2023 - Page 39 of 50 - CareerBeeps

3 (Hidden) Costs Of CEO Neglect

March 10, 2023

I was recently working with a midsize business owner/CEO who wanted to know if I thought we were headed to a recession or if what he was hearing on his favorite news show was true about how it wasnât true and I said…

âTIME OUT.”

They looked at me and it was silent for a few seconds, and I said, would you be open to a discussion about something? They said of course! I said, âWhat really is the #1 thing on your mind that we should be really talking about?â The person looked away, took a deep breath, and said, âI am really stuck trying to decide where to prioritize my organization given all the uncertainty I am hearing about.â They then rattled off several ideas that all sounded like great ideas to pursue to grow and the individual was very excited and passionate about all of them. They then shared all the risks of changing but they know they need to.

Sound familiar? It led us down a whole different path that ultimately uncovered what so many leaders struggle with when there is so much uncertainty.

When it comes to small to midsized business owners/CEOs, there are typically three reasons I see that lead to them stalling out in their growth.

Reasons Why CEOs Get Stuck In Their Businesses

A. They are paralyzed and work to rationalize why they have not changed anything they are doing, knowing that they need to. I hear things like, âI am too busy,â âDo you know how hard it is to find good help,â âI am still working on sizing the market,â âI think this or that,â âDo I invest, retrench, and just ride it out and hope for the best?â

B. They donât know where/how to begin, or stick to what they know. This often explains why they use the phrases above as excuses for not moving forward.

C. FOMO (fear of missing out). If they were to prioritize they could miss out on something else so they keep all options open and see what happens.

The problem with all three reasons above is they risk creating financial, operational, and emotional issues that ultimately could take the company downâand result in employees losing jobs.

The Costs Of CEO Neglect: Financial, Operational & Emotional

When CEOs fail to address their reasons for getting stuck, A LOT can go wrong. Financially and operationally, there are potential revenue and profit declines, market share losses, and higher costs. Emotionally there will be decreased morale, increased stress, decreased trust, and anxiety without a clear vision and an effective communication plan.

FACT: The #1 mistake that small and midsize business owners make during uncertain times is failing to adapt quickly enough to changes in the market or consumer behavior.

This can manifest in a few different ways:

Sticking with the status quo: Some business owners may be reluctant to change their business models or processes, even when it becomes clear that the old way of doing things is no longer effective.

Clinging to familiar methods or routines: Usually, out of fear of the unknown, even as the business suffers.

Cutting too many corners: Conversely, other business owners may panic and overreact to uncertain conditions by making drastic cuts across the board.

Trying to save money in the wrong places: They may lay off too many employees, reduce marketing and advertising budgets, or stop investing in new products or services altogether.

Failing to communicate effectively: During times of uncertainty, it’s crucial for business owners to communicate clearly and frequently with employees, customers, and other stakeholders.

Hesitating to share bad news or admit to uncertainty: Holding back on the truth can lead to confusion, mistrust, and frustration.

Over-communicating: Sharing too much or too vaguely may also create confusion and uncertainty.

The decisions above may provide some immediate relief, but they can hurt the long-term health of the business.

How CEOs Can Properly Assess Business Opportunities & Challenges

Here are ideas on how to assess the various opportunities and challenges you are facing:

Conduct a risk assessment: A risk assessment can help you identify potential risks and opportunities that could impact your business. You can do this by analyzing your business processes, reviewing your financial statements, identifying potential legal or regulatory issues, and assessing your competition. Once you have identified these risks, you can prioritize them based on their likelihood and potential impact on your business. Solidify your current business foundation first and foremost!
Develop a strategic plan: A strategic plan can help you prioritize opportunities that align with your business goals and objectives. This plan should outline the steps you need to take to achieve your goals, including the resources required and timelines for completion. By prioritizing your opportunities, you can focus on those that have the most potential to drive growth and profitability.
Seek expert advice: As a business owner/CEO, you may not have all the expertise required to identify and prioritize risks and opportunities. Seeking advice from experts such as consultants, lawyers, accountants, or industry peers can provide valuable insights and help you prioritize your risks and opportunities effectively. Joining peer advisory groups to bring outside perspectives in a confidential/safe place can confirm your decisions, catch risks you didnât see, and/or provide new ideas for you to consider.

In summary, having a solid business foundation is crucial for a CEO before pursuing new products or services because it ensures they have a clear understanding of the market, and provides financial stability, operational efficiency, risk management, and strategic planning abilities.

