Leah Henderson Blog - Leah Henderson

5 Areas of Focus and Expectation For Career Success

What are you hoping for in your career path? Big raises? Name recognition? The right title? Those are great hopes! None of those are the clear expectations that you should be concentrating on for career advancement. With the right planning, the things that you hope for will become your reality when you focus on these 5 important areas.

Career growth
Skills and Knowledge Development
Work-life Balance
Workplace Culture Adaptation
Job Security

Career Growth. One of the number one reasons that people leave their place of employment is because they felt as if they were in a dead end position. When you’re on a job interview, when the interviewer asks, “Do you have any questions for me?” this is a great time to convey your own career growth expectations. The question needs to be very specific and formed in a way that doesn’t seem like you’re not interested in the position that you’re interviewing for. You’re interviewing for a specific position that the company needs to have filled. Don’t give the impression you’re not going to be reliable to that position. Instead, know yourself and your own career goals to feel out the interviewer to see the company’s plan for expansion. And once you’re hired, proving your worth and dedication, brainstorm with your boss about what pieces the company could add to your career development.

Skills and Knowledge Development. One your way to solidifying your career, seminars, training and networking opportunities will be instrumental in reaching your career goals. Ask your boss what opportunities there are for training and professional associations you could make for the company. Learning new skills and enhancing your knowledge, becoming seen and knows as the expert in your field is the grease on the wheels [...]

By Leah Henderson|2014/07/11|Career, LPT - Life Preparedness Training|0 Comments|

Monday Morning Internal Audit – Choose One Thought

Welcome to your new workweek! You have power. This is the one place where you have power over everything that happens and that is inside of you.

Right now, take a moment to check up on your internal dialogue. What one thought do you want to tease out of all the noise of Monday Morning that will carry you through the week? A few weeks ago my daughter got married. On the Monday of that week, all of my thoughts were directed toward Saturday, the day of her wedding. That week it was easy to find a direction. What was the one thing that I wanted to accomplish that week? The wedding! Anything that happened that week, even if it was work related, had to be done so that my mind could be clear for the wedding.

This week my One Thought that will carry me through the week is Connection. It will be my theme. Everything that I do this week, every opportunity that comes my way, every rote duty that I perform will be brought underneath the umbrella of Connection. When I do this, when I have a unifying theme, it challenges me to be in control of myself, to be more deliberate about my actions and if I find I have distracting thoughts, I can measure them against the word “Connection”.

Hello Monday!

By Leah Henderson|2014/04/14|LPT - Life Preparedness Training, Motivational, Success|0 Comments|

Results are In! Hugging is Beneficial To Your Health!

For those of you who need a reason to do so, and I know some of you who do, researchers at the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami Medical School have found that the beneficial effects of positive touch are long lasting. Benefits of positive touch include a decrease in the stress hormone, cortisol, and causes surges of the “feel good” hormones dopamine and serotonin! And the results of positive touch can last a long after the two people are no longer in physical proximity! Hugs are like giving someone a dose of Stress Reduction before going out into a stress filled world. So hug your kids, your spouses, significant others, friends, the elderly, and today you might even get away with hugging a stranger (just be careful to not be creepy with that one). Hug and hold hands. Give away as much positive touch as you can today and have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!!

By Leah Henderson|2014/02/15|More Joyful Life, Success|0 Comments|

6 Questions To End Each Day

Whether you own your own business, work in a corporate setting, are a stay at home parent, or a student, chances are, that’s not the only thing going on in your life and you’re busy. When I worked in a university’s retention program, I would go over students’ schedules with them and was often surprised at how packed their lives were. As a coach, similarly, when you go over people’s schedules with them to see what all they’re trying to fit into their day, it’s often surprising how many things people are trying to do and how many things fall through the cracks.

