Waiter’s Syndrome impacts many careers, creating a sense of frustration and forcing change that isn’t in your best interest.  You may have and don’t even know.  It can be defeated by following a few simple steps, which I’ll share with you in this post.

The first step to cultivating a good career in the face of, what I like to call, Waiter's Syndrome is  recognize that this is a motivation deficit.  Of course, one must also recognize that a career is a motivation marathon. 

The Waiter’s Syndrome is marked by bursts of high ambition, followed by slightly shorter spans of indolence.  Surely you’ve seen the signs of it.  A friend spends years getting an advanced degree or a professional certification, only to stop their forward momentum right about the time they should be pressing on, waiting for someone to acknowledge them.

Waiter’s Syndrome is caused by a deficiency of motivators, defined by Herzberg in 1959.  Two of the key motivators were identified as recognition and achievement.  After graduation, the syndrome begins.  For high achievers, there is a sense of accomplishment that only lasts a short while, giving way to a much stronger need for recognition. This is where the waiting comes in. 

As the old cliché goes, “to the victor come the spoils.”  Recognition of our accomplishment validates our abilities, knowledge and skills.  This need plays a role in the definition of our identity.  We use this information to define who we are, especially in the eyes of others.  

If we let this need go too long without being met, we can experience a decrease in job satisfaction, which modifies our belief that the company (or management) no longer holds anything useful for us; thus, signifying the time to move on to a new one.   

Imagine that, a great achievement leads to an unfilled need to decreased job satisfaction, all driven from the fact that we simply stopped focusing on our goals. 

Sitting around waiting for someone to recognize your MBA, maybe give you a promotion, more money or even a new opportunity, carries risk with it.  If you’re an engineer who just got an MBA, then did nothing with it for two years, it might strike suspicion in the eyes of your next employer.  They may wonder why nothing changed after you graduated.  What were you waiting on?  Why did you get it?  Did you think it through?

So, based on my own experience as a career consultant, here are some concrete rules for cultivating a better career if you have Waiter’s, and maybe if you don’t.

1. Dedicate time to other people.
One of the more surprising things about those that suffer from Waiter’s Syndrome is the size of their network, which is usually fairly small.  One might expect that since these types of individuals invest their time in academic settings to improve their skills, they would be meeting new people and developing new friendships.  This isn’t the case

The mindset developed is one that leads them to believe that their accomplishments speak loudly enough about them.  While obtaining degrees and certifications are important, you still have to interact with people if you want to build a successful career.  People play a huge role in your success; they are your boss, customer or coworker.  This is where your opportunities come from.

These people are happy that you have new skills, but do they know that you are easy to get along with, are a team player, can teach them what you’ve learned and are willing to learn from them.

This key to overcoming Waiter’s Syndrome is simply to work well with others.  Spend time making others more successful.  If you still have that urge to wait, you can wait on the reciprocal windfall that will come from being a contributor to other’s achievements.

2. Recognize the need for recognition for others.
Just as you have a need for recognition, others do too.  For the most part, they don’t care too much about your needs.  We all have a tendency to worry about our own needs, especially if they haven’t been met for some time. 

You can’t just walk up to someone and say “Hey, don’t you want to recognize me for getting my MBA?”  While people may be happy for you, it may be a reminder to their own situation and how they haven’t been given much respect for what they’ve done.  I’m not suggesting you run around and paint the world with sugar and honey.  People want their recognition to be warranted; otherwise, it smells bad.

Take time to recognize people for the importance of their job, quality of their performance and for doing particular tasks.  People want honest feedback.  So do you. 

Giving recognition is the best way to get recognition.  Recognition is a wonder drug.  Taken in the proper dosage, it motivates, increases happiness and builds self-esteem.  Praising others motivates them to reciprocate, resulting in meeting your needs.

3. Let your sense of accomplishment satisfy you.
Having three young kids in elementary school, I understand well the power of accomplishment.  My youngest is in Kindergarten.  She began reading at age 4.  In the beginning, reading was challenging.  She would fuss, gripe and complain about how tough it was.  But when she caught on to it, she wanted to read everything in the bookstore.  Her sense of accomplishment made her ecstatic and confident. 

Now, less project ourselves many years into the future.  If my youngest daughter continues to excel at things, will she eventually reach a point where she feels she can accomplish almost anything?  It’s possible.  This is one thing many Waiter’s suffer from.  They can do just about anything and they do it well but they lose the sense of accomplishment.

