How to Make AND Keep New Year's Resolutions

What a year.  I can hardly believe that 2013 is almost in the books! Were you able to achieve everything you set out to do this year?  If so, awesome job!  Pat yourself on the back.  If not, ask yourself why and begin asking what you are going to do to make sure this doesn't happen in 2014.  In this last installment of Life: How to Get What You Want Out of It and my last blog of 2013, I wanted to share with you three simple tips and strategies to make your New Year's resolution making more effective and help you make 2014 your best year ever!

I. DON'T CHOOSE TOO MANY
What hurts many people when it comes to making resolutions is they try to change EVERYTHING. They attempt to become a COMPLETELY new person the next year, and when they have a misstep here or there, they COMPLETELY give up on trying to change and revert back to their old ways.  When making New Year's resolutions, you should keep your commitments to 2-3 goals. That's it.  No mas. This way you can stay focused on the specifics of what you need to do for those goals and not have to worry about trying to present this image of being a completely different person.  You should also try to pick goals that will give you compounding results in relation to each other.  For example, if you desire to lose weight for 2014.  You three goals could be workout three days a week, cut back on drinking, and eating better. This way you will see the results much faster as they all work together to achieve your ultimate goal.

II. START SMALL
I'm always amazed at how people will try to go from having not worked out in the past three years to going to the gym six days a week for 90 minutes.  I've been working out my entire life and going to the gym six days in a week is WAY too much for me. You can't go from Clark Kent to Superman overnight.  Instead, start small by only going three days a week for 20-30 minutes. This way you are much more likely to stick to it and won't have the excuse of something coming up, as you can easily switch out your days if needed.  If you want to go back to school to get another degree or complete your first one, don't try to take a full 15 hour semester to start out.  It'll be too overwhelming and cause you the quit. Start by taking only one class to get back in the groove and discipline of reading, studying, and preparing for class.  Once you start to see some success in either the gym, school, or whatever, you can then begin to increase the intensity and push yourself to do more and better.

III. PLAN, PLAN, PLAN
Sometimes, when individuals make New Years resolutions. they don't do the planning to ensure they will be as successful as possible at achieving their results. They think everything will just take care of itself because they said they would do this.  Not so.  As in anything in life, a fail to plan is a plan to fail. This planning takes place basically around two things: 1. The LOGISTICS of making sure you can commit to the things you desire and 2.Identification and elimination of DETERRENTS that can hinder your ability to be successful.  In relation to logistics, you need to make sure that you've created a clear plan on how you are going to incorporate your new activity or focus in your life to give yourself the best chance to be successful. For example, if you are going to work out three days a week, you need to make sure that you know exactly what days you are going to go and make sure that you do not allow ANYTHING to take those days from you.  If you are going to go to school, you need to make sure that you have time committed and blocked on your calendar for reading and studying to be successful.  You have to think through the different logistics and what-ifs to prepare for them, so you will stay on your course and not get deterred.  In relation deterrents, you must identify those people or things in your life that could keep you from being successful and eliminate or marginalize their impact on you.  If you have a friend who likes to drink a lot and you are trying to cut back, you may want to cut back on how much you hang out with him/her.  If you've committed to eating salad during the week, don't go to your favorite rib restaurant every day for lunch.  The chance that you will slip will increase greatly, and if you are able to stand it, you're only torturing yourself anyway. Think about all the things, people, and places that could hurt your chances to be successful and make sure that you do everything in your power to keep them away or at bay.

That's it.  That's all you need to know to make sure that you are creating the right New Year's resolutions to give yourself the best chance of actually sticking to them.  Remember, however, that you don't have to wait until January 1st to begin turning over a new leaf.  There no better time than NOW to begin creating the best you ever.  Happy New Year to everyone, and I'll see you again in 2014.

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

How to Stay Ahead of the Career Curve

In this week's installment to Life: How to Get What You Want Out of It, I want to focus on career planning and how to help people prevent an all too common tragedy that occurs from time to time. Sadly, this tragedy has happened to many. You spend 15-20 years working for a company to one day find out your skills are no longer needed, as the newest hotshot has passed you in ability and, subsequently, worth to the company. Often, when you spend so much time doing one type of job, it can be very hard to make any kind of change at that point in your life.  It's almost like starting over as a novice in a new field, having to learn all of the different idiosyncrasies of your new position or industry.  If this ever happens to you, there are various things you can do to bounce back and have a very productive remainder of your working life, but this week's blog is more focused on how to PREVENT this from ever happening.  As the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so here are three simple tips that will serve as three "ounces" to keep the lost career cold away.

I.IDENTIFY TRENDS IN THE MARKET (INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF YOUR INDUSTRY)
One major way to stay ahead of the career curve and not be left on the street trying to hitch a ride back on to the highway of success is to always take the time to read industry magazines and other publications that give insight into what is happening in your industry.  The only constant is the world is change, and you have to make sure that you are consistently aware of where the world is headed to be able to identify the next big opportunity. This can also be realized by identify trends in the world in general that could affect your industry and career.  You didn't have to be a genius 20 years ago to realize that computers and the internet were going to have a major impact on the world.  Making sure that you were computer proficient would've been a no-brainer.  If you are a petroleum engineer today, you definitely need to make sure you are well educated in the world of clean energy, as it is only going to be more important and demanded with time.  Any time you see commonalities in different clients or customers that could indicate the creation of a trend, the first thing you should think about is HOW will this affect my career in the future and WHAT do I need to do to make sure that I am well positioned to still be an asset to my company/industry if this trends continues.

II.CONSISTENTLY UPGRADE YOUR TALENT AND ABILITY
Now, once you've identified this trend and have a sense of how it will affect your career going forward, the next step is to identify and gain the skills and abilities you will need to hone to put yourself in the best position to be successful.  It's amazing how many people there are in the world whose education ended when they formally left school. The super successful are the ones that are always looking for that next class or workshop to improve their skills in some area. They are always reading publications in their field to learn new tips and strategies of how to do their jobs better.  By consistently working to attain new talents for use in your career, you put yourselves in the favor of the gods by becoming more and more valuable to your current company.  Obtaining a higher level degree in your field or just attending workshops consistently will give your more options and marketability down the road, as well as increase your knowledge base to bring better decision making ability to the table when needed.  The person who thinks he/she knows it all is doomed to lose to the person who knows this is never the case.

III. PLAN OUT EACH MOVE STRATEGICALLY IN TERMS OF YOUR LONG TERM GOALS
Once you've identifed the trends and have a sense of what skills you need to obtain/improve to achieve this goal, it's now time to strategically identify where you need to be within or outside of your company to take the most advantage of this reality.  Any new position that you are seeking to attain should be planned out a year or two in advance, as you work the political and logistical aspects of making it a reality.  For example: You work for a company that has a commercial and residential division, and you are on the residential side. Over time you begin to notice that all of the initiatives for the next year or two seem to focus around the commercial side, and you are hearing that this is where the CEO sees the most profitable growth coming from.  Therefore, you need to begin to strategically align yourself with people on that side to prepare to make a change. This could be done through simple networking for subtle connections or by blatantly letting someone know you are interested in making a move. The important thing is to always think three steps ahead to know WHOM you need to talk to about this, WHAT things you need to do to get consideration for this move, and HOW to most efficiently and effectively make this happen.

Your career: It's like a cruel game of chess in which the pieces move, change,and sometimes disappear all the time. This can make it very hard to win, as what worked for your two years ago may not be effective at all today. The key to winning in life (just like in chess), however, is to always think as many steps ahead of your counterparts as possible.  The more steps ahead you think, the better chance you have at winning and ensuring that your King is ALWAYS safe from capture.

