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rockdev—Posted on
Today we are diving into a common question I receive: How do I update my profile if I don’t really know what I’m looking for?
I’m going to use Annie Leib, who is one of our mastermind members and one of our coaches as an example of a profile you can model after. Since we up-leveled her personal brand, she has been seeking her next role and doing it with ease.
When Annie first came to me, she felt a bit all over the map and not everything was streamlined like it is now. The first thing we started with was a nice clean background picture along with a nice professional picture. Her keywords and headline there are the things that she is going for and what she wants. It also includes where her own personal strategy, her own mission, and the impact that she wants to make.
As you scroll down, you will see where she went to school and how she graduated with her executive MBA. In her about section, we highlighted her Clifton Strengths which show potential employers exactly what she is amazing at. We also focused on sharing that she is a problem solver and a solution, not just a candidate.
You will also see we included a virtual coffee link at the bottom which is tied to her calendar and scheduler. Anyone who views her profile can schedule a time to chat with her. Everything within her profile is strategically placed in order to rank her high for the SEO search terms she desired. Since doing this, her views on her profile have increased to 976%.
The secret? It’s always about understanding what the other person is looking for. Who’s waiting for you on the other side, who are you helping and serving with what you do?
If you are interested in learning more about setting up your profile for success, the first step is to grab our free soul searching assessment! Grab it here: rockonsuccess.com/soul/
Ashley DeLuca—Posted on
Okay guys. So this is Pat Roque the Rock Star Career Transformation Coach. And I wanted to share something really cool. If you know me by now, you probably know I’m a big fan of the Gallup organization. I love Strength Finders. I love helping people understand why they rock, what their strengths are and how to show up in the world, how to find your place in the sun and how to pay attention to those people.
On the other side, who really want and need you. I love that I really am committed to it. So, you can imagine my delight. When I saw a Gallup article talking about an IBM study, you know, IBM, that little blue company we all know and love. The number one skill needed to thrive in the new normal workforce.
Moving into 2030, is dat de da da, building relationships. Number one skill needed to thrive in what we’re looking at is that new normal, that unknown. Not just in 2020. Not just 2025. But even beyond is going to be building relationships. And you know why that is 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 have not yet even been invented.
There is no name for the jobs we may have 10 years from now. They don’t even exist so much like the way of telephone operators. We don’t really have those anymore. On our rotary phone, watching our black and white TV, where we had to get up and actually move a dial. It was a dial, not a button. Remember to change a channel for the few channels we had on our dial phone or having an operator.
Those things have all gone away because technology and innovation have farst it, well, so now we have technology and innovation and artificial intelligence and a world that’s changing faster than ever imagined with societal things, between Coronavirus and diversity and inclusion and all of those things mixed together. So, building relationships is the number one skill that is your guaranteed insurance policy, right? So, when you think about automation and machine learning,
It’s really important to stay on top of your tech. So, if you are in any certain industry, you definitely want to watch and see what the company culture is about, where you’re looking to go, what tools and technology they have on a job description. That might be your dream job. And we have a tool. If you decide you’re coaching with me, called a Career Transformation Workbook.
And I make it really, really easy. But I’m going to tell you, one of the secrets is we keep it in a GoogleSheet with different tabs. So everything is organized. And when you’re going through your dream job description, you’re going to actually be copying and pasting some of the language, the actual language, the verbiage that they use so that we are not just paraphrasing, sounding a little bit like them. We are parrot, phrasing, sounding exactly like them. So, when they’re talking about their motivation and their commitment to evolving and bringing their people along over time, the ways companies describe that moving people along through unknown is really key. I’ve promised you, they spent tons and tons of money and tons and tons of time to have groups of people putting their heads together, to come up with that language. It’s from the bottom of their heart. You need to own it and embrace it and make sure you align with it. And I’ll give you an example. So, for folks who may have been interviewing at places like Amazon, I helped someone go from the banking industry. She elevated with the speech, learning how to use her speaking gigs to get expertise and to become an influencer in an industry.
Amazon came after her. She ended up tripling her income, her comp package. And I do mean tripled, literally more than tripled. And, she’s now running employee resource groups for Amazon. And the best part is she’s got, you know, a two to five year, window ahead of them. Her company was much more advanced than they are in the thing she works in. So, she’s already spending most of her time, instead of learning about the company, like what she does and how to contribute. She knows what she’s got to do. She’s spending her time investing in people. She’s like, this is the biggest joy of all, because I have the time to focus on the people and the politics and the culture.
And that’s where I’m going to be able to make an impact. So, when we were applying for jobs at Amazon, we take the process. I just said, and we, Amazon has 14 leadership principles. Did you know that? So across the top column, we would put all 14 leadership principles think big, work quickly do things that scare you. There were a whole bunch of things in their language, in their own words of why it’s important and how to be a big contributor on the right kind of contributor at a company like Amazon. So now when you’re going into an interview and if you do well, that last interview is a six hour. They used to fly you out to Seattle right now.
It’s been virtual. They may be flying you back out again soon, and you need meet with six different people for 50 minutes at a time. And they’d ask you behavioral questions. Tell me a moment when, and you’d have to check the box on. Did you think big, did you grow a team? Did you save money? How did it align with their 14 key? Their big mantras, right? They’re idealistic way of looking at the world and what keeps coming back over time, just like this IBM survey says is build relationships, establish connections, demonstrate care, and demonstrate times you were willing to think big or create a process.
