New research by Seek reveals that less than 22% of workers feel happy at work. The worrying news is that 78% of the workforce is either unhappy or apathetic. “That’s pretty shocking” someone commented. But worse it still to come. As recessionary talk continues to escalate diminishing confidence in their ability to stay employed is forecast to reduce this already worrying target.

The link between productivity and happiness at work has been well researched with both intuitive and methodical research confirming that happy workers are productive workers.

If your staff’s happiness levels and work could do with a boost the following strategies may help. Click here to learn more.

1. Where there's a problem there's a cure. You need to find out what dissatisfies them to find out what they want. Help staff proactively identify the things that don’t give them joy or strip away their energy. Create conversations about the things that make them happy, such as using their favourite skills and talents, fulfilling their longer-term goals give them a sense of meaning and purpose. This will help you being the process of brainstorming ways to minimise the problems and identify the solutions. Encourage staff to self-help by taking the happy@work quizz. They'll be clarifying what’s making them unhappy and begin to develop solutions. Click here.


2. Tune Into the Body Barometer. The body barometer never lies. Feelings of tiredness, apathy, depression, lifelessness, cynicism or anger are classic signs that your staff are suffering from unhappiness at work.

Help them to notice the times they feel alive, inspired, enthusiastic and optimistic - these are all signs of true bliss and passion@work.
Help them to take time to re-prioritize their life and focus on what gives them energy and happiness and plan a strategy to start letting go of the things that drain them.

3. Think and feel positive. It’s hard for staff to have the energy to work positively and productively if they are feeling frustrated or anxious. Focusing on negative things causes people to feel more negative. If you want staff to feel better, focus on the positive. They’ll feel lighter, more energetic, optimistic and happier. Recently I was contracted by a local council to help bring more happiness into the workplace following a restructure. Some of the successful strategies I employed were to put inspiring, uplifting quotes and images around the workplace. Another was to coach managers to catch people in the act of doing something good. Simple things like these don’t cost a cent and can make a world of difference.

4. Affirm for what you want. In life, as in photography, sometimes we need the negative to develop. Once you are clear about the forces that drive the cultural changes you want to make creating more happiness and optimism at work is easy. It won’t happen over night but it will happen! But first you need to get clear about what your perfect culture would look like. So often people lack clear objectives prior to implementing changes or lack the time to sit down and vision their preferred future. Bringing in an objective facilitator can help create the space, the insight and the strategic input to help create and transform your vision into realistic steps. Contact me to arrange one of my expert happy@work facilitators to meet with you for a no obligation discussion.

One strategy is to head up a page: “Criteria For happiness at work”. Re-frame any of the negative issues that are impacting workplace morale currently, into positive statements about what you do want and why you want it. You may also want to include a brief statement about why it is important to you. For example, reframing: “Staff are resistant to change” could shift to, “I want to create a flexible, adaptive, resilient workforce who embrace change. This is important to me because I want staff to feel more confident during the change, leverage off their ideas and spent less time putting out fires.”

5. Stress less. Stress is something employees feel every day. It isn't something that only happens when they’re under particular pressure. Some mild stress is good for all of us. It gives people a feeling of excitement and makes them want to do even better than they are doing at the moment. However, too much stress can do the opposite. Stress that goes on for too long or which cumulatively builds up can make people sick, drive down productivity, escalate interpersonal conflicts, stifle innovation and create a toxic workplace culture. High stress can also cause great people to leave great jobs. Help staff to master the art of doing less and achieving more - contact us about our successful stress busting and Worklife balance workshops and one to one coaching. You can browse some of our popular workshops here

6. Get a coach. Coaching works for a number of reasons. As you may have discovered yourself, creating goals is the easy part ... but sticking to them is harder! Being accountable to an objective outsider can make a profound impact on how much people can achieve. People are very often their own worst critics, so being encouraged to stay focused and do what matters most is a key ingredient to success.

Sometimes people are so deeply bogged down in what they are doing they lose perspective. Having an unbiased, objective, observer on the 'side-lines', giving honest and open feedback, can really help individuals to see the bigger picture. Check out some of our coaching solutions here

7.Duplicate happiness. Sometimes all it takes is one idea, one inspirational story of someone else’s happiness at work to help employees make a positive change. Check out some wonderful happy@work profiles here.


These are only a few of the many strategies I have successfully used with my clients to transform their lives.