Often this sense is lost because we forget the goals we are trying to accomplish.  At some point, we lose that focus and convince ourselves that the task we just completed IS the end goal for which rewards should rain down from the Heavens. 

The best way to beat this attitude is to plan your goals and outline the tasks to get to each one.  As you complete a task, celebrate it.  Give yourself a treat.  Focus on the reward you give yourself.  This way you don’t become dependent upon recognition from others, allowing you to focus on the goals and keep your momentum high.

Keep moving.  All things come to those who wait, but when they come they're out of date.

This week we are interviewing a true practitioner in the area of emotional, spiritual and enhanced mental intelligence.  Irene Becker is a Canadian-based professional coach and one of ten top Canadian business women and professionals chosen by the Federal Development Bank of Canada to setup the first mentorship program for businesswomen in the country.  She was personally selected by Mark Victor Hanson as one of his first one hundred millionaire eagles.  Irene is also a Financial planning consultant, workshop facilitator and speaker for Investors Group Financial Services of Canada. 

Welcome to the Blitz Blog, Irene.

 
Todd:  As the expert on the 3Q Edge(TM), would you give us a little insight into the three Q's? 

Irene:  You start by knowing and appreciating your strengths.  Then, you build your knowledge for using stressors and challenges to build the Q power that can help you survive and thrive.  Your stressors and challenges can be physical, psychological, familial, financial, spiritual, social, academic or clinical training.  Each of us deals with these in our own unique way.  They are not always negative or problematic.  They can be a motivator toward change and growth or a cause of impairment.

The 3 Q's are three quotients/strengths that are critical to success in this increasingly volatile world, workplace and marketplace.  They help you understand how you are handling your challenges and how you can improve it.

IQ refers to the Enhanced Mind and is also called the Power IQ.  Mastery of this element brings enhanced action-ability, creativity, and focus. A high IQ is marked by the development of integrative reasoning that allows you to see more, see differently and see further.  You develop stronger whole brain thinking and an improved ability to live, communicate and lead to purpose.

EQ is the enhanced emotional intelligence quotient.  This refers to your ability to understand your emotions and understand the emotions of others so that you can inspire, engage and lead the best in yourself and others. 

SQ is your Power Within factor.  It relates to how well you are aligned your values.  You might think of it as a focus on the greater good and an understanding of the reality of an interdependent world where the formula for success is timeless and means creating value for others while respecting the spiritual or values driven universal laws that sustain our best selves and best lives.

Todd:  With such difficult times in our current economy, why is the 3Q Edge important?

Irene:  The 3Q Edge is not important, it is critical.  What has worked in the past may be largely irrelevant tomorrow.  The 3Q Edge is learning to survive and thrive, to develop the human, personal and business leadership strengths that drive success.  Survival and prosperity today demands Q power; that is, the ability to use our strengths and challenges to build and sustain the 3Q Edge.

Todd:  There's been a lot of talk for years on Emotional Intelligence.  What makes the other two Qs so critical?

Irene:  Challenge moves at the speed of life. Leadership runs at the speed of change.  Your survival and sustainability in the face of increasing volatility makes these other two Qs critical.  Without them, you can’t build, evolve and grow into our best selves, best work and best organizations.  In short, we cannot live our best lives.

Emotional Intelligence is recognized as the key success factor in business and life, however in order to sustain high EQ, we also need to develop enhanced IQ-the intelligence factors that can help us optimize our human brain power and also further use this brain power to work with others collaboratively to develop and executive powerful solutions.  SQ or values/spiritual alignment is, to me, one of the least talked about powers we have.  It remains the litmus test of whether an organization survives.  What does not create value for others, what does not serve the greater good is ultimately destined to failure.  Developing the ability to tap into our higher selves, combined with the ability to think and act in a way that builds greater SQ, is elemental to human and economic survival.

Todd:  For those who don't know much about the 3Qs, can the Qs be measured and fixed quickly?

Irene:  The first step is awareness and desire.  Awareness is the understanding and acceptance that  building your Q's can change your life and your career.  Desire is the cognitive prime mover to build your 3Q power.  Awareness is where you are now.  Tapping into the 3Qs is igniting the desire to go where YOU want to go.  It is empowerment. It is challenging.  It is highly motivating!  I have developed three modules that will take you to greater level of success.  They were developed around your Career, Life and Leadership Transition.  The fuel that drives all three programs is the development of the 3Q strengths.

