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Ms. Sincerity

2011-06-27T14:01:01Z

You walk in a conference room and you’re spotted. Ms. Sincerity smiles a big toothy smile, asks how you’ve been, tells you it’s so good to have you in the meeting and just can’t wait for the wonderful wisdoms that you’ll contribute. She’ll also make it clear to all in the room just how brilliant you are. With all those glowing accolades you should be feeling flattered instead you’re feeling a bit embarrassed and want to have the conversation quickly move to the next topic. Why?

The reason is Ms. Sincerity is well known for her “over exuberance”. She’s viewed as over the top in the warm and fuzzy department. She smiles way too much. She comes across as way too enthusiastic. She is way too kind in her comments of others and quickly volunteers to help in any way she can. Everyone sees her as a bit kooky because no one in the business place is just that joyful. Therefore you see her as having absolutely no credibility with your colleagues.

However, before you quickly comply with common workplace opinion, you should keep your eyes open to see the results of Ms Sincerity’s approach. You will begin to notice that when you have asked her for help she does and notice that you are not the only one she has. You should notice that the result of all that good will has given her a large network of people. You should begin to notice that she has 10x the number of recommendations on Linked In then you or any of your VP’s. You should also notice that when she needs to find a job she finds one relatively quickly even in this daunting job market while others are out for nearly a year.

So in the end, the lesson may be we should all take time to be more joyful, to recognize the goodness in others, call it out and help those people we can. All that goodness may just make us smile more broadly then others are used to but in the end we know that when in need we will have a network of people that will sincerely want to help us as we sincerely want to help them. Now that is not such a kooky place to be.

Don’t be a Mouse with People Who Pounce

2011-06-13T14:00:10Z

Do you dread certain meetings because you know you’ll have to deal with a pouncer? Those are the people who can’t wait to interject opinions or objections the minute the meeting begins. They lay in wait like a cat watching a mouse hole, tail twitching, waiting for the first opportunity to jump all over a proposal or idea with a take no prisoners approach.

Whether driven by territorialism, attention getting, or a love of contrariness, your meeting can take an immediate nose dive down the proverbial rat hole when they pounce. Your job is to get it back on track as quickly as possible. This can be a real challenge because once a pouncer has the floor, it can be difficult to refocus the discussion and accomplish your goals. You can’t avoid the situation but you can be prepared.

If you already know a pouncer, it can be an easier situation to manage because you know going that the behavior is predictable. That allows you to prepare in advance by identifying possible issues or concerns that will allow you to move the discussion along and defray arguments.

If you’re meeting someone for the first time it can be disconcerting and possibly throw you off your game plan so it’s important to listen and acknowledge the person. That allows the pouncer to feel some level of control and gives you a chance to martial your arguments with a thoughtful response.

Remember that while a pouncer can be challenging, they also may have a lot of value to add once you win them over. When people feel you’ve listened they are far more likely to support your efforts.

Here are a few simple rules:

Be prepared and thorough in your planning and consider all the issues that may arise in advance.
Clearly state your goals early. If things start going off course, bring the discussion back to what you’re trying to achieve so you can gain agreement.
When dealing with a pouncer, let them have the floor long enough to get their ideas on the table. You might learn something you hadn’t considered.
Remember, some people enjoy being difficult but this may stem from being passionate about their experience or their role. If you give them their due, you may find you have strong support in the long run.

Tell us how you manage people who pounce.

Is Your Resume Showing Your Age?

2011-04-25T14:00:02Z

In tough economic times, your resume can open doors or shut them if you use an outdated style to communicate your business expertise. Here’s a list of best practices that will give your resume a facelift.

Courtesy of WebGuild we discovered a CNN Money.com article with a compilation of 11 excellent examples that can help you refresh your resume. We’ve provided our top five below.

1. Keep your contact list simple with email address and cell phone only. Don’t…not ever…list a fax number.

2. Get rid of the clichés. Hackneyed adjectives like innovative, results oriented, motivated, team player etc. aren’t going get your resume noticed. Think about the key words related to the job you’re interested in. Those are the words the resume scanning devices are looking to match.

