Want to ‘ace’ that appraisal? Here are some top tips for making it happen

Want to ‘ace’ that appraisal? Here are some top tips for making it happen

Yes, it’s that appraisal time of year again and rather than feel worried, view it as the perfect opportunity to reflect on your career, plan for your next move and set the wheels in motion to be the person you want to be.

If you prepare correctly, your appraisal will give you the opportunity to demonstrate your achievements, show how you’ve consciously engaged with the role, the business or your team, and convey how you would like your role to evolve in the future. Here are some top tips for ‘acing’ that appraisal:

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PREPARE YOUR EVIDENCE – make a note of all that great stuff you’ve been doing throughout the year and back it up with testimonials, data to support your achievements, feedback from colleagues or quotes from members of the management team. Ask your colleagues for their thoughts on your performance; the things you’ve excelled at, and how.

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DEVELOPMENT GOALS – this is the perfect opportunity to discuss your career goals (often a natural progression from your last appraisal) and agree realistic targets and expectations; have a clear idea of where you want to be, and how you’re going to get there. Remember that your boss is not a mind reader! Explain what you want, but be prepared to give something in return (an appraisal is a two-way street, after all) and don’t forget to show how your future role, or promotion, will benefit the company.

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ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS – it’s important to ask the right questions as these will help you, and your boss, define your objectives for the year ahead. Ask about your personal development but also remember to ask about your wider development within the business. Questions you could ask:

  • What steps do I need to take to reach the next level?
  • What should I be doing to help with the company objectives or team priorities?
  • Which courses and training should I consider and will my employer support me (financially or otherwise) with this training?
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ONE LAST THING – talking through your career goals, and aspirations, with friends and family will help you feel more confident, but to give you a clearer understanding of the path you need to follow, download my FREE Appraisal Planner.

Don’t forget, this is your opportunity to be the person you want to be so, go out and ‘ace’ that appraisal!


Nicola Lyle is the Managing Director of Fired Up Careers and an Executive Coach & Leadership Trainer. She started her career in the drinks industry where she worked for over 15 years in sales and customer marketing. She has been a qualified and practicing coach since 2005, was a trainer for the Ministry of Defence for 3 years in Germany and currently works as a leadership and management trainer working with Executives in a wide range of industries.

Nicola is hugely passionate about helping people to have the career that fulfils and empowers them to live their best life. She offers Executive coaching, group coaching programmes and occasional retreats. Just drop her a line, she’d love to help you get your career on track.

You can contact her at Nicola@firedupcoaching.org or find Fired Up Careers on Instagram or take a look at www.firedupcareers.org

Fall in love with your career again

Fall in love with your career again

Being in love is amazing! Everything seems bright, breezy and super easy; you can’t stop talking about the one you love, you think about them all the time and can’t wait until you see them again. Well, the first few months in a job can feel exactly the same – if you’re in the right place….

Then, one morning, you wake up and think ‘I love what I do but I’m not In Love with my job anymore‘. The honeymoon period is over so now what? Never fear, it is possible to rekindle the love affair with your job, you just have to fall in love with the idea of working at it. Here are some tried and tested tips to get the passion going again:

GET CLEAR ON WHAT YOU WANT – We all know what we want when it comes to the choice of partner, preferred holiday destination or favourite ice cream flavour so, work out what it is you like about work, and then you’ll have an idea of where to find it. Many people assume that their bosses know what they want, but they are not mind-readers. Ask for what you want; If you want more money or a flexible schedule, ask for that too. If your alternative is to quit, what do you have to lose?

TRY NEW THINGS – Say ‘yes’ to the company social, the ‘team building’ drinks after work; forging new office friendships and collaborations might be just what you need. Why not volunteer to lead company projects or maybe suggest new ways of doing business that puts your skill set to the fore. Propose your dream project or ask to be put in charge of something.

 

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE – Take a long, hard look at your work surroundings and, if it’s possible, change your office. The chances are if you’ve worked in the same office environment, eight hours a day, for years it will be driving you nuts! If it’s in your power, repaint. If not, make other subtle improvements like adding pictures, plants or moving furniture. For a different perspective try working from a different place; another desk in an open office or a favourite coffee shop rather than home.

