Questions for Coaching

Virginia-based HR Consultant Linda Ferguson asked this question recently on LinkedIn:

~ "What is your favorite coaching question?"

Now that's a good question, in my opinion. Already, a slew of interesting replies have come in, comprising a compendium of coaching questions. I hope Linda has the time to compile the best responses into a resource for the many coaches out there.

The reason I like Linda's question so much is that I believe that questions are among a coach's most valuable tools. Effective coaches ask questions that stimulate meaningful goals and unleash imaginative solutions.

Questions in a coaching relationship keep the focus on the client, and help a coach to avoid slipping into "tell mode" where a coach starts giving information, telling stories, and offering advice. As useful as those things (information, stories, and advice) can be at the right moment, they put the coach in the spotlight rather than the client.

So an effective coach is loaded with good questions. Open-ended type questions that provide the client with the opportunity to speak and, in so doing, to discover their own meaning. As communication guru David Berlo once wisely said years ago, "How can I know what I mean until I see what I say?" A good coach creates such a space for the other person to discover who they are and what they want.

My initial response to Linda's question was:

~ "What would you like to improve?"

For me, this is the question at the heart of coaching. For the coach, it uncovers the desire of the client, the motive for change. For the client, it brings focus to the change(s) that would be most meaningful to him or her.

The question, What would you like to improve?, is inspired by coaching guru Marshall Goldsmith's feedforward concept.

Related questions include:
- How can I help you?
- What is keeping you up at night?
- What one thing could you change that would make a big difference to you?

What is your favorite coaching question?

Terry

Posted by Terrence Seamon on July 25, 2010. For more information on coaching, visit Terry's website and invite him into your organization.

What Counts the Most?

Someone tweeted the other day, “What counts the most is results.” That mantra is certainly true for Corporate America. And I preach it when I am wearing my Training Manager hat.

But lately, I am finding that there are people who are wondering if that’s all there is. Two groups in particular, Leaders and Job Hunters, are on my mind.

Let’s start with Leaders. Clearly, they are measured against delivering results. In my executive coaching work with leaders, I am hearing a yearning for something more. Recently, several highly successful business leaders told me how dissatisfied they have felt, for years, with their jobs. Yes, they have made good money. Yes, they have accomplished a lot. But they have felt a hole, something missing. Work for them has been a spiritually draining experience, leaving them starved rather than nourished.

And Job Hunters. If you are still adrift in this recession, looking for work, and pondering career direction, you may be wondering, “What else counts? And what counts for Me?”

I am currently part of a team at my church that is planning a retreat for September that will be devoted to spirituality and work. The other night, we discussed why we work. There were many responses. Some obvious and generally accepted answers were “to make money; to earn a living; to support my family.”

But there were many other responses too, such as:
- to fulfill my purpose
- to make me a whole person
- to learn
- to be significant
- to help others
- to make an impact
- to make the world a better place

So what counts the most for You? Is it Results? Relationships? Making a lasting impact?

Aspirational coach Monica Diaz de Peralta says that the path to fulfillment is to recognize that we aspire to three deep needs in the human soul:
- transcendence
- wisdom
- happiness

I like that model. Those three aspirations really do count for me.

There is a saying attributed to Albert Einstein: “Many of the things you can count, don’t count. Many of the things you can’t count, really count.”

Einstein was more than a brilliant theoretical mathematician. He was a wise man.

Terry

ABOUT THE WRITER

This article, originally posted at HR.BlogNotions on July 21, 2010, was written by Terrence Seamon. For more on leadership, coaching, careers, goals, and wisdom, check out Terry’s website Facilitation Solutions.

Employee Engagement Top Ten E-Book

The countdown is over!

The Employee Engagement Top 10 Free E-Book, orchestrated by David Zinger, is now available as a download from the Employee Engagement Network on ning.

I've got ten points in there, along with a host of other great engagement thinkers including:

Jennifer Schulte: Ways to boldly improve engagement

Steve Roesler: Ways to ask engaging questions to engage others

Tim Wright: Ways to create a culture to engage

Kelley Eskridge: How to change the way people work together

Wally Bock: Ways to be a more effective boss

Mario Gastaldi: How to have conversations that engage

And so much more, including tips from Susan Stamm, Wayne Turmel, Lisa Forsyth, Scott Span, Jean Douglas, Michael Lee Stallard, Raven Young, and David Zinger.

