Change has been on my mind lately. I am in the midst of a change, having moved from Asia to the USA nine months ago. My coaching clients – from those in international organizations to those in private sector start-ups – are also grappling with change. Some have landed big promotions and are making sense of new roles and taking on new identities. Others are contemplating making a change in role or employer or location, unsure of whether it’s the time to take a risk, and if so, what path to chart.

Even the weather seems to be struggling with change. Here in the Washington, DC area, spring is sure taking its sweet time in arriving. It’s as if winter refuses to give up its hold on us. The calendar may indicate that it is officially spring, but the chilly temperatures tell a different story.

Washington’s famous cherry blossoms seem confused this year — they made an unusually late appearance. When I tried to view them last month during the Cherry Blossom Festival, they were mere buds on trees. Ten days later, I made a determined return to the Tidal Basin, and hastily snapped this picture. Despite the beautiful blooms, snow was forecast for the next day.

We are in an in-between stage where it’s not really winter anymore, but spring has not fully arrived.

It reminds me of the “Neutral Zone” stage of personal and organizational change – that state of limbo where the old is gone but the new hasn’t become fully operational. The old ways don’t work anymore, yet the new ways don’t feel right, either. Change expert William Bridges called it a “nowhere between two somewheres.”

Have you found yourself in the neutral zone before? Maybe you finally landed that big promotion at work, and despite the external signs – you’ve taken on the new responsibilities, you’re leading a new team, you have new business cards with your snazzy new title – you just don’t feel fully at home yet in your new role. 

The neutral zone is a state of limbo, where it feels there is nothing to hold onto. It can be very disorienting, uncomfortable, and perplexing. 

In my work coaching clients, and in my own life, I’ve found it’s helpful just to know there is such a thing as the neutral zone. Over the past several months, I’ve been acclimating back to life in the US after living abroad for 13 years. The external changes are there – a new address, new clients, new neighbors – yet there is still an internal shift that takes longer to complete. Knowing this has helped me to adjust my expectations and go easy on myself.

On the days when I feel like the hashtag I made up (#immigrantinmyowncountry) or when it feels like I haven’t quite landed yet (even though I’ve been here for months), I try to remind myself that I’m in the midst of a neutral zone. It’s okay – even expected – to feel that way.

The upside? The neutral zone is a time of growth. It’s the time to ask questions that don’t have clear answers. It’s the time to get creative. It’s the time to take risks. It’s time to see what emerges.

If you are in a neutral zone of your own, or if you are heading into a change and know you will eventually encounter it, remember that it’s okay to feel a bit lost during that in-between time. Click here for some more ideas about how to make the most of the neutral zone.

And if you are contemplating a change, but feeling a bit stuck or unclear, you may be interested in my “What’s Next?” group coaching program. 

Hello from Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, DC in the USA! As some of you may know, I relocated here a few months ago with my family, after spending 13 wonderful years in Asia. It’s been a big move for myself, my husband and two daughters, and my coaching and leadership development business! While “the transition” is still underway – and I will soon share some of my reflections and lessons learned on transition – there is much to be grateful for, particularly at this time of year. It is Thanksgiving here in the USA, and what better time to think about thankfulness? See my tips below on 3 New Ways to Practice Gratitude.

Here’s a video summary of this article, which you can watch by clicking below:

3 New Ways to Practice Gratitude

Gratitude has long been a topic of fascination for me. I’ve geeked out on the benefits of gratitude – better sleep, lower blood pressure, less depression, more joy, and even better attainment of goals. I’ve asked my kids so often at the dinner table, “What are you grateful for?” that now they ask me what the best part of my day was. (Parenting win!) I’ve also been known to invite my coaching clients to keep gratitude lists or gratitude journals.

Yet it’s also easy to stagnate in a gratitude practice. We start to recite by rote what we are thankful for: family, friends, health, job, a roof over our heads. The same answer every time. We take these for granted, which is pretty much the opposite of gratitude.