GET TO KNOW THE BUSINESS – Talk to people you don’t ordinarily talk to, invite different people to lunch and take the time to get to know them, and what they do. Change your own attitude. Smile. Thank people. Refuse to give difficult people power over your emotions. Consciously list one awesome thing that happened every day – sometimes it’s easy to let the day to day frustrations cloud the bigger purpose of why we took the job in the first place. Try to look at the big picture of what your company’s doing and the part you play. Chances are, your position is far more critical than you realize.

 

SHOW THE LOVE – Bring in some goodies to share with the team occasionally or offer to get the morning coffees. It will make you feel good, and your workmates valued.

KEEP THINGS FRESH – Continue to improve yourself with professional development; ask to be put on those training courses, networking events or company seminars.

SHOW YOUR COMMITMENT – Find ways to develop your role, team, the business. Be interested…why not volunteer as a mentor to one of your junior colleagues? Offering a helping hand or support to someone else feels good and will remind you why you fell in love with what you do.

 

WE ALL LOVE A CHALLENGE –  Set yourself some key goals to work towards: the next promotion; achieving your bonus; targets for the team.

CELEBRATE THE SMALL THINGS – Everyday, look for something (however small) that went well for you, or your team, and celebrate.

 

SEE THE LIGHTER SIDE – It might sound silly, but making time to laugh at work is hugely important. Smiles and laughter release feel-good chemicals in the brain and will automatically lift your spirits. Seeing the lighter side is important, especially in pressured environments. It allows you to develop emotional resilience to draw on when things go wrong and gives you a sense of perspective.

WE ALL NEED A BREAK – Take a lunch break, go outside and get some fresh air and sunlight (Vitamin D is an important mood-enhancer), walk briskly or take an exercise class. Book yourself a holiday to look forward to as a reward for all your hard work. Making time for leisure interests and socializing is also hugely important for recharging the batteries and freeing up some head-space for creativity and problem solving, leading to a happier, and more motivated, you. Having broader interests, outside of work, can also give you a valuable secondary perspective that can add so much to your working life.

 

REMEMBER, LOVE IS A TWO-WAY STREET – We all need to feel the love; it’s the same in any relationship so why should it be any different at work? If you don’t feel valued, trusted or there’s a lack of commitment or connection, talk to your boss to understand what’s going on and if it can’t be fixed, then maybe it’s time to move on.

 


Nicola Lyle is the Managing Director of Fired Up Careers and an Executive Coach & Leadership Trainer. She started her career in the drinks industry where she worked for over 15 years in sales and customer marketing. She has been a qualified and practicing coach since 2005, was a trainer for the Ministry of Defence for 3 years in Germany and currently works as a leadership and management trainer working with Executives in a wide range of industries.

Nicola is hugely passionate about helping people to have the career that fulfils and empowers them to live their best life. She offers Executive coaching, group coaching programmes and occasional retreats. Just drop her a line, she’d love to help you get your career on track.

You can contact her at Nicola@firedupcoaching.org or find Fired Up Careers on Instagram or take a look at www.firedupcareers.org

5 Simple Steps to Reclaiming Your Mojo

5 Simple Steps to Reclaiming Your Mojo

According to Gallup and their ‘State of the Global Workplace’ report, 85% of employees are not engaged, or are actively disengaged, at work. SAD (Seasonal affective disorder) particularly affects people at this time of the year (with 1 in 15 people affected between September to April*).

Whatever the reasons, feeling disengaged at work (losing your mojo) brings with it feelings of lethargy, and a ‘can’t be bothered’ attitude to work. In fact, all you want to do is stay at home in bed, with the duvet pulled over your head, or throw a sickie.

So, when it feels like everyday is a slog and the world is getting you down, here are some simple steps to getting yourself back on track, and to Reclaiming Your Mojo’:

1)     Make a list of the things you like/love to do outside of workWe all need things to look forward to, so make sure you fill your diary with plenty of ‘twinkly’ moments; a weekend break away every 3 months, tickets to the theatre or a night out at your favourite restaurant.

