tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-75134109225989686412024-03-05T17:22:23.302-08:00Leadership InsightsHelping individuals in the U.S. and Europe to develop their potential for leadership roles in the 21st CenturyJBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-58529250281969181132014-05-11T08:38:00.002-07:002014-05-11T08:38:53.435-07:00Redirect Seminar in Lake MaryWe are well into our Spring 2014 <em>Redirect </em>seminar, delivered at St Peter's Episcopal Church in Lake Mary, FL. <br />
<br />
This seminar, which we developed in 2012, is focused on goal-setting. It's not meant to be a complete introduction to career development, the field where we have more than 40 years of experience working with clients from around the world. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9woFv0z778XzodHiXA_lB2OsU6rGV0G5pEklcahn1UBYSkvs3IHb0LBWa_2VyrzUcQFi-hUPscGM1mE3mcmSipoLVQ9SbwTSDzmn_taT42JEaqexNSOUPYqu2C0KTW_YrWooFMfcDtu0/s1600/EEP-CBL+at+Sewanee+1992.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9woFv0z778XzodHiXA_lB2OsU6rGV0G5pEklcahn1UBYSkvs3IHb0LBWa_2VyrzUcQFi-hUPscGM1mE3mcmSipoLVQ9SbwTSDzmn_taT42JEaqexNSOUPYqu2C0KTW_YrWooFMfcDtu0/s1600/EEP-CBL+at+Sewanee+1992.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Czechoslovak executives at The University of the South, Sewanee, 1992</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
It is, instead, a quick 4-session seminar that helps participants determine just one goal, work-related or not, that can guide them for the year to come.<br />
<br />
So far we've been guiding our participants through the foundational sessions of the seminar, helping them in these areas:<br />
<br />
<em>1. Establishing that they have a sincere interest in setting a new goal for the next year, and beyond.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>2. Examining their past accomplishments and evaluating, from them, their preferred skills, motivational patterns and definition of success, as well as looking for roadblocks that may prevent them from reaching their goal.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>3. Exploring possible goals and choosing just one.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
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<br />
We've been talking about the seminar and our participants this week and have come up with two more short exercises that we think will be helpful to them. This is their homework!<br />
<br />
<strong></strong><br />
<strong></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA_UDAqU0ZoaToBU3lGCZPYvhPTERp6idYVNq1oLp7jNvypoAIIxYzbCesFjmkVGcp0ipAaZsXrVE993sxBBoJ6mOs3v__ECkUJ-mcv-KKY7pQvX2E8YE2l238QV9xvPmwqDZkrw0yvk/s1600/orange+vines+cover+house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA_UDAqU0ZoaToBU3lGCZPYvhPTERp6idYVNq1oLp7jNvypoAIIxYzbCesFjmkVGcp0ipAaZsXrVE993sxBBoJ6mOs3v__ECkUJ-mcv-KKY7pQvX2E8YE2l238QV9xvPmwqDZkrw0yvk/s1600/orange+vines+cover+house.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<strong></strong><br />
<strong>Where have I been happiest?</strong><br />
<br />
Looking back at your life, where have you been most happy with your circumstances? Think of a particular place, maybe a house, cottage or apartment, where you really enjoyed your life.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><em>describe this place in some detail--how it looks, where it is, how you happened to be there</em></li>
</ul>
<em></em><br />
<ul>
<li><em>note what you did on a daily basis in this place</em></li>
</ul>
<em></em><br />
<ul>
<li><em>list the people, animals, and so on that lived with you or were frequent guests</em></li>
</ul>
<em></em><br />
<ul>
<li><em>try to say, in 20 words or less, what it was about this place that made you happy.</em></li>
</ul>
<em></em><br />
The point of this exercise is to pinpoint the factors that make you happy, and incorporate as many as possible into your goal.<br />
<br />
<strong>What do I want to do with the next 20 years?</strong><div>
</div>
Start counting the years to come by adding 20 to the current year: 2034. Now think about these question::<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><em>where will I be living? with whom?</em></li>
</ul>
<em></em><br />
<ul>
<li><em>what will I be doing every day?</em></li>
</ul>
<em></em><br />
<ul>
<li><em>what kind of person will I be? what will I have accomplished in my personal life, my professional life, and the life of my community?</em></li>
</ul>
<em></em><br />
<ul>
<li><em>how can I get there from here?</em></li>
</ul>
<br />
This is a big assignment and will, no doubt, change shape as time goes by. But if you have no clear idea where you're heading, you might find the years slipping through your fingers. The best place to start planning the next 20 years is where you are right now. Giving a long-term perspective to your life can help you use your time more carefully and with more gratitude for having the gift of a future.<br />
<br />
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JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-73682976385659682102014-02-10T16:57:00.000-08:002014-02-10T16:57:21.698-08:00Successful 21st century leader is not just a "play-it-safe" spectator in the stands,<br />
but the "let's take a chance" player who is fully involved in the game. As a contestant<br />
and participant, he or she does not postpone tough decisions but makes a commitment <br />
to succeed. He or she is not afraid of criticism knowing that just as criticism and<br />
opposition will come from unknown and unexpected sources, so support will come,and<br />
often "just in time" for the leader to accomplish his or her task successfully.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-18594170093971249452014-01-03T15:57:00.000-08:002014-01-03T15:57:00.573-08:00
<br />
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-align: center;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">ILI: 25 Years of Focus on the Czech Republic (1989-2014)</span></i></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When the
Berlin Wall was dismantled in 1989 with much fanfare and no violence, the world
rejoiced that the Soviet bloc had finally collapsed. Since WWII ended, the nation
states caught between politically free Western Europe and communist Eastern
Europe had suffered a kind of colonial captivity*. Seen as the price of
cooperation to end WWII, the giving of formerly-independent nations to Soviet
control became the new normal. All US post-war diplomacy and military
development was juxtaposed against Soviet power, leading to a theory that the
Soviet bloc nations were a sad but necessary buffer between the two world
superpowers. Very few gave serious thought to what would happen if the Soviet
bloc nations were again free to participate in European economic, political and
financial life.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Then the
unexpected became reality. In the space of months, borders opened and people
could move wherever they chose. The closed Soviet-modeled economies were thrown
open, Russian soldiers went home, and anyone could get a passport. This sudden
shift left the US in a state of shock and left these countries vulnerable to
anyone with the will and means to imposed a new system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzABXcjKvxvrIJSsTeY76wmUu4ADRd8VRGVWwbl_I2gB_oTn_5HD1FSXxE0Urns3c2kMTD2hnEAyZY9QPmLCUQ21Q_6RX7audWCDd7RwIrbljhPN6NNSVBBvTn4k8ONd4M6pdQCaVx2ZA/s1600/havel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzABXcjKvxvrIJSsTeY76wmUu4ADRd8VRGVWwbl_I2gB_oTn_5HD1FSXxE0Urns3c2kMTD2hnEAyZY9QPmLCUQ21Q_6RX7audWCDd7RwIrbljhPN6NNSVBBvTn4k8ONd4M6pdQCaVx2ZA/s320/havel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel, 1989</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">ILI (the International Leadership Institute) had
a stake in all this. President and CEO Jaroslav Tusek was a former citizen of
Czechoslovakia, born there in 1941 under German Nazi rule, educated and
employed there for 27 years until he left in 1967 to study in Norway and did not return. He came to the US in 1968 and gained citizenship in 1975, building a
life in academia and business. But he never believed that the Soviets would
hold power forever, especially when his studies and research at Columbia
University (NYC), the World Council of Churches (Geneva, Switzerland), the International
Peace Research Institute (Oslo, Norway), and the World Without War Council (San
Francisco, CA) convinced him that economic stagnation under Soviet policies was
eroding the ability of the Russian government to hold on to its empire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">When the
Wall fell, Jarda went to Prague right away. He saw his parents for the first
time since 1983 (their passports has been confiscated, and he could not return
without paying a huge fine and being imprisoned immediately). He visited with
his friends and family to get a picture of the country as it stood at the
moment. He witnessed the impact of 40 years of neglect on the buildings,
streets and parks of Prague. He made up his mind to do something significant
for his native country, and to use ILI as his vehicle.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-dRFejhr70iKzM619b3c8PSI5mm1W8W8-QWlp6EUunUU8rhHXBJsmUtpi6MrKd5RThk4E31rwWjwRd-tyXhQFnawebZisBdGvI2Mu_w4NcEL55UuLIh4IuRnOM9VP3F1HDSJmFasqno/s1600/Tusek+and+Petricek+1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="210" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-dRFejhr70iKzM619b3c8PSI5mm1W8W8-QWlp6EUunUU8rhHXBJsmUtpi6MrKd5RThk4E31rwWjwRd-tyXhQFnawebZisBdGvI2Mu_w4NcEL55UuLIh4IuRnOM9VP3F1HDSJmFasqno/s320/Tusek+and+Petricek+1993.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Prague, signing the protocol for the EEP-CBL programs, 1993</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By 1990,
ILI was in negotiation with the Czechoslovak government to work as partners on
the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Executive Education Programs for
Czechoslovak Business Leaders (EEP-CBL)</i>, a project partly funded by the Czechoslovak
government and American business firms who took on the visiting executives as
business interns. This program received significant support from US and
European Chambers of Commerce (in Jacksonville, FL and Bratislava, Slovakia
after the 1993 split of Czechoslovakia into two countries). It also received
help in program content, logistics, social events and marketing from the World
Trade Center, Chattanooga; the <em>Chattanooga Business Journal</em>; Covenant College;
the University of North Florida; Jacksonville University; a group of volunteer
host families in North Florida, Georgia, New Jersey, and New York ; a group of
volunteer Business Seminar presenters in North Florida; and a group of Business
Intern sponsors that stretched across the US.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">For ILI,
the years 1989-2006 were devoted to helping Czechoslovak business and professional
leaders make a successful transition to a market economy operating in a
political democracy. In those years, ILI also worked with <em>US AID</em>, an
international development project from the US Department of State, in which ILI
assisted business and professional leaders from Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria,
Slovakia, Lithuania and Macedonia in their transitions from the Soviet closed
model to the free world’s open model. ILI programs helped more than 450
post-Soviet bloc executives in this way, with over a billion dollars in
US-European business resulting from the business and personal relationships
built by the executives.</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtvmfFtdiQMghpK26e7XfAMf2Vfrnjlkwvlgur4gvA4ZxypQ1Pduk_UQvxurm1eHcKMJ8jnkUSCqvqLgjjMcMVzJJcdO-6CuXCcNmDyXtKN8EqzZVrXjOM4c2B2CfDM36bDNRIeXAvNg/s1600/USAID+Bulgarian+group+1+in+St.+Augustine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtvmfFtdiQMghpK26e7XfAMf2Vfrnjlkwvlgur4gvA4ZxypQ1Pduk_UQvxurm1eHcKMJ8jnkUSCqvqLgjjMcMVzJJcdO-6CuXCcNmDyXtKN8EqzZVrXjOM4c2B2CfDM36bDNRIeXAvNg/s320/USAID+Bulgarian+group+1+in+St.+Augustine.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">USAID executives from Bulgaria in St Augustine for their ILI program</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In those