That’s now achievable success. That’s measurable and repeatable. How can you impact a company and help carry people along over time?
Don’t be afraid to envelop them and develop their strengths. Don’t be afraid to share expectations. Um, the new management structure is where managers are now. Coaches. Anybody feel that that’s a good thing. Alright, anybody feel like they like coaching and they might be even better at coaching than managing. Have you thought about that? The new framework for being managers is really going to be more about being coaches and really empowering your team and not being afraid to make your team better because here’s the secret.
At the end of the day, the Gallup study talks about it, bringing people along, teaching people how to connect, but I’m going to tell you, the one thing you should take away from today is that we are not supposed to be great at everything our collective team, should be right. We’re not supposed to be great at everything our collective team should be. And if you are curious about your strengths, curious about collaboration, trying to figure out where you fit into the big picture on the next chapter of your life, because things have changed so much. So, don’t, don’t stress that you’re on quicksand. Inertia’s never our friend. So, if the spirit of what we’re talking about, if the types of information we’re sharing, if building a system built around mindset, getting really, really clear on what matters to you, understanding your strength and your focus. The next part is skill set. It’s connecting those dots. It’s being able to clearly speak around why you rock and connecting dots from your background, not to sound arrogant, but to let a hiring manager know how you can impact them in their organization.
Because that hiring manager wants to know they can go home and sleep well at night and put their head on the pillow because you’ve got their back, right? They want to know you’ve got their back. And then the last part is that storytelling piece. And Karen, you just said, you’re really good at that. But it’s about that storytelling piece. How do you articulate your value is your LinkedIn profile?
- What it needs to be?
- Is it keyword searchable?
- Are you making the right introductions?
- Are you networking like a champion, even, even during a pandemic?
Because I promise you out of sight should never equal out of mine. And it’s our obligation, especially if you believe Gallup and IBM, two companies, I trust implicitly that building relationships is the number one skill.
So, rocking your networking, understanding your strengths, understanding other people and caring enough about them to really nurture those relationships. It’s not only fun, but it’s our obligation. And I’d love to be the one to help you enjoy this journey. Job searching and career pivots do not have to be painful, torturous processes. I promise you they can actually be a lot of fun if you’ll just stop and breathe through it.
Trust the process, rely on a system that works, and surround yourself with other awesome people who will, who will lift you up and help you along the way. And that’s what I’m here for. So if this was helpful, let me know. And if you want to join us, we’re going to be here. Live every weekday. Now through June 25th, 3:00 to 4:00 PM Eastern. You can do that. It’s the same link every day. So you don’t have to re-register guys, but it’s rock on success.com forward slash corner. That’s rock on success.com forward slash corner. And if you already know in your heart that you want to probably work with us, David’s already onboard in the Mastermind. If you want to work with us and become part of our family and start working with me privately and doing the one-on-one and the group and having us do all those, upgraded your tools for you. You should just go to RockOnSuccess.com/apply and we’ll schedule private time to have a chit-chat and talk about it.
So, I’m here for you and I appreciate you. And, I’m going to shut off the recording and see if anybody’s got questions or comments they would like to share real quick.
Holly Upshaw—Posted on
Today I’m sharing with you 3 tips as to why you need to pivot your career and, perhaps most importantly, the things you should consider before doing so. Why is this important?
Because we’re in a time of transition. Things are kind of crazy out there in the world. I think we know that. And now more than ever, we need to embrace the fact that we have two choices in life. Either as all this crazy pandemic is happening and all these changes are hitting, we can either hide under the covers and hope that it blows over which isn’t exactly the most practical thing.
Hide in the bathtub. Like my puppy tries to do. Stick your head in the sand. Or we can pay attention and realize that it’s up to us to embrace, change and view this unimaginable moment as an opportunity to take charge of our future by surrounding ourselves with people who can and will make an impact and make a difference.
I’ve had multiple career pivots and I promise you, you probably will have more than one more than three, could be four or five, even over the course of a lifetime, especially if you’re more closer to my kid’s ages, you know, right out of college, or right out of medical school. This is not your father or your grandparent’s career track,
Right? Remember, I don’t know about you, but both of my parents had their major role for over 30 years. They had the retirement dinner and all those great things. And for some of us, even some of us in the group, we have achieved retirement and now are saying, you know what? Um, I’m younger, I’m healthier or I’m ambitious. And I know that I’m not done contributing. So, is it time to pivot? And when it is, do we want to move up? Some people are looking for a raise, a promotion, a Board of Directors. See, they like what they do. They like whom they do it for. It’s not that it’s broken.
They just want more. Do they want to move over? Meaning I’m really great at what I do. I love my career path, but I’m physically relocating. I’m moving to a new organization or is it moving onto something different altogether? And those are those moments where we may want to reinvent ourselves completely. It could be going from paid to volunteer.
I call it “rightsizing your career” because sometimes, sometimes it’s about doing more and sometimes it’s even about doing less, right? So, some people want to still contribute to their industry to work in their zone of genius, but they don’t want all the stress of having to put in the hours they had been. So, those are choices. Sometimes career pivots are chosen for you.
