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A Few Notes From Cheryl
Happy November, everyone, and welcome to those of you who have recently
joined our
online community! Be sure to check
out your f*r*e*e holiday gift below - hope you can join us and
experience the fun of a
teleclass on the 17th!
This month's feature article is based on a topic that many of my
coaching
clients have been working on recently - authenticity in the work
place. If you have co-workers, employees or other colleagues who
would benefit from this article, please feel free to share this
e-zine with them. For those of you who received this publication
from a friend and wish to
start receiving your own copy of InSights each month, you are
invited to sign
up at http://www.goalsinsight.com/Newsletter.htm .
For those of you in Nevada, I'll be in your area on December 9, as I
was invited to be the guest speaker for the Las Vegas Real Estate
Investors Association. We'll be talking about how to maximize the
benefits of networking. See below for details -- hope to meet and
network with you in person!
Last, but not least - we have some very exciting programs planned for
2005 to help you live your desired life. Stay tuned...more
details to follow soon!
Enjoy,
Cheryl
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Feature Article: Who Are You, Really?
4 Steps to Being Authentic at Work
What is authenticity? According to the American Heritage
Dictionary, authenticity is "the quality or condition of being
authentic, trustworthy, genuine."
So, based on that definition, who are you when you are at work?
Who is the REAL you? Are you the
same person at work as you are at home?
The subject of being authentic at work has come up recently with
several of my coaching clients. My clients sometimes find it
difficult to show up each
day at work as truly who they are -- their authentic selves.
I
recently had the pleasure of hearing Margaret Heffernan speak.
She is the author of
the book The N^aked
Truth: A working Woman's Manifesto on Business and What Really
Matters, and talked about how women often feel alienated
in a business world that doesn't recognize or respect them and that it
often feels beyond a woman's reach to be able to align her personal
values with work values because of how women are often regarded in
corporate environments.
To give a specific
example, let's look at a woman I'll call Jane, whose #1 priority
is her family. If Jane has a job in the corporate world and has
to leave work early to take care of a
sick child, how will that choice to leave early be regarded by her boss
and
co-workers?
Well, that depends on what values are regarded within the
company. If Jane's company also highly values taking care of
family members and promotes having a work-life balance,
then her boss and co-workers are more inclined to be supportive about
Jane leaving work early to care for her child.
However, what if Jane's company's culture is about working hard at all
costs, and the culture does not promote employees having a
personal life? That situation then creates an internal struggle
for Jane to
be fully authentic at work, because she wants to honor her personal
values
of caring for her family, but places her position within her
organization at jeopardy by telling her boss that her family comes
first and she must leave the office.
Here's an example that I often see with my clients (in fact, this is
one of the reasons that clients seek me out as a coach!). If you
are miserably unhappy in your current job because your ideas are not
valued by others or because you're in an environment that does not
allow you to use your strengths, but you feel like you "should" be at
work with a smile on your face, pretending that everything is just
fine, then you feel an inner conflict because you are not being
yourself at work. Your full potential is not being realized, so
part of you is "hidden" and, therefore, you can't be fully
authentic. Pretending that everything is just fine, even
though deep down inside you know that this job is not a good fit
for you, takes away from your being authentic at work. The REAL
you, which is the person with the great ideas, creativity, passion and
energy, often gets left behind in the parking lot when you arrive each
morning.
When you are not able to truly be yourself at work, what
happens? You feel like you don't fit in, perhaps like a
fish out of water. You also start to diminish who you are,
because instead of standing up for what you believe in, you shrug your
shoulders and say "it doesn't matter anyway." What's the truth
for you
-- does it matter? If being yourself at work and at home doesn't
matter to you, then you can stop reading here. But, if being
yourself really DOES matter, and would help you truly live the life you
desire, then it's time to take action!
Whether you work for someone else or own your own business, it IS
possible to be authentic at
work. How, you might
ask?
Step #1: Determine who you are, from your core. Ask
yourself:
- Who am I, really?
