Two heads are better than one, right? If you believe that then starting a mastermind group is a good way to use the support of others to progress in ways you couldn’t achieve by yourself. Who should you invite to join your mastermind group?
PEOPLE WHO UNDERSTAND GIVE AND TAKE: First you must make sure you yourself have something to offer others and then bring to your group people who also have something to offer and are willing to contribute to the professional needs of others. When you are clear what you are offering you can confidently choose who will benefit the group.
PEOPLE WITH DRIVE AND COMMITMENT: Otherwise the group will fail even before it starts. Make sure the goals of the people you invite into the group are in a ‘similar league’ For example if one person’s goal is to make it to senior management and another’s is to start their own business, this requires serious commitment on both counts. So do your homework and make sure you are bringing people who have a career mission to take forward and not looking to ‘network’.
PEOPLE WHO ARE ACCOUNTABLE: You need people who mean what they say, are reliable and can hold mastermind group members accountable to goals they set. Such people will for example regularly attend scheduled meetings, deliver any assignments to a high standard and establish positive working relationships.
PEOPLE WHO WILL TOGETHER OFFER DIVERSE SKILL SETS: You need to know yourself, your strengths and weaknesses in order to bring on board others who can for example help you develop in an area where you are weak but they are strong. You can learn different approaches from different members and get good advice or even get help to develop a meaningful personal development programme.
PEOPE WHO ARE SOLUTION FINDERS: A Mastermind group must have a common purpose and irrespective of the nature of the individual members’ goals that purpose should be to help people make progress in chosen areas, get good feedback on the actions they are taking and help each other solve problems.
Now take action: Make a list of who you might invite to your mastermind group
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Handle conflict constructively
At work how do you respond when someone offends you? Fact is no matter how ‘mad’ you are, you have to deal with it professionally. Here are some tips to help you keep things in perspective and stop offence from escalating unnecessarily.
NO SNOWBALLING PLEASE: If someone offends you and you find yourself telling a lot of people it suggests that it bothers you in which case you probably need to resolve it. Continuing to talk about it instead of dealing with it makes you come across as cranky. So deal with the issues quickly and with integrity.
NO RESOLUTION VIA EMAIL: We communicate a lot by email these days and the temptation to settle conflict or deal with offence through email is tempting. Some may even deliberately use email because it takes away the discomfort of having a difficult conversation face to face. But this never works as email leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation, plus you miss out on non-verbal clues like body language which are very important in communication.
DON’T REACY WHILST STILL EMOTIONAL: This can be tough but one good incentive to do so is that when you’re emotional, you could be irrational and act in a way that you feel embarrassed at later. Choose to act soberly. It’s a good promise to make to yourself. Chances are you will be working with whoever offended you don’t get overtaken by your offense or nurse your hurt feelings for too long.
KNOW WHAT APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR IS: No one can tell you how you should or not feel about a situation but unfortunately how you express whatever you are feeling should be measured and in line with what is deemed reasonable behaviour. Even if you are very angry of feel grossly offended, take a deep breath, focus on any facts of the situation to keep things balanced.
Now take action: What one thing can you do to keep your cool?
NO SNOWBALLING PLEASE: If someone offends you and you find yourself telling a lot of people it suggests that it bothers you in which case you probably need to resolve it. Continuing to talk about it instead of dealing with it makes you come across as cranky. So deal with the issues quickly and with integrity.
NO RESOLUTION VIA EMAIL: We communicate a lot by email these days and the temptation to settle conflict or deal with offence through email is tempting. Some may even deliberately use email because it takes away the discomfort of having a difficult conversation face to face. But this never works as email leaves a lot of room for misinterpretation, plus you miss out on non-verbal clues like body language which are very important in communication.
DON’T REACY WHILST STILL EMOTIONAL: This can be tough but one good incentive to do so is that when you’re emotional, you could be irrational and act in a way that you feel embarrassed at later. Choose to act soberly. It’s a good promise to make to yourself. Chances are you will be working with whoever offended you don’t get overtaken by your offense or nurse your hurt feelings for too long.
KNOW WHAT APPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR IS: No one can tell you how you should or not feel about a situation but unfortunately how you express whatever you are feeling should be measured and in line with what is deemed reasonable behaviour. Even if you are very angry of feel grossly offended, take a deep breath, focus on any facts of the situation to keep things balanced.
Now take action: What one thing can you do to keep your cool?
TEAM your best everyday
If you work in a team you are more than one member of a collection of individuals. You have a responsibility to make the team strong, be dependable and work towards achieving objectives. You must ‘TEAM’ everyday; he’s how to do so;
TAP YOUR TOP TALENT: You know yourself best and should tap into your top skills. Take joint responsibility for creating the kind of environment you like to work in, where you feel confident to draw on your skill sets and opportunities to use those skills. As a team member, make efforts to know the talents of your team and how yours complements theirs to deliver team objectives.
ENGAGE FOR EXCELLENCE: Don’t get so focussed on doing the day job that you don’t make time to reflect on whether you are doing your best as opposed to just ticking off items on your ‘to do’ list? How do you tell if you are doing your best, what does your standard of excellence look like? How does that compare with what the team together is trying to achieve?
ACCOUNT FOR CONTRIBUTION: There are two parts to your job, the first is to do it and do it well and the second is to make sure what you are doing is productive enough to demonstrate tangible results. If you had to define your contribution to team goals without referring to the tasks you do, what would you say? What would your team lose if you did not do your best work day in day out?.
MOTIVATE FOR DISCRETIONARY EFFORT: Make what you know you are capable of the yardstick for your performance not the Job description. Find your own triggers and incentives to drive your higher performance. That includes putting yourself in the best frame of mind to work well and knowing how to pick yourself up on the days you feel lousy.
Now take action: What is the one thing your team can always count on you for?
TAP YOUR TOP TALENT: You know yourself best and should tap into your top skills. Take joint responsibility for creating the kind of environment you like to work in, where you feel confident to draw on your skill sets and opportunities to use those skills. As a team member, make efforts to know the talents of your team and how yours complements theirs to deliver team objectives.
ENGAGE FOR EXCELLENCE: Don’t get so focussed on doing the day job that you don’t make time to reflect on whether you are doing your best as opposed to just ticking off items on your ‘to do’ list? How do you tell if you are doing your best, what does your standard of excellence look like? How does that compare with what the team together is trying to achieve?
ACCOUNT FOR CONTRIBUTION: There are two parts to your job, the first is to do it and do it well and the second is to make sure what you are doing is productive enough to demonstrate tangible results. If you had to define your contribution to team goals without referring to the tasks you do, what would you say? What would your team lose if you did not do your best work day in day out?.
MOTIVATE FOR DISCRETIONARY EFFORT: Make what you know you are capable of the yardstick for your performance not the Job description. Find your own triggers and incentives to drive your higher performance. That includes putting yourself in the best frame of mind to work well and knowing how to pick yourself up on the days you feel lousy.
Now take action: What is the one thing your team can always count on you for?
Will you pass the 3 way test?
Most people only care about what their boss thinks. But for long term career progress you’ll want to take interest in what others think too. Your work is judged every day by several people. Here are 3 groups whose views should matter to you.
YOUR PEERS: Your peers are probably the ones you work most closely with and who have direct experience of your work. What they think is important because their direct feedback can be available to you day to day and that feedback can help you improve your work as you do it. If your peers think highly of your work, you are on the right track.
YOUR SUPERIORS: These are more than your direct manager. They are people above you in the hierarchy, the ones who make decisions about your future. And that’s not the only reason why you should take their opinions seriously; you should because they operate at a higher level and have a broader view of how your work contributes at an organisational level. Such views are critical as they demonstrate the extended value of your contribution beyond your team.
YOUR COLLEAGUES: These are those who are neither peers in terms of rank nor your bosses. And many people make the mistake of ignoring the people less senior to them. Often because they feel they don’t need these colleagues. They may not have a direct say on your career prospects but their suggestions can help you lead well. If you aim to become a better leader you can’t do that without listening to a range of views. Also, although you may not manage these colleagues, you have a responsibility to set a good example, be the leader they want to look up to.
Now take action: What would you like your peers to say about your work?
YOUR PEERS: Your peers are probably the ones you work most closely with and who have direct experience of your work. What they think is important because their direct feedback can be available to you day to day and that feedback can help you improve your work as you do it. If your peers think highly of your work, you are on the right track.
YOUR SUPERIORS: These are more than your direct manager. They are people above you in the hierarchy, the ones who make decisions about your future. And that’s not the only reason why you should take their opinions seriously; you should because they operate at a higher level and have a broader view of how your work contributes at an organisational level. Such views are critical as they demonstrate the extended value of your contribution beyond your team.
YOUR COLLEAGUES: These are those who are neither peers in terms of rank nor your bosses. And many people make the mistake of ignoring the people less senior to them. Often because they feel they don’t need these colleagues. They may not have a direct say on your career prospects but their suggestions can help you lead well. If you aim to become a better leader you can’t do that without listening to a range of views. Also, although you may not manage these colleagues, you have a responsibility to set a good example, be the leader they want to look up to.
Now take action: What would you like your peers to say about your work?
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Pick up the pace on your career
To advance your career you need to do certain things including a regular stock-taking to assess what you are achieving, where to get back on track if you’ve strayed and where to raise your game. Here are some others;
START A BRAG-LOG: Brag-logs are short pithy statements of information about who you are and what you’ve done, positive things you can say about your work which together show what you are capable of. If you don’t have one already, create a journal in which you keep track of your achievements with a small note explaining why they are important; even better if you can show where possible how your achievement helped your company or made a difference on a broader level.
SHORE UP YOUR CONSISTENCY: You will hardly get your ‘’big break’’ from a one off brilliance. You need to be seen as a safe pair of hands delivering the required top standards day in day out, that you come through when it really matters even if you drop the ball occasionally. Check in with yourself from time to time how you’re doing, how you’ve addressed any obstacles in order to keep doing your best work.
ATTRACT INFLUENTIAL SPONSOR: Solo success is near impossible. A sponsor is someone who knows your work, your potential and your work ethic and therefore willingly vouches for you sometimes even without your knowledge. Sponsors are not friends in high places who may put in a word for you as a favour but people who are prepared to stick their neck out for you because of your track record. Where such a sponsor is well regarded, their word on your behalf is likely to carry a lot of weight.
GET MORE RIGHT EXPERIENCE: Long experience alone will not open doors, it has to be enough of the right experience. That’s why it’s important that you clarify your career aspirations early on, have some concrete goals and develop experience that fits those goals. Based on your goals you must work out the experience you need to transition quickly to the next stage of your working life. Get others to tell you strengths that you might be taking for granted so that you can use them more and develop them further.
Now take action: Based on your goals how can you get more ‘right’ experience’
START A BRAG-LOG: Brag-logs are short pithy statements of information about who you are and what you’ve done, positive things you can say about your work which together show what you are capable of. If you don’t have one already, create a journal in which you keep track of your achievements with a small note explaining why they are important; even better if you can show where possible how your achievement helped your company or made a difference on a broader level.
SHORE UP YOUR CONSISTENCY: You will hardly get your ‘’big break’’ from a one off brilliance. You need to be seen as a safe pair of hands delivering the required top standards day in day out, that you come through when it really matters even if you drop the ball occasionally. Check in with yourself from time to time how you’re doing, how you’ve addressed any obstacles in order to keep doing your best work.
