Success In Action Rev 1

A Roadmap for Life . . .

J

im Shaw, former US Air Force Pilot, business executive, entrepreneur and lecturer, has spent his life managing events, businesses and people. His expertise in planning, goal setting and success in life focuses on planning, dedication and execution.

Jim Shaw, President and CEO The Shaw Group Headquarters in Joppa, MD.

Success in Action

Regardless of whether you are a high school student, college graduate, business owner or retiree, you can benefit from his direction. His common sense approach to career goal setting and planning will show you the way. As a wise man once said, “If you don’t know where you are going . . . how will you know when you get there?”

1

Y

ou have taken the single most important step in guaranteeing your own success. Armed with Success In Action, you soon can see your life change – dramatically. In fact, with some hard work and perseverance, you can actually achieve the three key goals that can turn your life entirely around.

Together, however, they are a formidable tool for self-development.

Success In Action is not new. It has been in use for over 30 years.

Hundreds have met with Jim Shaw personally to learn his systematic approach to career development.

Recently through word-of-mouth • For the first time ever, you will see your own path and the present economic conto peak performance more clearly than ever before. ditions, the number of people requesting this educational experi• You will begin exuding the inner confidence that ence has grown beyond the scope tells others you’re ready to take charge, and . . . of Jim’s seminars. This digital tutorial is the result of his continuing • You will have mastered the essential decision-mak- dedication to helping others caping skills that can put you in control of your personal ture their dreams. and professional life for years to come!

The concepts presented are simple ones when considered individually.

2

Success in Action

Table of Contents Introduction.......................................................................................2 Prepare for Change ...........................................................................4 Overview ..........................................................................................7 Phase 1: The Employment Analysis ....................................................9 Phase 2: The Resume ......................................................................14 Phase 3: The Art of the Interview .....................................................16 The Personal Priorities Power Grid ..................................................23 Afterword .......................................................................................25 About the Author ............................................................................26 Thank You .......................................................................................31

This tutorial produced and distributed by The Shaw Group. Copyright 2018. Any copying or distribution will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. For additional information, please contact The Shaw Group (410) 638-1350.

Success in Action

3

Prepare for Change

I

n today’s word, the only constant is change. For all of us, no matter what our role in life, or place in society, change is as inevitable as sunrise and sunset. Yet, few people are prepared to meet the moment when change occurs. For most, change is the enemy. It is at best unsettling and at worst unthinkable. In short, they haven’t found the Success In Action way to anticipate change – and turn it to their advantage.

Those who remain unprepared to meet change are not only failing their future, they’re failing to face the facts of the present. They feel the adverse effects in every area of their lives.

Success at Work With Success In Action on the work-front, you can control the timing and terms of your own career decisions. Most people don’t yet realize that the age old concept of job security is as outdated as the buggy whip and Black Jack gun. As Gerald Celente wrote in the best-selling book, Trends Tracking: “You can no longer assume that if you work for a company and do well, you’ll always have a job with them. Your father could assume this, but you can’t.

“If you’re a senior executive, a middle manager, or an employee, you have nothing to protect you other than your own ability to get a job elsewhere.”

Unfortunately, most people have never had the advantage of Success In Action. They end up confronting the following facts with little or no preparation – and the bleak prospect of a recurring nightmare: • 12 million people are now forced to change careers – that’s careers, not jobs – every year.

That’s over 30,000 career changes a day. According to the Rand Corporation, this number will double by the year 2020.

With that the case, you would think that most people would fully prepare themselves for the inevitable vicissitudes of constant change. In fact, you would think they would prepare themselves to turn change into choice – of where they want to go next and how • The average person entering the to get there. workforce today will face a career 4

Success in Action

change four to seven times during his or her worklife.

When you consider the time and money (average $40,000 a year for a private university) spent in pursuit of a college education, the value of Success in • The average person now works at Action becomes readily apparent. ten jobs during their worklife.

For the student, the college years should be a time • 56% of women and 40% of men when career choices are researched and developed, now expect to shift from company making for an easy transition from academic to proto company throughout their work- fessional life. For parents preparing to spend possibly ing careers. hundreds of thousands of dollars for their child’s college education, Success In Action provides a career With Success In Action, you devel- planning tool that can be used for years to come and op a plan for change. Used period- will assist in the process by providing networking ically, it serves to benchmark your contacts. career progress. Should a career change be necessary, you have a How important is this guidance? Consider the foldatabase of possible opportunities lowing: at your fingertips.

