Search Results for: three words

Peak-Careers Advisory Board

The Peak-Careers Advisory Board provides feedback on blogs, monthly newsletters, and the business as a whole.
We appreciate all the time these people have given Peak-Careers over the years.

Scott Woodard

Scott Woodard is an executive and leadership development coach, helping leaders transform from strong to superb. He frames issues so people can take action and achieve their goals – for themselves, their organizations, and their communities. He works with individuals and teams to see new patterns and create alternative ways to move forward. Together they identify small actions that lead to big changes.
Scott has conducted workshops and trainings for leaders and teams, to identify their strategic goals and develop measurable outcomes. He has coached people from all walks of life: corporate executives and elected officials challenged to transform their organizations; Boomers trying to determine the “second acts” of their lives; and new graduates starting out in their first career. Prior to his professional coaching career, Scott enjoyed a long career as a successful policy advisor to state and local elected leaders in Colorado, helping key decision-makers frame these issues in ways that they could move forward with actionable strategies. He was honored to receive a German Marshall Fund Fellowship in recognition of problem-solving leadership for public sector leaders. He holds a master’s degree in public administration and a B.A. in history. He lives the ex-pat life in Ajijic, Mexico with his wife, a psychotherapist, and he is truly in touch with his feelings.

Scott can be reached by email at [email protected]. He can also be contacted via LinkedIn

Jim and Scott worked together at Heart At Work Associates in Portland. Scott introduced Jim to the exercise of choosing “three words to guide” him each year and is an active book-reader. The main reason Jim wanted Scott on the board is to help with working fewer hours while maintaining the business, and to assist in navigating what Jim calls his “3rd Act” of life.

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Karen Chopra

Karen James Chopra, LPC, CCC, NCC, is the founder of Chopra Consulting for Consultants (www.KarenChopraConsulting.com), which helps therapists, counselors, coaches, and other consultants create thriving businesses. She also has a well-established career counseling private practice in Washington, D.C. (www.ChopraCareers.com), and has helped hundreds of clients with career exploration, job search, and career management. A former U.S. Government trade negotiator, she is the author of Coaching Career Clients on Salary and Other Workplace Negotiations and numerous other articles on the business and practice of career counseling. MCDA has honored her with both their Outstanding Career Practitioner and Lifetime Achievement awards. She received an M.A. in community counseling from George Washington University, and a B.A. from the University of Virginia. She also has a master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

After six years of being full-time with Peak-Careers, Jim needed an Advisor who could bring an experienced view of owning a career consulting business. Jim is grateful that Karen agreed to be that person. Karen is well respected and seen as an expert in the industry.

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Anna Berglowe-Lynch

Anna Berglowe-Lynch (GCDF, CPRW, CCSP) started out as undecided as her students, knowing only that she wanted to help people. Her first career was providing individual and group counseling for survivors of domestic violence, including incarcerated women. This led to working with newly released inmates to help them launch their careers, which lead to working with college students at Towson University to help them establish their careers. After leaving higher education briefly to work as a recruiter, Anna finally found her true vocation: working with students at Harford Community College as the coordinator for career services. In this role, held for over 10 years, she is able to help students of all ages, races and socioeconomic backgrounds set career goals and find satisfying employment. Anna holds a master’s degree from Towson University and a bachelor’s from the University of Scranton.

Jim felt a person who had taken a number of Peak-Careers online seminars, and who “got it” would make a great addition to the board. He was looking for someone who understood the discussion-based learning aspect of the seminars. He also wanted to have a community college perspective on the board. Anna is one of our Super Fans who reads the weekly emails, has taken seminars, and is a huge supporter. She is a great choice for the Advisory Board.

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Bret Anderson

Bret Anderson, Ph.D. is the president and principle instructor of h2 Communication, LLC, which is a veteran-owned small business that provides career development and leadership training and education services for a variety of industries. Dr. Anderson is a certified Offender Workforce Development Specialist and Offender Employment Retention Specialist. He has worked with incarcerated veterans since 2004 and has published employment fit algorithm science for returning veterans who are experiencing serious psychological distress. Dr. Anderson is also an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) and works with individuals and families who are experiencing financial hardships and/or bankruptcy. For the past 20 plus years Dr. Anderson has provided personal financial and career development education to U.S. Department of Defense personnel working within Military and Family Readiness Centers around the world.

