Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Relationships: Building Support Systems

     "Relationship is defined as the way in which two or more concepts, objects, or people are connected, or the state of being connected."
 
     Although, I live somewhat of a guarded life,  for reasons that I will discuss in a later blog, I value my relationships.  I only allow certain people in my circle, because I am a firm believer that your friends should encourage you, just as you should encourage them to do better and be better.  I will give my last to help a person that is truly in need and is striving to do better.  Honestly, my friends think of me as the resource capital in the circle, because if there is a program, a fund, a link, that will help them in a search for something, if I don't know it, give me about five minutes and I will have the answer for them. You need a support system amongst your friends!
    
     There have been a couple of instances where I really and truly thought, that a person that I had allowed in my circle was being genuine and a friend, but instead, I found out that this person was conniving, manipulative, and jealous hearted.  I could not understand why, because I would help this person in any way that I could.  After thinking about the situation over and over again, it dawned on me that the jealousy sparked from me just being me.  I established some relationships that she could not all because of my approachable personality.  To me there is no reason to shut people out in a work environment.  These are people that you have to work with day in and day out, therefore, it should be as cohesive as it can be.  In a work environment, I study the people around me and I find something that would put me on common ground with that person before I approach them, sort of like a peace offering.  This makes it easier to communicate with them and essentially, it shows that I pay attention to detail and I listen.  You need a support system at work so build positive relationships!

     Relationships with your family are very important.  I love family! I wear my family on my sleeves.  No matter if I saw you 20 minutes ago or 20 years ago, my seeing you today would be as if I just saw you.  I think people need family as a definite support system.  They may get mad at you from time to time but at the end of the day, if you really need it, usually your family will help you.  So often, we (myself included) are so private and consumed with pride that in times of need, we do not reach out to our families because we want to pretend that we have it together.  You always need a support system! For years, I have been trying to come up with a way to create a "family committee".  The thought is there, I just need to put it in perspective and in action.  You definitely need a support system in your family!

     No matter what it is that happens in your life, at your job, or even in your family; you should always have a support system that you can turn to.  Sometimes, hearing yourself discuss your problems with someone else, allows you to really dissect what it is that your are battling at the time.  You can then put it in perspective, think about it, and develop your own resolutions for it!

Again, if I help you and you help me, then you are Building a Better Me! 

Be Supportive!

Geneise




Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Personal Reinvention

     Recently, I wrote about professional reinvention.  After, really taking a look at the idea of reinventing oneself, it occurred to me that each year we reinvent ourselves or least we try to!  On January 1st we all vow to eat less and workout more.  For me that usually lasts a week and then I am back to my old ways.  We also reinvent ourselves around our birthdays, we are determined that what we did last year will not be the same thing that we will engage in this year.  The idea is anything can change as long as you are willing to change the way your mindset and look at situations and circumstances from a different prospective!

     I am a firm believer that when you know better, you should do better.  I saw this bumper sticker on a car a couple of years ago and it read: "Live the life you love." That statement stuck with me because at that time, I was living life but it wasn't the life that I loved.  That statement alone made me stop and re-evaluate my life.  The realization that I was not living the life I love was enough to force me to change my life.  I became a parent and was so focused on my children that I literally began to forget about ME! I had to reinvent Geneise!

     As a parent, it is important to ensure that yes, you are providing for your children but you also have to provide for yourself.  I'm not talking about food, clothing, shelter; I'm talking about time with friends, minus the children; cuddling up with a good book, minus the children; a nice glass of wine, minus the children, etc.  It is a must for each parent and notice I said each parent, father and mother.

     Reinvention is fun and exciting!  It gives you the look and feel of being a new person!  The slightest transformation will make a difference, think about hair and eye colors. The minute that changes, some people look totally different but does it matter if their character is in question.  You have to change your mindset in order for it to matter, because you will get such a clear view from the right perspective.

If there is something that you want to do, reinvent yourself and make it happen!

Geneise

#Remembering911

Sunday, September 8, 2013

My Introduction

I guess it is time for me to introduce myself...