• The average high school graduate has more than Success at School 3,000 colleges from which to choose. Less than one With Success In Action on the third graduate from their first choice. school-front, you can plan the courses you take, and control the • The average college student has more than 600 future. For high school graduates, major fields of study from which to choose. Less than college students and parents, it’s one-fourth finish in the major they initially pursue. the perfect guide for making key college and curriculum choices.

• The average college graduate has less than one One former dean of a major north- chance in five to work in their original field of east college recently stated: choice.

“Students who come into college knowing what they want to do in life – having chosen the major to meet their needs – are invariably more successful than those who arrive with unfounded or vague objectives. Unfortunately, most students fall into the latter category.”

Success in Action

With the clear, concise guidance of Success In Action, students can enter college knowing the course of their future – and a strategy to improve their success. In addition, they can begin building a database of key contacts that last a lifetime!

5

Success at Home

The remarkable Success In Action Personal Priorities Grid enables With Success In Action on the home front, you can you to make the most vital decicontrol the choices and changes that bring families sions with mathematical precicloser together. Most Americans find themselves sion. Unlike any other tool, the trapped in a continual quest for mere contentment.

Priorities Grid focuses your attenThe very idea of a family truly happy has almost tion, narrows your choices and been abandoned. helps you make not just the best Even here – on the most important front of all – most decision possible – but the best possible decision! decisions are made without the benefit of even the simplest systematized plan to assure spiritual, physical and emotional success. As a result, most people A Constant Guide to a Changing World have little or no idea how to meet the inevitable Clearly, change is the only conmoments of personal change. The results speak for stant. You have to ask yourself, themselves: “Why are so many people unprepared or ill prepared to meet the • One of five Americans move each year. An additional 40% would move if they could decide where moments when change occurs? to go to meet their needs.

• 50 million Americans diet each year but only 2 million succeed.

• Two thirds of all marriages end in divorce and three out of four divorcees remarry.

6

The answer is simple. Until now, very few people had access to the incredible program you are reading. It contains a powerful system for positive change.

Success in Action

With Success In Action, you can know beyond doubt what to do to control your future and – in detail – how to do it. You now can not only meet the moment – you can actually master it and make it yours, for the rest of your life.

That’s the promise, and the power, of Success In Action – your constant guide to a changing world!

Overview Do not attempt to complete the entire program in one sitting. Success In Action requires a lot of soul-searching and personal evaluation. Rushing through with a “got to get it done” attitude will only leave you short changed. Take your time, analyze your feeling and persevere. You will see revealed personal strengths and professional strategies guaranteed to take you where you want to go.

Success In Action is a complete system of establishing your personal priorities, evaluating those priorities, producing a professional resume, and most importantly, developing a system for effective interviewing. All of these components are used in a cycle designed to get results. As you read through the program, you will begin to see that Success In Action is far more than the sum of its parts.

This is a system you can use for the rest of your life as change demands. Your challenge is to learn to manage the inevitable process of a changing environment.

Success in Action

7

First, let’s take a graphic look at how it all fits together.

8

Success in Action

We will now break down the three phases In the program and expand upon each later.

• Phase One – The Employment Analysis. This enables you to determine your own strengths, weaknesses, wants and needs. Then, you can judge how well they match up with key aspects of your new job opportunities – and even with the parameters of your current career position. My recommendation is to do your analysis annually to develop new goals and strategies after your annual review. Select different people within the organization to interview and understand the requirements of the company.

• Phase Two – The Resume. This is a specially designed tool for introducing your most pertinent personal skills to a prospective employer. You learn not only how to put it together, but also how to use it to your own advantage during the interview.

taking control of your own professional future – is to thoroughly evaluate your own criteria for career success! Each of us has our own criteria for judging our personal success. There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to true job satisfaction. Yet, it’s amazing how few of us take the time to carefully analyze our own definition of success. You may be surprised at the outcome!

Below are typical examples of the qualities you may be looking for in a job. Add your own in the spaces provided and choose the ten that are most important to you.

Now, prioritize them from the most important (10) to the least important (1). Items for consideration follow:

• Phase Three – The Interview. This is the game!

This is where Success In Action teaches you how to control the ebb and flow of the interview – and gives you the confidence to make a great impression. The Items for Consideration more you practice the informational interview, the • Starting Income better you will be.

• Future income (3-5 years) • Benefits Now you’re ready to jump in with both feet and put • Working environment Success In Action to work for you. You’ll find it to • Flexibility of hours be a remarkable system, vitally important in making • Advancement opportunities critical educational decisions, in choosing or chang- • Job security ing a career, in evaluating your current job status, • Geographical location of job preparing for annual reviews and making the criti• Travel requirements cal moves that lead to true personal satisfaction and • Self satisfaction happiness.

