How You Can Take Charge of Your Career
Many people purport to show how you can take charge of your career change, but few of them have the personal experience or credibility to convince you that it is possible.Many others would even try to tell you that it can't be done, but that is just their lack of imagination. All that you really need is some expert help and your own desire to make it happen.When you know what is involved, you can use a very direct approach to drive your career change.It is relatively easy to learn how you can change your thinking to a new way of thinking about your career change that powers you through the change and empowers you personally to take charge of your career. J

Tips for Building a Successful Career
1. Develop excellent work habits – for example, meet deadlines and don’t procrastinate.2. Read extensively about your primary career area. “Own” your profession by developing a disciplined reading program, so you’ll be aware of trends and developments.3. Practice team playing – learning from colleagues and sharing your knowledge.4. Know both your job and your organization’s expectations, and be sure they’re on the same track.5. Set goals, write them down and evaluate your progress.6. Focus on understanding your client/customers. Come up with strategies that add value from them.7. Don’t dodge administrative tasks – it upsets most super

Sarbanes Oxley - The Resolution Or The Cause
Last year a 15 member commission was created by the US Chamber of Commerce to evaluate the effects of litigation & regulation on the US capital market. Tom Donohue, the CEO of the Chamber, is a powerful business lobbyist that has become critical of the implementation of Sarbanes Oxley (SarBox) especially section 404 which covers the assessment of internal controls. The question remains: Is the litigious US business environment driving away foreign investment in US public companies? Has the SarBox section 404 caused these declines and how could it be changed to build confidence but retain assurance of the efficiency of internal controls? states in their development; at any given state of development, paying attention to issues beyond that state is irrelevant. It's not that the concern to introduce work on key business issues is wrong in itself, only that those issues are irrelevantto the current state of the business.

The Three States of a Business

State 1: Survival and Integrity

The primary focus here needs to be on making sure that the business is financially viable - that it is profitable and has positive cash flow. All your effort needs to be focused on the factors that are threatening survival: poor products, poor sales revenue and too much cost. It is essential to be sure that the basic operational and financial data is present and accurate, that there aren't any skeletons in the cupboard (for example legal, safety or quality issues), and that working relationships in crucial roles are in basic good shape. Concentrate on one-to-one coaching and hands-on management.

At this state of the business, it is in crisis.People need to work intensely for it to survive: it needs heroes.

State 2: Consistent Credibility and Reliability

In State 2, you need to focus primarily on developing consistent, credible results, so that the business reliably delivers on its commitments to its stakeholders. The first way to do this is to put in place efficient business processes in the key leverage areas such as sales, product development, operations, supply chain management, financial reporting and performance management.

The second requirement at this stage of the business is to focus on the building of basic competencies in management, effective teamwork and accountability. This is where group coaching and training can be effective, especially when done with intact teams, and tied to achieving specific business measures.

Processes have replaced the need for individual heroes!

State 3: Business Potential and Transformation

In State 3 the focus of the business and the people in it have moved beyond solely delivering reliable and consistent results, though these are of course still essential. You have a choice: the business has reached a plateau and there is a danger that it can stagnate. The challenge is to move on beyond creating a well-run business as an end in itself. The focus now needs to be on creating a truly inspirational future. Work needs to be done to ensurethat everyone in the business has a shared vision of an inspiring future that they can articulate concisely and compellingly - and act on!

A business like this inspires heroism in the form of leadership, which does not just exist in the senio

nue and too much cost. It is essential to be sure that the basic operational and financial data is present and accurate, that there aren't any skeletons in the cupboard (for example legal, safety or quality issues), and that working relationships in crucial roles are in basic good shape. Concentrate on one-to-one coaching and hands-on management.

At this state of the business, it is in crisis.People need to work intensely for it to survive: it needs heroes.

State 2: Consistent Credibility and Reliability

In State 2, you need to focus primarily on developing consistent, credible results, so that the business reliably delivers on its commitments to its stakeholders. The first way to do this is to put in place efficient business processes in the key leverage areas such as sales, product development, operations, supply chain management, financial reporting and performance management.

The second requirement at this stage of the business is to focus on the building of basic competencies in management, effective teamwork and accountability. This is where group coaching and training can be effective, especially when done with intact teams, and tied to achieving specific business measures.

Processes have replaced the need for individual heroes!

State 3: Business Potential and Transformation

In State 3 the focus of the business and the people in it have moved beyond solely delivering reliable and consistent results, though these are of course still essential. You have a choice: the business has reached a plateau and there is a danger that it can stagnate. The challenge is to move on beyond creating a well-run business as an end in itself. The focus now needs to be on creating a truly inspirational future. Work needs to be done to ensurethat everyone in the business has a shared vision of an inspiring future that they can articulate concisely and compellingly - and act on!

A business like this inspires heroism in the form of leadership, which does not just exist in the senio

itments to its stakeholders. The first way to do this is to put in place efficient business processes in the key leverage areas such as sales, product development, operations, supply chain management, financial reporting and performance management.

The second requirement at this stage of the business is to focus on the building of basic competencies in management, effective teamwork and accountability. This is where group coaching and training can be effective, especially when done with intact teams, and tied to achieving specific business measures.

Processes have replaced the need for individual heroes!

State 3: Business Potential and Transformation

In State 3 the focus of the business and the people in it have moved beyond solely delivering reliable and consistent results, though these are of course still essential. You have a choice: the business has reached a plateau and there is a danger that it can stagnate. The challenge is to move on beyond creating a well-run business as an end in itself. The focus now needs to be on creating a truly inspirational future. Work needs to be done to ensurethat everyone in the business has a shared vision of an inspiring future that they can articulate concisely and compellingly - and act on!

A business like this inspires heroism in the form of leadership, which does not just exist in the senio

ong>

In State 3 the focus of the business and the people in it have moved beyond solely delivering reliable and consistent results, though these are of course still essential. You have a choice: the business has reached a plateau and there is a danger that it can stagnate. The challenge is to move on beyond creating a well-run business as an end in itself. The focus now needs to be on creating a truly inspirational future. Work needs to be done to ensurethat everyone in the business has a shared vision of an inspiring future that they can articulate concisely and compellingly - and act on!

A business like this inspires heroism in the form of leadership, which does not just exist in the senior levels of management and directors but runs through the entire business. Teamwork is self-generating: teams form and become effective independent of direction from senior leaders.

At this stage of the business, focus on transformation - creating and managing new mindsets from which to operate the business, continuously developing its thinking and performance. Exploring group and individual mindsets can become a natural part of dealing with issues and obstacles to progress in the business. As a result at this stage, issues are resolved and progress made very rapidly.

How to Use the Principle

It is important to remember that each state of the business's progress builds on and includes the one before. Even if your business has reached State 2 or 3, it can regress if an issue around business integrity or reliability arises. The important thing is to pay conscious attention to where it is at any given point in time - a business may go ‘backwards' as well as ‘onwards'!

Once you fully understand the principle we outline here, it becomes obvious why there is sometimes resistance to things you would like to do in your business. You cannot move ahead until you deal with the issues at each stage. They demand attention, and until they are resolved and the business can credibly be said to be operating at the next state, there will be no tolerance for carrying out work on any further issues.

At the point where a business moves to the next state of development, issues appropriate to that state will naturally arise. The business will eventually naturally demandthe work that needs to be done, there will be an appetite for doing it, and it will feel 'right' and relevant at the appropriate time.

==> for more information view the original newsletter article here <==