Tag: attitude

About Confidence..

Confidence comes from ‘Thinking for yourself’.  It’s a tough one as many things influence us from our early childhood, our temperament, our experiences.  The human is a complex being and who am I to really comment?

Because sometimes our mind tricks us, fogs our brains and leads our minds astray.  I know.  I’ve been in that thick dense fog and it can be devilishly hard to find your way out. No matter how much advice and support you receive, each of us has our own ‘inner schedule’ and until we have processed something sufficiently, whatever it is, the way out and way forward will inevitably elude us.  That’s because we are human.

 

At work and in our personal lives we reach crossroads. Situations arise we feel unable to handle. And what stops us moving on? Yep. Got it in one.  BUT HOLD ON. That’s making the assumption that fear is a bad thing.

Facing up to fear, to anxiety. To addressing something head-on takes courage and the harder the challenge, the braver one has to be.

So pushing through that fear makes the achievement all the greater,    The every act of making a decision will alleviate the anxiety because whatever the outcome, you have taken control by making a decision. Taking control means you have accepted the responsibility and this represents a shift in power.

This week I’m going to be working with a new group. They are young, about to enter a new phase of their lives and there is so much opportunity to tempt them, challenge them, test and teach them.  But only if they recognise the freedom that thinking for oneself brings.  Life really is the most amazing, most challenging teacher of all.

Challenging Assumptions: A Dublin based breakfast event 22nd March.

Multi-Cultural Exchange:  A Dublin based evening monthly workshop launches 22nd March – to attend this first event FREE click here to go to Eventbrite

 

love what you do 🙂 Janie

 

Happenstance – Fit, Young, Talented and Male..

Happenstance ?

When you have three young CEO’s, one who works on water, one who understands Sentiment and one who optimizes health and leverages technology for the greater good, we’ll be as challenged in our beliefs as our assumptions are challenged, just as they have been. I hadn’t planned to bring three guys together, pure happenstance!

Join me, Charlie Byrne, CEO of Engager, Sean Greif of Moon Tour and Gary Kealy of Night Raven at our next Dublin Breakfast Event..

March 22nd. Bank of Ireland, Montrose. Places limited. Registration advisable.

I may not be as young as I was, as fit as I’d like to be, though time has increased my abilities to recognise there’s plenty to gain from bringing people like these great guys together for Breakfast !

Join us. Be Challenged. Be part of our ‘Conversation’, A great opportunity to continue the dialogue we started in January with Dr. Annette Clancy.

Love your work !

Janie

087 8572005

 

Real support When you Need it

Jan Cooke, Events Manager Bank of Ireland with MMTW Founder Janie Lazar

It has to be said that without the consistent encouragement and support of people like Jan Cooke, Events Manager for the Bank of Ireland, there are days I would just…. give up!!

Launching something new can be terribly exciting but once the novelty wears off, then the hard slog begins and having people around you like Jan and Montrose Branch Manager Gavin Leech makes all the difference. Their drive and interest in what you’re doing, where they can help keeps you going, as let’s face it, keeping momentum can be challenging.  Talking of challenging…

On the 22nd March, we’ll be having our next breakfast meeting at the Bank of Ireland Enterprise Lounge, Montrose  with a diverse panel of contributors to ‘Challenge Assumptions’.  My vision for the breakfast meetings is simple:  in bringing together HR and leadership professionals, we gain a better understanding of what’s important.

‘creating a culture of conversation’.

As we bring people together to work collaboratively within an increasingly multi-cultural workplace, we’re shaking things up with lively dialogue before the day has begun, great connections are made and amazing things unfold..

Later the same day, thanks again to the Bank of Ireland, we’re launching Much More Than Words ‘Multi-Cultural Exchange  in the evening at the Trinity Enterprise Lounge.  My vision here is building a collaborative community where non-native English Speakers working across a wide range of disciplines can boost their language competency and become more effective communicators, whilst using their skills to help other people.  Again a place where  it’s a WIN/WIN. Not everyone works for larger companies where training is available and this, we feel is a good way to help fill what our research shows is a much needed skills gap.

If you’d like to know more about what we’re doing, let’s talk!  Janie Lazar: 086 857 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 Key Survival Tips

There are many things we can control. Over recent months, there have been several occasions when I’ve been swayed off course and forgotten I am the one in control. Inevitably there has been great learning in this. But the clock is ticking and who knows how much time there is to get back on track, stay on track and do whatever it is we are all on this earth to do. Clarity comes with sitting it out. Taking the time to simply be still. To see what is right in front of us. Not be afraid to ‘put it out there’.

It’s not possible to get it right, all of the time. It’s not easy to get to where you want to be. To where you need to be. As fast as you’d like to. What is important above all else is knowing what you stand for. What matters. What is important. What to focus on.

I’m not religious. But I am an optimist and I believe that people are inherently good.

I fervently cling to the belief that that most people are honest. That given the opportunity, the majority of people will rise to the challenge and ‘do the right thing’ if they can. And it takes a brave person to make a stand when the tide is going against them. Resilience is called upon and just how resilient we are determines how we come out of the most challenging of situations, how we cope and ultimately the direction we find ourselves moving in. It may be 10 steps forward and 8 back in the short term. And that’s ok too. It’s still moving on.