With over thirty of the brightest and most passionate thinkers in the field of employee engagement, each giving ten nuggets of wisdom and action for improving the culture of your organization, this e-book is a treasure trove! It will help you and others to move the needle on engagement...and performance.

Terry

ABOUT THE WRITER

This post was written by Terrence Seamon on July 22, 2010. For more leadership, management, engagement, and coaching tips like this, check out Terry’s website Facilitation Solutions and invite him to speak at your organization.

Need a Coach? How about a Yogi?

Many people nowadays are hiring coaches to help them change and improve. It’s an age-old resource, probably dating back to the prehistoric sherpas that would guide the tribe over a treacherous mountain pass to a lush green valley beyond.

If you are in search of a coach, consider this alternate approach. Hire Yogi Berra.

Baseball great Lawrence “Yogi” Berra was not just a famous American baseball player. Because of his special way with the English language, he has become a legendary source of wisdom for life. Consider just three examples of classic Yogi Berra-isms, and how these one liners can stimulate the wisdom of your own “inner coach.”

~ “You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.” – Yogi knew that goals are important in life. Without goals, we are without direction. With goals, we are able to chart a course toward our desires.

~ “You can observe a lot by watching.” – Observing quietly, and listening attentively, are the most fundamental ways to learn. We did that when we were infants. We do that when we are newcomers in a strange place. We can do it anytime we choose to be highly effective listeners.

~ “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” – Yogi understood the importance of action. The forks in the road of life are times of choice. Times to choose a path and go for it.

In Sanskrit, the word yogi refers to a person who “knows that the entire cosmos is situated within his own body” and practices spiritual development techniques such as yoga. An interesting linguistic coincidence? I think not.

[This blog post dedicated to my dad, George J. Seamon (1924-2003), a great baseball catcher like Yogi Berra.]

Terry

ABOUT THE WRITER

This article was written by Terrence Seamon and originally published at HR.BlogNotions on July 16, 2010. For more leadership, management, engagement, and coaching tips like this, check out Terry’s website Facilitation Solutions and his blog Here We Are. Now What?

Listening Leaders

American writer Ernest Hemingway once said: "I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen."

If he's right, that most of us never listen, then that includes most leaders. And that's a scary thought.

Leaders are supposed to lead with our best interests in mind. But if they aren't listening to their people, then how do they know what we want and need?

Economist Bernard Baruch once said: "Most of the successful people I've known are the ones who do more listening than talking."

If he's right, that listening and success are connected, then leaders should spend much more time listening than speaking.

It seems to me that leaders need a listening system. A simple yet reliable way to ensure that listening happens on a regular basis.

Here are four components I'd suggest for a listening system. What what you add?

Make listening a priority - Are you a good listener? Or do you take listening for granted? If you elevate listening to a place of importance in your life, you won't overlook it and forget it so easily.

Listen daily - Is listening on your daily To Do list? To make it a habit, you must do it. You must schedule it. Set time aside in your plan for the day to make listening happen. You'll want to schedule time to:

- Listen to your team. They may need more direction, support, or attention. They may have ideas for you on how to solve problems, improve service, improve safety, or save cost.

- Listen to your customers. They may have gripes you need to hear about. They may have suggestions that could give you a competitive edge.

Listen for success - When you listen, are you all there? Or do you half-listen? What are you hearing? You have to process what you are hearing, and then translate the input into action plans.

Listen to the Self - Do you ever take time to listen to your own inner voice? We each have an inner guide, like a compass within us. But most of the time, the small voice is drowned out by the noise of life . . . and ignored. This voice is signaling all the time and it just takes some quiet attentiveness to tune in and pick up the message.

If you follow the news, it seems to be filled day in and day out with world leaders and local leaders who are failing to listen to their people. Maybe that's why there is so much suffering and conflict in the world?

Could listening be the answer?

The Dalai Lama once said: "Listening is like a torch that dispels the darkness of ignorance."

Reminds me of my mom Ramona who was fond of saying, "Listen and learn."

_______________________

Posted by Terrence Seamon on July 12, 2010. If you would like more information on listening, communicating, and leadership, visit Terry's website and invite him in to your organization.

How to Get and Keep Customers

Legendary Harvard Business School professor Theodore Levitt once said: “The purpose of every business is to create and keep a customer.”

How do you do that? How do you create and keep customers?

Let's take a page from soccer. Soccer, the most popular, most loved, game in the world (everywhere but the USA, that is), is currently in the midst of its World Cup games in South Africa. Have you watched any of it? The fans have been going gaga on a global scale!

