The BLITZ Blog

South Africa’s MBA Culture

Todd Rhoad — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 23:58:00 GMT

Finweek, in conjunction with MBAConnect.net, has just released their first research report on the impact the MBA has on the lives of students and graduates in South Africa. This survey probed the question on whether or not the MBA was a worthy endeavor and what impact this objective had on the lives of students and graduates. Over 1500 respondents shared their views on the good and bad of the MBA pursuit. Here’s a few of the key findings of the survey.

One of the more interesting findings was related to why students pursue the MBA. Popular opinion suggests that the MBA is sought for career advancement and better pay. This survey found that professionals obtained the MBA to “be more productive in a business environment.” However, 77% of respondents indicated they had received a promotion or greater responsibility after earning the MBA.

Is the MBA a positive force on their career? Over 95% of respondents felt that the MBA improved their decision-making abilities. Nearly 90% felt the MBA bestowed more credibility on their careers by elevating the perceptions others had of them and improving their ability to interact with others at various levels. The MBA also made them better leaders, with other 90% of respondents attributing their skills learned in courses, skills learned from group interaction and a heightened self-awareness as the main drivers for this improvement.

Career changers found some benefit from the MBA, as 56% of the respondents changed careers after graduation. Of these graduates, 65% said the MBA made the difference.

One of the more profound positive impacts identified was the change in their outlook on life. Over two-thirds felt the MBA opened their eyes to new opportunities, renewed their interest in the business world and improved their level of confidence and self-belief.

As you might expect, the MBA isn’t “all that.” There were a few downsides to its pursuit. Most students (68%) stated that the financial requirements forced them to cut back on normal lifestyle expenses. Negative impacts were noted with regards to diet (48%), sleep (82%), stress (81%) and sex (42%).

What about beyond the MBA? This survey found room for improvement within the universities for several key career-related activities for Alumni. These include access to MBA-level job opportunities and networking events, helping graduates start and grow businesses and building personal brands.

While these are only a few of the results, it’s important to note the overall message from the survey; that is, the MBA is worth the pursuit. Even though students and graduates felt the universities were failing to meet some expectations, they are still looking to the MBA programs to be a big part of their post-MBA career.

You can find the survey results at MBAConnect.net (http://www.mbaconnect.net/finweeksurvey.aspx).

The MBA Value Proposition

Todd Rhoad — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 01:42:00 GMT

What does this book offer?

How do you become successful with an MBA? Many professionals today are searching for that one key to a highly successful career...the MBA. After they’ve earned it, they struggle with achieving the success they expected. The problem is that they don’t learn to communicate their new value to managers, potential employers and many others. This book will provide considerable insight to what many MBAs have done. Also, you’ll learn how they’ve found the value and shared it with others to achieve the success they sought. Lastly, you’ll get a simple plan to follow to establish your own value proposition.

How do you become successful with an MBA?

This is a question asked by too many MBA graduates. MBA programs teach critical business skills but few teach you how to communicate the value of the combination of your new skills, knowledge and experience. Opportunities for great success don’t come often. Graduates must be able to respond to such opportunities immediately with no hesitation.

The value of this book

This book brings you many perspectives on the MBA. It isn’t slanted on one particular view but seeks to give advice from those who have the degree and have used it in business for years. The MBAValue Proposition will give you a clear guidance on how to create the value image you want and broadcast it everywhere so that everyone will get the message of who you are and what you can contribute to their organization.

The only book of its kind

You can search all over the web but you won’t find a book that will share such valuable insights. It’s not just a bunch of analytical data. It’s not purely academic. It includes the thoughts and feelings of professionals just like you but maybe a little further along in their career. Don’t miss another opportunity because you couldn’t communicate your value. Read stories from those who’ve found ways to share their value with companies and people around the globe.

Ordering information

Visit www.blitzteamconsulting.com to learn more. You can also order the book online from Amazon and Barnes&Noble.

Why won’t they help me?

Todd Rhoad — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:14:02 GMT

No one argues that networking is a vital part of your career. Brand new college graduates already know that their network is the biggest factor in finding their first job after graduation. If you’ve been laid off recently, you are fully aware of the power of having friends in other companies. Career mobility in periods of high unemployment is almost entirely driven by your ability to connect with other professionals. But what happens when you don’t have a big network? You’re forced to reach out to people you don’t know personally and ask them for help. It’s like mass marketing. You send out tons of emails and get very few responses. What should you do?

First, it’s not you. But it could be your approach. In this post, we’ll look at a few things you should consider including in your networking strategy.

