Category: Adapt, Innovate, Win

Adapt, Innovate, and Win: Welcome to the cornerstone of jaywren.com, where we believe that career growth is a continuous journey fueled by adaptation and leads to success, both personally and professionally. This category unites the core principles of thriving in a dynamic world with the practical steps for individual development. Here, you’ll find insights and actionable strategies to accomplish these things:

Cultivate an Adaptive Mindset
Learn to embrace change, navigate uncertainty, and develop the resilience needed to thrive in evolving circumstances.
Fuel Personal and Professional Growth.
Explore techniques for self-improvement, skill development, building confidence, and achieving your full potential in all areas of your life.
Embrace Innovation and Creativity.
Discover how to think outside the box, generate new ideas, and implement innovative solutions to overcome challenges and seize opportunities.
Define and Achieve Success
Understand what success means to you and gain practical guidance on setting meaningful goals and developing effective strategies to reach them.
Develop Essential Skills for a Changing Landscape
From communication and leadership to critical thinking and problem-solving, equip yourself with the skills needed to excel in today’s world.

Summary

Whether you’re navigating a career transition, seeking personal fulfillment, or aiming for greater achievements, this category provides the framework and inspiration to adapt, innovate, and win on your unique path to growth and success. Join us as we explore the continuous journey of becoming the best version of ourselves in an ever-evolving world.

Luck Needs Action. We Have to Play to Win.

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.

Luck needs action. We must play to win. In the Lottery, buying a ticket comes before success.
~ www.jaywren.com

Good Luck

I have had good luck and bad luck.  But without work, I could not have had the luck to do so many things I enjoy.

My luck in college increased greatly when I realized I didn’t have to be the smartest student.  At least for me to be lucky in school, I had to be the hardest working student.

I was lucky to get into Naval Officer Candidate School. However, if I had not worked hard in college, I would not have  had the opportunity to become a bridge officer on the carrier, USS Midway.

As a business owner, I had success and frustration.  I learned early on that I could not control the results.  Results are about fate.  However, by making the phone calls, working the extra hours, changing with the changes in technology, I had enough luck to run a successful business for thirty years.

You Can’t Control the Results

At least, I can’t imagine how anyone can control the results of their work.  The results are fate.  We work hard.  We do the correct things.  But the world changes.  Technology, industrial dynamics, economics, and other things change.   Furthermore, it is the things that we can’t control that decides our fate.

Poker is a game of betting on the cards you have and the cards you hope to have.

Poker players know as well as anyone how fate controls the outcome of a hand.  Holding aces never guarantees a win.  But playing the hand, and playing it smartly, increases our odds of winning.

Not only in poker, but in everything I do, I play to win.  I know that taking the right action increases my chances of prosperity. Also, acting helps me build stronger family ties, gives me greater friendships, and rewards with me better health.

Self-Empowerment: 5 Traits of Highly Productive People

Self-Empowerment: What are the things that successful people do for themselves to create power other people never have? Are they things that you can do?

People who empower themselves don’t see the world as the source of their problems. ~www.jaywren.com

What is Self-Empowerment and How Can We Achieve it?

Self-empowerment is taking control of your behavior to reach your goals and achieve success. This trait empowers us to do the things that we can do. Furthermore, it enables us to recognize our weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

Horrible things happen to all of us. Things beyond our control. But self-empowerment changes the questions about our predicament. We stop asking, “Why me?”  Instead, we ask, “What are my steps for today?

Hustle

The people who hustle move ahead of the competition. They are the ones who recover the fumble, catch the rebound, or bring their product to market before competitors do.

Integrity

There are many quotes about integrity. Usually these quotes look something like this:  Integrity is what you do when nobody’s watching.  However, integrity is a quality that builds success whether people are watching or not.

People without integrity lie in public, con people into choices, break their commitments. They lack loyalty, fairness, decency. No one trusts people who don’t have integrity.

On the other hand, people with integrity do none of these things. Nor do they have any of those bad qualities. Additionally, people trust people who have integrity.

Self-Honesty

There are two types of honesty. Cash register honesty is one. Certainly, cash register honesty is important for building trust and staying out of jail. However, self-honesty enables people to see their shortcomings. More importantly, self-honesty enables people to correct their mistakes and strengthen their weaknesses.

