It’s a fact the world we knew has changed in 2020 and if you’re feeling there isn’t any point in setting career or any kind of goal in an upside down world, I understand.

Many companies have had to lay off staff to survive lockdown conditions or to stay in business while others have deferred promotions, pay increments and bonuses.

If you, dear reader have been affected by these business decisions, I feel your pain.

I’ve experienced redundancies during economic downswings and jobs that were secure vanished overnight and so have many of my colleagues and friends.

But that doesn’t mean that all is lost.

The job market is starting to pick up albeit slowly and if you have what the hiring manager is looking for, then enjoy the interviews and signing your new job contract!

Companies may introduce new criterion for promotions and salaries and that is natural in a new business environment.

You can still make this a good year for your career if you apply strategic thinking.

You need to figure out how to showcase yourself to rise above the noise and become visible enough to achieve your career or business goals.

Before your eyes glaze over and you think strategic thinking is a vague buzzword CEOs or bosses toss around to sound important, please read on because I’m going to show you how Madonna did it and how you can too for career success!

Actually, Strategic Thinking is a skill we can all learn. It is how we plan, think, and ask questions to grow and learn while we work toward a goal.

It’s embracing what you were like when you were a young child and asking questions, most importantly, “why?”

Thinking strategically is based on a combination of knowledge, experiences, and your hunches. It’s about taking calculated and un-calculated risks that we hope will pay off in the future.

It’s about shifting your focus from just doing things to thinking and planning what should be getting done and if there is another way to achieve the results we want.

Strategic thinkers are creative individuals who think outside the box, not limiting themselves to the tried and true or best practice way of doing things.

On the other hand, non-strategic thinkers approach every task the same way, no matter if changing their strategy would yield better results. They are reactive and wait for guidance, rarely presenting new ideas.

For example, if you’re focusing on the same skill sets that others are in a job application you are just part of the crowd.

Why not look for something that makes you so special (provided it is true) to put in your CV and covering letter that compels the hiring manager to want to interview you?

It’s this approach that I share in Job Search Success and the same strategy applies even within an organization when you are vying for that promotion and trying to raise your Executive Presence.

It’s all about discovering your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) and knowing how to use it to your advantage.

The Career and Success Story of Madonna Ciccone

Believe it or not but I’ve seen Madonna’s career actually being used as a case study to analyse the role of strategy in career success within a fast-paced business environment!

In fact strategy exists for both individuals and organizations and this is a prime example.

If you were a teenager or young adult in the 1980s, you’d remember how Madonna seemed to have arrived out of nowhere and then made an impact with her first album in 1983.

It was a normal sight to see young girls wearing half finger lace gloves and bangle type earrings. Such was her impact on young teenagers.

More importantly, that first album was the successful result of a superb strategy.

In fact, long before Beyoncé and Lady Gaga, Madonna prove she was an astute strategist in the world of entertainment where the competition to survive is tough.

Madonna articulated her core mission, established her objectives, adopted a relentless strategic intent, and recognized that she could carve out uncontested market space by developing a USP and personal brand unlike anyone else’s.

As career professionals, freelancers, consultants and solopreneurs, the key lesson is to develop a competitive advantage that differentiates us from others in our field and stand out above the noise.

Normally when we think of competitive advantage, we assume that we’re doing the same thing as everyone else but better and become slaves to benchmarks, best practices and end up mimicking our competitors.

That’s not what Madonna did to achieve success.

She continues to reinvent herself and stay relevant. Many of her fans, including me, have followed her from where she started and continue to purchase her music.

She discovered her USP that helped her stand out from the crowd and created brand Madonna.

Now as professionals, we have 2 ways to decide on our USP.

You can either choose a generic strategy or build on it by deciding how you will do things differently or you can find your really unique quality and create a USP that leaves your competitors behind.

Madonna chose the latter and discovered what is called her Blue Ocean.

Blue Ocean strategy means thinking unconventionally, and most times, we have to force ourselves to change our thinking habits.

It’s helpful to train ourselves to look at situations not with our habitual perspective but with a keen eye for the hidden opportunities in the situation.

“Blue Ocean” is a strategic term that first appeared in a book called Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne and refers to uncontested market space carved out by shrewd competitors.

Kim and Mauborgne showed that most companies are driven to compete in what they call “Red Oceans.”

That’s where every industry is today. There is a defined market, defined competitor and a typical way to run a business in any specific industry.

The analogy used was one of a shark infested ocean where the sharks are fighting each other for the same prey.

That means operating at lower margins, reducing head count, tight budgets, lots of stress and companies going belly up when a recession or pandemic hits them.

The alternative is to carve out uncontested market space, differentiate yourself, your product, or your firm in some way meaningful to your target market.

That is, to find your Blue Ocean.

While the book talks about organizations, we can use the concept even at an individual professional level.

How to create your own blue ocean for career progression

In the book, Kim and Mauborgne talk about the Four Actions Framework as a method to get you thinking in fresh ways about what you do each day.

Instead of the conventional competitive model where we compete across a full range of factors, they suggest the blue ocean approach where we ask basic questions with the intention of creating new competitive factors that would appeal to unexplored market segments.

The Four Actions Framework consists of 4 questions designed to challenge an industry’s established structure and business logic:

(1) Which of the factors that the industry takes for granted should be eliminated?

(2) Which factors should be reduced well below the industry’s standard?

(3) Which factors should be raised well above the industry’s standard?

(4) Which factors should be created that the industry has never offered?

Another simpler way of looking at these questions is to think of them as 4 steps – Eliminate, Reduce, Raise and Create with the related activities enabling you to create a new value.

Let’s translate this to your career goals and intentions to stand out.

Eliminate: We identify the key factors you are competing on but which are not really adding value to where you want to be in your career.

Here we are not saying to abandon those factors but to remove them from the equation while we work out our blue ocean.

So skills and experiences are still valuable but we are looking for THAT secret sauce that makes you valuable.