There are excellent metrics for testing EQ.  I use Essi Systems EQ map, as it aligns very well with my coaching model and is one of the best EQ metrics available.  Measuring IQ and SQ is possible but my experience suggests it is far better to determine if we are optimizing our intelligence and capacity to live in alignment with our values; thereby, building greater SQ.  Now, you can try to measure these for yourself, but integrating them into a strategy that will unleash the Power of the 3Qs is best left to those who have mastered the art.

Thanks for sharing your time with us, Irene.  Irene can be reached at www.justcoachit.com.

In this post, I share some great insight on career success from my discussion with Red McCombs.  In this interview, you’ll learn what it takes to achieve continued success from one of America’s wealthiest people.

I recently had the unique pleasure of interviewing Red McCombs.   If the name sounds familiar, it should.  He is the founder of the Red McCombs Automotive Group (6th largest auto conglomerate in the US), a co-founder of Clear Channel Communications, a former owner of the San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets, and the Minnesota Vikings, and the namesake of the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin (through a donation of $50 Million).  Still not ringing a bell?  He was also named one of Forbes magazine's top 400 richest Americans in 2005.

A very down-to-earth and humble Texan, Mr. McCombs shared an hour with me in an effort to consolidate decades of experience into some simple career advice that we can all benefit from.  Much of the discussion centered on a few key factors that he attributes to his great success.   The first of which is related to Career Vision.  I’ve always thought that it is essential to have a good idea of where you want to go in your career.  If it’s mapped, getting there should be considerably easier.  To Mr. McCombs, it’s much more important to put your skills in motion. 
 
Don’t visualize it, just do it.  With a true entrepreneurial spirit, Mr. McCombs sought roles that he had an interest in.  It wasn’t necessary to be an expert in it.  Life and work are learning activities.  The more you do, the more you learn.  The important key is to get into the action.  When something new comes along that you like, try it on.  Put your spin on it and see what happens.  He doesn’t believe in the ideal moment to become engaged.  Waiting on it just wastes your time.  

Failure isn’t a bad word.   It didn’t take Mr. McCombs too many years to find his niche in the world of opportunity.  Startup organizations are not enticing to him.  He thrives on taking organizations that aren’t doing so well and improves them.  A big advantage to this type of opportunity is that it always existing.  “People don’t mind letting you fix something that is broken,” he stated.  While everything venture hasn’t been successful, he takes the learning from each one and applies it to the next.  This skill has been finely tuned over the years.  Now, he only tackles the opportunities that he’s sure he can improve upon (a little something decades of experience teaches you).

Work, work, work.  When you are at work, Mr. McCombs suggests that you work.  You don’t think about it.  You don’t talk about it.  You don’t plan for it.  You do it.  You put your heart and soul into what you do.  Having passion for your efforts is a big key to continued success.  If you love what you do, you’ll get better and better. It will cease to be work.  It will become your passion.  This will drive you to succeed.  At age 25, Mr. McCombs owned his first Ford Dealership.  Now, he owns more than 50 of them nationwide, which is obviously a testament to his passion for taking advantage of opportunities.

Leave it at the office.  All of his success didn’t blind him to the obligations he chose in life.  Mr. McCombs is very dedicated to his wife, children and grandchildren.  “I put the same determination, effort and attention into my family that I put into my work.”  This helps him to ensure a balance between working and living.  Mr. McCombs stated several times that “home is sacred.”  He doesn’t answer the phone or email when he leaves the office.  He puts his focus right where it belongs, on those who need it.

 Mr. McCombs has also made a name for himself as a philanthropist.  He’s donated $30 million to support cancer research at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.  Contributions have also been made to The University of Texas’ Women’s Athletic Department, Southwestern University, local charities and schools in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area, and the University of Minnesota Women’s Athletics Department.  Mr. McCombs’ generosity is staggering and a great example on how to handle success; that is, by helping others achieve their own.

Thanks, Mr. McCombs.  I truly appreciate your time, consideration and valuable advice. 

In this week’s interview, Chris O’Leary offers awesome advice for those of us who want new ways to make the most of any opportunity or even make our own opportunities.  The tips are straight from perspectives he offered in his book Elevator Pitch Essentials.