    My name is Geneise M. Graham.  I am the mother of two, Adriyana (8) and Ashton (5).  They are the world to me!  I recently graduated from Troy University with a Master in Public Administration with a concentration in Public Management.  That accomplishment is special to me because my mother, Carrie also graduated from Troy University with a Master of Science in Counseling.  Go Trojans!  I am currently attending Capella University, working on my Doctor of Public Administration (DPA).

   I started writing this blog about a week ago with no real direction.  At first, I was a little skeptical about the content that I would focus on, but for some time now, I have been concerned about the state of our youth and our communities and wondered what I could do to help.  For the past 10 years, I have wrestled with a concept of "Building A Better Me." My thought is that no matter what happens, when you take the time to help someone else, you are ultimately helping yourself become a better person.  I try to learn something from everyone I meet; whether it is good or bad!

What I hope to accomplish with this blog? 

     This is a question that I am still struggling to answer.  I would like to use it as a platform for character building and enrichment, as well as, a source of information on different subjects.  I hope that each blog that I post assists someone in some manner, even if it is just a conversation around the dinner table. 

One of my favorite quotes is:

"A Journey of A Thousand Miles, Must Begin With A Single Step!"~Lao Tzu

     That quotes means a lot to me because no matter what you do, you have to take that first step and this blog is my first step to helping others because in doing so, I am "BUILDING A BETTER ME!"

Geneise
 



Friday, September 6, 2013

Reinventing and Rebranding

On my last post, I ended with a question, "How do I reinvent myself?"  I was unaware of this concept until my friend introduced me to 9 Things a Leader Must Do by Dr. Henry Cloud.  In one of the chapters it speaks about change and how necessary and important it is to change according to the goals or aspirations that have been set for your life and your employment.

In order to reinvent something, it must be changed so that it appears to be entirely new.  This coincides with the concept of rebranding as well, which is known as a marketing strategy to completely change a product so that in the minds of the consumers it is new and different.  I thought that reinventing and rebranding was specific to products or things.  After researching each, I have found that those concepts can be applied to people.

In each job that I have previously held, I have been an employee.  Now that I am a job-seeker, with a Master of Public Administration in Public Management, I am having to reinvent myself, not as an employee but as a leader.  At times its difficult because the knowledge is there, the job experience is there as well, but what is lacking is the supervisory experience and without that experience most companies are not willing to take a chance on you. 

In most jobs, there is some form of unconventional supervision, although your job title does not reflect a supervisory role and it is not a role that is performed on a regular basis, it is one that is performed.  Most of the time, we see this basic supervision with new hires.  Yes, they go through orientation and sometimes job specific training outside of the agency, but once they return to the agency, the new hires are paired with a seasoned person that ultimately trains and supervises them for a certain amount of time.  Can this be classified as supervision?  I think so!

Employees that have been assigned special projects have to create a team or collaborate with multiple people in order to plan, develop, design, implement, and administer the project, have in my opinion taking on a leadership role and are responsible for the supervision of that project. Again, I think unconventional supervision

Through this journey, I am continuously finding ways to reinvent and rebrand my skills and abilities in hopes that I will be viewed as a new and improved person with the necessary core competencies for the demanding job market. 

I hope you have been inspired to take a look at yourself and reinvent and rebrand!

Geneise

Monday, September 2, 2013

Interviewing

Having been pushed back into the job-seeking market, I have been forced to re-evaluate my skills and abilities.  Although, I thought it would be easy, it has turned out to be much easier said than done. Interview questions are so position specific that skill sets are lost in translation.  I have found it to be very difficult to explain my skill sets.

I am a person that enters an organization and not only do I learn my position and my responsibilities, I also take the initiative to learn the responsibilities and duties of the other positions that I have to interact with on a regular basis.  I like to see the big picture know exactly where I fit in and how what I do affects the operation of the organization.

Often in the interview, the question is whether or not, I have actually performed in that position? The answer is no, but I know the policy and procedures that structure that part of the position because I was willing to learn what others were doing in order to have a complete puzzle.

How do I reinvent myself?

Geneise