To have self-honesty, we must be open-minded and have a willingness to change.

Priorities

Anyone can make a list of things to do. However, a simple to-do list is not a list of priorities. Successful people must have the ability to know the difference between the things that they should do today from the things that must do today.

Action

Do not confuse motion with action.  A swivel chair has motion, but it is not going anywhere. People who move into action create self-empowerment to reach their goals.

Relentless

People who are relentless don’t give up on themselves or their success. Through effort and intelligence, they move past obstacles to achieve their goals. I write two to three blog posts a week. Sometimes, I don’t feel like writing. Other times, I can’t think of ideas for writing. However, I have a relentless attitude to continue to read and grow and find powerful ideas to share on my blog.

 

No Job Plan: Why Long-Term Career Plans Fail

No Job Plan: To increase your income, do you plan to change jobs every three years?  On the other hand, do you plan a career at the same company?

No Job Plan: Why Long-Term Career Plans Fail

Are you basing your career on changing jobs every three years to increase your income?  On the other hand, do you plan to build a long-term career with the same company.  Plans are great.  You can’t know how to reach a destination without knowing where you are going.

But the world changes.  Industries change.  Career opportunities and options change.  What should you really be doing in a world of career uncertainty?

Are You Risk Averse?

If you are risk averse, setting up a job plan to reduce risks is smart.  You find a company that has stability.  The company has guidelines that reduce the uncertainty of your job requirements.  You love what you are doing.  Furthermore, you feel safe.

What Are the Risk of Playing It Safe?

However, playing it safe can also lead down blind alleys.  For example, you develop a specific set of skills for a job with a well-established company.  Then, another company buys your company and outsources your work to another country.

You will find that playing it safe has created anything but safety.  Playing it safe can leave you with a limited set of marketable skills in a world where job skills change often.

What Are the Dangers of Job Hopping for Income?

Frequently, I read articles that highlight the income advantages of changing jobs every two or three years.  The idea is that you get a larger pay raise through a job change than you get through merit raises with the same employer.

There are several problems with this theory.  One, you are giving up increasing benefits that come to long-term employees.  Furthermore, you are creating a resume that shows that you are less reliable than people with career stability.

No Job Plan

Everybody has a plan.  Sports team have a plan to play against other teams.  Consumer companies have marketing plans to compete in the market place.

To quote Mike Tyson, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

What the “no job plan” means is the flexibility to make changes to your career as conditions change.  If you have stability at your current job and continue to learn new skills that make you more marketable over the long-term, changing jobs for a pay raise is a mistake.

Furthermore, if you find that you are in a job where you are overqualified, you can begin to explore new jobs that match your skills and pay you for those skills.

The important thing is to remember that career assessment is an ongoing process.  You don’t focus on a plan.  Rather, focus on the changes conditions and adjust to make the most of the conditions that will help you throughout your career.

Confidence: How to Feel Comfortable in a Crowd

Confidence:  From time to time, everyone feels insecure.  Our feelings turn inward. Here are five tips for turning insecurity into poise and confidence.

Confidence: Only You Can Deny Yourself Permission to Feel Comfortable in a Crowd. ~ www.jaywren.com

Confidence: How to Feel Comfortable in a Crowd

I have a fair amount of confidence in a crowd.  I meet people easily.  However, sometimes I feel uncertain about how to start a conversation with people I don’t know.

I have become aware of these insecurities when I am walking the floor at trade shows.

You may have similar experiences in your own life.

First, relax.

Isn’t the inability to relax the source of insecurities of all types.

I find that taking a couple of deep breath helps me relax before meeting people.  Other times, I pause before entering a room and think of things I would like to discuss.

Before a meeting, I may use caffeine in one of two ways.  Caffeine can create a case of the jitters.  On the other hand, caffeine can boost your energy and lift your spirits.

When I am hungry and my blood sugar is low, I avoid caffeine before a meeting.  Instead, I eat a lite snack.

However, if my energy is low, a little caffeine boosts my energy and makes me feel more confident.

Second, say the name of the people you meet.

People love to hear their own name–myself included.

When I introduce myself, I must focus to hear another person’s name when they introduce themselves.  The only name I am sure that I will hear is my own name.  However, the best way to hear another person’s name is to repeat it back to them.  Saying another’s person name stimulates an awareness that you are listening to them.

