Month: October 2012

Posted on

Moving to a New job or Company? Do It Right!

happy-black-male-candidate-getting-hired-got-job

Don’t say hello to your new job until you say a warm good bye to your old one.

There’s a lot to think about when you change jobs whether it’s because of a promotion, or a department change, or a move to a new organization. It’s an exciting time, but what can you do to make the transition go smoothly for you, and easier on the people you leave behind?

What should you do before you leave? Here’ are nine practical actions for your ‘to do’ list:

  1. Bring your projects up to date.You can’t always complete every project before making a transition, but if you finish as much as you can, this will make life easier on the person who takes your place.
  2. Prepare a report for your replacement. Detail what this person needs to know: future projects, who your clients are (and their contact information), tasks you recently completed, and how you did them and anything else that’s important.
  3. Share ‘inside’ information. Think about what you know now that you didn’t know when you started this position. For example, if you’re in charge of ordering supplies, it might have taken you months, or years, to figure out which vendors give the best deals. Or there may be an administrative procedure that saves you time.
  4. Take a copy with you. When you move departments, take with you to the new job an electronic copy of all the documents you prepare for the old job, containing details of where the files are, and the status of ongoing projects, etc. If your successor hasn’t started by the time you leave, or if the new person loses the background material you left behind, you’ll be able to help quickly, with a minimum of annoyance to you, when they track you down to ask about files and project status.
  5. Help train your replacement. If you have the opportunity, this will ease the stress on both your boss and the person taking over from you. If your replacement hasn’t yet been chosen, consider briefing another team member who may temporarily take your place.
  6. Contact key business associates. Let clients, vendors, and other key people know when your last day is, and whom they should contact after you’ve gone. Then they won’t be confused or frustrated if they try to reach you, and weren’t told of the personnel change.
  7. Don’t brag. Don’t boast about your new position, say how happy you are to ‘get out of here,’ or talk about your higher salary. This is likely to leave a bad impression with your co-workers. Remember, they’re the ones staying behind. Be considerate.
  8. Don’t make enemies on your way out. Keep your negative impressions about your boss, co-workers and peers to yourself. Also don’t bad mouth the company – it’s policies or programs. Leave with a good impression.
  9. Say ‘thank you’ . If there are people who helped you at work, thank them. Be specific. For example, you couldn’t have completed a project without someone’s expertise.

Career Success Tip:

Job transitions can be stressful. However, by taking the time to prepare for closure, you can reduce the impact on both you and your team. Leave a good impression and don’t make any enemies on your way out. Remember, you never know when you might work with your former team members or boss or peers again. So don’t burn bridges that may come back to haunt you.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?
Posted on

Technical Writing And Work Instructions

A lady writing instructions to be followed

We are all always learning and thinking. I came across a new expression and/or synonym for Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that Technical Writers create that I was not familiar with. It’s called Work Instructions (WI) or Job Instructions (JI), and I thought I would give a short post on this newly discovered item.

In a previous post, I described SOPs as procedures that are defined on a higher level. It is a set of approved guidelines consisting of procedures or processes that have to be followed from beginning to end. Having an SOP standardizes tasks and eliminates confusion about performing tasks or functions. They provide instructions on what has to be done. But the processes that are to be followed are sometimes called Work or Job Instructions.

I think I can clarify Work/Job Instructions as directions that provide detailed step-by-step functions/tasks that have to be accomplished. Work/Job Instructions are the sub parts of the Standard Operating Procedures.

Here’s a simple example: How do you start a car?

The SOP states that to start a car, you first have to turn on the engine. You must first take the key and insert it into the car, followed by placing your foot on the brake and taking it out of park. The WI/JI, on the other hand, will tell you to insert the key, and with the key between your thumb and forefinger, twist the key forward till you hear the engine rev up. It will also advice you not to take the key out. Then the next detailed steps will be listed.

Hence, the WI (JI) spells out or outlines each procedure within an SOP and as with any procedure, be sure you include the following items:

Purpose –the overview and reason behind this process, the objective or goal, and expected result.

Resources – the individuals responsible for particular tasks (i.e., project manager, developer, marketing, tester, staff assistants, etc.) including whom to notify, etc.

Procedure –the steps and the list of items needed to complete the task (i.e., equipment, files, tools, security, visual aids, etc.)

