Five Reasons to Leave the Office Behind When You’re on Vacation

By : Gladys Stone & Fred Whelan

Your vacation plans are set. You’re ready to go and ready to get away from the office. The problem is you don’t ever really leave the office behind. If you’re like most of us, you feel the need to stay connected to your workplace even when you’re on vacation. Truth be told, you’re more likely to leave your wallet at home than your BlackBerry when taking vacations.

Recently, a client of ours who is a VP at a Fortune 100 company arrived in Paris to start his honeymoon. On his first day, he couldn’t find his BlackBerry and realized that he had left it in a cab that morning. His first reaction was, “Oh, my God! What am I going to do?” Then a strange thought occurred to him. Maybe this was a good thing. After all, he was on his honeymoon. Two weeks later, he was back at work and vowed never to be held hostage to the office during vacation getaways. Sure, he had to catch up on a backlog of work, but it was still better than work intruding on his holiday.

For those of you thinking, “OK, but I have my own business” or “Yeah, but I have a lot of responsibility,” this VP was running a $3 billion division.

Here’s why it’s a good thing to disengage from the office when you’re on vacation:

1. Disengaging Can Be Better for Business

When you take the time to clear your mind of business issues, you gain a better perspective on them when you return to the office. It’s similar to someone who takes a job in a new industry and brings a fresh perspective, which can be incredibly valuable. Relaxing helps your subconscious come up with creative solutions. By not thinking about work, your mind will have the ability to look at old issues in new ways.

2. Subordinates Can Step Up

Remember the first time you had to make a decision while your boss was away? Without your boss as a safety net, you experienced more growth than you would have otherwise. Whether you have direct reports or are part of a cross-functional effort, you give others the opportunity to take the reins if you don’t work while you’re on vacation. This hands-off approach benefits everyone.

3. People Will Respect Your Time More

We all do it -- take calls from coworkers when we’re on vacation. The problem is that these calls disrupt your vacation and aren’t fair to you -- especially if the issue in question could have been handled before you left or can wait until you get back.

4. You’ll Have a Better Time

When you go on vacation and know the office won’t contact you, you can enjoy yourself more. Have another margarita -- no one’s going to pick your brain about anything important today.

5. Your Family Will Appreciate It

Your spouse and children want and deserve your undivided attention when you’re on a family vacation. They can tell when you’re thinking about the office, and know that they’re playing second fiddle to your job.

Remember the adage, “No one on their deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I’d spent more time at the office.” Don’t wait until then to have this revelation. Use your vacation as it was intended. You, your coworkers and your family will all reap the benefits.

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Be Smart About Vacation Time

By : Dona Dezube

Working all year without a vacation is like driving a car for 12 months without stopping to change the oil. You might keep running, but you're probably heading for a breakdown.

"Vacations are an easy way to recharge the batteries and regroup for the next challenge," says Judy Meleliat, senior vice president for Xylo, a Web-based work-life solutions provider that's now part of Workstream.

We know vacations reduce stress, but a Monster poll found that one-third of respondents have 10 or fewer days of vacation a year.

Be Aware of Your Benefits

Vacation time may not be at the top of your list of items to ask about when job hunting, but it's important to consider how corporate culture and job function might influence your vacation time.

"For those employees in seasonal industries, there are sometimes only certain windows during the year when employees usually take time off," Meleliat points out. "Employees who work for other industries with continual workflow throughout the year sometimes take shorter and more frequent vacations." If you're doing a project-based job, you may have to time your vacations to coincide with the end of a project rather than a date on your kids' school calendar.

While many job seekers are reluctant to bring up vacation time during salary negotiations, some younger workers don't hesitate to negotiate for extra time off, says Anne Pasley-Stuart, president of Pasley-Stuart Consulting, a Boise, Idaho, human resources firm. In fact, many workers from Generations X and Y will negotiate additional weeks of vacation for slightly lower salary. "Time off is a very important thing to them," explains Pasley-Stuart. "They expect it, they'll take it, and they don't care if that offends their boss."

