Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

Here's Note #3 on Fundamentals for Career Advancement.

Do you know how to influence others when you have little authority?

Here are several keys to increase your leadership influence.

Relationships. Breadth and depth of relationships enable you to participate in new, different, and more significant projects. Care for and cultivate your professional network. Diversify and extend it. Beware of needless conflict that alienates others. Careers last longer than you may think. Today’s antagonist may be tomorrow’s ally.

Mutual interest. Finding common ground is essential for healthy relationships, profitable business, and career advancement. Even if you dislike another party or disagree on significant issues, a win-win mindset and respectful collaboration will multiply your influence. 

Expertise. Deep knowledge, skill, and experience attract leadership attention and invitations for bigger assignments and responsibility.  Keep learning and sharpening your game. Master a specialized subject area or skill set.

Self-confidence. If you do not believe in yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you? Trust your proven strengths. Recall big achievements. Pursue assignments where your talent and experience will be valued and rewarded!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note #4 on Fundamentals for Career Advancement

Here are four keys to assure and accelerate career progress.

Choose challenging and achievable milestones. The earliest seafaring explorers did not cross the Atlantic in one uninterrupted passage. They advanced in shorter steps that connect Europe to England, Ireland, Iceland, Greenland, and Nova Scotia. The surest way to achieve big things is to advance in a sequence of connected steps!

Know where you are. Knowing your position relative to your planned destination is essential not only for success but for survival. Do you know when you are on-course or wandering? Do you have a clear set of beliefs, values, and principles to guide you? Do you collect and use reliable data to monitor progress and update your position?

Maintain proper velocity. Choosing and maintaining the right pace to arrive safe on-time can be an uncertain navigational challenge. Do you recognize when you are stalled or going too slow? Do you know when you are at-risk and advancing with too much speed?

Recognize changing circumstances. When the wind, tide or weather change, successful leaders adjust their course. Do you know the forecast? Have you considered best-case, worst-case, and most-likely scenarios? Are you making strategic adjustments or preparing to pivot if needed?

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

Here's Note #5 on Fundamentals for Career Advancement.

What's luck got to do with it?

Luck dictates where we are born, our gender, our parents and siblings, our initial socio-economic class, and genes that influence our health, energy, and intellect.

Beyond these factors, here are four things we can control to advance our life and career.

Choices. For better and worse, choices have consequences. Saying “Yes" to opportunities and assignments that align with our skills and experience increases chances for achievement. Saying “No” to things that divert attention from our strengths accelerates advancement. 

People. The people we live, work, and play with are a big predictor of our life and career experience. Finding and working for a great boss may be more important than finding a great job. Find a great boss. Hang-out with people who share your beliefs and inspire you to be the best version of you!

Preparation. Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity. There are no shortcuts to success in big jobs and competitions. Pay your dues. Do the work. Practice and prepare the way you expect to perform.

Beliefs. Luck happens for those who believe they are lucky. Luck happens for those who have courage to act on their beliefs.

How lucky are you? 

You can't win the lottery if you don't buy a ticket!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

Here's Note #6 on Fundamentals for Career Advancement.

It is easier to excel when energy is high and things are going our way. 

Great achievements, however, require steady, purposeful motivation every day - especially when our energy is low and we face adversity.

What motivates you to do your best work?

Here are ten factors that motivate leaders I coach to be the best they can be every day – no excuses, no exceptions. 

1.  Ego. Power. Competition.
2. Wealth. Income. Investments.
3. Time. Freedom. Self-direction.
4. Health. Fitness. Well-being.
5. Risk. Adventure. Discovery.
6. Security. Control. Predictability.
7. Learning. Development. Mastery.
8. Faith. Duty. Integrity.
9. Family. Friends. Co-Workers.
10. Kindness. Caring. Generosity.

 Each of us is wired and inspired differently. 

What motivates you to be the best version of you?

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

Here's Note #7 on Time and Commitment.

Successful leaders prioritize time for people, projects, and activities that make a big difference.

Here are several keys to make the most of your time:

• Although you can do almost anything, you cannot do everything. Know your strengths. Recognize and prioritize opportunities that reward your talent and experience. 
• Know when to say “No.” You don’t truly stand for anything until you say “No” to invitations and activities that divert you from your most significant intentions. 
• Although all people matter, some people matter more than others in your life and career. This is especially true in business where 20% of customers typically drive more than 80% of income.
• What is good for you today may not be what is best for you tomorrow. Make good decisions now with a view toward future consequences. 
• Recognize when you are off course and recommit or adjust your priorities. We all get distracted from time-to-time. Know when you are adrift and renew or revise your commitments!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

Here's Note #8 on Time and Commitment.

Although leaders know big things are rarely achieved without discipline and dedication, here are three reasons why we sometimes struggle with commitment.

Making too many commitments. While it is not uncommon for talented leaders to make a lot of commitments, too many commitments blur focus and expend valuable energy we need to succeed at big pursuits. 

Changing commitments. Maintaining daily attention to big intentions is not easy. Peak performance requires constancy of purpose and dedication to relationships and activities that matter most. 

Lack of completion. It is easier to start something big than to finish it. Who knows how many big pursuits may have succeeded if leaders refused to quit and finished strong!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

Here's Note #9 on Time and Commitment

For better and worse, your choices today create your future.  

Know What’s-Important-Now.

Practice and play to WIN!

Develop good daily habits. 

Hang-out with people who encourage you to be the best you can be!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

Here's Note #10 on Time and Commitment.

Going in the right direction is not enough if you are not advancing at the right pace.

Do you need to step on the gas or tap the brakes?

Championship F1 drivers are always accelerating and braking. 

They never cruise or coast!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 11 on Big Career Questions.

Are you a team player? 

Here are four hallmarks of great team players!

You believe your team’s performance is an important measure of your own success. You are proud and committed to the team whose name is on your jersey. You believe you accomplish more when you work effectively with others.

You know your strengths and welcome a role that contributes most to your team’s success. You understand winning requires good offense, defense, transition, and special teams. You know and play positions that are well-suited for your skills and experience.

You appreciate your team’s diverse skills, talent, and experience. Working hard and playing together you respect diversity and challenge each other to get better every day.

Win or lose, in practice and competition, you always show-up and give your best. You know there are no shortcuts to big achievements!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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Hello I'm Brian Cooke.

This is Note # 12 on Big Career Questions.

Can you distinguish between reasonable and unreasonable risk? 

Here are some keys to evaluate risk and make winning business and career choices.

Comfort. Being too comfortable is a sign you are missing opportunities. Success today does not guarantee success tomorrow. New opportunities flow to leaders who look for them. Expect to be uncomfortable if you expect to advance. Learn something new every day that makes you better, smarter, or stronger.

Caution. Being too cautious may be the greatest risk of all. Although it is wise to recognize and mitigate risk, it is also important, to accept risk if you expect to advance. Make small bets to test your assumptions. Learn quickly from losing bets. Move quickly to scale your winning bets into bigger successes!

Competency. Risk is more reasonable when we know what we are doing. Choose new roles, responsibilities, and projects that align with your strengths. Keep sharpening and updating your professional and technical skills. Choose competent teammates and business partners. Hang out with positive professionals who make you smarter and encourage you to play a bigger, better or different game!

For more coaching and leadership lessons, connect with me at BCedX.com.

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