Your Career: Tuning In to Career Success in 2011
January 19, 2011
Whether you seek a new job or want to achieve more in the position you have, ask yourself these questions to tune into everything you offer to an organization in 2011m whether in a current role or with a new company. Then write down the answers to help you articulate the answer to every manager’s toughest question: “What’s in it for me if I hire [promote] YOU?”
Tune in to your own strengths and needs first so it’s easier to articulate the value you bring to the business.
“How do I solve problems, make decisions, take action?”
Because isn’t that what you do all day, every day on the job?
We each have a unique way of doing these things, our M.O., that is hardwired for a lifetime. Unlike skills that can be learned or personality that changes over time, our M.O. is hardwired. And how we use that circuitry is instrumental in career success when we embrace our M.O…. or failure when we try to “do it” someone else’s way.
Start with identifying how you uniquely tackle challenges when they come up at work:
- Look for all the information to help make sound decisions?
- Create order from chaos, creating a work plan, schedule, charting a course for mitigating the challenge?
- Jump in and figure it out as you go?
- Create a “model” of the solution and beta test for quality?
Your way IS the right way… for you. Start with understanding your unique M.O. then sell yourself as the ideal person for the functional role that allows you to operate “in your zone.”
“How do I want to make a difference, a true, positive impact?”
What does meaningful work look like to you? It’s different for everyone. For some it’s the honorable pursuit of finding the cure for cancer. For others it’s closing a sale. Forget what society, the boss, your colleagues, significant others say is the right thing to do and take time to define what “meaningful work” looks like for you. What would make you jump out of bed every morning and think, ” I GET to go do this today!”?
Then focus on finding opportunities to make that kind of difference. Even if it means adding responsibilities to your current role or finding a job that pays a little less in exchange for a purpose. There’s more to a job than just a paycheck!
“What kind of environment brings out my best work?”
And by environment we mean everything from your personal workspace to the people you work with and for. Get intentional about articulating exactly that you need to do your best work.
- Office with a door for quiet focused work?
- Windows and bright colors to give you energy?
- Open space for open collaboration and constant sharing of ideas?
- Being outside?
- A boss who allows you to work from the occasional coffee shop for a change of scenery?
- Colleagues who share your sense of humor? Values?
Understanding this about yourself will help you know to whom to attach yourself politically in your current role, what to ask for in terms of workspace and justify why you need it. It also helps job seekers ask the right questions to know if a new company is a good fit culturally.
Not “Just Another Job Seeker”
October 11, 2010
In my last post I urged job seekers to GET OUT! A good first step to REPOWERING your job search. But once you’re out… then what?
Your actions should be based on this one simple rule:
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” – John C. Maxwell
And when they know how much you care, you are no longer “just another job seeker.” You’re someone worth telling others about.
RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS, RELATIONSHIPS
Tis true. It’s about much more than just getting out. And while the getting out part is indeed the first step to repowering your search, it’s what you do with the time you spend out there that truly counts.
Once you have made the decision to disconnect from the computer and all the online job boards to attend functions with other live human beings, your goal is to make connections and create mutually beneficial relationships that can help you in life as well as your job search.
Some tips on how.
BE AN EXCELLENT COMMUNICATOR.
Don't be THAT guy.
First rule of excellent communications: LISTEN. When you’re out networking make it your goal to be the best listener in the room. Take notes if you need to to remember key conversations and those with whom you spoke. A quick note on the back of the other person’s business card to remind you of that one critical thought or piece of information will prove valuable when trying to recall who said what.
When it is your turn to talk, you have to be exceptionally clear about what you want, what value you — and only you — offer, and be able to articulate this for others to “get it.” Work on honing that 30-second “elevator” pitch to answer “what’s in it for you or other potential employer if you hire me?” Indeed, why YOU over the job search masses?
ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES.
While listening you’re bound to pick up on other’s needs that you can fulfill. Even if it’s mowing the lawn for the grandma of the CPA you just met… doing the make-up for the Realtor’s 17-year-old daughter for the big Homecoming dance… teaching an entrepreneur QuickBooks to create a more efficient billing process… Introducing another job seeker to one of your contacts who might help them… The point is listen and find something you can contribute to making the other person’s life a little easier. And if you can fill a need that aligns with the work you are looking for, all the better.