Authenticity. Your request must feel genuine. Don’t be afraid to share the truth of your situation. Hiding the fact that you got fired or laid off will send signals up like roman candles. If your recipient gets that slightest sense that something isn’t right, they’ll just delete your request.

Action-oriented. You must ensure your request defines how you found the person, why you chose them and how they can help. Make sure they know what you want them to do. The email recipient will assume you’ve taken the time to assess what they do, what their company does and how you will fit in. Therefore, you should have some idea what you them to help you with. If you’re just sending it blindly with the hopes that they’ll figure something out, it won’t happen. Don’t do it.

Reciprocity. Giving back does work. However, your initial approach should offer something to the recipient rather than simply asking for help. As a writer, I'm always asking others for advice. I usually find a way to give something beforehand or in return for their support. It’s a sign that I value their time and effort and appreciate them spending it on me.

Likeness. Search for those who are like you. People who have the same background or upbringing are likely to share the same values as you do. Try to find some commonalities with those you reach out to as it helps establish a connection and give them a reason to consider helping you.

Validation. This is the most powerful tool you can use. If you're looking for help from someone at a higher level than you or in an industry you’ve never worked in before, get a referral. If you’re reaching out to a CEO and another CEO makes a referral for you, you’ve got a good chance that you’ll get a response. Otherwise, the CEO’s gatekeeper will stop your request from ever crossing their desk.

Persistance. Never give up on what you want. People respond to passion. If you’re trying to get a contact in a particular company, don’t quit until you get one. Try different methods for contacting people in the company, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, or direct email. I once sought a contact for 18 months. I did get it. Be persistent.

Help others. Many roads to success have been paved with this strategy. Offer your support to others without regard for reward or payment of your efforts. Good things will come to you. This was Oprah’s claim to fame.

Networking is the key to opportunity in today’s economy. Having all of the other ingredients, such as knowledge, skills, abilities and a college degree, are just part of the admission price to the game. Networking is a skill that can be learned. If you don’t have a big network, you’ll have to practice a lot. But once you find something that works, you can quickly build upon it to find that next great opportunity.

Why We Struggle With Networking

Todd Rhoad — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 03:21:34 GMT

In this post, we’ll hear from speaker and author, Thom Singer, who is an expert in social networking and personal branding. After you read this post on our flaws in Networking, make sure to check out his site to gain a lot more insight on how you can become a much better networker. Thom can be found at www.thomsinger.com. As an MBA student or graduate, you’ll want to read his book, “Some Assembly Required: A Networking Guide for Graduates.”

Now….a few words from Thom Singer.

First of all, we live and serve the ‘John Wayne Cowboy’ society, which is a culture where everyone believes we have to achieve success alone. We think success is for loners but this is hardly true. In reality, it doesn’t matter who you are, from Bill Gates to the president to a person running a successful chain of chicken restaurants, you can’t do everything. Our society is driven by a mentality that we can’t ask for help, because we believe no one is out there to help us. Mentally, we start out totally wrong. There are people who can and will help. Success comes from long-term and mutually beneficial relationships.

Secondly, networking has gotten a bad name over the years. Can you believe it? When people think of networking, they think of ‘takers.’ We think that people only show up when they have a need. For example, “I just got laid off and I better go network because I need a job.” Another common example is with Sales people. When they are not making their quotas, they will call everyone in their network to ask them to make referrals for them. They don’t keep in touch the rest of the time.. On the flip side of this argument is that networking is always happening. It’s a give and take. It’s not something you just do when you need something because people see right through that really quick. So you have to be constantly engaged and be willing to help and serve other people. Don’t keep score. But that’s not the way many people think of networking.

Another problem with networking is the definition. If I ask ten people to give me a definition of networking, I’d probably get 7 or 8 different definitions. The definition I like to use is “the creation of long term and mutually beneficial relationships between two or more where everyone involved succeeds more because of the relationship than they would without the relationship.” The key is that it is mutually beneficial and everyone is successful. People too often overlook this aspect of networking, and fear they might just look needy or like a taker. But if you’re doing it right, you won’t because you’ll be giving far more than you are getting. That never looks bad.

The final reason we struggle with networking is that we often witness many successful people who have law degrees, MBAs and engineering degrees and who are mostly left-brained. They are thoughtful, study hard and do research. They never would be confused as the social butterflies of their world. They are self-identified as introverted. They think it is hard to go out and talk to people, so they do not place a priority on the activity. The surprising reality here is that introverts are better networkers. If we go back to the other examples I mentioned when all you’re doing is talking about yourself, no one is going to like it. No one likes a braggart. Unlike the extroverts, Introverts ask questions and listen intensely to what others are saying. Extroverts can sometimes be focused on what they are going to say next while the other person is talking, missing the entire message. When you are listening to the other person, you are more likely to see where you can make the connection to help them. Most introverts tell me after they get to know someone they are more comfortable in talking about themselves. If an introvert goes in and asks a lot of questions, then they’ll learn something about that person. Knowing a little about someone breeds familiarity and so the introvert becomes more comfortable in sharing things freely.