17 years, ILI also assisted young aspiring leaders from the former Soviet bloc
through <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American English Language
Immersion Programs (AELIP)</i>. These young people had the chance to improve their
English language skills, learn some leadership essentials and be challenged by
life in a new environment. From these programs came inspiration to build
international careers in Asia, Europe and the US, as well as enduring
friendships and marriages. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYlu_gaYgOAf51gTqyVXTKvKv_JFudKMgd-MJSpaM1XVAfJSj8ASpZbBe5kDzi428cU1dF_9WW-gcEHN_NqcXnEsosV8D6vZkhQSd-Cnj-vlMytmSgN1zqGmv_WOcjiVrHLRTgNFYtVc/s1600/AELIP+1996.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRYlu_gaYgOAf51gTqyVXTKvKv_JFudKMgd-MJSpaM1XVAfJSj8ASpZbBe5kDzi428cU1dF_9WW-gcEHN_NqcXnEsosV8D6vZkhQSd-Cnj-vlMytmSgN1zqGmv_WOcjiVrHLRTgNFYtVc/s320/AELIP+1996.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AELIP participants ride Florida-style </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">From
2006 on, we shifted our focus to finding ways to assist in the establishment of
what former President Vaclav Havel termed “civil society” in the Czech
Republic. He urged the society to pay attention to morals, values and ethics
while it was developing in more materialistic ways. Havel specifically noted
the weakness of spiritual life among people living in the Czech Republic, and
we decided to investigate his claims. We moved the ILI headquarters to Prague
from August 2010-November 2013, living in that glorious city and doing all we could
to understand the state of spiritual affairs there. Our conclusions are
outlined in the report we are preparing (<em>ILI: 25 Years of Focus on the CR</em>), and will be expanded in our next book, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> Century Christianity</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">All in
all, we at ILI have built many meaningful and lasting relationships with people
we’ve known and worked with in the Czech Republic. This country has been the
focus of nearly everything we have done for 25 years, and we appreciate the
opportunity to make a contribution to the lives of people who live there. The
report will detail some of our accomplishments, analyze their impact, make observations
about the current situation in the Czech Republic and offer some ideas about
the near future. It will be available on our website, <a href="http://www.ili.cc/">www.ili.cc</a>, on January 15.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">*Soviet bloc states were
Czechoslovakia, Jugoslavia, East Germany, Poland, Estonia, Ukraine, Romania,
Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary and Lithuania.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><br clear="all" style="mso-special-character: line-break; page-break-before: always;" />
</span></i>JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-6782817485704311232013-09-29T04:27:00.000-07:002013-09-29T04:27:31.148-07:00Recently I had an opportunity to discuss the current political situation in Czech Republic with two young Czech executives. They both characterized the current leadership vacuum here is an absence of sustainable leadership. One of them suggested that countries such as Czech Republic are full of people who have reasonable material comforts, and yet lead lives of quiet, and at times noisy desperation. Like in neighboring Germany, they increasingly are becoming "nichtwahlers" or non-voters. In terms of how happy they feel to live in their own country, according to a world wide poll, Czechs now rank on 39th place, Poles on 51st place and Hungarians on 110th place. <br />
<br />
So I asked them what do they think may be wrong with their country in terms of the leadership situation. First they hesitated for a while. Then one of them suggested that old, worn out totalitarian thinkers are no longer able to inspire the new generation of young, educated voters. They only appeal to those still thinking in totalitarian terms, and prefer to think only about themselves, not about the needs of the rest of citizens living in the country.<br />
<br />
So I told them about the International Leadership Institute's programs we have been organizing for years (ever since the collapse of totalitarian communism in East and Central Europe) for leaders from post-communist countries, and about what we learned from those leaders over the years. Together with participants in the ILI programs we came up with a profile of a successful 21st century leader.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCjHcYYOQ56tdnyJbNFoNkWJwyHaWnBXxSBEU8nEchAmD2zK-sli4pRnoh9-Jxk09z2J80bRzscy53jt5kLkictBmxkBWYxfD9CVFN2si8l3VYh2KW53Pbg9YAGf3BkNesLub77vDgAI/s1600/sv+Vaclav.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLCjHcYYOQ56tdnyJbNFoNkWJwyHaWnBXxSBEU8nEchAmD2zK-sli4pRnoh9-Jxk09z2J80bRzscy53jt5kLkictBmxkBWYxfD9CVFN2si8l3VYh2KW53Pbg9YAGf3BkNesLub77vDgAI/s320/sv+Vaclav.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">St Vaclav, Duke of Bohemia in the 10th century</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Here are some typical observations:<br />
We agreed that successful 21st century leaders typically encourage and lift others from where they are to where I<br />
t is their potential to be. They do not aim for mediocrity but for excellence. They serve in their leadership roles with energy, intelligence, imagination, diligence, wisdom and good will toward others. Such leaders do no evil and do not condemn their neighbors but keep their oath even when it hurts.<br />
<br />
They protect the weak and the needy from those who malign them . They are able to correctly discern their priorities and focus diligently on key tasks for the good of their country.<br />
<br />
Then one of the two future leaders asked me, how can the country find such leaders. I suggested that a healthy country, with a healthy society should be able to produce them.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-26633543660164131172013-09-28T11:46:00.001-07:002013-09-28T11:46:34.155-07:00Fortunate are people whose top leader's lifestyle is a demonstration of can-do attitude combined with good will toward people, understanding, compassion, diligence, high energy level and a heart for social justice. <br />
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Such a leader can and will attain a deep inner state of quietness in order not to become prey to tension, worry, fear and ill health. Such a servant leader is also wise in that which is good and simple concerning evil, and will seek counsel regarding every circumstance that confronts him or her.<br />
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Such a leader does not accept conditions of any kind that would mar the well being of the people he or she leads, and does not accept the rejection, the bruising or the piercing of negative words and actions by the leader's enemies or opponents.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-28245226570628187472013-08-15T09:56:00.004-07:002013-08-15T09:57:48.853-07:00Redirect is now open for new participants!<b><span style="color: #20124d;"><i>You have just one life, so it's in your best interest to make the most
of it. No one can do this for you! Take charge of your life, one
decision at a time.</i></span></b><br />
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After our successful organizational meeting at Bio Zahrada on Tuesday, we are excited to be offering the late summer 2013 <i>Redirect </i>seminar to our new participants! We have also decided to open the seminar to other people living in Prague who are interested in making a change in their lives.<br />
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What you have done in the past can be reshaped and refashioned into
something new, better and different. We especially want to recommend
this seminar (delivered in 4-2 hour sessions) to people who find
themselves complaining about their job, feeling that they are not
challenged and are not using all their potential. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVdysxqOvMpp-Xe-mhsiskjn2_3WnnSK6zaNDvhmK9hgwUFfYhgTvN40OYanxqBEpwrDPETimEvEhUaQcbpteWx41YRAlWtRAqpQWjubEoMVrDse-iyBrCUuqY3Josht6Grwfmqd4st0/s1600/statue+and+moving+man.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVdysxqOvMpp-Xe-mhsiskjn2_3WnnSK6zaNDvhmK9hgwUFfYhgTvN40OYanxqBEpwrDPETimEvEhUaQcbpteWx41YRAlWtRAqpQWjubEoMVrDse-iyBrCUuqY3Josht6Grwfmqd4st0/s320/statue+and+moving+man.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Seminar Details:</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><i>Redirect</i> Seminar, Session One of four.</b></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Tuesday, August 20 at 18:15 </b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>at Monolok Cafe on Moravska 18 in Vinohrady (Please ask for Tusek table)</b></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><a href="http://www.monolok.cz/">http://www.monolok.cz/</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Cost for seminar: 1800 kc for four 2-hour sessions (8 hours total of meeting time)</b></span>.<span style="color: #20124d;"> <b> </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #20124d;"><b>Our book, <i>21st Century Jobs</i>, is needed for the seminar; cost for the book is 200 kc.</b></span></div>
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If you think this may be helpful to you, please join us. We will have extra books and other materials for any new people who come to this first session.<br />
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<br />JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-73781813541698025982013-08-11T10:34:00.002-07:002013-08-11T10:34:23.610-07:00New "Redirect" seminar for August!We have recently met several people who live in Prague and are considering major changes in their lives. Some of them need a new job; one is graduating from high school and getting ready for university studies; one is discouraged and needs to believe that she can get "the job she can like and do best."<br />
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So we are inviting these people to a small meeting at Bio Zahrada at Belgicka 25/33 in Vinohrady, on nam Miru, at 5: 30 on Tuesday, August 13.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bio-zahrada.cz/en">http://www.bio-zahrada.cz/en</a></div>
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We would welcome you, too, if you are ready to get some help with deciding what to do in your career! Czech and English-speakers are all welcome.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-56307138441493062712013-07-09T01:20:00.001-07:002013-07-09T01:20:54.789-07:00Why work?There are so many different reasons that people give for why they work, it is worth taking time to ponder why <i>you</i> work. The obvious answer is "to make some money" and the obvious next statement is, "I wish I was so rich that I didn't have to work."<br />
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<i><b>Could it be that there are other reasons to work besides pure necessity?</b></i><br />
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I am going to suggest the making money is not the only reason, or even the most important reason to work. Here are the three top three reasons why people work:<br />
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<i>1. to interact with and influence their surroundings</i><br />
<i>2. to make friends and develop new interests</i><br />
<i>3. to organize your life and bring meaning into each day</i><br />
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<b><i>To interact with and influence their surroundings</i></b><br />
