Solicitor to Founder of Challenges Worldwide

Solicitor to Founder of Challenges Worldwide Success Story > From: Job To: Startup Solicitor to Founder of Challenges Worldwide “I wanted to feel inspired when I got out of bed in the morning.” * Solicitor to Founder of Challenges Worldwide Clocking in his time at work in 6-minute units was starting to drag for Eoghan Mackie. He was longing for work he felt excited about and being a commercial lawyer simply wasn't delivering. Now, he runs an amazing charity called Challenges Worldwide. How did he make the change? What was your role in your old job? I worked as a commercial lawyer. Work included Information Technology and Intellectual Property, Corporate Finance, Banking and Commercial Property. What is/are your new role(s)? I run a charity called Challenges Worldwide. My responsibilities are diverse, ranging from strategic planning and fundraising to growth into new countries. Why did you change? I wanted to feel inspired when I got out of bed in the morning. I needed to feel that I was learning a lot in my work and I wanted to control that. Are you happy with the change? Extremely. What do you miss and what don't you miss? There is nothing that I miss I certainly don't miss clocking my time in units of 6 minutes - the software ironically called ‘carpe diem'!!! How did you go about making the change? This is the short answer - I knew I wanted out, so I tried to figure out what was important to me. You can't pick something to do until you know what is going to tick the boxes for your own blend of wants. What was the most difficult thing about changing? Starting from scratch and having to learn everything all the time. What help did you get? Various people in the Mezzanine in Elizabeth House UnLtd Personal contacts. What have you learnt in the process? An enormous amount about: Running an organisation - this is a huge category, which I won't detail now Myself - it has been tough and in that climate you have to front up to a lot and focus hard on developing a lot. What do you wish you'd done differently? I am a big believer in the hard times being the most valuable learning experiences. That said, I do think that being a little more decisive in some of my decisions around staffing would have helped. People are the hardest part of any business. What would you advise others to do in the same situation? Perseverance pays off. You can do anything you want, you just have to decide what you want to do. That is more about who you are and where your strengths and interests lie. What lessons could you take from Eoghan's story to use in your own career change? Let us know in the comments below.