Overall, prioritization is essential for small/midsize business owners to effectively manage their workload and achieve their goals. It’s important to identify any barriers to prioritization and work to overcome them to ensure that tasks are completed in a timely and efficient manner.

If you want to connect with me to discuss further or provide other insights please let me know at [email protected] or connect with me on LinkedIn.

5 Ways Every Small Business CEO Should Think About M&A In 2023

March 10, 2023

I recently worked with an accidental CEO early in her career. She took over a business upon the sudden death of the previous owner. She stepped in as the interim president, not knowing that she was walking into a situation that would ultimately be a turn-around or shut-down situation. Or, that this would become her new career.

Not only did she succeed in turning the business around, she now leads a larger and very successful business, less than 10 years later, and is now looking to acquire a company in order to expand.

Why Small Business CEOs Should Consider M&A Right Now

As a small business CEO, if you are not thinking of M&A as part of your strategic growth in your 3-to-5-year plan, you are potentially ignoring the largest opportunities for growth. If you are waiting until the economy stabilizes, you are missing an opportunity. As you consider acquisitions, there are five things you should contemplate:

1. Is your house in order? Do a self-audit or at least look in the mirror before starting down the road of a transaction. Do you have the right players, in the right seats, and is everything running smoothly? Understand where you will be stretched during a transaction and where you will pull from to meet the needs.

2. Understand your risk tolerance. Identify the risk you can tolerate if things donât go according to plan with either your organic business or the slowing economy. Do you have your reserves and contingency plans? Thorough due diligence should be expected; small and mid-sized acquisitions by small and mid-sized companies often mean more detailed due diligence because of the catastrophic impact a failed deal could have on a business. Involve your team members in the diligence as practicable; besides becoming invested in the success of the transaction and post-integration, they become better leaders as a result.

3. Whatâs the growth opportunity? Specifically, whatâs the strategic growth opportunity? M&A can drive growth, especially during slower economic times when organic growth may be lagging.

4. Whatâs the culture like? Culture is often neglected, especially in small deals, even though people and culture are a significant part of how the small business became successful. Culture diligence is as important as financial and operational diligence. A culture clash can kill a deal or cause a post-deal integration failure.

5. Are you being bold enough? Through exponential growth, a small business can disrupt an industry and become the industry leader. Acquire one business a year and you can be positioned to be that industry leader. In short, donât miss an opportunity by waiting for a stable economy; a good deal in tough times is a good deal.

Finally, if you are struggling to contemplate these on your own, seek some help. Smart small business owners know they should work with mentors and coaches to help them navigate the expansion of their business. You are heading into unfamiliar territory. It only makes sense to have someone whoâs been there to help you navigate the process and help you take advantage of the M&A opportunities in your industry and business model.

As a Vistage Chair, I work with high-performing CEOs like you who are committed to what we call âa life of climbââcontinuously working together to be better leaders who enjoy better outcomes for their companies. If this article resonates with you, I invite you to connect with me by email at [email protected], or on LinkedIn.

Executive Spotlight: How To Recover From A Failure At Work

March 10, 2023

Although we shoot for perfection and success at work, we all experience failure at some point in our careers. Failure can be difficult to handle in a professional setting. Executives and other leaders in the workplaceâour mentors, the ones we look up to at workâhave all failed. Not only that, but they’ve recovered from failure and found success in the process.

We recently asked our successful executives how they recover from a failure at work.

Here are their responses…

Lisa Perry, Global Marketing Executive

When I worked at The Disney Channel, one of my jobs was to proof ads. I was the last sign-off before the ad went to press. It was an exciting time as we launched a new campaign in support of a new series. It was quickly dampened when I learned that the ad, which had gone live that morning, had a glaring error Iâd missed.

The most forward-thinking companies embrace risk-taking and the possibility of failure. What’s wonderful about failure is the learning you receive from it. You learn substantially more from failures than successes. Failures should push you to bounce back and work harder to achieve your goals, making you stronger. Here are three things you should model as a leader within your organization:

1. Lead by Example: Management should share past examples of company failures, suggest new solutions that might work, and receive ideas from others without judgment.

2. Provide a Solution: While failing is okay, managers need to encourage employees to provide solutions to problems and propose an action plan for the next steps. Managers can then review and provide guidance on how best to proceed.

3. Don’t Repeat Failures: The key here is to learn from your mistakes, document the learning, establish a process that ensures these failures won’t happen again, and share these learnings throughout the organization.

The best advice I received is that failure is a success if we learn from it.

Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.