Reduce: Next consider which factors you should focus less energy on so you have time for the factors that really make an impact.

Raise: Now that we have removed the factors that are common to your competition and which are not adding value to your professional profile, focus on what factors, skills, or added value you can work on to be the very best and stand apart.

This won’t be the same for every professional but in your case it might just be networking skills, executive presence, high emotional intelligence, people skills or something you do even better than your peers which has value in the next step of the career rung for you.

Now comes the really strategic thinking part.

Create: What can you bring to the table that is different? What do you possess that your peers don’t?

Speaking from experience, in one of my jobs, I received the offer over other competing candidates because of my multi-cultural experience which fitted in to an organization where the parent company and regional headquarters were located in 2 different countries with different methods of working to the local company and the need to adjust when dealing with colleagues in both without conflict.

My predecessor had quit because he found the others in those countries difficult to deal with. Actually the feeling had been mutual.

In other words, how are you going to find your USP that will enable you to break away from your competition?

PS. Once you’ve discovered your Blue Ocean, follow the tips in this blog post to let the world know how unique you really are!

The decision to change careers is easy but doing it successfully is where the rubber hits the road.

While it’s never too late to try a new career on for size, changing careers can be a significant challenge.

Are you ready for the career change?

A lot depends on your career of choice and whether you’ve done your homework on the 3 factors you need to consider and work out before embarking on a new career.

More often than not, the desire to change your vocation has more to do with filling a void between what you’re doing and what would fulfill you rather than having taken a wrong career decision in the early stages of your joining the workforce.

If you’re committed to make the transition in vocation work, there’s no reason you can’t find a new line of work that fulfills you and pays the bills.

But you have to take action and work towards the career change goal.

You will be embarking on a new adventure and need to be prepared not only for the wins but more importantly the misses and setbacks that may happen along the way.

Don’t brood over them for too long. Consider them a learning experience and move forward.

You owe it to yourself to make the best decisions and choices and make the change a fulfilling one.

7 Tasks You Need To Focus On Before A Career Shift

Years ago when I decided I wanted to change my career from a finance professional to an Executive Coach, I realized the shift was not going to be an overnight one but which required some serious thought and planning.

I identified 3 key areas with 7 activities that prove useful in making a career change and doing the work one was meant to do.

Focus on what drives you

The decision to change a career is your decision and you will need to take responsibility for your decision. What’s driving you?

Here’s we’re not talking about hating your job or the boss who drives you up the wall. We’re focusing on you.

Here’s how I would approach it.

1. Make a list of what you don’t like about your current position. If you’re considering a change, there must be something that’s rubbing you the wrong way. It might be your company, the people, or your position. Maybe you just weren’t cut out to be an automobile engineer, software developer or tax accountant. You have the skills and aptitude but it doesn’t make your heart sing or you’re no longer motivated. Consider the things you don’t want to see in your next career.
2. Make a list of what you do like about your current position. Nothing is ever black and white. There are shades of grey and your current position can’t be all that awful! What are things about your current company and position that you enjoy? What would you like to see in your next position?
3. Consider your values. Taking up a job for the great pay is good but there might be a conflict with your values. Perhaps your core value is helping people, but you spend your days as a debt collection agent. A position helping others directly might be more to your liking. List your values and consider careers that dovetail with them.

Need more help in this critical section? You want my free Tip Sheet on Changing Careers After 40.

Manifest your desire with a Road Map

Now that you know what makes you tick, it’s time to do some more research. I’ve covered some of these points in greater detail in this post.

4. Brainstorm a list of career possibilities that take into account your likes, dislikes, and values. Now that you’ve given some thought to what you like, don’t like, and your values, think of careers that can satisfy all of those requirements.
5. What else do you need? If you’re planning a significant change, you’ll probably need to learn a few new skills. You might even need to go back to school. Consider what you need to add to your resume and make a plan to make it happen.
6. Set a goal. Know what you want and put your vision to paper. Read your goal each day. Develop a reasonable plan to reach your goal in the near future. Create a goal that inspires you.
7. Tap into your network to learn more about your dream job and what may be required of you. Let everyone know you’re looking to make a change. Be careful not to burn any bridges at your current job until you’re ready to move on. This includes talking to headhunters who will be able to advise you on what companies are looking for right now.

Stay grounded in reality

I don’t want to burst your bubble but you do need to be realistic. Just because you’ve taken a decision doesn’t mean that things will miraculously fall into place.

Be prepared to take a demotion or a pay cut in order to change careers.

I remember working for a Big 4 firm that would hire staff at one level less than their actual qualification and experience if they came from any firm other than a Big 4 and even though the professional was competent, that was the price they had to pay to join the elite firm.

Sometimes, it’s necessary to take a small step back to eventually take a greater step forward.

You’ll also have to exercise patience. Finding a new position within your own field is usually challenging especially as your seniority increases or if the market is on the downturn.

Finding a new position in a new field is considerably more difficult. You must be patient and persistent. Expect that it will take some time, but keep working hard toward realizing your dream.

But it can be done. Take the time to make a wise decision and then put a plan in place.

And if you need more inspiration, read my blog post Second Inning Career Success Secrets – these ladies did it.

There is nothing more inspiring than seeing real people complete their career change journey and reach their destination successfully.

Sticking to a dead end job for the money or feeling dis-empowered because of financial commitments is more common than you would imagine.

I covered how to overcome that fear and do the right thing by you in my post What’s more important – Money or Your toxic Job?

But what about a situation where it isn’t the money?

When your heart has stopped singing, you’re dragging yourself to work each morning or you feel you’ve gone as far as you can in your career and want more?

Or you’re in a job that is being made redundant. This has triggered a thought that has been lurking in your mind. That you want to do something different but ambivalent about stepping out of your comfort zone.

It could also be that you’ve moved up the Maslow Hierarchy of Needs and you’ve figured out your current career is not aligned with your new need. I’ve personally experienced this as I narrate in my Meet the Coach page.

