This one small gesture can buy you a lifetime of networking power….

By Gina Calvano | 2 Comments

I am writing this post to share with you the brilliance I witnessed from a young 20-something year old.  This is the story of a young woman who made the decision to move from a temp job to her first full-time gig out of college.  A no-brainer right?!  Of course she should leave the freelance job with no benefits for something full-time with benefits – what boss wouldn’t understand that?

 

Only she didn’t just make a leap to a more stable job – she stabilized her candidacy for future jobs with this one small gesture.

 

This one small gesture can buy you a lifetime of networking power – and the work is all done for you too!  Consider it an early holiday present from me (and the girl who actually did the work for us)!

 

In short – she wrote a note – literally WROTE a note – on an actual card from a fancy card/stationary store.  It was probably the best $5+ bucks she spent all year – and I bet she knows it!! Here is what she wrote (Note:  I changed the names to protect the brilliant but I didn’t change any of her words – they are sheer brilliance)...

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Feeling forced to work with (or for) someone you don’t like?  Take your power back by shifting this one thing….

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

I just got back from a professional conference – it was informative, enlightening, inspiring – everything you want from a conference – but what happened at a panel discussion session was shocking to me….

 

One of the panel experts was talking about how to serve difficult clients – specifically how to get them to be more cordial and respectful even though their usual demeanor is demanding, abrasive, directive, intimidating, and wrapped in a I-know-more-about-your-job-than-you-do, scowl-faced package.  Ever had that experience?  Of course you have.

 

He explained that although he was “directed” by his client to not show some work he had done to the President of their company, he believed a lot of that work offered a solution to the organization’s challenges.  So he decided he would show it (plus the work the client wanted showed), anyway.  Yikes!  (I was loving this story…)

 

Knowing he was going against the client’s expectations – and that it would (no doubt) not go over well with her – he decided he needed to shift the energy between them….

 

…but how?

 

It immediately came to him to find something he appreciated or respected in her – and tell her.  This wasn’t easy for him because she was less than warm and fuzzy and he did not agree with her eye for the work or her approach with people – at all! 

 

But something did come to him.

 

I believe, that because he was clear that his intention was to do what he felt was right for the organization without leaving her feeling belittled, disrespected or judged in any way – an idea about how to shift the energy between them presented itself to him the second she walked into the meeting room….

 

… a big, shiny silver necklace (a power-necklace worthy of Wonder Woman for sure), saved the day!  He stood up and compliment her necklace and how great it looked on her.  And what happened then?

 

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Do dark times at work turn you into a zombie? Wake up, restore, and heal! Here’s how…

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Every damp, cold, dark morning, starting around 5AM – sometimes even earlier – millions of people turn into zombies and terrorize corporations and businesses everywhere!

 

You know!  You’ve been among them – they’re everywhere!

 

But…

 

…can you be sure you’re not one of them?  Dun, dun, dun….

 

We all go through dark times – especially with our jobs.  Whether you are tortured by the stress that comes with….

 

  • demands that you stay long into the night – alone in the office building – working to meet a deadline and sacrificing much needed sleep and down time to get it done
  • your brain getting zapped and melted down by aliens with lasers that come from their eyes and mouths – they try to reprogram your brain into doing your job exactly they way they think it should be done – your brain, talents, experience, and skills are no longer required-  just your blind compliance
  • the axe dropping down – yet another under-performing quarter that requires downsizings – it feels like death by a thousand cuts and you feel powerless to do anything about it
  • picking up the slack from under-performing co-workers who suck the life from you like a vampire – leaving you transformed into a crabby, cynical monster yourself

 

Here’s what’s even more scary than facing dark times like these at work…

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I love that this was said…

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

“You cannot perceive your soul (become aware of it through the senses), but you will not know it while you perceive something else as more valuable.”  From A Course In Miracles

 

 

Is what you value standing in the way of your ultimate success?