Jim met Bret while serving on the NCDA Training & Education Council (TEC) and was impressed with him from day one. His expertise in working with the justice system is so strong, Jim asked him to become an online instructor for Peak-Careers. Check out his Career Readiness for Justice-Involved Citizens seminar. Bret brings expertise in understanding government and military to the advisory board.

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Betsy Sheets

Betsy Sheets is a career coach with 20 years of experience working in managerial roles in public, private, and non-profit sectors, and is an entrepreneur with her private career coaching practice focusing on career exploration, transition, and the federal job application process. She is a co-founder of a non-profit veteran service organization located in San Diego for senior-level military members and spouses transitioning into the civilian workforce, where she’s served as program manager, board secretary and volunteers her time facilitating workshops and coaching participants.

Visit her website: www.betsysheets.com

Betsy brings a West Coast presence back to the board after long-time board member Rees, left in December 2020. Betsy has taken a few of our online seminars and appreciates the idea behind the discussion-based seminars. She is active on LinkedIn and has been a huge supporter of Peak Careers’ work. She provides insight on how to market the online seminars.

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Jordan Bell

Jordan Bell has worked in career services for 8 years at institutions of higher education, currently working at Columbus College of Art & Design where he facilitates and designs the college’s approach to career education and student professional development. He has also worked at Bowdoin College, Carnegie Mellon University, and Colby College in various roles including advising, employer relations, program management, and event management. He received his M.Ed in higher education administration from the University of Pittsburgh and has an undergraduate degree in media arts and studies from Ohio University. He enjoys utilizing a creative approach to career development by infusing media and design thinking into career education. You can also hear him on his podcast, “First, You Hustle” for creative job seekers.

Jim met Jordan while working part-time at Colby College Career Center. He was impressed with this young man from day one. Jordan was the person in the career center Jim would visit whenever on campus. He is smart and creative and has a great sense of humor. Jordan brought his tech savvy, in particular with podcasts and webinars, to the board. Jordan’s background with radio and podcasts experience are great additions to the board.

Technology free retreat – What a great day!

March 26, 2016 by Jim Peacock 2 Comments

On February 19 of this year, I turned off all my technology and took a “Rebalancing Retreat.”

Thanks to the inspiration from my brother Mark who has taken retreats annually for years and to Richard Leider, a ‘purpose’ expert who suggests in his book, Repacking Your Bags, taking a ‘technology-free’ day and to use that day to j u s t t h i n k…

My retreat was at a local liberal arts college in a remote room in the chapel tower. My view included the beautiful campus on top of Mayflower Hill in central Maine, to the east towards the coastal mountain range, and to the north up the Kennebec River Valley towards Quebec. Inspirational and fortuitous says my brother the priest. Below are some of my thoughts from that day.

I find myself reaching for my phone to check emails (I must have 20-30 by now from last night) or to send a text to someone… and I realize…the text can wait, it really is not that important they receive this text at 8:45 a.m.

[Read more…]

INTERVIEW: What’s New on LinkedIn?

September 26, 2022 by Jim Peacock Leave a Comment

Join me for another Peak-Careers Interview. We explore some of the more recent updates on LinkedIn.

My guests today are, Bob McIntosh, Hannah Morgan (Career Sherpa), and, Kevin D. Turner. Today we explore the latest greatest and maybe not so great elements of LinkedIn from three LinkedIn experts who have many years experience on this platform.

Here are my two questions:

(1) What are the latest updates to LinkedIn that you like?

(2) Are there any features on LinkedIn you’d like to get rid of?

Here are a couple of the resources mentioned in the interview that you may want to bookmark.

1. Identify Your Market Value Titles & Associated Skills 🔘 Go to LinkedIn’s Career Explorer https://lnkd.in/dfTi9sn 🔘 Scroll down the page of visual directions until you get to a box in the middle of the page that asks you to [SELECT YOUR CITY] 🔘 Enter details and select from the provided dropdown boxes for [SELECT YOUR CITY] and [ENTER A JOB] (the Dropdown options for [ENTER A JOB] will be your Market Value Title(s), you may do this for current, next goal, and previous Job Titles) 🔘 When the new set of skills populate the [Skills for ____] box that appears below [ENTER A JOB], copy those skills down with the Market Value Title. The Dropdown options will be your Market Value Title BEST RESOURCE: Check out this article for more details on how to use Career Explorer, including a 3 Page downloadable PDF on this feature: https://lnkd.in/e_vaYtG5