Networking is your key to career success. Do it incorrectly and you go nowhere. Become proficient at it and you’ll fill your life with opportunity.

Thanks, Thom. We appreciate the time you’ve spent with us. You can find out more about Thom, his books, articles, speaking events and blogs at www.thomsinger.com.

An interview with Dr. Samuel Chand: How to become a change agent

Todd Rhoad — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 23:43:17 GMT

My latest interview brings you phenomenal insight into what it takes to become a change leader in a world that is full of change. In this interview, we talk with Dr. Samuel Chand. As a Dream Releaser, Dr. Samuel R. Chand serves Pastors, ministries and businesses as a Leadership Architect and Change strategist. Dr. Chand has served as senior Pastor, college President, Chancellor and President Emeritus.

He personally consults, mentors and coaches some of the country’s largest church Pastors, speaks regularly at leadership conferences, churches, corporations, Leadership Roundtables, Minister’s conferences, seminars and other leadership development opportunities. He was named in the top-30 global leadership Gurus list. His singular vision for his life is to Help Others Succeed. Being raised in a pastor’s home in India has uniquely equipped Dr. Chand to share his passion – that of mentoring, developing and inspiring leaders to break all limits – in ministry and the marketplace.

We are truly privileged to bring to you the following interview on Leadership.

Todd: How can MBA graduates become change leaders?

Dr. Chand: The old adage “ the only constant in the world is change” is still true. The challenge with most MBA programs is that they are taught by people like me; that is, boomers, for whom stability and consistency is a mantra. How do we keep the environment stable? How do we make changes or translate changes? The risk threshold for my group is not as great as the risk threshold for students coming up in current MBA programs. To be a change leader is this environment, the professor or mentor has to be a person that transcends their generational stability and consistency issues and be willing to go above and beyond them. Change really is a more constant art. You can’t teach people to change. It is the environment that allows people to change. I mean an environment where change, risk taking, innovation, creativity and new ideas are not frowned upon but are seen as experimentation. That’s what creates the leader attitude. But it has to begin with what happens in the classroom and the environment students find themselves in.

Todd: What skills do students and graduates need to focus on to become a leader?

Dr. Chand: Students and graduates need to build both hard and soft competencies. The hard competencies include project management, strategic planning, implementation, team creation. The soft competencies are far more important than the hard ones. Soft competencies include skills like listening. Listening is one of the top priorities where you are not just hearing biologically but are listening internally, not only to what is being said but what is being omitted. You must go after the omissions because what is not being said is a whole lot more volatile than what is being said. Another soft skill is the idea of having organic conversations. That is holding a conversation that doesn’t begin with the end in mind. You got into the conversation open minded and let the conversation take you where it is going to go. Most people that come out of management or business schools come out with strategic conversations where they have formed some type of mental template. This means that if they take the conversation down a certain road or path, they will get a certain result or outcome. Lastly, a great soft skill is putting aside what you have to bring to the conversation aside and not letting your contribution be the centerpiece of the interaction. It is not about getting this account, getting the job or what you’ll get out of it. It’s about helping others succeed. It’s about going into a situation where you are thinking about what can make this other person successful. It’s about a win, not a win-win. A win-win is a 50% proposition. A win is a 100% proposition. Every promotion or raise you’ll get will come because you have created significant value for someone else, so much so that they want to continue to take you along on their journey. If you make them successful, you will be successful.

Being a change leader today requires the development of some unique soft competencies. They are unique in the fact that these aren’t the type of skills business schools teach. Taking from one of today’s leadership gurus, who has tested these skills in many different environment with many different audiences, the soft side is your ticket to greater success, even if you aren’t focusing on making yourself successful. Good luck on your journey.

Thanks, Dr. Chand for sharing your time and experience with us. You can learn much more about Dr. Chand at www.samchand.com. You can capture more of his wisdom from his many books and CD sets located on his Resources page.

The Joy of an MBA

Todd Rhoad — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:58:22 GMT

Our first ebook "The Joy of an MBA" has been released!

The first book in the Henry Series for MBAs has been released!

