The BLITZ Blog

How do you ask for a career change?

2010-05-07T14:15:13Z

If you’re like most people, you start to get a little bored with your work after about two years. By this point, the novelty has worn off and you’ve learned most of what you need to be a contributor to the organization. These two years are also enough time for you to really figure out where you are in the corporate food chain; that is, a fast riser to the top or a bottom dweller. For those in the later category, you may often consider making a change. Of course, that idea can certainly generate a lot of questions in your mind on just how to do that. Well, here’s a strategy for making this type of change.

Here’s the situation: you’ve been in your job for two or three years and your career in this company boils down to just a job. You shouldn’t worry too much about it. This is about the point where most people determine that they need to make a change. They’ve given the company sufficient time to recognize their skills and contribution to the company. If they haven’t been rewarded with bonuses and promotions by now, they assume they aren’t going to get any. So, they begin to adjust their mindset to consider new options.

Jumping out of your company usually isn’t the first consideration. That takes a little more work, since searching for jobs today is difficult for anyone. A quick option is to consider other opportunities within your existing company. If you haven’t done this before, it can appear quite elusive. It really isn’t too challenging, if you follow these simple steps.

1. Make your efforts visible. We judge ourselves by what we are capable of, while others judge us by what we have done. Most people track their accomplishments on their resume. How many people in your company have seen your resume? I would guess very few. This means most people don’t know what you can do. You have to show them what you are capable of. If you want to be known for having talent in a specific area, find projects to work on that require those talents and make sure the most influential people know you are working on it. High profile programs and projects are great for such exposure. Once you’re on one of these projects, use your internal network to promote your activities.

2. Show you can solve problems. There's no better time than today to start stepping up your game and becoming a positive thinking problem-solver. It's too easy to be a blamer. Always ask yourself “what's the problem here?” Don't be afraid to take the lead in solving a complex problem. It's not career risk. It's career enhancement. One problem facing CEOs, as indicated by the IBM Global Business Services report “After The Crisis: What now?”, is in finding targeted approaches for developing revenue, such as through improved service and support. Tight credit and tight budgets are putting the strain on business. Help solve this problem for your company and you will help put some mobility back into your career.

3. Demonstrate your skills in many ways. Don't just focus your skills and talents on your specific area of expertise. Organizations are constantly pushing the limits of the “doing more with less” philosophy. This is unlikely to change anytime soon. The people that move up in this environment are the ones who step up. Managers don’t know what skills you have, so they aren’t going to come around to your cube and ask you to take on projects that may push you outside the skill sets required by your daily tasks. Growth opportunities are available and are on a first-come first-serve basis. Show your management that you can speak by making presentations, show that you can lead by managing teams, or show that you can teach by offering a class to your company.

4. Compare your performance to other attempts. Always promote your successes by quantifying the results to previous attempts by others in your company or from other documented cases. Don't highlight the failure from the previous attempt but focus on the technique or skill you used that differentiates your attempt. One of the big issues organizations face today is flexibility in their operations or being able to respond to changing customer demands. Companies that are flexible in operations must first be flexible in thought. Demonstrating your ability to, not only think outside the box, but solve problems that way is a huge benefit to an organization that wants to grow.

5. Gather endorsements. An endorsement is a validation of your efforts and YOU. Get as many endorsements of your performance as you can. Recognition from others at higher levels is an acknowledgement of your ability to perform at their level. I was sought an endorsement from a billionaire for my efforts. It took me over 18 months to get it. Once I got it, it only took me two weeks to gain the support of other billionaires. Higher level executives are always managing risk, especially to their reputation. By having other executives validate you through an endorsement, you remove the perception of risk from the next executive who will endorse you. The more of that risk you reduce up front, the more likely you’ll get what you want.

6. Make your successes known. This can be a tough one for many people, although there’s a simple solution for this. To gain visibility, you must advertise yourself as much as you can. Many of us don’t like to tout what we have accomplished. Unfortunately, that’s about the only way we can get the good news of our accomplishments to those in power is by marketing them. Executives and managers don’t work around the organization and ask people what they have accomplished recently. If you’re lucky, that happens once a year in a performance review (and you know what benefits that has for your career). The best way to get the word out on your big victories is to build your own marketing team (e.g. your co-workers and friends). Use others to promote your achievements so you don't come off as bragging.

Maintaining a high rate of speed up the corporate ladder is difficult today, to say the least. Often the path isn’t purely vertical. Oh if it could be. Opportunities present themselves in many different ways, such as lateral, upward or downward. Nonetheless, developing a good method for encouraging a change when you need one is essential to continued career growth. After all, no one watches your career but you. These six steps are a great way to convince those at the helm that you are more than ready to take on a bigger role in the company.

Can You Coach An MBA?