2. [#Social hiring], [Hiring in network], & [Meet the team] Filter continues to slowly roll out, now 60 days in, what’s the easiest way for a Jobseeker to find out who in their network is hiring? https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6973965093155840001 If you don’t have the feature yet try this work around link: Hidden Link: https://lnkd.in/eghegARt

Check out this blog that Hannah recommended. Donna Svei’s blog on using Career Explorer

BIO’s

Bob McIntosh, CPRW is a career trainer and coach who leads more than 15 job-search workshops at an urban career center, as well as counsels job seekers on every aspect of the job search. His colleagues rely on Bob to critique their clients’ LinkedIn profiles and conduct mock interviews. In addition, Bob has gained a reputation as a LinkedIn authority in the community where he leads workshops for non-profit and for-profit organizations. Job seekers from across the state attend Bob’s LinkedIn workshops. His greatest pleasure is helping people find rewarding careers in a competitive job market. For enjoyment, he blogs at Things Career Related and contributes to Recruiter.com. Follow Bob on Twitter and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Hannah Morgan is a trainer and job search strategist. She has worked in outplacement services, a graduate school career center, a department of labor one-stop and as a recruiter/HR generalist. Hannah is a nationally recognized author and speaker on job search trends and was previously a LinkedIn Top Voice in Job Search and Careers and.

She founded CareerSherpa.net to combine her career expertise with her love of writing, speaking and social media. Hannah is a regular contributor to US News & World Report. She has been quoted by media outlets, including Kiplinger, Forbes and Money Magazine. She is also author of The Infographic Resume and co-author of Social Networking for Business Success.

Hannah is active across social media including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Kevin D. Turner is Managing Partner at TNT Brand Strategist with over 30 years of experience in all significant business aspects. Starting his career at Sony and progressing to National Sales Manager, he then served as a VP of Venture Capital at Stone Holdings, CEO of American Teachers Inc, VP of Sales & Marketing at Thomas Nelson, and TurneRRounD. Even led the global expansion of the Nonprofit 50, American Heart Association, into 140 countries, as their Director of International Development and Strategy.

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)

Finding balance in my life

May 9, 2022 by Jim Peacock 4 Comments

One of my three guiding words in 2022 is “balance.” But what does that mean?

Do you have to give up something or rearrange something in order to increase time spent on something else?

Does it mean that every day is balanced the same?

Does it mean you prioritize one thing over another?

For me, balance is an awareness. An awareness that we have choices each day with where we spend our time and energy. The past year I have been thinking about what I love to do at work (live workshops) and where I have the least amount of energy. Surprisingly for me, as I explored this, I ultimately ended up taking individual career coaching off my website so I could focus more on trainings. I still do some career coaching but I wanted to shift that balance.

Guess what happened? I started getting requests to do more workshops. Yep. Two different state career associations, a state community college system, a college out west, a college in Boston, a medical company who wants to focus on retention, all contacted me this year…amazingly soon after I took career coaching off my website.

My challenge to you. Remember that you have choices, priorities, and tasks that you have some control over. “Where focus goes, energy flows,” was advice my business coach gave me and it’s true. Decide on your balance points, send the message to the “universe,” and you might be surprised what happens next. I have been pleasantly surprised.

Most of us need and/or want to work and all of us have lives outside of work. One thing I have always done is use all my vacation time each year. I even negotiated for additional vacation time in one position (and got it). Time away from work has always been important to me and I found that being refreshed made me a better worker.

Oftentimes one week was not enough to really re-energize and when I could, I tried to take more time off. We are complicated animals, we humans, and we need to be active. We also need a mix of activites so our brains can rest in different ways.

My challenge to you. Have you taken all your vacation time this year or do you at least have it planned? If not, consider ways you can use those hours/days to relax and reinvigorate yourself.

I also try to find balance within each day. I set an alarm for 45 minutes so that I remind myself to get up and move around. I try to take a 15-minute meditation break around 2:30pm each afternoon, and I am always surprised how much more energy I have when I return to work. Most days I take a walk either in the morning or after lunch. The other “balance” strategy I use is not opening emails throughout the day. I try to bunch them up so that I have time to finish projects and to just “think” through things a little better. Balancing my day and balancing my weeks are both strategies I try to be aware of.

