Stress! Most people see stress as a horrible part of our lives! According to recent studies, it is the view that stress is bad thing that is causing you more harm.

Psychologist Kelly McGonigal, in her TED Talk, urges us to see stress as a positive, and introduces us to an unsung mechanism for stress reduction: reaching out to others.

Going to a networking event in the near future? Do you have a prepared elevator pitch? If not, take a look at some of the below links to help you prepare:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/nextavenue/2013/02/04/the-perfect-elevator-pitch-to-land-a-job/

http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3520-elevator-pitch-items.html

http://money.usnews.com/money/careers/articles/2014/01/17/7-steps-to-deliver-your-best-elevator-pitch

A great elevator pitch should be about 30 seconds and help 1) introduce yourself 2) describe your current career 3) state what new opportunities you are looking for. It’s best to practice, practice, practice this 30 second pitch. It’s also ideal to have some kind of hook as well in order ensure you capture the interest you are speaking with.

Simon Sinek in the below video tells us what makes us a great leader and the physical and psychological reasoning behind this evolution!

When looking for development opportunities note that this is not just your manager’s job. You need to sit in the driver sit while looking to your leadership and organization to provide support and resources for internal opportunities.

You should speak with your manager about your interests/goals and voice aspirations regarding your career goals. You should also align your personal goals with your current talent/skills and experiences. However, you should not only align your personal goals with your skill set but also align with the company’s priorities.

It is important to actively seek and express interest in new responsibilities or assignments in order to show your leadership your strong desire to grow.

It will help to develop a personal plan for development/learning to fill skill gaps or knowledge gaps as well as strengthen existing skills. If you show this to your manager and/or leadership you will empower your manager to assist you in your development. This is imperative as you want your manager to provide honest feedback and engage in where you are leading  with your career.

Building mutually beneficial partnerships is about getting to know others and sharing, building trust, exchanging ideas, and then helping each other achieve goals.

One way to build partnerships is to talk to individuals you have never met before. In order to get comfortable with this, you can:

1) Partner up with a buddy to increase comfort levels

2) Use questions to build on understanding such as

– what do you love most about what you do?

– what’s been the toughest challenge you have faced in the past year?

– who do you find inspiring in your field?

3) Cultivate a curiosity about others

4)Practice speaking with new people inside and outside of your normal circle at your organization
Another way to build partnerships would be to turn contacts into allys. A few ways to do this would be by:

1) Helping the contact remember details about you

2) Lead with generosity by focusing on how you can help them

3) Remember and express gratitude to the people who connect you to others

Happy Connecting!

The Golden Circle Concept – you may or may not have heard of it.

The concept originates from acclaimed author Simon Sinek who tells us to think about the importance of operating and starting from the “why” and not “how”.

In the below video, Simon elaborates on this concept using Apple as an example:

Try to apply the Golden Circle Concept to your career, especially if you are having trouble figuring out where you would like to explore next. This concept can help you see what types of jobs or functions achieve your “why.” This could lead you to meet new people and opportunities.

Starting with the “why” can help you see the “what” in a brand new light.