The job market has been very competitive.  Depending on the field you are in it may stay that way for a long time. To keep on the top of your profession it is important to have something that others are attracted to and that makes you unique.  Standing out is a way to be recognized and remembered.

1. Become a well-known expert in your field.  As an acknowledged thought leader you will be respected in your field and have many opportunities to work for and with others.
2. Become proficient in a skill that is new and that others are just learning.  It helps if the skill is one that is valued by others and needed in several industries.  In today’s job market those who are skilled in social media have many opportunities to move their careers forward.
3. Have a memorable story.  The reason you want to have something unique about you is to be memorable.  People remember others because there is something unusual about them.  Having a great story to tell sets you apart.  The story must be relevant to your career and/or job.  Tell a story that lets others know what makes you care so much about the work you do.
4. Have a can do attitude with positive energy.  Someone who is upbeat and positive is someone everyone wants to be around.  Someone who believes that every problem has a solution and he/she will find it is someone who will be a valued member of the team.
5. Significant accomplishments in your current position.  Be a top performer with measurable accomplishments that everyone values.  If you have created a buzz because of the work you do, you will stand out in people’s minds.
6. Humor - Some people have a type of humor that sets people at ease.  This can be a wonderful trait especially when things get tense.  Humor is often the only thing that can diffuse a tense situation.  Knowing how and when to use humor is a really wonderful skill that will help you to standout with your employers and potential employers.
7. Leadership role at work or in association related to work – Successful leaders are always valued.  Take a leadership role on a team, in your work organization or in an association related to work.  Needless to say you must do a good job in managing the team.  Leadership skills are valued by employers.
8. Great rolodex.  You know everyone and can help anyone who needs to get to the right person. In large corporations it is not always clear how to get something done.  To find your way you look for the person with all the connections who can guide you.  If you are that person, you have a valuable talent.  The person in a smaller company who knows people outside the company to call on also is sought out.  Some combination of outside contacts and inside ones sets you apart from others.
9. Prestigious awards for work or leadership –Awards from organizations that honor you for your work or leadership qualities make you stand out.  So too will being quoted in the press and any media attention you receive.
10. Unique and memorable dress – Think about Thomas Wolfe and   Michael Gerber.  Both like white suits and hats.  It does make you memorable.  At first this one seemed a little frivolous to me.  What do you think?  It is pure marketing.  I know a real estate agent and coach who wears red clothes and a red hat.  I do remember her!  Food for thought.

Tom Wolfe                           Michael Gerber

What do you do to stand out from the crowd?

What a competitive environment law practices are in right now!  There is no doubt that potential clients have lots of choices.  What makes them choose to work with you rather than other law firms?  How do you stand out from the others? Perhaps it is the way you run your practice or because of your own charisma.  I’ve written a list of 10 ways professionals differentiate themselves.   My list is a mix of practice related ideas and attorney related ideas.  Some combination of these or others will help your firm and you to standout from other attorneys doing the same type of legal work.

1.  Great customer service – No one has a successful law firm that doesn’t give acceptable customer service.  To be a standout however you need to go above and beyond.  Returning calls when you have promised them, updating clients on a regular basis, getting the work done when you promise it will be done etc. Ask clients what exceptional customer service is for them and then meet their expectations.
2. An office with a group of allied services – If you work with clients that regularly need related services, you could provide the services in your office.  You might share space with an accountant, a title examiner, or a social worker depending on your practice area.  I used the accountant my divorce attorney had in his office before, during and after my divorce. That was in over 30 years ago and I still remember the lawyer.
3. Fixed fee for routine services you offer – Clients like to budget for attorney’s fees so if you can give a fixed fee for the service that you provide clients will remember you. If other attorneys are doing this in your area, then find something to include in the package that makes your offer even more attractive.  Lowest price is not the only way to distinguish yourself.
4. Compelling story for choosing law – If you have a compelling story about why you chose law or a particular practice area and you publicize that story, it will become memorable for potential clients. The story needs to include something about how it impacts your practice today. As with all these you’ll need to use the story in your marketing and refer to it online and in print.
5. Well known results that others talk about – If you have won a lot of cases, gotten big settlements, negotiated amicable divorces, you will set yourself apart from other lawyers.  Lawyers and law firms that win awards also standout from other practices.
6. Humor - Some people have a type of humor that sets people at ease.  This can be a wonderful trait especially when things get tense.  Humor is often the only thing that can diffuse a tense situation.  Knowing how and when to use humor is a really wonderful skill that will help you to standout with your clients and potential clients.
7. Expert advice on a blog – If you have a blog that is a resource of your clients, this can help differentiate you.   The blog will have to be popular and useful to your target market.  Blogging regularly will make you unique among your peers.
8. Visible volunteer in a nonprofit – Working for a nonprofit is a great way to meet referral sources.  It becomes a differentiator for you when you are at a high enough level in the organization that you and your firm get mentioned frequently by others.
9. Your office has a theme related to your interest – Whether you are a sports buff, opera lover, skier or a musical theater enthusiast, sharing that interest with your clients can differentiate you from others.   You can use a bookcase with memorabilia, pictures around the office or a wall of trophies.  I once worked for a VP who had a wall of pictures of himself with famous people.  It made him memorable.
10. Unique and memorable dress – Think about Tom Wolfe and  Michael    Gerber.  Both like white suits and hats.  It does make them memorable.  At first this one seemed a little frivolous to me.  What do you think?  It is pure marketing.  I know a coach who wears red clothes and a red hat.  I do remember her!  Food for thought.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Michael Gerber                                   Tom Wolfe