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

The Importance of Planning - How to Get What You Want Out of Life Series

I have had the pleasure of meeting many people in my life who have various philosophies on ways to live their lives. I am often very intrigued by those individuals who seem to have an allergic reaction to the concept of planning. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a planner. I just don't have this weekend planned out, but I probably have a very good idea of what I am going to do for the next four weekends...easily.  It amazes me when you talk to someone who says, "It's only Tuesday, I haven't even thought about this weekend yet." Really?  That leads me to believe that you are also the person who thinks, "I'm only 30, I haven't even thought about what my life is going to be like at 50."  This is a HUGE mistake and one that many people make in life. I tell people that you need to AT LEAST have a 25-year plan of what your life is going to be like in the future.  I actually have a 50-year plan that I'm currently working on.  It's not that you have to stick to this plan and never make any changes (I've changed my 50-year plan often as I have matured and different things became more important than they used to be), but you have to have some sense of where you want to go.  There are numerous reasons why this is the case.

I. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU CAN END UP ANYWHERE

This is probably the most obvious and maybe the reason that many people refuse to plan.  Some people like the sense of spontaneity that comes with not having anything on the calendar for the weekend, in hopes that something "amazing" will happen. Wouldn't it be much better to just plan something amazing rather than hoping it will occur by happenstance.  When you don't plan and don't have a strategic vision for your life, you can end of moving in circles without any true sense of accomplishment.  Without focus and an understanding of what you desire to achieve, you could end up taking two steps forward, then three steps to the right, then two steps back and then threes steps to the left.  Lo and behold, you are in the same place!  Planning allows you to continue to make progress to some goal by understanding what you need to do EACH DAY to continue to move forward.  If not, any new thing that crosses your path might distract you and hinder you from continuing to achieving your overall goal.

II. IT HELPS YOU MAKE DIFFICULT DECISIONS

In relation to how planning will help you stay focused on the direction you need to travel, planning will often help you make difficult decisions in life.  When you are faced with a tough decision that you are struggling to make, often the question of which decision gets you closer to your ultimate goal can be the determining factor.  Those who don't have a plan for their life will often be at the whim of every new fad, person, or situation that presents itself for enjoyment and pleasure. There's nothing wrong with partaking in these things as long as they don't detract from what you are trying to accomplish with your plan, but if you don't know what that plan is, you have no way to make that decision.  You have to continually assess each decision that you make from day to day in light of what you ultimately have planned for your life and your family.  This will often help you stay out of situations that, more often than not, would hurt rather than help your ultimate goal.

III. MOST PEOPLE DON'T DO IT

I love this reason because it can be related to almost any best practice in life.  Just like most people don't read very much, exercise regularly, or eat very healthy, this is probably the biggest reason to do this.  While there is enough in this world for everyone to have a fair share, you often are in competition for everything you can achieve against someone else.  It's the nature of the world in which we live, and to have more than what others have you must be willing to do MORE than what others are willing to do.  The Pareto Principle speaks of how, economically, 20 percent of the world's population owns 80 percent of the world's wealth.  I would venture to guess there is a strong correlation between that 20 percent of the world and the percentage of people who plan out their lives and have a strategic vision for their future.  By planning out your life, you have a much better chance of being part of this privileged minority.

Planning.  It's something that many people don't like to do because it often takes a little bit of brain power to work out, so people would rather just "see what happens" in life.  However, it is those individuals who strategically understand what they desire 25-50 years from now and have worked out a plan to achieve it who will do laps around those who don't.  Henry Ford said that "Thinking is the hardest work there is which is probably the reason why so few engage in it." Take the time to think and plan out your life to put yourself in the "favor of the gods" and live a life of ultimate achievement.  Therefore, next Tuesday when someone ask you what you're doing for the weekend, don't just say "I don't know" as most people do, but rather, "Let me THINK about that and get back to you." Your future self with thank you.

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Continuous Improvement - How Do You Do It?

Last week, we discussed the importance of continuous improvement in one's life and how, as individuals, we will be able to slowly climb the hill of successful accomplishment by utilizing the various ropes, picks, and other tools at our disposal.  This week, I will share with you what some of these ropes, picks, and other tools are and relay a plan of how to utilize these instruments of achievement to engineer your successful attainment of the mountain top and ultimate success.  I will outline this by giving you an easy three step plan that, if followed, will guide your steps of focus on your career path like a GPS on over-priced and sometimes bug-infested smartphone.

Step I: Identify whom you desire to be 25 years from now
I know when you read this, you are thinking 25 years!  I don't even know whom I desire to be next week! It's okay.  The mark of a mature man/woman is one who has the ability to be flexible and change in consideration of changing circumstances and expectations.  You don't have to have a 25 year plan set in stone, but you should have some sense of what you want to accomplish in the next 25 years.  When you think of what you want to accomplish, the first thing you must consider in conjunction to this is whom is the person you need to become to accomplish those things.  You don't have to plan out everything perfectly but just have a general overview of what would be able to do, what your life would look like, and how others will see you.  When you have this view, you must then reverse engineer the vision and put together a plan that will allow you to slowly get to this place in your life.  For example, if you desire to be a politician who is working on a national stage, then you need to start today to implement strategies that are going to put you in the best position to make this a reality.  If you desire to be a well-known playwright or author, you must begin working today to start chipping at the next great work of literature.  You should think about whom you desire to be holistically as well - not just in relation to your career and what you desire to accomplish, but also, what kind of overall demeanor do you possess. What things are you well-versed in from a worldly standpoint?  Where have you been and what have you seen?  You must consider the ENTIRE package in relation to the person you will be to work on your complete person.

Step II: Create a plan to work on becoming this person
Now once you have decided whom you need to be, it is time to reverse engineer what you need to do to become that person.  Picking the various aspects of your life in which you desire to be successful, you must then break each of them down to specific actionable items that you can then put into place to begin to work towards that goal.  For example, if you desire to be a well known politician in 25 years with aspirations on the White House, the first thing you need to do is to consider getting a degree in law or political science and then begin voraciously reading what is going on in the political world. If you desire to be a world class author and playwright, the first step may be to take a professional writing course to make sure this is truly your passion.  Whatever your desire, you need to make sure to do something everyday that is working towards that goal.   I would even go so far as to take the time to write out the actions that you desire to accomplish and then begin to check them off as you reach them.  This will give you the motivation to continue to stay focused on the task and end goal even when things may become a little tough and challenging.  Having a visual cue of what you desire to accomplish is always a great way to remain dedicated at all times.

Step III: Execute!
This is the one thing that the majority of us fail to do.  Many talk a good game, and some can even get to the point that they may put it on paper, but it is the actual ability to execute that is the great divide between the achievers and the non-achievers.  While being able to plan out your future may take long-term thinking, the actual ability to execute is greatly enhanced if one is more short-term in his/her thinking, forgetting what was done yesterday and what might be done tomorrow.  Let me explain, often when we are faced with a decision, we think about when was the last time we did it and how that made us feel.  If it was recent and we feel we did a good job of it, we have the tendency to give ourselves a "pass" for the current situation which we are in. If we feel we have the opportunity to do it again later down the road, we will also give ourselves a "pass" as we will tell ourselves we'll give it DOUBLE the effort later.  You have to stop this.  To be able to execute consistently, don't consider what you did yesterday or what you plan to do tomorrow.  Just think about if you should or should not be doing something right now, and if that answer is yes, just begin doing it at that time.  Don't think about if you are going to do it again tomorrow.  Don't think about how many times you have done it in the past.  Just stay focused on doing it at that single moment in time.  Nine times out of ten, it will be much easier than you anticipated, and often, 10 times out of 10, you will be so glad you did.

