job Archives - Dennis E. Gilbert

24
Dec 20
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Next Steps Forward Start Early and Start Often

Are you concentrating on your next steps forward or are you still caught up in the past? Everyone has a story, yet, time is still moving everyone forward.

As 2020 comes to a close people are often reflective of what went wrong, what twisted and turned, and all the things that were out of control. Regardless of how much trauma occurred somethings are still poised for forward motion.

There are sales funnels that can still be tapped, there are educational opportunities that expand minds, skills, and broaden opportunity. Along the way there have been new projects, different angles, and changing approaches.

Consider doors that have opened, doors knocked on, and doors left ajar. Connections that have been reestablished, built from scratch, or simply stumbled upon.

Young trees take years to bear fruit. It is often true for businesses and careers too.

All of these things provide opportunity for what will happen in the future.

Next Steps Forward

The best time to start preparing for what your business or career will like next year, or in two or three years, is right now.

Every moment spent wallowing in the aftermath of things gone wrong is a moment that you are not preparing for what comes next.

A new season is about to begin.

In rural areas, farmers will begin to think of the crops for the next season. The seeds that they’ll plant, the cultivation they’ll do, and the harvest that they will yield.

Whether you are rural, urban, or somewhere in between the race is on and it often rewards those who start early.

Don’t waste any more time.

The best time for next steps is right now.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

08
Oct 20
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Does Your Value Offering Fit The Organization?

Tags : career change continuous learning job professional growth

Are you a good alignment with your job? Are you meeting or exceeding expectations? Does your value offering align with what is really needed or is it a bit of a side hustle?

People often try to differentiate between a job and a career.

It is a thoughtful process that makes a lot of sense.

It’s not uncommon that life gets in the way of careers. People get caught up in the hustle and bustle of living and their paycheck has provided the pathway. Suddenly, they are ten years deep and not really sure where things are headed.

In some cases, they haven’t even taken the time to think about it.

Have you ever felt like this?

Career Connections

In economics we often cite supply and demand as a driving factor for price.

It’s also true in your job.

Have you asked your employer about your alignment with what the organization needs in the next six months, or next year? Do you have the right skills?

What training would help close gaps? What experiences would make a greater impact?

Are you a good value to your employer?

Value Offering

People sometimes believe they need a different employer when what they really need is better alignment with their current situation.

Businesses change, customer needs change, and of course, the economy and social aspects change. If you were the best alignment five years ago, is that still true today?

Job or position growth is a two-way street. Yes, the employer has duties and responsibilities and so does the employee.

Where are you bringing value? What value can you bring in the future?

Perhaps the only way to determine this is by asking questions. Yet, many employees try to do it by making demands.

Know your value offering. More importantly, realize whether you are the best fit or not.

The best way to assess your fit is by asking questions, not telling your story.

You may have a job and not a career because you haven’t asked the right questions.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

24
Feb 20
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Career Futures Are Important Today

Tags : career futures job workplace

In finance we’ve heard of the term, futures. What about career futures? How is what you’re doing today connected with tomorrow?

Careers last a long time. For many people, somewhere around forty-five to fifty years. Recognize, that is a half-century.

Much can happen across the course of a career. Economic changes, societal changes, and even changes in your self-interest.

You may go through periods of time where you have different monetary needs, work-life balance needs, and different expectations of job roles and duties.

It is always the challenge on the outside looking in. Wondering why or how what you are doing right now will impact your future.

Honestly, it is easy to get comfortable and complacent.

Learning for the Future

Many college students struggle to see why they are required to improve writing skills when they are not going to be a writer. Why there is a foreign language requirement when you are not planning to work in a different country. Once upon a time, typing was considered a secretarial duty, “Why should we learn how to type?”

The answer is easy, futures.

It may not always be a matter of now. It is more about a matter of when.

It is not just about students, education, or college.

It is happening right now, in your career.

Career Futures

People fail to make connections or build relationships. They skip on building a LinkedIn profile because they believe that it is only for job seekers. When there are opportunities to learn more about their job, they’ll pass them up, because, well, they already have it so there is no need to impress.