Are You Qualified to Write a Book - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Are You Qualified to Write a Book - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I dont know whether or not Im qualified to write a book! The process of helping others write books to build their personal brand often starts by addressing a curious paradox: Published books establish their authors as experts in their field BUT, What qualifies someone to write a book in the first place? Unfortunately, many otherwise-qualified individuals question their right, or qualifications, to write a brand building book to promote their career or build their business. These individuals are sabotaging themselves before they even begin to build their brand! Where does this self-doubt come from? Origins of self-doubt For many, the origins of their self-doubt lie in their previous writing experiences, especially high school and college creative writing classes. There are 3 refrains I hear over and over again: Im not a good enough writer! This is often accompanied by, I almost flunked freshman English or Im not a creative writer. I dont have the credentials, referring to a lack of a Ph.D. in the field. Im too young, or, presumably, too inexperienced. Lets take a closer look at these objections. Objection 1: Im not a good-enough writer! Lets start by asking, What is a good-enough writer? Is a good-enough writer someone who can dash-off a brilliant first draft? Or, is a good enough writer an individual who will discipline themselves to take the time to: Research the market for what they want to write Plan and organize their thoughts before they start to write Obtain the resources and tools they need to work as efficiently as necessary Commit to consistent daily progress, i.e., work as little as 30-minutes a day on their project Revise and re-edit until theyre using the fewest words, paragraphs, and pages necessary to communicate their ideas without clutter or decoration Avoid unrealistic comparisons Its important to remember that few are born writers. When our high school and college teachers held up the masters as standards for us to emulate, they may have been inadvertently undermining our confidence by setting unrealistic expectations. When we read a classic book, were not reading the first draft that the authors wrote. Instead, were reading words that the author agonized over, often writing and rewriting numerous times. And, what happened after they submitted their final manuscripts to their publishers? Thats right: the manuscripts were edited and re-edited by a staff of editors before the publisher turned on the printing press! Writing is a learned craft The ability to write comes from writing. By writing, you learn how to write. You learn the steps, the tools, and the processes needed to plan your writing, create the first draft, and rewrite it until its right. By writing you learn how to write. If you want to write a book to build your brand, and are willing to commit to consistent daily progress, youll almost certainly succeed. Objection 2: I dont have the credentials Although I hear many bemoan their lack of advanced degrees in their field of interest, outside of the world of academics, there are no minimum credentials, or licenses, needed to write book. To look at credentials issue from another perspective, notice how the presence of advanced degree doesnt guarantee the right to publish a book; every degree-holder doesnt get the right to publish a book! The Tyranny of Knowledge Indeed, as Chip Heath and Dan Heath wrote in Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, knowledge is often an impediment to understanding a topic and sharing new insights. Knowledge often puts blinders on experts who view problems from conventional perspectives and who often assume too much knowledge on the part of their readers. In most cases, in the field strategies and tactics experience are more important than theoretical first principles. You dont need to know how internal combustion engines work to drive to the convenience store (or a local bookstore). Knowing where to turn left, what the convenience stores hours are, and where the local speed trap is located, is usually more important than a knowledge of the Federalist Papers. Never doubt the value of your first-hand experience The value of what you dont know Likewise, dont underestimate   the value of what you dont know; writing can teach, as William Zinsser described so eloquently in Writing to Learn: How to WriteAnd ThinkClearly About Any Subject at All. Just like teaching others is the best way for you to learn more about a topic, writing enhances your understanding of your subject and your ability to communicate with, and serve, others. Objection 3: Im too young When are you old enough to write a book that creates a personal brand for yourself? Is 30 the minimum cut-off? Or, is 40 somehow better? What about 50 or 60? If age is a criteria, of course, the question then becomes, When are you too old to write a book? Is 65 too old? What if youre 70, and a subject area expert with a lifetime of experience and perspectives to share? If the idea of an maximum age cut-off for writing a book appears foolish, then youll probably agree the idea of a minimum age makes even less sense! Conclusion If you have an area of expertise, a unique perspecive, or simply want to share your experiences with others, and youre willing to commit to consistent daily progress, youre probably qualified to write a book to build your personal brand. Do you agree? Share your author qualifications thoughts and experiences as comments. Lets explore the topic together. Author: Roger C. Parker is a “32 Million Dollar Author,” book coach, and online writing resource. His 38 books have sold 1.9 million copies in 35 languages around the world. The NY Times called his Looking Good in Print “…the one to buy when you’re buying only one!” Roger has interviewed hundreds of successfully branded authors and shares what he’s learned at Published Profitable and his daily writing tips blog.