Continuous improvement.  It is not an easy task, which is why many of us never see this as a mandate for our lives.  For that reason, anyone who has the foresight and intelligence to understand the great advantage this will give over them in the game of life will receive great benefit from it.  While the road will not be easy (hence why so few people do it), the rewards of achievement and success will yield results that will dwarf the amount of work that was put in to achieve them.  When would be the best time to begin this, you ask? How about RIGHT NOW.

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

The Art of Continuous Improvement - Why Is It Important?

Life - It has a funny way of creeping up on us, doesn't it?  One day, you are running in your mom's front yard, chasing the family pet without a care in the world and the next moment, you are trying to juggle your work, family, and monetary responsibilities so you don't drown in the sea of ever-changing things you have to do. It's interesting because, as we get older, and have more and more responsibilities hoisted upon our plate like a large spaghetti dish at our favorite Italian restaurant, we have a tendency to forget about ourselves in some way.  I'm not saying forget about ourselves in the since that you don't know if you are alive or not (however, you can argue that in some unhappy household/marriages, this is INDEED the case), but I mean that we rarely have time to take a minute to reflect on what we desire for our future and how we can get there.  We get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of every day, that we forget, "What do WE want."  In this first of a multi-segment series on LIFE (How to Get What You Want), I start with a concept that many people never consider once they graduate college and move on from the late night beer parties and suite shindigs - Improvement.  

Now, I'm not saying that we don't consider improvement once we graduate college at all.  Many people work to get better at their jobs so they can make more money as they climb the sometimes greased corporate ladder. Many of us, however, forget what it was like when we were young and we wanted to get better at EVERYTHING. We wanted to be sing better, run faster, and dress nicer. Everything that we saw older people do, we wanted to aspire to get to that level.  What occurs, however, once we reach a certain level of acceptance from our peers, i.e. you look, dress, act, and interact like most people, we stop trying to get better at these things because we think we've made it.  The stark reality of this situation, however, is that, while we may not look like a dork in our attire (some of us, that is) or be socially awkward in most situations (once again, this is NOT all of us), there is still much room for improvement in our lives.  It is my belief that you should have this same child like approach to life and try to get better at EVERYTHING for your future. There are a few simple reasons why:

IF YOU'RE NOT GETTING BETTER, YOU'RE GETTING WORST

This is one of those statements that sounds a little crazy when you first hear it, but it actually makes sense. Think about it: if you aren't consistently working to improve some skill, whether it is writing, singing, or dancing, etc, doesn't it naturally atrophy over time?  There are so many things that we get "okay" at in life, that we just stop trying to work to get better at. Rather it's being a better father, husband, or (cough) lover, sometimes we get so comfortable when we reach a certain point, that we just stop trying to improve. What occurs when we do this is that all those involved on the other side don't have as much (or any) excitement at the interaction because it may have become so predictable and "regular" that there is nothing to be excited about. If you desire to be great at anything, you have to consistently work on it to get better, or you'll get into a rut and everyone will know it.

LIFE IS ABOUT HAVING SOMETHING TO SHOOT FOR

Remember when you were a kid and the only thing you desired was to achieve that next goal in your life? Whether it was to get your license, go to college, or make the varsity basketball, when we were younger, we consistently dreamed about the future. As we get older, however, we start to only think about today, and, eventually, we even start to live in the past. Continuous improvement will prevent this from happening, as we are always working to achieve some goal in the future for our betterment. Having something in the future to shoot for often gives one greater motivation to attack the day.  Some of the most miserable people in lives are those who don't have any goals or hopes of achieving anything in the future. By living a life of continuous improvement in EVERYTHING, you always have some future goal that you are working to achieve, as your target will move further and further out, as you improve.

THE QUALITY OF YOUR LIFE WILL IMPROVE

By attempting to be better at everything you do, you will consistently improve the quality of your daily life. By trying to get down to your "playing weight" again and then working to be in the best shape of your life, you will have more energy and enthusiasm for the day. By working to be better at your job, you have the opportunity for future promotions. By trying to be the best husband/father you can be, you will improve your family interaction and quality time together. Also, by working to get better at something that you've always dreamed of doing, you are fulfilling the natural innate human desire of mastery. This is why so many people appreciate others who are so very good at something. Intrinsically, we are all born with a desire to be an expert in some respect, and by working to continuously improve in all areas, we give us a better chance of making this a reality.

Continuous Improvement - The words bring to mind visions of a Buddhist Temple with the Dalai Lama standing in the background, encouraging one to find enlightenment. While that may be a little too spiritual for some, the concept is very practical and applicable to our everyday lives to reach heights of achievement and joy that most never see because they simply stop trying.  And trying (as we know) is half the battle...GI JOE. :-)

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Video Game Danger - Don't Leave It Unsupervised.

Whenever there is a great tragedy as the D.C. Navy Base shooting this past week, everyone begins to search for answers.  The big question that we heard this week was WHY did Aaron Alexis, someone whom to many seemed like an ordinary person, would open fire to kill 12 people (seemingly randomly) before being willing to die himself in an all or nothing gun fight with the police.  While information is still coming out in this story, there is one piece of information I found particularly interesting.  Aaron Alexis was an avid video game player.  While I am not saying this was the cause of his decision to kill so many people, I do think there is a link between the increased violence in video games (and movies) and how kids these days relate to death and killing.  While I would never suggest to not allow your kids to play these games (I grew up on Resident Evil and Final Fantasy II), I do think that it is the parents' job to decide at what age it is appropriate for their kids to play such games and to make sure they understand ALL the content of the game to decrease the chances of their child becoming another enigma of violence.

While, admittedly, Aaron Alexis broke the psychological profile that I have recently begun to create of these most senseless mass murderers, i.e. John Holmes (Aurora), Adam Lanza (Newtown), and even back as far as Erik Harris and Dylan Klebold (Columbine).  At the time of their attacks, they all shared two things in common: 1. They were all under 25 years of age (24, 20, and 18/17, respectively) and they all were all avid gamers.  This is not even mentioning Anders Breivik (the 33 year old Norwegian who gunned down 69 people at a political youth camp on the island of Utoya in 2011), who admitted that he used Call of Duty to practice for the killings.

I believe this shows a clear connection between kids who play violent video games and watch violent movies at a young age and these senseless murders throughout the world.  What I feel occurs is that parents allow their kids to play these games at an age in which they are not quite mentally capable of completely understanding the severity of what they are playing and they associate the violence of the game with what is acceptable in real life.  Many of these games are rated PG-13 or M-17 and parents still tend to ignore these ratings because the video game industry puts in certain parental guidance codes that prevent the game from cursing or showing explicit blood in all scenes.  What this doesn't stop, however, is the horrific violence of killing or beating up individuals senselessly.  Also, while many parents may think their kids are adhering to these types of rules, many are disengaging this parental control as soon as possible.

To combat this as a parent and ensure that your child doesn't end up as another "unexplained tragedy," parents have basically two choices.  1. Don't buy your kids these violent video games at all.  There are a number of sports, fantasy, and educational games that could keep your kid occupied in his/her free time or, better yet, help them discover the joy of reading and increase their intelligence and curiosity rather than killing it with a mindless game. or 2. Have SUPER strict supervision on every game your kids plays to make sure there is nothing in it that could create a negative impact on him/her.  Before allowing your kid to play any game, you should read about it, ask around to other parents, and even play the game yourself to ensure there is nothing that you don't want your kid to see, or at least, you are prepared to discuss with him/her to make sure they understand what is occurring and how it relates to the real world.