Then something changes.

The economy shifts, the business shifts, things grow or decline. Businesses are bought and sold. Leadership changes and so does the mission and vision.

Suddenly, they are not the right fit and there is nowhere to turn.

Why?

Because they haven’t paid attention to their career futures.

Managing the Future Today

Managing the future aspect of your career is simple. When you need to tap deep into addition resources, you must already have the resource, not start trying to build it or collect it only when the need arises.

All of your learning, growing, and being committed will matter. Career futures allow little tolerance for coasting.

You’ll need to be prepared for change.

The only unknown is, when.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

19
Sep 19
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Doing Responsible Work and Making a Difference

Tags : excellence freedom job responsibility work

Often the first step in the argument is the assignment of blame and the question of responsibility. Being a great employee, boss, or owner, often requires doing responsible work and serving as a role model for future efforts.

Are you a freedom seeker? A set your own schedule and do your own thing kind of person?

The Illusion of Freedom

Did you show up for work on time? Prepare for the meeting, arrive a little early, open your mind for the possibilities? Are you holding yourself accountable or expecting accountability only when someone asks?

People dream of being their own boss. They consider the idea that entrepreneurship or leading the team sets them free. Free to do as they please, when they want, and they’ll decide how fast it will happen.

Largely the work of this type of dreamer is an illusion. Often it is illustrated by get rich quick and get freedom now schemes on social media. Strategies that are more pyramid in nature or cloaked in the multilevel marketing philosophy. Buyer beware.

Responsible Work

The work of successful freedom seekers comes with a catch. The catch is that they are more responsible and accountable than ever.

An employee who sets their own schedule or who maps out their own job is not only responsible for the work, but they are on the hook for the outcomes too. Self-designed and self-managed means even greater proof of performance.

It is also true for the entrepreneur. Every customer has some demand, expectation, and specialized need. There is not one boss, but many.

Making a difference and doing responsible work go hand in hand.

The assumption that there is freedom from a strict schedule, the micromanaging supervisor, or forced overtime is often an illusion.

Success comes with a commitment to excellence. Success is an opportunity that you create.

That always means doing responsible work.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

11
Jun 19
-

When Employees Stay, There Is a Reason

Tags : human capital job loyalty stepping stone workplace

Employee turnover is costly. Every organization knows this. Certainly, some attrition is normal. When employees stay, what is their reason?

Temporary Stay

You may go to the bus stop, the grocery store, or your favorite restaurant, you never intend to stay. The same is true for college, the hair salon, and a vacation spot.

Some appear more opportunistic than others. The vacation spot may have a certain attraction, yet it is unrealistic for most people to stay.

Back at the workplace, your job, or the organization that you work for may be viewed as temporary. You’ll attend for a while, but the time is limited.

Average years before a promotion, a career change, or a new and different employer seem attractively short sighted. Some organizations suggest they hire with this in mind. Be a stepping stone, get what you can while you can and move on.

Employees Stay

The gas station, the convenience store, or the hotel, as an operation, they seek no visits with the intent to stay. They are built that way. Visit, do your business, and be gone. No loitering.

It seems counterintuitive that of all the investment organizations make in capital equipment they often come up short with the investment in human capital.

Employees who stay in their workplace will stay for a reason. One of the biggest reasons is that the organization is built that way. The organization has the value and engagement that employees who enter, seek. Yes, pay will matter, and so will continuous opportunity.

Two things about greener grass. You only see it when you are looking and if not an illusion, the grass has better care.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

22
May 19
-

Will My Job Always Be This Way?

Tags : belief change forever job my job

Nothing lasts forever. I remember my job as a Computer Programmer, I was in my early twenties and a manager said to me, “Tough times don’t last but tough people do.” I liked it, and I never forgot it.

Grand Illusion

People sometimes get caught up in the idea that the present moment, the space they are in right now, is where they will be forever. It is an illusion of life that we allow when our frame is too narrow.