3. Use an up to date format. Dates of employment go to the right of the company and your title. On the left is so last decade or two and don’t include the months.

4. Never put the date you received your degrees as this may draw attention to your age.

5. Only list jobs that might be relevant to the one in which you’re interested. Try going back 15 years and leaving older positions off.

Don’t forget some of our earlier tips as well. A presence on LinkedIn is a must since many hiring managers use it as a recruiting resource. Keep in mind the tips above when you’re updating your social networking information and remember, it’s all about key words.

Check out this great example of a before and after resume rewrite by Wendy S. Enelow, an executive resume writer and career consultant.

Born Salesman

2011-04-11T14:01:10Z

As they say some people are born salesmen. Others swear that they could never go into a sales job. The truth is that whatever job we have we are selling, be it our ideas, plans, an even our own career advancement. At some point in time, we all make sales pitches to people that we want to influence. So knowing what makes a good sales pitch is a important key to success. Here are some tips that will fine tune your skills.

Keep it Simple: When you’re making a pitch keep it very simple. So simple that whatever you’re asking for or selling won’t get lost in the barrage of rationale of why it is a good thing.

Set the Context: Make sure that you give enough background so that that your audience understands the circumstance of why you or they need or want what you’re selling.

Listen: Don’t be so anxious and fixated on the sell that you don’t really listen and answer your audience’s question. That is when the term “pushy” sales guy gets attached. No one likes not to be heard. A clear sign of that is when you do not give another person a chance to speak.

Some additional tips can be found in Geoffrey James’ BNET post on Selling to Top Execs: 10 Easy Rules.

Evolving Leadership

2011-02-28T15:00:46Z

Are the leadership skills needed today changing or is the environment in which it needs to be practiced?

We’ve discussed in several articles the changing world of management and the new value being placed on the ability of business leaders to communicate and collaborate. As advances in technology and communications brings employees, customers and competition around the world closer, top down leadership approaches start to collapse.

Shelly Alcorn, CAE, speaker, and association management consultant writes, “When the cry “we just need leadership” goes up, I am going to hazard a guess that what is broken is probably not the leaders themselves. It is the fact that they are practicing “leadership” in an old school way and actively preventing necessary changes in order to preserve the status quo. Nine times out of ten when forward progress is being killed, it’s someone who is exercising “leadership” skills that is killing it.”

Maybe it is not that “Leadership” is killing progress but it is the way the Leadership is being practiced that needs to change in order to ensure progress in today’s changing environment. She goes on to write “As the operating environment becomes more sophisticated and complex, and the problems more wicked, can we really expect that even exemplary leadership skills will be sufficient?

In this new connected world “status quo” is not an option. Leadership is the ability to access information and successfully interpret it, to anticipate and adeptly execute, to communicate and delegate power to others in order to thrive.

If you are going to survive in this new environment you must evolve your skill set from “exercising leadership” to “leading change” and understanding the opportunities that come with it.

Do you agree that we all need to become change agents within our business communities from the leaders on down? We’d love to hear from you.

The Charm Factor

2011-02-07T15:00:45Z

Personal charm sets people apart. If you exude charisma, confidence, and warmth others will be attracted to you like moths to a light. You can see this quality with some top CEOs. They have a personal spark that helps them attract and lead people. You can develop that spark as well if you study some of the masters.

Richard Branson is a great example. He recently published his personal five rules for business success. If you read between the lines, you can easily identify where the charm factor is exhibited.

This is his list:

1. Enjoy what you're doing

2. Create something that stands out

3. Create something that everyone who works for you is really proud of

4. Be a good leader

5. Be visible

He states, “For me, building a business is all about doing something to be proud of, bringing talented people together and creating something that’s going to make a real difference to other people’s lives.” So where’s the charm factor here? It’s about more than the business idea, it’s about people…the people you work with…and the people your business impacts. This isn’t about being a self centered dilettante. People are attracted to people who care about them.

