"Personal Branding"

The following are nuggets I took away from Mike Free's talk at the Senior Managers group of Between Jobs Ministry on 12/14/2011.

A personl brand must tell the perspective employer:

• How I can make them money, or how I can save them money
• It must state the value I can produce
• It must focus on the behaviors that produce results

Personal branding is transferring our value into a sound bite.

Find your passions and build on those.

Try your brand on fellow BJMers.  Do rely on people that are too close to you to tell you the hard truth -- "I don't get it", "That sounds stupid", etc.

When spoken, it should pose the question, "How?", or "What do you mean?" from the listener.

"Does God Really Care about Me?"

The following are nuggets I took away from Dr. Roy Farmer's devotioinal given to the Senior Managers group of Between Jobs Ministry on 12/14/2011.

You can TRUST GOD because ...

• He will do the right thing,
• He will do the right thing at all times,
• He is faithful,
• He will never deny you.

You are Special ... there are no unimportant people.

I can find victory over the enemy of my soul when I:

• take hold of my mind
• take my stand for God
• plant my feet and shout "Enough!  Enough fear, enough anxiety, enough worry, enough of the world's system"
• remember to live in the blessings of heaven
• make Jesus the hope of my future.

We put our faith in someone or something every day.  Our challenge is in deciding where we are going to put our faith.

Inside of you is a creative idea waiting to be revealed.  It comes from the Lord.  You were created for achievement and have been given the seeds of greatness.

You are a key person in the purposes of God.  You are needed very much.  You have success written all over you.  Therefore:

SMILE ... the joy of the Lord is in you.

"God Will Make a Way"

Here is a summary of the nuggets I took away from Dr. Farmers talk this morning (12/7/2011) at BJM Senior Managers



"Crisis is the natural result of change ... crisis results from change."

Winners are not those who never experience failure but are those who never quit when they experience failure.

Luke 9:62 shows the importance of not focusing on the past.

"Whatever hold the past may have on me can be broken in Christ."

We must be Forward Focused not Past Possessed

Philippians 3:13-14 shows us that:

• We all have a calling in Christ
• That calling is a high calling
• Our calling is:
• To Christ,
• For Christ,
• To go to whomever, wherever, and whenever he chooses
• My vocation is simply the context in which I live out my calling

Dan Smith

"Breakthrough: What to do when you hit the wall"

The following are nuggets I took away from Charlie Phillips presentation on 12/7/2011 at BJM


Breakthroughs are:

• a Process - they result from participating in discovering the unknown; unknown contact, unknown company, unknown job, etc., and
  
• a Product - a landing; we now have what was once unknown.

Satan's Weapons of Mass Destruction

• Fatigue - we are worn out physically, emotionally, and/or spiritually.
• Frustration - we grow more and more agitated as attempt after attempt to produce a desired outcome does not work.
• Failure - we begin to see ourselves as a failure.  The only way to be a failure is to quit trying after a failed attempt.  I cannot be a failure as long as I continue to try.
• Fear - results when false evidence appears to be true.  Fear paralyzes.  Focused faith is the antidote to fear.  Faith and fear cannot coexist.

Tools that Disarm the Weapons

• Regroup (gives you more energy)  The reason God rested after 6 days of creating was not because he was tired.  He rested to bring order to creation.  Rest allows for recuperation which in turn enables regrouping.  We need to plan times weekly to get away, exercise, nap, and laugh.
• Reflect (puts more confidence in you)  There are 4 M's to reflection:
• Ministry Opportunities - takes my focus off me and onto someone else
• Memorable Achievements - replaying the victories God has worked through our lives
• Motivational Materials - fill my mind with the positive thoughts that will drive away the negative thoughts that come from Satan
• Mentor's Counsel - affirms our calling and provides a fresh objective perspective.
• Refocus (provides direction)  Taking the time to reexamine our:
• Aspirations and purpose - what is the most important and what is urgent.  I need to be about what is important and not be driven by the urgent
  
• Activity levels - am I investing the right amount of time in the right things
• Accountability - who are my partners and how much do they really know about me and my situation.  They are the ones who have been given the right to provide the "Tough Love" I need to make it through.
• Attitude - adjusting to a positive and persevering mindset

Dan

Speaking the Unspeakable" by Kim Sawyer

WOW!  This was a great presentation.

"Build a resource of your relationships; that will be your greatest asset."

"The only meaning that is important in a communication is the meaning discerned by the listener."

It is my job as the initiator to make sure the receiver understood my communication -- it is NOT theirs.

Leadership Communication -- making sure that I have understood the intended meaning of the initiator by asking questions and giving feedback.

Kim recommended reading the article "Sensitivities" in the Harvard Business Journal/Review.

Most communications fail because of the lack of feedback; because it is not allowed, not received, or not considered to be important.  Communication is NOT a monolog.

5-Step Communication

1. EMOTIONS - feelings at this moment
2. DATA - facts of the situation
3. JUDGMENTS - perceptions/evaluations made of you & situation
4. MY PART - my issues & contributions
5. COMMITMENTS & REQUESTS - for change

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