Author: Marcia Zidle

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What’s Important to an Employer?

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Experience of course. So is loyalty, dedication and a strong work ethic. However, none of these alone is enough to ensure your job security – that you continue to be employed in the future.

You must add value. That means what you do contributes specifically to your organization’s bottom line. After all, you can work long and hard at counting paperclips – but unless counting paperclips somehow adds to your organization’s bottom line, all of that effort is likely to go unnoticed.

Start Having a Profit –Loss Outlook

Particularly now, organizations need to be lean and efficient. That means they want people who are doing things that create real bottom line value. They want contributors who will provide them with a return on their investment in them.

For salespeople, it’s relatively simple to measure how their work translates to the financial gains – sell more widgets and and increase profits. But for others, it’s not so clear. So, even if your work is far removed from directly generating revenue or decreasing costs, you should have a profit-and-loss outlook. Start by analyzing your job description. What is your job’s overall purpose? State this purpose in a way that relates to an element of the bottom line.

Examples:

  • An accountant is responsible for delivering accurate timely financial reports to senior managers. But how does this add value? Senior managers are better able to make informed strategic choices about the right products and markets leading to revenue increases.
  • A personal assistant is responsible for providing support services to an executive. So, how does this add value? It frees the executive from small or routine tasks, meaning that she can focus on making her business more efficient thereby lowering the cost of
  • A warehouse manager is responsible for ensuring that all orders are shipped on time, and that goods are properly packaged. What value does this add? Customers are satisfied and therefore place more repeat orders, meaning that revenue increases.

Now It’s Your Turn

Start by thinking about profit and loss, regardless of your position, and question the value you add on a regular basis. Don’t assume that merely showing up for work and doing what’s expected will be enough to secure your success. With cutbacks or restructuring, you need to show that your work is well worth your compensation.

Career Success Tip:

Job security does not come from a title or position Rather it comes from the positive impact you have for your department, business unit or company. Developing an awareness and desire to help your organization run effectively as possible is key to your long-term career success. Also see Company Re-organizaton: How to Stay Employed and Don’t Get Caught Up in the Peter Principle.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

  • For more resources, see the Library topic Career Management.
  • Start with the Career Success System.
  • Sign up for Career Power: 101 success tips.
  • Need a speaker? Get the Edge Keynotes-webinars-workshops.
  • Find career and leadership boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
  • Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle career and leadership coach.
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Career Advice For Young Professionals and Leaders

A-man-giving-a-presentation-to-fellow-colleagues-in-a-seminar.

How many of you in college or graduate school had a course, or even a workshop, on managing your career? I bet not many because too many young professionals and emerging leaders come to me for coaching with all kinds of career and leadership concerns.

Career Intelligence #1 gave 20 real world practical ideas about managing one’s career . Here are 20 additional ones gleaned from a conference presentation where the audience was asked “what great advice did they received during their successful career?”

Some quoted a great boss, others a mentor or coach or professional colleague and others a family member – mother, father, sister, brother in law, even a grand mother.

Which ones can you start using right now?

  1. You never get what you deserve just what you negotiate.
  2. You are only valuable to a company when you add value to the company.
  3. Always ask your boss what you can do to make him/her look good to their boss.
  4. The day you stop managing things and start managing people you become a leader.
  5. Do you think he /she (your boss) would turn down a great offer to stay and work with you?
  6. The tough part is not the knowing what you must do but the doing what you know you must do.
  7. Treat people well on the way up as you never know who you will when you are on the way down.
  8. If you remove negativity and embarrassment from your mind, you will be much more successful.
  9. Always know the difference between job monotony and job dissatisfaction before you decide to quit.
  10. Check all activities to see if they are value adders or energy suckers and abandon the energy suckers.
  11. Good managers don’t actually manage? They LEAD. And its corollary: It’s awfully tough to push a rope.
  12. Employee is paid in two coins – by cash and by experience. Take the experience first; the cash will naturally follow.
  13. You don’t have to be friends with the people you work with. You just have to get along with them enough to do your job.
  14. Follow the money trail. (Translation: get aligned with the business groups who are generating revenue for the organization.
  15. If you don’t quickly make decisions about the path you want to take, sooner or later, someone else makes that decision for you.
  16. Accept a job because you want to work for the company, have the experience and because you agree with their values. Bosses leave.
  17. You don’t have to win every argument. Even if you’re right, sometimes it’s better to have the other guy walk away thinking he is.
  18. Only through failure and pain do you really grow. So don’t be afraid to take risks, make mistakes and fail…just make different ones each time.
  19. If you want to be a manager, be aware that you won’t get to play with the toys anymore; you will be looking after the people that play with the toys.
  20. Success is measured in different terms for each of us. It is much more important to do what makes us happy than it is to imitate someone else.