Since it can be helpful to mix it up, here are 3 new ways to practice gratitude:

1. Silver Linings Challenge. Think of something you have been complaining about, or something that is making you unhappy. What can you appreciate about it? What is good about this situation? When I lived in the Philippines, I often found myself spending hours in the car, stuck in Manila’s legendary traffic. The silver lining? It gave me ample opportunity to listen to audiobooks and podcasts. Thanks to the epic traffic, I was exposed to numerous books, interviews, and articles that I otherwise would not have taken the time to listen to or read – and I learned a ton. This practice is not about minimizing or denying difficulty, but making room for appreciation. And the more we tap into gratitude, the more our perspective begins to shift, and that annoying person/situation has less power over us.
2. Advance Appreciation. We usually express gratitude for what others have done for us, or for good things that have come into our lives. How about giving thanks for things that haven’t happened yet? Surely this will shift our mindset into gratitude. For example, earlier this year, there was a lot of uncertainty (and accompanying stress and anxiety) around my family’s move to the US. Where would we live? Would we find a house that we liked and could afford in a good location? What schools would our kids attend? I started giving thanks for our future house, neighborhood, and schools – before we knew the answers to any of those questions. (This practice didn’t erase my stress and anxiety altogether, but it did help me focus on the positive.) And now, months later, they have all appeared.
3. Take Note of the Trivial. When we are asked what we are thankful for, we tend to think of the big things – family, friends, job, health, freedom – but what about the little things? Making a practice of noting 5 or 10 seemingly trivial things that we are thankful for can help shift our radar towards more things to appreciate in our daily lives. Here are some of mine:

the smell of coffee brewing

the stranger who held the door open for me as I entered the store

sleeping in on a Saturday morning

a pen that writes smoothly

Post It notes in a rainbow of colors (ok, you can tell I’m into office supplies!)

finding one last mini Twix bar in the leftover Halloween candy

my favorite pair of shoes

my daughter offering to set the table without being asked

a beautiful sunset

technology that enables me to stay connected with family, friends, and clients (this one is actually not trivial!)

And here’s a bonus super-easy Gratitude Practice:

Password Prompt. Set your password (for your email, computer or phone, bank account, etc.) to a word or phrase that will remind you to take a moment to be grateful. It’s a stealthy way to get more thankfulness into your daily life.

I invite you to try just one of these practices, and see what comes up. Let me know if you do! Feel free to drop me an email at shana (at) developmentcrossroads (dot) com.

This article originally appeared on Devex.com. I wanted to be sure that the Development Crossroads community had access to it as well.

We’ve all heard how important networking is to the success of our career. But how can you network if you’re based in the field, far away from key decision-makers or unable to attend organized regional networking events like this week’s Devex Career Forum in Manila?

Here are nine tips for those of you who are based in the field, or residing far from where your contacts (actual or desired) are located:

1. Reframe how you define networking

Some people think of networking as meeting new people, attending networking receptions and collecting business cards. I define networking as “the process of building and maintaining relationships with people who can help you, and whom you can help.”

Seen this way, networking can be done from any location — just because you aren’t physically present to attend your alumni networking breakfast doesn’t mean you can’t build and maintain your relationships with people in your network in other ways.

2. Nurture your current network

Since networking is not only about acquiring new contacts, it’s equally important (if not more important!) to cultivate relationships with people you already know, both inside and outside of your organization. Ask yourself, “Who are the people I’d like to keep in touch with back at the home office, back in my home country and/or in key spots elsewhere (such as the country I’d like to work in next)?”

Make a list of names, and decide how you’ll keep in contact, and how often. Tailor your approach to the preferences of others (e.g., some people prefer a quick email update, while others spend more time on social networking sites) as well as what will be doable (and not overwhelming) for you.

3. Grow your network

Give some thought to the kinds of people you would like to have in your network (regardless of location). How can you meet them from a distance? You could seek email introductions from mutual contacts or colleagues. You could follow international development professionals on Twitter, and interact with them there. If someone you’d like to meet writes a blog, by all means read it regularly, comment thoughtfully, and even offer to write a guest post.

