Accelerate Your Learning Curve for More Success and Less Stress

by Susan Dunn

Jobs Indonesia,  Careers,  Indonesia Vacancy

Downsizing and technological advances put demands on us to learn more and learn it faster. As support staff and auxiliary positions disappear, job functions are consolidated, teamwork becomes the norm, and computer and other technologies keep proliferating, we are faced with a stressful amount of new things to learn in a diminishing amount of time.

Yet the faster you can learn new things, the more valuable you will be to your employer, and the more likely you’ll be to advance in your Careers. It isn’t an option these days. 

 

WHAT LEARNING CURVES HAVE IN COMMON

What can you do to accelerate your learning curve and increase your value to your employer? The interesting thing is that there are things all learning curves have in common, whether you’re learning how to facilitate team work, learning a new software program, learning a new language, or learning how to negotiate. The better you understand the mechanics of THE learning curve, the better you’ll be able to deal with the individual ones that come along, and this is part of Emotional Intelligence.

 

GETTING RID OF THE FEAR

If you think back on things you’ve learned in the past, you’ll probably realize that one of the things that slowed you down was fear. I can certainly think of examples in my own case.

 

An example of how fear can slow you down is evident if you’ve watched a young child learn how to ski. A child doesn’t fear failure nor success, nor do they fear falling down. New things are an every day occurrence for a child, and this is just the next one. In learning to ski, they fall repeatedly and bounce back like a rubber ball. They consider it all fun. Thus there is nothing slowing down the learning except their ability to master the motor skills. What a relief!

Many of the Emotional Intelligence competencies facilitate learning. One of them is flexibility. The skiing example shows a sort of physical flexibility, but this is applicable to mental tasks as well. We don’t all learn best the same way. You may be sent to a seminar or training that doesn’t fit your learning style. If you’re flexible, and have learned how to learn (the learning curve), you’ll be able to shape things to your own benefit.

 

Take learning a new software program, for instance, something many of us are faced with almost monthly. One person may learn better by reading the manual, while another may do better by being shown. Yet another may be used to the “throw them to the wolves method,” or by hearing a tape or looking at an interactive video on the computer screen.

 

This has to do with your innate learning style which can be discovered through an assessment such as the StrengthsFinder® profile, by working with a coach, or by analyzing your own history. Generally when left to your own devices, you’ll do what comes naturally to you, which will always be the quickest and easiest way for you to learn.

 

LEARNING HISTORIES

A client I’ll call Alicia learned how to type when she was 6 years old. Her mother let her ‘play’ on the family typewriter. By the time she got to high school and took a typing class which attempted to teach her “touch typing,” it was too late to unlearn the old ways, yet she keyboards at over 100. Would anyone complain about the method?

 

Then she took a jobs Indonesia where her boss told her he wanted a newsletter in two weeks, and gave her – wouldn’t you know? – a Mac. Being used to tinkering, she started right in, asking an office mate some pertinent questions, and figuring it out fairly rapidly although she had never touched a computer before. Someone else might have refused that jobs indonesia or demanded lessons.

 

The next job Alicia had she was required to use a PC, and she tackled that on her own as well.

Nick, however, learns best from formal instruction, and then having a manual at his side. It confuses him if someone tries to instruct him sitting by his side or talking to him. He would rather work on his own, in peace and quiet.

Emotional Intelligence starts with self-awareness – knowing your emotions as well as your cognitive abilities, and particularly how they interface. Nick and Alicia were both able to learn computer skills, but they were comfortable in different settings, and it’s emotional “comfort,” that gets rid of the fear and accelerates the learning curve. Learning has a huge emotional component to it that is just now being honored in our schools and in the work place.

 

MOVE RAPIDLY FOR BEST RESULTS

A crucial point is the longer you stay in the confused stage, the more stress you’ll experience. This will reinforce itself, making it harder for you to learn in the future. In essence you’ll be slowing down your learning curve each time.

