Category: Adapt, Innovate, Win

Companies rise, fall, and pivot, often in response to changing market demands, technological advancements, or simply a flash of entrepreneurial inspiration. What’s truly fascinating is discovering the unrelated origins of some of today’s most recognizable brands. You might be surprised to learn that the tech giant in your pocket or the car in your driveway…… Continue reading Surprising Origins of Today’s Iconic Companies

Six Powerful Strategies to Build a Large and Engaged Audience Expanding your reach and cultivating a loyal audience takes more than just posting content—it requires strategy, consistency, and engagement. Whether you’re a content creator, entrepreneur, or brand, these six essential tips will help you connect with more people and keep them coming back for more.…… Continue reading Content Marketing: 6 Steps for Building a Large Audience

We live in a world of unprecedented change. Technology is evolving at warp speed, industries are being disrupted, and the very nature of work is transforming before our eyes. In this dynamic landscape, traditional credentials and static job descriptions are becoming less relevant. A new paradigm is emerging: the Skills Economy. In the Skills Economy,…… Continue reading The Skills Economy: Your Future is Forged in Learning

The most effective people know how to ask great questions and how to learn from listening. ~ www.jaywren.com Listening: What is the role of asking questions and listening in creating cooperation?  Here are examples of how great questions lead you to getting what you want when you understand what other people need. In the Workplace,…… Continue reading Listening and the Persuasive Power of Asking Questions

I first ask myself, what is the fundamental puzzle I am trying to solve? Then I can crack the code and solve the puzzle. Not always, but at times, for me, life is a stream of puzzles waiting to be solved. Just for this article, I am going to use the word “puzzles” instead of…… Continue reading Cracking the Code: How to Solve Puzzles and Create Solutions

Introduction Circumstances change, industries evolve, and what worked yesterday might not work today. The ability to adapt, innovate, and win in the face of these shifts is crucial. There are core fundamentals that enable individuals and organizations to thrive regardless of the circumstances. Embracing Change Change is the only constant. Resistance to change often leads…… Continue reading Adapt, Innovate, Win: The Fundamentals of Success Under Any Circumstances

Welcome to Jaywren.com! Hey there! If you’re visiting jaywren.com for the first time, I want to extend a warm welcome. I’m thrilled you’ve found your way here, and I’m excited to embark on this journey of growth and discovery with you. Think of jaywren.com as your go-to resource for creating a life that truly resonates…… Continue reading New to My Website? Welcome!

  Ultimately, Kipling suggests that embodying these traits leads not just to success but to the fulfillment of one’s potential as a human being. This poem resonates across generations because of its universal lessons on character and strength. “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on…… Continue reading If You Can Keep Your Head When All About You Are Losing Theirs

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”  Winston Churchill Success is not final. Even repeating our actions does not guarantee success. As our circumstances change, the actions we need for success change. For nearly thirty years, I built a recruiting business based on using a telephone,…… Continue reading Courage to Continue

In today’s rapidly evolving job market, the concept of a linear career path is becoming increasingly obsolete. The rise of automation, globalization, and the gig economy has created a landscape where adaptability and resilience are paramount. This is where career agility comes into play. What is Career Agility? Career agility is the ability to adapt…… Continue reading Career Agility: Thriving in a Changing World

Career agility is critical for long term success. ~ Jay Wren The best example of the reason why is the closers of retails stores across America. It’s tough to keep a completely up-to-the-minute list of retail closures, as the landscape is constantly shifting. However, here are some notable retail chains that have closed entirely or…… Continue reading 4 Steps to Success Through Career Agility

How Saying No Can Lead to Greater Success It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and constantly pulled in different directions. We say “yes” to every request, every opportunity, every social invitation, leaving little time for ourselves and our own goals. But saying “no” more often could actually be the key to achieving greater success? Here’s how…… Continue reading Save Time and Become More Productive: Just Say “No”

Horrible things happen to all of us, things beyond our control. But developing winning traits can change the questions we ask when we meet challenges. We stop asking, “Why me?” Instead, we ask, “What steps can I take today to make things better?” ~ www.jaywren.com       Photo by Mathias Reding on Unsplash

Before starting any new experience, ask yourself, “What do I need to know?” ~ jaywren Starting a New Job The first few weeks in starting a new job are critical. You must establish yourself as a great hire. Moreover, while people are forming impressions of you as a new hire, you are faced with many…… Continue reading What Everyone Should Know When Starting a New Job

Great leaders have things in common. They also have different ways to find their individual greatness. Here are eight ways you can find your own individual greatness.  Find the beat of your own drum and march to it.  It is so easy for me to get distracted and off course when I look at what…… Continue reading Uniquely Great

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Continuing Professional Development and the 5 Elements of Learning. If you want to become a power performer, you probably have more potential than you realize, and you may underestimate the value of talent. If you are struggling, what may be missing is the opportunity to learn and grow. You are lacking professional development. Advisors Nearly…… Continue reading Continuing Professional Development: 5 Elements for Continued Growth

