Jocelin Caldwell 9/29/16 Jocelin Caldwell 9/29/16

S.M.A.R.T. vs. S.M.A.R.T.E.R Goal Setting

For many of us, September is the new January when it comes to career and business planning. The seasons change and we head in to winter; kids go back to school and people begin to think about what is next? Of course, I make my living supporting people with career or business goals (and love doing it!) but also deeply believe that people should understand how to set and track their own goals. You may have worked with the concept of setting S.M.A.R.T goals in the past. But in case you haven’t, the acronym refers to:

Specific: The more specific you are in defining your goal, the easier it will be to chart an action plan. An easy way to ensure a goal is specific is to use the “6 Ws” as a means to qualify your goal: Who is involved? What do I want to accomplish? Where will this take place? When will this take place? Which constraints or obstacles may be involved? Why would this goal enhance my life?

Measurable: The easiest way to ensure that a goal is measurable is to ask yourself, “How will I know my goal is accomplished?” Give quantities, schedules, dates etc.

Attainable: Make sure that it’s possible to achieve the goals you set. However, also resist the urge to set goals that are too easy. Try to strike the right balance between attainable/challenging and out of reach/unrealistic when you are charting out your goals.

Relevant: A simple way to ensure that the goal you set is relevant to you, it’s essential to ask, “Does this goal reflect my core values?”

Time Frame: The difference between a goal and an activity is that goals have deadlines. Set specific dates by which certain things must be accomplished in order to achieve your goal.

To make the goal setting process “smarter”, I have added the next two criteria:

Extended: The goal should stretch your capabilities and allow/empower you to grow as a person.

Rewarding: Know, and therefore be able to anticipate, what rewards await you as a result of completing your goal(s).

So, in honor of the season of planning set some S.M.A.R.T.E.R goals and see what happens. Happy new year!

Jocelin Caldwell 6/10/16 Jocelin Caldwell 6/10/16

Taming Our Limiting Beliefs

I work with an executive who is making six figures and supporting her family as a single mother, and has a value around stability, but she hates her job but really believes that she can’t leave it because of her family. Her perception is that she cannot make a VP salary at any other company. This is what she says stands in in her way of moving into fulfilling work.

Is this true? She asks… No, in watching the labor market and knowing her skills, education and background. My career coach instinct says this is not true. But we agree it is her limiting belief.

Of course, people who live in glass houses….

I also have limiting beliefs. I have wrestled constantly with my beliefs around being a working mother. I have limiting beliefs about my freedom being self-employed vs working inside a company.

Limiting beliefs are those which constrain us in some way. Just by believing them, we do not think, do or say the things that they inhibit.

We may have beliefs about rights, duties, abilities, permissions and so on. Limiting beliefs are often about ourselves and our self-identity. The beliefs may also be about other people and the world in general.

In any case, they sadly limit us.

Let’s look at eliminating beliefs and fear. Here are some simple steps:

1. Normalize your fear. Everyone has gremlins, inner critics and limiting beliefs. We all have them. This is what they sound like. These are the kinds of things they say to you. They say ‘you’re never going to get a job this good’ or ‘at your age, who’s going to hire you’. Or you can never make that kind of money doing xyz.

2. Shine a light on the critic, the limiting belief. When we shine a light on our particular variety of those critics and exactly what they’re saying to us we have some power around them and we have some choice around them. She could decide to stay at that job and that’s an absolutely okay choice, but choosing to stay and honoring her value of stability above all else is now a choice because she’s shined a light on the limiting belief and she’s named it and there’s power in that. She can powerfully choose that for herself and her family.

3. Learn how to quiet the gremlin. How do we move past them or around them? How do we work with them? I don’t think you get rid of them. They tend to diffuse when they get a little air time.

FIELD WORK: FIELD WORK: What your signature inner critic sound? What is the belief that you’re holding? How do you know if that’s true? Wanna chat it through? Give me a call.

Jocelin Caldwell 1/8/16 Jocelin Caldwell 1/8/16

Baby steps can change your career.

Happy New Year! There is always a lot of information in January about setting goals. With a career change it does not have to be a huge leap or a BIG GOAL. I promise. What if it just was a micro-movement that could change everything? Here is an example, I had a young client who was miserable at Starbucks. After some values work with me she moved to a small independent restaurant and she was more fulfilled. It wasn’t a different job description she needed but an environmental change.

