This Is How You Help Someone Grieving at Work While Still Maintaining Professional Boundaries

This Is How You Help Someone Grieving at Work While Still Maintaining Professional BoundariesThis Is How You Help Someone Grieving at Work While Still Maintaining Professional BoundariesYour co-worker or direct report has lost a loved one. This part could have been a parent, spouse, child, sibling, or other relative or close friend.Your team member has a tough road ahead regaining her equilibrium and productivity. A tough road lies ahead for you, too, but of a different sort. Most likely, youll be asking yourself how to thoughtfully yet practically deal with such a delicate situation. (If youre the one coping with loss, this post on game-planning loss at work is for you.)I was at work when I learned my dad had died. Im not alone. Studies show we spend about 10 years of our life at work, which means so many life milestones are reached in the company of colleagues. Those include the grieving process. In the years since my dad passed away, Ive been a co-worker and manager to several tea m members affected by profound loss.Many sensitive managers helped me through my own experience grieving in the workdistributionspolitik. But Ive also worked in settings where even with 60 employees the lack of a set bereavement policy created an environment with no roadmap on how to best proceed in this situation.My biggest learning curve occurred when I was managing a mid-sized team and one of our core members lost a parent. I jumped in to do everything I could to help the team cope and lessen the stress of the rolle who was out of the office. Despite searching extensively for resources on handling such a delicate situation, I found nothing that spoke to the experience of those left in the office. The following is meant to help others navigate these tough transitions.Situation 1 Youre the BossAfter it HappensBe understanding. Many companies have an HR policy around loss, but if at all possible, be flexible. Each person responds in his or her own way to grief. Treat these situation s individually instead of lumping them together.While Theyre OutGo through their workload. Distribute what you can and decide what can wait until they return. Cancel or reschedule any necessary meetings during their absence. Review their to-do list with another team member.Jessica Randazza, a marketing director, says her job as manager is not to make loss go away or manage the grief, but rather to create an environment in which work can progression as your employees moves through their grief. This will set the tone for how a team will respond to helping a fellow co-worker in need- if there is support at the highest level, chances are your team will follow suit.On the personal side, try to go beyond the fruit basket. Its fine to send flowers or food on behalf of the whole team, if appropriate. But consider also making a meaningful donation in their loved ones memory or having everyone sign a card with short, personal notes.When They ReturnDeciding when to resume working following a d eath is a personal choice. Aimee Barr, a New York City-based psychotherapist says, Research has shown that structure and keeping busy can often help, but it is crucial to remember grief is a very personal process and can last anywhere from weeks, months, or years. Be mindful of that as a manager when your team member comes back to work Just because theyre back doesnt mean theyre not still processing. If appropriate, check with HR for permission to send an email to your team the day before the employee returns reminding them that this person was away due to a loss.Situation 2 Youre Human ResourcesAfter it HappensHopefully guidelines are already in place. Depending on the size of your company, sometimes it takes something like this happening to realize you actually need a policy. Regardless, every situation is different. Your role is to work with the manager and co-workers to the capacity that is needed. For example, help everyone decide on the best person to email the company and cli ents, and on the text of the message. Focus this note on those who need to know while respecting the boundaries of your coworker by not sharing too many details. Keep it short Anne experienced a loss in her immediate family and will be out of the office for the rest of this week. Ill update everyone with more details in a few days.While Theyre OutWork with the manager and a co-worker to designate a person to check in with the bereaved employee on how theyre doing and inquire about when they might return to work. Other co-workers might reach out as well, but its good practice to assign one person to handle the difficult conversations.When They ReturnSet up a few check-ins with both the team member and manager to review the transition back to work. Barr suggests, As a guideline, it is important to remember grief often causes you to be easily distracted and emotional, and it may be very hard to stay focused at work. Be mindful that everyone returns to his or her pre-loss productivity d ifferently.Situation 3 Youre the Co-workerAfter it HappensWhat do you say? How do you respond to what they say in return? If your co-worker learns about a loss while at work, they likely did so from an emergency phone call, email, or text, and their world has turned upside down. If you are a close co-worker or happen to see this transpire, help them to pack their bag and leave work immediately. You can be extremely helpful by simply saying something like, Dont worry about telling your boss, Ill take care of it for you, or, if theyre too shaken up to drive, by offering them a ride or arranging for a cab.While Theyre OutStrategize with your manager on handling the workload over the coming days. If you dont sit on the same immediate team, be supportive in your own ways. This can include working with your manager on sending a card or flowers or even merely just sending an email to your co-worker letting them know they are in your thoughts.When They ReturnThose of us who have experienced loss know about the many emotional landmines at work, including birthdays and holidays. Be sensitive to days when your co-worker is having a tough time (unbeknownst to you, it may be a big trigger day for them), and let them set the tone.Three weeks after the death of a parent, Lauren Marfoe returned to her job as a public relations digital strategist. She wanted work to be the one place where she didnt have to feel obligated to talk about her experience and hoped her colleagues would not force her to do so. In the months that passed, she slowly became comfortable opening up to co-workers, but was grateful to not have felt pressured to dive in it right away.Following her husbands sudden death earlier this year, Sheryl Sandberg wrote, Real empathy is sometimes not insisting that it will be okay but acknowledging that it is not. When your coworker returns to work, allow them to express whats going on and let them set the tone for how to talk about it. Do not offer praise for their st rength (its most likely a show to get through the day) or unsolicited advice.Grief is an individualized experience. Try to show your colleague empathy at all times. By doing so, youll be helping to create as comfortable an atmosphere as possible during an extremely painful time.More From Modern LossShould I Stay or Should I Go?Leaning In, My WayCleaning a Home after Loss with Avoidance and HumorThis article was originally published on Modern Loss. It has been republished here with permission.Photo of sad woman courtesy of Shutterstock.

