Where ambitious young professionals connect and grow

anthony loftman
BC, Canada
Facilitator/Case Manager
Career/Life Coaching
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Groups (2)

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La Donna Lokey It's that time of year again - performance appraisal time! I've been avoiding it, but now must buckle up and just do it. I know I'm not alone here. I could give you a 75 page report on the topic of your choice, but when it comes to self-evaluation, I cringe. Why is it sometimes so hard to talk about ourselves? How do you handle it?

29 weeks ago from Citi, Human Resources, Ask Penelope Trunk!, Ask A Coach and inCORPorated3 more

Beatriz Alemar: I'd say it's hard because you want to be honest, but you also feel pressured to show yourself in the best light. Then there's the added pressure ...MoreI'd say it's hard because you want to be honest, but you also feel pressured to show yourself in the best light. Then there's the added pressure of what will your employeer think of what you put. It can be very stressful!

I'd take a few deep breaths and then get out a sheet of paper. Remind yourself that no one will see this paper - this is just a place for your notes before you actually write your review. Look over the goals you had in the year or quarter and rate yourself on how well you think you did. Then under that write bullets supporting your rating. List everything you can and get as specific as you can. You have permission to brag as much as you want (remember no on is going to see it). Look back at your work and see if what you wrote matches what you rated yourself. Do you need to adjust up or down? Only after you've written down the good, can you go back and pinpoint areas you can improve in.

It's a lot easier to praise yourself (and write an honest review) when you have concrete evidence of the things you've accomplished.

29 weeks ago
Heath Port: This can be especially tough when your job success isn't really quantifiable and depends more on softer skills. In my previous evals I tried to ...MoreThis can be especially tough when your job success isn't really quantifiable and depends more on softer skills. In my previous evals I tried to put together some narratives on how some of my soft skill sets helped the organization reach their goals. I also would reach out to others I had worked with for recommendations that they would either send directly to my management or wrote up and sent to me to be shared during my eval.
29 weeks ago
 
TOP IDEA: Sadya Siddiqui Stephen Covey & GenY: are the 7 effective habits applicable anymore? i read this tweet by @funnyonliners "twitter is not 1 of the 7 effective habits" and i thought well, why not? Covey gave us catch-phrases like 'win-win' 'first-things-first' but did it sharpen anyone's saw? Im interested to know what the Coaches here on BC have to say.....

98 weeks ago from Ask A Coach, Ask Penelope Trunk!, Personal Development and GenYJourney: Tips, Insights, Experiences For Young Professionals2 more

Brandon Croke: The 7 habits are just as relevant now as they always have. Inherently they have nothing to do with Twitter, but I'd like to expand on how 3 of ...MoreThe 7 habits are just as relevant now as they always have. Inherently they have nothing to do with Twitter, but I'd like to expand on how 3 of these principles can be applied to Twitter (and social media in general).

Think Win Win. The day of marketing being a one way hostage taking of your mind and time is over. Companies now give in order to get. They get permission to give you helpful information. The content marketing revolution is here to stay (at least for a little while). You get other people's attention by giving a gift, they win and you win. You share someone's brilliant blog post on Twitter to give to your followers, give credit to the author, and give yourself the reputation of being a thought leader and a go to person information on certain subjects. People who use Twitter the best, practice the fundamentals of win win everyday.

Sharpen the saw. What are you doing when you are participating on Twitter, blogs and forums? By sharing best practices, asking/answering questions, and networking. You are developing yourself and staying up to date with important information. Twitter is probably the best platform to enable you to "sharpen your saw" when you follow thought leaders who post updates with helpful information.

Begin with the end in mind - Have an end goal when taking part in any social activity, this of course includes Twitter. When you start something you should have an end goal. I don't see how this can go out of style in fact its more important than ever. With all of these "shiny new social platforms" companies need to have an end goal when getting involved with all of them. Ironically this habit is entirely absent from a majority of brands who enter into the social space.

I took part in a one year leadership development program which was centered around the 7 habits. These are timeless principles and will be for some time to come. (until robots take over the world at least)

96 weeks ago
Erin Lariviere: @Brandon I completely agree! There are many ways we can apply Covey's habits to social media efforts.

As for "first seek to understand then to ...More
@Brandon I completely agree! There are many ways we can apply Covey's habits to social media efforts.

As for "first seek to understand then to be understood", I think this is missing from a lot of social media efforts. We talk so much about listening that the concept has lost its meaning.

It's not enough to just listen and hear what's being said. We need to understand - understand the different opinions and points of view; try to see where they're coming from; understand not just what others want, but WHY they want it - what are their goals, their motivations?

Once we understand an environment - what has shaped it, why it emerged, what needs it addresses, etc - then we can see where our own ideas fit in, and seek for others to understand us.

I don't think it's about perfection. You're right @Sadya - there's no such thing. But it is possible to improve our habits and be more effective at what we do. I think that's the goal of the 7 Habits - not to give us the warm fuzzies about a perfect life, but to give us tools to be better at what we do.

96 weeks ago
 
David Macauley How would you differentiate between an Life Coach, a Mentor, and a "Friendtor"?

99 weeks ago from Ask A Coach

anthony loftman: Life coach looks at all aspects of relationships in life/careers, characteristics, behaviours. A mentor is usually someone within an organization ...MoreLife coach looks at all aspects of relationships in life/careers, characteristics, behaviours. A mentor is usually someone within an organization to learn from and move up the corporate ladder. Someone in a position you may aspire to reach.
Friendtor: I hate words like this.