• Growth of the industry • Size of company Phase 1: The Employment Analysis • Diversity of job • Training opportunities Developing Personal Career Objectives • Prestige The first step in making a vital career decision – in • Responsibility • ____________________ Success in Action 9

Employment Analysis Directions It’s now time to turn your Priority Ratings into objective quantities that will automatically guide your career choices. Refer to the example following when using this simple six-step process. Remember, Success In Action is a cyclical program. Much of the information needed to complete the chart is described later in this tutorial.

• Step 1 – Take your ten Priorities and place them across the top of the Employment Analysis, along with your Priority Ratings.

• Step 2 - Down the left side of the Employment Analysis, list specific industries and companies within those industries, for whom you might like to work.

• Step 3 – Immediately following an interview, objectively enter your Interview Results based on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the most positive and 1 being the least.

• Step 4 – Multiply the Priority Rating by the Interview Result to calculate the Score.

10

• Step 5 – Calculate the Total adding horizontally the numbers from Step 4. This column will enable you to analyze the career options best suited to you. Through interviewing and evaluating, you will soon see that certain industries and careers meet more of your personal goals than others.

• Step 6 – The Remarks area on the right side of your Employment Analysis is used to make notes for appropriate follow-up. This is your “To Do” list.

We’ve analyzed some examples as a guide. To give you some up-front practice in using The Employment Analysis, analyze your current (or most recent) job using the six steps above. The results may surprise you.

Success in Action

Jackson Valve Company Criteria Score Observations Self Satisfaction 30 Graded Well Starting Income 27 Graded Well Advancement 16 Problem Area (needs further examination to determine the cause) Future Income 29 Inconsistent with Adancement Score (possibly a commission-based salary) Job Security 6 Major Problem Location 15 Graded Well Training 8 Problem Area (possibly rectified with outside education,this may also aid advancement Benefits 9 Graded Well Work Environment 6 Graded Well Creativity 3 Graded Well Total

Success in Action

148

11

First National Bank Criteria Score Observations Future Income 30 Graded Well Starting Income 27 Graded Well Work Environment 16 Problem Area Flexibility of Hours 7 Big Problem (considering the poor Work Environment Score) Responsibility 18 Problem Area (though this may change with advancement) Location 20 Graded Well Diversity of Job 8 Problem Area (again, advancement may raise this score) Prestige 9 Graded Well Travel Requirements 2 Minor oProblem (sufficient salary makes personal travel accessible) Self-Satisfaction 3 Graded Well Total

12

140

Success in Action

Operating A Restaurant Criteria Score Observations Future Income 30 Graded Well Starting Income 0 Big Problem (though typical of a startup business) Work Environment 32 Big Plus Flexibility of Hours 7 Graded Well Responsibility 24 Graded Well Location 10 Problem Area Diversity of Job 12 Graded Well Prestige

9 Graded Well Travel Requirements 4 Problem (until income increases) Self-Satisfaction 4 Graded Well Total 132

• When considering a business startup interview people in that business for information.

• An accurate Business Plan is an essential first step when considering your own business.

As is clear from this comparison, opening a restaurant will fulfill many of this person’s goals There is, however, one formidable drawback – starting salary.

Most start-up businesses provide little, if any, income for the first year. Based upon their Business Plan, the capital to open a restaurant is not available at this time.

There are far more factors affecting this person’s decision than we can present in this chapter. We can, however, develop a few possible strategies: • He can find an equity partner to finance the restaurant’s startup. This would significantly change the evaluation.

Success in Action

• Because of the bank job’s significant starting salary, he could work there until he has saved enough money to support his family during the restaurant’s lean first years.

• Arrange Informational Interviews with people in the restaurant industry and attempt to combine an employment opportunity with vital restaurant experience.

The ability to make these objective comparisons is what makes Success In Action so effective.

Instead of making career decisions on a “first come – first served” basis, you can analyze your choices graphically and make the best possible decision.

13

Phase 2: The Resume

T

he next Phase of Success In Action flies directly in the face of conventional wisdom. The resume is the least important element in your job search package. There are those – some charging thousands of dollars for a consultation - that will tell you to develop an email blast to every name in the database. This is the most impractical and least productive method of career development that can be used. The fact is, a recent study by the outplacement firm Drake Bean Martin, Inc. found that a mere 8% of those who land a job do so as a result of a saturation mail campaign.