Also, before seeing people I have not seen for a while, I go over the names of the people I will meet. My wife is especially helpful when I am seeing members of her extended family or families of her friends.

Third, ask questions.

You can find countless lists of small-talk questions on the Internet.

However, the questions that I find most helpful are the ones about a person’s interests or their families.

On the other hand, the questions I avoid are about stressful subjects like politics or work.

Fourth, smile and nod.

This simple gesture encourages other people to speak when you are at a loss for words. Furthermore, it is difficult to focus on your insecurities when you are smiling and nodding approval.

Fifth, speak with your eyes.

Look at people’s face when they speak.  Of course, look at their eyes. But also, let your eyes look at their nose and their mouth when they are speaking. Staring into people’s eyes can make them feel insecure.

Allow your eyes to express your feelings and to show that you are listening.

Interview Preparation: Three Steps That Will Land You the Job

Interview Preparation: Are you frustrated with rejection when you have the qualifications for the job? These three steps will help.

Fifty percent of the effort for the best interviews is in the preparation. ~ www.jaywren.com

There are three distinct steps in preparing for an interview.

#1 Interview Preparation: Everything About You

In the first step, review your qualifications.  This step will organize your thinking about the things you want the interviewer to know about you.

In writing your resume, you will have begun to work on this step.  Ensure that you can discuss from memory the dates and places where you where you have worked.  Furthermore, prepare to present your qualifications as accomplishments.

In the United States, applicants for jobs in research, education, and medicine often use a curriculum vitae.

# 2 Interview Preparation: Everything About the Company

The second step in preparing for an interview is to research the company and research the people at the company where you are interviewing.

The Internet is a powerful tool in this step.

Research the directions to location of the interview. Your smartphone can direct you to the location.  However, having to follow your smartphone in traffic is stress that you don’t need.  Additionally, know where to park before you arrive at your destination.

Furthermore, is this a location where you want to work?
Then, research the details of the company business.  What is unique about the company?  Why do you want to work for this company?  Can you explain to the interviewer the reasons you find the company attractive?

Additionally, learn about the people you will meet.  Are these people you want to work with every day? Can you tell the interviewers why you are excited to meet them?

Thoroughly understand the experience and qualifications listed in the job description.  If the company does not publish a job description, find job descriptions for similar jobs at other companies.

#3 Interview Preparation: Everything About the Match

Prepare to discuss how your qualifications are a match for the job and for the company that is interviewing you.  In this step, merge the preparation you have done on presenting your qualifications with your research on the company.

Furthermore, show how you experience makes you the perfect match with the job requirements.

Based on your research, make a list of the things you don’t know about the job and the company.  Prepare questions that you fill in the gaps between what you know and what you need to know.

Do mock presentations.  Become confident that you can show that you are the best candidate for the job.

In Conclusion

You are competing against other candidates.  Most of them have the qualifications to get the job.  Separate yourself from the competition by using the steps in this article to prepare for the interview.

Get Things Done: How to Defeat Procrastination

Get Things Done: How is it that some people are so productive when other people can’t get to the job? What can you do to become successfully productive?

Inspiration is not an accomplishment.  Passion is not an accomplishment.  Getting things done is an accomplishment.  ~ www.jaywren.com

Get Things Done: How to Defeat Procrastination: Highly successful people do many things that make them successful.  Here are four traits that enable them to keep a clear head, make better decisions, do more, and have a well-balanced life.

Set Tight Schedules.

The time to do a job expands with the amount of time allowed to do a job.  Busy people are more productive than people with little to do.

For example, the days before a vacation, people feel energy to complete projects before they leave.  They are working against the clock to get things done.

Therefore, setting tight schedules for projects creates focus and delivers energy to get things done.

Start with Just One Thing.

When you look at all the things to do to complete a task, just starting can be hard to do.  However, most jobs have steps for completion.  Workdays have multiple tasks.

Doing just one thing now puts you into action.

Focus on solutions not problems.

Focusing on problems is just worrying.  Furthermore, worrying does not produce any results.

However, focusing on solutions leads places your mind on the things that you can do to stop worrying.

Schedule Time Off. 