Lynn Holland, VP Sales & Business Development

As a lover of the outdoors and living within driving distance of Oregonâs Mt. Hood, I was drawn to skiing. I volunteered as a cross-country instructor for an alpine club, then taught for a ski resort, secretly motivated by free lift tickets so I could get better at skiing downhill. Initially, I was afraid of failure and intimidated so when venturing onto harder runs it was natural to lean into the mountain. Yet I quickly learned that when I leaned out, though counterintuitive, I fell less, and I became a better skier.

As an executive, I see leaning out as risking to attempt something new and being aggressive to grow, learn, and accomplish greater things, knowing that along the way I will probably break some stuff. In my mind, as long as I learn from it and bring future success out of it, it has value.

After I launched my first company, leaning out manifested a failure as I negotiated a supply chain partnership to source products globally vs. just domestically. It represented a huge opportunity for my business, but in doing so, I failed to dig deeply into the relationship, the financial chain of custody, and the quality assurance process with each of the individual factories. As a result, my orders experienced missed lead times and material defects that were costly and embarrassing, and I later learned there was another party between my contractual partner and the factories who failed to perform.

This taught me to take full ownership of every aspect of my business and prompted me to implement a four-point policy that helped me select, negotiate, and manage all future partnerships successfully.

Here are some of my learnings about failing in business, recovering from it, and using it to propel our careers:

The most accomplished and celebrated leaders and entrepreneurs in history failed many times before they were a success.
Always fail while risking to accomplish something great.
Always take full ownership of failure to preserve credibility, integrity, and reputation.
Root out and take from a failure every available ounce of growth and wisdom into the next goal and keep striving.
Read the speech âMan in the Arenaâ by Theodore Roosevelt to remember to tune out the naysayers, haters, and critics who keep us from attaining greatness.

Lynn Holland is a business development executive with 18+ years of experience taking operational, IoT & retail technologies, products, & consumer engagement to market with a focus in petroleum & convenience retail.

Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist

When I think about recovering from a failure at work, I always have to ask/think about the context of the culture and psychological safety of the team, the business segment, and the organization where the failure happens.

As leaders or people managers, we play a critical role in how our team members perceive and react to failure when it happens; creating the necessary psychological safety and culture of learning is key to this.

Promoting a growth mindset for our people calibrates how they interpret failure in a completely different way than people with a fixed mindset. Folks with a growth mindset see failure as a signal that they need to put in more effort, try different strategies, or seek feedback and guidance. They use failure as a motivation to improve and grow, rather than as a reason to give up or feel ashamed.

Some examples of how people with a growth mindset view failure include:

Failure is only failure if we fail to learn from it
Failure is an opportunity to enhance our skills and knowledge
Failure is a challenge that pushes us out of our comfort zone

However, having/exercising a growth mindset is not always easy or simple. It requires practice, persistence, and support from your leader/manager.

Bouncing back from failure at work can be hard, but itâs not impossible. There are some steps we can all take to recover from a setback and move forward with confidence.

Some of the steps you/we can take are:

Being honest with your superiors and admitting your mistake
Don’t make excuses or blame others for your failure
Find the silver lining (and there’s always one!)
Learn from your failure

Using failure as an opportunity to improve your skill set and potentially become a better leader.

These steps can help you bounce back from failure at work and show that you are resilient, adaptable, and committed to your goals.

Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the “red thread.”

Kathryn Marshburn, Music Program Manager

Successful executives get used to failure because it provides so much growth and opportunity to learn. Creating a culture of celebrating failure is important and that starts with humility in the workplace.

While I worked for Spotify, Dawn Ostroff, a C-suite executive at Spotify, would share failures, break them down, and celebrate in our town halls (in front of 3000 employees) where we could learn as a team from the mistakes. I remember seeing the title for her presentation and I was so intrigued and teams across the company were inspired. We took notes on how to not repeat those mistakes, lean into them, and forward progression for new strategies.

When a failure occurs:

Accept it with humility
Gather all the facts
Review how we could improve moving forward
Come to the table with a mindset of failures = possibilities

I believe developing your skills in the practice of losing and accepting is a huge educational opportunity, so your skill set includes being put in uncomfortable positions, so that you can get good at rejection. I believe that people are too addicted to positive reinforcement and we could all grow from learning how not to repeat the failure where the next project benefits from the previous failure.

Kathryn Marshburn has spent 12+ years in the music and gaming industries guiding teams on identifying targeted goals with an agile approach resulting in driving revenue and reducing risk.

Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations Executive

No one begins a journey with failure as part of their plan. Caution might lurk, but turning back is not an option.

As executives and leaders, we know that failure is part of success. The real work for leaders begins when you must figure out what works and what doesnât.

