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