What motivates you

Motivation is personal and unique to everyone. Money is a huge motivational factor for some while work-life balance, climbing the corporate ladder, praise, philanthropy, and comradery are other examples. Being thoughtful to what motivates people will help you better understand how to interact, collaborate, and lead. Understanding what motivates you will allow you to make better decisions for yourself. Of course, more money sounds great but what if that meant you couldn't spend time with your family on the weekend?

When I meet with clients they often don’t realize what is important to them, or to be more precise, what is most important to them. Career decisions don’t just affect your career, but also the rest of your life. Knowing what gets you up in the morning and finding it will be the key to your long term success and happiness.

How can you figure out what motivates you? Try writing out a list of things that are important to you. Really think about it and spend a couple hours on this project. Once complete, rank the list. No ties allowed. Share the list with a close friend or loved one. Let them ask you questions on your rankings. They could share a perspective you hadn't thought of. Then take that list and re-rank once again on your own.

When it comes time to make a decision, take a look at this list. How does that decision fit in with the important things in your life? How could that decision enhance or detract? What other choices do you have that could increase your happiness?

To learn more about career coaching go to www.katekibler.com

Time to Think

There are lots of things that go into being a great leader. There are all the standard, yet important components of being a great leader like listening to your team, developing people, the ability to make decisions, clear communication, building and sharing a vision, the list goes on and on. What you don't hear a lot about is how a leader can accomplish these things.

Being a great leader means making time to be a great leader. It means not filling every single second of every single day with meetings or tasks. Balancing the time to give your team what they need, and taking time for yourself to think will enhance your abilities as a leader. How much time do you make to really think?

Thinking time is critical to building your vision and innovating as a leader, but it can easily be pushed to the side for more tactical pursuits. Time contemplating gives you the ability to take what you've heard from your team and synthesize the information into actions and decisions. Thinking helps you understand the market landscape and to see the bigger picture, or "see the forest through the trees" as they say. While it seems as though you are making a trade off between crossing that meeting off your list, getting home to your family an hour earlier or and taking time to think, you can almost guarantee that time reserved to think will save you time in the long term.

When do you usually make time to think? How do you find time to think? Where is your favorite spot to focus your thoughts?

Working with a career coach can help you carve out time to focus on your refining your leadership. To learn more, go to www.katekibler.com

Get a second opinion

If you are like me, your career is important to you. Deciding whether or not to apply for a job, sending a resume, going on an interview, or making a decision whether or nor to accept a job are all big decisions. The choices you make could lead nowhere or they could change your entire life. 

When considering a career move, find someone whose opinion you trust to be your sounding board. Make sure this person understands your goals and helps to keep you focused. Before making a move, consider the following:

How come you decided to update your resume? What made you decide to interview for this role at that company? How come you are considering leaving your current position? How does this new job fit with your current life? How does this new job fit into the life you want?

The closer you are to an actual job offer, the more that's at stake and the more your judgement could be clouded. Write down the answers to the questions above. Talk to your 'second opinion' about your answers. When it comes to decision time, you should have a clear path. 

What's the hardest career decision you've ever made? Who do you trust to be your sounding board? 

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com 

What do you want?

Defining what you want in your career is the first step in getting what you want. Unfortunately, many don’t take the time to figure out what they want in their careers. If you know what you want, you can focus on how to get there. You can outline a plan, make yourself present in the right meetings, and step up to where you see yourself in the future. You have heard the old adage, dress for the job you want, not the job you have, right? It’s the same idea for how you preform and how you behave. Perform in the job you want, not the job you have. Change your mindset so that you are already functioning at that level.

The bigger question is: how do you really know what you want? How can you focus on your future rather than getting bogged down in the day to day? Spending time understanding what you are good at, what makes you happy & what you want in your personal life will help guide you at understanding what you want in your career. Talk it out with a friend, trusted coworker or family member. Seeking the guidance of a career coach is also a great option for someone working to define his/ her future. A career coach can give you unbiased guidance to what it is you really want.

What have you done to define your future? How can you use your resources to determine what you want? How can a career coach help guide you?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Work-life balance... in your current role

If you read last week’s post by Kari, you know how important it is to be up front about your need for work-life balance before starting a job. What if work-life balance wasn’t important for you when you started your job, but your circumstances have changed? When you started this job a couple years ago, you had a different life, different priorities and different goals. You were willing to eat three meals a day at your desk. It was no problem to not see the daylight on a workday… or even the weekend.

Things have changed. Maybe you are realizing you are out of shape and want to get back to the gym? Maybe you just had a baby or you realized your child is growing up without you? Maybe you did some vision work with your career coach and realized you want more from life than work? Maybe you just want to see your family and friends more? Whatever the case, how can you gain work-life balance in an existing role?