It’s also the impression I get from the questions I’m often asked on Quora about mistakes in jobs or changing careers.

In the case of the former, the solution is easy. Find a new job but changing a career is a different kettle of fish and you need to be clear on what you want.

It’s apparent the answer seeker has already figured out they want to change their career but aren’t sure how to go about it.

Here’s what I feel.

Choosing a new career is never an easy choice.

Yet, following your passion is worth every effort that you put into planning a change in your career.

With adequate planning, the switch over can be exciting, motivating, and rejuvenating instead of fraught with worry.

If that’s your situation, consider the following factors for starters as you plan and implement your career change:

Assess your motives for the career change

The importance of this factor must not be underestimated. Changing a career, especially at a later stage of your career journey can be risky and might not be all that you think it is.

Hence, you need to unearth the reasons for your desire to change careers. Do you feel underappreciated, underpaid, overworked, or unsatisfied in your current position?

If so, dig deeper to discern whether your current employer or the career field as a whole is at the route of your dissatisfaction.

• If you discover that the source of your unhappiness is your employer, change employers rather than starting an entirely new career. It’s much easier to get a job within your current career field than to get your foot in the door of a completely separate career field.

• If your issue is being underpaid or overworked, it may not be necessary to change employers. Gather your information to support your view or make a business case for your request and have a talk with your supervisor. Tell them how your current position is making you feel. If you’re an asset to the company, you may be able to work out an agreement for a raise, promotion or fewer working hours.

Still not sure? Karmic Ally Coaching’s Changing Careers After 40 Tip Sheet will provide insights.

Continue your education and research

Continuing professional education and staying on top of developments in your field is a must.

But what about the new career?

If you’re considering a drastic career change, such as going from being an Internal Auditor to a career in Holistic Nursing, clearly you’ll need additional training. More common career changes may require less continued education, if any at all. 

• Consult with an admissions advisor of a local college or of one specializing in your new career field in order to discern whether any continued education or additional training is necessary. If so, discuss scheduling, whether it can be done online, tuition assistance, and so on.

• Search for job postings online which fit the career field you’d like to enter. Generally, the employer or recruiter will list the required education and experience necessary to be considered for the job.

• Connect with professionals in the new career field on LinkedIn and Facebook and request them for information. As long as you don’t pick their brains too much and are focused on the questions you have, you will get the information you want.

• In some instances, a certificate may not be enough to get your foot into the door of a new career field. You might also be required to do an internship or apprenticeship for a period that can range anywhere from 1 to 3 years which might not pay well. If your passionate about the new career field, you must work out the finances to support you during the apprenticeship if it is more than a one-year time investment.

• Consider the possibility that additional training may be all that’s necessary to improve your current career. Perhaps additional education will place you in line for a promotion or more challenging work. For example, if you’re working in a bank and aspire to a bank officer position, sitting the Bankers Institute Examination and passing them would position you for consideration for your desired job and step up the career ladder if you already have a good performance track record.

Take it slowly

This tip is based on my observation of amazing professionals who hire me for consultations after they have resigned rather than while they still had their jobs and could leverage their employment to appear desirable to a prospective employer.

The sad truth is it’s easier to get a new job when you have a job!

Hang on to your current paycheck for as long as you can, preferably until you can secure a position with a new employer. Set up interviews while you’re still employed and only quit your current position once you’ve found a job.

• When you’re currently employed with another company, you have more bargaining power in terms of salary when considering a position with a new employer.

• Once you’ve secured a position, it’s time to give notice to your current employer in accordance with your employment contract. Make sure your conduct is professional throughout this period. Be honest about your reason for leaving. This conduct, especially if it is a longer notice period of say 3 months increases the chances of a good recommendation. It will also prevent them from being surprised when someone calls to confirm a reference.

With the right research and planning that includes ensuring your family’s security, there’s no reason why you cannot explore a new career in a field that will make your heart sing and give you a new purpose.

In How to Convince People You’re An Expert With Integrity, I’ve shared guidance to discover, develop and convey your expert status to others.

The rules apply whether you’re a career professional or have ventured into the world of self-employment and business.

An employee will use Executive Presence as a tool to market themselves within their organization and LinkedIn to showcase their knowledge via group discussions, updates and posts.

The self-employed professional or small business owner will need to market their services not only to establish their expert status but do it like an expert.

I’m sharing some tips based on my own experience of marketing my coaching practice helping me transition from the 9 to 5 workforce to running my own business.

I’ve broken it down to 3 sections which are required in that very order if you want to become proficient at showcasing yourself to the right audience and potential referral partners.

Shift your Mindset to that of a successful business person

Your mindset is your most important weapon for success. Without it, your visibility and credibility efforts will go for a toss.

It’s also an area where many of us fall short. The point to remember is the rules that applied to us as employees change.

For sure we still need to deliver results and services, but we also need to see our business for what it is.

Our business that requires us to create a vision of our end goals.

What we want our new venture to be like and take the risks of applying different approaches to achieve our end objective while staying in integrity and delivering on our promise.

You have to start thinking like a winner

Use whatever technique or modality works for you to keep you going on the journey of entrepreneurship. My favorites include affirmations, creative visualization and tapping.

Make sure you exude confidence. Not the fake it till you make it kind but genuine confidence because when you’re sure of yourself, people are inclined to trust your professionalism more than someone who seems timid and unsure of himself.

This means presenting yourself with poise, professionalism, and ease. Always maintain confidence in the offerings of your business and your ability to succeed as an independent professional.

A friendly word of caution is required here.

Flying solo is not quite as glamorous as it sounds. There are going to be days when one feels alone and disappointed. When the pitches we make don’t get us a project or a prospect decides they ‘can’t afford us’.

We’ll start to wonder where our head space was to venture out into self-employment.

I’ll never forget one incident from my early days that led to my deciding never to offer free coaching again.

It marked my deciding I wanted to run a business from a place of service but without undermining the value I brought to the table.

