Author Archives: Karen Kelloway
Are You Minding Your Ps and Qs? Don’t make a career limiting move
Has your mother ever told you to mind your Ps and Qs? Honestly, I never knew what she was talking about. Be good? I did a little research on the origin of the phrase and my favorite explanation is that ‘mind your Ps and Qs’ comes from 17th century English pubs and taverns when bartenders would keep watch on the alcohol consumption of the customers ‘keeping an eye on the pints and quarts that were consumed.” The bartender would ask customers to ‘mind their Ps and Qs’. I imagine the wisdom our mothers were trying to impart on us as children was to
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Posted in Blog, inspiration, mindset, Motivation
Tagged attitude, behavior, career advice, career limiting, Christmas, Holidays, mindset, office party, yoga
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You’re the Boss — What’s the Answer?
Around midnight – nine hours before the bell would ring for the first day of school – my husband and I were having a whispering debate about how to treat our eleven-year-old’s flu symptoms. Tristan had called us into his room to let us know he was thirsty and his headache was getting worse. We suspected he was going to throw up any moment because his symptoms had been building all day. We didn’t want him to miss his first day of school. So, there was a bit of denial happening. Like maybe this will pass. Maybe he won’t throw up. Maybe
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More than You Can Chew?
Just because you’re good at something doesn’t mean it’s your passion… I highly suspect that Lu is suffering from career burnout, but he isn’t your typical employee. Still, twice a day Lu goes to work performing at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park. On one occasion, my son and I joined the audience gathered under the hot Florida sun to watch Lu emerge from his shaded spot among the water lilies. He slowly took his position in front of a ledge where his trainer stood, ready to feed him his noontime feeding. “Lu used to be a movie star,” the trainer
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Posted in Avoid Burnout, inspiration, mindset
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Is Your Stretch Goal Too Stretched?
Get Aligned With Your ‘Why’ I have no desire to rappel down a 13 story building. Yet in June of this year, there is a slight chance I may be doing just that. It’s not a marathon, so not something I can train for. It’s a total mental type of training. At least that’s my take. My friend and former university roomie, who is trying to persuade me to literally take the leap says she’s told the experience leaves you feeling fabulous when it’s done. A real sense of accomplishment. Hmmmm. Of course, it’s not just leaping from a building.
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Posted in Avoid Burnout, fundraising, leadership, mindset, Motivation
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Why Do We Excuse Bad Behavior?
Managers Need to Step Up and Course-Correct I recently met with the head of a company who said she’s finally figured it out. She actually had to fire some employees if she wanted to grow the business and create the kind of work environment she envisioned. Even though these employees had been loyal and been with the company for many years, they were toxic. She had continuously excused their bad behavior because they were good at their job and, well, had just been there so long it didn’t seem right to let them go. They had become her friends. She’s now
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Is Too Much Success Burning You Out? When to Use the “Happy No”
I find it mildly ironic that I’m reading a book on boundaries and in the four weeks since I’ve started, I’ve been interrupted so much while trying to read it that I’ve only reached page 40. It seems like a really good book and I had hoped to impart all kinds of wisdom to you on how to set boundaries to be more productive, but alas, I obviously have more work to do in mastering that area of self-awareness! Why is it that we allow ourselves to get interrupted, distracted and side-tracked? Most of us have pop-ups letting us know
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Posted in Avoid Burnout, mindset
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How One NAIL IT!® Participant Got Her Dream Job
We often think that advancing in our career means moving up a rung in the corporate ladder. This seasoned professional has proven that it’s more about finding a role that aligns with your values, motivations and that ultimately makes you happy. Here’s an excerpt from a conversation between me and one manager who recently used the six simple steps of my NAIL IT! ® program to land her dream job. Q: When your boss offered you the chance to go through the NAIL IT!® program what was your reaction? A: It was a little bit of an eye roll because my
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What it Really Means to Lead from the Heart and How to Do It
On a recent trip to the US, I lost my cell phone. It happened when I was frantically rummaging through my bag at the airport looking for my passport. If you’re thinking about now that I, Karen Kelloway, may just be a bit scattered on trips and probably shouldn’t travel alone, you are correct. But I don’t yet have the status for an entourage. So, when travelling for work, my strategy is to imitate what feels like an appropriate level of confidence and hope for the best. On this occasion, my iPhone slipped from its dedicated pocket inside my bag,
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It’s Yours to Create – A Fairy Tree Tale
What I love about this Fairy Tree is how it got its start. It wasn’t always the star of the forest. In the 15 years or so that I’ve been walking along its popular path I hadn’t really paid it much attention. It just blended in with the other trees. Then one December day that all changed. Someone had come along and placed a single ornament on its branches. Soon, others were added. Within a week it had become a beautifully decorated tree. When I brought my kids to add their own homemade ornaments, they thought the tree must be
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Posted in Blog, inspiration, leadership
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Can A Company ‘Be Genuine’?
I’ve been madly preparing for a three-day intensive workshop I’m attending later this week in Atlanta on a subject I’ve long had on my ‘stretch goal’ list — Investing. And while I initially planned to write a blog on how to start and reach a stretch goal, I’ve decided to dig in a bit more and share what I’m learning related to investing in companies. Phil Town, Investment guru and author of the New York Times bestseller Rule #1, is hosting the workshop and is essentially responsible for kick starting my stretch goal. I saw him speak at a conference
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