If you loose your job, remember this

The best memory I have of my dad from when I was growing up happened when I was about 7 years old. At the time he was looking for work in Washington state, and he, my mom, my little brother, and I were all living in a tent.

My dad knew I liked Airwolf, a 1980’s TV show about a hi-tech helicopter used to fight criminals. For my birthday he made me a replica Airwolf carved of wood from a tree near our tent.

This is also one of the only memories I have of my dad when I was a kid.

The High Point

When I was 10 my dad got a job working for a conveyor belt manufacturer as a welder and maintenance man. He worked hard and made the most of his opportunity, and rose through the company pretty rapidly. By the time I was a teenager he was traveling throughout the world, and had his picture taken on a camel in front of the Great Pyramids. He spent extended periods of time working in Chile and Germany, and had friends on almost every continent.

Those years were the high point of my Dad’s life, to him. I don’t blame him—feeling important is a powerful drug. During these years the name "Dave McKissen" meant something to people who were not in our family. However, these were not good years for our relationship, and I barely saw him.

But they were the best years for our family, financially.

Then he lost his job during my senior year of high school, right before I turned 18.

The Low Point

My dad hasn’t had regular, consistent employment for the past 15 years. It’s not because of any larger economic issues, and it’s not because of a lack of talent. My dad’s hands and brain are connected in a way that mine aren’t. Though he lacks a degree, he is the most talented engineer I’ve ever seen. A treehouse that is born in his mind ends up in my yard in the time it would take me to find a hammer.

I see the same talent in my son, and I am literally in awe of the two of them.

My dad is also good at more than just building things—he is a good guy, with a good heart, and people love him. I love him. He is a great Grandpa.

But when he lost his job, he lost part of himself.

When you feel like you’ve lost a part of yourself the search to find that missing piece can take you to some very dark places. It did for my dad, and much of the last 15 years have been hard on him, and the people that care about him.

Remember That You're Still Here

After a recent article I received a few emails from people who had lost their job, and a couple of emails from people who are facing an impending job loss.

I don’t have good advice on what to do about a stint of unemployment on a resume.

What I can say is that if you lose your job, don’t lose yourself.

You’re still here, even if your job isn't.

The best parts of you, the parts that will be remembered, usually have nothing to do with your job. You should give your job your best, but don’t make the best part of you your job.

You also may have to realize that you may never reach your prior peak. It’s hard to imagine the circumstances that placed my dad on a camel in front of the Great Pyramids occurring again.

But just because that time has come and gone doesn't mean ­you have come and gone.

As for my dad, things are finally getting better. We work at filling in the missing memories by going to a bar near my house and having a beer, or by playing horseshoes in our neighbor's yard. Last year we took a road trip together to Philadelphia, Mississippi in my Smart Car.

He has a standing gig to serve as the local Catholic school’s jack-of-all-trades and handyman when they have the funds in their budget. It’s a job that’s just a few blocks from our house, and last year he painted the auditorium.

The walls in that auditorium won’t last as long as the Great Pyramids, but they will be there for a few years, and his grandkids know that "Dave McKissen" painted them.

Dustin McKissen is the Vice President of First Resource, an association management, economic development, and consulting firm with roots in the manufacturing sector. He is also a proud member of LinkedIn's Publishers and Bloggers Group. You can find him on Twitter @DMcKissen.

COURTESY - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140828112822-197220852-if-you-lose-your-job-remember-this

10 questions that YOU MUST ASK before accepting a job offer

A job interview should be viewed as a two sided street. As a candidate, you should be interviewing the company just as much as they are interviewing you. I've had friends, family and colleagues all end up in the wrong job because they didn't ask the right questions before they started. Be the candidate posing original questions of the hiring manager instead of merely answering all the questions you're asked. It may seem a bit intimidating, but this out-of-the-box strategy not only benefits the candidate, who can show that he or she has done their research and knows what they're doing. It could very well impress a potential employer who will see initiative and promise. Avoid surprises and check out these interview tips so you'll not only get a job offer, you'll also know whether or not to accept.

Interview Tip #1:

Ask: Where do you see the company going in the next one/five/ten years?

First consider: Rather than simply answering the age-old question of where you see yourself in x amount of time, try asking the hiring manager the same question. Where does he/she believe the company will be years down the line? Will the firm have expanded, in terms of capital or geography? Will it have branched out into other industries? What about financial growth?

Interview Tip #2:

Ask: What impact would I have on the team/in the company if hired?