If you would like Cassandra to facilitate a workshop, or to speak at your conference or have a chat with her about how she can help you or your organisation engage your employees, please contact her via phone on 04 972 4663, 021 873 833. Or email her at coaches@worklifesolutions.co.nz, or check out the Worklife Solutions website to view our popular programmes and services. We have a range of life and career coaching options to suit your needs.

I am delighted that Exhibitions Gallery in Wellington (formerly Fishers) will be having the book launch - 28 Nov. Please put it in your calendars - will be a great night with very interesting presentations from people who have followed their bliss - many of whom have achieved great wealth mid-life.

From IT sales to best selling portrait artist Mark Olsen will share his inspiring story and wonderful art. Do you love this portrait he named after me as much as I do? My friends think I should wear a hat just like Mark's "Cassandra" to the book launch!

Fabulous singer Charlie brings to life the music of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Duke Ellington, Tony Bennett and many more.

No one is as passionate about rocks as Carl Gifford...otherwise known as Carlucci! Hear all about his plans for Carlucci land - a world of happiness right here in Wellington!

and wait..there's more....

Ron Epskamp passionate art enthusiast and owner of Exhibitions Gallery

Hannah - my wonderfully gifted daughter with a voice like an angel

ohh...and I'll be there to!

Be sure to RSVP - space is limited!

Labels: Book Launch

“Happy at work” is brimming with passion, ideas and inspiration as Cassandra Gaisford walks her talk in living her purpose and showing the way for others wanting to do the same. Given that we spend so much of our lives working, it is vital that we do what we have energy and passion for. We are living and working longer so it is very important that we align what we do with our deeper sense of calling and what gives us meaning and purpose.

I am delighted to say that this book is a wonderful compendium for anyone wishing to design their future as they cull the best of their present and past and shape their new destiny. Sometimes we are forced into taking stock and reviewing our careers and lives. We may also do it by choice, many times, along our life path. And mid-life is a significant time and critical turning point for many.

“Happy at Work” is a positive and enabling companion and offers much. It encourages us to identify our passion and interests, to live from our core values and use our signature strengths creatively. It highlights that it’s never too late to make changes, to get on the path of true fulfillment and make a living.

Dig into this book and let Cassandra be your guide, inspiration and coach as she calls forth your creativity and gives practical steps to take you where you need to go next. Step into this ride joyfully and start creating the future today!"


Jasbindar Singh
Business Psychologist, Executive Coach and Author of “Get your Groove Back”

“IF TODAY WERE THE LAST DAY OF MY LIFE, WOULD I WANT TO DO WHAT I AM ABOUT TO DO TODAY?” AND WHENEVER THE ANSWER HAS BEEN “NO” FOR TOO MANY DAYS IN A ROW, I KNOW I NEED TO CHANGE SOMETHING.” - Steve Jobs, Co-founder of Apple Computers

No means yes when it comes to summoning the courage to make a change.

Every year researchers map levels of job satisfaction across the nation, and odds are this year will be no different. Global recruiting firm TMP/Hudson has estimated that more than 43% of people dislike their jobs. This is reflected in a management article in February 2008 saying 85% of people would leave if a better offer came along. However, better offers are not like buses - they don’t drive past every 10 to 15 minutes, sweep people off their feet and carry them to their destinations. Job seekers must take a proactive, focused approach to job hunting, or they risk ending up in a place they never wanted to be.


You may be staying in a job you hate because you can’t see any better options. Maybe you have lost your confidence, or perhaps you don’t know what skills you have, and wonder whether anyone would ever hire you. Career related issues are one of the major sources of stress for people today. Misfit is also a primary reason for low levels of productivity and performance within organisations. As career expert and author, Po Bronson says, “we are on the verge of a great productivity boom as long as we can get the square pegs out of the round holes.” Career dissatisfaction and the personal and professional costs associated with this is reaching almost epidemic proportions and. The great news is that there is a cure!

Success Tip: Where there’s a problem there’s a cure. You need to find out what dissatisfies you to find out what you want.

Hello! Goodbye
A simple and positive way to do this is to take a page and divide it. On one side list the things that you would gladly say goodbye to, and on the other list your "hello's".