This book is for all who've thought about getting an MBA and what it could do for your career. It's also for those who have the MBA but haven't felt the impact of it yet. While the MBA is touted as the credentional to have to build real career success, few have learned how to use this key to unlock the door to success.

The Joy of an MBA will take you deep into the minds of MBA graduates and students from around the globe. You'll learn why they got their degree and what they are doing with it. It's a look into the career paths of others who share the same dreams as you.

This book is not a bunch of statistics about the MBA that, while interesting, are not useful in helping you plan your path to success. Experience is learning by trying. That's what you'll get from this book. You'll feel the years of experience and you will take the lessons to fold into your strategy for making your dreams come true.

You can find "The Joy of an MBA" at Amazon and Barnes & Noble websites. If you're considering the MBA or are a student, this book will serve as a guide through your program and into the business world. If you’re an MBA graduate, you'll enjoy the stories told by other MBA graduates from around the globe on how they use their MBA to improve many aspects of their career.

http://www.amazon.com/Joy-MBA-Henry-ebook/dp/B005OD6TB2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1316608323&sr=8-4

Stay tuned, Book #2, The MBA’S VALUE PROPOSITION, will be released at the end of this month. In this book, students and graduates will learn how to communicate their value as an MBA holder to potential employers, bosses, admissions and many more audiences.

Dakota Meyer Raises the Leadership Question

Todd Rhoad — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 15:16:00 GMT

Dakota Meyer was recently awarded the Medal of Honor by the Commander in Chief for disobeying his leaders' orders. This is an interesting contradiction. The highest level military leader awards the highest honor to a soldier for disobeying an order. We all understand why he did it and certainly commend his bravery. But why was this necessary? Several officers had the opportunity to make the right decision and save lives. But they didn't. Meyer saved 36 lives. His leadership failed to assess the situation accurately. Officers are trained to be leaders, right? At the very least, they are in a position that must make decisions for others.

I know you are thinking what I am. Just because you are college educated and put in a leadership position, are you really a leader? Officers are trained. Intentional efforts are made to develop specific skills in the area of leadership. This type of activity falls in line with the belief that leadership can be taught. Let’s dig a little deeper.

Are leaders born or made? This question has been asked a million times. We’ve just looked at one simple example of making leaders and have found that there are some serious issues with that approach. Let’s take a look at a few situations to see if we can better understand the question.

Let’s now consider the corporate environment. How many times have you been in a corporate M&A where the bigger company buys a smaller one and brings their leaders in to take over your company? After a few weeks, you realize the new leadership doesn't know anything about your business; much less, the competition, the market, the technology and so on. A year or two later, your company has been downsized and is making less revenue than before the acquisition. The smaller company is either sold, shut down or left holding on to the end of their rope with both hands and a death grip. Often the leadership will restructure the management ranks in an attempt to spark some life back into the company. In Ken Blanchard’s book, “Leading at a Higher Level,” he mentions that some of the best leaders in industry set their sights on the right targets and vision. Can you teach someone to be a visionary?

What about politics? Yes, I know, I usually don’t talk about this stuff but it’s too easy to use them as an example. Leaders in the white house and congress are supposed to bring people together to resolve issues. Yet, every time you see them on the news (because we never see them in public), they just seem to be blaming someone else for their lack of progress. John Maxwell mentions in his book, “The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, “ that leadership ability determines a person’s level of effectiveness.” If congress can’t get results on anything (i.e. not effective), what does it say about their ability? Arthur Carmazzi, author of “The 6 Dimensions of Top Achievers,” suggests that leader requires an understanding of how YOU as a leader affect the Psychology of a group, and how the group’s reactions affect you and each of the individual members of that group. Carmazzi also suggests that a leader’s actions and reactions not only affect the psychology of individuals, but affect the entire culture of the organization or group. So do you think blaming others has an impact? Does it help or hurt? Have we filled our government with real leaders?

Ok, enough examples. In looking at whether leaders are born or made, we might want to consider some characteristics of leaders. Daniel Goleman, in his Harvard Business Review article “What makes a good leader?” states that “Without [emotional intelligence], a person can have first-class training, an incisive mind, and an endless supply of good ideas, but he still won't make a great leader.” Emotional intelligence can be learned but the problem is we aren’t good at identifying it in the workplace and based on our history of developing leadership, we probably couldn’t teach this in the workplace anyhow. Remember, we hire the right people in the first place (i.e. someone we don’t have to train).

Stephen Covey identifies effective communication as a key characteristic. Communication skills can be taught but does it make one an effective communicator? John Maxwell talks about the Law of Intuition. Can we teach intuition? Look around the web and you’ll find thousands of characteristics for leaders, such as empathy, respect, vision, passion, purpose, and so on. Can we teach all of these?