Like if your company closes or furloughs and all the things that are happening with the pandemic, sometimes you get to choose. And I promise it’s a lot more fun when you take charge of your career path and start to really pay attention to the things that matter most. So why do you need to pivot in your career? Again, sometimes it’s chosen. Sometimes you choose it.
But three things to consider before doing. So, these are my A-ha moments. Are you ready? I built a platform that helps people think about the three main pillars of a pivot versus mindset. What matters most? What lights us up? What are our strengths? This is how you set your career GPS. The second is skillset, and that is where we connect the dots from where we’ve been to where we hope to be and figure out our dream role, and how we really align with that next thing. What do we need to do to maybe fill in some gaps? Are there free courses? Is there volunteering I could be doing to get that extra experience? Is there something I could be telling my manager I want to dedicate 10% of my time to?
One of my clients decided that his business was getting slow and he went to a CEO and said, look, everybody’s coming to me asking about what to do. Working from home. He created the task force and became the leader of it on virtual teams, how to help his company, and his colleagues thrive. So, all of those things are quantifiable and quality measurements that we can do to align our skillset and connect the dots from who we were in our prior life, our past wins or past accomplishments, and how they could impact the decision-maker in the next chapter.
So in other words, in our toolkit, we have a Career Transformation Workbook. You can make your own if you wanted, but can you track your quantifiable successes over time? Keep it in a Google sheet so that it grows over time. But across the top, I want you to keep the categories of, was it a leadership win? Was it a financial win? Did I speed the process? Did I improve the process? Did we innovate and create something new? Was I fearless? Was it employee retention win? How do the things I’ve done impact? Not just me, but my prior organization and how might they impact future organizations connect those dots.
The third thing to consider is toolset. If you know where you’re going and you’ve set your career GPS, that’s step one. If you’ve aligned your skillset, connecting dots from where you’ve been, that’s step two. And then step three is about telling that story in an impactful way. And that’s everything from, how do I introduce myself in public? You know, I’m in transition. I don’t know how to say that or that horrible seeking opportunity for that. Some people put under their LinkedIn profile do not ever do that. Do not do that. That’s not a help to you.
I promise because even in your LinkedIn or in your introductions, you want to come from a position of strength. You want to be known as the expert in water treatment or project management or whatever expert in dot, dot, dot. Not seeking an opportunity. One puts you in a position of power and authority and the other makes you needy and wanting help. And I promise you being searchable as a leader in your space is going to help you a heck of a lot farther. So as you get to part three, which is the storytelling, which is the toolset.
Make sure you’ve done a really good job of being crystal clear so that it’s search engine friendly so that your resume can go through the computer tracking system. But perhaps most importantly of all, when you’re telling your story, make sure you’re Rocking Your Connections, make sure you’re attracting the right people. Make sure you’re going back to your old inner circle of folks.
Not just the people you know recently, but those people whom you’ve built friendships along the way. Like I just had a three-way virtual coffee with a friend from 15 years ago. Make sure. You’re connecting and reconnecting with folks because that’s the way to get your foot in the door faster to remember how awesome things were to build connections and help all three of you share your new collective group of friends that you’ve collected over time to share the wins you’ve had over time. The learnings that you’ve had, you’ve all been in separate places growing over the past X number of years.
So, rocking your toolset part three is really, really important because that’s the way to learn why you should confidently tell your story how, when, and where to do so. So again, career pivots are sometimes chosen for you, but I promise when YOU take charge of your career pivot and do one thing better every single day, you can move forward faster toward a career in life you love without selling your soul or losing your mind. And that my friends are what gives us a life worth living and a career worth having. And gives us those moments where we can jump out of bed in the morning and be completely and utterly proud of whom we’ve become. And know that we are indeed able to make an incredible impact on the world.
So, if you have questions make sure you join the Career Coaching Corner, which is our tithing. We’re going to be here every day. Live 3:00 PM Eastern now through June 25th.
Holly Upshaw—Posted on
We know that unemployment is soaring, and I promise that if you decide to let that stop you, you will be right. However, if you decide to step up and shine the light and stay active, there is a super active job market happening right now.
In fact, we’ve got one of our clients who has three offers pending and is just doing final interviews. I have another client I worked with today because a recruiter is putting her forth for not one, but two different jobs. There are some tremendous opportunities. We’ve had people land jobs in under a month, in just a few weeks, and just a few months.
And they’re not just the lower level essential worker types of positions. They’re things in executive management in operations and project management, leading manufacturing in human resources in healthcare and pharma. There are tons and tons of jobs out there for those of you who want them. And so if you are in parts of the country that are starting to come out of isolation, I wanted to share with you the future of interviews.
Please pay attention because there are three main things you have to pay attention to as you get ready to interview to land your dream job. So, number one, flexibility is key. You might think you’re having a phone interview and they may turn around and add Zoom or Skype to the calendar. Or as we’re seeing right now, you may actually get invited to go to a corporate headquarters and have a face to face or in-person live job interview.
Perhaps for the first time in months and months, and months. And for some of you even before the pandemic, if not years. So please confirm logistics in advance. And again, the day before the interview, because things are changing on a dime traffic patterns, local state laws, just be prepared no matter what. Make sure that for phone and video interviews, you are definitely dressing the part; hair, makeup.