Chris O'Leary is a writer, speaker, consultant, and general expert in the fields of innovation, entrepreneurship, new product development, sales, and marketing. Chris has contributed to the success of a number of successful start-up companies including SalesLogix, makers of the leading middle-market Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application. Chris is now an entrepreneur himself, running a small publishing and consulting firm.

Todd:  With so much interaction taking place virtually, is the Elevator Pitch really necessary?

Chris:  Absolutely.

The idea of an elevator pitch isn't just relevant to face to face communication, although that's its original and still primary use.  Instead, the elevator pitch tells you how to conduct yourself in any setting where you have a limited amount of time to get your point across. That includes e-mails, documents, and to a degree texts and tweets.

I would argue that, given how the pace of life is increasing and people are becoming increasingly pressed for time, the elevator pitch is an idea that is becoming more relevant, not less.

Todd:  In Elevator Pitch Essentials, you discuss The Nine C's. Tell us a little about them and why they are important.

Chris:  The Nine C's explain the characteristics of an effective elevator pitch in a way that's easy for people to remember. They reflect the mistakes that people tend to make in their elevator pitches and/or the
information they tend to omit.

In brief, an effective elevator pitch is...

1. Concise: An effective elevator pitch contains as few words as possible, but no fewer.

2. Clear: Rather than being filled with acronyms, MBA-speak, and ten-dollar words, an effective elevator pitch can be understood by your grandparents, your spouse, and your children.

3. Compelling: An effective elevator pitch explains the problem your solution solves.

4. Credible: An effective elevator pitch explains why you are qualified to see the problem and to build your solution.

5. Conceptual: An effective elevator pitch stays at a fairly high level and does not go into too much unnecessary detail.

6. Concrete: As much as is possible, an effective elevator pitch is also specific and tangible.

7. Consistent: Every version of an effective elevator pitch conveys the same basic message.

8. Customized: An effective elevator pitch addresses the specific interests and concerns of the audience.

9. Conversational: Rather than being to close the deal, the goal of an elevator pitch is to just get the ball rolling; to start a conversation, or dialogue, with the audience.

Todd:  What's the most important consideration in "pitching" your elevator pitch?

Chris:  Next to not explaining what problem their solution solves, the biggest mistake I see people make in their elevator pitches is not establishing their credibility. They never explain what qualifies them to see the problem and to solve it.

This is a major problem because experienced investors, managers, and other backers know that most ideas for new products and services have some fatal flaw. That's why 75 to 90 percent of new businesses fail. You have to convince the audience that you have some special knowledge, insight, and/or that will allow you to succeed where most
will fail.

Todd:  With the pitch being so short in duration, why do so few people have a well-developed and practiced pitch?

Chris:  It's precisely the short duration of an elevator pitch that makes it so hard to come up with a good one.

First, most entrepreneurs and project champions are fountains of information and could literally talk about their solution for hours. What's hard for them is cutting down all of that information into something that can fit into just a few minutes of time.

Second, most people tend to make a mistake that I call getting lost in the HOW. Because they spend so much time dealing with issues of HOW they are going to bring their solution to life, most people get right into the HOW of their solution without first just establishing WHAT it is and WHY people need it.

Third, there's also the issue that too few people actually take the time to practice and develop their pitch. They tend to just wing it.

Todd:  You're working on another book, The Paradox Of Pain. Can you give us a sneak peak?

Chris:  The Paradox Of Pain explains the relationship between pain, change, and innovation.

The premise of The Paradox Of Pain is that if you want to improve your ability to generate, evaluate, and communicate ideas for innovations, you must put pain at the center of the process. The logic is that only the existence of significant amounts of physical or psychological pain will ensure that people will overcome the pull of the status quo and actually change and adopt your solution.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks for the interview, Chris.

If you would like to learn more about Chris and his projects, check out his website.  Get more information on his book here.  You can purchase your own copy of Elevator Pitch Essentials on Amazon.

She stood in front of the room.  Cleared her throat.  She took a quick scan of the room before uttering a word.  Then, it happened.  Her mouth opened, only to let a shriek of indiscernible sound. 

It was obvious.  Adrenaline and Cortisol were flowing freely through her blood stream.  Her heart was racing.  Her muscles tightened.  Her pupils were growing larger.  Sweat was beginning to bead up on her brow. 