I had to get my hours for my certification and asked a former colleague if he could get me some prospects to help build my hours. One of the referrals loved my work and a few months later, contacted me because she wanted to speak to me urgently.

By that time Karmic Ally Coaching had come into existence and I was booking paying clients. Our chat turned into an hour of her gushing about how I had inspired her to get out of her comfort zone – so far so good.

Then she told me about how she had invested in a coach and how wonderful that coach was. Of course there were some problems.

She now wanted to discuss with me for free since I did free sessions!

Stumped as I was, I explained it would not be fair to professionals who were investing in my services or to me. I guided her to my website, offered my services and shared the cost. I left the decision to hire me to her.

After the call, I decided on the spot never to allow my services to be perceived as low value by offering free coaching.

Even though there are coaching gurus who preach otherwise, and it seems to work for some.

The decision was furthered strengthened by an important realization.  Many of my coaching calls that followed this ‘free, give them a taste to whet their appetite’ model never brought me any business.

Even if they agreed to a coaching engagement, my emails went unanswered. In other words, I was ghosted.

I know of others who’ve had the same experience and while it is comforting to know I’m not alone, it is not acceptable.

Learn to own your worth!

I can laugh about it now and in a recent challenge, was brave enough to load a video about it to my Facebook Business Page which was well received (you can watch it below).

It was a major mindset shift for me.

Taking ownership of my value made a difference in how I approached my business and the quality of clients who came to me after that.

This is all part of the journey to becoming an authentic business owner who offers their expert services to people who need and want it.

It is temporary and to complete the shift from an employee to a business owner. With time you will hit your stride and find you have more work than you bargained for.

Need inspiration? Think of Disney, Ford and read up on successful business people who faced challenges before getting it right.

5 Basic Marketing Strategies to show you know your stuff on the back of your hand

Once you’ve got the mindset piece sorted out, it’s time to claim your sacred space under the sun. This requires taking strategic decisions so your actions and tactics are not a waste of time or random acts of marketing.

Strategy 1 – Create a 1 sentence introduction that gives the listener a clear message about what you do

It’s called an Elevator Speech or Pitch.

This precious 30 second introduction should answer the essential questions of who you serve, what you do and how you achieve the results or goals for your client.

You’re going to need this in every bit of marketing you do to demonstrate you’re an expert in your craft. You’ll need it in your networking, social media marketing, your website and in fact anywhere you intend to share your services.

Before someone can decide if they may need your product or service, they must first understand what you’re saying. It’s so important I wrote an entire post with a template to help develop your elevator pitch. 

Tip: Nobody gets it perfect the first time round so don’t be hard on yourself. Instead, run it past a trusted friend or colleague and ask them for an honest evaluation of your description. If it doesn’t, work on this as a priority before you work on any marketing activity.

Strategy 2 – Create a Vision and Mission Statement that is authentic and from your heart, not a cut and paste from someone else’s website or LinkedIn Profile to guide your Marketing Message

It has to be your vision and what you want to achieve through your business that matters. All the fluffy words and good copy writing will come later when you know the message you want to convey.

Getting the Mission Statement right is important because once you know the message you want to convey to your right audience, you’ll find there is a whole universe of marketing tactics that you can use to achieve your goals.

Some of those tactics won’t work for your business or might not appeal to your intended audience.

For example, if you want to work with mid-career women professionals returning to work after a career break, your marketing message must appeal to this intended audience and repel those who are not the right fit.

The marketing tactics and tools you would use will be ones that will help you reach your intended audience where they hang out instead of spreading your message all over the place and not getting heard.

For example, they might be more comfortable in a Facebook Group at the moment than on LinkedIn or other platform.

Strategy 3 – Zero in on your Unique Selling Proposition and share it with consistency

Let me be honest, there are lots of other professionals doing the same work that you do and just like in the job market we are advised to stand out from the noise, you need to do it as a business person.

You know you are the expert on your subject and can get your client the results they crave for but before that, your client has to find you and feel you are the go to person for their problem.

This requires you to use your unique selling proposition (USP) to make your business memorable and take consistent action that establishes your own brand.

It means conveying your USP in your marketing material, whether your website, tagline, logo, lead magnet, blog, social media activity and offline activities with consistency.

For example, if your website name, tagline and content convey you are a website developer extraordinaire, use that theme in your business cards and social media profiles too.

When people Google your name, they should see a consistent image and brand being portrayed across all channels for a unique website developer, not a tarot reader (even if you do possess that skill).

Have you ever done a self-google to see what shows up for you?

Strategy 4 – Create one solid marketing plan and stick to it

If all you do is dream up marketing schemes, you’ll miss the opportunities to implement them. Instead, create one solid marketing plan and stick to it. Tweak your tactics according to your results.

 A marketing plan generally includes several marketing techniques, so choose several of your best ideas and start implementing them today. The faster you get out there and start peddling your business, the sooner you’ll begin to increase your revenue.

Test different techniques. Spread your marketing efforts across a number of different strategies. If one or two tactics are less successful, the success of other marketing efforts will keep your business afloat while you determine what gives you the best results.

Strategy 5 – Network like a pro

Jump at the opportunity to attend networking events related to your industry. It’s one of the best ways to find clients and make industry contacts that may hire you at a later date or recommend you to their colleagues.

You may have to pay a fee to attend conventions or events, but they are often well worth the price. You’re paying to chat with a roomful of your target clientele.

Before I started my coaching business, I worked as an independent consultant for an area of finance where I was a specialist.

A wise friend told me to go to events and set up meetings. In his experience, 10 meetings could result in 1 of them giving me a project. That’s a solid 10% conversion rate which could be improved with practice!

Remember Even one new customer may enable you to earn back the cost and then some.

Always bring a large stack of business cards and prepare an elevator speech. Sometimes, you’ll only get a few minutes to chat with potential big-budget clients. So leave a lasting impression by displaying professionalism and confidence.