ATTRACT INFLUENTIAL SPONSOR: Solo success is near impossible. A sponsor is someone who knows your work, your potential and your work ethic and therefore willingly vouches for you sometimes even without your knowledge. Sponsors are not friends in high places who may put in a word for you as a favour but people who are prepared to stick their neck out for you because of your track record. Where such a sponsor is well regarded, their word on your behalf is likely to carry a lot of weight.
GET MORE RIGHT EXPERIENCE: Long experience alone will not open doors, it has to be enough of the right experience. That’s why it’s important that you clarify your career aspirations early on, have some concrete goals and develop experience that fits those goals. Based on your goals you must work out the experience you need to transition quickly to the next stage of your working life. Get others to tell you strengths that you might be taking for granted so that you can use them more and develop them further.
Now take action: Based on your goals how can you get more ‘right’ experience’
When you are in over your head
Deep down we all know when we have bitten more than we can chew; too many unfinished tasks, having an important piece of work to do but no clue where to start? If you find yourself in that situation what can you do?;
GET HELP QUICKLY. Don’t drown thinking you have to do everything yourself. You are not expected to know everything but must know where to get the help you need to deliver. Focus on what the result is that you must achieve and solicit the help and resources you need to achieve it. Never underperform because you personally do not know how to do something you are responsible for.
OWN THE EXECUTION: Find help and learn from others so that you are able to do the task next time. The more you learn from others, the more you increase your capability and discover things that you might not have thought of on your own. Seek out people who can bring value to your work so you can call on their help and receive it when you need it. To do this you’ll also need to invest in other people too and go to their aid when they need support too.
BUILD AN EXTENDED TEAM: Sometimes you may feel you are not qualified or not doing a good enough job. Take an inventory of the skills you bring to your role and build a targeted list of people who know things you don’t know and ready to assist you learn what you need. Don’t think of people who can help you only as your peers or those above you. People have skills beyond their job titles so look for able and willing individuals rather than rank.
BE SYSTEMATIC IN LEARNING: Set some priority learning goals. For example; what do you want to be able to do in the next 3 months that you’re not able to do now? What are you gaping weaknesses that you need improve significantly? Then develop a plan to skill up. Don’t ever fail because you buried your head in the sand!
Now take action: Where in your job are you average but need to be high performing?
GET HELP QUICKLY. Don’t drown thinking you have to do everything yourself. You are not expected to know everything but must know where to get the help you need to deliver. Focus on what the result is that you must achieve and solicit the help and resources you need to achieve it. Never underperform because you personally do not know how to do something you are responsible for.
OWN THE EXECUTION: Find help and learn from others so that you are able to do the task next time. The more you learn from others, the more you increase your capability and discover things that you might not have thought of on your own. Seek out people who can bring value to your work so you can call on their help and receive it when you need it. To do this you’ll also need to invest in other people too and go to their aid when they need support too.
BUILD AN EXTENDED TEAM: Sometimes you may feel you are not qualified or not doing a good enough job. Take an inventory of the skills you bring to your role and build a targeted list of people who know things you don’t know and ready to assist you learn what you need. Don’t think of people who can help you only as your peers or those above you. People have skills beyond their job titles so look for able and willing individuals rather than rank.
BE SYSTEMATIC IN LEARNING: Set some priority learning goals. For example; what do you want to be able to do in the next 3 months that you’re not able to do now? What are you gaping weaknesses that you need improve significantly? Then develop a plan to skill up. Don’t ever fail because you buried your head in the sand!
Now take action: Where in your job are you average but need to be high performing?
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Don't be a one trick pony
One tip to doing well in your career is demonstrating over and over than you are a safe pair of hands and can deliver time and time again. How do you get to that place where you are consistently reliable? Here are some ‘one off’s to overcome;
ONLY ONE SKILL YOU ARE GOOD AT: What would you say is your top skill? What’s your next best skill? The workplace these days requires several skill combinations from one individual; agility and versatility. These competencies could be regular technical skills as well as others like teamworking or less traditional ones like the ability to simplify the complex, to build trust or to work well in a diverse team.
ONLY ONE PERSON THINKS YOU ARE GREAT: This is a good starting point but it helps to have a few more think so too. The more people who can say good things about your performance the better. If someone spoke to a couple of people that you work with, how many would sing your praises, vouch for your competence or even want you on their team. Find opportunities to work outside of your team so that others can be exposed to what you can do.
ONLY IONE FLASH OF BRILLIANCE: This does indicate that you are capable of distinction, but if this happened once and has become the point of reference many years later of your excellence, it may be time to show that was not a flash in the pan. You need recent accomplishments to demonstrate you are still effective. Reflect on how you executed that one flash of brilliance. What were you working on? How supportive was the environment? What support was most helpful? What factors enabled you to do your best? And try and do it again.
ONLY WORKED IN ONE TYPE OF TEAM: Especially, when the team is of like-minded people. The point here is to have experience of a variety of teams and working with different types of people. Variety that will challenge your way of thinking, enable you to work in different roles and identify your forte. Teams don’t have to be only the ones where you work, but those outside are perfectly useful too.
Now take action: Identify one team who have a project you can participate in
ONLY ONE SKILL YOU ARE GOOD AT: What would you say is your top skill? What’s your next best skill? The workplace these days requires several skill combinations from one individual; agility and versatility. These competencies could be regular technical skills as well as others like teamworking or less traditional ones like the ability to simplify the complex, to build trust or to work well in a diverse team.
ONLY ONE PERSON THINKS YOU ARE GREAT: This is a good starting point but it helps to have a few more think so too. The more people who can say good things about your performance the better. If someone spoke to a couple of people that you work with, how many would sing your praises, vouch for your competence or even want you on their team. Find opportunities to work outside of your team so that others can be exposed to what you can do.
ONLY IONE FLASH OF BRILLIANCE: This does indicate that you are capable of distinction, but if this happened once and has become the point of reference many years later of your excellence, it may be time to show that was not a flash in the pan. You need recent accomplishments to demonstrate you are still effective. Reflect on how you executed that one flash of brilliance. What were you working on? How supportive was the environment? What support was most helpful? What factors enabled you to do your best? And try and do it again.
ONLY WORKED IN ONE TYPE OF TEAM: Especially, when the team is of like-minded people. The point here is to have experience of a variety of teams and working with different types of people. Variety that will challenge your way of thinking, enable you to work in different roles and identify your forte. Teams don’t have to be only the ones where you work, but those outside are perfectly useful too.
Now take action: Identify one team who have a project you can participate in
Five 'musts' when you're in charge
If you are in a leadership role, your job is never done!.. and depending on your context your responsibilities can span a whole range of activities. But I want to focus here on five core duties that I believe are fundamental to a leader’s job day to day; that is to;
GROW LEADERS:. As you work with people your guidance and direction must leave them more capable and confident than they were before working with you. When they are struggling, find a way to pull them up, when they are excelling give them opportunity to challenge themselves even further. Whatever you do, check that they are growing and not just ‘doing work’.
BUILD TRUST: This is one of the most difficult things to achieve but trust is critical to leadership. Where this seems ‘impossible’’ for whatever reason, aim to get to a place where you can at least earn the benefit of the doubt from those who have responsibility over. Trust building is a process so never give up working on it. Some common trust-busting behaviours include transparency, listening and empathy.
CREATE CLARITY: Set your team in a position to succeed by giving proper instruction and assistance where needed. Take a regular reality check that you’re being understood, that your expectations are clearly communicated, that you’re addressing in a positive way whatever is undermining performance. Don’t expect coherence and smart working if the objectives to which people are expected to deliver are not made clear by you.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Role modelling comes with the territory of ‘being in charge’. Often ask yourself; what behaviours are you demanding of others that you are not demonstrating yourself? What are your actions saying about your values? What lines will you not cross? Are you delivering the high performance you demand of others? Remember, your moral authority is as important as your positional power.
CONTROL YOUR DAY: When you are in charge, being organised is essential. You’re busy and probably no two days are ever the same. But you must find a way to bring some order especially if others’ work for the day derives from yours. A ‘priority to do list’ may not work 100% but can be useful basic step to reining things in.
Now take action: How are you developing those under your charge?
GROW LEADERS:. As you work with people your guidance and direction must leave them more capable and confident than they were before working with you. When they are struggling, find a way to pull them up, when they are excelling give them opportunity to challenge themselves even further. Whatever you do, check that they are growing and not just ‘doing work’.
BUILD TRUST: This is one of the most difficult things to achieve but trust is critical to leadership. Where this seems ‘impossible’’ for whatever reason, aim to get to a place where you can at least earn the benefit of the doubt from those who have responsibility over. Trust building is a process so never give up working on it. Some common trust-busting behaviours include transparency, listening and empathy.
CREATE CLARITY: Set your team in a position to succeed by giving proper instruction and assistance where needed. Take a regular reality check that you’re being understood, that your expectations are clearly communicated, that you’re addressing in a positive way whatever is undermining performance. Don’t expect coherence and smart working if the objectives to which people are expected to deliver are not made clear by you.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Role modelling comes with the territory of ‘being in charge’. Often ask yourself; what behaviours are you demanding of others that you are not demonstrating yourself? What are your actions saying about your values? What lines will you not cross? Are you delivering the high performance you demand of others? Remember, your moral authority is as important as your positional power.
CONTROL YOUR DAY: When you are in charge, being organised is essential. You’re busy and probably no two days are ever the same. But you must find a way to bring some order especially if others’ work for the day derives from yours. A ‘priority to do list’ may not work 100% but can be useful basic step to reining things in.
Now take action: How are you developing those under your charge?
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Go for big growth for big goals
If your vision is wanting to make a go places, you’re won’t achieve that by doing the little you can and hoping for the best. What must you do then? Do things that propel exponential personal growth. Here are a few suggestions;
BE DELIBERATE IN YOUR EFFORTS: What level of excellence or goal is eluding you? Why is this so? What do you do when you’re struggling? Where would you like to go on onto from what you are doing now? You need to be intentional, develop big goals based on a core set of skills you know you have that you can get you started on, make sure you find a mentor who will guide you, be your sounding board and help address any skills gaps quickly.
AVOID GRAVITY PEOPLE: These are people who specialise in negativity. You are excited about something, they burst your bubble. They may not do this on purpose. They see the glass half empty and are eternal pessimists. Sometimes, ‘gravity people’ can even be your boss, who will keep you in a box rather than encourage you to step out and take out a chance on your potential. If you have such a boss, you’ll need to consider moving to another department or another job.
BE YOUR BEST ADVOCATE: If you have the right people around you, there will no shortage of people who will wish you well. But you should be your own strongest champion because that is what will keep you going when people can’t always be available when you need them. Keep your mind and energy focused on what you can do rather than what you can’t. Avoid self-induced negative stress and side step any unnecessary ‘drama’ in that divides your attention and drains you.
BREAK UNHELPFUL PATTERNS: These take several forms; always distracted at work?, seeking counsel from the wrong source?, defending the indefensible, blaming others for your troubles?, not taking personal responsibility for mistakes?, abusing your position? Identify unhelpful patterns in yourself and find a way to break them. A good way is identify someone willing to be your ‘monitor’ to hold you accountable.