                                                                        

Yet, she pushed through the words she had memorized.  After only 4 minutes, she concluded.  The audience stood and applauded loudly.  The applause seemed to go on for minutes, only to cease as she took her seat.  A small came across her face.  I’m not sure if it was from relief or a sense of accomplishment.  Regardless, she was done and it was over.

“Do one thing every day that scares you.”—Eleanor Roosevelt

This was my first experience with Toastmasters, an organization dedicated to building speaking skills through a structured program in a supportive environment.

This got me to thinking.  Fear is an instinctual response.  It can paralyze.  Yet, here she was.  Staring her fear right in the face. 

I talked with her afterwards and she mentioned she was nervous.  That was obvious.  The strange thing was that she was speaking to friends.  These were people she knew.  There were no strangers in the room.  Yet, she could not control her response to the fear.

This young lady was not a high level executive.  She was just a regular hourly worker. 

If she can stand up there, battle her fears for the sake of improving her own skills and abilities, why can’t I?

As you tackle your own career, remember that FEAR is only an indication that you are lacking information and confidence. 

THE KEYS TO FIGHTING FEAR:

• Surround yourself with people that will support you, no matter what.

• Tackle your fears. 

• Beat them one at a time.

Now, imagine the world you can create for yourself and others.

It’s interesting that despite all of the new virtual tools we have for social networking, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., we still find ourselves going back to the old face-to-face interactions to get any ‘real’ benefit from our connections.  Thus, the major benefit for individuals seems to be that it allows them to connect with those they may not normally have access. However, just being connected or Linked doesn’t mean you’ll get any benefit from it. 

Some research suggests that it takes at least 9 exchanges with someone to create a relationship.  Let’s say you went on LinkedIn with the hope of finding someone who works at a GE.   You’d like to work for GE as a project engineer.  So, you find a few names of engineers in similar positions in that company.  Then, you find their email address format and send them an introduction letter that tells them who you are, how you found them and why you are contacting them.  Do you think the first email you send to them will accomplish your goal?  Probably not. 

While this is a good approach, it will take many exchanges to build a relationship conducive to the support you need.  I’m not suggesting you shouldn’t use virtual connections.  For best results, you must combine the Virtual world with the Real world.  Here are some suggestions.

1. Do the Virtual thing. Send an email.  Keep it informal and sincere.  If you’ve done a little homework on them, you may have something in common, such as college degree, alma mater, kids, or hometown.  Use this connection as a reason for reaching out to them.  Make the first interaction about that bond.  Learn as much as you can about them.  Take notes so you don’t forget.


2. Do the Real thing.  Face to face is the best method of communication.  If you feel that asking for a meeting of this type won’t work, such as lunch or coffee, then suggest a telephone call.  Speaking is the next best method for connecting.  Once you begin talking, try to avoid email.  Call whenever you can.  This allows them to learn about you by listening to your voice inflections, timber, tone, attitude and other things.  You don’t get that from email.  After a few calls, you should suggest the face to face meeting.

3. Lead with your hand out.  Not in asking but giving.  Find out what they like and support it in some way.  I had a friend once that send a high level executive an autographed baseball from a player on his favorite team.  The executive was so happy to get the baseball that he arranged an interview for my friend at his company.  You never know what a little kindness can do.  By the way…he got the job and did well for years.

4. Connect with their network. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to get into someone else’s network.  How?  Just ask.  If you are resourceful and learn about some of their connections, through the Internet, you can work your way into an introduction to a particular contact.  You could ask leading questions to that connection or the particular aspects about the connection you’d like to make.  In working on my next book, I talk to lots of MBA graduates.  I ask each graduate if they know other successful graduates who’ve had the success they have.  This almost always leads to a referral.  

5. Work the whole network.   All of this takes time and effort.  But it’s worth it.  Once you get a referral, you must respond.  Follow up with them.  Keep everyone in the loop on the conversation.  Take your new connection back to step #1 above.  Don’t lose the connections.  Follow-up with each one as often as you can.

As you go through the process, note what works and what doesn’t.  Optimize your skills and methods.  Failures will come.  Don’t worry too much about them.  Just learn from them and keep on moving.  The results you want will come.  It once took my 18 months to make a connection with a world renowned expert.  Sure, I felt like giving up at times but I really wanted that connection.  And….I got it.