What, then, is the role of the resume? Properly constructed, the resume should be considered a tool for introducing you to prospective employers and a forum for presenting your skills and attributes during the interview. It can be used effectively in your information gathering and job interviews.

14

The resume should be presented in a clear, uncluttered format. The prospective employer has the tedious duty of reviewing dozens of applicants. It should, therefore, be considered a professional courtesy to submit a resume that can be read completely in a few minutes.

Long, detailed descriptions will, at best, be “skimmed� and at worst, ignored.

The items most important to the development of the resume, in addition to your education and employment history, are your positive characteristics that you would like to discuss during the interview.

Remember, the employer is hiring you largely based upon your abiity to fit into their work environment and offer a positive impact. It is, Success in Action

therefore, vital for you to develop a description of your personal qualities that coincide with the company’s professional needs.

Many applicants include the statement “references available upon request.” In many cases, the use of qualified references may be one of the more important features of your resume. Without their inclusion they can have no impact. Remember, however, to Relate instances where you have talk to prospective references before you include demonstrated these qualities when them on your resume to confirm their positive opinciting education, employment, or ion. You will, most likely, have only one interview other experiences. Be prepared, opportunity, why not pull out all the weapons in then, to elaborate on these inyour arsenal? stances during the interview. Telling a short story (2-3 minutes) is Most of all, be creative! The bottom line is this: most most effective. employers in today’s overcrowded job market are flooded with resumes. To be noticed above the din, Following are examples of posyou need what the social scientists call “cue clarity.” itive personal qualities you may There has to be something about your resume that want to consider in your resume clearly sets you apart. development. They will be used to formulate an important part of the Now that you’ve designed a striking, succinct, and interview itself. informative resume, to whom do you send it? With • Leadership few exceptions, send them only to people within • Perseverance your networking strategy. There are, however, job ad• Creativity vertisements that specifically request a resume only.

• Self-motivation Don’t let any opportunity pass you by.

• Goal setting • Teamwork Remember, in the Success in Action system the re• Responsibility sume is used primarily as a tool for communication • Communication Skills purposes in the interview. You may also want to include samples of your work, a listing of professional achievements, articles about your past successes, or any other examples of the high personal standards you will bring to your new job.

Success in Action

15

Phase 3: The Art of the Interview

W

ith Success In Action, the interview is the “bottom line” of your plan for success. It is the single most important element in securing the career and job you desire.Not surprisingly, though, most people – numbering in the 90 percentile – hate the very thought of a “job interview.” They walk in almost as supplicants. Hoping and praying for the best, dreading the worst. They’re not quite sure what they want, or where they’re going. The person behind the desk is entirely in control.

With Success In Action, however, the interview becomes a 50/50 exchange of information. You know beyond a doubt what you want, you’ve done your homework. Now it’s simply a matter of your deciding whether the two of you can establish a win-win situation.

16

Research has shown that more than 70% of successful job opportunities are the result of personal contacts. A prospective employer is far less likely to respond to a “cold call” than a person to whom he’s been introduced. How do you get these introductions? They are achieved through networking.

Start with your friends, your family, and your co-workers. Ask them if they have friends,and associates in careers of your interest. If you consider all your contact relationships - college, social networks - people you know and all the people they know, you will start developing your own network for interviewing opportunities. You can also meet people through

Success in Action

your college Career Placement Office, college alumni with careers in your prospective field, former co-workers, previous job contacts, your church and clubs, etc. Just about everyone you come in contact with has the potential to arrange the introductions you need.

schedule your interviews in a prioritized manner.

Every task becomes easier with practice, so it makes sense to have your least important interviews first.

When you have made a few contacts with people you would like to interview, analyze these opportunities in comparison to each other, and schedule the most important interviews to take place after you’ve had some practice.

When you find a contact in the field you are pursuing, enter the information on your Employment Analysis worksheet and try to arrange an interview. Even if this person is not in a position to offer you a job, he or she will still be an irreplaceable source of information. These information gathering interviews are a learning experience. You simply want to interview with someone who can explain what work in his or her field entails, and what opportunities might exist. The interviewee may even become your mentor.

Typically, you’ll have only one interview with each contact. It will likely last only 30 to 60 minutes.

Clarity and precision are, therefore paramount.

Don’t count on the interviewer for that, the only thing he or she knows about you is on the resume you’ve likely sent along before. It’s up to you to make sure the interview is a 50/50 exchange of information.This takes comprehensive planning.

Information gathering interviews also serve as excellent practice strategy for the job interview. You can meet new people in your prospective field, exchange information, and make new contacts – without the pressure of negotiation as you become comfortable with their procedure, you can move on to the job interviews, executing them with quiet confidence.

