Recommended Reading Name Change

A Wealth of Resources

When do we become bored with uninspired titles? It seems the author, who is supposed to be creative and engaging, lost the Creativity Muse and strove to muddle through without her. (So sad. Clio is a wonderful muse.)

How many of you yawn when you see the heading for each new installment of the reading list? I’ll admit it; I do. That’s why I embarked on a campaign to collect suggestions for a more catchy, engaging name for the publication. None were received.

Not to be daunted, there was fallback to the title used several years ago. Hearing no objections, nor alternative suggestions, the next installment of “Recommended Reading” intended for September-October will become

Worth a Read

The list is being aggregated on my Facebook editing services page In a Word – CCJP where recommendations for the next publication can be posted (without the need to register to do so).

Inclusion of a brief reason why the items is exceptional is requested. The name of the author or publisher (or both) can be extremely helpful.

The September-October issue of “Worth a Read” is in process and will be published within a few days. That doesn’t preclude recommending future items, whether fiction, poetry, essay, business, print, audio, visual, or just some good food for the brain.

Resources:

• GoodReads
• BookBub
• eBooks
• Risk & Insurance
• Claims and the Law and
• The Profession section
• AARP‘s Fall Reading List
• Wolters Kluwers Labor and Employment Law

Useful Links:

• Talent Genius
• Read The Deskk on Kindle

Vocabulary Builder: Cogent and Lucid

Going to the source

Yes, it’s back, the Vocabulary Builder feature. The best I can tell you at this time is that it will be a monthly feature. It will consist of words, phrases, evolving concepts, and all that “stuff” that sounds really great but few are aware of what it really means – or they’ve forgotten.

This month starts with two words. They seem relevant because of the way our social atmosphere is starting to go.

The first word is “cogent.”

Dictionary.com tells us it’s an adjective. Great site that it is, it even provides various iterations in the form of adverbs as well as adjectives. It has two definitions, which essentially convey the same idea, being:

1. convincing or believable by virtue of forcible, clear, or incisive presentation; telling.
2. to the point; relevant; pertinent.

We strive to make cogent (clear and understandable) presentations at our department meetings. We want the client sales presentation to be relevant to their needs so that they will be more inclined to purchase our product instead of that produced by the competition. The interview was so cogent that it convinced the Hiring Committee to go with Candidate A instead of Candidates B or C.

Clear and convincing is what we’re attempting to communicate by using the word “cogent.”

Now what about this word, “lucid?” How did that get hauled into this conversation? (Would you believe My Muse forced me to include it?)

It’s another adjective (a word that describes the subject of the sentence). Again, Dictionary.com is my point of reference. They define the word as meaning:

1. easily understood; completely intelligible or comprehensible: a lucid explanation.
2. characterized by clear perception or understanding; rational or sane: a lucid moment in his madness.
3. shining or bright.
4. clear; pellucid; transparent.

Well. Although my consciousness demanded that both words be included in this re-launch, it appears there was more purposefulness to this than mere whim.

Helpful Resources:

• PHR/SPHR Recertification
• Read The Desk on Kindle

Terms of Art: Multitasking

Multitasking gone wrong

The job ad called for someone who know how to multitask. The interviewee said they’re an expert at multitasking. In actuality, they were probably talking about being hyperactive and distracted while doing multiple things that are not in any way related to the other. What they’re actually talking about is double (or even triple) scheduling several tasks that aren’t related and then getting burnout because the person’s attention is being simultaneously pulled in many directions. Guess who’s going to drop the ball. Guess who’ll get blamed for the mess that results.

Terms start out meaning one thing. They’re an evolution of the language we use. Eventually the term becomes accepted and used without having a sense of what it actually means. It just gets used at an increasing rate and in more places until it’s just a more sophisticated sounding term that people assume means one thing. But in actual practice, what the person is thinking it means is a totally different situation.

In a business sense, you might think of multitasking as similar to supply chain management or SCM. SCM is a large scale multitasking endeavor. It involves more of the picture and more points of reference to track and manage. It involves managing and coordinating different parts of a process so that the entire thing comes together at the same time. This is very important when you have schedules that need to be kept. The degree to which the project is well organized and orchestrated indicates there will be few glitches.

Still in a business sense, a prime example of multitasking would be in the kitchen of a restaurant (or even a fast food establishment). You start with preparing the tools in order to cook the food. Then you begin the food preparation while the stove (or oven) is heating. Maybe it’s the pot or skillet that needs to hold the food. No matter. While those are in process, it’s time to cut, peel, dice the items that will go into the cooking container. Likewise, the food that needs the longest duration for cooking will be the first into the container. Meanwhile, whatever utensils that were used and are no longer necessary for the preparation can be washed and stored as the dish continues to cook. All the items for the plate are being processed to reach the plate at the same and with the same temperature.