First consider: Foremost, this question shows that you are confident; you are essentially asking the hiring manager how/if he thinks you and your skills will come into play once you land the job. The answer to this question should also give you a more personalized response than a general job description and help you to better gauge the ramifications of the position.

Interview Tip #3:

Ask: What qualities does the ideal candidate for this role possess?

First consider: Another question that could get you a more personalized response and a better feel for the job requirements, this inquiry shows that you are not just looking for any job, but a job where you actually have the skills/qualities needed to perform well. You could even reply to whatever answer you are given in an email following the interview, mentioning which desired qualities you possess, which you are working towards (such as mastering new software, learning a new language, etc.), and which you are willing to improve or master.

Interview Tip #4:

Ask: How long have you been with the company? For what reasons have you stayed?

First consider: This question might surprise your interviewer because you are asking something that she must answer personally, something that cannot be answered with a “we” or “the company”. The question shows confidence, and, if answered truthfully, can give you a better idea of how the company treats its employees, as well as the values of the company.

Interview Tip #5:

Ask: What kinds of opportunities may open up down the road for someone who lands this type of position?

First consider: Showing initiative and motivation is critical to a successful interview, especially if you’re just starting out. This question would be ideal to ask if you are a candidate new to the working world and concerned/curious about how a job could benefit you in the future, whether at the same company or elsewhere.

Interview Tip #6:

Ask: How would performance be measured for this job?

First consider: Alternatively, What goals would someone in this position be expected to meet? or What checkpoints should I be expected to pass within the first 90 days or so of employment? This can further help you determine whether the role is really suited to you based on whether you can keep up with the demands of the work environment.

Interview Tip #7:

Ask: Is this position a new position or a replacement job?

First consider: If the answer to this question is affirmative to the latter, ask why the previous employee is no longer working the role. Knowing whether someone you are stepping in for was fired or quit, and for what reason(s), is useful information.

Interview Tip #8:

Ask: May I speak with a member(s) of the team I will be working on?

First consider: This question goes along with interview tip seven. If you find yourself to be under consideration for a replacement job, there is really no way of knowing whether you are truly getting the facts from the person interviewing you because he/she has the company’s best interest in mind. Potential co-workers would probably be more likely to give you the truth about the working environment (i.e. how workers are treated, work relationships, and reasonableness of tasks and deadlines).

Interview Tip #9:

Ask: What do you see as the biggest obstacle to company growth?

First consider: If a hiring manager seems to have trouble giving an answer, or responds by replying that there are no obstacles, take it as a bad omen. No company is perfect, and you do not want to end up working somewhere where things are not the same as the way they are portrayed.

Interview Tip #10:

Ask: What is your company’s image in the industry?

First consider: How other brands in the industry view a company is a major reflection on the company’s reputation. Do your research beforehand and see if your interviewer’s answers match up with what you find.

Along with this list, remember to research the company before going in to ask company specific questions. You can see how excited (or not) someone is about the company and their products by asking the right questions. You'll set yourself apart by knowing about the company as well.

When To Say “No Thanks” To An Interview

“I have the perfect position for you” the recruiter said. I was a little taken aback as I had not spoken to this person before. “My Client would like to meet with you tomorrow” he continued. My contract was nearing its end and I needed to find a job soon. So, with very little information, I prepared as best I could for the next day.

I arrived for my interview in good time and was shown into a boardroom by a seemingly nervous, tall man who told me that the Director would be with us shortly.

The Director was clearly not in a hurry and left us sitting for some time. Eventually he burst into the room, looked at me and said “Why are you here?” I was a bit lost for words (unusual for me)! No introduction, no apology for keeping me waiting? As this short, chubby man seated himself next to the nervous tall man, the thought occurred to me – I am being interviewed by Laurel & Hardy! That picture got me through what by all accounts was an epic interview fail. “I am not looking for someone who has worked for Mickey Mouse Companies” Mr Chubby Director said. I fought to suppress an obvious puzzled look as I had worked for 3 listed companies. “You don’t have enough sales experience” was his next retort. My next question to him …. “Why am I here?”

It was as clear that I would never have fitted in with this Company’s culture, as it was that I was not what they were looking for. A total waste of time for all concerned and it could have been avoided. Hopefully you can take away a few tips from my experience and be cautious if you encounter any of the following:

• Your CV was submitted to the Company without your prior consent.