Let's use me an an example
* This year I said "goodbye" to working in town everyday, and I said "hello" to working from my home based studio (she how happy I look - my clients love it too "It's so serene and relaxing" they often say. I agree! I'm far more productive here than I ever was in a windowless corporate box)

* I said "goodbye" to corporate training roles and "hello" to earning income from my creativity. As you know, "I've enjoyed tremendous success with my painting this year and met so many life-affirming people like Max Gimblett and other people working and living with passion)

* Next year I'm saying "goodbye" to so much one-one coaching and "hello" to helping people through my books and freelance writing

Here is one of my clients hellos goodbyes - since doing this exercise she has progressed leaps and bounds. She took up singing and found her voice and her confidence. She's also preparing to make a huge change in career direction bu going back to school and leaving the Government sector for ever. I can not get over the changes in her. It is amazing and incredibly inspiring to see.


How about you? What are you leaving behind in 2009 and what are you saying hello to?

Labels: Career Creation, Happiness

"We are suffering from an epidemic of overthinking—caught in torrents of negative thoughts and emotions that overwhelm us and interfere with our functioning and well-being." Nolen-Hoeksema, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan

I recently received an email from a client asking me how she could stop over analysing everything. Her specific challenge to me was " How can Petra let her spirit run more freer? (and less dominated by the rational side of her)".

Rather than spend too much time thinking about this myself I did a brain purge - listing all the possible ways she could free her mind and let her spirit soar. "Just whatever comes up for you intuitively would be lovely!" she said. What an ideal client! I love to work intuitively. Little does she know that I am a recovering over-thinker myself. Still as they say, we learn best what we need to teach."

Here's my intuitive response:

Stop over thinking!

•MeditateNumerous studies have documented the health benefits of meditating daily. Increased creativity, clearer thinking, minimised stress and anxiety are just some of the many benefits. I learned the Transcendental Meditation technique over 13 years ago and have never looked back. See the resource section below

• Wear more colourful and flowing clothes. So many people's spirits are straitjacketed in tight, tailored, black suits. Woman especially seem to have lost their femininity at work

•Be silly, reckless, and childlike. Learn to adopt the spontaneous, playful curiosity of children. Spend time at a play centre, hang out with nieces and nephews if you have forgotten how and copy-cat your way to playfulness.

•Do at least one FTE a day - First Time Experience. This may be little like going down a street you have never been down before, or bigger like make an impulsive purchase or asking a complete stranger to dance!

•Have massages regularly to loosen up. It's hard to let your spirit soar if your body is tied up in knots.

•Take up dance - let your body move. Movement frees up tension and energises our minds and spirits. Take up a class or dance to your own music at home. Really let yourself go.

•Ensure your home and work environment reflect the way you want to feel. While studying interior architecture several years ago I came across a wonderful book, "the house is a reflection of self." This resonated with me. Look around your own home. Do the colours, shapes, textures, furnishings reflect the way you wan to feel? How can you create more spontaneity, intuition, creativity?

•Learn to say no. Taking on too much responsibility can cripple creativity. Learn to say no and delegate where ever possible. Practice creative procrastination - put off until tomorrow that which won't advance your life today.


•Monitor your words and thoughts. - "Must's, should's, have to's, can'ts, if's", are restricting words. Proactively weed them out and feed with "want to's" and more decisive, knowing words.

• See your freedom. Get a photo of you when you were most free - place it where you can see it everyday

•Affirm for what you want. Repeat, "I am a free spirit" or " everyday my spirit is feeling freer and freer" to programme your mind for success.

•Take regular holidays. Taking time out is a great tonic for the over-wrought soul

•Take up a creative hobby – painting, photography, creative writing, poetry, singing

•Set a freedom goal – make a project of it. Replace the word "goal" with " desire" to experience all the benefits shifting from over analysing everything will manifest

•Aromatherapy – smell freedom! Scents from essential oils like mandarin, orange and Ylang Ylang can alter brain chemistry and free up restrictive, analytical thinking. Pick up an aromatherapy book and find the scent that's right for you

•“Plan a day” where there is no plan – allow your soul to guide you. This reminds me of a very uptight friend of mine who turned up one day looking uncharacteristically untidy, "We're having a playful day" she proudly said.