Make use of SOPs and WIs (JIs) as they are necessary to ensure standardization and consistancy of a company’s best practices and solutions. By creating and applying these documents, there will be a reduction in time and effort, misunderstandings, risks, and of course a decrease in cost for the organization.

And as always, both the Standard Operating Procedures and the Work/Job Instructions ensure quality work and that is what is important. Note: – there are currently a bunch of tools available to assist in creating Work Instructions as well as Job Instructions. These tools include training as well as templates to assist you in creating the documents. Research and investigate them to find a suitable one for you.

Posted on

Just 3 Rules

business-people-meeting

One of the most business applicable concepts from the science of complex adaptive systems is that of emergence – the way a chaordic system produces order from apparent chaos. An example of this is the movement of a flock of birds or a school of fish. For a dramatic view of starlings flocking, watch www.vimeo.com/31158841. Notice how new members join seamlessly, how the flock divides, explores the sky, and comes crashing back together only to set of in a new direction without loss of momentum or injury!

Flocking results when a few simple rules are applied to a large number of independent, moving individuals producing coordinated behavior. Moviegoers have seen the results of computer programmers’ use of three flocking rules to create the coordinated movement of bats and penguins:

  • Keep up with your neighbors
  • Don’t bump into another
  • Don’t stray too far from the group

The key to flocking is that each individual is free to choose their own course of action based on a few simple rules, hence their application to business. These rules must be designed to allow individuals to navigate the local dynamic environment and yet maintain their connection to the group as a whole.

Synchronizing Organizational Activities using Flocking

To make this real, let’s examine continuous improvement and create simple rules that capture its essence using Mike Rother’s book Toyota Kata as a guide.

Rule #1: Improve today in order to improve tomorrow.

Flocking rules are based on the interactions between the behaviors of individuals, or at least those behaviors that allow individuals to be part of the flock. Rother points out early in the book (p.38) that the Toyota Continuous Improvement Kata is fundamentally a philosophical stance – an infinite game (see James Carse) one that seeks to continue the game (improving) rather than win (solve a problem). This rule provides direction and vision without defining or determining what is happening “on the floor.” It sets up the key managerial action that Toyota employs for Continuous Improvement, go and see (p.135). The rule also creates a bounded space in which employees and managers can determine “how to do” something rather than try to define “what to do” (p.51).

Rule #2: Let the target condition, not the desired outcome, define the problem.

This replaces the concept that problems define the improvement. “[The] target condition is a description of a process operating in a way – in a pattern – required to achieve the desired outcome [a target].” (p. 103) The context that this rule creates help managers and employees find and use real obstacles that emerge from the process as a means of achieving the ideal state described by the target condition. (See p. 82-84 for a good example of this.) “It is the striving for target conditions via the routine of the improvement kata that characterizes what we have been calling ‘lean manufacturing’.” (p. 101) This rule focuses behavior without defining it.

Rule #3: Only work on what you need to work on.

This rule is complex and applied to diverse situations because it captures human activities (teamwork) as well as activities of work. For example, if a team cannot move forward in deciding how to design an integrated assembly line, the first target condition may be the team’s ability to think collectively rather than the design of the line (p. 108-111). A second example of using this rule asks: who needs to know? When posting work standards (p. 114) who is actually using this information – the manager or the line. Toyota believes it is the manager, so that they can “see what the true problems are and where improvement is needed.” The final example of this rule is its application to creating the target condition (p. 117-121). Rother emphasizes the need to accept a target condition that is vague when you don’t fully understand the current situation that is producing the obstacles you’re facing. By working on understanding the situation first the details of the target condition become clearer and options remain open even while specificity emerges.

Rule #4: Notice what does not go as planned.

Try as I might, continuous improvement needed four rules! As each step in continuous improvement is taken the “system responds” allowing learning and future steps to emerge. To make the most of this, managers need to see small problems or inconsistencies early and constantly experiment with production. These weak signals are moments of surprise that trigger a go and see inquiry as well as a rapid prototyping experiment. Key to this rule is to attend to the signal immediately while the experience is fresh and a quick experiment can be constructed to test your hypothesis.

Test these four rules of flocking and write your own. See what they teach you about how to lead by instilling new behaviors on your organization.