It is also a good idea to try to Success in Action

17

Success In Action’s Individual Interview Evaluation is a tool developed for this purpose. It uses your Personal Priorities to develop specific questions that will be used to move the interview at your pace.

In other words, you need to be capable of tactfully moving the interview along step by step. Here are the five steps through which you will be navigating: • Introduction – 3 to 5 minutes • Resume Review – 5 to 10 minutes • Industry and Company – 5 to 10 minutes • Job Review – 5 to 10 minutes • Summary – 5 to 10 minutes Step 1: The Introduction (Typically 3 to 5 minutes) It is, of course, essential that you arrive on time and are well groomed, allowing for a comfortable initiation to the meeting. Remember the old adage, “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”

Think about the introduction process, and practice it if necessary.

As you enter the office, you may wish to “break the ice” with an informal non-job-related observation.

Perhaps you will notice something on the wall or the desk of the interviewer that represents a special achievement or interest. For example, if the interviewer has a photograph of a ship on the wall, you may say “I see you are interested in sailing do you do much sailing?”

Make a short comment and follow it up with a question. This type of opener recognizes the interviewer on a personal level and provides them a chance to talk about their own interests and endeavors.

begun to establish a positive rapport right from the start.

Introductions should take only 3 to 5 minutes. You want to move the conversation along because you have much to accomplish in a short period of time. To keep the pace flowing from one step to the next, you will want to have a ready supply of “bridging” comments.

To move from Step 1 to Step 2 (the Resume Review), you might use a bridge such as: “Before we begin, do you mind if I review my resume with you, so that you may have a clearer understanding of my background?”

No one will ever turn you down for that kind of comment. In fact, they will appreciate it – and you will be on your way to Step 2.

Introductions should take only 3 to 5 minutes. You want to move the conversation along because you have much to accomplish in a short period of time. To keep the pace flowing from one step to the next, you will want to have a ready supply of “bridging” comments.

This also gives you a chance to adjust to the environ- To more from Step 1 to Step 2 (the Resume Review), you might use a ment and situation. If the subject you’re addressing is one about which you know something, you might bridge such as: add a comment or two of your own. You now have 18

Success in Action

“Before we begin, do you mind if I review my resume with you, so that you may have a clearer understanding of my background?”

No one will ever turn you down for that kind of comment. In fact, they will appreciate it – and you will be on your way to Step 2.

Step 2 : The Resume Review (5 to 10 minutes) This may well be the most important stop in the Success In Action interviewing strategy. Presenting your assets and skills in a manner with which you feel comfortable is essential. The interviewer must clearly understand your personal qualities, and it is up to you to communicate them successfully while walking the line between confidence and humility. It is imperative that your resume be reviewed early on in the interview process, as this establishes a firm basis for the rest of the interview.

How do you establish an understanding of your personal qualities with the interviewer? The most effective way is to tell one of the stories you prepared in Phase 2 – The Resume. While the interviewer is reviewing your resume, you might draw his or her attention to a particular section of the resume by saying , “One of the things I am most proud of . . . “ as a way of leading into a story about an Success in Action

experience, event, or situation in which your actions strongly illustrated your skills, interests, traits and values. You can then project your desire to further develop these qualities with a new company.

After you have completed your personal story, take a moment to answer the interviewer’s questions. When you are comfortable that you have developed a positive image in his or her mind, it is time for another bridging comment to move the interview to the next step.

Your bridge from Step 2 to Step 3 (The Industry and the Company) might be something like: “I see the company profits were up by 12% over the previous year. To what do you attribute that success?”

(Do your homework concerning the company before your interview.) A well-informed interest in their company will be appreciated by the interviewer and show that you’ve done your homework. Use information on the internet concerning that company.

19

Step 3: The Industry and the Company (5 to 10 minutes) This step in the interview process will require some prior research of the company and the industry. Follow-up questions might be about the trends in the industry, the relationship of the company to the competition, etc.

Such knowledge serves two purposes: (1) it helps you decide whether the industry and company really meet your own career criteria, and (2) it impresses the interviewer with the depth of your interest. By all means, do your homework! If information is not easily available, call a contact such as a secretary or salesperson within the company. Use internet access to study industry trends and the company you are interested in.

Step 4: Job Review (5 to 10 minutes) The purpose of the Job Review is to discuss the possible opportunities in terms of how they relate to you. You’ve prepared for this by outlining your Priorities on the Employment Analysis, and by formulating your questions on the Individual Interview Evaluation.