The faster you learn each thing, the less agony, and the better and faster you’ll learn in the future. It’s a win-win. Your employer wants you to learn fast, and it’s in your best interest to learn fast.

 

Another great benefit is then learning is fun – like the 6 year old learning to ski. This is turn will make you more resilient (the stress-buster for the 00s) because studies have shown that lifetime learning contributes to resilience.

The ability to change rapidly, be flexible and learn quickly are highly valued by today’s employers and reduce your personal stress levels.

These are all Emotional Intelligence competencies you can learn. How? Start with an overview of the field and an assessment of your own Emotional Intelligence (EQ or EI). You can take an interactive Emotional Intelligence course on the Internet, and then work with a certified Emotional Intelligence coach who can provide individual instruction to improve your competencies.

 

Developing your Emotional Intelligence has many benefits. It can accelerate the learning curve because it teaches you correct patterns, makes previous knowledge more accessible, allows for better cognitive functioning, and manages the emotions so they help the process, not hinder it. It can also increase your ability to get the help – and the kind of help – you need from others.

 

Even if faced with learning something completely new, you’ll learn to recognize the steps and feelings that go along with each stage which will eliminate a lot of stress.

 

You’ve taken care of your academic education, but what about your Emotional Intelligence? Take a second look. Many people are finding it to be the missing piece in their Careers plan. 

 

Careers : Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

by Dorene Lehavi

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

1) Listen without judgment. The key to good communication is listening well. Save your judging for later after you have heard and understood what was said.

 

2) Listen with the willingness to be swayed to the other person's opinion. No obligation to actually being swayed, but stay open to the option.

 

3) Listen without thinking about what you will say next. Take time before you respond.

 

4) Do not be invested in being right. Being right is not the point. If you must be right, you are not able to listen nor communicate because you have set up a barrier already. If you are always right that means the other person is always wrong. That cannot be true.

 

5) If your mind wanders, ask for repetition. We all are subject to distraction. Try to stay focused.

 

6) In all cases repeat back what you heard and ask if it is correct.

 

7) Listen to yourself. Find quiet moments and pay attention to what you are hearing from yourself. Does your body tighten up about certain issues. Body language is not something to read only in other people.

 

8) Say it honestly, but with consideration for the listener's feelings. Be polite, respectful and sincere.

 

9) Understand and acknowledge that most things are not black or white, but somewhere in a gray area. Get comfortable with gray.

 

10) Have integrity and build trust. Don't say what you don't mean. Don't promise what you won't or can't fulfill. Follow through with any committments you make.

 

Good listening skills take practice. Specific coaching may be necessary if you find you have communication issues with your boss, colleagues, subordinates, partners or personal relationships.

Indonesia Vacancy : 5 Interviewing Tips To Get That Job

By Marie Roker

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Anyone who is a jobseeker knows that looking for a new job or careers is a job in itself. Once you have completed the laborious task of writing your resume and submitting it to various companies, you now have to pass the screen test to get the job. Interviews are the gateway to landing your ideal job. These five tips will help you get own your way to making that job yours.

 

1. Be Confident

 

Your first impression is your only impression.

Nothing is worse than a limp handshake, slumped shoulders, poor eye contact or poor communication skills. A potential employer can tell immediately if you are the man or woman for this job by your body language. Although aggressiveness is a turn-off, being passive gives the indication that you are not sure of yourself or your qualifications. Keep eye contact when answering questions or when the interviewer is speaking directly to you. Smile occasionally to show your interest and enthusiasm. Keeping a steady gaze on the interviewer can be disturbing to an interviewer. Look away occasionally. Lean forward to show that you are interested in what the interviewer is saying. Speak in a concise and clear voice. If you have problems annunciating certain words, don’t try to use them on an interview. If this is difficult for you, practice with a mirror and pay attention to your facial expressions. Other interview killers: Slouching in a chair, Crossing your arms, Playing with your hair or jewelry, Leaning back in chair

 

2. Act As If

 

You are what you believe.

