Author: Marcia Zidle

“How can I sell this idea to my boss?”

That’s a question I often hear as a career coach. It usually comes from someone seeking to lead from the middle.

Influencing up to obtain additional resources, or to impact a staffing decision, or to extend a deadline, or whatever requires both a business rationale and an artful pitch.

Here are four steps for influencing your boss and convincing him that it makes good sense to consider your idea or request:

1. See the world as your boss sees it.

It’s impossible to sell an idea without understanding your audience’s perspective. What matters to your boss and to your boss’s boss? If they are under the gun to cut costs, then frame your idea in terms of reducing expenses. If customer satisfaction is a hot issue, then frame your idea as a means to improve customer satisfaction. Remember the focus of your “pitch” depends upon the boss’s priorities, not yours.

2. Tune into your boss’s communication style.

Think about how your boss likes to receive information. Does he want to hear a narrative of the idea or does he prefer to see the numbers first? Develop a presentation that plays to his needs. Also be aware of what are good times and bad times to make your “pitch”. Be attuned to his schedule, his demands and how much is on his plate.

3. Make it real and relevant for your boss.

There is nothing more powerful than taking your boss to the heart of the action. If you want to improve customer service, invite her to a customer focus group to hear the need first hand. If you are pushing to purchase new equipment, bring him to the factory and show how it can cut waste.

4. Be the messenger they believe not kill!

If you want to lead up, you must be perceived as competent, capable and connected. So, how are you perceived by your boss, your boss’s boss and even your peers? Are you considered a rising or falling star? What can you do right now to increase or enhance your personal credibility?

Do you have a great idea that you want to “pitch” to your boss or to a key decision maker? Test it out on this blog and get my feedback.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Have you lost that “loving” feeling?

You’ve survived the layoffs, cut wages, reorganizations and other company changes. You‘re stressed out, fed up and ready to bolt.

On the other hand, the economy is going nowhere, the analysts aren’t sure if we’re in recovery, recession or something in-between and you’re being told “you have a job, be happy.”

So, should you stay or leave? Before you make that critical career decision, take a deep breath, assess your situation and do a cost benefit analysis.

First, consider the reasons to stay. For example:

1. Relationships matter more than money.
You may think you can find a job that will pay you more, but you will be leaving behind a wealth of relationships. When weighing your options, don’t forget the value of the network, the friends and professional colleagues you have now.

2. You are doing well compared to your peers.
Research shows that many people under estimate their skills and their prospects and over estimate others. Take the time to do a realistic assessment of what you have to offer and its value in today’s marketplace.

3. The grass is not always greener.
People, who are desperate to get out of a job, tend to see potential opportunities only outside their company. They enthusiastically take a new job and then realize they’ve gone from the preverbal frying pan into the fire.

Now, consider the reasons to leave. For example:

1. Your relationship with your boss is damaged beyond repair.
You have tried to mend it but you’re getting stonewalled. Yes, she may be a jerk but she is the boss and in a power struggle, you will probably lose.

2. Your values are at odds with the culture.
For example, your company is hierarchical and you want more influence over your job. It’s very hard for one person to change a culture unless he’s the CEO or has been brought in to change things.

3. Your stress level is way off the charts.
It’s affecting your physical or mental health and your relationships with family and friends. You’re burnt out, burnt up and dread going to work.

So what will it be – stay or leave?

In looking at the reasons to stay and the reasons to leave, which will have the best impact on your personal and career satisfaction? What will provide you with the most benefit today? What about tomorrow?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Are you learning new shots or skills every single day?

Jack Nichlaus was asked if there are really talented golfers who never make it. “Oh, hundreds of them”, he replied. “A lot of people out there are more talented than I am and yet, through the years, I’ve passed them by. That’s because I never was satisfied with my game. I was learning new shots every single day.”

It’s up to you to make sure you are continually improving, growing, and learning every day. It’s up to you to make sure you never go out of style! It’s up to you to take charge of your professional development. Here’s how.

1. Have a learning perspective.

Be on the lookout for teachable moments. Approach each learning experience, whether you want to be there or not, with the questions: What can I learn? What one or two things can I take away that I can use immediately? Who else would find value in this learning?