The project we are working on. It is temporary. The team we are working with, likely, is temporary. The software program, the difficult customer, and the person who annoys you. Temporary.

It will seem like common knowledge when I suggest that we can control our own fate. Yet, the frame that we sometimes hold ourselves behind does the opposite. It restricts us, limits us, and establishes belief patterns that can convince us of little hope for a better outcome.

My Job

Do you enjoy your work? Work is work, it probably has its moments of good and bad for everyone, yet rest assured that your job isn’t staying the same. Love it or hate it, things are going to change.

Business cycles change. Government regulations change. The needs of society will change.

If we experience an unexpected change, we may feel shock, frustration, and confusion. We may feel a lot of stress and pressure. This moment feels like bottom. Something is over, done, finished. The end.

Only if our frame says so.

Certainly, things end, even our job. The job we loved or the job we hated. It won’t last forever.

Stop believing that it will.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

13
Mar 19
2

How Long Does Job Appreciation Last?

Tags : appreciation focus job positive

Is appreciation important? At your workplace is job appreciation plentiful?

As with most things in life, job appreciation may be the result of our efforts.

When was the last time you heard, “Thank you, nice work!”?

This is a question I often ask in leadership or cultural development seminars. Reactions vary, but largely it stumps the group. They can’t seem to quickly remember when they’ve heard it, or said it. Some will scoff and shout, “Never!”

Good Focus

We have good days and bad days. When was the last time you said, “Thank you, you just made my day!”?

The best workplace cultures have the determination to place value on appreciation. Not to the extent that praise is overcooked and it becomes a mild form of sarcasm. It must however, have significant emphasis and focus.

We seem to remember vividly the last time someone hurt our feelings, harshly criticized our work, or when we somehow missed the big opportunity.

As a natural human reaction to avoid hurt and pain, our brains try to learn. Yet to learn, we analyze and replay those memories much more than our successes. Some would suggest we are hard-wired this way. It is our evolution, it is in our genes.

Job Appreciation

Should we make job appreciation last longer? Should we try to consciously use our energy to remember the good, relive the success, and focus vividly on accomplishments? Is giving encouragement and praise a cultural value?

The answer seems clear and easy.

In order to do this though, it requires effort and strength. It requires us to put emphasis on the positive. We need to use our energy wisely, share success, and congratulate others.

It is easy to state that you are trying to be positive. Much more difficult is putting it into motion.

In the workplace, it may start by seeing the value that everyone brings to the table. It may start by saying, “Thank you, nice work!”

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

07
Jan 19
-

Career Lane, Should You Stay In It?

Tags : career choices job lane

People often suggest, “Stay in your lane.” Should you stay in your career lane, make a shift, or be wider, broader, and demonstrate many skills?

Occasionally I will catch a dog show on TV. They’ll use words like, best in class, best of breed, or best in show.

What does it take to be at the top of the group? What about your personal best? Who is the competition?

About Numbers

How can you get promoted, get selected for an interview or become the successful candidate?

Let’s assume you are in sales. What is your goal? To achieve the top three or five percent of your entire team? To be number one? Out of how many?

Getting to the top five percent would mean being number one or number two, out of forty. The bigger the field gets, the more people you must rise above.

Competition

Competition to get selected for an interview and get the job can be brutal. Our digital age means the number of competitors is usually large.

People may think, “Maybe my career shouldn’t be in sales, but it could be sales related. I can apply myself to more than one area.”

The thought is when we broaden our scope, we’ve just created more chances. The irony is, doing this increases the competition, it dilutes your focus, and has made getting selected as a best in show even harder.

Career Lane

Making a career change is fine. I’ve done it three times across a thirty plus year career.

What is important is to pick a lane. Stick with it long enough to make a proper evaluation. Be consistent and stay focused.

Best of breed is easier than best in show.

You can be a big fish in a small pond. If you decide to jump into the ocean is it an entirely new game.

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

12
Dec 18
-

Two Career Paths, Which Is Yours?

