LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE

Tom Peters, a business guru who is frequently one step ahead in business thinking, says this about the importance of humor at work: "The number one premise of business is that it need not be boring or dull. It ought to be fun. If it's not fun, you're wasting your life." Peters believes that infusing the workplace with more humor, will increase creativity, teamwork and ultimately productivity. The reality is that the best people are attracted to working environments where there is an element of fun. If good people are placed in an environment that is impersonal, cold and unfriendly for an extended period of time, that is how they will eventually behave is his contention. Studies show that 84 percent of employers believe employees with a sense of humor do a better job. Another study showed that of 737 CEOs surveyed, 98 percent preferred job candidates with a sense of humor to those without. It's important to note that a good sense of humor need not include the capacity to tell a funny joke or the ability to fire off witty remarks. The essence of developing a good sense of humor is not taking oneself too seriously and keeping a positive attitude. How to implement an office sense of humor? One way is to poke fun at oneself. A little bit of self-deprecating humor can provide a necessary relief from tense situations. Conversely, an excess of this type of humor may make other people uncomfortable and lead to serious low self-esteem issues. Another type of humor is put-down humor. This type of humor involves teasing, sarcasm and ridicule and it tends to be a popular form of humor around the water cooler. If aimed at politicians, actors, etc. it is harmless and can help to form social bonds. Be careful, though, if aimed at fellow workers, it can become a form of social aggression and will backfire. Better, is to use bonding humor and observational humor to lighten the stress. Bonding humor is to tell a funny, clean joke or witty banter. Think of "fun to be around" type of people. Bonding humor can provide a sense of togetherness. Be certain to include everyone in on the joke, so it doesn’t isolate individual employees. Observational humor is the healthiest of all. People who use this type of humor have a unique outlook on life. They are always able to see the bright side of things and they don't take themselves too seriously. This enables them to deal more easily with daily stress in their life at work and at home. Bill Cosby, Russell Peters and Bob Newhart are masters of observational humor. Observational humor is the only type of humor which can be enjoyed alone. As a result, studies linking humor with health have tended to concentrate on this type of humor. Humor has the power to do many positive things to our bodies. It's responsible for elevating our mood, breaking up boredom and fatigue and giving us more resilience. It also boosts our immune system, reduces stress, relaxes muscles and lowers our blood pressure. Your humorous personal health also has positive repercussions at work. Because of humor’s social nature, those people with a healthy sense of humor are less overwhelmed in tough situations, more cheerful and less rigid. They are also able to use laughter to diffuse hostility and encourage cooperation when working in a team and completing projects. People who laugh well together work well together. "A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done." President Dwight D. Eisenhower knew about leadership, first as a general and then as president. As a leader, isn’t the goal really, to get things done? In these times when there is so much uncertainty, and times are tough; getting things done in a harmonious manner will get you ahead much faster. HUMOR HELP IS HERE So now you're interested in lifting your laugh-ability factor, or maybe finding your inner funny bone. Here are a few tips on how to do this at work. Stifle sarcasm: It has too much potential to be taken the wrong way in a work environment. Tell a joke - Don't just memorize the latest joke making the rounds on email. Tailor your jokes to the individual or group and keep them clean. If in doubt, think your nine year-old’s joke book. The occasional comment: Making a funny comment to diffuse tension during a meeting is a great idea, but don't overdo it. Join a friendly neighborhood: Hang around funny friends. Spend time with those who are upbeat and avoid negative people whenever possible. Chuckle with the team: You can be seen as having a great sense of humor without ever telling a joke. Just listen to those around you and share in their laughter. Reminders: Remind yourself to have fun everyday. Place humorous cartoons and quotes in your personal workspace. Be mindful of subject matter and the object of the humor. Sporadic personal putdowns: This can put others at ease and you don't risk offending anyone. Be sure to keep a light mood and don't make it a habit. Now you're off and laughing to make your world a more harmonious, healthy and less stressful place. Laugh. Often. Keeping your sense of humor is a process. It is not a place to get to, but an ongoing journey. You are always developing your humor. People change, circumstances change. After all, who foresaw joking about salary reductions and layoffs? If you want help improving or reviving your sense of humor, feel free to contact me now. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

