I’ve never mentioned before that I have supervision for my work.

This is a chance for me to discuss client issues with my mentor coach and to get a different perspective.

Today was a group supervision all where 5 of us could discuss current issues and all provide a different perspective.

The benefits of supervision is that I can discuss client issues in a confidential manner and ensure I am working as effectively as possible. It also gives me a chance to discuss approaches with others and to learn about some different perspectives.

October 2008

Welcome to the 95 new subscribers this month and my loyal readers. I aim to write things that will be useful so hence this months main article on managing your career in an economic downturn.

The recession is obviously hitting some groups of people more than others. If your career could be at risk time to be proactive in managing your future.

September saw me at my last festival of the season - so much mud on the Isle of Wight, and I could only fall over so many times and was in danger of breaking my ankle. So we wimped out and came home early but still had a great time while we were there.

People often ask me how I manage to get so much done, I’d like to say it’s about working smart, but I waste time, especially downloading music and wondering about what to buy (most recently which mobile phone and replacement voice recorder). I do like to research and to read reviews and more reviews. But, when I do focus I am very focused, and I also make good use of other people too - outsourcing tasks that can be done by others. Spurts of high productivity are a part of my personality style - INFP and its good for the people around me to understand this.

To read more

This morning I was awake early as have my monthly regular short call with Radio Gloucestershire where I talk about my day.

I then made the time to go to the gym. It’s so easy to get stuck into work and to think you will go later, but if like me it never quite happens.

I had some professional development training via a webinar - this was good as i could do it whilst at my desk and it was good to learn more about using the Saville Wave with entrepreneurs.

Phone sessions make really good use of time and after a short break to check emails I had a phone session with a client who has been mad redundant.  As part of her programme we talked through the MBTI and Strong assessments and will talk more in a couple of days.

More time to check emails and repsond to enquiries, one reason why I would never book back to back appointments.

Then a face to face session with a client who has reached the end of The Gold Programme - he had done his research into jobs so now was time to go through his plan and ensure he felt comfortable with next steps. This sounds like a short session but it is really important for me to ensure my client has really though thorugh options and feels comfortable with how they continue without my support.

There’s also been time spent chatting to enquiries by phone, posting out and emailing relevant literature and dealing with the problems technology brings.

Shortly to start work on preparing for client appointments tomorrow and then theres the filing!

My personality style is INFP (based on the MBTI) which has implications for how I approach tasks. 

People who are Judging: 

• Prefer an organised lifestyle with order and structure

• Seek to have life under control

• Enjoy being decisive

• Like clear limits and categories

• Feel comfortable with concluding

• Deal with deadlines and plans in advance

People who are Perceiving: 

• Prefer a flexible lifestyle and to "go with the flow"

• Prefer to experience life as it happens

• Enjoy being curious and discovering surprises

• Like freedom to explore

• Feel comfortable with openness

• Meet deadlines by a last minute rush

 One way that I demonstrate my perceiving behaviour is through gathering information, and lots of it, and never getting a task finished because there is always a way to improve.

Over 5 years ago I started creating a booklet for my career coaching clients on Research for Job Search - it was almost finished, but I thought I could improve on it, so I put it to one side and started something else.

Then I got distracted and put the research leaflet into my "to do pile" where eventually it got buried.

Just recently I found it again, have reread it, revised it and this morning completed it and sent it on to my current clients and will have it available for future clients.

What a great sense of achievement!

I’m now revising my job search material and will do my very best to concentrate on getting this task finished, otherwise I’ll end up spending a lot more time as I return to it in the future.

Todays post is in recognition of my husband, Simon Taylor who went the extra mile for me yesterday.

We went to Bestival, the festival I was most looking forward to, but the rain and mud meant it was unsafe for me - falling over 3 times and losing a welly in the mud does not make a happy festival experience.  People were breakig their ankles and wit my tendency to accidents we thought it would only be time before it was me …

We woke on Saturday morning to yet more torrential rain and a worry that we would not be able to get off the camp site, we lay in bed and chatted and realised we needed to go home, but we had quite a lot of stuff and quite a long trek through a very muddy field and then up a big slope and then cross fields to the car - Simon wondered if I’d make it.

Bless him! He left me in bed and did two trips on his own so I only had one bag to carry on the last trek.

Simon truely is my hero! Few people would have done so much and I think this is a great example of how we are such a good partnership as a couple.