The concept of "the idle rich"may seem attractive, especially when you watch rich people play and live on TV or in movies. Lounging around all day, being waited on hand and foot, never worrying about paying bills--all this seems wonderful.<br />
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But look at the downside--if all you do is lounge around, how can you connect with your surroundings other than passively? If you never work, never do anything that brings you into a creative or productive relationship with people beyond the few who serve you or live with you, doesn't that leave a gap in your life? You may be happy enough with idleness, for a while, but if you don't work--take on some responsibility for some aspect of the culture around you--I think you are missing a key pathway for making a mark on that culture.<br />
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Being an observer, not an initiator, is a boring and unfulfilling life. Your life may be comfortable (if you can be sure your money will last as long as you live!), but you are simply living on the surface if you don't work. Even rich people usually have to work, anyway, to manage their wealth and make sure no one is embezzling all their funds while they sit on a tropical island drinking pink beverages with tiny umbrellas. So if you have to work, why not work at something you care about, where you can have an impact for the good?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqyKafR_paBv8CwLQS8oCI7B76QwDRYa60TOIQOQEoorSjxhiy4KmVyX6JaX2_YdiKA3qHemEQItjh0Hu1f_YGmYUrB8cUVnCQukRtsBTTZD1_fsRMg1OSBAI2BKIVtY7u02HwW6SL_o/s1600/model.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqyKafR_paBv8CwLQS8oCI7B76QwDRYa60TOIQOQEoorSjxhiy4KmVyX6JaX2_YdiKA3qHemEQItjh0Hu1f_YGmYUrB8cUVnCQukRtsBTTZD1_fsRMg1OSBAI2BKIVtY7u02HwW6SL_o/s320/model.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo shoot in the Old town, Prague</td></tr>
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<b><i>To make new friends and develop interests</i></b><br />
It's fairly easy to make friends when you're young, in high school or college, where you spend a great deal of time in common activities such as attending classes and doing schoolwork. If you never leave the place where you made these friends, and they never leave, either, you will most likely stay friends.<br />
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But if you move, you need some way to make new friends right away. Working is the ideal way to make friends, as you are teamed for projects, seek new clients, develop and implement plans, and so on. The time spent working with colleagues usually is enough to build friendships, many of which may last a lifetime. The emotional and mental energy spent in work often spills over into work-based relationships: you work many hours together, find solutions for tough problems, and celebrate accomplishments.<br />
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You can also easily find new hobbies and outlets for your creativity with your colleagues who become friends. They invite you to their meetings, outings, and so on; some of these new interests may be a great fit for you, giving you a more diversified life.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnFq6ZL2JTd98wfHaYWA_SzbrtFWG3Y08LFepVn54AbfGtPnBV1xRh3vX5KaXmK-c2D0UowHk6stLYMMVLCPp7dkufEHFmWZCxhQYd65N8ehJtZ2hmXLrutdin1JeXoi_FmsHTgtCN2Y/s1600/street+cleaners+take+a+break.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRnFq6ZL2JTd98wfHaYWA_SzbrtFWG3Y08LFepVn54AbfGtPnBV1xRh3vX5KaXmK-c2D0UowHk6stLYMMVLCPp7dkufEHFmWZCxhQYd65N8ehJtZ2hmXLrutdin1JeXoi_FmsHTgtCN2Y/s320/street+cleaners+take+a+break.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cleaners take a break</td></tr>
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<i><b>To organize your life and bring meaning into each day</b></i><br />
Most people who work love to moan and groan about the absurd amount of time works eats up, what with commuting, work itself, after-hours work events, preparation for the next day's work, etc. Yet having a working schedule brings benefits as well. Unemployed people, or people who are "stuck at home" all day, often dream of working so that their days don't seem do random or purposeless. Work gives you an anchor around which to organize your life; without work, your empty calendar may, after a while, look pretty pathetic.<br />
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And each day brings its end. What did you do today? "Not much" is a poor result if you are a reasonably energetic, talented human being. On holiday, doing "not much" seems like an amazing luxury, but as a steady diet, "not much" is starvation rations.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPqWMRO2T9Kl71r-7Vmihbh2CJyAMsgBxoHqXJVL4w_oTcS3Zq7ny4F1id0ITyk0dJ4Nsz6PM9Ur3XppXxScFRDe1p6Tp5NEMr3koEEDcdQT-ITwKg6It9b7VRltdjAKFk22yEQGdR1M/s1600/Sleeping+on+the+tram.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPqWMRO2T9Kl71r-7Vmihbh2CJyAMsgBxoHqXJVL4w_oTcS3Zq7ny4F1id0ITyk0dJ4Nsz6PM9Ur3XppXxScFRDe1p6Tp5NEMr3koEEDcdQT-ITwKg6It9b7VRltdjAKFk22yEQGdR1M/s320/Sleeping+on+the+tram.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sleeping on the tram...not too exciting</td></tr>
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I believe that human beings are social creatures (some more so than others, but everyone needs company sometimes!) In isolation, humans get strange. They develop obsessions and weird theories; they neglect their health and get sick; they lose their connection to other people and suffer intolerable loneliness, which can get warped into all kinds of sociopathic and actual criminal behavior. We need other people to shake us up when we get strange. There's no better way to be shaken up than by work, which forces you to confront reality, in one way or another.<br />
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I also believe that people need to know their lives have meaning. There must be more to life than the brief span of time on earth--your life needs to mean something to someone, or why live? The most consistent meaning in life that I can think of is to influence and be influenced by other people.Work does just that.<br />
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<br />JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-72225798059822609742013-05-28T03:21:00.000-07:002013-05-28T03:21:31.680-07:00Back in Prague!We spent the past winter in Florida, catching up with friends and taking care of some business. That time was a holiday for us, in terms of delivering our career development programs, though we continued to think about (and offer free advice to our friends and family regarding) the relationship between your career and your purpose in life.<br />
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Since returning to Prague in the spring of 2013, we have spent considerable time in redefining our own purposes, as our lives have changed and developed. 2012 and early 2013 have been busy and eventful times for us in our professional and personal lives, calling for a review of our previous goals and a thoughtful analysis of potential new goals, as we refine our purpose. We've started a new blog on the topic of purpose (<a href="http://determineyourpurpose.blogspot.com/">determineyourpurpose.blogspot.com</a>).<br />
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Just this past Saturday, we held a reunion for our 2012<i> Redirect</i> participants. This meeting was a time to reflect on the changes and accomplishments of the past year, and to begin to set new goals. We talked about the importance of knowing your purpose in life, and that fact that purpose often evolves over time into something new, as we achieve our goals and set new ones.<br />
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From the <i>Redirect</i> reunion came one key insight into the concept of defining and fulfilling your purpose:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #073763;"><i><b>Having a clear purpose does not put you into a straight jacket, unable to respond to new opportunities!</b></i></span></div>
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In fact, having a clear purpose will help you recognize and sort out what opportunities come your way. Each day brings its share of ideas and chance encounters that may be developed into something exciting and rewarding. It's simply not possible to respond with equal enthusiasm and energy to every attractive or important chance that you may spot. Having a purpose gives you a framework and point of reference form which to evaluate opportunities, so that you are not overwhelmed and indecisive about ideas that are clearly not for you, at the moment.<br />
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Our participants gave us positive feedback on their <i>Redirect </i>experiences and urged us to keep offering the program. They found it interesting and useful to take time for analysis of their past accomplishments, skills and values, and to set one major goal for the coming year.<br />
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Our <i>Redirect</i> participants gave us some career and personal updates:<br />
<ul>
<li>One <i>Redirect </i>participant left a business job that was unsatisfying and made a career change to university teaching. She is pursuing a PhD to help her advance in this new career and is steadily making her move into entrepreneurship, balancing this with personal and family decisions.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Another <i>Redirect </i>participant is directing an exciting new project in her career field, while still completing her education and continuing with her previous job. Some changes in her personal life gave her the time and energy to pour into building her career, and to carefully consider some options for a semester or year of study in another country, to enlarge her vision.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Another <i>Redirect </i>participant is moving from volunteer work to a business career, using her past experience and skills in another country to set up a new business venture here in Prague. She is also refreshing her abilities in her third language, in anticipation of future business endeavors.</li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hvSwfkIf5KB2xCk4yVJ4WAwT-hdGH-IR7ysJIPaBEfcM_nRpCiKG4sBwYhl8UXyak1G6Pphj4L0j7nbblQLAx0JIcnhjATXdm10tAjbDzMhrukNdqfsRY6JmkIjkCwu5uZuOM-8-ELU/s1600/window+and+lamp+Evang+church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hvSwfkIf5KB2xCk4yVJ4WAwT-hdGH-IR7ysJIPaBEfcM_nRpCiKG4sBwYhl8UXyak1G6Pphj4L0j7nbblQLAx0JIcnhjATXdm10tAjbDzMhrukNdqfsRY6JmkIjkCwu5uZuOM-8-ELU/s1600/window+and+lamp+Evang+church.JPG" /></a></div>
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With all this in mind, we will be offering the <i>Redirect</i> program very soon. Please check back here to find out the dates, or email us at purpose@ili.cc for more information.<br />
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<br />JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-85260527236887454032012-10-14T22:06:00.002-07:002012-10-14T22:06:45.272-07:00What activities make you feel great about yourself? and so on...<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 22pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">REDIRECT: 15 KEY QUESTIONS </span></i></h1>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUksPpHnOIVJyhpSBAMubHbL-3NDtjsoPDNf2DeumHGdnJTI0nPGwl2qptkhOU7TzYjXdI9d2Ym8UAFTCrvzAuHta5OGO1vSFDFZs51skTGIdSFYyNpCeRozzlXHX6HusydPQyWktj_rc/s1600/more+duck+feeding+on+the+Labe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUksPpHnOIVJyhpSBAMubHbL-3NDtjsoPDNf2DeumHGdnJTI0nPGwl2qptkhOU7TzYjXdI9d2Ym8UAFTCrvzAuHta5OGO1vSFDFZs51skTGIdSFYyNpCeRozzlXHX6HusydPQyWktj_rc/s1600/more+duck+feeding+on+the+Labe.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feeding the ducks on the Labe River</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">If it’s true that we only live once, then
it’s important to take our lives seriously. Too often we get so caught up in
what we’re doing that we don’t take time to make sure that we’re spending our