•Take a load off your feet - Go gliding or soak in a flotation tank (a light-and sound-proof tank filled with water) like NZ Portrait artist Mark Olsen

•Free your working week. Create some more variety and freedom in your day. Cut down your work hours/times where you have to be available to others– so you can drive your time how you like

• Copy your way to freedom. Think of your least rational friend – copycat, ask them for tips, etc

•Leverage off your strengths. Make less rationality a research project – use your rational side to help you. Another rational solution is to complete a force field analysis:1. List all the forces against/things that constrain your spirit - if not "free" then what? "trapped"?? 2. Now list all the forces for a more free-er sense of self. 3. Now identify ways to maximise forces for, ways to minimse forces against 4. Develop an action plan

• Tap into the spiritual realm - Visit a psychic and have an intuitive, spiritual reading

• Trust yourself - make failure your friend. The fear of failure is one of the primary reasons people spend so much time over-thinking. Set a time limit on thinking and decide when enough is enough then commit to action. If it doesn't work out this time at least you'll know what not to do next time.

and not last, and not least....

•Trust your gut! As Einstein once said, "The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift." Listen to life’s whispers and act on your intuition. Intuitively I always “knew” I could build a house on the back of my section. Rationally I had no idea how!
Allow your intuition to guide you to the higher ground as Oprah does, "My business skills have come from being guided by my higher self or my intuition. I am who I am today because of... intuition, my ability to feel what is right for me and allowing that to be the strongest guide in my life. Intuition is akin to God. It is akin to being led by that which is greater than yourself. My intuition, my intention and my passion have allowed me to be who I am and will take me to higher ground..."
Everyone is intuitive – many of us have just forgotten how to listen. Listen to and strengthen your intuition – keep an intuition journal by noting all the times your intuition speaks to you.

Helpful resources:

Learn to meditate - read benefits and find out about classes

Women Who Think Too Much: How to Break Free of Overthinking and Reclaim Your Life" -
Read the article here

Labels: achieving goals, Career Creation, Happiness, Health, Intuition, Motivation, Powerful Creativity, Powerful thinking

As basketball legend, Michael Jordan once said, "“Obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”

At the mo the obstacles, or boulders in my way, involve trying to work out how to raise the money to publish the book affordably and to the high standard I know is an important part of communicating the hope and help mid-lifers need. This means full colour......a very, very expensive option. Hence the mass production of primarily wordy, black and white text books. Personally these do my head in...not enough visual communication. Did you know that 70% of people are visual learners?

The cost to print in New Zealand is huge....55,000 approx for 2000 copies...

so thinking, thinking...how can I afford to do this? Should I strip out images like other books do and just have text...it's not what I want......but one needs to be solution focused before one "accepts defeat"

Spent most of last night trying to figure out how to get over this latest hurdle to publication. Instead of wasting time tossing and turning I got up, turned on the PC checked for emails to see if a contact in China I emailed re a quote to print had emailed me back. Not sure if it was my intuition or my insomnia talking to me but I was thrilled to find a reply.

I was even more thrilled when he told me he can print for $16,000 USD...this is more doable but still a stretch..but doable...

In a moment of added flow Denis Robinson, the author of the New Zealand's Favourite Artists series of books called me last night (which was quite a surprise and very, very generous of him) and shared some helpful tips and contacts I will follow up on. Re a USD edition Max Gimblett has emailed me a helpful contact..so flow is still there...just a few boulders to get around

But where there's a will there's a way. Besides who said it was supposed to be easy? Would be nice if it was but then more people would be threading the same path. Check out the Powerful Creativity Blog to see how important encouraging feedback is during the creative process

RSVP TO LAUNCH:
Don't forget to put a bright orange circle around the 28th of
November 5:30 - 7:30, at Exhibitions Gallery, Featherston Street,
Wellington. Secure you place of happiness by RSVPing to
cassandra@cassandragaisford.com.
It promises to be a great night!

Labels: achieving goals, Book Launch

Instant Happiness
Here's a photo of the quick 10 minute sketch I did while waiting for my daughter to have her hair done..

can you guess who it is? Quick hint on the quick sketch...taken from a shot in a celebrity magazine...

Max Gimblett's view on this quick sketch - of which he is a pro!
"Good instincts,

"10 mins is about gesture, only gesture, 50 years ago it was named
contour.

Strictly suggestive, open and all encompassing, attempting to entice
spirit"

It only took me 10 minutes - this helped free up my spontaneity by not aiming for perfection. I allowed my spirit to ly free and just "scrawl" on lined paper with a biro. I loved the result and so did people I showed it to. So in an instant I experienced happiness now! Amazing considering the anxiety I was feeling re my hearing of a dispute over an issue at the Small Claims Court. As my favorite quote goes, "Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life." Thank you Picasso - wise words indeed.

