Bridges Edition of 2/7/2006

Welcome to Bridges, a monthly newsletter published by Robin Fogel, Executive and Career Coach. My goal is that these newsletters include practical information that you can use in your work and in your life. If you enjoyed the newsletter please forward it to your
colleagues, friends and family.

If you would like to take advantage of an executive coach, please
email me at robin@coachrobinfogel.com for a complimentary coaching
session or visit my website - www.coachrobinfogel.com

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GOALS - FOLLOW-UP
In January's newsletter I suggested that setting sound goals on a regular basis, say monthly or quarterly, would be more productive than those once a year resolutions. Now with a month gone how did you make out?

- Have you been successful identifying your goals? Remember the old saw - we spend more time planning our vacations than laying out our personal and professional goals.
- What obstacles did you allow to get in the way of accomplishing those goals? Or, as the card on my desk says - what action do I most want to avoid doing today?
- What is one thing you can do today to get you closer to the results you desire?

Author and Coach Tom Robbins, one of the guru's of leading a goal-oriented life has a 4 Step Success Formula:
1. Decide what you want.
2. Take action - desire is not enough.
3. Figure out what's working for you, and drop what isn't.
4. Continually change your approach until you achieve what you want.

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TRENDS FROM THE WORKPLACE
Do you work to live or live to work? There is a real difference between working hard and being a workaholic. In many corporations workaholism is a badge of honor. Employees say they fear that saying no to staying late or working on weekends will doom their career opportunities. But is this changing? A December New York Times article concluded that younger workers value work-life balance significantly higher than older workers. In another nod to changing times the article reported that younger men ranked work-life balance nearly as high as young women. The Society for Human Resource Management study quoted in the article found that for workers 35 and younger, work-life balance was the number one factor in job satisfaction. So what will the workplace have to do to adjust to the changes coming from younger members of the workforce? And what do you need to do in the meantime to work productively, not harder or longer.

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BOOK REVIEW
One of the book clubs I belong to recently read "How Full Is Your Bucket?" by Tom Rath and Don Clifton. The book used the example of the dipper and the bucket to illustrate the importance of filling the bucket with positive moments in your life and work while reducing the negative. Rath and Clifton are from Gallup and the information is researched based. While some of their materials are things we've all heard before, I loved the bucket analogy and some of their points. Here are a few of my favorites:
- The magic ratio: 5 positive interactions for every negative interaction
- A study found that negative employees can scare off every client they speak with - for good
- The number one reason people leave their jobs: They don't feel appreciated
- 65% of Americans received no recognition in the workplace last year
- Extending longevity: Increasing positive emotions could lengthen life span by 10 years

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EXECUTIVE COACHING
Your company's most valued resource is its employees. Executive coaching is designed to support and develop high potential employees. Please call or email me to learn how this service may have application for your business.

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I appreciate your comments and feedback on this newsletter, please keep them coming. If there is a topic you would like to hear more about let me know.

A FINAL THOUGHT

The urgent problems are seldom the important ones - Dwight Eisenhower
COPYRIGHT: 2006, Robin Fogel & Assoc., LLC. All Rights Reserved. May be distributed and reprinted in its entirety with copyright, subscription instructions, and contact information intact. However, you may not copy it to a website.