time in ways that harmonize with our values, skills and major goals. This
exercise will help you think about your life from various angles. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">1. What makes you smile? (Activities, people,
events, hobbies, projects, etc.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUcZ92PzUEoSU_bGLADm1mgkgUFFDSxdqP8Hz0cdYQDPty59lb37RZdxB5aZuEdMrbeKha6ZmtqHu7oqUOTHiqrdwQIVLzSTieNPJAuZnGZisBRWgl8LztJk1Lb_MrRBLsKZybG7KKFc/s1600/Lesley-Fox+at+Strong+Natl+Museum+of+play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwUcZ92PzUEoSU_bGLADm1mgkgUFFDSxdqP8Hz0cdYQDPty59lb37RZdxB5aZuEdMrbeKha6ZmtqHu7oqUOTHiqrdwQIVLzSTieNPJAuZnGZisBRWgl8LztJk1Lb_MrRBLsKZybG7KKFc/s320/Lesley-Fox+at+Strong+Natl+Museum+of+play.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the Museum of Play</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">2. If you unexpectedly had a little extra
money, what would you buy?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">3. What activities make you lose track of
time?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">4. What makes you feel great about yourself?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">5. Who inspires you most? (Anyone you know or
do not know: family, friends, authors, artists, leaders, etc.) Which qualities
inspire you, in each person?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">6. What are you naturally good at? (skills,
abilities, gifts, etc.)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">7. What do people typically ask you for help
in?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">8. If you had to teach something, what would
you teach?</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQakvqnLIeuNCcW8J6BkJjF_MovsM1RRZgP7MJJqtJR5PKz7B8CIhyW8F_1VXgdfFSmaRcJFzuQ4aNBTET1WPxOFQtSQJnzXeT3ZqzO9oWrtzDWFbH1AjZAiaCEsQqojb522PesH-w21c/s1600/Trondheim+fall+colors.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQakvqnLIeuNCcW8J6BkJjF_MovsM1RRZgP7MJJqtJR5PKz7B8CIhyW8F_1VXgdfFSmaRcJFzuQ4aNBTET1WPxOFQtSQJnzXeT3ZqzO9oWrtzDWFbH1AjZAiaCEsQqojb522PesH-w21c/s320/Trondheim+fall+colors.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beautiful fall colors in Trondheim</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">9. What would you regret not fully doing,
being or having in your life?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">10. What are your deepest values?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">11. What were some challenges, difficulties
and hardships you’ve overcome or are in the process of overcoming? How did you
do it?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">12. What causes do you strongly believe in?
Connect with?</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qW6pBYnmoMDGoO6MR02n03IlRkQkHp1e1pik29yZYgtEKzhJo8wgWbyEKnN7PavoP4qvrshaW94O-Y814e9smrMXnAcG3dmWJutc9gcr8OI89OadJeOGHhxAgHaDAPAwFfE6vR3NuNE/s1600/Mondsee.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4qW6pBYnmoMDGoO6MR02n03IlRkQkHp1e1pik29yZYgtEKzhJo8wgWbyEKnN7PavoP4qvrshaW94O-Y814e9smrMXnAcG3dmWJutc9gcr8OI89OadJeOGHhxAgHaDAPAwFfE6vR3NuNE/s1600/Mondsee.JPG" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">13. If you had $10,000,000, and never had to
work again, what would you do with your life?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">14. If you had 24 hours to live, what would
you do? With whom?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">15. You are now 90 years old, sitting in the
sunshine. You can feel the spring breeze gently brushing against your face. You
are contented and happy, and are pleased with the wonderful life you’ve lived.
Looking back at your life and all that you’ve achieved and acquired, all the
relationships you’ve developed; what matters to you most? List them out.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-57681698038898867082012-10-06T02:51:00.001-07:002012-10-06T02:54:45.718-07:00The power of Redirect<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed">
<span class="userContent">The power of a goal is quite remarkable. </span></div>
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<span class="userContent">Sara and I just had a stimulating conversation about the current status of this year's primary goal, which we agreed on in our January 2012 <em>Redirect</em> seminar:</span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><strong><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>To build a home in 2012</em></span></strong></span></div>
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<span class="userContent">We discovered that, although the year was not at all what we planned or expected, it has been nevertheless been focused on building a home. The goal was always present in our minds and hearts, guiding us in subtle and not-so-subtle ways to make many small decisions along the way. Here are three of the ways that our goal influenced our choices and was itself influenced by the events of our lives.</span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We have strengthened some wonderful relationships with family and friends, while making new friends and enlarging our horizons geographically, prefessionally and spiritually. </span></em></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We've decided to stay in Prague for at least two more years, and not to move from our little flat, which has been so pleasant and convenient. </span></em></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We are still writing "21st Century Christianity" and hope to publish it next year. </span></em></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbEo5PFteSayl0_ArvK5BWhIkpjGRerN1DdNCQYY9SKux371wU9Lpmyaypee9GjhKtswqO1uoUEnEdXJxfT3-HvaaJUSddHWWXWGziO_zXuEM7ZDv2yy3qtJFEJ2zLmNA4_jd-fTaZxw/s1600/October+view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhbEo5PFteSayl0_ArvK5BWhIkpjGRerN1DdNCQYY9SKux371wU9Lpmyaypee9GjhKtswqO1uoUEnEdXJxfT3-HvaaJUSddHWWXWGziO_zXuEM7ZDv2yy3qtJFEJ2zLmNA4_jd-fTaZxw/s320/October+view.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span class="userContent">All of these people, events, activities and experiences have molded our thinking and impelled us toward our goal, even though we didn't recognize it while it was happening. How? </span><span class="userContent"></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>Because of our focus on building a home, we lavished time and attention on the people who were interested in what we were doing.</em> </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">These people challenged our thinking and helped us dig deeper into what "home" really means. We're grateful for their support and the ways they've helped us refine our goal. Our travel this year has also been anchored in our goal, as have our professional choices and spiritual development.</span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>We've decided to stay in Prague for at least two more years, and not to move from our little flat, which has been so pleasant and convenient.</em> </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">We thought in January that we'd move back to the US and buy or build a house there. But events and circumstances changed our thinking dramatically. Having our goal helped us frame these events and circumstances in such a way that they became guideposts and mile markers towards our goal.</span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>We are still writing "21st Century Christianity" and hope to publish it next year.</em> </span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">This book defines our original mission in Prague and points us to our next big idea/goal. Knowing that we want to build a home has added urgency to the completion of our book.</span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">The key words here are <em>challenge, focus, time, attention, checking our progress and a sense of urgency</em>. All of these are elements in goal-setting and working towards a goal. Think about an athlete who wants to compete in the Olympics. First, the goal is set. Then the details are put into place, resulting in a timetable, a support team (emotional, physical and spiritual), a fitness regime, a plan to find financial resources, and so on. All of the details support the goal, which is the heart of the entire effort.</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: Times;"><em>"Without a vision, the people perish,"</em> as Proverbs 29 notes. Without a goal, life is a featureless plain upon which the individual is moving without purpose or destination. He or she is vulnerable to the weather, to the intentions of the people he or she may meet, to predation by wild animals, and to discouragement and loneliness. Without a goal, life is like the bumper sticker<em>--"you're born, stuff happens, you die."</em></span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: Times;">We designed the <em>Redirect</em> career development program with simplicity in mind--one goal for the year. This simple idea has turned out to be far more powerful than we had imagined. </span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: Times;"><em><strong>Our last Redirect starts October 7, 2012; </strong></em></span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: Times;"><em><strong>we'll resume offering it </strong></em></span></span></div>
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<span class="userContent"><span style="font-family: Times;"><em><strong>when we return from the US in January 2013.</strong></em></span></span></div>
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JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-28080726814041278382012-08-12T23:23:00.002-07:002012-08-12T23:23:47.910-07:00Next Redirect program, in September in Prague
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<div class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We are announcing our next career development seminar, <strong>Redirect</strong>, in Prague. Here are the details. If you are interested, please send us an email at </span><a href="mailto:stusek@ili.cc"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">stusek@ili.cc</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">. You can go to our website, </span><a href="http://www.ili.cc/"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">www.ili.cc</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">, for more information.</span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 18pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Redirect: a new approach to life and work<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></i></div>
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<div class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 115%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Are you using all your talents, experience, dreams
and personal abilities to the maximum?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></i></div>
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</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Sometimes you can
get “stuck” in a way of living that’s less than what you know you can do. If
you are feeling that you haven’t fully developed your unique set of
possibilities, the</span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong> Redirect</strong></span></i></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> program can help
you assess what you have, what you’ve done, and where you are heading.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong>Redirect</strong></span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"> offers assistance to you in five important areas:<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Redirecting your
current career:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"> changing the direction of your stalled, stale career<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Becoming an
entrepreneur:</span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"> finding ways to bring your career and personal dreams into
