Greetings! As I talk to my clients about the issues they are facing on the job, I am amazed at how things can change so quickly with your career, in today's economy. One minute you have a stable job with security, and suddenly, you can be placed in the awkward position of not being sure where you stand because the environment has changed. I encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open so you are not caught off guard. Now is not the time to retreat to your cubicle and simply hope no one identifies you as a weak link. There are steps you should take to ensure you remain in control of your destiny. As a leadership coach, I have learned the importance of always considering options before reaching the crisis stage. Have you ever realized after the fact, that if you had only reacted sooner to your work situation, you would have been better positioned to act more strategically? Give me a call if you would like to talk about your options.

How fast or slow do you want to go in reaching your career goals? The funny thing about taking charge of your career is the empowerment you receive in return. That empowerment leads to clarity about who you are and the value you bring. Knowing your worth goes a long way in taking charge of the rollercoaster ride of today's workplace.

Demonstrating leadership can be a combination of trial and error. Some of your ideas will work and some won't. Some of your best bets will bring you the immediate visibility that you desire and some will take more time to get recognized for. I offer the following recommendations to get you started.

1. Challenge yourself this month to use your critical thinking skills more often. Strategic thinking helps you use your analytical skills as well as your ability to entertain possibility thinking. Use every situation to determine how you can demonstrate leadership by either directing others or implementing a solution.
2. Read the book "Strategic Thinking: A Four Piece Puzzle" by Bill Birnbaum. This book offers techniques for achieving and maintaining your focus as well as it offers answers to the question of how you can uncover the most important activities in your organization.

Last month we discussed Susan's desire to be promoted and her plan to improve her communications skills based on feedback she received. I agree with her game plan for improvement, with one exception.

• She is missing a very important first step in her quest for improvement. Too often we receive negative feedback and immediately seek validation from others. My recommendation to Susan is that prior to meeting with her boss, team, and peers, she should hold a meeting with herself. The purpose of the meeting is to conduct an honest self evaluation and assessment. We are often harder on ourselves then anyone else ever could be. Taking this step will force her to recognize her weaknesses as well as her strengths. The purpose of identifying her weaknesses is to put a plan in place to correct them.

• Once she has conducted a self assessment, she will be in a position to ask specific questions of others on how she can improve her communication skills. This approach will improve the productivity of her meetings and ensure that she gets specific feedback for improvement.

Next month we will explore a new leadership scenario, so stay tuned.

Testimonial
"Deborah Chima gave me the impetus that I needed to keep reaching for my professional goals. As a coach, she walked me through a productive decision- making process that I still use today. Since that time, I have begun implementing her recommendations and am starting to see results! As a coach and as a personal friend, I remain grateful to her for steering me in the right direction."

Melody Byrd
Senior Installation Consultant
IDX Systems Corporation
Lombard, IL.

Coaches Corner

Coach's response: I am curious as to why your boss is avoiding you. It's my opinion we must identify and resolve this area first. Only then can we determine if there is a need to do damage control prior to approaching the boss again for time. Here are my initial thoughts:

• Is the boss avoiding you because they know what you want and either cannot respond or don't want to? Herein may be the possible real reason for the avoidance. You may be of the school of thought that if you continue to ask for something, you will eventually wear the boss down. What actually winds up happening is you become irritating because his or her response has not changed. Continuing to demand an answer only puts the boss on the spot and they will continue to avoid you.

  Try this approach instead: Seek an opportunity that demands one on one time, such as a performance update meeting. Prior to the meeting, communicate to the boss that you realize your previous approach to the situation may have made them uncomfortable.

  Let the boss know that during the meeting you would like to discuss suggestions on how you can improve the communication between the two of you. Asking for input in this manner will go a long way in demonstrating your sincerity which should help the boss become more comfortable with opening up for an honest dialogue. During the meeting, make sure you do more listening then talking. This not the time to communicate your displeasure about being ignored. The objective of the discussion to find out how the boss wants you to handle the situation when you need a response on a topic of importance to you.

• Have you made progress with establishing a relationship with the boss? People are under the misguided opinion that the boss is obligated to spend time with you. Yes, as a part of their job, it is their responsibility to develop you. This responsibility does not mean you are entitled to one on one attention. You need to think of reasons why it will be to the boss's advantage to meet with you. What problems can you help him or her resolve?

Each month a question will be answered in the coach's corner. Submit your question to the coach at: deborah@chambersconsult.com. If your question is chosen, your identity will not be revealed.

Leadership Coach Deborah Chambers Chima offers one on one coaching, consulting, and teleclasses designed to assist professionals in creating a work environment that is challenging and provides opportunity for career growth. If you liked today's issue, you'll benefit from her interactive, results-oriented coaching designed to help you define and execute the professional development plan that will lead to achieving your goals. To learn more, log onto my website at www.chambersconsult.com.

Coming Soon! Deborah Chambers Chima and Narmen Hunter are the coauthors of the book, "Choose to Lead: Advice, Techniques, and Solutions for Women", scheduled to be published by January 2005.

Deborah Chambers Chima is passionate about assisting her clients with achieving their professional goals. Prior to launching her consulting and coaching firm, she achieved an award winning, twenty four year tenure in corporate management in the retail industry, in both international and domestic markets. Her clients appreciate her attention to detail and her desire to assist others in improving their productivity. To learn more about Deborah, please visit her website at www.chambersconsult.com.

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