"solutions...with Courtney Anderson!"™

SITE: http://www.courtneyanderson.com/swca-episode-128-joyful-art-of-business-series-steve-jobs-legacy-lesson-stay-hungry-stay-foolish.html SHOW NOTES: This episode is part of our JOYFUL ART OF BUSINESS™ series! Our episode topic is, “Steve Jobs: Legacy? Lesson? Stay Hungry/ Stay Foolish?”  Few business leaders are widely known. Even fewer receive an outpouring of emotion for their work. Fewer still are publicly mourned. Steve Jobs is one of those who left a legacy. What lessons may we learn from his journey through life? http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/22/books/steve-jobs-by-walter-isaacson-review.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0  He said, “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. […] Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from

SITE: http://www.courtneyanderson.com/swca-episode-127-management-magicians-series-how-much-of-a-leader-does-a-manager-need-to-be.html SHOW NOTES: Our MANAGEMENT MAGICIANS™ series is dedicated to those exceptional few who step forward to serve as the most effective managers possible (they make it look like magic)! In this episode, our topic is, “How much of a ‘Leader” does a ‘Manager’ need to be?” What’s the answer? 0? 100? Imagine a four year old child as a leader over a 34 year old manager of a household (aka parent). The four year old decides what to eat, when to go to sleep, what to wear, etc.. All the 34 year old manager does is conduct the tasks to carry out what the four year old has decided (drive them to the restaurant, pay for things, etc.). The 34 year old asks the four old to do things (i.e., for permission to leave a restaurant, wear a coat, go to bed, etc.). This is not only an imaginary scenario. It is a reality in many households. Sad. Definition of Leader- “b (2) :  a person who has comma

SITE: http://www.courtneyanderson.com/swca-episode-126-hr-heroes-hangout-series-whose-side-is-hr-really-on-employer-or-employee.html SHOW NOTES: Our HR HEROES HANGOUT™ series is dedicated to the unsung heroes that ensure that organizations achieve and sustain maximum human capital competitive advantage! In this episode our topic is, “Whose ‘side’ is HR really on? Employer or Employee?”  HR is a glamorous and exciting field (it really is) where every single aspect of an organization is addressed. It deals with money (compensation, promotions, benefits, etc.), power (promotions, etc.) and respect (the concept of being valued). Our HR HEROES understand that they are not a peripheral “administrative” entity but are instead the very heart of the organization!  I have been asked whether our show topic is a “trick question.” It is not! Tips: Law = What You Have To Do Policy and Procedure = What You Have Decided to Do (organization specific) Ethics = What You Should Do HR is on the ‘side’ of what is best for

This episode is part of our JOYFUL ART OF BUSINESS™ series wherein we explore how to combine the positive benefits of our professional endeavors (“business”) with the overall positive emotional return on our efforts (“joy”). Our episode topic is, “Separate the probable (what is most likely to happen) from the possible (might be able to happen).” Definition of Possible:  “able to be done : able to happen or exist : able or suited to be or to become something specified Full Definition of POSSIBLE 1 a :  being within the limits of ability, capacity, or realization b :  being what may be conceived, be done, or occur according to nature, custom, or manners 2 a :  being something that may or may not occur b :  being something that may or may not be true or actual 3 :  having an indicated potential ”  Possible. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/possible Definition of Probable: “likely to happen or to be true but not certain Full Definition of PROBABLE

In the MYTH WARRIORS™ series we are targeting ideas to begin to assess whether they are credible or not (i.e., they are a myth, fallacy or even a lie). The topic for this episode is, “You are not a helpless victim.” Helpless definition? “: not protected : not able to defend yourself : unable to do something to make a situation, task, etc., better or easier : not able to be controlled” Helpless. (n.d.). Retrieved May 31, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/helpless Learned helplessness definition?  “[L]earned helplessness, in psychology, a mental state in which an organism forced to bear aversive stimuli, or stimuli that are painful or otherwise unpleasant, becomes unable or unwilling to avoid subsequent encounters with those stimuli, even if they are “escapable,” presumably because it has learned that it cannot control the situation. […]Seligman coined the term learned helplessness to describe the expectation that outcomes are uncontrollable. [...P]rior learning can result in a drastic c

