Let Your Life Map Inspire Your Career Ambitions

by | Oct 22, 2020 | Coaching, Influence, Interests, Leadership

Life Map is a visual timeline that tracks your life journey and provides you with a helicopter view of

  • significant milestones/events in your life that shapes you
  • achievements that you have done and are proud of
  • childhood passions that you have not realised and perhaps is the right time to revisit
  • obstacles that you overcame and defines you

Some of us may observe patterns of choices in life. It may even provide you with your core values that determine how decisions were made in life. You may then reorganise the information using the SWOT analysis to further understand your strengths, weaknesses and how you view external threats and opportunities.

These are some examples of life map:  

Mindmap Lifemap
life map

You could consider drawing your life map using pen-and-paper (refer to the blank Life Map template below). You could also use an online tool such as Canva. Share it with someone whom you can trust and let the conversation gives you a better perspective of your career progression and development plan.

Whether you are new in the world of work or someone going through a career transition, the Life Map can be a good compass to guide new perspectives to your career ambitions.

If you would like to explore deeper in your self-discovery journey, you are welcome to schedule a consultation with us.

Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe.

Oprah Winfrey

Leaders of an Agile Organisation

by | May 22, 2020 | Coaching, Creativity, Influence, Leadership

2016: MBASkool.com wrote about the Characteristics of an Agile Organisation. They defined an ‘agile organisation’ as ‘the one that is quick in responding to changes in the marketplace or environment.’

2018: Mckinsey.com wrote about ‘The Five Trademarks of Agile Organisations.’ They highlighted how such organisations add velocity and adaptability to stability, creating a critical source of competitive advantage in volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) conditions.

Drivers for agility

Becoming Agile is not a Big Bang and requires top-down
support to meet existing bottom-up initiatives and
eagerness…  Agility does not happen overnight, leaders should take sufficient time to transform their organisations harnessing the already existing knowledge and initiatives across the organisation.

KPMG's Global Agile Survey 2019

The Covid-19 pandemic was a defining moment for the global economic future, exposing its vulnerabilities to diseases and pandemics. We have observed how agile organisations learn rapidly, transform their businesses and deliver valuable products and/or services to meet the customers’ needs. Undeniably, some big innovations often require a different way of thinking, a mindset shift.
How could any organisation transform themselves quickly to be agile? I suggest that our leaders lead by example and adopt the following mindset shifts from

Living a Legacy
  • Scarcity to Abundance – Wealth is not always about money. Make your people awesome by increasing their capability. Awesome people are inspirational; belief in their ability to create and change your current reality.
  • Limited to Unlimited – Limiting thinking and beliefs result in micromanaging. We end up limiting our achievements and losing our talents.
  • Competition to Excellence – Excellence is a quality that keeps you on top with your people; competition keeps you on top of people.
  • Management to Relationship is like focusing in the NOW vs focusing in the FUTURE

Agile is an attitude, not a technique with boundaries. An attitude has no boundaries, so we wouldn’t ask ‘can I use agile here,’ but rather ‘how would I act in the agile way here,’ or ‘how agile can we be here?’

Alistair Cockburn

A Career that Inspires Growth to GLOW

by | Apr 22, 2020 | Character, Coaching, Influence, Leadership

While growth can be accidental and incremental, it has to be intentional if you want it to be sustainable and impactful.

For growth to be intentional, two very important questions have to be asked and answered:

  • Why do you want to grow?
  • What is the push factor for you to continue growing when time becomes easy or even busy?

    Let’s talk about how we could inspire growth that leads to GLOW:

Growth to Infinity

The world advocates lifelong learning as an “ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated” pursuit of knowledge for either personal or professional reasons. At an individual level, this means to

  • expand our knowledge base,
  • equip ourselves with new skills,
  • strengthen the skills that we need to improve.
Living a Legacy

Living a Legacy:

While many do not believe that their influence can impact generations, experience has taught me that one’s continual growth can create an immediate impact as he/she will

  • be more efficient in processes,
  • be more confident to engage in complex problem solving,
  • encourage innovation in the team,
  • ultimately be given the opportunity to lead teams and increase their circle of influence.

Open-mindedness is like a muscle. It is the muscle of willingness to try new things or consider new ideas. It is also a muscle that allows us completely immerse ourselves into another situation or experience without personal biases and prejudices. 

However, it does not mean that you are changing yourself to agree with everything. It simply gives you the freedom to adjust your conclusions and better our ability to connect with others even when we disagree. Open-mindedness takes time, energy, and practice. 

Open-mindedness
Well Grounded

Well-grounded

Lately, we have been witnessing a series of coronavirus-inspired panic buying and hoarding around the world. While being grounded means having the ability to be completely aware and conscious of the present moment, it also means you practice a deep sense of mindfulness and rarely think about “what ifs,”  such as “what if we run out of food/ toilet paper.”

When we are grounded, we are in complete control of our mental and emotional state, and not easily influenced by other ideas or individuals. Likewise, when we are grounded at work, we continue to work responsibly and grow continually to stay relevant and competitive. 

Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.

