Clever Fox Blog

Our paths crossed for the first time - me and a professional who happened to work in a building I consult at. While waiting for the lift, we had a brief conversation. Just before I got off at my floor, I stuck my hand out and said “It was nice meeting you”. What I got in return was a limp, cold hand. Uggh…it felt like a dead fish in my hand; a very unpleasant feeling. Sadly, that limp cold handshake left a lasting impression.

This may be stating the obvious - but regardless of whether you are at a business meeting, job interview or a social gathering, ensure your handshake is a firm one (neither too hard nor too limp) . The handshake may be a simple gesture but it carries a lot of meaning.

A firm handshake is not only good business etiquette, it is an effective form of self promotion.

Times have certainly changed. I remember how I used to run excitedly to greet the postman and collect the mail straight from his hands when I was a kid. With many of my older siblings living abroad, I used to scan the envelope to see who had sent us news, where the stamp was from, and marvel at the “pretty ones” I did not yet have in my collection.

With the internet, I now keep in touch with my friends and family via emails. Excitement isn’t the word I’d use to describe how I feel when collecting the mail from the postbox now, as they are generally computer generated bills.

There’s one exception though…I do enjoy opening one bill. They come from one of my suppliers in South Australia. But here is what is different about the bills he sends as opposed to the other bills I get - he always attaches a personalised handwritten note. The last one said “Kathleen, thanks for the business. Hope all going well in Vic. Beautiful weather here.”

A simple, but nice touch. His service stands out because of the level of personalisation. For a small business, goodwill and rapport counts for a lot. Not only is it a good way to brand your business, it creates a personal relationship with your customers. Wouldn’t you do business with someone you liked personally who also delivered a good service?

When someone first mentioned “rebranding parties” to me, I imagined a fun and creative method for executives to strategise ways to rebrand their business. But far from that, rebranding parties are the latest self help trend in the US which is apparently hitting Australian shores. Basically, you get a bunch of friends together, and they tell you what they don’t like about you and how you can change.

Now fantastic as this may sound, it can backfire. I’ve read of friendships ending and tears flowing. But it doesn’t have to be bad.

Cosmopolitan Magazine asked me how people could get the most out of a rebranding party. If you choose to throw one, check out the July edition of Cosmo (Australia/New Zealand edition) with Sarah Jessica Parker on the cover. It’s on sale now. My tips are on page 79.

Making the transition from full time employment to business owner isn’t always easy.

For starters, you are not going to have the security of a salary coming into your bank account.

On top of that, you’ve got to do more than just “your job”. At the beginning, you probably have to do almost everything yourself – from being the CEO of your company to the mail delivery person.

A client of mine who has made the transition from full time employee to budding entrepreneur said, “Sometimes I wonder if I should keep on going! There’s so much to be done, I’ve got to make tough decisions and I have no guarantees whether this would even work.”

But every time the doubt factor sets in, she somehow manages to overcome them and her resolve to keep on going becomes stronger.

I believe it’s because she isn’t doing this in a naïve manner. She’s taking the right steps. She’s doing something she loves. She’s got a team of consultants she uses to provide the necessary insight and skills sets she doesn’t have. She’s researching information and refining her business plan. She’s becoming a more savvy business person.

She doesn’t know if her business will be a massive success yet. And she won’t if she didn’t continue making informed decisions and taking the next steps.

There’s a memorable scene in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, where Jack Nicholson’s character makes a bet that he can lift a heavy sink to break the windows and escape the mental asylum. His character tries with all his might to physically move the sink. But it is impossible. As he walks out of the room, all eyes staring at him he says “But I tried, didn’t I? Goddamn it, at least I did that”.

To make your business work, you’ve got to try a whole set of different things. Success will always be out of your reach if you don’t.

Let’s face it.

It’s hard to be happy when you work in a toxic environment.

When Cindy (not her real name) attended her first personal coaching session with me, she didn’t have to tell me she wasn’t happy. It was written all over her face. Her body language shouted it out.

Things were spiraling out of control at work. Her boss had given her a negative appraisal in front of her colleagues. Cindy retaliated by confronting her boss and making an official complaint. It was investigated. Nothing concrete came out of it and Cindy was demoted.

Cindy’s previous appraisals had been very positive, and there had been no mention of her performance not being up to scratch. If her boss had thought she was not performing, she certainly hadn’t offered any coaching. Was this a personal vendetta and plain bullying?

There has been a rise in reported cases of workplace bullying in Australia in recent years. A survey conducted in the UK by UNISON revealed that in over 80% of bullying cases, the perpetrator was a manager. More alarming is that in most cases, senior management was aware of the bullying but did nothing about it.

Bullying can take many forms from inappropriate public dressing downs, to unexplained job changes and unfair assessment procedures.

Not surprisingly, many people who experience workplace bullying end up changing jobs. If you choose to stay, know your rights and exercise your judgment. Work through procedures established in your workplace about bullying or seek an arbitration service.

Back to Cindy, I’m pleased to report that she has been offered a new job and is very excited about making a fresh start.

Not long ago, a flyer arrived in the mail about feng shui services.  I threw it in the bin.  This might seem strange as I had actually taken the time to ask for the information to be sent to me.

My decision to bin the flyer was made within seconds of seeing it.  And it was based on the “feeling” I got just from looking at the flyer.  Here’s why:

1. Red text was used against a dark orange background.  The colours fought against each other which made reading difficult.  My layman’s opinion was that a good feng shui consultant would know better about using colours that harmonised.