Instant income!
Now the next thing I have to do quickly is raise $74,000 so I can publish 4,000 copies of "Happy@work: Job Hunting for Mid-lifer's +"

Just checked in with my astrology guru Susan Miller:
"Even better news is due October 28 when the new moon arrives in the same part of your chart ruling earned income. Be sure to ask for that raise, or, if you like, negotiate elsewhere. The two weeks that follow this powerful and highly friendly new moon - one of the best of the year - will set the tone for the whole year to come. This is not "any old day" or point in the year. It's special, so take this date seriously and take any step you can think of toward finding your extra money. It may take weeks or months, but that doesn't matter - what does is that you begin in the days that closely follow this new moon, October 28."

Can you help?
So do I need to wait until the 28th or can you help me now.....pre-order "Happy@work: Job Hunting for Mid-lifer's +"

I recently presented a seminar to the Institute of Company Secretaries, the members of which, are made up of accountants, lawyers and other professional people who manage staff. Of special interest were my insights into the issue of productivity, happiness and leadership.
Key points from an interview I gave to the The Dominion Post Feb 6, 2008

1. Management, or lack of it, may be driving down New Zealand’s productivity
2 .Surveys consistently show at least 43% of people are unhappy at work. The Worklife Solutions survey showed that 69% of people couldn’t find any point in what they do (lack of purpose, meaning – no clear direction)
3. Aging workforce – mature workers looking for more from work than just a paycheck – many employers still using old Taylorist Scientific Management pay packet theory of motivation “we pay them don’t we”
4.Senior people often not highly motivated to coaching and mentor staff “rated somewhere down the list like cleaning the dunny” Senior people often promoted into roles because of technical skills – softer people skills, communication skills and EQ lacking

Labels: Book Launch, Productivity

Creativity in any form often benefits from collective energy and enthusiasm. So often the creative process can feel like such a solitary affair. Sometimes this can make it challenging to stay the distance and make it through to the finish line. But it doesn't have to be this way.

I love collaborating and sharing my enthusiasm with like minded people. This helps boost my creativity no end. While working on the final edits of "Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifers" I was stuck on finding an image to illustrate the chapter "Employ yourself." I was also stuck on where and how to have the book launch.

Inspiration struck in the middle of the night : "Artists experience the realities of self employment every day...why not have a photo of someone or something artistic,' my intuition gently asked. But "who and what", my rational mind wondered.

The next day while visiting my friend Ron Epskamp, passionate owner of Exhibitions Gallery" I summoned up the courage to ask him if he would consider holding my book launch there. " With pleasure," he said and promptly whipped out his calender. "Why not on the 28th of November to coincide with our Christmas exhibtion of artists." I was thrilled!

"Perhaps you would consider profiling one of my artists - Mark Olsen."

And suddenly, miraculously, there was the answer to my "problem" re who to use to illustrate my book!

"Working out the 'how'" as Mark Olsen, one of New Zealand's most successful artist's says:" is as simple as focusing on what you want - end of story, the "how" finds you."


From IT worker to Best-Selling Artist - Mark Olsen to Speak at Happy@work Book launch
Mark and I share a passion for self-development and an awareness of the power of the mind to transform reality. Something also shared by the creators of the DVD's "The Secret" and "What the bleep do we know" Joy turned to elation when he agreed to present his own personal story re moving from IT sales person to accomplished, best selling artist.

Here's the brief I gave Mark:
"Essentially the focus is to inspire people to follow their passion ...to have the courage, hope, perserverance and resilience to believe dreams really can come true.....I think your own personal story re how you made your dreams come true and using relevant learnings that anyone looking to make a move to fulfillment could apply...bricklayer, return to work mum, solo parent, disillusioned office worker..many who may not know that they want, or if they do, how it could be possible - your "what I have learned" musings bill perfectly!."

...and his reply:

"I enjoy not only speaking on the mind set tools that I have employed, but being able to state how I applied them and what the results have been. This way I have the example that folk can click with opposed to just telling them how to live their live. I also believe that our only gift is that of our own example as words do not teach"

Mark will have returned from the US the week before The Happy@Work Book launch" which will be providing the next chapter in his story. This will be compelling listening so mark off the 28th of November 5:30 - 7:30 in your diary now. Spaces are strictly limited so please RSVP by dropping me a line

Pre-order you copy now!
A limited stock of first edition, signed copies of "Happy@work:job hunting for mid-lifers+" will be available prior to and during the launch.

