“It’s not our failures that determine our future success, but how we explain them to ourselves.”

—Dr Martin Seligman, the founder of Positive Psychology

A great way to expedite your personal and professional growth process, is to adopt strategies to get out of your comfort zone. Marge Warrell ‘s recent Forbes article Why Getting Comfortable With Discomfort Is Crucial to Success sums it up well.  She says that playing it safe inhibits growth and that the common thread among leaders is that they all are willing to embrace change and risk the discomfort of failure. People who are more driven by what inspires them than what scares them challenge assumptions and push the boundaries of possibility.  They don’t allow the fear of failure to hold them back.

Being willing to take a risk and try something new allows you to accomplish more in life.   As John F. Kennedy once said, “Nothing worthwhile has ever been accomplished with a guarantee of success.” Nothing ever will be.

In order to break out of your routine and reach a new plateau you need to step out of your comfort zone. Experts say that making a move from a position that has become routine is critical to furthering a career.  Even tackling a new project within the same company can help.  When trying to reinvent yourself, change can mean anything from taking on new responsibilities to switching departments. Stretching yourself at work (assuming new responsibilities or a new role) or in your personal life takes gumption but the pay off can lead to your becoming more competent, confident and add depth to your personality.

Here are some ways to step out of your comfort zone that can help you reach a new plateau:

1. Acknowledge that getting out of your comfort zone is good for you
2. Pick an activity or role that is uncomfortable but has value e.g. Training for a marathon or traveling to a foreign country and volunteering there
3. Identify new skills:  constantly look at how your helping the organization improve
4. Get Involved: participate in the companies community activities
5. Make time for career research:  Set aside time to explore new paths that will challenge you
6. Un-plug a tech gadget
7. Find a role model who overcame big hurdles to do what you want to do
8. Get intentionally lost and try to find your way back using maps.  Do it when you’ve got some extra time, Roizen says
9. Write a book, a blog or create a podcast on your area of expertise
10.  Take an Improv class or ceramics class

Whenever you assume a new role or challenge yourself to overcome a fear, may it be in sport, social or travel you may experience initially some discomfort.  Embrace the discomfort.  The struggle that ensues is where the growth process begins and eventually gives birth to new capacities and greater fulfillment.

Here are more ways you can challenge yourself to break out of your comfort zone.  There isn’t one right choice but each one could afford a breakthrough in finding new talent and new abilities that you otherwise couldn’t access.

1. Volunteer…Give!
2.  Climb a mountain
3.  Travel to a foreign country and try to exclusively get around in a foreign language
4.  Become a mentor

Focus on acknowledging the value of breaking out of your comfort zone, push through your fear and lean into the experience. Don’t over-think it. Jump in with both feet. Once you’ve taken the risk and tried the new experience, be sure to celebrate the victory and express appreciation to those who helped make it happen.  This will increase your joy and develop a new pattern for trying other new things that could lead to positive growth.

Lastly, pause to reflect:  process your experience.  What did you do well?  What would you do differently next time?  What did you learn that could help you in your next challenge? Too often we let our mistakes and setbacks define us. Be sure to avoid focusing on the areas that didn’t go as well and concentrate on what you learned from becoming open to new experiences. The end result is that you will appreciate how capable you are of making a change in your life and becoming what you want to become.

The only limits there are, are the ones we put on ourselves.*. *We are always getting ready to live, but never living.* ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~.

Author:

Beth is Founder and President of Get Hired, LLC.  She advises students on how to bridge the gap from school to career.  Beth is the co-author of From Diploma to Dream Job: Five Overlooked Steps to a Successful Career. Her coaching assists students and career changers to successfully match their needs, interests, passions, skills, and personal goals with the needs of a sustainable industry in a sustainable location.  She is a resource for print and online media and offers workshops for University Career Service Departments, Executive Recruiters, Outplacement Services, College Guidance Counselors and College Alumni Associations. See website for more details about Beth’s services www.fromdiploma2dreamjob.com. Beth’s Webinar was sponsored by George Washington University’s Career Services Dept. for their worldwide alumni association: Leverage Your College Diploma. You can follow Beth on twitter @BethKuhel

Ah, this is the life! But here is the wake up call. After some time, you discover the distractions of working at home. The TV calling you, the sound of your partner or kids, or the complete and utter deafening silence.

Time to head off to Starbucks for free wi-fi, coffee, and PEOPLE!

Wake up call #2!