2)     Make a playlist of songs you love to sing or can’t help but dance toResearch shows that the fastest way to change our emotional state is by listening to music that puts you in a good ‘space’ so, put some on, turn it up loud and dance like no one is watching!


3)     
Create a vision boardGet a load of magazines, put your playlist on, grab a glass of veg juice/prosecco (whichever you prefer) and create a vision of what you would love in your life right now, however wild. Pull out gorgeous images and uplifting, inspirational words, put them on your vision board then place the board somewhere you will see it (and be inspired by it) every day.

4)     Connect. Put your phone/iPad down, turn the TV off and be around peopleAs human beings we are meant to connect with others, not be alone or isolated in our own world all of the time. It is important to talk to others, to interact, to laugh, to enjoy being in the company of friends or family. After all, they can be a great source of inspiration and motivation when we’re feeling less than radiant.


5)     
Exercise – I always thought you needed to feel energetic in order to do exercise. Turns out it’s the other way around!Aerobic exercise (a fast walk, running, cycling, dancing, sport) is brilliant for destressing and clearing the mind. Serotonin floods the body with ‘happy hormones’, cheering you up and giving you the energy to get your Mojo back.


Here’s a 6th one just because I like to give added value…think about the vision you have for your career (maybe you have one maybe you don’t)
Have a bit of fun and write (with no limitations!) a 5 year plan. Then work it back to a 3 year plan, then to one year. Can you see this being a possibility, where you are currently? Make a list of things that need to happen to reach your one year plan, and see how your current environment shapes up – if it doesn’t then it’s time to make some changes.

*Source www.mentalhealth.org.uk


Nicola Lyle is the Managing Director of Fired Up Careers and an Executive Coach & Leadership Trainer. She started her career in the drinks industry where she worked for over 15 years in sales and customer marketing. She has been a qualified and practicing coach since 2005, was a trainer for the Ministry of Defence for 3 years in Germany and currently works as a leadership and management trainer working with Executives in a wide range of industries.

Nicola is hugely passionate about helping people to have the career that fulfils and empowers them to live their best life. She offers Executive coaching, group coaching programmes and occasional retreats. Just drop her a line, she’d love to help you get your career on track.

You can contact her at Nicola@firedupcoaching.org or find Fired Up Careers on Instagram or take a look at www.firedupcareers.org

How to cope when feeling overwhelmed at work

How to cope when feeling overwhelmed at work

We’ve all been there (and many of you will be experiencing this right now); back to work after Christmas to an overflowing in-box, meetings that need to happen, projects requiring attention and deadlines looming large on the horizon. It can all seem incredibly daunting to the point of being overwhelming.

If you find yourself in this position (and let’s face it you’re not alone) there are a number of tactics you can employ to help ease the situation, depending upon how ‘overwhelmed’ you are feeling, of course.

 

 

If you are spinning in circles, unable to concentrate or feel incapable of doing anything productively, don’t try to tackle the whole to-do list at once. Instead, concentrate on the immediate things that need to happen today, tomorrow or next week (or even the next 5 mins if you feel particularly fraught).

‘A journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step’  Lao-Tzu

 

Prioritize your concerns in order of importance, identifying what you have control over and what you cannot influence. If you have no influence over an outcome, let it go or at least distance yourself from it.

Take regular breaks of around 45 mins (our brains start switching off after this). If you’re working on something and you feel your heart beating faster, or your adrenaline spiking, then step away. Go and make a cup of tea or get some fresh air, change your scene then, when you’ve calmed down, return to what you were doing (even without feeling stressed we should take 15 minutes out, every hour and a half, to retain our equilibrium).

 

 

Turn off your email, and notifications on your phone, and do the work. If people try to interrupt, tell them you would love to help them in an hour or so (or whenever is convenient for you) when you’re not so busy. Once your concentration is broken it takes around 20 minutes to settle back into a task again, so don’t allow it to happen.

Create a list of your top 3 things to focus on: Must Do; Like to do; Amazing to do and tick them off as you do them. Our brains love to achieve, so setting manageable goals you can tick off will give you a good feeling and help you to feel in control.