2. Benchmark your skills periodically.

Do it at least once a year. For those in a fast moving profession or industry every three months may be required. In other words, what’s in your work portfolio? Is it filled with skills or competencies that are up-to-date and sought after? Or, is it filled with skills which are obsolete and not very portable?

3. Create a learning plan.

Pinpoint specific skills and knowledge that you need to acquire or up-grade. Then identify the professional development activities that are available to you. They can include mentor relationships, special assignments at work, in-house and public seminars, professional conferences, on-line courses, university education, books, journals, blogs, etc.

Are you learning every day?

I hope so. If not, you may find yourself a professional dinosaur…out of touch, out of skills and out of work. Just as a company invests in its own research and development, you need to invest in your own career growth and development. Remember, as you never outgrow your need for milk, you never outgrow your need for professional development.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Mistakes happen but no one likes to make them. And certainly very few of us like to admit to them.

The good news is that mistakes, even big ones, don’t have to leave a permanent mark on your career. Here’s how you can recover quickly and use the experience to learn and grow.

1. Fess up.

Trying to hide a mistake or downplay its importance can be fatal to your career. Be candid about the mistake; take responsibility for your part in it; and start rectifying the situation. If the mistake is a big one, it’s best to schedule a one on one meeting with your boss as soon as possible to brief him / her on what happened, why it happened, and what you are planning to do. The key is to not get defensive, point fingers or blame others.

2. Learn from it.

According to Paul Schoemaker, co author of Brilliant Mistakes, “If you are going to pay the price for making the mistake, you need to get the learning.” Take time, after the storm, to reflect on lessons learned: What was the situation? What did I, or my team, do? What was the outcome? What could have been done differently?

If the error was a result of a poor decision, explain to your boss and other interested parties how you will avoid making the same, or a similar misstep, in the future. You have to respond quickly before people make judgments about your competence or expertise. You need to get on top of it, get ahead of it and deal with it.

3. Get back in the saddle.

It’s hard to rebuild confidence after slipping up. The key is to not let your errors make you afraid of being innovative, taking risks and finding better ways to do things. If the mistake made people question your expertise, get out there to rebuild their trust. Once the mistake is behind you, focus on the future. Winners win more frequently than losers because they stay in the game.

Here’s what one manager I worked with said about employees, especially new ones, who make a mistake because of lack of experience. “Who among us doesn’t make mistakes? I love employees who fess up, treat the mistake as a learning moment and move on. I don’t want them to stop experimenting or holding back because of fear of making another misstep. Therefore, I have to accept a mistake now and them so that they will keep learning and performing well.”

4. Turn your mistake into a valuable moment of personal leadership.

• What recent mistake have you made at work or in your personal life?
• How would you rate that mistake on a scale from 1 (minor, little fall out) to 5 (that was a whooper)?
• What did you learn about yourself and perhaps others?
• What might you have said or done differently?
• How can you incorporate this learning going forward?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Are you looking for more than just a better job?

Rather, you’re seeking a more rewarding profession, one that better aligns with your skills, interests, values, and plans for the future. It will not happen overnight. It will take reflection, planning and motivation. Here are five tips for making the transition into a new, rewarding career.

1. First be sure of your reasons.
Just because you’re unhappy in your current job isn’t a strong enough reason to make a total career break. Carefully analyze whether it is your actual career you dislike or whether the problem is your employer, supervisor, or workplace environment. If you’re unhappy with your boss or the politics of the job, an option is to stay with your career choice and try to find another department or division to work in. However, after much soul searching, you truly feel you would be happier in another career, then start looking.

2. Decide what’s important.
Take an honest inventory of your likes and dislikes, and evaluate your skills, values, and personal interests. You may want to consider consulting a career coach or taking a career assessment to determine what is the right career for you. Many people who want to change careers do so to find a balance between their personal and professional lives; to get the juices flowing again; or to achieve a better mix of meaning, money and motivation.

3. Check your qualifications.
Do you have the necessary experience and education to be considered a qualified candidate in another career field? If not, then find a way to bridge the credentials gap. This might mean making your goal more long-term while you go back to school or receive additional training.

Also, don’t expect to begin at the same level of seniority in your new career that you held in your old one. You probably will have to take a lower level job to gain the requisite skills and then move up the ranks. You must realize that it’s not starting at the bottom but really starting from a place that will give you mobility for career growth and, most importantly, career satisfaction.