There are too many other distractions, you cannot plug-in your laptop, and the staff keeps giving you the evil eye for ‘squatting’ over 3 hours for only a cup of joe.

What can you do? Suddenly you start wondering if the life of an entrepreneur is all it is cracked up to be.

Why cowork for your personal brand?

Humans are social creatures. And I don’t mean social media creatures! We need and almost crave real social contact. This is where ‘coworking’ enters the picture. Coworking allows anyone working independently to work with others in a shared office space without having to worry about an office lease or utility expenses.

The key benefit of coworking is the tremendous flexibility in terms of ‘membership’ and the collaborative community that organically grows when like-minded independent workers gather in a common space.

Here are three reasons why coworking will work for your brand.

1. You have a community and a network

Solopreneurs are “solo”, and 1 is a lonely number. Your success as an independent worker is ultimately based both on your ability to communicate your unique promise of value AND a community and network who magnify this value to others.

Gone are the days when we say “It’s who you know that counts.” We now live in a world where the new saying is “It’s who knows you that matters.” If you only focus on “tooting your own horn,” you are likely to continue down a path of isolation. If you tap into the power of “we” you have a support structure willing to tout the value you bring to the table.

Coworking is one of the best ways to be part of a community of “1s” who by nature are looking for others to help build their brand value.

2. You become part of an indescribable “energy”

A Coworking space has a special energy that you will not find elsewhere. It is neither the bland energy of a typical office nor the retail energy of a coffee shop.

Of course the entrepreneurial spirit of one is always strong. We would not venture out on our own if we did not possess a mind-set that most others either do not have, or are not willing to act upon.

Now imagine being in a space with 20 or more people with the same spirit and mind-set? The energy of each single person feeds off of all others and the force it produces is intense. It is truly visceral and once you experience it there is no turning back.

3. You have genuine social interaction

In his bestselling book, Tribes, Seth Godin explains it is human nature to seek out and be part of a tribe. People have been doing it for centuries. Today the traditional barriers of forming a community have been eliminated and countless new tribes are springing up each and every day online via social media.

Building a successful brand requires an active social media presence to ensure you are digitally distinct, but this must not replace the physical human interaction that is in our bones. Before social media, we socialized in and identified ourselves by our offline social clubs, sport teams, community groups, etc.

Coworking ensures we retain the human side of interaction. It gives us a space to be genuine and real. It offers a place where we can reach out and physically shake hands and verbally say you “like” an idea rather than simply clicking on a thumbs up icon!

Are you an independent worker craving interaction? Do you want a community to help create a buzz for your brand value? Look for a coworking space and let it work for your brand!

Author:

Peter Sterlacci is known as “Japan’s personal branding pioneer” and is one of only 15 Master level Certified Personal Branding Strategists in the world. He is introducing a leading global personal branding methodology to companies and careerists in Japan and adapting it for the Japanese culture. In a culture where fitting-in is the norm, his mission is to pioneer a ‘cultural shift’ by helping Japanese to stand out in a global environment. His background spans over 21 years in intercultural consulting, international outreach, and global communication coaching.

I was meeting with a friend the other day and he mentioned these three simple words. He had heard these from an admiral while he was serving the US Navy. I thought about these three words for a while and can see why the US Navy and the admiral use them to set priorities.

Priorities are there for a reason.

If all three aren’t in balance you have a problem. However, if the ship is not taken care of first there will be no shipmates or self. Of course, self-preservation has it’s place too. Yet, self-preservation takes a back seat to the duty and honor of supporting your shipmates and the ship itself.

Applying these three words to your daily life

When interviewing or thinking about extending your career these three words can help define and describe what you should be thinking about as you seek to build your career, the careers of your colleagues and that of your business. Where self, shipmates and ship can be used in reverse order to set priorities. This is true in entrepreneurial environments and large companies.

Reality Check: The US Navy is a huge organization with thousands of men and women serving all over the world and supporting hundreds of ships…and these three words seem to work quite well for them.

The next time you are planning and thinking about what you should be doing next take a few minutes to think about these three words. Think about how you can make sure all is right with the ship first. Then make sure all is right with your shipmates. Then think about your self.

Seek to find a balance across all three. Make sure you have your priorities right so that all three can succeed.

Author:

Jeff  is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.

I am not a fan of online job applications, having met many a job seeker who spent months applying for dozens (or even hundreds) of jobs without success. If you are seeking help to improve your online applications, there are lots of articles posted on the web that will provide you ideas. This article is different from them in that it is focused on helping you get better results with your resume by improving its readability for human beings.

