It has to be said. I know. Some people are going to look at this and go “umm, who do you think you’re talking to?” Well, to those people, I guess I’m talking to you. Here goes. When a mistake is made – whatever it happens to be – sometimes it’s your fault. It’s not always someone else’s fault. You forgot to finish that deliverable before Monday morning because you were too wrapped up in having a good time with your awesome buds that weekend. It’s not your boss who has a problem, that would be you who does. You thought that that job interview was going to be a piece of cake. Of course they want you, who wouldn’t? You didn’t get the job. Who should have spent more time prepping for the interview? Yeah, that would be you. You didn’t mean to be “just a few minutes late” (aka half an hour late) to pick your kids up after school. But you did stop and get that extra large frappa-mocha whatever. It wasn’t the person at the coffee shop who was taking too long. That was you who didn’t manage your time properly. You didn’t spend the time preparing for that big meeting the next day. It was a total flop (no surprise). No, it’s not everyone else’s problem that they asked you hard questions. You should have been ready. Take responsibility for your actions. Yeah, sure. Sometimes, mistakes can be the fault of others. But when you really think about it, many mistakes are a result of your actions – or inactions. Take responsibility for what you did or didn’t do. Reflect on it. Part of taking responsibility for yourself is to understand what happened. There is a level of vulnerability here that you just have to work through. Ask yourself these questions. What went wrong? What could you have done differently? How can you prevent this from happening in the future? Learn from it. Once you’ve done that, only then can you truly learn from your mistakes and move on. Owning your actions, and taking steps to improve on this, is going to result in greater success for you. You want that, I know. That’s it. That’s your tip for today. Take responsibility for your actions. Reflect on it. Learn from it.
Friday Find: Getting Organized
Sometimes, I struggle with keeping everything organized, especially when I have a few things on the go. I’ve always found it helpful to write daily (or bi-weekly) lists. A couple of years ago, a friend shared her love of these great Action notepads. While I strive to have a paperless business, I do find it helpful having these organization tools close by… and I love checking off boxes. I hope you find it helpful too. Behance Action Pad This one stays beside my desk and I check off big items as I complete them. Action Book Mini This is a staple purse item. You never know when you need to jot down that idea. Happy Friday.
Wrap that hair around your finger = ditzyville
Whoa! Sorry about my busy schedule. I’m back in blogging action. Sooo… what words come to mind when you see someone doing this? (photo from: lastforypercent.com) When interacting with a potential client, colleague, senior leader or new acquaintance, we all want to put forward our best self. It’s a pretty normal thing. We all have bad habits that we just don’t want out there. Twirling your hair is, without a doubt, one of them. When I see others doing this, it makes them look ditzy and silly. They likely aren’t ditzy or silly but right away, this is the impression that is being formed. It is fair? No. Does it happen… all the time? Yes. Say what? Guess what? I’m a major hair twirler. It’s a habit – a bad one – I’ve had since I was a kid. Over the last 5-7 years or so, I’ve taken very deliberate and purposeful steps to stop doing this in any in of professional setting. I, like many others who are hair twirlers, am not ditzy or silly. Why would I want even a single person thinking that about me? I don’t. Here’s what I do to kick this habit: Each and every time I present myself, in a professional capacity, I remember that what I say and do is a complete reflection of everything I stand for – whether I intend it to or not. I often remind myself that I am not ditzy or silly. I then ask myself “why would I want to look that way?” I do allow myself to indulge in a good hair twirl when I’m not out in public. When I slip up, I acknowledge it and move on. I’m not perfect. I do work hard at breaking bad habits though. You can break this habit too. And you should. You never know when sill habits could limit a potential opportunity on the horizon.
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