4. Look before you leap.
Be sure to examine all possibilities before attempting a career change. Do information interviewing with people who are actually in that career field. Test the waters to see if you would like that work by volunteering or by doing free lance work. You can also meet with a career management professional to guide you so that you make a wise career choice. You do not want to jump from the frying pan (your present career) into the fire (a career that does not meet your expectations).

5. Update your job search skills.
When was the last time you looked for a job? If it’s been 5, 10 or more years ago, then it is especially important to polish up your job-hunting skills and techniques before you get out there. I’ve seen too many good people fail because they made the following mistakes:

They quickly put a resume together without focusing on what they are “selling”; they primarily looked on line for open positions rather than networking; they did not prepare for each interview thinking they can “wing” it; and they felt uncomfortable in self – promotion (it’s on my resume, why do I have to explain what I did?”)

Career Success Tip

Keep in mind that a successful career change can take several months, or longer, to accomplish. The keys are specific plan, a lot of patience and an attitude of perseverance.

What has been your experience in career change? What were some roadblocks you faced and how did you overcome them?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Do you play bumper car or smart networking?

Bumper car networking is when you show up at a meeting or social function, bump up to someone for a couple of minutes, talk about this or that, hand out your business card and say something like: “Let’s get together some time.”

Now smart networking is different. Its focus is on building relationships, not just contacts. Here are seven tips to help you connect with people, develop meaningful conversations and, most importantly, advance your career.

1. Come prepared.

Have two or three openers that you can use with a variety of people you meet. That way, you won’t fumble for something to say when you first meet someone.Some examples: “What drew you here today? “Have you seen any good movies lately?” “What did you find particularly interesting about the presentation?”

2. Create an agenda.

People often dread small talk situations because they say, “I don’t know what to talk about.” Actually the problem is that there have too much to talk about—an entire universe of topics—not nothing to say. Narrow down your conversation options by making two lists.

• On the “get” list put who you want to meet or what you want to learn more about.
• On your “give” list put your areas of expertise, interesting information, people you know, etc.

3. Listen and learn.

Once you’ve asked your opening question, listen patiently to the person’s answer. Allow the speaker to elaborate without rushing to jump in. Be thinking, “What does this person need? What’s on my “give” agenda?”

4. Focus your attention.

Avoid the canned nod-and-smile approach with eyes roaming the room to see who else is there. Continue to ask engaging questions. If you’re friendly and genuinely curious, others will feel comfortable talking with you.

5. Find common ground.

Only after the person has told “his story”, then share your thoughts and experiences. If you find something you both can relate to, that establishes a bond that can lead to further exchanges. Be open to the magic of where the conversation can take you.

6. Ask for their help.

Most people enjoy helping others. Therefore what is it that you want to “get”? Use your agenda to find someone who has written an article you’ve enjoyed, or can introduce you to the speaker, or give you ideas for your upcoming project.

7. End with the next step.

If you want to continue the relationship, conclude with what you’re going to do next or what you expect of the other person.

• “I‘ll send you the article we’ve been talking about.”
• Let’s set up a time when we can get together to talk further.”

Career Success Tip

Preparation, a focused agenda and a genuine interest in others are the keys to smart networking that builds relationships, not just contacts. Think back to a recent networking event you attended. Did you play bumper car or smart networking?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Many think of it as a 50-50 arrangement. I carry 50% of the responsibility for my career development and my employer carries 50%. Yes, in theory, but not in reality. Here’s the rub.

What an employer considers 50%, you may consider only 10% and be dissatisfied. And what you feel is your 50% contribution, may be considered a measly 20% by your employers. This leads to mismatched expectations and employee/employer frustrations.

