One of my favorite new resources is Ivy Sea www.ivysea.com Founder, Jamie S. Walters is a visionary author and culture shift leader helping women to reclaim their feminine Mojo and express is to the world. Jamie takes you beyond business as usual and offers individuals and organizations help in transforming unhelpful perceptions and patterns of inner and outer communication, leading to manifested vision, awakened creativity, smoother relationships, and lasting change.

I recently read an article by Jamie where she discussed how to unearth and nurture an employee’s strengths. Often the job performance reviews focus on weakness without highlighting strengths. She notes how a spotlight on weakness may result in a self fulfilling prophecy, where you build a poor image of an employee and she performs “down to her potential” which breeds mediocrity from someone with star potential.

Jamie and I are kindred spirits on the strengths quest mission. I am committed to helping individuals understand that they are not broken and if they focus on their strengths instead of their weaknesses they will thrive in careers that speak to their passions and provide true satisfaction.

Here are some action steps Jamie details that apply to both the boss and the employee. If you are an enlightened boss you will use these strategies to uncover the strengths of your team members. If you are a frustrated employee, you can deftly suggest these tactics to your boss.

Make time for positive recognition. Take the time to express genuine positive feedback on jobs well done. Be specific and share examples and watch your colleagues walk taller and embrace their inner confidence. According to Jamie, the benefit is two-fold: the employee knows what behaviors are most valued, and you help shift your thinking from “can’t do” to “there is potential here.”

Identify ways to apply existing strengths in new ways. What qualities has your staff member demonstrated and how can you utilize these to fulfill needs in your organization? Don’t be limited by the job title. Your receptionist may be an ideal project manager, so throw traditional responsibility norms out the window, according to Jamie.

Ask your employee what she likes to do. Imagine that – someone asking what you like to do! To avoid the all too common phenomenon of the Peter Principle where every employee rises to his level of incompetence, tap into what your staff member really likes to do. Find out what she believes is her most valuable contribution to the organization and unleash her to do what she believes she does best.

Turn a weakness on its head. Jamie suggests that instead of chastising an employee for her weakness, look to the exact opposite of that task to unearth a possible strength. It’s certainly worth discussing with your colleague and chances are if she is not a good closer, it may be because she is a fine idea generator.

Test-drive a new role. You may have hired an employee for a specific role but in time you realize that she would be utilizing more of her strengths in a difference function for the organization. Consider what Jamie calls a mini internship program, where employees shadow co-workers to learn more about the roles and needs of the company. This test drive could spark new ideas for the boss and the employee and a role-shift could be the best and most expedient way to use existing talent in a new way to meet company goals and develop satisfied employees.

Cheers to Jamie for illustrating very specific ways to uncover our strengths at work!

If you want to succeed, you have to be willing to fail – and to fail a lot! If we don’t fail we never stretch out of our comfort zones or take risks. With each missed step we learn things along the way that help us make better choices and achieve greater success in the future.

I work with a lot of job searching students and clients who feel the initial sting of a job they didn’t land as a personal failure. I encourage them to reflect on the process and to pull the positive out of the situation and learn from it. Often they admit that their interview preparation was not up to snuff. When they spend the time to polish their interview technique to showcase their strengths, they always perform better for the next interview opportunity.

Countless people I have coached shared stories about jobs from which they were fired. Most people can look back now and see the lessons learned from those experiences that have helped them grow and move forward. While failure can be painful at the time, we must learn to re-purpose the experience to take away what was positive and edifying so we don’t make the same mistakes again.

According to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at the Yale School of Management and founder of the non-profit Chief Executive Leadership Institute:

“Failure punctuates truly great leaders. They aren’t great until they’ve failed. Failure is the crucible, the test. They deal with it, and their confidence and capabilities are enhanced.”

With each failure you can create a new purpose. Look at Martha Stewart who was motivated by her comeback. She focused on defining herself by her future and not by getting sucked into the frenzy of people who wanted to bring her down. People who fail should feel liberated to start again, they have a great opportunity to clean the slate and start over. And showcasing your resiliency can be very significant for future endeavors.

We can all look to the world of sports as an example of learning to be good losers. If you fail at something, you have to look for ways to succeed while having a positive attitude. If someone beats you in a competition, you should shake her hand and offer congratulations. Taking the time to discover how the experience can empower you the next time around is a valuable failure lesson.

In the wise words of Colin Powell:  “There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.”

Emotional Intelligence (EI) describes the  ability to identify, assess, manage and control the emotions of one’s self, of others, and of groups. In addition to having a cadre of transferable skills relevant to a particular career field, employers are looking for candidates with sound emotional intelligence when hiring.

Emotional Intelligence helps us connect and communicate with colleagues on a deeper level. In this very global world-of-work, EI helps us create stronger multi-cultural relationships and celebrate differences by allowing distinctive points of view to be valued.

Typically, people fee confident about their own reality but the key to Emotional Intelligence is to help others to be heard so their reality is honored. The cues for EI are relayed through body language as well as verbal and written communication. A savvy emotionally intelligent person is able to pick up on feelings or emotions hidden beneath the words and use that awareness to build stronger professional relationships in the workplace.

Here are some tips to help polish your Emotional Intelligence skills:

• Instead of focusing on yourself at work, shift the focus of engagement to others.
• Practice active listening and connect with your eyes, ears, and heart to what a person is saying.
• Slow down and really focus on the person you are interacting with.
• Notice body language and become aware of another person’s comfort zone posture.
• Utilize validating language instead of always questioning or probing.
• Authenticate what they have said without judgment.
• Be in the moment and maximize the way you engage with others.
• If you sense frustration or heightened emotions, repeat back to them what you have heard to establish clarity.
• Respond to others the way you would want them to respond to you.

