Plan for a Perfect Day in the Office

For those of us who have to attend meetings and keep the paperwork churning, plan for a perfect day in the office where-ever you are. When you take charge of your environment, you will expand the time available during the day and create more enjoyment.

1. Check your Bio-rhythms. Find out when you are most productive and have the most energy. 10 am or 2 pm? Do your most demanding and creative work at these times and build this into your schedule in advance.

2. Plan ahead. Select the most difficult task, the one that you keep putting off, and get this done first. You can then relax and enjoy the rest of the day.

3. Create a reserve of time. Build an extra 30 minutes into your routine for speculation, creativity and those unforeseen problems and deadlines.

4. Invest in your health. Make sure you allow enough time for lunch. Eat a healthy salad, drink lots of water and eat fruit. You will have bags more energy in the afternoon which will see you through to the evening. Take a walk, sit in the sun or go for a swim for an additional boost.

5. Incentivise yourself. Rather than relying on others to acknowledge and reward you for all this hard work create your own incentive package - a special coffee, a short walk, conversation with a colleague at work.

6. Make a difference. Thank creatively about what you do - could you change the way you do your job?

7. Leave work on time! Clear your desk, update your plan for the next day, go home on time, enjoy the evening and have some fun!

The Power of Connecting

Few things in business life can be as nightmarish as the prospect of networking. The inability to break into any meaningful conversation about what you offer or simply the sheer exhaustion of being professional and personable to so many people can have you heading for the door never to return.

Yet many jobs are never advertised and the power of personally connecting or being referred by an influential contact raises the possibility of being considered for a promotion or a new role. Successful networking can mean increased business or job opportunities, a database of contacts and at the very least precious professional and personal support.

There are some simple techniques which can turn a networking event into a meaningful opportunity.

Learn to listen. Learn about how you could possibly help that person, what their business requirements are and if you could connect that person with a strategic alliance.
Discern what their ideal type of client or business would be. This will help you to refer them on and encourages reciprocation.
Ask them what has changed in their industry over the past few years what are the challenges that they are currently facing - could you help them?
Keep it human. Don't appear desperate for business or work. Talk about hobbies, what your passion is, what makes you happy, why you enjoy what you do - find the common ground between you.
When you have exchanged business cards be sure to read them thoughtfully and respectfully, don't just shove them into your pocket. Then when you have a moment write a small note to self on the back about the person so when you email them later that day or the next you can remember who they were and make the email personal.
Be generous and offer to give away some of your expertise over an informal coffee in the future. If that's what you give away, they'll start to imagine what a committed business relationship with you could bring them.

And finally remember that a huge proportion of your communication is non-verbal and people will make judgments about you based largely upon your appearance. So focus on the image you wish to project and consider the impact your clothes will have on the outcome you wish to create. You will never have that first time contact again.

September Teleclass: Blue Print for Success

In four 55-minute telephone calls Carole Ann Rice and Susan Tomlinson will show you step by step a ‘Blue Print for Success’

If you are

Stuck in a rut but afraid to make a change …………
Lack motivation and direction………….
Worried that life has disappeared from work/life balance then….

then we will share our secrets and insights gained from coaching top performing people such as business leaders, entrepreneurs, authors, artists, and media gurus.

All you need is a telephone land line to participate and you will be instantly connected to a group of like minded individuals who want to ask questions, support each other and turbo charge their lives.

When? Thursdays, 4, 11, 18 September 2008 and 2 October 2008

What Time? 7.30 pm UK Time for 55 minutes

Cost? £60 for 4 classes

Over the four weeks you will find out effective ways of plotting a powerful pathway to the future you desire. Armed with these tools you will be able to focus on exactly what it is that you want, plan a route to your goal and deal with the obstacles that get in your way, whether it’s confidence crises or the fear of career change, so you can seamlessly segue yourself to where you want to be. If you really want to create the next level of wealth, happiness and success in your life then read on. By joining these classes you will learn how to:

Set goals that drive you forward effortlessly and increase your effectiveness and productivity
Handle the money
Have more time to enjoy life
Take care of your self and increase your natural power and energy
Eliminate barriers to success
And much, much more!

Week 1: Create a powerful vision for your future and get motivated to succeed.
There is one thing having a goal and another creating a powerful vision for the future. A goal is merely a destination point whilst a powerful vision may well take you out of our comfort zone, answer your heart’s call and teleport you into a passionate and purposeful plac

Week 2: Establish strong financial foundations. Learn techniques to get out of debt, start saving and get on to the path of financial independence. On this call we will have guest speaker Simonne Gnessen, of Wise Monkey Financial Coaching. Simonne provides an alternative to traditional financial advice, aiming to educate people on the subject of money, as well as providing guidance and support on any money issue. Website: www.financial-coaching.co.uk.

Week 3: Discover radical approaches to creating time in your life and ways to increase your natural power and energy. Your livelihood and relationships depend on how you function as a human being. When you value your time and space, honour your body and health and build in time spent doing things that fill your soul and make you happy, you renew yourself and are more able to function at your peak potential. Everyone who enters your sphere benefits too.

Week 4: No excuses! Eliminate tolerations and barriers to success. Often we start off with great intentions yet after a few days, weeks or months it’s quite common to find ourselves slipping back into old ways. Before embarking on any new action plan we will spend time on how to overcome barriers to success.

To book a place or for further information please email: info@realcoachingsolutions.co.uk

The Rules of the Game. How to Stay Ahead in Your Career

It's a competitive world out there and lots of people like you will be looking for the best jobs and best organisations to work for. So if you really want to get ahead it's worth knowing the rules of the game.

