Posted by Stephanie on Wednesday, January 11th, 2012 , Posted in Uncategorized , No Comments »
Happy 2012!
I hope the first 10 days of 2012 have been prosperous and you are ON TRACK!
I haven’t had a moment to blog, but I was sitting here reflecting (and deleting “friends” from my Facebook account) and thought I’d pump something out really quickly since I will offline most of day tomorrow. If you remember in my first blog, I shared that I was extra comfortable with my expertise in human resources; I could figure out any HRIS (human resources information system), Payroll or Accounting Software possible, but was hesitatant to update my website. In one of my videos, I shared that I was teaching myself photoshop and iMovie. So that I could see how things work first hand.
Along the way, I have learned so many fascinating things and I have also lost respect for a few of my business colleagues. Please don’t get me wrong, if a person is in business, I believe they should be paid for their services, trust me I had to make that very clear when I started my business too. My issue is when people try to make things more complicated than they have to be so that they can charge you an astronomical fee (simply because you don’t know how to do something).
- I remember paying $75 for an ISBN number because I didn’t know I could get a block of 10 for $250
- I remember paying $250 for someone to turn a book into a pdf because I didn’t know it was as a file “save as” option.
- I remember paying $1500 for a cameo appearance in a video tutorial that I have yet to see.
One thing I WILL NOT forget is the people who took advantage of me. My schedule can get really hectic at times and so it’s easier for me to sell my strengths and buy my weaknesses. See I believe there are professionals in every industry FOR A REASON. I also realize that just because I can do something…it doesn’t mean that I should. Sure, I can make a flyer, but my graphic designers can “design circles around me” (pun intended). My point is, that is what they do and they do a darn great job at it. Even the Bible says, a laborer is worthy of their wages. So paying for a product/service has NEVER been a beef.
To be OVERCHARGED for a product or a service is where I take great issue. Why? Because I get that you are not operating in integrity, your character is suspect and well, you are just plain evil. Okay that was a bit harsh. But can I just be real? When I first got into human resources a mentor told me,” a huge portion of my paycheck would be for people not to like what I had to say.” The first time I had to terminate someone, I understood exactly what that meant. Likewise, the same mentor told me, “if you are always honest with people, they may not like it (or you), but the will respect it (and you). So I decided if I could not be perfect, that I would always be genuine.
I have always subscribed to the saying, “if you help enough people get what they need, you will never have a problem getting what you want!” This saying is part of the reason I give away free tips and tidbits. The reward is reading an email or a post that says, “Thank you, you helped me so much!” But I’m realizing that some people just do BAD BUSINESS.
So the more I learn, the more I AM LEARNING. Everyone is not on the same playing field, some are not even playing the same game. Some have bent the rules, while others have just broken them. My point was not to slam anyone, but to remind you that integrity goes a long way. Just because someone doesn’t know to do something today, it doesn’t mean they will never learn how to do something. Don’t take advantage of it because you will lose more than a customer. You will also lose their respect!
SCH
Posted by Stephanie on Monday, December 12th, 2011 , Posted in Uncategorized , No Comments »
Just read about a friend who spent 4 days in a mental hospital after being fired from her job and decided to share a few things that many of you don’t know. I’ve been without a job too!
This time of year becomes challenging for many people for a variety of reasons. Loss of Loved One, Loss of Employment, Loss of Relationships, etc.
The reality is….a loss is a loss…and your feelings about your loss are VALID! Statics says the loss of employment, is sometimes the equivalent of the loss of a loved one. My point is…don’t hide what you’re feeling… acknowledge your feelings and address them.
Loss of a job means that everything around you has the potential to suffer. That is a fact, and that is real emotion. That is nothing to sweep under the rug or ignore.
Many of you see the things that I have accomplished in my CAREER, but what you don’t know is I am where I am today, because I lost my job!
In 2001, I was laid off and that was the first time in my career that I had ever experienced not having a job to go to. I was completely LOST. I started working when I was 16 and had my first professional position at 18 (Administrative Assistant in the Human Resources Department). And….
I found myself at a place where I had to do a reality check. My Identity was wrapped up “what I did”…you know, the titles my employers had given to me.
When I was laid off, I was making a base salary of $80,000 (that did not include my bonus structure) and held the title of Human Resources Director. However, that meant nothing the next day when I didn’t have a job and had to go file for unemployment – - which I could not get until I had been paid my severance, which I opted to get in a lump sum within 30 days.