Whats your biggest weakness How to answer the interview question

Whats your biggest weakness How to answer the interview questionWhats your biggest weakness How to answer the interview questionFor job seekers, interview questions require you to think quickly on your feet and respond to any curveball the interviewer throws your way - even when ansicht questions veer away from the scripts you prepared. Do you knowwhat tree you would beor what animal best represents you? Although whats your biggest weakness? is a popular interview question that has endured, many candidates are still unprepared to discuss their failures. (As we learned from these cautionary tales of how not to answer this question.)Heres what you need to know about how to get this question right.The best way to talk about your weakness is to make your answer trueThe secret to answering this question is in recognizing that the weakness itself isnt what your hiring manager is most interested in hearing - its the story that comes with your answer. Hiring managers want to hear a story a bout professional adversity, not personal failure. No need to blab about any moral mistakes youve made in your personal life while your hiring manager listens in mute horror.There is a formulaTheres no one-size-fits-all answer for you to copy, but there is a basic formula for you to adapt to your needs Acknowledge a real weakness, and then talk about what actions youre taking to overcome it.The best answers should be tailored to the company youre interviewing for and should include a weakness you actually possess.In other words, your answer needs to be authentic and honest, so that the recruiter can see you as a job candidate and as a real person.I believe the most effective answer is one that is true recruiting expertHarry Urschel advises in a Quora post. He cites being a bad public speaker as an example. You can tell your interviewer that giving presentations in front of crowds makes you freeze up and how youre taking courses to overcome this fear. By acknowledging the weakness, y ou show the interviewer that youre self-aware.Why you cant dodge, according to scienceThats the danger in dodging this question When you dont mention any real weakness, you come off as insincere - or incapable of self awareness.When 122 college students were asked, whats your biggest weakness? in a Harvard Business School experiment, the ones who answered being a perfectionist, working too hard, being too nice, or being too honest as weaknesses were seen as strategically insincere humblebraggers.On the other hand, the students who were honest about a weakness and said answers like Im not always the best at staying organized were seen as more desirable hires by the research assistants who rated the interviews.Francesca Gino, the researcher behind the experiment, suggested that this is because, authentic people who are willing to show vulnerability are likely to be the type of candidates interviewers most want to hire.Dont be too honestOf course, your answer should own up to a shortc oming, but it should also be calculated. Its best if your weakness is not central to the very success of the business,Urschel also notes. Avoid mentioning relevant skills to the job you want as a weakness. You want to show vulnerability you dont want to reveal that youre ill-equipped for the job.Same question, different wordsYou also need to be prepared to hear the biggest weakness question in a different form.Kelli Dragovich, the senior vice president of people atHired, told Refinery29 that she asks candidates the same core question with more specifics If I talked to 10 people from the past that youve either worked for, partnered with, or managed, what would they say about you as a whole? What would they say youre great at that you bring to the table? And what would they say you need more help with, or is an area you might need to grow and develop in?When youre being asked whats your biggest weakness, what youre really being asked is what are your biggest gaps in professional devel opment, and how are you addressing these gaps.As long as this question keeps being asked, youll need to prepare an answer for it.