Rother, Mike. Toyota Kata: Managing People for Improvement, Adaptiveness, and Superior Results. McGraw Hill, New York, 2010.

Reynolds, Craig. Flocks, Herds, and Schools: A Distributed Behavioral Model. Published in Computer Graphics, 21(4), July 1987, pp. 25-34.

Carse, James. Infinite Games. The Free Press, New York, 1986.

Posted on

Special Events: Two Perspectives

Colleagues discusiing about an upcoming special event

(A Pair of Postings from two of this blog’s regular contributors)

Fund-Raisers are not Friend-Raisers
by Tony Poderis.

I have always held that special event fund-raisers must/should be just that, fund-raisers, not friend-raisers. There may be exceptions, but we cannot count on the exception for successful fund-raising.

To my way of thinking, it is poor fund-raising strategy to put on an event with the expectation of having attendees become good prospects for future giving. This is not very likely when those in attendance often have little real interest in the organization’s mission; are attending an event held at a site other than the organization’s location; and are eating, drinking, and socializing.

Relationship building is further limited by the added distractions of cocktailing, dining, auctions, other spending opportunities, and entertainment. Even if informational handouts are supplied, a video of the organization’s services is shown, or some other display of what the organization does is presented, the exposure is fleeting at best and has little lasting impact.

Just two weeks ago my wife and I were at a non-profit’s Gala to inaugurate its new performing home. While eagerly waiting to dig into the tantalizing dinner, two or three of the organization’s officials took center stage to tell us how the new facility came about, who made it possible, and the added value of what the organization will bring to the community. We were seated at a table for ten, and I can state with no exaggeration that there was a steady, though perhaps rude, rolling of twenty eyes as the “education” and “cultivation” efforts of the evening droned on and on.

From the hard lessons we learned over time with our orchestra’s fund-raising events, we finally realized that event attendees were there only or mainly to make social and business contact and have a good time. They just wanted to have fun.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Every Event Should Be An Opportunity….
by Natalie Shear

It is not often that I feel compelled to respond to one of my fellow bloggers, but Tony struck a nerve.

Based on my 30+ years as an Event Planner, I must disagree with the idea that it is “a poor fund-raising strategy to put on an event with the expectation of having attendees become good prospects for future giving.” To the contrary !!

As with anything else, the right event at the right time with the right motivation can be a good way to gain prospects for the future. Keep in mind that people love events and love to socialize and network as part of the “in crowd,” not to mention having their pictures taken with some of the other “important” guests … strong reasons for spending another night at another fundraiser!

Obviously an event is not the best place for a long-winded spiel about the nonprofit, but it is and should be the place for a very brief, cleverly produced video that makes the audience sit up and take notice – it’s a lot harder to ignore a visual presentation than to ignore a speaker.

And, forget the handouts, unless you like to see your materials strewn across the ballroom floor when the place has emptied-out. There are, however, more effective alternatives to handouts — alternatives designed to make an impression well after the “tantalizing” dinner memory is long gone.

You might, for example, send a photo of the person (prospect) with some of the other guests along with a lovely note thanking them for attending. That little warm and fuzzy photo can be followed up at a later date with an invite to a briefing, or to a small, intimate gathering at someone’s home to hear a speaker, or meet an author, or enjoy a special dinner prepared by a new chef in town!

Look around your community and see what you can offer that is new and different and enables you to woo the prospects.

And, while you’re wooing, your development staff is busy researching each likely prospect to learn about these people’s interests, what other groups they support and, most important, what-or-who got them to attend your event.

In other words, any event can be a cultivation opportunity and just because people are having fun does not mean they have no interest in a bit of education (presented appropriately of course). If the exposure time at the event is fleeting, then you had best find a way to making a lasting impact even after the fun is over.

Just don’t lose the opportunity to identify and cultivate potential new constituents.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
You can learn more about Tony, and find many in-depth fundraising articles on his website: Raise-Funds.com
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
To read about Natalie, check out her website: Natalie Shear Associates, and take a look at Natalie’s ebook on Special Events
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
If you would like to comment/expand on the above, or would just like to offer your thoughts on the subject of this posting, we encourage you to “Leave a Reply” at the bottom of this page, click on the feedback link at the top of the page, or send an email to one-or-both of the authors of this posting.