Friday Factoids & Weekend Reflections from CSS

January 22, 2010

Welcome to Confidential Search Solutions' Friday Factoids & Weekend Reflections

Greetings!

The theme this year at the Texas Diversity Council's sixth annual Greater San Antonio Women Leadership Symposium held at The Club of Sonterra was "Purpose, Passion, and Performance - A New Era". The Symposium focused on riveting topics that continue to perplex business leaders such as work-life-balance, branding, workplace taboos, and the challenges of leadership.

Listening and watching these professional women answer tough questions was akin to listening to professional football players discuss defining moments in their careers, such as first downs, touchdowns, interceptions and fumbles.

While these were not professional football players, they are corporate professionals working sometimes 10-16 hours per day. As in sports, there are tough calls they have to make, challenging plays they have to execute, near misses they have to recover, and brutal injuries they sometimes encounter. You can learn from these professionals. So, get up, get out, and get going with purpose, passion, and performance if you want to play in the game. As always, I wish you the best with your continued success.

Respectfully,

TJ Haygood, Founder & CEO

Confidential Search Solutions

Where We Look Out for You!

Friday Factoid #1 for Employers: The Three Types of Mentors

Vicki Blanton, Senior Benefits Council for American Airlines was one of the guest panelists at the Women's Leadership Symposium. She talked about the importance of knowing the difference between the three types of mentors she has come to identify: the Coach, the Champion, and the Confidant.

According to Vicki, the Coach's primary mission is to help you to overcome your professional weaknesses. They are usually gifted in seeing what needs to be corrected, and are often brutally honest when providing feedback. They need you to be tough enough to accept the observation, willing enough to implement the suggestions, and humble enough to endure the struggle to make changes.

Vicki stated, "They are not there to be your friend."

The Champion's approach is to encourage, inspire, endorse, and energize you. Motivating others is their passion. They tend to use words that are soothing and palatable. Unlike the Coach, the Champion may not be able to share with you constructive criticism in a pointed, direct manner. They may appear to be more like a friend, as their main objective is to help you feel better, and spare your feelings.

The Confidant's primary mission is to bring professional and logical balance to your life when negative emotions generated from the workplace overwhelm you. You can trust the Confidant with your greatest issues and know that they will not sabotage your career. Their primary goal is to make sure you are making decisions from a logical viewpoint instead of an emotional one.

If you do not have a professional mentor or career coach, we highly recommend identifying individuals who support your professional goals. If you are a mentor, seek out more mentees if your schedule allows. As a career coach and certified personnel consultant, I can tell you it is a mutually beneficial experience

Confidential Search Solutions

Where We Look Out for You!

Friday Factoid #2 for Employees:
What are the Workplace Taboos in Your Organization?

Tiffanie McDonald, Assistant Vice President of Diversity Management at USAA People Services, was also one of the guest panelists on Thursday. She shared with us from her leadership experience representing Fortune 500 employers in court against violators and perpetrators of the following list of Top Five Workplace Taboos:

Inappropriate Work Place Attire
Hyper-Sensitivity
Being Perceived as Unreliable
Arrogant and Overly Aggressive
Being Perceived as Unethical or Lacking Integrity

As an attorney and certified mediator in the state of Texas, she was consistently amazed by the number of people who either thought their behavior was acceptable or did not know that it wasn't. In either situation, we want our readers to know that the behaviors above are completely unacceptable in the workplace.

We thought it might be helpful to elaborate for our readers on what is deemed as appropriate work place attire. In case you are confused about what is "appropriate", here are some general guidelines:

All pants should have belts;
Blouses/tops should not show cleavage;
Belly buttons and rear ends should not be shown; and
Clothes in general should not fit provocatively tight.

Work attire does not bring attention to one's body part, but should reflect character, professionalism, and integrity.

Confidential Search Solutions

Where We Look Out for You!

Weekend Reflection #1:

"Anger Does Not Get You Anywhere!"

Dr. Ana M. "Cha" Guzman, President of Palo Alto College was the keynote speaker for the Symposium. Dr. Guzman is an incredible orator and dynamic professional who shared her story as an immigrant who strived for excellence throughout her life and reached the pinnacles of success that others only dream about.

Dr. Guzman shared many anecdotes in her keynote address. One anecdote regarding anger stuck out in my mind, particularly because of what I have witnessed during the economic downturn in our economy. As a result of layoffs, foreclosures, and limited job supply, many individuals displayed anger in violent and emotionally destructive ways. These displays never benefit the individual, and most cases, cause more harm.

When anger is displayed in the workplace, the person is often labeled as one who is incapable of controlling their emotions or unable to consider others' perspective. This type of person can be overlooked for promotional opportunities because of the label attached. When you find yourself in a state of anger, take a break, seek out a counselor or mentor, or other proactive options. Why, because as Dr. Guzman said, "Anger does not get you anywhere and honey is better than vinegar."

Learn to control anger before it can control you as stated by the American Psychological Association.

Confidential Search Solutions

Where We Look Out for You!

Weekend Reflections #2:
The First Month in 2010 is About to End

Have you thought about how quickly time is flying, about your job security, about your financial situation? If not, you should. I know I have. However, I also know that during this time we have a choice to either do our best or less. Remember, you are your best asset, so invest in yourself.

Maybe, this is the time to take some new classes of interest go back to school, or change career fields all together. Your destiny is under your control. Let this be the year that you re-energize and or renew your current position. There is never going to be a time like today, for once the clock strikes 11:59 p.m., tonight it will always be a part of your history. Make the most of your past by making the most of your day today.

By: Darryl Baker, Senior Business Partner

Confidential Search Solutions

Where We look out for You!

Issue: 3

In This Issue

Friday Factoid #1 - For Employers

Friday Factoid #2 - For Employees

Weekend Reflections #1

Weekend Reflections #2

Jan 27th - Empowerment Training Class

Special Announcement

Interviewing
Tips for Professionals,
Managers, and Executives

Wed.,February 10, 2010
12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
A Career Development & Empowerment Training Class

Join us for another dynamic and down to earth class featuring first-class interviewing tips and solutions. Come learn how to handle slips and mishaps during an interview as seen by Fortune 500 Managers and Executive Recruiters.

You will learn how to properly prepare for panel interviews, telephone interview and more. You will also learn how to overcome embarrassing interview moments and how to turn a nervous interview situation into a relaxing interview conversation.

CSS Empowerment Training Series can help you advance to where you want to be. Register now for your career changing experience. Get one FREE class each quarter. Seating is limited. Call 210-524-7712 or Click here to register online.

Special Announcements!