Tuesday, December 21, 2010

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

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

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.

Monday, December 13, 2010

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 TaoismFreudian 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."

Monday, December 6, 2010

'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!