Are leaders born or made? I think the answer is convoluted by our interpretation of the word ‘leader.’ When we think of this word, we usually envision a great leader, not an average one. It’s true that we can teach many people specific skills and put them in a leadership position. If that’s the definition of a leader, then we can make them but I wouldn’t expect spectacular results. If we expect a leader to deliver extraordinary results, then we better find people who are gifted in many of those leader characteristics. This difference would lead us to the comparison between talent and skill. Such as, you can teach a guy to play basketball but you can’t make them the next Michael Jordan. Regardless of our definition of the word ‘leader’ or whether they are born or made, the world needs more of them.

What do you think?

Personal Branding: Really?

Todd Rhoad — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 14:51:15 GMT

I’ve always wondered why employees really need to be concerned with personal branding. It’s certainly a hot topic on the web. I’ve watched people write blogs that eventually became books and magazines. Heck, some even grew into businesses. So why does a regular employee in a company concern themselves with branding? You would think that their performance against their goals should be sufficient to determine their value to the company, unless business has gotten more complicated. I can’t see that as being the case. However, I do think change has come. Actually, it has diffused from the top echelon to the lowest levels of the organization. Here’s my pitch.

Henry Mintzberg performed an amazing study in the early 1970’s for his PhD dissertation at MIT analyzing the actual work habits and time management of chief executive officers (CEOs). He found that CEOs performed ten managerial roles. I don’t want to go into much detail here on each role. You can read his book by HarperCollins, entitled “The Nature of Managerial Work” if you want to know more. The point is that of these roles, the CEOs spent most of their time looking outward. This means they don’t spend a lot of time analyzing the internal workings of the company or developing the next level of leaders. They are the face of the company and consider themselves challenged to grow the company by interacting with potential customers, partners, etc.

Since they are CEOs and just one individual in the company, their absence from the day-to-day work is tolerable. Now, let’s look just below the CEOs. In the 1980's, top managers and practitioners began to question middle managers' importance. At the same time, environmental changes such as the globalization of the economy and the development of information technology fostered variations in organizational structures. These changes, often associated with downsizing, probably resulted in a modification of middle managers' roles. You think?

Pavett and Lau performed a study in the 80’s looking at the other level of managers and compared them with Mintzberg’s results on CEOs. They found that the lower level managers emulated the higher levels of managers. Why? One startling conclusion was that managers that performed the duties we would normally think a manager should perform, such as training and development of employees, were promoted far less than managers that emulated the top brass. This is a breakdown in design. If managers can get promoted by avoiding the activities that were originally designed into their job, then they will undoubtedly abstain from doing that work. You get what you reward, right?

So here’s my thinking on branding today. The same trend that went from the CEOs down to the lowest levels of management has diffused further into the ranks of the salaried and even hourly workers. Performance isn’t something we are graded on anymore. Just look at your last performance review. It’s all social or soft skills that we need to be good at. But why? That seems more like a skill for those outward facing, like a CEO, than it does for the lower ranks of the company. Employees should be focused on their tasks and ensuring they perform effectively and efficiently. However, if they aren’t graded on that performance, then you won’t get it. Lower managers are focused on acting like a CEO. It’s on their minds. It’s how they grade themselves. Have they passed this down to their own employees? Could we now be faced with a system that’s totally based on social awareness? Are we now in a society were social prowess trumps technical prowess at all levels?

Share your thoughts.

The Goal of an MBA: An Interview with Brian Tracy

Todd Rhoad — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 21:14:43 GMT

In this post, I share some advice from my recent discussion with Brian Tracy. Brian Tracy is Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. Brian Tracy has consulted for more than 1,000 companies and addressed more than 4,000,000 people in 4,000 talks and seminars throughout the US, Canada and 40 other countries worldwide. As a Keynote speaker and seminar leader, he addresses more than 250,000 people each year. Brian Tracy has studied, researched, written and spoken for 30 years in the fields of economics, history, business, philosophy and psychology. He is the top selling author of over 45 books that have been translated into dozens of languages.

Here’s a few notes from this interview.

Todd: What are the most difficult aspects of the career to set goals for? How do can MBAs get around them?