While there are many who will read this and think this is baloney, I don't think the dead 8-year-old girl, accused of being killed by her 12 year old brother, would think so (Hear about it here), and while it has not been proven that he did it, I would be willing to wager that if he did, he played/watched a significant amount of violent video games or movies at a young age. How else would someone so young be able to do something so deadly and evil?  Sometimes the most obvious answer is the one people refuse to believe.

Our world is one in which violence sells. Grand Theft Auto 5 just broke the $1 billion in sales mark in ONLY THREE DAYS.  While it is rated M17 (mature), I would guarantee that half of those sales were to kids well under 17, many of them purchased by their parents. Parents, you have a commitment to your child to give them the best environment possible to encourage their intellectual stimulation and growth for the strong creation of the neurotic synapses to be a great analytical thinker.  By allowing your kid to spend their time playing video games all day, you are no better than the parent who doesn't have the ability to discipline their child's eating habit so they don't grow up overweight. The major problem with this is that some kids reach a certain point in which it's TOO hard for them to course correct.  If your kid falls into any of the information above, I pray it is not too late for them...and us.

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Networking II - How Do You Do It?

As we wrap up the final entry in the Triangle of Success, we have come to the "How to do it" section of networking.  When many people think about the concept of networking, they can become slightly overwhelmed and intimidated as they think about what groups to join, how to engage, and what level of commitment to give.  In this week's edition of KMM View's, I will give several quick tips that will give you direction/guidance on the best way to make networking "work" for you.

CHOOSE ONLY 2-3 ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE APPLICABLE TO YOUR FIELD OR INDUSTRY
The reason I only suggest 2-3 is that we only have so much time on our hands.  Individuals who think it makes sense to join every networking organization out there hurt themselves because either they spread themselves too thin (and it becomes a major chore for them) or they are not getting the level of interaction needed in each of the groups they are a part of to truly allow their interaction to be meaningful.  If you find yourself beginning to resent having to go to a networking event, you probably are in too many or the wrong ones.  Pick 2 or 3 organizations that are related to your industry and/or will help you achieve a bigger goal you may have.  For example, if you are in the HR industry but desire to move into sales, being a member of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) is a given, but you may also want to join a sales organization such as NSN (National Sales Network).  This way you can continue to enhance your current career but are also keeping an eye out on how you can build your future career.

BECOME AN OFFICE IN 1 OR 2
After you choose the 2 or 3 organizations in which you will be a member, begin looking for opportunities to serve on a board/committee or as an officer for one or two of these.  You definitely don't want to do more than two, as, once again, this could put you at risk of spreading yourself thin and not being able to do a good job. The reason this is important is that when you volunteer for a position within a major organization, you get a chance to showcase a number of skills (organization, project management, relationship management, etc) and you never know who else is also a part of that organization that could be impressed with your abilities and either decide to mentor you or help you to a new position within your own company or a new one. However, you have to make sure that you put yourself in the best position to be successful because if you do a poor job, this could hurt your reputation/brand and negatively impact your future opportunities.

PRACTICE...PRACTICE...PRACTICE
Networking is a not an easy and natural thing to do at times.  Some people have the natural gift of "gab" and can be comfortable in any setting. For the rest of us, this can be very awkward as we look for the right things to say and do. However, as with everything in life, the only way to get better is to work at it consistently. This will include things like work on your elevator speech to make sure you can tell someone what you do concisely and in a manner in which they can actually understand. You will also want to work on your active listening skills. The best way to make someone interested in you is to express interest in them.  Practice active listening techniques like repeating their statements for clarity, asking good questions, and maintaining strong eye contact.  You will be surprised how this will draw people to you and make them feel comfortable talking to you.  Also, work on your storytelling ability to help entertain people with humorous accounts of your work, the industry, or anything else that could be interesting. Everybody likes someone who is funny and this will naturally help you make great connections. Toastmasters is a great organization to help with this endeavor, as well as just speaking in general. They have been helping people be more comfortable with speaking for years and are all over the world.

Networking can appear to be tough, but if you make sure you have the right approach and attitude, it can be fun and very helpful to your career.  By taking the time to pick the right organizations, become an active member in them, and practice on improving your networking skills consistently, you'll be well on your way to reaping the rewards of your efforts.

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Networking - Why it is NOT an option

Vacation, work, and just "stuff" have kept me from touching base with you all the last three weeks, but I'm back and ready to wrap up this four part series on the Triangle of Success.  To do a quick recap, the foundation begins with Education, often the base of the success of anyone. From there we discussed the importance of Branding Building and how you must be cognizant of it and control it at all times. Third, we focused on Political Savvy and how it's not just for government officials. And now, we will end this with the last part of the Triangle of Success: Networking.

For many, networking is something to do when one is looking for a job.  It stays in the back of individuals' minds from time to time, as something they "should" do, but they always feel they don't have enough time to do so. That is, until they lose their job for whatever reason, and then they have ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD. The problem with this is that it will not be anywhere near as effective during this time since your focus will be on finding a job and not just making great connections. Also, if one had done this earlier, it is very likely that she/she would not be looking for a job in the first place.  There are three general reasons why one should make networking a priority, regardless of how little time he or she may.

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW...
This is the age old adage that still is very applicable to our world today.  Networking allows you to make connections with individuals that you may never have had the opportunity to meet at all.  These individuals could results in mentor/mentoring opportunities, new employment opportunities, or just good connections that will help grow your brand throughout your geographic area.  At various networking events, you could meet a high level executive who may think you are just the person they have been looking for in relation to a new strategic initiative or project they are kicking off. You may run into someone who is just what you're company is looking for and could have the opportunity to help someone else out.  Networking opens up your world to a whole slew of people that could bring positiveness to you in a number of different ways.

IT'S IMPROVES YOUR SOCIAL SKILLS
Many individuals do not desire to go to networking events because they feel rather awkward walking up to a stranger and holding a conversation.  It can be difficult to strike up an engaging conversation with someone you have never met before because there is a lack of familiarity with what makes this person tick and what are their specific interests.  There are a few people that have mastered this technique, and it pays dividends for them in their ability to read people quickly and react to them appropriately in various situations.  This is a skill that will make you great at many things in life, with one of those things being your job.  You will only improve this by going to networking events and working through the awkwardness to get better. Just like dancing, when you first started, it will be somewhat awkward and embarrassing. However, (if you were lucky), you were a kid when you learned to dance and didn't care because you were having fun.  Have this same mentality at networking events. Just have fun in getting to know new people.  You may not be perfect in the first few events you attend, but as you work on your networking craft and improve, the payoff will come.

IF YOU DON'T DO IT, YOU'RE PUTTING YOURSELF AT A HUGE DISADVANTAGE
I like to generally stay positive when it comes to giving advice on certain things, but this is just a reality. Every day, the working world is realizing the importance of networking more, and if you are someone who refuses to participate in it because of your lack of time or interest, you are at a big disadvantage to those individuals who are making it an integral part of their career strategy. They are making the contacts and connections that are putting them in place for promotions or opportunities within other companies that you may be as, or even more, qualified.  If you continue to ignore this important part of a long term strategic vision for your career, you will be sorely left behind by others, as they move to the C-suite and you stay within middle management, if not lower.