This episode is part of our FINANCIAL FIERCENESS!™ series! This episode is, “Why am I always living paycheck to paycheck even when I get salary increases?” Budgets? Be cautious about budgets. People may create “ideal” (or fantasy) budgets. The goal is attaining and sustaining financial independence so you need to increase your income (and income producing assets) and lower your expenses.  The title of this episode states that there is already more income yet they are still paycheck to paycheck. Thus, we should immediately focus on expenses. Remember, the path to financial dependance (aka “broke”) is to spend more money when you earn more money. Instead, you must simultaneously work to increase income (or revenue) while decreasing expenses. Focusing on decreasing expenses, you must do the opposite of the inclination (i.e., I got a raise so I can get the bigger satellite package, etc.).  Money Days? This is my term for when I go through all of my expenses and cut costs (or increase my money that I have pos

This episode is part of our JOYFUL ART OF BUSINESS™ series wherein we explore how to combine the positive benefits of our professional endeavors (“business”) with the overall positive emotional return on our efforts (“joy”). Our episode topic is, “Other people's craziness has not managed to make me crazy.” - Lucille Clifton Here is the full quote in context: ”I do not feel inhibited or bound by what I am. That does not mean that I have never had bad scenes relating to being Black and / or a woman, it means that other people's craziness has not managed to make me crazy." (http://www.oregonlive.com/books/index.ssf/2012/10/poetry_punctuated_with_poise.html) I referenced a $400 million USD investment fraud in the show and it was about Marc Dreier (http://www.cnbc.com/id/42572204  or    http://www.vanityfair.com/business/features/2009/11/marc-dreier200911).   About the author of the quotes: Lucille Clifton was born June 27, 1936 and died on February 13th, 2010. Her first book of poems, Good Times, was rated one

In our HELP! SITUATION SPOTLIGHT™ series, we shine the light on challenges that community members have shared with me. This episode is, “People tell me that I am ‘too intense!’ What should I do?”  “Full Definition of INTENSE 1 a :  existing in an extreme degree b :  having or showing a characteristic in extreme degree 2 :  marked by or expressive of great zeal, energy, determination, or concentration 3 a :  exhibiting strong feeling or earnestness of purpose b :  deeply felt” Intense. (n.d.). Retrieved June 1, 2014, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intense Solution Process? What are the negative outcomes?  What are the positive outcomes? Are there more negative or positive outcomes? If you have more positive outcomes than negative ones, you most likely need to “find your tribe” (change your location to be around people who share your zeal, passion, and intensity). If you have more more negative outcomes than positive ones, you may need to reexamine your behavior to confirm if

In the MYTH WARRIORS™ series we are targeting ideas to begin to assess whether they are credible or not (i.e., they are a myth, fallacy or even a lie). The target for this episode is, “We cannot create what we can’t imagine.” Imagine: “Form a mental image or concept of:”  (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/imagine) Create: “Bring (something) into existence:” (http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/create?q=create) Are we able to bring something into existence that we are unable to form a mental image or concept of? No.  One of the challenges in my mentoring and coaching practice has been working with clients who put up the wall, “I don’t know how to do that!” Once a client states that they have not done something and do not want to do something it is virtually impossible to move them forward toward meeting and surpassing their purported goal. A client states, “My #1 goal is get a full time job with great benefits.” I am excited for them! Then they st

This episode is part of our EDUCATORS’ EDEN™ series wherein we explore the paradise that the most passionate, creative and committed educators create for themselves, their students, peers, administrations and institutions! This specific episode is, “Teaching the Overachiever!” - Overachievers have their own internal standards and expectations for what is “good enough.” Sharing data with them regarding collective class performance will help assure the overachiever that they are performing “well enough.” They often do not understand how atypical their individual expectations are (relative to the average student performance) and are often worried that everyone else is “doing better” than they are. Any anonymous class data that helps them better understand the real life performance of their peers will be helpful for them. -They will usually self-identify (detailed questions, requests for clarification, sit at front of classroom, reach out prior to the start of class start with questions and concerns, etc.). -E