Career Success Tip:

A casual piece of friendly or professional advice, given at a time when you’re open to it and even perhaps need it, can change everything. Career intelligence is relevant no matter what your job function is or what kind of company you work for. Everyone must have career smarts to succeed in today’s workplace. Also see Keys to Career and Life Success, Five Career killers For High Achievers, What Your Career Success IQ?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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How Do We Handle Negative Results From an Employee Survey?

Annoyed-business-partners-arguing-during-meeting

We recently did a survey and were surprised that our employees had negative feelings about their work. They felt frustrated and unappreciated. What should we do?

Congratulations first on taking the time to survey and listen to your employees; second on paying attention to the results, even if they were not what you expected. Without strong positive ties to work or the work experience, employees have little incentive to go the distance or deliver consistently top performance.

So the next step is to understand the reasons for employee negativity. Don’t skip this step or you may be wasting your money, time and credibility by investing in the wrong solutions.

Let’s say that you find out that people don’t feel appreciated because your company tends to reward everyone in the same way. Rewards are most appreciated when they are individualized. Not one size fits all. What delights one person may mean little to another. In addition, people change over time, so that what is rewarding today may not be in the future. To make sure that rewards are genuinely effective in encouraging people, it is worth investing a bit of time in an “armchair analysis” to identify potential rewards for individuals.

Here’s a suggested process:

  • Make a list of feasible rewards you could possibly offer your staff members.
  • Sit back in your armchair with the list and with a particular individual in mind.
  • Review what you know about that individual: the way she likes to work, the kind of work she likes, hobbies, interests, etc.
  • Decide which of the possible rewards would be most appreciated by that individual.
  • Offer one of these rewards the next time you observe good performance and then check the individual reaction

Management Success Tip

Think of this as an opportunity to determine what is most effective for each individual in the team. You may also find that the exercise causes you to become aware of things about the people you work with, that you hadn’t really paid attention to before. Also see How to Encourage Everyone to Do Their Best Work, Five Ways to Motivate Your Best People and Not Break the Bank and Recognize the Importance of Recognition.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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The First Six Months On the Job: What You Need to Do!

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I was once told that the first six months in an organization are the most important. Do you agree? What advice would you give someone entering a new organization?

Absolutely true! the first 6 months in a new job is your opportunity to learn, to be seen, to make a name for yourself and build your brand. This is the time when you will show the organization how right they were by hiring you.

If I were coaching someone, I would recommend that they do several things to get off to a strong start.

  1. Get the lay of the land.
    It’s easier to ask “dumb” questions during the “newlywed” period. Inquire not only about the written rules, but also the unwritten rules in the organization; f find out who the key influencers are and why they are influential; and take time to observe and discover what’s really important to the organization.
  2. Quickly add value.
    Assess what unique skills or talent you bring to bear to address the most critical challenges. Look for quick wins to establish credibility and respect as quickly as possible.
  3. Ensure they have absolute role clarity.
    Two dangerous pitfalls are straying into someone else territory or overlooking some aspect of their responsibility.
  4. Write a broad ‘100 day plan.
    Be sure you get input from your manager and even your employees. It should includes specific strategies as well as how these strategies are aligned with the department and corporate goals.

Career Success Tip:

Realize that joining a new organization requires you to quickly understand and adapt to a new culture, to new people and to a new political arena. It’s not business as usually. It’ may require you to learn new things and to do what you’ve done before in new ways. Also see Tips for Starting a New Job, Making the Right Career Moves Part #1 and Part #2.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

  • For more resources, see the Library topic Career Management.
  • Start with the Career Success System.
  • Sign up for Career Power: 101 success tips.
  • Need a speaker? Get the Edge Keynotes-webinars-workshops.
  • Find career and leadership boosters in the Smart Moves Blog.
  • Copyright © 2012 Marcia Zidle career and leadership coach.
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Employee Retention: How Do We Motivate Good but Jaded Old-Timers

talk-financiers.

“I have over 100 staff nurses and one-third have been here longer than 10 years! This is a stressful environment with long hours and lots of overtime. I need something other than salary increases to hold them here and that they won’t think is stupid or useless.”

