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Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East

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I had read Leon Uris’ Exodus years ago and it framed my view of what was happening in the Middle East. This book offers a much broader view of what has happened in Israel. Wow, my heart aches for the Palestinian’s and the Jews. Both people are the right to feel hurt.

The author does a great job and presenting both sides of the history of this region from the Jews trying to find a safe place to live after the atrocities of Hitler’s regime and the Palestinians who were moved out of their homes and taken over by the Jews.

I can’t say that I totally understand all that has gone on there, but I can admit that Israel has been given a more positive outlook in the US than they deserve. I’ve always been appalled that Israel continues to build homes in contested land and this book highlights that they have acted more like a bully to the Palestinians in many cases.

Palestinians have used violence too often but I can certainly understand how difficult it must be to have been removed from your homes and not allowed to go back.

By doing extensive interviews with 100’s of people on both sides, the author has painted a much more inclusive view of the issues. By using an Arab, Bashir and a friendship with a Jew, Dalia as the main people explaining the issues, it gives a much more personal view of the issues.

It is an eye-opening book and a sad one too as the conflict continues to this day. So much more to write and not enough time for me to do it. I also must continue to reflect on it. I highly recommend this book to everyone to gain more understanding of what is going on in the Middle East.

Interview: An Update on the Hope-Action Theory

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I talk with Dr. Spencer Niles about the Hope-Action Theory developed by Dr. Spencer Niles, Dr. Hyung Joon Yoon, and Dr. Norm Amundson. I’ve always said that hope is what drives career development. We review what Hope-Action Theory is and what are some ways coaches can utilize this theory.

Listen to what Skip says here to understand how hope can be cultivated in our work. Hope requires three things in our work. (1) A goal the client is working toward (2) Strategies on how to achieve and (3) Are they confident they can move forward and motivated to do it?

Skip introduces us to how you can give hope to a client using poetry. He shares two poems that demonstrate using this medium to help our clients. As well as the importance of reflection.

Note: this is my second interview with Skip on the Hope-Action Theory. Watch our first one here.

Watch / Listen to this Interview Now

BIO: Spencer G. Niles Dr. Spencer Niles serves as Professor in the Counselor Education Program at William & Mary. Previously, he served as Dean (2013-2020) and Professor at the School of Education at William & Mary.

Spencer Niles is a Past-President of Chi Sigma Iota International and was twice the President of the National Career Development Association (NCDA). He is the recipient of the NCDA Eminent Career Award. Niles is a Fellow of the National Career Development Association and the American Counseling Association.

Niles is a Fellow of ACA and NCDA. He served as two-term Editor for The Career Development Quarterly, Editor for the Journal of Counseling & Development, and continues to serve on numerous journal editorial boards. He has authored or co-authored approximately 140 publications and delivered over 150 presentations at national and international conferences. His book Career Development Interventions (6th edition) is the best-selling career text in the world. His forthcoming co-authored books are titled Career Flow and Development: Hope-Action Theory and Career Recovery: Creating Careers with Hope in Difficult Times.

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Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move and the recipient of the 2020 Kenneth C. Hoyt Award from National Career Development Association.

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The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

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By Stacy Schiff

Wow! I had no idea how important Samuel Adams was to the revolution and creation of our country. What an interesting man he must have been. He was the guy working the crowds in the bars and other meeting places…getting the carpenters, masons, and other folks like them informed and riled up.

The British liked working with the elite, but that is NOT who started our revolution. Samuel Adams’ father was a brewer and handed it down to Samuel but poor Samuel did not have a good handle on running a business. He was broke or poor most of his adult life. But he did know how to start a revolution.

He had a keen sense of right and wrong and was a prolific writer, under many names. The truth was not always his goal. Sometimes it was just to make a point and get the colonies to pay attention to how England was treating them. He was behind the Boston Tea Party but, like so many other things, he rarely left any fingerprints.

The author writes in a way that kept my attention every time I read it. Samuel has not received the credit he deserves until now. His cousin John Adams was with him many times but they both worked very differently.

If you want a good book about the revolutionary times and want to see a side of the revolution you probably have not seen before, read this one.

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown

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This book came highly recommended to me by my good friend and fellow bibliophile, Scott Woodard. It did not disappoint. I love it.

So much good thought-provoking ideas here about how we need to be vulnerable in order to lead. We need to let others know we are not perfect and that it is OK to make mistakes…as long as we learn from them.

Another message Brene brings out a variety of ways is something I say, “humans are complicated animals.” She talks about the importance of taking the time to understand WHY a person is acting a certain way. It may appear to be anger but it could be lack of confidence or shame or something else. Good leaders create a space where it is OK to talk about this stuff and it is OK to make mistakes. To listen with no judgement to try and understand what is really happening deeper in this person.

Good leaders need to be curious (one of my favorite traits for me and clients) so that you genuinely want to figure out what is happening. A few examples of her questions are:

  • I’m curious about…
  • Tell me more.
  • That’s not my experience (instead of saying you are wrong about that person or experience)
  • Help me understand…

All of these are great questions for career coaches too as we try to understand our clients and help them move forward in their career development.