What do you do to make yourself or your firm stand out?

I’ve had a website and an email newsletter since 1999.  My website has enabled me to get new subscribers for my list and  my list has grown over the years.

This is what my first website looked like in 1999.  At the very bottom of the home page there is a link to my newsletter. At that time it was just Road to Success.

In 2005 the website looked like this.  I had two publications by then, Road to Success and Parker’s Points. You can see the newsletter signup on the top of this home page.

And here is my website now. I still offer both Road to Success and Parker’s Points on my home page.

Leveraging is all about doing something once and using it in many ways. Leveraging your successes saves you time and money in your career and work.

For this month’s article on leveraging I thought it might be useful to see the ways that I use leveraging in my practice.  Specifically how I leverage the use of the articles I write for my newsletter.

Here are some ways I do that:

1. If a client or prospective client asks a question on a topic that I have written, I send the person the article.
2. My website has all the articles I have written for these newsletters from 2003 on.  Check out my archives.   Articles that I wrote between 1999 and 2003 are on my computer but not available on my website.  I’ve reused them when I didn’t have time to write a new article.
3. I’ve published my articles on many different websites including Ezinearticles.com and SelfGrowth.com.  That allows others not on my list to read my articles and subscribe to the list if they like what they read.
4. People have asked me if they can publish one of my articles in their newsletter. I’m delighted to have them do it.  Just recently the Oregon State Bar Professional Liability Fund published an article of mine.  That article came from one I wrote for the ABA Magazine GP Solo in 2008  which was an expanded version of  another article that I wrote “Do You Really Need a Business Plan?,” which appeared in Road to Success in 2002.
5. Shortly after the first business plan article was written in 2002 I gave a series of teleclasses on business plan writing.
6. I’ve taken my articles to networking events and given them to people who seemed interested in my work.
7. When I make a presentation I leave copies of some articles on a table for those who are interested.
8. My eBooks are often compilations of my newsletter articles and/or tip lists.
9. Finally when I write on a topic for the second time I reference the first article I wrote on that topic so my readers have the opportunity to read both.  In 2004 I wrote an article for Road to Success on leverage.

How would you leverage your work?  I am eager to hear your ideas.  Do you use leverage in your practice or in your career?    Comments may be written below.