2010-04-21T21:20:00Z

MBA students and graduates hold high expectations for the return on the MBA. Many expect high salaries and corner offices after graduation. Unfortunately, students often find confusion, disappointment and a long job search. In this post, I’ll share some thoughts and ideas about how the process of getting an MBA complicates the graduates’ ability to be successful right after graduation.

Having spent a couple of years interviewing MBA graduates for my new book, The MBA Owner’s Manual, I thought I would jump to the other side of the fence, academia, to ascertain the challenges in helping graduates become more successful. Some of these challenges are fairly easy to fix, while others will require change. Yep, I said that bad word, change.

Great Expectations. No matter how many students I talk to, they always seem to have high expectations for what the MBA will do for their career. The biggest advantage seems to be related to increased opportunities. The more interesting part of this is what their expectations were founded upon. When I ask about where these opportunities come from and how they are positioned to take advantage of them, I usually get a blank stare and the response “I don’t know.” This is a problem. It implies you have student with an undecided career path. The MBA will not provide that for them. It will give them ideas but the students will need a little help to adopt one of them and turn it into direction and goals.

Transformation. The MBA is, as Dorothy Grandia, Corporate Recruitment Manager at the Erasmus University’s Rotterdam School of Business in the Netherlands suggests, a “transformative degree.” Students walk in with one idea of how their career will go and graduate with a different idea. As most of experienced professionals know, changing direction takes time. MBA students need to be focusing their efforts on learning about their chosen area, building their network, contributing to their field and lining up their next job. All of this could take up the two years required for getting the MBA. Changing in mid-stride only serves to cause more stress and a little unemployment time after graduation, as the student doesn’t have time to accomplish the tasks needed for employment while trying to finish their degree.

Placement Support. Students also don’t realize that colleges and universities don’t have a huge staff to support massive job search campaigns. At the same time, colleges have to cater to both the students and the companies that come to campus in search of new hires. Again, small staff and lots of activities. It’s almost impossible to juggle all of this. There are some universities that have outsourced career consultants to help their graduates find a job after graduation, giving students the one on one attention they need. This is an additional financial burden on the schools so not too many have embraced this approach.

Some colleges bring in consultants and career experts to show students how to perform a job search. With the Internet changing so rapidly, seasoned professionals struggle to find a new job, even with an established network. After all, everyone doesn’t want to be proficient at job searches. Unless you’re in the business, that would mean you’re constantly looking for one.

Networking. In my last post, I talked about how important networking is to one’s career and how it can be done. I hate to belabor the point but many students and graduates don’t seem to grasp the importance of this activity. It’s not until they are unemployed that they begin to understand the value of such skills. Business today is heavily reliant upon social skills, since we’ve been embraced by a global market. Technical skills (i.e. what it takes to do your job) are not as critical as they once were. They have given way, ever so slightly, to those who have the ability to communicate effectively across cultural, race and gender barriers.

Very few would argue that job searches are aided tremendously by a large network of business contacts, friends, recruiters, etc. But how many students and graduates have that? While they may have lots of friends on Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and all the other sites, it is unlikely that students possess enough business contacts to find opportunities before they hit the company website or even create an opportunity from scratch. Nor do they have the skill sets or time to create such networks. Colleges must be creative in ways to teach students how to be self-sufficient. Students must realize that colleges are limited in their support and that the responsibility for their career resides within.

The economy has brought about considerable change to employment, forcing students to rely more heavily on the value of their degree and college career services to support their needs. When you combine these high expectations with the lack of communication of the limited capabilities of college and university career service departments, it’s very easy to see how a major misalignment of expectations occurs. Coaching graduate students is challenging. Graduates have just dedicated that last couple of years to learning specific skills that make them valuable to the job market. If the market doesn’t recognize that value, then they are in trouble. We haven’t taught them how to communicate that value, who to communicate it to, where to communicate it, or even when to communicate (e.g. long before you graduate). And students, you need to remember what Henry Wadsworth Longfellow once uttered; that is, “We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.”

How Do I Network?

2010-04-14T13:18:50Z

While this may sound like a strange question, it is one that I get asked often. Since we are all looking for opportunities for greater success, networking might be a skill we might want to learn. In this post, I’ll take a look at some of the reasons for our inability to connect with others and how we might be able to overcome them.

It’s not hard to understand why it’s important to be able to network. A quick look at the job situation in March shows that we are about 30,000 jobs short of what we need to keep up with our growing US population. Right now, the government is holding these numbers up with temporary census jobs. Once that’s over, competition will get really fierce (like it isn’t already). At this rate, you can expect it to take 5 to 8 years to catch up. That should give us plenty of time to learn some networking skills.

Once these opportunities start showing up, we’ll need to connect with people on the inside of companies to get a job, since that’s how most jobs are filled. Yep, it’s a little thing called referrals. It’s a trump card that can win you the game. Of course, they are not so easy to get. You have to network with others, get to know them and convince them to help you. Here are a few reasons why this might be tough for you.