Isn’t this great news? There may not be something wrong with your overall career choice.You might be able to make a small change to fix what is not working for you in your job.
For example, you may hate a part of your job that is only 10% of your time. Instead of looking for another opportunity in a new company the first step is to have a conversation with a supervisor or a co-worker about how to shift some duties/responsibilities around.

Through one to one coaching I can support you to look at what is really not working at work. What do you love doing that you are not doing? What do you want to do more of at work this year? Feel stuck – Let’s talk.

Jocelin Caldwell 10/16/15 Jocelin Caldwell 10/16/15

You Don’t Have to Swing at Every Pitch

My dad took me to lots of Blue Jay baseball games when I was growing up. I am not a baseball expert, but I do understand an important element of the game: deciding if/when to swing. The pitcher throws and the batter has to decide whether it is a good pitch. It’s coming across the plate and if it’s in the sweet spot and the batter knows he/she can hit it: swing! If it isn’t right or the pitch is poor the batter won’t chance it.

How many times in our lives are we presented with the opportunity to swing at, or step back from, what life sends our way? The pitches are always coming – career opportunities, relationships, professional development, family, education, etc. and your job as batter for your life is to know what to swing at and when. To understand what your sweet spot is, what an ideal pitch is for you. A lot of opportunities come up and of course you want to swing at the right ones, the ones that get you the furthest into the outfield. Sometimes, like in the real game of baseball, you don’t get all the time in the world to decide and timing is everything. If you hesitate, you strike out; if you are too aggressive, same result.

So, how do you know when to swing? Professional ball players spend years honing their instincts to the game and they are pros because of all that practice, commitment, and skill has made what they do so well appear natural. As professionals in our own right, we need to spend time doing the same thing. Instead of swinging bats and throwing balls, we are always re-evaluating our values, visions, and goals. We ask ourselves: What do I value the most? Then we add and delete these values from our “Non-Negotiable” career planning list as our life evolves. Such a list will support you in your decisions, provide you with ready and familiar knowledge for when it is swing or step aside time. You will be ready and know what to do because you have taken the time to put in writing what it is exactly you are looking for based on what matters to you most. A non-negotiables list prepares you to recognize the “perfect pitch.”

Non-negotiables might include: hours you would like to work, work environment, and location of position. People come up with vastly different non-negotiables like: I want to be able to bike to work; I want to make ‘x’ amount of money; I want to be able to travel; I want to have creativity in my work; I want to work for a big company; I want to work for myself. Think in terms of what you want (not what you don’t want) and create your list in the positive. Our time is too important to spend on what we don’t want and neither does this focus help us clarify what we do. It keeps us thinking in the negative which is the last place it serves us to be.

Whether you are searching for a new career, job, professional opportunity, or just want to shake life up a little, start with your non-negotiables. Then get ready to swing.

Jocelin Caldwell 9/8/14 Jocelin Caldwell 9/8/14

Boosting Your Current Resume

I recently critiqued 30 college students’ resumes and on average the majority of them had the same common mistakes (aside from being done at three in the morning after the essay for English Lit and before the 4th Red Bull). They were dull, lacked action words and selling points. All the key points bled into one another and the effect was that of one long block of text that no eye wants to tackle despite however promising the content.

Employers or recruiters initially spend very little time looking at resumes, typically only 30 seconds to 1 minute. In that short period of time your resume needs to grab his or her attention enough to call you for an interview.

Before you begin to update your current resume, sit down and figure out what sets you apart from all the other job seekers. Take a hard critical look at it and see if it offers a brief overview of your educational background, employment history. Does it reflect who you are and your unique skill set? If it doesn’t, follow the prompts below to get the re-writing process started.

List your achievements and accomplishments – these can later be turned into accomplishment statements/highlights of qualifications on your resume or cover letter. Write down the following:

1. What positive impact have you made on behalf of previous employers?

2. Where and when have you gone above and beyond quotas or expectations?

3. How do you make a difference?

Work and Volunteer History

Reflect over the past 10 years and make a list of the positions that you have held (paid or volunteer). Answer the following questions about each position.

1. What was the job description and what level of responsibilities and skills were required?