Monthly Archives: October 2015

HAVE TO MOVE FOR A JOB? THINK LONG AND HARD

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#JobRelocation #RelocateForAJob #WhereTheJobsAre

So there is no job for you where you live.

What goes into your decision to move where the work is, or stay where you are?

Susan Ricker of Careerbuilder.com discussed this in an article Sept. 13, 2015, in The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville.

The article quotes Jodi Chavez, senior vice president at recruitment and staffing firm Accounting Principals, as saying that relocation is common in certain professions – usually those jobs that require travel as part of the work. (Read: high-level jobs).

But even if the employer pays the cost of moving, one could be moved from a relatively low-cost area to a higher-cost area. The salary change, presuming there is one, has to compensate for that. If it doesn’t, that should provide some food for thought.

There are many perks, the article states, to some locations vs. others. Certain cities, like San Francisco and New York, provide a wide range of potential off-the-job activities. They are also among the more expensive places to live.

But let’s step back a moment and presume that you are just out of a job. Either you’ve been laid off, your job has gone away or you are being “retired” before you want to be. There is no benefactor to help with moving expenses.

But, there is, or at least could be, a job waiting for you as long as you move to a certain location.

What do you do?

Let’s say you are in a tough housing market now. You could rent your current house, move to your new location and let your previous house be financially productive for you. There are significant headaches to being a landlord, even if you hire a property manager to deal with day-to-day tasks. You’ll find there’s a difference between renting a house that was your home, and renting a house that you had bought specifically for that purpose.

The tenants may not know, or care, that the house they are renting used to be your home, and may not take care of it as you had.

If you are moving to a place at which the cost of living is considerably less than it is at your current location, you might make money simply by moving.

If you don’t want to rent your current house, the benefit you may get from the lower cost of living at your new location may mitigate having to sell your current house quickly, perhaps getting less than you believe it is worth.

Of course, there are emotional attachments to where you live – friends, family, off-work activities etc. But, if you have to work, and there is no work where you want to be, sometimes difficult decisions have to be made.

Another thought: what if there were other ways to put money in your pocket besides having a job? There are many such vehicles. For one of the best, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. What if you, and your friends, family etc., could help each other succeed, without having to move?

Still, moving, whether you are being relocated, or are relocating yourself, is a difficult decision. If you ever face it, here’s hoping that your employer is helping you as best he can. If not, think long and hard about all the advantages, and disadvantages, of moving and act according to your best interests.

Peter

HOW DOES CHANGE GO DOWN WHERE YOU WORK?

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“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” African proverb

#change #workplaces #innovation
The workplace can be cruel.
It can also be awesome.
Are you the type that is eager to go to work? Perhaps you are the type that isn’t eager for the commute, or some other extraneous issues, but are happy to be at work once you arrive.
Perhaps you are there for the paycheck only. Paychecks are very nice, but you spend lots of your life earning it, so it would be best to find something good, other than a paycheck, at your workplace.
Your attitude toward work may be a reflection of the management where you work. Is the culture one of collaboration, competition or coercion?
Bob Nelson, author of “1501 Ways to Reward Employees” has followed up that work with “Companies Don’t Succeed, People Do.”
The book is a primer on how to create a work atmosphere at which people feel valued, have power, autonomy and are allowed – actually encouraged — to innovate.
Does this describe where you work? Some employers are old school. They believe a successful organization in one in which employees compete with each other, fear failure and feel almost enslaved by what is probably a measly paycheck.
The newer organizations, the ones Nelson praises, have cultures that think outside that old-school box. They offer employees creative time to find better ways to do things. In turn, the employees work well with each other, find teams in which members have complementary skills and have departments that work together, not compete for credit or blame.
Management in these new organizations are constantly looking for ways to reward collaborative behavior, instead of finding ways to punish.
In organizations like the ones described in Nelson’s book, there are very few levels of employees. Those who work there seldom need permission to do something beneficial. Those who work there have a common goal, understand that goal and do what THEY feel they need to do to best carry out the goal.
In these organizations, change is easier to accomplish because the employees have a clear understanding of the need for change, and do what they must to make it happen.
In old-school organizations, change is difficult because there are too many layers of employees. Some of those employees get hurt as a result of the change, making it even more difficult.
If you work in an old-school organization, and need a way to get out — probably before you are asked to go – visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. You’ll see a fresh organization in which people are rewarded for helping others succeed.
Some organizations and some managers are resistant to change. They fear empowering employees because it will hurt THEM – not the employees. For those organizations, when change has to come, there is anguish, anxiousness and real fear of loss. Good people often pay a steep price for that change.
If you believe change is coming where you work, and you fear it will not be for the better for you, take charge. Find that Plan B before you have to. There are many good ones out there, for those who want more control in their lives.
If you work in one of those flat, dynamic organizations, be thankful. However, change could still come up to bite you, so have your Plan B ready to go.
Peter

SO WHY ARE YOU HERE?

