“We always have enough time to do what needs to be done.”  Alan Cohen (A Deep Breath of Life)

My friend above, Alan Cohen, taught me many valuable lessons in life, but none more important than this one, “If you are a servant of time rather than letting time serve you, you are a prisoner.”

Today email, cell phones, PDA’s and more have made us less free than we believe we are.  While we brag about how “connected” we are and how “quickly” we can accomplish things, we fail to see how we have imprisoned our abilities to be creative, learn and grow for ourselves and in our work.

Do yourself and those you serve a favor today and think of the following things;

#1- What is the most important thing you have to do today for your work?

Think about this from the following perspective;

Will it meets the needs of an existing client in such a way that the quality of what I do and my customer serve to them will be memorable?

Will it bring business to me/us?

Will it support the structure of our business in such a way to make it more sustainable in time?

#2 - What is the most important thing I will do for me to day?

Do I need to spend some time on my health? With my family?  Get new tires?  Make a dentist appointment?

Not all priorities have to be large, but they must fit into the bigger picture of building a life and a career that you love.*

*Be on the lookout for Barbara’s new simple rule book, “Building the LIfe You Love” in March of 2009

Nothing, absolutely nothing about 2009 and people and work will be the same as any year before this.

Yes, people will go to work.  Yes, they will receive money for their efforts.  No, their benefits, holidays, vacations and retirements will not be the same in many cases.  No, how you resolved issues in the past will not always work now.  No, people are seeing you as an organization through very different eyes.

The “situation” this year is going to be demanding in ways managers and organizations have never dreamed of before.

Exactly what are those demands going to be?

#1 - People are being affected by things outside your workplace.  Spouse and children laid off from their jobs reducing household incomes and creating stress that will carry into the workplace.

Question;  Do you know what each of your employees is dealing with today? FIND OUT!

#2 - Do it better, do faster, do it with less is the name of the game.  Cash is being reserved and answers to old problems that involved spending the money needed to fix it are not necessarily the answers today.

Question:  What is in place in your team/division/organization that helps stimulate and create the new solutions?  Who is devoted to this? FIND OUT!

#3 -  Whenever a situation like our current economic conditions hits the fan, you must be much more engaged with your people.

Question:  Are you in your office or out their with the team? Have “Everything Going Right Meetings” at least once a month to help people feel th successes you know are there.

Get a “Situational Specialist” on retainer NOW so you can have someone at the ready to help you every day this year and make it a successful year!

A Certified Situational Specialist© is someone who is requested to look at a current challenging situation with one person, several people or an entire department or company. The Situational Specialist then works to create a solution that fits the current challenge.  Unlike coaching and consulting the specialist is made aware of a limited timeframe to bring information about the situation to you.

Creating an understanding of the outcome that is desirable and the timeframe is critical.  The Certified Situational Specialist© will then work on how to get there within those parameters.

Each Certified Situational Specialist © will use a variety of methods they have utilized in other situations to help them assess what is happening and get you to a solution or series of solutions quickly.

A Certified Situational Specialist is someone who is;
a.) Not a coach, however many of us are skilled to take coaching assignments
b.) Not a consultant, however we are also often called upon to consult as well
c.)  Is someone who is knowledgeable and savvy in assessing a specific situation related to their background and expertise and able to recommend a course or direction for next steps.  At this point a coach, consultant or other parties may become involved.  A Certified Situational Specialist© will parachute in for a short period of time which is preset after the initial consultation on the situation, then exit precisely at the end of that timeframe unless otherwise engaged by the client.  Please understand that the major skill of a Situational Specialist is objective assessment and the ability to verbalize workable alternatives and options in a limited timeframe.

The Certified Situational Specialist is an exceptional individual who has worked for many years in a specific area or body of knowledge.  The work this person has done is acknowledged by CEO’s, clients, colleagues and direct reports.   A Situational Specialist has over 25 years of training in interpersonal dynamics at an executive level, as validated by the organizations or clients they served.