I have lipstick on, even though I have on a mask, just because it’s part of what gives me confidence when I know that I’m having those kinds of conversations. And have your printed notes in front of you. In my world, if I’m on a phone or video interview, I like to have right on the screen right in front of me, right underneath the camera.
Finally, number three, the in-person interview, please revisit transportation and building access. Make sure you take precautions. So, have not one, but bring a back-up. So two properly fitting face masks, have your gloves or hand sanitizer. I would rather know somebody is overprotected than under-protected if I’m meeting with them to be quite honest. So remember no hand-shaking, but a bow or a nod. “Nice to meet you. How are you?” You can actually fold your hands and just nod just to make sure you’re polite. Some people are doing the elbow, you know, like the fist bump with the elbow.
It feels a little awkward, but be natural as best you can given this lovely face mask and rehearse using facial expressions. So, make sure you are speaking with your eyes. It’s really important so that people know you are paying attention, that you hear them and get them. You should certainly confirm that they can hear you clearly. So you have to speak slowly and loudly and distinctly to articulate so that they can follow with you.
Do not keep touching your eyes, your mouth, your face mask, jiggering, adjusting things. Do not touch your face, your hair. You want to have all of this beautiful face mask ensemble rehearsed. You want to be able to use your eyes, make sure they’re open. Make sure you’re addressing people smiling behind the face mask. I promise we’ll also help put a smile in your eyes.
So, in the future of interviews, remember one flexibility is key confirm logistics because things are moving quickly and you might think you’re going on video and it’s the phone, or you might think you’re going on the phone and it’s an in-person. So there are definitely things opening up. And the business of interviewing is active, for the phone and videos, which is tip number two. Have your printed notes handy, make sure they’re up in front of you. Same thing if you’re now going to a location and meeting with someone. Have them handy. We just had a client who is applying for a university human resources lead position. And so she asked if she could sit because they were up in the stadium. She’s not a teacher. It would not be a natural type of distance.
So she asked if she could sit on a certain, desk and table with her notes next to her so that it gave that similar feeling to how she would be communicating with them. If in the real role she stopped and made sure she asked people if they could hear her clearly, and then she would continue on with the interview. And she’s now juggling three offers.
So, that is a wonderful, wonderful problem to have. So again, flexibility is one phone and a video interview tips with your notes are two, and for in-person bring the hand sanitizer where the properly fitting face mask has a backup face mask. You cannot interview without one, or you should not, even if you can, I probably would not.
And don’t forget, you are allowed to ask their policies, make sure you’re comfortable saying, by the way, I know this is hard to answer, but what are your future plans for reengaging the workforce? Flexibility, work remotely, work in the office, and things like that. So ask them if they can speak to where they’re at right now and how they’re making those decisions.
The future of interviews in 2020 has changed my friends, but you can ROCK your interviews, just be prepared, do the right thing, and make sure no matter what you just do you. If you have questions, you can come to our live Career Coaching Corner, which is going to be every weekday from June 11th to 25th. Grab your free spot here: rockonsuccess.com/corner It’s free. You can ask me anything. You can share your expertise, ask questions, or maybe just feel less alone. But if you have interview questions, show up.
Holly Upshaw—Posted on
I thought I’d share today a 10-minute tip, three ways to solve a lack of confidence that can really, really impact your career. And I’m going to start with a quote by none other than Michael Jordan, the world-famous, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, who said
“I missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times. I was trusted to take the game-winning shot and I missed, I failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” So, Jordan said, “you’ve got to be in it to win it. You’ve got to keep at it. You can’t give up on yourself.”
And again, Abraham Lincoln said the best way to predict the future is to create it. And in my world, that means empowering you to take some action steps, to really ROCK your confidence, to ROCK your connections, and to understand how to feel empowered and proud with swagger and with mojo gain perspective on why YOU ROCK! So you can stand out both as confident and competent in your career.
Ready …?! Number one is rocking your strengths. It’s amazing. Once you honor your innate talent and start to forgive yourself for those areas where maybe you’re not so great, we’re not supposed to be great at everything our collective team should be. We’re not supposed to be great at everything our collective team should be. So why not work and thrive in your zone of genius and contribute the things that you do like breathing that is natural and easy?!
Take an inventory of that. Understand your strengths. Understand how you show up. It will make you a trusted, valuable, and reliable partner and collaborator. It’ll make the day so much more fun and enjoyable for you because you can be more productive. You can get more done in less time because you’re working on things you’re good at and you’re delegating the rest.
So one is rocking your strengths. Two is … Tracking your accomplishments. That means not just having this laundry list of tasks, things I’ve done, that’s boring and lame. And no one cares when you want to really make an impression. How about keeping a running list?
And I have built a career transformation workbook for this, but if you want to steal the idea, go ahead and create one yourself, track your accomplishments, and quantifiable wins. Not only that, how do they line up? Is it leadership? When did you save a company X amount of time or make X amount of dollars or save X amount of resources? How did you impact team building or branding? So how do the things you’ve done well align because those skills are the things a hiring manager wants to see to help carry their company forward?
It’s about quantifying you in the framework of how you are an agile and flexible leader. Who’s going to help take people to the next level. It’s quantifiable accomplishments that matter because you’re going to use them to take a company to evolve to the next level because we’re in the middle of uncertain unchartered waters, and they’re going to depend on skills like those to take them. It’s confidence and your ability to be calm and poised, even in the most uncertain of times.
