Unleashing and Channeling Your Power To Succeed

Life doesn’t always turn out how you plan it. Challenges are inevitable and problems may arise when you least expect it. Now, the decision is yours- whether you will allow the situation to dictate your life or if you will rise above the challenges, give yourself a few positive affirmations, and come out a winner.

One of the most disappointing things an employee can face in his career is to feel unappreciated and forgotten. You look around the office and it seems like everyone has climbed the corporate ladder, while you’ve been stuck in the same position for years. Then, the worst thing happens– the big break you’ve been working hard for is given to a less tenured employee. Yet again, you were bypassed. You feel terrible.

What do you do next? Do you just sulk and give up on your career? Will you hold a grudge against your boss forever? Will you resign the moment you find another job?

No matter how seemingly awful life’s problems get, you need to pick yourself up and move on. Life will go on; life has to go on. 

Positive Affirmations Won’t Help Solve my Problems!

Yes, keeping a positive outlook in life will not change the situation, but it will totally change the way you look at the situation and the way you react to it.

How in the world can I find something positive to think about, when all I see are problems wherever I look?

• Always be grateful

What’s the first thing you think about when you wake up? Is it the bills? The sales quota you have to meet? Instead of waking up to a list of problems, I suggest you spend the first 10 minutes of your day recounting your previous successes. Doing this will give you an instant boost, a rush of feel-good hormones that will set your mood for the entire day.

• Stay away from negative people

Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the 5 people you spend time with.”

Surround yourself with people full of energy and positivity, for these people will influence everything about you, even the way you talk! Go ahead; try spending a day with a whiner. I bet, at the end of the day, you’ll start whining about things you didn’t even complain about before!

• Focus on the silver lining

Train yourself to look for the good in every bad situation. Look for opportunities to learn, connect, and grow, instead of focusing on the problem. Look for the silver lining!

• Create a positive short-bio about yourself.

Your mind can really be hard on you, especially if you constantly think about your weaknesses and mistakes. To counter this, make a list of your positive virtues, skills and previous triumphs, and then keep this list with you. Every time you feel down, read the list and re-live those moments in your mind. It has the same effect listening to “We are the Champions”, or whatever your favorite inspirational song is.

Remember the saying, “If it’s not a happy ending, then it’s not the end,” this applies to all areas of life. Make this your go-to positive affirmation; repeat this to yourself every time you feel bogged down by the obstacles in your way.

What are some positive affirmations you or others have used to motivate you? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page or Twitter with the hashtag #MBApositive.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Overwork, anxiety and lack of challenge and recognition has colored the overall emotional connection of workers to their jobs during the economic recession of the past few years, according to a Towers Perrin study. Workers’ attitudes are going to need more than just an economic recovery to emerge feeling positive about their work life.

Here are some pointers gleaned from the study on how to bridge the gap between how workers feel and how managers perceive them to feel—and how to help workers plug into a more positive emotional connection to their jobs.  

Focus on ways to build self-esteem in your workers. The study showed that workers can feel intensely positive about their jobs from the self-esteem they get through feeling connected and competent in their work. While that ought to be obvious, the managers in the study predicted that this would matter little. 

Developing skills and a career path are critical. In his book More Than a Cog, author David Baron urges workers to envision themselves on a career path, regardless of their “job,” as the critical first step to achieving superior performance. The survey results reinforce that message while showing that management seems to undervalue this factor. 

Do more to build in recognition in your workplace. The Towers Perrin study indicates that we still don’t “get” the importance of recognition in employee retention and performance. The managers in the study predicted that this factor would be only half as important as it was to the workers. Part of the problem may be that our recognition efforts are misdirected. Effective recognition is positive, immediate and specific about what is being praised. But many recognition programs fail to meet these tests, leading managers to underestimate the value of recognition to their workers. 

The future isn’t as important as you think. Workers are concerned about the future, but not nearly as much as managers expected. Again, it’s not clear what you can do about this issue, but be careful not to telegraph too much emphasis on the future—in either direction. 

You’re not as important as you think, either. And that’s good. While the workers ranked management as a negative factor, it was one of many. Managers, however, predicted that management would have been much more important—on the negative side! So while you expect to bear the brunt of your employees’ negative feelings toward work, they may be cutting you more slack than you realize.

How do you help your employees tap into a more positive emotional connection to their jobs? I’d love to hear from you; please share your technique on the Marshall Brown & Associates Facebook Fan Page for all to see.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Last week, I wrote about the basic structure of a powerful resume. This week, I’m going to delve a little deeper into the content of the resume. Hiring managers see dozens, maybe hundreds of resumes for each position they have available. Tailoring your information to the job and focusing your resume to include personalized content will help your resume get noticed.

How do you do that? Here are some tips:

• Discover what key words in your experience match with the job description and highlight those in the summary and in the descriptions of your experience.
• Use confident language (not “I believe I can do this”, but “I KNOW I can do this”)
• Highlight the actions YOU took that led to results. If you led a team to an accomplishment, don’t be modest! You led them, you deserve to state so in your resume.
• Use marketing language. This means making your experience personalized and quantifiable, not simply saying something like “Managed websites”, but “Maintained, updated, and edited 6 separate company websites on a weekly basis.” 
• Keep it simple. Title your resume file type with your name. Use common fonts, like Arial or Times New Roman. Avoid extraneous bolding, italics, or underlining.
• PROOFREAD. Do it yourself, send it to a friend or colleague to proofread, and then do it yourself again!

