Self-esteem, planning key to successful work life

Wow, what a way to start the year 2013! More full-time jobs. With the 5,200 new jobs created in December alone, it seems our province is finally on a roll. In fact, this type of stellar performance might lead us to becoming a "have" province once again, a thought that certainly creates a positive buzz in the minds of job seekers and employers alike.

Everyone has their own character. It's the sum of our attitude (our own personal pattern of emotions and actions), our beliefs (our opinions, judgments and acceptance of what is true), and our commitments (how we choose to act). Our character affects our first impression with others and defines how our peers, subordinates or bosses at work view us.

The importance of intuition in decision making

Let's face it; we all know that business operations require accurate accounting and numerical statements of fact. Accounting...that old, enduring historical system of checklists and rules that allows business leaders to review their current situation and predict the future. However, as business moved into the 21st century, it has come to be recognized that financial facts aren't the be-all and end-all. Many business decisions require a balance of head and heart. By this I mean that leaders need to assess their intuition, their "gut feeling," and wrap these feelings around their facts in order to make a final decision.

As a leading executive search consultant, believe me, I’m the first to advise candidates to toot their own horn and brag about their work accomplishments. That being said, there is self-promotion and then there is overly-aggressive self-promotion! And I can guarantee this: those self-promoters who exaggerate and/or significantly overstate their abilities in job interviews will soon find themselves in trouble and probably back out on the street looking for a new job.

January is always considered a time for setting new personal and/or career goals. While some folks are more determined than others, more often than not, these goals quickly fall by the wayside. Perhaps its because the goals were really nothing more than wish lists. Or, perhaps an individuals expectations were simply unrealistic because they did not understand their real-world environment and the influence this may have on goal accomplishment.

Holidays a good time to take stock of career, skills, goals