2. The flyer was printed on cheap paper, whereas her services were expensive.

3. The text was jammed into the brochure, yet feng shui places a high emphasis on de-cluttering.

4. The flyer looked more a pizza delivery menu than a personalised feng shui service.

In short, her personal branding was incongruent with what she was trying to sell.  As a result, I did not feel confident in her expertise.

Whether you’re writing a resume for your next job, or giving a potential client a brochure of your services, you’re essentially doing the same thing.

You’re saying “This is what I can offer you, what I am worth, how I can solve your problems, and why you should select me over anyone else”.

To do so successfully, a personal branding strategy will help.

When it comes to job hunting, your resume is just one element, albeit an important one, of your personal branding.

If your resume portrays a personal brand that does not leave the hiring manager feeling confident about your capabilities, it’s likely to end up in the bin—like that feng shui flyer.

Factors to take into account in developing a personal branding strategy for your resume include:
- The image you portray and adjusting it to match the industry/position you are applying for
- Your “personality”
- How you position yourself in relation to other candidates
- Your perceived worth to the company
- The “tone” of your resume
- The qualities you want a potential employer to know you possess

Once you have determined these, you can set about crafting the words to “back up” and match your personal brand.

If you need help in developing your personal brand in relation to your career, you can always seek Clever Fox’s personalised Resume Writing Service.

We’re pleased to announce that Clever Fox won a 2008 Australian Achiever Award for excellence in customer service. The customers surveyed were selected from across our range of services including resume writing, executive coaching, personal coaching and new business consulting.

We were assessed separately on seven criteria, and scored a highly recommended 94.65% . Anything above 80% is regarded as exceptional and reflects outstanding customer service.

This is valuable feedback for us especially as our services are customised to each client. We will certainly continue to provide great customer experience for clients!

Last but not least, a big thank you to all our clients who participated in the survey!

We’ve been quiet for a while on the blog front but working hard behind the scenes.

We’ve just launched our new website, check it out at www.cleverfox.com.au. The purpose behind the new website is twofold. First, to inform our web visitors about the career services we are now offering i.e. career coaching, resume writing and career assessments. Secondly, but just as important, I felt we needed an new look to accurately reflect the Clever Fox brand.

Let us know what you think.

We now have two very different career coaching programs; Career Foundations for individuals seeking a career change but just aren’t sure what might suit them and Career Creators designed for individuals exploring setting up their own businesses.

It’s the first week into the New Year. If you’ve set yourself goals and resolutions for the New Year, ask yourself this question for each of them “Do I really want this or am I just wishing for it to happen?”

There’s a big difference between wishing for something and wanting something. Check it out for yourself - think of something you wish for and something you really want.

For most people, wishing is rather “wishy washy” - they hope it will get it, but don’t really believe it will happen. In fact, what they wish for feels out of reach.

On the other hand, when they think of something they want, they experience a sense of urgency, and feel more actively involved in getting the outcome (as opposed to the wishy wishy “maybe if I’m lucky” mindset).

Wanting is a good start to achieving your goals, but it’s not enough to get you what you want. You’ve got to gather information and think through how you can get what you want. This essentially involves planning how to achieve your goals.

Planning is great but there is a further step that must not be missed if you want to achieve your outcomes. And that is that to “take action”, or in less cliched terms, you’ve got to do something about it. This includes a series of things you do over a period of time. You may not know all the steps you need to take when you start, that’s OK. It’s important to take one step at a time with your end outcome in mind. If you don’t have all the information or skills you need, get help. In this day and age, resources are plentiful. You just need to find them - be it people, information or skills.

It’s only after taking the various steps and being flexible as you go along will you eventually get what you want.

Where do most people fail? They don’t move from the wanting phase to the gathering information and planning phase. Or they bogged into the detail of over planning and fail to transition to executing their plans.

If you know what you really want, plan how to get there, take the necessarily steps (and be flexible enough to incorporate new information, overcome set backs, learn new strategies, etc), you’ll be well on your way to achieving your goals.

It’s not long now before we herald in 2008. Well-intentioned people all across the globe are bringing out their notepads and enthusiastically declaring in writing what they are going to change for the better in the New Year. According to stats though, an overwhelming majority give up their New Year resolutions by March.

Asking around I found that many people make the same New Year resolutions year after year because they didn’t quite manage to achieve what they had set out to do.

If you find yourself in this situation, don’t fret! Here are some tips to help you get out of that vicious cycle.

Before you make your 2008 New Year resolutions, look at your 2007 resolutions and take stock of your progress in those areas.

By tracking yourself, you can find out what you actually achieved or figure out the barriers that stopped you from realising your goals.

When you can pin point the factors that helped you succeed, you can actually take steps to replicate your success in other areas of your life.

On the other hand, if you didn’t move forward, these questions will help you think about new steps to take to achieve those resolutions.

Here are some questions to help you keep track of the progress you made throughout the year:

1. What have I accomplished this year?
2. What am I proudest of?
3. What have I learnt this year?
4. What could I have improved on?
5. What did I set out to do but didn’t and what stopped me?
6. What could I have done differently that would have gotten me closer to achieving my goals?
7. Taking the path I am on right now, am I heading towards or away from what I truly want?
8. If the path I am taking is taking me away from my outcomes, what do must I do to change the situation?
9. What beliefs or information do I need to gather, what skills can I learn, what habits must I change, who can help me, what actions must I take?

Look out for more posts on goal setting and New Year resolutions in the next few days.