Networking isn't easy (especially at first) and can be somewhat intimidating at times.  However, if you make the commitment to make time for it and work at getting better, it can become a fun and entertaining event, as you make great contacts and friends, while advancing your career at the same time.

Next week, I'll wrap up the four part seriess of the Triangle of Success by sharing with your exactly HOW to plan and execute a strategic network attack.  Until then, Happy Networking.

Ken Middleton is an Account Manager at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Politics Part II - How to keep it "above board."

Last week, I shared the importance of participating in interoffice politics to ensure one has every opportunity available to be ultimately successful in his/her job. While for years, the concept of office politics seemed to be completely negative, today's definition offers a different interpretation of what politics is and, therefore, allows individuals to participate in it differently.  Today, the concept of office politics is not so much back-office dealings and "quid pro quo" but more a focus on ensuring your personal brand has been publicized throughout the company and is recognized by some of the key decision makers within it. While there are many ways to do it, I wanted to share three of the most effective strategies one can take.

GET TO KNOW YOUR CO-WORKERS (ESPECIALLY SENIOR EMPLOYEES)  OUTSIDE OF WORK

This is one of the unspoken strategies that has hurt so many hard-working employees for so long.  As outlined previously, many people believe that if they just work hard and continue to do the right things, everything will work out. This is just not the world in which we live. To truly get the chance for higher level positions within your company, top level executives want to know that you are someone who has a stable life outside of work, so they can trust you with high level decisions when you're at work. To do so, often it is a good practice to interact with them in personal settings, so they can get a sense of who the real you is and get a chance to truly like you.  At work, there are so many social and HR related restrictions, that it can be very hard to build a true friendship. By taking time to get to know your co-workers outside of the office and build that personal friendship, there will be a much greater chance they will be in your corner when discussions arise about whom to give a new high level project or promotion.  

TAKE ON HIGH PROFILE PROJECTS

While this can be scary for some individuals who are afraid of failure, for those who desire to grow their position within their respective company, this is a must-do for achievement.  Always look for opportunities to take on a project that has high visibility and impact for your company. The political capital and respect you will receive upon successful completion of the project will do wonders for your notoriety to high level management. While there is always the risk that you will not do well and a negative connotation will be associated with your name, by not ever stepping up to bat to accept projects such as this, your name will eventually get an even worse negative tag as someone who is afraid to take on a big job.  Many will respect your attempt and feel that taking on something so important for the company still put a feather in your cap, even if it doesn't turn out well.  

HELP OTHERS

There are some who think that work is only about doing what is best for them and not worrying about how they can make an impact on their co-workers. These individuals are sorely mistaken of how to get ahead in most companies. The work world in which we live today is all about collaboration and team work.  The days of the Lone Ranger hotshot who can do everything on his/her own is long gone and has been replaced with the person who is the best communicator and teammate.  To truly increase your office political capital, become known as the person who takes time out of the day to lend a helping had to others.  Often, there are those who are in positions or on projects in which you have served before and could benefit tremendously from your knowledge of how to do something better.  Also, you could identify the different areas in which your direct or indirect boss could use some assistance to take something taxing off of his/her plate and step in to do so.  It may be something as simple as planning an office outing or taking on changing the reporting metrics of the team, so they are more easily digestible.  Whatever it is, it will not only give you a "gold star" for realizing something needed to be done, but also truly improve the efficiency and productivity of others.

While Congress currently has it lowest approval rating in the history of Gallup polling, politics is not all bad when done the right way.  By utilizing the three strategies outlined above, not only are you putting yourself in a great position for promotions and recognition down the road, you are ultimately helping your co-workers and company be more successful as a whole.  

Next week, we'll begin wrapping up this four part series on the Triangle of Success by outlining the importance of Networking to make the triangle complete.  Until then, happy campaign trails...

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Please feel free to SHARE if you like.  Thanks!

Political Savvy - Aren't We Beyond That?

Political Savvy. We hear the first part of it and an immediate disgust comes to many of our minds: Political. The obvious connection to "Politics" makes many think of all the self-serving members of Congress whose only apparent focus is to do whatever is most advantageous to them personally. While this is true in relation to one side of politics, the other side is one of extreme strategic and organized decision-making that demonstrates the high competence of someone who is able to see the "big picture" in relation to themselves and their career.

Office politics is often a taboo and many individuals don't even like to think of their office as engaging in this practice.  They feel they are above this and everyone is only promoted based on merit and expertise. While there is, of course, some component of this in many offices, to think that there is NO politics involved when it comes to decision making for new positions is highly naive.  There is a different brand of office politics, however, (Politics 2.0) that is not the brand in which our parents partook. I will share this new brand of politics in next week entry in KMM Views, but for this week, I just want to focus on WHY office politics is important and alive and kicking in most organizations.

MOST PEOPLE ARE PROBABLY LIKE YOU
For those of you whom question whether there is any need for some political savvy in your career, you are the exact reason why there is a great need for it.  Simply put: 90% of individuals never give one thought to politics within their office.  They are either too good to participate in it or just oblivious to the fact that it occurs.  News flash: Just because you don't make a conscious effort to participate in office politics doesn't mean you're not a part of it. You can no more not be involved in office politics than an actor cannot be a part of a scene in a movie. If you are in the movie, then you are participating, whether you know it or not.  The question is, do you want others writing your script or do you desire to write it yourself? The great advantage of being conscious of this is that you have a great ability to control your own fate by interacting with the 90 percentile who don't have a strategic plan for their day or career.  You are given a competitive advantage by identifying the various opportunities that others may see as "happenstance" while you are strategically placing yourself in a position for consideration when that specific opportunity presents itself.

ITS NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, BUT WHO KNOWS YOU
We have often heard the adage of "It's not what you know, but whom you know".  This is still very true in today's workplace. To take this one step further, however, it is also very important to make sure that others know you.  It's not so much that you have to have day to day interactions with top leadership, but you have to make sure that whatever you are doing, it is visible enough to top leadership that when your name comes up, it resonates some type of positive thought.  A thought of indifference is actually more of a failure than a draw.  You have to consistently identify ways to "put yourself on the map" to have some sense of recognition with these leaders.  Often, many decisions are made well before individuals ever interview for a job based on what the person's reputation has been with the company in that respect.  Just as a new artist or actress may come onto the scene to build a buzz about their work and what they bring to the table, you need to work to build this same type of buzz about what you have accomplished within the organization so far and your talent to accomplish more in the future.

ITS GIVE YOU ACCESS TO ADDITIONAL (UNSPOKEN) MENTORING
One of the greatest attributes of being politically savvy is that you will often have access to more information than your peers who don't consistently work to put themselves in this position. By navigating the internal workings of your organization and attending the various events that will give you exposure and notoriety with the top leadership, you will often have access to more intimate one-on-one conversations that could give you nuggets of precious advice and guidance. We often think that these things just happen to people because they are in the right place at the right time. As long as you believe that, you will continue to wait on your "lottery time" to show up. You have to be strategic to MAKE the right time and place by looking for opportunities that will give you access to that extra bit of knowledge to which others will not be privy.  It can go a long way.

I know most of us hate politics with a passion.  It seems cheap and of low character. The truth of the matter is, however, that our political representatives are some of the most strategic and forward-thinking people in the world. Their ability to identify opportunities within the marketplace and capitalize on them are second to none in relation to how they are able to navigate their way to success. To give yourself the best chance at ultimate success in your job, don't consider politics beneath you. Its only a dirty word if you make it so.