4. Don’t underestimate the power of Skype

You may be wondering, “What good is an email introduction to a new contact if I can’t hop on the subway to meet them for an informational interview?” Well, just because you’re based in Jakarta doesn’t mean you can’t have coffees or informational interviews with people in DC (or Geneva or London or Manila). After all, the people who would be willing to have a coffee with you or give you an informational interview are probably just as willing to have a Skype call with you.

Don’t be shy about asking. Just be kind about time zones and schedule it during a reasonable time of day for them (even if that means that you are getting up early or staying up late to make it happen). And if you have the bandwidth for Skype video, it really is almost as good as being there in person.

5. Network locally

While it’s important to expand and nurture your network in other geographic locations, don’t neglect the people who are all around you. Some of the strongest personal and professional relationships among global development professionals are forged in the field. Get to know your colleagues and locally based professional contacts. Spend time with them outside of work, and find out how you can be helpful to them.

And push beyond the expat bubble to get to know the resident global development leaders — both existing and up-and-coming. You never know who will go on to become the minister of health or lead that NGO you’ve always wanted to work with.

6. Make the most of home leave

Home leave is a great time to reconnect with family and friends. It’s also a great opportunity to refresh your professional contacts and reach out to new people in your field.

If you have plans to travel to or near a place where your contacts — or prospective contacts — are, be sure to schedule time to see them. A side trip to a key city not on your family’s home leave itinerary may prove worthwhile, even for just one day. Seeing someone face-to-face, even if it’s just once a year or every couple years, can help maintain a relationship. Plus, your contacts may be more apt to make time in their always-busy schedules to see you when they know you are only in town for a short period of time.

7. Take advantage of work-related travel

If your work brings you to a new city or town for a few days or weeks, use that as an opportunity to build your network. Search through your Devex connections, LinkedIn contacts or Facebook friends by geography to find out (or remind yourself) who lives in that area. Consult your alumni network database to see if fellow grads live in the place you’ll be visiting. Reach out to contacts, existing and new, to arrange one-on-one lunches, coffees or dinners.

Or gather a whole group together for a meetup. If your contacts don’t already know each other, all the better — they’ll get to meet or catch up with you while expanding their own network at the same time.

8. Consider a self-financed networking fund

Maybe your organization doesn’t pay for you to take home leave, and you don’t have work-related travel that would give you the opportunity to connect with key people. Consider spending some of your own money to network, whether that means paying your own way to a conference or buying a plane ticket to see people face-to-face. Think of it as an investment in your career.

9. Keep asking, “How can I be helpful to the people in my network?”

Just because you are far away from your contacts does not mean you can’t help them. Think about how you can leverage your geographic location for the benefit of your network. You probably have access to information or insights from the field that your contacts back at headquarters or your home country lack. Share these. Be generous. Be proactive. This is what will make your network strong.

If you are based in the field, what have been some ways you’ve found effective in networking at a distance? If you’re based at HQ or your home country, what have you observed about the networking approaches of your colleagues in the field? Please share these in the comments section below.

Kung Hei Fat Choi! Happy (Chinese) New Year! I find that, living in Asia, welcoming the lunar new year is a bit of a relief. It’s a time of year when I actually have some breathing room to reflect on the past year and plan for the year to come.

My personal family tradition is to ring in the new year on January 1, immediately following the rush of the end-of-year tasks, holiday prep, and vacation travel. At that point, I am frazzled, tired, and not exactly in the best frame of mind at for setting new year’s goals (by the way, I prefer to focus more on “goals” than “resolutions.” You can read why here.)

And then January gets underway, the calendar fills up, To Do lists mushroom, life goes on. Blessedly, before I can get too far into the new year, Chinese New Year comes along. Since I have no family obligations or travel that go along with it, it is the perfect time for reflecting, thinking, planning.