My challenge to you. Make sure you are doing something to take control of your day and not always with your “pedal to the metal” with no time for yourself.

Because “balance” is one of my guiding words for the year, I write it down in my journal every time I write. This nudges me to think about how that word can fit into my day. I am constantly thinking about ways to keep me from working so many hours each week. I know I am at a different time in my career than many of you, and I put many hours into Peak-Careers when I started, but now I am thinking about how to manage my time better and to work closer to a 35 hour week…or less.

There are some weeks I still work 40+ hours, but by thinking about balancing my life, being aware of it, and considering how to balance work-life, I am always trying to keep my priorities straight. Is there a way for me to stop work a little early? Can this project or 25 unread emails wait until tomorrow so that I can spend time with my family? Balance is awareness.

My challenge to you. Think about your work-life balance, be aware of other people in your life that you want to spend time with, and your own personal mental health time.

I want to share with you this poem, “The Valuable Time of Maturity” by Mário de Andrade that really resonated with me.

” I counted my years and discovered that I have
less time to live going forward than I have lived until now.

I have more past than future.
I feel like the boy who received a bowl of candies.
The first ones, he ate ungracious,
but when he realized there were only a few left,
he began to taste them deeply.

I do not have time to deal with mediocrity.
I do not want to be in meetings where parade inflamed egos.

I am bothered by the envious, who seek to discredit
the most able, to usurp their places,
coveting their seats, talent, achievements and luck.

I do not have time for endless conversations,
useless to discuss about the lives of others
who are not part of mine.

I do not have time to manage sensitivities of people
who despite their chronological age, are immature.

I cannot stand the result that generates
from those struggling for power.

People do not discuss content, only the labels.
My time has become scarce to discuss labels,
I want the essence, my soul is in a hurry…
Not many candies in the bowl…

I want to live close to human people,
very human, who laugh of their own stumbles,
and away from those turned smug and overconfident
with their triumphs,
away from those filled with self-importance,
Who does not run away from their responsibilities ..
Who defends human dignity.
And who only want to walk on the side of truth
and honesty.
The essential is what makes
life worthwhile.

I want to surround myself with people,
who knows how to touch the hearts of people ….
People to whom the hard knocks of life,
taught them to grow with softness in their soul.

Yes …. I am in a hurry … to live with intensity,
that only maturity can bring.
I intend not to waste any part of the goodies
I have left …
I’m sure they will be more exquisite,
that most of which so far I’ve eaten.

My goal is to arrive to the end satisfied and in peace
with my loved ones and my conscience.
I hope that your goal is the same,
because either way you will get there too .. “

https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-valuable-time-of-maturity/

What is Your LinkedIn Message?

August 31, 2020 by Jim Peacock Leave a Comment

_{Image thanks to www_slon_pics from Pixabay}

Every word and every sentence on your profile is a message you are sending to people. All (or none) of the actions you take on LinkedIn, are a message. I encourage you to think about your LinkedIn message today.

Your LinkedIn message begins with the words on your profile, what you choose to include and/or exclude, and what you choose to do on LinkedIn. Let’s start with the words you choose.

WORD CHOICE

GOAL: To use the words that best describe what you do and are the words used in the industry you want to work in.

These are all words that have similar meanings.

Training. Educating. Teaching.
Counseling. Coaching. Advising.
But what is the message that each sends?

What words are used in your industry, or the industry you want to work in?

I used to call myself a career counselor or an academic advisor, but I much prefer to use the word “coach” now because it implies a different relationship with my clients. I am not going to tell them or advise them what to do. I want the client to figure things out and what is best for them, by coaching them through the process.

That simple choice of word change carries quite a bit of weight in how people perceive me and what I provide.

SENTENCES

GOAL: To demonstrate your value in short snippets of information so that people will actually read it.

I like to say when working with a client that your LinkedIn About Section should be written for the public, not your English teacher. Your English teacher wanted paragraphs that led with a sentence to set the theme and then at least three more sentences to support that theme or thought. Your paragraphs need to be shorter than this on LinkedIn.

Here is an example that comes from my About section of my LinkedIn profile. The About section is where you have 2000 characters to highlight whatever you want about yourself. Notice this snippet is two sentences and only takes up three lines (excluding the title).