TAKE INVENTORY OF YOURSELF

Periodically it is a good thing to take inventory. Retailers do this annually. And we all know the IRS requires us to do an income inventory annually too. We sometimes take stock somewhat informally, and call the patches to improve ourselves, "New Year’s resolutions." Do you need to do a more complete self-inventory? Well, that depends. Are you happy with your life now? Are you on a defined and definite path to your goals? Do you have a plan? Are you working your plan? Can you describe your goals quickly and succinctly to a stranger? Do you have a mission statement? If you answered "yes" to these questions you are probably don’t need to do a self-inventory. Congratulations! You are one of the few people (less than 5%) who have defined who you are; what is important to you; where you want to go; defined what is required to get to your goals; and have created a plan to reach your defined goals. For the rest of us, if you think you need to make changes or you want something different or you don’t know where you want to go – a self-inventory may be the answer. At the very least it can point you in the right direction. "If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there." Said Lewis Carroll, in "Alice in Wonderland." So you want to do a good job so you actually end up where you want to go. This is even more important if you don’t know where you want to go. Determining who you are and what is important to you will help define the "where" and help you choose the right road. WHO ARE YOU? Inside, you are the same person you were ten years ago. Your life experiences may temper some of your actions to similar events today, but your essential internal reaction is the same. For example, you observe someone behave rudely to another. Your reaction (shame, anger, amusement, sadness, satisfaction, etc.) is the same. Your actions to this event may have changed over time. Ten years ago you may have confronted the attacker. Whereas today, you may decide to not become involved in the event. An easy way to know yourself is to write down all the adjectives you can think of about yourself and all the values that are important to you. Then begin to group them according to how important that characteristic or value is to you. After you have decided on your top ten list, determine your top five, then your top three and finally your single most important value or characteristic. How to narrow your list down, start by asking yourself which one of two values is more important to you. Then keeping the important value, compare it to another value, keep that one, and so on. As an example, let’s take three values: compassion, honesty and trust. Which is more important to Pat, compassion or honesty? Pat chooses honesty. Which is more important to Pat, honesty or trust? Pat again chooses honesty. Thus honesty is Pat’s most important value. Which is more important Pat, compassion or trust? Pat chooses trust. Thus, for Pat the order of these three values is Honesty, Trust and Compassion. USING YOUR LIST In searching for a job, honesty needs to be a component for the job to be meaningful for Pat. Thus any job with a high-pressure sales element would not be a good fit for Pat. In relationships, the ability to be honest and open will be important in a partner or spouse for Pat. Here are some questions to get you started in aligning your values with your goals and with your life. If you feel like something is missing in your life, perhaps it is simply that your goals are out of alignment with your values.

• What values do you want to be part of your work environment?
• Are they there now, or are they missing?
• How do you reinforce your values in your life?
• What values are reflected in your goals?
• Are my actions and choices moving me closer to my goals?
• Or are they getting in the way of my goals?
• How much of your time are you devoting to attaining your goals?
• What plan or plans do you have for attaining your goals?
• Are you working your plans persistently, through organized effort, or working them only intermittently, when the notion strikes you?
• Are you dedicated to your goals, or are they merely a wish or a weak hope?

I know you can do this. I know this is a valuable exercise. Right now, open up a document and start listing your values. The rewards will be high for you. Let me know your top three values. The first five people to do so, will get a free hour of coaching.

A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream.

Warmly, Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com

HOW MUCH ARE YOU WORTH?

Isn’t that the question that comes to mind when it comes time to negotiate your salary? Yes, that is the question. * And, the answer is, "It depends." It is a variable answer because it depends on a variety of factors.