Act as if you had the job. What would you do if you had this position? How would you act? How would a person in this position act and speak? What are your responsibilities in this position? What is a typical day like for you in this job? Change your attitude towards yourself and your strengths. If you start thinking that you won’t get the job, you will do small unnoticeable things to sabotage your chances. Great free resource: www.confidenceworld.com.

 

3. Know The Company

 

Know the business.

I once sat on a couple of interviews where the interviewees did not do any research on the company. This sends a message that you are looking for any job, not this specific job. Once you’re interview is scheduled, get on the net and start finding out everything you can about the company. A good place to start is www.hoovers.com, which gives you industry information, top competitors, names of CEO, etc. If you’d like to know what current or former employees have to say about the company, try www.wetfeet.com. Beware of disgruntled postings. Call the company headquarters and ask for the marketing department to get specific information. Weave your research into the interview by stating. I read an article in the Wall Street Journal, which mentioned that your company is thinking about XYZ. This lets the interviewer know that you have taken the time to know more about the company. You can ask questions about something you read, but don’t challenge them or you’ll come across as a know-it-all.

 

4. Be Prepared

 

Know what to say.

Most interviewers ask the same standard questions about your strengths, weaknesses, former employers, work history. If you are being interviewed by several people, this might be a good cop, bad cop situation. Pay attention to who is playing bad cop, they are looking for signs of weakness and dishonesty. To be well prepared, before the interview, write out all your accomplishments, both personal and professional. List your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest, it’s easier to remember the truth than it is a lie. Extra Tip: Write out situations in which you have demonstrated: leadership skills, determination, stress management, creativity, and flexibility. Be prepared to answer the question: Why do you want this job? If you’re not sure, reevaluate your decision. If you arrive a few minutes early, review what you wrote in the waiting room before the interview.

   

5. Ask For The Job

 

You get what you ask for.

The most important step in the interviewing process is one most people miss. ASK FOR THE JOB! Most interviewers are waiting for that closure. If you have done everything exceptionally well during the interviewing process, but have not asked for the job, you’ve just wasted an interview. Asking for the job shows the potential employer that you are assertive, confident and right for the job. It might feel uncomfortable, but this is your only chance to ask for something you really want. Make sure your voice is firm and you make eye contact. Think of it as your closing argument, you’ve got to win over the jury. You should also ask the interviewer if he or she thinks you are right for the job. Even if they tell you something unpleasant, think of it as a lesson learned. However, do yourself a favor and ask for the job. You deserve it!

How To Increase Productivity In The Office

By Alan Cassidy

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Companies lose millions of dollars because of poor employee productivity. Man power is very important in the success of a company. If employees are unproductive, work outputs are lessened.

Here are some tips on how to increase productivity in the office:

Tip 1: Allot at least 10 minutes of your time in the morning to answer important e-mail. Personal messages should be answered right after work. Lessen the amount of time you spend on networking sites. Most companies block networking sites to increase productivity.

Tip 2: The company should provide ergonomic office chairs to employees. Since employees are expected to render about 8 hours of work daily, they spend most of their time seated in the office chair. This leads to the development of back pain and stiff muscles. According to studies, ergonomic chairs improve circulation of blood and lessen the appearance of body pains. Employees feel more invigorated while working. Moreover, they also feel more energized in completing the tasks for the day.

Look for an ergonomic chair with casters. The casters make mobility easier. It will allow the employee to transfer from one computer terminal to another without standing and walking to the area all the time.

Tip 3: Tasks have to be divided. While most employees are willing to work extra hours to complete tasks, frequently rendering overtime causes feelings of depression and chronic fatigue. Divide the tasks and make sure work tasks can be done competently by one person. Encourage team work in the office.

Tip 4: Employees should get enough sleep. The body also needs to recuperate after the previous ordeals it has gone through. A person who frequently lacks sleep has trouble concentrating on specific tasks. Memory loss and short attention span are just some of the effects of lack of sleep.