Why Human Capital Developers Are the New HR

Why Human Capital Developers Are the New HR I’ve noticed a disturbing trend among Human Resources professionals recently. They are  leaving tech companies due to professional dissatisfaction. The trend signals that these  companies don’t have an active, engaging role for human resources beyond administrative  tasks. A gap is emerging between the next generation of human resources defined as human  capital developers and the human resources born out of the 20th Century. Today, HR is undergoing a seismic shift driven by the changing nature of work and the impact  of technology. Many companies, even forward-thinking tech companies, are struggling to define  the role of HR, and engage the department in the organization’s overall vision. As traditional  roles becomes outdated, companies have to reconfigure departments to meet workforce needs.  A huge gap is developing between the old and the new model, and in the midst of it, a lack of  clarity among many senior managers on how to effectively reconfigure human resources. For many accomplished HR managers in the technology sector, the department inadvertently  becomes a trap offering limited growth and opportunities. Many of these bright professionals  possess drive to develop thriving workplaces that in turn can create the best products.  However, often the C-suite has a narrow perspective on what HR is capable of accomplishing.  CEOs expect one human resources professional to fulfil recruitment responsibilities with  generalist HR functions. This usually occurs  because of budget restrictions or a lack of  awareness of what the future of HR requires to move forward into the 21st Century. There are few factors driving this trend: Reputation HR professionals have a reputation for being generalists and are quite often seen as the ‘bad guys’ that are  known for hiring and firing. We’re now in 2016 and times have changed. Hiring to manage  culture and leadership development is now a prerequisite â€" much like a create DevOps or  FullStack Developer might be when creating your company’s technology. Look for capability, growth, scalability, ability and hunger to learn in your HR professionals. I  meet many incredibly talented HR professionals every day that have a unique drive and  passion. They go the extra mile to learn and implement their knowledge. Invest in them, like  you’d invest in your technology or product team. It’s about keeping your organization ahead of  the curve. Budgets Leaders aren’t taking a risk with their Head of Human Resources to create a fully loaded team  that can build a company’s culture, which supports the ability to develop strong products. They  are working on insufficient department budgets, which negatively impacts their ability to  perform at the needed levels. Building the team and culture to ensure phenomenal output is critical to succeeding and  generating growth. Many leaders will not give HR enough credit, bandwidth and strategic scope  to really create a company that will generate the ROI the C-suite desire. Technology Technology’s rapid advancement is transforming the nature of the workforce at lightening  speeds. Across the board, the roles of departments and talent are shifting. We know that  worker satisfaction is crucial to the overall success of a company. Reluctance to invest to ensure  the current workforce can benefit from leadership development negatively impacts growth. This impact of the above factors requires organizations to implement the following two  strategies: Recruitment is a critical function in change management, and recruiters need to be  effectively trained as a specialist not HR generalist. Talent acquisition specialists are  networking with talent, managing referrals and building the employer brand through  their work. It’s a full time job. Hire an HR leader that is truly integrated into management, company brand  development and talent engagement, talent retention and culture development â€" as  well as all the crucial generalist aspects. Human resources is evolving out of a typically administrative role focused on ensuring the  company complies with employment laws and regulations, as well as administrative duties  related to employees. HR is now the chief architect in developing and managing the employee  experience. Much of the administrative as well as operational duties waste both time and  energy. Attracting, engaging, retaining and developing the next generation of human capital  developer talent requires a new approach that scales across organizational departments. Human resources is the face of the company when it comes to recruiting talent. The ability  to successfully engage and connect with talent serves a critical function in the talent wars. It  also demands a special set of skills among this new breed of recruiters: an ability to understand  not only the role for which they are hiring. It also requires knowledge of the long term  goals of the company and the skills talent needs to evolve with the company. If the company is  playing an A game than HR is fully integrated into the company across departments and  included in the organizations conversations regarding strategic development and planning. To  paraphrase Jerry Maguire, “help your HR people help you.” Human Capital Development is a critical function in tech companies. It’s never been clearer that  these companies must constantly adapt and transform their workforce to keep up with the  disruption caused through rapid technological advancement. We are living in the agile age. HR  plays a critical role in change management, as well as talent development from attraction  through career development, as well as company culture and leadership development. The  workforce is no longer static, and remaining competitive requires a proactive approach to  human capital development. It’s a sole-focussed, full-time job. Finding, sourcing and managing talent development is not a responsibility on a checklist; it’s a  dynamic role that requires a level of expertise that encompasses more than just compliance  issues, EI and employee handbooks. For a company to grow and thrive, HR needs to be  empowered to use resources and create a sustainable talent pipeline. Selecting that internal  business partner to develop the culture is a priority hire for leadership, talent acquisition and  culture development strategies. HR is evolving as a department into what we now refer to as Chief Experience Officer, Head of  Talent or Human Capital Developer. Today most of the administrative work can be automated  and phased out in order to engage key personnel that work to shape the employee experience  and focus on developing talent. The old HR got bogged down in administering rules and  regulations, and often filled positions with staff that had very little relevant experience.  Interpersonal, critical thinking and analytical skills are what matters today across the board. We recognize that today the HR generalist adds little value and it makes sense they would be  phased out. We also now recognize that the age-old Human Resources department that  concerned itself with administrative and procedural tasks is no longer relevant. The next  generation of HR is about actively creating and managing the talent experience as well as the  corporate brand. This emerging breed of recruiters are a vital part of winning the talent wars to  attract, engage and retain top talent to continue moving upward and FORWARD. Author: Caroline Stokes is the  Founder of Forward  Human Capital Solutions. She is an executive career coach and headhunter.   Image credit: Shutterstock