If you have an interest in seeing old websites you can use the Way Back Machine

1. Leverage your time – One way to leverage your time is to create something you can use over and over.  An example of that might be keeping a running list of your accomplishments each year.  When it comes time to apply for a new job you can pick and choose the most appropriate accomplishments for each job ad you respond to.  Having a resume that you update each year also leverages your time.  With a few edits your resume is always ready to use.
2. Leverage your strengths – What are the skills you enjoy using?  These are the ones that are usually easy for you and the ones you excel at.  Find ways to use those skills to benefit your job or job search.  For example if you are someone who enjoys  meeting and talking to people you will  do well at networking with people and speaking to groups of people – two great ways to advance your career.  Others who excel at writing can find ways to write articles and books.  In either case with a minimum of your effort you get lots of exposure.
3. Leverage your network – It is said that everyone knows 250 people.  Now is the time to use those connections to develop a powerful network.  Ask your current network to introduce you to people who are well connected and have the ability to introduce you to mentors and people connected to companies you have an interest in.
4. Leverage your connections – Partner with people in your organization who you can help and who can help you.  This might be a boss or colleague that you see as having knowledge or political capital that would be helpful to you.  You can leverage the relationship with those partners by sharing information and ideas with them.  I’ve seen people get promoted and within a few months they bring along many of their former colleagues to work with them.
5. Leverage your manager’s and professor’s good will – Stay connected with managers who know, like and trust you.  Stay connected with professors and college friends too. These people can be useful in a job search and helpful in keeping you current in your profession.  Connection can be by phone, email, or snail mail.  In fact a mixture of all three keeps it interesting.
6. Leverage your knowledge – Use your expertise to create several different knowledge products on one topic.  If you have written an article to be published, give a workshop on the same topic.  Use a synopsis of the article in your blog or on your website.  Include a link to your article in a Tweet or on your LinkedIn page.
7. Leverage your technology – Once you have bought into software or hardware and mastered using it then use it in as many ways as you can to get the maximum benefit.  Use your calendar to generate reminder messages for contacting people in your network regularly, for deadline for goals you have set and for birthdays/anniversaries/important occasions.
8. Leverage your money to invest in support services – This will free up your time to do other important career tasks.   If something takes you an unusually long time to do or if you are dissatisfied with your result, hire someone to help you with it.  Getting your resume done professionally is worth the money if you struggle doing it or worse keep putting it off.
9. Leverage your money to invest in education and coaching – Taking courses enables you to add the expertise to your resume and it will enable you to qualify for different positions.  One course can open many opportunities.  Choose the course wisely.  If you have difficulty achieving your goals investing in coaching will enable you to achieve success.  Three to six months of coaching will also open many opportunities.
10. Leverage social media – Social media can be used to follow thought leaders in your field, to find new jobs, and to attract recruiters who are searching for candidates.  It is a double edged sword however.  You can be ruled out permanently if you are not careful what you post.  Used well social media gives you a lot of exposure for a relatively small investment of time.

Think of leverage as getting the most “bang for your buck”.  With a little effort you maximize your results. It might be investing a few dollars to get more but there are other ways to leverage your efforts. Here are 10 ways to use leverage in your law practice:

1. Leverage your time – One way to leverage your time is to create something you can use over and over.  An example of that might be creating and saving templates for documents you use frequently.  Another might be the creation of an operations manual so that staff and all the attorneys know how all the systems in the practice operate.  I wrote a list in 2004 on ways to leverage your time.  You will find it here: http://www.asparker.com/ppts0604.html
2. Leverage your strengths – What are the skills you enjoy using?  These are the ones that are usually easy for you and the ones you excel at.  Find ways to use those skills to benefit your practice.  For example if you are someone who enjoys  meeting and talking to people you will  do well at networking with people and speaking to groups of people – two great ways to develop your business.  Others who excel at writing can find ways to write articles and books to attract business.  In either case with a minimum of your effort you get big results.
3. Leverage your network – It is said that everyone knows 250 people.  Now is the time to use those connections to develop a powerful network.  Ask your current network to introduce you to people who are well connected and have the ability to refer multiple clients to you.  With 20 powerful connections you will get the referrals you need to run your practice.
4. Leverage by using strategic partnerships – Partner with someone who also comes in contact with your target market for example a real estate attorney might partner with an appraiser and/or a real estate agent in doing a workshop for the purpose of educating new home buyers.  You can leverage your time by doing the same workshop for new buyers multiple times.  You can leverage the relationship with the partners by sharing leads and referrals.
5. Leverage your client’s good will – Stay connected with clients who know, like and trust you.  They know your work and are likely to refer to you if you are in the top of their minds when someone asks them for a referral.  Connection can be by phone, email, or snail mail.  In fact a mixture of all three keeps it interesting.
6. Leverage your knowledge – Use your expertise to create several different products from one.  If you have written an article to be published, give a workshop on the same topic.  Use a synopsis of the article in your email newsletter.  Include a link to your article in a Tweet and/or on your LinkedIn page.
7. Leverage your technology – Once you have bought into software or hardware and mastered using it then use it in as many ways as you can to get the maximum benefit.  Use QuickBooks for your accounting but then generate reports to see how you are doing.  Compare month against the financial goals you set and then compare with the previous year to see the growth.  Check what your expenses were to find waste.  Make a plan for the next month to stay on track or make up for past performance.
8. Leverage your money to invest  in support services for your practice– This will free up your time to do what you do best (the legal work or practice management and strategy).  If this is a strain on the budget then use the time gained to do some business development so that you can more than afford the service. A Practice Advisor can help you to set attainable business development goals and will insure that you achieve them.
9. Leverage your money to invest in education and training – Courses for you and/or your staff have many benefits.  For you gaining expertise in an area can bring new business into your practice either from new clients or current clients.  Adding to the knowledge of the staff increases their productivity and enables them to take on new responsibilities.
10. Leverage your staff – Delegate all the work to them that they are capable of doing.  The more work you delegate the more time you have to work for your clients or to develop more business.   Train the appropriate members of your staff to do all the administrative tasks.  Initially this takes a lot of time but it will save you much more time than you invest if you train the person well.