View my video to hear these tips and more to create a powerful resume that gets you interviewed!

Need more personalized advice on your resume, cover letter, and interviewing?
Go to our resume services page to see what we can offer, including sample resumes and  testimonials from others we’ve helped.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Job hunting can be extremely difficult these days. On average, for every available position, there are about 5 job-seekers. That means if your resume is not focused, eye-catching, and up-to-date, it’s likely cast aside quickly. Here are some basic tips to help you develop a powerful resume and demonstrate your unique value.

When creating a resume, you should assess your experience, skills, education, and accomplishments. Then, look at what the employer wants – what types of skills, experiences, and education. Where those meet is where you need to focus your resume.

So here’s how to structure it:

• The top of your resume should include your name and contact information. Next, place a brief summary of your qualifications that includes the breadth of your experience – NOT an objective.
  • Make sure you have a PROFESSIONAL and personal email address (ie. firstname.lastname @gmail.com).
  • Make sure your voicemail is also professional sounding. No kids saying “hi!” or silly jokes.
  • You might want to include your linkedin profile IF you’ve got references on there.
• Then place your career history or experience, with each job place, title, date, and bullet points that detail what you did at each position. Make sure this information matches up with the experience you listed earlier in your summary.
• Include performance milestones, such as any interesting awards you received or quantifiable, big accomplishments (ie. “created a system that increased revenue by 50%).
• List education WITH dates.
• Include professional affiliations. These show that you are interested in being around like-minded people and in continuously developing yourself.

These simple tips will get you started on your way to building a resume that works for you. There’s more to it than this, though, so be sure to read our next blog for even more valuable advice on creating a powerful resume!

Want even more?

Check out our resume services page to read how WE can help YOU design a resume and cover letter that stands above the rest.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

likeateam.com

Warren Bennis, a pioneer of leadership studies, once said “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” 

What is YOUR vision? How can you apply that vision to your work as a leader in your field?

Here at Marshall Brown & Associates, our mission is to assist individuals by empowering and educating them to create and lead more fulfilling lives. Our coaching programs can help you find your vision, hone it, and then apply it to your work as an executive or other type of leader. We also have leadership workshops designed to help you inspire your staff and others to be the best at what they do.

So think about your vision today and what it means to the work you do. Then, contact us for a free consultation to find out how we can help you be a leader that inspires and delivers.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

According to the International Coach Federation, “Professional coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, businesses or organizations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.”

So, how does this apply to executives? That’s a great question!

Executive coaching enables growth in leadership development, soft skill building, and overall performance improvement.  Executive coaching is becoming more common in both the private and public sectors because the return on investment has such a high yield.  The average executive coaching relationship lasts no less than 3 months; many stay on for coaching for 2 years or more.

This type of coaching helps executives break through barriers within their organization and build stronger teams.  Once the mindset of the executive shifts, that funnels down throughout the team, communication improves and productivity increases.  It’s a win-win situation that every organization wants to take part in.

To learn more about the benefits of the Executives Who Deliver Results™ Coaching Program, or to schedule a complimentary consultation, click here.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Announcing: Another Free LinkedIn Teleseminar with Marshall Brown & Michelle Riklan

January 21,2013 at 7:30 p.m. EST

“7 Powerful LinkedIn Strategies for Your Successful Job Search in Today’s Job Market”

Register Now: http://mbrownassociates.com/teleseminars/

Are you in the middle of a job search and feel overwhelmed by the idea of trying to get the attention of hiring managers in your field?  Are you already where you want to be in your career, but need to expand your network so you can leverage your expertise?  Are you looking for a professional environment where you can ask a question about a technical or skill-based issue, and receive almost immediate feedback from like-minded professionals in a group setting?

If you answered YES to any of those questions, you are in the right place!

This exclusive event is co-hosted by Marshall Brown, Career and Executive Coach and Certified REACH Branding Specialist, and Michelle Riklan, CPRW, CEIC, Resume Expert and Career Coach.  They will provide networking and power tips to help you navigate LinkedIn more efficiently.  By the end of the event, you’ll be able to  develop an impactful LinkedIn profile that gets recognized amongst your peers, and partake in some pretty powerful group discussions.

With your free profile on LinkedIn, you have access to a truly global network of more than one-hundred fifty million professionals.  Join us at this free teleseminar and discover seven simple strategies for leveraging the amazing power of this free resource for your advantage.