BE THE EXPERT.
Give presentations to local groups. Blog. Post and answer questions on LinkedIn. Rally groups on LinkedIn. All around a topic related to the work you want to do. Tweet about news-worthy industry trends. The more you show you know what you’re talking about, the better. This is especially true when you are trying to make a career transition into a new role or field in which you may not have the most experience of all possible candidates. Just be aware of how you come across. Strive always to provide information that is practical, applicable, useful. Not to puff up your own chest.
CREATE CHAMPIONS.
All this work will pay off as you create “brand champions” for YOUR personal brand. You become “referrable” as a job seeker. Your resume becomes “forwardable” because they like you and want to help. Remember, we all do business with (and hire) those we know, like and trust. Work to establish the relationships and position yourself as the “go to” gal or guy for the work you want to do, and you’ll have people touting you when you’re not even looking.
STAY AUTHENTIC.
The trick here is to be the expert, the one worth referring with personality. When you show a little of who you really are while imparting information your “audiences” can’t live without, you endear yourself in an emotional way. Think Marketing 101: it’s about engaging people on a personal, emotional level so they’ll trust and appreciate the information.
And let’s face it, no job — unless you are truly desperate financially — is worth checking your personality, your strengths and natural talents, your instincts at the door. Can you do it? Sure. I worked for 15 years in a career path that was all wrong both from a functional mismatch standpoint (my strengths were not what the job required) and the cultures I was in didn’t appreciate my goofball personality.
I’d would be happy to share my story in more detail to help underscore the all-importance of this: Stay authentic. No matter what.
10 Commandments of Personal Branding
June 22, 2010
If “branding” for a company refers to how it differentiates itself as well as its products and services from the competition by articulating its unique selling proposition (USP), then what is this business of “personal branding” all about? You’ve no doubt heard the term and I hope to provide clarity around its meaning and, more importantly, about why you should care.
What Is A Brand?
A brand is so much more than your logo, your signage, your tagline. A brand is a promise… It is the promise put forth by a company, product, service or individual to key stakeholders as to what they can expect from said company, product, service or individual. In short, it’s the sum of all experiences a “consumer” has with the entity that produces the emotional and psychological relationships between the entity and its “consumers.”
So, that said…
Do You Have a “Personal Brand?”
The answer is always yes. Whether you have been intentional or not about creating it, you do have a brand. You have a reputation, something or several that you are known for whether you want to be known for them or not.
The key to effective personal branding is to be intentional. You must know who you are, what you stand for, what value you offer then demonstrate that promise to the world.
And as with company, product and service brands, your personal brand is best built on your UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION (UVP). That is, the unique value only you bring to any situation — on the job, in volunteer capacities, at home — that no one else can offer. What place do you own in the minds of your key “stakeholders?” What do you want to be known for? What promise do you make to your “consumers?”
Your UVP
You add the most value when you are true to what you do best: your innate strengths, your natural talents, your unique instincts that make you YOU.
Once you understand these things about yourself and are ready to embrace them fully and shout your UVP from the mountain tops, the next step is to demonstrate that you are in fact already that person.
For a business owner, your UVP to your customers might be that you are easy to do business with, especially compared to your competitors.
For a leader or manager, consider creating your UVP for your employees as one who empowers your people to focus on their strengths to add the most value to bottom line results.
For an employee, your UVP ought to be that you are The One to turn to for those things you do better than anyone else on the team.
For a career changer 0r job seeker, focus your UVP on the value you will bring to a potential employer by doing what you do best naturally. It’s just what you do and you’re really good at it!
So What?
Why care about personal branding? In this day and age of faster-than-the-speed-of-light, reputation-demonlishing social media (did you hear about the fake BP Twitter account?), you have to own and manager your brand as fervently as you would your teenage daughter’s reputation. Seriously. Because if you aren’t intentional about it yourself, someone else will undoubtedly manage your personal brand for you. Why leave it to chance?
Here are some ideas on “how to.”