reality<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Using your
education and experiences</span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";"> to help the people you care about in their areas of need<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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</span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Making a fresh,
new start</span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">
after a major life change<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Garamond; mso-fareast-font-family: Garamond;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">Getting to know yourself
better</span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa";">
so that you can create a life of purpose and meaning.</span></span></div>
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</span><td style="background-color: transparent; border: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Cost
for seminar per participant is 800 K</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">č</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">
(includes all four 2-hour group sessions and one individual follow-up,
scheduled to suit both seminar leaders and participant). <o:p></o:p></span></i></span><div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">Our
book, </span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong>21<sup>st</sup> Century Jobs</strong></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">, is
recommended to all participants: seminar plus book costs 1000 K</span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;">č</span></i></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">.</span> </span></span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">You may pay in cash or by bank transfer</span> </span></i></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Redirect for Fall 2012</strong></span></span></i></w:wrap></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong><em><span style="font-size: small;">T</span>here are four sessions; you
attend all four, as each one builds on the previous sessions. Dates are September
3, 10, 17 & 24<o:p></o:p></em></strong></span></span><br />
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p><strong> </strong></o:p></span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong>Monday, September 3, 7-9 pm</strong></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">. Why do you need to redirect your career and your life? What do you have to work with, in terms of skills, professional goals, and dreams?</span></i><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong>Monday, September 10, 7-9 pm.</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What have you loved doing in your life? How can you do more of what you like and less of what you don’t like?<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong>Monday, September 17, 7-9 pm.<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> </i></strong></span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">What prevents you from doing what you really want to do? How can you change this?<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<br />
<div align="left" class="MsoTitle" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong>Monday, September 24, 7-9 pm.</strong></span><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">What one major career/ life change are you willing to commit? How will you make it happen?<o:p></o:p></i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span><br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: "Estrangelo Edessa"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Seminar location, to be arranged according to enrollment<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></i></div>
JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-89300230623162955322012-08-12T06:34:00.002-07:002012-08-12T06:34:58.119-07:00Sorry, no guaranteesIn a consumer society, it's quite customary to expect a guarantee when you buy a product or service. My new Hyundai water boiling pot, for instance, has a one-year guarantee, with conditions spelled out in a tiny book. <br />
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<a href="http://www.gkyprianou.com/images/thumbs/0000759.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.gkyprianou.com/images/thumbs/0000759.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I can't say how easy it would be to collect on the guarantee, but it does exist. If my dentist makes me a new crown, and I pay a lot of money for it, I expect it to stay in place for 10 or 20 years, and would go back to ask for free repairs if it fell off in two weeks. Again, I can't say he would fix it free, or at all, or even that he'll still be a practicing dentist, but there's some reason to think he will try to fix his work if it's unacceptable.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/GI_at_Guantanamo_visits_the_dentist.JPG/300px-GI_at_Guantanamo_visits_the_dentist.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/db/GI_at_Guantanamo_visits_the_dentist.JPG/300px-GI_at_Guantanamo_visits_the_dentist.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>
<br />
So it's not unexpected that people would like a guarantee when they get help finding a job, especially if they are paying for the help. In fact, some trade schools do make guarantees: many TOEFL language instruction courses guarantee that the school will get you a job offer. Whether it's a job you'd like, or will accept, is another story.<br />
<br />
In New York City in the 1980's a time of recession, I co-founded a career counseling firm that helped laid-off and/or fired high-level excutives make a career transition. If, as was often the case, a firm hired us to do outplacement for its "excess" executives, we would help the people in these ways:<br />
<ul>
<li><em>to come to terms with losing their high-paying jobs, </em></li>
<li><em>to do a personal inventory of skills, talents, accomplishments and values,</em></li>
<li><em>to decide what career and job to pursue next, </em></li>
<li><em>to strategize and develop their job campaign,</em></li>
<li><em>to prepare effectively for interviews,</em></li>
<li><em>to do all that was necessary to get offers for new jobs, weigh the offers and accept the best one.</em></li>
</ul>
Nowhere did we promise to get anyone a job. In fact,we stressed in every counseling session that no one can get you the best job for you except yourself. <br />
<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Rockefeller_Center_(2006).JPG/800px-Rockefeller_Center_(2006).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Rockefeller_Center_(2006).JPG/800px-Rockefeller_Center_(2006).JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We also had private clients who came to us for the same kind of career help as individuals. Again, we offered to help in any reasonable way we could, but did not promise that the client would end up with a job.<br />
<br />
In this sense, our counseling firm offered no guarantees, only that we would help as best we could, under the conditions outlined in the contract we signed with the client. We guaranteed that we would try to help, but that's a weak kind of guarantee to a desperate person who needs a job right away.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://pac.org/images/pages/job_openings.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://pac.org/images/pages/job_openings.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">rushing to get a job</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<strong><em>Because the rather bitter truth is this:</em></strong> no one can guarantee to find for you, much less give to you, the job that you can like and do best. This is something that only you can do.<br />
<br />
Or, to put it another way, you will never be sure of getting the best job for you until you decide to do it for yourself--to do the necessary work of self-exploration, career research, networking, getting interviews, analyzing your suitability for and interest in a particular job, and so on.<br />
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<br />
One of our clients, a Frenchwoman living in Prague who wanted to establish her own design firm, got the message loud and clear--she commented after going through two career seminars with us, <strong>"it's up to me to take charge of my own career. No one can do that for me."</strong> She's launched her firm and is well on the way to building a clientele.<br />
<br />
No one can guarantee to you that you will do something that you must do for yourself. A coach, for example, can urge an athlete to get into good physical shape, exercise properly, get enough sleep, keep learning new skills, and so on...but in the end, it's the athlete himself or herself who must make the mental and physical effort to succeed in athletics. The coach can make no guarantees to the athlete other than guaranteeing his or her own good will, successful experience as a coach in the past, confidence in the coaching techniques he or she uses, and sincere desire to see the athlete succeed. The rest is up to the athlete.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62170000/jpg/_62170006_62170005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62170000/jpg/_62170006_62170005.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barbora Spotakova, 2-time Olympic Gold Medalist in the javelin event</td></tr>
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Thereare no guarantees for the most precious things in life: no guarantees that the people you love will always by in your life, that your best efforts will be immediately rewarded, or that you'll even live to see another day. No in one can guarantee you the job you can like and do best, but you can get solid professional help to envision, design and carry out your career goals.<br />
<br />JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-52015222192900164412012-07-17T03:05:00.005-07:002012-07-17T03:05:46.615-07:00Patience and Good MannersOne precious asset in the job search is patience. By patience, I mean the ability to work steadily toward a goal in spite of an unreasonable emotional desire for immediate results. Very often, the most valuable things in life come about only after a long period of sustained work, sacrifice and humility. Getting a university education, building a marriage, raising children and developing a career all call for tremendous, ongoing patience.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BurwtMsLBx4z4CPdOTwKRU7zgTlv416wCFDUx17bzlpqo0XJw37bAnwT5Wp8Ig50oQm-czDjqq1IDoScFHdYUr4W2_HTvpXpPOBxPGZY1jFNcMA0reC4j8_iS31UG8HtdIolmsDObCM/s1600/Waterfall+Bad+Gastein.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8BurwtMsLBx4z4CPdOTwKRU7zgTlv416wCFDUx17bzlpqo0XJw37bAnwT5Wp8Ig50oQm-czDjqq1IDoScFHdYUr4W2_HTvpXpPOBxPGZY1jFNcMA0reC4j8_iS31UG8HtdIolmsDObCM/s320/Waterfall+Bad+Gastein.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The patience of nature: centuries are needed to produce a waterfall</td></tr>
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Nothing is more harmful to a job seeker than displaying impatience. No one is interested in working with a person who can't control his or her personal feelings, unless that person is immensely talented or pays his or her employees very handsomely indeed!<br />
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Closely related to cultivating patience is the use of good manners. In any culture, good manners are based on putting the consideration of the needs, feelings and responsibilities of another person above one's own needs, feelings and responsibilities. Many years ago, the Copy Center of a university where Sara worked had a sign: <br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><em>"<strong>Lack of planning</strong> on your part does not constitute an <strong>emergency</strong> on my part."</em></span></div>