It’s the things that fall through the cracks that are the cause for concern. It’s the “I’ll get to that tomorrow” that often never gets done until its on fire or past due. To enhance simplicity in your life, Thoreau wrote in his journal, “The rule is to carry as little as possible.” [Journal, 22 July 1857]

I have been teased for carrying tiny purses. But my purse generally has only what I need for that day in it. Every evening I take everything out of my purse and every morning I only put into my purse what I’m going to need that day.

Our lives should be given that same consideration. Everyday unpack your “purse”. Take a few moments every evening to think back over your day, from the beginning of your day and take stock of what happened. You don’t need to keep a journal if that’s not your style, a blank sheet of paper will do. The important part is to go back over your day and take everything out of your head that happened.

Now, that you’ve done that ask yourself [...]

By Leah Henderson|2014/01/23|More Joyful Life, Success|0 Comments|

5 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Work Life

No woman or man is an island. And while you can pick your friends, you can’t pick your coworkers! You need their cooperation, goodwill, and understanding to perform your own job well. You spend more time with your coworkers during the week than you do your friends or your family. And studies show that when there’s a problem with the relationships in the workplace, there are redundancies, slowed progress, and all of that lowers morale. While you don’t have to be friends with co-workers, to make you work life more productive, you do need to be friendly. Extending just a few courtesies to colleagues can make a huge difference in somebody’s day and garner workplace peace for you and others. Here are 5 easy things to do.

1. Have a smile and a hello when you arrive. It’s easy to be the office grump. Traffic was bad. Someone was rude. It’s another day, right? But, there’s that person that arrives to work who smiles at everyone and has a cheery hello, and walks past you with calm confidence that makes you feel envious. That can be you. The secret is to stop and take a deep breath before you leave the house, before you get out of the car/bus/train, and before you open the office door. And yes, that was a list of places where you stop, take a deep breath, consciously relax, and bring your best self forward.

2. Small talk is the key to caring. But you thought small talk is difficult or shallow? Small talk is key to telling someone else you care about what they care about. Karen has pictures of her children on her desk. Bill is a rabid college football [...]

By Leah Henderson|2014/01/15|Success|0 Comments|

You Make It Happen

Show up for your life. You ARE enough! Click “You Make It Happen” for Slideshow.

By Leah Henderson|2014/01/13|Motivational|0 Comments|

LPT (Life Preparedness Training)

When children are young, it’s good to expose them to as many new experiences as possible so they can see and do new things, but also to watch and learn from you. How are you handling yourself? How do you relate with others? What do you do in situations where you’re frustrated, late, overlooked by a busy desk clerk or waiter in a restaurant?

A person comes into a new situation where their limits are tested, say, a waitress is obviously busy and not giving you the level of attention you are normally used to or expect.
Children who have been exposed to adults who are gracious and forgiving will politely remind the waitress of their needs, while the children who have not been exposed to life preparedness training by a mature adult might become demanding. As a result, at the table with gracious behavior , the waitress is sweet, thanks them for being patient, and offers them a free dessert. At the table with the rude behavior, the waitress is just nervous, apologizes for their inconvenience and then forgets to offer a free dessert.
The children who are unprepared for life think that something magical is happening over there and that they are being punished. They do not know that graciousness was taught and that it is something that they can attain with learning and practicing good manners.
The children who are prepared for life, not knowing that the other children were not prepared ahead of time for a difficult life situation, think that what’s happening at the other table is deserved and that the people at their table are superior and better people. They will work hard in future situations to continue to [...]

By Leah Henderson|2013/10/29|LPT - Life Preparedness Training|0 Comments|

10 Keys to a Happier Life – Part 2

6. Pay Attention To The People Around You. Is there anyone that you’re walking with on the sidewalk of life and they’re steering you into potholes, puddles, and piles of poop? If so, why are you walking with them? Oh, they’re saying such nice things but the talk is deceptive and they’re not treating you nicely. Get away from them. Now notice the people who are looking out for you, watching your back, encouraging you, cheering you on. Aren’t giving them as much attention? Why not? You can analyze that later. Right now. Pay attention and get in step with the good people around you.