You’re already well on your way to Success in Action!

Here are some sample questions that will enable you to rate the interviewer’s responses on the Employment Analysis:

It is important that you learn as much as possible about the industry and prepare yourself to ask and answer questions. Most interviewers will appreciate your knowledge.

Income: “Could you give me an idea of the range of starting income for a person with my background?”

Your bridge from Step 3 to Step 4 (Job Review) might be:

Advancement Opportunities: “Assuming excellent success, could you tell me the advancement opportunities available in a three to five year period?”

“Based upon my education and experience, what training programs would your firm offer to further develop my qualifications?”

This will lead smoothly into a discussion of training opportunities – and the next step, the Job Review.

“Could you give me an idea as to the career track of some senior people in the company with a background similar to mine?”

Future Income: “Assuming successful advancement, could you give me a range of income opportunities in a three to five year time frame?”

20

Success in Action

It is important to ask questions in a positive manner and avoid coming across negatively or defensively.

This points up the importance of preparing the questions in advance, and writing them down in preparation for your interview.

From this point, your bridge will depend upon several factors. They are discussed in Step 5. The Summary.

Step 5: The Summary (5 to 10 minutes) For an information gathering interview, any interview you can make within the company of your interest will be beneficial.

For a Job interview: “Based upon my background and experience, how would a person with my qualifications fit into your organization?”

The interviewer’s response will determine your next move. If a position is not offered, attempt to determine why. Ask a question such as: “Even though an opportunity might not be available at this time, would my qualifications and experience otherwise meet your requirements?”

The answer to this question will assist you in determining your weak points, underlining your strengths, and developing future interviewing and career strategies.

If a position is offered, or a further follow-up is sug“Can you give me any suggestions gested, restate the mutual agreements, decide what for additional contacts within your the next step should be, and who should be responnetwork who might be able to help sible. Then thank the interviewer for his or her time. me understand and evaluate career You must walk out of this interview with a clear plan opportunities?” of action mutually agreed upon by you and the interviewer. It is your responsibility to follow up.

“Based on our discussion, what should I do to become a qualified The Follow-Up candidate for a job in this indusImmediately after leaving, complete the Post-Intertry?” view Action Agenda portion of the Individual Interview Evaluation while your memory is fresh, then Record this information, thank the begin the process of follow-up. Accurate and timely interviewer and depart, knowing follow-up is vital to interviewing success. Unless you have accomplished your obotherwise agreed upon, a letter is the most approprijective and you have further deate follow-up at this time. The first paragraph should fined your plan. Don’t be surprised, thank the interviewer for his or her time. The second though, if you’re suddenly offered paragraph should restate any mutual agreements that the opportunity for a future interwere discussed. The third should state your action view – or even an unsolicited job steps for further follow-up. offer!

Success in Action

21

Complete The Cycle It is now time to grade this opportunity based on your Personal Priorities. Go back to Phase 1 and perform the Employment Analysis rating process. You’ll begin to see the power of Success in Action.

There in black and white, is a quantitative comparison of your employment choices by industries, companies, new business startups, and advancement alternatives within your existing company. It rapidly becomes an at-a-glance working system for career preparation and evaluation. From this one document, you will quickly and easily be able to extract the following information: • A prioritized list of criteria for true job satisfaction.

• A plan for developing interview questions enabling you to extract vital information relative to your Personal Priorities.

• A quick-reference list of important networking interview contacts.

“Nothing in the world can take the place of perseverance. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not, unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Perseverance and determination alone are omnipotent.”

Calvin Coolidge.

Then, there’s the example of a man who, through remarkably dogged perseverance, parlayed failure into ultimate success: In 1831, he failed in business.

In 1832, he was defeated for the legislature.

In 1833, he again failed in buiness.

In 1836, he suffered a nervous breakdown.

In 1838, he was defeated for House Speaker.

In 1840, he was defeated for elector. in 1843, he was defeated for Congress.

In 1848, he again was defeated for Congress.

In 1855, he was defeated for the Senate.

In 1856, he was defeated for Vice President.

In 1858, he again was defeated for Senate.

In 1860, he was elected President of the United States.

He, of course, was Abraham Lincoln, the “Savior of His Country.” So keep your eyes on the prize and persevere.

• A simple, quantitative rating of each job prospect.

• Key remarks for developing an effective follow-up.

It’s time to start over. Keep interviewing. Expand your network, hone your skills, and, persevere.

22

Success in Action

The Personal Priorities Power Grid

• Step 5: Immediately following each research effort, objectively enter your Research Result based on a scale of 1 to 4, with 4 being the most positive and 1 being the least.