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#FindYourPurpose #StopProcrastinating #JustDoIt
How do I stop procrastinating?
How do I gain more confidence in myself?
How can I reduce my fears and anxiety?
These are questions Gregg Steinberg gets from people struggling with their careers.
Steinberg, a professor of human performance at Austin Peay State University in Tennessee, says there are no easy answers to those questions. The best answer, though, is to fill your life with purpose.
Steinberg discussed his strategy for doing that in a column Aug. 16, 2015, in The Tennessean newspaper of Nashville.
His three-step strategy includes thinking of a time in your life in which you had a meaningful impact upon another person’s life. Then, think of words that represent that situation for you. For example, if you successfully mentored a younger colleague, your words might be, “be the teacher,” Steinberg writes.
When you are feeling de-motivated and burned out, you need to say the words and visualize the situation in which you created success, Steinberg says.
It’s easy to put things off. It’s easy to think that you CAN’T do something. It’s easy to be AFRAID to do something.
Most motivational experts advise people to create urgency in their lives. In other words, do what you need to do TODAY to make your lives better tomorrow. Once you begin the path to success, it will be easier to keep going. Sprinters and other racers have to wait for the gun to go off to start running. Pretend the starting gun has just gone off in your head. That will help you conquer procrastination.
The motivational experts often tell you to “do it afraid.” It’s OK to be afraid to do what you need to do, but do it anyway. Putting it off won’t make the fear go away, so do it now, and do it afraid.
You also can reduce your fears by acknowledging any successes. You complete a project, make a sale etc., so celebrate. Take yourself out to dinner – and take your favorite person(s) with you. Celebrating alone is no fun.
As you feel successes, your fears decline. Once you “did it afraid” a few times, you become less and less fearful or anxious.
Once you discover what you want, and learn what to do to get it, don’t wait. As the Nike slogan says, Just Do It! Chances are, whatever you want to accomplish will be done over time. You don’t necessarily get one shot. Even the sprinter who loses a race gets to race again. So, if you do what you need to do immediately, and not find success, chances are you’ll have other opportunities to find success. You just have to know what you are seeking is good for you, and for others, and stay committed to it. It will become, as Steinberg says, your purpose.
If you have the need to change your life, and have the ambition to do it, but are unsure which path to take, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. That path has proved successful for many who were once in your shoes.
So the best advice is to find your purpose, create some urgency to moving toward it, do what you need to do, even if you are afraid, then celebrate your successes along the way.
To wallow is hollow. To pursue is cool. Pursue your purpose.
Peter

SUCCESS A MATTER OF CHOICE

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#Success #ChooseSuccess #SuccessIsStateOfMind

Many of us look at people we deem successful and believe we cannot be like them.

Either we believe our circumstances are holding us down, or we believe we are not as smart as successful people are, or that luck is not on our side.

Rory Vaden, co-founder of Southwest Consulting, spoke to one of the most successful people he knows, Spencer Hays, founder of Tom James fine clothing and executive chairman of The Southwestern Co. Vaden discussed that conversation in a column in the June 28, 2015, edition of The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville.

According to Vaden, Hays believes that success is simply a choice. It’s the choice to do whatever it takes – or not – to be successful.

To most of us, that’s a very simplistic answer. We all would choose success over failure. But it’s not a matter of wanting success in the abstract. It’s a matter of defining success in one’s own mind, and going out and getting it.

In other words, make up your mind to be successful and do what you need to do.

Vaden said the idea of making up one’s mind to be successful was the one thing that Hays said that struck him in his conversation.

It appears to many that making up one’s mind to be successful is very difficult. How many people do you know start something and give up without finishing it, especially when things got tough? These people wanted to be successful at the beginning, but later discovered that what they had to do to get there was not worth the effort or the sacrifice.

An idea has to travel from one’s head, to one’s heart, to one’s gut. When one finds what he wants to do, he does what he needs to do to accomplish it, no matter what happens.

Another scenario: how many people do you know who had a goal, but listened to those who told him he could never accomplish it? The naysayers believe they mean well, and some actually do. But the successful person believes more in what he wants to achieve than he does others’ opinions of him or his goal.

We can certainly find people who might tell the person who lost a job that it was his own fault. Most of us have circumstances we can’t control. Those are not important. What’s important is how we respond when those circumstances hit.

We can complain, and convince ourselves that the world is against us. Or, we can look for something that will give us the motivation we need to conquer our circumstances.

A third scenario: a person has the motivation, work ethic and has made up his mind to be successful. He just needs a vehicle to help him find success. If you are one of those, visit www.bign.com/pbilodeau. It’s one of many, and one of the best, such vehicles for personal success and for helping others find success.

Choosing success is not like choosing from a restaurant menu. You can’t just say you want something and someone else is going to bring it to you. Choosing success is choosing to do what you need to do, regardless of whom or what surrounds you. It’s about believing in your goal, and pursuing it above all other things – except perhaps faith, family and friends.

It’s having faith in what you know is good, regardless of what others think. If you choose success, you’ve chosen wisely.

Peter