What I Love about Company Picnics

My company had our company picnic today and it was my first employer-sponsored event for quite a long time. I forgot how nice it is to see my peers with their families and watch everyone just enjoying themselves. Many of us managers did the grilling and serving of food to the employees, and it was a hoot to watch out “big kahuna” serving the biggest hot dogs I’ve ever seen while wearing a t-shirt and baseball cap, and then drawing numbers for the prizes and “high-fiving” the kids who won.

I have been facilitating some teambuilding with the management team for several months and the team was making strides in building trust and mastering conflict. As I sat at the picnic table, munching on my gigantic dog and swigging diet soda, I realized I was witnessing rapport before my eyes. Managers from various departments working together to make sure the garden burgers didn’t burn, employees introducing each other to their spouses and children. We all work in a children’s hospital and sometimes we are trapped in our ’silos’ while working hard to serve our patients and their families. And here, in the park, next to the swingset, those silos were gone and we were simply people. Good, hard-working people focused on a noble cause.

Tomorrow at work, we have five new hires joining us for orientation. I can’t wait to welcome them into this organization, where they may find their perfect job, just as I have.

When You’ve Found the Perfect Fit

So, how do you know when you’ve found the job that’s a perfect fit? How about the fact that the day zips by and before you know it, it’s time to go home. You find yourself immersed in your work and have to remind yourself to take a “bio break.” You smile on your commute in. You don’t experience “Sunday Night Dread.”

I’m lucky to be in a job where all of the above is true for me. However, it wasn’t always the case. I recently had the fortune to be laid off from a job I was only in for a few months, however it didn’t take me near that long to realize it was a bad fit. When you cry at your desk at least twice per week, that’s a bad sign, my friends. What made it so horrible for me? It was the wrong kind of work for my skills, it was an environment that didn’t align with my style…need I go on? So when the rumors of layoffs swirled and I was called into the HR office, I practically SKIPPED in the door. Yeah, you know when it’s not right.

Why am I writing to you about this, dear reader? Because fit is everything. It’s more than money - I have left a position where I was paid a ridiculously high salary because the work and the environment were not right for me. It’s about being true to yourself - your family - your customers. It’s about protecting and nurturing the essence of who you are and not compromising yourself.

You might wonder why I included that sassy little cartoon at the top of this post. That represents me in my perfect job. See the arch of the eyebrow and the curl in the smile? That is me, adding value and loving it. I have found my perfect fit. Have you?

It’s Finally Making Sense

Years ago, I was fortunate enough to work in an OD department with several very experienced people. Actually, one or two were bordering on brilliant. And there I was, Little Miss Trainer, trying to run with the big dogs. I learned SO much during those six years! Sadly, some of it held little meaning to me. Until now.

When they were talking about balanced scorecards and change management, I just couldn’t fathom where that fit into my world. It seemed so conceptual - I couldn’t get it! Now, four years later…the pieces are falling into place…things are making sense. It’s incredible how that happens!

I can now see the application for a balanced scorecard - it’s really quite straightforward. I’m taking an Integrated Business Topics course (still trying to finish my Bachelors degree after almost 30 years) and this week I had to create a balanced scorecard for a business. It was actually a fun assignment! I used insights gained over the years of being an employee without a clue as to the strategic plans for my employers, and created something I think would work well at all levels. Hmmmm…

I’ve always thought of myself as tactical rather than strategic. Perhaps it’s just that the timing wasn’t right. Never say never.

 

Find Your Niche and Capture It!

Okay, I am officially a fan of a woman named Trish Uhl. I think she’s brilliant. If you go to http://www.cplpcoach.com/, you’ll find the site for her company, Owl’s Ledge, LLC. Another section of this company’s site is found at http://cplpstudyprep.net/index.htm. The company was created expressly for the purpose of supporting CPLP candidates. I’ll say it again - brilliant.