10 Commandments of Personal Branding
10. Own Your Brand
Be intentional about developing your personal brand or others will create it for you.
9. Be Consistent
Facebook or face-to-face, send the same message.
8. Appearance Matters
Don’t dress for the position you have. Dress for the position you strive for. Same goes online, too.
7. Stand For Something
The most memorable brands have a point of view. What’s yours?
6. Stay Focused
Act in alignment with your values and your
ultimate vision and goals.
5. Do Unto Others
Do for others that which you want them to do for you. You go first.
4. Create Brand Champions
Equip your network to advocate for your brand.
3. Keep It Personal
Face-time and other personal touches earn the most points and show you care.
2. Don’t Tell. Do.
Demonstrate your brand in your words and actions. Walk the talk.
And the #1 Commandment…Authenticity. Authenticity. Authenticity.
Be true to YOU: your strengths, your values, and the value only you can add.
And Just for Levity
And in all this, just remember not to take yourself too seriously either. Oy.
Lessons from the PICU
January 5, 2010
AJ & Dr. Jon who was instrumental in saving AJ's life
My son came home with a runny nose and scratchy throat on a Friday in late September. After two trips to the ER over the weekend, he was admitted to The Children’s Hospital in Denver on Monday, and by Wednesday morning he was on life support (heart-lung bypass and a ventilator) with multi-system organ failure. All from severe complications caused by H1N1. It wasn’t until we were through the worst part of the crisis that my husband and I realized (or allowed ourselves to consider) just how close we were to losing him.
Fast forward to today: AJ is a healthy, normal, funny and often schizophrenic now-6-year-old. In fact if you didn’t know our story, you would be hard-pressed to believe it when see him now.
A few simple but hopefully provoking ideas have shaped my experience over the past three plus months. I hope that what I learned through near personal tragedy provides some inspiration and offers perspective on the truly important things on which to focus in 2010.
Life Lessons from the PICU
Waiting is not your enemy. Time is your friend. Time heals. Patience is not a virtue. It must be learned, intentionally practiced and consciously applied.
Always accept support in all its forms from others. If nothing else, it relieves the helplessness they feel. You might get something out of it, too.
Hug. Every chance you get. A hug will soften even the most seemingly gruff personality, and those are the ones who probably need one most. If you’re not a hugger, then at least learn to touch someone on their arm or shoulder.
Focus on the good. Of each day. Every situation. And always look for the good in others.
Care like no one is watching. No matter how uncomfortable you may feel in saying the words, suck it up and say “I love you” to your family and friends. At work, give genuine praise when work is done well and be a “coach” when it’s not.
If you need a good cry, let ‘er rip. Holding it in is not good for your health, both emotional and physical.
Do what you do best. Collaborate on the rest. Delegate. Find partners. You are not and cannot be an expert on ALL things. And no one expects you to be. Rely on the strengths, knowledge, skills of others. In the end, the results will always, always, always be better than if you tried to go it alone.
Find something to laugh about every day. Especially yourself.
Give it up to a higher power. Truly when it all just seems like it’s too much to bear, give it up to God…your Creator… the Universe… Buddha… Nature… whatever you call Your Higher Power. Embrace your spiritual source and give over your worries, anxieties and fears. Believe things will work out for the best and ask everyone around you to believe it with all their hearts, minds and souls.
Believe that miracles will happen. ‘Nough said.
ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? (or “Communicating So They Will”)
July 15, 2009
“TO WHOM AM I SPEAKING?”
With a background in marketing, communication and branding, I’ve been programmed in the cardinal commandment of the trade: KNOW THY AUDIENCE. Resistance was futile. But I learned that the only effective marketing messages are those specifically written for the exact person they know is listening and who will act on the information presented. The messages are carefully crafted to meet the potential customer’s needs… to help them hear… to make them WANT to listen.
