The blog for all things Apochromatik.
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Apochromatik's Holiday Guide
The holidays are here! With the combination of work parties, family activities, an expanded to do list, and all the end of the year craziness, you may not have been sitting at your desk, hitting refresh on the Apochromatik blog. We’ve rounded up some of our resources on the holidays, both articles that have quoted us as experts, and our own blog posts that can help you end December with deepened work relationships, having advanced your career, and with time and energy left for your most important relationships.
How a Mastermind Can Change Your Career
*OK, so maybe I’ve never had a direct conversation with TV character Leslie Knope of “Parks and Recreation." Or with Amy Poehler. But I’m pretty sure if I could, they’d both be in favor of masterminds. And, as we know, waffles.
2020 Has Really Been Something...Embrace Support
*OK, so maybe I’ve never had a direct conversation with TV character Leslie Knope of “Parks and Recreation." Or with Amy Poehler. But I’m pretty sure if I could, they’d both be in favor of masterminds. And, as we know, waffles.
Focus on Career: Networking
July is a great time to jump start your job search, so throughout the month, we’re focusing on different elements of the process.
Go Streaking and 4 Other Tips to Create New Habits
“I’m too old to create new habits,” the client told me.
“What do you mean?” I asked, assuming I was misunderstanding. Nope, I was not:
“I’m too far along in my career and too set in my ways at this age to learn a new habit,” he clarified.
“Aren’t you 30?” I asked.
“No,” he said – “I’m 31.”
Apochromatik's Holiday Guide
The holidays are here! With the combination of work parties, family activities, an expanded to do list, and all the end of the year craziness, you may not have been sitting at your desk, hitting refresh on the Apochromatik blog. We’ve rounded up some of our resources on the holidays, both articles that have quoted us as experts, and our own blog posts that can help you end December with deepened work relationships, having advanced your career, and with time and energy left for your most important relationships.
Leslie Knope Likes Masterminds*
*OK, so maybe I’ve never had a direct conversation with TV character Leslie Knope of “Parks and Recreation." Or with Amy Poehler. But I’m pretty sure if I could, they’d both be in favor of masterminds. And, as we know, waffles.
Second to last month of...the decade!
The end of one month and beginning of the next is the perfect time to look ahead and reset where you are and where you’re going. It’s less intimidating and overwhelming than the beginning of a new year, and much more manageable to think about how you’ll use the next month to have more of the things you want in your career and life, and less of the things you don’t. And, as we enter one of the last two months of the decade, now is a great time to follow these six steps to set yourself up for a great month.
Is your annual review approaching?
Performance reviews are just around the corner in many firms and organizations. We often hear that people are “too busy” to prepare for their review. As we always say, that’s like saying “I was so busy packing for vacation that I didn’t have time to book a plane ticket.” Your review may be the one time all year when you and your boss both carve out time to sit and talk about your career. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
Job Search Month: Using Your Résumé and Cover Letter to Market Yourself
What is the one thing you know most about?
What is your number one field of expertise?
What does the culmination of your experiences create?
You might find it surprising that I actually know the answers to each of these questions.
Job Search Month: Networking
September is a great time to jump start your job search, so throughout the month, we’re focusing on different elements of the process.
This week, we’re starting where your search should: networking. Whether or not you’re looking for a new position, no one has ever regretted having a strong network. From client referrals to moral support to, yes, help finding a new job, your network is an important asset you must invest in. In fact, studies show that 70 percent of jobs are filled through a networking contact, and the average annual income for workers who got their job with a referral is 6% higher than those who didn’t.
Go Streaking and 4 Other Tips to Create New Habits
“I’m too old to create new habits,” the client told me.
“What do you mean?” I asked, assuming I was misunderstanding. Nope, I was not:
“I’m too far along in my career and too set in my ways at this age to learn a new habit,” he clarified.
“Aren’t you 30?” I asked.
“No,” he said – “I’m 31.”
How Listening to Leslie Knope Changed My Life
“As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people’s ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”
- Amy Poehler
Three years ago, I didn’t know what a mastermind was. Today, I know that my accomplishments over the last two years are attributable in many ways to the focus, accountability, and development that a mastermind provided. In short, Amy Poehler (or, as I prefer to think of her, Leslie Knope) is right. Let me back up.
Make 2019 Different (and by Different I mean Great)
Everything old is new again. What popular 1930’s trend is back in vogue today?
I’ll give you a hint. Historically successful leaders like Franklin D. Roosevelt, Walt Disney, and Thomas Edison (all old, white guy business leaders) and even author and creative J.R.R. Tolkien, were famous for participating. The result of their participation was exponential growth in their businesses and pursuits and the “diversity” of thought they obtained from participation helped them accomplish far more than they ever could have alone.
Feedback...
One of our most popular trainings is on how to solicit and respond to feedback, both during and outside the formal review context. (We also train supervisors on how to give meaningful feedback.) As we speak to people who have made time to attend a training on making the most of feedback, we often hear that they are “too busy” to prepare for their review. As we always say, that’s like saying “I was so busy packing for vacation that I didn’t have time to book a plane ticket.” Your review may be the one time all year when you and your boss both carve out time to sit and talk about your career. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.
One Common Mistake to Avoid in the Search for True Job/Career Satisfaction
Job satisfaction, and for that matter career satisfaction, can play a big role in our overall happiness. I don’t know many people who haven’t had the Sunday evening “workweek dread” come over them around 4:00 p.m. But if that happens to you more weeks and sometimes days than not, you might need to consider whether you have real job satisfaction.
Preparing for your annual performance review?
Performance reviews are just around the corner for many firms and organizations. In addition to our recent four-part series on performance reviews, check out Amy M. Gardner’s conversation about performance reviews on Heather Hubbard’s Hustle & Flow podcast.