At any age, there is value in having and nurturing a Success Network.  However, it seems that some people think they have one by virtue of knowing ‘people” from past jobs, volunteering, school, etc.  The difference from knowing a lot of people is that your Success Network is a target group who can be influential for you in your career or in other parts of your life.  It is a group of people you collect and purposely stay in contact …

Looking for a new opportunity? Need a new job? Want to try freelancing? That’s great. Now get the word out! Basically, who knows about what you can do and that you might be a perfect match?  They only do if you let your Support Network know your talents, skills, experience, education and desires. The one thing that has always been obvious in my work with people revising their resumes or helping them start to promote themselves is how willing others …

Can you point at one thing, one idea that will improve your relationships, help open up new opportunities and move you closer to your goals and dreams?  Consider these questions when you are in meetings, conversations or in your personal life: Are you always the first to breaks a silence that happens in conversation? Do you find yourself compelled to interrupt or accidentally talk over someone who is talking because you have something important to contribute? Do you have a …

Consider this quote from Jim Rohn, an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker: “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”   Who is your Fab Five? These could be best friends, coworkers, family members, or others that you spend most of your time. As you look over the list, think about what their orientation is to money, work and success.  You trust them, believe them, and listen to them. If these people influence …

When trying to find a new job or get a promotion, there are some ways to help create the best interview or situation to impress a stressed manager.  For example, when you meet with the manager, realize that the person is time challenged, has an underlying level of stress in their own job, and may not be focused on your interview or meeting.  So, try to remember these tips to set up the best environment: Personal Space – Make sure …

If you wrote down goals on January 1st to accomplish this year, did you do some soul-searching?  For example, did you consider the long-reaching impact of achieving the goal(s)? According to author, Suzy Welch, in her book, 10-10-10, most people make decisions based on the immediate situation and do not really consider the consequences the decision will have months or years later.  Because most goals are in response to a situation or issue in your life that you want to …

In the coming years, Gen Y will be the largest demographic wave of young people competing for jobs. For those of us Baby Boomers who remember coming out of college and having so many of “us” that the jobs paid little and you had to really compete to get an interview, that will again become the norm. So, what can give those young people an edge? Having a good online persona requires crafting it like a good resume. Here are …

The following is an interview with a wealth management bank executive, Trish Stark, about her career. While she is close friend going all the way back to college days, Trish has had an amazing career in banking and is definitely an honored member of my own Success Network! When changing careers, what were the first steps you took to discover new opportunities? TS: I reconnected with my extended network using email and LinkedIn, to identify potential opportunities. I then used …

Did you ever have a lemonade stand, babysit, mow yards, or hold garage sales of your things when a child?  At an early age, most of us find that we want to find ways to make our own money that we can spend as we desire. We also learn that the ability to make money is dependent on certain factors like skill, talent, education, experience, and resources. It boils down to everyone is their own business, offering their talents, skill, …

Once on a long flight back from a speaking engagement, I decided to write down all the things that I considered goals. When reviewing them, I realized the goals seemed empty. I found myself asking questions like why did I want to travel or why did I want a new home? There was no connection between my goals and a future achievement or a quality of life. It occurred to me that I had been conducting strategic planning sessions for …