Tip: Use the back of your business card to give a link to a free offer that demonstrates your expert status. This 1 action has added numerous new connections to my mailing list.

Post the networking event, invite your new contact to connect with you on LinkedIn and engage further.

I’ve often discovered mutual connections that have acted as good referrals for confirming the expert status of my new contact or even my expertise!

Do a bit of legwork to find out the proper dress code. Obviously, it’s best to be overdressed than under-dressed. Be careful. You’ll feel silly sitting in a room full of people in cardigans and khakis while you’re in a black Armani business suit.

Tactics to establish yourself as an expert in your field

Once you have your mindset and marketing plan worked out, we get to the really fun part of trying new tactic to achieve our marketing and business goals as well as establish ourselves as an expert in our field.

There are different mediums and the ones you choose should play to your strengths and not follow the latest fad.

I remember when Blab and Periscope were suddenly declared the next best thing since sliced bread. They disappeared shortly thereafter.

Google Plus appeared around the same time but didn’t quite catch on for the intended purpose and is now being closed in the coming weeks.

Then Facebook Live was touted as the only marketing tool you needed until Social Media Examiner and others realized that the return on investment of doing live videos on Facebook wasn’t quite what it was cranked out to be.

The latest advice is to head back to YouTube and get some Google love in the process.

Call me conservative but we are trying to establish our credentials as experts in our subject matter. Not earn doctorates in marketing and communications.

Marketing is our tool to get the message out that we are here to serve.

Avoid following the herd for the latest fad and take actions that are aligned with your goals, values and skills. Rest assured, you will be seen as an expert.

My pick of tactics to follow consistently to establish expert credentials as part of your marketing plan

Create a website as home base to invite visitors to learn about your work and engage with you. Your website must show the visitor within 10 seconds what you have to offer and if it is relevant to them.

Add a few bells and whistles like videos, live chats and downloads in exchange for their email address to share more information about the problem you solve.

Start a blog with weekly posts on your subject.

Blogging will not only keep your website active but also help you get found via search engines. Blogging has the power to showcase your expert status provided you write relevant content on topics that are of interest to your audience.

Blogs are a form of content marketing and this can be expanded to include creating content such white papers, e-books, free reports, tutorials or social media to educate new and existing clients in your area of expertise. Creating content also gives you an opportunity to mention the services you offer to meet those needs.

Once you’ve created your content, you need to make sure you distribute this content at the places that you had identified while doing the strategy work to showcase yourself as the expert.

Speaking engagements, publication articles and volunteer leadership roles will help label you as an expert in your field.

Marketing your business is an ongoing task that should be addressed regularly throughout the year. The more you market your business, the more you increase your exposure, make a name for yourself in the local community, and meet your financial goals.

Whichever tactics you decide to apply, remember you have to do it consistently with a focus on the target market where you want to be seen as an expert. It takes time but the results are worth it.

Marketing is to your business what food is to the human body; without it, it’s impossible to survive. Begin implementing these tips today to find success in your marketing and increase your revenue to new heights.

How are you creating visibility and credibility as an expert?

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Do you find it difficult to overcome obstacles to your life-goals?

The reason I’m asking this question is because quite often when I speak to people about what stopped them from achieving a goal that was important for them, whether it’s one related to their career, business or life, I’m told about all the obstacles that they found along the way that made them give up.

For sure we hit roadblocks and hurdles but that doesn’t grant us a permission slip to drop the goal unless the goal that we set fulfills 2 criteria

First, it was the wrong goal for us at that moment of time.

For example deciding to go on a diet when we know it’s the peak season at work and deadlines have to be met at the peril of losing our job. That’s the time when our eating and exercising habits can go haywire and we might not be in a position to cope. Timing matters.

Secondly, if our motivation level isn’t high enough; in other words, on a scale of 1 to 10, you aren’t on at least and 8.

What if motivation is high and the time is right and yet, we’re struggling?

Based on my observations (including my own habits) there’s usually an issue of mindset, strategy and tactics that need to be addressed.

I have covered that in my Kindle ebook Goal Achievement Simplified: When Your Actions Give Results and this week, my post is an extract from that ebook to give the reader insights of areas that they might need to address first in order to get their goal in the box.

Here 10 tips that can give you the power to overcome the road blocks that keep you from reaching for the stars.

1. Identify Your Rationale. In order for your goal to be backed up with motivation, you must take to heart its significance to you. Identify the purpose of your goal. Point out its benefits and its would-be results in your life.

2. Make SMART Goals. Following from identifying the rationale, make sure that the goals are SMART – specific, measurable, action oriented, realistic and time bound. Goal achievement requires accountability to yourself and being clear about what you want, how much you want, what you are willing to do, how realistic your goal is and by when do you want to achieve the goal. Otherwise your goal will be nothing less than wishful thinking.

3. Do a personal SWOT analysis. Before moving ahead with your goal planning, do a personal SWOT analysis. Have an honest look at what internal and external factors can affect the success or failure of your goal success. Internal factors would include strengths and weaknesses while external factors would include opportunities and threats. For example, a person trying to lose weight analyses the following factors – strength: willpower, weakness: finds chocolates tempting, opportunities: a new aerobics class is starting which one can enroll in for exercise to burn calories and threats: weekly office outing to a restaurant where one can eat all one can.   

4. Plan Your Goals. One of the main reasons why goals fail is that there is no detailed plan to accomplish the goal. Set a plan for each step that you will take in accomplishing your goal. As you progress through each step, if there is a need to, modify your plan by adding or deleting details. Consider making two plans, if one proves to be impractical; there is another plan to fall back on.

5. Maintain your Focus. Stick to your plan to the letter. Be consistent in the path that you take. Keep your energy flowing towards that direction. Be aware if plan A is failing and move into plan B to continue forward movement.

6. Avoid losing momentum. Whatever happens, do not stop working on your plan. As much as possible, do not be contented with what you currently have. Start with what you have at hand and work from there.