The fact that he listens is evident in this quote. “I always have a notebook in my back pocket to jot down questions, concerns or good ideas… If I’m on a Virgin Atlantic plane, I make certain to get out and meet all the staff and many of the passengers. If you meet a group of Virgin Atlantic crew members, you are going to have at least 10 suggestions or ideas. If I don’t write them down, I may remember only one the next day. By writing them down, I remember all 10."

When you think about someone like Richard Branson it’s clear that his great personal charm is infectious with both employees and customers. He loves what he’s doing and exudes that enthusiasm to all he comes in contact with. How much do you think personal charm matters? Do you think it can be learned? We’d love to hear from you.

New Years 10 Best Career Resolutions.

2010-12-27T15:00:00Z

It’s that time again. The beginning of a New Year and with it comes new opportunities, new challenges. There is plenty of career advice on how best to proceed. We have gathered the 10 best tips from our colleagues and industry peers...

1) Create a list of 10 professional successes in the past year. It’s a great confidence-builder in reminding you just how valuable you really are.

2) Update that resume. In this day and age, change is often unplanned. It is always a good idea to be prepared and it is a great way to assess your accomplishments.

3) Refresh your LinkedIn page. That’s a primary source for recruiters to find candidates. This also creates an opportunity to create your elevator pitch that describes who you are.

4) Touch base with your professional network. If you don’t have one, develop one.

5) Send your resume to headhunters in your field. It's a good way of getting into the system, because recruiters will scan them into their database.

6) Join an association in your field and be active. It is a great way to build your professional network.

7) Let go of the old and embrace the new. Change is tough. Don't take a 'wait and see' attitude; the good old days are gone. Embrace new projects, new ways. It will keep you from being viewed as an inflexible dinosaur.

8) Brush up on skills. Take a class or go to a seminar. As the saying goes, “If you're not green and growing, you're ripe and rotting."

9) Learn more about new technology: It is always changing and if you don’t keep up you will be left behind.

10) Clean out old files and e-mails. It is a great way to revisit priorities and gain perspective on what's really important for a fresh start in the new year.

Like any resolution, the key is persistence. Assess your career, select one or two goals to achieve. As you reach each, check it off the list and add new ones to work on. By this time next year you can be adding your picks to next year’s 10 best list.

Holiday Time at the Office

2010-12-13T15:00:43Z

It’s that time of year. You’re invited to multiple office get togethers to celebrate the holidays. It could be a charity event, a team offsite and, of course, the dreaded office party.

So get your social skills ready and here are some rules to remember:

1) You’re expected to attend so plan to. Your management views this as a team bonding experience and a reflection of them and your loyalty to them. It’s wise to show that you’re there for them. Management does notice who does or does not attend.

2) Dress for success. The way you dress is a reflection of you. Keep it classy not trashy and that applies to both men and women. No micro minis or bad polyester.

3) Keep the conversation light. This is not the place to bring your work problems to discuss with your peers. Talking about work will only highlight your lack of social skills or indicate that you don’t have a social life. Ask others what plans they have for the holidays. Listen and don’t just talk about what you will be doing.

4) Don’t Complain. If the venue isn’t ideal remember budgets are tight. Everyone is trying to keep some traditions alive even in these tough economic times. So showing gratitude for that event shows more class than being negative.

5) Stay Sober. In this day and age no one should feel pressured to drink so don’t feel you need to. Drinking is a personal choice. More importantly, drinking responsibly is a personal obligation. Bad bahavior will not be excused simply because one was drinking. One point of social business etiquette to remember if you have a drink in your hand, whatever the drink is, you should carry it in your left hand. This keeps your right hand free so that you can easily shake hands with people you meet.

6) Don’t Gossip. Talking about your co workers at a party is just not the way to make friends and influence people

7) Talk to senior management. Greet them and thank them. It allows you to acknowledge their efforts and point out to them that you were actually at the event.

8) Mingle. Don’t just talk to co – workers that you do business with on a daily basis. This is a great opportunity to walk up to people that you see in the office but never work with. Keep an eye out for co-workers that are alone and help them feel welcome by reaching out to them. It will make you both feel good. Also take this opportunity to mingle with other managers that you don’t report into. It is a great way to network and have them get to know you. It can especially come in handy in the new year when opportunities and performance reviews come up so they can associate the name with the face or keep you in mind.