The analytical and decision making skills that you have now mastered can also be used in making life’s major decisions. Decisions about buying the right car, buying the right house, or even the right city in which to live can now be made objectively and systematically. By applying the program to more and • Step 6: Calculate the Score by more aspects of your life, you will begin to feel more multiplying your Priority Rating by the Research Result. in control, and you will be one step ahead on the path to true satisfaction.

• Step 7: Find the Total by adding The process is the same as in the Employment Analy- the Scores horizontally. The Total sis, you just use the spaces for different information. colulmn will enable you to analyze the relocation option. This The information needed to complete the chart is will graphically compare each found, as before, through research and Information option, and begin a process of Gathering Interviews. narrowing the field.

Let’s walk through the process, step by step, using a relocation decision as an example: • Step 1: Rate your priorities, just as you did when considering a career. Though your criteria will be different, the system operates the same way.

• Step 2: Take your top 10 Priorities and place them across the top of the Power Grid, along with their Ratings.

Example Al and his family live in Philadelphia. The company he works for is closing their Philadelphia office.

He is a successful employee, so the company has offered him a choice to transfer to another office in either San Francisco, CA or Raleigh, NC. Additionally, he could leave the firm and not relocate.

• Step 3: Make a list down the left side of the Power Grid of the various locations being considered for relocation.

• Step 4: Research completely the information regarding each of your localities based on your Personal Priorities. This will likely require considerable networking and interviewing, as well as research in newspapers, periodicals, almanacs, etc.

Success in Action

23

Criteria Score Observations NC CA PA Job Opportunities 40 40 10 He can transfer to the Caa or NC

office, or he can resign from a very satisfying position.

Cost of Living 27 18 27 Similar Housing Affordability 24 8 24 Housing costs in San Francisco are the nation’s highest.

Distance from Family 21 7 28 Raleigh is six hours by car from Philadelphia, San Francisco is six hours by plane.

Schools 12 18 18 Similar Social Contacts 15 15 15 Similar Recreation 16 12 4 Similar Cultural Activities 9 12 9 Because of Raleigh’s small size, it doesn’t offer the cultural richnesss of the other cities.

Climate 6 8 2 Big drawback for Philadelphia Size of City 2 4 3 The Preference is for a larger, more diverse city.

Totals 172 142 140 It is apparent that Al should consider leaving Philadelphia. His present position is lucrative and fulfilling, and by moving, he will be able to keep it.

Moving to San Francisco will present two formidable problems, housing costs and the distance from 24

his family. Raleigh’s advantage is based not only on the job opportunity, it offers far more affordable housing and it is within a driveable distance from Philadelphia.

Success in Action

Afterword

T

he decision making and career planning skills you have developed will give you a unique advantage in today’s highly competitive job market. You’ve learned how to evaluate the opportunities that come to you, and how to find the ones that don’t.

You know the elements that are essential to an effective resume. Most importantly, you’ve learned and practiced strategies to maximize your interviewing impact.

It’s now time to put Success In Action to work. Start building your network, making appointments, and interviewing for information. The more contacts you make, the more opportunities you will have. Above all – persevere!

When you’ve found the job you want, put the link to Success In Action in a safe place and don’t forget to open it and re-evaluate your situation every year or so. As you and your family mature, your priorities will change, and what was a great job five years ago may not be as satisfying today.

This program has been in development for more than 30 years. By giving seminars privately, I have been able to continually improve Success In Action through the attendees’ feedback. Now, I need your help. Write down your suggestions, your comments, your success stories, and send them to me at the e-mail address here. It is my sincere hope that this program is as beneficial to you as it has been to me all these years.

Here’s to your Success!

Jim Shaw The Shaw Group Address Needed Signature Needed

Success in Action

25

About the Author

J

im Shaw was born in Federalsburg, a small town on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. After graduation from high school (in a class of 36 students) he attended the University of Maryland, earning a BS in Business. Jim then served his commission as a pilot in the US Air Force, spending his last year in the flight test squadron.

Nearing the end of his military commitment, Jim was faced with his first major career decision. He realized that, through high school, college and military training, no systematic method to evaluate one’s career goals was presented. He developed this system to objectively evaluate his own personal priorities and to choose the career path that most complemented them.

Through personal evaluation, networking and information gathering interviews, Jim chose a sales position with IBM’s Data Processing Division as the career that would most fulfill his priorities at that time.