Tip 5: Some companies give free vitamin C supplements to employees especially during cold season. Vitamin C helps improve energy levels. This vitamin also improves immune functions so employees are less likely to call in sick.

Tip 6: Offer incentives especially when employees have exceeded performance expectations. Employees get motivated when there are rewards for their hard work or extra work. They also become more loyal. They grumble less and they tend to harness their skills willingly if there are incentives offered.

Tip 7: Facilitate seminars or skill calibration talks to harness the skills of employees. This will also freshen up their minds and allow them to set new goals for themselves.

How To Stay Focused - Your Calendar Is A Great Resource

By Helen Raptoplous

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

I am a big advocate for a detailed calendar. I prefer a desk calendar to one that is online, but either one will work. Your calendar will tell the truth about what is important to you and what you most want to accomplish. How you block out your time and what you do with that amount of time is very critical to your success. If you are not making the progress you expect or you are not accomplishing what you know you are capable of, then take a peek at your calendar. In solid print you will see how you are using, or abusing your greatest resource of time.

Time is our greatest resource as well as the great equalizer among all of us. It is one thing to have time and another to use it well and productively. Distractions will test us day in and day out. Those distractions are the great challenge that separates those who are stuck from those who are moving forward. We will all find distractions to be a challenge, some more then others, but it is a skill we must master because how we use out time is of great strategic importance.

You will want to align your goals and priorities with how you consistently spend your time. You will block out space in your calendar to focus on the things that will move you forward each day. Time allocation is something to asses each week to see where and how you can make improvements. Your time is of great value. This is your time to accomplish whatever you set out to achieve for yourself. Use your calender to make constant commitments to your success and then follow through.

Seven Tips For Handling Stress At Work

By Paul Fischer

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

We have all had those moments at work that overwhelm us. You know that feeling. The one that sends a surge of nervous tension up your spine and the only thing preventing you from "Going Postal" on your coworker is the Happy Hour on the horizon.
The stress of these demanding and harsh economic times has been slowly eating at us and leaving us frazzled more than ever. It is how you handle and deal with stress that makes the difference to you maintaining your composure, professionalism, and respect with others.
Below are some easy to implement stress management approaches:

1. Shut Your Door. If you don't have a door, close your eyes and take three super deep breaths through your nose and exhaling in a long powerful blow out of your mouth. While you are doing the latter, concentrate on a happy memory or a pleasant vision of the future.
2. Clean Desktop Daily. Make sure at the end of the day that your desk is clean and orderly. It will give you a positive feeling as you walk through the door the next morning.
3. Exercise. Stand-up and take a brisk one minute walk around the office. If you can get away with it, make it outside as well.
4. Excuse Me. If you feel yourself about ready to go into a profanity laced tirade, simply excuse yourself to get a class of water or take a restroom break.
5. Break Time. Be sure to take your scheduled work breaks. There has been a lot of research on this topic and they all agree, even a brief rest will ease stress.
6. Be Punctual. Unless you have a very good reason to put in constant overtime, starting and leaving on time prevents the overworked syndrome.
7. Eat Healthy. Make sure you get the prescribed dosage of vitamins and minerals that includes plenty of seafood and green vegetables.

Over an extended amount of time, pressure results in tense muscles and rapid heart rate with long term effects such as high blood pressure, weakened immune system, and depression. In fact the famed Framingham Heart Study showed that not taking regular vacations leads to heart disease and heart attacks risk that is 36% in men and 50% in women.

Yoga on the beach sounds pretty relaxing to me.

How to Become an Effective Leader in 9 Steps

By Takuya Hikichi

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Building an efficient and effective team leader requires desire, tenacity, dedication and skills. If you are new to the job of leadership or are facing difficulties, then you should follow a few techniques that will make you an effective team leader.

Here are nice bullets for creating an effective leader out of you.

1. Remove discordance: Individual differences and competition can be the end of a team. To foster teamwork, do not focus on individual efforts. Instill the importance of collective effort and harmony.

