like an expanded one minute commercial.

• RELEVANT and UPDATED: I recommend keeping this updated because, as the saying goes… you never know. It is also a good idea to have a few versions, depending on the “slant” you need. Most careers are pretty complex in my experience, so make sure you keep the data relevant and updated to fit all the different things you do. I have focused on HR, leadership and operations for the past decade, and have a slightly different bio for each of these arenas. I also have two different CV styles, by the way, to match either conservative or more casual work environments.

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BIO EXAMPLE ONE:

PROFESSIONAL BIO – John Smith

John Smith is a 22-year professional of the IT, Systems Analysis, Business Analysis, Customer and Vendor Liaison, Strategic Planning, and Project Management arenas. His career began as a Technical Writer and grew into IT Consulting, Quality Assurance, Team Leadership, and Personnel Development, which has culminated into successfully managing numerous projects in various roles including Senior Program Manager. His expertise has been developed mainly in corporate environments at global firms including Lockheed Martin, DTE Energy, and Ford Motor Company.

John has a solid reputation for his exceptional leadership skills, and his natural talent for effectively navigating through complex projects, plans, and people. His ability to bring diverse teams together into a focused forward momentum is what makes him unique. As a dedicated leader and manager in IT, Program and Project Management, he  has created measurable results and proven success by analyzing business requirements, relying on his extensive technical knowledge, and designing and implementing creative and strategic solutions that improve productivity, communication, information flow, customer satisfaction, and employee performance. Working on budgets up to $5M, he is also known for bringing in projects on target and under budget.

Currently, John is a Senior Program Manager in the Global IT Application Division at Ford Motor Company. He has a BS in Information Technology from the University of Michigan, and is an MBA Candidate in Management from Walsh College. In addition, he regularly engages in professional development education, and has participated in countless seminars and workshops in the areas of Leadership, Project Management, Six Sigma Lean Manufacturing, and IT Applications. He is an active member of the Michigan Council of Technology Professionals as a Mentor in their Mentoring Program and a regular Public Speaker and Meeting Presenter at various foundations and professional organizations including Young Leadership Council, Professional Leaders and Entrepreneurs, and the Project Management Institute. For more information, please visit…

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BIO EXAMPLE TWO:

BIO – Michele Wilke

With 25+ years in the professional coaching and training industry, Michele Wilke brings an extensive background to HR, team building, operations, international business, systems development / documentation, and leadership. She began her career on the West Coast getting trained in coaching and studying applied behavioral psychology at the Kairos Foundation in San Jose, California. The core of this in-depth, often challenging training remains in her work today. Michele also comes from a long line of business owners, and grew up working in her family’s printing and advertising business. There, she began to develop and collect valuable hands-on, soft and hard skill business tools.

In 1988, she relocated to Kyoto, Japan and spent eight years working as an adjunct professor in the Japanese university system focusing on HR and communication courses, and also as a cross-cultural management trainer and coach at a variety of companies including IBM Japan, Mitsubishi, and Omron. Opportunity brought her to Regensburg, Germany for almost nine years, into the heart of BMW, Siemens, Bavarian engineering, and the German autobahn. There she trained and coached executives, business owners, and culturally varied teams in the areas of HR restructuring, team building, diversity and cross-cultural communication, leadership, operations, and strategic planning. Once again, she taught as an adjunct professor specializing in international HR, international management, international marketing, east-west studies, personality profiling and cross-cultural training.

Michele returned to the US in 2004, and has continued to coach and train around the country in various industries including manufacturing, financial services, culinary-hospitality, and health care. Corporate clients include Google, Live Nation, Home Depot, Nicholas-Applegate Capital Management, and AxleTech International – A General Dynamics Company, as well as small to medium sized businesses, sole-proprietors, and municipalities.

Finally, she regularly educates and inspires groups with her insightful public speaking engagements and workshops. Topics include: Team Building, Recruiting, Communication, Leadership, Conflict Solutions, Global Business Alignment, Project Management, and Change Management. She offers high-performance and high-accountability tools and solutions that support clients, participants, teams and companies to go from good… to achieving the extraordinary. Michele Wilke has the tenacity of an Olympic athlete and the patience of a saint. For more information, please visit: www.velocitycoachingservices.com.    

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There are a thousand ways to do this.

First step is to dive in and start promoting your talents or services.

Get to work writing (on your own if you can write – or get professional help).

Shamelessly, of course.

LOCALS ONLY NEED APPLY: Hidden Hiring Practices & How to Overcome Them

“Discrimination is a disease.” – Roger Staubach

First a brief disclaimer: This article is not intended to offend the brave souls who actually engage in EOE (Equal Opportunity Employment). Instead, it is being written in response to countless instances in which discrimination has hindered careers moving forward, and for no other reason than say, being a woman, or Hispanic, or a Yankee. I am looking for work again, and I just read this on a Craigslist ad for a large, local restaurant chain:

“Local candidates true to southern hospitality are encouraged to apply.”