In the stadium, the fans are blowing their vuvuzelas like maniacs. The sound is like a giant beehive. One woman reportedly blew out her throat (not life threatening, but painful nonetheless). This is fan-atacism like you can't believe!

Years ago, prolific management author Dr. Ken Blanchard, the co-developer of Situational Leadership and co-author of the One Minute Manager, co-wrote a book called Raving Fans. The question he addressed was, How do you turn your customers into raving fans? The simple yet powerful idea at the heart of his book is: Understand Your Customer and Deliver Beyond their Expectations.

Think about the times when you have been a customer. Focus on the times that were the best, most memorable customer service experiences of your life. Perhaps it was at a hotel when you were on vacation; or at a restaurant; or even an automobile service station.

What was it that made you a "raving fan?" Chances are, it was how the staff interacted with you, how the staff treated you, how the staff made you feel.

When you come right down to it, the "secret" to creating and keeping customers is your staff. Who are you hiring? How are you training them? How are you motivating them? How are you paying them? How well are you taking care of them?

Bill Marriott once famously said: "Take great care of your people, they'll take great care of your customers, and your customers will come back and back and back."

Marriott knew in his bones what we are now rediscovering in the field of Employee Engagement: Take good care of your employees and they will take good care of your customers...and your business.

____________________________________________

This article was written by Terrence Seamon, originally published on HR.Blognotions on June 29, 2010. For more customer service, management, and employee engagement tips like this, check out Terry's website Facilitation Solutions and invite him to your organization.

In Search of Meaningful Work

So many people are in search of work right now that it boggles the mind. Many are in search of full-time work in the field they had worked in before the downsizings. Others are scrambling to take whatever work they can get. Some are struggling to reinvent themselves for the next act of their lives.

If you are in this boat, I'd like to suggest that you add to your list: Search for meaningful work.

What is meaningful work?

Meaningful work is paradoxical: It's work that doesn't seem like work to you. When you do this work, you are in love with it and the time flows by like a river.

If you have ever felt this way while working at something, reflect on it. What was that work? What was it about that work that seems to connect to your heart and soul?

My friend Kenny Moore has written and spoken about this: "All of us are born into this world with an “acorn” that is destined to grow into a mighty oak. This acorn is often referred to as our calling, vocation or destiny."

This is the work we were born to do. It's the "golden seed" planted in us before we were born. It's our calling. Our reason for being here.

And each of us has that work to do. Our mission in life is to find it and pursue it.

Last year, I started a network called The Heart of Meaningful Work, intended to be a global community for conversations about finding meaning in our work. I invite you to join it on LinkedIn.

______________________
This post was written by Terrence Seamon, June 28, 2010. For more career transition and coaching tips like this, check out Terry’s website Facilitation Solutions and invite him into your organization as a speaker.

Telling Your STORY

Today at Ft. Dix in southern New Jersey, the Ultimate Warrior Job Fair brought area employers together with returning soldiers who are transitioning back to civilian life. To prepare for the job fair, yesterday the soldiers were offered one-on-one resume and interview coaching with a small army of NJ-area Human Resources experts and career coaches, including me.

One of the soldiers I met with was having a difficult time expressing what he had accomplished in his years of service. He said, "I was just doing my job, sir." His humility and sense of duty were hallmarks of his training as a soldier. But his capabilities and value to potential employers were still hidden. He needed to develop good descriptive stories that he could tell that would convey his tremendous experience.

The following five steps, illustrated with one of the soldier's stories, will help job hunters think through and prepare your PAR (Problem-Action-Result) stories:

Situation: Where were you? When was this? What was your role?

The soldier talked about the time he was an embedded advisor with Iraqi soldiers in his most recent tour of duty.

Tasks: What did you have to do?

The soldier's task was to train the Iraqi soldiers in the American way of soldiering, including its value system, processes, and practices.

Opportunity and Obstacles: What was the prize? What was in the way?

The opportunity was to create and sustain a new Iraqi army, different from the old one under the previous regime. The obstacle was to overcome the ingrained thinking and habits that the Iraqi's had been taught.

Response and Result: What did you do? What was the result?

What the soldier did was to develop and deploy a team of advisors that worked very closely with the Iraqis, coaching and mentoring them patiently, working day in and day out to overcome their skepticism and build trust.

You: How did this experience shape you? How were you strengthened by it?

The soldier expressed it with a motto that he had thought of to describe himself: "Turning ordinary people into extraordinary leaders."