Highly successful people live a balanced life.  They work hard.  Sometimes they push themselves to finish a project, even weeks at a time.  But they know to take breaks.  Time with their family is important to them.  Community service gives them rewards and diverts their attention to new areas.  Scheduling and taking lunch breaks helps successful people recover and work more effectively.  Blocking out an hour a day to exercise restores your energy and conditions you to work harder.  Simple rest breaks are important as well.  Scheduling these breaks with a co-worker makes them a reality.

When you commit to taking time off, you are again setting deadlines to get things done.

Fun: In What Way Can Fun Increase Productivity?

un: What are the things that you can do to reduce stress in the workplace? In what ways can we enjoy our work and can increase our productivity?

Fun: In What Way Can Fun Increase Productivity?

I enjoy my work.  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 in my industry evolves in refreshing ways.

Saying “No” to Distractions

For me, to enjoy my work, I must say “No” to distractions.

Calling friends, surfing the web, playing video games are all distractions.

These things distract from my work. Furthermore, they from the things I enjoy in my work.

Distractions, of course, make me less productive.  They also create tension with the things I enjoy about my work.

By saying no to distractions when I am working, I can focus on the joy of work itself

The Present Moment

When we live in the present moment, we are not ruminating about the past. Nor are we worrying about the future.

In the present moment, we are using a part of our brain where thinking becomes a flow.  Our mind stops analyzing the details of our work.  We can enjoy doing our work.

How to Be Serious

People associate work with toil, stress, and pressure.  And, work can be filled with toil, stress, and pressure.

However, people who think this way are the people who choke when facing a challenge.  They are the place kicker who misses the extra point.  In basketball, they are the player who misses the winning layout.  They are the closer in baseball who walks in the winning run.

People who see challenges as fun still take their work seriously.  However, these people focus on their work and trust that the results will take care of themselves.

Cold Calls: How Do You Take the Chill Out of Cold Calls?

Cold calls: do you fear calling people you don’t know?  How do successful people open doors to opportunity through a simple phone call?

Cold Calls: How Do You Take the Chill Out of Cold Calls?

Cold calls: do you fear calling people you don’t know?  How do successful people open doors to opportunity through a simple phone call?

Here are some tips that will help you with cold calls.

Be Okay with Rejection

One of the things that make cold calling scary for many people is their fear of rejection.

Allow yourself to be okay with people telling you “No.”  Be okay with people being rude.  Even be okay with people hanging up on you.

None of this rejection is personal.  That is, the rejection is not about you.  The person who is being rude doesn’t even know you.

Have a Script.

Know what you want to say.  Rehearse your script.

Furthermore, develop a level comfort in giving your presentation that you can deviate from your script and return to it with ease.

Be Friendly and Flexible.

When you are making a cold call, you are asking people to give you their time and attention.  Be friendly.  Thank the buyers for their time.  Be flexible to deviate from your script when it stops working for you.

Listen and Allow Questions

Your buyer may be very interested in your offer.  However, they may need to ask questions to understand the purpose of your call.

If you can listen and allow questions, you can develop a skill for knowing when you are wasting your time.  When buyers have questions, they are giving you their attention.  Furthermore, they are giving you two pieces of information.  On one hand, your buyer needs more information.  However, on the other hand, your buyer may be showing you that your product will never fit the buyer’s needs.

Your Call is a Service to the Buyer.

When you understand that you are giving your buyer information your buyer needs to decide how your product fits their need, your attitude changes.  You release the pressure to sell.  You assume the of a person there to help the buyer.

Learning more about negotiation as a service will help you become more confident in making cold calls.

It’s Okay for Your Buyer to Raise Objections.

Your product might not fit your buyer needs.  Therefore, it is okay for your buyer to object or even say no.  You can say “thank you” and move on to the next call.

Allowing your buyer an opportunity to object to your presentation relieves the buyer from the pressure of feeling stuffed.

Furthermore, it takes the pressure for you to insist having to close the sale.  You will think more clearly.

Moreover, you will take the chill out of making cold calls.

Business Meetings: Bringing the Right Tools

Business Meetings: job interviews, sales calls, client service meetings, meetings within your own company.  What tools can add power to your presence?