Now take action: What one thing will you do in the next 6 months to increase your personal growth
BE DELIBERATE IN YOUR EFFORTS: What level of excellence or goal is eluding you? Why is this so? What do you do when you’re struggling? Where would you like to go on onto from what you are doing now? You need to be intentional, develop big goals based on a core set of skills you know you have that you can get you started on, make sure you find a mentor who will guide you, be your sounding board and help address any skills gaps quickly.
AVOID GRAVITY PEOPLE: These are people who specialise in negativity. You are excited about something, they burst your bubble. They may not do this on purpose. They see the glass half empty and are eternal pessimists. Sometimes, ‘gravity people’ can even be your boss, who will keep you in a box rather than encourage you to step out and take out a chance on your potential. If you have such a boss, you’ll need to consider moving to another department or another job.
BE YOUR BEST ADVOCATE: If you have the right people around you, there will no shortage of people who will wish you well. But you should be your own strongest champion because that is what will keep you going when people can’t always be available when you need them. Keep your mind and energy focused on what you can do rather than what you can’t. Avoid self-induced negative stress and side step any unnecessary ‘drama’ in that divides your attention and drains you.
BREAK UNHELPFUL PATTERNS: These take several forms; always distracted at work?, seeking counsel from the wrong source?, defending the indefensible, blaming others for your troubles?, not taking personal responsibility for mistakes?, abusing your position? Identify unhelpful patterns in yourself and find a way to break them. A good way is identify someone willing to be your ‘monitor’ to hold you accountable.
Now take action: What one thing will you do in the next 6 months to increase your personal growth
Evolve into a collaborator
Becoming a collaborator helps you achieve more than you could do on your own. It also helps you support others and earn some good quality goodwill and loyalty that could come in handy. How do you become a collaborator?
PREPARE TO LEAD AND TO FOLLOW: Good collaborators can adapt well and become what the situation needs them to become, changing behaviours as necessary to keep moving forward To collaborate well, you must engage others early, focus on achieving a ‘win win’ result for everyone. You must also be comfortable with lining up behind others best placed to lead in any given circumstance.
BE AWARE OF OTHERS’S NEEDS: So that you can agree mutually beneficial goals. Emphasise what you have in common with others, how you can give your best and get the best from others. Understand yourself, where your ‘rough edges’ are so that you don’t rub people the wrong way. Appeal to others by showing that you can adapt to their needs and interests meet them half way.
FIND OUT WHAT MAY NOT BE OBVIOUS: To be a true collaborator, you must learn to read between the lines, connect the dots and find a way to work out what your counterpart may want that might not be immediately obvious. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in order to establish what’s important to them. Move with purpose but pay attention to your intuition tells you.
BE COMFORTABLE WITH GETTING SOMETHING TOO: Collaboration isn’t just about helping someone else achieve their goals, interests etc. You don’t have to give up your goals. Be prepared to get your ideas across in a decisive way provided you don’t expect others to give up their goals for yours. Develop high expectations of yourself and others. Be clear what support you need from others and ask for it.
SHOW YOU CAN BE TRUSTED: Collaboration is a partnership and so you must be earn the confidence of others, show that you are committed to their interests and willing to put your energies in. Make everyone involved feels they have a stake in what’s being pursued
Now take action: Where would your biggest strength be as a collaborator?
PREPARE TO LEAD AND TO FOLLOW: Good collaborators can adapt well and become what the situation needs them to become, changing behaviours as necessary to keep moving forward To collaborate well, you must engage others early, focus on achieving a ‘win win’ result for everyone. You must also be comfortable with lining up behind others best placed to lead in any given circumstance.
BE AWARE OF OTHERS’S NEEDS: So that you can agree mutually beneficial goals. Emphasise what you have in common with others, how you can give your best and get the best from others. Understand yourself, where your ‘rough edges’ are so that you don’t rub people the wrong way. Appeal to others by showing that you can adapt to their needs and interests meet them half way.
FIND OUT WHAT MAY NOT BE OBVIOUS: To be a true collaborator, you must learn to read between the lines, connect the dots and find a way to work out what your counterpart may want that might not be immediately obvious. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in order to establish what’s important to them. Move with purpose but pay attention to your intuition tells you.
BE COMFORTABLE WITH GETTING SOMETHING TOO: Collaboration isn’t just about helping someone else achieve their goals, interests etc. You don’t have to give up your goals. Be prepared to get your ideas across in a decisive way provided you don’t expect others to give up their goals for yours. Develop high expectations of yourself and others. Be clear what support you need from others and ask for it.
SHOW YOU CAN BE TRUSTED: Collaboration is a partnership and so you must be earn the confidence of others, show that you are committed to their interests and willing to put your energies in. Make everyone involved feels they have a stake in what’s being pursued
Now take action: Where would your biggest strength be as a collaborator?
Monday, July 9, 2012
Heed the red, amber , green lights
The traffic light symbol is increasingly been used outside of the field of road traffic, for example to assess status of projects. This symbol can also be a useful guide for managing your career as follows;
RED: This means red-flag; warning signs that could have negative consequences if ignored. Red-flags include putting your career advancement in someone else’s hands, not investing in yourself, fighting with your boss, confusing your job with your career, not updating your skills etc or even ‘thrashing’ your employer to others. Red can also mean ‘stop’. Some ‘stops’ to consider are making money the most important factor in career decisions, making choices for benefits you can get ‘now’; sticking with what’s familiar instead of creating new paths for yourself or always pursuing others’ definition of success.
AMBER: Amber is being in a constant state of preparation; the time to get ready and stay ready for the big breaks or even setting new goals for yourself. Amber time is when you do what you need to improve where you don’t measure up, learn what you need to learn to increase your success and identify where you need to persist. Amber time is also when to ask yourself some hard questions like; is where I am headed really where I wish to go? Is my current job taking me in a positive career direction? Am I deploying my strongest skills in what I am doing now? What are the calculated risks I need to take to open up more opportunities for myself?
GREEN: Green is cruising time; when you are in roles that you enjoy and draw on your strongest skills. But just as the traffic lights don’t stay green forever, you never know when you are going to hit a bump or a red sign. So use the green period to increase your momentum, grow important professional relationships and be recognised for what you can do. Also remember that whether you can cruise or not when the lights go green depends on the condition of your ‘career car’ which include a strong skills set, a positive mind-set and attitude, a good reputation and lot of good will from others.
Now take action: Do a traffic lights assessment of the status of your career now.
RED: This means red-flag; warning signs that could have negative consequences if ignored. Red-flags include putting your career advancement in someone else’s hands, not investing in yourself, fighting with your boss, confusing your job with your career, not updating your skills etc or even ‘thrashing’ your employer to others. Red can also mean ‘stop’. Some ‘stops’ to consider are making money the most important factor in career decisions, making choices for benefits you can get ‘now’; sticking with what’s familiar instead of creating new paths for yourself or always pursuing others’ definition of success.
AMBER: Amber is being in a constant state of preparation; the time to get ready and stay ready for the big breaks or even setting new goals for yourself. Amber time is when you do what you need to improve where you don’t measure up, learn what you need to learn to increase your success and identify where you need to persist. Amber time is also when to ask yourself some hard questions like; is where I am headed really where I wish to go? Is my current job taking me in a positive career direction? Am I deploying my strongest skills in what I am doing now? What are the calculated risks I need to take to open up more opportunities for myself?
GREEN: Green is cruising time; when you are in roles that you enjoy and draw on your strongest skills. But just as the traffic lights don’t stay green forever, you never know when you are going to hit a bump or a red sign. So use the green period to increase your momentum, grow important professional relationships and be recognised for what you can do. Also remember that whether you can cruise or not when the lights go green depends on the condition of your ‘career car’ which include a strong skills set, a positive mind-set and attitude, a good reputation and lot of good will from others.
Now take action: Do a traffic lights assessment of the status of your career now.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Don't be a L.O.U.S.Y manager
Being a manager especially of people is a difficult job that requires a lot of learning day to day. That said to be effective, every manager must get some basic tasks right and that demands that you avoid the following;
LEAVING YOUR TEAM TO THEIR OWN DEVICES: As manager, you must provide direction to your team and guide them daily in a way that is helpful to each individual. Sometimes, managers can shirk this responsibility for fear of coming across as micro-managing. A good approach is to understand the needs of individuals and coach accordingly as one person may need close guidance whilst another may not.
OVERLY CONCERNED WITH YOUR OWN WORK: Sometimes in addition to coaching your team to be highly productive, you most likely have other assignments unrelated to this role. But don’t get so engrossed in this other work that you ignore supporting your team. By being an attentive manager you can understand how your team is doing, what help they need and how best to provide it.
UNDERMINING EFFORTS OF THE TEAM: Make sure that as manager there is fundamental trust and respect between you and your team and you demonstrate integrity in all your actions. Don’t operate by rumours, hearsay or favoritism. Work with your team to create an environment where everyone feels they can do their best. Don’t take credit for their ideas and accomplishments.
SCARING THEM BY BARKING ORDERS: Some managers see this as a way to show their authority and ostensibly to get things done. But we all know that hardly achieves anything except to make others feel unappreciated and disrespected. If the team fails, you fail so it’s in your interest to work WITH them rather treat them as people who work FOR you.
YEARNING FOR PERSONAL RECOGNITION: To the extent that you for example pay more attention to doing the things that you feel will benefit you personally like pleasing your own boss at the expense of your team. Your team wants to know how they are doing, so give them feedback that they need to keep delivering results, to improve and to get the recognition they deserve from decision makers.
Now take action: Identify one way you can be a better manager to your team.
LEAVING YOUR TEAM TO THEIR OWN DEVICES: As manager, you must provide direction to your team and guide them daily in a way that is helpful to each individual. Sometimes, managers can shirk this responsibility for fear of coming across as micro-managing. A good approach is to understand the needs of individuals and coach accordingly as one person may need close guidance whilst another may not.
OVERLY CONCERNED WITH YOUR OWN WORK: Sometimes in addition to coaching your team to be highly productive, you most likely have other assignments unrelated to this role. But don’t get so engrossed in this other work that you ignore supporting your team. By being an attentive manager you can understand how your team is doing, what help they need and how best to provide it.
UNDERMINING EFFORTS OF THE TEAM: Make sure that as manager there is fundamental trust and respect between you and your team and you demonstrate integrity in all your actions. Don’t operate by rumours, hearsay or favoritism. Work with your team to create an environment where everyone feels they can do their best. Don’t take credit for their ideas and accomplishments.
SCARING THEM BY BARKING ORDERS: Some managers see this as a way to show their authority and ostensibly to get things done. But we all know that hardly achieves anything except to make others feel unappreciated and disrespected. If the team fails, you fail so it’s in your interest to work WITH them rather treat them as people who work FOR you.
YEARNING FOR PERSONAL RECOGNITION: To the extent that you for example pay more attention to doing the things that you feel will benefit you personally like pleasing your own boss at the expense of your team. Your team wants to know how they are doing, so give them feedback that they need to keep delivering results, to improve and to get the recognition they deserve from decision makers.