The September issue of the Amazing People newsletter is now available.

In this months issue you can read:

• Article 1: What to do when you hate your job and you just can’t leave
• Featured Service: The job search support programme
• Article 2: A mid year review using the wheel of life
• What Denise did last month
• In the Blog

I hope you enjoy reading this.  Do get in touch if you think I can help in any way, or with any suggestions for topics to cover next month. I look forward to talking to you again next time.

Almost forgot, a huge welcome to the 126 subscribers who have signed up in August. I’m really pleased to see you here and if I can be of any help do get in touch.

Amazing People is proud to be a small company and people appreciate the individual attention you get so if you would like to discuss how i can help - from a one off session through to a comprehesive programme do please get in touch, and I’ll reply mid September. I’m having a rest and relaxtion break!

You can access it here: http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/newsletter/Sept08.html

 

It’s my birthday tomorrow, so I’ve decided to give a present to all my subscribers.

Are you wondering about what career is right for you? Would you like to understand yourself more?

The Career Discovery programme can really help you and I get great feedback from people who go through it.

This is sold on my web site for £35 but as my birthday present to you I’m offering it at a 25% discount until midnight on Sunday 31st August.

To read more http://www.amazingpeople.co.uk/career_discovery.htm

And when you pay you will want to apply this coupon - BIRTHDAY SPECIAL to ensure you get the discount!

Best wishes

Denise xx

I had quite a busy day with clients with one appointment left in the evening and then the headache came along and it wasn’t shiting with tablets or a lie down.

Usually I would work on through the pain - can’t let clients down …

But after my period of illlness a couple of months ago when I lost my voice i’ve decided to listen to my body more.

So I postponed my client appointment and everything was ok with her.

Today I’m feeling fine, and really pleased I took the time to listen to my body.

The August edition of Love your Job - the newsletter of Amazing People is now available for download.

August 2008

Happy Monday and I’m a bit late again, but with a month like I had … I lost my voice early July, struggled on, which wasn’t good and made it worse by carrying on talking, well croaking to clients. I’m now being much more careful about resting, not raising my voice and trying to get sufficient sleep (not easy when camping at festivals).

July was a fantastic month - we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary, and this was particularly meaningful as we had to cancel the party planned for our 10th anniversary due to the floods last summer. With two years to prepare this was going to be awesome and it was!

We planned it to be like a mini festival ,with flags, and tents, but no mud as it was a prefect day - from chilling with Pimms on the lawn in the afternoon through to the evening with Les Barker, Alex Chapman and me making my debut on the decks. If you are on Facebook you can access all our photos through there.

We are now into festival season so weekends will see me having a great escapism from my work, I think this is one reason why I love music and dancing so much as it gives me a chance to escape from my head into my body!

I‘ve had some great feedback from clients - from a one hour decision making session to a young man completing the gold programme and saying it was a life changing experience. I’ve also had a client give me less than positive feedback. I do encourage feedback good and bad and hearing what she had to say enabled me to put things right and now she’s happy! Partly this was due to a mix up over what email address to use, so I’ve now made some process changes to make sure I ask clients their preferred contact method.

I do hope you are having the summer you want to have and look forward to talking to you again in September.

What did you like, what was helpful about our session(s)?

•  Being able to talk openly and objectively about career decisions.
•  The questions asked which made me really think about what I didn’t and what I did want. 
• The confidence I felt at the end of our conversation that I had come to my own decision about the direction of my career. (Prior to this I think I had been going round in circles) 
• Looking at the short term and the long term possibilities. 
• Almost forming an action plan towards the end of the conversation with objectives to follow up on.

• I found the hour to be very valuable and can’t believe how much ground we covered in the hour. I was pleased at how quickly you could book me in for a session and throughout the process found all the communication excellent.

 What has been the key learning point for you?

•  To trust my gut feeling and go with my own thoughts a bit more.
• When I’ve decided on something – go for it and don’t look back. 

• Yes definitely. I would very much like to speak with you again about an action plan for when I work with XX Company.
•  I would definitely recommend the service to friends (already have!).
•  I would say that it will help talk through their thoughts and also clarify ideas. Also that it will give them the confidence to do something about their career if they are thinking of a change or maybe stuck in a rut. 

Could I use this as a testimonial on my literature?   Yes

From: Lindsey S., Phone session.