Author: Marcia Zidle

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Career Satisfaction: You Don’t Have to Leave “Home”

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career satisfaction“I love the company, the culture, and the people. The problem is that I’m bored in my current job. Things are too predictable, and you’re not challenged in the way that you used to be. You’re thinking of looking elsewhere.”

Finding a new position within your organization may be easier than searching for a new job at another company. This is because your organization knows you – you have a proven track record and you know the organization with all its quirks. Companies also realize it’s much easier to train an insider than someone brand new. So before jumping ship, here are five things to do.

1. Assess your career goals.
Before you rush into any decision, spend time thinking about your career goals and what you want to accomplish. This helps ensure that you’ll make a move that’s aligned with those goals. See Career Anchors and Career Personality to help you understand what truly inspires you in your career.

2. Create a transition plan.
Write down the new responsibilities you’ll have in your new career. Identify the qualifications or skills that you’ll need, and create a plan to start acquiring them, ideally as part of your present job to give you experience.

3. Look for tasks or projects that will expand your skills.
Even if you have to volunteer or work extra time, these new skills and achievements may help you make your move. Doing a Personal SWOT Analysis will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses.

4. Work with your boss.
Your biggest obstacle might be your boss: he or she might not want to “lose you” to another department. If you’ve been successful in your current role, volunteer to become a mentor for your replacement. Then you can pass along your experience and help your replacement develop the necessary expertise.

5. Be patient.
You might be challenged with a lack of job openings, especially if you work for a flat organization. Don’t give up – career change can take a while to make. Keep working on your transition plan, and continue acquiring the knowledge and skills that you’ll need in your new role.

Career Success Tip

There are benefits to changing careers within your organization, rather than looking for opportunities elsewhere. You already know the company, and you don’t have to leave a workplace that you already like. But changing careers may take time, and it helps to prepare beforehand. Consider the risks of the decision, and analyze the knowledge and skills you’ll need to be successful in your new role. If there are no opportunities right now, focus on relearning what you love about your current career, and find ways to add more challenge and purpose to your work.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Effective Meetings: The Top Three Challenges

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“I hate meetings…they are a waste of time. We just talk, talk, talk…nothings gets done!”

Are you in charge of leading meetings? If so, what are your meetings like? Does real work gets done or is it just talk, talk, talk?

Here are the top three questions that I’m frequently asked by team and project leaders. They involve running productive meetings, keeping them on track and getting work done.

1. “Do you have any tips on encouraging people to be on time to meetings?”
The general rule is to start the meeting on time. This gives the message to people that you are serious about time and meeting management. If you start late, it penalizes the people who make an effort to be there at the designated time. Also, if someone only needs to attend for one particular segment of the meeting, let that person know when that agenda item will be dealt with. Then he doesn’t have to attend the entire meeting, just the part for his input.

Also, research suggests that setting a meeting time that is NOT on the hour or half hour is more likely to result in people arriving on time. For example, consider starting your meeting at 2:10 P.M. rather than 2:00 P.M. It certainly should get the attention of the participants.

2. “We hold regular staff meetings but often we spend a great deal of time on nothing at all. What can we do to be more productive?”
Meetings that occur every week, or on some other regular basis, can be useful provided that there is a clear, important purpose for the meetings. However, this is often not the case. Weekly staff meetings tend to occur simply because that’s the way it’s always been. So if you want to change that here are some things you can do.

Make sure first they are really necessary. Examine the agenda and ask: “Are each of these items essential or can it be handled outside the meeting? Have variety in your staff meetings. Occasionally bring in a speaker, have the meeting off-site, have a celebration, use a film clip or article to generate discussion. Put your creativity hat on and make the meetings interesting.

3. “No matter what we do, our meetings go on and on and on. What can we do to shorten our meeting?”
First, always have an agenda and stick to it. Each agenda item should have a time limit. If you are going over the set time for that item, the group has several choices:

  • The item can be tabled to the next meeting
  • If an agenda item is multi-faceted, then an option is to focus on one or two key aspects and table the remaining parts until the next meeting.
  • The group can decide that this item needs to be dealt with now and extends the time knowing that other items on the agenda may get short-changed or postponed.

