Enabling Growth & Balance |
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Growth is our focus and engagement is our strength.
Auxin Group is a self-directed, professionally guided Career (Re)Engagement Development Program
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Learning & Development
Catherine Johns Presents to Auxin
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When you have a chance to make an impression, do you give it everything you've got?
Catherine Johns, speaker, coach, and former radio talk show host, is bringing her high-powered presentations to Auxin for two events. Don’t miss this chance to learn the skills to boost your presence and create the impact that will serve you best.
11/18: Executive Presence
No matter where you are in your career - relaunching, pivoting, or all-in - you constantly have an opportunity to present your best self. People make up their minds about us in seconds, and your whole self matters. Register for this special Auxin experience, and:
- Discover how to use your physicality and voice to influence how you’re perceived and how others respond to you
- Learn how to pick up on feedback and adjust to increase your influence
- Understand habits that undermine your strong personal presence
- Practice so you can see, hear, and feel the difference in yourself and others
12/10: Magnetic Introductions: How to Have Them at Hello
What’s more boring than listening to somebody drone on about themselves and their business? There’s a better way to introduce yourself and demonstrate the value you offer so that you can make meaningful connections at every networking event, association meeting, or social occasion. After this program you will:
- Own a new take on the old elevator speech
- Know how to deliver a quick, compelling introduction that captures attention, keeps it, and opens the door to deeper business relationships
Also in November
11/12 Interviewing Success Factors
11/19 Understanding Your Style: The Myers Briggs Type Indicator
Register on EventBrite for these programs and more.
Our clients are welcome to attend our programs and workshops.
We hope you will join us!
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What You Need to Know to Be an Independent Contractor
Hanging up your own shingle as an independent contractor may be on your mind if you are re-engaging your career. During a recent Auxin program, Michael Whalen, CPA, Network Accounting and Tax, LLC, shared his expertise on going out on your own.
While covering everything from the difference between a sole proprietorship and an LLC to the best way to track income and expenses to what’s tax deductible, Mike said one of the biggest questions people ask is: Can I deduct a home office? “An office in the home deduction is allowed as long as you have a profit,” he said, adding, “The requirements are that the area of your home be used regularly and exclusively for business so it can’t be the dining room table because you eat there once a while.”
Mike has prepared more than 15,000 tax returns in his career and has extensive experience in all areas of federal and state income tax preparation and compliance, including individual, corporate, partnership and non-profit tax returns.
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Coming Soon:
Personalized Coaching
Auxin is preparing to curate your journey with a team of coaches focused on a variety of areas including leadership development, nutrition and fitness, and more. Starting in January, Associates will have opportunities to work one-on-one with the specialist who meets their needs.
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Auxin ThanksGIVING
Join Auxin in delivering the fixings for a Thanksgiving meal to a family in need.
Knowing that COVID-19, job losses, and distancing from loved ones is going to make the holiday difficult for many this year, a team of Auxin Associates took on a project focused on GIVING.
You can participate in the effort by:
“We are very thankful for what we have and want to give others something to be thankful for as well, even if they're going through rough times at the moment,” said Associate Nicole Prom who is part of the Thanksgiving Project team. (Read more about Nicole in the profile below.)
The team’s goal is to raise $1000.
Once you've donated, visit this Facebook page to share your participation and watch how Auxin is giving back to our communities one meal at a time.
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Auxin Group is an “on-hand” team of multi-skilled and motivated specialists
who have flexible schedules, experience, knowledge
and collaborative tools to get the job done quickly.
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Nicole Prom: Finding the Balance
Nicole Prom juggles a lot at home these days including prioritizing herself as a new Auxin Associate. “I took a lot of pride in my job and my career, and I want to find that again,” said the former school psychologist.
As a teenager, Nicole became interested in mental health as she and her friends faced their own challenges. “I liked being the person that my friends talked to when they need help. I’ve always liked helping others,” she said. With a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master of education degree and education specialist degrees in school psychology, Nicole worked at the Belle Plaine Public Schools District in Minnesota where she focused on gathering and analyzing data to evaluate students who were struggling and supporting colleagues and families in meeting the needs of the children.
When her own children were born, Nicole took a break from the all-in workforce, and now, due to the pandemic, she is home schooling her three young sons, a 4-year-old and 2-year-old twins. While that may seem like a full-time job, Nicole is using her creativity and organizational skills to figure out how to keep them engaged and learning while also attending Auxin programs virtually from her home in Waconia, MN near the Twin Cities. “I’ve purchased a curriculum for each level, we’re using workbooks, and I teach them while they are eating breakfast. We do a lot of activities together, and I’ve found some great YouTube videos with music and yoga for kids,” she said, adding, “I really like the mute button on Zoom.”
Meanwhile, she wasted no time in working through Auxin’s onboarding checklist, completing the first three weeks of tasks in just one week, and diving right into the learning and development programs. “I liked learning about the project management terms and approaches. I want to learn more about the Auxin process and am looking forward to getting started on client projects,” she said, explaining, “My biggest goal is figuring out the balance.”
Along with her background in psychology, Nicole minored in journalism and is working to put her writing skills to use. She’s in the process of launching her own blog and especially enjoys creating poetry. She also blocks out time for herself to do some acrylic painting and escape into a good book, including Cozy Mysteries, and she admits she indulges in chick lit.
Looking ahead, Nicole is keeping an open mind about how best to re-engage her career and appreciates the Auxin community: “I feel very welcomed. I see other moms with their kids, so I know I’m not alone. I’m glad to be in good company.”
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Hey Auxin Alums!
Do you have a new job? Did you receive a promotion or special recognition? Start a new business? If you have news to share, email us, and we’ll spread the word. We love hearing about your progress, and our Associates love to see where their journey can take them!
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Hazard of Constant Zoom Calls & What to Do About It
So many of us are booked on back-to-back Zoom calls all day long, and we may think we are at the peak of communications. I suggest it’s quite the opposite, and there are some simple steps we can take to improve the situation.
In the pre-COVID days, when you set off for a meeting, most likely you spent time walking or driving there, giving yourself the precious opportunity to clear your head and prepare for the upcoming interaction. After a meeting, you had a chance to reflect on what just happened on your way out the door. Those moments are gone. Instead, we are jumping from one meeting to the next with the click of a mouse. It’s instantaneous and leaves little to no room to find the clarity that helps with connection and communication.
The time we spend on these Zoom calls isn’t doing us any favors either. We can’t look away for fear of offending someone, we can’t make eye contact, and we are constantly watching ourselves. It can all be distressing and disturbing and amounts to what's become known as "zoom fatigue."
So what can we do about it? Schedule breaks between meetings. Take the phone on a walk. Guard your time. And if the meeting ends early, no need to fill the time just because it’s on the Zoom calendar. Say a polite goodbye and leave.
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Laura Morgan is the Founder/President of Auxin Group. Her 30-year career in Human Resource Management has taught her to embrace growth and balance. Her recipe is simple: work, volunteer, and play. She launched Auxin Group to teach others to do the same.
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Are you ready to engage your career?
Would you like more information about Auxin Group?
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Auxin Group, a division of MorganHR, is a unique benefit program that provides relevant training and collaborative project-based experiences to encourage ongoing growth and development.
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