News You Can Use - IEP Conference

Now in its 8th successful year, the IEP Conference is regarded as one of the most innovative and respectful events for skilled newcomers seeking practical, effective career advice.

The next conference will be held on January 14th, 2011 at Lower Level of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.

Online registration for this conference is open, and is free for IEP delegates. This event traditionally attracts over 1200 delegates, so avoid disappointment by registering early. 

Click here to REGISTER at no cost to IEP delegates! 


The Sector Focus for the 2011 IEP Conference is as follows:
Healthcare
Engineering
Business Services
Information Technologies & Communications
Finance and Accounting 

Guest speakers:
Mike Williams, General Manager, Economic Development, Culture and Tourism Division (EDCT), City of Toronto
Ratna Omidvar - President, Maytree Foundation
Sherali Najak, Executive Producer, CBC's Hockey Night in Canada
Rahul K. Bhardwaj - President & CEO, Toronto Community Foundation

For more information visit the conference website at: www.iep.ca

Twelve Priorities For 2011

TWELVE PRIORITIES FOR 2011
By Daniel Stamp dstamp@prioritymanagement.com

If you really want to do something different next year to enhance your career and life satisfaction, look first at the actions and beliefs that impact your own behavior and then at those of the people around you. Here is my wish list for what each and every one of us as individuals can do to make 2011 the best year ever!

1. Design your work life to support what you really want. You can only find ‘passion’, ‘work/life balance’ and ‘meaning’ by looking within yourself first.
2. Make the tough decisions to pursue work and out-of-office activities that reflect what you care about most deeply. Open your arms to change but don’t give up on your deeply held values.
3. Live this year within your means. Ask yourself whether you really need to buy as much stuff as you do? Do you know how much money you really need to have a satisfying and fulfilling life?
4. Make improved relationships a goal at work and at home. Remember that the best relationship is the one in which your love and respect for each other exceeds your need for each other.
5. Ask yourself if ‘staying busy’ is really an escape from your current reality. If your ‘busyness’ is self imposed, think about what you may be using it to escape from. Now act on your conclusions!
6. This year when you make a mistake, take immediate action to correct it. If you feel like you’ve lost... don’t lose the lesson.
7. When you have a disagreement at work or with a loved one at home, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past and don’t ever let a little dispute injure a great relationship.
8. Make ‘listening’ an essential skill to develop next year. Don’t speed listen - because you can’t reduce every message to a caption. Many message require several pieces of information to be understood, and when you respond only to the first piece, you simply create more misunderstanding. Listen to what is really being communicated and absorb the whole message before you start to respond.
9. Keep ALL your commitments. Don’t make commitments (to a meeting, a lunch, completing a piece of work) and then not follow through or cancel at the last minute. Remember that you might be busy - but so is everyone else. Recognize that when you fail to honor your commitments, you are saying two things to the other person: “My time is more important than yours” and “You are not important”.
10. Keep score in 2011! You’ll never know if you are winning or losing if you don’t keep score. Start building a portfolio of your ‘wins’ - a ‘star-file’ if you like. In it you can keep good performance reviews, e-mails or notes of thanks from colleagues or customers, learning certificates and the like. Don’t be shy - you can pull it out when you are having a bad day or use it for career enhancement. Just one positive a day will give you a fat ‘star-file’ by year’s end.
11. Learn something new this year. There is a huge scope for improving your mental capacity. Learning has a direct and beneficial effect on your mental health and well being - whatever your age. It’s fun to learn - a good way to meet and make new friends. Remember to share your new knowledge - it’s a way to achieve immortality!
12. To be truly happy and fulfilled in 2011 means establishing a loving atmosphere in your home and a deep and caring respect for people at work. Love, respect and responsibility are the foundations of your life. Make them a priority today and every day of your life.

Click here to learn more about Priority Management 

Practical lessons

Just came across the "20 Business Truisms That Can Change Your Life" by Steve Tobak, which I'd like to share with you.
They are all wise-universal teachings and some of them I have included in my personal "checklist"... You might add more, too.