Trish identified a need in the market: a new nationwide certification that is as comprehensive as it is new and mysterious.

Why, there would be people, many, many people, who would need guidance and tools when preparing for this new and often overwhelming certification. BINGO!! That is Marketing 101 - identify your target market. Trish and her cohorts have done that beautifully, and I admire the forethought and creativity they used.

So, what does all this have to do with anything? Many of us feel we are “stuck” in dead-end careers - victims of circumstance. I hold the group at Owl’s Ledge, LLC, up as an example that, by simply paying attention and using some ingenuity, you and I can find our niche. We can create opportunities for ourselves that benefit others. We can take control of our destiny and chart the course of our own career journey.

My only question to Trish would be…why “Owl’s Ledge”…? Hmmmm…’tis a puzzlement…

 

Abundance is….well….abundant!

You know how it feels when you are really happy? You feel abundance in every part of your life? Well, I am there. Sure, I have a new job that is about the best one I’ve ever had. Sure, I have a husband who loves me and is committed to me through thick and thin (hips). Sure, I have wonderful friends who make me laugh and amaze me with their talents. So, what have I got to feel happy about?

Okay, so I’m almost done reading The Secret and I confess I buy it - hook, line, and sinker. I wake up every day saying “Thank you” to the universe. I feel magnificent, even though some would question how that is so in a very near mid-century BIG girl with a wonky knee.

It’s like my Grandma Tucker always told me when I was a young girl - you reap what you sow. I believe it. You get back what you give. You generate what you radiate.

So, does this mean I’m never cranky. Hardly. (My husband could tell you stories.) But these days, more often than not, I’m feeling strong and fantastic. Won’t you join me?

Shari’s Got a Brand New Gig

I’m preparing to begin a new job on Monday, and am filled with the excitement and anxiety that accompanies it! It took me about five weeks to find a job during this lay off, as opposed to nine weeks last summer, so I’m feeling pretty good. Thank you for asking.

The job market in Portland is extremely competitive because there are so many of you talented training and deveopment professionals out there, looking for your next adventure. The interview processes seem to get increasingly longer, and yet I am okay with that as it shows that employers are carefully considering their needs and taking time to ensure they choose someone who will be a good fit and not just a warm body.

Personally I find panel interviews to be a challenge. I like to connect individually with the interviewer and that is a bit tough when you have five of them lined up around a conference room table, taking turns asking their questions and sometimes engaging in an exchange of opinions about the organization’s culture. However, I do appreciate the opportunity to meet some of the customers (usually department managers) that I would be supporting in that position and I realize the importance of having them involved in the process.

As I consider the tools I used during my job search this time, you are looking at one of the best. This web portal gave me a place to have potential employers learn a bit about me, gain some insight into my thinking and communication skills by reading my blog, and see samples of my work through my online portfolio. And they could do all this at any time they liked! I have found this to be extremely powerful, and would suggest it to any job seeker.

Another invaluable tool, you can guess, is networking. I belong to the local chapter of ASTD, a professional organization for training and development, and I took advantage of the numerous meetings scheduled to network and learn. At the Transitions special interest group (SIG) meeting, which is targeted specifically at job seekers, I learned some great tips on sharpening up my resume. At the eLearning SIG meeting, I heard from other professionals on how they use technology in learning. And both of these events took only an investment of my time.

I also invested a bit of time and money and worked with a career coach for a few weeks. Through my work with him I was able to clarify what I want in my next job and, perhaps more importantly, what I don’t want. I developed my “Unique Value Proposition,” which is like that ‘elevator speech’ we are told to have ready in case someone asks us, while riding up one floor in an elevator, what we do. I also developed brief stories to illustrate my experiences for various competencies on which I want to focus.

The key to keeping my sanity during this layoff was productivity - I engaged in all of these activities that kept me busy and working toward my goal. If you’re a fellow job seeker and have some ideas to share, please leave a comment below - I’d appreciate hearing what has worked for you!