Academia doesn’t teach it. The college years were fun and teach us a lot of skills that we can use to improve our career. As an engineer, I learned more than I wanted to know about physics, chemistry, material science and electronics. The one thing we never discussed in those 6 years (bachelors and masters) was how to work a room full of people. If I had been looking for a good engineering job that didn’t require me to interact with people, I was setup for success.

Unfortunately, I got a job in a company that was full of people. To make matters worse, they didn’t speak the engineering language. Once I began interacting with my fellow employees from quality, HR, management, contracts, production and so on, I realized that if I had any intentions of being successful, I had to learn to read people and speak in ways they could understand. Otherwise, I ran the risk of creating my own communication barriers, which could easily blind me of opportunities.

We don’t make attempts to practice it. Networking is not just a skill, it’s an art. Sure, there are some basic aspects of communicating with people that will make you better, but it takes practice to make yourself great. How many events do you attend each year? Most of us don’t push the development of our skills by registering for social or business conferences. These are perfect venues for establishing connections in other companies, industries and geographical locations.

Maybe we avoid these things because we feel out of place. It moves us away from our comfort zone. But this is often exactly what companies are looking for. They want someone who can walk into a strange situation, with little information, and take charge of it. Anyone can follow, but few can lead. As I learned as an engineer, your daily job doesn’t provide a whole of chances to improve your networking skills. I don’t mean that you don’t develop friendships with your coworkers. That’s not the situation where you can excel. Your opportunities come from successfully building working relationships with the people you don’t know, such as suppliers, clients, potential customers, vendors and contractors.

We don’t understand the value. I’ll have to admit it, but it took me quite a few years to assess the real value in networking. I’m not talking about the conversations around the water cooler. I’m talking about stepping into a room where I didn’t know a single soul in the room. However, when I left, I had business cards from numerous people, whom I followed up with and are still in contact with today.

It wasn’t so easy at first. I would enter the auditorium but kept to myself. I didn’t interact much, except for this one time when I was at an event I actually knew someone else who was in the audience. He was an old colleague and a big networker. I figured he would have fun with me since he knew I was out of my element. However, he showed me around and introduced me to several people. It put me at ease. From then on, I realized that people were in the room. You know, people just like me and you. They think the same things, feel the same things and even seek the same things.

Each new contact leads me down a new road, for which most of them lead to another new contact. This is expanding your network. It’s a simple concept. You walk up to someone you don’t know and introduce yourself. You ask a few questions about them to learn who they are, what interests them and what things you share in common. If you find a lot of commonalities with your new contacts make sure to follow-up with them later to share your schedule and list of activities (in case they are interested in one of them). If you need help, you ask them for it and you encourage them to do the same. The relationship is mutually beneficial.

Sounds simple right? Well, it is. It doesn’t take much more than what I just defined in the previous chapter. Most often the obstacles to networking that get in the way and keep you from connecting with others are inside your head. You are your biggest obstacle. How do you overcome it? Keep putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. Eventually, it isn’t uncomfortable. At this point, it’s a whole new world. Your eyes will be opened and you’ll wonder why we fear what we don’t know.

New roads will lead you to new adventures. This is what we talk about when we say we are looking for new opportunities. Notice though that the opportunities don’t just come directly to you. You actually have to meet people to find these new paths. Then, you must walk the path and be able to recognize the opportunity. Lastly, you must act on it. It’s not hard work. Spending four or more years solving a lot of textbook problems was hard work.

The WAR For Talent Is….OVER?

2010-03-18T22:21:00Z

Many high achievers still fail to recognize the need for skills beyond their own technical ability. A hard charging attitude coupled with a graduate degree isn’t sufficient. While they see themselves as real talent, they fail to see that the needs of industry are continually evolving. The battle for technical skill alone is over. We’ve stepped off that field and have engaged a foe of the social nature.

You’ve just spent that last two years struggling to complete your MBA, work a full time job and raise your family. You’ve built some great skills that should make you extremely successful in your company. You can do almost anything. In fact, you feel more qualified than your own boss. Yet, opportunity always stays one step ahead of you.

Don’t organizations want people who can move mountains? Wouldn’t everyone like a team full of high performers, like Kobe Bryant? That would make winning a lot easier.

Yet when you look around for advice on how to find success, experts are always promoting the personal side, such as personal identity and personal branding. Sure, we understand the value of these things, but is this where corporate business has come? Is talent of little value nowadays?

Marshall Goldsmith recently posted an article today on BusinessWeek entitled “Becoming Who You Want To Be.” First, I think Marshall is a great success (can’t argue with that) and a great coach. But I find it interesting that he is telling us that our identity can be holding us back from achieving our desired success. I would think that we would focus more on becoming a great performer, learning the skills that make us great at our job. You know, the technical stuff, not the social stuff.