Lifetime Career Success: Building a successful career is a continual process of expanding your skills and your network. Don’t fear change. Embrace it. Move beyond your comfort zone. Self-doubt is a sign that I am growing. With growth, I gain greater confidence and marketability. The Texas Ice Houses At one time, ice houses sold one…… Continue reading Lifetime Career Success Requires the Power to Grow

Starting a new job:  The first few weeks in starting a new job are critical. You must establish yourself as a great hire. Moreover, while people are forming impressions of you as a new hire, you are faced with many challenges. To deal with the challenges, the first step is learning what to expect. The…… Continue reading 7 Steps to Starting a New Job

Thinking: Happiness is easy when everything is going our way. However, we can suffer, even when have everything we want. By managing our thinking, we can find joy from learning how to think about our world. Thinking: Learning how to Manage the Pain Between our Ears Being happy is a normal. Staying unhappy is not.…… Continue reading Thinking: Learning how to Manage the Pain Between our Ears

Fate and Luck: Luck comes to those who act.  Fate decides who wins.  But acting often and acting smarter increases our odds of turning fate in our favor. In life or in cards, we can’t win without playing. ~ www.jaywren.com Fate and Luck I have had good luck and bad luck.  But without work, I…… Continue reading Fate and Luck: Playing Comes Before Winning

Rebel: The world is full of successful people who conform to the norm. However, a rebel can blow past the norm and change the world. I have never known a rebel who was boring. ~ www.jaywren.com Companies have guidelines and rules.  But what do you do when the guidelines block you from achieving your goals?…… Continue reading Rebel: The Power of Being Different

Career Intelligence is a prerequisite for career agility. “An agile career is the result of an awareness and willingness to learn new skills that increase your value to your current and future employers. ~www.jaywren.com Building a lifetime career is a continual process of expanding your skills and your network.  Every single day, innovation changes something…… Continue reading Career Intelligence: Learn as if You Will Live Forever

Letting Go:  When I get caught up in trying to control everything in my life, I am setting myself up to suffer anxiety and anger.  Becoming aware that I am holding onto painful thoughts and feelings is the first step to a higher level of thought. Learning to let go of things I can’t control…… Continue reading Letting Go: Steps to a More Peaceful Yet More Powerful Mind

Picking A Career In picking a career, start with an understanding of what you want to do and what you need to do to have that type of career. First, answer these questions. What Do You Want to Do? How Important is Income? How Well Do You Tolerate Risk? Where Do You Want to Live? What…… Continue reading Career Plan: Tailored and Flexible for Your Success

Negotiations: Why do Americans struggle to negotiate? Negotiation is a skill.  You can learn it.  A few negotiation skills can help us in all aspects of our lives. In some countries, people regularly negotiate retail prices.  Yet in America, many people are frightened of the idea of asking for people to negotiate with them over a…… Continue reading Negotiations: Why do Americans struggle to negotiate?

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~Mahatma Gandhi Learning is simple as staying curious and continuing to ask questions, simple questions like these: Is that true? How do I do that? What is this all about? Knowledge is more available than ever. Here are some…… Continue reading Learn as if You Will to Live Forever.

Words that motivate employees are words that create inclusiveness and extend recognition for the contribution of other people make.  They are also words that create a recognition of boundaries that each person feels about receiving help. I read an article on HBR.org about the power in the word “we” and a second article on HBR.org about the power in…… Continue reading Words that Motivate

How important is your college major? Graduating from college did two things for my career.  I got a key to let me in the door that said, “Degree required” on the job description.  I gained acceptance into business circles and social circles where having a college degree meant credibility. With a liberal arts degree, I…… Continue reading How Important is Your College Major?

If you have gaps in your resume, you are not alone.  Long recessions and a restructuring of the economy in the United States have created new complications for people who need to find jobs. New types of jobs often require that job seekers develop new skills.  In some cases, job seekers must receive certifications, credentials,…… Continue reading How to Bridge Employment Gaps in Your Resume

Are Standing Meetings More Productive? In a study at Washington University, St. Louis, MO., researchers found increases in the performance of people working in groups. Beginning with the knowledge that standing and working is healthy, the researchers, Andrew P. Knight and Markus Baer, created their study to learn how standing affects the performance of groups.  They…… Continue reading Are Standing Meetings More Productive?

Create a flexible plan and continue to develop new skills for success. The first key to business and career success is a flexible plan built around continued innovation and skills development. The needs and interest of consumers will always change. Successful businesses and people change with the needs and interest of consumers.  At one time,…… Continue reading 5 Keys to Business and Career Success

Soft skills help workers become more successful and enable them to help other workers become more successful. The Top 6 Soft Skills Soft skills help workers become more successful and enable them to help other workers become more successful. According to the United States Department of Labor, these are the most important soft skills: 1. Communication…… Continue reading The Top 6 Soft Skills

Seek advice before acting on important decisions.  It is so easy for me to go into difficult situations and make large decisions with the belief that I already have all the answers.  It is equally easy for me to overlook things that I should have considered before acting.  I have better results when I get…… Continue reading 8 Ways to Raise the Level of Your Job Performance and Your Leadership