Give Yourself A Career Gift

Are you satisfied with your career? 

If you aren’t, continue listening because the three concepts explored in this podcast will turn your career around, and the concepts are easy to implement. You control them, which has you driving your outcome--not anyone else! 

ThriveWithNancy Podcast addresses the tricky points you run into daily as a woman executive. Nancy Fredericks shares all the secrets she's acquired as an experienced thought leader. She's passionate about sharing practical, insider solutions with women executives to tap into on your way to achieving all of your career hopes and dreams.

No one generates a fulfilling, successful career alone. Explore two opportunities to boost your career in 2023....

Ready to knock over every stumbling block standing in the way of the career you've aspired to achieve? You can have Nancy Fredericks in your back pocket through YOUR STRATEGIC EDGE coaching package…it comes with a ton of extra goodies. Check it out at: https://thrivewithnancy.com/executive/

Thrive@Work MasterMind program is a monthly 90-minute virtual community of professional women committed to growing and developing their careers through real-life, in-the-moment learning. Join this group of dynamic women acquiring the secrets rarely shared regarding career success for women--one that is satisfying and fulfilling. 

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:04

Welcome to the Thrive with Nancy podcast. Give yourself a career gift and isn't this the time for it? Man, it's so tough out there right now. The first question to ask , are you satisfied with your career, even your life? Did you answer with a resounding yes? Then I have to tell you, congratulations are in order for you. You are a source of inspiration to those around you by role modeling a fulfilling mindset at work. I would love to hear what you believe supports achieving this much sought after attitude in your life. Please reach out to me. We'll have a lot of fun sharing these concepts together. However, if you aren't experiencing consistent fulfillment and pleasure right now, stay and listen because it'll turn your career around and each concept of the three is easy to implement, and I have them all through questioning. The first is, do you ever hear yourself saying, I have to when discussing your job? Whenever I hear clients saying, have to, I hear the emotional drain it brings to them. What if just possibly you changed your thinking entirely and started focusing on the get tos or the I choose to? When speaking about your career, are you kind of mentally pressing back or shaking your head because it feels contrived and not sincere and out of integrity to be measuring for what you get to do? Much of my work has been assisting executives and understanding that success here , this really, really emerges from their own hearts and choices, even though most of us believe a career appears to have more to do with what our organization gives us or chooses to support us in. There are a couple more questions I want to ask, and I need you to be as honest as possible with yourself. I'm not gonna hear your answers, so just dig deep, and then if you discover you're not strong on one, start taking action right away on that one. Why? Because you'll feel better about yourself as your career gains legs and momentum. The second question is, when you assess your job, do you consider it meaningful work for you? Through the years, I've realized that those clients who have found a sense of purpose in their work are more engaged and fulfilled, and I might add that the discovery of your meaning is always, always intensely personal. Viktor Frankl, who faced more brutal days than we ever do in our day-to-Day work experience is a survivor. No, I bet if he were sitting beside me right now, he'd be saying, I'm a thriver. He was imprisoned by the Germans in Auschwitz during World War ii. In his book, which I highly recommend, it's an old book and still in print, entitled Man's Search for Meaning, he shares that the innate quest for humans, even in the most dire circumstances, comes from finding their meaning and purpose in life, not something you'd think someone would come out of World War ii being imprisoned with that kind of attitude, would you, but he did. More recent research confirms that what employees feel personally significant, they are more engaged, dedicated, and fulfilled to many. In today's workforce. This topic is just as critical an aspect of being employed as their promotions or salary increases, or bonuses or working conditions. A MIT Sloan Management Review article on work meaningfulness indicates that employees need to find it for themselves. You can't expect it to be mandated by your manager. However, leaders can delineate the greatness and distinctiveness of the company so that employees are proud to work for this particular organization over another. Also, leaders can help employees feel meaning by simply acknowledging a job well done, recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating employees achievements. Let me share some ideas to aid you in generating, absorbing, interesting, creative, and fulfilling work for yourself. First, choose to stay actively engaged and present. Second, offer assistance or share knowledge with your work colleagues. Third, identify your strengths and passions and measure for touching them every single day. Fourth, become part of something bigger and more important than yourself . Interestingly enough, rarely do you experience a meaningful burst of emotion that fills your heart right smack dab in the moment. Rather, retrospection and reflection fill you with a glow of meaning. Our third question is, do you feel proud about your level of accountability? You know, accountability is the number one finger pointing complaint I hear from senior managers and employees alike. Both sides of the equation don't feel the other is accountable. Research actually supports this with 93% of surveyed employees not understanding what their organization is trying to accomplish so they can align that aspiration with their work product, nor do they feel they can be accountable for desired results. One third of employees priorities change frequently creating confusion and missed deadlines. Additionally, 84% cited that leader's behavior was and is the most adverse factor influencing their view of accountability. Many employees feel their company uses accountability simply as a weapon against them. The lesson these stats and insights reveal is that if you are in a position of authority and intend to breed a culture of accountability, there are two actions you have to take right now. First, generate clarity regarding goals and missions, and second, ensure that you are a role model for accountability. On the other side, 84% of the workforce describes itself as trying but failing or avoiding accountability even when they know what to do to fix the problem that has emerged. Yes, as an employee you can cop out with, I don't know what they want me to do, or My company only uses accountability as a way to punish me. Why did I use the pejorative term cop out ? It was done with intentionality. I want you to know I intend to let you in on one of the big fat secrets seldom disgust in business. It isn't that external perception of you that determines your future, so it isn't all of those other people that decide whether you're worthy or not to be promoted. The reality is that your success rests in your hands no matter what is happening in your culture. It is your choice to build accountability muscles or not, and your level of accountability governs your career future. Those who are accountable, inspire, trust, demonstrate a leadership mindset, display solution thinking, and are promise keepers. That kind of attitude opens the door for a bright career and bodes well for you to achieve your business goals. Accountability is for you as much as anyone else internally. You have to understand this. You measure yourself for every failure in meeting a deadline. If you are not keeping promises to yourself and others, long-term , you will never permit yourself to thrive. You'll always belittling yourself or feeling less than who you can be. Always remember, you are the arbiter of your worthiness. No one else if you're not achieving what you want. The really fabulous news is that it rests in your hands. These three concepts are controlled and implemented entirely by you, which has you driving the career bus forward to its outcome, not anyone else. You can't count on anyone else ever being as vested in your career as you are. I believe in this concept, it's worked for me and it's worked for hundreds, hmm , probably even thousands of clients of mine. I remember as an early employee, procrastination ruled my career. I may not have missed my deadlines, but I sure was rushing and stressing to complete the project. Yet I never felt good about my results because I knew I could have done better. What turned me around and had me being proud of myself and recognized for outstanding results was changing my mindset from just in time . Accountability to on time was late accountability. My career began moving upward from that time onward, but more than that, I was excited to wake up and go to work instead of dreading the push to achieve. I know what it's like to experience the bright dawning of a new day that I'm looking forward to. Are you ready to experience that you can visit Thrive with Nancy to explore all available free resources if you're excited to create new opportunities in your career? Is it now? Yes. Now the time to experience the Your Strategic Edge program where you and I create a full on partnership for your success holding each accountable for your results. Sign up for a free strategic call at www thrive with nancy.com/executive. No successful executive, which is the top or even arrives at their next destination alone .