Maybe we’ve progressed the average level of knowledge, skills and ability to the point where it is no longer an issue of concern. Just about anyone we hire will have sufficient ability to do the job. That’s real progress we can be proud of. Now, the issue becomes one of hiring people who get along with the other people in the company.

In 2005, Harvard Business Review released an article titled “Competent Jerks, Lovable Fools and the formation of Social Networks” by Tiziana Casciaro and Miguel Sousa Lobo. Their study showed that if people have the option to work with a competent jerk or a lovable fool, they’ll choose to work with the lovable fool.

I know what you’re thinking. Aren’t we in a capitalistic society? Isn’t it one of survival of the fittest, where the best competitor wins? Just imagine you own a professional basketball team. It’s important to have talent. Just having a bunch of average players that work well together may not be sufficient to win games. Makes sense, right? Well, managers don’t run companies like a basketball team.

Companies could create such star performing teams, usually called Virtuoso teams, but they choose not to because they are difficult to manage. Just think back when Kobe Bryant started in the NBA. Did he have an attitude problem or what? He was good and he knew it. It was tough to be on the same team with him. Bill Fischer and Andy Boynton suggest, from their July-August 2005 article in the Harvard Business Review, that these teams are just too difficult to manage.

The message here isn’t whether the philosophy of hiring for likeability is right or wrong, or even if it makes sense. It’s insight into what people want. Since people run companies, that’s important information to have, especially if you want to be successful.

Dan Schwabel, author of Me 2.0, defines four keys to personal branding relationships: mutualism, targeting, giving, and reconnecting. Looking at these four factors, you realize that they have little to do with your own technical ability and everything to do with social skills. Maybe employers assume you are coming in the door with sufficient technical skills. But can you deal with people?

Businesses are run by people and people are social animals. We follow fads, trends and the latest crazes. Maybe this drive for social perfection is a result of the transition to a service economy. We spend more time talking with other employees, vendors, suppliers and customers, so we need people who are good at it.

Spending the time and effort to develop your own technical skills is a great thing to do and will serve you well. However, it may not be the driving force behind your success. If you’re a hard driving success junkie, you may want to consider these few tips.

1. Understand where to use your abilities. Technical skills are good for solving technical problems. Don’t try to use them as the prime mover of your career. Most upper echelons in organizations are not highly technical people, so they don’t understand it as well and aren’t easily impressed with it. The people at the top levels of companies manage relationships, with their own people and their customers. You should learn to do that too.

2. Accept the fact that you’ve got more to learn. I spent 14 years in college (and yes I graduated a few times). I felt I knew everything I needed to know about my job. But every job along the ladder to the corner office requires demonstration of their own specific talents. Realizing that I didn’t have all of those was a kick to my ego. Be open-minded and learn these new skills.

3. Seek help from others and offer yours. It’s very easy to give in to your own ego and try to learn your way up the ladder. I’m not saying it can’t be done but it turns out to be the long way up. The people above you have learned a thing or two; hence, the reason they are there and you aren’t. Gain their support and advice. If you can help make their job and life easier by using those superior technical skills you’ve honed over the years, they will reciprocate.

4. Have fun. Too many high achievers focus too heavily on gaining trophies as identification of their success. Our careers don’t really last that long. They are full of change and novelty. You should learn to enjoy the relationships, learning and variety life has to offer. Remember, money comes and goes, time just goes.

Many hard charging, high achievers strive to ascend the corporation through the use of their technical expertise, only to find that it only takes them so far. Learning to read your environment as it changes, say to a need for more social skills, is a great way to ensure you don’t plateau and get left behind. There are few jobs at the top of the company and the competition is fierce. We are a service economy now and service is a heavily social activity. If you’re striving for great success, you have to become the ultimate package; that is, technical expert and social innovator.

Pushing Your Career Passed Waiter’s Syndrome

2009-12-04T20:29:00Z

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.

An Interview with Irene Becker, the 3Q Expert

2009-10-22T00:09:00Z

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.

Texas-size advice from a Top Texas Entrepreneur

2009-08-27T15:40:00Z

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.

Where's my BIG BREAK?

2009-06-08T01:53:00Z

At some point in our career, someone "goes out on a limb" to help us along in our journey. This help usually puts some real momentum behind us and ultimately pushes us upward and onward. I've often thought that these 'events' don't really occur terribly often for any one single individual and for some, they may never occur at all.

To gain some better understanding of these events, I conducted an online survey to business professionals to find out exactly what they had experienced. I wanted to know the 'who, what, where, and when' of these BIG acts of kindness.

Here's what they had to tell me.