ONE is rocking your strengths, TWO is tracking your quantifiable accomplishments. And THREE is not just rocking connections cause that’s cool, but what about reconnecting with former colleagues, with clients, with collaborators, with folks who can give you perspective on yourself.
They can remind you about how awesome you were. You can tell them that you’re reevaluating your career and looking at the next chapter and you welcome their input. Why do they love working with you?
I’ll be honest. That’s how I became a career coach. When I had my last pivot, I had been a marketer. I had been a publicist, a strategic partnership leader.
I never thought of myself as a coach. I was always a great teacher and trainer, but never wore the coach hat and doing these virtual coffees helped me realize that everyone saw me as a coach. I was the only one who didn’t realize it. So other people need to give you perspective. And guess what? While they’re telling you about your contributions and how much you’ve helped them,
Why don’t you ask them to go ahead and would they mind sharing it as a LinkedIn recommendation? Because now you’ve got something to brighten your day and you’ve got a public record, which is attached to their name and their profile documenting why you’re amazing. It’s a great way to expedite the approval process. Getting people to say yes. Whether it’s in a gig, a job, or a volunteer role, it’s a wonderful way for you to remember why you rock and how you impact the world. And not just those people. You see all the time now, but go ahead and rock your connections with folks you haven’t seen in a year or three or five. I’m reconnecting with someone who helped me. One of my favorite recruiters from about 12 years ago.
The guy who changed my life and helped me get hired at WebMD and doubled my income. He really made a huge impact on me and my family. And now we’re going to brainstorm ways we can work together in our new roles. Because here’s what happens. Your confidants have been growing their circle and gaining more experience, learning different things. And so have you.
Getting together with people from your past is a great way to grow your confidence in yourself, in your perspective, in your ability to accomplish great things. So again, the three tips, three ways to solve a lack of confidence, rock your strengths, take the strength finder, and work with a coach like me. Get that perspective on your innate talent, your genius, where you thrive, and how you show up in your zone of genius. So you can collaborate better. You coming in confidently is a great thing.
And third reconnecting, rocking connections, and reconnecting with former colleagues, vendors, collaborators. Get their perspective, get a recommendation on LinkedIn, and really figure out why you rock. Don’t try to be someone else just do you. And here’s a secret tip… If you’re not yet comfortable taking charge of your calendar, rocking connections, making these moments happen. I have a program called Rock Your Connections With Virtual Coffee.
It’s a super-fast 30 minute way to set the whole system up and it will save you hours and hours of time. And I will show you EXACTLY how to reconnect with those people in your fan club, with your inner circle and how to take the best advantage of your genius to shine the light on your gifts and really solve that lack of confidence.
If you are looking for the best way to have a confidence boost and to elevate your career, go to rockonsuccess.com/connections. Don’t forget. You can invite me to a virtual coffee when you take the course and tell me how you rocked it. I appreciate you. Go ahead. Put that mojo back and rock your confidence.
Holly Upshaw—Posted on
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could stop dwelling on what is NOT working so well and start focusing more on how to dial up our strengths?
After all, Gallup research tells us that when folks show an inherent talent (meaning, their natural capacity to excel in any one facet of their work) they are happier, more fulfilled and more successful.
In a team setting, our natural capacity for excellence in a role results in greater efficiency and productivity. Using selection science, Gallup research helps us map success potential greater than just our personality: it reflects factors such as our attitudes, motives, cognition and values.
Here’s the secret: we are NOT supposed to be great at everything but our collective team should be!
It’s no wonder we incorporate the genius of Gallup’s StrengthFinder assessments into the proven Rock On Success coaching system.
Your top 5 strengths, in rank order, are as unique as your thumbprint, so celebrate your unique value!
History shows that successful people often overlook their best attributes, the things that come naturally like breathing. We understate our value for the things we do in our zone of genius because they come easily…and that’s the point!
Why do others repeatedly thank you?
How do you make their lives or jobs easier?
Getting clear on your strengths, or understanding why you rock, will put more mojo back in your step. It’s a key indicator of roles where you’ll be more fulfilled, happy, and successful because you’re “staying in your lane.”
Here are 3 simple steps you can take to start recognizing your strengths!
1. Write down your biggest accomplishments. Start from your most recent and work your way through the past couple of years. Jot them down on a piece of paper with plenty of room for the next step!
2. Focus on the key skills you need in order to achieve those accomplishments. Focus on the key driving factors that allowed you to be able to create the accomplishments you mentioned earlier. These will give you the ability to start seeing patterns and duplicate skills!
3. Recognize the floor and ceiling tied to your top strengths. Imagine having your own version of a crystal ball, understanding the typical characteristics of the most successful people in a given role and predict whether you (or a candidate if you’re the hiring manager) were a great fit? This process will answer this very question for you!
Once you can identify your top strengths, the secret sauce lies in knowing how to leverage your unique gifts to start attracting more of your ideal clients and collaborators.
What are your top strengths and how do you apply them in your work-life integration?
How have they evolved over the years (and how can you apply them in the next phase of your career)?