Now take action: Identify one way you can be a better manager to your team.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Stop the career cobwebs
Cobwebs are a sign of staleness and usually found in ceilings but trust me cobwebs can grow in your career too if you ‘stay put’; content to do what you’ve always done day in day out. Here are some tips for preventing cobwebs from stalling your career.
AVOID THE DAY TO DAY APPROACH: When you think about your work-life only day to day, you lose sight of what you need to do today to better your future or indeed what the long term impact of your day to day decisions are likely to be. For example, if you are a supervisor wanting to become manager, you need to understand what is required of a manager and start demonstrating potential at that level; even find a mentor to guide you so that when an opening comes you’re ready to apply. Be smart day to day but strategic in planning your advancement long term.
DON’T SIT ON YOUR LAURELS: If your proudest achievements happened more than two years ago, you’re courting cobwebs. Be proud of your successes but don’t stay stuck reminiscing over them. Research shows that employers look at a CV for an average of 10 seconds so you’ve got to make sure you have fresh accomplishments to include annually. Never settle, demand more of yourself and move to your next level so that you can present yourself always in a positive light.
DEVELOP A SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE: Learn to do a couple of things very well so that you can always reflect excellence in some aspect of what you do. Continually learn and acquire new knowledge so that you demonstrate you are abreast of trends or developments in your field. Be known as a person who’s principled, does their best and learns from their mistakes.
TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT: As they say’ what goes round comes around.’ The power of what others have to say about you can sometimes make or break you. If you don’t like someone for whatever reason don’t let it show and don’t say bad things about them behind their back- it could come back to bite you. Be gracious and generous with your comments about other people.
Now take action: Where in your career do you need some new successes?
AVOID THE DAY TO DAY APPROACH: When you think about your work-life only day to day, you lose sight of what you need to do today to better your future or indeed what the long term impact of your day to day decisions are likely to be. For example, if you are a supervisor wanting to become manager, you need to understand what is required of a manager and start demonstrating potential at that level; even find a mentor to guide you so that when an opening comes you’re ready to apply. Be smart day to day but strategic in planning your advancement long term.
DON’T SIT ON YOUR LAURELS: If your proudest achievements happened more than two years ago, you’re courting cobwebs. Be proud of your successes but don’t stay stuck reminiscing over them. Research shows that employers look at a CV for an average of 10 seconds so you’ve got to make sure you have fresh accomplishments to include annually. Never settle, demand more of yourself and move to your next level so that you can present yourself always in a positive light.
DEVELOP A SPIRIT OF EXCELLENCE: Learn to do a couple of things very well so that you can always reflect excellence in some aspect of what you do. Continually learn and acquire new knowledge so that you demonstrate you are abreast of trends or developments in your field. Be known as a person who’s principled, does their best and learns from their mistakes.
TREAT EVERYONE WITH RESPECT: As they say’ what goes round comes around.’ The power of what others have to say about you can sometimes make or break you. If you don’t like someone for whatever reason don’t let it show and don’t say bad things about them behind their back- it could come back to bite you. Be gracious and generous with your comments about other people.
Now take action: Where in your career do you need some new successes?
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Speak up responsibly
Whether you speak up in your organisation depends in most cases on whether you feel able to do so. However, the advantages of doing so outweigh the disadvantages so it’s worth taking a chance. How is some advice on how to go about it.
BE A BALANCED VOICE: Balance your voice by thinking about and through what exactly you want to say, why you want to say it and what purpose you want it to serve. Say what you want in a way that shows you have reflected on the issues. If others have expressed opinions about the same issue, make sure you are presenting a fresh angle on things.
SHOW LEADERSHIP: Know when to speak; think about how and where is best to speak up. An open forum may not always the place to speak especially if what you have to say can put someone on the spot. Don’t address in an public forum an issue that should be dealt with one on one. Speaking up is not easy for many people; therefore when you do you are setting an example, so make sure it’s a good one.
DON’T BE AN ECHO: There’s nothing wrong with endorsing the view of another. Infact it is a good way of promoting consensus. However, being an echo is being loud, saying nothing new or insisting on just your opinions rather than hearing what others have to say or their response to your contributions. Whatever you want to say even if it’s a question, make sure it really adds value to the goals of the conversation.
SET A TONE FOR YOURSELF: Be calm and consistent, aim not to respond in the heat of the moment. When you feel agitated, give yourself time to cool down. Hold yourself responsible for getting a good result (as far as is within your control) for what you want to contribute. It’s your job not only to say what you have to say respectfully to improve the chances that you’ll be heard.
Now take action: What do you need to do to gather the courage to speak up more?
BE A BALANCED VOICE: Balance your voice by thinking about and through what exactly you want to say, why you want to say it and what purpose you want it to serve. Say what you want in a way that shows you have reflected on the issues. If others have expressed opinions about the same issue, make sure you are presenting a fresh angle on things.
SHOW LEADERSHIP: Know when to speak; think about how and where is best to speak up. An open forum may not always the place to speak especially if what you have to say can put someone on the spot. Don’t address in an public forum an issue that should be dealt with one on one. Speaking up is not easy for many people; therefore when you do you are setting an example, so make sure it’s a good one.
DON’T BE AN ECHO: There’s nothing wrong with endorsing the view of another. Infact it is a good way of promoting consensus. However, being an echo is being loud, saying nothing new or insisting on just your opinions rather than hearing what others have to say or their response to your contributions. Whatever you want to say even if it’s a question, make sure it really adds value to the goals of the conversation.
SET A TONE FOR YOURSELF: Be calm and consistent, aim not to respond in the heat of the moment. When you feel agitated, give yourself time to cool down. Hold yourself responsible for getting a good result (as far as is within your control) for what you want to contribute. It’s your job not only to say what you have to say respectfully to improve the chances that you’ll be heard.
Now take action: What do you need to do to gather the courage to speak up more?
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Don't play career lottery
There are a lot of things to that you can do to put your career on the right track such as developing new skills, working for good organizations or having a mentor. But there are many things than can insidiously eat away at your career prospects. Here are a few of those to avoid.
DON’T BURN YOUR BRIDGES: People burn bridges when they get too emotionally consumed about an issue or especially if they feel they have been wronged. The most challenging of these is remaining sane when in your boss’ eyes you can do no right. If that happens and you know for sure there’s little you can do to rescue the situation, look to go work elsewhere but depart in a decent way, no tantrums, no name calling.
DON’T WORK ‘UNCONSCIOUSLY’: Showing up at your job day to day and going through the motions isn’t exactly a career building exercise. At a minimum, appreciate what you need to do to make the job satisfying or fulfilling. You may be mostly interested in the pay cheque but that kind of attitude to work is unlikely to guarantee you a job for long or to offer you any real chance of advancement.
DON’T REJECT OPPORTUNITY: Sounds crazy? But we do that all the time without realizing it. For example, do you sometimes find yourself saying or even thinking ‘it’s not my job’ or ‘I am not paid to do this’ when you are asked to extra work? Of course it may be within your rights to decline but will it be in the interest of your career development? You can take on more work than you think but don’t overwhelm yourself. Think twice before you reject opportunities that are ‘clothed’ as extra work.
DON’T KEEP RECYCLING YOURSELF: If your organization were looking for a bunch of forward thinking, hardworking, problem solving, good team players to work on an assignment the rewards of which may could include promotion, bonuses or an enhanced reputation, would you be selected?. My point is are you ever ready to take on new challenges or are you satisfied doing the ‘same old, same old’?
Now take action: In what ways are you gambling with the future of your career?
DON’T BURN YOUR BRIDGES: People burn bridges when they get too emotionally consumed about an issue or especially if they feel they have been wronged. The most challenging of these is remaining sane when in your boss’ eyes you can do no right. If that happens and you know for sure there’s little you can do to rescue the situation, look to go work elsewhere but depart in a decent way, no tantrums, no name calling.
DON’T WORK ‘UNCONSCIOUSLY’: Showing up at your job day to day and going through the motions isn’t exactly a career building exercise. At a minimum, appreciate what you need to do to make the job satisfying or fulfilling. You may be mostly interested in the pay cheque but that kind of attitude to work is unlikely to guarantee you a job for long or to offer you any real chance of advancement.
DON’T REJECT OPPORTUNITY: Sounds crazy? But we do that all the time without realizing it. For example, do you sometimes find yourself saying or even thinking ‘it’s not my job’ or ‘I am not paid to do this’ when you are asked to extra work? Of course it may be within your rights to decline but will it be in the interest of your career development? You can take on more work than you think but don’t overwhelm yourself. Think twice before you reject opportunities that are ‘clothed’ as extra work.
DON’T KEEP RECYCLING YOURSELF: If your organization were looking for a bunch of forward thinking, hardworking, problem solving, good team players to work on an assignment the rewards of which may could include promotion, bonuses or an enhanced reputation, would you be selected?. My point is are you ever ready to take on new challenges or are you satisfied doing the ‘same old, same old’?
Now take action: In what ways are you gambling with the future of your career?
Sunday, May 13, 2012
You can be a HE.R.O
What are some of the personal or professional obstacles you have not had the courage to confront? Although some of these barriers look harmless, its best to address them quickly or they can eat away at your career prospects. Here are some suggestions of things to pay attention to.
HONORABLE BEHAVIOUR: Honourable behaviour means doing the right thing (including when no one’s watching), not deliberating misinterpreting information, using abusive language or engaging in malicious gossip or improper behaviour. For example, if you have a tendency to panic, to be unduly temperamental, remaining composed can be tough but it’s important to demand something better of yourself, but because it enhances your professionalism and sense of greater self-control.
ENTERPRISING ATTITUDE: Being enterprising is taking responsibility for yourself, your work and your actions, tackling head on any challenges you might face and exercising personal discipline. Learn to take the initiative on projects, even if they seem small or insignificant task. Such an attitude will keep you proactive, help you gather new experiences, learn new skills, benefit from work with different teams, explore your potential and adapt easily in different environments
RATIONAL THINKING: This is level headedness. It’s not always easy to focus on the logic of an issue especially if you feel strongly about the matter at hand; but ‘too much drama’ can hurt your reputation. The nature of higher level jobs requires ability to handle pressure and to think through issues properly. So if you are aiming high this is the time to reduce one-dimensional and to think through things systematically
OVERWHELMING GRATITUDE: Here, I mean gratitude for who you are, what you have and what more you are capable of doing. This is not always easy especially if you are surrounded by people who don’t acknowledge your contribution or celebrate your competencies or an environment that pulls you down. But you must appreciate yourself, show your mettle so that no one can put you down.
Now take action: What one challenge must you overcome to boost your career?
HONORABLE BEHAVIOUR: Honourable behaviour means doing the right thing (including when no one’s watching), not deliberating misinterpreting information, using abusive language or engaging in malicious gossip or improper behaviour. For example, if you have a tendency to panic, to be unduly temperamental, remaining composed can be tough but it’s important to demand something better of yourself, but because it enhances your professionalism and sense of greater self-control.