Jobscan Case Study Baylor University Hankamer School of Business

Jobscan Case Study Baylor University Hankamer School of Business Jobscan Case Study Baylor University Hankamer School of Business Using Jobscan to bridge the gap between the career and curriculum81% employed or grad school 90 days after graduation at the undergraduate level95% employed 90 days after graduation at the graduate level100% usage by their students in career focused classes30% or mora recruiter calls after using JobscanJobscan is one of the highest rated career resurces used by our students. Students easily grasp the capabilities and are quick to utilize it in every job and internship application they submit. Students see quick improvement in their application success and the process improves the students understanding of properly and professionally fitting their resumes to each opportunity. Assistant Dean, Baylor University Career Center, Ken BuckleyAbout BaylorThe Baylor University Career Center takes a no-nonsense approach to career development. Each coming to Baylor f rom the private sector, Kenneth Buckley, Assistant Dean Michael Estepp, Director and Jeffrey Stubbs, Director, seek out innovative solutions to complex career challenges that face college students today. Jobscan welches immediately recognized as a game-changer for enhancing students career development and overall placement success.In 2016, Baylor University became Jobscans first university customer. Through Jobscans resume optimization tool, students learn about practical job search strategies like how to navigate applicant tracking systems and tailor their resume to each job.Taking Career Development Into the ClassroomIn order to get the most out of Jobscan (and the other tools at their disposal), the career team at Baylor developed two degree-required courses at the graduate and undergraduate level that introduced business students to the concepts of overall career development.Sophomore and Junior business students enroll each semester in BUS 2101 Career Assessment and Distitely and BUS 3101 Strategy and Success courses. In these courses, students cover career discovery, resume development and personal branding, effective internship and job search, interviewing, negotiations, and understanding how to make a positive impact on the job. In the resume development process the students are given an assignment requiring them to tailor their newly developed resume to three different jobs utilizing Jobscan. The students must get a 60% or higher resume match rate from Jobscan in order to pass the assignment. To make grading simple, students upload screenshots of their before and after match reports to Canvas, Baylors LMS. Most students have an initial match rate of 20%. The resume development process is significantly enhanced by the students efforts to rethink their accomplishments and experiences to show a stronger fit to the opportunity. In the graduate level courses, MBAs utilize Jobscan a little differently. Estepp has a group of 3-4 students look at a job desc ription and decide who would be the best fit for the role. Then, the students scan the top candidates resume against the job description. Typically, they wont score more than a 30% match on their first scan. Its eye opening to the students and surprising, but it only makes them realize there is much more to be done when it comes to tailoring their resumes, said Estepp.The ResultsWere seeing easily 30% or more increase in calls from recruiters when our students use Jobscan to tailor their resumes, reported Stubbs. Baylors Hankamer School of Business has a 100% knowledge rate for their First Destination survey. In 2018, Hankamer reported 81% of their undergraduates were employed or going to grad school within 90 days of graduation. In 2018, they also saw a 95% employment rate for their MBA program within 90 days of graduation. Were very proud of our success, said Estepp. We know that career tools like Jobscan can provide significant influence on a students career success. In addition this specialized career resource provides a force multiplier for our professional career staff.More ResourcesTo learn more about Baylors career success strategies and integrating on campus, we highly recommend checking out their book College to the Career You Love, 4th edition from Kendall Hunt Publishing, a textbook featuring their best practices. Amanda Ostrove brings Jobscans resume, cover letter, and LinkedIn optimization tools to universities to help their students beat the resume black hole. You can contact her at emailprotected or learn more about Jobscans tools for universities here.