99 weeks ago
Caroline Ceniza-Levine: I'm not familiar with Friendtor, but I don't think a Friend can be an objective mentor. While mentors and mentees get close and friends give each ...MoreI'm not familiar with Friendtor, but I don't think a Friend can be an objective mentor. While mentors and mentees get close and friends give each other advice, these are distinct relationships and I'm unsure how to combine them. The difference between a mentor and a life coach is that a mentor has walked a specific path or has a specific skill and you have an informal arrangement to learn from them regarding that specific thing. With a life coach, it's a professional arrangement and the coach normally works on a number of different areas and goals.
99 weeks ago
 
Caroline Ceniza-Levine It never occurs to me that there are things that I can't do. - Whoopi Goldberg What would you do differently if you believed that you could do anything? How would you feel with this new confidence? Can you suspend your disbelief and just assume you can?

100 weeks ago from Ask A Coach

Rebecca Thorman: @ anthony - Ha. There's more to it. I want to stay at my current company until it sells since I have stock in it. That's probably two years. My ...More@ anthony - Ha. There's more to it. I want to stay at my current company until it sells since I have stock in it. That's probably two years. My boyfriend also has a start-up so the timeline also ebbs and flows as we put our goals together.
99 weeks ago
anthony loftman: @rebecca - so you do have a deadline, this one dependent upon an external factor. I was more concerned if it was one of the 'some day, maybe 2 ...More@rebecca - so you do have a deadline, this one dependent upon an external factor. I was more concerned if it was one of the 'some day, maybe 2 years or so' deadlines that frequently turn into 3, 4, 5 years or ....
99 weeks ago
 
Kenji Crosland I've been thinking a lot about ambitious projects recently. Why we start them, why we give up, and how we manage to finish them. (http://www.unreadyandwilling.com/2010/06/finishing-ambitious-projects/). What are your experiences with ambitious projects?

102 weeks ago from Entrepreneurs, Ask A Coach and Career Rocketeer1 more

Kenji Crosland: @Mike
Watched the video. I'm impressed by the level of dedication that you put into promoting your book. Hell, finishing a book is impressive ...More
@Mike
Watched the video. I'm impressed by the level of dedication that you put into promoting your book. Hell, finishing a book is impressive enough. Personally, I suffered quite a dip in motivation when my big project, although finished, didn't take off right away. It was good to hear this story. It reminded me to do what I needed to do to get my work out there.

@Elizabeth Great advice on stopping a project. I could have worked on Goldhat forever before launching it. If I aimed for perfection I'd be constantly tweaking and I'd never get it done. I know there are a lot of things that I could do to improve my web app, but I've decided to put them off until phase two. Now, It's promotion time.

100 weeks ago
anthony loftman: @Elizabeth: 100% with you on that one. OVERWHELMED by the scope of a complete project. Do a layout, flow/gant charts then attack one step at a ...More@Elizabeth: 100% with you on that one. OVERWHELMED by the scope of a complete project. Do a layout, flow/gant charts then attack one step at a time. Prevents the 'getting started' problem (aka procrastination)
99 weeks ago
 
Angelo Recaman According to the majority of jobs is not publicized. How do you guys go through the job hunting? face-to-face company HR? Get information about the company and send a powerful resume and cover letter? Looking forward to hear from the BC community!

103 weeks ago from Resume Feedback

anthony loftman: I don't take the opportunity to read unsolicited emails, I use the time to delete them. I'm not interested, I delete. My time is too valuable to ...MoreI don't take the opportunity to read unsolicited emails, I use the time to delete them. I'm not interested, I delete. My time is too valuable to reply to unsolicited email. On the phone I am less abrupt, after all I am dealing with a real person.

Cold call: express an interest and ask for a 15 minute informational interview. I feel a voice has better success than an email. One is a live human being, the other is junk mail.

The less paper between you and the decision maker the better the chances. Cold calling allows you to meet people, present yourself, build your network.

People hire people, not pieces of paper. Email is just one more piece of junk paper in my inbox. I see email in the same light as unsolicited junk paper mail in my postal mailbox.

Not saying it can't work, however my experience and what I teach is to make the personal contact. Make that great first impression. The only thing less personal than an email would be a telegram....LOL.

101 weeks ago
Angelo Recaman: @raquel I agree with you but as @anthony said sometimes cold calling works better, its totally relative depends on what kind of person and his/her ...More@raquel I agree with you but as @anthony said sometimes cold calling works better, its totally relative depends on what kind of person and his/her mood of the day. Thank you all for the answer I appreciate that.
100 weeks ago
 
Lindsay Browning Hi everyone! Lindsay here from Google Staffing in Dublin. I'll be hosting this page so really looking forward to plenty of discussions and content. This month Google was voted most reputable company in Ireland! http://bit.ly/9PQz3T What is it that makes a company reputable?

104 weeks ago from Google, u30pro, I am Gen Y, Professional Development and Employee Benefits3 more

Steve Wright: Robin is right; it starts with people. Your managers, supervisors, and even your board of directors need to first think how to best serve their ...MoreRobin is right; it starts with people. Your managers, supervisors, and even your board of directors need to first think how to best serve their customers so that they are truly helping and appreciative. Second, they need to help and be appreciative of their employees.
102 weeks ago
Steve Wright: Google seems to excel in both of these areas
102 weeks ago
Goals
  1. Retire to my sailboat in 5 years
  2. Teach Sailing part time
  3. Offer day cruises to tourists.

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Fans (3)

Ryan Paugh
Sharalyn Hartwell
Annabel Candy