Here is an outline of giving constructive feedback and video below which explains it in more detail.
A structure for giving feedback:
Outline the positive intention (i.e. difficult situation, everyone doing their best, a challenging task). Express that this feedback comes from a place of help/support/care (i.e. doing this to support you, and make you better)
‘Being managed out’ means that your boss or company is trying to make your working life so difficult that you decide to leave. This is done in companies and countries where it’s not legally possible to simply let someone go for underperformance or because you don’t get along well with them.
There are usually two main issues for this:
Low performance and not meeting targets
Poor relationships and/or bad communication skills
What’s your plan for 2020? Have you got a clear vision in your head? For me, that’s always the first part. If I don’t know what I’m trying to achieve, it’s impossible for me to make a plan around that. So the first thing to do is review the various goals you’d like to achieve (e.g. career, relationship, financial, health, adventure, contribution) and create a vision board
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I've spent the last 5 years coaching, mentoring and facilitating professionals at all stages of their careers to find satisfying work; gain promotions, deal with challenging interpersonal dynamics; and develop leadership skills.
Now, I'm excited to bring all the tools, techniques, skills and learnings that I've acquired to a wider audience. My goal is to answer your questions while giving you useful resources and strategies that you can implement right away.
Join the webinar by registering and then coming online at the specified time. You can ask questions by filling in the form on the webinar page of my website or typing your questions into the comment box on Youtube.
Of course, if you would like more personal feedback, please feel free to book individual sessions, and I will be happy to facilitate you taking the next steps in your career.
Have a structure for dealing with impossible interview questions. When I say impossible, I mean, questions that have no correct answer that you could say is categorically true. For example:
“How would you design a fire escape for this building?“
“What’s the best way for our company to enter the Chinese market?“
“You have a grocery delivery service (similar to Amazon Fresh) that delivers food within 24 hours. Estimate how many trucks you need to operate this service.“
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Competency-based psychometric tests are tricky. They are typically used in the civil service and apparently have no correct answers. However, of course, some answers are more correct than other answers. This has been decided by both researchers and professionals working in the field.
But for candidates, it's not very helpful to know that there are no correct answers. So what can we do? Below I have noted a selection of criteria or values, that I believe, should be adhered to in order to optimise your opportunities impressing the examiners. This is by no means perfect but at least it gives you a structured thought process and a systematic way to answer the questions.
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Job hunting can be frustrating. You might not get any good responses, you might not get any good feedback, and it might take longer than you’d hoped. So it's important to have a systematic approach to the job hunt. The template below will allow you to keep track of the applications you send and allow you to follow up in a professional manner.
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Below is a script for asking an acquaintance for help/advice regarding new opportunities - hopefully you find it helpful. Obviously, you’ll need to tailor it to your situation by changing the words in CAPITALS first. You might even put your own style on it, but it’s a start.
"Hi ,
{YOUR NAME} here - I haven't seen/spoke to you since XYZ. I hope you're well...
To cut straight to the chase, I was wondering if I could ask you a massive favour. I'm looking for a new job a the moment after leaving the world of ABC behind me, and it's all a bit scary. So I was wondering if you have any advice for me on how to change jobs or find new opportunities? I'm open to any and all suggestions.
Basically, I'm looking for roles in {AREA, AREA and AREA}, or learning and development - that sort of thing. And I've completed a {COURSE TITLE} course recently.
I totally understand if you're swamped at work at the moment, but if you knew anyone who you think I should talk to or any roles coming up, I'd really appreciate if you could let me know. Of course, I'd look forward to returning the favour if/when the time comes!"
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Book Club: Up next is “The Subtle Art…“. Love it or hate it, it’s a thought provoking read and has at least one or two worthwhile messages. The language is strong, the ideas are relevant… but what did you think? Come along to discuss the book!
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Thank you for taking the time to review my application for this role. I know these decisions are often tricky and the most likely reason I didn't get an interview is that there were other candidates who were more suitable, which I completely understand.
Also, I really appreciate you following up to let me know I haven't been successful, even though I'm sure you're busy - so thanks for that.
Describe how you would build an email list
What's the most important part of getting your work done?
Tell me about a time you took a risk and failed.
What's the biggest professional challenge you've faced?
'Lincoln told a story to an audience of generals and admirals about a man who had approached him for a high-ranking government appointment. First, the man asked if he might be made a foreign minister. Upon being turned down, the man asked for a more modest position. Upon being turned down again, he asked for a job as a low-level customs officer. Finding he could not get even that, he finally just asked for an old pair of trousers. Ah, Lincoln laughed as he concluded the story, "it is well to be humble”. '
From The Daily Stoic, by Ryan Holiday
Not being good enough. There, I said it.
It also comes in many iterations as well, e.g. not smart/educated enough; not fast enough; not successful enough; not rich enough, or poor enough (depending on your group) etc.
I've been pondering on this one for a while now as it concerns a huge amount of people that I meet (and of course myself!) - I'm human after all. 'What's the answer? What's the solution?'
I don't know. But here are some thoughts on it:
“Trust the process“ is another way of thinking about patience and persistence. For me, it’s not so much a new idea, but a great mantra to be repeated when we’re not feeling like anything is making a difference.
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