The woman I was speaking to on the phone was someone I knew.  I was planning to hire 7 people for a project and was in the last phase of the hiring process.  Betty was enthusiastic and up to now I was pretty sure I was going to hire her.

The last step was going over the behavioral style assessment that I had asked her to take.  Before the behavioral assessment I explained to Betty that if hired she would be administering this assessment to the clients she would work with as part of the project.  I wanted each of the job candidates to experience the behavioral style assessment before giving it to others.

As we reviewed the behavioral assessment report together I began to get a picture of Betty’s behavior from the report that was very different from what I had observed from our past interactions.   I shared my concerns about the accuracy of the report with Betty.

No assessment is 100 percent accurate.  I was used to having clients say that one piece of the report was not right.  I usually ask the client to talk with people he/she trusts to see if they see that behavior in the client.  Then if most agree that it is inaccurate, the client can just ignore that part of the report.

With Betty however the report was grossly inaccurate and Betty was obviously very uncomfortable with it too.  I wanted to hire her but how could she confidently use this assessment with others when hers was so messed up?!

After going over the full report Betty sheepishly admitted to me that she answered the questions the way she thought a person who was right for the project would answer.  In essence she gamed the system.

What surprised her was that the report painted a picture of a person who had very different characteristics than the ones she thought would come up based on her answers.  She admitted to me that she really wanted to work on the project and was afraid the assessment might show she wasn’t right for the job.  Needless to say she was very embarrassed.

Sometimes hiring managers use assessments to target a particular type of person that they know through experience is right for a job.  In that case while as the job seeker you might really want the job, you won’t be happy in the job if the company is looking for a different type of person.  You can alter your behavior to be what the manager is looking for but it takes a lot of energy and eventually you will burn out.

For my project however I was looking for a variety of styles.  Betty did not need to worry. Often managers are looking for that variety to insure that the members of the team complement each other.

Lessons learned:

1.  Those giving assessments have to be very clear in their instructions.  I thought I was clear but obviously Betty didn’t hear me.  People tend to get nervous about assessments especially in a hiring situation. Those giving assessments need to be sensitive to this.  Saying something several times clearly in multiple ways can calm nerves.
2. Those taking assessments need to be honest with their answers.  Getting a job that you are not a good fit for will come back to haunt you.  Get some practice taking assessments before a hiring manager asks you to take one so you will know what the assessment is going to reveal about you.
3. No assessment is 100 % accurate.  You are the final judge in accepting or rejecting what it says.  If you feel something is inaccurate, let it go.   Use the assessment language of what you know is true to emphasize your strengths to the hiring managers considering hiring you.

If you are looking for a new job, you’ll want to read Fast Track Job Search Guide by Alvah Parker and Lenore Mewton.  In it you will find hundreds of tips and ideas for a successful job search.