2. Define objectives and responsibilities clearly: Instructions for work have to be clear and well defined. Similarly, extent of accountability of each member should be clarified. All the members should have a distinct idea of the objectives and missions of the team. Goals for each and every member should be defined in detail.

3. Accept ideas of the group: A team comprises of people from various educational, social and cultural backgrounds. This results in variance of ideas and opinions. Be open to all ideas. Encourage people to come forth with their suggestions and teach all the members to accept the opinions of others. Give due importance to all ideas.

4. Encourage discussions: Frank and honest discussions should be organized in the team. Consult the team on all matters. Discuss problems and solutions with them. Encourage them to come out with constructive suggestions and criticisms.

5. Delegate decision making powers: From time to time, in crunch situations allow the members to take and implement decisions. Guide the team but don't impose your decisions on them. Give them some space. This will develop leadership qualities.

6. Give incentives: Recognize the skills and work of the team members and offer them incentives for excellence. Discuss what incentives that the team members most feel rewarded to receive.

7. Inspire and motivate: Inspiration and motivation are the keys to a great team. Lead from the front and push the team to greater achievements. But be careful, do not try to do things yourself, each the team to do it. Remember, a team looks up to the leader for guidance; it doesn't want him to do its work.

8. Facilities for improvement: Training and developmental programs should be organized frequently. Seminars and workshops on team building will also be helpful.

9. Finally, your conduct, behavior and work ethics should demand respect and be an example to the team. This will create the necessary ambiance for an efficient and cohesive team.

Team Building Vs Team Bonding

By Alan Hunt

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Look up the word "Building" in a reputable dictionary and you'll get something like "the creation or development of something over a period of time". Try the same with the "bonding" and you'll instead be rewarded with something akin to "establish a relationship or link with someone based on shared feelings, interests, or experiences". When it comes to helping teams be more effective, they both have a part to play.

Anyone responsible for a team's performance will want to ensure that as many obstacles to it doing as well as it can in any given circumstance are removed. Indeed, they'll want to go further than that and engage the team in proactive discovery of ways in which it can become every more efficient and effective. Team bonding can help with the former; team building the latter.

The closer that team members feel to one another, the more likely they are to stick together in difficult times and the smoother than more regular days will go as well. Team bonding activities can help with this. Taking our definition at the top, a bonding session is anything that the group can do together that offers them a shared experience. Old favourites like clay pigeon shooting, karting, chocolate making and so on all fall into this category. As, for that matter, do social evenings. Yes, organising a pub crawl really can help your team members get closer together! So any and all of these types of non-work time can bond a team closer.

What they won;t do is that harder, second step. To go beyond having a shared experience and move into the realms of creating or developing great team effectiveness you need to engage in team building, not bonding. As per the definition above, building equals development. That is, the team actually improves something significantly in the way it goes about its day to day business rather than simply gets its team members closer.

To be a team building session rather than a team bonding one, the activity undertaken needs to have two defining characteristics. Firstly, the action - whatever it is - needs to be something that requires team members to work together on in some way. As a simple example, getting into a kart and hammering it around a circuit is an individual affair. On the other hand, constructing a kart that is then driven around a circuit is an entirely different matter. Designing and building a vehicle capable of being driven safely by a team member will require the whole team to work together.

Secondly and most importantly, the activity agenda needs to have time set aside to reflect on what the team or teams did and how it or they went about tackling the challenge. Indeed, if the session is all about learning how to be better as a team, you should probably set aside at least as long for the debrief session as the activity itself. People often balk at this idea. Many think that a debrief session is the price you have to pay in order to be able to enjoy the activity. My experience is that a well run, structured debrief session is not only worth its weight in gold but is enjoyed every bit as much, and often more, than the activity in the first place.

In conclusion, make sure that what you select to do on your team away day matches what you want to get out of it. If it is all about having a shared experience and bringing people together, a team bonding session is the way to go. if you want more than that and have a sustained and positive impact back at work, then go for your choice of the many team building activities on offer.