I lost my book

I lost my book - halfway through the story - left it in a hotel lobby. It was an excellent book about a magical circus; the dust cover is in my suitcase so I can find it again. I hope whomever picked it up enjoys it as much as I did.

Grousing about losing my book just before getting on another plane, someone asked "What was so good about it?" The image that sprang to mind was how the author described a "wishing tree" as part of the circus. In the middle of the craziness a night at the circus brings, there was a tree covered in candles. Each candle was a wish and one candle lighted the next wisher's taper.

The tree was a network of wishers and wishes... which is exactly what a good network contains.

I probably don't need to belabour that point :-) 

A professor once said "Why read business books when the real mysteries of human nature can be uncovered in literature?"  That weird little book of the fantastic was affirming my beliefs while taking me outside the drab world of airport lounges and delayed flights. I feel a little lost because the story was cut short.

Choices

It is not easy to make conscious choices every day. If you agree that most of what we do is choice, then a lot of what we do out of 'habit' is simply choice we are not stopping to think about any more. Preference becomes a 'must'; habit becomes 'need'; change becomes 'can't'.

Some days I would like to slip into my habits and blow off anyone who finds them annoying, unhelpful or mediocre. (anyone, including myself)

Some days it takes a nudge to help me find the excitment of discovering something new or re-choosing something deliberately because it works/ brings joy/ makes sense.

But if we surrender to habit and consensus, if we relinquish choice even in the little daily routines, I think we die faster - inside and out.

No one said it isn't tiring some days. No one said you can't take the occasional holiday. No one but you can make this choice.

Interviews - the pre-screening

If you've ever been called to the Principal's Office... an interview feels much the same. You sit in a chair waiting for someone to see you who may, or may not, be swayed by what you have to say. You make sure your hair is brushed, your buttons are buttoned and your palms unsweaty.

Preparing for an interview happens well before the actual appointment. It starts with a well-crafted resume and is often preceded by a phone interview. Most folks are happy with hearing they have a phone interview and usually spend most of their effort convincing the interviewer to let them move to the next step. (at least, that's what I do :-)

I also use the pre-screening call to prepare for the 'big' interview and to ascertain that the company will fit me. It sounds pushy but it creates a more engaging conversation to do more than answer questions (a passive conversation). By having some questions of my own ready to roll, I can appear more interesting and more of a leader.

• First, I make sure I know my current skills for which I wish to be most known. Then, not only can I answer the question of "what skills do you think are your strengths" but I can ask "What skills are currently the hardest for your company to find?" "What is the most valued leadership trait in your organization?"
• I have an answer ready for "what do you want to be in 5 years"...just in case they ask. Then I ask "What's the company's philosophy on moving people around internally?"
• Then, depending on my connection (or not) with the phone interviewer, I may ask: "What's the one thing your company did this year that made you proud to work for them?" "What's your company's involvement around Women in Leadership?" "Are employees encouraged to blog either within the company or outside?"

You can google many ways to do a good pre-screening interview. Just add a few questions of your own and make it a two-way conversation; create a connection and stand out for your people skills.