Who gave you your big break? It would be great to know that there is a pattern for those individuals who take risk by helping others but the results don't really indicate any such pattern. They help people received came from many areas of our lives; that is, inside work and in our personal lives. The good news for us is that they exist almost everywhere. If you haven't found that person, keep looking. They could be anywhere.

Some of the responses indicated:
• An immediate boss
• A manager from another department
• A mentor
• A local charity leader
• A college friend
• An executive
• Nobody

What did they do? Most everyone has their own idea of what constitutes a 'real helping hand.' For me, the opportunity has always been to help someone be more successful in their career. By that I mean to find a better way to do things that helps them gain more positive visibility in the eyes of executives and decision-makers. For the respondents of the survey, the help they received ranged from emotional support to intellectual stimulation.

The results included:
• Gave me direction during my tenure with the company
• Gave me a chance to do something different
• Believed in me
• Gave me great advice
• Taught me to market myself
• Hired me

Where did it happen? Many people consider work to be the best place to make the right impression and gain the support for their efforts. Our survey indicated that this isn't necessarily true. Respondents were helped by those they worked with inside and outside of the workplace, and even before they entered the corporate life. This implies we should never overlook anyone for we never know who others will become and how they could help us out, no matter where we are.

The most indicated locations for a BIG BREAK included:
• At work
• At a local charity
• At college

When did it happen? Alberta Flanders once said 'Sometimes only a change of viewpoint is needed to convert a tiresome duty into an interesting opportunity.' After reviewing the survey results, I wondered if the respondents who feel they haven't gotten their big break may have simply missed it. Maybe they just didn't see it for what is was. The results show that it opportunities can arise at any time and as we previously learned, almost anywhere.

Some common times identified in the survey were:
• During my first year on the job
• At Lunch
• While making a presentation
• During an interview

These results should give everyone hope that opportunities are abundant in our lives. You never know where or when it will occur. There appear to be a couple of keys to capitalizing on these. The first is to be able to recognize them when they occur. We must recognize that the people around have the ability to make great changes in your life. While we don't know when it will occur, we do know that it will be someone we interact with. The last key is to obtaining BIG BREAKS is to increase our interactions with others. The more we interact, the more likely we are to find that person who will take that risk and help us gain a little more success.

Mastering Your Elevator Pitch With Chris O'Leary

2009-05-22T14:28:00Z

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.

A Toast To Fear

2009-05-13T21:14:00Z

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.

Job Hunting: Virtual Connections or Real Connections?

2009-05-08T01:57:00Z

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.

Questions to ask a retained job search company

2009-04-15T13:24:00Z

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.

The key to career success: Networking....but not the networking we normally think of today!

2009-03-30T02:29:00Z

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!

2009-03-17T22:19:00Z

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!

Managing emotion and gaining vision

2009-02-26T03:12:00Z

Stocks are down. Companies are selling. Jobs are scarce. Well, except for high performers. Those with high levels of education and a great track record within corporate America are usually safe in turbulent times. Managers are always seeking those with unquestionable talent. It would seem that for a select few, they have little to worry about when it comes to employment. Right? Maybe not.

Over the years, I’ve talked with many professionals about the steps they’ve made along the path of their career. Mostly, I just wanted to learn what others have learned. At first, I thought many of these super achievers had everything all planned out, working the system like a professional. They knew what to do at every turn. However, that was simply not the case. Even the best and brightest suffer unexpected consequences.

After reviewing many of these discussions, I realized that most of these career mistakes, or mis-steps, were caused by one of two factors: vision and emotion. Both of these essentially blind them of the situation, relieving them of the ability to make logical moves. Hopefully, by reviewing both of these factors, we can gain some insight that will allow us to avoid their gravitational pull.

Vision. Ben was a talented engineer with ten years of successful creation of technology. His dreams of becoming one of the best technical minds had been born from his thoughts and grew into a great career. Having cleared the big hurdles in his path, he was ready to take on new ones. These would have to be different. They would push his skills in ways he never imagined. Much like a great right-handed baseball pitcher who decides to become a left-handed pitcher. Ben’s challenge was to learn more about the business side of corporate life. He felt the quickest way was to cram as much information into his head as he possibly could. Ben decided to get an MBA. This would allow him to get into investment finance. So, he enrolled in a top university. He continued to work in the corporate world until he graduated. With resume in hand, he set out to get that new job. After a few interviews, his new career path was becoming clearer. But it wasn’t we he expected. The big investment houses were telling him that he needed experience before they could hire him. They asked about college internships or previous investment experience. He didn’t have it. This was the most critical element in getting hired. The MBA was just part of it. How could he have missed it? Somehow, he did. Now, it was too late. Ben never made it into investments. He couldn’t see two years out. He expected the degree would be sufficient. It wasn’t.

Ben eventually found a good position in another industry and has done well since. But he wonders what it would have been like if he could have just understood how far his degree would take him. Ben could have contacted several people in the investment industry to find out what the real requirements for employment were. Networking is a requirement. It’s the easiest way to learn. It’s little effort with big returns.