Avoid disappointment - find out more and pre-order now

Mark's feedback also gave me a boost to surge through the final edits and helped curb any doubts I was having about the whole project:

"Good on you for doing this project - it will take people's attention off what is and place it upon what they would like - doing so you have given them a helping hand - how very cool" - Mark Olsen


Thanks Mark and Ron- and everyone else who inspires and supports me. I couldn't do this without you.

You can read more about Mark's inspiring career makeover in "Happy@Work: Job hunting for mid-lifers +"

RSVP TO LAUNCH:
Don't forget to put a bright orange circle around the 28th of November 5:30 - 7:30, at Exhibitions Gallery, Featherston Street, Wellingtonby RSVPing to cassandra@cassandragaisford.com.

Look forward to seeing you there:)

“All My life I have been mistaken in measuring the significance of any work by the struggles that went into it.”
Henri Matisse, Artist

Some of the most common questions I am asked by people who seeking coaching is,“How can I find out what I’m good at?” and “How can I be sure that I will enjoy it?” Whilst these questions may seem daunting, the past is often a good predictor of the future. Often we just need reminding of the times and circumstances in our lives when we felt inspired or energised by something, and of the times when our skills just seemed to flow. Such times can provide clues to our passions and unique strengths and talents.


How does it feel to be in "the flow"?

* A feeling of being completely involved, focused, concentrating - either due to innate curiosity in the task or subject or as the result of training in the art of being outside everyday reality
* A feeling of weightlessness - a feeling that nothing is too much trouble
* Great inner clarity - knowing what needs to be done and how well it is going
Knowing the activity is doable - that the skills are adequate, and neither anxious or bored
* A sense of serenity - no worries about self, feeling of growing beyond the boundaries of ego - afterwards feeling of transcending ego in ways not thought possible
* A sense of timeliness - so thoroughly focused on the present you don't notice time passing
* Intrinsic motivation - whatever produces "flow" becomes its own reward

Some questions to get you started:
* What comes easily to you?
* When do you lost all track of time?
* What are you doing when you feel most at peace (other than sleeping!)
* What are the times you feel most confident and engaged - neither bored or anxious?
* What tasks or activities are most innately rewarding to you?
* When do you feel most truly yourself? To deny passion and your creative calling is to deny Who You Are and Who you Truly Want To Be. As Pablo Picasso famously said:” “My mother said to me, "If you become a soldier, you'll be a general; if you become a monk, you'll end up as the Pope." Instead, I became a painter and wound up as Picasso."

Examples:
I feel most in flow when I am creating
I lose all track of time when I am painting. The most fulfiling part of this is creating something that is innately satisfying to me and that the recipient truly loves. I feel excited, energised and truly complete. Sometimes when I sit down to paint I find it really hard to get going. I discipline myself and say I will give it 30 minutes and that's all. Very often I find that 3-4 hours later I am blissfully painting and find it hard to tear myself away. Writing posts and articles that help people to follow their bliss produces the same state. I feel a huge sense of purpose and people comment positively about my flow inspired works.

A natural knack for understanding how others feel leads to Pulitzer prize

American writer, Michael Cunningham, won a Pulitzer prize for his novel (and later a hit movie), The Hours. When asked how a man managed to write a story that captured the feelings of three very different women, his friends reply: “He’s an unusually empathetic guy. He has this uncanny ability to know how other people experience the world. That’s such a handy skill – and a blessing for a writer.”


Passionate anger flows to successful global business
Anita Roddick was the successful multi-millionaire businesswoman who founded the Body Shop. She took her passion for natural cosmetics and mixed it with her passion for giving something back to the community. She became one of the world’s most successful businesswoman and an activist against animal testing in the process. Anita once said, “You have to believe in something with such a passion it becomes a reality.” She also said, "We communciate with passion and passion sells." Increasing awareness of the evils of animal testing and improving the lives of others were of primary importance to her. Money flowed from the good she created.