The first step is to own the failure. Donât blame anyone or anything else. Take full responsibility for the failure and the action needed to correct it.

Find the fix, and understand what went wrong.

Test the solution from beginning to end to ensure everything works as planned.

Meet with your team to outline what failed. Inform everyone what was done to solve the problem. And share with the team the new protocols going forward.

In summary, everyone on the team must communicate a breakdown or failed system. Leaders canât effectively lead with missing information. Leaders need to lead teams that are invested in the end product.

Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M – $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.

John Schembari, Senior Education Executive

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âI like to conduct after-action reviewsâor AARsâafter failures on the job.

The AAR process is as follows:

What was supposed to happen?
What actually happened?
Why did it happen?
What are we going to do next time?

What I like about the AAR process is that it is not just about identifying a problem but highlighting solutions/next steps which hold me (and others) accountable for change. This works for project-based failures.

When it comes to leadership failures that are often surfaced in 360-degree/other performance reviews, I like to find mentors/resources in that area and discern what is and what is not in my power to address/change.

John Schembari is a current K-12 teacher/school leader academic improvement coach and former school building and district administrator. He loves to draw, travel, swing dance, and read nonfiction.

John Hoffman, Creative Producer

Being a creative producer in the film and live experiential event industry requires handling setbacks, challenges, and adverse conditions. Therefore, the skill of dealing with failure, or redefining it as setbacks on the job, is crucial for success.

To excel as a creative producer, it’s essential to understand the primary responsibility of bringing a TV or live event concept to life:

Overseeing every aspect of the project
Generating ideas to collaborate with production partners and artists
Coordinating with all teams involved in all phases of the production process

Maintaining a positive attitude and staying focused on finding solutions is essential, and identifying pitfalls and solving problems is a superpower honed from years of experience. Setbacks can be turned into opportunities for growth and success, but this requires clear communication of expectations to stakeholders and realistic goals.

Instead, by approaching setbacks as opportunities for growth and focusing on finding solutions, creative producers can overcome challenges and succeed in bringing innovative and creative concepts to life.

With experience and agility, you learn to expect the unexpected because failure is not an option for a creative producer.

John Hoffman has 15+ years of leadership experience creating and producing video content, branded entertainment, PR stunts, and experiential and live events. At his core, he’s a storyteller who has mastered the creative map and can scale logistical mountains.

How do you recover from a failure at work? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily’s Executive Program.

4 Things To Know Before Taking A Lower-Level Position

March 10, 2023

It’s easy to think that taking a lower-level position means putting the brakes on your career track or even taking a step back. But in fact, there can be a lot to gain with such a decision.

Sometimes you have to take a step back in order to take a step forward in your career. There are a number of practical reasons why taking a lower-level position makes sense.

Career Changers

A large percentage of professionals making a career change will face the need to start near the beginning with entry-level workers. If you make a drastic career change, such as going from ER nursing to accounting on the CPA track, you can’t expect an opportunity to jump right to the top until you have honed skills and subject matter expertise.

Of course, if you have transferable skills from a previous career that may help to secure an opportunity above entry-level.

Field Of Practice Changers

There are many people who choose to stay in their profession, but make a change in their field of practice. For example, you may have started your career in marketing for the travel industry, but decided to switch to the pharmaceutical industry.

A lateral move may not always be possible because, like the career changer, you may not have the industry knowledge needed in the field, especially if it is a highly specialized sector. For instance, the technical language used to market pharmaceuticals in the United States follows strict guidelines approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The approaches taken to marketing may be drastically different between the two fields.

Job Changers

Job changers include individuals who want to make a switch in the type of company or organization they work for. Certainly, working for a non-profit is not the same as corporate, and going from an agency to an in-house position has its differences. So while you may take a lower-level position, the title and associated responsibilities may vary widely between employersâand it is important to consider the experiences and opportunities available with the open position.

For instance, you may go from an agency to an in-house position at a lower level. Expectations for formal promotions also may vary given the different corporate cultures involved. Essentially, you may start off in what is perceived as a lower-level position, but wind up with far more advanced experiences than you might otherwise have.

The (Extended) Unemployed Candidate

Times of economic uncertainty typically result in a large pool of unemployed professionals who are well-educated and qualified for positions. Under such circumstances, it’s not rare for job seekers to be unemployed for six months or longer. There are simply more qualified candidates than job openings available. So, it may come to a point where you have to make the decision to take a lower-level position in order to:

Bring home a paycheck to pay for essentials.
Maintain your marketability (after such an extended period of unemployment, it may be a greater setback to remain unemployedâyour marketability withers with time away from the market).
Help secure a better job opportunity down the road (employers typically favor candidates who are already employed).