ENTERPRISING ATTITUDE: Being enterprising is taking responsibility for yourself, your work and your actions, tackling head on any challenges you might face and exercising personal discipline. Learn to take the initiative on projects, even if they seem small or insignificant task. Such an attitude will keep you proactive, help you gather new experiences, learn new skills, benefit from work with different teams, explore your potential and adapt easily in different environments
RATIONAL THINKING: This is level headedness. It’s not always easy to focus on the logic of an issue especially if you feel strongly about the matter at hand; but ‘too much drama’ can hurt your reputation. The nature of higher level jobs requires ability to handle pressure and to think through issues properly. So if you are aiming high this is the time to reduce one-dimensional and to think through things systematically
OVERWHELMING GRATITUDE: Here, I mean gratitude for who you are, what you have and what more you are capable of doing. This is not always easy especially if you are surrounded by people who don’t acknowledge your contribution or celebrate your competencies or an environment that pulls you down. But you must appreciate yourself, show your mettle so that no one can put you down.
Now take action: What one challenge must you overcome to boost your career?
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Aggregate the sources of your influence
Status and prestige give one influence. True; but there’s influence you can develop that’s not based on formal status and which will increase your ability to heard, listened to and valued. You can develop such influence via;
YOUR COMMUNICATION: Long-windedness can make people ‘shut off’. Cut to the chase; if it’s a question you are asking, ask; don’t do a speech before it. If what you’ve got to say is complex, try and summarize it in your mind before speaking. People are more likely to listen to you or pay attention if they know you’ll get to the point and clearly.
YOUR BEHAVIOUR: The good example you set can earn you not only influence but also a lot of respect. If you are a senior person, exemplary behaviour comes with the territory. Act in the interest of the greater good. Care about things other than things that affect or benefit you directly. Demonstrate objectivity especially when it’s most difficult so that people can feel assured that you can operate for the good of others.
THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK: This has a power of its own because it’s available for all to see and is an independent assessment of you. Take pride in what you do and not approach it as a mere transaction between you and your employer. The quality of your work speaks volumes about your personal standards, your sense of responsibility and leadership as well as your commitment to self-accountability and stewardship. So don’t do only what you feel your salary ‘buys’ from you but how doing more now can further your professional life.
OTHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF YOU: Perceptions may not be based on fact and the hard part is people act on their perceptions and unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about. But you can avoid blatantly unhelpful or irresponsible behaviour that will generate negative views of you and be costly to you later on. When perceptions of you are positive they can earn you influence and opportunities in a way that facts sometimes can’t. Have a sense of how you are perceived so that you work on improving any negative views.
Now take action: What can you do to increase your influence?
YOUR COMMUNICATION: Long-windedness can make people ‘shut off’. Cut to the chase; if it’s a question you are asking, ask; don’t do a speech before it. If what you’ve got to say is complex, try and summarize it in your mind before speaking. People are more likely to listen to you or pay attention if they know you’ll get to the point and clearly.
YOUR BEHAVIOUR: The good example you set can earn you not only influence but also a lot of respect. If you are a senior person, exemplary behaviour comes with the territory. Act in the interest of the greater good. Care about things other than things that affect or benefit you directly. Demonstrate objectivity especially when it’s most difficult so that people can feel assured that you can operate for the good of others.
THE QUALITY OF YOUR WORK: This has a power of its own because it’s available for all to see and is an independent assessment of you. Take pride in what you do and not approach it as a mere transaction between you and your employer. The quality of your work speaks volumes about your personal standards, your sense of responsibility and leadership as well as your commitment to self-accountability and stewardship. So don’t do only what you feel your salary ‘buys’ from you but how doing more now can further your professional life.
OTHERS' PERCEPTIONS OF YOU: Perceptions may not be based on fact and the hard part is people act on their perceptions and unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about. But you can avoid blatantly unhelpful or irresponsible behaviour that will generate negative views of you and be costly to you later on. When perceptions of you are positive they can earn you influence and opportunities in a way that facts sometimes can’t. Have a sense of how you are perceived so that you work on improving any negative views.
Now take action: What can you do to increase your influence?
Sunday, April 29, 2012
When is it time to consider changing jobs?
When good jobs are scarce, the sensible thing is to hold onto what you’ve got. But in normal times, a job should propel your career and not be just about money and prestige. When should you consider changing jobs? Here’re a few telling signs.
WHEN THE JOB IS A DEAD END: When you are not learning anything new, not getting opportunity to perform new tasks, having limited opportunity for advancement and growth. Also where your job requires you to do everything by the book and thereby stopping you from ‘owning’ it and adding value. In such situations, it’s worth discussing with your manager, how you might enrich your job. If this does not yield any useful prospects it might be time to start looking for a job better suited to your needs.
A COMPANY’S THAT’S GOING NOWHERE: If Management of where you work is unfocussed, pays lip service to developing your potential, not interested in your initiative, you could be caught in the drift. Good management will believe that staff need to be supported to grow for the organisation to do the same. So if you feel like your organisation is going nowhere, that whether you achieve anything in your job or not is ‘no big deal’ it may be time to go work for a company that cares about that.
APPEAL OF A FRESH CHALLENGE: You don’t want to become a relic. So don’t supress a desire to do something new. This may not automatically mean that you leave your job. You could take on roles outside your organisation such as join a Board or even run your own business or project on the side. If multi-tasking is not your thing, then moving on to another job is something to consider. Be clear about what you want in a new role; otherwise you might jump from frying pan to fire.
WHEN YOU LONGER CARE: Signs that you might have lost interest in your job includes watching the clock, complaining often, becoming easily distracted and just finding it difficult to be excited about what you do. I am not talking about feeling this way from time to time but when this becomes regular. When this happens it’s only fair to you, your career and the organisation you work for to move on.
Now take action: How can your current job draw on more of what you can offer?
WHEN THE JOB IS A DEAD END: When you are not learning anything new, not getting opportunity to perform new tasks, having limited opportunity for advancement and growth. Also where your job requires you to do everything by the book and thereby stopping you from ‘owning’ it and adding value. In such situations, it’s worth discussing with your manager, how you might enrich your job. If this does not yield any useful prospects it might be time to start looking for a job better suited to your needs.
A COMPANY’S THAT’S GOING NOWHERE: If Management of where you work is unfocussed, pays lip service to developing your potential, not interested in your initiative, you could be caught in the drift. Good management will believe that staff need to be supported to grow for the organisation to do the same. So if you feel like your organisation is going nowhere, that whether you achieve anything in your job or not is ‘no big deal’ it may be time to go work for a company that cares about that.
APPEAL OF A FRESH CHALLENGE: You don’t want to become a relic. So don’t supress a desire to do something new. This may not automatically mean that you leave your job. You could take on roles outside your organisation such as join a Board or even run your own business or project on the side. If multi-tasking is not your thing, then moving on to another job is something to consider. Be clear about what you want in a new role; otherwise you might jump from frying pan to fire.
WHEN YOU LONGER CARE: Signs that you might have lost interest in your job includes watching the clock, complaining often, becoming easily distracted and just finding it difficult to be excited about what you do. I am not talking about feeling this way from time to time but when this becomes regular. When this happens it’s only fair to you, your career and the organisation you work for to move on.
Now take action: How can your current job draw on more of what you can offer?
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Make your work more meaningful
Ever felt like your work was too mundane, does not contribute to anything worthy of note or simply unfulfilling? What would make you feel proud at the end of each day of work? It takes having a new perspective on your job and seeing what you might do to make it more fulfilling. Here are some thoughts;
BE CLEAR WHAT MEANINGFUL WORK IS TO YOU : What is a great job to one person is a lousy one to another. Understand what engages you and take ownership of the work and full responsibility for executing tasks. Take charge of the ‘how’ of getting your work done so that you can be more creative side. Accept that achieving job satisfaction is your responsibility.
SHARE IN THE PROCESS OF LEADERSHIP: Note I did not say ‘position’ of leadership. Process means you act like a leader and do your best with whatever you are entrusted with. Don’t take a ‘checklist’ approach to your work because the things that are impactful require personal leadership, not ticking off tasks. Being in a job that makes you feel lousy can be stressful so find a way to inspire yourself, be inventive and push your boundaries. Don’t be a stereotype.
UNDERSTAND YOUR ‘WHY’: We all tend to put energy and passion into what is important to us, things that speak to our values. When you know what makes you tick, you can set high expectations for yourself knowing you are committed to doing whatever it takes. Cover the basics on any job but reject the mundane-ness. Approach your work with purpose and bring your best efforts to it.
BELIEVE IN YOUR VALUE: Sometimes we move away from what we are good at naturally, to pursue roles that come with status but which we’ll at best be ‘average’ at. Believe in your strengths and use them. Build a reputation as someone comfortable in your own skin with a sense of mission. Constantly evaluate yourself so as to be continuously resourceful.
Now take action: What can you do to become more excited about your work?.
BE CLEAR WHAT MEANINGFUL WORK IS TO YOU : What is a great job to one person is a lousy one to another. Understand what engages you and take ownership of the work and full responsibility for executing tasks. Take charge of the ‘how’ of getting your work done so that you can be more creative side. Accept that achieving job satisfaction is your responsibility.
SHARE IN THE PROCESS OF LEADERSHIP: Note I did not say ‘position’ of leadership. Process means you act like a leader and do your best with whatever you are entrusted with. Don’t take a ‘checklist’ approach to your work because the things that are impactful require personal leadership, not ticking off tasks. Being in a job that makes you feel lousy can be stressful so find a way to inspire yourself, be inventive and push your boundaries. Don’t be a stereotype.
UNDERSTAND YOUR ‘WHY’: We all tend to put energy and passion into what is important to us, things that speak to our values. When you know what makes you tick, you can set high expectations for yourself knowing you are committed to doing whatever it takes. Cover the basics on any job but reject the mundane-ness. Approach your work with purpose and bring your best efforts to it.
BELIEVE IN YOUR VALUE: Sometimes we move away from what we are good at naturally, to pursue roles that come with status but which we’ll at best be ‘average’ at. Believe in your strengths and use them. Build a reputation as someone comfortable in your own skin with a sense of mission. Constantly evaluate yourself so as to be continuously resourceful.
Now take action: What can you do to become more excited about your work?.
Friday, April 13, 2012
Give soul to your CV
A CV is the first opportunity to sell yourself to a prospective employer. It must be a selling tool that shows the benefits of hiring you; not just a summary of your experience but an advertisement of your achievements and potential. A CV must be;
CONCRETE AND VALUABLE: There’s usually a lot of ‘too good to be true’ stuff people put on CVs. Granted that the better you look on your CV the more likely you’ll get that interview opportunity. But the CV must be based on substance. Any claims you make must be properly backed up. So where-ever you are or doing now make yourself as valuable as possible so that you can gather this type of evidence for your next CV update.
CREDIBLE AND VIVID: Organizations are looking not just for people who can do again what they have done before ( which is what most CVs communicate) but people who are enterprising and can develop and present new solutions. Whatever job you’re doing now put your own twist on it so that it’s more interesting for you and also delivers better results. Don’t’ feel the need to create the impression in your CV that you have all the answers but that you know how and where to get answers you need.
CONFIDENT AND VIBRANT: Use every opportunity to continue to build your skills so that you CV shows a trend of a growth towards higher level skills, of a person who always stays current. Be responsible for your own learning so that you ensure this professional growth is within your control. Your aim is to be able to come across as talented, focused, resourceful and results-driven.