Retention of specialized talent in a price-competitive market is always a challenge. Some workers are just looking for more money and will simply follow the dollar. For others, money isn’t as important as:

  • Flexibility and Support
     Can you give your nurses any control over what hours they work? Minimize their hassles by going to bat for them? Modify the traditional shifts because of childcare or transportation issues?
  • Acknowledgement of Their Dedication
    Can you arrange for recognition from your hospital administrators, board, and doctors? Make the local community aware of their contributions through pictures in the newspaper, signs in the parking lot, luncheons at the chamber of commerce?
  • A Bright, Cheery Environment
    What about pleasant music, pizza or ice cream surprises, potluck lunches, occasional fun activities? Yes, these things work with hardened old-timers.

Management Success Tip:

Ask your valued people what they like about working with you, and then give them more of what they like. Ask what they don’t like, what gets in their way, and then reduce those factors. Remember, it’s more than money today. People want to enjoy their work and make a meaningful difference. Your environment provides excellent opportunities!

Also see Employee Motivation, One Size Doesn’t Fit All; Morale Boosters For Tough Times; Seven Ways to Keep Your Staff Energized; How to Motivate Your best and Brightest; Recognition: Get People to Give Their Very Best

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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Asking For Help Can Help Your Career

A man laughing over a conversation on the phone

If you’re struggling with your workload or with a particular task, it can be difficult to ask your boss or your colleagues for help. If you admit that you can’t handle everything, will they think that you’re not capable? After all, you should be able to do your work on your own, right?

Asking for help makes many of us uncomfortable. But it’s critical especially when risks are involved. After all, would you rather get the help you need or jeopardize your career by missing key deadlines, or producing poor-quality work? What’s more, many bosses operate a “no surprises” rule – they’d much rather be alerted to a problem early than be surprised (and perhaps embarrassed by it)

Ask the Right Way

There are right ways and wrong ways to ask for help. Asking for help the right way can make you look as if you’re in control, and can help you seem focused and dignified. Asking the wrong way could make others think that you don’t have control of the situation or that you’re unable to handle the stress of your job. Here’s how to ask for help the right way:

  • Realize that people may be happy to help you.
    People are often flattered that you’ve asked them for their expertise. So, don’t be nervous.
  • Practice or role-play how you’ll ask.
    Realize that your body language sometimes says far more than your words. Also control your words and emotions. If you become anxious or babbling or intimidating , it may not only damage your reputation but it can make the other person reluctant to help.
  • Explain what steps you’ve already taken.
    This shows that you’ve done what you sensibly can to resolve the situation yourself.
  • Develop possible solutions on your own.
    For instance, don’t say, “I can’t handle my workload.” Instead say, “I think that handing over Project X to Karen will help me to put my full focus on Projects Y and Z.”
  • Be specific about what you need.
    Don’t make a vague request such as, “I need help with this report.” Instead, explain precisely what you need: “I’m having difficulty creating an Excel template to generate graphs. Can you please help me with that?”
  • Show appreciation.
    Always say thank you after someone has helped you. If you’re in a leadership role and a team member gave you much-needed assistance, you might want to offer some type of reward, or at least thank the person in front of the team.
  • Offer your help in return.
    Whenever people help you, make sure they know that you’re happy to consider returning the favor if they ever need it.

Career Success Tip:

Most of us will need to ask for help at some point in our careers. This may be difficult, especially for managers, but it shows that we have humility and good judgment. Do a self-assessment first. Learn how to get organized or manage your time better, if this is the source of the problem. If you do need to ask for help, do so when you’re fully in control of your actions and emotions. Be aware of your body language and develop possible solutions that show that you’ve tried to solve the problem yourself. See Are You a Workaholic?

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Staffing: 20 Great Interviewing Questions

A woman interviewed by a staff

Asking questions prompts answers. Asking great questions can result in great information about a potential job seeker’s qualifications.

Here are a list of questions to ask to find out more about the person and to determine how good a match there is between the individual and the job.

Warm-Up Questions

  1. Tell me about yourself.
  2. What made you apply for this position?
  3. What do you know about this company?

Work History

4. What parts of your work experience has prepared you for this job?
5. Can you describe one or two of your most important accomplishments?
6. Which job did you find the most satisfying and which job the least satisfying?
7. What kinds of people do you find it easy to work with? Difficult to work with?
8. In your previous jobs what kinds of pressures did you encounter? How did you deal with them?

Job Performance

9. How did your supervisor, on your most recent job, evaluate your job performance? What were some of the good and bad points of that rating?
10. When you have been told or discovered a problem in your job performance, what have you typically done? Can you give me an example?
11. What are some of the things on your job you feel you have done particularly well or in which you have achieved the greatest success?
12. What are some of the problems you encounter in doing your job? Which ones frustrate you the most? What do you usually do about it?
13. If I were to ask your present (most recent) employer about your ability to do____________ what would he/she say?