Second, it’s important to have ground rules for discussion. For example, some one can “hold the floor” on a single topic or item for a certain time limit that makes sense…two minutes, five minutes and enforce it with a timer. Or someone can speak on any given topic or item two times and that’s it. This prevents talking the topic to death.

Management Success Tip:

As a meeting leader, you wear different hats. You’re the traffic cop making sure everyone gets a turn to speak and controlling the talkers; the director managing the agenda and time so that things get done; the diplomat dealing with inevitable differences of opinion; and the host providing treats, a good atmosphere and occassional fun.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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Career Anchors: What Motivates You?

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career motivationNot everyone is motivated by the same thing. It really is different strokes for different folks.

Some people thrive on being creative and innovative whereas others prefer stability and continuity. Challenge and constant simulation may be important to one person, while creating a work/life balance is paramount to another.

So, what is important to you in your career?

What motivates you to do your best work? To help people answer this questions, Edgar Schein, a specialist in career dynamics, identified eight career anchors that impact career choice and career satisfaction. What are yours?

1. Technical / Functional
Your primary concern is to exercise your talents and skills in your particular technical or functional area. You feel most successful when you are recognized as an expert and are given challenging work rather than being given promotions and raises, although these are important.
2. Managerial
Your primary concern is to integrate the efforts of others and to be fully accountable for results and to tie together different functions in an organization. You welcome the opportunity to make decisions, to direct and coordinate work and to influence others.
3. Autonomy / Independence
Your primary concern is with freeing yourself from organizational rules and restrictions in favor of determining the nature of your work without significant direction from others. You enjoy being on your won and setting your won pace, schedule, lifestyle and work habits.
4. Security / Stability
Your primary concern is to stabilize your career so that you can feel safe and secure or that future events will be predictable. A long term career, geographic stability, good job benefits, basic job security and community involvement are very important to you.
5. Service / Dedication
Your primary concern is to achieve some value (e.g. make the world a better place to live; improve harmony among people; help others, etc.). You tend to be more oriented to the value of your work than to the actual talents or areas of competence involved.
6. Pure Challenge
Your primary concern is to solve unsolvable problems, to win out over tough opponents or to surmount difficult obstacles. The process of winning is most central to you rather than a particular field or skill area.
7. Life Style Integration
Your primary concern is to make all the major sectors of your life work together into an integrated whole. You do not want to have to choose between family, career or self-development. You want a well-balanced life style.
8. Entrepreneurship
Your primary concern is to create something new or different – product or service. You are willing to take risks without knowing the outcome. You have a desire for personal prominence in whatever is accomplished.

Career Success Tip:

Realize that different personal and professional situations bring forward different dominant anchors. For example, people early in their careers may want to develop an expertise and relate to the technical/functional anchor. Later on they may want to be in charge of a department or division and switch to a general managerial anchor. And if life priorities change, they may identify most closely with the lifestyle or service anchors.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Is Conflict at Work Good or Bad?

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Conflict is an inevitable part of life. Conflict is inherent in our differences—in people’s differing backgrounds, perspectives, values, needs, goals, expectations, etc. Here are some common, yet erroneous, beliefs about conflict.

Myth #1:
We tend to think that disagreements and conflicts must always be win / lose situations. “If I don’t win, I lose and YOU win.” Our self-esteem is thus involved and we fight for an issue which may not be that important to us. We need to feel “proven right.”
Myth #2:
If people don’t agree with us, they are against us. And we tend to feel that if someone differs with us on one important issue, we will probably disagree on most issues.
Myth #3:
It is better to avoid and not talk with a person with whom we have had a conflict. It will only make the other person uncomfortable.
Myth #4:
If we disagree or do not understand what someone had said, it is best to ignore the issue, rather than ask for clarification. The problem will probably “go away” if we do not bring it up. Or we may think that everyone else understands what was said, and we do not wish to appear “stupid”.
Myth #5:
We think others can read our minds and know what we are thinking and feeling. We think people understand our suggestions when in fact, they do not. And, we may feel sure we know what the other person is saying when we do not. Consequently, we may be talking at cross purposes and not recognize areas of common interest or agreement.