What if we applied this same thinking when communicating with our colleagues… significant others… employees… kids… bosses…? Would they listen and hear us if we tailored our messages in the same way a marketeer crafts unique selling propositions? “So simple!” we rejoice! But is it that simple? Perhaps it can be…
The challenge is, life is busy, chaotic, complicated. I know what you’re thinking now, “There’s no time for the art of messaging in real life. Why can’t people just get it the first time? Sheesh, I hate having to repeat myself. Pay attention! ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?” Ahhh, and so, we tend to communicate in a style that is natural for us… in the way that we need to hear information. Trouble with that is the receiver of our intended brilliant information has tuned out in 3.2 seconds… or less… if they don’t need to hear it in the same way we do.
So, how do we get them to really listen?
For starters, put on the empathy hat and take some notes. Pay attention to how they communicate for clues on how to get them to listen to you:
The Detailer
Know someone whose powers of observation amaze when they can report back the last detail of a report presented in yesterday’s staff meeting? The remember and want to discuss the intricacies of the data and why the suggestions will (or won’t) help the team reach it’s goals. The also tend to ask lots of questions, especially “Why?” When communicating with this curious fellow, give them all the details, data points, facts and figures you can come up with. Cite sources whenever possible to build credibility. End every interaction giving them an opportunity to ask you as many questions as they need to to fully understand. You may be surprised at how many more details you actually did know once they ask the right questions.
The Systematizer
Know someone who will not jump around or ahead when reporting the details of any event, big or small? They will probably also have the closet organized by season and color and the alphabetically arranged spice rack. When communicating with this person, understand that sequenced information helps them follow what you’re saying. Take a breath, and start from the very beginning (a very good place to start), give the events in exact order in which they have happened or are intended to. They may have some keen ideas on how to make that process even better.
The Improvisor
You know the one… Tangent is her middle name. Wings every conversation, every meeting, every interaction. Reports thoughts as they come… and oh boy do they come. Capture their attention fast and get to the point ASAP! Tell them the end first then give them a chance to ask a few questions about why and how you arrived there. And for sure never leave out what you predict will happened next. Then be ready for a brainstorm of ideas, thoughts, suggestions from them in return.
The Builder
Remember your friend who, after surviving a minor collision earlier in the day, reported the event back to you over dinner at your favorite eatery… “OK, so this pink sugar packet is my car… this blue one was the guy behind me… the salt shaker is that tree, you know that one at that intersection? So I’m driving along and stop at the light [drives pink packet close to the salt shaker] and this guy slams right into me [rams blue sugar packet into the back of the pink one]. I skidded and came this close [pink packet now dangerously close to the salt shaker] from hitting that tree!” Draw this one picture, maps, anything to model the “thing” you want them to understand. In this case, a picture is worth many more than 1000 words.
WHY BOTHER?
Number one, they might actually listen. And, frankly, it’s always nice to be heard.
Then they might actually engage in the conversation, and you may just be amazed at what you can come up with together. Ideas, solutions to problems, improvements… the sky’s the limit!
For me the most important reason: When you speak to another human being in a way that is relevant and meaningful to them, they know you really care. Maybe not on a conscious level. But they know.
Prep for the Turnaround: Hire Right the First Time
July 13, 2009
RIGHT FIT = SKILLS + INSTINCTS
You meticulously reviewed the resume. Used your best behavioral interviewing techniques. Checked references until you were blue. But the new hire still turned out to be a dud. What was missing? He looked great on paper and blew the interview out of the water. But once on the job he not only didn’t play well with others and ran with scissors, he didn’t fulfill the responsibilities of the job even though his skills indicated he could. What happened?
More importantly, how do you make sure that never happens again?
To quote an article from Landscape Management — featuring friend and fellow Certified Kolbe Consultant Jason Cupp — “There is solid evidence suggesting that defining an employee’s or candidate’s natural instincts will often provide the information you need to make your best job placement decision. While employers can choose from many assessment tools, the Kolbe Index is a simple and accessible tool to outline and reveal a person’s initiating and supporting instincts.”
Bingo! The missing link: instincts.
When a hiring manager can rate candidates in an unbiased (by gender, age, race, national origin…) way based on matching their natural instincts to the instincts required for the job, they have the ability to identify the required methods of operation of the ideal candidate. In addition to skills listed in a resume or motivators discovered in behavioral interviewing. The power to predict performance — based on those instincts that drive actual, observable behaviors — can save another bad hire, which saves an enormous amount of time and financial resources. Can you afford afford not to do this triple-check?