Awareness is half the battle with Emotional Intelligence. Experiment with your Emotional Intelligence IQ and note your consciousness and responsiveness with colleagues in a given day. If you feel the need to make adjustments, do so incrementally and begin to listen more actively to plan your strategy. Mastering EI is an investment in building, maintaining, and stewarding your professional relationships.

In the age of social media we are encouraged to use a photo in our professional profiles. This is a great networking tool and provides a very important first impression to the readers, many of whom are employers trolling for job candidates. How often have you seen a profile photo cropped to showcase the head-only of person knowing full well that the cocktail in their hand and the party in the background has been cut out? It doesn’t matter how good you looked at that wedding – it’s time to get a professional photo!

If you are using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and the myriad of other sites to promote your professional activities, or to pursue job leads, you need an appropriate photo. Think of this photo as an investment in your professional toolkit. Perhaps you are writing articles in your field, or including your bio on your website to illustrate your credentials to prospective clients. A picture is worth a thousand words and having a great shot will strengthen your public image and your credibility.

You need not spend a fortune on photos. Shop around in your area and ask for references and portfolio examples. Dress according to your career industry. If you are a yoga practitioner, you don’t want to wear a business suit. You might even consider a few different outfits to use for different purposes – the Board of Directors position you hold, your community volunteer post and your business might all have different looks.

Sable Hunt is featured this week on the story tab and she also believes everyone should have a great photo. She reported that she felt like a movie star during her photo shoot. Find a photographer with whom you can develop a good rapport so you feel relaxed in front of the camera. This should be a pleasant experience to showcase you at your best. With digital photography, you can view images during the shoot and adjust your smile and posture accordingly, if need be.

Pictures taken by a trained photographer will set you apart from the competition and distinguish you as a professional. It says that you are serious and that you value your public image in the career world. Think about how you want to be seen by others. Help your photographer capture the real you and don’t be afraid to show your personality. You should have a consultation first to discuss your needs and to build a relationship with your photographer so you feel comfortable at the shoot. Be sure to get digital files you can use for the web (compressed in size) as well as electronic print files (300dpi). Remember, these shots are not going on your mantle in a frame – these photos are part of your professional package.

Consider getting your shots taken every year or two so you always look current. It’s disastrous when someone uses a photo that is 20 years younger than they are at present when they show up for a public appearance. Your photo should look like you do now. And lastly, don’t forget to say cheese!

Historically, women have been taught to be modest and not boastful. While there is nothing worse than an arrogant bragger, I am on a personal mission to help others embrace their humble confidence and own their strengths and accomplishments. In reality, there is nobody else in the professional world advocating on your behalf but you. So, you must become comfortable singing your own praises – especially in a job interview or performance review.

The same philosophy follows suit when accepting a compliment. I cringe when I hear someone back out of accepting a compliment by minimizing their success or recognizing someone else for their job well done. The person giving the compliment is paying tribute to you and praising you for your success. Learn to say thank you with grace and appreciation.

Acknowledging praise does not mean you are arrogant. In fact, it is far more congenial to accept a compliment than to deny a person the opportunity to praise you. My favorite confidence boosting words of wisdom come from Nelson Mandela’s 1994 inaugural speech. Here is an excerpted passage:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us most. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us. And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

So go out there and do great things and when you are recognized and appreciated, say thank you!

I have learned that there is nothing stronger than the power of women in community and that women can be inspirational resources in the professional arena. But I also know the reality of being a woman in the professional world and how we often struggle with owning a strong, confident persona while maintaining our authenticity and honoring our femininity at work.

Learning to play nicely in the proverbial work sandbox does not have to be that difficult. Here are some strategies that will help you become a good team player but still empower you to stand out and make your mark on the job to earn the recognition you deserve.

• Preparation = credibility. It’s that simple, be prepared and you will earn the respect of your colleagues and impress the powers that be.
• Pick your battles. There will be difficult situations but don’t fall on your sword for every cause. Be mindful of your values and what is really important to you as well as what will empower you to move up in the organization to achieve your goals.
• Own your confidence. In order to succeed you must believe in yourself and your abilities. By tapping into your humble confidence you can project an image of self-reliance, poise, and assurance that will give your team faith that you can get the job done.
• Be aware of your surroundings but focus on you. On a team you must be cooperative but at the end of the day, you have to be your own best advocate and be ready to take charge of your career future. Don’t wait for a boss or supervisor to groom you for greater things; be proactive and strategize about ways to upgrade your standing in the organization.
• Don’t Gossip. The old adage: “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” still rings true. Avoid hallway gossip and treat your colleagues with courtesy and respect. What goes around comes around and you should expect the same professional treatment from others.
• Be aware of yourself and your values. It always comes back to who you are, what you value, and how you want to show up in the world. Take stock of how you want to make your mark and align your personal and professional values so they are validated for you at work.

Always an athlete, Debbie Waitkus played on the soccer team at the University of Arizona and after graduate school she went on to establish a thriving corporate career as president of a 37 year old, $130 million private mortgage banking firm.  She always attributed golf as one of her keys to success since she would take her clients on golf outings to establish and steward professional relationships and business deals. When the CEO of her firm implemented a new strategy that didn’t follow suit with her professional values, Debbie knew it was time for a change and what better way to plan her reinvention than to leverage the game of golf in a new business. Read Full Story

A twenty-something native New Jersey girl, Susan Vernicek put her Fine Arts degree with a dual focus in Graphic Design and Photography to use working in the graphics department of a medical company. While she enjoyed her job she still had a percolating entrepreneurial spirit within her that needed to be released. The two driving forces in her life from a young age have been to run her own business and to have a positive influence on others. The end result of sticking with that focus and owning her passion was the creation of S&J Identity, Inc. – a unique and empowering, online magazine created to help women accept, appreciate and achieve. Read Full Story