Regardless of the situation, here are four key questions you should ask yourself to help decide whether taking a lower-level position is the right move for you and your career:

Does this type of job fit into my long-term career goals? Essentially, will it get me where I want to be down the road?
After taking this position and settling in, if I go back on the job hunting track, will I be able to communicate to a potential employer how the experience has helped me grow and evolve to be prepared for this next position?
Do I believe I can excel in the position and create realistic opportunities to advance within the company?
Will I be happier in the position? Most people spend much of their life working, so it is important to be happy with what you do. Be wary of how dissatisfaction with a job can quickly lead to burnout.

If you answered “yes” to the questions above and can put your ego aside, making the decision to take a lower-level position can be a rational move to help move your career forward. You can expect to be happier with life and your career. However, after taking a lower-level position, you need to maintain perspective on your reasons for the decision. It is easy to let pride get in the way of things. Remember this decision is based on a long-term plan, not a short-term plan for your career.

Need more help with your job search?

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Personal Development Goals For Work: Tips & Examples

March 9, 2023

Establishing personal development goals for work can be a fantastic way to take your career to the next level. Youâll not only become a more knowledgeable and capable employee, but also a more accomplished person! This guide goes over setting effective personal development goals, and the benefits they can bring. What are Personal Development Goals? […]

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3 Things To Tell Yourself When The Job Search Gets Tough

March 8, 2023

Finding a job can be a long process. You apply for a job, maybe hear back, and a month later you go in for an interview. The worst part? There’s no guarantee any opportunity will pan out. So, how do you stay positive when you’re going through so much job search stress?

It can be easy to lose confidence in yourself as time passes and you’re still without a promising job lead. But losing confidence will only make it worse.

Here are a few things you should tell yourself when the job search gets tough:

1. “No” Doesn’t Mean “Never”

When you don’t get offered the job even though you aced the interview and did everything right, there’s a good chance you did do everything right.

The hiring process is complicated. The employer might’ve had another person in mind even before they began to interview for the open position. Or, it was a toss-up between you and another candidate, and the other candidate just so happened to be the one to get a phone call.

You will never be able to know what a potential employer is thinking. If you don’t get offered the job, don’t think of it as a loss or missed opportunity. Think of it in positive terms. You got more interview experience, you met new people, and you’re one step closer to finding the right job for you.

And remember, a “no” doesn’t mean “never.” It simply means “not now.”

2. The Right Opportunity IS Out There

If you’re putting your best foot forward during the hiring process and you’re actively learning from your mistakes, you’ll find the right job for you. But that requires patience and perseverance.

The key to keeping your confidence up is believing the right job for you is out there. When you remind yourself of your end goal, it puts the job search process in perspective. You walk into every interview believing this job could be the oneâbut if it isn’t, that’s okay too. You will try your best, of course, but also accept that you can’t control everything in the hiring process. It will take some of the pressure off.

Take responsibility for the things you can control and accept the things you can’t. Acceptance is the key to maintaining your confidence.

3. Everything Happens For A Reason

When all else fails, sometimes the best thing to tell yourself after not getting a job offer is that the job simply wasn’t meant for you. If you don’t believe this right away, chances are you will later on.

As you move on to the next interview and apply for more and more jobs, you start to feel better about the initial rejection. You realize that new opportunities are popping up every day and it really isn’t the end of the world after all.

If you still feel uncertain, that’s okay. Staying positive during a long job search isn’t easy. Just know that your mom is right: all good things take time!

Need more help with your job search?

Join our community to learn how to land a job and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

The Importance of Showing Regular, Authentic Gratitude in the Workplace

March 8, 2023

Gratitude is one of the most underrated yet powerful tools in every workplace. It has a profound ability to foster greater collaboration, support, and commitment amongst coworkers and provide everyone with a more positive outlook on their work. A culture of gratitude helps workers feel recognized for their efforts and increases morale and engagement levels […]

The post The Importance of Showing Regular, Authentic Gratitude in the Workplace appeared first on Jobacle.com.

Answering “Tell Me About A Time You Worked In A Team”

March 7, 2023

âTell me about a time you worked in a teamâ is a common interview question that you need to be ready for. Due to the importance of teamwork in professional settings, hiring managers will pay close attention to your answer! This guide will help you give a great response and improve your chance of getting […]

The post Answering “Tell Me About A Time You Worked In A Team” appeared first on Career Sherpa.