If you woke up on January 1 with no New Year’s resolutions, no sense of closure to 2014, no concrete plans or goals for the new year, I am here to tell you that it’s not too late. If, on the other hand, you launched into January with lofty ambitions or even just a handful of resolutions that have already crashed and burned, I invite you to hit the “reset” button and start over in the (lunar) Year of the Goat.

Bear with me a moment, let me push that button….

Okay, now that you have a clean slate and a bit of breathing room, I invite you to:

1. Take Stock: What was the good, the bad, and the ugly (as well as the beautiful) about 2014? Think back on last year, and identify what you were doing when you were most aligned with your core values and playing to your strengths?
2. Get Clear: Based on what you loved and loathed about 2014, what do you really, really want in 2015? It doesn’t have to be a traditional goal like “get a promotion” or “land my dream job.” Maybe you want to feel a certain way — more calm, relaxed, and focused. Perhaps you want to take more risks or experience adventure.
3. Act: Brainstorm some actions you could take to get you closer to what you want. Then choose one goal to start with. Design some do-able actions that you can get started on right away. Build in accountability. Plan to celebrate progress, even on a small scale.

These three simple steps – Take Stock, Get Clear, Act – can bring about amazing results. These are the same three steps I guide clients through in the “What’s Next?” coaching program which is, incidentally, one of the things I most loved doing in 2014, and that I’d like to continue this year. (You can read more about it here.)

To help you work through your planning process for 2015, I’ve designed a self-guided worksheet, Three Steps to a Great New Year (2015 edition). It’s a PDF with step-by-step instructions, prompting questions, and space for reflection. Everyone on the Development Crossroads newsletter list receives it automatically. If you’re not on that list, simply leave your email address in the form below. You’ll also be added to the email newsletter list, so that you can receive goodies like this worksheet, as I develop them.

Here’s wishing you a fulfilling, fun, and unforgettable Year of the Goat!

Image provided courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

The Guardian.com’s Global Development Professionals Network recently ran a Q&A series on New Year’s resolutions. They asked me to participate by sharing my response to a question posed by a human rights worker. The original post can be found here.

Q: Last year I was overworked and stressed out by my job. My work can also be quite traumatic, meeting and interviewing people who have suffered human rights abuses. How can I continue to give my all to my job that I care passionately about, while not neglecting my physical and emotional health?

A: Your goal of giving your best at work, while not neglecting your physical and emotional health, is one that we would all do well to adopt. Of course, the two elements of this goal are two sides of the same coin: you cannot give your best at work if you do not practice self-care. It’s simple, but not easy. There are three elements that will contribute to your success: self-awareness, boundaries and accountability.

Self-awareness

First, you must know yourself – what energises you? What depletes you? What do you need to feel physically well – how much sleep, what kind of food, how much exercise? What do you need to feel emotionally whole – how much time with friends, how much solitude, what kind of spiritual practices? How do you best process your emotionally intense work experiences – with a therapist, by writing in your journal, by sharing with colleagues? How much distance from your work do you need, whether through non-work friends and outside activities, relaxing trips or alternate work assignments?

As you look ahead to the new year, take some time to reflect on what contributed to your physical and emotional health in the past year, and what hindered it. What enabled you to give your best to your job, and what kept you from being at your best?

Boundaries

Self-care requires setting some boundaries. When you work in global development, your job will take as much from you as you are willing to give it. It’s up to you to decide how much is enough. How many hours a week will you work? How much time will you spend in the field? How much travel will you do? Of course, there will be emergencies during which you may choose to temporarily set aside your boundaries and work harder, longer, under stressful circumstances, because the situation warrants it. Just check yourself to ensure you are not operating in emergency mode all the time.

Accountability

To make your self-care practices stick, tap into the power of accountability. You are probably very diligent and dependable at work. If you tell your boss that you will write a report by the end of the week, you deliver. If you set a time to interview someone who has suffered human rights abuses, you show up. These external accountabilities are easier to meet because they tap into the power of social expectations. Someone else is counting on you. And yet, when you resolve to leave work at a decent hour, start exercising, or get more sleep, you may be less likely to accomplish these. This is true for most people. It’s easy to hit the snooze button on our personal goals when no one else knows about them.