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For the job-seeker to be able to act with good manners (rather than harrassing people to do what he or she wants them to do IMMEDIATELY) requires patience. And patience requires developing the ability to stand back from one's own situation and consider the pressing needs of others. <br />
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Patience also require faith that all will work well for the job seeker. Religious faith is quite helpful in this case, but other kinds of faith are also acceptable; faith in one's own capabilities, faith that good manners and courtesy will be rewarded, and faith that the current "crisis" is not so very important in the overall scheme of life.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a patient, old tree produces new growth</td></tr>
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Another word for patience might be "perspective." By removing oneself from the center of the universe, a more balanced perspective gained, one in which it's apparent that personal desires are just that: personal. Such desires are not the responsibility of others, and should not be insisted upon, if one is to be taken seriously as a potential employee.<br />
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If patience in social situations is not possible, then the job seeker is best served by scheduling some quiet time alone.Taking the time to consider one's problems and opportunities in a peaceful, serene setting is very healing, and helps one develop patience and faith.<br />
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Patience and good manners are ancient virtues, but never more up-to-date than in the job search. Practicing patience is good practice for successful living! and good manners are just plain good sense.<br />
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<br />JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-50172838439289166932012-07-05T03:37:00.004-07:002012-07-05T03:37:58.674-07:00The basic problem of job-hunting<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfHAm7Rcii9U_NXo14lk27AHJhoI6Ha4IYG9eYI5l3hksU0vsjmp92P6qUPGT5rvWevsUcKOuao7d08pdRtLIujYcx3jLPcNiktCRUk-EevH-5UCCzxpjJ-Hc_vKC502sXDRoWewkxvQ/s1600/nook+with+clock+at+cafe.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfHAm7Rcii9U_NXo14lk27AHJhoI6Ha4IYG9eYI5l3hksU0vsjmp92P6qUPGT5rvWevsUcKOuao7d08pdRtLIujYcx3jLPcNiktCRUk-EevH-5UCCzxpjJ-Hc_vKC502sXDRoWewkxvQ/s320/nook+with+clock+at+cafe.JPG" width="240" /></a>This morning, Sara and I were talking about some of our friends who've had their fair share of job-hunting challenges. I have been thinking about this situation, and have come up with one basic problem:<br />
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<em><strong><span style="color: #990000;">"lack of fit between the dreams, values, skills, goals, and experiences of the job-seeker and the identified needs of the organization."</span></strong></em><br />
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Organizations must be careful to hire people who will perform the functions and duties that the organization has earmarked as most crucial. <br />
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The job interview is the venue for finding out if various candidates, who may "look good on paper," really have the qualifications and skills needed for the job in question, as it is envisioned by the organization.<br />
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Due to this narrow focus on finding the candidate who is exactly qualified for a job, the interviewer has no time or interest in finding out the candidate's full range of abilities and skills. The successful candidate must severely tailor his or her "job profile" to fit the job description as it is written.<br />
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Of course, this presents an enormous problem. No human being is made for one job, and one job only. Every job-seeker has a multitude of job-related ideas, capabilities, experiences and potential for growth. The hard part is for the interviewer to see beyond the urgent needs of the moment (as the organization has perceived them) and probe to find out about the real person whom he or she is interviewing.<br />
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For the job-seeker, there is a very delicate balance between presenting himself or herself in the precise terms of the job in question, and revealing other important assets that may be of immense value to the organization, even if not at the moment.<br />
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Then there are the factors of chance, serendipity, conincidence, unconscious prejudice (on both sides) and just plain luck that usually tip the balance in any job-interview process. Even such intangibles as mood, the weather, and "chemistry" usually have more influence on the hiring decisionthan simple facts and verifiable skills.</div>
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The lesson is not to be discouraged if you are not chosen for a particular job. So many factors are in play that no one can predict the outcome of an interview. The best procedure is to review the interview with a trusted friend, to see if any glaring mistakes were made. <br />
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If you believe you did your best, but were not selected, let go of that job and move on. Time spent in self-recrimination, bitterness, anger and envy of the person who was selected is time that is mush better spent in refocusing of your job campaign and moving ahead with vigor and determination. Good luck!JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-32513870128690896132012-04-28T23:14:00.000-07:002012-04-28T23:35:18.345-07:00from our files: a real-life job-seeker's dilemma<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"><em>(Here's a real-life interview dilemma. It's based on a CV and cover letter sent to us by a person looking for a job. Only the name is changed!)</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Dear Jan,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">You have given me an interesting situation to consider! Thank you for letting me assist you in your job search.</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here are some quick observations. Please remember that these are just my opinions, but they may have some validity, as I have been reading resumes and advising people in the job search for 27 years!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">1. Your writing style is very good. It flows well, and is easy to understand without being overly simple.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">2. You have a real challenge in this job ad because it is so non-specific:</span><br />
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<span style="color: red; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vacancy description</span></h2>
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">XXX company is looking for bright, energetic, positive and determined people to join our vibrant multicultural team!<br /><br />Experience is not necessary, but we do require:<br /><br />- Fluent Czech speaker<br />- Open minded<br />- Positive<br />- Flexible<br />- Driven to succeed</span></span></div>
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Nowhere can I see what kind of job they are offering. I wonder if this is just a "catch-all" ad to gather resumes and review them, at leaisure, to see who looks interesting. This makes your job much harder, as you don't quite know which skills to highlight.</span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">3. Which brings me to your personal dilemma. Your cover letter and resume portray a highly-qualified person with extensive experence as a translator, writer, crafter, etc. But you don't know, because the ad is so general, what to stress.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">4. Therefore I suggest the obvious! Send them a letter which mirrors their ad. Without being a parrot, use their language to write your letter. At the same time, severely edit your letter and resume, omitting anything that's not asked for. This is a counter-intuitive exercise, as most people feel obliged to state everything about their abilities. However, if you do, you may end up overwhelming the person who's screening resumes, and portraying yourself as someone who is a potential disturbance to the balance of the organization.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">5. So, if you decide to go with point #4, you will end up with a shorter, snappier cover letter--about 3/4 page at most. It will mirror the job ad, but do so skillfully. It will also offer intriguing hints that you may have more to offer than what's being stated. Your resume will be one page, at most, with only relevant information, written in bullet points. At the bottom you can say "complete CV available upon request."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">6. In all my experience, both in my own career and in helping 1000's of people in their career development, I have found four key truths:</span></div>
<ul><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">your resume will most often prevent you from being inteviewed, not help you, as it will always include something that the employer finds irritating or irrelevant. You can't avoid this.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">employers decide on whom to interview by factors that are unpredictable--usually something that's familiar or that reminds them of someone they like.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">since you can't control most of the factors of interviews, don't take rejection personally. Just keep looking. The best way to get a job is by hearing about it from a friend, or by chance, before it is advertised. Circulating socially in a variety of situations is the best way to get an interview.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span>
<li><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">to get a job, you first need an interview (see above points). But people hire people, not resumes, so the interview is your chance to listen carefully, find out what the employer needs, and communicate to determine if you can help.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></li>
<span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif;">
</span></ul>JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-34850871617923677662012-02-13T03:05:00.000-08:002012-02-13T03:16:34.073-08:00Czech and US unemployment numbers do a flip!Since 2008, the year of the big financial crises on Wall Street, US unemployment has been a concern. One of the major campaign issues in the 2008 residential election was how to lower that rate, and get the US economy "moving again". So it's good news that, according to the US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate has been falling in the USA since 2010:<br />
<span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted"><em><strong>UNEMPLOYMENT RATES IN THE USA:</strong></em></span><br />
<ul><li><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">Jan 2012 rate of 8.3%; </span></li>
<li><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">2011 yearly rate of 8.9%;</span></li>
<li><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">2010 yearly rate of 9.6%</span></li>
<li><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">2009 yearly rate of 9.3%</span></li>
</ul><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">By contrast, according to the Czech Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the <em><strong>Czech unemployment rate has risen sharply just this year:</strong></em></span><br />
<ul><li><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">January 2012 rate of 9.1%</span></li>
<li><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">2011 yearly rate of 6.8%</span></li>
</ul><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted"><strong><em>US ECONOMY REBOUNDS</em></strong><br />