Member Spotlight: Don Gilbert, Graphic/Web Designer & Illustrator

March 7, 2023

At Work It Daily, we call our members “Workplace Renegades.” A Workplace Renegade is a person who believes in themselves and joins our community to finally take control of their career. They believe in working to live, NOT living to work. Don Gilbert is a top member in our community who exemplifies these qualities.

Below, Don Gilbert answers some questions about his career field and explains why he joined (and continues to participate in) the Work It Daily community.

Why I #WorkItDaily

@workitdaily Thank you Fatima for being the first to join our @tiktok social media campaignâ¥ï¸â¥ï¸â¥ï¸@fatimalhusseiny We can’t wait to share your story with the world! Check out our campaign to learn more! @workitdaily #workitdaily #WhyIWorkItDaily #careertiktok #careertok #jobtok #edutok #mywhy #purpose #passion #worktolive #live #life #love â¬ Epic Music(863502) – Draganov89

As a graphic/web designer and illustrator, I have always had a great passion for learning and creativity. Growing up in the Chicago area, I relished any opportunity to ride the bus downtown to the city’s bookstores, galleries, museums, and parks to capture a dayâs worth of inspiration in my sketchbook.

The diversity that cities like Chicago and, more recently, Seattle have has allowed me to grow my communication skills to connect with people of many backgrounds and experiences.

Because of the challenges presented by todayâs competitive job market, I believe in the importance of both staying healthy in mind and body, and keeping your skills current and relevant. With #workitdaily, itâs not simply about getting a job. Itâs about the community of employers and job seekers alike and the relevant knowledge that they offer.

Benefits Of Being A Graphic/Web Designer

The main benefits of working as a graphic/web designer/ illustrator are the pleasure of applying my talents and knowledge, the joy of using tools like Adobeâs Creative Suite, and the satisfaction of the client upon completion.

Work-Life Balance For Graphic/Web Designers

Work, exercise, diet, meditation, sufficient rest, and a healthy social life are all equally vital to reducing stress and maximizing productivity, so itâs important for me to be self-aware throughout the day. That said, I also use an interval timer, like a Pomodoro, to guarantee that I periodically hit the pause button.

Reasons To Work In The Graphic Design Industry

My reasons for working in this industry involve solving problems of a creative or technical nature, and the discovery of solutions that improves my work and myself.

Advice For Graphic/Web Designers

Keep your mind open, explore the areas beyond your limitations, and seek the knowledge that leads to empathy. By doing this, you improve yourself and your working relationships.

We hope you enjoyed hearing from Don about his career and experiences inside the Work It Daily community.

Do you want to become a Workplace Renegade?

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5 Tips For Building Your Personal Brand In The Workplace

March 7, 2023

Even at work, you have a personal brand. What are people saying about you when you’re not in the room? Are you giving off the right vibe to your colleagues and conveying the brand you want to convey at work?

Developing your personal brand is essential for the advancement of your career. It is what makes you special, and how you’ll become more valuable to an organization.

Here are a few tips on how to develop your personal brand:

1. Get Clear On Your Unique Value Proposition

To become respected in your company or industry, you need to be very clear on what unique value you provide and how to connect that to your company’s mission.

Most peopleâand I see it all the time with my interview coaching clientsâare not that clear on what makes them different from others. This is the reason they don’t get the jobs or promotions they are after!

Your brand should be authentic to you so notice your emotions when performing certain tasks and activities. If it is something you have passion and energy for, it should become part of your personal brand.

Spend some time thinking about what makes you different from your peersâyour strengths, your passions, and your goals.

2. Ask For Feedback

What do you want others to experience about you?

You might want to write down 3-5 things you’d want others to experience when interacting with you and then ask a close friend or a trusted colleague to do the same. Are the answers similar? If so, well done. If notâyou have some work to do in terms of branding yourself the right way.

It is important to understand how others perceive you as this will enable you to start sending the right messages to your audience. And having a personal brand is definitely a requirement for leadership positions and will enable you to create more impact.

3. Be Consistent

Everything you do or post on social media ultimately contributes to your personal brand. Once you’re clear on your personal brand, make sure that the way you dress, the emails you write, your body language, and so on are consistent with your brand message.

4. Use Social Media Effectively

Platforms like WordPress make it easier than ever to promote yourself to your target audience. I blog weekly, and I’d recommend that you post a couple of times a week on platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter on topics that your audience will find educational (and will also highlight your experience).

Here is a quick guide on how you can position yourself as an expert so that you get the best opportunities in your business or career.