4 Ways to Overcome Post-Holiday Blues - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

4 Ways to Overcome Post-Holiday Blues - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career After the holidays which are full of fun and joy, returning back to regular routine can distress many of us. While almost everyone doesn’t like going back to work especially after the joy of holidays, you should face the reality and do your best to adjust and be productive again. In order to prevent the post-holiday blues, you have to do a little bit of planning and accept that it is over so that you can get back to the right mindset. Below are some helpful tips which will help you to resume your regular routine. Return Home Early: Rather than using the holiday time until the last minute, return back home one day early and rest at home. This will give you time to adjust your normal daily life  and help you recover from your journey. You can run regular errands such as unpacking your luggage, doing laundry and buying groceries. If you return on Sunday, you can also take Monday off so you only work for 4 days during your first week after the holidays. Take Care of Your Eating Habits: During holidays, you generally overeat so preparing a healthy meal for your lunch will help you feel that you actually returned back to your normal life. A healthy meal will also be good for your diet and prevent you from gaining weight. Some people gain weight during holidays due to the food they eat in parties so paying attention to what you eat in the office after the holidays will help you go back to your regular weight. Remember Your Experiences: Instead of wining that the holidays are over, choose some of your favorite holiday photos and print them out. Decorate your desk with them along with some of your favorite holiday decorations. Keeping them around will remind you good memories and be a positive trigger. You can also set your photos as background images of your desktop or phone. Plan Fun Activities for January: Instead of facing a blank January calendar, why not plan some fun activities like going to skiing for the weekend or going to a new movie. You can even go one step further and plan hosting a party on Valentine’s Day. Having new things to look forward to will keep you motivated and busy. The only thing you need to is to get out and enjoy the winter.

4 Powerful Tips to Increase Your Productivity

4 Powerful Tips to Increase Your Productivity Productivity can be linked to be a result of time management, setting goals and record tracking. In order to increase your productivity you need to take control of the three elements mentioned earlier.Whoever fails to take the self-control then the probability of getting a target productivity will be difficult. Sincerely, it is not that easy to take control without positive thinking.Positive thinking is a tool for success, therefore, never be a pessimistic personnel. Though, challenges might make it difficult to stick to your patterns or ways of doing things but this should not change your mentality. Challenges are temporary therefore never let the temporary moment weakens your positive mentality.evalWhen your positive thinkingis strong enough then you will be able to tackle and overcome any challenge. Negative thinking frustrates you ways and reduces your level of productivity which simply means you are not in control of yourself. Let me get straight to the tips that can help you ta ke control thereby increasing your level of productivity.1. Taking Care of SelfThe first principle is simple, take good care of yourself. Yourself as the thinking machine you be valued. A healthy and working body takes control and increase productivity. Take the right thing and at the right time. We all know for a healthy body system, the body needs a balance diet. For this, eat good foods and drink water to boost your energy. Sleep as appropriate and take exercise also as important.2. Avoid Negative Mind and ThoughtsAs said earlier, negative thought reduces the level of productivity. Therefore, never accommodate negative thoughts because it is an agent of destroyer. Though sometimes it might come as a result of the situation but never accommodate it. Also, avoid people with negative mindset and thoughts.Our thinking plays major role at increasing our productivity. It is not just a basis of increasing your productivity but also thinking is an indicator of success. Therefore, mind pe ople you deal or partner with on your daily basis.3. Increase Your Social EngagementNo doubt, we are in the 21stcentury called the social age. With the availability of websites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Telegram, Skype and others, there is a need to increase your social engagement. There are many opportunities that await you if the media is properly used.However, your social presence and engagement reduces your mood of being lonely. You also meet wonderful and great individuals that can affect your live positively.4. Help and Give Out To OthersOne thing I observe from helping others is unlimited happiness. Do you ever notice that the hand of the giver is always at the top while the receiver is below?evalThis means whoever gives out of his resources, knowledge or money shall surely be paid abundantly. You derive unlimited joy from this act. With this, your thinking remains positive which indirectly increase your level of productivity.In conclusion, these are not just points that can boost your productivity. There are many things you can also see booster to take control of your life. Look at things that bring you happiness then keep on doing such things because they are the sources of your success.