The trick is to externalise our internal goals. Don’t just keep your goals in your head. Research shows that people who write down their goals, share this information with a friend, and send weekly updates to that friend are on average 33% more successful in accomplishing their stated goals than those who merely thought about their goals.

Self-care may seem selfish. But in the long run, it benefits your organisation, your team, and the survivors of human rights abuses that you interview, because taking care of yourself will enable you to give your work your best. Self-care can help keep you from burning out, becoming ineffective, and/or ultimately quitting when your best work is still needed. To have a global development career that makes an impact, view it as a marathon rather than a sprint.

Photo by Alan Cleaver

This article originally appeared on Devex.com. I wanted to be sure that the Development Crossroads community had access to it as well.

 
“It’s great to meet you,” says the stranger at a networking event, smiling broadly as she shakes your hand. “Tell me about what you do.”

Uh oh. Now what?

Do you:

a) Launch into a five-minute monologue in which you rattle off your entire CV in reverse chronological order?

b) Mumble something vague and self-effacing, check your watch, and flee to the drinks table?

c) Smile back at your new contact and share your one-sentence networking introduction?

If you want to network more effectively, with less apprehension, and more ease, go for answer “c.” Take some time to craft a one-sentence networking introduction, and try it out at your next networking event.

It’s sometimes called an elevator pitch or an elevator speech, although I prefer the term “networking introduction” because it feels less “sales-y” and more genuine. Networking events — such as career fairs, alumni dinners or work-related receptions — are anxiety-inducing enough without feeling like you have to “pitch” to everyone you meet. The point of a networking introduction is not to “sell yourself” but to spark a conversation with a brand-new contact.

So how do you come up with a clear, compelling and concise introduction? Start by asking yourself three questions:

1. “Who am I?”

How would you like to describe yourself to a new contact? Here is where self-awareness and clarity about the strengths and skills you most enjoy using is so important. In your introduction, you can mention a profession, a role, a skill. Here are three examples:

• I’m a monitoring & evaluation specialist.
• I’m a project manager.
• I’m a writer.

2. “Who do I work with, or want to work with?”

What kinds of organizations or people do you help or work with? For example:

•  Maternal health projects.
• Cross-cultural project teams.
• Microfinance organizations.

3. “What do I help these organizations or people to do?”

You can also look at it as, “What problem do I help them solve? What solution do I offer?” For example:

•  I use data to improve outcomes for women.
• I work effectively with others to complete projects on time and budget.
• I tell the story of how an organization’s work impacts the well-being of families in developing countries.

Once you’ve answered these three questions, pull your response together into one sentence. For example:

• I’m a monitoring and evaluation specialist who helps maternal health projects use data to improve outcomes for women.
• I’m a project manager who helps cross-cultural project teams complete projects on time and budget.
• I’m a strong communicator who helps microfinance organizations tell the story of how their work impacts the well-being of families in developing countries.

A few tips

1. Some people find it helpful to brainstorm many potential introductions rather than fixating on getting one perfect. Once you’ve come up with several options, see which one(s) resonate the most.

2. Much like a CV or cover letter, your networking introduction should be tailored to the situation. You might use a slightly different introduction when meeting a recruiter at a career fair than when connecting with a fellow development practitioner at a conference.

3. If you are a job seeker and don’t feel comfortable saying “I do X work” when you aren’t currently employed in that area, you can adapt your language accordingly. For example: “I’m a monitoring and evaluation specialist looking to help a maternal health project use data to improve outcomes for women.”

Remember that the aim of a networking introduction is to lead to further conversation. After you share your introduction, your new contact may make a comment or ask you a followup question about part of what you have said. Be prepared to listen for what they are interested in so that you’ll know how to continue the conversation with examples and anecdotes from your work and experience, tailored to your conversation partner’s interests.