Self-Assessment

14. What kind of things do you feel most confident in doing?
15. What things frustrate you the most? How do you usually cope?
16. What do you think are the most important characteristics and abilities a person must possess to become a successful? How do you rate yourself in these areas?

Leadership

17. What specifically do you do to set an example for your employees?
18. What approach do you take in getting your people to accept your ideas or department goals?
19. Can you describe your basic leadership style? Give specific examples of how you practice it.
20. What would you most like to accomplish if you had this job? What might make you leave this job?

Management Success Tip:

Avoid these popular but meaningless questions: What animal would you like to be? what’s your favorite movie? What book would you want to have if you were stranded on a desert island? Although you may get interesting answers, it doesn’t tell you what you need – is this candidate the most qualified and the right person for the job. Rather focus on specific questions to get specific answers. Also see The Top Five Hiring Mistakes and Behavioral Interviewing.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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Are You Ready For a Promotion?

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I’ve had my current job in accounting for a little over two years. I’m very good at my job to the point where some of my colleagues and friends are urging me to go after a management position.

Having confidence in yourself and your abilities is essential to getting ahead. It helps to establish trust, respect and confidence from others. But first, you must be realistic and honest with yourself. Before you try to convince others of your awesomeness, take some time to evaluate your skills and determine whether you truly are ready to move up to the next level in your career. Asking yourself the following questions is a good way to start.

1. What is the next step in my career path?
You must know where you are going if you ever expect to get there. What is your next career goal? Decide what job title fits the position you’d like to advance to next.

2. What qualifications do I need?
It’s time to do a little research. Go to a popular job-search website and search for openings. What type of education is typically required for this position? Do you need to go back to school for another degree or take some continuing education courses? Are there certifications required that you do not possess? Take steps to obtain the training you need to be qualified for the position.

3. Do I have enough experience?
Sometimes, you need two or three years of experience in one position before you can advance to the next level. But while you are waiting, you can improve the way you are perceived in the organization so you are already positioned to get the job when the time is right.

4. Am I performing at the next level?
Ask your boss for opportunities to work on projects that will stretch your abilities and help you grow. Demonstrate that you are ready to take on more responsibility by taking the initiative without being asked.

5. Do I want to put in the extra effort to manage?
Managing people requires involvement in employee motivation, retention, performance, and a lot of other things that can eat up your focus and your time.

Even if you have the skills, you’ll need to convince higher-up you can do the job. You need to think through your qualifications for the job and be ready to spell out the reason why you shroud be “hired” for that position. See Influencing Your Boss and Influencing Up.

Career Success Tip:

If you want to further your career but do not have the skills and experience to get that promotion, there are things you can do both inside and outside of your organization. Talk with your supervisor about your goals. Perhaps you brush up with professional development courses or work on projects that give you greater visibility. Volunteer work can add to your resume if you take on leadership roles in well-respected organizations.

Do you want to develop Career Smarts?

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Employee Turnover: Can We Predict Who Is About to Quit?

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“I was totally surprised when one of our top people quit. I thought he was satisfied with his job. I don’t want to get sandbagged again. What are some early warning signs of someone leaving?”

That was said to me by an accounting supervisor. Yes, you can expect a certain amount of turnover, even in these tough economic times. However, if it’s a valuable employee who you now have to replace (which takes time and money), you certainly don’t want to be caught by surprise. If you can see the signs ahead of time, then you are better able to deal with the situation.

Be Proactive Rather Than Reactive

First, be aware of situations that can trigger job dissatisfaction and provoke a valued worker to start looking at what’s out there. Here are some examples:

  • Major project ends and there is nothing “in the wings”.
  • Mentor or friend or manager left recently and therefore could try to recruit this employee.
  • New manager is assigned who mayor may not be as great as the employee’s last one.
  • Major reorganization occurs and the employee doesn’t know his or her place or value.
  • Recent stock crash or options went underwater and therefore there is less financial commitment to stay.
  • Position of increased visibility (holding office in a professional association) that gets the person known outside the company.
  • Changing life event such as receiving an advanced degree; turning 40 (or 30 or 50); family divorce or death etc.

Then go into action to prevent key people “jumping ship”: Here’s what you need to do:

  • Identify high performers or special groups who might be vulnerable.
  • Find out their satisfaction level through surveys or focus groups or one-on-one’s.
  • Use this knowledge to improve the potential “looker’s” job and career opportunities.
  • Realize that one size doesn’t it all. Know your people and what motivates and demotivates them.

Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman in their book, First Break All the Rules said “people don’t leave jobs, they leave managers.” If employees don’t get along with their managers, don’t like them or don’t respect them, they will leave a company despite a high salary or great benefits. A bad manager is a big factor in employee performance. A good manager, no matter the salary, will inspire loyalty. Therefore focus your retention efforts on training and supporting all your managers to engage, motivate and develop their people. If they don’t do it well some one else – a competitor perhaps – will!

Management Success Tip:

Employee turnover is a complex issue. There is no one magic bullet. What I have consistently found is: That it’s NOT the money. When someone leaves for ‘better opportunities’, what has happened is that certain dissatisfactions – like ineffective management- caused the person to put out feelers or to become curious about recruiter calls or to start surfing the job boards. So to stop turnover, start to identify and eliminate the demotivators. Also see 10 Things to Do to Have Engaged Employees.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?

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How Good An Interviewer Are You? Part 2

a woman undergoing an interview session

Have you ever hired someone who did not live up to expectations? I’m sure many of us have at one time.

The purpose of the interview is to gather information to make an accurate selection decision. A successful interview will help you decide is there’s a match between the job seeker and the position.

The interview is the key to the entire selection process. A wrong decision can be very costly. It’s been estimated that replacing a key professional or manager can be three to five times their annual salary. Do you want to increase the odds for selecting the best person for your most critical positions?

Test your interview savvy by answering TRUE or FALSE to these 10 statements.

11. You should only be interested in the applicant’s technical qualifications and not waste time on their soft skills.
12. If an applicant fails to meet all job specifications, the candidate should be rejected.
13. You should provide an applicant with a complete job description prior to the initial interview.
14. Most interviewers listen to and absorb almost everything the applicant says.
15. Personal biases for or against an applicant weigh heavily in the hiring decision.
16. Hiring managers in most companies are excellent interviewers.
17. Once a candidate has accepted a job offer, all you have to do is wait until their start date.
18. You have a responsibility to describe the company and the company’s culture/values to job applicants.
19. In hiring, your judgment alone is usually enough for a hiring decision.
20. You should always offer the applicant the lowest possible starting salary you think the candidate will accept.

ANSWERS

11. FALSE. Soft skills like communication style, leadership, motivation etc need to be assessed and measured. Up to 90% of job failure can be traced to non technical behaviors, work attitudes and skills.
12. FALSE. There are no “perfect” candidates. Trade-offs must be made and you have to know what is an acceptable trade-off.
13. FALSE. You should provide candidates with an overview of a job, but never the complete job description before the interview. Since candidates are so well trained today, they will “deliver the expected responses,” and you will not discover the real person behind the “interview mask.”
14. FALSE. Listening is very difficult for many people to sustain. Therefore, write down only objective key words/phrases during the interview. By doing so, you’ll be able to listen and observe the candidate.
15. TRUE. Everyone has biases and personal filters. First, identify and understand yours. Then establish a clear and objective position description. This is a great tool in removing your biases.
16. FALSE. Hiring managers often have received little or no training in how to conduct interviews. All persons in a company who interview applicants should be given training. And update this training on a regular basis!
17. FALSE. Staying in contact with your new hire, prior to their first day, helps ensure their interest and buy-in to their decision. It’s another way to build rapport with your new employee.
18. TRUE. A good description of the organization and the job under consideration can do much to sell the applicant on your company. Today, more then ever before, candidates are looking for “fit” as much as you are.
19. FALSE. A mis-hire can cost you upwards of 4 times a person’s annual income. You expect a second, objective opinion from a qualified surgeon prior to a major operation. Why not ask for a second opinion prior to hiring a candidate?
20. FALSE. The salary offered should be in line with the going rate for the job.

How many did you get right?
Do you need to learn or brush up on the keys to a successful interviewing? For example, writing comprehensive job descriptions, establishing job benchmarks, creating behavioral interview questions,developing a candidate scoring guide or refining your interviewing skills? IIf so,we can work with your hiring managers and human resources. Let’s talk!

Management Success Tip:

Allot enough time for each interview so that a sufficient depth of information is gathered. a 30 minute interview may be sufficient for an entry-level job. But, if you are looking for a highly skilled person, you will need more time to gauge qualification and fit. How will you score? Also see Part !: How Good Interviewer Are You? and Behavioral Interviewing.

Do you want to develop your Management Smarts?