5. Promote Your Brand In Person

Utilizing social media to build your personal brand is great, but make sure you promote your brand in person, too. Whether it is participating in industry groups, giving talks, or offering to lead a project that highlights your talents, what can you do to promote your brand offline?

If you want to be successful, creating a personal brand isn’t just an option; it’s a necessity. Whether you aspire to get that promotion or land your dream job, creating a compelling and consistent brand will help you meet your goals.

Need more help building your personal brand?

Join our community to learn how to create a personal brand and UNLEASH your true potential to get what you want from work!

This article was originally published at an earlier date.

Answering “What Do You Like To Do In Your Free Time?”

March 6, 2023

âWhat do you like doing in your free time?â is a question that regularly comes up in job interviews. And even though it might not seem relevant, your answer can tell hiring managers a lot about who you are. This guide will go over how you should approach your answer if you want to make […]

The post Answering “What Do You Like To Do In Your Free Time?” appeared first on Career Sherpa.

6 Things To Do To Prepare For Your Classroom Observation

March 6, 2023

Is it spring yet? Just observe any school hallway to figure this out. Each spring, there is usually a flurry of activity among school administrators as they hurriedly shuffle from one classroom to the next desperately trying to record/file all their required observations by their state deadline.

In New Jersey public district schools, for example, untenured teachers are evaluated formally at least three times a year with tenured teachers being observed at least once each year. This is a similar practice in other states as well.

So, what can you as a teacher do to prepare for formal observations besides downing an entire bottle of Maalox antacid tablets?

Announced Observations

If the observation is announced in advance, teachers can sit down with their evaluator to discuss the upcoming observation and review both their upcoming lesson plan as well as any student assessment data that will impact the amount of student differentiation and/or scaffolding of learning. Whether announced or unannounced, teachers should also be provided the opportunity to debrief their observations afterward so as to improve teaching practice moving forward.

Unannounced Observations

The process for conducting announced observations is straightforward and often provides teachers with an opportunity to prepare a lesson to the best of their abilityâi.e., âthe dog and pony showââsince they know when their administrator will be coming to observe and might also know what the observer wants to see.

However, it also is important for administrators to assess the quality of everyday teaching and learning; hence why many observations of teacher practice are unannounced. While unannounced observations preclude the opportunity to discuss evaluator expectations for the lesson upfront, teachers need not lose sleep over not knowing what to expect in terms of administrator expectations.

As a former administrator who regularly evaluated teaching practice, here are six things that I looked for when observing teaching practice and that you might keep in mind when preparing for an unannounced classroom observation:

Teach Bell To Bell

I can tell you that one of my biggest pet peeves when observing instruction was lost instructional time. I hate when students enter a classroom where there is no introductory task posted on the board (The Do Now); I also become frustrated when class ends early and students are milling around waiting for the end bell to ring. This lost instructional time compounds when added up across classrooms/periods each day.

Instead, plan with timing and transitions in mind. Have students enter and complete an introductory task (5 minutes). Then, engage in a mini-lectureâusually the new information and/or directions for the upcoming student activity (no more than 10-15 minutes). After this, allow the bulk of class time to be used for student practice/peer discussion (20-25 minutes) and then follow up with a culminating/summary activity (10 minutes). To help yourself, set a timer for each section and consider posting the agenda/flow for the class from section to section on the board. Before long, students will come to recognize where they should be within the flow of the lesson and, often, will let you know if you are running behind.

Know What You Want Students To Know And Do

$Empty classroom with math written on the chalkboard$

Every teacher and student action within the lesson should be driven by the learning objectiveâi.e., what we want students to know and be able to do at the end of the lesson. This needs to be made clear to students at the beginning of the lesson. Have the learning objective posted on the board when students enter. Discuss the learning objective with students at the beginning of the lesson. Also, consider having students reflect on whether the objective was met during the lesson summary/closure such as by engaging in a brief popcorn discussion and/or in writing through an exit ticket activity.

Even when teachers are mindful in posting and discussing learning objectives, they might not consider the cognitive lift in which they are asking students to engage. Consider using the Hess Cognitive Rigor Matrix when designing learning objectives/activities that have students both deepening their depth of knowledge as well as synthesizing, evaluating, and creating knowledge as opposed to merely identifying it; Bloomâs Taxonomy meets Webbâs Depth of Knowledge Theory.

For students not academically ready to meet the demands of such a heavy cognitive ask, do not âdumb downâ the expectation for these students. Instead, provide scaffolds and supports so students can meet the expectation.