Let’s for a moment imagine that I have your CV on my database and a Client contacts me with a job order. As recruiters do, I drop whatever I am doing and enthusiastically attack my database to see if I can find a match. Your CV pops up first, and as I read through your skills set and experience, my Serotonin levels sky rocket and I cease to think! I beat the world land speed record getting back to my Client and without considering a dip into the pool of “how things should be done”, rush your CV off and impatiently await feedback. The Client calls back and says something along the lines of ….. “This candidate works for my brothers Company, I wonder if he knows that (….fill in candidates name…) is looking for a new job?” The damage done would send me for a week long soak in the pool of “how things should be done”! But what would the effect be on you? If a recruiter cannot see the dangers of this type of practice, I would think twice before putting my career progression or even more so, my salary negotiations in their hands.

• You did not have an in-depth interview with the recruiter beforehand.

“This job is perfect for you!” How would I know that if I didn’t take the time to find out exactly what you want, what you can bring to the table, where your strengths lie and what outstanding achievements you have wowed past and/or present employers with? If I have not bothered to get to know you as a person, how will I know if you will fit in with the Company culture? Yes I know that it’s exciting and a good stroke to the ego to get a call from a recruiter telling you that you are the perfect candidate for a top position. But, if they do not have an intimate relationship with the pool of “how things should be done”, chances are they are wasting your time!

• The recruiter failed to give you a detailed description of the job requirements.

This is a bit like buying a lotto ticket. You have no idea what the winning combination is going to be but hey, you’ve “gotta be in it to win it”. But, this is your career and spinning a wheel and hoping for the best is not an option. The recruiter has opened the door but now you have tosell yourself. If a recruiter cannot supply you with details of qualifications / skills needed, what the job entails, what challenges you would be facing if you were awarded the position and background info on the Company and persons interviewing you - point them in the direction of the pool of “how things should be done” and move on.

What is your biggest weakness?

This classic tricky interview question appears to be asking you to reveal your shortcomings, but if you use the right tactics it can be a golden opportunity to show that you're right for the job.

When you're being interviewed you want to show yourself in the best possible light, so what do you do if you are asked to talk about something you find difficult? There are certain interview questions that recruiters love and candidates sometimes stumble over, and this is one of them. Think about it in advance and you’ll be in a much better position to come up with a response that tackles the question but still helps you to come across in a positive light.

How not to reply to the interview question ‘What is your biggest weakness?’

‘Uh, I don’t know. Um, I guess I have a big weakness for chocolate. No, wait! I get stressed under pressure when up against a tight deadline and tend to procrastinate.’

Why is this answer unlikely to get you the job you want?

Most jobs nowadays involve some pressure, so avoid giving the impression that you’re not going to be able to cope. Also, you need to stick to work-related skills – this shows that you take the interview seriously and have a professional outlook.

What is the recruiter really asking?

The problem with this question is that you’re being asked about your shortcomings, when your instinct, in an interview situation, is to keep your flaws as well hidden as possible. What you need to do is to frame your answer so as to give it a positive spin.

This question is designed to test analytical abilities and self-awareness, so having a confident answer to this will impress. Avoid taking a self-deprecating approach in an attempt to win the interviewer over.

So how should you tackle the question ‘What is your biggest weakness?’

You could show that, although you may have had a problem in the past, you’ve taken steps to combat it. For example: ‘I used to find that pressure got to me but I’ve found ways to minimise this. I went on a time management course at university, which has helped me to organise myself and reduce my stress.’

The best response, however, is to describe a weakness that could also be viewed as a strength, such as, ‘Because I tend to get very passionate about the work I do, I get frustrated if others don’t share my enthusiasm.’

Most strengths – attention to detail, teamworking and so on – have the potential to shade over into weakness. If you’re a natural teamworker, do you find it difficult to cope with conflict, or to assume leadership responsibilities? If you’re great at the details, do you sometimes lose sight of the bigger picture? Another way to approach this question is to think about how you overcome the potential downside of your biggest strength.

Use your research into the employer and the job

This is a good opportunity for you to draw on your research into the organisation and the role you are applying for. If there are certain kinds of task you feel you do not excel at and these are not going to be key requirements, you could make these the focus of your answer. However, it's still worth trying to show how you manage when you are called upon to draw on skills that are not your natural strength.