This episode is part of our FINANCIAL FIERCENESS!™ series! This series integrates our financial goals into our development plan for surpassing our goals. This episode is, “What ‘Rich’ families know about college that ‘Poor’ families don’t.” Education = Economic Opportunity: “Rich” families know that and ensure that they and their children obtain degrees from the most competitive colleges possible. Thus, the “rich” get richer. Consider: -At Harvard, 45.6% of undergraduates come from families with incomes above $200,000 — in other words, incomes in the top 3.8% of all American households. (http://www.forbes.com/sites/maggiemcgrath/2013/11/27/the-challenge-of-being-poor-at-americas-richest-colleges/) -Americans with four-year college degrees made 98 percent more an hour on average in 2013 than people without a degree. That’s up from 89 percent five years earlier, 85 percent a decade earlier and 64 percent in the early 1980s. (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/27/upshot/is-college-worth-it-clearly-new-data-say.h

We all know that no one is perfect. We all have walked an individual path to arrive where we are today in life. If you want to know how to get where you want to go, keep walking. Asking another person how they accomplished their goals is not going to give you “the answer” to how to accomplish your goals. It may help motivate you to keep working towards your goals, but you are living a unique life and your path to success is unique for you.  We all are on our unique life paths. You are the expert on your life.  People have shared with me that they found it illuminating and/ or motivating for me to divulge my explicit failures and how I responded. Thus, this series, FAILURE FLASHBACK!™ exists. In it, I share some of the tools and processes that I have used to face my failures, learn from them, not repeat them and keep walking forward (hopefully) towards future accomplishments. Sometimes people will say to me, “Easy for you to say…you don’t know how hard it is!” I do. I will share with you my past experiences

In our HELP! SITUATION SPOTLIGHT™ series, we shine the light on challenges that community members have shared with me. This episode is, “I Am Shy but People Think I Am ‘Stuck-Up’ and a ‘Snob!’ What should I do?” Some people feel very comfortable sharing a lot of personal information about themselves, with large amounts of people very soon after meeting them. That is great! Other people may calculate what what personal information they share, how much they share, how many people they share it with and how long it will take for them to share. That is also great! The challenge is that some cultures and settings have expectations that are not met by individuals. What that occurs, there may be a resulting negative outcome to the non-conforming individuals. If someone exceeds the expected quantity and quality of expected personal information, they may accused of “TMI” (too much information) or being “crude” or “having a big mouth.” If someone does not meet the minimum expected quantity and quality of expected per

Our MANAGEMENT MAGICIANS™ series is dedicated to the “magic” that a talented manager is able to create. Our topic is, “If my title says manager, why do I feel like a babysitter?” Competent management is predicated on a healthy, confident, talented individual who is practicing the joyful art of business! If a person is promoted to a management job position but they are insecure, disappointed in themselves, resentful of others, angry, jealous and/ or any other high-risk unmet need, they are unable to function as a manager. Instead, they will work to undercut the confident team members, they will take credit for ideas that are not theirs, they will plot against other staff members and peers. They will spend the overwhelming majority of their time on personal issues (who they like, who they hate, who is “on their side,” who is “an enemy,” etc.). They will also lament that they are not able to “manage” because they are spending their time as a “babysitter.” They will gleefully share all of the failures and foibl

This episode is part of our JOYFUL ART OF BUSINESS™ series wherein we explore how to combine the positive benefits of our professional endeavors (“business”) with the overall positive emotional return on our efforts (“joy”). Our episode topic is,  “Why do people do what they do? Because they want to and they are allowed to.” Why..was my team member late to work every day last month? Why did my friend ignore my phone calls? Why did the person I was dating call me ugly? Why did my boss tell me I was a disappointment? Why did the person behind me in line at the store step on my foot? Why did my friend not invite me to their birthday party? Why is my supervisor mean to me? Why does my child refuse to clean up their room? Why does my cousin borrow money from me and never pay me back? Why does the dry cleaner continue to lose my clothes?  We could on forever asking why about specific situations. The universal core issue is why do people do what they do? The “answer” is, “Because they want to and they are allowed

