Month: May 2013

Performance takes energy.

Peak performance takes knowing the pace for the race to use energy most effectively.

I ran a 10K run in which I was wildly excited to get started.

I came out and set my pace as closely as I could to the runners who appeared to be the best runners in the event.

Along about three miles, I was done.  I was so exhausted that I decided that the smartest thing that I could do was to decide on the shortest route to my car and go home.  I have since learned that I became exhausted at about the distance knowledgeable runners would have predicted.

My work day can be like that 10K run.
I can sprint and be exhausted or set a pace for the day’s requirements.

Rapidly moving from task to task can be very productive…for a short day.

Trying to sprint an entire day becomes grueling, less productive, and discouraging.  Setting a pace and taking one task at a time enables me to end the day with the presence of mind to review what I have done and create the agenda for the next day.

I try to know the pace for the race each day.

Creating a list of things that I love about my work is a great way to enjoy the things I do every day.  Here are four of the things I love about my job.

FUN

I have a lot of fun working in the recruiting industry.  The requirements of the job are simple yet fast paced.  The tools are a lot of fun:  email, Internet, desk phone, and a smartphone.  The clients and applicants are bright and creative, often very successful.  The information with which I deal comes from current and often evolving business events.

CHANGING ENVIRONMENT

When I entered the recruiting industry, I was lucky to be able to work with people who had a similar background as my own in the consumer goods industry.  Our business focused on recruiting consumer goods sales people.  We were able to turn to contacts we already had to provide us with recruiting assignments and to provide a pool of applicants and referral sources.

The consumer goods sector has changed a great deal since 1980.  At that time, there was a huge demand for people to sell to regional drug and grocery chains.  There was also a large supply of candidates for filling those jobs.   Companies did not have the resources that they have today in terms of advertising jobs on the Internet and sourcing candidates through social networks.

I HAVE MORE POWERFUL RESOURCES TODAY.
Likewise, I have far more resources than I had before.   As the owner of two websites (JayWren.com and SeeWhoIshiring.com), I list thousands of jobs advertised on the Internet.  I manage two groups on LinkedIn CPG Trends LinkedIn Group and SeeWhoIsHiring LinkedIn Group, and I have thousands of contacts who get my LinkedIn updates.  The addition of the monthly newsletter to my business is a lot of fun for me and the feedback would tell me that it is useful to the subscribers.

VALUABLE AND ENJOYABLE RELATIONSHIPS

I have the good fortune to have developed a large network of clients and applicants so that my business has evolved from filling searches for regional sales people in the top twenty-five markets to filling searches for a variety of roles in cities that are home to major retailers and that are in the corporate headquarters of major manufacturers.

Employment matters to everyone:  employers, workers, families, singles, adults and the children they support.  You matter!

What are four things that you love about your job?

THE FEELINGS OF SUCCESS
How you feel about yourself and your world will have a great deal to do with how well you interact with other people.  These feelings also will have a great deal to do with how other people interact with you.

SMILE
I talked to a guy one time who said that it is impossible to be sad when you smile.

How simple is that concept.  Sad. Smile.  Not sad.

However, haven’t we always known that how we act affects how we feel?  “Gray skies are gong to clear up, put on a happy face.” Bye, Bye, Birdie.

LET THE FEELING PASS
Sometimes I find that feelings are just breezes.
When I feel unhappy, I can sit still and let my mind become aware of what I am feeling.  I can observe how my skin feels and how my muscles are reacting and where in my body the unhappy feeling is at the moment.   I do not have to resist that I am unhappy.   I just let the feeling exist and observe it passing through me and let my body respond in whatever way it needs to release the feeling.   I think about what I am feeling, and I do not look for reasons why I might be feeling unhappy. Sometimes feelings just come along and if I look for things to attach them to, those feelings hang around.

FRIENDS ARE NOT THERE TO SHARE THE MISERY
I can call friends and not talk about the feelings I am having. Misery does love company, but it moves along more quickly if I let my friend talk about what is going on in their life.

ACCEPT SOLUTIONS
Some people are great problem solvers. If my feelings are in reality based on something I need to handle, I can call friends and tell them I am seeking solutions. I find that this approach can be a very helpful way to deal with my feelings immediately, because I learn that I have options.

Employment matters to everyone:  employers, workers, families, singles, adults and the children they support.  You matter!