7. Be Loyal Back. When you’ve started to notice the people who are around you that are great to be around, be loyal back to them. Encourage, cheer them, watch their backs, look out for them, enjoy their successes!

8. Speak up and Say What You Mean. This can be difficult for some of us. Especially if you’ve been in a position where you got really bad feed back from others. Especially if you were made to feel marginalized, minimized, discounted and dismissed. Henry David Thoreau wrote, “If you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams and endeavor to live the life that you have imagined…you will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” The life that you imagine is one in which what you say is valued. Say it.

9. Listen Well. There’s “Active Listening”, “Appreciative Listening”, “Dialogic Listening”, “Informative Listening”, “Reflective Listening”, “Workplace Listening”. Whichever you are doing, Listening is paramount to success, effectiveness, and satisfaction.

10. Perform a Random Act of Kindness. Whether you pay someone’s toll, buy someone a Starbucks, pay for someone’s groceries, or pick up [...]

By Leah Henderson|2013/09/28|More Joyful Life|0 Comments|

10 Keys to a Happier Life – Part 1

1. Be authentic. This is the greatest gift that you can give the world. Feel your feelings. Those are yours and you have a right to them. We are here to make an impact on the world. In your corner of the world, who is looking at you? Who needs the wisdom, care, love, and concern that your authentic self has to offer? Oscar Wilde said it best, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.”

2. Love Yourself Unconditionally. When you love yourself, there is a good chance the next nine things will be much easier. Yes, you have flubbed-up some things pretty badly and no, you haven’t done everything right. But, you’re working on your stuff, right? And there are some things about yourself that you’ve just decided to accept, right? Loving yourself makes loving others easier.

3. Forgive Yourself. Remember we just talked about those things you flubbed-up? Have you taken the time to also forgive yourself? Sometimes just THINKING about something you’ve done that was embarrassing, unkind, or just plain dumb makes us cringe and NOT want to remember it. However, if you’re remembering it with a cringe, take a few minutes to forgive yourself. Understanding that we all need forgiveness makes forgiving others so much easier.

4. Be Confident. We’ve already accepted the fact that you’re not perfect and that you’re not always going to get it right. That takes off a lot of pressure, doesn’t it? Allowing yourself room to make mistakes, taking yourself out of the “Most Perfect Person in The World” contest makes it lots easier to take that pressure off of others, too. Confidence comes with putting your imperfect, best foot forward.

5. Move Forward. Now that you’ve got that imperfect [...]

By Leah Henderson|2013/08/09|More Joyful Life|0 Comments|

My Decree: The Body In Motion That Stays In Motion

This universal law of physics applies to both my body and mind. Once I start an activity, it’s easy to maintain momentum. Knowing this, I can soar past obstacles in my path and remain focused on my tasks and goals.

I create my action plans so they begin with undemanding tasks. This allows me to start any project with ease. Then I can quickly complete that task and move effortlessly onto the next, gaining momentum as I move forward.

The energy of my forward momentum helps push challenges aside. My active and focused mind is able to figure out a way to work with or overcome difficulties. Sometimes I may have to alter my plans, but I always maintain momentum.

It is similar to a game of pool. Once the cue hits the ball with enough energy to give it a strong push, it continues its momentum regardless of anything in its path. When it hits another ball or the wall, it simply changes its path and keeps going.

Like the ball, each and every day I have a chance to take my turn and do with it what I will! I choose to maintain my forward momentum with my eyes on my prize, even if I must change my plan from time to time.

Just as the ball comes to a stop at the end of its turn, I wind down at the end of the day and rest. The next morning I feel rejuvenated and I have the energy to take another exciting turn in this wonderful game of life!

Today, I will strive to be the body in motion that stays in motion. With my forward momentum, I can handle anything that steers me away from my [...]

By Leah Henderson|2012/10/26|More Joyful Life|0 Comments|

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