- What are my top 3 values that must be honored
at work and at home?
- What makes me unique -- what do I offer in my
work environment that
no one else can?
Step #2: Identify the gaps -- look at where you are not genuinely
being yourself at work. Ask yourself:
- In what situations am I not being
authentic? Why?
- With whom am I not being authentic? Why?
- What is preventing me from being fully
authentic?
Step #3: Compare your values with those of your work
environment. Ask:
- How do my personal values align with those of
my
organization?
- How do my personal values align with those of
my
colleagues, business partners and/or boss?
- How do my business relationships and
effectiveness improve when I am being fully authentic?
- Is this job / environment a good fit for me?
Step #4: Decide to take action, based on the responses to the
above questions. Ask yourself:
- What is the next step that I will take to be
more authentic at work so that I can live the life I truly desire?
- By when will I take that next step?
I invite you to consider the above questions carefully. It IS
possible to be authentic at work so that you can more fully enjoy your
life -- it may require changing your approach by taking a stand more
often for your values, and/or it may require changing
to a work environment that more fully appreciates who you are and what
you have to offer. Being yourself at work does NOT require
compromising your values. The time to take action is now -- if
not now, WHEN?
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Upcoming
Workshops and Teleclasses
Survive
and THRIVE This Season: 5 Steps to a Stress-Free Holiday Season!
Are you cringing at the thought of the holidays coming
around the corner? Are you determined to make this holiday season
better than last year? Would you like some helpful tips to help
you plan for an enjoyable season? If so, this f*r*e*e teleclass
is for you!
Date:
Wednesday, November 17
Time: 12:00 pm
to 1:00 pm Pacific time (3:00 to 4:00 pm Eastern)
Location: By
phone - convenience of your home or office
Cost: These
5 steps are being provided a f*r*e*e holiday gift to you!
Depending on your long-distance carrier, you may incur long-distance
charges to Las Vegas, Nevada to join the call.
For more details and
to register online, go to: http://www.goalsinsight.com/teleclasses.htm
~~~
Top
Ten Networking Tips for Real Estate Investors!
Are you ready to expand your views on networking? Want to learn
some innovative ways to network and hear what works for others?
Would you like to learn more about real estate investing? If so,
this event is for you! Cheryl will be the guest speaker at this
event and hope you can join us.
Date:
Thursday, December 9
Time: 7:00 to
10:00 pm
Location: Las
Vegas, Nevada - Gold Coast Hotel & Casino
For more details, go to: http://www.goalsinsight.com/workshops.htm
~~~
Corporate
Retreats and Off-Site
Meetings: Is your department planning an off-site meeting
or end-of-year retreat to re-energize employees? Is your
department planning a meeting to set goals for 2005? Are you a
manager who wants to reward your team for a job well done?
If so, consider a workshop for your staff on topics
such
as:
- How to make your job meaningful and fulfilling again
- How to become the leader/manager you desire
- Create the balanced life you desire
- Setting and achieving meaningful
goals
For additional topic ideas, be sure to visit Goals InSight
Coaching Workshop Topics on our "workshops" web site page.
This is a great
way to
show appreciation for your team and to enhance their productivity,
thereby improving the bottom line for your organization!
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About Goals InSight Coaching
Goals InSight
Coaching helps both individuals and organizations achieve your desired
goals. Through the services of Goals InSight,
you gain insight into your priorities, then achieve results by keeping
your desired goals in sight! Specific services include the
following
(for more details, visit www.goalsinsight.com):
- Individuals and Executives: one-on-one
coaching to
achieve your desired goals so that you can have the life and career you
want
- Teams, Departments and Other Groups:
coaching
to
help you achieve your group/team's desired goals and ensure successful
implementation of your strategic plan
- Keynotes
Speeches, Workshops,
Presentations and Teleclasses on
various topics
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November
2004
Insights E-Zine
Volume
II, Issue 11