Make It Happen

The Best Career Book

If you were to write a book on your professional expertise, what would you call it? If you're not exactly sure, then you're not alone. In a certain sense, many of us go through our entire careers like a book without a title. Or a book with a poor title. (Or for some people, a book with the wrong title!)

Last time you went to the bookstore or library, did you ever consider the actual names of the books on the shelves? Could you imagine if they had titles like the following:

• A smart but apparently discredited guy unearths old secrets. (Da Vinci Code)
• A magical boy fights against evil, and ultimately triumphs (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)
• An architect navigates the intrigues of church and state, eventually building a church (Pillars of the Earth)

While the book titles of Da Vinci Code, Harry Potter, and Pillars of the Earth might be more familiar, the titles are designed to be short, catchy, and representative of the content.

When it comes to our careers, we can learn alot from books - but in a decidedly different fashion. Consider the following elements:

• Book Title: Represents what is in the book: short, snappy, intriguing.
• Front Cover: First impressions.
• Back Cover: A few paragraphs about the book itself, designed to stimulate interest.
• Copyright Year: Is it up-to-date, or out of date.
• Content/Story: When it comes right down to it, the contents of the book determine its value to the reader - just as your performance determines your value to your employer.

This week's action item: What is your career "book" about? This week, work on the title, front and back covers, and most importantly, the story. When you do this, you'll have a bestseller career book - your own.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Back to School Lessons

Why is it that retailers have back-to-school sales starting in August? They know that clothing purchases are made in the 3-4 weeks immediately before the first day of school. (They also know that few customers will purchase clothing a mere day or two beforehand.) Stores make their buying decisions months in advance. Manufacturers make their products even earlier.

After the school selling season is done - maybe a week or two after school starts - the retailer will stock the next season's apparel and the "old" stock is often sold at a loss.

Surprisingly, there is a lot that we can learn from retailers. For example:

• There is a shelf-life for opportunity. If the window of opportunity is missed, then it cannot be resurrected.
• Just as a retailer's purchases may not sell well, there is a certain risk that our training might not meet the market requirements - but this isn't an excuse not to prepare ourselves for the next stage of our careers.
• Learn from our mistakes. Just because we weren't the right "merchandise" for a particular opportunity, doesn't mean that there aren't other ones where we are just what the customer wants.
• Like the retailer's different buying seasons, there are career and work-life balance activities that should happen at different times of the year - and can be calendarized.

This week's action item: Not everyone thinks like a retailer - or feels comfortable drawing lessons from them. But it is a great example of how we can learn from just about every business - or person - we come in contact with. This week, choose an organization - or a person - and write down their lessons for you. Back-to-school doesn't just mean great sales, but also great lessons.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Career Spin Doctor

Is the glass half-empty, or half-full? How you answer will usually brand you as an optimist or pessimist. But is one answer better than the other? Optimists usually are great at envisioning the possibilities, while pessimists can often spot risks well before they occur. Both personality types are critical to the success of a team.

But what about the success of you as an individual? Is your career half-empty or half-full?

Think about how you express yourself:

• Let's find a way to make it work... vs It doesn't work.
• I've already completed half of the job... vs I'm still not finished.
• I'm part-way through my professional certification... vs I don't qualify.
• I want to find time to meet you, let's compare calendars... vs If you want to meet me, it will have to be at 2pm.

Many people don't realize the impact that their optimism (or pessimism) can have on others. Consider the statements above a second time, but think of yourself as the recipient. How would you feel if a colleague answered you one way, vs the other? Individual success is far more likely for the optimist.

This week's action item: Spin doctoring isn't just for politicians or public relations consultants. Take one day this week, and commit that every word that you say - or write - is "half-full." It's better to be known as someone who can make things happen, than someone who knows why they can't.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

For those reading (or watching) the news, you may have seen me recently. I've been quoted (or have appeared) in the following newspapers, magazines, or TV shows:

• Saint John Telegraph-Journal - August 9
• Vancouver Sun - August 9
• Montreal Gazette - August 9
• Edmonton Journal - August 2

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Serving Non-customers Profitably

Marcus, every organization focuses on profit first, right? While this is true for the corporate world, it often isn't true in the not-for-profit sector, nor in government. These organizations typically have many different stakeholders, including the communities they serve, donors, regulators, media, and special interest groups. And the goals of these stakeholders move well beyond profitability.

If you have only developed skills to grow sales and reduce costs, then you might be perfectly well-suited for the corporate world... of ten years ago. Just as individuals grow and learn, so do corporations.

Over the last decade, many corporate entities have looked at the not-for-profit sector and recognized that focusing on the needs of a wider stakeholder group is precisely the means to a [profitability] end. At the same time, not-for-profits have changed by learning from the corporate world: many have developed sophisticated marketing and fundraising programs, strong technological foundations, and tremendous management focus. Developing skills beyond profit and loss is critical for personal success in the corporate world of today: relationship-building skills, communications skills, analytical skills, and conflict management skills are but a few.

This week's action item: Identify the stakeholders who you serve. Some will be your "customers", both internal and external: this week, it's the "non-customers" that you want to think about. Who are they? What are their needs? And what can you do to better serve them? Answer these questions, and commit to doing at least one thing beyond the normal. Learn from the not-for-profit world: while you may have clear performance objectives that are related to profitability, success comes from serving non-customers profitably.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Cut It Out

Do you typically find yourself out of time? Has your manager - or your significant other - complained to you about not spending time on so-called priorities? It's amazing how quickly time flies, especially when we are invested in a task. And since time is absolutely not a renewable resource, if it's not used wisely, it's gone.

Time discipline is a key career success factor. The better your discipline, the more successful you will be:

1) Watch out for last year's priorities. Often times we plan our days based on past priorities - not current ones. Take a few minutes to look at your professional obligations, and match your priorities to how your time is scheduled.

2) Watch out for the habitual activities. Are these things really necessary to do? Can you spend less time on them, with almost the same results? Are you doing them out of habit, out of a sense of personal fulfillment, or out of necessity?

3) Watch out for email and web-surfing. These are the modern day black holes of time. Every minute that is spent "checking email", surfing to news sites, or checking Facebook is a minute away from real priorities. If you are looking for an instant improvement in productivity, check your work email only 2-3 times daily - and do work in between. Leave web-surfing for later.

This week's action item: Choose at least one thing to either cut out, or significantly reduce. The great advantage of cutting out the unnecessary is that it makes room for the necessary. Typically, those who are successful in their careers don't make their luck - they make time for their priorities. And the same applies outside the office.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

For those reading (or watching) the news, you may have seen me recently. I've been quoted (or have appeared) in the following newspapers, magazines, or TV shows:

• Globe and Mail - July 23
• Globe and Mail - July 18
• Globe and Mail - July 14
• Benefits Canada - July 10
• Montreal Gazette - July 5
• Globe and Mail - June 30
• Computer World - June 23
• Daytime Durham TV - June 11
• Backbone magazine - May 2008
• National Post - April 21
• Globe and Mail - April 19
• National Post Book Review - April 16
• Winnipeg Free Press - April 5

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news