The first step is to understand what is keeping you late in the office. The root cause can help you understand how to deal with your hours. How many of the late nights are a result of your own-doing vs your boss or workload? Right now, most people are saying- ‘oh, it’s the workload.’ Or- ‘it’s definitely my boss.’ Before answering, think really carefully. How do you trust your team to accomplish their goals vs micromanaging? How can you give better direction rather than participate in every meeting? What are you doing that may not be necessary or productive? How much time do you spend making small talk around the office vs focusing on your work? What do you let derail you from urgent projects? How can you better manage your time? I had someone once tell me that it takes 2 minutes on average to read and deal with an email. I get about 150 emails a day… that is almost 5 hours of just reading and answering emails! What can I do about it? I decided that picking up the phone or having a 15 minute meeting with a small group can clear up a flurry of emails- 15 minutes… eliminates 15 emails… equals 15 minutes back to me!  

After taking a good look at your own actions, what were you able to gain? If this is still not what you are looking for, consider discussing your situation with your boss. I say consider because you will know better than anyone else what his/ her position will be. How productive will the conversation be? What should your positioning be in that conversation? How can you best connect with your boss on this point? How can you help offer solutions to give you more work-life balance? What flexible options could help give you more balance? For example, do you have a long commute? Could working from home one day a week give you more time to get actual work done vs driving?

What other ideas do you have to bring work-life balance? How can you help your co-workers and employees to also gain work-life balance? How long are you willing to tolerate your current hours?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Work-life balance... in your current role

If you read last week’s post by Kari, you know how important it is to be up front about your need for work-life balance before starting a job. What if work-life balance wasn’t important for you when you started your job, but your circumstances have changed? When you started this job a couple years ago, you had a different life, different priorities and different goals. You were willing to eat three meals a day at your desk. It was no problem to not see the daylight on a workday… or even the weekend.

Things have changed. Maybe you are realizing you are out of shape and want to get back to the gym? Maybe you just had a baby or you realized your child is growing up without you? Maybe you did some vision work with your career coach and realized you want more from life than work? Maybe you just want to see your family and friends more? Whatever the case, how can you gain work-life balance in an existing role?

The first step is to understand what is keeping you late in the office. The root cause can help you understand how to deal with your hours. How many of the late nights are a result of your own-doing vs your boss or workload? Right now, most people are saying- ‘oh, it’s the workload.’ Or- ‘it’s definitely my boss.’ Before answering, think really carefully. How do you trust your team to accomplish their goals vs micromanaging? How can you give better direction rather than participate in every meeting? What are you doing that may not be necessary or productive? How much time do you spend making small talk around the office vs focusing on your work? What do you let derail you from urgent projects? How can you better manage your time? I had someone once tell me that it takes 2 minutes on average to read and deal with an email. I get about 150 emails a day… that is almost 5 hours of just reading and answering emails! What can I do about it? I decided that picking up the phone or having a 15 minute meeting with a small group can clear up a flurry of emails- 15 minutes… eliminates 15 emails… equals 15 minutes back to me!  

After taking a good look at your own actions, what were you able to gain? If this is still not what you are looking for, consider discussing your situation with your boss. I say consider because you will know better than anyone else what his/ her position will be. How productive will the conversation be? What should your positioning be in that conversation? How can you best connect with your boss on this point? How can you help offer solutions to give you more work-life balance? What flexible options could help give you more balance? For example, do you have a long commute? Could working from home one day a week give you more time to get actual work done vs driving?

What other ideas do you have to bring work-life balance? How can you help your co-workers and employees to also gain work-life balance? How long are you willing to tolerate your current hours?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

The seven year itch

Let’s face it. Most people in the fashion industry both love, and hate it. Every friend, client, and colleague I have had who works in the fashion industry have talked about the phenomenon. It’s a fast-paced, crazy business. It pays almost nothing when you start your career; you work twice as much as anyone you know (with the exception of investment bankers), and you are doing administrative work. The flip side: you get to travel the world, potentially meet celebrities, and expense a good amount of your dinners (because you are working until 9pm).

When you advance in your fashion career, both the benefits and drawbacks amplify. Your travel takes you to more desirable places. You are solving problems and potentially leading a team. There is more exposure to both senior management and celebrities (which sometimes are one in the same), but you are now held accountable to execute the corporate or their personal direction.  You are required to make the impossible happen with an impossible time frame.  Although I have heard many a colleague utter the words ‘I’m not paid enough for this”, the fact is, they are being paid handsomely. Yes, the pressure and the pay amplify as you advance into your career.

There is something that happens around year seven (and continues to happen about every 2 years thereafter). People start to wonder “Is fashion the right industry for me?” We’ll call this the seven year itch. Whether a designer, a merchant, a marketer, or product developer; many in the fashion workforce will at some point in their career question if they want to continue in the industry.