Business Meetings: Bringing the Right Tools

What you bring to a business meeting is as important as the things you say or do in a business meeting.  Getting to a business meeting to discover that you do not have the things you need is not only embarrassing, it is often a business-meeting killer.  I recommend that you buy a portfolio case or a briefcase that you use just for meetings.  Keep the case stocked with the materials that you will take to every meeting.

When organizing your meeting case, make sure you bring the following items.

Bring several copies of presentations.

You should have a copy for your own use and a copy for each person on the meeting schedule.  Take extra copies for people who are not on the schedule but who might come into the meeting unannounced.  Sometimes having unexpected people join the meeting is a sign that the people are interested in what you must say or show.

Bring a list of the attendees.

Having this list will help you organize your notes about questions people have.  The list can also help you remember people’s names and the role of the people in the meeting.

Bring a list of recommendations.

For sales presentations and interviews, having a list of recommendations adds power to your professional credibility and creates excitement about the quality of your work.

Bring a brag book or portfolio.

A brag book contains samples of your work so that people can see the range of your success.  Furthermore, a brag book can help people visualize what you have accomplished.

Bring your laptop.

If you have powerhouse presentations that you can show more examples of your work, you can use your laptop as a dynamic tool.

Bring business cards.

Some people see business cards to verify your employment and verify your job title.  They show people that you are who you say you are.

Bring a notepad.

You need to keep track of contact and company information that you learn during your meetings.  A notepad is an effective way to make notes without distracting people the way using a smartphone or laptop might distract people when you are taking notes.

Bring three or four pens.

The extra pens help you relax that you have a pen that works.  In addition, it is wise to make sure you can help an attendee who does not have a pen for taking notes.

Mentors: A Source Of Power Or A Waste of Time?

Mentors: What is a mentor? How can a mentor help you? What skills do you need to benefit from mentoring? What type of mentoring will work effectively for you?

Mentors:  A Source of Power or A Waste of Time?

For many people, a mentor is a source of inspiration, wisdom, and solutions.

Some people rely on their mentor for mental and emotional direction.  In my case, I have a friend who has a great ability to see things in perspective.  He mentors me when I am concerned about the things that happen in my life.

In other cases, mentors with practical or professional experience can help you make decisions on your education, health, career, finances, or business.  Again, in my case, I have had mentors whose professional experience helped me solve problems in my business.  In other cases, their knowledge helped me network with people who had experience that my mentors lacked.

“The Coach” Who Mentored Tech Geniuses

From 1974 to 1979, Bill Campbell was head coach of the football team at Columbia University. Later in his career, he became chairman of the board of trustees of Columbia University and chairman of the board of Intuit. Furthermore, he served as vice president of marketing and as a board director for Apple and held other positions on advisory boards and as a corporate executive.

Steve Jobs at Apple, Larry Page at Google, and other tech executives referred to Campbell as “The Coach” for his mentoring skills in helping them with their careers.

Even the superstars of industry have mentors to help them throughout their careers.

Are You Wasting Your Time?

Well, yes, you might be.

The person who is mentoring you might not be able to help you.  A valuable mentor is not just someone who listens to your problems.

Specifically, mentors are helpful when they listen to you and help you gain perspective, wisdom, or information to solve problems.

What Qualities Do You Need to Use a Mentor?

People who benefit from mentoring must can keep an open mind.  Furthermore, they must have the desire to learn from others.

Specifically, people who benefit from mentoring have the emotional intelligence to park their ego when people tell them things they may not like.

Therefore, to benefit from a mentor, you must have an open mind to accept different ideas.  If you are a person who does not like to hear the point of view of other people, you will have trouble listening to a mentor.

Lastly, you must be at a point where you want what a mentor can offer.  My first mentor had a very successful business. In this case, I enjoyed his being around him and hearing about his success.  Specifically, learning what he was doing helped me learn about the things that I needed to do.

Working with a Mentor Requires a Commitment on Your Part.

Benefitting from a mentor requires that you do a few things.

First, stay in touch with your mentor.  At the least, you need to call your mentor.  Furthermore, meeting with your mentor once a week or even more often helps a great deal.

Second, you need to listen to your mentor.  Some mentors are helpful by listening to you.   However, if you do all the talking, you will not learn much from your mentor.