15 Tips on How to Write a Great Resume

15 Tips on How to Write a Great Resume 15 Tips on How to Write a Great Resume Employers usually make a split-second decision about whether to contact you when they first see your resume. It is essential to write a great resume to make an outstanding first impression. What makes a great resume? Check out theseresume tipscollected from 15 top career experts.1. The first 10 seconds countBrian Shoicket, university community programs lead at Uncubed, says recruiters only spend about 10 seconds looking at each resume- so it is crucial to make your resume concise, structured, and specific. Focus on resume keywords that recruiters, hiring managers, and applicant tracking systems look for by using a resume analysis tool such as Jobscan. Include as many of the keywords from the job deutsche bundesposting on your resume as you can.2. Link your resume to your internet presenceNancy Range Anderson is president of Blackbird Learning Associates and author ofthe book Job Search for Moms. She recomm ends adding links to the websites of your past employers this way, hiring managers can see what kind of work you have done, even if they are leid familiar with the companies you have worked for. Additionally, you should include a link to your LinkedIn profile in your resumes contact information section. Social media is becoming an increasingly important part of the job search.3. Choose your prospective employers carefullyMeg Guiseppi is the CEO of Executive Career Brand, personal branding expert of Job-Hunt.org, and author of numerous ebooks. She advises job seekers to research potential employers thoroughly before writing their resumes. Start by choosing 10 to 15 employers of interest. Read about their missions, activities, and challenges, and decide how your hintergrund and skills make you a good candidate to work for them. Then tailor your application materials accordingly.4. Mention your most important qualifications in your cover letterLori Derming of Derming Consulting says a strong cover letter helps you make a good first impression. Your cover letter should demonstrate your interest in the role, and make it clear why you would be a good fit. Mention at least three of the qualities specified in the job description, and explain how you have demonstrated these qualities. Be as specific as possible.5.Provide a summaryJohn Scott, a career advocate at Career Network, recommended including a resume summary if you have been working in your target field for more than five years. A career summary should be brief, and describe the skills and experiences most relevant to the job for which you are applying. It should be specific to you- if its vague enough that it could apply to anyone in your field, it doesnt provide any benefit. If you are new to a field, or even just new to the workforce, then a career summary is not necessary. And no matter how long youve been working, skip the resume objective entirely.6. Do your homeworkShahrzad Arasteh is a holistic career c ounselor, speaker, and author of Nourish Your Career. She emphasizes the importance of researching the positions for which you are applying. Specifically, she recommends trying to speak to current or former employees to learn about the company and the position. Try to find out how your target job fits into the overall operations of the organization. This will help you evaluate whether you are a good fit for the job, and provide direction for tailoring your resume. One of the most important resume tips is the fact that length doesnt make your resume better- relevance does.7. Focus on the future, not the pastLisa Rangel of Chameleon Resumes says that the purpose of your resume is to show potential employers what you can help them achieve in the future, not merely a summary of things you have done in the past. Highlight the valuable things you can accomplish in your target position. Demonstrate your value using accomplishment statements to show how you can benefit a company.8. Be strai ghtforward on your resumeSusan Heathfield is a philanthropisch resources expert at About.com. Her best resume tip is that honesty is the best policy glossing over inconvenient truths can make recruiters wary. For example, sometimes job seekers list the university they attended and hope employers will assume they graduated. Or they try to hide periods of unemployment by listing only the years of their employment dates, instead of months and years. These tactics make you look less than honest. Be clear about any gaps in employment, and dont try to inflate your experience. She also recommends being clear about how your previous roles have prepared you for your target job. Make it easy for a hiring manager to see how your experience is valuable and relevant.9. Ask family and friends for adviceRobin Richards, chairman and CEO of CareerArc, recommends seeking the advice of family, friends, and co-workers. Ask your friends, colleagues, and relatives to read your resume and offer constructi ve criticism. Career experts or not, those close to you can offer useful resume tips because theyre familiar with your accomplishments. They may even point out accomplishments that you had taken for granted.10. Make your online presence professional and consistentSara Sutton Fell, founder and CEO of FlexJobs, offers a high-tech resume tip. Because employers will search for you online, make yourself easy to find, and make your online presence as professional as possible. Sara recommends posting an updated version of your resume online. Make sure your online presence is consistent the information on your LinkedIn and other social media accounts should match, and align the resume you post online. You do not have to post every detail everywhere, but obvious discrepancies will raise a red flag. If you do not already have one, create an About.me page. You could even start a blog related to your field.11. Targeted informationMiriam Salpeter, speaker and coach at Keppie Careers and author o f Social Networking for Career Success, saysevery item on your resume should be written with your target job in mind. Think about how everything you have done in your career is relevant to the job for which you are applying. If it isnt relevant, it doesnt belong. Again, research is essential. The more you know about a prospective employer, the better you can convey how you would be an asset to them.12. BrevityJay Martin, founder and chairman of JobSerf, says your resume should be no longer than two pages. If you have seven or fewer years of experience in the workforce, then your resume should only be one page. Those with lots of professional experience can create detailed LinkedIn profiles chronicling their careers, but resumes should always be concise.13. Immerse yourself in your new professional fieldJanet Scarborough Civitelli, Ph.D., is a career coach at VocationVillage.com and author of Help Me Find a Career Strategies to Choose Work You Will Love. She says that, when changing careers, it is important to immerse yourself in your new field even before you begin applying for jobs. This may include volunteer work, taking classes, or joining a professional association. Showing that you have familiarity and experience with your new field is critical.14. Write a mini business planNick Corcodilos is host of Ask The Headhunter and author of Fearless Job Hunting. He recommends writing a mini business plan containing your ideas about what you would do if hired at your target job. Present this to the hiring manager directly. Dont send it off to the companys generic human resources email address. If you do not know the manager, initiate contact with him or her before submitting your business plan. This approach forces you to network, which is an important part of career success.15. Dont allow mistakesLisa Quast is the founder of Career Woman, Inc.and author of numerous books, including her latest, Secrets of a Hiring Manager Turned Career Coach A Foolproof Guide to G etting the Job You Want- Every Time.She emphasizes the importance of having a mistake-free resume. If your resume has errors, its reasonable for employers to conclude that your work will, too.Receive instant analysis of your great new resume with Jobscan