Here’s a quick preview of some of what you’ll learn in this LinkedIn Job Search teleseminar:

• How to optimize your LinkedIn profile for maximum visibility
• How to leverage the power of LinkedIn to supercharge your job search
• How to  gain endorsements from supervisors, colleagues and past associates
• How to search for great jobs
• How to discover & create real connections with rainmakers in your industry
• How to make the most of LinkedIn groups
• How to build your LinkedIn connections

Your properly optimized LinkedIn profile will help you achieve the following results:

• Give you valuable exposure to the people who are searching for your talent, knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Create the opportunity for you to build a dynamic network of peers and leaders you’d like to follow
• Access to a massive job search engine where you can find targeted, local job leads
• Opportunities to connect with like-minded people around the globe
• Demonstrate and share your expertise with your network

Here’s what a few of our past participants had to say:

“Michelle is a woman of excellence and integrity with a unique ability to connect on multiple platforms   focusing on the solution and creating awareness to bring out the best in you.  Thank you, Michelle, for   the opportunity to work with you and for taking the time to listened and really hear my needs.”  Dr. Lisa Christiansen

“The information you shared on how to best pursue a job search as well as how to craft a resume that   stands out in the crowd, provided me with the tools I needed to bring life t my resume.  I secured a new   position that totally suits my needs.  I can’t thank you enough!”  Shawn E. Boynes

“Thank You Marshall Brown.  You gave me hope when in my mind there was none.”  B. C.

“It may have taken awhile, but it feels like things are finally coming together.  I can’t tell you how much I   appreciate you bringing focus to my career goals and getting things moving in the right direction.”  David Mintz, David Mintz Consulting

If you are serious about leveraging the power of LinkedIn’s one-hundred million plus connections to help you land the right job for your talents and skills, then you will benefit from attending this free teleseminar!

If you aren’t on LinkedIn right now, you don’t exist. . .

Sign-up now and learn how to become a LinkedIn superstar.

See you there!

Marshall and Michelle

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

As I start thinking about my vision, goals and dreams for 2013, I am also reminded of the wonderful blessings and experiences that I have witnessed this year.

1.    I am grateful, that at the age of 97 my father passed away without suffering.

2.    The support of a loving family  (despite the craziness some times).

3.    Dear, caring friends that check in with me to be sure I am ok. And that one of my dearest friends is surviving with cancer.

4.    My health continues to be excellent, and ok…yes, working out and eating better does help.

5.    I will survive if I don’t return an email right away (that’s also in my 2013 goals).

6.    My clients, associates, colleagues and others that I work with continue to amaze me with their drive to succeed and willpower. They inspire me and I have learned so much from them.

7.    Hiking the Normandy beaches, feeling overwhelmed realizing how many lives were lost there and also appreciating the beauty of the countryside. Oh yeah, French butter is THE BEST!

8.    That as Americans, we can learn a lot from the people of the Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and several other places I was fortunate to visit…really listen to music, enjoy dancing, learn another language, appreciate what you do have…and so much more.

9.    Despite some challenges, struggles and disappointments etc., there is a reason and I will be able to push thru it.

10.  And that I have much to be grateful for.

Here’s to a peaceful, healthy and loving 2013!

[flickr photo by user rustiqueart]

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

Coming up on September 27th at 7:30pm EST, Michelle Riklan and I are hosting another Resume Writing Tele-Seminar and we’re inviting you to join us. It’s called, “How to Write a Resume that Gets Results in a Tough Economy.” If you are unemployed and looking for a job, or if you’ve got a job and you are looking for new opportunities,
this is a workshop that you will not want to miss.

You will discover how easy it is to:

• Transform your out-dated, rambling resume into a laser-focused, concise marketing tool
• Craft a resume that sells YOU and your skills
• Showcase your accomplishments, set yourself apart from the competition and get an interview and so much more.

Register for free today:

Resume Writing Workshop: “How to Write a
Resume that Gets Results in a Tough Economy”

Thursday, September 27th, 7:30-8:30pm EST

http://www.mbrownassociates.com/teleseminars/resumes_MarshallandMichelle_092712.html

Please be sure to share this announcement with your friends.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com

As a career and executive coach, I strongly believe that there is always room for improvement. The concept of fostering improvement has been a major theme throughout my work for years, but we at Marshall Brown and Associates are beginning to focus in on leveraging the discipline and practices of performance improvement across all of the areas of our work including working with individuals, teams and entire organizations.

According to Wikipedia, “Performance improvement is the concept of measuring the output of a particular process or procedure, then modifying the process or procedure to increase the output, increase efficiency, or increase the effectiveness of the process or procedure. The concept of performance improvement can be applied to either individual performance such as an athlete or organizational performance such as a racing team or a commercial enterprise.”

We’ve updated the front page of our website to include the fact that we are doing performance improvement planning for our clients:

Performance Improvement (PI) is an approach that first examines the current performance of an individual, and/or team or the entire organization. We use performance improvement principles to identify the gaps between the current output and the desired output and then formulate a plan to address how to fill the gap between what’s happening now and that desired output.

We at Marshall Brown and Associates are using proven performance improvement strategies in the areas of:

•  Individual and team coaching
• Team building
• Board and staff development
• Customer service training
• Customized programs to address unique issues and solve organization challenges

In this rapidly shifting economic climate we all must learn to do more with less, and begin to maximize the efficiency of our people and our systems. If you are looking for ways to move your career or your company to the next level of excellence, please feel free to contact us today and schedule a consultation.

Marshall
http://www.mbrownassociates.com