Before You Go

If you want to make sure your career ship sails smoothly while you're on vacation, batten down the hatches before you go. "A thoughtful employee thinks through all aspects of the job before leaving," Meleliat says. "Consider possible situations and make sure a game plan is in place to deal with any complications. Fellow team members should know about the upcoming vacation well in advance." Appoint temporary project leads to ensure work continues.

Are You Really Gone?

You should obviously leave an emergency contact phone number with your boss, but how do you make sure coworkers don't call you indiscriminately? And what if your boss asks you to wear your beeper in Bermuda? It's up to you to set the rules, Pasley-Stuart says. "Establish what your boundaries are, and if your employer is not willing to work within those boundaries, I would suggest you not work there," she says.

Should you check voice mail and email? "As a person who used to bring a computer on vacations to check email, I can answer this question with an emphatic no,"Meleliat says. "The vacation should truly be a break from one's work." If your boss insists you check in, set limits. You might start by agreeing to check your voice mail once during the week and to respond only if there's something urgent.

On the other hand, if you think you're so irreplaceable that a project or your company can't survive without you, you probably suffer from an overinflated view of your importance. Think of your vacation as an opportunity for shared learning and cross-training on critical projects. On the flip side, if there's a project you've always wanted to work on, offering to cover for a vacationing coworker can be a great way to demonstrate your abilities.

And if you're faced with the prospect of working for a boss who says there's to be no vacation at all, perhaps you need to search for a more vacation-friendly workplace.

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Top 7 Entrepreneurial Traits Needed For Success

Source : A Touch of Business.com


Entrepreneurial Traits: Entrepreneurial Traits - symboloized by a man at his deskSo you think you might be the next Bill Gates but those around you are telling you that you just don't have what it takes?

Well, people have studied entrepreneurs for years, trying to determine what makes them successful at starting a business.

Why are some people more persistent than others? Why are they willing to take risks?

What keeps them from feeling overwhelmed? How can they spot an opportunity that others fail to see? In general, what makes someone a successful entrepreneur?


What Is an Entrepreneur Anyway?

Are you an entrepreneur? How do you know? Well, first you need to understand what an entrepreneur is.

According to most modern dictionaries, an entrepreneur is someone that starts a new business when they see an opportunity at hand – an opportunity with success written all over it.

However, finding such opportunities is not easy and when found, even more difficult to turn into something of worth.

The Small Business Administration (SBA) keeps the stats on business failures and claims that more than half of new businesses will disappear in the first five years.

That is why it is important to determine before you begin if you have what it takes to make it as a business owner.


Top 7 Entrepreneurial Traits Needed For Success

Here are the seven characteristics that researchers find over and over again. If you have these traits, your odds of success are far greater than those that do not.

• Self -Confidence – This means that you trust your abilities. You are willing to face the adversities that are going to happen. You believe you have what it takes to act upon and solve these problems.

• Risk - Taker – This means you trust your hunches, even without a lot of evidence. Keep in mind, however, that success isn't about luck. Once you have the idea, effort and hard work must take place.

• Financial Savvy – You must understand the value of money and have an understanding for how much things cost. Most entrepreneurs learned this skill at a young age by earning their own money through endeavors such as babysitting or mowing lawns. Entrepreneur typing on a computer4. Observant – You know what the next trend is going to be by observing what is going on around you. You will always be looking for new ideas and new ways to make money.

• 5. Competitive – You want to win and you are not afraid of others out there that feel the same way. You know how to stay ahead of others.

• 6. Strong Work Ethic –You are honorable and have a strong work ethic. By making your deals honest, you have an excellent reputation.

• 7. Knows When To Relax – Although you understand the value of hard work, you also know when it is time to step back and enjoy leisurely activities. You realize that burning yourself out is not the way to succeed.

Having these characteristics is not a guarantee that an entrepreneur will be successful. But with these characteristics, an entrepreneur has just the right ingredients for success.

Luckily, the items on the list are learnable. If you want to be an entrepreneur, be honest with yourself and then get to work.

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What the Colors of Your Job Interview Clothes Convey

By : Gladys Stone & Fred Whelan

Prepping for an important interview means researching the company and making sure you have smart responses to anticipated questions. It also means being strategic about what to wear to an interview. Specifically, you want to choose job interview clothes -- and colors -- that will put you in the best light and may give you an advantage.

Research has shown that 85 percent of communication is nonverbal, so choosing what to wear to an interview is clearly an important part of your overall presentation. It won’t make up for weak answers, but it can communicate some positive things about your personality and what you might be like to work with.

Here's what some common colors convey so you can put them to best use when getting dressed for the job interview:

Blue: You can't go wrong with darker shades of blue, especially navy. Choosing from this powerful spectrum will project an image of someone who is in control. From the interviewer's point of view, the color blue conjures up calm, stability, trust, truth, confidence and security. These are all great messages to send without saying a word.

Gray: After blue, gray is the second most popular color to wear for an interview. Like darker blue, it’s not a distracting color to the interviewer, which means they’ll be focused more on what you’re saying and how you’re saying it. Gray denotes sophistication, so use it to your advantage.

Black: This is a commanding color and represents authority. Black also connotes drama, so use it carefully when putting together your interview outfit. You may want to use it as an accent -- like in a scarf or tie, for instance -- rather than as the primary color.

Red: This is an extremely powerful color. It's so strong you should only use it as an accent color. Reds are associated with energy, passion, desire, power and aggression. People think of intensity and passion when they see the color red, so use it sparingly, or it could send the wrong message to the interviewer.

White: White shirts and blouses are always a safe bet. It sends the message of simplicity, cleanliness, precision and goodness.

In this very competitive job market, give yourself every opportunity to shine in the interview. Knowing what job interview clothes to wear makes a statement about who you are. Choosing the right colors will reinforce that positive impression.

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How to Balance Your Career and Family

Written by Debra Pestrak

Monday, 19 October 2009 23:16

The biggest challenge many of us face is how to balance the demands of family, friends, and career. While we want happy and fulfilling lives outside of work, we have to make personal sacrifices in order to achieve our career aspirations. How do you balance those sacrifices so they don’t greatly interfere with your personal goals? How do you fit roles such as wife, mother, and friend into an already hectic schedule? Since time is precious, keeping a balance between the two worlds can be a challenge. Fortunately, with proper planning, balance is possible. Several Fortune 500 corporate executives revealed their balancing strategies to me. They offer proof that it is possible to have not only a successful career, but a rewarding and enjoyable personal life as well. Set Your Priorities Early The first step to achieving balance is to get your family to agree on what the priorities should be. Realize that business success often requires long hours and travel. In these instances, support from your family has to be there. Additionally, when children are involved, many people discover that they have to re-balance their lives so they have time to spend with the kids. Ellen Hancock, Chairman and CEO of Exodus Communication, described both her personal and professional life as successful, but not necessarily balanced. However, this situation worked for her because she had the buy-in of each family member. As she explained, “There are sacrifices. But your friends and family, your spouse, your parents, all have to support the situation and have an understanding that, yes, this is important.” Hancock went on to explain that her schedule did not always allow her to be as available as other women, but she managed to do what it took to keep everyone happy. Hancock, like many others, made the decision that family was indeed a top priority. As such, they strove for new ways to carve out family time each day. They were aware that few people say at the end of their lives, “I wish I had spent more time at work.” Jean Hamilton, CEO of Prudential Institutional, used some of her business practices to make time for family. She said, “The time I spent with my family and friends was not what I wanted it to be. That’s why I began to focus on ways to be more efficient with my personal time. I began to apply some of the efficiency tools that I learned from business. For example, I got very aggressive about scheduling time with friends and family. Everything went on my calendar. That’s how I dealt with things in business, so I did the same outside of the office. Using those kinds of tools helped me minimize the sacrifices.” Consider What Is Right for You When placed in identical situations, no two people will make the same choices. Each person has to evaluate the event and then make a decision based on what is right for her at the moment. Just because an outcome worked for one person, doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for another. Prioritize your own commitments. Decide what is most important to you. Where do you want to spend your time and energy? How important is your career in the scheme of your life? How do you define success? Mary Farrell, Managing Director, Senior Investment Strategist and Member of the Policy Committee for PaineWebber, Inc., decided to be available for global vacation travel. The decision affected her career, and she understood that. She didn’t expect people to overlook her absences. Many others in her position would not have made such a drastic decision, but Farrell made the best choice based on her values. Every day we hear of increasing numbers of people who reach the pinnacle of their careers and decide it’s time to embark on a new stage of life. They quit their jobs, start a family, change careers, or take an extended leave. Others start businesses out of their homes so they can be with their families. Some companies are reluctant to support a person’s career advancement if they don’t know the person’s goals—both personal and professional. Therefore, once you know what you want, communicate it to your management and get support. If the company will not support your personal goals as well as your professional ones, then it’s time to evaluate whether this is the right company for you. Farrell searched long and hard for a company that would support both her career and personal aspirations. She worked at several firms before landing at one that was open to the kind of flexibility she needed. As long as the work was done, her boss didn’t care if she went to the school play—and she managed to make it to quite a few. It took dedication to make up the work at the end of the day, but it was vital that she be allowed that kind of flexibility. Balance Points to Consider Before you make any drastic changes to your personal or professional life, consider the implications of each decision and how you plan to integrate the changes into your schedule. For example: What effect will having children have on your life? How much time do you want to take off when you have a child? Do you want to come back to work full time? What support systems exist to help you? Will leaving at 5:00 allow you to get your work done? If not, are you willing to take work home? How much control do you have over your workload? Different jobs have different requirements. Farrell found that by moving to the research department she was better able to achieve her goals. What about your current position? Study your field to see if it meets your goals and aspirations. If not, it may be time to consider a change. What’s Your Balancing Decision? We all make sacrifices to get what we want. Most top executives do not sleep eight hours. Many of them work on weekends. These are choices they make in order to have what they want. Think about where you want to be in 10 or 20 years and what it will take to get there. What choices and sacrifices will you need to make today to achieve your goals tomorrow? careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

How did Henry J. Heinz Achieve Such Extraordinary Success?

Source : Source : A Touch of Business.com

HARD WORK. This phrase comes to mind when reading about business leader Henry J. Heinz, whose products' presence on just about every table makes people include him as one of the greatest business leaders in American history.

Henry J. Heinz - Working Since Nine!

Heinz was one of eight children born to German immigrants Heinrich Heinz and Anna Margareta Schmitt.

He was born in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, but the family would later move to Sharpsburg (on the outskirts of Pittsburgh).

Heinz started in 'business' very young. At just six years old, he was already helping his mother look after a backyard garden from which they sold vegetables to neighbors. At age eight, young Heinz would be selling produce already door-to-door!

By the time Heinz reached 17, he was already earning $2,400 annually, a staggering amount during those times.

Laying the Foundation for Heinz

In 1869, Heinz founded his first company - the Heinz Noble & Company with L.C. Noble - to sell horseradish but it was not successful and it ended in bankruptcy in 1875.

Never the one to just give up, Heinz established F & J Heinz with family members and started selling products, one of which was tomato ketchup. In 1888, Heinz bought out his partners and re-organized the firm to the H. J. Heinz Company and it is still the name of the firm to this day.

As a business leader , Heinz was known to be fair in his treatment of employees and was a great supporter of safe and sanitary food practices. In fact, in 1906, he lobbied in favor of the Pure Food and Drug Act. He was also known to be very involved in church activities and did many philanthropic works during his lifetime.

The Henry J. Heinz Quick Bio

• Full name: Henry John Heinz
• Birth date: October 11, 1844 (died May 14, 1919)
• Birth place: Birmingham
• Key success traits: a hard worker to the core, a strategist, never a quitter
• Company: H. J Heinz Company
• Industry: Food & Tobacco

Tidbit:
Heinz' well-known tagline "57 varieties", applied in 1896, actually bears no actual meaning. Heinz just happened to like a shoe store ad he saw while in New York City which said "21 styles" and wanted to copy it. In reality, Heinz was already selling more than 57 types of products at the time the slogan was introduced.

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The 10 Worst Mistakes Career Changers Can Make

By : Barbara Reinhold

Changing careers is never easy. Half the world thinks you've lost your mind, headhunters say you'll never work again and your relatives contribute the old "I told you so" routine. But for many burned-out, bored or multitalented folks who are sitting on skills they're not getting a chance to use, changing fields is the only way to keep from losing their marbles.

Regardless of your career-change strategy, never make these 10 mistakes:

1. Don't Look for a Job in Another Field Without Some Intense Introspection

Nothing is worse than leaping before you look. Make sure you're not escaping to a field that fits you just as poorly as your last. Be sure you do a thorough self-assessment first.

2. Don't Look for Hot Fields Unless They're a Good Fit for You

You wouldn't try to squeeze into your skinny cousin's suit, so why try a field because it works for him? People who are trying to help you will come along and do the equivalent of whispering "plastics" in your ear. Instead of jumping at their suggestions, take time to consider your options. Decide what you really want to do. When you enter a field just because it's hot , burnout isn't far behind.

3. Don't Go into a Field Because Your Friend Is Doing Well in It

Get thorough information about the fields you're considering by networking, reading and doing online research. Having informational interviews with alumni from your college, colleagues, friends or family is a fun way to get the scoop on different fields.

4. Don't Stick to Possibilities You Already Know About

Stretch your perception of what might work for you. Read some job profile , and explore career fields you learn about from self-assesment exercises .

5. Don't Let Money Be the Deciding Factor

There's not enough money in the world to make you happy if your job doesn't suit you. Workplace dissatisfaction and stress is the No. 1 health problem for working adults. This is particularly true for career changers, who often earn less until they get their sea legs in a different field.

6. Don't Keep Your Dissatisfaction to Yourself or Try to Make the Switch Alone

This is the time to talk to people (probably not your boss just yet). Friends, family and colleagues need to know what's going on so they can help you tap into that large percentage of jobs that aren't advertised.

7. Don't Go Back to School Unless You've Done Some Test-Drives in the New Field

You're never too old for an internship , a volunteer experience or trying your hand at a contract assignment in a new field. There are lots of ways to get experience that won't cost you anything except your time. A new degree may or may not make the world sit up and take notice. Be very sure where you want to go before you put yourself through the pain and debt of another degree program.

8. Be Careful When Using Placement Agencies or Search Firms

Do some research to be sure to find a good match. Ask those who work in the field you're trying to get into or other successful career changers for suggestions. Try to find a firm that knows how to be creative when placing career changers -- not one that solely focuses on moving people up the ladder in the same field.

9. Don't Expect a Career Counselor to Tell You Which Field to Enter

Career counselor are facilitators, and they'll follow your lead. They can help ferret out your long-buried dreams and talents, but you'll have to do the research and the decision making by yourself. Anyone who promises to tell you what to do is dangerous.

10. Don't Expect to Switch Overnight

A thorough career change usually will take a minimum of six months to pull off, and the time frequently stretches to a year or more.

Changing fields is one of the most invigorating things you can do. It's like experiencing youth all over again, except with the wisdom of whatever age you are now.

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