7. Monitor yourself. Always ask yourself if there is something else you can do. Find out if there are still alternatives you can think of. Ask yourself if there is something else you need to know. Look at your plan in different angles. Keep a weekly chart or diary of your mini achievements to keep up your motivation. Note the setbacks and think, how they can be avoided in future.  

8. Keep in mind that no idea is insignificant. Good ideas suddenly pop up then just burst like bubbles. Jot them down as soon as they come to mind. Have a notebook handy to write down these details when they pop up. This is a good way to prevent these details from being lost.

9. Always think positive. Be conscious about what you say and think. Lay aside your doubts. Despite the obstacles you encounter, believe that your goal is attainable. Affirm yourself at all times, with words of positivity and hope. A positive mindset is very important in the attainment of your goals. Visualize the achievement of the goal and how you would feel at that point to spur you into continuing action.

10. Fuel your Goals with Gratitude. To keep your spirits high, be thankful for having these goals. Goals give direction and guidelines by which you live your life. Goals nourish one’s being. Being appreciative of your goals strengthens your foresight and keeps you humble and open-minded. It empowers your motivation and willpower and makes even the smallest task meaningful. In all your undertakings, learn to practice gratitude.

Following these empowerment tips push you on your way to achieving your goals. Take these to heart, and jump start your journey to goal-getting today! Remember to celebrate each and every step of the journey!

What strategies, tactics or mindset management activities do you utilize to achieve your goals?

Do you have a goal achievement routine to close the month and kick off a new month?

If not, I highly recommend you start one. Procrastination and going with the flow are not effective tactics.

Month-end is a time of reflection and planning for me. I wrap up the month that is ending, celebrating my wins and set clear intentions to guide my work for the new month.

This 1 ritual keeps me on track for my business and helps me to maintain my work life balance.

It also gives me a chance to reflect on what I want to achieve and how far I’ve progressed with my goals for the year following the guidance in Goal Achievement Simplified.

My theme and focus for May was goal achievement and I shared my strategies and tactics with Karmic Ally Coaching’s subscribers.

In this post, I’ll show you what I do to stay focused, especially when procrastination rears its ugly head.

It’s really quite simple, provided you have the Willpower to stick to it.

7 Step Process for getting monthly Goals and Tasks done

I love checklists and To Do Lists. There’s nothing like making big tick marks or crossing out actions and having a document that captures evidence of goals achieved and what needs to be tweaked to succeed. The image below captures the process.

It’s a simple 7 step formula which works because it brings your attention and awareness to where you are and where you want to go.

In fact, all Karmic Ally Coaching programs work on this premise – to move you from point A to B in the fastest and easiest manner possible.

I have another little practice that I use during steps 5 and 6 which works even for those of us who aren’t into metaphysical practices. It involves using the Power of Intention and Gratitude backed up by commitment to get the work done.

The details of this practice are given in my blog post Are You Intent on Intending?

This isn’t just a Law of Attraction or Creative Visualization Technique. It works well with time management strategies and I recommend you try it.

For example, 2 of my goals for May were to complete a new mini-course for you to help you decide what you want from your job, career or even business and launch a shorter coaching program for a career action plan that will incorporate my favorite metaphysical techniques.

I used the powers of intention and gratitude to raise my vibrations and completed these tasks while I also served my clients, had time for my family and hung out on LinkedIn and Facebook engaging in interesting Group discussions.

Are you game to try it too?

Fine-tuning your game plan for middle-term goals

When it comes to middle-term or quarterly goal achievement and results, I further fine-tune my ritual and practices for successful goal achievement.

I like to plan my main work for the middle month in any quarter and then use the 3rd month for the big push and get results.

Our business or career isn’t the only thing that is important in our life. Our life consists of various other aspects and it’s important to make sure our Wheel of Work doesn’t go wonky. (There’s an entire lesson dedicated to this in my Career or Job Change mini-course).

Considering the demands on our time whether it is work, business, health, family, community or time for spiritual practices, it’s important to run a tight ship or at least be in control of our time.

The cost of procrastination is too high!

Cost-benefit analysis approach to combating procrastination

Quite possibly it’s my finance background and love of numbers but many of my decisions are finalized after doing a cost-benefit analysis or CBA.

CBA doesn’t necessarily have to be a monetary one although money can be a cost or benefit. It’s also useful as a time management tool when we look at it from a task payoff perspective.

One thing that I do know from experience is that procrastination is a luxury that costs us more than it benefits us.

Delaying a task or action will definitely have some consequence on either our time or money.

1. Time – you’ll recognize this one from standing in long queues to pay your bills because you delayed it or thought you would do it online. But you didn’t factor the minimum banking clearance time provisions in the service providers rules
2. Money – ever missed the deadline for your credit card payment and got whopped with penalties and interest? Need I say more?

Not all our procrastination will cost us both at the same time but what if it did?

If you are prone to procrastinating, then the next time an urge arises to delay a task, ask yourself the simple question

Which of these 2 things will my inclination to procrastinate cost me? Time or Money or both?

Then work out the benefit that you will receive from procrastinating.

The only benefit I can think of is worry and that is not a benefit by any stretch of imagination!

Simply asking this question will raise your awareness of the issue and hopefully, you’ll take some action.

Procrastination is a habit and it can be replaced with a better habit – the habit of considered action.

There are many studies that look into the psychology of procrastination. It isn’t just a time management issue although procrastination gets bunched into it.

If you need some quick help, then my mini course How to Stop Procrastinating Right Now is a good starting point. If you need more help, then check out the additional resource at the bottom of this page.

Have you ever compromised the potential of achieving your goals by sacrificing them at the altar of Procrastination?

Or do you have a method to get back on track? Do share with me in the comments box below!

Additional Resource for Serious Procrastinators

If the habit of procrastination is deeply embedded and you need more support, then consider my How to Stop Procrastinating right now mini course. You get immediate access to this habit changing self-development course. Use it whenever the urge to procrastinate raises its ugly head.  Click here or on the image below to learn more.