 

At your job – what do you (or would you like to), hear, see, smell, taste or touch that brings you value?  Could that be what stands in your way of knowing your true self and clearly being able to see opportunities to be feel fully expressed, confident, valued, and ready to accept the markers of success that come with self-consciousness?

 

Want a to get on a fast-track to a promotion? Promote yourself to creator of your work – here’s the one secret ingredient that gets you there…

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Ready to wake up to what makes you unique among your peers?  Ready to breakthrough to being “a creative” for your work vs. “a cautious” at your job?

 

Want a to get on a fast-track to a promotion?  Promote yourself to creator of your work – here’s the one secret ingredient that gets you there …

 

All it takes to be a creator is to be aware of the intention you hold in your mind (and heart) for those who will be impacted by your contribution.

 

Intention is the secret ingredient that sets you apart from others.  Understanding your intention and being able to demonstrate how this intention actually makes the difference you imagine for others wins you favor – even over others who may have more experience than you.  It lets people know “What’s In It For Me (WIIFM) to work with you?”

 

Understanding your intention and performing tasks through that intention (holding that intention in your mind and heart) is doing “your work”.  Those who only complete the tasks within the assigned responsibilities of their job without awareness of the intention they have for others (or who only know an intention they have for themselves – i.e. promotion, bigger bonus, favor with select individuals, etc.),  aren’t doing “their work” (they probably aren’t doing the job as well as they think they are either).  Contribution without intention is not creating – it’s cautious at best – and the rewards that come from being cautious, have no chance of offering you a sustainable sense of fulfillment – not from your job and definitely not from a confident sense of your unique self.

 

Being a creator makes you stand out – and sometimes standing out among others who seem to be just doing their job can be dangerous.

 

So, is “danger” your middle name?  I think it is – no matter if you are a cautious or a creator.  Here’s how…

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Not happy with “your job” title? You might like “your work” title much better…

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

The title of “your work” is 1 word.  This 1 word is a title instantly earned by anyone who makes the shift from doing “their job” to doing “their work”.  This collective title commands more power than any “job” title – including that of CEO.

 

How can 1 title accurately honor the value you bring – the value anyone brings – even when we perform so many different jobs?

 

Not happy with “your job” title?  You might like “your work” title much better…

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I love that this was said…

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”  John Wooden

 

When you put your energy and focus into your job – you might think that your job and performing it well is the thing that matters most – it’s WHAT you do after all – right?  Shouldn’t it be enough that you are efficient, timely, pleasant, reliable and consistent in meeting your goals?  So why does that usually place you in the middle of the performance management bell curve?

 

People who are top performers – whether they realize it or not – are contributors who see their job as HOW they perform “their work”.  The job is HOW – “their work” is WHAT.  They are very clear about what it is they ultimately enable another to feel or experience because of their contribution.  That feeling or experience transcends tasks.  It is the passion they have in the heart while they do the tasks that provide the context for their contribution.

 

Being focused on your job tends is reputation-building (reputation-offering) business.  Your reputation only exists in the past – your past performance.  Being focused on “your work” is character-building (character-offering) business.  Your character exists in the present – IT IS your presence.

 

Which business are you in?

 

 

Want some help discovering “your work”?

 

 

Sign up today for a Career Success Insight (“CSI”) session.

 

 

In this initial 60 minute tele-coaching session we go through an exercise to help you gain insight into what “your work” truly is.  “ Your work” is the mission of your highest self – what you ultimately want to enable for others and be valued for in return .

 

 

Your sense of sustainable fulfillment is more easily realized when you recognize and take advantage of opportunities related to your career, job and work environment where you can contribute and be valued for “your work”.  These opportunities are easier to spot when you know what “your work” actually is.

 

 

From this session you will get a key clue about “your work” in the form language that you can use on your resume, in cover letters, thank you notes and even in actual interviews.  It conveys to employers what you can actually be counted on for – no matter what!