One of the biggest challenges for those seeking a career change is in the determination of the resources to use.  If you are currently employed and seeking a job change, you likely don't have the time or skills to find a better opportunity. So, you could use the help from someone else.  If you are unemployed, you need to perform a massive search to get some options quickly.  Trying to do the search yourself is time-consuming because you must learn the current trends in resumes, networking, interviewing and so on.  Using a recruiter seems like a good option but they aren't necessarily motivated (or incentivized) to help YOU.  They are paid by companies to fill a slot and that's what they do. 

The dismal results job searchers get from trying to perform the search themselves or using a recruiter forces many to the question of using a retained job search company.  There are many such companies in business today.  Some good. Some bad.  So, you need to do some research before hiring a company.  This can simply be done by asking a few questions.  To help you find the best deal, ask the following questions to the company you are considering hiring.  Note their responses.  Then, decide what makes the best sense.

Questions to ask a retained job search company

1. Who actually performs the job search?  Most companies DON'T perform the job search. That is, they coach you. If a company doesn't do the search, how good do you think they are at finding jobs? Surely you don't want to do your own search while you are paying someone else to do it. 

2. Who creates all of the documents?  Most companies show YOU how to create your resume, cover letters, thank you letters, etc.  They may even critique it for you.  If they don't do the job searches but do resumes, are you sure they are up-to-date on current practices?  A company who performs job searches will know what the current practices and formats are since they'll see the responses from the employers. 

3. Do you have a database of company contacts or previous customers I can contact?  Most companies don't have a database of contacts (or employers) to share with you. Most just advise you on how to find your own contacts.  You know, like using LinkedIn or Facebook.   If they don't have a database of connections, is their advice on making them efficient and effective? Sounds like an academic exercise, doesn't it?

4. Who does the company research?  Most companies do provide interview coaching. This is important, especially if you feel you need it. BUT, most companies don't provide you significant info on the company itself or the individuals you will interview you. That's critical info for performing well in an interview.  Also, with the rapid pace of buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, you'll want to know if the company you are interviewing with is about to be sold or file Chapter 11.

5. Who sends out the resumes, intro letters, etc.?  Most companies make you send out your resumes, letters, etc.  While most of it is done on-line today, it's still time consuming.  If you are already out of work, sending out a lot resumes is what you want but will be  difficult.   And, of course, you don't want to just blanket email companies.  That mass marketing technique isn't very efficient.  Since most resumes are never seen by a real person (9 out of 10), you'll want someone with experience sending them for you.

6. Is there an opt-out period or refund available if I don't like the service?    Find out if you have to sign a contract at the start. If so, is there an opt-out or trial period to see if you like their service.  Some companies force you to sign a contract with no way out.  So, once you buy in, you're in and there's not much hope for getting out.   That means that if you don't like what they are doing, they still keep your money.  However, there are a few ways to approach this if you ever get in that situation. 

7. Do you help negotiate and evaluate the offers?  Many companies do very little to help you negotiate or evaluate a job offer. You'd think a company that helps people find jobs would be effective in getting a job. This is a skill that takes practice and must be done often to keep pace with current trends.  

8. Do you help develop a career strategy once I find a job?  Most companies don't help you build a career plan or strategy once you've found a new position. Once you get a job, they'll say "call me if you need anything." Many people want more than just a new job, they want a place where they can be more successful.  But how do you be more successful in a new company?  Is the new culture one you can be effective in?  Do they already have a lot of high performers?  How can you compete?


These questions are great for your first discussion with a retained company.  Don't let them spend a lot of your time with their marketing speeches.  They are entertaining but not real useful.  Before they dive off in their spill, ask these questions.  Take charge of the conversation.  You're the customer and deserve to know what you are buying.  If you get the right answers, then by all means proceed.  Otherwise, you could be wasting your time.  This is your career and your money.  Take charge of it.

In studying the career paths of many MBA graduates from the top tier schools for my new book, I've found
that networking has been instrumental to their continued success. IVY League graduates have an unusual
but strong dedication to one another. Lower tier schools don't have this. The IVYs hold networking events where
they meet face-to-face to share a bit of themselves with other IVYs. They meet for lunch, dinner and many
informal gatherings. They arrange these events themselves without a direct connection to their schools.
It's a bunch of professionals with a single bond, working together to promote each other's success. They
form book clubs, present to one another and draw in top executives from major companies to share their
insights.