• What is the state of current market;
• How many people have your skills, knowledge, abilities and experience;
• What is the employer’s position in the market, field; and
• What is the size of the company?

All of these factors come together and impact the value of your market worth. Your skills and abilities might be variable by as much as $50,000/year. That’s a significant difference. Let’s figure out how to get you more of what is available.

THE BASICS Let’s start at the beginning. Two parties decide they want to do business together. Then, in the negotiation, the seller starts high, because they obviously want to make as much money as possible. The buyer starts low. They just as obviously want to pay as little as possible. They go back and forth, each moving towards the middle a little each time, until each is satisfied that they are getting "a good deal."

If you don’t negotiate regularly, or aren’t prepared with market knowledge, you will feel like you could have done better. Most people in the United States don’t negotiate on a regular basis and are uncomfortable with the process. Evidence of this is car buying. Very few people feel they got the "good deal" when they leave the dealership. This also explains the popularity of non-negotiating car dealerships.

HOW TO GET A GOOD DEAL Do you know how to spot a good deal? To negotiate with confidence, knowledge is power. You have to do your homework. Remember too, don’t begin to discuss compensation until after you have been offered the job.

• Use an online salary calculator (such as: homefair.com, salary.com, cbsalary.com, or Google you’ll get 53 pages of links). If you are relocating to a different part of your state or the country, find a salary calculator that will do both areas for you. Don’t rely on just one calculator. Use several to get a good idea of the ranges available for your job title, field and industry. Also look at the size of company in relation to the various salary ranges.
• The value of you. Be realistic in your assessment of your own skills and experience. Use the perspective of the employer – where on the salary range would they place your skills and abilities? This is the age of intellectual capital and the value of specialized knowledge is at a premium, even in this tough job market.
• What is demand for professional positions similar to yours at this point in time? And all that volatility among companies is not necessarily a bad thing — increasing fluctuations in corporate valuations actually enhances your value in the marketplace.
• Review your budget. Yes, look at how much it takes to run your household. What is the minimum? What would be more comfortable?
• What benefits do you need? What benefits would be nice to have? Review the company’s website to see the benefits they list there. What is missing that you need or want?

Let’s review: Through the online calculators, you have come up with a reasonable salary range for the position you have been offered. You have done a self-inventory to know where in the salary range you fit, in the eyes of the employer. You know where in the salary range you need to fit to run your household. You have a reasonable idea of how many people just like you are looking for this job AND how many employers are looking for people like you. These factors together create the foundation of the job market for you in this position.

Keep in mind the value of benefits. If the salary is high, but there are no benefits, be sure to evaluate the out of pocket cost for the benefits you will be buying. Add that calculation back into the salary. Is it still a good offer? Or will you need more money to make up for the lack of health insurance?

SOME NEGOTIATING TECHNIQUES Let the employer or hiring manager make the first offer. Why? The second person has the advantage. You want to be the second person. After you hear the offer you know where in the range that number is relation to what you want. If it is higher than the amount you would have asked for, just say, "Yes, that will be fine." If it is lower, make an offer somewhat above what you need or want for this position. That will give you some room to compromise down to their counter-offer.

Be nice. Be respectful. This will be your future boss. Be firm and confident in your research. They will respect you for negotiating. Ask to think about it overnight, or if it is Friday, over the weekend. This is an important decision. It is good to take some time. It shows you are serious and thoughtful.

* You have value beyond price. Don’t let salary, job title or any other external and artificial label create your value for you. You were created to let your light shine as a beacon for us all. "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. … We are all meant to shine, as children do. … As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (Quote by Marianne Williamson)

Let me know how your job hunt is going. What are your particular challenges. Share your experiences in the comments section. Or, send me an email to eal@EALCoaching.com . I’d love to know how you are doing and what strategies you are using. A dream with a plan is a goal. A goal without a plan is just a dream. Warmly, Elisabeth

Elisabeth Adler-Lund Executive And Life Coaching Telephone: 916 • 803•1494 E-mail: eal@EALCoaching.com