The Bottom Line:

If you are concerned about your career advancement, as you should be, then take complete ownership of it. These are some of the things you could do to take charge of your career:

1. Build your career capital.
Career capital consists of your qualifications, experience and reputation. It requires investments of time and resources to grow. Find workshops and trainings that would enhance your capabilities. Don’t assume your organization has no money for professional development – you won’t know unless you ask. However, you may need to do it on your own time or even with some of your own money. Realize this is an investment in your future.
2. Be known and be seen.
Take the initiative. Ask your manager for the opportunity to lead a task force or take on a project outside of your job duties. For example, head a committee recommending personnel policy changes, facilitate the next staff meeting or make a presentation to upper management or the board. It’s not only who you know or who knows you but, most importantly, who knows and is impressed by what you can do.
3. Find a mentor.
You need to have someone who can introduce you to people, give you strategic career advice and help you learn from his or her mistakes. Mentors don’t have to be in your organization. Look around your community. Who is doing interesting work? Who inspires you? Develop a relationship first before popping the mentor question.
4. Work with a coach.
While a mentor can help build your network and give advice, a coach can build your skills and help you develop a winning career strategy. That person can also work with you on the leadership or managerial challenges you’re currently facing so that you don’t make career fatal mistakes.
5. Above all, make sure you perform well.
You can do all the other stuff, but if you do not deliver, sooner or later you will trip up. So step number one in your career development is to do what you are currently doing to the very best of your ability and with all your energy – even if it is not yet what you ultimately want from your career.

Your career is your responsibility.

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. So, to take charge of you career, set time aside to answer these questions:

• What can you do right now to enrich your present job or assignment?
• What career options can you start exploring for challenge, variety, or greater personal satisfaction?
• What internal training courses or external seminars can you participate in for professional development?
• Are there off-the-job experiences that could enhance your portfolio of skills and your reputation as a leader?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Are you in this situation? You and your boss just don’t seem to connect and work well together. It isn’t that you are having knock down fights. It’s just that you know things could be better. You don’t want to look for another job. So you have to figure out how to make it work.

Here are seven guidelines for managing your boss so that your career won’t get stalled or sidetracked.

1. Know thy boss.
No two people think alike or work alike. No two bosses either. Your job is to find out her specific expectations – not to reform her, reeducate her or make her conform to what the management books recommend. For example: Does she want me to come in once a month and spend 30 minutes presenting the plans and performance of my team? Or does she want me to come in every time to report even when there’s a slight change?

2. Don’t hide.
It’s natural to yield to the tendency to minimize interaction with people we don’t see eye to eye with. Reducing your daily contact can cause a further loss of trust and respect on both sides. And a lack of communication can foster misunderstanding, mistakes and more problems.

3. Have perspective.
If you resent working under a manager you don’t like, you might perform below your abilities. Don’t let yourself fall into that trap. It could be a career killer. Rather, try to see what possible good there is if you let go of your frustration or anger. The boss can leave, you may get transferred to a more promising area or you may find that he or she wasn’t so bad after all.

4. Don’t bad-mouth.
Handle disagreements with your boss with particular care. Let him know of your concerns and suggest other alternatives or ideas. Support your manager’s position in public as much as you can and do you best to make polices and decisions work, rather than try to subvert them.

5. Avoid war at all cost.
The painful reality is that the boss has better access to power and influence at the top. If you take on this person, chances are you will lose. Management could very well stand behind the incompetent boss to avoid having its own hiring abilities called into question.

6. Make the boss look good.
Go to him or her and ask: “What do I and my people do that helps you do your job? And what do we do that makes life more difficult for you?” You need to find out what your boss needs and what gets in the way. Also, realize it is in your self interest to make the boss successful.

7. Keep the boss in the loop.
Bosses, after all, are held responsible by their own bosses for the performance of their people. They must be able to say: “I know what Anne (or Joe) is doing.” Bosses don’t like surprises!

How well do you manage your boss? What are some of the issues that won’t seem to go away? How can you do it better to get better results?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

Does this sound familiar? You’ve spent the last several years working hard but never seem to get ahead. You’ve avoided the corporate ax, all right. You’ve seen others come and go and, at times, you’re grateful just to have a job.

But there are some moments when you cannot help but admit that you feel let down. Why aren’t you getting ahead? Here are 7 tips to get your career back on track and moving forward.

1. Take a hard look at where you are.
Are you getting paid a salary that is commensurate with your contribution to your company? Can you point to a list of successes that somehow added to the company bottom line or mission?

If not, start looking for opportunities to quickly upgrade your skills or take on more responsibilities or solve an ongoing problem. It’s important to be seen as a valuable asset – an indispensable employee.

