Searching for Work, Serving on a Board, and Stepping up in Your Leadership: February 2020

I had to pause when I dated something last Saturday, on February 1, and mumbled to myself, "Where did January go?" I don't know about you, but 2020 seems to be galloping forward and I'm having a hard time keeping up! Nevertheless, I'm thankful for interesting work and great conversations with clients. Once again, I came across some good stuff along the way and want to share it with you.

Are You in a Job Search? Purely out of curiosity, throughout January I tried to be intentional in asking people if they made any resolutions. Several mentioned some variation of "I want to be in a different job by this time next year." I know full well that it is pretty darn hard to jump start that process, so I came across two helpful resources in quick succession that might prove valuable if you need some help getting going:

• The Best Cover Letter Examples for Every Type of Job Seeker. Perhaps it's been a minute (or a decade?) since you have looked for a JOB job and you're feeling a little rusty... do you look on Monster? LinkedIn? Indeed? Craigslist? And what about a cover letter? Do they even care about such things?? Before you start hyperventilating, go slow and start with this link. There are multiple subarticles and examples here to get your wheels turning.
• How to Leverage an Offer... with Grace. On the other hand, perhaps you are not looking for work, but headhunters came looking for you. I think this podcast episode is a genuine, relaxed conversation that plays out several different possible scenarios. Worth a listen, at least for first 10 minutes. Best piece of advice, plain and simple: "Know what you want going in." Tune back in around the 20 minute mark for a call related to when to make a job change. PS This podcast is an easy and interesting conversation week after week about workplace issues. You may want to subscribe?

Are You Ready to Serve on a Board? Whether you want to give something back to your community or you are looking for a way to amplify your experience and resume, serving on a board could be a great next step. Though this article is targeted more toward those looking to serve on a corporate board, nevertheless the questions it asks are worth your consideration, even if you are just serving with your favorite little local non-profit, given the fiscal responsibilities we are now all exposed to when one takes on such a role. PS I've posted this article within a whole folder of board resources on my KSLD Resources drive, so feel free to look around for more articles and resources on a wide variety of topics.

Favorite Management Tips from HBR, 2019. This is a helpful compilation of key management tips from Harvard Business Review. You can use the ideas to populate your training meetings or even your staff meetings with your managers. Have fun!

20 Ways to Waste Time During the Day. Many (all??) of us struggle to maintain productivity and focus during the day. Clients often ask me for help in getting them to manage their time more effectively ~ do you know of a new app, a new time management system, a book, heck, even a gimmick, to help me knock down my massive list of to-do's? While I can pull from several tools, sometimes I recommend that you just take some time to put the mirror on yourself and look at some of the patterns and habits you have fallen into that need some attention. This list of twenty ways can be a good self-check and wake-up call. Personally, #3 and #11 are things I tend to do, and I'm currently trying to address them accordingly. How's by you?

What Am I Reading? Currently I'm reading The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. After hearing the author interviewed on a podcast and having someone else mention it in a conversation, I took that as a prompt to pick up the book. I'm taking it slowly, but it is powerful stuff. I am also quite confident that I will be applying its insights in my work, since the issues of stress management comes up so frequently with those I work with. We have become very disconnected from our bodies, yet they often end up screaming back at us to get our attention. WOW.

Final thoughts. I can't quite figure who actually said this because The Google credits several with its origin. Nevertheless, I find it concise and true:

Leadership is an action, not a position.

Feel free to pass this blog post along to others, and I welcome your feedback. Contact me with questions and comments at kelly.soifer@ksleadershipdevelop.me. Thanks for reading!