Emotion. Jenny was one of the best managers in her company. She had proven herself many times over in the 6 years she had dedicated to the company. Yet, somehow she didn’t feel she was rewarded for all she had given. The late nights. The long days. The many accomplishments. Her hard work and energy went out but nothing seemed to come back in. These feelings began to drive her attitude. She still did great things but she wasn’t devoted like she once was. This attitude gave birth to new behavior when she heard the rumors about the sell of the company. Thinking that things wouldn’t get better if the company did sell, she began to search for a new job. After all, if they were selling the company, things were bad and opportunities would be scarce. So Jenny found another company. She interviewed with them 4 times before getting the offer and taking the job. She had done her research. This was the company, or so it seemed. About 6 months after she started, the honeymoon was over and the rumors had begun. Jenny had fallen right back into the situation she had left at her last company. Except this time, she didn’t have enough time to create to create her defining star performer reputation. Another 6 months after the purchase, Jenny was unemployed. The two situations drained her energy, drive and passion for her work. In an almost self-destructive manner, Jenny’s emotion drove her decision to change.

Jenny eventually found work again but learned that emotion is a powerful force. Her feelings controlled her view of the situation around her. So much so that it blinded her abilities. She was ready for a change, even if it only appeared to be better. Career decisions, like many other decisions, are best made when you aren’t in a state of heightened emotions.

These are stories from my clients. They are highly educated people. Most are high performers that accomplish great things. They are survivors and find ways out of difficult situations. But they still hit bumps along the path of their career. The things that they experience are very similar to what many of the rest of us experience. They learn from their mistakes. Hopefully we can learn from them too.

Surviving Unemployment

2009-02-06T02:46:00Z

Surviving Unemployment

I still remember it like it was yesterday. The day my manager, whom I had served for a about one week (since we restructure so often), came to my desk and asked me to meet with him in his office. As I entered the room, I saw the HR manager. I immediately knew what was going to happen. They talked with me for a while but I’m not sure I heard anything. My heart was pounding so hard and my mind was racing wildly. What was I going to do now? My paycheck was the only one I have to support my family. I took my letter from the company and headed home.

.. ..

This all took place at the beginning of the economic downturn. The housing market was declining and unemployment was climbing. It was the perfect storm. Focusing on being positive, I began to prepare my plan for getting that next gig. As I put everything together, I felt more positive about myself. I was focused and determined.

.. ..

But alas, two months later, discouragement set in. So, I reached out to my close friends for support. I didn’t ask them for a job at their company. I just wanted encouragement. They often reminded me that I didn’t appear to be extremely happy in the job anyhow. Maybe this was the only way to get out of a bad situation. If I had been released, I may have stayed in it and eventually affected my personal life. After a few sessions with my friends, I came up with a new plan and was running again.

.. ..

Entering month five, I started to feel hopeless. I didn’t think I would ever find a job. Feelings of anger would fill my head as I reflected on the events that put me in this whole situation. I did what they asked me to do and look what they gave me in return. If this is the way organizations worked, I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore. Essentially, they have free reign and can do whatever they want. Me, I had to have the job, so I guess I had to take it. This is what I fought for some time. It was destructive thought and I had to get rid of it.

.. ..

I got over it by changing my focus again. I created a list of things I wanted to do that couldn’t be accomplished while I was working. One thing that I did was to join a gym, talk with a trainer and put myself on a rigorous exercise program. This kept the stress down, allowed me to make new friends and connections and most importantly, got me out of the house. Getting my mind off of the situation was the only way to save my sanity.

.. ..

It took over nine months for my story to end. I was exhausted. My emotions kept me on a roller coaster ride. However, changing my focus kept me from dwelling on the negative. Here are a few things I found that were extremely beneficial in maintaining a positive attitude during such troubling times.

Create a job search plan. Initially, the novelty in searching for work will be stimulating. You’ll be hopeful that people who will be reviewing your credentials will be impressed and will want to talk with you. You’ll also be learning a lot about others and what they do. Most importantly, you’ll be figuring out how you could fit into their business. Enjoy this. The better you get at it, the more successful your search will be.

.. ..

Note: You’ll need to change your plan from time to time. Maybe you try searching online for two weeks. Then, you work with recruiters or local government services. Other sources could be job groups, career fairs or even a career coach. Some people may tell you to try everything at once but that could get daunting. Change things up by focusing on one method at a time.....

.. ..

Create a support network. Unemployment is a tough ordeal that strains your emotions, self esteem and self image. Use your friends to support and motivate you. Let them know that’s what you need. Arrange special meetings that pick you up. Consider sporting activities, dinner, hanging out at a club or a movie. These are the times where you can get ideas on what to do while enjoying the camaraderie of your friends.