Holly Upshaw—Posted on
Nope, sorry. I’m NOT the ideal coach for most people. I’m definitely NOT trying to please people-please and amass a blind yet obsessed following of overly hopeful (but perhaps naive) customers. Heck, I spend more time helping folks who went to one of the cheapo resume mills or online gurus who promise you career magic for $97 a month but give little value and no personal guidance. Same goes for the tons of folks who took their company buyouts and had what they called a “cattle call” with rather basic services. Certainly, they deserved better and lost 3-6-9-12 critical months wasting time with half-baked efforts. Imagine all those jobs that came and went in the meantime. Imagine how many tens of thousands of dollars (or hundreds of thousands for some) have slipped through their fingers.
You get what you pay for!
Heck, you got what you paid for (little to nothing) and that’s why you’re re-doing things all over again, months later, and feeling frustrated AF.
Some days I feel kinda like the boutique hairdresser who constantly sees all the ex-SuperCuts clients after they’ve had their heir wacked off (but it was only $15!!) and are embarrassed with their poor choices.
Penny wise, pound foolish. 😳
Stop wasting precious time and money following the WRONG advice.
Let’s cut that out. Right now.
Commit to finally thinking clearly and doing something for yourself that you deserve. The RIGHT way. NOW.
Go find someone who GETS YOU and is committed to actually helping you figure out what matters most…to YOU…and then knock it out of the park.
Hello, is it me you’re looking for?
I’ve got NO poker face. Never have, never will. Nope, I won’t say all the sugary-sweet BS to make you believe that pixie dust 🧚🏻♀ will magically turn your wishes into fairy-tale castles. 🤷
Rather, I am the energizer bunny in the coaching space, who often feels more like the Wizard of Oz. 👠👠
I help smart, savvy and successful professionals who are ready for MORE. They know that the magic is inside of them (like it’s inside of YOU) all along. Yet, clients constantly thank me for giving them a few key things when they put my proprietary system (Mindset, Skillset and Toolset) as the cornerstone of their professional development.
CONFIDENCE
SWAGGER
FOCUS
STRATEGIC DIRECTION
CARING
ACCOUNTABILITY
A SMART ACTION PLAN
… And a fabulous COMMUNITY to keep them motivated and celebrating their collective learning.
Why?
I’ve been in their shoes and documented my turnaround process so that others can fast-track their learning. From stages, my books and through coaching I share the secret sauce that has helped thousands of professionals fast-track their career growth. Turn their lives around. Right size their jobs to give them what they and their families need now, and in the next chapter of their crazy, busy lives. Find them a more flexible work environment and teach them to negotiate for what they truly want and deserve. Add buckets of money to their comp packages. Double and even triple their income. Negotiate working remotely, land top company and industry “leader of the year” awards. Land board seats. Get noticed. Get turned on to their own value, finally. Get seen. Get heard.
How?
You are a successful professional who is ready to elevate your career status and need help navigating your midlife career pivot.
You’re ready to step into the spotlight and celebrate you innate talents and why you rock.
You’re not the underdogs or sitting idly by, feeling sorry for missed opportunities. Rather, you are a take-charge leader who makes SH*FT happen and loves empowering others to step into their best selves, too.
Here’s what I want you to know… My clients are smart, seasoned, accomplished, well-educated, industry leaders. Just like you.
- They are typically married with adult kids, play golf, support charities, travel, eat out 2-3 nights/week.
- They are the “sandwich generation” – Mid 40’s – 60’s who are actively working and struggling as you juggle the demands of a busy life, exhausting job, and quarterbacking care for multiple generations of their family (aging parents, adult kids returning back to the nest, perhaps even contributing to grandchildren’s care and taxi for their busy academic, sports and social schedules).
You may have been offered a buyout and accepted an early retirement package, so you now face an unplanned career pivot. Many of my clients had planned on another 5-10 years of productivity and paychecks before they’d officially retire.
Now you need help deciding if you should retire or rewire – and what to do about it! (And maybe you are in the same boat!)
As you face a career pivot, you need help deciding if it’s time to stick around and move up (promotion, recognition, or board seat in current organization), move over (land a similar role in a better company) or move on to something different altogether.
My clients seek recognition, satisfaction, fulfillment, alignment with their changing family dynamics. It’s important to do career soul searching and right-size their career to avoid feeling overwhelmed. They deserve to get paid well working in their zone of genius and taking charge of their career path (vs reactive waiting for the other shoe to drop).
I help them rock their career and life without selling their soul or losing their mind.
I drive RESULTS as evidenced by over 70 thrilled client testimonials on my LinkedIn profile. I’ve been in their shoes, shining as a rock star in my industry and then suddenly unemployed to no fault of my own (and hitting rock bottom). I’m the prime example of resilience and generously share advice from my rear-view mirror on how to navigate their career pivot and fast-track their success.
With 32 years of experience as marketing pro elevating brands I now help professionals leverage their personal brand to elevate their career status and right-size their next role to meet their goals using my proprietary Rock On Success System (and 90-day planner).
Perhaps more importantly, my VIP clients enjoy personal introductions and a smart networking strategy tapping into my 14K+ LinkedIn connections and deep industry supporters in pharma, finance, law, construction and other professions where women need support to shatter the glass ceiling and thrive in more traditionally male-dominated careers.