What civilian employer would not want to hire such a person?

This important job search skill, telling stories that convey your skills and value, doesn't get the attention it deserves. These stories not only convey your past accomplishments, they also tell the prospective employer about You and what you're made of. Your ability to tell your PAR stories may be the differentiator that sets you apart from your competition.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 10, 2010

Becoming Something Very Important

Today, I was part of a contingent of career coaches that volunteered to help our soldiers at the “Ultimate Warrior Career Workshops” held at the Fort Dix military base. It was a great event.

I met with several soldiers, to review their resumes, and guide them in preparation for their transition from the military life back to the civilian world.

Thinking about them as I drove home, I am convinced that today's job hunters and career changers need to become transitionists:

~ People who are "adept at transitions and more precisely, skilled at managing change." People who expect change; accept change; and see change as opportunity. People who ride change as a surfer rides a wave.

So if you are a transitioning job hunter or career changer, how can you develop yourself as a transitionist? Here are a few thoughts:

Attitude: What is your attitude toward change? Do you resist it? Do you embrace it? Can you imagine yourself initiating change in your own life?

Dissatisfaction: What aspect of your life would you most like to change? Find your dissatisfaction points.

Vision: What is your vision of the future, the future You? What do you see yourself doing? creating? famous for?

Engage: Are you bringing your fully engaged energy, your "A Game," to this change project?

Next steps: What small steps will you start to take, right here and right now, that will overcome inertia, start the ball rolling, and impel you toward the change?

Transformation: Can you sense the wings that are forming in you, the wings that want to spread, the wings that will enable you to take off and fly?

The points above form the acronym ADVENT. I chose that word because advent means:

~ The coming or arrival, especially of something extremely important: the advent of the computer. (Merriam Webster Dictionary)

When you are making a transition, such as the soldiers I met at Ft. Dix, you are in the process of becoming something quite important: the future You.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 9, 2010

Living the Mission, Vision, and Values

Dominic Scaffidi is a Toronto-based HR consultant who asked an interesting question recently at LinkedIn:

~ How do you get your employees to live the Mission, Vision, and Values of your company?

As an organization development professional, I've had the good fortune of being an internal in several companies where this question was a major cultural undertaking.

In each case, the key success factors were: Feeling and Believing.

First, let's look at feeling. Do the employees feel (key word) the Mission and Vision? This feeling comes from real engagement where employees are authentically invited into the process of defining and deepening the Mission, Vision, and Values.

In one of the companies where a significant effort was made to embed the MVV in the organization, employees from all levels and all locations were invited into the process. Everyone had an opportunity to say their piece of the wisdom. And the facilitators from OD were carefully listening and conveying employee input.

Second, believing. Do the employees believe the Mission, Vision, and Values? It's about credibility. Believing comes from seeing the leaders in the company walking the talk.

In another organization, the CEO made it his regular practice to talk about the strategy and values of the company. He really felt and believed it. And when you interacted with him, you sensed that it was real.

So, how do you get your employees to live the Mission, Vision, and Values of the company? It's a lot more than hanging posters on the walls:

Communicate and Engage: Yes, Cascade it. But don't stop there. Go further. Connect with employees in meaningful forums.

Invite and Involve: Let employees know that their input counts.

Listen and Lead: If there are two vitally essential elements, it would have to be these two, listening, and leading the way by your example.

Embedding MVV is not a quick fix. Do it right and it will pay off in a more highly focused and engaged workforce.

______________________
This post was written by Terrence Seamon, June 7, 2010. For more leadership and employee engagement tips like this, check out Terry’s website Facilitation Solutions and invite him into your organization as a speaker.

Can't We All Get Along?

This past week at LinkedIn, there have been a couple interesting discussions of the relationship among HR, Training and OD. Which led to my latest posting on HR.Blognotions, and re-published here.

As an HR Thought Leader, I’ve been asked what I think of the relationships among Training, Organization Development, and HR. Having labored in this nexus for over 25 years, I definitely have some thoughts.

Let’s start with Training and OD. For me, both are professional fields of practice, distinct from each other as career paths, but closely related historically as well as functionally.

Historically, the field of OD was originally training-based. The T in T-Group stands for Training. NTL stands for National Training Labs. Much of the early work of the founders of OD involved “interventions” that came to be known as “action learning.”

Functionally, Training and OD are pursuing the same end result, i.e. enhanced performance. Training focuses on individuals, while OD on teams and organizations. So I see them as points on a common continuum.

