In This Issue

Priorities, Boundaries and Respect (below)

Quotes for the Month

Job Seeking Tips: Negotiating a Salary Offer

Quick Links

Olympic Champions have a coach.
So do many successful executives.
How about you?

Schedule a FREE no-obligation consultation TODAY! Call 281 293-8864 or email me.

Click here to learn more about Joan’s services!

1. Priorities, Boundaries, and Respect

In this age of extreme everything and so-called "reality" TV, it is easy to get a distorted idea about how, who, and what we should be. Contrary to media hype, life is not a fire drill. Work is required, but struggle is optional and without balance and boundaries we are on the road to physical illness and insanity.

We are human beings, not human doing machines. Machines and technology are intended to be our servants, not to run our lives. From time to time, we need to get a grip on our truly glorious and mundane real lives. We need to slow down to a human feeling, caring, thinking, connecting with each other and ourselves pace. On their deathbed I doubt that anyone wished they had spent more time on their blackberry, the Internet or at work, which brings me to priorities.

Priorities, based on what is of greatest value to you, are like guiding lights helping you to decide what is important or unimportant to spend your time on, moment-by-moment and day-by-day. Have you noticed lately how often other people’s urgencies, priorities, wants and needs have somehow taken over your to do list until your wants and needs have fallen right off the page?

One of my clients was struggling with getting projects out her door in a timely manner due to constant interruptions from customers and co-workers. She instituted a 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. quiet time for herself. Her office door was closed and all calls went to voicemail. Although she was kidded about this for a while all parties were delighted with her improved productivity and she was much less stressed.

By getting clear about what was of highest priority to her and what was getting in the way, she set up a time and place boundary, sending a clear message to others that her time was valuable and to be treated with respect.

If you are a project manager, you have to manage customer expectations and run interference for your project team so they can get the work done. If you are a small-business owner, you have to treat the needs of your business, such as marketing and planning, with the same urgency and time respect as the needs of your most valued customers. As an individual, only you can set the boundaries around what is of high importance to you and thus ensure that others respect your needs and wants as much as their own.

Put a list of your life, work, and family priorities and goals on a 3 x 5 card and read them every morning for five minutes. Now you have a tool to guide you each day in making decisions based on fulfilling your most valued desires.

Quotes for the Month

"If you want to live your life, you gotta’ drive the train".
-Tim Sanders

"Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."
- Goethe

"Procrastination is the natural assassin of opportunity."
- Unknown

"If you don't have goals, you are doomed to work for people who do."
- Unknown

Job Seeking Tips: Negotiating a Salary Offer

In an ideal situation, your answer to a job offer would be, "Wow! This sounds great. I need some time to think it over. When do you need to hear back from me?" This lets the employer know you're interested, but it doesn't commit you to anything yet. The window of time between receiving an offer and accepting it is the point in the process when you have the most negotiating power. If you want to tweak the pay package or negotiate more vacation, this is the time to ask.

Request a face-to-face meeting to review the details of the job. In person, you'll have the opportunity to read the decision maker's reactions and adjust your strategy accordingly. Focus on your worth, rather than your needs. Emphasize your value to the company and your desire to be compensated competitively. Use data to back up your request. Research current salaries by location for your industry and job category: http://www.salary.com

For every job there is a salary range. Ask what it is. If your previous pay is near the top end of the range you will have no place to go unless you can qualify for the next level job. Find out what that next job might be and the prospects for being promoted if you do an outstanding job in this one.

The hiring managers can influence where in a salary range you will be put. During your interviews get as clear a picture of the current problems and opportunities, responsibilities and authority level for the job as possible. You want to ascertain how quickly you feel you can make a highly visible and valuable contribution to the organization’s goals. In other words, you need enough information to be able to make a convincing argument for why you should be paid the salary you are seeking.
The first offer is seldom the best offer…. Read more


If you want to power up your resume, job search, and interview skills, give me a call at 832-458-0455 or email me at joan@bolmer.com for a free consultation.

Quick Links

Finish Your Unfinished Business

Get Your Personal Needs Met

How to Get a Great Performance Review

Quality of Life Self Assessment (PDF File)

Favorite Resource Links

Check out Joan's paintings
and notecards.

Imagination