"So, while you will find elements of Taoism, Freudian theory, Ayn Rand, and What They Don’t Teach You At Harvard Business School, make no mistake: they’re all practical lessons that can help your career … or even change your life:

1. If you don’t know, say so. If you don’t know what you’re talking about, stop talking.
2. Whether negotiation is strong or weak depends entirely on your goals.
3. Don’t jump ship before you hit the iceberg.
4. Anger is never about what you think you’re angry about.
5. Confidence comes from success, knowledge comes from failure.
6. A**hole is a subjective noun.
7. If you’re miserable, quit and do something else. If you’re still miserable, it’s you.
8. Success is based on current behavior, not past performance.
9. If you protect your domain or CYA, that’s all you’ll accomplish.
10. Thin-skinned people are actually thick-headed.
11. People won’t perform for those they don’t respect.
12. If you’re not passionate about what you’re doing, you won’t be successful at it.
13. When you have problems with others, look inside yourself for answers.
14. The workplace is about business, not you.
15. Conflict is healthy; anger is not. Get some help for that.
16. No matter how smart you are, wisdom only comes from experience.
17. Whine and complain all you want; nobody gives a crap.
18. You can BS others but you really can’t BS yourself.
19. The boss isn’t always right, but she’s still the boss.
20. The customer isn’t always right, but he’s still the customer.

If any of this comes across as sort of preachy, just so you know, that’s not my intent. I’m not interested in indoctrinating anyone, just helping you to navigate a complex and challenging working world."

'Tis the Season for Holiday Networking - And Here's Your Guide by Keith Ferrazzi

I just received this Holiday Networking tip from Keith and wanted to share it with you, too! Go thru these content "to deepen the relationships around you". Enjoy!

News You Can Use - Mentoring online

The target group for this program is Internationally Educated Professionals who are in the process of relocating to Canada. These mentees are matched with Canadian professionals in their field for a four-month mentoring relationship. Apart from the mentoring forum, visitors to this website also have access to links to a range of resources in the areas of settlement, employment and education across Canada. These links are conveniently organized according to these three areas and also according to geographic area of interest to the user. Other resources include a ‘Newsroom' where you may find articles of interest, FAQs and a discussion board where newcomers and other visitors to the site can have discussions and network. Access to the latter two resources requires a basic registration and creation of a user name and password.


To find out more about Canada InfoNet, click here.

News You Can Use - Canada 2011 immigration plan

The Government of Canada will maintain high immigration levels to help sustain the economic recovery, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today upon tabling the annual immigration plan in Parliament. It is estimated that Canada will welcome between 240,000 and 265,000 new permanent residents in 2011. Sixty percent of these immigrants will come through economic streams. "Canada's post-recession economy demands a high level of legal immigration to keep our work force strong," he said. "At the same time, we are maintaining our commitment to family reunification and refugees."


Read the news release. 

Networking can solve job puzzle

News You Can Use - A story...like your story...

Listen the story of a judge who is performing citizenship ceremonies. A story very similar to everyone else... 
What are you taking from his story? Network and get out!

Find out more about Citizenship and Immigration Canada


"Do not wait: the time will never be 'just right'. Start where you stand, and work whatever tools you may have at your command and better tools will be found as you go along." ~ Napoleon Hill

News You Can Use - Mike Lipkin's Top 50 Insights

Read and listen to Mike Lipkin's Top 50 Insights from the PowerWithin Entrepreneurs & Business Leaders Conference on September 23, 2010:

Read Insights and Listen to Insights

How can you use these insights?

News You Can Use - IWES program

The Integrated Work Experience Strategy (IWES) is a new bridge-to-work program being piloted in the Greater Toronto Area under the Information and Communications Technology Council's (ICTC) Immigration Initiatives, in partnership with JVS Toronto.

It prepares internationally educated professionals (IEPs) for employment in Canada's information and communications technology (ICT) sector. IWES is funded by the Government of Ontario and the Government of Canada. We are currently accepting applications for INTAKE 4 in Markham, Ontario.

Only 16 participants will be accepted into the program in this cycle.

Don't delay -- apply by December 2, 2010!

How to apply: Online at www.ictc-ctic.ca.

Click on Immigration Initiatives, scroll down to Integrated Work Experience Strategy Program and choose "About IWES". Click on the "How to Apply as an IEP" button and complete the online form.


Click here for flyer.