Yes, they can get along and cooperate. They can even collaborate and synergize. But there can also be tension, even conflict, especially if there is mistrust or disrespect in the relationship. While I’ve never seen antagonism in the relationship between OD and Training, I have seen turf issues. And I’ve seen (and felt) condescension, where the people in OD “looked down on” the folks in T&D.

I guess it’s human nature at work. OD likes to see itself as strategic, and Training as tactical. Actually, that’s not a bad point of view. The trouble brews when it reflects silos and division rather than creative collaboration.

My best experiences have been those where OD and T&D have been integrated in one department. In one company, it was called Learning & Development. In another company, it was called People & Organization Effectiveness. In a third, it was called Training & OD.

Whatever you call it, my recommendation would be to bring them under one roof, with one mission and vision. After all, Training and OD are in the same business: growing the capability of the organization to perform.

Things get muddier when we look at Training and OD reporting up into HR. I’ll never forget an early encounter when I joined the Human Resources team of a large international chemicals company in the early 1980’s. One of the HR Directors, who was cynically humorous, said to me and others at a staff meeting: “Training is something you do with dogs.” Everyone laughed. To me, it felt like a slap.

In the 25+ years since then, I’ve run into that attitude from time to time. It’s too bad. Seems like one that isn’t going away anytime soon, I guess. My take on it is that it comes from a place of not understanding at best, and disrespect at worst.

A smart HR leader will understand that HR and T/OD are different in outlook, action and spirit. HR is about control, compliance, and risk mitigation. T & OD are about strengthening organizational capability and performance. You can’t get much different, can you?

So a smart HR leader will hire really good Training and OD people. Make sure they are aligned with the business goals. And most importantly: Don’t under-utilize them by assigning HR-ish projects like performance reviews training. Instead, deploy Training and OD to the high-value work that will leverage and strengthen the culture and capability of the organization.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 5, 2010

Call Your Mother. Save Your Money.

Consultant Bob Burg, co-author of the bestseller The Go Giver, was asked this question:

~ If you were invited to deliver a commencement address . . . what advice would you give to a class of college graduates?

I asked my wife Joan. I often consult her for her wisdom. She said:

~ "Call your mother. Save your money. Start thinking now about retirement. Go to church."

So, what would your key points be?

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 2, 2010

The Five Stories Every Job Hunter Must Be Ready to Tell

I've written before about a critical skill that job hunters must hone: the ability to convey their past accomplishments via well-crafted PAR* stories, where PAR stands for Problem-Action-Result.

But in today's "jobless recovery," this skill is taking on a greater significance. Many job hunters are getting little to no response from employers. They are starting to suspect that the jobs they once held may not ever be coming back. The realization that they need to reinvent themselves is slowly starting to dawn on them.

If this sounds like your predicament, then heed this: More than ever before, you must be ready and able to convey your Value Proposition, the reason why they should hire You! The power of a story can go far beyond recounting a past event to illustrate your achievements. A well-told story also demonstrates your practical wisdom and reveals the essence of the storyteller.

To "wow" the next interviewer that invites you into their organization, consider these Five Stories Every Job Hunter Must Be Ready To Tell.

1. The Idea - Every one of has a "bright idea" now and then. This story tells about a time when you had an idea, maybe a solution to a dilemma your team was facing, and how you presented the idea to others to gain their support. Were you successful? Did they resist your idea? Were you able to overcome their objections? Even if the story ends with the idea being shot down (Hey, that's life on the Idea Food Chain sometimes), this story can illustrate such aspects of practical wisdom as imagination, patience, persistence, communication, and selling skills.

2. The Ordeal - Every one of us suffers through an ordeal at one time or another. A difficult and possibly painful (even if only psychically so) time of stress. This story tells about a time when you, and perhaps others on your team, had to suffer through a prolonged trial, such as the uncertainty that comes with an impending acquisition by another organization. What did you do to help yourself, and others, through this trying time? This story can illustrate such aspects of practical wisdom as optimism, hope, fortitude, and solidarity with others.

3. The Transition - Every one of us has had to adapt to a change. Maybe there was a merger and you found yourself working for a new employer, adjusting to a whole new organizational culture. Did you rise to the occasion? Did you seize the opportunity? Did you learn as fast as you could? Did you prove yourself to the new regime? This story can illustrate such aspects of practical wisdom as adaptability, flexibility, customer-focus, results-focus, organizational savvy, and learning.

