1. When Opportunity Knocks, Will You Be Home? Recognizing and Acting On Opportunity Julie Adamen, PresidentAdamen Inc.
2. Do you ever wonder – What makes some people successful, while others can’t seem to get out of their own way? Hint: It’s not some lucky break…
3. … It’s the ability to identify and act Identify Opportunity “I SEE IT” Act on Opportunity “I CAN WALK THROUGH THE DOOR”
4. Luck has very little to do with professional success To be successful, a person be professionally and personally prepared to: Recognize a set of opportune circumstances Evaluate them fairly quickly and comprehensively Make a move towards that opportunity & Walk through the open door To surmise….
5. Professional Success is predicated upon a person’s ability to RECOGNIZE AND ACT UPON OPPORTUNITYas it presents itself.
6. The 5 Critical Elements in Indentifying and Acting on Opportunity Professional Development Fortitude (Personal and Professional) Flexibility (Personal and Professional) Attitude Family Support
7. Professional Development Have a plan- Set goals- Set timeframes- Adjust where necessary, it’s not written in stone- Stick to it Education - Builds skills - Self-confidence - You bring added value with you
8. Experience – Get it and get some more Problem-solving becomes a puzzle, not some dreaded road-block Get out there! Get involved – Attend, volunteer (WHY?) Contacts Widens your circle of professional affiliations Information: The most powerful tool in finding opportunity
9. Fortitude “The strength of mind that enables one to endure adversity with courage.” Die.com online dictionary Or… While some of us wait for inspiration, others get up and go to work.
10. Personal Fortitude To recognize and act on opportunity you must be secure with one or more of the following life-changes: In income In living arrangements Someone’s feelings may get hurt You will be out of your box You will be out of the box others have you in
11. More Personal Fortitude You trust your own judgment You are not fearful of the unknown You are not paralyzed by “what ifs?” SO: You are able to make a life-altering decision to accept a new opportunity because you have personal fortitude
12. Professional Fortitude An innate understanding of and confidence in your professional abilities… Meaning: You are able to deal with an adverse work-situation Emotions are low-impact: It’s business, not personal You never leave a job in huff and flurry, you stick it out until it gets better or you find something better
13. Well-developed Professional Fortitude also means… No unproductive inner dialogue about what could go wrong: Focus on your strengths Allows you confidence in dealing with “new” situations (because there really are no “new” situations) Allows you confidence in your abilities and use them to your advantage in any situation Opportunity is never shunned out of fear
14. Those without Fortitude eventuallybecome the walking wounded: This is what’s out there, folks: Been terminated (repeatedly) Quit (repeatedly) Been on disability and are back on the market Personally been a mess in the past and now got-it-together Poor (or dead) references The financially arrogant ("I'm worth it!") The bridge-burners, the job-jumpers, and the terminally clueless.
15. These are the folks that 2 years ago could procure employment. Now – no. The old adage that "it's easier to find a job when you have a job" was never more applicable than today. Fortitude is important now more than ever. Suck it up.
17. Personal Flexibility Family and relationship issues Circumstances beyond your control may keep you from being as flexible as you want or need to be Financial flexibility Obtain and maintain financial flexibility Living on the financial edge will keep you from acting on opportunity
18. Professional Flexibility: Do you have it? Do you see yourself as a “free agent,” i.e., a stand-alone professional, as opposed to “just” an employee? When you consider a new position, do you see that position as what it could and would be with you in it? Do you view titles as relatively unimportant? Have you upgraded your employment status in the past five years? Have you ever considered, or taken, a position that was a cut in pay, but offered more potential than your current position? Do you see professional diversity as career building? YES?
19. Then you… Have the view that you are their own most valuable asset – first to yourself then to your employer View continuing development and professional change as a good thing See yourself as capable of doing many things Are willing to explore many options because you aren’t in a box Know that the more experience you have, the more valuable you become to yourself, potential employers and the industry as a whole .
20. Thus: You can look at differing options and see yourself in them You can often project with relative certainty where an option will take you in 2, 3 or even 5 years Any job can be what you want it to be Because you know what your abilities are and what you can do to make “it” happen You will rise to the top of the compensation curve in large part because of your professional flexibility And lastly….
21. To put it bluntly… Self-imposed restrictions based on limited perceptions of opportunity have a tendency to create serious professional frustration.
22. Attitude: It’s everything People who are able to recognize and act upon opportunity always have a positive attitude
23. Traits of positive people Positive People have a sense of discovery They don’t dread their jobs They like the work they do, enjoy the people they meet Look forward to what’s coming next Positive People enjoy the puzzle The challenge of the business and the problems to be solved
40. This program is not endorsed by anyone. It is not politically correct… Your comments are welcome, but I may not listen… The man who smiles when thing go wrong has thought of someone else to blame it on… Predict catastrophe no later than 10 years hence and no sooner than five years away -- soon enough to terrify, but far enough off that people will forget if you are wrong… Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of congress; but I repeat myself… One of the symptoms of an approaching breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important… … Please place all candy wrappers, popcorn boxes and soda containers in the receptacles provided in the lobby. You may now un-silence your cell phones. You are now free to move about the cabin. The End