Brian: You start off with your income. Make a five or your ten year plan. Then you say “what will I have to contribute for them to willingly pay me this amount?” What MBAs have to understand is that the MBA degree is a like a merit badge in the Boy Scouts. It indicates to the employer that you have certain abilities to achieve goals. It doesn’t indicate that you can, just that you have the ability. Most companies take two years to detrain an MBA to get them to the point where they can contribute something worthwhile. The job of the MBA is to short circuit that learning curve. The key focus to MBAs has to be results, not just the goals you get from your employer. The most important results are financial results. You have to increase sales or revenue, or either reduce cost, depending on your area of specialization. A great opportunity in business today is to put great focus on increasing revenues through marketing and sales. You have to find some way to have an influence on revenues. That has to be the central focus of the MBA. Now remember that 80% of people that graduate from college never use what they learned for the rest of their lives. Therefore, all the courses you take are what I call mental pushups. They indicate you can do mental pushups. Now you have to get results to to help your company get more results today. That has to be the focus. With the law of indirect effort, the giver results in higher pay, job security, faster promotion and greater attractiveness in the market. The indirect way of impressing another person (Law of Indirect Effort); however, is simply to be impressed by the other person. The more you are impressed by the other person, by who he or she is, or what he or she has accomplished, the more likely it is that the other person will be impressed by you.

Todd: How should MBAs set priorities for achieving their goals (e.g. effort, time, reward)?

Brian: The most important qualities for success with the MBA are focus and concentration. You must have absolute clarity about what you are trying to accomplish. Then, concentrate on just these activities. So, I’ve deemed what I call the Law of Three. There are basically three tasks that we engage in that contribute 90% of the results or value in that job. Everything else is in the other 10%. So what you have to do is to make a list of everything you do in the course of a week or a month. Then ask yourself if “I can only do one thing on this list which activity contributes the greatest value to my business?” Put a circle around that. Then, ask the question again, if I can only do two things? Then, try three things. The answers should pop out at you. If you don’t know the answers, you haven’t got a chance. One of the ideas I share when teaching teambuilding is that you are not only competing with every other company, you are personally competing with your counterpart in every other company. There’s an old saying that goes “if you’re not constantly learning to get better, somewhere some else is.” If you are doing this, when you meet that person you will lose. Therefore, you are competing with your counterpart who is doing the same job trying to get the same result in a competitive company. Just like in the Olympics, you’re competing against athletes from other nations. Your competing against business athletes from other companies. The other thing is you’re also competing with the people within your business, who also want the same rewards, promotions, perks and opportunities that you do. Don’t forget that while teamwork is working together, loving, hugging and sharing, every person you are working with wants to get more and better rewards, So you are going to have to outperform the people to the right and left of you. The only way you can do that is first by focusing on the really valuable things that make a big difference to your boss and company and continually getting better at what you do.

So I say with regards to the Law of Three, do fewer things but do more of them, do them more of the time and get better at it. Getting better is one of the most important skills for an MBA; that is to continually get better at the most important things. If you don’t know what they are, just go ask your boss. Just say “Hey, I just got my MBA. If there were a few major things that contribute 90% of the value to the company, what would you say I could do to make the biggest contribution I can?”

Our thanks to Mr. Tracy for taking time to speak with us. More tips and advice from Brian Tracy will appear in our upcoming ebooks for MBAs.

Go to www.briantracy.com to learn more. You can also capture some great advice from his blog at www.briantracy.com/blog.

Success by Running In Circles

Todd Rhoad — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:22:50 GMT

John Adair is the Chair of Strategic Leadership for the United Nations and one of Britain's foremost authorities on leadership and leadership development in organizations. In this post, you'll learn about one of his most important contributions to the understanding of leadership.

Before Adair, and arguably still today, people associate leadership with the so called 'Great Man Theory.' In other words, we see leadership as one charismatic individual who uses his or her personal power and rhetoric to mobilize the company. Even Adair admits that this mentality needs to change.

Adair approaches leadership from a more practical and simple angle; by describing what leaders have to do and the actions they need to take. This is a warm welcome to many MBA graduates who seek to be a high achiever and are looking for a path to greater career success. Knowing what to do and how to act is one of their largest hurdles.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), about 156,250 MBA degrees are granted each year in the US. MBA students represent about 25% of all Master’s graduates. That’s a lot of potential leaders heading into the corporate world every year. But many graduates have little leadership experience and are cast into organizations that hold the perception that MBAs are created to lead.

Where should MBAs graduates begin? “It is absolutely essential that MBAs take on board the relatively recently discovered generic role of a business (using that term in the widest sense) leader. For that centres on the three circles of task, team and individual. So it forms the basis of effective leadership at all three levels: team, operational and strategic,” says Adair.

These circles are part of Adair’s Action-Centered Leadership Model. Each circle overlaps and influences the other. A good leader recognizes that a healthy interaction between the team, the task and the individual is vital. So for example, if you’re leading a project, then you, as the leader, would need to think about:

Task: what are the goals, what are the resources needed, what are the timelines, etc.