There’s a reason I’m asking whether the goals you are setting are really fulfilling a need. It’s an important reason when it comes to successful goal achievement.

Picture this in your mind.

You have a goal.  You have read all about SMART goals.

You tweak your goal to be SMART and set off to achieve it.

Somewhere along the way, you realize that you are not getting the results that you want. Other more important matters keep taking precedence. You start to lose your motivation.

End result, you give up your goal, SMART or not. SMART Goals are great. But when the goal does not take into account the person’s or teams needs, capabilities and strengths, then it becomes a not so SMART goal.

Think about relay races. To the outsider, it may appear that four people are running a particular distance in quick time and handing over the baton at each lap. The team with the fastest time who doesn’t drop the baton wins. Right?

Wrong!!!

The coach and the relay team would have spent hours assessing the importance of placement of each team member in the relay. Who can give the fastest lead, who can sustain the middle laps and who has the ability to sprint the team to glory?  Each member’s strengths and weaknesses would have been scrutinized with nothing being left to chance. No wonder sportsmen are gracious whether they win or lose and say that the better team, NOT the best team won.

Without a shadow of a doubt, all teams and their coaches would have gone through their own SWOT analysis but there is one more factor that creates the difference. That factor is called level of Motivation.

My point is, before setting off to make Goals it is more important to understand oneself and what makes one tick. Once you know what motivates you, half the journey is done and then it is simply going through the motions to success.

Veteran goal setters know that motivation is a key factor to goal achievement. If your heart isn’t in it, then you lose even before the race to goal achievement starts. For example, you want to shed a few kilos and make it a goal. You might go on a diet and lose a kilo or two and then gain it back.

However, if you have a motivating factor, like a health reason or looking good for a particular occasion and you know how much to lose with a specific timeline, you improve the chances of goal achievement.

In the process, you set up a SMART goal.

SMART Goal & SWOT Analysis, you need this X Factor for Success

Abraham Maslow’s pyramid called the Hierarchy of Needs Motivational Model (see diagram) states that unsatisfied needs motivate people. There is a hierarchy of these needs and until the lower needs are met, the person does not advance to the higher needs.

Maslow’s model was based on 5 needs. The base of the pyramid comprises the lower-end needs that must be fulfilled before the higher end needs start to influence your motivation.

The four levels (lower-order needs) are considered physiological needs, while the top level is considered growth needs. Maslow’s hierarchy implies that the lower level needs need to be satisfied before higher-order needs can influence behavior.

In other words, if you are suddenly made redundant and need to find a job to avoid foreclosure of your mortgage, you really would not be interested in pursuing self-actualization needs until you have secured your physiological and safety needs.

From a goal setting perspective, Maslow’s model can provide invaluable input in identifying target areas for your goal setting as well as the areas that can prove to be stumbling blocks while you try to achieve your goals.

Coming back to the weight loss example, if the ultimate goal motivation based on Esteem needs is not compromising your Biological needs of food or any of the other lower needs, you stand a better chance.

In other words, going on a diet does not mean going into starvation mode or spending hours at the gym, but ensuring that the approach does not affect any of the lower level needs resulting in self-created roadblocks thus allowing you to focus on a higher need with the right motivation.

Coming full circle to the question, what about you? Do your goals really meet your needs?

If you are a DIY fan, then this Kindle book has been written just for you. It also includes a gift of special goal setting and achieving forms because your success matters – to me. 

The slogan was all over the television channels and radio in New York and got so embedded in my then 4-year-old psyche, that many decades later, I STILL drink soup.

Personally, I think Campbell should take royalty from other soup manufacturers for making me a Soupie (soup fan), but I digress from the topic of this post which is Why Failure Is Good.

In a world where success is everything and coaches guide their protégés to success, why would anyone in their right mind think that failure is good?

Well, some of the greatest inventions and achievements have been preceded by one or many failures until success smiled upon the person.

Imagine a world without telephone or airplanes if their inventors had not pushed ahead one failure at a time towards the highway of success.

The most celebrated example in world history is Abraham Lincoln who had enough failures in life to be labelled a Loser. Yet, he is an admired President of the USA.

The Key Differentiator in Life between a Winner and a Loser 

What ultimately separates the winners from the losers is their ability to bounce back after a setback or overcome a roadblock to achieve victory and success in whatever they had set out to do.

Of course, I am neither advocating that one has to have failures before one tastes success nor that failure is an essential precursor of success.

The person who passes their driving test on the first attempt is as successful as the one who passes it after many failed attempts.

What I admire about the latter person is their indomitable spirit and character that they don’t give up. Success is so much sweeter.

The point is, how do you react to failure?

Sometimes we don’t get it right the first time. It all comes down to attitude. When the chips are down, how do you motivate yourself to stay the path? Do you quit out of fear of ridicule or do you introspect to get it right next time round?

Analyzing Failure for Ultimate Success

The next time you don’t succeed and achieving the completion of a task is important, indulge yourself with a spot of quiet meditation and introspection. Ask yourself

• What have I learnt from this experience?
• What went wrong?
• Is this a complete failure or a partial success?
• What can I do different next time?
• Did I miss something?
• Could I have prevented failure?
• What contingency planning should I do now?
• Is there a lesson to be learnt?
• Can I take away a positive lesson from this experience?

The last question is important because you do not want the situation to result in any conscious or subconscious fear or negativity. Those who practice the law of attraction to achieve success know how our thoughts and feelings affect our success.

For those who do not believe in the law of attraction, remember, maintaining a positive attitude will make sure that you will find the inner strength to try again.

There are so many inspirational quotes that one can refer to, whether Fire proves Gold, Adversity proves Men, or A Winner Never Quits and A Quitter Never Wins, but my favorite one is

How do you deal with failure? Do you use the lessons learned as a stepping stone to success or course correct for a better goal? Please share your views in the comments box below.

