IT’S YOUR
MOVE: THE PREPARATION HAND
The headlines say it all:
WORST JOB MARKET SINCE WORLD WAR II
MORE BUDGET CUTS EXPECTED
THE JOBLESS RECOVERY CONTINUES
Other headlines announce:
LINK BETWEEN STRESS AND HEALTH SHOWN
FINDING LESS TIME TO DO MORE
CAN YOU REALLY HAVE IT ALL?
It’s clear that now more than ever, people
are struggling to find not just employment, but also meaning, balance, and a
fulfilling life.
You work and live in an economy where job
turnover now averages less than 3.5 years and frequent news headlines
announce layoffs of 7,000 people at a time. Your car salesman this past
weekend was last month’s airline pilot. Your financial planner is now in
chef school. Your organization is being led by its third CEO in two years.
Stress levels are high. Your competition is working harder to grab your best
customers. Your organization is asking you to do more with less. Your school
and community are asking for more of your time. Your family life is out of
balance. As you struggle to get a grip on the rules, you wonder what your
next move should be.
You’re at a turning point. You know you want
to make a change. You’ve thought about the direction you want to go, but for
some reason you haven’t taken action. Do you want to move up, in, sideways,
or even out? Or do you want to make a subtler move – one to simply enhance
your current position? Whichever you choose, you know that every move you
make is important if you want to succeed. It’s important because there’s not
a lot of time to test your ideas. Life is moving fast. You’d prefer to be on
the next promotion list rather than the layoff list. You’d like to be more
visible. You’d enjoy bigger challenges. You’re searching for a boost, for
meaning, for happiness. Whether you’re a seasoned manager, entrepreneur,
recent retiree, salesperson, stay-at-home parent, outplaced executive,
recent graduate, immigrant or part time professional, you want to make the
right moves for you.
So what should your next move be? In the new
book, It’s Your Move: Dealing Yourself the Best Cards in Life and Work
(Financial Times Prentice Hall, 2004), my co-author, Cyndi Maxey, and I
offer nine important strategies that can help you create the life and work
you desire. Within the context of a card game, we share our best ideas
culled from years as trainers, coaches, and consultants. Each chapter
presents a new “hand” to play, followed by action steps to try in the coming
days and weeks. The book also includes worksheets to record your personal
results. By the time you’ve finished the book (which you can read in a
single weekend), you’ll be well on your way to making your next, best move.
It’s Your Move includes:
- The Preparation Hand
- The Attitude Hand
- The Visibility Hand
- The Style Hand
- The Presentation Hand
- The Listening Hand
- The Learning Hand
- The Balance Hand
- The Flexibility Hand
Future issues of “Image Insights” will share
excerpts from some of the chapters of the book and give you an inside look
into the strategies we offer. This month focuses on –
THE PREPARATION HAND
Step Back
To win at this game, first you’re going to
need to take a step back. Stepping back allows you to clear the clutter and
noise of everyday life and begin to see the bigger picture. It helps you
decide what it is you really want. To do that, you need to get away from the
daily grind and find some solitude. You can’t find the quiet you need by
closing your office door or sitting alone on your bed. Get out of your
typical, everyday environment. Your retreat might be on a beach, in a tent,
or in a suite with twenty-four-hour room service. Cross-country flights can
be a great time to do some deep thinking.
Granting yourself “think time” periodically
allows you to remove yourself from the all-too-familiar routines of life and
work – which can easily overpower big-picture thinking. You’ll know when you
need it. You’ll hear a little voice that says, It’s time to make a change; I
need to simplify; The stress is too much; or I’m not happy. Don’t let the
voice become a shout. People who ignore the inner signals can turn into
unhappy people very quickly. It’s not hard to look at those around you and
see who has listened to the little voice and who has not.
Take Stock
Now that you’re quiet and secluded, you need
to determine what things bring you joy and what do not. In other words, take
time to develop your personal “joy sensor.” Think in simple terms, and try
not to edit. Ask yourself: What has made me happy? What has made me unhappy?
Examine all the facets of your life: work,
love, friends, community, family, spirituality, and so on. Do this exercise
on paper, not just in your head. This is brainstorming, and it’s important
for the game that you capture all responses. Start by making a list of what
you were doing when you were struck by either your delight or displeasure.
Give yourself permission to dig deep and be honest. If you find this
exercise difficult, start a journal and note each time you feel real
happiness or unhappiness. It won’t take long to develop your joy sensor to
determine what brings you joy and what does not.
Write Your Goals
If you are like most people, you’re not
jumping at the chance to write your life and career goals. It’s just not a
popular pastime, but it must be done. Long-term goals – for example, where
do you want to be in five, ten, twenty years and short-term goals such as
what do you want in the next six to twelve months - are vital steps to this
game because they clarify your sense of direction and purpose. You’ve
probably heard that goals aren’t goals unless they’re written down and that
they need to be specific, measurable and action oriented. Goals also must be
tied to your passion and values. If you create goals that are fixed to
hollow principles or written without your dream in mind, you’re not going to
like the results and could lose out on a life filled with meaning.
Plan in Pieces
Turning goals into daily activities is a
crucial card to play in this hand. You can become a slave to your daily
to-do list, instead of keeping your eye on the prize – your dream. Here’s
how you do it. Instead of jumping right from the long- and short-term goals
into your daily tasks, take intermediate steps. For each goal you’ve
written, make a list of the tangible action steps you can take to reach it.
Each long-term goal can take you a number of years to achieve. Your
shorter-term goals can take months. Action steps usually take days or weeks
to accomplish and are the stepping-stones for turning dreams into reality.
Example:
- Long Term Goal = To start a consulting
business in two years.
- Short Term Goal = To quit my current job
within twelve months.
- Action Steps =
Learn how to create a business plan.
Save more money from each paycheck.
Join an association for professional consultants.
Select the top three or four action steps for
each goal; then start working them into your daily to-do list. For example,
you can buy a book tomorrow during lunch that explains how to write a
business plan. There will be lots of other tasks on your daily list, but try
to do something related to one of your goals each day.
Make Family Room
Before you finish this hand, revisit the
goals and actions steps you listed earlier. Are they all career related? Be
careful that you don’t create goals for only one or two aspects of your
life. Family, however you may define it, is an important element and can
keep you grounded and balanced. List goals that make room for your family
life along with other relationships, financial comfort, self-development,
and spiritual growth as well as your career. A balanced life is a healthy
life.
If you’d like to learn more about how to make
your next move, It’s Your Move is available in bookstores or at http://www.bremercommunications.com/image_site.htm
© 2004 Cyndi Maxey and Jill
Bremer. All rights reserved.
|
