Come Gather Round

The last in the current series of Is Your Genius At Work? workshops for career counselors (and sundry interested others) will be held in Boston on December 7. This is the workshop about which 98% of past participants said “Yes” when asked if they would recommend the experience to others. This workshop is sponsored by Career Counselors’ Consortium Northeast.

Get more info and register.

If you have any doubts about what understanding your genius can do for you, the following note ought to dispel them. It came to me from Fe Mahler, who attended a workshop in Fargo during Jodee Bock’s Bigger Small Talk conference last June.

Is my genius at work? The answer is a definitive yes, but until I attended your workshop, I didn’t really know what my genius was. In the last several years, I seem to have found my niche at work. Based on the positive feedback I have received from a variety of people, I knew I had landed on something very special, but I am always asking people – what exactly am I doing that you find so extraordinary (because I want to keep on doing whatever it is!) My genius is “Connecting the Dots,” and whenever I share this knowledge with anyone who knows me, they respond, “I can see that.” As I became aware of this knowledge, I remembered my “strengths” from “Now Discover Your Strengths,” and began to understand my strengths and how they are interwined with my genius. What really struck me is that one of my strengths is “Connectedness” and to be honest, until your workshop, I just didn’t quite get it. I didn’t see it as my strength. And then suddenly I realize it is the essence of who I am. My strengths are Strategic, Maximizer, Relator, Connectedness and Deliberative and now I am “connecting these dots” and see them as a whole package integrated as my genius.

I love it! Come to Boston!

I admit it: I have become a binge blogger, and have been off the stuff for a while now. But there is something that I really must tell you about. A friend, Tracy Boatright, has just begun blogging, and she has wonderful things to say about integrating the spiritual life with work as an employee. Go visit her blog at EmployeeNext, and read what she has to say about being authentically yourself at work.

…another in a series of questions to ask about your work.

When I interviewed leaders for my book, The Art of Winning Commitment, the mayor of an Arizona city spoke to me about how he brings his Buddhist faith to his leadership role. I also coached a woman whose ambition is to help young Jewish potential leaders bring their faith to their leadership.

Why only leaders? Isn’t it important for all of us to bring whatever faith we hold to the work we do? Great question #10 is…

Do I bring my faith to my work consciously and consistently?

These are questions one through nine:
◊ Is my genius on purpose? (more…)
◊ What kind of me is my work creating? (more…)
◊ For what has my life been preparing me? (more…)
◊ Am I making good use of my life? (more…)
◊ Who needs my gift now? (more…)
◊ Do I value my contribution to the human condition? (more…)
◊ Who supports my genius and purpose, and who must be left behind? (more…)
◊ Am I the kind of person to whom purpose calls? (more…)
◊ Who would I be without my current work? (more…)

Jodee Bock has put together an amazing event. On June 27 and 28 Jodee’s Bock’s Office will host a Summit for Bigger Small Talk in Fargo. This is the first, “annual event…a gathering of people dedicated to making a difference in the world by improving communication and results in their own circles.”

There is a blog and slide show where Jodee tells us about the summit, Let’s Make Our Small Talk Bigger. You can register there for the event.

Day One asks the question: What does BIGGER SMALL TALK mean to you? Meet others who have developed their own ideas around that question. We are dedicated to creating dialogue that is meaningful for ourselves, our businesses, our communities and our world.

Everyone attending the summit will be there because that question inspires something they have real passion about — and because they see this gathering as a unique opportunity for connecting with others who are eager to learn about, plan for, and take action in an area that they see as critical to the success of their own interests, the work of their organization(s), and/or their relationships with colleagues, customers or suppliers.

Day Two is an opportunity to work with me and others about your genius, which is inevitably linked to work and career, but lies behind the experience and talents categorized in a resume.

97% of people who participated in this event in Minneapolis, Nashville, Kansas City, and San Francisco said “Yes” when asked, “Would you recommend this workshop to others?” That’s about as close as you will ever get to a guarantee of a worthwhile use of your time and money! So come on to Fargo!

People who recognize their genius report gaining a stronger sense of identity, a clearer sense of career direction, increased confidence, language to communicate the value they add to work situations, higher work satisfaction and productivity, and a greater sense of personal harmony.

Man, am I looking forward to this!