New Years Resolutions? How not to fail by the end of January
Take Action It’s that time of year again where many of us will review the past year and sit down to plan what we want to achieve in the coming year. Goal setting has had a bit of negative press recently and from my experience the way you set goals can dramatically improve your chance of attaining them. While I agree with Derek Sivers, founder of CD baby (which he sold for $22 million), that you need to focus more on the process and less on the outcome, I also draw from Professor Richard…
My favourite motivational book of 2013, what’s yours?
What does it take to be really successful? A young girl asked Richard St John this on a plane and he realized although he had achieved considerable success himself, he didn't know the answer to her question. So he set out upon a ten-year quest to find the answer. His book ‘The 8 traits successful people have in common, 8 to be great’ distills the research over those ten years into the principle 8 main areas, which leads to success. Richard completed 500 face-to-face interviews with…
Focus - what distinguishes experts from amateurs and stars from average performers
I admit I find it hard to focus. I know I am not alone in this struggle and in the last couple of years smart phones have made staying focused even harder. So when I was sent this YouTube video from a friend who works at IMD, it served as a timely reminder as my thoughts start to turn to what I want to achieve next year on how I need to redouble my efforts to focus. Daniel Goleman is an expert in emotional intelligence and his recent book Focus, the hidden driver of excellence combines…
If not now, when?
My colleague and I were laughing recently about how in our recruitment days we would smirk over cheesy headlines in job ads such as ‘New Year, New Job?’ or ‘New Year, Time for a Change? Jokes aside both summer holidays and the more obvious New Year often makes us reflect on how things are and what changes we need to make both in our personal lives and in our work. There are other life events that make us take stock too, significant birthdays and the death of someone close. As a career coach…
Career Farm feature in the Financial Times
This week I was really pleased to be asked by the Financial Times to comment on the unfair demands placed on our free time by our employers and organisations. Where do I begin? First, you need to be on solid ground. “If you’re doing an outstanding job, you’ll be able to say ‘I’m going home on time because I’m hitting all my targets,’” says Fergus O’Connell, author of The Power of Doing Less. Jane Barrett, founder of the Career Farm coaching consultancy, adds: “Do a bit of due diligence – are…
Know what you’re getting into with private equity
My thoughts on ‘In my shoes, a memoir’ by Tamara Mellon, co-founder of global brand Jimmy Choo. With a reported exit of £135 million, Tamara takes you on her roller-coaster journey from washed out media executive to becoming one of the biggest names in retail. Her memoir is a riveting account of how she built the famous international luxury brand Jimmy Choo. She literally ‘tells all’; the family back stabbing, the private equity nightmares from start up to exit, and how she is structuring her…
How to present Like a TED Lecturer
Ever since I watched my first TED lecture I harbored a secret (now not so secret!) desire to be able to give a talk like a TED lecturer – if only! How do you even attempt it? As a former member of Toastmasters I could see from the business people I watched speak, that being an engaging speaker was a career skill that both me and my clients could benefit from. Over the summer I generally catch up with my reading and I often ask my colleagues what they recommend (a good way of sorting the wheat…
A quick boost if you've just been knocked back!
© Marilyn Barbone | Dreamstime Stock Photos Even the most successful people have failed. I was amazed to read recently that Nobel prize winner Sir John Gurdon who created ‘Dolly the sheep’ was given no encouragement to pursue a career in the sciences, if anything he was actually told that it would not be a good idea. His teacher said, “ I believe he has ideas about becoming a scientist. On his present showing this is quite ridiculous, if he can’t learn simple biological facts he would have no…
Become a Parrot Fish in the Ocean - standing out in a crowded job market
Doing well, doing good' Last year I was at the inspiring conference at IESE, 'Doing well, doing good' which has just taken place this weekend. This year I couldn't go, but I happened to be reading about Zainab Salbi. Zainab is the founder of a global organisation called 'Women for Women' which provides support, such a access to legal advise and health services and training including job skills, to women affected by war in eight countries. She has just published a book; 'If you knew me you…