Spring is the time of year in my mind for re-setting standards. Daft resolutions of hiking up hills, joining a gym, learning whatever skill you thought you needed have been put in perspective and realistic habits are emerging. Now it’s about reviewing what is acceptable in my life, an opportunity to look it all, to see what’s worth pursuing and what is not. I am ‘work in progress’, in constant evolution. How about you?

When being fluent is not always enough

You may be fluent. You may even be confident, But are you doing enough to keep improving your communication skills as a non native English speaker?  Are you using your skills as effectively as you could?

Our Multi-Cultural Exchange is an opportunity to learn how to think differently, boost your confidence  together with your ‘people skills’ – and be part of a diverse multi-cultural community.

Run at the Bank of Ireland Enterprise Lounge in Trinity, this series of mini workshops has been created specifically for non-native English speakers living and working in Dublin who are looking for ways to up-skill and make real connections. 

If you have a reasonable, working knowledge of English and are an employee or business owner, job seeker or perhaps someone who is looking to develop a business or creative idea, this is an opportunity to become a more confident communicator by helping yourself and others as you learn with and from each other.
Creating a 'Culture of Conversation' for today

The MMTW Multi-Cultural Exchange is based on the belief that success comes from collaboration and the most sustainable relationships from creating a ‘culture of conversation’. Using your working knowledge of the English language, you will be improving your communication skills and gain confidence through the sharing of experience and expertise with the guidance of the Event Facilitator Janie Lazar, MMTW Founder and Business Owner.   

Booking essential. Places limited.

bookings.muchmorethanwords.com

 

Unsolicited, Appreciated and Good for the soul !

Feeding Feedback Forward  –  Dr. Annette Clancy of the Quinn School of Business was our Guest Speaker marking the launch our Breakfast Series for this year. To say she had us all thoroughly engaged would be an understatement – the room buzzing with plenty of lively dialogue and the feedback has been, well just fantastic.

Be it good, bad or indifferent, feedback is what I appreciate to make sure we’re on track and don’t make assumptions.

So in ‘the Words of Others’ ..  here are a few snippets..     

I was delighted to attend your networking event this morning – all speakers were amazing and really had something great to add to any organisation. Áine O’Donogue

Well done. It was a great start to the day and the energy in the room was really engaging. Sarah Bird

Janie, I was glued to Annette’s every word! She is so dynamic and great at imparting her message. Mairead Dillon

And in my words – If ever you should have the opportunity to hear Dr. Annette Clancy speak, jump at the opportunity. Do not hesitate. She is a joy to hear, a consummate professional.  To be inspired, to learn  from someone who is generous with their knowledge and delivers a clear message in such a memorable way is a gift which continues long after its presentation. Janie Lazar.

Talking about making assumptions, our next breakfast event will be on the 22nd March at the Bank of Ireland Enterprise Centre, Montrose. If you want to be part of this next conversation ‘challenging assumptions’ you’ll need to book in online. Places will be limited. Booking advisable. 

Click here for details of our March 22nd Breakfast Event

7.45 Registration. 8am prompt start. Ends c. 9.30. am

kindly hosted by Bank of Ireland, Montrose Centre, mega thanks to Gavin Leech and Jan Cooke for making us and our guests so very welcome 

Email:

And if you’d like to talk with me, Janie – 086 857 2005. There’s always time for  a good, if not great conversation over coffee

On-line/Off-line

PERSONAL CONGRUENCE MATTERS…

What can we really know about a person from on-line profiles?  How true are they to the person behind that all singing, all dancing, slick on-line image?  How much do our profiles really tell us, potential clients, potential employees, potential friends? Our Workplace can be a really emotional place, sometimes when we’ve things on our minds and our reaction to a situation, a comment can be out of proportion. Someone’s ‘pushed’ our buttons and triggered a response that under normal circumstances wouldn’t bother us but hey, too late. We’ve pushed the send button or the words have leapt out of our mouths before we’ve had time to blink.  Too late. In person it is easier to make amends.  On-line, it’s gone.

Congruency matters.  On-line or off-line, it is you, what you do and how you do it that makes all the difference.

Whether you are standing up in front of an audience or emailing someone, talking on the phone or blogging. You are putting yourself ‘out there’. It is taking a leap of faith especially on-line where once it’s gone, you’ve pushed that send/publish/share button and you’re showing yourself to the world,  What you’ve created is an imprint. The question is, is it really you?

A company whose values align with your own, that you are proud to be part of benefits from having employees who know who they are and what they stand for.  People who are proud to be working for them, as after all, employees are ‘brand ambassadors’ and make no mistake, people who work for themselves are walking advertisements for themselves too.  An an Employee or Business Owner, you need to be able to express yourself, voice your opinion in a way which shows respect and appreciate another’s point of view.   When someone has the courage to say ‘I’m not sure about this, can you help me’ or perhaps ‘Do you think there’s a better way of explaining the problem’ or quite simply ‘Can I ask you what you think’, it’s a real indicator that there is space for growth, for improved performance, a willingness to expand one’s horizons.

Sometimes I find myself technically challenged.  Spending time working out how to use a new phone, a new app, embrace a new way of getting my message out there I find hard.  I am sure I am not the only one. Once a ‘twit-nit’ does not mean forever and now I’ve asked for help, though a slow learner know it will get easier!

Being able to be yourself matters.  To express yourself matters. Congruency matters – on and off-line…

Join us for breakfast and be part of the conversation