Recently I was asked two very interesting questions…”Is it too late to wish people a Happy New Year, and is it too late to set my goals for 2017?”
My answers were simple, ”NO and NO!”
No sooner are we wrapping up our last leadership summit in breath-taking Beaver Creek, Colorado, we are already in full swing for more exciting summits in 2017. But before we get ahead of ourselves, and as we approach our upcoming holiday of “thanks”, we wanted to take a moment and reinforce our message of gratitude.
It’s that time of year when we say goodbye to summer and hello to fall. It’s also the time of year when all the kids are back in school and we buckle down and get back to work.
And we are excited to get back to work with our next Women ON Point: Next Level Leadership Summit at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa in Beaver Creek, Colorado on October 12-14. We still have space available for those women looking to go back to work with a bang and take their leadership skills to the next level!
Just like the kids have a new school supply list and curriculum to kick off the school year, so should professional adults. Here are 5 more tips for going back to work with a bang.
- Get Engaged — It’s not about getting married; it’s about increasing your visibility within your organization, industry, and/or community by volunteering for selective and strategic extra-curricular activities. Donating your time, expertise, talents, and passion not only can feed your soul, but can catapult your career to the next level.
- Write Content — When it comes to increasing your professional visibility, nothing can cause your career to go viral more than well-written and well-placed content. If you’re an expert in your field, or are aspiring to be an expert, writing blog articles or developing content for your organization’s e-newsletter is an effective way to re-engage in the conversation.
- Participate in Professional Development — Just like it’s time for the kids to go back to school for intellectual stimulation and challenge, it’s time for the same thing to happen at work. Not only do people take a physical vacation during the summer, they also take a mental vacation. Going back to work is about reactivating your brain and taking advantage of those professional development opportunities that can spark new ideas and expand your mental horizons.
- Be a Mentor, Get a Mentor — No one achieves any level of success alone, and the best way to get back on track is by finding a mentor. The right mentor will not only model critical professional behavior, but will also hold you accountable as you set your sights on that next level in your career. And nothing will help you re-engage faster than being a mentor for someone else. Thinking of someone else’s success is an effective way to clear the cobwebs.
- Give LinkedIn a Facelift — It’s easy to take a vacation from LinkedIn during the summer…out of sight, out of mind. Now is the time to give your profile a full review and a much-needed facelift. Do you have a new headshot that needs to be uploaded, did you get a new job or promotion over the summer that needs to be announced, or do you have several invitations waiting in your inbox that need a response? LinkedIn is an incredibly useful online tool, but only if you use it.
It doesn’t matter how old we get, or how many years it’s been since we graduated, we all still adhere to the school calendar. The New Year doesn’t start on the first of January; it starts on the first day of school.
Over the summer, everyone is on a physical or mental vacation…or both. They’re not called the lazy days of summer for nothing. That’s the time we head to the beach, read endless novels by the pool, travel to visit with friends and family, and try to do the least amount of work possible.
This is true whether you’re currently employed or looking for a new job. However, all that changes once the kids break out the new backpacks, sharpen those number two pencils and get organized for an exciting new year at school. Kids or no kids, everyone has a renewed sense of excitement at this time of year and is ready to re-engage their brains, buckle down, and get back to work.
And we are excited to get back to work with our next Women ON Point: Next Level Leadership Summit at the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Resort and Spa in Beaver Creek, Colorado on October 12-14. We still have space available for those women looking to go back to work with a bang and take their leadership skills to the next level!
Just like the kids have a new school supply list and curriculum to kick off the school year, so should professional adults. Here are the first 5 tips for going back to work with a bang.
- Update Your Résumé — Not only is reflecting back on your recent accomplishments an important mental exercise, it’s critical to your professional success. An updated résumé that reads like a “success story” not only helps job seekers get a new job, but helps employed professionals promote themselves within their organizations. Don’t let the sluggish days of summer cause undue amnesia when it comes to celebrating your successes.
- Reconnect with Your Network — Between varying travel schedules and taking the kids to camp and tennis lessons, there’s not a lot of extra time to network during the summer months. Now is the time to reach out those quality connections and get reconnected. Networking is truly the key to success.
- Clean Your Desk — Whether it’s cleaning out your desk at home or at the office, take time to get organized. Papers, projects, and post-it notes can accumulate over the summer, and no one is fully productive or completely efficient when they need to wade through clutter. Start fresh with a clean slate and a clean desk.
- Find the Focus — Summer is the time for day-dreaming, trashy novel reading, slipping away from work early, and procrastinating. Priorities change and a sense of urgency takes a vacation. Revisiting those professional goals and objectives, making a strategic action plan, and getting focused is the best way to get back to work.
- Lead Your Way Back — Sometimes over the summer we find ourselves thinking of everyone else. Now is the time to refocus on your own leadership skills and seek new leadership opportunities. Whether it’s attending a leadership summit or pursuing a new leadership role on a board, this is about making sure you’re back on your own priority list.
