Work Babble

Susan Rae Baker – Defining Moments

I had a chance to catch up with Susan Rae Baker, award-winning author and life coach. If you aren’t familiar with Susan, check out her book, The Last Box, A Women’s Guide to Surviving Corporate America which provides an energizing view of women at work. Susan is now finishing a new book called Defining Moments: A Gathering of Women’s Journeys.  I asked her a few questions about her latest work.

What inspired you to write the book?

What inspired me to write this book was the evening of the completion of my first book, The Last Box, A Women's Guide to Surviving Corporate America. I had gone to my favorite spot in Ocean Grove, NJ and stayed at a wonderful B&B to finish the book.  My gal friends met me there that evening and after the other two ladies got to know each other, the one had helped the other realize her potential. As they were about to walk out the door, I said, well, this was some evening, sharing my accomplishments with good friends, but there was a defining moment her too!  I looked at my friends and said - that's the title of my next book.

Who is the intended audience?

This book was designed for women as a book of inspiration and motivation.

What are the key themes of your book?
The theme is overcoming tough times and coming through victoriously!  The Defining Moment is the same as what inspired me. It is also due to my desire to help women have a more fulfilling life even in the face of adversity and trials.

Thank you Susan - empowering women in leadership roles and finding value and meaning in everyday contributions is a powerful message.

For more information in Sue and release date, please visit:

http://future-endeavors.net/products-page/books/defining-moments-a-gathering-of-womens-journeys/

Gaining Influence in Your Career

Gaining Influence in Your Career .

How Cluttered is your Workspace?

Guest post by Brian Barwig, Marketing Executive with www.selfstoragefinders.com     

When you spend most of your day at a desk, personalizing the space makes perfect sense. You want to be sure to give your co-workers and clients a positive impression about you and how you work. Similar to how your body language and clothes represent you, your desk does the same….so what do you do?

Experts believe everything in your office sends a message about your efficiency and sociability, be it pictures, candy or posters. What impression are others getting from you when they see your workspace?

Pictures and Art

There is a fine line between sharing your interests and giving the impression you would rather be out of the office instead of working on the big project. Pictures and artwork make for good conversation starters but having too many of them will have your co-workers believing you’re spending your workday thinking about anything other than business. Keep the pictures and artwork to a minimum and you should be safe.

Candy

A full candy dish is like an open door policy for people to linger around your desk or office. The candy dish is a signal of an extroverted workspace and will invite people over all the time, including when you’re trying to get work done.  This can be a good ice breaker but has the potential to get overwhelming especially if your dish is always full.

Clutter

We’ve all seen these offices. Messy piles of paper which should be in files are spread throughout the room, half eaten food decays on top of the scattered papers, binders are being used as paperweights and the carpet has stains. A messy office can damage your reputation as well as give the impression you are inconsiderate and unorganized. Consider organizing those messy piles of paper and putting them in files. If you have too many papers or files, self storage is a great option. Many companies use business storage for filing old documents and tax forms.

Posters and Stickers

Co-workers and clients may get the impression you are a slacker or don’t care about work if they see bumper stickers or humorous posters all over your office. If you have clients regularly in your office or are in a high traffic area you should err on the side of caution with your decorating.

Personalizing your workspace is a good idea but you should be careful to not go overboard. A good first impression is important and even more important may be keeping your office HR compliant and clutter free. You may also want to hire a Human Resources professional to come in and speak to your organization about proper workspace decoration and team building.

About www.selfstoragefinders.com

SelfStorageFinders.com is the leading self storage directory on the web and is designed to be your one stop shop when searching for self storage or mobile storage throughout the United States. Our directory lists all of the storage facilities nationwide, from the large nationwide chains to the small mom and pop facilities in your neighborhood.

Shortlisted and Denied - Dealing with Job Rejection

Shortlisted and Denied - Dealing with Job Rejection .

My latest blog for Examiner.com on dealing with job rejection after being shortlisted. For many people, the holidays are particularly difficult managing a job search that has involved coming close to a new job only to be told you weren't selected. Very frustrating but there are ways of moving forward past the rejection. Enjoy!

Six Signs of a Professional

There always seems to be background noise regarding what constitutes a professional.  Various groups want certification programs, license programs, certain degrees and the like.

From our perspective, all these programs are fine but do not necessarily define "professionals".  If professionalism isn’t determined by how we dress or the degrees or certifications that we hold, then what is professionalism?

Here we offer six signs of a true professional. Without these characteristics, regardless of one's qualifications, professionalism simply isn’t possible.

A professional is courteous. A true professional may disagree with you, but they will never be rude to you. They will maintain their composure and always speak politely.

A professional is reliable. When you engage a professional to do your work, you can count on the fact that it will be done. A professional takes their work seriously and will not abandon work or a client.

A professional is respectful. Professionals listen attentively to your suggestions and ideas. They will inform you if they think you should do something differently, but they will not belittle or insult you.

A professional is honest. With a professional, you know what you are getting. Their word is good, and they will honestly report all of their actions.

A professional is responsible. Professionals acknowledge and take responsibility for their actions — even though they occasionally make mistakes.

A professional is competent. A professional knows how to get the job done and is up-to-date with the most recent developments in his or her field.

Do you exhibit professionalism? What areas could you work on?

About Glowan

The Glowan Consulting Group was formed in 1993 on the premise that individuals and organizations needed more than just pre-designed, prescripted "training" to meet their human development goals. Organizations and our societies are changing at a rate never seen before in our experience and we need tools, techniques and support systems to meet those new challenges. Glowan has been meeting those needs via our broad and deep offerings of Leadership and Management Development Services and Products. Visit http://www.glowan.com  for more information.