A networking conversation is not about “selling” yourself as the best candidate. It’s about getting to know each other, exploring common ground and seeing if there are ways you can help each other. And it all starts with a brief and clear networking introduction.

Simply taking a few minutes to develop — or refine — a networking introduction prior to a networking opportunity can help you feel more prepared, communicate more clearly, and network more effectively.

Please share your networking introduction — or get feedback on an introduction you’ve drafted – in the comments section below.

Sure, it’s important to be happy at work. But if we look to our jobs as our sole source of satisfaction and joy, we can end up very unhappy indeed. In this installment of the Happy at Work blog series, I share 3 reasons why getting a life outside of work can help you be more successful (and happier).

OK, I admit it. I am one of those people who will ask a stranger I’ve just met, “So, what do you do?” Maybe it’s because my formative professional years were spent in Washington, DC, where people tend to act like they’re walking resumes. (Part of what initially attracted me to my husband was that when I met him, in DC, he didn’t even mention his very interesting professional background — unlike so many of the guys I met in those days.)

My propensity to ask strangers about their work is probably also related to my deep interest in people’s careers. After all, I find the stuff so fascinating, that I became a career coach.

And yet, we are more, so much more, than our job titles or career paths or professions. It’s so easy to fall into the habit of defining ourselves that way – we derive our identity from our work, look to our jobs to fulfill or complete us, and ultimately, make us happy. I see this frequently with people working in international development or other “do-gooder” fields to which they are passionately committed.

Yes, I write (and talk and coach and train) a lot about how important it is to have work that we love. And how enjoying our work will not only make us happier, but more productive. But pinning all our hopes for happiness on our jobs is dangerous. Here are 3 reasons why:

First off, jobs come and go. Contracts end. The funder pulls the plug. We outgrow certain roles. We feel it’s time to move on. Our position is eliminated (or better, nationalized). Or maybe, for personal reasons such as caring for young children or following our partner to a post where we cannot work, we opt to take time out professionally. Whenever the ending or transition comes, it can hit us especially hard if our sense of well-being, happiness, and identity are all wrapped up in our work.

Second, piling all our expectations on any one relationship or single aspect of our lives is unwise — we are bound to be disappointed, or crush the relationship with the sheer weight of those expectations. (Think: needy girlfriend or boyfriend who looks to their partner to meet all of their needs. It’s a recipe for disaster.) My coaching client Viviana (not her real name) can attest to that. A self-confessed workaholic who truly enjoyed her work, she spent years logging long hours and thousands of business miles in her job. She was promoted to management, and was seen by peers and superiors as a star. Then her organization shifted, her job changed, and she was assigned a new boss, with whom she clashed. Suddenly, work became a source of misery instead of satisfaction. She told me that since her past commitment to work had crowded out other interests, hobbies, and relationships, she found that when work was unhappy, life was unhappy. There was no refuge to retreat to, because her work was her life.

Third, diverse interests and passions can actually make you more effective in your job. (Yep, being “well-rounded” isn’t just for college applications!) Knowing something about a topic outside the beaten path of your field can help you to bring a different perspective to your work. Plus, the mental and physical break from work can leave you fresher when you are on the job.

So. Enjoy your work. Optimize it to play to your strengths. Squeeze as much happiness, satisfaction, and fulfillment as you can out of it. And get a life, forge an identity, and look to a source of joy and meaning, outside of your career.

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What do you need to perform, work and/or be at your best?

A few years ago, pop singer Jennifer Lopez made news for reportedly insisting that the hotel suites where she stayed while touring conform to the following demands: bedsheets must be Egyptian cotton with a thread count of at least 250, walls and furnishings must all be white, and the room temperature must be set at exactly 25.5 degrees Celsius.