Communication X 3!

Last week I participated at a presentation organized by the Association of Romanian Engineers in Canada. The topic was "Understanding Project Management", and the presenter Mr. Rishi Kumar. P.Eng., PMP, CMC was very eloquent in pointing out that the most important factor in the success or failure of a project is Communication. Based on his experience, the interpersonal skills, contracting and negotiation skills are playing the biggest role.


Communication, communication and more communication! Is communication used only in project management? Of course, not! However, everything is project management, as well as everything is... negotiation, as well as we all are in sales! Even if you think you're not :). 
We are first and foremost social beings. And most on the conversations in the workplace are social. Hi, how are you? How was your weekend? How was in vacation? How is your son? etc.
Great social interaction prepares the platform on which work is built. 
So, how we can get better?


Here are a few initial steps ideas:
1. Before coming to Canada improve your English speaking skills.
 - Test Your English
- Learn Business English
- 11 RULES OF WRITING
2. Once you're here, join a Toastmasters International club.
 - Why to join? Read this and then go Find Meeting Locations near to your area.
3. Use different resources like these:
 - FREE Communispond Podcast Library
 - Communication skills


...and be prepared for more. 
Enjoy and be happy now!


"The formulation of the problem is often more essential than its solution." ~ Albert Einstein

Play well

Image via Wikipedia

Being a kid, I didn’t have computer and the internet; I’ve got a LEGO brick game as present. I was amazed about the unlimited possibilities to combine the blocks, and quickly realized that if I put them together using two knobs I get a stronger connection than using one knob and one hole. Using more knobs it allows building a very strong structure.

It’s starting with some simple forms, and then only your imagination can limit it. Everything you need you already have. It’s simple. Great toys!

The name LEGO is formed from the Danish words "LEgGOdt" ("play well"). In Latin the word means "I study", "I put together".

For some years I was using the LEGO logo for my journey in life;

LEGO = Learn with Enthusiasm and GO!

To achieve something, I had to learn first about the subject, but only when I put enthusiasm in learning I had great results. After that, when I choose to start and do it right away, the results were exactly as in my imagination. During the process I realized that somehow the things started to work in my favour. 

How do you achieve your outcomes?


"I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving." ~ Oliver Wendell Holmes

News You Can Use - "Growing Pains"

After navigating through the global recession in relatively good shape and enjoying a strong bounceback in the early stages of recovery, Canada’s economy appears to be transitioning to a relatively subdued rate of expansion of about 2%.
Read more here.

Today is Gateway Day by Mike Lipkin

 Welcome back, it’s time to get working. July and August are just distant memories but September is here and it’s now. So are you recharged? Are you regenerated? Are you ready to rock your world? Because that’s what it’s going to take...
» Watch the video
» Listen to the podcast
» Read Mike’s new insights 

What you focusing on?

 As I mentioned before, the intention of these posts is to create a conversation between us and to support you in being successfully accommodated to the Canadian workplace and society. Primarily, to support you in becoming a highly successful IEP.

Each week I will select one or more topics related to the exercises proposed under each main quality of our topic and share with you some experiences about the way that my friends or myself went through something like this.

Just goggle "achieve balance" and you will get millions of hits. We hear a lot about the need of balance in our lives, between work and personal life, etc. On many sites you will get recipes about how to achieve it. Personally, I believe that maintaining balance in our daily life is impossible. I can agree with the concept of ecological balance in nature - as a whole, however I like to see it from the perspective of energy. Energy is always moving based on our focus. So, where are you moving your energy? It is your work? It is your family? By changing your focus, you enable an instant change in how you feel, you can change your emotional state. Are you stressed? If you are stressed, then this is a result of where you're putting your focus. 


Remember: Whatever you focus on becomes your reality! (Believe it or not!) In fact, everything you do is a reflection of what you are focusing on... in your career, in your personal life and relationships or in your health. What you focus on determines how you'll feel!


Now, write down why you must Engineer Your Success in Canada, even if you are not an engineer. As my friend Salvador put it, "These top ten qualities to be successful are fundamental for any professional trying to succeed in this new interconnected world." 
Now, please take your time and go through these next five steps. Be clear and specific. One step at a time...