9) Behave. Don’t do anything that will embarrass you the next day. You don’t want to be added to the great hall of office shame. Don’t make off color jokes or toasts. Don’t put the moves on your co-workers and don’t call your boss a jerk.

10) Don’t be the last to leave. There is no obligation to be the one to turn the lights off. Stay, have fun and get home safely.

The office holiday event is an opportunity to show another aspect of your skill sets, your social side. Make no mistake, this is still is a business. You will be judged in terms of your skill set. Practice fine tuning them and prove that you know how to have fun, treat people with respect and have the social grace to say thank you to your business host

Read more at Suite101 about Christmas Party Do & don'ts and also share your thoughts here on what works or doesn't at office gatherings.

How to Build A Career Building Network

2010-11-15T15:00:55Z

You alone can’t build your career, you need other people who can and will help. Your success will be directly proportional to how effectively you build and manage relationships. It’s not an obligation it’s a career necessity. Those relationships can have direct impact on your ability to deliver on your promises, report results, or get a promotion. Management pays attention not to just what you say but what is said about you.

So how do you go about building those key relationships to ensure that you succeed? Consultant, author and international keynote speaker Tom Peters has some excellent words of advice. He maintains that cross-functional excellence or XFX factor is your number one opportunity to help build your career. Here’s a synopsis of top 10 points for you to consider:

1. Everybody’s job #1 is to make friends in other functions, purposefully, consistently, and measurably.

2. “Do lunch” with people in other functions frequently. Devote a minimum of 10% to 25% of your time reaching out.

3. Ask peers about their area of expertise so you can become conversant in their world.

4. Invite counterparts in other functions to your team meetings. Ask them to present their world to your group.

5. Once a day make a short call or visit or send an email of “thanks” to your folks or some other function’s folks.

6. Present counterparts in other functions awards for service to your group.

7. Discuss good and problematic acts of cross-functional co-operation at every Team Meeting. Stay on top of what’s working or not.

8. When someone in another function asks for assistance, respond with more alacrity

than you would if it were the person in the cubicle next to yours.

9. Do not bad mouth ever. No one is your enemy; everyone is your partner.

10. Get physical. Take time for face to face communications if you want to build a rapport.

This is a great start for a top 10 list to build your career. Can you add to it? What's worked for you? We'd love to hear from you.

Become a Lateral Business Diplomat

2010-11-08T15:00:07Z

There’s often discussion about managing up or managing down, but just as critical is the need to manage across your peers. You’re part of a larger process involving other departments and your success is dependent on those over whom you have no authority. It’s your job to ensure you’ve built strong relationships to ensure your success isn’t thwarted by a weak link or unknown enemy.

Blogger, author, and speaker Terry Starbucker puts it this way: “Indeed, one of the hardest tasks for any leader is to forge and maintain effective relationships with their peers leading other functional departments, because it requires so much emphasis on the “soft” skills of diplomacy.

Putting together a proactive plan to build your influencing skills and identifying that extended, cross-functional team of people upon whom your success depends is key to developing your diplomatic skills.

Here are five steps recommended by Terry Starbucker to help guide your development of cross-functional skills:

Process hand-offs have to be well defined, and documented. Work tirelessly with your peers to make the hand-offs seamless – it will pay off.

Align your ultimate goals and objectives. Repeat. Then Repeat again. Your common boss will preach this, but it’s up to you and your peers to make it work.

Use Proper Pronouns. Banish “they” from your vocabulary and replace it with “we”.

Define your territories. Peers need to draw solid lines for each other so they clearly know where their territories begin and end to create situations where peaceful crossovers can occur.

Buddy Up. It’s simple. Make friends with other departments if you want them to have your back. That’s not just part of your job, it’s an important part of your career development.

You can read Terry Starbuckers full article on his “Glass Half Full” site. Share your thoughts on this subject with us. What rules do you have for cross-functional success?