★ CAREER COACHING ★

I believe people know what they want to do deep down in their hearts and I embrace the idea of “intentional serendipity” in all my work. Often people just need someone who can reframe their situation to see new opportunities.

Less is best. I could have written much more, and probably did when I first drafted it. What is the essence of what I want people to know? How do I get that in two sentences?

VALUE vs TASKS

GOAL: To let people know what value you bring to the workplace and what skills do you want to continue to use.

The “old school” resume was a list of tasks and duties found on the job description. So many people simply move that information to their LinkedIn profile. Hiring managers and recruiters don’t want to see that on the resume nor do they want to see it on your LinkedIn profile. If everyone is using similar job descriptions, what makes you unique? This only tells me what you did do…not what you want to do or are really good at.

Hiring managers want to see your value. What do you bring to the workplace that makes you unique? What have you done to improve the workplace in the past? (And they will make the assumption you will do similar things in the future). I found this example in one of my first connections profile that demonstrates what I am talking about.

My clients are able to tell persuasive, captivating career stories with their unique promise of value throughout the following expertly crafted collateral:

► Powerfully Tailored Executive Résumés.

► Customized Cover Letters and Correspondence specific to job search strategy.

► LinkedIn Profiles highlighting organizational impact and leadership capabilities.

► Personal and Professional Executive Bios that focus and elevate their narrative.

► Insightful, Persuasive Interviews adding authenticity and credibility to career collateral.

When you read this, you really get a sense of what value she offers her clients.

YOUNG OR OLD
EXPERIENCED OR INEXPERIENCED

GOAL: You should choose if you want people to know how long ago something happened. It is your LinkedIn message and you decide when to highlight dates and when not to.

You should make a conscious decision on whether or not you want to include dates and over ten years of experience. In general, I recommend that my clients only go back ten years. What happened fifteen or twenty years ago was an eternity in many ways because the world of work has changed so much.

Although…some people may want to go back further because they want to send the message that they can do a specific set of skills or have knowledge of a specific industry. It is your message, you must decide.

For clients who are over forty-five or so (it depends), I recommend that they not include the dates of college degrees. If I were to put up my graduation in 1979, people would make assumptions whether they wanted to or not. There is so much implicit bias in all of us. Hmmm….he’s old. I wonder…

By leaving it off, I am choosing my LinkedIn message.

A recent college graduate, you always want to include dates. Hiring managers need to know that they are looking at a person who recently attended college and will typically not have a lot of work experience. They could have internships or taken industry-related courses, but they are not looking for ten years of experience. So, go ahead and tell them the dates.

ACTION vs INACTION

GOAL: To demonstrate that you are committed to your profession and support learning and networking.

LinkedIn is the place for your professional online presence. Is your profile completely filled out? If not, is it because you do not know how to do it? Or you don’t care? Or you are unorganized? The last thing you want is for others to look at your profile and ask themselves questions like these, or worse, fill in their own responses. (Read my blog, Start from the Beginning if this is you). You get to choose how you are presented to the world so take advantage of all LinkedIn has to offer.

Did you “like”, “comment”, or “share”, any posts on LinkedIn recently? If so, it shows up in your Activity Feed.

Have you written any recommendations on LinkedIn for any of your first connections?

What about writing a LinkedIn article? Blog? Not everyone will want to write original work, but you sure can “like”, “comment”, or “share” someone else’s work.

What is your LinkedIn message?

Can you improve it?

KEYWORD image thanks to Wokandapix on Pixabay
LinkedIn image thanks to QuinceCreative on Pixabay

Want to learn more about how to advance your skills on LinkedIn? Check out this 5-week online seminar with Bob McIntosh.

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 the National Career Development Association.

Sign up here 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.

Six reasons why I do a tech-free retreat

August 10, 2020 by Jim Peacock 1 Comment

My goal is to do a day-long tech-free retreat each month, inspired by Richard Leider’s book, Repacking Your Bags, and by my brother Mark who has been doing retreats for over thirty years. Each month I look ahead in my calendar to see what day works best. My brother takes any month that has a 5th Friday because there can’t be any “repeat meetings” scheduled on that day. I.e. “We meet on the 2nd Friday”… or the “3rd Friday of each month”.