Before we discuss resume improvements, it is important that you choose the basic format of your resume. Three common formats are the reverse chronological, functional, and combined. Because the last two options are not generally popular and represent less than 20% of all resumes, it will be most useful to focus on the first one.

The reverse chronological format is the most popular style, not only with job seekers but also with recruiters and resume reviewers. Recruiters and resume reviewers prefer this format because it is familiar to them and it quickly provides them the information they want. The typical sequence of sections is:

• Name and Contact Information
• Summary or Profile
• Reverse Chronological Work Experience
• Education

Once you have created a basic resume of this type, you can make it more appealing to those who read it by applying any of the following five tips taken from my career book Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!):

 “1. If you have a particularly noteworthy education, consider moving it ahead of your Professional Experience. This could be accomplished by either noting your most relevant education in a bulleted area preceding your Professional Experience or by moving the entire Education section there.

2. If you know precisely what you want, include a clear and concise Objective such as “Chief Financial Officer” or “VP – Marketing.” While many will argue against this as being too restrictive (I’ve heard this objection over and over again), leaving your desired role to the imagination of the résumé reader is usually riskier.

3. If you want your résumé to be easier to skim or believe most people will not fully read it (which is the norm), consider deleting the Summary/Profile section. This section can be omitted when the reader understands what you want (Objective) and your Professional Experience and Education sections are well matched to present a coherent view of your relevancy. It is particularly unnecessary if you choose to follow item #4 that follows.

4. If you have notable accomplishments in your area of expertise, try replacing the Summary/Profile section with a Summary of Qualifications section. This is a personal favorite that I have found to be highly effective for many.

5. If you are capable in more than one functional area, such as marketing and sales, decide if your goal is a position that includes all your functional capabilities. If you want a VP of Sales and Marketing position, then you need both areas highlighted in your résumé. If you are seeking a position in either sales or marketing, then your presentation will be more effective if you have one résumé with a marketing objective and one with a sales objective.”

With the proper application of these suggestions, your resume can be positively differentiated from your competition and the written presentation of your personal brand will be more appealing to your audience. Give them a try and let me know if you agree.

Author:

Richard Kirby is an executive career consultant, speaker on career strategies, and author of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!). Richard Kirby’s earlier experience includes managing engineering, human resources, marketing and sales teams for employers that ranged from a Fortune 100 to a VC-funded entrepreneurial startup. For the past 11 years at Executive Impact, Richard has helped hundreds of executives and professionals successfully navigate today’s transformed 21st century job market and achieve better employment for themselves. Richard’s expertise includes career assessments and goal setting, personal marketing/branding, resume enhancement, strategic networking and job interviewing, and “contrarian” job search methodologies. He is a Board Certified Coach (in career coaching) and a Certified Management Consultant (recognized by the ISO).

You will probably answer ‘Yes’ to this question, but if your sole reason for becoming an entrepreneur is to become your own boss, then you may want to change your way of thinking. Instead of wanting to be your own boss, think of yourself as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Then, be CEO of your career or profession. When you take the leadership reins to your professional development and career growth, you’ll be surprised how many see you and treat you as a leader.

Is more free time your reason to be an entrepreneur?

This myth draws in a lot people who want to become their own boss because they think they will have more free time for themselves. The truth is, you have the freedom to take as much or as little time off from work as you wish. And, if you choose a business that aligns well with your core values, you’ll probably lose yourself in the time, learning and actual activity of your business.  However, in order to run a successful business, you have to show up to work early every single day, and probably be the one to close up late in the night. You’ll also need some strong business skills or bring together a team of professionals who have the skill sets that you lack.  In other words, if you look forward to becoming an entrepreneur then be prepared to work more than you normally would if employed.

Do you want to make fast cash?

Is making fast cash your reasoning behind becoming an entrepreneur? Sometimes, and it is rare, some people do make quick money. The “usual” is it could be quite some time before you earn enough money to live off of. As such, have a budget planned out before you start your own business, as this will help you continue to live while you start on your entrepreneurial journey.

Be patient as well with the business. For some, profits will start rolling in after a few weeks, others may wait for some months or even years before the business can take off on its own. Each business is unique, and patience is the key to seeing it grow and bring in returns.

“Be flexible, be nimble and be resilient to survive the birth of entrepreneurial dreams” [tweet this]

Are you prepared to fail?