Check For Student Understanding

Assessment is much more than quizzes and tests that come at the end of learning. Show your administrator that you are constantly taking the pulse of student retention of learning using ongoing checks on student understandingâi.e., cold calling, signaling, and/or choral response. Equally important, when students demonstrate a lack of understanding, do not charge on with the delivery of instruction. Stop. Reteach that point. In other words, show your administrator that you can pivot in the moment to meet immediate student needs.

Anticipate what you will do when students fail these checks on understanding. Again, do not just push on. Instead, ask a few students until you get the correct response and then have those who did not know the answer repeat the response of peers who did. Have confused students âcall on a friendâ to help them respond. Checks on understanding are particularly important to implement before students are released to practice their new learningâin other words, during the introduction as well as the mini-lecture phase of a lesson.

Ask The Right Questions The Right Way

Too often, teachers do not plan, in advance, the questions that they will ask students and, as a result, questions rarely require students to engage in heavy cognitive lift. Administrators observing your lessons will want to see that you prepared your student-facing questions to engage students in both discussion and/or debate as well as to assess overall student learning. During the introductory and/or mini-lecture portion of a lesson, it is acceptable that questions be more factual and/or convergent as these types of questions will help teachers to ascertain student basic knowledge and understanding of key concepts and task directions. Once students are released to practice/engage in their learning, however, teachers will want students to reflect upon more divergent and/or evaluative type questions.

Another way that teachers can get into trouble with questioning is not allowing students enough âthink timeâ to ponder the questions being asked of them before answering the questions themselves on behalf of the students. Embed âwait timeâ of 3-5 seconds after asking students a question so that students can reflect more deeply upon what is being asked of them. This should improve the quality of student responses. Also, allow wait time after a student speaks and before a follow-up question is asked.

Engage Students Throughout The Lesson

As an administrator observing teachers, another area of concern for me was when teachers never released students to practice their learning and, instead, held students hostage to a never-ending whole class mini-lecture. If I was bored, I could leave. Students, however, could not. Another missed opportunity for student engagement that I have seen repeated is when teachers release students to independently complete worksheets, during the student practice phase of a lesson, which are then reviewed as a whole class with the teacher leading the discussion one problem/question at a time.

There indeed are times when students will need to learn independently before engaging with peers. However, administrators observing lessons also will want to see how teachers have planned out student pair and small group work as a means through which students can discuss learning collaboratively. I often suggest to teachers that they adapt the National School Reform Faculty Protocols, meant for teacher collaboration, to be student facing. As students work in pairs or small groups, the teacher can/should be walking around the classroom addressing any misconceptions and taking anecdotal notes that the teacher might then want to address with students after the pair or group activity concludes. Administrators also would be excited to see how teachers have planned out student rotation work.

Scaffold And/Or Extend The Learning

During the observed lesson, teachers may notice administrators asking students about what they are doing. Administrators are doing this to gain a sense of how well teachers have used student achievement data to place students in groups and how the learning process, product, and/or content is being adjusted, or differentiated, for students with different needs.

Teachers often get scared when they hear the word âdifferentiationâ because they think this means that they need to show their administrator a separate instructional plan for each student in their class. This is not the case. Rather, most administrators observing instruction are looking to see if teachers have considered the needs of the different instructional GROUPINGS in the classroomâi.e., those below readiness, at readiness, and above readiness to meet the posted lesson objective and/or unit of study standards. This last sentence is importantâper posted lesson learning objective and/or unit standards. Administrators want to see that you are routinely considering the needs/supports required by students and then equally considering when students no longer need those supports.

If your school is not already using some sort of formal common diagnostic assessment, such as i-Ready or NWEA MAP, you can determine if your students are ready to meet the learning objective and/or unit standards by giving a brief pre-assessment before the lesson or the unit of study. Then, use that pre-assessment data to place students within their appropriate group and determine how you will adjust content, process, and /or product for each group of learners. At the end of the lesson/unit, you can then reassess studentsâconduct a post-assessment which can be as simple as an exit ticketâto see if and how instructional groupings have shifted; hopefully, there will be increased student growth and achievement after the lesson.

Other Helpful Tips

If teachers really want to impress administrators observing their classroom instruction, consider placing copies of your lesson plans in a folder attached to the wall outside/just inside your classroom that the administrator can pick up without disturbing you/your instruction. Administrators also like to see the literacy connections that students are making, across content areas, as well as how teachers are considering student cultural and background knowledge in their lesson planning. I enjoyed seeing/hearing when teachers were able to make real-world connections in what students were learning.

John Schembari is a school improvement coach. If you would like additional ideas on how to impact student lives without sacrificing your own, and have a life teaching, check out his quick hack teaching courses here. You can also reach out to him on LinkedIn.