TheLoop21.com

How to fit more into your busy work day

by CoachV
Read more of TheLoop21.com's Smart Tips.

Some days, it seems, I wildly scramble from one task to another. Despite my plans for the day, unexpected phone calls, emails or otherwise "quick" tasks seem to scuttle my intentions faster than you can say "Titanic."   I'm pretty good at having these kind of days, be it the exception and not the rule, but in today's fast paced world, I am realizing that it's easier and easier to spend time spinning in the urgent tasks while putting off time for what's important. At least some portion of almost every client call or consult is spent getting clients to understand the difference.

Being the best solves many problems

by CoachV
Wow. I am absolutely amazed and enthralled by the hoopla over the Philadelphia Eagles signing Michael Vick. I innocently posted a question on Facebook recently to ask whether people felt if Vick deserved a second chance in the NFL. I couldn't have imagined the firestorm of responses I received.

It was, to say the least, an interesting dialogue on the ethics and stances from clearly divergent points of view. Admittedly, for a split second when I heard the news I too thought "that doesn't seem fair," but then it hit me like a ton of bricks. For me, it brought up the age old corporate challenge of favoritism and "looking the other way" because whether we want to admit it or not, the only reason Vick has been given a second chance in the NFL is because he was the elite player at the time of his incarceration— the highest paid player in the NFL.

And quite frankly, isn't that reason enough?

The excuse doesn't fix the failed outcome

by CoachV
This post was inspired by my recent frustrations over getting some marketing work done. I wanted to brand and rebrand some of my programs was referred to a great marketing guy. He was great in terms of design work, but not so great at getting his deliverables out on time.

Once John was hired (and yes, the names have been changed to protect the innocent) and we were in the middle of my branding project, I would email or call him about a certain aspect of the project and it would literally take him four or five days to get back to me. But here's the rub: He would always have what he thought was a good story about why it took him so long to get back to me. Don't get it twisted: a good story does not negate the importance of getting something done. It's like the joke about the dog eating your homework.

Integrity is key to career success

by CoachV
"The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army or in an office." — Dwight David Eisenhower

I think it's safe to say that we all desire to work with people of integrity. It is also safe to say that 60 percent to 70 percent of people who have been in the workforce for at least five years can identify at least one situation they have witnessed in which someone (probably a manager or leader) has not demonstrated integrity, and for which there were no repercussions.

Protect your job by being a great leader

by CoachV
I am constantly amazed when I go into organizations that have little or no infrastructure for training and developing leaders, especially after going through cycle after cycle of lay-offs and cutbacks resulting in greater stress, more apathy and most likely, less productivity — a huge, fatal mistake.

When cutbacks occur, the talent left behind must retool itself. The status quo that was, is no more. Leaders are left trying to figure out how to do more with less (which often means taking on more grunt work themselves). Don't get me wrong, it is imperative that leaders get their hands dirty in the right circumstances, but if they are forced to live in management mode, leaders are ultimately not producing the greatest fruit for the organization.

Take 24 hours, then move on

by CoachV
We've all heard the adage, "you win some, you lose some," but how often do we allow our wins and losses in business to define us? You have a big sale or close a big deal and you're the office hero. You lose a big client or blow a deal and you're the office schmuck, right?

Read this to make more money

by CoachV
Back in May, I wrote a post about leveraging yourself in business. The bottom line of that post was simply this: To attain real wealth, we must learn to create leverage in order to derive income through others.

I am here to tell you that my husband and I have just finished reading Rich Dad, Poor Dad. (Yes, I know it has been around forever, but I can't read everything at once!)

If you haven't read it, move it to the top of your list.

If you've read it, but haven't applied it — read it again.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a "make sense" book that offers excellent insight on how to leverage yourself.

How's your New Year's resolution holding up?

by CoachV
For some reason, while celebrating over the holiday weekend, I found myself really thinking about this concept of independence and freedom.

The year is now half over, and if you're like most folks, you probably made some resolutions or set goals at the start of the year. I wonder — what did you declare to yourself that you would be "free from" in 2009? What did you declare your independence over?

January 1 is a time of declared promises and fresh starts. Does any of this sound familiar? In 2009, I will ...

Michael Jackson made a legacy — will you?

by CoachV
Like the rest of the world, I am in shock and mourning over the passing of Michael Jackson. Yes, I have even shed a few tears over the combination of brilliance, beauty and tragedy that marked his life. To lose such a great talent can only be considered tragic, although there were certainly — as the media repeatedly remind us — unfortunate realities in his life.

For Michael Jackson, to not sing, to not perform was to deny who he was, someone brought here to be despite the negative consequences of stardom. If I look at his life as the vastest of oceans, then I can only hope that my own legacy will be at least a ripple in that vastness. A ripple in that ocean would be a large impact indeed.

At work and in life, there is no try

by CoachV
Today, I want to challenge your thinking on something that has become so much a part of our nature that we almost do it without thinking. Think back to the last time someone asked you to do something, attend something, see something and you replied with, "I'll try." Let me share an uncomfortable reality: Trying is just an excuse for not doing something. Think about it. How often do we say things like: