Game Over. (A new job awaits)

It’s been inevitable, but today was the day I finally moved on. My 3 weeks notice period was over.

I was fortunate in having a bit of a do with some work colleagues last night. Close to 5pm the advance party (incl me) took their seats at Avalon,  and rather smart pub in SW London. We were joined by others throughout the evening and had a meal together as we sank drinks and shared stories. All very civilised really, and great fun.

Today at 4 it was chocolate cakes and cookies and a surprise “Banner” and Card as well as generous gifts. It was time to say goodbyes and, when it came to it I actually said very little (for me anyway!). I didnt want to get drawn into saying anything cheesey or inappropriate (the reasons I’m actually moving on) I simply wanted to say thanks. So I said thanks, I shook hands, and I hugged and then made a bee line for the door…

I left my keys swinging in the door as I thought I would do, but someone did turn the lock after me.
I had made my exit and I was grateful for the thoughts and good wishes that accompanied me as I drove away.

“Game over”.

As a family we celebrated by sharing a KFC 8 Piece Bargain Bucket whilst watching iCarly…

What’s the best way to say goodbye to work colleagues?

There are many options, but not all are particularly clever.

1 Say nothing. Don’t even worry about tidying your workspace or desk. Just make for the exit, leaving the keys dangling from the key hole. Enjoy the moment as you run out punching the air  – as you probably won’t be invited back.

2 Say something. Tell your boss he’s a jerk and you hated every minute of working with him. This way you will be shown the door, so don’t worry about speeches or the state of your desk.

3 Say something. Better still say something appropriate and positive in your good bye note/ email / speech.

4 Do something and say something. If the employer wants to shower gifts on you, treat you to a meal with your colleagues or opens a tab in your favourite bar or club, dive in. What could possibly go wrong? That is unless you get wasted and say something offensive and let yourself down…

5 Do something and say something. Continue to do your job with integrity until the fat lady sings. Ensure your computer is clean of anything unbecoming, that anyone taking over your role has clear understanding of how you managed to do what you do including helpful notes and contacts etc.

Then, write an email that tells everyone how much you will miss them etc then make for the bar with your pals. You could then be subject to nice things being said about you and may get some sort of gift to mark the big day. If not, no worries, remember you didn’t leave in order to get plaudits. You left for other reasons. hopefully a better role somewhere else… Once you are sure the boss is settling the bill, relax. The next ones on him… and your goodbye conversations will be that more personal rather than formal.

6 Saying bye to every colleague personally with bear hugs and kisses is a great idea, but this is not always possible and there can be tears. Lots of them. Especially in an organisation of over 1000 staff. A courteous leaving email sent from your desk is another option and a tad more practical.

7 Top of my list and the one I’m quite likely to use myself in just under a weeks time  (Thank you God!) is the following message which communicates clearly the intention and with a limited use of words… It’s “I’m outta here!”

Hopefully you will settle on the best way to say your goodbyes, and remain in touch with those who made a positive difference to you… Good luck   🙂

Time for me to move on…

Just over a week ago I handed my notice in.

Phew, I said it. and it’s true. And it was so straight forward, my carefully researched and brief written notice was signed, scanned and emailed to the two bosses with the original entrusted to the Finance and HR guy. For his records of course.

I used email for the simple reason that neither guys were in the office and I wanted to get the message delivered pronto. I soon had responses which confirmed receipt of the message and wished me well.

Within three hours from beginning of my interview I had received the good news of a successful interview and the actual offer. Perfect timing, It really couldn’t have been any better than that. After 2.5 years looking too…

Mrs W was delighted. I was well chuffed too!

Handing ones notice in is an odd experience. What ever the reason for handing it in there’s a sense of power (albeit breifly) and the control is with you… For me it was a brief moment of exhilaration followed by relief, then joy. Joy is my overriding emotion now, a week later.

Looking back there was no moment of hesitation, no regrets or soul searching wondering if I have made the right decision. Neither was there an attractive counter offer from my current employer desperate to keep me at a highly inflated salary! My new employer had kept their word and sent across the contract of employment which was, duly studied, signed and returned within a matter of hours.

Game on

Ch… ch… changes

The last few weeks have been rather draining.

With 3 (or is it four?) trade events and shows to manage and deliver within a three week period there have been a lot of very tired and emotional staff back in the office. Without any real recovery time.

No one to my knowledge has been given time off in leiu but some have, as a result of different pressures had to take time off sick. I have not been immune either. Due to the physical nature of my role and the driving required my back has been playing up, resulting in me taking 2 days sick.

Make no mistake, in terms of brand exposure and marketing and sales potential – the efforts made by all staff have been viewed as worthwhile, (indeed imperative!)  by the bosses.

Now is the time to regroup, plan and prepare in readiness for the busiest time of our year – the run in to Christmas! The season of goodwill is fast approaching, and it’s a time when new promotions kick in, new stock is required urgently in the warehouse so the company can fulfill the (anticipated) deluge of orders. If the last two Christmas periods are to go by, it really will be full on.

For such a small staff team, the pressures will continue. For me however, it really is the time to my own move…

In a little under a month time I take up my new position and responsibilities within a much bigger organisation. It’s time for a change and a change that I am ready for.

The job offer comes at a perfect moment for me and although I have been somewhat taken aback at the speed of events, it’s too good to miss…

Prayer for a job

Dear God
I thank you for your love and care, and ask that you might help me in my search for a job (new job).

Frankly, I’m at the end of my tether with this job search lark and could do with a positive result soon. I know you can open doors where there are none so guess I’m after a miracle!

Please would you guide me when I write and submit job applications and when given opportunities at an interview. Help me to give a good and fair account of myself. I am not in the business of showing off, I just want to land an honest job where I might be fulfilled and be fairly paid.

Meanwhile, please give me patience to deal with the uncertainty of it all.

Amen.

A more formal prayer for a job / new job

Lord God
Thank you for everlasting love. I acknowledge, Lord, that Your love for me is deeper that the ocean and bigger than the biggest need in my heart.

All my longings and dreams I lay before you and I commit myself as well as my need for a new job into Your loving hands.

Lord God, I ask that you might fulfil the desire of my heart and bless the work of my hands so that I may find work that is fulfilling and meets the financial needs of our family. I have stood and sat before you many times before in petition and in thanks for the way you have miraculously provided for us. Once again I come, completely trusting in you and your ways at this time. I am certain that you can make a way through the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. I am confident also that you can open a way where there seems to be no way! And indeed an opportunity where there is no current opening

Lord, as I continue in my job search and as I persevere prayerfully and wholehearedly through various selection procedures and interviews, I pray that your Your mighty hand might rest upon me and grant me Your grace and mercies in the eyes of all interviewers and would-be employers. Please perfect everything that concerns me and grant me your wisdom and knowledge and put the right words into my mouth for all interviews and into written words when completing application forms..

I acknowledge that my ways are not Your ways, neither are my thoughts Your thoughts. Your ways and Your thoughts are higher than the heavens above and you alone have a perfect plan for my future and that of my family.

May your will be done.  Amen.

From Proverbs Chapter 30

This scripture was pointed out to me today by my lovely wife, as I had been feeling wobbly in regard to our families financial situation. I should have known better of course as I’ve been extolling the virtues of prayer, leaning on and trusting God for His provision. We have not gone without as a family and tomorrow is another day… The following has helped play it’s part in getting me to re-focus…. All I need is enough, and enough is always enough, if it wasn’t, what else would it be after all?

⁷ “Two things I ask of you, Lord;
do not refuse me before I die:
⁸ Keep falsehood and lies far from me;
give me neither poverty nor riches,
but give me only my daily bread.

Missing the Olympics 2012 and Team Spirit

I’m missing the first few days of the London 2012 Olympics but am so pleased we started on the trail of Gold!

Work demands meant I missed live coverage of the Olympics and I didn’t have the energy to stay up late to see sports played out – when I got home.

I did get to see most of the Opening Ceremony on BBC – and thought it a real treat, so hats off to all who were involved. This stunning production will certainly be remembered for many years to come. It was incredible. The highlights for me included the scenic transformation of rural to industrial landscapes, NHS beds that lit up, pogo-ing punks (Sex Pistols), Mike Oldfield, and the 5 molton Olympic rings. And later on, I caught up with a replay of the Queen and Daniel Craig in their helicopter stunt.

Even though I missed most of the earlier mens and ladies cycle events, the diving, some of the football to date and GB medal winners on the podium… I have seen the womens shooters in action and Team GBs trying their luck at football.

Our kids have been treated to Team GB t-shirts and due to the summer holidays are lapping up the sports on TV… They love it! The bunting from the Queens Jubilee still hangs at the front of our house and a every now and again a scream of delight goes up from our front room in response to the TV pictures when our Olympians achieve.

Work has been ridiculously busy, so much so I didn’t see my family between Tuesday morning and Friday evening. My normal 9-5 became 7.30 or 8 till midnight and on one occasion 2am. Digging individuals out of holes of their own making would appear to be a occupational hazard these days.

Thankfully 2 staff members did stay back on Thursday evening for a couple of hours to assist, which was fantastic of them. They showed some Team Spirit!

Meanwhile, back at the Olympics Team GB are reaping their rewards… as it stands we have a haul of 25 Gold Medals. Go Team GB…

The need for ethical Sales People

Even though I am not in sales myself I deal with a number of Sales people. If you are looking for a new job in Sales, or deciding on the sales strategy for the next Quarter… look out… and think and act ethically!

An established sales coach recently identified some of the bad habits displayed by (some) sales people. I don’t know how scientific or broad ranging this was, but he did go onto highlight some of the more serious short comings attributed to Sales people, and said that anyone doing 3 or more on the following list should be FIRED!

This should be taken seriously, because not only are they costing you and your company, sales and profit. Such individuals leave a trail of disasters and disgruntled colleagues and customers in their wake…

The 7 deadliest sins of sales people are:

1. Over-promising, and under-delivering in respect to delivery times
2. Missing rapport building opportunities,
3. Assuming you know what the potential customer wants without uncovering their key needs, wants or desires,
4. Habitually asking closed rather than open ended questions which get the customer talking,
5. Talking twice as much as listening, versus listening twice as much as you speak,
6. Talking to all the features of the product instead of spending time on the 3 main features which meet their needs!
7. Failing to make people feel special and valued

I know someone who does ALL on the above list and particularly excels at 4, 6 and 7. Somehow, amazingly he has survived thus far!

Causes of stress at work, and some ideas to help you cope…

Here are some of the more typical causes of stress in the workplace:

• Bullying or harassment
• Feeling powerless and uninvolved in determining one’s own responsibilities
• Continuous unreasonable performance demands
• Lack of effective communication and conflict resolution
• Lack of job security
• Long working hours
• Excessive time away from home and family
• Office politics and conflict among staff
• A feeling that one’s reward is not commensurate with one’s responsibility
• Working hours, responsibilities and pressures disrupting life-balance (diet, exercise, sleep and rest, play, family-time, etc)

I’m sure we can identify with some of the above if we’re feeling a tad stressed about the workplace…. For me, there are 5 shown above which are causing me ‘concern’. If you feel similarly, it might be worth considering the following to help you cope better.

Humour
Humour is one of the greatest and quickest devices for reducing stress – where I work my colleauges and I have lots of stories to help get us through the day. Often based on our daily observations of other people or the apparent chaos around us.
Humour gets the brain thinking and working in a different way – therefore it distracts even momentarily. When a bit of harmless banter starts in the office, join in, it could be a laugh!

Take a hike!
Yes, actually leave the building. Go for a short quick really brisk walk outside – This might be a 10 minute around the block or to the shops and back…but do it.
You might not feel you have the time, (we can all make excuses) but your wellbeing is worth it! So make time! Taking a break will get fresh air in your lungs and a change of scene will help de-stress you as you change your surroundings

Drink some water
Most of us don’t drink enough water – and I mean, WATER – NOT tea, coffee, fizzy or ‘sports’ drinks, fruit juice or those awful expensive caffeine drinks.
All of our organs, including the brain, are strongly dependent on water to function properly. That’s how it is!
If you starve your body of water you will function below your best – and get stressed.
Most people need 4-8 glasses of water a day, so you get a bottle or cup of the stuff now and keep it on your desk…
A by-product of this (surprise surprise) is the need to take a wee… This itself gives you a bit of a break and a bit of exercise now and then, which also reduces stress.
If you are drinking enough water, your urine will be clear or near clear – if it’s yellow/ orange you are not taking enough water.
You do not need to buy expensive bottled water. Tap water is fine.

There.
That’s a start… I’m sure there are many other things to try. Let me know how you get on….