CompassPoints
July 2003	Compliments of: Janine Moon, MA, Certified Career Coach
Columbus Senior Roundtable Thurs, July24/03 7:30 to 9:30 am Trillium Place Register by July 21^st: Link to Register Execunet Meeting Thurs, July 31/03 7:30 to 9:30 am Bank One Corporate Register by July 28^th: Link to Register Get-It Columbus! Check out the newest program in the Columbus area… a combination of learning, networking, mentoring, discussion boards, and more! To stay on top of happenings or to just look around (take a look at the mentoring area under Get-It Gurus!), visit the link below. Watch for a Kick-Off event in July! Link for Info Women Mean Business Wed, July 10/03 11:30 am to 1:00 pm Luncheon Event with Yvette McGee Brown at The Blackwell (OSU) Information/register: Link for Info Janine Moon CompassPoint Coaching LLC 2015 Arlington Ave Columbus, Ohio 43212 U.S.A. Phone: 614.488-6876 Fax: 614.488-1458 E-mail: Email Janine We’re on the Web! Link to CPCoaching CompassPoints To sign-up for our monthly newsletter, click on this link: Subscribe If you’d rather not receive CompassPoints, click on this link: UnSubscribe Copyright (c) 2003 Janine Moon CompassPoint Coaching	Road to top lined with learning One of the best ways you can remain competitive on-the-job or in your career search is to embrace the concept of lifelong learning, say recent studies. A devotion to personal development can lead to career success, so consider these three ways to add to your self-directed education: Mentor with senior co-workers- Watch and listen to how they conduct themselves, observe their successes, and use what you learn to grow your own skill set. Mentoring also will create a career support system for you, gaining you advisors and friends who will be interested in watching and encouraging your growth as you travel your career path. Mentors can be found anywhere, not just at work—look for people whom you admire and from whom you can learn, and initiate a conversation! Treat your errors as opportunities- Your values, life purpose, motivators, skills and attitudes are clues to knowing your strengths, but it always pays to make a realistic appraisal of the areas in which you need to grow. Challenging yourself to do new things and achieve more means taking the risk that you might fail, but the most successful people take big risks, make big mistakes, and learn an enormous amount in the process. They stay on top of change! Maintain and add to your skill set- Take advantage of all the educational opportunities you can. Participate in on-the-job training, take courses subsidized by your employer, go to night classes, and/or take distance-learning classes. Besides upgrading your existing skill set, these opportunities may help you to learn about areas of business other than your own. When you can, volunteer to get hands-on experience. Keep yourself up-to-date with market and business information by reading a variety of publications. Most managerial positions require a broad view of business practices, and knowledge is key to advancement. Whether you want to land that dream position, or advance up the ladder, a commitment to lifelong learning is key to maintaining career satisfaction. -JM Tom Blandi: “Our attitudes control our lives. Attitudes are a secret power working 24 hours a day, for good or bad. It is of paramount importance that we know how to harness and control this great force.” The Value of Relationships Valuing and fostering relationships includes recognizing the value of the humanness in personal relationships, many of which might truly be life long, and the importance of learning how to grow and foster your personal “network”. Technology is a wonderful thing, but it can be isolating; human beings still make hiring and buying decisions by doing business with other human beings they know, like and trust. A strong network is built both vertically and horizontally and has varying levels of support and trust. “Board” level people may be those from whom you can receive honest and unvarnished support, advice and assistance. “Advisors” might be those who will give you direction in a specialty area. “Friends” may be those who let you take several laps in the ‘pity pool’ before telling you to climb out and get going. And “acquaintances” can be occasional contacts, or those whom you choose to nourish to another level within your network. Relationships are how you “get on” in the world; and as you take responsibility for your lifelong employability, your relationships will be your most important and timely sources for growth and career opportunities. By creating daily opportunities to give and provide to your networks, you foster the spirit of giving that opens you up to new and different connections and possibilities for your career path. -JM Ben Stein: “Nothing happens by itself…it will all come your way, once you understand that you have to make it come your way, by your own exertions.” Success is born of passion Success is really about being motivated to do what you are ideally suited to do. It’s knowing yourself and your strengths, capitalizing on what you know – and being willing to learn what you need to know. It’s concentrating all your energy on what you want to do. Working at your passion means you’re willing to go the extra mile, take risks, and work through any difficulties you might encounter; working at your passion isn’t really work at all—it’s much more like play! -JM If you have thought about coaching, but just aren’t sure how to begin, call or e-mail me, I’ll introduce you to coaching and you can “try it on” with no commitment, only learning! –JM Until next month... “If we want to solve a problem that we have never solved before, we must leave the door to the unknown ajar.” Richard P. Feynmam