This is a day I turn off my phone, computer, and ignore social media, so I am not “chasing the rabbit down the proverbial hole” every time something dings, rings, or shakes. I get up at my normal time, read the paper, eat breakfast, make lunch, fill a thermos of coffee, and then pack up my things and retreat to a friend’s office in downtown Waterville along the Kennebec River. (Thank you Jeri). I have done past retreats at a local college and also on the 3rd floor of our city library, but having a place that is truly private is important. There is something magical about being at her office space, away from my home, not at my desk, not in front of my computer, that creates space for me to do my retreat.

Here are my six reasons I do a tech-free retreat.

SIMPLIFYING

Probably the number one reason I do a tech-free retreat is to simplify my day. When I work from home there are so many distractions and things to do that constantly catch my attention, chores that need doing, sounds of kids playing, the mail truck arriving, etc… At her office, nothing is familiar.

The noises are different, the chair is different, it smells different. Perfect, time to simplify. My “monkey-brain” seems to slow down here.

THREE MONTH PLAN

I use this time to create a three-month editorial calendar. As many of you know, I write a weekly career email that goes out every Tuesday morning. One week I typically write a blog, another week I interview people on a variety of career topics, another week I might do a Facebook Live. Today is my day to take that 5000-foot view. It always feels good to have a plan laid out for the next three months and all I have to do is execute it. When I come home, I update the three month, dry-erase wall calendar I have. Now I can see what I will be writing about or sharing for the next twelve weeks.

10,000-FOOT VIEW

This is also the time I like to reflect on the bigger picture. The 10,000-foot view. Where do I want to be in three-five years? What areas do I want to revise, recommit to, or remove from my plan? One of my three-words for 2020 is “rebalance” and I am thinking about how to rebalance my work and leisure time.

It is hard to do sometimes working from home and owning my own business. This is the day that gives me the “space” to stop and think, which is nearly impossible to do at home with all the distractions. This is one of the most “freeing” feelings I get on the retreat…time to do what I want and when, and to look to the future.
[Me on top of Mt. Whitney, 14,505 foot view in 2012]

WRITING

Whether you like to write or not, the kinesthetic process of handwriting your thoughts is powerful. I happen to like writing. Most regular workdays, I begin by writing in a journal. Today, I will write more. For me, the handwriting forces my brain to organize my thoughts and to choose what is important to me now.

Sometimes I only write a few paragraphs because nothing is really jumping out at me, other days, I write more. On my retreat, I tend to write lots more. Because I have done my editorial calendar, I often have a couple of blogs kicking around in my head. I started this blog you are reading on my retreat. I started another one that will be coming out in September.

OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE

I remember the first time I did a retreat. Yikes! The first couple of hours all I could think about was the text messages, emails, posts on LinkedIn, that I was missing. It took awhile on the first retreat to turn that “monkey mind” off. Now I look forward to my retreat day.

The key is getting out of my comfort zone and getting into the “stretch zone”. When we work with clients, we need to remember that there are actually three zones people can be in.

One is the “comfort zone” where not much learning or growth happens
Another is the “panic zone” where people are overwhelmed. There is zero learning happening here either.
The one in between I call the “stretch zone.” This is where learning and growth happens. We are out of our comfort zone and not in the panic zone, and this is where we can think, observe, and learn.

READING

Charles T. Munger said, “In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn’t read all the time — none, zero...”

Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay

I always have a book, magazine, blogs, or journals to read and it feels like there is never enough time to read them all…and there isn’t. But today at my tech-free retreat, I will take at least an hour or two to read. This retreat I read my current pleasure reading book, as well as three business magazines.

My challenge to you… try a tech-free retreat

Think about a day, or start with a half-day, to unplug and do the work we all must do to slow down. I call it the ‘tsunami of information’ and it comes at us all daily. We need to find ways to think and to “just be” in the moment. Do not be fooled by the fact that just because you are busy, it must mean you are productive. My tech-free retreat day is probably THE most productive day I have each month.

As the old Life cereal commercial said, “Try it, you might like it.” (Watch Mikey eat)

Want to learn more about taking a retreat? Watch this interview with three of us who take retreats and we talk about how and why we do them. INTERVIEW

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.

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

Peak-Careers Advisory Board

Scott Woodard

Karen Chopra

Anna Berglowe-Lynch

Bret Anderson

Betsy Sheets

Jordan Bell

Technology free retreat – What a great day!