For example, if you are applying for a sales role where you are going to have tough regular targets to meet and will be working in a competitive environment, you could explain how you find deadlines and targets motivating and enjoy the buzz of striving to achieve, but sometimes find it difficult to sustain your enthusiasm and commitment in a slower-paced set-up where you don't have clearly defined responsibilities and feel you aren't sufficiently challenged. Then you could explain how you coped in such a situation, even though it went against the grain of your natural inclinations. For example, perhaps you used your initiative and sought out additional responsibilities.

Alternatively, if you are applying for a job where teamworking is going to be essential and you will need to support your colleagues and draw on their expertise, you could discuss a time when you have found it hard to keep going because you were working in isolation, and explain how you overcame this.

How to learn from FAILURES...

1- Failure is Inevitable & Guaranteed

First things first, you need to know that failure not only happens, but it is inevitable & guaranteed… and that is a good thing. No person on this planet does not go a single day without failing at something. Once you understand that failing is inevitable and guaranteed, your perception of failure should change. At least mine did. I don’t take failure as a negative word. I take it as a positive word. To look deeper into this, I did a post in Forbes with Shark Tank’s Daymond John.

2- Failure is A Necessity

In order to succeed at anything in life, you need to know that failure is not only inevitable and guaranteed but it is also necessary. Failure is the only way we learn and grow. It is one of the very few seemingly negative things that we must consistently do, accept and actually look forward to. It is simply the way we learn. It is important to look at the lessons and what we learn from failure in order to understand the opportunities that are created when things don’t go exactly according to plan.

3- Failure Negates Complacency

If we are perfect and we are always batting 1000 at the plate, we will get complacent and bored with our own success. I love the fact that there is nothing on this planet that we have learned that we can’t learn more about, and nothing we can become great at that we can’t learn to be even better. If Lebron James couldn’t get any better I guarantee you he would quit.  Trying to be perfect is one of the biggest liabilities an entrepreneur can have.

4- Failure Means You Are Swinging The Bat

In order to succeed at anything in life you have to show up and try your best. As Daymond spoke about in his interview on Forbes, “if you’re not making mistakes, you are not making moves.” As you haven’t guessed there is no way to make a mistake if you don’t take action.

5- Failure Increases The Odds Of Success

The more you fail, the greater your chances are that you will eventually succeed. David Williams, columnist for Forbes, and CEO of Fishbowl Inventory goes very deep into this discussion in his book,The 7 Non- Negotiables Of Winning. It is an incredible book and a must-read for employers and leaders on how to treat your team correctly and create a winning environment.  David discusses the concept of ‘Failing Up’ which is something very similar to the way I think about ways to turn lemons into Lemon-Aide.

6- Failure Gives You Thick Skin

The more you fail, the thicker skin you will have to face your fears and better your chances to succeed. It is called building your rejection muscle. In business, it is a necessity to learn how to grow thick skin and build this rejection muscle as quickly as humanly possible.

I believe there is a huge misconception about failure and people assign the wrong definition to the word. To me the true definition of failure to me is giving up. In my entrepreneurial journey I have lost many battles, battles many would think of as failures. To me, however, what is important is winning the war. Being an entrepreneur is all about winning the war and accepting these battles (which others call failures) as part of the process of growing a business and winning the war.

Have a great day!

MJ

Courtesy - http://www.n2itivsolutions.com/2013/12/27/the-6-most-important-things-you-absolutely-must-know-about-failure/

What is Revenue Management ...

On a flight to Goa, two passengers were discussing about the price they paid for the flight and hotel. They were amazed at the price difference as one of them was charged 6800 INR for a round trip airfare and 30000 INR for a hotel and the other 4600 INR for the airfare and just 18000 INR for the same hotel. The first passenger had booked his flight and hotel only one day in advance while the other a month in advance. How can the same airline or hotel manage profit by charging so discriminately? The answer to this amusing question is “Revenue Management” .

Revenue Management, also known as yield management, is a process for capacity-constrained industries to maximize profitability by allocating the right inventory to the right customers at the right price. RM concepts are pertinent to virtually everything that is sellable in advance, transient, capacity constrained, allows discrimination among market segments, has inconsistent demand patterns and low marginal servicing cost. 

Know Your Customers

RM works on the fundamental concepts of market segmentation and price discrimination. Purchase regulations and refund requirements help to segment the market. For example, higher fares may be fully or partially refundable and purchasable at all times whereas lower fares are non-refundable and must be purchased a number of days in advance. Price-sensitive customers are willing to put up with the lower flexibility & have lesser assessment for service while those who have higher assessment for the service are willing to pay more. In airlines and hotels, business travellers constitute price-insensitive market segment and leisure travellers form the price-sensitive market segment.