The Honest to Goodness Truth on What Not to Put on a Resume

The Honest to Goodness Truth on What Not to Put on a Resume New Ideas Into What Not to Put on a Resume Never Before Revealed If you found the opening on work board, check to determine whether the job is listed on the firms website. You are going to have far better likelihood of convincing an employer that youre a strong candidate if you create a personal connection with a hiring manager. Try to remember that your target is to portray yourself as serious and a specialist in your discipline. Putting an objective statement at the peak of your resume wont help you receive an industry job. A resume isnt very hard in any way. Again, keep it simple and simple to read. You already understand how to compose a resume. You will nonetheless need a traditional resume. Life, Death, and What Not to Put on a Resume Just take a peek at our choice of creative resume templates to get inspired, and choose the creative resume style you prefer. A complete resume includes these sections. Con tact information needs to be platzdeckchen on top of your resume. Last but not least, youve got to make certain you highlight the main info about yourself. Introducing What Not to Put on a Resume You dont need to bring a hobby section, but it is a good way to display your personality and set yourself apart. Just like you may sort publications on PubMed by relevance to a particular subject, you can sort your work experience by relevance to a certain position. Add key skills throughout your experience section and ensure you include experience that matches whats needed by the work offer. If you dont have lots of work experience to demonstrate your abilities and capabilities at work, it can be important to list any appropriate college coursework, even when you didnt graduate with a degree. Expert Stay away from the term expert, if you dont truly are, states Bensusen. You could take a test on the internet to find out what you could be interested in but overall it cant tell you wha t things to do or what you might like. Who Else Wants to Learn About What Not to Put on a Resume? Theres a significant impact. As opposed to go over whatever you should include, we will examine the opposite. Youre able to present your work experience in various ways. On a resume, it does not have any place. Ensure you incorporate keywords in a manner that sounds natural once you read your resume out loud. Take a look at the one that youve been using, maybe even for a couple of years now. Make certain that the words they use to spell out the job or the requirement appear on your resume. 3 The kind of your resume may refer to several things. My credo regarding resumes has ever been, you wish to make it as simple as possible for the employer to see at a moments glance which you are perfect for the job. Recruiters wish to know if youre likely to be a fantastic fit for the job. The kollektiv over at BrandedResumesdoes a remarkable job start to complete. They should demonstra te what you can do and not what you can not do, says Harrison. The Nuiances of What Not to Put on a Resume Your purpose should be to make moreso dont offer the interviewer the ability to undercut your true worth. Though some believe that they need to not be on your resume in any way, some hold the contrary opinion they should be part of your resume. Adding the incorrect things or too many things to your resume will save you from getting the business job that you want. Make a list of absolutely all youve done that may be useful on a resume. Now that you know what things to put on your resume, lets at a few matters you should leave off if you would like to have interviews. Writing a resume is often more challenging than you may expect. You may also download absolutely free templates from our Resume Library to get going on your best resume. Resumes are tricky its sometimes hard to know exactly what things to include. Your Resume is the secret to securing your fantasy job, an d its worthwhile to devote the dollars on obtaining an impactful Resume that will allow you to stick out from the remainder of the candidates.