.. ..

Note: Get your friends to include you in their network. Meet their friends and go to their events. You never know when the next person you meet may be your next employer.....

Build your dream list. This is the list of things you’ve always wanted to do but never had time for. A job often takes up most of our time. Now you have some. Don’t focus all day of every day on getting the job. Spend some time in the morning sending out resumes and making contacts. Then, do one of the items on your dream list. I went to the gym to exercise every day. It was my stress relief. Don’t let unemployment totally rearrange your life. Have a little fun too.

.. ..

Maintain a positive attitude. This is critical. A bad attitude will spill over into everything you do, especially an interview. While your support network may support this, you’ll need more than one source if unemployment is prolonged. Go to the library and check out some audio books by great motivational speakers. Carry this with you everywhere (in the car, on your IPOD, etc). I would listen to Anthony Robbins and Les Brown. Find your favorites and dive in.

.. ..

Note: The lessons you learn from these experts are great for stories in the interview. Questions like “how do you motivate others?” become extremely easy to answer. ....

.. ..

Build new skills. I’m not talking about going to a college to get a degree or certification, although, it’s not a bad idea, if you can. While you are at the library getting your motivational fix, pick up a few books on something you’d like to learn about. I chose team-building. I must have read and listened to 100 books on it. I made myself an expert on it by learning what all the others experts thought, then adding my own experience and thoughts. You can imagine how I could dazzle interviewers on team related questions.....

.. ..

Forget the past. If you had a bad experience that left you unemployed, learn from it and forget it. Put enough thought into to understand what went wrong and what you could have done to improve the situation. Companies are made of people and people make mistakes. Come to grips with this understanding quickly. No matter what happened, you are where you are. End of story. Focus on building yourself a better place to be.

.. ..

Note: I learned to get over my situation by helping others who experienced something similar. Give. Give. Give. You’ll feel much better about the past if you help others avoid similar situations.....

.. ..

The bumps in the road of our lives are great for putting things into perspective. Treat them as learning experiences and opportunities for making your life better. After all, when we are working, we have little time to change things, even those we know we should. This is your time to get things back on track.

Thoughts from my man Chuck

2009-01-28T15:55:00Z

Although President G.W. Bush denied it for some time, many economists certainly feel as if the economy has finally reached a serious state of recession. Unemployment is at an all-time high and everything else is going with it. But this has a special mark on the average American struggle to climb the "corporate ladder."

Large corporations are downsizing, merging, acquiring, converging and a whole bunch of other -ing words that aren't good for the average American worker. A task that was already nearly insurmountable, succeeding in today's corporations has been increasingly more difficult. There are too many questions looming over the heads of young professionals.

Where do I go to succeed?
Who will help me?
What will be expected of me?
How will my performance be judged?
Insert your question here.

This doesn't have to be an endless list of questions.

Blitz the Ladder – A Team Based Approach to Getting Ahead in Business is the back pocket Bible for those that have hit that glass ceiling or those who just want a no holds barred look at the corporate structure. Blitz goes into great detail and examines the results from some of America's top business resources and brings home an approach for the average man. It gives a unique, common sensical formula for success.

Blitz guides the reader through the quagmire that is the corporate structure from finding your definition of success to the management mindset to overcoming career obstacles. To often, "self help" books claim to give readers insight on achieving their wildest dreams of corporate and financial success. Those books paint the corporate structure as a place where hard work always pays dividends and dreams come true with a little determination. The real corporate structure is overlooked and summarily ignored. These books offer vague strategies that apply to everyone and no one simultaneously.

It's difficult to succeed when the advice you are given comes from someone who has no idea where you are or where you want to go. This is where Blitz the Ladder breaks from the mainstream. Blitz gives readers a candid and stark look at the real workings of corporate structure from individuals who have actually navigated it. The only advice that will help you is from those who have been in your current state. Those who have hit that glass ceiling. Those who have initiated the group-based Blitz approach and shattered that ceiling. This book gives the determined businessperson a method for success and the keys to manage their own perception.

Blitz the Ladder is not for those who have no idea what they want from their career. Blitz is a real-life handbook for those with the desire to break from the norm and write his or her own ticket.

Chuck Shumpert, Newspaper editor

Plan for a Layoff

2009-01-10T19:06:00Z

Why plan for your layoff?

The Department of Labor tracks layoff events. An event is a situation where a company lays off 50 or more employees. Unless you are a hermit, you have noticed the continual bombardment of layoff announcements in the paper and on the news. Layoffs seem to be picking up steam. Over the last few months the quantity of layoff events have steadily increased.

Why plan for a layoff?