In the next week's entry, I will share with you how you can make it a clean word by keeping it all "above-board" with the new politics 2.0, while also still giving yourself the same competitive advantage.

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Please feel free to SHARE if you like.  Thanks!

Brand Building - So How Do You Do It?

Last week, I continued my discussion on the four parts of the Triangle of Success by discussing the importance of brand building as part two of this triangle.  Click here if you are interested in reading part I - The Foundation of Education.  In this week's edition, I will continue the discussion on brand building by outlining how to identify and build your brand for ultimate long term success.

As mentioned last week, in today's time of increased competition for promotions, or just jobs in general, building a powerful personal brand will give you a leg up on those individuals who desire for life to just "happen." Building a brand will give you clarity and focus for your career, as well as allow you to consistently build something that will exponentially increase in value over time. So, how do you do it?  There are several steps that ,when followed, will make the process as easy as pie.

CHOOSE YOUR BRAND
While this may seem like a very simple step, it is the one that most people NEVER do.  Most people never take the time to actually DECIDE what their brand is.  Instead, they think it will create itself, if they even think about it at all.  This is wrong.  You have to be strategic in your thoughts of where you want to be 5/10/20 years from now.  Individuals often laugh at politicians because they are always "scheming" for their next move in office.  The truth is that the good ones are probably planning their next 3-4 next moves in office, all the way to the Presidency, if possible.  Bill Clinton probably knew he wanted to be President when he graduated from Yale with his law degree and worked hard to build a brand that was consistent with that image.  When choosing a brand, you have to look at two important things: 1. What are you passionate about and 2. What are you already very good at.  The passion part is the most important.  If you are good at something but have no passion for it, this will eventually show and your brand will not be able to reach the heights of something for which you have passion. However, if you are naturally good at certain things, it could be a sign that this could also be your passion, but you haven't given it enough focus and energy to allow that passion to grow.  Explore the answers to these two questions in detail to decide on what brand to create.

WORK ON BUILDING YOUR BRAND
To build your brand, you have to put in some work to make it practical and effective.  If you decide that your passion is being a mentor and coach to your peers at the office, then you must work everyday to improve your ability to do this.  When you find something that you are good at and have a passion for, that isn't enough.  To truly have a brand that you desire to be synonymous with your name, you must work to hone your skills in that area, so others will indeed think of you as the expert.  If you love getting into the nitty gritty detail of the technical aspects of your job and other always come to you to discuss things they don't understand, don't just allow this to continue to happen naturally but take control of it by doing things to proliferate this brand.  You should build a consistent study plan to increase your knowledge in all technical areas that are important to your job. You could also begin to create documents that will make things more understandable to others within your profession and proactively send these out to your peers for help. You could even look to submit articles to various technical periodicals or speak at conferences in your industry to continue to strengthen your notoriety as the "technical guy." Make a concerted effort to be the very best at your brand by reading, learning, and strengthening you overall aptitude and ability in relation to it everyday.

ADD THINGS THAT HELP / ELIMINATE THAT WHICH HURTS
One of the most difficult parts of managing a brand is understanding that to truly have an effective brand, you have to look for anything that is detracting from it and eliminate it, while at the same time picking up new habits/projects/contacts that add to it.  For example, if you desire to be known as the consummate professional who has a promising career with your work ethic and overall ability to do and/or say the right things when the moment calls for it, it would hurt your brand to also be associated with the group of workforce derelicts who often gossip and complain about everything that happens in the office.  I'm not saying that you can't still be in contact with these people, but association leads to assimilation and the company that gets the most of your time will influence most of your life.  On the other side, just as the "technical guy" could look for associations/groups/periodicals that will allow him to add to his overall brand with his co-workers and industry peers, you should also look for various groups/organizations/magazines that will allow you to increase your knowledge and exposure to things associated with your brand. For example, if you desire to build a brand based on the healthcare field and being one of the most knowledgeable nurses out there, you should be involved in every health/nurse organization that is plausible, as well as reading every article on ways to give better medical care and improve your craft.  Do that which others won't and you will get what others don't.

Brand building.  It sounds like something that a marketing firm should be concerned with for their client, not individuals working a 9-5 job.  This is what about 80% of the working world thinks, and, if you share this thought, you are doomed to a life of mediocrity and low/no achievement.  To take your career, and life, to another level, however, begin of thinking of yourself as your own marketing agent and your persona as your brand that you have to create and proliferate throughout the world if you truly desire to be the master of your fate.  Your brand is who you are; what makes you special; why you are important.  If you don't create one for yourself, others will create one for you.  This is unacceptable.  You have to create your brand and be on purpose with it every single day.  You just don't just get good over time.  You MAKE yourself good with work, dedication and focus.  Be in control.

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Please feel free to SHARE if you like.  Thanks!

Building a Powerful Brand - Why This Isn't Only For Celebrities.

Oprah.  Simon Cowell.  Michael Jordan.  When you think of these three names, generally one or two thoughts come to mind.  Oprah is associated with elegance and the ability to make anyone feel comfortable telling her anything. Simon is a musical identifying genius which a reputation for extreme straight forward delivery.  Michael is simply associated with winning and a competitiveness and drive unlike anyone who has ever came before him.  How did all of these individuals become synonymous with such thoughts?  Much of it was the natural progression of events that allowed this to develop over time, but much of it was also through shrewd maneuvering of marketing and public relation firms to make sure they were only associated with the right people, companies, and products that would reinforce, rather than hurt, their brands.

What many of us need to recognize today, however, is that it is not only celebrities who need brand management, but each of us individually as well.  While most of us may not have the ability to afford a large marketing firm, we do have the ability to make sure that we do everything in our power to keep our personal brand consistent and in line with our future goals. For this week's continuation of the four sections of the Triangle of Success, I will share with you why brand management is important for your career.  Next week, as a part of two of this entry, I will give you some tips and strategies of how to develop and manage your brand for consistency and progression over time.  So, let's start with the reason WHY brand management is important:

BRAND MANAGEMENT HELPS FOCUS YOUR CONTRIBUTION AT WORK
Consistency is a very important word here, as this is what has allowed these individuals to continue to grow and prosper based on the popularity of the cumulative strength of their brand. By understanding what your brand should be (rather if its quantitative precision, qualitative understanding of the "big picture," or emotional guidance and leadership), understanding what your overall brand portrays to most will allow you to build on it to further your career.  If one day you are the numbers and cold hard facts guy, while the next day, you are the emotional feelings guy, it may be hard for individuals to figure out which one they can expect from you.  While it is possible to be a mixture of both, it is impossible to be equally strong at two dichotomous end points.  While you can be a numbers guy who has a good emotional intelligence or a EQ guy who has a solid foundation on quantitative analysis,  it is very hard to tout both as your "brand."  By having a consistency of what majority strength you bring to the table, you allow it to build upon itself as you will get better and better at dealing with situations in the manner that you have proven the most effective and successful over time.

BRAND MANAGEMENT HELPS PROMOTE YOUR NOTORIETY WITH OTHERS
When people know what your brand represents through the consistent reinforcement of your strong points, they know what they should come to you for.  This will, in turn, allow you to build upon your reputation as an expert in your chosen area of focus.  As with anything in life, the only way to get really good at something is to do it over and over.  When individuals have a clear sense of what your areas of strengths are, they will begin to reach out to you for help or opinion on these areas.  Once you have been identified as an expert in some particular area, this will begin to build upon itself as more and more individuals will desire to seek out your expertise due the exponential growth of "information proliferation".  This is very similar to Metcalfe's law of network growth.  Just as Metcalf described the importance of a network growing in multiple proportion to the number of new additions to it, your brand expertise will do so as well. The increase in the number of people who believe that you are an expert in something increases the chances of others, whom may have never even heard of you, accepting this as fact and, thus, exponentially increasing your notoriety.