Long story short, I blew threw my severance and within 6 months, I was having to learn to live off $1200/mo in unemployment. I was humiliated, depressed, and too proud to ask for help. My rent payment was $950, my car note was $420, and I still had utilities and food to pay. So you see, that $1200 didn’t go far.
I opted to let my car insurance lapse and got pulled over my the Dekalb County Police and ended up spending the night in jail. Yes, I asked for help then, because I had to call and ask my god-mother to come and pay the $500 for me to get out of jail.
I learned an invaluable lesson during this time in my life….well actually several…
1. Loss is a real emotion – deal with it!
2. Titles mean nothing and they can change in an instant
3. Breaking the law will cost you more than shame
4. Everyone who says they are a friend – - is not
5. Learn to take control of your career
I ended up losing my apartment because I could not afford to pay my car insurance and refused to move my car from the stall without valid insurance on it. I had never learned to take the bus in Atlanta and still had some pride issues.
It was during this time, that I wrote my first book, Why Should I Hire You? which ultimately has a great deal to do with the career that I have today. It was the stepping stone for how I operate. I decided that NO ONE would ever have that much control over my life again. Some one reading this is saying, “it was just a job!”…No see, I worked 12-14 hours a day for this employer for over 5 years…so it was essentially my life.
I was too proud to take the bus, but I wasn’t too proud to move in with a lady from my church, who after 6 weeks told me, “you are no bother at all, I just want my privacy back”. So I moved in with a girlfriend and everything went into storage except my futon, computer, tv and armoire.
I used this time to get myself together, plan my comeback and get a “you’re not all that” reality check.Within 1 year, I had experienced, loss of a job, loss of freedom (night in jail) and loss of security (my apartment). But I gained a new career by publishing a book, getting on the speaking circuit, and taking my career into my own hands.
I shared all of this to say….everything that glitters is not always gold. Sometimes, we have to go through to get through.
Most of us don’t have a silver spoon in our mouths and hard work, dedication and a reality check will be just the thing we need to bounce back….but with a new sense of appreciation!
Posted by Stephanie on Saturday, December 3rd, 2011 , Posted in Uncategorized , No Comments »
I was talking to my 13 and 11 year old daughters when one blurted out, “Mom, you have SWAG! I laughed and inquired how she came to that conclusion and what SWAG means. She is an honor roll student so it didn’t surprise me that she was able to come up with an acrostic for SWAG in 1 point 1 seconds. She proudly defined SWAG for her mommy to be:
S-Successful
W-Woman
A-About
G-God
I thought it was the cutest little compliment, but it made me think about how we use words sometimes because they are popular, but we really don’t understand what they mean or they are not clearly defined.
The first time I heard the word SWAG, I overheard someone referring the way Denzel Washington walks. The cooing conversation went something like, “ooh that Denzel is just fine…I just love his swagger!” Now, I love Denzel as an actor, but never thought of him as a sex symbol. So I just chalked it up as his persona, you know that “something about him” factor.
Over the past few years, the word SWAG has become very popular and well everybody seems to have it. I’ve seen the word used in almost every way imagined. I’ve seen it used in business, social media, faith-based conferences, music videos, etc. You name it someone has claimed to have it. But, contrary to popular belief it’s not that popular and it reserved for only a few as defined by the Urban Dictionary. SWAG is “a subtle thing that many strive to gain but few actually attain. It is reserved for the most swagalicious of people.”
What I found interesting is the World English Dictionary says one definition for SAWG is, “property obtained by theft or illicit means” and the very next definition is “goods, valuables”. So for this blog, I’ll stick with the latter. I believe each of us have something good and valuable that we are capable of showing the world. Yes, I am a believer that we all have some special gift of talent, we just have to tap into it and learn how to use it for our benefit. It doesn’t mean we are all on the road to being living legends, but it means we certainly have something to offer.
I’d like to challenge each of you reading this to do something different. Instead of just saying you have SWAG, take the time to actually define your SWAG. You know, add some clarity to why you have SWAG. It’s just an exercise for fun, but I think it will give us all a boost as we prepare to enter 2012.
My SWAG is defined as:
S-uccessful {at what I do)
W-Worthy (to have others take notice)
A- Accomplished (Proven Ability)
G – Goal-Driven (Doing things on Purpose)
Go ahead, define your SWAG! Don’t just say you have it, but show me what you’re working with! Once you have your SWAG defined, encourage those around you to define their SWAG too!