1. Self-assessments get you to think strategically about yourself. At least yearly you need to look at yourself to determine your strengths and skills, identify the areas that need more development and put a plan together to get training and experience in the areas you want to develop.  Looking at your vision for your career should help you to see where your strengths and skills fit into your total plan.
2. A communications assessment will tell you what others learn about you from the way you speak and behave.  The DISC assessment can help you to see what your communication and behavioral style tells others about you.  You can learn to adapt your behavior and communication style to suit your situation.
3. A behavioral assessment will teach you how to identify the behavioral style of those you work with.  Once you understand the way others like to be communicated with you can adjust your style to that of your audience.  Better yet if your work team has used the DISC you and they will have a better understanding of individual differences and either adjust or acknowledge your styles.  You will also appreciate the value of all styles in the workplace.
4. Assessments help to validate your own self-assessment.  If you believe you have a particular strength it is helpful to get support from an assessment that in fact you do have that strength.  One assessment that can be helpful comes with the book Strength Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/159562015X/parkerassociates
5. Assessments give you confidence and language to speak about your strengths, style and skills to others.  Some people may find it difficult to talk about themselves.  To many it feels like boasting and many of us learned in childhood that was not a good thing to do.  In a work situation it is necessary to “toot your own horn” and therefore if you are at a loss for the right words an assessment can give you those words and the confidence to say them with commitment.
6. From some assessments you will learn how others see you. In a 360 assessment your work group will give you feedback anonymously.  The data is then collected so that you get a picture of how the group sees you.
7. Assessments will help you writing a resume, answering interview questions and branding. The more you understand yourself and are confident in what you are saying the more you will impress those who are in position to hire or promote you.  In the course of learning from your assessments you may also find what makes you stand out from others.
8. Assessments are objective and many have had their validity verified.  Except for the assessment that is done by your work colleagues assessments are usually done by your answering questions about yourself.  Assessments have no agenda or preconceived ideas about you.  You may in fact learn some things you did not know about yourself.  Before discarding the results that you object to ask some trusted sources whether what you found offensive is in fact the way they see you.
9. Assessments can help to start a useful conversation with a career coach or friend.  Even assessments that are just checklists get you to think about whether the results are true or not.  Some assessments have no real validity.  We take them for fun.  I’m talking about the short questionnaires that appear in magazines.  Assessments always give you something to think about even if it is just “Is this really a valid way to assess this?”
10. Assessments can help you to guide your career by helping you to build on the strengths you already have and to develop any weaknesses that you see are vital for your career and/or that really interest you.   They also can let you see where you might need some support.  A career coach can be helpful in steering you to the appropriate assessments, guiding you to understand their meaning for you and your career, and helping you to initiate the changes you decide are necessary.

1. Self-assessments get you to think strategically about yourself. At least yearly you need to look at yourself, your strengths and skills.  Identify the areas that need more development and put a plan together to get training and experience in the areas you want to develop.  Looking at your vision for your practice should help you to see where your strengths and skills fit into your total plan.
2. A Communications Assessment will tell you what others see in your speech and body language.  The DISC assessment can tell you what your communication and behavioral style tells others about you.  You can learn to adapt your behavior and communication style to suit your situation.This is particularly useful with staff since communication is the key to a smoothly running practice.
3. A behavioral assessment will teach you how to identify the behavioral style of those you work with.  Once you understand the way others like to be communicated with you can adjust your style to that of your audience.  Better yet if your work team has used the DISC you and they will have a better understanding of individual differences and either adjust or acknowledge your styles.  The DISC behavioral assessment can also help you to understand the best way to communicate with each client.
4. Assessments help to validate your own self-assessment.  If you believe you have a particular strength it is helpful to get support from an assessment that in fact you do have that strength.  One assessment that can be helpful comes with the book Strength Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/asin/159562015X/parkerassociates
5. Assessments help you to hire the right people.  By giving the potential employee an assessment you are better able to evaluate if he/she has the necessary skills to do the job and if the person will fit into the culture of your firm.
6. Assessments help you to know what motivates the person you are going to hire so that he/she will be fully engaged in the work.  In this way you help the employee to do meaningful work.
7. Assessments will allow you to be more objective in the hiring process.  It is common for an attorneys to hire a person who is similar to themselves when in fact what they  need is someone with a totally different style and skill set that compliments them and the rest of the team.
8. Assessments can lead to less conflict in the workplace.  Knowing the style and skills of the person you are hiring allows you have realistic expectations.  There is less stress for the employees when they know what the expectations are and feel confident that they can meet them.
9. Assessments save time and money.  Hiring the wrong person is expensive and wastes your time.  Assessments can help you to find the candidates with the right skills and the right style.  Then it is by interviewing them you can see if they would fit into your firm culture.
10. Assessments will let you see the style, skills and strengths of your top performers. It is important to have assessments done on all your employees.   If you’ve ever said the person you want to hire is the clone of someone else, an assessment is an objective way of drilling down to what exactly that person has that you are looking for.

A Vision of Trouble and Hope

Ever had something that you wanted so badly that you started to imagine what it would be like having it?  Come on now?  How about that high school crush? Didn’t you dream what it would be like to be with him/her?  That vision probably made you make decisions on your actions.  Those actions moved you forward.

Visions are like that.  They give you direction and energy – two things you need in your career.  Most of the time we work on small visions like a new car or an outfit for a special occasion  but for a career you need a big vision and it can be scary to want something that big and that important.