BRAND MANAGEMENT HELPS SHAPE YOUR FUTURE
If you don't have a clear sense of what your brand is and where you desire to take it, there is no guarantee what your future could hold.  With a weak brand that doesn't consistently reinforce a central thought or area of expertise, you could be seen as someone who is a jack of all trades and, therefore, will not gain the popularity and notoriety needed for promotional recognition. Also, by managing your brand, you are able to increase the chances that your career is aimed in the direction that you desire.  If you allow your brand to manage itself, there is no guarantee that you will land the job or position that truly fits your skills and desires.  Luck and chance are only for those who live in fairy tales.  For those who desire to control their future, brand management is how you create your luck and serendipity.

Brand management is a powerful tool needed by all who desire to truly shape their future instead of allowing it to shape itself.  Just as Michael Jordan, Oprah, and Simon Cowell have managed their brands for the growth of their careers and continued prosperity, you have a responsibility to manage yours if you truly desire to live a life of long term success.  Just as with anything in life, if you don't manage it, someone else will, and there is no guarantee how that could turn out for you in the end.

Next week, I will continue with part 2 of this section of the Triangle of Success by discussing how to identify what your brand should be and then tips on how to keep it consistent and growing.

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Please feel free to SHARE if you like.  Thanks!

The Four Parts of the Triangle of Success

In my line of work, I often am asked, "Can you help me or my friend a job."  This is something that I am more than glad to do based on my experience and the ability to help others.  Often, as I sit down with individuals and get a sense of what they have done in the past and their lives, I am often amazed how they have completely missed the ball on a number of things that could have either A.Prevented them from losing their job in the first place or B.Put them in position to already have a job lined up by now.  Over the next four weeks, I will focus on the tips and strategies that I have learned over the the years that will help you maximize your career and ensure that you aren't placed in a situation in which you're helpless if something happens to your current position. Each week, I will focus on one particular aspect that will help build what I call the Triangle of Success.  This triangle has four specific parts: Education, Brand Building, Political Savvy, and Networking.

This weeks' focus is on Education.  Education is the base of the triangle as it is the foundation of your life.  Without a commitment to continuous education, you are dooming yourself to a life of mediocrity and staleness.  When I a say continuous education, however, I am not always referring to higher degrees from a particular school.  (This could be needed, however, depending on your particular profession and goals you have for your life.) This could refer to your commitment to "self-teach" by reading books or trade journals on your profession to stay abreast of the latest trends or just increase your overall knowledge and business acumen.  This focus on education is important because it gives you several advantages to those who don't understand the importance of it for their career.

NEW STRATEGIES AND WAYS TO THINK TO INCREASE CHANCES OF SUCCESS
One of the most obvious advantages of continual education is that it arms you with new information that you can apply to situations that you may encounter. When in a board meeting and faced with a problem that is very important to the company, if you had the knowledge of a similar problem faced by XYZ company during your research and studies, you would have a great advantage over your peers by being able to make suggestions that are relevant and tested for the group to consider.  This same knowledge would be able to help you in your one-on-one interactions with individuals, as you could learn ways to manage and message to individuals better through your consistent study of this practice.

MAKES ONE MORE WELL-ROUNDED TO BE BETTER EQUIPPED FOR DIFFERENT SITUATIONS
Another advantage of continuous learning is that it allows an individual to have a breadth a knowledge to pull from for various conversations when needed.  By committing oneself to consistent study, one will come across a multitude of information that he/she could use in everyday conversation that could prove very useful in different situations.  One of the great polymaths of all time was Benjamin Franklin. Franklin was known to be able to have a conversation about almost any thing with anybody. It is not a coincidence that Franklin was one of the most well-read and self-educated men who ever lived. He dedicated his life to a life of learning and was able to accomplish things in his life that could have been the lives of several men.  By continuous education, you put yourselves in a very advantageous situation to have better conversational content than those who haven't been exposed to your same level of knowledge.  Something that is very important when we get to the networking pillar of the triangle in two weeks!

IT EXPOSES YOU TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD INTEREST YOU
One of perhaps the most important aspects of continual education is that you could stumble upon something that could be a great passion for you. What many people are looking for in life is that one thing that makes them want to jump out of bed each morning and attack the day with a fervor and excitement that they would do for free.  By continually educating yourself on different topics, you have a greater chance of discovering some profession or idea that ignites a fire inside you that you may not have even known was there.  The importance of a university education isn't always so much about going to college to get a specific degree to begin work, as much as it is the opportunity to be exposed to so many different ways of thinking and professions that we truly get a chance to identify what could be the right opportunity for us to be successful in life. The funny thing about that, however, is that we are always changing as time progresses and by continuing to expose ourselves to a university-type educational view of the world, we increase the chances that we will continue to find that one thing that will make our work our joy.

It has been said that whether you are 20 or 80, you are dying if you stop learning.  By committing to continuous education and making sure to keep your brain sharp and focused with new knowledge, you greatly increase the chance of your continued success.  This will give you a great advantage over those individuals who do not practice this in their life and, in the world of work, any advantage must be taken for success.

Next week, I'll discuss the second pillar in Triangle of Success: Branding Building

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

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Exercise...why is it so important.

Two weeks ago I made a speech at a Toastmaster's event that I thought would be appropriate for my blog content being that it was very much in line with my one of my most important views on life. This view is that without a consistent focus and dedication to exercise, you are not living your life to its fullest potential.  Exercise is one of those things that, even though it seems like it is taking away from your life because of sacrifices you may have to make to be consistent, it is actually giving to you rather than taking away because of the numerous things it ADDS to your life.

IT ADDS CONFIDENCE
Several weeks ago I wrote about ways to gain confidence in yourself. While there are a number of different ways to do this, one of the most obvious ways is to make sure that everyday you look as good as possible.  We all have had that feeling of feeling extremely good and/or powerful when we are wearing that outfit that we know we absolutely look amazing in or when we have that fresh haircut or hairdo.  One of the ways in which we can increase this feeling is to exercise to have the physical body to look as good as possible in our clothes.  There are many clothing manufactures (i.e. Express, Gap, Zara) who don't make clothes that are in the triple X-size.  Therefore, if we desire to wear the most up to date fashion trends like Kanye or Kim Kardashian (Have they still not named their baby?  What's that about?), we would be encouraged to lose weight through exercise to do so.

IT ADDS ENERGY AND PEACE OF MIND
Many individuals main excuse about why they cannot exercise is that they do not have the energy to do so. They complain about how tired they often are when they get home from work and how there is NO WAY they can muster up the energy to make it to the gym and do anything. The ironic thing about exercise is that the more energy you actually expend to do it, the more energy you will actually have.  It seems backwards, but exercising actually increases your overall energy supply by making your body perform more efficiently and, therefore, have more energy for other things. Your body will work better throughout the course of the day and continue to recharge itself naturally, so you will not be as tired at the end of the day.  From the peace of mind standpoint, there are very few things that will allow you to work off stress the way exercise does. In life, there are so many things that are outside of our control that can affect what happens to us and if we don't have some outlet to release that psychological pressure that can build as a result of that, we can eventually blow a gasket.  Exercise allow you to physically have an outlet to release that potential stress and feel more calm as you begin or end each day.