Tags : career choices job path work

If you had a choice which path would you choose? It is a question that many of us ponder each day. Not always consciously, but we’re working on it in the background. There are at least two career paths, which one are you on?

Sometimes the problem is that there is a goal in mind, but the path, plan, or process remains elusive.

Become the manager of the department.

Get the advanced degree in my field and pivot.

Find a job doing the work I love.

Two Career Paths

The first path is simple. Put in some effort, land a job, do the work, and see where things go. Sometimes this is a career. It is easy to go through the motions each day.

Good effort at work. Enjoy a little free time here and there. Spend time with the kids. Have a hobby or take a vacation.

It isn’t your dream job, but it is work. It doesn’t pay what you want, but you are surviving. Suddenly weeks turn into months and months to years.

It’s a job and you’re doing alright. Life rolls on.

The second path is different. It has purpose. It may include a journey down the first path, but there is a different kind of objective. The objective is to use the first path to get to the second path.

Career Strategy

If you have a goal, you need a plan. When you have a goal and a plan, you need to execute. As you execute you must compare outcomes to timelines and milestones. Adjust, and move forward. Failure to do any of this puts you back on the first path.

Many will suggest it all depends on how bad you want it.

I would suggest that the recipe for success also includes commitment, discipline, and self-confidence. You’ll need to add in accountability and belief to get the best flavor.

You can let your career happen to you, or you can make your career work for you. Neither choice is wrong. Just remember, it is a choice.

What path are you on?

-DEG

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

26
Nov 18
-

When Changing Everything Doesn’t Make a Difference

Tags : career change depression job mindset

New curtains may help, perhaps a new sofa, or a remodeled kitchen. Maybe it will take a new job, a new boss, or a total career shift. Changing everything may not make the difference you seek.

It’s funny where we place the blame. We look to our clothes, look in the closet, or sign up for the job postings feed. The thought is that this is what matters the most.

Of course, change can be good. It can make a significant difference. Change can be positive and leave behind the negative. What may matter most is understanding the root cause of why change feels required.

Understanding Your Change

Listening is an amazing thing. What you hear can make the difference for what you do. Even listening to yourself can be more valuable (or destructive) than what many people realize.

By now we’ve all heard that money can’t buy happiness. We know it as a truism. We see some of the wealthiest people still seeking happiness and living in a deeply depressive state of mind.

On the flip side we see some of the kindest, gentlest people who seem to have little more than the clothes on their back, and they are happy.

Certainly, money can matter, and so can people, relationships, faith, and hope.

Perhaps it is time to think twice about what you are changing. Think about the reasons why. Not the reasons you are justifying it, but the true reason why. And yes, there is a difference between the two.

Changing Everything

Changing everything and starting new seems like a good plan.

It is the new furniture, car, or job. It feels good, for a while.

Then suddenly, it just feels the same again.

People waste a lot of energy on changing everything. It may all be possible by changing just one thing.

What is your one thing?

-DEG

Do you need help discovering the one thing for your career or business? Coaching can help.

Dennis E. Gilbert is a business consultant, speaker (CSP^TM), and culture expert. He is a five-time author and the founder of Appreciative Strategies, LLC. His business focuses on positive human performance improvement solutions through Appreciative Strategies®. Reach him through his website at Dennis-Gilbert.com or by calling +1 646.546.5553.

Dennis Gilbert on Google+

Tag Archives: job

Dec 20

-

Next Steps Forward

Oct 20

-

Career Connections

Value Offering

Feb 20

-

Learning for the Future

Career Futures

Managing the Future Today

Sep 19

-

The Illusion of Freedom

Responsible Work

Jun 19

-

Temporary Stay

Employees Stay

May 19

-

Grand Illusion

My Job

Mar 19

Good Focus

Job Appreciation

Jan 19

-

About Numbers

Competition

Career Lane

Dec 18

-

Two Career Paths

Career Strategy

Nov 18

-

Understanding Your Change

Changing Everything

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