In a domestic setting, it’s entirely possible to start washing a load of laundry while another load dries. Since neither of those activities need to be monitored, it’s possible to start the dishwasher as well as vacuum (or sweep) the floor. The machines are minding the long duration, automated activities while the one task that requires human management is done.

So when you’re talking about multitasking (or any other jargon of the day), make certain you know the proper definition of what you’re doing and discussing. To do otherwise may bring you to the end of a conversation filled with misunderstandings and disappointments. Make certain you’re both talking about the same thing and that you understand the concepts behind the definition.

Sponsored Links:

• The Myth of Multitasking: How “Doing It All” Gets Nothing Done
• Advanced Multitasking

The Single-Word Image Maker

Ah, the professionalism declaration, saying “Huh” in response to anything, everything, and then repeating it to the point of insanity – or the other person simply walks away (which was the original intent). Who has suggestions for curbing the propensity to do this? Some youth use this in order to have their way without showing blatant defiance. Others simply have a hearing problem. No matter what the explanation, “Huh?” or “What?” is a real image breaker.

Fitness Careers

Not to be outdone, it would be wise for a person who’s planning to enter a particular industry and career to start building connections and doing some strategic planning about building credibility and references. These are a few suggestions I want to offer to the blossoming fitness guru. I’m certain there are other things that have been overlooked.

On Your Shoulders

Reliability Definition Magnifier Shows Trust Quality And Dependability

Taking responsibility for failure to deliver is essential to reaching maturity. Recognizing when circumstances begin to build toward a failed commitment and making necessary, satisfactory adjustments is essential to having the right leadership ingredients. Those involve planning and foresight. Those involve being able to make contingency plans.

Compensation and resourcefulness are important to remember for the sake of projecting professionalism.

Whatever the dynamic, the “slippage” is not the fault of someone else or something else and responsibility for it is On Your Shoulders. Read more about it in the Career Coach Corner.

Compensation

Compensation has several definitions. While it can mean the amount of money that’s paid someone for the work that they do, it can also mean making allowances to balance things out.

There are many times when we find ways to put responsibility for shortcomings on the shoulders of others. That is called blaming.

Compensation, on the other hand, is coming up with ways to meet the goal when there aren’t sufficient resources to do it alone. That’s also considered being resourceful. Read more about several prisms of Compensation in the Career Coach Corner.

Developing Good Mini Habits

There was a recent question posted on Quora where the person wanted to know some “mini habits” that can be practiced everyday for about five minutes. Now that was definitely a good question because it focuses on building in small steps to be more efficient.

Read more of Developing Good Mini Habits in the “Ask Yvonne” folder of Entrances Bulletins.

Fitting into the Environment

Having a good relationship with the co-workers (whether autonomous work or team) is important. Being mindful of how all of the processes fit together to create a cohesive whole unit is useful for making sense of the job and what you do there. Getting along with your co-workers means you have the rapport to be considered part of the team.

Read more of Fitting into the Environment on Career Coach Corner.

When in the Course

Maybe you’re also a fan of The Amazing Race, a TV reality show that has contestants conquer tests and obstacles around the world in order to win $1,000,000 (in addition to various segment prizes).

A few years ago, a middle-aged couple had the task of counting beads and reporting to the gatekeeper the number they’d reached. Mind you, there was a factory room filled with these beads. Just the sight of them would make your head swim. Counting them, while daunting by the sheer volume, was doable. The husband of the middle-aged team began counting. He kept getting the wrong number and had to begin again. In one clip, there was a record of his losing count by ten beads.

So it goes when you’re standing alone and dealing with an overwhelming amount of content. Things need to be brought into perspective. Things need to be organized into manageable chunks. Some things need to be delegated, if possible, to teams that have more hands, more ideas about how to effectively organize things, more experience in managing the scope of the project.

Sometimes it doesn’t really matter where you start nor what you choose to put first. It’s simply a matter getting an idea of how to organize the project and then choosing what will be the first line of attack. Just stick your hand into the mosh and make it the starting point. There are many great examples of dealing with the jumbled chaos of a huge project.

Bringing order from chaos. (from Kozzi.com)

There will be times when the greatest distraction proves to be external circumstances that need to be resolved before starting the project. If they’re ignored, they prove to be like an elephant in a 4 x 3 room. Every time you try to do something, you find yourself bumping into a blockage. Clear up some of the distractions. Take care of the external; resolve it. Handling it in small bite-sized chunks won’t do because it’s still there being a distraction that needs to be settled. It’s like a burr in your shoe. Just not having it waiting in the wings will be a relief and free your mind to focus on what needs to be done.

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