Stop relying on old tactics, “spraying and praying” and sending unsolicited resumes that get lost in the “black hole” of the computer ATS, or Applicant Tracking System. You need to position yourself as THE answer to the hiring manager’s prayers, standing out in a competitive marketplace and making them think it’s their idea to hire you. You’re creating a “Cinderella moment” as the perfect fit for their team and culture.
If you are ready to dive in and do the work, the Mastermind is for you!
We have an amazing Mastermind for the upscale client who wants more 1:1 coaching and a Personal Advisory Board to share collective wisdom and advocate on your behalf.
If you’d like to explore how to elevate your career status and shine the light on your industry leadership, please share a bit more about your situation and apply for a virtual coffee: www.rockonsuccess.com/apply.
Holly Upshaw—Posted on
A friend called to check in and congratulate me on all my recent progress. But honestly, she sounded exhausted and a bit frazzled. When I asked what’s up, she had FIVE major projects happening at the same time. Half were volunteer efforts, where perhaps she is over-committed and taking too much time away from getting her revenue-generating activities in order. Life just became too darn demanding (when it doesn’t have to be for her). No wonder she sounded frustrated…being busy but broke is never fun.
Sure, sometimes we face overwhelm when life gets too demanding. People get sick, accidents happen, workplace transitions kick our butts sometimes. While we cannot control EVERYTHING, however, we tend to sadly bring much of this chaos on ourselves. I’m the first to admit that over-commitment and lack of focus was always my challenge, too. Saying YES too often, not charging enough for my services so that I was working too hard and running around like a crazy person (busy but not productive).
Looking back, my quantum leap and success shift happened once I learned to…
- HONOR myself more and work in my zone of genius (vs trying to please everyone and do too many things)
- START saying NO
- DELEGATE (including taking the time to spell out exactly where I needed help and what was required for others to step in)
- FOCUS on what mattered in all areas – family, fun, fitness, finances and my fabulous career
- ESTABLISH a 90-day success plan with just 2 major priorities each day
- PACKAGE my services in a sales funnel with the right price points so that much is automated (for those who want to work at their own pace and save some dollars)
- RAISE MY VIP RATES by ensuring huge value for my 1:1 clients (who pay a premium but desire that personalized service to drive results faster).
Not only did I find time to become better and appreciate the more important facets of my life: I sleep more (7 hours) and don’t feel cranky all the time. I eat healthier. Amazing clients and collaborators are showing up because I’m ready to receive them. I can afford to hire great help so that others can lighten my load and free my time for more important facets of my life.
So I ask you this…
how effective can we be when we fail to FOCUS and set priorities?
If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to ROCK YOUR FOCUS & CLARITY with this free video and printed quiz. You’ll get FREE access to watch a short video and take just 3 minutes to answer 10 quick (but super important) questions so you know exactly where to focus your efforts so you enjoy greater success with less OVERWHELM. It’ll help you identify which of the 10 areas require your urgent attention so you can get yourself back on track and working in your zone of genius! www.rockonsuccess.com/focus
What’s your focus challenge,..or best tip to overcome the overwhelm? Thanks for sharing below!
Pat
Holly Upshaw—Posted on
Napoleon Hill touted the virtues of collaborative brainstorming and problem solving in his classic “Think and Grow Rich.” After all, if masterminds could work for geniuses like Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Warren G. Harding and Harvey Firestone (who were in one together, calling themselves the Vagabonds), imagine how shared learning through a mastermind could catapult YOUR career?
Ask these important questions to find the RIGHT mastermind for you and your precious business:
- Is this mastermind led by someone who “gets it” and “gets you”? The energy, sharing and spirit must align because you’re entering into a commitment to be both a generous giver and an excellent receiver as a mastermind contributor.
- Do you prefer an informal/unscripted volunteer group vs an organized program with milestones and structure to move you along a specific growth plan?
- How does the cadence and quality of the group’s content match your learning style (and does it match up with your weakest focus areas)?
Get comfortable with getting uncomfortable to learn more and hone your skills.
- How much time is allotted to YOU and YOUR needs in 1:1 coaching and in the “hot seat”? Expect to pay (and reap rewards) for 1:1 executive engagement, unless you choose to save money and buy access strictly to a group discussion or DIY content machine. (There are great reasons why any of these may be right for you.)
- How much direct 1:1 coaching will you get from the leader vs interaction from the group members or guest experts?
- Will the mastermind make you smarter, stronger and faster in decision-making (since educated, collaborative decisions shorten your learning curve and yield exponential growth)?
Everyone makes mistakes…even the most successful people out there. But, what achievers do better than others is recognize the patterns that are causing those mistakes and never repeat them again. In short, they learn from pain—their own and the pain of others. – Success Magazine
- Can the leader support me through career transition to create multiple revenue streams and a solid “plan B”?
Most folks recognize that lifetime careers at a single company are rare these days. They rely on masterminds to help think out loud about the uncertainties of their industry and build a loyal tribe who follows them anywhere.
I built a prolific Rock on Success Mastermind in response to the challenges and complaints I’d heard about others with no real leadership involvement, hands-off approach, etc. So my goal was to empower folks like you to ROCK your business and your life without selling your soul or losing your mind.
It creates a surrogate “board of directors” or “personal advisory board” so that you can share freely and grow together. Strict privacy and confidentiality rule so that when you share in the “hot seat” we can totally focus on you and your challenges, wins and hottest issue to work through together. Folks get very direct advice and support, with weekly 1:1 coaching as well as group feedback.
