Importance of Personal Integrity

In job postings you will see the list of skills and background required. However, you will also see scant attention paid to the quality of the person. Dr. Raymond Comeau advises us to develop both parts of ourselves, our professional and personal sides. He insists that there are no shortcuts to personal and professional success. It requires planning, effort, focus, dedication, and above all integrity. It is personal integrity that cements all those elements together. You can be highly gifted and intelligent. But, without a strong moral core, all that is moot. When ambition and greed rule, disaster is sure to ensue. Someone without strong personal integrity is like a ship without a rudder. That person will drift with whatever tide, current, or wind comes their way. Not only will they never reach port but they will also be a menace to anyone on their path.

Read more of Dr. Comeau’s thoughts on this matter at http://informationanthology.net/CareerMentor/Personal-Integrity.html.

Bridging the Leadership Gap

Many companies give titles that contain the words leader, manager, and administrator, thereby confusing those terms. Often in my career I have seen organizations water down those terms to the point where "boss" is the only definition one could apply.

Brad Smith draws a clear differentiation between leaders and managers, and corrects their misdefinition. He says that leadership is not management; it is human energy, stimulation, and ignition. Management is not leadership; it is human energy structured for accomplishment. However, leadership without management is ineffective and management without leadership is lifeless and ordinary. It takes both to reach the level of effective accomplishment we expect and demand today. You can think of leadership as a pump for energy from the individual employees into an organization. Management in this analogy would then be the plumbing to direct and focus that energy for task completion. It takes both energy and task completion for any company to be effective. It takes deep insight, vision, and synchronization to build a company that is great.

See more of Brad's thoughts at http://informationanthology.net/CareerMentor/Leadership-Gap.html.

Now is the Time

New graduates hardly know where to start. Some do not start. They do not even take advantage of their college's career development services.

According to Lawrence Danks, it's often been said that those who do not plan for their future won't have one. You will have one of course, but maybe not the type you were hoping for. The best way to have a good future is not to become the victim of circumstances, but to do what needs to be done to be successful. This is not the time to procrastinate or to do less than you're capable of. Your future starts now. What you do today creates your tomorrows.

Lawrence takes us through a series of considerations within his extremely valuable discussion. Read more at http://informationanthology.net/CareerMentor/For-College-Students.html.

You are the Beginning of Your Career

Who do you look to if you want a career, or even if you just want a job? Is the government responsible for that? Is some company or non-profit responsible? Who?

YOU are the one responsible! Your career starts with YOU.

Pat Anderson says that there are indicators in your attitude and your actions that determine whether you will thrive or succeed no matter what the circumstances are. See her article (http://informationanthology.net/CareerMentor/Success-Keys.html) to find out if you have the right mindset for success and, if you do not, how to change it to start achieving success.

Achieving Personal Success

You are responsible for your career. Yes, there are those who can help you along the way. But, you have to show the spark. Without that spark, there is nothing to be fanned into a flame, no matter how much effort is applied.

Ron Chordigian shows that there are eight pieces of evidence that indicate the spark exists:

 

1.  Always Take Full Responsibility For Your Life.

2.  Live Your Life With Purpose.
3.  Be willing to pay the price to achieve your dreams.

4.  Stay focused no matter what.

5.  Build credibility for your self as an expert in your field.

6.  Always have a written plan for your goals and dreams.

7.  Never quit.

8.  Do not let procrastination defeat you. It is your biggest enemy.

 

Read more of what Ron has to say at http://informationanthology.net/CareerMentor/Personal-Success.html.

Once You Narrow Down Career Options

We have been talking about exploring personal traits as one way to begin choosing a career. One you begin to reach a decision, what then? Kathleen Schaefer offers that success lies not in looking outside for the perfect job, rather it is beginning the process with you and what you want to create so that when a good match shows up it is a mutual process of discovery and development of a work situation that suits everyone's needs. She lists seven areas of effort:

1. Identify your talents and skills.

2. Know what you are passionate about.

3. Determine what change you want to create.

4. Be able to describe what you are about in 30 seconds or less.

5. Communicate who you are to everyone you meet.

6. Find a way to do what you love, sooner than later.

7. Network with others.

Read more of Kathleen’s writing on this matter at http://informationanthology.net/CareerMentor/Careers-Created-By-People.html.

Target High Achievement

High achievement is something that many people desire, but only a few ever arrive. Similar to a race, most people get very enthusiastic at the start, but dwindle in the middle or towards the end - and therefore do not achieve the goals they have set for themselves. If you are bent on your personal and career development, achievement should be on your agenda.

What sets high achievers apart from the rest of the crowd? Cee J. Fuerte has observed a list of primary ingredients that are always part of the High Achiever's character:

1. A High Achiever Does Not Make Excuses
2. A High Achiever Learns from Mistakes and Failures
3. A High Achiever Believes in Himself
4. A High Achiever Makes Plans and Acts on Them

Read more of Cee J.’s thoughts on this topic at http://informationanthology.net/CareerMentor/High-Achievement.html.