Team: how will the tasks be divided amongst the team, how often will they meet, how will they interact with stakeholders, how will they measure success etc.

Individual: are the team members working to their strengths? Are they learning from each experience? Are they being listened to on the team? etc.

Basically if one person is to run a group of others, then the size of the group will be determined in the first place by the task requirements of the job. This is the first area of need that a leader must to look at, i.e. task needs. They also have to try to use the expertise and talents of their subordinates and more importantly, coordinate one person with another and create an effective working group or team. Success is achieved by balancing all three circles.

We can see through our own experience in everyday life, how these three areas interact with each other and how sometimes one area can be ignored, resulting in disruption in the other two. In organizations, such disruptions invoke a leader mindset failure that if ignored for a length of time can easily derail your personal success.

As an MBA graduate, you’re expected to be a good leader. If you remain focused on Adair’s three circles, you can prove your worth at almost any level of the organization.

If the three circles aren’t providing you enough clarity for proper execution, you may want to take a step back and engage in introspection. Adair has provided many great resources to aid in creating more success. Among these are his ‘100 Greatest Ideas’ series which includes ‘100 Greatest Ideas for Being a Brilliant Manager’ and ‘100 Greatest Ideas for Effective Leadership’.

We would like to thank Dr. John Adair for taking the time to share his expertise with us. You can learn more about his work at http://www.adair-international.com and http://www.johnadair.co.uk.

Please stay tuned for more of his expertise in our upcoming ebook series for MBA potentials, students and graduates.

Action Centred Leadership and the Three Circles (words and image) are trademarks™ used by John Adair and Adair International Ltd. ACL is a registered trademark® of John Adair.

Success Through Positive Difference

Todd Rhoad — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 21:06:46 GMT

A major challenge for young and brilliant professionals is learning to create their ability to influence. Way too often talented graduates seek influence by demonstrating their knowledge, proving they are right and demanding credit for their smarts. After all, they spent many years developing their expertise in the hopes that they will be able to make a significant impact on the organization and will be promptly rewarded for it. However, most organizations don’t provide the right environment for this type of behavior.

Organizations need top performers as they can be a huge force in solving problems, growing the business and reducing cost of operations. Unfortunately, these high performers engage such opportunities with the mindset that the reward for such accomplishments should be theirs. While this may seem like a fair assessment, one must realize that employees are hired to help build the organization and provide reward to the stockholders, not solely for themselves.

After numerous attempts to be seen for their expertise, high performers can become discouraged and even demotivated. Gaining success in their career becomes more challenging as their attitude becomes evident to those around them. Despite what you can do, a negative attitude is always seen as a bad personal characteristic. No one cares how it was developed, whether they were treated unfairly or if their efforts constantly went unrewarded. A bad attitude is still bad.

In an interview with Marshall Goldsmith, I was reminded of the power of a positive attitude. Marshall shared his thoughts from a recent experience.

“The greatest leaders I’ve ever met are always up, always positive, always focused on the mission and always focused on service. I had the privilege of having dinner two weeks ago with Alan Mulally, who just won the CEO of the year in the United States. Alan went into Ford during some very adverse conditions where he did a spectacular job of leading a turnaround. Instead of becoming down and depressed, he was always focused on service and how to make a positive difference. He wasn’t focused on whining or himself, he was always focused on what he could do to help others. “

The power to make a positive difference begins with a positive attitude. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles to sustaining a healthy positive attitude, which I'll list only a few shortly. Positive attitude is obtained through a simple 4-step process. The four steps are:

accept that they exist - denial won't make them go away.
recognize them - the faster you see them coming, the more time you have to maneuver.
refuse to respond negatively to them - don't give in to emotional response. Drive with logic.
quickly work around them - don't waste time on obstacles. Don't get consumed either, your happiness depends on it.

Some of the more common obstacles to your development of a positive attitude and your growth towards making a positive difference are listed below. Throughout your career, you will encounter many things that will attempt to derail you or slow you down. It is rare that you will find yourself in a corporate environment that makes personal growth, learning and your career development a priority. Remember, making money comes first. Now to that list of obstacles.

Money comes first - This is what companies want. If you can help them get more, you’ll be better off.
Bad managers exist – You’ll find managers who only have their interest at heart and will do just about anything to limit their competition. You may be smarter, but they’re the boss.
Companies don’t develop talent – It is unlikely that you’ll find many companies that will hold your hand and guide you to the top. Besides, most of the people at the top want to stay there.
Competition is fierce – With unemployment so high, more people will be seeking greater qualifications and skills. Then, they’ll be chasing higher level positions too.
Advanced degrees are entrance tickets – Great knowledge is only a ticket to the game. It offers no guarantee of anything. You must use it to accomplish great things for the company and others.