For the US, the fear came from Wall Street's assessment that the failure of a few huge financial institutions in 2007--2008 would cause the entire economy to crash. </span><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">As the past four years have passed without a crash, confidence has grown, and people are starting to want to invest their money, not hide it in a sock. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNIxjOEeUMHW-s-mBBTb4Wjjw_5mWOQKfa_dXuPebH2q9d3LhW6MD_EiTPlWvkao5-7ELetcKnmhor_FMTpUKwkkstNr3UzZspOpca3wYVOEjJjew7EIUnPTpqDeoz__RmpkjzE_WD_Q/s1600/wool+knee+socks.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkNIxjOEeUMHW-s-mBBTb4Wjjw_5mWOQKfa_dXuPebH2q9d3LhW6MD_EiTPlWvkao5-7ELetcKnmhor_FMTpUKwkkstNr3UzZspOpca3wYVOEjJjew7EIUnPTpqDeoz__RmpkjzE_WD_Q/s320/wool+knee+socks.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">When money is put back into circulation for capital growth, housing starts and mortgages, and consumer spending, the economic data improves, and people gain even more confidence. Since all economies are based on confidence in the future and in reliable social cohesion, good numbers=a good economy. The unemployment rate falls as new jobs are created, and people are not afraid to change jobs or retire, creating openings. It's all good.</span><br />
<span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted"><strong><em>CZECH ECONOMY DRAGGED DOWN</em></strong></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.radnice-litvinov.cz/userFiles/loga2/eu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="294" src="http://www.radnice-litvinov.cz/userFiles/loga2/eu.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted"><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">According to Aktualne.cz, </span><br />
<span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted"><em>"The data show that the Czech budget deficit has been growing faster this year than in 2010, while Czechs spent less in July 2011 compared to one year ago."</em></span><br />
<br />
Yes, the deficit grew, in large part because the EU did not make the massive Euro grants that the Czechs have grown to depend on, not because Czech manufacturing was down or Czech government expenditures were up. The Greek, Italian, Irish and Spanish financial crises frightened the Europeans much as the Wall Street mess scared the Americans; the reaction of halting spending froze all the EU economies, as governments and people stopped spending.<br />
<br />
What's peculiar about the Czech rise in unemployment is that the Czech economy itself is not in such bad shape, relative to the rest of the world. Actually, it's in good company. </span><span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted">According to the most recent numbers in the CIA Factbook (cia.gov), here are some nations with significant deficits:</span><br />
<br />
<span class="data" title="In percent, seasonally adjusted"><strong><em>USA </em></strong></span><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$2.264 trillion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $3.604 trillion<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Czech Republic</em></strong><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$87.25 billion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $97.03 billion (2011 est.) <br />
<br />
<strong><em>France</em></strong><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$1.383 trillion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $1.547 trillion (2011 est.)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d9/Czech_Republic_Germany_Locator.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/d9/Czech_Republic_Germany_Locator.png" width="317" /></a></div><strong><em>Germany</em></strong><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$1.582 trillion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $1.643 trillion (2011 est.) <br />
<br />
<strong><em>China</em></strong><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$1.555 trillion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $1.681 trillion (2011 est.)<br />
<br />
In contrast, a few countries are not in debt, but run a surplus:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Gangnam-gu,_Seoul,_South_Korea_-_February_2009.jpg/220px-Gangnam-gu,_Seoul,_South_Korea_-_February_2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1b/Gangnam-gu,_Seoul,_South_Korea_-_February_2009.jpg/220px-Gangnam-gu,_Seoul,_South_Korea_-_February_2009.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">South Korean glamour</td></tr>
</tbody></table><strong><em>South Korea </em></strong><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$267.9 billion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $242 billion<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Switzerland</em></strong><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$222 billion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $216.8 billion<br />
<strong><em>Norway</em></strong><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$283.8 billion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $219.3 billion (2011 est.) <br />
<em><strong>Lichtenstein</strong></em><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$943 million <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $820 million<br />
<br />
<strong><em>Saudi Arabia</em></strong><br />
<strong>revenues: </strong>$293.1 billion <br />
<strong>expenditures:</strong> $210.6 billion (2011 est.) <br />
<br />
So why, then, has the US economy regained its impetus to expand, while the Czech economy is stuttering to a halt? Both have deficits, but, as we can see from the numbers in the CIA factbook, deficits don't cause countries to stop being leaders in the world economy. And surpluses don't always lead directly to world economic domination.<br />
<br />
Psychologists would, perhaps, say that national character, historic self-perceptions and social relations are as important to economic health (as defined by the unemployment rate) as are such tangibles as budget deficits and industrial stability. In other words, what a nation believes about itself is the key to economic growth and sustained employment prospects for its citizens. Perception is powerful.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.simplypsychology.org/draw-a-person-test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="http://www.simplypsychology.org/draw-a-person-test.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Of course, these statistics are, in a sense, "just numbers," as they don't reflect the individual trials of a person looking for a job in a climate of fear and uncertainty, due to poor economic growth numbers. But looking at unemployment as a reflection of an entire nation's culture, rather than as a personal failing, may ease the pain of not having a job.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-23707902932372533712012-01-23T00:44:00.000-08:002012-01-23T00:44:55.359-08:00Entrepreneurial wisdomMany people dream about starting their own business. No more inflexible working hours, or interfering boss! The chance to finally do things MY WAY!<br />
Sara and I had this dream for 8 years, and we brought in into full-time reality in 1993, when we ran the <strong><em>Business Leadership Forum: USA</em></strong> (Ex<em>ecutive Education Program for Central European Business Leaders</em>) programs in Florida. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-a3fxTMUn1yVPlsTs5_c_ggG8_tOOqUWw1MeG-b-jptZ0bBvR4TzEBLqFqDSBbLkphc38CWQzp7KU3KyjeOxTHmChPMXs34JiGCUKlin8KF2cOi7-W-linx_1hBpPtAQlxsYbZz4iD80/s1600/U+of+South+Alabama+ILI+picture+board.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-a3fxTMUn1yVPlsTs5_c_ggG8_tOOqUWw1MeG-b-jptZ0bBvR4TzEBLqFqDSBbLkphc38CWQzp7KU3KyjeOxTHmChPMXs34JiGCUKlin8KF2cOi7-W-linx_1hBpPtAQlxsYbZz4iD80/s320/U+of+South+Alabama+ILI+picture+board.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We loved running our own business, but found that there were some unexpected developments in being entrepreneurs!<br />
<ol><li>We were our own bosses, true, but <em><strong>we now had dozens of other bosses</strong></em> as well--our customers, our partners and our volunteers. Their needs and wishes became our priority.</li>
<li>Instead of evaluating our work performance by checking off a concise list of tasks and responsibilities on a job description, <em><strong>we had to do it all</strong></em>. Whatever needed to be done, we did ourselves or found someone to do for us.</li>
<li>There was <em><strong>no paycheck coming in regularly</strong></em>. If we needed money, we had to find ways to bring it into our business--through customer payments, loans, savings, new products, lines of credit, grants and any other creative ways we could muster up.</li>
<li>Since we were marriage and business partners, <em><strong>we had no leisure</strong></em>. Every waking minute was spent talking about, thinking about, and working in our business. We tried to fence off times of recreation, but invariably, the pressures and commitments of our business intruded into our tiny "personal life" space.</li>
<li>We had a <strong><em>limited social life</em></strong>. Our family and friends didn't want to hear about our business all the time, and we were so absorbed in work that we had almost no other interests to share with them. Our time and money was so stretched that we could scarcely afford the kind of relaxed pace that family and friends expect in social activities. What time we could spend away from the business was spent in making new contacts, recruiting new customers and planning the next five years.</li>
</ol><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7GyyWF0oNC5GnGd7mnYNRvuL-uJ8RueVs3IsE3rDKCJRK8k3-J5Bjbug184ldtQ7vaiYaFYP_Xirnw1H3lNjop1wjHjexsLsuPaP0V-FAR1KOeD89fYABLqNrL6loLOLg6rNskgb9QU/s1600/Sara+and+Betty+Flinchum+1993.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB7GyyWF0oNC5GnGd7mnYNRvuL-uJ8RueVs3IsE3rDKCJRK8k3-J5Bjbug184ldtQ7vaiYaFYP_Xirnw1H3lNjop1wjHjexsLsuPaP0V-FAR1KOeD89fYABLqNrL6loLOLg6rNskgb9QU/s320/Sara+and+Betty+Flinchum+1993.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>The lessons we learned in the 4 years we worked full-time (with no other jobs or income in our Institute were the most valuable lessons of a lifetime. We traded theory for facts in all areas of running a business: human resources, finance, logistics, marketing, customer relations, planning, public relations, etc. It was like getting an MBA, except for real--our case studies were not intellectual exercises, they were actual problems we had to solve to stay in business!<br />
<br />
So when it comes to working for yourself, we could write a book! Hmm..our publishing house could publish and market it, maybe as an ebook...JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-21786898763017483022012-01-07T00:23:00.000-08:002012-01-07T00:23:10.132-08:00Redirect your life and your careerYou can find information on how to get a job just about anywhere. Employment offices, university career centers, your local bookstore, and the Internet are full of good advice on getting a job, especially your first job.<br />
But what about your next job? If you've been working for awhile, and need to change jobs or even careers, where can you get help?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2Rum2rshCzshd307zJThbWGFsBMZHh3Rr-W6PLnOR4aiQh8AuVYjIx7934wRp3ZOTOfYkwnJAZJ5AQJS63KC-d18leUz1k0Yv0ReOBMpdYnhLbZBCNMwjxoC-GNsLNnAxVFcQU85XMU/s1600/tram+33.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo2Rum2rshCzshd307zJThbWGFsBMZHh3Rr-W6PLnOR4aiQh8AuVYjIx7934wRp3ZOTOfYkwnJAZJ5AQJS63KC-d18leUz1k0Yv0ReOBMpdYnhLbZBCNMwjxoC-GNsLNnAxVFcQU85XMU/s320/tram+33.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
ILI had designed a new program, <em><strong>Redirect</strong></em>, just for people who need to redirect their lives. Maybe you are moving to a new city or country, or have reached the top of your current career field, or are about ready to retire, or need to find a new source of income, or simply feel that your life is stale. Whatever the reason, you need to think in a new way about your life and how to use the resources you've gathered in a different way.<br />