• What are your reasons?
• What will it give you, your family, and your friends?
• What will it eliminate?
• What kind of stress would disappear if you had a guide like this?
• Write down what it will cost you if you don't take the time to master all  these qualities.

Be happy, now!

P.S. Do you notice any strange wording? (hint: see title)

"Quality questions create a quality life." ~ Anthony Robbins
"Always I will take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.” ~ Og Mandino

News You Can Use - The power of a simple ‘thank you’

 
"Think about this: When was the last time you wrote or received a handwritten note of thanks or even a thank-you e-mail?" read more...

“Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.” ~ Ralph Marston

Five Simple Rules by Mircea Mihaescu

One of the "advantages" of working for a number of years is that you develop a small set of rules you apply to many (if not most...) of the situations you encounter. The way you have those guidelines applied varies from project to project, however you need a way to make them known to the people you work with in a simple way. I try to make mine "memorable" as well... here are five of them, that many of my colleagues have heard me repeating often:

1. If things seem under control, you are not driving fast enough (from Mario Andretti, race car driver)

This is my all-time favorite, as it describes a philosophy of pushing to your (or your team's) limits. If you don't try, you'll never know what you are capable of...

2. If it's too steep, you are too old (from a T-shirt in Banff, a ski town in Western Canada)
A corollary of the previous one, it is emphasizing the need to stay young at heart, to search for new ideas and and new ground, to "boldly go..." (you know the rest).

3. How many years does it take to get 15 years of experience? (from me)

My point is that in many professional domains it just takes time and effort to achieve the required level of proficiency. The answer is, of course, "approximately 15 years", and it should not be considered a "put down" message, rather as encouraging people to set goals and work hard to achieve them. No one wants to be operated on by a surgeon working for a clinic that advertises hiring with "no experience required"... Recently, Malcolm Gladwell has written extensively about this in his book "Outliers".

4. I've never heard such a stupid idea in my whole life! (one of my former managers)

The point here is to think and try to understand new ideas thoroughly, be constructive and tactful with your feedback. The manager in the story made that comment when hearing a suggestion from the company's CEO ( I was there as a techie). He was fired that evening. And the idea did fail spectacularly...

5. You need to repeat something seven times for an adult to remember (from personal experience)

One of my friends is a kindergarten teacher. She told me she doesn't stop from being amazed how quickly kids pick things up and remember them days after the initial discussion. It looks like after so many years of school, we adults have developed a certain level of resistance to other people speaking. So now I do not get frustrated, I just say it again, and again, and again...


Read more of Mircea at Thoughts on entrepreneurship, innovation and software development.

"The illiterate of the 21st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn." ~ Alvin Toffler

News You Can Use - Foreign professionals need 'soft skills' to find success

Foreign professionals need 'soft skills' to find success
Engineering a brighter future; Association trying to help immigrants
By Shaun Polczer, Calgary Herald

"Engineers like to think of mathematics as a universal language.

So the biggest challenge for skilled engineers immigrating to Canada isn't the ability to run calculations, it's often the 'soft skills' that go with finding a job on top of adjusting to a new culture and a new way of life."

Read more here.

The Tenth Quality: They are Generous

They are committed to the IEP community.
They've succeeded because of others, that’s why they want to help others succeed.
They understand that all success is a function of reciprocation.
They give to get.

Now, please take your time and go through these next five steps. Be clear and specific.

1. What’s your philanthropic focus?
• To help, encourage and inspire others to succeed in any undertaking, showing my appreciation for the help and support the community have given me. What about you?
2. How can you develop a reputation for helping others?
• I am involved with the Association of Romanian Engineers in Canada (www.arec.ca) as well as with different groups on LinkedIn, where I learn and share experiences, striving to build long-term relationships. What about you?
3. What percentage of your time and resources have you committed to helping others?
• At least 10%. What about you?
4. How can you turn generosity into opportunity?

"If you always give, you will always have." ~ Chinese proverb

News You Can Use - What You Need to Know About Harassment in Ontario

What You Need to Know About Harassment in Ontario
By: Renée Cormier

June 15, 2010 marked the official start date for employers to have complied with Bill 168 amendments to the Ontario Occupational Health and Safety Act.