French painter Henri Matisse hungered above all to paint. He orginally trained as a lawyer but this was clearly not his path with heart. He convinced his father to allow him to try for one year to make it as a painter. His talent flowed and his heart soared...however not everyone shared his enthusiasm for what he created. He later correctly predicted that he was at least 50 years ahead of his time. His passionate need to produce and natural talent sustained him through years and years of brutal criticism. Going with the flow to Matisse meant creating innovative work and being true to himself. As Frank Sinitra sang, "For what is a man? What has he got? If not himself - Then he has naught."

Go with the flow to find career nirvana - and do it your way!

Take the Cassandragaisford.com career nirvana survey and find your bliss

Labels: Book Launch

Do What You Are

A new year is fast approaching and with it mixed feelings for many people. Some people are excited about what the new year may bring, whilst others feel trapped and frustrated in their work. As one lady said to me recently, “I’m so sick of the word passion. If I hear that one more time I’ll scream.” What was alarming that this lady was a career coach, and what was even more alarming was that she had lost her enthusiasm for her work, yet continued everyday to go to work, grit her teeth and bear it.

Every year researchers map levels of job satisfaction across the nation, and odds are next year will be no different from other years, where researchers confirmed that over 43% of people dislike their jobs and over 85% of people would leave if a better offer came along. Better offers, however, are not like no.7 buses. They don’t drive past every 10-15 minutes, sweep you off your feet and carry you to your destination. Job seekers must take a proactive, focused approach to job hunting, or risk ending up in a place they never wanted to be.

Personality tools and psychological assessment can really help in the quest to determine what you want to do and where you want to be when it comes to transitioning into a new career or rekindling the passion for the role you currently have. Based on the premise of “doing what you are,” good quality assessment tools can help people gain more objective insight into they key strengths and talents, values, and motivators. Knowing what is under the bonnet makes it much easier to fine tune your high performance engine, and therefore navigate yourself in the direction that best energises you.

In addition, the more you know about yourself the better your decisions will be and the more chance you will have of presenting yourself and your natural talent in the best light to employers.

Ashley sought career coaching to help him gain more satisfaction from his current role and to think laterally about future career options. He had been in the same organization for over 15 years, and during that time had received very little feedback and recognition for his efforts. He wanted to better understand his strengths and weaknesses, areas that he could develop, and ways to better apply his skills to gain more leverage in his current role. Because he had been with his current organization for so long he also wanted help to identify how his skills applied outside of his current organization and help to be able to communicate these to a prospective employer.

Ashley was apprehensive at first about using personality profiling because of his negative experience with psychological assessments used for recruiting purposes. His Worklife Coach explained that the tools differed in that they had a developmental focus and instruments such as The Myers Briggs Personality Indicator were based on the philosophy that people know themselves best. Ashley was surprised at how accurately the results matched his own sense of self. Seeing his results in writing helped him to better appreciate his strengths and to recognize his unique talents. It also helped him to identify the key areas that needed to be fulfilled to gain more job satisfaction, and to identify alternative career paths and areas for development. “I now have a better idea of who I an and what makes me tick. I realize that by changing a few things I could be achieving so much more.”


Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI.
There are many personality assessment tools around. One of the most popular is the Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI.) This is a world renowned and powerful personality inventory used extensively to help people develop greater awareness of both their own personalities and those of others.

The MBTI was developed in the United Stares by a mother-and-daughter team, Katherine Briggs and Isabel Myers. The Indicator is based on the work of Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. It simplifies what can be a very complex area and provides a useful, easy to understand method and language for understanding people. By looking at eight personality preferences that everyone uses at different times you will learn more about how to get the best from yourself and also others.

These preferences influence behaviour and are divided into 4 areas:
• How people get and use their energy – through interaction with the world or inner reflection(extraversion or introversion)
• How people gather and take in information – a preference for factual, concrete information or ideas, theories and future visioning (sensing or intuition)
• Make decisions – through a logical “head” process or a personalized “heart” process (thinking or feeling)
•Organise their lives – in a planned, organized, scheduled way or in an flexible, open, spontaneous way (judging or perceiving)

While we all use each of these parts of our personality, just like we use both our right and left hands, according to MBTI theory, people prefer one of each pair over the other and will instinctively operate in this way unless they are consciously working with their non-preferred preferences. For example, if you prefer being planned and organized it is less likely that you will be comfortable going with the flow and “winging it” unless you are consciously making an effort to.