Yes, conflict can be destructive when it diverts energy from more important activities and issues; when it polarizes people and groups and reduces cooperation .and when it produces irresponsible and regrettable behavior. However, conflict can be constructive when it opens up and improves communication; when it strengthens working relationships and teamwork; and when it leads to better quality decisions and problem solutions.

Mangement Success Tip:

Conflict by itself is neither good nor bad. It’s the way you manage conflict that produces constructive or destructive results. To deal effective with conflict depends on you and your ability to:

  • Stop and understand the situation;
  • Select appropriate / constructive conflict resolution techniques;
  • Start acting in a manner that solves the problem and honors the relationship.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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Getting That Next Promotion

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getting that promotionI do my job faithfully every day and I do it very well. Why is it then I’ve been in the same position for 3 years while others have been promoted?

This is a question from Sharon, a junior accountant at a financial service company. In growing my career and now coaching others, I know that getting that promotion isn’t just about doing what you’re paid to do. It’s not necessarily even about being the best you can be.

What It’s About?

Promotion is about showing that you are ready to take on new or additional responsibilities and also making yourself know to others who can promote you (as your boss) or bring you on board in their department or project. Here are 4 things you can do right now.

1. Look at the big picture.
If you think small, you’ll stay small. But if you think big, as in big picture, if you understand the competitive landscape your company is in, then you’ll come up with ideas and you’ll get noticed. Very few “worker bees” do this…thinking that that’s management’s job. This is one way to stand out from all the other junior accountants and distinguish yourself.

2. Keep your eyes and ears open.
If your company changes direction or your department has been tasked with a an extremely important project, go where the action is. Ask your boss to be on the task force or at least work on part of the project. This is a way to get noticed as well as build your network.

3. Ask for more responsibility.
Notice tasks that are falling through the cracks or are overwhelming your boss who has too much on his or her plate. Point out problems you’ve noticed and possible solutions. Have a plan in mind if you boss says yes so you can quickly demonstrate success.

4. Communicate your desire.
Does you boss know your career goals and what you want to achieve in the next year or two? Don’t wait for your annual review. Start now. Schedule a time to go over your work and how you can grow and develop. Start with skills that you can upgrade, add on, or improve. Ask about projects or positions that would help you professional development. Even ask for mentors.

Career Success Tip:

To prepare for promotion, increase your value to your boss and the company; take on more of the right responsibilities, expand your skill set, network within and outside your department and communicate your promotion goals to others diplomatically.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Building a Winning Team

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Winning teams aren’t created by accident. Rather, the team leaders or manager functions like a coach who recognizes special talents in people and gets them to work together toward a common goal.

The following three steps will help you build a winning team and set it in the right direction.

1. Select the right team members.
You may be called upon to assemble a team of players from different departments to take on a special assignment. Or, you have to pick from your own staff those who should work together on a particular project. Too often, leaders merely assess a project’s demands and select people on technical qualifications. But that approach can fail if the personalities and specific talents don’t mesh.

For example, some people can take a project and run it with little guidance. Others need every detail spelled out. Make sure you have a mixture of necessary skill sets to get the job done. Teams succeed when leaders give as much thought to team relationships as to the tasks that need to be performed.

2. Get the team off to a good start.
The first thing you do is to clarify the big picture and goals. Explain the team’s purpose and how it fits in with the company’s or department’s goals. Team members will then become more motivated and empowered to get involved.

Then explain the “who does what when.” When a team is formed, people often are confused about their particular roles and responsibilities. Get the team immediately involved in setting specific short-term goals. This helps members quickly move from the ‘me’ to the ‘we’ stage of effective teamwork.