She quotes George Loewenstein’s definition of curiosity, “curiosity is the feeling of deprivation we experience when we identify and focus on a gap in our knowledge.” I love that definition as we help our clients find something they interested in and then help them to be curious about ways to find more information through informational interviews, classes, internships, etc…

Here key points are to:

  • Take action if doing it moves you closer to what brings you joy and meaning
  • Choose courage over comfort (deal with it rather than walk away)
  • Choose whole-heart over armor (armor is the wall we put up to protect ourselves)
  • Confront our emotions by identifying them, creating alternate plans, seeking advice, and then taking action.

If you are looking for a thought-provoking book that helps you grow as a person and a leader, this is one to read.

INTERVIEW: Six-Month Check Up On Our 3- Words for 2023

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My guests today are Robin McPherson, a mental health professional and career coach; and Telma Sullivan who is an independent career coach helping individuals to launch, advance, or transition their careers.

This is a follow up to our interview in January when we choose our words. You may want to watch that interview first if you are not familiar with why and how we choose our words. Here it is.

(1) What are  your words and what do they mean to you?

(2) How have they impacted your daily life so far in 2023?

(3) What might you do in the future to keep them more in the forefront?


picture of 3 people in an interview

Watch / Listen to this Interview Now

BIO’s

Robin McPherson. A mental health professional and an education and career coach. I have over 20 years of experience in the human service and education field. I help people “figure out” what they want. It starts with Envisioning the life they want, then work with the mindset of Believing that one can Achieve their goals. I believe that the key to success is self-belief! I am committed to the process of helping others reach self-actualization. https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-mcpherson/

Telma Sullivan is an independent career coach helping individuals to launch, advance, or transition their career. She coaches young adults exploring careers, women reentering the workforce, people in mid-career, and career changers. Her coaching approach is client-focused and outcome-oriented, and her services include: job search strategy, resume/CV/cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile, networking, interview/salary negotiation preparation, and career change exploration. Telma is also a yoga instructor who enjoys creative writing and spending time in nature. Web: https://www.telmasullivan.com/

Jim Peacock is the principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF, and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move and The Adventure of Finding Me in New Zealand. He is also the recipient of the 2020 Kenneth C. Hoyt Award from the National Career Development Association and the Mid-Atlantic Career Counseling Association’s Professional Contribution’s Award in 2020.

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Do You Hate Making Cold Calls as Much as Me?

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Pricing is one of the most complex parts of running my own business. What am I worth? 

Why do I have to “sell” all the time? If I’m good, why can’t people just find me?

LinkedIn message man with bull hornWhen I was working with my business coach a couple of years ago, she suggested I make some calls to college career centers to see if they might be interested in some of my professional development services. I dreaded the calls. I set a goal to do five calls every Wednesday and would find a way to avoid them every week.

When I met with Mandy again I told her I hated selling and dreaded the calls. Our conversation went like this:

Mandy, “Do you offer a quality service?”

Me, “Yes.”

Mandy, “Do others benefit from these services?”

Me, “Yes.”

Mandy, “Then you are not ‘selling’. You are sharing your skills with others to help them.” 

She was always good at getting me to think about my business differently. I still had a bit of imposter syndrome going on and worried about my credibility. Can I charge as much as I do? Am I worth it?

I stumbled on this TedTalk by Casey Brown who is a pricing consultant. She suggests if you focus on serving others in your work and adding value, it won’t feel like bragging, ie selling. 

Her questions help me get my head around my worth.

  • What are my unique skill sets that help my clients?
  • What are my clients’ needs & how do I help them?
  • What do I do that no one else does?
  • What problems do I solve for clients?
  • What value do I add to their lives?

If I am honest in answering these questions about adding value to their lives, then I need to work on communicating that value and not being afraid to set my price for the value I bring to them.

The other game-changer for me was reading The Earned Life by Marshall Goldsmith and his “credibility matrix” idea. He states you build credibility twice. Once over time as you hone your skills. Next, it has to be noticed by people. You don’t need to brag about yourself, but people need to see you to build your credibility. If you have something to offer people, it’s ok to let others know. Not everyone will “buy” but what you hope is more people will “see.”

Secondly, you make a difference in the world through empathy. Make sure you put those you serve utmost in your mind. Build your relationships with others by empathizing with them: What are their problems? What are their pain points? What are their needs?

Look at Goldsmith’s Credibility Matrix pictured here. 

Where do you find yourself on the “Making a Positive Difference” line?

Personally, I feel like I am on the right side, making a lot of difference. 

Then think about where you are on the “Proving Yourself” line. If you are doing good work and other people see that you are doing good work, you are Earning Credibility (upper right corner).

If others do not see your work then you are Underselling Yourself (lower right corner). If others don’t know what you are doing, how can they support you?

So what are things you can do to get into the upper right corner and “earn some credibility?”

  • Present at conferences
  • Write articles for journals or your professional association 
  • Comment thoughtfully on LinkedIn posts 
  • Network wherever and whenever you can

What other ways might you earn some credibility?

Regardless of what you decide to do, if you are providing a quality service, be proud of it and price yourself accordingly. If you price yourself too low you diminish your work and our profession. If you want to work with underserved people, I recommend you determine your value and then you can offer discounts, but your value should be set in your head first. Then proudly state your value and don’t be ashamed…you are worth it if you do good work.

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move and The Adventure of Finding Me in New Zealand. He is also the recipient of the 2020 Kenneth C. Hoyt Award from the National Career Development Association and the Mid-Atlantic Career Counseling Association’s Professional Contribution’s Award in 2020.

Sign up to receive my TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON. You will also receive the career practitioner’s weekly email on a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more. (Sign up)