Newsletter 44 - October, 2006

A monthly newsletter to conduct you on the way to successful performance and harmony in your work and personal life. Every issue brings you tips for interviews, resumes, networking, and strategies for career advancement.

Welcome!
Welcome to all new and continuing subscribers! I am thankful for your support in reading, sending me your comments, and passing the newsletter to others. Please forward it today and help us increase our circulation to include even more friends.
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New Master Mind Groups
Are you in a master mind group? I am collecting interested (and interesting) people who want to join a new master mind group. We would like to begin our telephone conference meetings in November. To learn more about this, contact me at info@one-e-anna.com

I am also offering a 4-session course, "How To Moderate a Master Mind Group." Whether you are already in a master mind group or would like to form a group, this course can be a tremendous resource for you.

There is no more destructive force in human affairs -- not greed, not hatred -- than the desire to have been right. Non-attachment to possessions is trivial when compared with non-attachment to opinions.

-Mark Kleiman

Alex was a young musician fresh out of college in his first professional job with an orchestra. He was well-prepared and really knew his stuff. At his first rehearsal with the orchestra, however, the conductor had some different ideas about the way Alex should play a particular passage. Alex thought he was ready because he had studied recordings of the piece and, of course, his teacher had also taught him how to interpret the music. This did not sway the conductor. He still insisted on his own interpretive ideas. Can you imagine? At the next rehearsal Alex began to learn this new interpretation and was performing better each time the orchestra rehearsed. The resulting concert was beautiful and Alex told his colleagues afterwards that it had been a pivotal experience for him. "I learned to play it someone else's way." He allowed that someone else could be right.

Being right is generally a very good thing. At certain crucial moments, it is undeniably essential that we heed whoever is right. Lately though, I am beginning to view "being right" with some caution. When being right becomes an obsession, it can be destructive.

Imagine the relationship of two friends in which one of them is always right. No matter which part you play, would you stay in such a relationship? There is a clear downside for each party in this case.

Or how about working where the boss is always right or one member of the team is always right? I can't see the other members of the team continuing to contribute their ideas and effort in that environment. A team that acknowledges and values everyone's effort is far more successful and has better staying power. Besides, who really knows when something is right? History is full of evidence that what may appear to be right in the moment turns out otherwise.

We can certainly see the negative effects on the self-esteem of those deemed to be wrong almost all the time. But what about the 'right' person? Perhaps this is you. How often do you put pressure on yourself to be right? How does this affect you?

Always being right can become boring! Life needs the spice of some surprises and even the occasional mistake. Where am I going with this? Lighten up! You learn far more and you strengthen your relationships when you allow for mistakes and missteps. And, quite frankly, sometimes the other person is right!

a)

llow yourself to be wrong. Engineer this situation if you must! Choose a challenging task in which you are guaranteed to be less than 100% right the first time you try it. Stretch and grow!

b)

Let another person be right. The next time you are inclined to disagree and correct someone - pause. Consider what you might gain from letting that person be right. Learn something new!

I offer the following guide as a way to prepare your own resume. Be sure to list the dates you worked in each job and place them with the most recent job first. When you list the experiences you have had as an employee, keep in mind that not everyone will recognize the name of your company and know the product or service it provides. Include that information, too.

Your prospective employer needs to be impressed by your major achievements; use an accomplishment list instead of a duties list. Remember to use only a few bullet points and save the details for your interview. The function of a resume is to get you an interview. Period.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Sample Corporation; Troy, New York (1990 - 2004)
One line description of employer - can usually be obtained from website or other marketing materials.

Job Title
Action verb begins description of primary responsibility. Managed plant operations and supervision of 30-person production team.

Instituted cost savings program through one-on-one meetings with top vendors. Creative negotiations resulted in lower shipping charges, more saved space in company facility, and drop shipping strategy that benefited company and customers.

Researched new products and vendors in close cooperation with engineers and other technical staff, ensuring best quality purchase decisions.

How to Moderate a Master Mind Group
Dates/Times: 4 consecutive Mondays: October 23 through November 13,
from 7-8 pm Eastern/NY
Tuition: $57 includes Master Mind Moderator Toolkit and access to recording of all class sessions

Use These Links To Register for My Teleclasses

For Teleclass.com classes -
http://www.teleclass.com/classsearch.lasso
Use keyword Watkins

For Seminar Announcer registration -
www.seminarannouncer.com
Scroll to find class

Reminder - Amazon Associate!
I have recently become an Amazon Associate. That means that my website visitors can order books from my website. So - if you have been meaning to get specific books that I mention in the course of my newsletters or coaching sessions, please go to the Resource Links on my website and buy a book. www.one-e-anna.com. By the way, once you have arrived at the Amazon site, you can order any books you like - not just the ones I have listed.

4. Career Coaching Sessions
I coach people who are looking to enjoy their work, whether that means moving up in a current job or building a new career. It doesn't matter where you live - I can coach you by phone. Want to find out more? You can easily arrange this. Please contact me at info@one-e-anna.com and I will follow up with you to schedule a free consultation - no strings attached!

Just for Fun

Here are more of those prize-winning analogies and metaphors - the final installment. Enjoy!

Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.

Thinking about retirement? Check into the great resources and coaching available with Laurie Geary, Certified Retirement Coach at http://www.ingearcoaching.com Laurie also offers coaching for people in transition of all kinds.

A terrific site for business owners - Maria Marsala, former Wall Street trader and now business consultant, coach, and trainer has classes and other resources that are well worth the visit to www.coachmaria.com/

Attention, Trainers!
Many of our readers are in the training profession, so I am happy to tell you about a new ezine for you. Please visit the website of Ellen Dowling and subscribe to her monthly newsletter, "The Standup Trainer." www.standuptrainer.com/

Every issue will provide you with valuable training tips and a dose of Ellen's signature sense of humor. Enjoy!

I recommend
Jay Block Presents "Any Idiot Can Make It Through a Good Day" - a set of two CDS with Jay's program on how to think positive in difficult times. Learn the proven techniques of emotional channeling and the 10 Principles of Success. Go to www.jayblock.com for more information and to order.

Tips Booklets Online
Too many heavy books cluttering up your house or office? Paulette Ensign offers a vast array of tips booklets online for only $4.77 each! When you order an online book, it often arrives in your e-mail within minutes! No waiting for the mail to arrive every day and watching for that book you wanted. And - you won't have to search for it on bookshelves if you save it into a folder on your computer. Check out her website at www.tipsbooklets.com and peruse the titles there. Examples: 101 Travel Tips for Women, 113 Ideas To Secure Your Financial Future, and Presenting Your Message Like You Mean It

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Click on the link here to read past issues of the newsletter at
www.one-e-anna.com/newsletters.htm