The changes to the legislation require employers to have policies in place to protect employees from workplace violence and harassment.

While most companies have little trouble with workplace violence among staff, harassment between employees remains mostly unnoticed.

Canada Safety Council refers to workplace harassment as psychological violence and has received reports of workplace bullying leading victims to commit suicide.

Ontario’s new legislation defines workplace harassment as, “engaging in a course of vexatious comment or conduct against a worker in a workplace that is known or ought reasonably to be known to be unwelcome.” It also defines forms of harassment such as “bullying, intimidating or offensive jokes or innuendos, displaying or circulating offensive pictures or materials, or offensive or intimidat-ing phone calls”.

According to British website www.bullyonline.org, 68% of managers are bullies. Can-ada Safety Council reports that 72% of bullies are bosses and are equally male or female. American studies report that 1 in 5 employees are bullied at work. In light of these statistics, we can assume that bullying or psychological violence is preva-lent and even tolerated in Canadian workplaces. Ontario employers should know that while Bill 168 does not directly address manager/employee relations with respect to workplace harassment, it does leave the door open for judges to award compensation to em-ployees who have been bullied by managers and co workers.

Canadian judges have been taking a dim view of employers that turn a blind eye to bullying in the workplace and organizations of all sizes have had to pay compensation to employees who com-plained of being bullied at work. Organizations such as the Toronto Transit Commission, Honda Canada, RCMP, Subway and Sobeys have all had to pay compensation to former employees due to complaints of bullying at work. These are just a few employers who have been penalized and the message judges are sending should not be ignored. Bullies are a liability to your business and any company that does not take steps to prevent workplace harassment of all kinds is asking for trouble.

Renée Cormier is a specialist in the area of Employee and Customer Engagement. She has been a training and development professional since 1997 and has driven results for many companies throughout her career. Most recently she has published a book called, Engaged for Growth which is currently being distributed throughout Canada, the United States, and UK. Through her company, Powerhouse Conferences, Renée offers an array of corporate education services including Leadership development, Customer Service, AntiHarassment training, Communication skills and ESL classes.

Her passion for business and bringing out the best in people allows her to achieve favorable results for her clients. Renée’s learning sessions are lively, engaging and guaranteed to produce results!



PowerHouse Conferences
Phone: 905-593-2778
E-mail: renee@powerconferences.ca
http://reneecormier.wordpress.com/

The Ninth Quality: They are Natural Networkers

They constantly reach out to others.

They identify the influencers and they contact them  - over and over again.

They love people and it shows.

They attend the meetings and they make the calls.

They know what to say and they say what they know.

Now, please take your time and go through these next five steps. Be clear and specific.

1. Do you know who you need to contact?
• Who are your Power Sources, Role Models, Challengers, Mentors?
• Networking really works when you become a problem solver. If you have a large enough network, you can have access to just about anything you need by leveraging ideas, contacts, everything.
2. Do you know how to communicate with them?
• It's all about them - not YOU!
• "They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel” ~ Carl W. Buechner
3. How can you trade benefits with them?
• How do you prepare yourself for a meeting? As you prep for the meeting, answer the questions below - in writing:
• What do I want from the other person to know?
• What do I want them to believe?
• What do I want them to feel?
• What do I want them to do?
• How well do you communicate your value as a sales/eng/ professional?
• Start by thinking in terms of other people, not yourself.
• What is important to the people with whom you're trying to establish relationships?
• What do their problems, hopes, and successes look like?
• You can't start a relationship without some give and take. Even if you believe you can solve a person's problems with your eyes closed, hold back. Resist the urge to let your enthusiasm run wild at the expense of opening up the conversation. If you listen closely, you're already providing value.
4. Are you allocating the time to attend the right meetings?
• What %?
5. Do you know how to network online?
• Are you getting the best out of LinkedIn? 
• Know what you want to get out of LinkedIn. Use LinkedIn as the tool that it is. 
• How can you use this tool to execute your career management strategy? Do you have one? 
• How are you going to enhance your personal brand?

"Knowledgeable people know facts. Successful people and prosperous people know people" ~ John Demartini   

"Your network is your net worth... Add to your personal bottom line with better networking and bigger  relationships" ~ Tim Sanders