COST OF A BAD HIRE
I’ve read several articles, blogs and tweets recently talking about hiring and the cost of making a bad choice. Some of the information I read included results from a 2007 survey by Right Management reporting that the cost of a bad hire ranged from one to five times annual salary. Twenty-six percent of respondents reported that replacing an employee that doesn’t work out cost their organizations three times annual salary and another 42 percent said bad hires cost two times annual salary.
“How do they figure that?” I wondered, which prompted me to throw together this perhaps unsophisticated yet telling formula:
Total cost of a bad hire =
% of salary paid
+ portion of benefits paid
+ direct management time (supervisor’s time spent with employee face-to-face)
+ indirect management time (time on planning for arrival, coordinating training, etc.)
+ management stress time (time spent not focused on work, putting off the inevitable)
+ IT time for computer, phone, and other systems set-up (and take-down for security purposes after the firing)
+ HR time setting up benefits, payroll, etc.
+ % salary of colleagues’ time spent/wasted on the time-sucker
+ cost of time to rebuild postpartum team morale
Yes, I’d say this adds up to somewhere between one to five times the annual salary of the departed disappointment. So the question then is…
Is it worth investing a small amount up front to ensure a candidate’s fit with the role, the team, the organization?
Performance Management: 5 Steps to Stop the Insanity
June 9, 2009
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
~Albert Einstein
Stop a second and think. Does this quote apply to the way you lead and manage your direct reports?
Is the “traditional management” method (a.k.a. “my way or the highway”) working for you? Seriously… what are the results this produces? Outcomes I’ve seen mostly include dissatisfied, disengaged and un-empowered employees. Not to mention frustrated, exhausted and overworked managers. Exactly who is this good for?
STOP THE INSANITY!
The “my way or the highway” management technique may work for a time. But for long-term success I say it’s time to try something different. I worked with a group of managers on performance improvement and management issues in which one manager could not understand nor grasp why his direct reports couldn’t just get off the dime and get the work done. He talked a long time about he just wished his team would hurry up and do the work (a.k.a. use his work style), how he couldn’t understand why it took them longer to “get it” (a.k.a. apply his modus operandi), and how frustrated he was that they still couldn’t produce better results under his “management” (a.k.a. why the same ol’ same ol’ wasn’t working). Oy.
The Manager’s True Duty
The primary job of any manager, regardless of which rung you occupy on the company ladder, is to provide your employees with the tools, training and room they need to do their work. Otherwise, why not just go ahead and do it all yourself? Oh, you’re trying to do that now, you say, because you’re afraid it won’t get done correctly? How’s that working for you?
For those managers who are trying to same techniques over and over expecting different results, I challenge you to try these five steps to create a more productive workforce… and less stress for yourself.
1. Set the Bar High & Measure
We will strive for that place where the bar is set. Think about it. When we set goals and expectations high and hold ourselves and our teams accountable, we accomplish more. As a manager, when you continually accept mediocre results as the norm that’s about all your team will produce. Invite your team into the conversation about goals. Be clear about what is expected of them, how you will contribute, how you will measure success. Then do it. Revisit your goals and where that bar is set on a regular basis and don’t be afraid to adjust as necessary. But keep it high and watch new and improved outcomes replace mediocrity.
2. Uncover Hidden Talents
You’ve set the bar, detailed your goals, discussed how success will be measured. But it’s easy to pigeonhole employees based on job descriptions and lists of duties and responsibilities. They may even be highly skilled at doing what the job description says. And traditional management will keep them there as long as the results are, well, OK. What if, just what if, you considered who the right person was for each task based on their natural talents? Eureka, now that’s different! But how do you uncover those talents? For starters, Kolbe Wisdom™ helps us understand how each of us naturally solves problems and takes action. Uncover your employees natural instincts (their unique MO) and put them to work using those innate talents. When you try it, think you might get different results? In fact, I guarantee if you take time to uncover hidden talents and make assignments based on who can accomplish each function most naturally (and efficiently), you will get different — better! — results.