 

 

This session is offered to new clients at $47.  Plus, I offer you the opportunity to secure additional sessions with me at a preferred rate if you find more coaching would be helpful.  If you purchase any additional sessions I will apply the $47 you paid from your CSI session to your next purchase!

 

 

Sign me up now! (call me or send me an email to set up your session today!)

 

 

Best wishes for your sustainable success and happiness!

Feeling overwhelmed at your job? Shift your focus from your job onto this one thing.

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

“Most people work at keeping their job, rather than doing a good job.  If you’re the former, you’re leading a meaningless life.  If you’re the latter, keep up the good work.”  George Lois

 

George calls it “…doing a good job” – I call it doing your work vs. your job.  The words are different – the idea is the same…

 

Simply put there is a difference between…

 

  • Doing your job:  doing the tasks that make up your job description for a business/an employer in exchange for money and/or recognition.  What follows is a sense that others hold the power to value, reward, and evolve us in our career.  At best – what follows is an ability to pay bills, an ability to detach from others who annoy us at times, and fleeting moments of fulfillment.

 

and

 

  • Doing your work: doing the work you were put on this planet to do for others we relate to and access through an employer or a business in exchange for evolving our consciousness.  What follows is a sense that we have power to value, reward and evolve the consciousness of others.  What follows is a sustained sense of fulfillment, relatedness and connection with others, ease in identifying opportunities to progress in our career and life, and operate from our greatest earning potential – money and recognition follow effortlessly.

 

Doing “your work” is

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What a lazy river taught me about getting what I want in life – here’s how you can get what you want in your life too – maybe even for free!

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Last week my husband took some vacation time and we treated our kids to a bunch of different day trips.  One day at the beach, another day with friends, another at the pool, another bowling, mini-golfing and just some goofin’ off.  And on one day we went to a water park in Pennsylvania – this was a magical day for many reasons…

 

A few things were ideal – the weather was perfect (everything depends on the weather – doesn’t it?), the park wasn’t crowded (turns out some kids in Pennsylvania went back to school a bit earlier than we did in New Jersey – no lines!), and everyone was into it and in a good mood (not easy to get your kids to agree on activities when they are 5.5 years apart and opposite genders).

 

The look on their faces when we went down the slides together in 1 giant family-sized tube left an indelible imprint on my mind and my heart.  My daughter’s expression of pure joy and excitement with an imaginary bubble over her head that read “again!” before the ride was even over, and my teenage son’s smile that fully exposed his braces practically back to his molars coupled with a high pitched scream over the anticipation of the drops, twists and turns of the slide was priceless!  I’m sure it was priceless for them to see me and my husband go down a massive water slide on our bellies that made my husband go airborne and a major splash of water to my face that left mascara tracks running down my face.

 

Of course, we didn’t start out the day this adventurous or uninhibited – we started out on the lazy river.  No kid was initially convinced the place wasn’t too baby-ish for them, I had no initial plan to get my hair or face wet (silly me!), and my husband was up for a “lazy river nap session” after the long drive – so the lazy river it was.

 

On that initial float around the park, I had a breakthrough… (yes, even at the water park on a vacation day in August my mind does not stop observing ways to gain clarity, confidence and conviction to experience a sustainable sense of fulfillment in life).

 

The lazy river taught me how to get what I wanted in life – here’s what happened…

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Still ready to quit? Want to be transitioned to a job you love much faster and easier? Then stop doing this to yourself …

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Warning:  this blog might be tough to read…

 

… but it can help you gain your power back in a job situation you just wanna quit.

 

Buckle up…

 

Identifying with any of the 3 scenarios in my latest blog series about quitting your job is living in agreement that there’s something wrong with your current job, employer, work environment, etc.

 

This erroneously identifies the problem as being outside of yourself leaving you powerless and in victim mode.  Still ready to quit? Want to be transitioned to a job you love much faster and easier?  Then stop doing this to yourself …

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