When I first arrived in Southeast Louisiana in the spring of 2010, I worked with a recruiter who specializes in the hospitality/culinary industry. After several attempts to land an interview for me (and failing), she flat out told me to wait at least a year. She offered advice that still stings in my ears: “you are not a local… talk to me in a year and then we’ll see if that helps. Good luck.”

With a solid background in culinary savvy San Francisco as well as solid culinary experience in Asia and Europe, recruiters love me and my CV. They are powerless, however, to get past insipid forms of discrimination. Yep, I am not a local. I was not born in New Orleans. Therefore, I must be handicapped because of this, since we all know that only those from the south understand the concept of good food and service? I guess these Hiring Managers have never had the pleasure of dining elsewhere…

I decided to relocate to New Orleans last year BECAUSE of the culinary industry and famous food culture of this area. Yes, this is a foodie city indeed. Love it. But so are San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Austin, Miami, Seattle, Kyoto, Rome, Berlin, Shanghai, Sydney, Bangkok… (if I did not mention your fine city, my apologies). I did my research and knew that there is a “locals only” mentality here, but in my naiveté I did not pay much attention to this. Silly me. Oops. Now what do I do? How do I overcome this “hidden” obstacle?

Here are some options I have considered:

• Move to a different area. Live and work in a place where the melting pot of the US is not a big deal. East Coast, West Coast, and places like Austin, Chicago, and Boulder Colorado all come to mind.
• Stop applying online, via recruiters and even through other connections. Start showing up in a suit, resume in hand, a pep in my step, a smile on my face. See what happens.
• Add more local references with 504 numbers to my CV, even though they are not professional references.
• Word my cover letter to include that I am not a local, but I am a local in spirit and want to stay in the area. Gently talk about the “white elephant”. Use self-deprecating humor.
• Change professions, get a McJob, and call it a day.

I just got off the phone with a local contact. She is in a similar situation as I am but she knows EVERYBODY in town. She is going to introduce me to some of her contacts this week – owners who are opening up new restaurants and need someone with my extensive background. Fingers crossed. She is the flip side of what I am writing about: she is helpful, open-minded, and inclusive by nature. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Or perhaps this is “bad karma” I am working off. I recently hired three people for my last contract job, and observed that the company needed more men. Most of the front of house staff is female who are fairly thin-skinned and not physically strong. The company needed strength, stamina and thicker skins, and therefore I set out to hire more men to create a balance. Too much estrogen (or testosterone) in a team is not effective – a mixed demographic creates a more successful team. Recent statistics are proving this: the more diverse a group, the better for the company. So, I hired two men, young and strong and qualified… and one woman who is similar to the people the owners usually hired (I hired her because my gut also told me that she would be a solid, long-term employee). Maybe the difficulties I am having as a non-local is my own bad karma? Hmm…

My gut tells me at the time of this article, that New Orleans may not be a place I will set down roots. Then again, maybe I will. Hard to tell at this point. If these hidden obstacles continue to thwart my progress, I may not have a choice but to find my fortune elsewhere. Not ready to give up quite yet, but yeah… I am getting close. Unfortunately, I cannot change my gender, age, race or place of birth. I am kind of tired of hearing that it’s ok that I am from the West Coast… good thing I am not a Yank. I hear this on a semi-regular basis. What this message feels like is this: “you are not us, go back where you came from”. I realize that sounds harsh. Keep in mind that it is merely a reflection of some of the harsher realities here.

So what to do? I will continue to develop my famous thick skin. I will continue to network my network. I will continue to post CVs, pound the pavement, work with recruiters, and pray. And I will continuously tweak the wording in my communications to local Hiring Managers… and include information about me being a local in spirit. I will show up in a suit with my CV and a smile. Locals often say that all the people who live in New Orleans have CHOSEN to be here. Crazy as this seems, people like me have chosen to live here, too. But I cannot stay if the doors remain shut to outsiders.

In the last two weeks, there have been 13 armed robberies in the neighborhood where I just finished a contract job. Two break-in-and-enter rapes occurred last weekend about a mile from my flat. We live in a sinkhole here and the levees so far have saved us from the rising Mississippi. So far so good. But for how long, and is this a viable place to lay down some roots? Right now, my gut says no. Even with the justice department and FBI’s presence here since Katrina, things have NOT improved. The local culture is perhaps too attached to business as usual. So be it. Fair enough.