J. Lo was ridiculed for being a demanding diva, and later denied she’d made such demands.  Whether the specifics are true or not, it’s apparently common for performers and even politicians to use a document called a “rider” to specify how hotel rooms must be outfitted to suit their needs.  When I hear these stories, my first reaction is to scoff at their demands – but on further reflection, I think it may show an awareness (hyper-awareness?) of what it takes for them to be at their best.

Which sparks a question: what do YOU require to do your best work?

I’m not recommending that you inform your boss that you will only write that report he requested if freshly baked croissants are delivered to your cubicle every morning.

What I am suggesting, though, is that you take some time to think about how your current work – and life – situation is setting you up to succeed…or not.  What does it takes for you to perform at your best?  Do you have these “rider” elements in your life?  If not, what can you do to create those conditions, or, if you alone cannot create them, work toward generating them?  By not being clear about what your “rider” includes, are you inadvertently keeping yourself from performing at your best?

I gave it a little thought.  Off the top of my head, here are some of the kinds of things that help me perform at my best on the job:

• enough sleep
• realistic timeframes for projects
• work assignments that play to my strengths and that make a difference in people’s lives, even if it’s only in a small way
• enough time alone
• regular, meaningful interactions with people I care about
• autonomy and flexibility in choosing my work hours and blending work with the rest of my life
• the support, encouragement, and guidance of mentors I respect
• a stable Internet and Skype connection for coaching calls
• high-quality, trustworthy, and reliable childcare so that I can focus on my work without worrying about the welfare of my kids

I don’t ask for much, do I?  It’s not like I’m asking for a separate dressing room for my wigs or a pink podium and pink butterfly-shaped confetti.

In order to set yourself up for success, you need to know what you need to succeed.  A big piece of that is self-awareness: knowing yourself; being clear on your strengths, priorities, quirks; the ability to articulate what makes you miserable and what makes your heart sing.  This will help you to figure out how to get, create, and/or choose a situation that works best for you.

If you’re a sought-after pop star, you can simply put all your demands into a “rider” and a gaggle of concert promoters will jump to implement them.  For the rest of us, we have to find ways to make them happen.

Don’t wait for someone else – your boss, your organization, your colleagues – to make things work better for you.  It’s up to you to identify the changes you need, and work to put them in place.  Some will be under your control.  Others may fall under your sphere of influence, which is where you need to pull out your best advocacy, strategy, and problem-solving skills.

I’ve developed a downloadable worksheet that you can use to reflect on these questions, and hopefully, identify some concrete things you can do to set yourself up to succeed.  Go ahead – be a diva.

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Happy International Day of Happiness!

Today (March 20, 2013) is the first-ever International Day of Happiness, as proclaimed by the United Nations last year, “recognizing the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world.”

It makes me happy that there is now such a thing as International Day of Happiness. Not only do I personally want to be happy (who doesn’t?), I find that my work as a career coach and leadership coach is about helping people be happier in their work. Whether it’s helping people get clear on what’s next in their careers/lives, or coaching someone to be more effective in their current job, happiness at work is a core consideration and driver.

And being happy at work is not only about our individual happiness. Happiness can have a ripple effect. Did you know that happy leaders are more likely to lead teams of employees who are happy? Happiness is not just about feeling good — it can make a bottom-line difference in the performance of employees and organizations. Researchers in the burgeoning field of positive psychology (studying what makes people flourish and thrive as opposed to what makes them unwell) have found that happy workers are more productive, get higher performance ratings, receive higher pay, and perform better in leadership positions. Their job security is higher, they take fewer sick days, and are less likely to burn out.

If your work in international development and aid is all about making an impact, how can you afford not to think about happiness at work — for you, for your team, for your staff (if you’re a manager), for your organization?

In honor of the first International Day of Happiness, I’m launching an occasional blog series called Happy at Work. I’ll write about what contributes to our happiness at work, and what detracts from it. I’ll share what I’m reading about research findings on happiness, and how we can adapt these lessons in practical ways. I’ll write about engagement, positive relationships, and meaning. And of course, I look forward to hearing from you on these topics. Sign up here for my email newsletter, so you’ll be sure not to miss any of the Happy at Work installments.