If your answer is “No” to this question, or you have an “I won’t fail” attitude, or you just don’t believe that you will fail, then you may not want to become an entrepreneur. When you go into business on your own, failure is a big possibility. Just like you plan the finances of the business, you need to plan for the risk of failure. It doesn’t mean you walk around focused on bad times. Planning for failure means exactly the opposite; that you sit down and account for any unforeseen eventualities. Be prepared to run out of finances, supplies, customers, and any other risk. By preparing for all this, you will be in a better position to pull through should any of them strike.

Are you persistent?

More importantly, you need to be persistent. If you are one of those people who give up after not succeeding right away, then being an entrepreneur is probably not something you want to be. Going into business on your own is tough.

The journey to being a successful entrepreneur is filled with pitfalls and challenges, and only those who are strong and plan ahead and those who are flexible and nimble enough to make the necessary adjustments will forge a path.

Author:

Maria Elena Duron, is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog, CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks– a word of mouth marketing firm, and a professional speaker and trainer on developing social networks that work. She provides workshops, webinars, seminars and direct services that help create conversation, connection, credibility, community and commerce around your brand.  Maria Duron is founder and moderator of #brandchat - a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of branding that is recognized by Mashable as one the 15 Essential Twitter Chats for Social Media Marketers.

Are you busy? Here’s some quick and easy tips on Social Marketing for busy people.

Part of personal branding is effectively communicating your brand image to others. You want to be viewed in a certain light by others. So how we promote ourselves without coming across as promoting ourselves?

Forward an Email: Your boss gives you a critical project with an important client and you do a stellar job. You may receive a note/email of thanks from the client. When this happens, forward the email to your boss.  The email forward should not have the tone of “Look what I did,” but rather an “I wanted to let you know that I took care of the project and the client is very happy” tone.  Now, the boss knows you are a rock-star employee, the client is happy, and your communication about the status of your projects is appropriate.

Client Speaks to Your Boss: Sometimes we help others and they respond by asking, “Is there anything I can do to help you?”  From now on, respond: “Why yes, would you mind dropping my boss a quick note about my work?” I recently spoke to a trade group as a favor for an alum of my alma mater.  I volunteered to give the presentation (i.e., no speaker fee) so the alum asked if there was anything he could do to help me out.  I asked him to consider writing my boss to let him know what I did.  The alum and the organizer of the trade meeting were each happy to send an email.  My boss shared the two notes, both were very positive, and my boss began to see me in a new light – someone who could be an external face for our office’s outreach efforts.

Periodic Touch-Base Meetings: Do you sit down with your supervisor twice a year for a performance review? Probably.  What happens in the six months between reviews – do you have periodic meetings about your projects, work, etc.? For most of us, the answer is no.  If your boss is not scheduling time with you to touch base about your work, you need to. Ask for a 20 or 30 minute meeting every month to provide updates and accomplishments. The boss needs to know the impact you are making in the office, the work load you are shouldering, and the results you are delivering.

Let’s say you do have periodic meetings. Do you go into the meetings with an agenda of topics you want to cover?  You should.  I used to supervise an employee who would bring me a one page summary – what she had accomplished during the past two weeks, what was on her plate for the upcoming two weeks, and her long-term projects. I loved these sheets as it kept me up-to-date on her work.  She was showing me her value and helping me see her in a different light – as someone who could handle more high-profile projects than what she currently was being given.

In 2013, be your own brass section and you will be surprised who takes notice!

Author:

Kevin Monahan is the Associate Director of the Notre Dame Career Center.  In this role, he leads the center’s  employer relations efforts in addition to coaching young professionals in career management and career change capacities. He combines career consulting services with employer outreach to help find opportunities for both constituencies.  He is the author of the Career Seeker’s Guide blog.

Joel confessed he made a huge error with a long-standing client. He was hired as their sales consultant to drive sales. You can imagine the past few years were not stellar but the company did manage to make the numbers they needed. So Joel was able to continue on a month to month basis as their consultant.

However, as the economy is trying hard to improve, the sales for the company have not inched up but instead remained stagnant. Being in a routine, Joel continued the same strategies, the same interaction with management, and the same monthly billing.

Unfortunately, management viewed the fact that while the economy was picking up while their numbers are not that it must be because Joel was not performing to his best potential. They felt he had become complacent so they terminated his services.

With some embarrassment, Joel admitted he should have strategically considered where the company was, the changes in the market landscape and how he could have incorporated the two. In addition, he should have asked for quarterly meetings with management to get their insights on the current business, discussed possible new ideas and most importantly, kept everyone in the loop.