John Maxwell

Visualise the IMpossible

by | Mar 23, 2020 | Character, Coaching, Influence, Leadership

Do you have a dream? If yes, what is your dream? If no, why not?

Many dictionaries describe dreamers as someone who spend a lot of time thinking about and planning for things that they would like to happen but which are improbable or impractical. That does not sound very encouraging, does it?

Dream is more than just a word or some impractical thinking. Inspiring ConneXion has a dream to better the people that we meet; that marks the purpose of our existence and that is what we are good at. We want to encourage you to find your purpose, discover what you are good at and make an impact by living that purpose.

If you are already living your purpose, we want to work alongside you to increase your capabilities and influence. We want to inspire you to live and leave a legacy behind, and inspire others to do likewise!

If you have yet to discover or uncertain about your purpose, we want to walk this journey of DISCovery with you.

Well, you may think it is impossible.
We want to inspire you to VISUALISE THE IMPOSSIBLE!

  1. Take time to Define and Visualise your Impossible.
  2. Think deeper to Understand the Reality that makes it Impossible.
  3. Have a list of Options to turn the Impossible into a Reality.
  4. List the Potential Challenges and Obstacles.
  5. Prioritise the challenges and obstacles to overcome.
  6. Identify your Potential Coaches and Sources of Help.
  7. Ideate more Options with the help of others.
  8. Create a Master Plan to make the Impossible Possible.
  9. Create Minor Action Plans to path small successes.
  10. It is a Work in Progress so make necessary Alterations to Your Plans.

Wow, that is a lot of work, you may be thinking.
You are right!

The Dream is FREE but the Journey is NOT.

You have to pay a price if you want to turn the Impossible into a Reality.
Is it possible?
Well, instead of asking the question ‘Is it possible?’, why not ask

“Do you believe? Do you believe that you could do it?”

On the opposite side of personal beliefs are possibilities and opportunities. If you only believe.

It always seems impossible until it is done.

Nelson Mandela

You can be eXtraOrdinary

by | Feb 24, 2020 | Character, Coaching, Influence, Leadership

Inspiring ConneXion believes that ordinary people can be extraordinary. What does it mean to be called ordinary and what does it take to be extraordinary?

An ordinary person sees no distinction in himself when compared to others; he blends in, does things accepted by the society and follows status quo. He follows a routine that gets him through the day at work, at home and in the community. Basically, who is he to make a difference to anyone, in any capacity?

So, we said you can be extraordinary! What does it take to be extraordinary? We have seen a quote that says “God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things.” Is that real? Can that person be me? Definitely!

Change your thoughts and you will change your world

The first thing we need you to do is to STOP telling yourself that you are ordinary or a nobody. Why?

  1. It prevents you from growing personally and professionally.
  2. It limits you and traps you in your comfort zone.
  3. It reduces your choices to No Choice.
  4. It hurts your self-esteem.

The list can go on and on; nothing is positive. It drains your energy, so let’s not go there!

Next, we want you to do a Minimal Makeover (Extreme Makeover may sound too overwhelming). 

We need you to START thinking positive. How?

  1. Start being a winner by walking away from whiners.
  2. Start facing the giants and rising to the challenge.
  3. Start creating momentum that generates positive energy.

Finally, we need you to CONTINUE doing what you are good at and make every day a Masterpiece! Remember:

You are more powerful than you know ad they fear the day you discover it.

The difference between the ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.

Jimmy Johnson

ABC of Inspiring ConneXion

by | Jan 22, 2020 | Character, Influence, Leadership

What does VUCA really mean to you? Harvard Business Review suggested in an article written in 2014 that there are four distinct types of challenges in the VUCA world that demand four distinct types of responses.

As we continue to live in a VUCA world, let’s look at how the ABC of Inspiring Connexion will enable you to “be infinitely flexible and constantly amazed” by your own capability to dance in the storm.

Adjust your attitude

Attitude is your view-point about people, events or issues. It can be positive or negative. Your attitude towards the VUCA world will influence how receptive you are to changes and how willing you are to adapt quickly.

Be Inspired to: Embrace A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E=100% and think “I can” instead of “I can’t.”

A bad attitude is like a flat tire. You can't go anywhere without changing it

Beware of “Old Dog Thinking”

This is a common phrase that means it is challenging to teach a person something new, usually because that person has been doing things a certain way for so long that they’re too stubborn to learn how to do it differently. Perhaps your experience is too strong and prevents you from seeing any possibility or new solution.

Be Inspired to: Respond positively with “Why not?” or “Ah, of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” You will be amazed by how it can generate new inspiration and motivation in you.

Cultivate Intuition

Intuition is our ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning. For many of us who have completed the MBTI test and attained a high score of Intuition (N) in processing information, you tend to be more comfortable with ambiguity.

Be Inspired to: Do nothing! Learn to be comfortable with silence and solitude. Learn to be quiet and day-dream rather than filling every moment of your day with activities. You will be amazed how much can be revealed to you by merely opening yourself to your surrounding, observing with attention and without judging.

Make your life a masterpiece; imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do.

Brian Tracy

error: Content is protected !!