Today we spent a pleasant and relaxing day cleaning, cooking, and watching tv. As a joke I stopped it on Dogs 101 because our dog gets so excited when it was on. Of course, I didn't then have the heart to switch the channel on him. Now we have an adorable, 6 year-old dog who was born on my boyfriend's farm. We know that our dog's father was a rather large chihuahua and his mother was an Australian Shepard. We make lots of jokes about his parentage, but usually just call him a mixed breed. In DC, you sometimes need to say that with an apologetic tone as there are many pure breeds in the area. Today's Dogs 101 was on designer breeds, the new IT dogs like labradoodles, puggles, chiweenies to name a few. Each designer breed starts from mixing a pure breed parent of each type. Wait, isn't that a mixed breed???? After much laughter around our house, we have decided to proudly announce our dog's breed as Chaussie. And it just made me think, isn't it all about good marketing? So next time you find yourself explaining a less-than-heroic job on your resume during an interview, remember my adorable Chaussie. Don't lie or misrepresent your qualifications, just point out the unique combination of skills it allows you to bring to the new position.
We've all read lots of books and articles on giving feedback, but what is the best way to receive feedback? My default response used to be to explain my position, show how I do what the person is asking, or show how I wanted to but someone else prevented me. If I am caught off guard or stressed, these are still my gut instincts. However, I have learned two much more constructive ways to respond to feedback that I strive to use more often. The first started as I became more self-aware and felt comfortable and safe acknowledging and working on my weaknesses. If someone points something I am aware of and I feel safe (i.e., it is pointed out in a private forum versus a public forum) the best thing I can do is say "I know, do you have any suggestions or advice that will help me?" If someone has the courage to step out of their comfort zone to point out a way I can improve, it is a safe bet they've thought about it beforehand. The second way to handle...
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