Masterminds vary, but I built this one to also deliver valuable content that cycles through 7 modules, open every 2 weeks so you have time to absorb the info and work on assignments and “comfort zone challenges.” With my 30-year background in marketing, PR and social media strategy, I chose to focus on business process that help newbie and seasoned rock star business professionals short cut their learning and accelerate their growth in 7 key areas.
- Focus on Strength
- Action
- Environment
- Sales Skills
- Marketing Skills
- Money Mindset
- Confidence
How do I know what’s best for me?
You will want to think about your goals, your weaknesses and see if the content supports a strategic path that gives you what YOU need. Some groups are simply just talk on a weekly or monthly basis: the freebies tend to see lower commitment when there’s no “skin in the game.”
You’ll decide which may be enough and how fast you want to grow. Have a frank discussion with the group leader. Check out their testimonials. Talk to members, ask hard questions and get specific examples of success.
Most importantly, see how YOU FEEL: if the energy lifts you up and inspires you to grow stronger, smarter, faster then you are in the right place.
Hope this helps on your search, good luck. You ROCK!
Pat
Holly Upshaw—Posted on
No doubt, I’m far from perfect. But I am leading by example with a renewed commitment to getting stronger every day.
Even though I go to my fitness program, it’s a daily struggle: Between old injuries and an impending foot surgery I don’t jump or plank or walk as well as I’d like. Yes, I got busy with work and skipped some classes. But I’m rocking it by doing the best that I can.
Motivation + perspiration + accountability = results
No, diets alone don’t work. Just hitting the gym without living a cleaner daily practice won’t help you sustain your progress. In fact, growth comes when you find your happy place that honors your body, mind and spirit.
Food fuels the body, and like a high-performance car it responds best to premium gas. So I learned to buy organic foods and make smarter choices. That is, for most of the week leading up to my one planned “cheat meal” where I can literally eat or drink whatever I crave in ONE sitting. Nutrition re-balancing focuses on what proteins and other foods will heal the body, enhance workouts, reduce bloating and keep us “regular.” It’s not about deprivation as you actually have to eat MORE than ever, not less.
Your body will enjoy more of the right nutrition. Clean foods taste amazing and feel even better.
For example, five small meals a day help you digest better than starvation followed by a huge dinner. I no longer eat most “white” foods such as bread, rice, sugar and pasta. As a former cheese lover, eliminating dairy was more of a mental struggle. I save pizza or my mom’s killer lasagna for special occasions and enjoy how it tastes (but not always how I feel after eating such heavy foods). I bought a super-powered Vitamixer and learned to love fresh green smoothies. I now crave proteins (not salty potato or tortilla chips).
When we eat out, I simply tell restaurant servers that I’m allergic to dairy so that they don’t cook my food in butter or drown it in sauces, etc. Coffee is still a vice, but I now flavor with a drop of natural stevia and quickly learned to love unsweetened almond or coconut milk.
Giving up my weekend wine was not as hard as I’d expected: Simply volunteer to be the designated driver and you won’t miss it.
Am I tired? Yes, but in a happy progress sort of way. This new routing forced me to starting winding down the day at 10pm and falling asleep by 11. Now I’m waking without an alarm and loving how much better I feel.
Admittedly, the joys of entrepreneurship allow me the luxury of a 30-minute mid-afternoon meditation or a power nap.
When you commit to a better you, there’s all kinds of ways to measure progress: how you feel physically, emotionally and gaining confidence. Mindset shifts make it easier to rock my business every day. These perks reach far beyond the more obvious wins such as losing weight, gaining muscle or noticing clothes fit better. Imagine how great my friend Pam feels in all of these areas as she dropped 3 dress sizes in just one challenge!
Honoring your “zone” means surrounding yourself with folks who raise your vibration and bring out the very best in you – body, mind and spirit. I’ve made some incredible new friends who we’ve already laughed and cried with (literally). They remind me to stop letting the frustration of what I cannot [yet] do as well as I’d like keep me from trying my best. Every week I watch the team of warriors sweat and squat lower or plank longer or run faster or jump higher. Heck, I can do lots of little things that were seemingly impossible just 10 weeks ago. Indeed, I am truly grateful.
Happiness set in when I stopped comparing my [new] beginning to everyone else’s middle.
My learning?
Find something…ANYTHING…that challenges you, makes you stronger and helps you learn to love yourself again. Surround yourself with positive people who will high-five you no matter how sweaty, slow or tired you may be. Know they’ve got your back and need you to be there to keep them accountable, too. It’s a two-way street!
You deserve to celebrate all 5 facets of a brilliant life: family, fun, fitness, better finances and a fabulous career. It’s even better when you discover groups or activities that address some or most of these attributes all at the same time.
Lookout 2020, I’m ready to kick butt (my own) and ROCK this new year.
You’re welcomed to come along for the ride if you’re up for adventure, growth and accountability. It’s motivation plus perspiration with lots of fun and great music and even greater peeps.
What new daily routines will you commit to for the next 90 days? Please share so we can cheer each other on…
We’ve got this! Happy new year and new YOU!
xoxoxo
Pat
Holly Upshaw—Posted on