The Psychology of Colour, 19 March 2009

Our next Monthly Group Coaching Call is THURSDAY, 19 March 2009 at 8:00pm UK time

Would you like to find out how to make yourself more attractive to prospective clients, customers, and employers?

Then join us for this call on The Psychology of Colour with image consultant Keely Buston, who will share with you how the right colours, not only can make you feel wonderful but will help you project your personality and personal branding in a more confident way.

Colour is visual and bombards our senses, evokes memories, feelings, impressions, tastes and emotions. Colour influences everything we eat, drink and touch. Colour affects our moods and emotions, it colours our personalities – we speak of having the ‘blues’, a ‘golden’ opportunity or seeing ‘red’.

In this call you will learn the psychology behind colours - why do weightlifters lift heavier weights in blue gyms? - and discover how to strengthen your image by the colours you wear.

Keely Buston is Director of New Perspectives image consultancy. She teaches individuals the secrets to looking fabulous – whether you want to lose 10lbs without dieting, or want to know how to dress to impress. Keely can help you work wonders with your wardrobe!

This call is FREE for all Mastermind members. Not a member? Join now to access this call with our special FREE 2-month "Membership" trial.

Want to Make A Career Change? Follow These Steps to Re-Invent Yourself

After many years of working hard in my corporate career I woke up one morning with the realisation that I had my ladder up against the wrong wall. It took some soul searching, planning and experimentation to find meaningful work and re-establish myself but it was so worth the effort, even though there were sacrifices, doubts and challenges along the way.

Interestingly during my search for a different path I found that many friends and colleagues felt, like me, unhappy and trapped in unfulfilling jobs yet had resigned themselves to not changing. Often due to fear, family expectation and financial concerns.

There is no doubt that it can be frightening to follow your heart and it doesn’t come without some hard work and patience but it is worth the effort if you have dreamed of

* Becoming a solo-entrepreneur or running your own business
* Moving to significantly different work with a different type of organisation
* Continuing with your current work but with an organisation that matches your values
* A portfolio role of contract/consultancy work, entrepreneurship, board positions
* Retraining or studying to move into a new profession

Although career change is never a straight path, (there will certainly be unexpected twists and turns), if you follow these steps you can map out a route to a new and brighter future.

1.Self exploration. The first step is to take some time out to really get to know yourself and not just your skills and experience. Dig deep and find out about your personality preferences, your values and interests and the environments that bring out the best in you.

2, Identify options. At this stage I encourage my clients to think as broadly and creatively as possible about the options for future work. This is not about finding solutions but opening up and getting excited about the full range of possibilities.

3. Research and testing. Having identified all available options the purpose of this step is to conduct research and do some reality testing. There are lots of ways to achieve this through informational interviews, volunteering, research, reading, networking and evaluation. By taking an indepth approach to research and testing you can make considered decisions about your future

4. Transition planning. All good projects have a transition plan which maps out the steps to get you from where you are to where you want to be. A well thought through plan which includes everything from physical and financial resources to training, communication and timescales will give you the confidence to make your career change a reality.

5. Implementation. Once you have your plan in place you can start the process of achieving your dreams. Even though you may make some adjustments during the implementation phase you will do this with the reassurance of having a blue print in place.

10 Ways to Deal with Job Loss

It is very easy to get swept away by the news of thousands of job losses and you won’t be alone if you experience running anxiety about what the future might hold. Yet even though there may be worse economic news still to come, a number of employers are doing what they can to avoid redundancies and retain talent.

KPMG has asked staff to accept temporary contracts if the need arises and in Japan public and private sector firms are seeking to emulate the Island of Himeshima. In an attempt to keep everyone in work the island’s inhabitants sacrifice wages and regular working hours to keep everyone in work, and as a result have not been as hard hit by the global economy. In the US Obama’s message to the American people is that ‘we’re in this together’ and companies such as the car firm Avis Budget Group will freeze management pay to keep job losses down.

If job loss does become inevitable then finding work after redundancy is a full time job. Try these 10 tips to get you on back on track.

1. Recognise that losing your job is an emotional experience which can make you feel sad, happy, elated, frightened and anxious, so don’t be afraid to ask for personal, practical, financial and professional help. That way you will be in a good place to make wise decisions about your next opportunity

2. Create a vision for your future. This is often the perfect opportunity to take a step back and get in touch with long buried hopes and dreams. Create a vision board of inspiring pictures, words and photographs to keep you motivated.

3. Take time out to review your transferrable skills, interests, achievements, values and ambitions. It will give you a strong foundation for your job search and applications.

4. Seek professional help for your CV and covering letters. As these are the first documents employers receive you will need to ensure your details match the criteria and stand out from potentially hundreds of others. From my own experience of recruiting it was not uncommon to receive over 200 applications for one post.

5. Get plenty of interview practice. There will likely be more good quality candidates on the market for jobs so you will need to really be adept and standout at the interview stage

6. Creatively brainstorm all the possibilities for your future. Could you retrain, work abroad, sign up for Voluntary Work Overseas (VSO), set up a business, become a consultant or specialist in your field, work as an interim, take on projects, work part-time, volunteer to get new experience?

7. Get active with professional, social and online networks and increase your visibility. Don’t be afraid to let your contacts know exactly what work you are looking for as others are usually very willing to help.

8. Establish a routine and set yourself targets to achieve; such as numbers of job applications, phone calls, meetings. You will feel that you are making progress with a sense of purpose and direction.

9. Practice extreme self care which means regular exercise, plenty of sleep plus relaxation and fun

10. Outsource administrative and research activities. There are a number of organizations where you can hire virtual assistants by the hour. By outsourcing time consuming administrative and research tasks you will free up time and energy to focus on contacting companies, meetings, interviews and networking.

If you have experienced job loss or you are just making mental contingency plans, keep in mind that there is light at the end of the tunnel and many go on to lead dream lives.

How to Maximise Your Impact Through Personal Branding, 19 February 2009

Our Next Monthly Group Coaching Call is THURSDAY, 19 February 2009 at 8:00 pm UK time

How to Maximise Your Impact through Personal Branding

In these testing financial times it can be tempting to keep your head down and to hide away until the 'credit crunch' blows over. Yet this is the just the time to be visible, and to make sure others know who you are and what makes you different. In this call you will learn why the key to your success in this market is to be able to clearly convey your value to people in your workplace and industry, so that you are their first choice (the person they need for the job in hand).

In this call you will come away with the key aspects of Personal Branding and how to make it work for you.Our guest speaker will be Dawn Winder. Dawn is a certified professional coach with a background in marketing and business development. She runs a business that specialises in credible impact training using Personal Branding. Dawn works with her clients to help maximise personal credibility within their own organisation and in their marketplace. Dawn's clients include; Friends Provident, BBC, Diageo.

This call is FREE for all Mastermind members. Not a member? Join now to access this call with our special FREE 2-month "Membership" trial.