Price discrimination helps industries to achieve objective of increasing revenues in two ways. By charging premium prices to the less price sensitive market segments, the industry can extract greater revenue; at the same time charging discounted prices to a price sensitive market segment results in increased consumption of the service that offsets the price reduction.

Occasionally, a time element is added to the pricing of a service. Demand is managed by elevating prices during intensive demand and offering discounts during moderate demand. Types of discount vary among industries. In airlines and hotels, discounts are offered for early bookings, including typically group bookings, as well as travel during off-peak days and hours. In telecommunication industries, rates are reduced for long distance calls on nights and weekends.

Demand Forecasting

After segmenting the market and defining the price structure for each segment, other essentials of RM come in to play. Demand forecasting is first of these essentials. Demand is forecasted with the help of historical data of demand patterns for the particular service. Usually, demand exhibits definite patterns such as trends and cycles. For example demand may vary by time of day, day of week or season of year. These demand patterns can be used to predict the potential future demand in each market segment.

In airline, car rental and hotel industry, little information is available for millions of customers. Hence they use statistical techniques for demand forecasting. Media broadcasters on the other hand have detailed knowledge of their customers since they usually number in the hundreds. Therefore, they estimate the demand for commercial spots during various shows by monitoring historical buying patterns of customers.

Inventory Allocation

The next step is to allocate inventory amongst the market segments. As stated earlier, industries such as airlines, hotels, car rental companies and broadcasters sell their inventory at premium and concession prices. Typically price-sensitive customers book early while the demand for premium inventory arrives late. Therefore industries, which practice RM, need to set a booking limit to restrict maximum amount of inventory to be sold at concession price. If this limit is set too high, the industry may suffer an opportunity loss by being forced to turn away some of their premium customers; if it is too low, some inventory may remain unsold.

One way of defining the booking limit is based on the expected marginal revenue generated from selling an additional unit of inventory. Industries define floor price, which is the lowest adequate price for next additional unit to be sold. This floor price is derived by using value of the expected marginal revenue of the last unit of inventory. The sale is acceptable as long as requested price is above expected marginal revenue floor price.

Overbooking

Another important element of the revenue management is the use of overbooking when there is a chance that a customer may not appear. Capacity-constrained industries overbook to redeem for customer cancellations and no-shows. For this reason, it is obligatory to forecast cancellations and no-shows . Insufficient overbooking results in unsold inventory; on the other hand excessive overbooking results in penalty cost which includes both the financial remuneration given to bumped customers and the prospective loss of future revenue due to customer dissatisfaction. The optimal level of overbooking is where the anticipated cost of overbooking for the next unit to be sold is equal to the expected marginal revenue from that unit.

Conclusion

Revenue management is a process that can significantly increase revenues of capacity-constrained firms through better inventory management and pricing. By using RM concepts, these firms can protect premium inventory for sale at higher prices, stimulate market growth by offering discounts and minimize wastage of perishable inventory.

COURTESY:-  http://www.hozpitalityplus.com/profiles/blog/show?Id=3268079%3ABlogPost%3A271948

Reasons why we fail...

"Luke: I can’t believe it.

Yoda: That is why you fail."

My research into the traits of influencers and achievers continues, and as I turn more pieces of this puzzle around to fit the whole, more ideas appear to me as a fit for this space.  In this edition, reflections on falling short — more precisely, why we fail despite ourselves.

1. Like Yoda said, you just don’t believe it. 

The crucial part of Yoda’s dialogue with Luke is “believe.”  The human brain is a powerful problem-solving and prediction making machine, and it operates via a multitude of feedback loops. What matters most in the feedback loop dynamic is input — what goes into the loop that begins the analysis-evaluation-action process, which ultimately results in an outcome. Here’s the kicker: if your input shuttle for achieving a goal lacks the critical, emotionally relevant component of belief, then the feedback loop is drained of octane from the start.  Another way to say that is — why would you expect a convincingly successful outcome when you haven’t convinced yourself that it’s possible?

2.  Other people have convinced you of your “station.”

I’ve always thought the “know your station in life” idea to be among the most pernicious we humans have ever come up with.  The only version of it I like is Tennessee Williams’:   “A high station in life is earned by the gallantry with which appalling experiences are survived with grace.”  Love that Tennessee Williams.  What’s more pernicious than the idea itself is that it’s often heaved upon us by other people, and they convince us that we are what we are and we’d better just live with it because, well, that’s what we’ll always be.  Really? Says who? Show me the chapter on predetermined stations in the cosmic rule book, please. This also gets back to the feedback loop dynamic, because if this external “station” scripting is part of your input, you can expect sub-par outcomes all the time.