COMPETITIVE AND VITAL: You should never forget the purpose of the CV. It needs to be strong on its own but also can compete compared to others’ going after the same job. Ensure the CV speaks to the responsibilities of the job, to show you are more than capable. Think; what makes you unique, where do you stand out over others and reflect that in the CV.
Now take action: How does your CV match up to the above? Update it
CONCRETE AND VALUABLE: There’s usually a lot of ‘too good to be true’ stuff people put on CVs. Granted that the better you look on your CV the more likely you’ll get that interview opportunity. But the CV must be based on substance. Any claims you make must be properly backed up. So where-ever you are or doing now make yourself as valuable as possible so that you can gather this type of evidence for your next CV update.
CREDIBLE AND VIVID: Organizations are looking not just for people who can do again what they have done before ( which is what most CVs communicate) but people who are enterprising and can develop and present new solutions. Whatever job you’re doing now put your own twist on it so that it’s more interesting for you and also delivers better results. Don’t’ feel the need to create the impression in your CV that you have all the answers but that you know how and where to get answers you need.
CONFIDENT AND VIBRANT: Use every opportunity to continue to build your skills so that you CV shows a trend of a growth towards higher level skills, of a person who always stays current. Be responsible for your own learning so that you ensure this professional growth is within your control. Your aim is to be able to come across as talented, focused, resourceful and results-driven.
COMPETITIVE AND VITAL: You should never forget the purpose of the CV. It needs to be strong on its own but also can compete compared to others’ going after the same job. Ensure the CV speaks to the responsibilities of the job, to show you are more than capable. Think; what makes you unique, where do you stand out over others and reflect that in the CV.
Now take action: How does your CV match up to the above? Update it
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Overcoming temporary incompetence
When you start a new job or join a new company you will experience what I am calling temporary incompetence. You will have to learn quickly so that you can start doing well what’s expected of you. Here are some things to do early on.
MEET YOUR MANAGER: Your manager may schedule a meeting in which case you should take full advantage of it. Don’t be timid; find out the responsibilities of the job, expected standards, how she or he would like you to communicate with them and keep them informed of progress. Don’t panic at the sound of anything that seems difficult or overwhelming. You’ll find out soon enough where to get help.
KNOW WHO IS WHO: Find out all the key players; and note that not all will necessarily be just the big title holders. Know who are the gatekeepers, the informal leaders, the influencers and the ‘go-to’ people; all those from whom you can get a quick overview of how the organisation works, people who will prove helpful over the long haul. Find out which roles in the organogram interact with yours; understand these functions and how you can work well together. If your job includes working with external partners, find out who the top 10 contacts are and go meet them.
OBSERVE, OBSERVE, OBSERVE: Listen to what people have to say in order to gain some insight into your new environment but observe yourself and form your own opinions. What are the problems, the issues, what’s celebrated, how do the politics play out?. Ask questions, and yes, including the ones you think are silly. Resist the edge to join any cliques or to be too opinionated in what you have to say.
MAKE FEEDBACK YOUR FRIEND: Seek feedback on what you do especially on how you can you can improve the tasks you are given. Let colleagues know that you want to learn and are very open to their comments. Use your ‘honeymoon’ period, usually the first 3-6 months (depending on the organisation) when you are allowed to make loads of mistakes, to adjust and keep getting better.
Now take action: How can you respond better when you don’t know what to do?
MEET YOUR MANAGER: Your manager may schedule a meeting in which case you should take full advantage of it. Don’t be timid; find out the responsibilities of the job, expected standards, how she or he would like you to communicate with them and keep them informed of progress. Don’t panic at the sound of anything that seems difficult or overwhelming. You’ll find out soon enough where to get help.
KNOW WHO IS WHO: Find out all the key players; and note that not all will necessarily be just the big title holders. Know who are the gatekeepers, the informal leaders, the influencers and the ‘go-to’ people; all those from whom you can get a quick overview of how the organisation works, people who will prove helpful over the long haul. Find out which roles in the organogram interact with yours; understand these functions and how you can work well together. If your job includes working with external partners, find out who the top 10 contacts are and go meet them.
OBSERVE, OBSERVE, OBSERVE: Listen to what people have to say in order to gain some insight into your new environment but observe yourself and form your own opinions. What are the problems, the issues, what’s celebrated, how do the politics play out?. Ask questions, and yes, including the ones you think are silly. Resist the edge to join any cliques or to be too opinionated in what you have to say.
MAKE FEEDBACK YOUR FRIEND: Seek feedback on what you do especially on how you can you can improve the tasks you are given. Let colleagues know that you want to learn and are very open to their comments. Use your ‘honeymoon’ period, usually the first 3-6 months (depending on the organisation) when you are allowed to make loads of mistakes, to adjust and keep getting better.
Now take action: How can you respond better when you don’t know what to do?
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Get on the radar of decision makers
The common assumption is that if you do your job well, you will get opportunities for advancement. However, in addition to good performance you need to show that you have the mind-set and maturity to move higher by doing the following;
SEE THINGS HALF FULL: When faced with problems or difficult situations, look for what’s working rather than what’s not. Do not overstate what’s not working. This does not mean that you deny the reality of what is happening but rather that you choose to be optimistic by maintaining a positive outlook on issues.
GO BEYOND THE JOB DESCRIPTION : Go beyond your prescribed role to see where you can contribute more by applying other skills you might have or contributing your energies to other organisational projects. Stay aligned with how your organization is evolving so that you can adapt accordingly and remain relevant. Also familiarize yourself with how decisions are made and priorities decided so that you are in a position to prepare to take advantage of potential opportunities.
MOVE THINGS CONSISTENTLY FORWARD: Determine to break out of any ruts and not to allow any difficult situations to remain unresolved. Bring new ideas and solutions to the table. Demonstrate that you can adjust to change, work through challenging times and make your voice heard. Acknowledge even little steps of progress. Take some positive risks to make your workplace a better environment.
DON’T WEAR YOUR FRUSTRATIONS ON YOUR SLEEVE: Be level-headed; increase your self-awareness and reflect on your own behaviour especially how you react when you feel pushed outside your ‘preference or comfort zone’. When people sense that you are too emotional or panic easily they may not take you seriously. Make sure your actions are worthy of the business setting.
BE A THINKER AND A SAFE PAIR OF HANDS: Show that you are fully invested in the organization and its future; that you are capable of leading and inspiring new perspectives in others, challenging processes that no longer work and can be counted on to do important work well and promptly.
Now take action: Make a plan for developing the above ‘competencies’.
SEE THINGS HALF FULL: When faced with problems or difficult situations, look for what’s working rather than what’s not. Do not overstate what’s not working. This does not mean that you deny the reality of what is happening but rather that you choose to be optimistic by maintaining a positive outlook on issues.
GO BEYOND THE JOB DESCRIPTION : Go beyond your prescribed role to see where you can contribute more by applying other skills you might have or contributing your energies to other organisational projects. Stay aligned with how your organization is evolving so that you can adapt accordingly and remain relevant. Also familiarize yourself with how decisions are made and priorities decided so that you are in a position to prepare to take advantage of potential opportunities.
MOVE THINGS CONSISTENTLY FORWARD: Determine to break out of any ruts and not to allow any difficult situations to remain unresolved. Bring new ideas and solutions to the table. Demonstrate that you can adjust to change, work through challenging times and make your voice heard. Acknowledge even little steps of progress. Take some positive risks to make your workplace a better environment.
DON’T WEAR YOUR FRUSTRATIONS ON YOUR SLEEVE: Be level-headed; increase your self-awareness and reflect on your own behaviour especially how you react when you feel pushed outside your ‘preference or comfort zone’. When people sense that you are too emotional or panic easily they may not take you seriously. Make sure your actions are worthy of the business setting.
BE A THINKER AND A SAFE PAIR OF HANDS: Show that you are fully invested in the organization and its future; that you are capable of leading and inspiring new perspectives in others, challenging processes that no longer work and can be counted on to do important work well and promptly.
Now take action: Make a plan for developing the above ‘competencies’.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Shake off boredom on the job
It’s not uncommon to experience spells of boredom on your job; but staying bored could undermine your career. Working to get out of a ‘boredom rut’ is worth the effort; because it helps you avoid the ‘routineness’ that undermines growth.
Here are some suggestions for overcoming boredom.
ACT SWIFTLY: When you are bored you cannot afford to stay put otherwise your mind will ‘shut down’ or go into ‘recession. This will obviously not bode well for remaining relevant in your organisation or marketable in the job market. Avoid staying in the same job for too long especially where you are doing the same thing.
LOOK FOR NEW RESPONSIBILITY: Find assignments that will push you to become more alert, to apply your skills in different ways and most importantly to get new mental stimulation and new tasks that will shift you out of your old mindsets. You may even consider revising your daily schedule so as to suit your energy levels to how taxing the tasks are.
WORK WITH PEOPLE UNLIKE YOU: This may feel uncomfortable but it’s a good way to challenge your thinking, to learn from how others think. Go out of your way to interact with people very different from you in outlook, in skills-sets, in interests. This is likely to give you new perspectives and enable you interact in ways that stretch you.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW: Learning a new skill for example is always an excellent use of time and effort. The learning opportunities available may not be what you are interested in or be directly related to your job; but go for it anyway because getting out of the stagnation is the more important thing.
CHANGE JOBS: Where there’s little scope to try new things in your job, it may be time to explore opportunities for another job within the organization or failing that in another company. The longer you stay stuck in a rut, the more difficult it’ll be to get out and the more challenging it’ll be to deliver what is expected of you or advance.
Now take action: Identify two ways for staying ‘fresh’ on your job?
Here are some suggestions for overcoming boredom.
ACT SWIFTLY: When you are bored you cannot afford to stay put otherwise your mind will ‘shut down’ or go into ‘recession. This will obviously not bode well for remaining relevant in your organisation or marketable in the job market. Avoid staying in the same job for too long especially where you are doing the same thing.
LOOK FOR NEW RESPONSIBILITY: Find assignments that will push you to become more alert, to apply your skills in different ways and most importantly to get new mental stimulation and new tasks that will shift you out of your old mindsets. You may even consider revising your daily schedule so as to suit your energy levels to how taxing the tasks are.
WORK WITH PEOPLE UNLIKE YOU: This may feel uncomfortable but it’s a good way to challenge your thinking, to learn from how others think. Go out of your way to interact with people very different from you in outlook, in skills-sets, in interests. This is likely to give you new perspectives and enable you interact in ways that stretch you.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW: Learning a new skill for example is always an excellent use of time and effort. The learning opportunities available may not be what you are interested in or be directly related to your job; but go for it anyway because getting out of the stagnation is the more important thing.
CHANGE JOBS: Where there’s little scope to try new things in your job, it may be time to explore opportunities for another job within the organization or failing that in another company. The longer you stay stuck in a rut, the more difficult it’ll be to get out and the more challenging it’ll be to deliver what is expected of you or advance.
Now take action: Identify two ways for staying ‘fresh’ on your job?
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Managing former peers
Promotion to manager is great news but when that elevation puts you in charge of former friends and peers things can get very tricky. Your greatest challenge is to reinvent yourself from peer to ‘boss’. How? Here are some suggestions.
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR NEW ROLE IS: People management is a different professional relationship so be clear about the job and what you’ll need to step up on. There is no reason why you can’t continue to be a peer in your social interactions. On the job however, you need to make sure the relationship allows you to be able to treat all of your reportees fairly.