The dream begins to emerge. Yes, I can see it now: A nine to five job, no crazy people, and clear expectations. When I walk out the door, the job doesn't follow me. I can see my significant other and kids if I have them. I can commit to dinner with my friends without fear of having to cancel for a last minute emergency about a button.

This is where many find themselves at a decision point: continue in the industry with a life of chaos, or find an alternative career that can give you a more balanced life. How can you decide what is the right move? The key is to have a clear vision for your life. Once you have that, list the trade-offs and determine what is most important to you. All options should be considered before making a potential life-changing move.

What do you love about the industry? What drives you crazy about the fashion industry? When can you build your vision to guide your decision making?

If you are looking for someone to guide & help build your vision, consider a career coach. To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com

Curveball

So here you are, focused on your vision. You took a new position that is going to bring you closer to your goals. Everything is perfect and in place. And then… you are thrown a curve ball. The CEO leaves the company and the job you moved for has been eliminated. This happened to me shortly after joining a company. I was offered another role, but it would move me far away from my vision. In fact, the move would have set me back years. I am not going to pretend I wasn’t disappointed in the changes that transpired. The company I was working for at the time didn’t seem to understand why I was dissatisfied with their alternative offer. I considered my options and decided it was better for me to leave the company rather than stay in a role that pulled me further away from my vision. I am sure that was not the story book ending you were hoping to hear from a career coach, but it was what I needed to do.

Alternatively, I had a client who experienced something similar. Unfortunately, she was not able to walk away as easily as I was. She had a family to support and needed to make both her job and vision work despite the change in direction from her company. Working together, we were able to craft a plan where her vision would be attainable.  We reframed her new role and department in terms of her vision. She presented her ideas to the company in a way that not only would benefit her, but also the company. It was a win-win.

When you experience unexpected and unwelcomed change, how can you reframe to make the most of it? Where have you seen examples of this in your professional career? Who have you worked with that is a good balance of pragmatic and opportunistic? How can you influence your current situation to bring you closer towards your vision?

To learn more about career coach Kate Kibler, go to www.katekibler.com.

Checking in on your vision

I have a vision… admittedly it changes about every four to five years as I learn more about myself and my career. In 2011 I was looking to make a job switch. I had lived in New York City for the last fourteen years and that is where I focused my job search. In 1997 when I first moved to New York City, New York City was part of my life’s vision. Fast forward to 2011 and I realized I was looking exclusively for a job in New York because of an old way of thinking. My life had changed. My vision had changed and I wasn't paying attention. I had no reason to limit my job search to New York. In fact, my new life vision led me to intentionally seek a change in location. Sometimes we get so caught up in our daily lives we forget to look towards our future and think about what we really want.

In my previous post, I talked about the importance of having a vision. What I did not mention was how important it is to occasionally check up on your vision. A vision doesn't need to be static. You can add to it, change it, check in and make sure it is still applicable to your life. I would challenge everyone reading to spend time and energy on knowing your vision before making any big decisions. Contacting a career coach is a great way to do just that (forgive my shameless plug).

When was the last time you checked in to make sure your vision is still relevant? What decisions have you made because of an outdated way of thinking? What circumstances have changed in your life that may affect your vision? How can you be sure your vision matches what you currently value? 

Contact Career Coach Kate Kibler at: www.katekibler.com. 

Vision

One of the most important aspects in building a career is having a vision. I don’t just mean a career vision; I mean a vision for your life. The reason I insist on coaching clients before offering consulting services is because I want the client to build the path to his/her vision. With a vision in sight, all of a client’s energy can focus on how to get to the vision. 

It may sound a little silly if you are not familiar with the concept, but think about it for a minute. If you are interviewing and offered a choice of two different positions with different salaries and different companies, how would you know which to choose? If you have a vision, the vision will guide your answer. For example, if you are focused on your family, live an hour from work and your vision insists that you spend more time with your kids, you may choose the lower paying job at the less prestigious company if the hours would allow you to spend more time at home. If your vision has you as a future CEO at a top tier company, you may choose the company with a better reputation for career development regardless of the salary.

How has your vision effected your career decision making? Where can your vision help lead your career? What can you do to start building a vision today?

To learn more about career coaching, go to www.katekibler.com. 

Three post vision series

My next three posts will be a series dedicated to vision. Vision is often discussed in the fashion industry as a topic relating to the product or brand. I don’t think I have ever heard anyone talk about an employee’s life or career vision in the twenty years I have worked in the retail industry. Managers tend to talk about career goals or may ask where an employee wants to be in 5-10 years. Goals and planning for the future are very different than building a vision. As a career coach, defining and understanding a client’s vision is a big part of what I do… helping them get there is the other half of the process. 

To learn more about career coaching check out www.katekibler.com.