3. Maintain involvement and productivity.
 The next step is to determine a set of ground rules of how they will operate together. Team members need to define effective team behaviors. For example, they need to discuss how they will handle conflict, how they will make decisions, how they will deal with certain kinds of problems, like lateness, absenteeism, etc.

Management Success Tip

Look out for these danger signs: Team members don’t take responsibility for their actions or they break into subgroups instead of sharing work or they miss deadlines and lose interest in the work. Have regular scheduled “let’s see how we’re doing” meetings to address issues, conflicts, and uncertainties. Also provide team building and team work skills training.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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My Boss is a Control Freak

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is your boss a control freakDo you have a boss that demands frequent and unnecessary reports or hovers over you to make sure you’re doing things “right” or requires you to wait for his approval on everything before you can move forward?

Four out of five people, managers and workers alike, stated in a recent survey that have had mciro-manger bosses. Here’s are seven tips on how you can survive and even get along with a ‘control freak” boss according to “My Way or the Highway” by Harry E. Chambers.

  1. Work his agenda.
    Determine what’s really important to him and the department. Ask if you don’t know. Then work with him, not against him. to accomplish the specific goals
  2. Don’t wait to be asked for information.
    Find out what he needs to feel confident and comfortable. Then get it to him—ahead of time with a smile.
  3. Give frequent updates.
    If the micro-manager doesn’t visibly see progress, they think work is not getting done. Don’t assume but rather ask how often and in what form he wants progress reports on priority projects.
  4. Regularly review expectations.
    Micro-managers often change their focus and their priorities. Clarify your conversation agreements in a trail of memos and e-mails.
  5. Take the lead on deadlines.
    Be the first to talk—offering a timeline for when you can do a task (not when you can’t). Reassure him by showing how you will get the tasks done on that timeline.
  6. Play by the rules.
    Some micro-managers enjoy catching people in the act. Avoid being an easy target by not following policies and procedures. Just go with it unless it’s illegal or unethical.
  7. Choose your battles.
    The micro-manager will go to war on every issue. Don’t try to match him. Instead, choose the battles that are most important to you.

Career Success Tip:

If you see that your micro-manager boss backs off with some people more than others, then learn from the “best practices” of others. To some this might be considered groveling; to others, it’s knowing how to get along with your boss. Also see Do You Have Boss Problems?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Effective Communication: Getting Everyone On Board The Change Train

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“I didn’t communicate clearly and often enough the changes that had to be made and why they had to be made.”

This manager was talking about the importance of providing a clear road map to his staff about the rationale, direction and steps of the change. What people want from their leaders are answers to these 5 critical questions:

  • Where are we going?
  • Why is this important?
  • How are we going to get there?
  • What is my role and responsibilities?
  • What will success look like?

Are you giving your staff a clear roadmap? Are you communicating regularly about what’s going on? My sense is that there may be a lot of “talk” but not enough quality communication. Here are three tips onto make sure your people get on board the change train.

1. Obtain the many facts surrounding the change.
This is not the time to “wing it”. You must be very clear about the big picture and the small details. What’s changing and what isn’t? What’s going to change right now and what later? What’s the time frame? What other important details do I need to reassure my staff?
2. Decide when and how to communicate the news.
The timing of the communication is very important. Consider when you are at your best as a communicator and when your employees are most apt to be receptive. What is the best time to talk with your staff? Will key people be there? What is the most effective way to communicate the news? Is it n a group meeting or one-on-one or in a memo or email or some other way?
3. Anticipate and address their concerns.
When a manager announces a change, a staff person’s first concern is “How is it going to affect me?” Recognize that while the change is beneficial and needed, there may be legitimate problems and downsides to the change. What questions might be asked about the change? How might you answer these questions and their concerns? What can you do to reassure and encourage your staff about the change?