Think of yourself as a business
All successful businesses have a vision, objectives, strategic plan and financial goals. Yet when considering our own working lives it can be very easy to fall into the trap of defining yourself in terms of a job or a role, turning up for work every day and taking home a monthly pay cheque. This is a risky approach particularly as the sense of loyalty between employer and employee so rarely exists these days. What is your personal vision for a successful career, what plans can you put into place to achieve this and what are your financial targets?

Manage your reputation
Do you really know what others think about you, your capabilities and your potential? Would you be surprised? Don't be afraid to ask for frank feedback and check out expectations. Companies do this all the time through surveys and questionnaires to monitor and improve customer satisfaction, update services and products and change pricing strategies. Without this information, businesses would never be able to change, grow and adapt. Try this out for yourself. Seek out positive and constructive feedback (and not just once a year through a performance review!), then decide what you might need to do differently such as working on assignments to raise your profile, increasing your networking across the organisation, building positive and constructive relationships…

Identify role models
Seek out people who stand out in organisations. This is your benchmark. What is it that they do, think and say and what are their winning characteristics. Modelling behaviours and actions that are appropriate for you and fit with your own style can be a quick way to success.

Demonstrate how you impact the business
Identify and be able to communicate exactly how what you do directly impacts the profitability and success of the organisation. Knowing your business and being able to explain exactly how your work adds value is vital.

Commit to continuous learning and skills development
Businesses would die on their feet if they didn't invest and continually develop and innovate. How do you stay ahead of the curve? There are so many ways to develop your skills and knowledge through networking groups, books, magazines, teleclasses, discussion groups, coaching, classes, and conferences. Learning and developing has to be a continuous process.

Where to Work

If you are want to work for a large well known progressive company in the UK then I do recommend that you check out wheretowork, http://www.wheretowork.com/ which is the only 'large employer-direct' jobsite.

It really is a one stop shop for finding the right company and applying direct.

You can compare companies in 5 key areas:

1. Business (what they do)
2. Culture (how they work)
3. Diversity (open-mindedness)
4. Technology (how connected they are)
5. Giving back (responsibility)

and find out which organisations win the most awards and why.

There are also over 1,000 company videos to keep you entertained......

Doing Work you Love!

Recent research showed that of 2000 people interviewed, aged between 30-50 years, more than a quarter were considering a career change. Wall Street Journal/ABC News Poll indicated that half of all Americans would choose a new line of work if they had a chance. What's going on?

We spend 50-70% of our waking hours at work so it makes sense to do something that you enjoy and find fulfilling. Most of us have a natural desire to make a contribution and to find meaningful and purposeful work. It seems a shame to let your natural gifts, talent and passions go to waste.

Why bother?
You may have noticed that any unhappiness or frustration experienced at work can spill into other areas of our lives and can sometimes put a significant strain on relationships and health. Life becomes much more fulfilling and personally rewarding when you are engaged in work which is a natural expression of who you are.

What gets in the way?
Knowing this doesn't on the face of it make it easy to change direction. So if you are part of the 50% who want to follow a cherished dream, what is holding you back? It could be fear of making a mistake, risking perceived financial security, concerns about the reactions of others or it may be that you are wallowing in a fur lined rut and laziness has taken over.

What steps can you take?

• Get to know who you are. Understand your skills, strengths, talents and preferences and focus more on what you do well
  
• Align your work with your values. Once you know and understand which values are most important, you can make choices and decisions which enable you to express your true self.
  
• Develop a vision of your ideal working life and get creative about achieving it


• Identify role models and find out how they achieved their dreams


• Get your finances in order to support any new training programmes, downshifting, business start-up.


• Most importantly take one small step, make a phone call, send an email, read an inspiring biography!

Becoming a Successful Solo-preneur

Today, over 25 million people have formed their own companies and are maximising the internet to market and sell an amazing range of products and services. In the UK, according to Barclay’s Bank, 253,700 new businesses were set up in the first half of last year, with young people leading the start up craze.

Even though starting your own business can be exciting and frightening at the same time, especially when you trade the regular monthly salary in your bank account for the freedom of making your own decisions, there are steps you can take to succeed as a solo-preneur:

Find a business coach: a really good business coach is worth the investment as they can guide you through the first months of setting up, attracting clients and marketing your services. A coach can be a sounding board for new ideas, an ongoing supportive resource and will help to speed up the learning process.

Discover your niche: being very clear on who your clients are and what you can offer them will open up more opportunities faster. A niche makes you stand out from the crowd and brands you as the person or business to go to in your chosen market. Then you can design and sell products and services that address the needs of your niche.

Become an expert: there is something reassuring about working with and buying from an expert who specializes in their chosen field, whether this is chocolates or copywriting. Look for ways to continually update your knowledge and skills so that you are one of the best in your field.

Develop a marketing strategy and apply it on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. By consistently networking, writing or speaking you will establish a presence and reputation for your products and services. As your name becomes recognizable you will begin to attract rather than chase after business.

Build a support group: the joy and freedom of working for yourself can rapidly turn to splendid isolation when the phone doesn’t ring and there is no-one to talk to except next door’s cat. It’s enough to have you heading for the nearest corporate office. Having people to call when you need to bounce ideas around or share experiences will help see you through any difficult, challenging or lonely patches.

Finally don’t fall into the trap of working all the time. It is very tempting to work harder and this doesn’t always bring in the best results. Look for ways to have a balanced and enjoyable life as this will sustain you through the inevitable ups and downs of being a solo-preneur.