They've found that, as an MBA graduate, they have most of the skills they need to be successful.  As one
participant told me, "MBAs don't get fired for being stupid, they get fired for their personality."  This is
a great point.  Relationship management in the workplace is key to continued success.  Most of us know that
making enemies in the workplace isn't helpful.  In fact, it can be detrimental.  So, instead of avoiding
making enemies, the IVYs focus on making a powerful network.

Many of my clients struggle with networking.  Finding groups to attach themselves to is difficult.  The first
place to look is on the web.  Most groups have posted access to their calendar of events and officers on
their website.  A simple search should bring up a list of groups to join.

For now, you must network! I don't mean spend a lot of time on the Internet making connections through
LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. These are important too but the real social interactions that allow you to really
know someone will be the relationships that will get you into their company, get your referred to their
friend who may be hiring, or simply get you recommendations from key organizational members. These
relationships will help you all throughout your career, not just the beginning.

Pick a group and become an active member. Networking is making personal connections and you can't do that
over the internet. Here a few groups to join:

1. http://www.mbaalliance.com/
2. Your alum group
3. Other alum groups, like http://www.hbsclubchicago.org/groups.html (yes...this is Harvard but don't let
that stop you. Contact the head of the group and ask to join).  There are many in your city.  Find them.  Join
them.

If you aren't getting results for face-to-face groups, network online to find more places to network in
person. Consider some of these sites:

http://www.foreignmba.com
http://www.mbafocus.net
http://www.mbahighway.com
http://www.associationofmbas.com
http://www.mbaconnect.net

Once you have gained graduate level education, you have the credentials and skills to be successful.  Now,
you just need the network.  If you don't have one, make one.

Lights...Camera...Job change!

One of the defining characteristics of the American economy is the quest for profits. Most of us
knows what that really means.  However, let's look at this from a different perspective by first
looking at the unemployment numbers for February 2009.

• Large businesses (500 or more employees) saw unemployment decline by 121,000.
• Medium businesses (50 to 499 employees) saw unemployment decline by 314,000.
• Small businesses (less than 50 employees) saw unemployment decline by 262,000.

These numbers indicate greater instability in medium to small companies.  Now, consider the fact
that many of these companies are private and owned by Venture Capitalists and investors.  The
ownership of one of these companies has a huge impact on every employee's career. 

Have you ever worked for a small or medium sized company that was owned by VCs.  They held a contract
to fund the company for 2-3 years with the guarantee of a certain return on investment.  At the end
of the contract, they have the option to keep on supporting the company or sell it off to someone else.
If the VCs aren't getting what they feel they should, they often sell the company, sparking a wave of
cost saving activities for the new owner.  I don't have to tell you what this implies.  Layoffs.

Now as this trend continues to grow, we begin to see the shaping of a new mobile workforce.  New owners
take over a company, reduce headcount, work the business for a few years and then sell it.  During this
time, the workforce can grow or reduce further.  In either case, the labor force fluctuations are in
response to the need for fast returns.

So what does this mean to you?  It means that you can expect to have more jobs in your career.  This
will eventually create new expectations for employees.  Employment will begin to be seen as temporary.
Durations will last only a few years and then you'll move on to the next project.  It will be just like
a movie set.  The crew comes in to setup the scenes.  Then, the big actors comes and do their thing, leaving
the cleanup to the crew.  Once they are done, they move on to the next movie.

While planning for a career never has been an easy task, it will certainly get more difficult.  You'll need to
consider the following ideas to maintain a sufficient level of success.

Transferable skills.  You'll need to ensure you are building skills that will elevate you in the next job
change.  Parallel moves are good but you'll want to be build skills that will put you in the driver's seat of
the negotiation.  Moving up the ladder can only be accomplished by jumping companies.

 Networking.  We've always known this was important.  Well, if this isn't on the top of your list for new
skills to develop, you better put it there now.  Ivy League graduates have always been good at this and use
it often to create more success for themselves.  It's the best way to plan that next jump (or any jump).

Planning.  If you've never considered building a career plan, the future will give you the opportunity to
build one.  Once you get into a company, start tapping your network to know what's available.  You don't have
to jump right away but you'll want to have a few landing spots identified, especially if you're tossed out of
the plane instead of jumping.

One last tip...when you interviewing for that next job, ask the company how they are funded and what that contract
looks like.  Is it up in one or two years?  This can give you an idea of when change will come.  If they are
a public company, then you can just review their performance by searching sites on the web.

Cut....that's a rap!