Book review No contest - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Book review No contest - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Competition is bad. It is a determining factor shaping human interaction almost everywhere eg. in education, in the workplace in hobbies and even in our social lives, but the net result of competing is negative. Life for us has become an endless succession of contests, From the moment the alarm clock rings until sleep overtakes us again, from the time we are toddlers until the day we die, we are busy strugglinh to outdo others. This is our posture at work and at school, on the playing field and back home. It is the common denominator of American life. This is the central argument of Alfie Kohns excellent book No Contest, The Case Against Competition. In the book, he takes on many of the myths of competion, especially that competition is an unavoidable aspect of human nature (built into us at a biological/genetic level) and that it drives us to better performance. On the contrary, Kohn shows repeatedly that not only can competition be avoided, choosing cooperation over competition yields many benefits at the individual and at the group level. He returns many times to the schools, where we systematically learn to compete. Students compete for grades, for the teachers attention, for academic honors, etc. And yet, many studies show, that pupils learn more in a cooperative environment than in a competitive one. This is fleshed out in the chapter on Cooperative Learning (CL). In my mind, theres no doubt that we perform the best when we work together rather than against each other, and Kohn recites many experiments that support this fact. It seems that competing has a tendency to bring out the worst in people, whereas cooperating brings out the good sides. I know Im certainly a very sore loser :o) What worries me is the way that competition is built into the work place. In all companies employees are seen as competing for raises and promotions, and many organizations increase this competition by offering special bonuses or prizes. Again, this may result in employees working against each other, rather than with each other. Competing also removes attention from what youre doing. YOure not playing football for fun, youre playing to win, which means that the football itself looses importance, and what really matters is the recognition and praise that comes from winning. As research in motivation can show you, that is a bad thing because that means youre externally motivated, and people never get enough of external motivation. You may have won today, but that doesnt satisfy you you still want to win (maybe even more so) next time. Conversely, internal motivation means doing something for its own sake a source of motivation which is inherently more stable and enjoyable. When raising children, Kohn suggests dispensing with the automatic praise all together, as you can see in his article Five Reasons to Stop Saying Good Job!. I recommend this book to everyone it will change the way you look at competition in our society. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Why Resume Writing For Hire Is Important

Why Resume Writing For Hire Is ImportantWith so many people seeking employment, one of the most effective means of marketing yourself is through resume writing. Unfortunately, resume writing can be quite intimidating to some. So you can either decide to try to resume writing for hire from scratch or you can hire an assistant to do it for you. This article will discuss the former and its benefits.When you hire someone to do resume writing for you, you don't need to worry about typing errors or spelling mistakes. Also, resume writing for hire provides assistance with company etiquette, professional courtesy, and inbound/outbound marketing strategies. In other words, you have a person who is trained in these areas who are available to you at all times.One of the biggest benefits to resume writing for hire is the fact that the resume writing for hire person will use personal style when appropriate and will use the company style when inappropriate. For example, if you are a customer servi ce oriented person, then your writing should not be similar to the 'guy's club' style or similar to corporate style. Likewise, if you are a business-oriented person, your resume writing for hire should not be the traditional 'expert's opinion' type of writing. Of course, it is up to you as to which style you prefer. The important thing is that your resume writing for hire has consistency, it conveys the right message and is presented in the right way to meet your goal of getting your resume into the hands of the best possible employer.Another big advantage to using resume writing for hire is that they provide a benefit that is typically overlooked by individuals who write their own resumes. Your resume writing for hire assistant can read your resume over again, editing it and making corrections. As you use your resume repeatedly, the first time it is edited can be a time when you are in a state of panic or confusion. Therefore, by using an assistant to proofread your resume repeated ly, you are eliminating those stressful moments. One of the advantages of using resume writing for hire instead of correspondence in this situation is that a resume written for business correspondence is not approved for publication. Since a resume is a written representation of an individual, it is necessary to make sure that it is thoroughly researched, accurate, and helpful to the person who is writing it. By having your resume sent as business correspondence, it goes through a period of review before the actual hiring of the individual for a position. It would be unusual for a resume that is submitted through the regular channels to be passed through this process.When submitting a resume as business correspondence, the resume writer should provide the business correspondence address and should include the subject line and copy of the letter. The letters should be used in combination with the cover letter to convey the right message to the prospective employer.A resume written fo r business correspondence will generally require the person who is writing the letter to have a minimum of three years experience in the field in which the position is being sought. Many times, in addition to the employment history, one or two details about each of the applicant's achievements in the field will be required. In addition, the resume writing for hire assistant can provide suggestions for how to explain each accomplishment and how to give credit to the people who contributed to the accomplishment. The resume writing for hire also provides a suggestion for including a connection between each accomplishment and a particular company or organization.Finally, the resume writing for hire gives you the benefit of having someone who is dedicated to the job. You will be able to focus on creating the most helpful document that will convince the employer that you are the person for the job. With the help of a resume writing for hire, you can minimize your anxiety and stress about resume writing and the next step in your career.