3. You don’t want to be a disrupter.

The word “disrupter” has taken on such a heavy, mixed bag of meanings in the last few years.  Reading both popular psychology and business books, I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing to be.   One thing seems certain — the notion of disrupting anything–of being the water that breaks the rock–is scary to most of us.  Reason being, disruption is perceived as a threat to our threat-sensitive brains. Disruption means that consistency, stability and certainty might get jettisoned for a time, and that puts our hard-wired internal defence system on high alert. Sometimes, though, you have to override the alarms and move ahead anyway.  If you never do, you’ll never know what could happen.

4. You think, “what if I die tomorrow?”

We all think this from time to time.  And you know what, sure, any of us might die tomorrow — all the more reason not to waste time thinking about it and hamstringing yourself from going after what you want to achieve.  Would you rather die as a monument to mediocrity or as someone who never quit striving?  Which leads to the next one…

5.  You wonder how you will be remembered.

The rub here is simply that, if you “die tomorrow,” will people remember you as someone who clung to stability like an existential life preserver — and is that what you really want?  I know for a fact that many people do want exactly that, because it’s a comfortable niche to occupy on the obituary page.  ”She/he was a good person, good friend, good….”  Good is fine, but it ain’t great. You can’t strive for great achievements by dropping anchor in Goodville.  My take on this is: it’s OK to wonder how you’ll be remembered, but don’t let thoughts of “good and nice and stable” effect that all important feedback loop, because if you do your brain will be happy to oblige with lots of good and little else.

6. You think there must be a pre-established role for your life, and you might be screwing with  it.

This one also touches on the “station” idea discussed above, but it goes deeper than that. We humans are prone to believing in something psychologists call“agency.”  We want to believe there’s a reason for everything, and that everything has a prime mover — an agent, whether human or otherwise. So, we think, what if there’s a reason we are what we are — what if celestial agency has determined it so?  Should we be messing with that?  The error in thinking here is clear — agency is a figment our brains rely on to manage difficulty with as little trauma as possible. The first thing to do is recognize that, and then recognize that the role for your life has only one true agent — You.

7. Your career appears to be well-established and that’s good…right?

Well, maybe that’s good, sure.  The question becomes, is “established” what you really want?  Maybe it is, and that’s cool. But if “established” means you can’t reach beyond certain imposed parameters to achieve anything else that you truly want, then maybe it isn’t so useful after all.  Like most things, this is a personal choice and it doesn’t have a right or wrong answer.  But it’s worth acknowledging that you may very well be “establishing” yourself out of greater achievements.

8.  You are afraid of losing what you have built.

A totally legitimate fear, and one we should kick out of our perspectives as quickly as possible.  Here’s one example why:  Remember this little thing we’ve been suffering through for sometime now called a recession?  Remember how many people lost all or nearly all they’d “built” during these last few years of economic erosion? The reality is, you can lose everything in a heartbeat through no fault of your own, so why allow that fear to stop you from reaching out for what you really want?  This goes in the same basket as “I could die tomorrow.”  Yes, true, we can lose, we can die. So what? Push forward.

9. You think, “maybe I’ve hit my ceiling.” 

The proverbial “ceiling” — so long have ye been with us, and yet so little have ye given us.  I side with the late great Peter Drucker who said (paraphrasing from this classic article on Managing Oneself) if you reach a point in your career where you think you won’t progress any further, then start focusing on the next part of your life.  Actually, he added, you should start thinking about the next part of your life well before you begin it.  The point is, forget about ceilings and focus on achievement. When you start using the cultural shibboleth of the ceiling as an excuse, you are achieving nothing and will continue to do just that.

 10. Confusion about where to go.

Of all of these 10 ideas, this one is to me the most difficult because it plagues me almost constantly. Gearing up the cerebral feedback loop for achievement is one thing, but without a sense of focus and direction, all of that energy isn't going to yield very much in the end.  My experience has been that sometimes you have to let the energy flow for a while without too firm a sense of direction and see if focus emerges organically. Once it does, you can then nurture it into a more structured method for getting where you want to go.

COURTESY:-  http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2012/08/07/the-10-reasons-why-we-fail/