S-Something
W-we
A- All
G- Got!
I’m looking forward to see how you define your SWAG. Talk to me later in Victory!
SCH
Posted by Stephanie on Monday, November 28th, 2011 , Posted in Uncategorized , No Comments »
(Even though I give career and business tips everyday, this is my first official blog post} I have a confession to make that I hope will help each and everyone of you in your journey. It’s no secret that I am a certified human resources professional by trade who got laid off in 2001 . That’s part of my success story on how I used the layoff as a defining moment to take control over my career. I worked hard to build a brand, and make a name for myself. I have been blessed to become an author, career expert, speaker, radio host and even Publisher of a CAREER Magazine. My secret is, this ever-changing technology had me afraid to try something new! Launch out into the deep….
For many years, I “controlled” my career, but left certain parts of my destiny to others such as graphic designers and web designers {no, they are not necessarily the same}. Why? Fear. Not the spooky kind of fear, but fear that I would not or could deliver in excellence so I made an excuse and stuck with it. I am a human resources professional and human resources is what I do! While I am the first person to tell my clients to “sell your strengths and buy your weaknesses”- – I still have to admit; I have paid way more money than I should have over the past 10 years on websites. While I understand being an entrepreneur requires wearing MANY hats, I simply refused to wear the hat of a web designer. Since 2001, I have had approximately 10 websites built and I paid someone to do it each time (I currently have 6 separate web sites).
Fast forward… I had a discussion with my graphic designer who is proficient in both graphic and web design. I shared my goals to update the CAREER Magazine website (which she created in 2008). Based on our conversation, and the direction CAREER Magazine is heading, she suggested Word Press website because it offers the most flexibility. She found a great template for me and offered to do the website for less than $300. That’s important to share because that’s the cheapest quote I ever received for any website. Knowing the caliber of her work, and her worth; I figured she just was giving me a price break because of our long-term working relationship. Or she felt sorry for me because she was aware of my graphic designer nightmares and all the THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS I’ve spent on websites prior to working with her.
When I was finally ready to move forward with my website, my “main” graphic designer was in the process of expanding her business and moving her home business to a retail location. She was happy to upgrade the website, but told me she could not start on it for another two months. As a general rule, I have always worked with several designers because experience has taught me to always have options.
I have two other graphic designers that have successfully completed other projects for me when my main designer was unavailable. But decided to just go in a totally different direction and try a designer I had met online a few years ago (and met him in person summer 2009 while visiting my best friend in Detroit). Before turning over my website I had him to do a graphic design project for me and I was sooooooooo happy with his work. So, I turned over my website and a $300 partial payment as his requirement was 50% down to start. After waiting more than three months for my website, I began to look through some emails and realized that my new “graphic designer” did not design the project I was so happy – - HE HAD OUTSOURCED IT! (which explains why the website samples he sent were not up to par). Long and short of it, I never got my website from him, I have yet to get my money back {which he has repeatedly promised to return} and I will be working on my formal complaint to the Better Business Bureau as soon as I finish this blog. But I digress.
During this process, I began to mentor a young lady in the New York area who wanted to start a Magazine. I explained to her that my time was very valuable and her mentorship would be a working one. During one of our frequent talks, she mentioned “updating her website” and the light went off. I asked her about her web design skills and low and behold, she has built several websites using the Word Press platform. I told her that I now needed her to pour back into me as I had poured into her. She willingly agreed. Via Skype, she walked me through the BASICS of creating my website through Word Press. For some reason, I still had the fear that I could not do it to the level of excellence that I would be satisfied with. So I put my website aside and began to work on my husband’s website. Once I got the hang of how Word Press operates (and I’m still confused about some things). I buckled down and completed my husbands website over the Thanksgiving holiday
(see www.CoachHaynes.com) and you guess it, I went ahead and knocked out my personal website as well (which you are currently viewing, check out all the pages, I worked really hard and don’t forget to sign up for the newsletter). So now I have defeated my fear of websites. I did notcomplete ONE, but TWO. YES, I WIN!
I shared my websites with my graphic designer who gave me a thumbs up. Now there are some things I can’t figure out and she will go in and fix them for me over the next couple of weeks, but the point is….I DID IT….and I’m ready to take on the upgrade of the CAREER Magazine website without fear! And guess what, the template only cost me $35.00, some sweat equity and a few cups of courage. Best investment ever! SCH