DON’T PRETEND NOTHING HAS CHANGED: Don’t just plunge in and start working. Have a conversation with your direct reports as soon as possible and communicate how you expect to operate; get their feedback on your planned approach, find out their expectations and what their suggestions are for making the new relationship work. You are now going to be overseeing their work and need to be confident that you’ll be friendly but professional in your dealings.
ESTABLISH YOUR AUTHORITY SMARTLY. This may feel like walking a tight rope. Whatever you do, don’t flaunt your authority or use it to settle scores with former peers you did not get along with. However, use the understanding you have of your (former) peers, their concerns, their fears and their motivations to build trust with them. Listen and empathize and be careful you don’t make assumptions about what you think they may be saying to you or thinking because you believe you know them.
REFRAME THE PERSONAL ERELATIONSHIPS: This is important so that you don’t sacrifice genuine friendships as the price of promotion. Accept though that in many cases the relationships will have to become less personal at work. How well you make this transition will be your biggest test of your new promotion. Show that you can do the job by deftly handling your people management responsibilities.
Now take action: What would you do differently if you were to manage your peers?
UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR NEW ROLE IS: People management is a different professional relationship so be clear about the job and what you’ll need to step up on. There is no reason why you can’t continue to be a peer in your social interactions. On the job however, you need to make sure the relationship allows you to be able to treat all of your reportees fairly.
DON’T PRETEND NOTHING HAS CHANGED: Don’t just plunge in and start working. Have a conversation with your direct reports as soon as possible and communicate how you expect to operate; get their feedback on your planned approach, find out their expectations and what their suggestions are for making the new relationship work. You are now going to be overseeing their work and need to be confident that you’ll be friendly but professional in your dealings.
ESTABLISH YOUR AUTHORITY SMARTLY. This may feel like walking a tight rope. Whatever you do, don’t flaunt your authority or use it to settle scores with former peers you did not get along with. However, use the understanding you have of your (former) peers, their concerns, their fears and their motivations to build trust with them. Listen and empathize and be careful you don’t make assumptions about what you think they may be saying to you or thinking because you believe you know them.
REFRAME THE PERSONAL ERELATIONSHIPS: This is important so that you don’t sacrifice genuine friendships as the price of promotion. Accept though that in many cases the relationships will have to become less personal at work. How well you make this transition will be your biggest test of your new promotion. Show that you can do the job by deftly handling your people management responsibilities.
Now take action: What would you do differently if you were to manage your peers?
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Learn 'lines' that take you upwards
The way up is hardly linear or straightforward. But if you want to rise certain skills can help you get there. Infact often, you must show you have those skills before getting a shot at that higher job. Here are a few to start developing.
BOTTOM-LINE RESPONSIBILITY: These are usually functions with big direct impact on business results for good or bad. Bottom-line roles call for competencies such as leadership, financial wisdom, sound decision making and judgement, problem solving, customer relationship development. No single job will give you these at a go so look for opportunity to work on projects to build these skills and to work with individuals who will challenge you and help you step up.
'LINE OF SIGHT' ABILITY: This is ability to connect the dots, to achieve synergy by finding a way to see how things are linked or can things work together. It’s drilling down and focusing on things really makes a difference; identifying the most important issues in a complex situation and coming up with concrete practical actions from what might seem like a ‘maze’
LINE MANAGEMENT: Managing others is challenging and rewarding at the same time. It’s the opportunity to enable others to do their best job and fulfil their potential. By managing others, you effectively become a ‘multiplier’ with responsibility and opportunity to motivate better individual performance and influence the development of the most important resource of any organisation- employees.
CAPACITY TO 'DRAW THE LINE': The higher you go the better able you should be to make the tough decisions, take the risks and chart a way forward. You will hinder your effectiveness if you agonise over too much detail or fail to sift through the clutter and make choices about what matters. There will always be grey areas to work through but don’t get stuck there. Ask for help and make progress rather than leaving things unresolved.
Now take action: Identify one way to start developing one of the above skills
BOTTOM-LINE RESPONSIBILITY: These are usually functions with big direct impact on business results for good or bad. Bottom-line roles call for competencies such as leadership, financial wisdom, sound decision making and judgement, problem solving, customer relationship development. No single job will give you these at a go so look for opportunity to work on projects to build these skills and to work with individuals who will challenge you and help you step up.
'LINE OF SIGHT' ABILITY: This is ability to connect the dots, to achieve synergy by finding a way to see how things are linked or can things work together. It’s drilling down and focusing on things really makes a difference; identifying the most important issues in a complex situation and coming up with concrete practical actions from what might seem like a ‘maze’
LINE MANAGEMENT: Managing others is challenging and rewarding at the same time. It’s the opportunity to enable others to do their best job and fulfil their potential. By managing others, you effectively become a ‘multiplier’ with responsibility and opportunity to motivate better individual performance and influence the development of the most important resource of any organisation- employees.
CAPACITY TO 'DRAW THE LINE': The higher you go the better able you should be to make the tough decisions, take the risks and chart a way forward. You will hinder your effectiveness if you agonise over too much detail or fail to sift through the clutter and make choices about what matters. There will always be grey areas to work through but don’t get stuck there. Ask for help and make progress rather than leaving things unresolved.
Now take action: Identify one way to start developing one of the above skills
Monday, February 13, 2012
Hold your own during change
Change is difficult especially when it’s coming at you full speed and you feel you have no control over it. What you cannot afford is to be a ‘passenger’ during change. Here are ways to respond right from the start.
CONFIRM HOW THE CHANGE AFFECTS YOU: Even though change in an organisation tends to affect a lot of people, your priority is understand the change and how it’ll affect you whether directly such as your role changing or indirectly through impact on your team.
HAVE A VISION OF WHAT YOU'D LIKE: When you understand how you are likely to be affected by the change, investigate what your options, opportunities or even what the costs to you are. Reflect on these and keep close to the process so that you know how things are unfolding and what decisions you need to be making.
ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN'T CHANGE: Focus on what is possible and have a positive attitude. This can challenging especially if change is not going to be beneficial; but you must find a way to do so because if the change happens you don’t want to lose out by getting stuck on what you can’t influence.
NEVER SEE YOURSELF AS A VICTIM: Sometimes it can feel very much like that. Allow yourself to deal with any difficult emotions you may be feeling, frustration, even anger (don’t throw any objects please. Make sure you are working out a forward direction amidst the change.
GROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORT: A change process can be complicated whether it affects you directly or not. It helps to create a support network to help you adjust. It might help to get someone to look at the situation from a detached position and to help you adapt your perspective in a way that's helpful.
ENGAGE OPENLY AND HONESTLY: Don’t sit on the fence. Engaging can take many forms from playing an active role in the change process to simply sharing your honest opinion about what’s going or staying open to how the change unfolds.
Now take action: What one thing can you do to handle change better?
CONFIRM HOW THE CHANGE AFFECTS YOU: Even though change in an organisation tends to affect a lot of people, your priority is understand the change and how it’ll affect you whether directly such as your role changing or indirectly through impact on your team.
HAVE A VISION OF WHAT YOU'D LIKE: When you understand how you are likely to be affected by the change, investigate what your options, opportunities or even what the costs to you are. Reflect on these and keep close to the process so that you know how things are unfolding and what decisions you need to be making.
ACCEPT WHAT YOU CAN'T CHANGE: Focus on what is possible and have a positive attitude. This can challenging especially if change is not going to be beneficial; but you must find a way to do so because if the change happens you don’t want to lose out by getting stuck on what you can’t influence.
NEVER SEE YOURSELF AS A VICTIM: Sometimes it can feel very much like that. Allow yourself to deal with any difficult emotions you may be feeling, frustration, even anger (don’t throw any objects please. Make sure you are working out a forward direction amidst the change.
GROUND YOURSELF WITH SUPPORT: A change process can be complicated whether it affects you directly or not. It helps to create a support network to help you adjust. It might help to get someone to look at the situation from a detached position and to help you adapt your perspective in a way that's helpful.
ENGAGE OPENLY AND HONESTLY: Don’t sit on the fence. Engaging can take many forms from playing an active role in the change process to simply sharing your honest opinion about what’s going or staying open to how the change unfolds.
Now take action: What one thing can you do to handle change better?
Sunday, February 5, 2012
What kind of team mate are you?
Premium is placed on team-working in the workplace and rightly so. But when we think of team work many tend to think about others and whether they are team players. I believe for strong teamwork to happen, we must start with ourselves. So how do you assess if you a team player? Below are some thoughts.
YOU ARE RELIABLE AND ACCOUNTABLE: Because you want you and colleagues to succeed. You are helpful, loyal and able to positively reinforce the impact of the team. Sometimes, this might mean for example knowing a little more than your area of core responsibility in order to give an informed perspective, be a sounding board for a colleague, make choices that are considerate of others or help out when colleagues are in distress trying to meet deadlines.
YOU EARN CONFIDENCE AND TRUST: Because others have faith in your ability to do your part of the team task on time and to the standard required; to pull together with the team, soak the pressure that might come with any work overload, working out the most time efficient way to get assignments done and working with minimum supervision and sticking to commitments.
YOU SHOW EMOTIONAL MATURITY: By giving credit where it belongs, not taking things personally, managing your own morale, improving your communication style and receiving constructive feedback graciously. Also not acingt in a way that suggests that you see your job as more important compared to others’, being the colleague you expect others to be, not being quick to judge others or place too much importance on your own opinions in team decision making.
YOU ARE SELF-MOTIVATED: By setting self-imposed deadlines and demonstrating a strong organised effort, push and energy to do what it takes to get things done; moving forward on your own initiative, demonstrating enough drive to set your own ground rules and live by them, anticipating needs of the team, showing ambition to perform, focusing on what matters and being highly productive.
Now take action: Identify one way in which you can become a better team player
YOU ARE RELIABLE AND ACCOUNTABLE: Because you want you and colleagues to succeed. You are helpful, loyal and able to positively reinforce the impact of the team. Sometimes, this might mean for example knowing a little more than your area of core responsibility in order to give an informed perspective, be a sounding board for a colleague, make choices that are considerate of others or help out when colleagues are in distress trying to meet deadlines.
YOU EARN CONFIDENCE AND TRUST: Because others have faith in your ability to do your part of the team task on time and to the standard required; to pull together with the team, soak the pressure that might come with any work overload, working out the most time efficient way to get assignments done and working with minimum supervision and sticking to commitments.
YOU SHOW EMOTIONAL MATURITY: By giving credit where it belongs, not taking things personally, managing your own morale, improving your communication style and receiving constructive feedback graciously. Also not acingt in a way that suggests that you see your job as more important compared to others’, being the colleague you expect others to be, not being quick to judge others or place too much importance on your own opinions in team decision making.
YOU ARE SELF-MOTIVATED: By setting self-imposed deadlines and demonstrating a strong organised effort, push and energy to do what it takes to get things done; moving forward on your own initiative, demonstrating enough drive to set your own ground rules and live by them, anticipating needs of the team, showing ambition to perform, focusing on what matters and being highly productive.
Now take action: Identify one way in which you can become a better team player
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Unlearn what no longer works
Learning new things is important for one’s career but so is unlearning things that may be retarding your progress; habits, attitudes, knowledge, ways of doing things and that may be stalling your advancement. Not easy to do- here are ways to start.