<br />
<em><strong>Redirect</strong></em> offers a way to evaluate and move on in life. The next <em><strong>Redirect </strong></em>program begins on January 16, in Prague. Please send us an email at <a href="mailto:jbt@ili.cc">jbt@ili.cc</a> for more details.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-14036963550232565232011-12-02T02:00:00.000-08:002011-12-02T02:00:12.647-08:00Looking Ahead, againIn January 2011, Sara and I hosted a small "Looking Ahead" program in our flat in Vinohrady. When we started the program, two of the participants had jobs they thought were secure. But within the next few months, both these people were looking for a new job.<br />
<br />
Why do I tell this story? To illustrate that no one's career is 100% certain. Relying on your current job, no matter how much you like it or how secure you may feel in it, is not a good strategy in a competitive global economy, where everyone's jobs are tied together at some level.<br />
<br />
To keep your job-search skills up-to-date, and to continue to learn how to meet your own career and life goals, we recommend a yearly "refresher" career development program. "Looking Ahead" is just four sessions, twice a week for 2 weeks. But in those 4 sessions, we can help you pinpoint your career dreams, understand your own motivation and purpose in life, and add some job-search skills to your portfolio.<br />
<br />
Join us for this "Looking Ahead"! Each session is from 7-9 PM, at our flat in Vinohrady. Cost is 800 kc.<br />
<br />
<i>Here are the dates: Monday, Jan. 9; Thursday, Jan. 12; Monday, Jan. 16 and Thursday, Jan. 19.</i><br />
<br />
Call me at 736-645-729 for more details.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-25055511144134560052011-11-18T13:21:00.000-08:002011-11-18T13:32:11.899-08:00Just too much troubleSince 1978, we've been helping people find the right job, the job they can really enjoy and do best.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFmAPcyvzuZv1SNHNDar_Q91eVx4anO91lkcxF6dRRv-5Z2HMxCpRNMh4fPtbJ2wDQV4M8c8WNLvUhPPOiYYcibKFRiiAN3tR68MshpJwYQ4YYaGMG3jV6R8XfuHx081THy7BnrJd4II/s1600/steps+and+sun.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTFmAPcyvzuZv1SNHNDar_Q91eVx4anO91lkcxF6dRRv-5Z2HMxCpRNMh4fPtbJ2wDQV4M8c8WNLvUhPPOiYYcibKFRiiAN3tR68MshpJwYQ4YYaGMG3jV6R8XfuHx081THy7BnrJd4II/s1600/steps+and+sun.JPG" /></a></div><br />
You'd think that, by now, we'd have an easy 45-minute method to help people get that job. But we don't, and we never will.<br />
<br />
The hard fact is that there is no easy way to find the right job. There's a process that needs to be used, and it's a long, difficult process that requires energy, dedication and lots of time. The process starts with self-knowledge, calling for an honest look at what you have to offer, what you love to do, and what kind of life you want to live. The next step is doing serious research into the professions, businesses, and organizations that interest you, and finding out what kind of employees they need.<br />
<br />
Making a solid match between your skills, interests, values, talents, goals and dreams and the needs of an employer is the hardest step. Job interviews tend to be like dates, where each party puts his or her best foot forward and glosses over potential problems and disharmonies. It's only when you actually have a job and work at it for a year or two that you can even know if it's right for you.<br />
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For most people, we've found, this process is just too much trouble. Often our clients start off with good intentions and enthusiasm, but get bogged down in the middle, when they begin to understand the complexities of finding a job you can really enjoy. It's tempting, at this point, to take whatever comes your way, with the idea that you can always quit.<br />
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Maybe. But as you get older, each failed job relationship becomes more bothersome. What you can walk away from at 20 is not so easy to shed at 40, or 50. At the same time, your choices become more limited--you're not young and fresh anymore, and you may not have the relevant experience to be considered for a job that's slightly different from what you've done in the past.<br />
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So I contend that it's not just too much trouble to approach the job search using a proven method that works, one that is rational and realistic. The "21st Century Jobs" seminars offer just such a method. They demand commitment and thought from our clients, but the time put into the job search always pays off in self-confidence that comes from having a reasonable perspective on what you offer an employer and what you need to be happy in your next job.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-79631316514267775422011-07-06T02:23:00.000-07:002011-07-06T02:23:44.699-07:00Boring, boring, boring...wham!Looking for a job is, too often, like this:<br />
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<em>boring, boring, boring...wham!</em><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rI8KAZoWiO_t-2eL2I011AGVmdzQnBr2_Y5mab0lbwB8naOf4gGxjUNgrD59QAyW1W8e6J-xqjedT4T9qpGE2X6t0UuORkuD5KF2pjDCKh3Mu9QswY4DoJZPljrDJ27L8xFgQEAFw7k/s1600/Are+we+having+fun+yet.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3rI8KAZoWiO_t-2eL2I011AGVmdzQnBr2_Y5mab0lbwB8naOf4gGxjUNgrD59QAyW1W8e6J-xqjedT4T9qpGE2X6t0UuORkuD5KF2pjDCKh3Mu9QswY4DoJZPljrDJ27L8xFgQEAFw7k/s320/Are+we+having+fun+yet.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>It is not usually fun to look for a job. It's exhausting and boring.<br />
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Exhausting because you must constantly engage your imagination to project yourself into a job in a place that you may or may not know well. You have to imagine your desk, your colleagues, the window in your office, the cafeteria, your boss, the Human Resources Department, the parking lot/public transportation, your salary, and what you will actually do each day.<br />
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Until you do all this brain work, you can't write an effective cover letter or resume, and you can't be part of a successful interview. It's an exhausting process.<br />
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It's also boring. All job seaches have long stretches where nothing much happens. You research companies, organizations and institutions. You pinpoint jobs. You think hard about what the job might look like.You tailor your written communications accordingly. Then you wait. That's boring.<br />
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In spite of the boredom, you keep at it. More research, more communications, and on and on, with very little feedback and no real end in sight.<br />
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Until...<em>wham</em>! A sign of interest! An email or text message, a job interview appointment, a job offer! When something finally happens, it often happens so quickly that you can hardly think straight. That's why you spent so much time in the imagination phase--to be mentally prepared for fast action when the time is right.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhph8mW9ygmOTVcv1lPoZ_IMrBTVI0enwJKRBKCe1Ds8uj2-iD6FfWU2NyvOl8BLjpOyg8yuhqiE8QdOpcNO_Dq7bA15Za3PvJVxzJCYra1_FVSqqjUsTO8AqUifDD0o-7KL4BuvGcTpuw/s1600/statue+and+moving+man.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhph8mW9ygmOTVcv1lPoZ_IMrBTVI0enwJKRBKCe1Ds8uj2-iD6FfWU2NyvOl8BLjpOyg8yuhqiE8QdOpcNO_Dq7bA15Za3PvJVxzJCYra1_FVSqqjUsTO8AqUifDD0o-7KL4BuvGcTpuw/s320/statue+and+moving+man.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>So looking for a job is always not exactly fun. It's a bit easier if you have a specific organization in mind, one that you already know something about or where a friend is working. These situations make it less exhausting and boring, thought you still have to wait for the <em>wham </em>to hit.<br />
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Sara had a very fortunate job seach experience a few months ago. She was asked to work as a consultant in a school for two months, giving her the chance to know and be known by the school. Then she got a job offer from the school; she skipped the exhausting and boring parts, and went straight for the <em>wham</em>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDnnyNtsWCMho6QKmuqXkYk_TVCT3tXEF0wsjiMwDtlWE-mmGZiOhne-BIwMndlOIRgvXqfnMo31SAFQydWp4mjPbAM6nPMNDRWxW1ZiJpZX8syMtGO8UPinBA1lkCjCGC1J-QWFsU8I/s1600/Young+and+old+21st+Jobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDnnyNtsWCMho6QKmuqXkYk_TVCT3tXEF0wsjiMwDtlWE-mmGZiOhne-BIwMndlOIRgvXqfnMo31SAFQydWp4mjPbAM6nPMNDRWxW1ZiJpZX8syMtGO8UPinBA1lkCjCGC1J-QWFsU8I/s320/Young+and+old+21st+Jobs.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>You can do the same thing by volunteering or interning in an organization that interests you. It's a whole lot easier to imagine yourself somewhere when you actually know what that somewhere looks like!JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-73969754354901582102011-05-18T22:38:00.000-07:002011-05-18T22:38:31.494-07:00Some success storiesWe've offered out "21st Century Jobs" career seminars in Prague since last September, and there are some success stories for our participants:<br />
1. "Honza" has taken a new sales job after some serious reconsideration of his life options.<br />
2. "Radek" is happily unemployed and taking his time to choose a new job after leaving a job he was bored with and where he felt unfulfilled.<br />
3. "Dana" has quit her job where she was not treated with honesty and found a fantastic new job on another continent.<br />
4. "Iveta" still has the same job, but now feels prepared for whatever may happen as the firm she works for experiences some difficulties in getting new clients. <br />
5. "Luisa" found a wonderful consulting assignment that has led to a job offer.<br />
6. "Tomas" has come to understand his career options and his most valuable accomplishments.<br />
7. "Mirek" has a new perspective on career possibilities in Prague and can better advise job seekers as to how to proceed in this job market.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-27424142376859414152011-05-05T08:28:00.000-07:002011-05-05T08:40:44.097-07:00Focusing on finding your place where you can excelIn recent years we have seen too many people struggling and unable to find suitable employment, being severely underemployed, or facing all kinds of prejudices in the hiring process. Such factors are typically preventing us from reaching our full potential. <br />
After looking for a right solution to these pressing job-related problems for some time, we decided to focus on finding what it takes to find a job one likes and can do best. What does it really take to enable people to connect with employers who need their talents, skills and abilities in order to keep afloat in a sea of economic turbulence?<br />
21st Century Jobs , "YOUR NEXT JOB" seminars were developed just for this purpose--to help those who are seeking employment or trying to advance their careers, and to enable them to match their spectrum of skills, values, interests, accomplishments and potential with the vital needs of businesses, organizations and institutions both in the U.S. and world wide.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7513410922598968641.post-55116759198135064882011-05-04T04:52:00.000-07:002011-05-04T04:52:46.871-07:00It's never too late to get the job you like and can do bestThe next 21st century jobs seminar at Groebovka will equip you with timely personal job search essentials, combined with insights into the significant changes in the 21st-century job market. To find out more please contact me at <a href="mailto:jbt@ili.cc">jbt@ili.cc</a>. Thanks.JBThttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12273639904774732583noreply@blogger.com0