My friend Sheila has a vision and it has given her energy to move forward even in adversity and has made her resilient and determined.  Sheila has had several careers during her life- first in the travel industry, then as a restaurant owner and briefly as a coach.

She also has two passions –dogs and children.  I actually think it is more that she is driven to help those who can’t help themselves. One way she has done that is by rescuing and placing dogs.

Her vision however came about while she and her niece watched the telethon for St Jude’s hospital. Her niece was moved by the sick children and wanted to give them hope.  She drew a picture of a cute dog and named him Trouble. “Where there is trouble there is hope.”  Sheila picked up on the idea and developed several products including a really loveable stuffed animal based on her niece’s drawing.

She sells these products but Sheila also has a big heart and has given many Trouble dogs away to children in the hospital and to veterans.  Yes veterans who love them as much as the children.  So what is her vision?  She wants to get Trouble into an animated cartoon series and for him and his message of hope to become a recognized brand.  To that end she has been busy networking her way to companies like Disney and PBS.

Undaunted by setbacks she keeps plugging away at it.  Her resilience is unbelievable.  Her formula for that resilience after a setback is:

• To get quiet and listen to her inner voice
• To let her inner voice find a way around the setback
• To develop a plan of action based on what her inner voice tells her

The journey has had its moments of joy too.  She tells many stories of sick children who clasp Trouble when they go to bed at night or when they need to have painful procedure.  Bringing Trouble to veterans also gave her pleasure.  Some were concerned that the soldiers would think this was silly but they were very grateful.  Sheila never doubted this outcome for a minute.

Take a look at the pictures of Trouble with children, veterans and dogs on her website http://www.troublethedog.net.

If you have time listen to an interview with Sheila by Sally Felton.   The energy I spoke of is there in her voice. http://contacttalkradio.soundwaves2000.com:8080/ctr/salliefelton020812.mp3  http://tinyurl.com/78cyrw5

1. What is most important to you?  If you have not defined your values yet, you may still request the TruValues assessment by sending me an email (asparker@asparker.com) or just think about what is most important to you.  You will want your vision to be aligned with your values so your life is focused on what is most important to you.
2. What are the different roles that you have in your life (Father, son, brother, lawyer etc.)?  What changes do you want to bring to these roles?  How can you make these roles more satisfying?  Include these roles in your vision so you can see how your work and family life fit together.
3. Where would you like to be in three years?  Five years? Ten years? Twenty years? What changes in your life do you anticipate over the next 20 + years?  How do you see your life evolving?  If you’ve never thought about this before, now is a good time to start.  It will give you a picture of what you are aiming for.  Notice I said “life” not just “career”.  Your career is only part of your life.  Where does it fit in?
4. If you only had one year to live, how would you want to live it? This is another question to help you see what is most important to you.  Whether you want to complete something you are working on,  travel the world, or relax and enjoy your family the answer to this question will let you see what matters most.
5. What would you do if there were no risk to doing it? This is a great way to see what you really want to do.  Your vision is your dream.  You don’t need to know how you will accomplish it.  You just must keep the dream in your mind as you make choices.  The actions you will take to achieve the dream will come later.
6. What theme consistently runs through your life? This is an important one.  You may be known for something in your family.  Maybe something comes so easily to you that you do it for everyone.  There may be something you have done consistently over time in your work and in your leisure starting when you were young.  These themes are often hidden unless you think about it.  Take some time to uncover the themes.
7. What kind of work exhilarates you? Your vision will include the kind of work that gives you pleasure-that energizes you.  As you uncover your vision look for examples of work that exhilarated you in the past.
8. What would you like your legacy to be?  Your vision needs to be big enough to be challenging to you and memorable to others.  It also needs to be so attractive to you that it energizes you every day to make progress on it.
9. What do you wish were different in your life today?  What would your perfect life look like? If you know what a perfect life would look like, you have your vision.  Start with the changes you would make today and then ask yourself if with this change life would be perfect.
10. What gifts do you have that you are not currently using that you would like to use?  Not only do you want your vision to be aligned with your values but you will want to be using the gifts you have that you enjoy.  .

Bonus for Blog and Newsletter Readers

Would you like to try a visualization exercise with me?  I use a meditation like visualization in my coaching sessions that most find very helpful.  Join me at 12 noon Eastern Time on Wednesday February 15th for a 45 minute session on my conference telephone line.  We’ll do the visualization and then share our thoughts on the process.  Please email me at asparker@asparker.com to let me know if you would like to participate.  I’ll send you an email with the telephone number to use for the call.