Welcome Note

Welcome to all my new subscribers! It is very gratifying to see the list grow - and I thank those of you who are sharing my monthly newsletters with your colleagues and friends.

Oya News

Other than coaching a steady influx of new individual and corporate clients, I am looking to February as a month to implement my marketing plan aimed at executives and professionals - those people you know who are stuck, at a crossroads with one or more decisions to make, or at cruising altitude and ready for new challenges. If you, or anyone you know, finds such a situation familiar and would like to take advantage of a free 40-minute introductory coaching session, please contact me.

The benefits of "trying out" coaching in this way are (1) that you actually experience coaching (it's really hard explaining coaching to a coaching neophyte - so test it out yourself!). And (2) you will walk away with something of value even if you decide coaching is not for you, as we coach on real stuff in your career, job or life!

Feature Article: Career Care Part 2.

Here is the second part of December's article - "Further Steps to landing that dream job".

Your four lists become the guide posts, in your quest for the job you desire. Using each list, you identify major gaps between where you are currently and where you really want to be.

For example, you use your personal values list to spot the gaps between what you cherish and what your organization seems to care most about. It is a sure bet that if they only care about the bottom line or shareholder value, at the expense of promoting employee growth and learning, and you value the latter highly, you will be unhappy at work!

Pay attention to the gaps in your skill set if you wish to move to a different field within your industry or a new industry. Get extra training through a professional association or a local college. Remember - don't underestimate the value of the skills you do have that are transferable.

Research the industries and even companies that interest you. Use the Internet, your local library or informational interviews with contacts in your areas of interest. You're looking for a "match" between your personal values and those that the industries or companies appear to espouse.

Here's the biggie - do not waste your time searching classifieds, monster.com or any other "positions offered" job sites. Stats show that by far the fewest satisfying jobs are found that way.

Instead, target the companies you would love to work in, because they sound great, you know someone who works there and loves his or her job, you read the Fortune 500 Best Companies to Work For, or they are located in areas you'd love to move to! The trick is to set your sights on what you really want and go for it!

One of your greatest assets will be your network - that intricate web of friends, family close contacts, associates at work, the golf or health club, your place of worship, and people you deliberately set out to meet in your desired field or industry. Let people know of your intention to establish your career and self in a different area, field or industry. A tool my clients find most helpful is to create a Declaration of Intent - a scripted response to the question "What do you do?" that informs the world of your intention to make a contribution in your area of interest. I assist my coaching clients to create this statement which they find invaluable. Thanks to Francine Gaillour's Physician Leadership Institute workshop for the inspiration for this tool!

Finally, obtain mentoring or coaching from someone who can offer you objective, unbiased listening and insightful questioning, and who will not stand by and watch you settle for anything less than you deserve!

On Track: Of Habits and Carrots

Think back to your New Year resolutions. How many of you made any this year? If you did, what rewards did you build into your goal-setting process? I ask the same question of those of you responsible for goal-setting at work.

Behavior change is enormously challenging, and as any parent already knows, the "stick" succeeds in engendering only fear and resentment if there are too few "carrots". What parents also discover is that a carrot is only real if it is a carrot in the eyes of the child. Not what we deem it to be.

Remember, effective rewards are often intangible - recognition, acknowledgement of self or others, an opportunity for fun.

Now, go back to your goals and resolutions and check the reward system. This may be your easiest path to successful habit change.

Are the rewards meaningful enough that they inspires you, or your employees, (or kids) to change in a useful direction?
Is the size of the reward appropriate for the size of the accomplishment?
Are you or they rewarded with sufficient frequency that you or they remember that it's there?
Most importantly, does thinking about the reward want to make you try harder?

Book of the Month

I am a fast reader, but the impact of Inspire! What Great leaders Do by Lance Secretan forced me to slow down to absorb the content. Every page was rich in ideas and pithy quotes. The author highlights what it is to be a New Story Leader - aware of one's own Destiny, Cause and Calling - and how New Story Leaders are transforming their organizations, communities and even families to become places of productivity, engagement, and contribution. By "inspiring" others, a process based on love, rather than "motivating" them using fear and manipulation of personality (the "rah-rah" rallies), we can avoid the cynicism and lethargy that seems to prevail in so many aspects of our culture.

Far from being a book of "warm and fuzzies", Secretan illustrates his ideas and concepts with numerous business and leadership case studies, especially of organizations that have succeeded in their turn-around efforts once the leaders have opted for an authentic New Story approach.

This is a valuable read for anyone struggling to make sense of organizational or group leadership, as well as community activism and parenting!

Please forward this newsletter to a client, friend, relative or acquaintance that might enjoy reading it.

Philippa Kennealy MD MPH
The Vision Realization Process™
President, Oya Consulting

Dr. Philippa Kennealy is an Executive and Personal Coach, dedicated to your professional and personal success and fulfillment. To schedule an initial FR*EE consultation, to learn more, or to inquire about having her speak to your group or organization, contact her at:
pkennealy@oyaconsulting.com or click here.

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