Want to learn more about how failure can become a part of your Hero’s Journey? The teleclass that I held in October 2015 as part of my monthly free learning sessions is now available in Kindle format.  Click the image below to download it on Amazon.

PS. You may want to also check out the post Build Your Positive Reflex for 2 techniques that will help you recondition your mindset.

Update: This post was originally written in December 2011 and has been updated for relevance and information.

When setting out to achieve your goals, do you see success as black and white?

Do you remember to look for the shades of grey? Do you acknowledge milestone achievements or focus only on ultimate victory excluding all outcomes of actions that have helped you triumph?

The road to success is more often than not a mixed bag. There are the smooth stretches where one races through on roller skates. It also has the odd speed breaks and potholes. When one hits the latter two it is easy to get demoralized and drop the goal thinking that one cannot succeed.

That is the EXACT moment when one needs to analyse what went wrong or what steps are needed to get over the hurdle. One also needs to consider whether there has been a full or partial failure. I suggested a strategy for analyzing failure for ultimate success in my post Why Failure is Good.

Continuing along the lines of that post, I now suggest that we look closer at the smaller successes that we have along the way to maintain a positive attitude while we strive to achieve the coveted goal.

Nothing is ever a complete failure.  We have all faced setbacks for pet projects at some time or the other and if we really wanted ultimate success, did a course correct even if we did not realize what we were doing at the time.

Finding the small successes and dissolving setbacks

Most of us need a big victory to celebrate but a very small failure to get upset. We make it personal instead of thinking of it as a learning experience that will help us achieve a bigger goal ignoring all those pieces that we got right.

In the Karmic Ally Coaching Self-study course, Life Focus in 7 Days, I write about getting back on track by refocusing after a setback. Instead of talking in terms of failure, I suggest viewing a setback as an event that happens in life and needs to be tackled.

Setbacks and difficulties occur all of the time – they are a natural activity of life. There are two ways of facing difficulties.  You either change or alter the difficulty or you can alter yourself to be able to deal with it.

Deal with difficulties correctly and it will enhance your confidence, deal with them incorrectly and they can do some serious damage to your self- worth. In other words, a lot depends upon your response, actions and more importantly, what are you saying to yourself?

You have a choice about your thoughts. If you go for the GIGO approach, your answers would be likewise – Garbage In and Garbage Out.

For example, you’ve finally received an invitation for a job interview with a company that would not only add value to your Resume but also matches your expectations of a desired job’s compensation and career value. You make it to the final selection and then lose out to a stronger candidate.

The recruiter tells you that the client chose the other candidate with more experience in a particular area which you knew have would have required a steep learning curve on your part before permitting your resume to be sent to the prospective employer.

It is natural to be disappointed as the runner up. How do you react? If you start thinking

“Why does this always happen to me? I never have any luck”

Your mind will probably come out with:

“Because you are useless and don’t deserve to get a good job”

Or something equally unkind.

Sounds familiar?

Instead, if you ask yourself a positive empowering question like:

“What did I learn from this setback for future reference so that I don’t make the same mistake?”

Your mind will kick into solution mode and help.

9 things to think about when setbacks occur:

• Acknowledge that it has happened. Don’t hide from it. These things happen. So what?
• Acknowledge that setbacks occur to everyone & you are not being singled out.
• View them as a challenge to overcome rather than an issue or problem
• What positive empowering questions can you ask yourself?
• What is good about this situation?
• How can I make the most of this situation?
• What can I learn from it?
• What are the facts about this problem?
• How can I make it a successful outcome?

If you do this exercise honestly and with an open mind, you will discover that there are small things that you did succeed with and even if you missed the mark, there is enough to feel good about, celebrate it and then get on with fixing what needs to be fixed. You now have a solution blueprint that you know is doable.

You might also discover that the goal that you were running after is not aligned with the rest of your life and perhaps there is a better goal that is aligned with the authentic you.

Coming back to the example, if I were in that situation, I would celebrate the fact that even though I knew I had a weakness, my resume got me the job interview invite. The prospective employer saw something in my profile.

I’d consider whether I need to invest time to learn any new skills and also whether I could do a better interview in future. I’d also be more careful when allowing my resume to be sent for a position by checking how strong a match there is between the job and my profile.

In other words, I’d use the experience to create a blueprint for future success like I did in my story Mission Driving License.

Positive thinking and using different tactics will aid you to achieve your end goal and I discuss the same in my book Goal Achievement Simplified.

Karmic Ally’s Life Coaching Tip:
Reframe your thoughts to find nuggets of success

The next time you are facing a situation where you think you have failed, give yourself this gift.

Try reframing your thoughts and think of the little things that went well. Don’t dismiss the learning. Reframe your thoughts on failure to think of it as feedback on how not to do things. Next time you will get it 100% right. If something did go right, then celebrate it as an achievement.

Instead of surfing the wave of failure, step back and think, “Okay, this did not work out well but at least I did xyz task well”.  And celebrate.

Consider a person who is taking steps to lose weight hits a plateau. There is no weight loss in 3 days. Instead of quitting the diet, a better approach would be to consider and celebrate:

1. Having maintained that weight for the days that they have instead of piling on more
2. Having kept up with their exercise regime
3. Having more energy for the things they love to do.

Celebrate the part that went well and keep happy.

Happy people are full of life and provide energy to others to go out and seek happiness themselves.

Step out of misery over goals that are not completely achieved and find that teeny weenie success you did have and celebrate. Try it for size and see the difference it makes in getting back onto the highway of success.

Do you have a different way of motivating yourself when you are about to give up on a goal or hit a roadblock?

I’d love to read about it in the comments box below.

How do you feel about changes in your life, career or business? More importantly, how do you handle changed circumstances? With fear or adapt and move forward?

Changing our way of thinking or accepting that we need to change doesn’t happen overnight.

Want to find out more about your change management style?

Try this free quiz by filling up the form here or by clicking the image below.

You’ll also receive my tips and resources to help you get ahead. Don’t worry, I don’t spam because professionals don’t do that.