4. The Setback - Every one of us has been knocked down. Maybe it was a minor setback such as enduring a budget cut. For many others, it may have been a major setback such as a termination. Did you stay down? Or did you get up, get creative, get moving, and galvanize into action? This story can illustrate such aspects of practical wisdom as belief in oneself, courage, resolve, creativity, and resilience.

5. The Team - Every one of us has been part of a team at one time or another. Though you may not have been the team leader, it may have occurred to you that there is no "I" in TEAM. That it takes everyone to succeed. When you realized that you shared responsibility for the leadership, and for the ultimate success of the team, you broke through (whether you knew it or not) to the essential meaning of leadership. This story can illustrate such aspects of practical wisdom as teamwork, taking responsibility, following, and leading.

So the next time an interviewer says "Tell me about yourself," you will be ready.

*Don't like PAR? How about CAR stories: Challenge-Action-Results. Or SOAR stories: Situation-Obstacle/Opportunity-Action-Result.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, May 18, 2010

The Hero's Journey

The other day, in the midst of a discussion on the main list of the OD Network, an aphorism occurred to me:

~ Action learning is the crucible of transformation.

I immediately liked it, but wondered if I could explain (or defend) it should someone ask. So far, no one has. Maybe it sailed right past everyone, an idea ahead of its time?

Today, in the same evolving online discussion, I mentioned that, in the hero's journey, the hero often returns home, only to realize that his journey was a search for himself. When one of the other members asked for clarification, I added the following summation of the late great Joseph Campbell's famous concept.

Campbell, whose cross-cultural studies of world mythologies led him to formulate The Hero's Journey, framed the myth in three stages:

1. The Call to Adventure - Something happens (or someone arrives, like Gandalf knocking on Bilbo Baggins' door in Tolkien's great fantasy book The Hobbit) that causes a Separation, a departure, where the Hero leaves the comfort of home, and embarks upon a Search or Mission of some sort.

2. The Adventures - Like Dorothy Gale blown away from Kansas by a tornado into the fabulous Land of Oz, the Hero experiences strange and wonderful adventures, often including Escapes, Trials, Meetings, and Initiations, all of which have the effect of changing the Hero in some way.

3. The Return - Finally, after the Search is concluded, or the Mission fulfilled, it is time to go home. So the Hero faces a choice: to make his way back home, or to go elsewhere.

Quite often in many versions of the Hero's Journey, the Hero goes home, but finds that the home he had left, and the home he comes back to, are very different places (for example, consider Frodo's return to the Shire in Tolkien's trilogy The Lord of the Rings. What had once been an Eden-like refuge, had been spoiled, corrupted under the influence of the evil fugitive wizard Saruman. Because of Frodo's transformation in his journey, he and the other members of the Fellowship, were able to "scour" the Shire, cleansing it and restoring it.)

Mythologist Campbell was interested in how these ancient patterns play out in our lives. What is the Call about? And the Adventures? What does the Hero find when he or she Returns home?

I would say that...

- The Call is about the need to change
- The Adventures are the learning experiences that Life offers us, transforming us if we learn the lessons
- The Return is about the discovery of Who We Are, Why We Are Here, and What We Are Meant to Do with the talents we possess, in this Life

All of us undergo some variant of the Hero's Journey.

Along the way we meet facilitators, people who are there to help us learn life lessons that advance us toward our purpose.

So back to my aphorism:
~ Action learning is the crucible of transformation.

Hmmm. Maybe the way to end this blog posting is to say: On the hero's journey, sometimes you are Luke Skywalker. Sometimes you are Obi Wan Kenobi.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, May 16, 2010

Wow Them!

Want to wow the next employer you interview with? Here are the three secrets you need to know . . . and do.

My son Dave landed an internship today. Before he headed off to the train, he asked me for interview tips.

Since he didn't have much time, I quickly said:

1. Have a good story - Ask yourself, Why did they invite you in for an interview? There must be something in your letter, your resume or your work samples that caught their attention, that hooked their interest. They want to meet you! What is it that you need to tell them about the value you can bring to their party?

2. Be energized - If you have a good story to tell about what makes you different, and why they should hire you, you are going to be fired up. You will have a light shining out of your eyes and your smile that will light up the room when you are there.

3. Know the company - Have you done your homework? Do you know something about the organization? Something about the interviewer, especially if she is the decision maker?

It comes down to presence. It sounds mystical. And maybe it is. But it's all about how you show up.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, May 13, 2010