Had Joel made meetings a part of his business plan and included key players, he would have had a pulse on the thought of the day and known how to best steer the sales team. Sadly, he did none of the above and is in need of finding a new client. On a positive note, he recognizes how to improve services in the future.

The same week, but on the other end of the spectrum, Jennifer confessed she shared too much information with the company with whom she was contracting. Tempted to answer a question that was asked of her, she revealed a conflict of interest that got her fired. She said the moment the words left her mouth she knew she was in trouble. Jennifer now knows when a challenging question arises to take a deep breath and then carefully ask why the question is being asked. It may be for an entirely different reason than what was assumed.

You can see between the two stories is a question of balance in communication. It’s wise to make yourself as available as possible and speak to as many as possible within an organization so everyone gets to know you. When sensitive matters arise be certain to get all of the decision makers in one room to have an honest and forthright conversation in order to eliminate any misunderstanding all the while monitoring what you say.

When management sees you working in this manner, they will give you the benefit of the doubt and let you do your best to turn things around. In the end, you may develop a lifetime client.

Developing a returning and referring clientele builds your personal brand best and is what puts you on the wave of the Smooth Sale!

Author:

Elinor Stutz, CEO of Smooth Sale, (800) 704-1499; was designated as a “Top 25 Sales Influencer for 2012.” Elinor authored the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results”, Sourcebooks and best selling, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews”, Career Press.

When you create your portfolio, it’s important to highlight your accomplishments, work experience, and incorporate your personal brand. If you are looking for ways to impress recruiters and employers with your career portfolio, here are some ways to help it stand out:

1. Have a consistent theme. It’s important to have a professional theme that is consistent throughout your entire portfolio. You can start your theme by designing a logo and choosing a professional color scheme that represents your personality. From your resume and cover letter, to your examples of work; make sure to choose a theme that represents your personal brand throughout your entire portfolio.

2. Highlight accomplishments. When organizing your portfolio, make sure to include your strongest pieces of work. Employers want to see specific accomplishments that relate to their company. Be sure to also include pieces of collateral from special projects and examples of your writing. You can also include explanations with each example of how they contributed to your career success.

3. Include numbers with your results. If you can describe your accomplishments through numbers, it will help employers visualize your ability to guarantee results from your work. For example, if you are in public relations, include the amount of earned media you garnered for your client or the percentages of their social media engagement. This will help employers gain perspective of your job performance.

4. Design an infographic. An infographic can be a creative addition to any portfolio. You can use infographics to display your career as a professional timeline. If you have some background in graphic design, create an infographic to tell your story from the beginning of your career to your current experience. (If you’re not a designer, check out services like Vizify!) When applicable, use statistics and percentages to enhance your accomplishments. This type of visual aid will help recruiters get a better glimpse at your experience and personality.

5. Make your portfolio digital. As technology continues to take over the way we communicate and apply for jobs, it’s crucial for job seekers to provide a digital copy of their portfolio. Even if you aren’t tech-savvy, an online portfolio is simple to create. Whether you create a site with WordPress or publish your portfolio as PDF file, a digital version of your portfolio will make it easier to share.

6. Be social with your portfolio. Once you have a digital copy of your portfolio, share it with your social networks. Many recruiters and employers are finding top talent through platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter. If you can link your digital portfolio to different social platforms, recruiters can learn about your experience before the interview.

Remember, your portfolio is an essential tool for your career. It’s a great way to showcase examples of your work experience to employers and recruiters. By creating a portfolio which displays personality, results, and collateral — you will have an excellent marketing tool to help you stand out amongst the competition!

What elements do you think job seekers should include in their portfolio?

Author:

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert, experienced hiring manager, and founder & president of Come Recommended, a content marketing and digital PR consultancy for job search and human resources technologies. She is also the instructor of Find Me A Job: How To Score A Job Before Your Friends, author of Lies, Damned Lies & Internships (2011) and #ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), and writes career and recruiting advice for numerous outlets.

You’ve seen MVPs on camera after nearly every winning series say, “It’s the team. It’s the fans. The coach was great. And, the real credit goes to the naysayers who really motivated me! But, me? Aw shucks. No. But, thank you, Mom!”