What makes you tick?
Most people struggle to work out what makes them tick and what energises them. The MBTI questionnaire guides you through a series of questions designed to help you uncover your preferences.

The questionnaire can be completed via the internet and takes about 20-30 minutes to complete. Once you have completed it the results will be complied into an extensive report.

This report is an invaluable personal and professional development tool, which provides insight into your personality preferences including:

• Characteristics of your personality type
• Strengths and weaknesses
• Natural gifts and talents
• Careers and work environments suited to your personality type
• Blind spots and areas for development.
• Communication preferences and relationship management skills
• How other people see you
• How you react under pressure and stress
•Conflict management

Only you know yourself best, and unlike other personality tools the MBTI is not considered an accurate assessment of your personality until you have had the opportunity to confirm and verify that the tool has accurately “captured” your personality. This feedback session can occur in several ways including face to face coaching sessions, email coaching and during career and/or life coaching discussions.

Personality tests and typing aren’t cast in stone but are a useful way of increasing your self awareness of self, others and of the way you naturally, and instinctively tend to think and work - and then building on that base to help you with your ongoing professional and personal development.


Take the test!
Personality profiling can bring added objectivity and clarity to the career planning process

Are you interested in learning more about your personality type? Check out the Worklife Solutions website:
or contact coaches@worklifesolutions.co.nz. Take a look at the sample report and see how detailed it is.

Labels: Book Launch

I remember feeling so low and so trapped in my job as a recruitment consultant many years ago that I despaired of ever finding anything that would make my soul sing.

I looked in the paper and found nothing. I looked on the internet and found nothing. Sure, there were lots of jobs but there was nothing at all that inspired me. Partly this because I’d stayed too long in a job that suffocated me. My spirit was squashed and my self-esteem had taken a battering. Luckily for me someone there cared enough about me to offer me career counselling. It was a god-send. Slowly the darkness lifted and I began to feel hopeful about the future.


At first the potential for freedom felt scary. I told my career counsellor, “I feel like a bird in a cage. The door is open but I have forgotten how to fly.”

My career counsellor cried! Quickly she helped me to learn how to rebuild my confidence and self esteem. A large part of this was helping me to tap into what I truly felt passionate about. We went through exercises to confirm my most important values, my deepest interests, my personality preferences and my goals. It was hard work. Part of me wanted to stay right where I was - the fear of change and self-doubt almost crippling the desire to be free. Could I really fly?

Luckily for me my coach believed in me more than I believed in myself at the time. She gently challenged me. One of these challenges was to go out identify organisations aligned with my values. At first I didn’t know where to start. Then I remembered hearing some positive feedback about an organisation that counselled people who were in stressful work situations.

It took courage to cold call them. But I set a goal and did it. Mainly because I knew my coach wouldn’t be happy if I didn’t! We all need a nag buddy from time to time - someone who gently and firmly cheers us along.
Partly I was afraid they would think I was annoying them, or begging for a job. But I decided to approach my meeting as a fact finding one.

I was so overjoyed when I met the people that worked there. They were so friendly and obviously believed with a passion in the work they did. I walked away feeling so excited to know that there really was an organisation out there that believed in and valued the same things I did.

Even though at the time they weren’t actively recruiting for anyone, they asked me to come back in and meet the CEO. One week later the CEO rang me and offered to create a position especially for me. First I had to come in and do a presentationa showing how I would add value to the organisation and how the new service would fit with the existing business lines. She made it clear that not all staff would embrace change.

I was nervous but excited. My passion shone through in the presentation. Even though I was very different from the other staff who had worked in the non-for profit sector all their lives, they loved my corporate background. I loved their non-for-profit valuing of people first. It was a perfect match which lasted for many years.

“Thank you for knocking on our door, “ the CEO said as we negotiated my employment package.

I learnt first hand what I tell my clients now - many of the best jobs are never advertised. Increasingly employers hire people they either know already or people that have the initiative to go in search of them. When passions collide, the attraction is instant and mutual.

Not only did my self-esteem and confidence get a boost, but I ended up with a far, better job than I had ever dreamed was possible. When I look back I know that the time I spent in coaching helped me clarify what I was looking for, what I needed, what I offered and what I deserved. This increased awareness made my job search and networking activities more targeted, more inspired, and infinitely more successful.

If you would like help finding a job you love get the edge and pre-order your copy of "Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifers" now

Labels: Book Launch