And Southeast Louisiana will lose good folks like me, who love this adopted city and want to contribute to making New Orleans an even better place. Having worked and lived overseas (Asia and Europe) for much of my professional career, and having the good fortune of finding success in these foreign countries, it would seem that a little place like New Orleans would not be so challenging. Argh. Time will tell, indeed. Stay tuned.

Moral of the story? Networking is key. Period. And (almost) EVERYTHING takes longer than any of us plan for… Perhaps it’s time to re-open  my file called PLAN B? Onwards.

NETWORKING: Conventional & Unconventional Food for Thought

“Call it a clan,  call it a network,  call it a tribe,  call it a family:

Whatever you call it,  whoever you are,  you need one.”

- Jane Howard

Networking is an official-sounding word which simply means connecting and building relationships. It is based on three laws: the law of attraction, the law of reciprocation and the law of contribution. It is more easily done with an “abundance mentality” as opposed to a “scarcity mentality”, and although some people might make the whole process look easy… well, it isn’t. They are “faking it” just like you.

Approximately 70% (up to 81%, many experts report) of the opportunities out there – finding a job, creating a strategic alliance, getting a new client or contract – can be attributed to networking! Whether it is social, civic, professional or online, networking is the new paradigm.

Contrary to popular belief, networking is not rocket science. It is as natural as starting up a conversation with the cashier at the local Trader Joes about snowstorms or the Tigers. Instead of the drudgery that people equate with it, we can reframe our perception of it as simply a pathway to connect. Recent studies on human contentment, success and creating resilience for hard times point to one common denominator which crosses cultural, gender, socio-economic and educational boundaries: Social Relationships. And the way to create those is via networking!

Here are some points to consider:

ICE-BREAKERS: A more effortless ice-breaker is to start networking conversations by focusing on the HERE and NOW: Hi, my name is Michele… this is certainly an interesting event. Or: The guest speaker was difficult to hear with the venue acoustics – did you catch what she said at the end of her presentation when everyone laughed? Or: I’m new to the area, recently moved here from California and I joined the Michigan Council of Women in Technology in April – are you a member?

LAW OF ATTRACTION: Pay attention to the Law of Attraction. You will know if the connection is flowing or not – the answer is either in your gut (instinct, intuition, rapid cognition of your brain) or it’s in the fact that you are either coming up with topics which flow easily… or you are experiencing awkward silences. If there is no connection, smile and politely move on.

PAY ATTENTION: What gets most of us stuck is that we are not paying attention. When the little voice in our head tells us “nasty” things about ourselves, about others, about the room, about the economy, about the whole networking thing… we stop paying attention and might miss an opportunity.

ELEVATOR PITCH: Here is one version -  Name / Position or Expertise / Company / Length of time / Location / Result(s) / Unique fact / Your “ask”

More points to consider:

• Do a little preparation for the event, venue, organization, etc. This can be as simple as glancing at a website or looking up a speaker on Google.
• Dress for success… Although this sounds obvious, it is amazing how often people will show up looking fatigued or “droopy”. Try to make an effort.
• Bring business cards, and trust your instinct if you would offer them or not. Asking for a card is usually safe at first (if there is a connection). Keep in mind that some people do not collect them, some do.
• Sometimes you will offer your sixty (or thirty) second commercial – sometimes not. Sometimes you will talk about Labrador Retrievers or France or enchilada sauce the whole time.
• Don’t get all wrapped up in “numbers”. Sometimes you will talk to many people, sometimes only to a few people. (For entrepreneurs, many cards help create mailing lists, so occasionally go on “collecting sprees”).
• Don’t get all wrapped up in “outcomes”. You might meet a great connection, you might not. Also, set up one goal for that event (I’m going to introduce myself to the speaker / I’m going to meet the host).
• If you do connect to someone, follow up. Don’t think about it. Just do it.
• Reciprocation is key. Listen, ask questions AND talk about yourself.
• Offer to volunteer at an event, help set up, help break down, etc. This is the Law of Contribution at work and it can create deeper connections.
• This is a hard one, but worth adding: If you are having a REALLY down day – you know the kind of day we mean, right? – then you might want to just stay home (even if you pre-paid for the event).
• Remember that experts have invaluable knowledge to offer, but beware of promises or “secrets” that work for everyone. Learn, practice, learn more, practice more. Each event, each contact, each moment is unique.
• Try to stay relatively up to date on current topics. This knowledge might come in handy, as well as offer shared content for conversation.
• Set up an Accountability Partner!! to meet at the event (just in case you were thinking that cleaning out your garage suddenly becomes a better idea!). Hang out with them a lot or a little or not at all. Be flexible.
• Make sure to thank the host, organizer, speaker. This creates attraction, reciprocation AND contribution in one fell swoop.

GOOD LUCK!

For more info on Sixty Second Commercials, see posting from Oct 12, 2009

For more information, visit: www.VeloCityCoachingServices.com