IDENTIFY YOUR SACRED COWS: These are the beliefs, ideas etc you hold dear but which no longer are helpful. How often do you ask if the way you’re doing something is as effective as it was when you started doing? What critical feedback will you reject because you have decided in advance it’s unjustified? What tasks will you not let go off because you believe its best done a certain way? Where do you need to be more open-minded in order to shed what no longer serves you?
THINK LIKE A BEGINNER: It’s good to pride ourselves in what we know but sometimes an attitude of ‘I am the expert’ can get in the way of weeding out stale, unfruitful thoughts, knowledge and attitudes. When you go over things with a ‘fresh innocent’ mind, you are able to identify blockages and ask basic questions that challenge your status quo, leave the dysfunctional behind and enable you move yourself forward.
STICK WITH WHAT GROWS YOU: Be committed to growth so much so that you can be ruthless with things that take you back. Your past success even in the same environment may not necessarily be a predictor of future success. Stay curious and use the principle of growth to judge what’s useful to you or not.
BE A WORK IN PROGRESS: Unlearning things you’ve done for a long period takes time and so does developing an attitude that is willing to prune any ‘dead wood’. So don’t feel you have to unlearn whatever overnight. Avoid getting into auto-pilot mode so that you don’t revert to the old things. Adopt ‘alternatives thinking’ which will make it easier for you to identify and weigh options and be able to let go what does not work.
Now take action: Identify one thing you need to start unlearning this month
IDENTIFY YOUR SACRED COWS: These are the beliefs, ideas etc you hold dear but which no longer are helpful. How often do you ask if the way you’re doing something is as effective as it was when you started doing? What critical feedback will you reject because you have decided in advance it’s unjustified? What tasks will you not let go off because you believe its best done a certain way? Where do you need to be more open-minded in order to shed what no longer serves you?
THINK LIKE A BEGINNER: It’s good to pride ourselves in what we know but sometimes an attitude of ‘I am the expert’ can get in the way of weeding out stale, unfruitful thoughts, knowledge and attitudes. When you go over things with a ‘fresh innocent’ mind, you are able to identify blockages and ask basic questions that challenge your status quo, leave the dysfunctional behind and enable you move yourself forward.
STICK WITH WHAT GROWS YOU: Be committed to growth so much so that you can be ruthless with things that take you back. Your past success even in the same environment may not necessarily be a predictor of future success. Stay curious and use the principle of growth to judge what’s useful to you or not.
BE A WORK IN PROGRESS: Unlearning things you’ve done for a long period takes time and so does developing an attitude that is willing to prune any ‘dead wood’. So don’t feel you have to unlearn whatever overnight. Avoid getting into auto-pilot mode so that you don’t revert to the old things. Adopt ‘alternatives thinking’ which will make it easier for you to identify and weigh options and be able to let go what does not work.
Now take action: Identify one thing you need to start unlearning this month
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Job seeking? here's a heads up
Once upon a time, the most important thing about finding a new job was passing the interview. Still true but other things have become as important. Here are a couple of things to pay attention to and get right.
CHOOSE REFERENCES CAREFULLY: When you ask someone to be your reference, you are asking them to put their reputation on the line for you. Some references have cost people jobs so make sure your referee genuinely believes in you. Choose referees you’ve worked closely with, maintained a good relationship with, preferably someone who can discuss your skills and experience in relation to the position you’re applying for. Consult referees before putting them down so that they agree and are not caught off guard when contacted. Remind them of your achievements and of the value you have provided in previous jobs. Remember to thank them and let them know the outcome of the interview.
WATCH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA TRAIL: These days employers can google candidates to learn more about them. Social media is where you let down your hair but fact is it’s out there for all to see; so follow the unwritten rules for anything that’s put in in 'black and white'. Think before you post. Vent if you feel you need to but do so without name calling, using foul language or creating a negative picture of who you are. Ever googled yourself? If what you see doesn't portray you accurately, may be time to reflect more of the real you
KNOW WHAT THE COMPANY WANTS: You want a job but to have a good shot you must understand what the employer needs. Successful job seekers understand that what the employer needs is what matters. So study the organization before showing up for that interview, what problems are they facing? What solutions can you offer? Besides qualifications, what organizations look for are whether you’ll do the job or will be a good fit so find ways to respond effectively to these aspects.
Now take action: Review your references and ensure they are fit for purpose
CHOOSE REFERENCES CAREFULLY: When you ask someone to be your reference, you are asking them to put their reputation on the line for you. Some references have cost people jobs so make sure your referee genuinely believes in you. Choose referees you’ve worked closely with, maintained a good relationship with, preferably someone who can discuss your skills and experience in relation to the position you’re applying for. Consult referees before putting them down so that they agree and are not caught off guard when contacted. Remind them of your achievements and of the value you have provided in previous jobs. Remember to thank them and let them know the outcome of the interview.
WATCH YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA TRAIL: These days employers can google candidates to learn more about them. Social media is where you let down your hair but fact is it’s out there for all to see; so follow the unwritten rules for anything that’s put in in 'black and white'. Think before you post. Vent if you feel you need to but do so without name calling, using foul language or creating a negative picture of who you are. Ever googled yourself? If what you see doesn't portray you accurately, may be time to reflect more of the real you
KNOW WHAT THE COMPANY WANTS: You want a job but to have a good shot you must understand what the employer needs. Successful job seekers understand that what the employer needs is what matters. So study the organization before showing up for that interview, what problems are they facing? What solutions can you offer? Besides qualifications, what organizations look for are whether you’ll do the job or will be a good fit so find ways to respond effectively to these aspects.
Now take action: Review your references and ensure they are fit for purpose
Monday, January 9, 2012
Take a long term perspective
Long term perspective is the amount of time you take into consideration when determining present actions. If you want your career to develop well you have to take a long term view and act in line with that approach.
START WITH THE END IN MIND: Have a long term goal. Hard work helps but making the right choices is crucial. For example if your aim is to be a senior executive in a financial services firm in the next 5 years, spending the next 3 years in the fashion industry might not necessarily help you develop the top end skills you need.
BE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE: Bear the good ‘pain’. For example foregoing buying that new item so that you can take that professional magazine subscription instead? Or skipping your favourite movie and for a mind-enriching conversation?. These ‘sacrifices’ increase your value and improve your future opportunities
THINK THROUGH CONSEQUENCES: Before you implement decisions. You won’t be able to determine the impact of every decision but neither should you just do things anyhow. Ask yourself; what will happen if I don’t take that action? How can I minimise any potential negative consequences? Why is the decision the best course of action?
THINK AND WORK STRATEGICALLY: Focus only on high priority and high value activities and spend sufficient time on them. Practice forward thinking and pursue what’s consistent with your values and what you are trying to achieve. Don’t just do what comes to mind or what you feel like doing in the moment but things that will move you forward.
PRACTICE SELF DISCIPLINE: This is getting yourself to take action regardless of without you feel like doing it or not. Tough call but without behaving in a disciplined way, you are likely to derail. So have a plan that has specific targets, take stock regularly so that you can improve and without fail do something daily to support your goals.
Now take action : Write down you want to achieve in the next 3 years.
START WITH THE END IN MIND: Have a long term goal. Hard work helps but making the right choices is crucial. For example if your aim is to be a senior executive in a financial services firm in the next 5 years, spending the next 3 years in the fashion industry might not necessarily help you develop the top end skills you need.
BE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE: Bear the good ‘pain’. For example foregoing buying that new item so that you can take that professional magazine subscription instead? Or skipping your favourite movie and for a mind-enriching conversation?. These ‘sacrifices’ increase your value and improve your future opportunities
THINK THROUGH CONSEQUENCES: Before you implement decisions. You won’t be able to determine the impact of every decision but neither should you just do things anyhow. Ask yourself; what will happen if I don’t take that action? How can I minimise any potential negative consequences? Why is the decision the best course of action?
THINK AND WORK STRATEGICALLY: Focus only on high priority and high value activities and spend sufficient time on them. Practice forward thinking and pursue what’s consistent with your values and what you are trying to achieve. Don’t just do what comes to mind or what you feel like doing in the moment but things that will move you forward.
PRACTICE SELF DISCIPLINE: This is getting yourself to take action regardless of without you feel like doing it or not. Tough call but without behaving in a disciplined way, you are likely to derail. So have a plan that has specific targets, take stock regularly so that you can improve and without fail do something daily to support your goals.
Now take action : Write down you want to achieve in the next 3 years.
Practice self-conversations
Happy 2012! I want to share with you one habit that I think will help you throughout the year– Self-conversation. Here are my three questions to get you started.
WHAT DO I BELIEVE IS POSSIBLE FOR ME?: What are the things you wish for but never see happen? Maybe time to reflect on it again?. What do you need to achieve it? Which ones do you already have and which do you needed to develop? Whose support do you need? What wrong habits are stopping you that you need to drop? Think again; that ‘big goal’ may be within your reach as long as you go after it.
WHERE DO I NEED TO SHOW MORE COURAGE?: Usually it’s not skills or habits or even lack of ambition that stands in the way but fear or a lack of confidence or belief that based on where you are now you cannot go after that big vision; you can’t even imagine yourself doing that. Of course you can; ask yourself what would you do if you were being courageous? What would you do that you are not doing now? Don’t think courage has to be about doing something mighty. Maybe for you it’s just having the courage to speak up more so your opinions count. So take that action and see what happens.
WHAT BAGGAGE DO I NEED TO OFFLOAD? These are things that worked for you in the past and which you are holding onto but which no longer work. It could be not being open to a new way of doing things because you’ve always done things a particular way or perhaps having a certain image of yourself, of what you can or not do? Indeed, anything you are holding onto that prevents you from moving forward or restricts your progress is baggage. Identify these and make a deliberate decision to leave them behind and unlearn attitudes that are holding you back.
Now take action: Identify baggage you need to drop.
WHAT DO I BELIEVE IS POSSIBLE FOR ME?: What are the things you wish for but never see happen? Maybe time to reflect on it again?. What do you need to achieve it? Which ones do you already have and which do you needed to develop? Whose support do you need? What wrong habits are stopping you that you need to drop? Think again; that ‘big goal’ may be within your reach as long as you go after it.
WHERE DO I NEED TO SHOW MORE COURAGE?: Usually it’s not skills or habits or even lack of ambition that stands in the way but fear or a lack of confidence or belief that based on where you are now you cannot go after that big vision; you can’t even imagine yourself doing that. Of course you can; ask yourself what would you do if you were being courageous? What would you do that you are not doing now? Don’t think courage has to be about doing something mighty. Maybe for you it’s just having the courage to speak up more so your opinions count. So take that action and see what happens.
WHAT BAGGAGE DO I NEED TO OFFLOAD? These are things that worked for you in the past and which you are holding onto but which no longer work. It could be not being open to a new way of doing things because you’ve always done things a particular way or perhaps having a certain image of yourself, of what you can or not do? Indeed, anything you are holding onto that prevents you from moving forward or restricts your progress is baggage. Identify these and make a deliberate decision to leave them behind and unlearn attitudes that are holding you back.
Now take action: Identify baggage you need to drop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)