2. Take a hard look at where your company is.
Perhaps your lack of progress is tied to the adverse conditions affecting your organization. How is your department doing? How is the rest of the company doing? What are its short and long term prospects? Is it time to move on?

3. Identify any wrong turns.
Have you taken a job in the past that somehow took you off into another direction, away from your goal? Figure out how you can use that detour to your advantage. Start plotting you way back to the main road.

4. Assess what you’re selling.
Update your accomplishment file. Look at it from the perspective of a potential employer, even if that’s your present employer. What skills and achievements do you bring to the table? How do you compare to your peers and more importantly to the emerging leaders? What do you need to do to enhance your competitiveness?

5. Strengthen inside contacts.
In selecting them, think primarily about two types. Those who can best promote your interests and those who are in a position to know where the potholes and opportunities are in the organization. It’s valuable to have strong ties with people in both groups.

6. Gets your name on projects.
The first thing is to get appointed to or even volunteer for projects, task forces or short term assignments. Focus on work that will give you quick results and visibility throughout the organization.

7. Strengthen outside contacts.
Keep in touch with people in your own and related fields. Go to lunch with colleagues, attend conferences and join professional groups. Bring back information to your boss, try out new techniques that can impact your department, or even give a class on something you’ve learned.

Career Success Tip

It may become apparent that your best opportunity lies outside your present organization. It may be time to move on. However, look before you leap. The grass may, or may not, not be greener someplace else.

Well it’s time to stop thinking about it; it’s time to start doing something about it. What are you going to do to get your career back on track?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

How can you ramp up quickly and start getting results?

There are few career moments as exciting, and these days as perilous, as being promoted from an individual contributor to a manager. Here are seven career tactics with quotes from professional who have successfully moved into management.

1. Begin your transition before you start the job.
What are the key challenges? Which functions are strong, and which ones need to be overhauled? What are your expectations in the first month, after 6 months, within a year? Use that information to develop an action plan from day one.

“The interview process is where you start. That’s where you begin asking questions to find out what it will take to be successful.”

2. Acknowledge what you don’t know.
Identify those around you who are the experts and don’t be afraid to lean on them. No one expects an incoming manager to know everything. And there is nothing more off-putting to a future team than a know it all boss.

“I had lots of credibility as a manufacturing engineer. But suddenly I was responsible for tool design, fuselage definition, all kinds of areas that weren’t in my background. I had to get up to speed fast.”

3. Be an elephant hunter not an ant stomper.
You can’t fix everything at once despite the pressures that are on you as the new manager. Everyday you must go out hunting elephants, those high priority goals, rather than stomping ants, those tasks that are quick kills but do not put much meat on the table.

“Typically, you can’t do everything you want to do, so you need to make some strategic choices. This is where you begin to align your goals around your organization’s key initiatives.”

4. Target a few early wins.
Nothing succeeds like success. It’s critical for a new manager to create momentum during the transition. Pick some problems the organization has not been able to solve and figure out a way to fix them quickly.

“I didn’t want to solve world hunger in the first three months, but I was looking for a couple of things that would pay immediate dividends. Where I could get the attention of my boss and show her I can be effective.”

5. Keep an eye on the clock.
Make sure your time is used to its best advantage. If you’re like most hard-charging managers, you’ve got a well-articulated to-do list. Now take another look: Where’s your stop-doing list?

“We’ve all been told that managers make things happen and that’s true. But it’s also true that good managers distinguish themselves by their discipline to stop doing anything and everything that doesn’t fit.”

6. Fix your mistakes faster than you make them.
Taking over a top job exposes a new leader to all kinds of pitfalls. Accept that you can’t know everything in your first six months and can’t insulate you from making mistakes.

“The key is to assess yourself and your progress and to be prepared to make your own course corrections as you go along”.

7. Balance the big picture with front line views.
Go where the action is. Get out of your office and walk the shop, retail, plant floors. Talk with your front-line people, your peers, your customers and even your suppliers. They generally will give you the “real” scoop rather than what you tend to hear from your direct reports .

“During my first six months, I visited more than 50 stores and met with more than 500 team members. I knew they could tell me, better than headquarters, what the company needed to do in order to keep on growing.”

Your experience moving into management.

What lessons have you learned that would help the newly promoted? I would enjoy hearing from you.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?