To kick off the new series, I’d like to share one of my all-time favorite TEDx talks, “The Happy Secret to Better Work” by Shawn Achor, author of the excellent book, “The Happiness Advantage.” It’s a great introduction to the idea of how happiness impacts our work, and research-based findings on why our old formula about happiness and success is wrong. The talk is humorous, engaging, informative, and ultimately, very practical — totally worth your 12 minutes of time!

Happy watching!

 Photo by Jessica Tam

Did you start off 2013 with some New Year’s resolutions? And how are those working out for you?

If your resolutions have crashed and burned, fizzled out, or never got off the ground, you are not alone. Research shows that 88% of New Year’s resolutions fail.

What is wrong with New Year’s resolutions? Here are 6 reasons:

1. They’re too numerous. New Year’s resolutions tend to be a laundry list of things we’d love to do, have, or be in the new year. There are just too many of them. The length of the list overwhelms us, dilutes our focus, and keeps us from taking meaningful action.
2. They’re wishes, not plans. As the saying goes, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Without an action plan that identifies specific steps, takes into account potential obstacles (both internal and external), and brings in a measure of accountability, a resolution is merely a wish.
3. They’re based on what is wrong rather than what is right. Often when we formulate New Year’s resolutions, we are thinking about what is lacking in our lives. So rather than basing our resolutions on strengths, we base them on gaps, problems, and the assumption that there is something about us that needs to be fixed. Ugh – no wonder we are not very excited about actually doing the work it takes to fulfill our resolutions.
4. They’re too big. Sure, it’s great to dream big. However, if your resolution is to run a marathon this year, but you are currently a couch potato, you’ll need some interim resolutions and goals to get you to your ultimate destination. If our resolutions are dauntingly huge, we get overwhelmed, don’t know where to start, and end up not doing anything at all.
5. They earn us admiration, which hijacks us into inaction. As I’ve written about here, announcing our ambitious resolutions to the world may get us high praise from our circle of friends — which paradoxically keeps us from taking action. Accountability, rather than accolades, will help us reach our goals.
6. They’re made in haste. For most people, New Year’s is not exactly a contemplative time. It arrives on the heels of a frantic, jam-packed December, when we haven’t had time to process the year that has passed, much less reflect on what we really want in the new year. Rather than start off the new year with no resolutions or plans we hastily come up with a laundry list of resolutions that is not grounded in reflection and clarity – and that deep down, we’re really not all that serious about.

No wonder we can’t keep our New year’s resolutions.

I propose a new way of approaching the new year. A kinder, gentler way, if you will. And a much more effective one. And no, it’s not too late to change course and get yourself on track for a great new year.

You can do it in three steps: Take Stock, Get Clear, and Act. These three steps are simple yet powerful. I have seen them bring about amazing results. They are the same three steps that I guide my clients through in the “What’s Next?” coaching program (the new group is forming now and will start in March 2013).

In a nutshell:

1. Take Stock: Look back on 2012 and identify the high points and the low points. When did you feel most happy and fulfilled?  In what moments were you aligned with your core values and playing to your strengths? On the flip side, when were you the most miserable, stressed, or unmotivated?
2. Get Clear: Sift through the information you gleaned from the Take Stock exercise to identify what you really want in 2013.
3. Act: Choose one goal. Design some do-able actions to get you closer to it. Be sure to break down big projects into smaller, discrete tasks that you can get started on right away. Build in accountability.

I’ve designed a self-guided worksheet, Three Steps to a Great New Year, to help you work through this process. It’s a PDF with step-by-step instructions, prompting questions, and space for reflection. Everyone on the Development Crossroads newsletter list will receive it automatically. If you’re not on that list, I’d be happy to send the worksheet to you, too – simply leave your email address in the form below. I’ll also add you to newsletter list, where you can receive goodies like this worksheet, as I develop them, in your inbox.