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Recession Survival Smarts Call For Taking It EasyMonday, November 9th, 2009This is an excerpt from Forbes.com. Click on link to read entire article. “Boxer, the draft-horse in Orwell’s Animal Farm, had a single solution for every problem: “I will work harder.” That didn’t work out so well for poor Boxer. And though business advice columnists often push a similar theme to businesspeople and entrepreneurs, it won’t work out well for a lot of them either. …” Conversation in the shadow of war and peaceFriday, August 28th, 2009Karen Southall Watts is a member of the UP advisory board. Her blog address is http://karensouthw.wordpress.com. “Learning to have a conversation that doesn’t turn into a confrontation” — this statement caught my ear as I was half-listening to the BBC news on television the other night. It turns out this particular piece of news wasn’t really new as I found an online article about it from a couple of months ago, but it sure was powerful. http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0428/p06s01-wome.html A group of Iraqi students are taking classes in music and civility. That’s right—civility. In the shadow of war these students are dedicating themselves to creating classical music, etiquette and conversation skills. How in the world can we, living here in relative safety, do less? The art of conversation and the civil treatment of others are the indicators of human achievement. Even if we look at things in less grandiose terms, polite verbal discourse is essential to a high quality life. You might be the most brilliant computer programmer in town, but if you can’t communicate that without being rude in an interview, you’re going to stay unemployed. No matter what side of any political issue you are on it will be impossible to convince others to follow you if you begin your discussion by insulting them. And where will North Americans end up in the global marketplace if we continue to slide into sloppy and rude communication while the rest of the world struggles to learn English and develop not only civility but better all around communication skills? We cannot “rest on our laurels” and we must, each one of us, continue to seek out ways to improve our communication skills. The world is wired — humans are more connected, thanks to technology, than at any time in history. To survive and thrive you must be able to make your points, sell your products, and have a conversation…without confrontation. Or those who can will leave you in their virtual dust. Who’s your politician?Thursday, June 25th, 2009I have a secret obsession—soap operas from Asia. Ok, it’s not a secret anymore. I just love them. Most of my favorites are from Taiwan and South Korea. They often have formulaic plots, usually have funny side characters, and best of all they end after a few weeks. My latest indulgence is a Korean drama called “City Hall” about a sassy woman who becomes the mayor of her hometown and romances an up and coming national politician. What does this have to do with United Professionals? While watching the last thrilling episode I realized I don’t know the names of all of my own local and area politicians. Just like I can’t accomplish much without a professional network, how to I expect to be part of societal change if I don’t know anything about who is working in my government? I now know my mayor is named Dan Pike and he worked for ten years in the seafood industry. His goals for the city include looking at other cities to find best practices for getting input from the public. What I want all UP members to do is find out who your local, regional, and state level politicians are and what they stand for. Then get in touch with them, and let them know what’s on your mind. Here is a link to get you started: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml It’s as easy as entering your zip code. Blog: www.karensouthallwatts.com Two UP Members Appointed to Advisory BoardMonday, June 15th, 2009Tom Bishop is the Marketing Program Manager at AutomatedQA, and is responsible for the company’s online campaign strategy, messaging and material development, communications and sales department support. To United Professionals, he offers experience in online strategy and implementation of community building and communications programs. Tom brings more than ten years in brand strategy, campaign management, market segmentation, research and data analysis, and business development, with expertise in Content Management Systems, SEO, database tracking and analytics. He has a great deal of experience in start-up companies that are positioned for rapid growth. He received his MBA from Boston University School of Management in 2002. “I joined United Professionals because of its clear mission to defend the democratic principles that a fair working economy and a strong middle class are built on. Now that we have seen the open war being waged by corporations against those principles, organizations like UP are more important than ever.”
“After working in adult education for over a decade, I understand the time, energy and expense that people put into their professional development. I want to see my students and all other graduates go into a job market that recognizes and values their talents and efforts. I support the work of UP because I believe workers deserve employers who respect them as individuals, support them as members of society and pay them a living wage. I see UP as the natural partner of higher education.” Tom and Karen both emailed UP with ideas. Their excellent suggestions led to their inclusion in UP’s newly-formed “Idea Committee” along with board members Trude Diamond and Barbara Ehrenreich and site editor Diane Alexander. Tom is now co-chair of the Website Team, and Karen is co-chair of the PR Team. Thanks to both of them for their volunteer work and continuing great ideas! Don’t forget that UP dues are optional. Please tell your friends to join! Coping Strategies for Hard TimesMonday, June 1st, 2009The economic meltdown is old news. The decay of the housing industry has been talked to death. Sometimes life is just hard, so what are we supposed to do? How can we move from whining and victimhood to coping, achieving and succeeding? First, beef up your communication skills. In order to get what you need in life you must be able to express yourself. Great communication skills are what help you ace job interviews, meet interesting people and sell yourself and your ideas. Employers expect you to be able to talk to customers, solve problems without resorting to slang or vulgarity and write up readable reports. Potential mates (or dates) want someone who listens attentively and responds empathetically. Nurture your relationships, both personal and professional. We all need moral support to deal with hard times. In addition, solid supportive relationships help us move on to new challenges-mastermind groups are an excellent example of this. Resist the urge to fold in on yourself when you suffer a setback. If you lose your job, your business fails or your marriage is in trouble, now is not the time to cut yourself off from the world and just “stew.” Try to invest in relationships for their own sake. Don’t be tempted to size people up in terms of potential client leads or what they can do for you. If you own a business increase your commitment to customer service. It’s easier and cheaper to keep a current customer satisfied than to go harvest a new one from the universe. Hard times make people second guess their spending decisions and hold tight to their money. You need to be offering clear value. Answer your emails promptly; phone messages too. Don’t let complaints go unattended. Think about going the extra mile and adding value. Reward customers who give you referrals with product or coupons. For those times between jobs — concentrate on becoming more well-rounded. Lots of employment agencies tell the unemployed to look at the job search as a full-time job. The problem is that the more narrow your focus in life, i.e. getting a new job, the less interesting you become and therefore less desirable as an employee. If you haven’t read a book, been to a social engagement of any kind or done any exercise you are going to arrive at your next job interview a boring, stressed out and tired person. This is hardly the kind of candidate that screams “Hire me, I’m the best.” When the going gets tough-the smart get social. Good communication skills and solid relationships will help you to weather the hard times ahead. Continuous self improvement can make the difference between getting ahead and getting left behind. Karen Southall Watts is an entrepreneurship and management trainer. Karen travels all over the country to teach workshops to new business owners and leaders. Over the years Karen has expanded her work to include lifestyle coaching and communications training. You can reach Karen at http://www.karensouthallwatts.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karen_Southall_Watts
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