 

 

Say ‘no’ to anything not on your agenda, unless it’s part of your vision for 2019 (not got one? Sign up for my FREE 2019 Planner) or it’s especially career enhancing. Don’t allow other people’s ‘wants’, ‘needs’ and ‘priorities’ to become yours!

Create the right environment for YOU to work in. If you’re more productive with music playing, grab your headphones. If you need quiet then find a quiet space to work in, block out the time in your diary and tell people you’re unavailable while you do the work.

Manage your thought process – if you think ‘I’m never going to get through all of this and then I’m going to get fired’, you’re going to have a very different experience to the person who thinks ‘OK, where can I start, which is most urgent?’

In essence we need to compartmentalize the overwhelming feelings we are experiencing; Is the world going to end? No. Can you do this? Of course you can. All it takes is to think differently, to change your emotional state and to keep your attention focused in the moment.


Nicola Lyle is the Managing Director of Fired Up Careers and an Executive Coach & Leadership Trainer. She started her career in the drinks industry where she worked for over 15 years in sales and customer marketing. She has been a qualified and practicing coach since 2005, was a trainer for the Ministry of Defence for 3 years in Germany and currently works as a leadership and management trainer working with Executives in a wide range of industries.

Nicola is hugely passionate about helping people to have the career that fulfils and empowers them to live their best life. She offers Executive coaching, group coaching programmes and occasional retreats. Just drop her a line, she’d love to help you get your career on track.

You can contact her at Nicola@firedupcoaching.org or find Fired Up Careers on Instagram or take a look at www.firedupcareers.org

I’m your coach, not your mate!

I’m your coach, not your mate!

So, you’re unhappy at work, stuck in a career rut, have a boss you hate or work colleagues you can’t relate to. In short, it’s time to work out what you want, and how you’re going to get it.

What you need now is someone who will help you find the answers that seem to be eluding you. Someone to hold your hand and guide you in the right direction. Someone to support you and help move you forward. What you need is someone who will ask the kind of questions that make you think, and make the kind of observations that may surprise you. What you need is a coach, not a mate.

Whilst both will offer support, do not confuse them.

Your mate will commiserate with you, joining you in slagging off the boss you hate or who upset you. Your mate will be on hand with a large glass of wine, or two, a shoulder to cry on and some soothing words. Your mate will be on your side, regardless of whether you are right or wrong, listening to your outpourings and oohing and aahing in all the right places. Your mate, especially a ‘bestie’, may well drop everything to rush to your side. You will be left with the warm, fuzzy feeling of being loved and supported, but not necessarily with the solution to your underlying problems.

With coaching there’ll be no wine, only a cup of tea (you might even have to make this yourself if it’s an online session). You’ll also have to book your session which will typically last no more than an hour.

You’ll get to talk through your issue, cry if needs be, and receive focused, undivided attention. However, unlike ranting to your mates, you’ll be encouraged to think deep; you’ll be asked questions that will challenge your perception of what’s really going on.

It may take one session, it may take several depending on the issue, but by the end you’ll have a clear idea of the outcome that will work for you, an action plan to make it happen and, of course, support, encouragement, and a surge in confidence. You will feel uplifted knowing the next step you take will be the right one for you and that it will be a positive move forward.

Mates have their place but it’s important to be clear on the distinction between the two support networks. Coaching is action-orientated requiring time, commitment, and focused attention to shift the issues that have plagued you, getting you to where you want to be.

For an empowering, supportive, action-orientated coaching session that will move you forward, please contact me, Nicola, at Fired Up Careers


Nicola Lyle is the Managing Director of Fired Up Careers and an Executive Coach & Leadership Trainer. She started her career in the drinks industry where she worked for over 15 years in sales and customer marketing. She has been a qualified and practicing coach since 2005, was a trainer for the Ministry of Defence for 3 years in Germany and currently works as a leadership and management trainer working with Executives in a wide range of industries.

Nicola is hugely passionate about helping people to have the career that fulfils and empowers them to live their best life. She offers Executive coaching, group coaching programmes and occasional retreats. Just drop her a line, she’d love to help you get your career on track.

You can contact her at Nicola@firedupcoaching.org or find Fired Up Careers on Instagram or take a look at www.firedupcareers.org

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