In putting together a plan for your career, it's useful to consider your career from many aspects. A layoff is one such event. Preparation is key during such an emotional time. Upon receipt of such bad news, your mind will be filled with so many questions, you'll hardly be able to focus on anything. Once you get over the shock, the questions will roll in like a wave over you. Where do I search? Who is hiring? Does my resume look good? How do I prepare for an interview? Should I use a recruiter? Do I need to update my skills? On and on it will go.

The last thing you will want to do is to try and answer all of these questions. It can eat up valuable time. Time you can spend on getting back into the game. In an effort to do just that, we suggest you plan for the layoff. Then, if it happens, you just pull out the plan and start implementing.

Here are some of the items that should be in your plan.

Financials:
What are your income sources? Savings, 401k, unemployment benefits, etc.
How do you get these sources in your pocket so you can use them?
Where do I get Health Insurance?
How much do you need each month?
What payments can be deferred?

Job Search:
Who are some good recruiters to contact?
What job sites are the best?
Do you have a list of close friends and business contacts?
Is my resume ready?
Who are my references?

Job Dream List:
What job would you want?
What employer would you like to work for? Are they hiring?
What else are you qualified for?

PMA (Positive Mental Attitude):
How do I maintain a positive attitude?
What methods can reduce stress?
What methods can you use to improve motivation?

New skills:
What skills are promotable?
What do I need to develop? How?

These are just a few of the considerations you should include in your plan. While this takes a little time to prepare, it's best performed when there is little pressure on you. If you're interested to learn more about this plan, send us an email to
info@blitzteamconsulting.com.

On The Mic

2009-01-02T04:27:00Z

I'm finally getting out on the airwaves. Here's a recent discussion on my team-based approach to career development with Chris Russell of

Here's the link:

http://jobradio.fm/2008/12/15/nuevo-shows-for-dec-15th/

Stay tuned for more......

NO HEADLIGHTS

2008-12-18T05:02:00Z

My friend, Sean, has been contemplating obtaining an MBA. He is intelligent and technically gifted, so much so that he successfully runs his own consulting business. As we sat discussing some technical issues, he asked me if I thought getting an MBA would be a worthwhile activity. Assuming he was asking because I had one, my response was that it was for me but I couldn’t say it would be for him. Curiously, I asked him why he wanted an MBA. His response wasn’t too shocking for me since I’ve heard many times. In short, he had no plan for the MBA; that is, he didn’t know what he was going to do with it. This raised two concerns in my mind: 1) no career plan and 2) no plan for how to use the MBA.

Seeing Is Believing

Later that night, we were driving to a local restaurant for dinner. We were driving through a rural area. You know those dark, winding roads with one street light about a country mile apart. Taking the conversation back to his original question, I asked him to turn off the headlights. With eyes wide open, he asked what I was thinking. I insisted he turn the lights off. Quickly he flashed them off and then back on. So, he begged “what was the purpose of that?” I explained that those who carelessly seek a career, which is something separate from a job, see what we saw when we turned the lights off. That is, nothing. A career needs purpose and direction. Without a career plan, you can’t see very far into the future. How can you be sure your actions are getting you closer to your desires if you don’t have a goal? If Sean had plans for his career, then it would outline the need for the degree and what it would do for him. My answer to his question was that he first needed to turn the lights on so he could see where he was going.

Vision is a critical factor for achieving success. To illustrate this point, I told Sean about my close friend, Darren. Darren is an avid marathon runner. If you looked at him, you may not think he could successfully complete such a test of endurance. He’s short and a little chubby. Yet, he ties on his shoes and runs 26.2 miles in less than 4 hours. Completing a marathon is something I’ve always wanted to do but never had the nerve to try. Darren had always told me that it’s not really a 26.2 mile race. It’s actually a lot of little races. Trying to focus on a 26.2 mile race is daunting and intimidating because you can’t see the end. So, Darren breaks it down into shorter races where he can see the end. It gives him a focal point that he can concentrate on. Once he reaches a goal, he sets another one. So, on and on it goes until he reaches the finish line. By setting many short goals, he can better gauge his progress and the energy he needs to put into it. The key is to break your activities into visible pieces.

The House That You Built

As for how to use an MBA, that’s simple. It is a tool. It’s not a house that provides safety, security, warmth and shelter. It’s a tool. It gives you nothing. If you want a house, you have to pick up your tool, put some energy into it and continually use to drive in each nail until you create the success you want. Put it down on the table or back in the tool box, it just sits there. The important thing to consider is that it is not designed to just be mounted on the wall and admired (although you might enjoy that a little). It is a collection of skills and knowledge that can be used to create a masterpiece. Just like most things of value, it can take a lot of time and energy to build the future you desire.

While the MBA is a great addition to your career, it won’t get you where you need to go without a clear vision of where that is, time and hard work. Many hold the perception that the MBA alone holds great reward and a free ride on the success elevator. This is far from the truth. Seeking higher rungs of the ladder is aided by the development of higher personal value. This is what you build, not what is given to you.