Making a Living

Keith Keller and Annemarie Cross have decided to take career success into their own hands.  The two have a weekly radio show on Blog Talk Radio that focuses on positive, inspirational messages for people who are out of work or unhappy in their careers.  Their show can be heard across the globe including such far reaching countries as India and China.  They have also garnered a following here in the States and one of their US success stories was recently profiled by a Chinese television show (story starts about 1 minute into video and is in English).   

I was honored to be a guest earlier this week on their show Career Success Radio focusing on my Soul Search, Research and Job Search approach and how to use it to Discover Your Passion, Purpose and Potential.  Key to the conversation were the fears that keep people in jobs they don't like:

--"I'll have to start over at the bottom."

--"I'll lose my lifestyle if I change careers."

--"I'll have to go back to school and I don't want to have to go into debt."

With Keith and Annemarie, we busted these common career change myths.  For starters, transferrable skills such as project management, strong communication skills and the ability to work well with others enable many people to make lateral moves into new careers so they don't have to start over.  As for lifestyle, a financial plan is a key part of any career change strategy.  Take my client Laura Rolands.  She took a voluntary severance package from her employer Chrysler so she could have the financial freedom to invest in her coaching practice for ADHD.  Chrysler later declared bankruptcy so Laura's proactive approach paid off! As for school, don't assume that you have to get a new set of credentials to change careers.  To know for sure, get the facts of education requirements from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook. You might already have all the education you need.

Listen to my full interview on Career Success Radio and read more on why I believe now is the perfect time to make a career change!  

What do you think?  Are you ready for a career change?  Share your comments and ideas on what you'd love to have happen in your career.  Share your concerns too and I'll help you overcome the obstacles getting in the way.  And join me this Wed at 4pm EST on Making a Living with Maggie where I profile a successful career changer!  Get a free 7-day trial of SIRIUS.

What's your reaction when you hear, "things are going to change"?  

Do you feel fear and anxiety? Or do you get a sense of excitement and optimism?  For many, change is viewed with concern and worry.  What will I lose? is often the first thought.  And yes, change does lead to some loss.  I should know. I lost my first job due to a massive change in the accounting industry when my employer Arthur Andersen went under with the Enron debacle.  

In the media at the time, we heard all about the loss - how 80,000 people in 90 countries lost their jobs and how the faith in one firm was lost forever.  There is another part to the story however that you didn't hear -how much was gained through this change.  

For me, the end of Andersen forced me to deal with a career I wasn't happy with.  It was a turning point for me, one that led me to the career coaching and radio hosting that I do (and love) today.  And I'm not alone in this experience.  Many of my Andersen colleagues have changed careers.  

It's not just Andersen either.  I've been working with a corporate client recently who wants their people to see the opportunities in an upcoming merger.  Over the last few months I've been coaching each team member to see how this change could be a blessing in disguise.  Yes, it's still a challenge to say goodbye to each other yet at the same time, it's exciting to explore new career paths and opportunities both within and outside the merged company.    

Change is the one constant we can count on in our careers.  The key is not to fear change but to leverage it to move your career forward.  Tomorrow, I'll be speaking to a group of Columbia University alumns about How to Successfully Navigate Corporate Change.  If you're in that group, sign up here! 

I'll also be sharing tips and ideas on leveraging change on my radio show "Making a Living with Maggie" today at 4pm EST/1pm PST on SIRIUS 112/XM 157.  Call in at 866-675-6675 and share your reactions to change and what concerns, fears are holding you back from moving forward.  Share your comments and career change successes here too.  I welcome your input and know that whatever change comes along together we can handle it!

 (Photo courtesy of Flickr)

Spending time doing what you love is not a luxury, it's a necessity. It's how the best in their fields got to where they are today -- just ask Deepak Chopra. I did. I interviewed him on Making a Living and he fervently said he will NOT do an activity if it doesn't bring him JOY. Think it's too risky or unrealistic for you to do the same? Think again.

If you truly want success, if you want to reach the heights of your potential, can you really afford to waste precious time on activities that suck the life out of you? You can make conscious choices and better focus your efforts. To help, here are some productivity tips from another guest on my show, Mitzi Weinman, founder of TimeFinder.net.

Don't just plan, anticipate.

Planning your day with a classic to do list is good but if you want to be most productive, you need to anticipate what could pop-up. For instance, for every meeting on your calendar, plan time before for preparation and after for follow-up. Unplanned tasks may land on your plate and if you leave space for them, you won't feel stretched for time.

Work from top to lowest priority.

If you get the most important tasks out of the way early in your day, you'll not only feel more accomplished, but also more comfortable leaving the office at day's end.

Schedule meetings later in the day.

Meetings can be productive but that time is best spent later in the day according to Mitzi. She recommends using your energy wisely by setting aside morning time for strategic or creative activities that require a lot of thought.

Is there a smart way you manage email, a busy schedule and family demands? Share your comments below and call Making a Living (866-675-6675) every Wednesday at 4 pm EST/1 pm PST. The career hotline is always open to discuss whatever career dilemma, goal or idea you want to discuss. 

Tune in this Sunday 6am EST for a replay of Making a Living on SIRIUS 112 and XM 157. Try SIRIUS XM free!-- I give advice on standing out from the crowd in a competitive job market -- especially important for recent college graduates!

Power and authority have a bad connotation. Because of that many people shy away from taking charge at work. But what about servant leadership - being in charge as a way to be of tremendous service to people. It's not a concept I created but one I'm educating my clients and radio listeners about. 

Just last week, I had leadership experts Gail Steinel and Mike Policano on"Making a Living with Maggie" talking about their book, Excuse Me, Aren't YOU in Charge? These two are not just theorists. Gail in fact was a pioneer for women leadership in the consulting industry, recognized twice by Consulting Magazine as a Top 25 Consultant. I experienced Gail's leadership firsthand - when she was head of Arthur Andersen's Business Consulting Practice where I was an employee. 

Here's what I learned from Gail about being a great leader:

--Be accessible. - Gail is the type of leader who remembered your name and would stop and talk to you in the hallway. She was never too busy to make time for her employees.

--Support your people's ideas and passions. - In their book, Gail mentions one particular leadership experience that stuck with me - where she supported an employee who wanted to build a new recruiting strategy. Gail encouraged the employee to get involved and the young woman ended up winning an employee-of-the-year award. 

--Be honest. - I saw Gail lead during Andersen's best times and it's demise with the Enron debacle. She was always upfront with honest answers and I always felt I could trust her. For leaders today this is perhaps the biggest lesson - be someone your people can really trust and your best employees will always stick with you.

Find out more about leadership 101 on Gail and Mike's blog! And share your greatest leadership moments here - what's the best quality you've seen in a leader? Do you consider yourself to be a servant leader?

And tune into Making a Living with Maggie this Wed, 4pm EST. I'll share ways to be at your best and ready for an accidental interview! Not sure what I mean, tune in with this free 7-day SIRIUS trial!

Interested in one of the 48000 job openings with Uncle Sam and almost 26000 employment opportunities for students?

Tune in today for my special "Where the Government Jobs Are" segment on Making a Living with Maggie at 4pm EST/1pm PST on Martha Stewart Living Radio SIRIUS 112/XM 157. My guest will be Stewart Liff, author of Managing Your Government Career.