Archives for December 2013

I Can’t Thank You Enough!

Posted on: December 18, 2013, in: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Of course, you think, another person telling you to be thankful during the holiday season. Kind of, but not really. You should be thankful for what you have, but year round, not just because it is this time of year. But that is not what I am talking about.

 

This time of year is a good time to remember to show gratitude. Yes, you should do so year round, but it is better late than never, and should be done in both your professional and personal worlds. Lucky enough to have someone clean your home? Some extra money may be sufficient without a card or hand written note (yes, there are still times a hand written note is appropriate), and arguably will be more appreciated than a gift.

But what about the guy or gal who referred you the big lead or client? Arguably shouldn’t be money (think kickbacks!).  Here a hand written note and thoughtful gift is the right idea. Not sure what to get them? You should be because you want to get to know people better who help you succeed and earn your living.

So remember to thank timely and often, and do it throughout the year. If you haven’t lived this way until now, this is a good time of year to start.

And to those of you kind enough to have referred a client to me, provided me with a lead or trusted me enough to connect me to one of your contacts, thank you!! And who knows, you still may be getting that hand written note and a gift…

Happy Holidays!

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Apply Yourself

Posted on: December 06, 2013, in:

Your effort at what you do for a living is everything.* You may be smarter, but you can be outworked by someone with less intelligence.

When you were young (and sometimes, to your detriment, when you were older…) your mother told you how smart you are. For many, by the time they become teenagers, it changes to “You’re smart and if you would just apply yourself you would get better grades.” Odds are your parents weren’t going to kick you out for not trying your hardest, but your boss might.

Or, instead, you won’t progress in your career.  For every person who progresses based on nepotism or something similar, there 99.9 times out of 100 who progress is based on the effort they put in and the results that effort achieves.

And don’t get me wrong, effort alone is not enough. Work isn’t youth sports where trophies are given for participating, not just winning (don’t get me started on this…).  Companies don’t hand out participation ribbons or trophies because you showed up at the office and went through the motions. Effort needs to lead to results.

But you don’t have a chance at good results if you don’t start with effort.

*Thanks to my wife who put this though into my head this morning during a conversation. If you need a fantastic recruiter to help you find talented employees or your dream job you should check out: http://www.govig.com/refresh/templates/staff_profile.php?staff_id=16. This is a shameless plug for someone who puts in the effort and achieves results!

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