3. Assess Roles
You have your goals, your metrics and now understand who can get the work done most efficiently. Uh oh… you think some people are in the “wrong” roles? Can you ask them to do a different job than what they were hired to do? And you might have to spend time building new job descriptions? Yes, yes and yes. Consider who is the best person to play each role to get the work accomplished most efficiently based on their strengths and talents. When they work against their grain, so to speak, it takes more energy and produced more stress and less-than-best results. Rearrange roles to make the best use of those talents and *poof* you will have more productive, more engaged employees. Yes, it takes a time investment up front. But it will make your job easier in the end. Did you hear that? It will MAKE YOUR JOB EASIER to have the right people in the right roles. How? Because as you put the right people in the right roles, your team will be more productive (get more done), more efficient (more done faster) and more effective (produce better results). Why wouldn’t you try that?
4. Empower Them
Ask them what else they need to get the job done to meet the goal you’ve established together. Then listen… really listen to what they need and work with them and other leaders to give them what they need — training, tools and room to experiment and make mistakes. When you do this you will be creating a culture of empowerment and begin to give decision-making skills and power to employees. Now that IS different.
5. Move It or Lose It
Set the goals, uncover hidden strengths, put the right people in the right roles, give them what they need to get the job done… then GET OUT OF THE WAY. Imagine a day when your direct reports aren’t coming to you to make every single decision no matter how small. Will you be less frustrated, less exhausted? Maybe even more productive yourself?
Seriously, man: stop the insanity! You’ve been banging your head against a wall, losing your mind long engough.
Don’t Take My Word For It
June 3, 2009
Dear Meredith,
Thanks so much for taking the time to further discuss my Kolbe results. While I’m very happy to be “out of transition”, I’m even more excited to understand my natural strengths.
Our discussions on how my strengths relate to our larger [cross-functional think tank] team and my own team were extremely eye-opening. I love knowing that I no longer need to “assume” or “perceive” people are a certain way from the way they act – rather, I understand they have different natural strengths which are beneficial to making a team successful. Just because someone is quiet and reserved does not mean they are not interested or engaged, they just have a different way of approaching a task.
I immediately shared our discussions and my results with my manager as we are going through a large number of job role changes in the next few weeks. She felt like she better understood who I was and what I needed to be a successful contributor to the team. Our conversation ended with deeper understandings and a renewed sense of excitement for my job. I look forward to our continued discussions during my time with the [cross-functional team]!
Thanks,
Michael A.
Mega Retail Corporation with a long, political approval process for using testimonials from their employees… so we’ll just leave their name out of it…
Do More With Less…No, REALLY!
June 3, 2009
Doing What You Do Best, Every Day
Kolbe Wisdom is a field of study that helps us tap into our natural method of operation. When we do we actually can accomplish more in less time and with less stress. I use the Kolbe A Index assessment with individuals and teams to understand how each person uniquely tackles problem solving and taking action — and after all isn’t that what we all do… every day… all day… especially on the job? — and use that to make them more productive, more efficient and more effective. Kolbe is backed by 30+ years of scientific research and validation, and unlike personality assessments, your Kolbe A results are true for your lifetime.
Bottom Line:
Kolbe identifies your hardwiring and with the help of a Certified Kolbe Consultant — that’s me! — we can develop a path for your team or for you personally for a lifetime of success. Kolbe gives you the freedom to be YOU and as a result do your best work on the job… at home… at play…
Kolbe with Teams
Make the most of every person, every moment, every PENNY. When managers and leaders do the work to put the right people in the right seats and empower them to work from their natural strengths, the team will be more productive, efficient and effective! Oh the stories I can tell…!
Kolbe with Individuals
It’s about doing what you do best every single day. With Kolbe we uncover how you operate which helps us understand the functions of a job you do most naturally (and therefore more efficiently!)… then work to pinpoint what motivates you, that is what does “meaningful work” look like for you personally… and outline the best environment for you to be your most productive, efficient self, including the kinds of partners you need to take on who complement your strengths. It’s career coaching and leadership development based on what you do naturally.
Learn More
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