All Things Consulting
Mysticism is something we scarcely associate with business. However, I believe that some part of us wants to be optimistic even if it takes ‘something’ to remind us of the magic that is inside us. I was wearing a pin the other day that was of a gold pig flying over very tall buildings. A client questioned me about it “Hey Angel, what’s that pin all about?” I replied It reminds me that if pigs can fly –so can I. It’s a good luck charm that I use when I have to remind myself … [Read more...]
Like most of you, I wear a lot of hats—mother, business owner, WIC president, and caretaker to name a few—all of them requiring time and attention. On top of that, the universe has thrown what feels like a bajillion curve balls over the past three years, from big stuff (death and major illness) to a constant string of annoyances (power outages, sitter on jury duty, computer crashes, you name it). A while back, I developed a mantra—go with the flow. But lately, the flow has felt like a … [Read more...]
We've heard it time and time again: in order to be successful in business, it's important to take risks. This is one aspect of business that took me especially long to embrace. Why? I was born and raised in the US, however my first full-time job was in Japan. So my earliest work experiences were those that followed the famous proverb "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down". At the time there was not a lot of innovation, creativity, or outside-the-box thinking as a young employee, … [Read more...]
A while back, I received a parenting email from Love and Logic (great resource for you parents out there) and tucked it into my “WIC blog post” folder as a potential topic. I was struck by how the parenting tips from their Keeping Cool When Parenting Heats Up were so apropos to consulting. And so I thought I’d share them with you. “Avoid giving repeated warnings and reminders. The more we put up with bad behavior, the more likely we’ll come across as angry and frustrated when we … [Read more...]
Like most of us, I receive a lot of joke and story emails. Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don’t. It depends a lot on whether I need a mental break. My latest mental break highlights my philosophy that consulting tips (learning of any kind, really) and blog topics can come from anywhere. The particular story in question has strong political leanings. I often read these, because I like to analyze arguments for their structure, logic, and support—blame it on the argumentation … [Read more...]
Best Practice lessons from the employment arena Companies usually put a lot more effort into hiring employees than they do into hiring consultants. Larger companies actually have a standard selection process for hiring employees – this includes gates like: -- a completed application and reference checks, -- 2 levels of management signing off on the new hire, -- the same people interview all candidates for a given position, -- standard interview reviews and feedback These are all examples … [Read more...]
I love my walks. Besides a stress reliever, they’re the genesis of many a blog post. And my last walk was no disappointment – although the idea came not from a free flow of thought, but rather a bothersome technical glitch. I love listening to music as much as I do walking, but my iPhone was taking away from that pleasure. Every 1 – 4 minutes, it would make this odd beeping sound and jump to another song. It started doing it about a month or ago, and I couldn’t figure out why. … [Read more...]
In 2010, I got a coach, two actually. And it’s been a great benefit to my business and my sanity. One of my coaches is a benefit of being WIC’s president: a WIC member donates her coaching services to support me during my tenure. She holds me accountable, provides feedback, and is a wonderful sounding board for different ideas. Would I’ve been a good president without her? I’d like to think so. Am I a better president because I’m working with her? Most definitely! Thanks Angel … [Read more...]
I used to be an owner. If someone reacted negatively to a situation or an exchange, I owned their reaction. I focused on it, internalized it, and wouldn’t let it go. What an energy drain that was – and a total waste of time. I knew the only thing I could control in any given situation was my own actions and reactions, but did that stop me from owning the person’s negative response? Nope. And if you would have asked me anytime last year if I thought I’d ever be able to relinquish … [Read more...]
“Earth people do this every day, so why to bother?” asks Jumba. “Because if everyone gave up, nothing would get done,” answers Lilo. Who says you can’t learn anything from cartoons? ;-) While brushing my daughter’s hair this morning, Lilo’s wisdom floated into my consciousness, compelling me to write a blog post that was already on my to do list. Just yesterday, the latest quote on my Women’s Advantage calendar read “Success is a result of diligence, not just … [Read more...]