5 Questions to Ask Yourself When You Start Losing Focus

5 Questions to Ask Yourself When You Start Losing Focus Article by Adam StettnerI welches in my early 20s when my father passed away, and the loss made me realize that life is short. In the years that followed, I chased success while trying to figure out what success actually meant to me.By the time I reached my early 30s, I had moved from New York City to San Diego, and I had a wife and kids. I worked hard to create a new division at a publicly traded student loan company this division held assets worth $15 billion. When I left, I started another student loan company that made $450 million in the first few months, and soon after that, I started a financial services company, Reliant Funding. I threw myself into work and found success.I welches blindsided when my wife asked for a divorce. Everything stopped. My life was flipped upside down. My days were unfocused.The new business wasnt where I wanted it to be. When I reflected on all of my accomplishme nts, they looked good on paper, but I knew I wasnt living up to my potential professionally or partally.How could I be the leader of a company and guide others if I wasnt guiding myself? How could I be the best father to my kids and the best partner if I wasnt caring for myself? I needed to confront my deficiencies and take control of my life.My divorce, though painful, was a catalyst to be better a better CEO, a better father, and ironically, a much happier person. The reality many CEOs dont talk about is how difficult it is to balance our personal lives while leading our companies. Its easy to avoid self-analysis and ignore those imbalances. Many dont stop to realize theyre standing in their own way. Ego, pride, and fear might all play a role.When I decided to work on being the best version of myself, I started asking specific questions to reevaluate my path. With a solid commitment to reevaluation, I gained a different focus. My business exploded, and my personal life vastly imp roved. Im now a healthier and infinitely more fulfilled person. I only needed to stop and refocus.In order to keep myself in check, I mucksmuschenstill ask myself these questions1. Is My Energy Well Spent? Take a good look at yourself. Be completely honest about how you use your time. Ask yourself every day Am I spending my time wisely? If the answer is no, redirect your efforts. If something isnt moving you closer to your objective, dosomething that will.Look at the things you work on each day. Determine which items should be highest priority and which can be moved further down the list. You might have to stop and reevaluate your efforts several times per week, which is perfectly fine. Use those evaluations to protect your schedule from unnecessary distractions.Empower your employees to make calls independently. You dont need to know the details of every single project. Empowering your team will take you much further than you realize. If this leads to issues, you have the wrong tea m. 2. Do I Have a Routine to Guide Me?Identify the right bookends to balance your day. Sometimes it pays to be predictable. You cant control everything, but applying a routine to your mornings and evenings can help you handle the chaos in between.Put yourself first. You are often a forgotten item on a mile-long list. Whatever self-care looks like for you, just do it. I try to work out every morning and finish each day by reading in bed for at least 15 minutes. This is what works for me your routine might look dramatically different.Dont be afraid to change your routine if necessary. Finding what works for you may require some trial and error I know itdid for me. 3. Am I Ready?Its all about confidence. Be ready for the unexpected. Hold onto your inner confidence, because you need to believe that whatever situation arises, you can handle it. Confidence keeps you level-headed, calm, and focused.Stay positive. Dont just say it, do it. Remind yourself, catch yourself, and call yourself o ut. Turn into the kind of person whoalways looks for the silver lining. Notice negativity in others, too it will show you what you dont want to be.Accept the peaks and valleys. Instead of saying It is what it is, adopt an attitude of It is what I make it. Your personal approach to challenges and how you arrive at solutions is a defining leadership moment. 4. Do I Embrace the Bad?One of the ways to mitigate high levels of stress and anxiety is tochange your mindset. Embrace the bad.Dont fight it because you wont win. Growth is uncomfortable. Embrace this aspect of being an entrepreneur and CEO. Use stress to propel you. Some amount of anxiety can actually keep you sharp and focused.Take a negative situation and put a positive spin on it. You might find your tolerance for stress is much higher. There will be opportunity for you to see where the holes are holes you might have previously overlooked. 5. Do I Need to Check Myself?Recalibrate the way you think about yourself. Lose your ego . You shouldnt want to be right all the time. Discovering you were wrong about something almost always pushes you to learn and examine.Fall in love with finding out you are wrong from time to time. Learn from it and advance. Ego stands in the way of personal development. The worst part? You might not even realize it. Let it go.Adopt a beginners mindset. According to Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki, In the beginners mind, there are many possibilities in the experts mind, there are few. Theres always something new to learn and youll often learn it when you least expect it. If you arent open-minded, youll miss amazing opportunities to improve your life in every way.Its been years since that difficult time, and a lot has changed in my life. If my personal life didnt undergo such a difficult phase, I wouldnt have stopped to consider where I was headed. It isnt just work ethic and intellect that determines a path to success. There has to be a true connection with yourself.A version of this ar ticle originally appeared on SUCCESS.com.Adam Stettner is the founder and CEO of Reliant Funding, which provides customized, short-term working capital to small and mid-sized businesses nationwide. With more than two decades of sales leadership and business development experience, he takes great pride in building a team of people who are empowered, educated, and love what they do.