IT ADDS TIME
Probably the most important aspect of exercise is the added time that it gives to our lives on this planet.  We are all born with so much time to spend here with our loved ones, and we owe it to them to do everything in our power to make sure that we extend that time for as long as possible.  Using a car as an analogy, your heart is like the engine of your body.  Just as a car's engine must consistently be kept up to date with the correct fluids and maintenance to make sure it functions properly, your heart has to be treated the same way with consistent exercise. This will help your body function more efficiently and have much fewer "breakdowns" or need for "replacements parts" down the road - something that I'm sure we will all appreciate as we get older.

Exercise.  While no one wants to get up when they hear that alarm clock go off at 5am or walk into the gym at 6pm in the afternoon when they already had a very long day, we have to. While these may seem like large sacrifices, you will be surprised how much actual net value you will get from this.  The extra confidence, energy, peace of mind, and time will more than pay you back in the end.  Not only will you appreciate this, but those who love you and want to be with you as long as possible will appreciate it even more.

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Please feel free to SHARE if you like.  Thanks!

Taking "Baby Steps" - The Importance of Thinking Small to Think Big

I have often seen individuals in life who desire to do amazing things.  They come up with these grandiose plans of how to be successful and then begin to pursue this dream over the course of time.  What often happens, however, is they end up falling flat on their face as they begin to become overwhelmed with the multitude of different endeavors that they have taken on to achieve their goal.  While ultimately, we should push ourselves to achieve great goals by stretching our focus and desire, one of the greatest things that I have learned help one to "get moving" towards a goal is to not ALWAYS think so big.  I read Donald Trump's "Think Big" book many years ago and agree with many of his beliefs and advice.  However, one should not forget the tremendous advantages that "thinking small" provides us as we work towards our large goals. The benefits of thinking small are:

THINKING SMALL PREVENTS YOU FROM MISSING "MINOR" DETAILS
Anyone who has ever planned a large event will tell you that one of the things that can turn an event from an absolute masterpiece into a total disaster are the small, seemingly insignificant things that will be overlooked in the midst of tackling the big problems - Forgetting to make sure to order backup food in the event more people show up than anticipated;  not having a solid contingency plan if there are any hiccups with the participants or workers; not anticipating that you will need overflow parking in the event more people attend than originally projected.  All of these small things can be an event killer and can easily be prevented by starting small with the planning of anything major.  The same can be said for planning out the strategy for your business or endeavor.  By starting with the small things first, you will ensure that you don't forget some legal document that must be filed on your behalf or some significant aspect of a vacation trip that might be forgotten as an afterthought if you don't take the time to start with the small things first.

THINKING SMALL IS OFTEN MORE REALISTIC AND EASILY ACCEPTED BY OTHERS
While it would be nice to present your idea to a group of angel investors and ask for a million dollar loan to get your start-up off the ground, what is more likely, and somewhat easier to accomplish, however, would be to create a smaller prototype of what you desire to do and start with less money upfront.  When attempting to procure the support of others, if you begin your discussion with how your new social media site is going to be the largest thing since Facebook and have a billion users in less than a year, they will probably look at you as a little nutty and not think you are someone with whom they would desire to invest their money.  However, if you give a more practical solution that is focused on a more realistic outcome (thousands of local users as opposed to billions of world users that is focused on a more niche' market), you will stand a much better chance of getting the support you need from others who will see your goals as more realistic -which in turn will increase the chances they will receive a positive return on their investment.

THINKING SMALL WILL MAKE IT EASIER FOR YOU TO GET MOVING
Many people have plans of such momentous size that they often become paralyzed with not being sure where to start.  Their end-game of what they desire to accomplish doesn't give them any true sense of how to get started.  By taking a minute to break down the endeavor into smaller, more manageable steps, one will have a much better chance of actually moving in the right direction to achieve his/her goals. If you have a dream of opening up your own bakery, start taking one day of the week to begin working on your baking skills. If you want to open up your own night club, start reading a book on how to open up a night club. It is these small things that will get you moving in a positive direction that will push you forward to your ultimate dreams.

I often think of how little babies begin life not being able to move in any manner and eventually grow from lying around to crawling to taking those first steps to walking to running around the world. When thinking about how you will achieve your life dreams, remember to take "baby steps" to keep one foot in front of the other until you can eventually get your stride right to sprint to your life's desire.

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN

Please feel free to SHARE if you like.  Thanks!

Diversifying your Friend Portfolio

In life, we meet so many different types of people through our day to day activities that it often surprises me how many people spend the majority of their time with the same exact people or the same types of people.  I have found that this is the case because many people are comfortable with their current friends and don't desire to go through the work of learning and understanding new people in their lives.  However, there are tremendous benefits gained by not only allowing new friends to come into your life, but also actually seeking and cultivating relationships with different types of people who cross your path.

THEY WILL GIVE YOU A BETTER APPRECIATION FOR OTHERS

We can all have a tendency to live in our own bubble of a world.  We know the people who we grew up or went to college with, but we rarely find ourselves stepping out of these boundaries of comfort. And even when we desire to make a new friend, they are very much a carbon copy of our existing friend base.  What diversifying your friend portfolio will do is allow you to have a better appreciation of all the different types of people in the world and how they think.  When you spend time with someone who is not exactly like you and understand their background and how they came to the philosophy by which they live or accomplished the things they have, you will have a greater understanding of the differences in all of us. At the same time, however, you will also get a better appreciation of how much we are all very alike at the core.  We live in a world in which diversity is becoming the new mainstream way of society and by allowing yourself to integrate and learn more about others who are not like you now, you are giving yourself a great competitive advantage in life and work.

YOU WILL LIVE A MUCH RICHER, INTERESTING LIFE

If you ever pay attention to The Most Interesting Man in the World commercials, one of the things that is hinted at implicitly is that he has a great appreciation for many different cultures. While one has to think that his general heritage is that of Hispanic in some nature, all of his adventures take places with a multitude of different types of people.  By befriending those who are different from our normal circle, we will increase the chances that we will participate is some new and exciting activity that we never would have received the chance had we not taken the chance to step outside of our comfort zone and try something different.  While life is about many things, one of the most important things is to be able to look back at it with fond memories and no regret.  By experiencing a diverse portfolio of activities from your diverse friends, you will have a plethora of different memories to pull from as you age and will be a much better conversationalist for others to enjoy...i.e. the most interesting man in the world.

YOU WILL HAVE A MUCH MORE DIVERSE APPROACH TO LIFE

One of the great byproducts of befriending those who are not like you is that you will have the ability to truly understanding how they think.  Whether it is a philosophy they acquired from their upbringing as a child, the part of the world in which they lived, or the traditional teachings from their heritage or religion, there will probably be a number of different lessons that you can glean from them to apply to your life.  I've always said that while no one group has it all right, if you are able to pull a little nugget from every one, you often have a much better chance of solving problems and overcoming different challenges that we all face life, regardless of race, creed, or sexual orientation.

It has always been my opinion that people are what make this world a great place.  How much better is a life enjoyed by individuals who make it a point to seek out, learn, and befriend all the different types of people in our world to live a life of variety and excitement.  While Drake may sound right when he says, "No new friends," unfortunately, he could be missing out on some great people and an EVEN BETTER life.

Ken Middleton is an Account Executive at TEKsystems that specializes in IT staffing and services. He is a graduate of UNC-Pembroke and current MBA student at Scheller College of Business at Georgia Tech.

You can follow his daily quotes of inspiration and motivation on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN