What a year 2020 was! I won't regurgitate all that happened. You know what happened. You lived it, just as I did.

As we head toward the turn of the year --just a few days off from today-- many of us in the Coaching & Leadership Training field think about Goal Setting.
"I'm not the same person I was a year ago and neither are you." So starteth an article in a local New Jersey newspaper (that I cannot read as it is behind a paywall.).

A week ago, I might not have subscribed to that sentence...but I do now.
We cannot become what we are capable of becoming by staying what we are.

Lately, some of my clients have been asking for help with supervisory skills.

For example: "Our supervisors have never had any soft skills training. They need to learn how to treat people better.
Clearly, with the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 has been a watershed year, a turning point that will be featured in the history books of the future.
A financial writer interviewed me about ways to safeguard yourself and prepare for job loss. In particular, she wanted to reach professionals that have been at one company for many years, who are often ill-prepared for the "shock and awe" of the pink slip.

A financial writer interviewed me about ways to safeguard yourself and prepare for job loss. In particular, she wanted to reach professionals that have been at one company for many years, who are often ill-prepared for the "shock and awe" of the pink slip. 

What can they do today to get ready for the rollercoaster ride of being "in transition?"

Here are a few of the ideas, that I offered up for professionals who are still working but who see "the handwriting on the wall:"

- Take training now - Is your employer offering training? Sign up. Take as much as you can.

- Take charge of your own learning - What are the "hot topics" in your field right now? Agile? Machine Learning? Big Data? Sign up for courses. Read books. Listen to podcasts  in your car or on the train while commuting.

- Read outside your field - Are you a chemist? An engineer? Then start reading articles and books from other fields. Art, history, finance, economics, business, strategy, and politics. The great management expert Peter Drucker said that you must develop expertise outside your field.

- Get active in your professional association - Activate your membership. Get more involved in the local chapter. Attend meetings. Volunteer to help.

- Demonstrate your expertise - Offer to give a presentation on a topic you know very well. Offer to teach a class. Write an article and publish it on LinkedIn.

- Update your resume - If you do the above, add them to your resume. Be sure your resume exhibits your skills and your accomplishments. Strengthen the summary on page one so that it conveys your brand and your value proposition.

- Get on LinkedIn and start using it - Build a complete profile. Be active. Post updates.

- Start networking now - Remember that networking does NOT mean "not working." The time to start networking is now. Start connecting with people. One simple way to start is to call up former colleagues and bosses to wish them a happy holiday. Ask how they are doing. Find out what they are up to these days. Have a conversation. Simply connect.

Final point: Challenge yourself. Get out of your comfort zone before you are pushed out.

Published on 11/22/19 by Terrence H. Seamon
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The Way of Change (a poem for facilitators)

The way of change is the way of Life.

Learning and adapting, we flow

Flowing like a river, dancing like a breeze.

Convening and listening, we invite and welcome

Opening a safe space where thoughts can bloom.
I was the Training Manager supporting the R&D unit of a global pharma-chemicals company. The business unit head from Frankfurt had flown to New Jersey for a management meeting and, to my great surprise, asked to see me.
Job Hunters are seeking to reach their next career goal, to find the job of their dreams. But how to do that? What would it take to land that job?

In the old days, what often worked was to peruse the "want ads" in the local newspaper. In today's world, new strategies are necessary.
We all have blind spots. Trouble is, by definition, we are blind to them. Unless someone fills us in, we go along oblivious.

One piece of wisdom that I came across years ago resurfaced the other day in my twitterfeed...and it reminded me of an important life lesson.
At this time of year, I often recall the "3 Word Exercise" that I learned from blogger Chris Brogan.

In a nutshell, he recommends visioning the new year ahead and letting 3 words filter out of the "big story" you have in mind.
"Darkness reveals the heavenly lights."

For the past several years, a group of friends has gathered in December for the celebration of the Winter solstice. One of the group, a Franciscan sister, prepares a short and simple prayer for us to follow as we stand around a fire in the night.
There are organizations out there that are doing much more than making a profit and giving a return to shareholders. Some realize that they are providing jobs. Some realize that they are part of a community. 

Some realize that they are giving hope to those who have lost much in life.
“Built into you is an internal guidance system that shows you the way home. All you need to do is heed the voice.”

I like that sentence from writer Neale Donald Walshe.

"Home" is You.

I think I am called to help people (myself and others) to 'tune into' it.
"Never assume that the next guy knows what he is doing much less why."

Dave Davidson was one of my professors at Rutgers circa 1973. His specialty was Information Systems Theory.
Seasons Greetings,

At this festive time of year, our thoughts often turn to the gifts that we might give to others. I would like to offer you this thought.
Many years ago, my former pastor Fr. Doug preached on the theme that each of us is both Gifted and Broken.  It resonated so deeply with me that it became one of my Nine Steps to OD:

At the time that I published it (back in 2005), I was attacked over the "broken" part.
Much of my work is about change. Helping companies to change through learning processes, for example. And helping my one-on-one clients to change through a coaching process.

Throughout it all, the essential challenge is, in a word, change. How to face it. How to embrace it.
“We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned so as to accept the life that is waiting for us.” - Joseph Campbell

Endings are hard, sometimes too much to endure, like when we lose a job, or lose a loved one...or lose a pastor.

Endings often trigger emotions. Sadness. Anger.
Inspired by a colleague's list of tips for resilience and coping...

Here are six ideas for taking action in dark times.
Recently, I came across an image online about "hustle" that said:

HUSTLE - Verb - 1. The only controllable pillar of success

Seeing the word hustle reminded me of when I played Pop Warner Football as a kid in grammar school.
The project manager is like a samurai who comes upon a tiger in the forest. If he turns and runs, he will surely be eaten by the tiger. If he stands and faces the tiger, the outcome is uncertain.
Way back when during the TQM movement, I was trained to be one of my then-employer's Quality Facilitators. Part of that role included teaching the 8-step quality improvement methodology to teams across the businesses.
'Action is the foundational key to all success. ' - Pablo Picasso

It is often said that we "lead by our example." Or as my pastor Fr. Doug would say, "Everything you do teaches."

For me, this leadership principle says, Teaching is more than just words. Your actions speak just as loudly.
"Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality." - Warren Bennis

Recently, in a workshop on team leadership, an operations manager said, "It starts with a vision. Then you guide your team along the path to reach the goal."

So well said.
I often facilitate training programs on leadership for my client companies. One* of the key points of exploration is that leading is all about relationships.
Throughout my career, I have often found myself in the midst of organizational change, such as...

reorganizations takeovers mergers technology rollouts downsizings I've been involved in turnarounds, in culture change initiatives, and in new business idea development.
Have you ever read The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis? It's a little book about a junior level Devil who is being mentored by his uncle, a more senior Devil named Screwtape, on the ways to tempt and entrap a human soul.
With the rise of artificial intelligence, many are wondering what the fate of humanity will be. Will our jobs go away as we are replaced by robots and automated systems?

The truth is that there will still be a genuine need for humans in the workplace of tomorrow.
“In business, you don’t get what you deserve. You get what you negotiate.”

Do you think of yourself as an effective negotiator? Many of us do not, although we have been negotiating all our lives.

Negotiation is not just for lawyers, politicians, diplomats, and heads of state.
A colleague asked me how to distinguish between Mission, Vision, and Purpose.

Clearly they are inter-related. Here's how I would make distinctions.

Our Mission is what we are setting out to achieve for our customers.
Conflict can be one of the most challenging things we have to deal with in our personal and work lives. Conflict stirs up emotions and generates stress. Because of this, many of us tend to avoid it. As a result, conflicts go unresolved.
"Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next." - Gilda Radner

The late and beloved comedienne Gilda Radner was right.
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