This episode is part of our FINANCIAL FIERCENESS!™ series! This series integrates our financial goals into our development plan for surpassing our goals. This episode is, “Never have only one income stream! DIVERSIFY! (Baskets of Money)” Diversify: to change (something) so that it has more different kinds of people or things (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversify) Option 1) No Diversification/ Only 1 income stream: You have a full time job with a large company. You earn $3,700 USD gross per month. After taxes and other mandatory withholding, you have $2,600 USD per month (your net take home pay). Out of this amount you have to pay all of your necessary bills (utilities, etc.) and ideally you should save a percentage (15% or more is suggested). Then the “extra” leftover money is yours to use at your discretion for fun (entertainment, dining, etc.). You lose your job (layoffs, the firm goes out of business, etc.). Your income is now $0 USD per month. What do you do? Option 2) Diversification/

In the MYTH WARRIORS™ series we are targeting ideas to begin to assess whether they are credible or not (i.e., they are a myth, fallacy or even a lie). The target for this episode is, “Don’t take NO for an answer!”  When you want something in life you have to go for it! It is your job to overcome objections and turn a “No” into a “Yes.” Quitters never win and winners never quit. No means No.  What do you believe? It is challenging to understand when we are supposed to “push ahead” and take what we want in life and when we are supposed to accept “no” and stop a behavior. Bottom Line: If you receive one “No” response, you should stop asking that same entity (person, company, college, etc.) for the same thing (i.e., knocking on the same door). If you receive two “No” responses, you must stop asking that same entity for the same thing. It is time to move to another door. If you continue to “try to turn a No into a Yes” more than twice you may risk criminal charges of stalking, trespassing and/ or face rest

In our HELP! SITUATION SPOTLIGHT™ series, we shine the light on challenges that community members have shared with me. This episode is, “I Feel Invisible.” Consider: “Employment Law Study Shows Brits Feel Invisible at Work - Brits feel invisible in the workplace at the age of 54, a new study has revealed.” (http://www.slatergordon.co.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2014/02/employment-law-study-reveals-brits-feel-invisible-in-the-workplace/) “[T]he social phenomenon known as "invisible women's syndrome": a condition generally understood to affect women aged from about 45 to 59 – or 2.2 million Australians.” (http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/the-mysterious-case-of-the-disappearing-women--20130119-2czy8.html)  “Are African-American Men ‘Invisible?' Cut dead is a 19th century term used by William James, which means to be snubbed completely or deliberately ignored. Unfortunately, there are so many African-American young men who feel invisible, who feel as if they are literally cut dead, but they're living.”

This episode is part of our FINANCIAL FIERCENESS!™ series! This episode is, “Why a “good job” making “good money” will leave you poor.” A “good job.” Is it the solution to financial insecurity? No. Financial independence is the goal. This is when you have no debt and income from what you own (rental properties, interest, etc.) pays your bills on your necessities (property taxes, utilities, etc.) and provides you with “extra money” for you to use at your discretion (going out to eat, entertainment, etc.).  Financial dependance (i.e., being “poor”) is when you do not have enough income to pay your necessary bills and provide you with “extra money” to use for fun (discretionary income). There is a limit to how much income you are able to earn from your labor. You are able to increase the variable of how much you earn per hour (based on wages and increased efficiencies), yet you are always limited to how many hours you are able to utilize for labor due to the fact that you are one person. What happens if you “l

In our HELP! SITUATION SPOTLIGHT™ series, we shine the light on challenges that community members have shared with me. This episode is, “How do I Handle ‘Frenemies’ (friend/enemy) at Work?” What is a frenemy? “A frenemy is a person you spend time with, enjoy talking with, and rely on at work—but you can't completely trust. He or she is so much a part of your working day that a relationship that isn't strictly business between you two is not just assumed—it's unavoidable. And, day in and day out, it's not unpleasant. But at the same time you have been burned by this person, who hasn't demonstrated the unyielding loyalty and support you'd expect—and get—from an out-and-out friend.”   (http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-06-14/frenemies-at-workbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice) What drives (or motivates) a frenemy? Passive-aggressive behavior- “Passive-aggressive behavior is a pattern of indirectly expressing negative feelings instead of openly addressing them. There's a di