Five years later, it was time to re-evaluate, and Success in Action suggested changing jobs. Jim accepted founder’s stock and a managerial/development position with Memorex, opening offices for their business computer division in Baltimore, Washington, DC and Richmond, VA. After five years with Memorex, Success In Action showed that another job change wasn’t necessary. It was, however, time to branch out. He started his own business, a public warehouse facility in Salisbury, MD. The next evaluation suggested it was time to move on. Jim became Vice President of the Eastern Region for Municipal Leasing Corporation, a company specializing in tax-exempt financing for municipal governments. Five years later, while continuing with 26

Municipal Leasing, he started his second business, the development of an industrial park in Harford County, MD. After the most recent evaluation, Jim chose to leave Municipal and concentrate on his own businesses. He founded, and was the first Chairman of the Board for a local bank. He was part owner of the charter ship Clipper City, a topsail schooner based in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.

Apart from his business interests, Jim has served as President of the University of Maryland Alumni Association, Chairman of the Harford County Econonic Development Board and Chairman of the Harford Community College Foundation Board. He has given career development seminars publicly at the University of Maryland and privately to more than a thousand people in the last 30 years.

Success in Action

And, he practices what he preaches . . . scan one of the many articles written about him and his success.

In an excerpt from a newspaper article about Jim, “The most elemental ingredient for succeeding in business, accordingn to James W. Shaw, Jr., is to develop a plan and then try to stick with it.

“It was just such a plan that led Mr. Shaw to conclude that he and his young family should settle in Harford County after he left the U.S. Air Force in 1965.

He had served as a Vietnam fighter pilot and later as a test pilot after he graduated from the University of Maryland at College Park five years earlier.”

Consider the reesults of his early planning as evidenced by many newspaper articles: “• As a local representative for a finance company . . . he was a leading proponent of tax exempt equipment leasing by local government units . . .

• As a strong leader of the County Economic Development Board on which he served with two different stints as chairman, Mr. Shaw was the architect of the group’s one-on-one strategy in encouragingi new business prospects to consider locating in the county . . .

Success in Action

• As a believer of the sanctity of a small business and the entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. Shaw was the leading organizer of the first commercial bank startup in the county in 26 years . . .

• As a promoter of the public and private concept, Mr. Shaw conceived a proposal of a high tech research and educational center near the I-95/Rt. 22 intrechange . . . the most significant economic development in the 1990’s in the county . . .

• As a longtime supporter of his alma mater, The University of Maryland at Collrge park, Mr. Shaw set out to develop new ties between the institution and its alumni. . . He was named by the University’s president to become the first chairman of a new alumni association strictly for the graduates of the College Park campus . . . “

Jim has succeeded, in all of his public and private ventures because he developed a plan, tested it and followed it through to completion. That plan is available to you now in the Success In Action program you are reading.

Another example of successful planning and execution is his project to build, and operate the nation’s largest full sail clipper ship which sailed the Chesapeake Bay for many years before being sold to an investment group in New York City. A flyer describing tours is shown on the following page.

27

28

Success in Action

J

im Shaw went to a meeting in 1998 where Alumni were proposing to sell the House and suggested other alternatives. He bought the note for $76,000 and brought several younger brothers in who were in the construction business.

They personally guaranteed a $550,000 construction note to rebuild the House.

In 2005, after the chapter was named Number One in the nation, he went back to ATO National and suggested they buy the house from him. They agreed and put an additional $1 million into the house. . . . and the beat goes on!

Recent Accomplishments of ATO Chapter at University of Maryland • 1999 - Recolonized • 2000 - Membership at 30 men • 2002 - 2003 - Membership at 80 men • 2003 - ATO National Award of Merit Chapter • 2003 - National Awards for Recruitment, Communications, Scholarship, BOT and

Overall Excellence • 2004 - Greek Week Champions • 2004 - U of M President’s Cup Winner (2nd Year) • 2004 - Interfraternity Council Golden Chapter • 2004 - ATO National True Merit Chapter • 2004 - National Awards for Recruitment, Communications, Scholarship, BOT and

Overall Excellenc • 2004 - Roadshow Host Chapter Award • 2004 - ATO Top Chapter Runner-Up • 2005 - Homecoming Champions • 2005 - Greek Week Champions • 2005 - U of M President’s Cup Winner (3rd Year) • 2005 - North American Interfraternity Council’s Award of Distinction (awarded each year to fraternity chapters recognized as best of the best)

Success in Action

29

copy to come from Jim

30

Success in Action

Success in Action

31

Copy the Preceding Page for Your Individual Evaluations and Use this Blank Page for Notes

32

Success in Action