Is this any way to build your career? Can you be your own talent manager if you won’t acknowledge the talent? Is there really no “I” in team? Can you constantly be looking out for your co-workers, administrative assistant, staff, vendors, and your boss? Can you share all your resources with abandon, including the credit you’ve earned, and still have enough juice to make your way?

Being too trusting or too generous was considered a gender issue at one point in time. For example, Sheryl Sandberg wants women to lean in. My experience is that the gender issue is a bit dated when you look at the behavior of young managers today. After all, the Millennials made sure everyone in class got a valentine, there were enough cupcakes even for the losing team and no one needed a date for prom.

This fear of competition or perhaps appearing to be your own best spokesperson, have led the myth that the “I” word is a bad one. It’s not.

There is a “me” in team, if you work the letters a bit. As a career coach, I recommend you learn to take credit as much as you learn to share it. And, be careful what you give away, because your false sincerity – much less your resentment about the lack of regard or that bonus you thought you deserved – will drive opportunities and people away from you.

A more balanced approach is the only way to keep your career on track, according to Adam Grant, author of Give and Take: A Revolutionary Approach to Success. It’s great to be a “giver,” just make sure the recipients of your generosity are giving back in equal measure. They might not give back to you directly – but make sure they are passing on your acts of kindness, generosity and encouragement.

Grant isn’t promoting a me-first, only me, and more about me philosophy. He notes that some of the great givers including philanthropists like Jon Huntsman, Senior and Richard Branson manage their generosity.

So, make a plan to dole out your credit, appreciation and other bounty appropriately. And, make sure your career strategy is like a good financial one: pay yourself first.

Author:

Nance Rosen is the author of Speak Up! & Succeed. She speaks to business audiences around the world and is a resource for press, including print, broadcast and online journalists and bloggers covering social media and careers. Read more at NanceRosenBlog. Twitter name: nancerosen

What can you learn from a music band as you play various roles in your companies, organizations, and teams?

Nothing happens in isolation

Even a solo guitar player at the corner is connected to people – his teachers or idols that inspired him to play, the long gone composers whose melodies he is bringing to life, and the people around who smile at him once in a while, take a picture of him, or stop by and throw a coin into his hat. Think of all the people who inspired you on your career journey, people who value your work today, as well as people who may look up to you. You are connected to others even if you spend most of your working days alone.

You can be a part of a big thing

People are afraid that if they collaborate, they’ll be forgotten, they’ll be just one of many. But just imagine for a while that you hear only one instrument at a time. Even after you hear each of them, you wouldn’t get the experience you get from hearing them all together. Think of what you could create with people around you if you put your experiences and diverse skills together.

Your team can make you shine

Soloists need the support of the rest of the orchestra. The whole ensemble creates a mood, prepares the audience, and only then gets quiet letting the soloist shine. And at the end of a solo, the whole orchestra takes over again, taking all the emotion to the next level. As a star performer, you need your team. And each team member can have their own moment to shine. And the more you know each other, the more you can let go and be creative.

It’s about quality, not about quantity

Less notes, slower tempo and softer take are way more impactful than a lot of sounds from all the instruments trying to be heard at the same time. Even if you are just adding a couple of notes to the whole mix, if they are well tuned and timed right, you are adding to the whole experience. Pick carefully when and how you contribute. How can you make the best impact?

Focus on your strengths

For the orchestra to be extraordinary, each player needs to be extraordinary. A great musician knows her instrument. She can not only play her part well, but can also make sure that she aligns with the other musicians. She needs to feel the flow of the whole group and she can only do that if doing her part comes natural and easy. Make sure you know what comes natural and easy for you, so that you can use it for the benefit of the team.

Understand your responsibilities

A conductor doesn’t play any instrument. But he knows who is supposed to do what at any given moment. He listens for the overall harmony and adjusts the individual contributions to serve the purpose of the group. He needs to envision the desired result and lead the team member to making his vision a reality. He needs to trust each player and they need to trust him. What’s your manager’s vision? How can you support your manager in making it a reality?

What can you do as a part of your team, your music band?

How can you make sure that people around will enjoy the music you create together?

Because when they do, they’ll stop by, they’ll pay attention, they’ll tell others, and perhaps they may even start dancing.

Author:

Henrieta Riesco is a founder of Intentional Career. She is all about meaningful conversation to empower professionals on their career journey. After experiences of being a teacher and a corporate trainer in Slovakia, a customer advocate and a training consultant for 10+ years at Microsoft, she is comfortable with calling herself a Career Coach. You can follow Henrieta via Twitter, or via her blog.