Management Success Tip:

When the change message is not well-defined and well presented, people tend to respond by sitting on the fence, dragging their feet or even worse sabotaging the change effort. Suddenly milestones are not met, customers are upset and your boss is pounding on your door for better results. Avoid these problems by communicating with your staff early, often and well.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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Career Trends: What You Need to Know So You Wont Be Left Behind

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career advacementWelcome to the new world of work!

Whether you’re just starting out, on the way to climbing that ladder of success or looking for a new job or opportunity, here are three trends from JobMob as well as tips to adapt so you won’t be left behind.

1. Out: The Traditional Career. In: Multiple Careers/Multiple Income Streams
We no longer live in a world of the “lifetime career” and nor can one job serve as a reliable source of income. The writing has been on the wall for a long time.

I remember reading In 1994 William Bridges’ Job Shift: How to Prosper In a Workplace Without Jobs and started talking about the concept of becoming a “career entrepreneur”. In 2001, Daniel Pink followed with Free Agent Nation and in 2007 Marci Alboher reiterated this trend in her book One Person/Multiple Careers.

Career Success Tip:

SWOT yourself. First examine what you bring to the employment table. Review your Strengths (your skills and experiences that can move you from one career to another and your Weaknesses (the lack of skills and experiences that can hold you back. Then look outside your present company and industry. Review the Opportunities (where are the best place to be to further your career) and the Threats (where are the places that could hold back your career). Use this information to plan your next career moves.

2. Out: Full-time Permanent Jobs. In: Contract/Part-time/Consulting Work
The new reality that is hard for most people to fully comprehend and then act o is the following: Every job is temporary and we live in a Freelance economy. You may have a great job today; you may be in career transition tomorrow. Your long term career success will depend on your attitude (your ability to accept reality as it is not as you want it to be) and your aptitude (your ability to retool and reposition your skills for the changing employment scene).

Career Success Tip:

Think portfolio. How many different skills, interests or roles can you leverage to create different careers and income sources? The sooner professionals acknowledge that work today comes in different forms (contract, full-time, part-time, consulting/entrepreneur) the easier one will be able to transition far more easily from one to the next.

3. Out: Company Manages Your Career. In: You Are the BOSS
Just a generation ago, most professionals were told that getting a job with a stable company was the reliable thing to do, and the corporation would “take care of you.” In the new economy, you have been promoted, whether you like it or not, to be the boss of you. In order to do this job well you better be a good career manager, because that’s what you are now.

Career Success Tip:

Take full responsibility for your career. Yes, of course, you manager should have your best interests in mind, but your career development is not at the top of his her daily to-do list. It should be on the top of yours. That’s the only way you will not only survive but thrive in this new world of work.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Priority Management: Focus on the Big Rocks

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“It’s now time for a quiz.” said the speaker to a group of managers.

He pulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed mason jar and carefully placed a dozen fist-sized rocks into the jar. He then asked, “Is this jar full?” Everyone answered “Yes!” “Really?” he said.

He pulled out a bucket of gravel, dumped it into the jar and shook it so that the gravel would go into the spaces between the big rocks. He smiled and asked the group once more, “Is the jar full now?” By now they were on to him. “Probably not,” one said. “Good,” he replied.

Next he brought out a bucket of sand and dumped it into the jar filling the spaces between the rocks and the gravel. Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and filled the jar to the brim.

Finally, he said “Who can tell me the point of this exercise?” One eager beaver raised his hand and said, “The point is that no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit more things into it!”

“No,” the speaker replied, “that’s not the point at all. This exercise teaches this truth: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you will never get them in.

Management Success Tip

It is often hard to focus on the big rocks – managing key priorities – when your day is full of managing crises. Often, too much time and resources seem to be invested in the sand and gravel work of a job. Don’t get me wrong, The sand and gravel work is important. However, is it contributing to the big rocks of your department, team, company or agency.

Readers, what are your managerial big rocks? Do you contribute every single day to moving them forward? I’d be delighted to hear from you about your successes and also your stumbling blocks.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?