Once you’ve found positive attitude, you can move on to making a positive difference. High performers have great skill, knowledge and ability. It is their responsibility to utilize these things to make the world around them a better place. For example, if I made everyone around me into millionaires, I wouldn’t need to be one. The positive impact I would have on others would be reciprocated to me in times of need. Positive difference is creating positive change no matter what the situation or circumstances may be. It is proactive. It is deliberate. It is also difficult and challenging and it will challenge you all throughout your career. But high performers who’ve found their way aren’t intimidated as they have learned that positive difference will lead them to the achievement of their goals and dreams.

Many thanks to Marshall Goldsmith for sharing his expertise in our recent interview. You can read more from Marshall in our upcoming eBook series for MBAs. Stay tuned for their release.

For more advice from Marshall Goldsmith, you can go to www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com.

5 Elements of a Healthy Networking Strategy

Todd Rhoad — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 21:11:47 GMT

In her white paper “Connected Citizens: The Power, Peril and Potential of Networks,” Diana Scearce shares with us some characteristics of over 70 experiments that focused on helping people connect, be heard and engage in action. Before I list the 5 key elements and how it can apply to your career, it’s important to note that these elements require engagement of both sides of the network brain: off-line and on-line interaction. You can’t do it all on the web and you limit your reach if you try to do it all in person. An effective use of both sides will undoubtedly give you the best results.

According to the U S Bureau of Labor Statistics 70% of all a jobs found by networking. Even college students realize this. The GMAC reports that the number one source for employment for MBA graduates is their own personal network. That’s right, not even the colleges can produce better results and they setup programs to work with employers directly. Networking is without a doubt the most critical skill for long term career success. Here are a few considerations for building today’s network centric career strategy.

Consulting the masses. This element focuses on actively listening. If you’re online, you’ll want to listen to conversations and openly asking for advice. When I first began developing my career plans, I would just read what people were posting on the web and try to incorporate it myself. This could be as simple as copying the format of a resume that looked good to me. Yet, this simple step seemed to be lacking something. Results weren’t impressive. There’s so much to applying such advice that is left out of the articles. So I began to contact other people for support, mostly by email. You know….that multiple perspectives thing. This improved things somewhat. The difficulty was that it was hard to find someone willing to help. Little did I know I was looking for support in the wrong environment.

It wasn’t until I truly engaged in discussion groups that I began to really learn what it takes to build a real plan. LinkedIn discussion groups became extremely useful as I engaged in debate and commentary on topics that were important to me. As I ran into the same people over and over online, I began to develop relationships with them. NOTE: You need numerous interactions with people to begin developing a relationship. Not just a single email. Eventually, these people began referring me to others. This is growing your online network.

At the same time I was engaged in online discussion groups, I began the same activity, except this time I was meeting folks face to face. Strangely enough, the number of interactions is fairly similar. You make an initial contact, then you follow up with and stay in touch periodically to maintain the familiarity. Hopefully you find something you are both interested in so that you have the opportunity to work together. I develop activities all the time where I need support from others, giving me a reason to contact my network. However, you can’t just constantly ask people for support. You must give back. Reciprocity is vital.

Striking a creative plasma. A plasma is a unique environment where, under the right temperatures, pressures and ambient gas, atoms will collide with each other and generate ions; thereby, making it highly conductive . You see the results when you look at the sun or the stars at night. Now, imagine yourself among a group of like-minded, eager individuals like yourself. Everyone is discussing career topics with great interest and drive, bouncing ideas off of one another and eventually creating ingenious solutions to the problems. How much brighter would your future be if you could create this type of environment or network you could tap into as needed?

It can be done. Take my friend, Chris Perry, for example. He started the site CareerRocketeer, a site for great career advice. He started out very small and now has a huge following. You should be able to find many sites like Chris’ that have numerous authors, experts and coaches that you can reach out to for advice. These sites give you access to a lot of people wanting answers to the same problems you have. Post your comments, email questions and most of all get engaged. To do this offline, you need to find groups and associations that mimic this same online behavior. Of course, you’ll need to do more than just become a member. You must be energized and willing to bump into people. This is how energy is shared and new things are created.

Embrace diversity. Most people approach their networking strategy the way they address their marketing strategy. When we create a marketing plan, we identify a specific group of people with very specific characteristics that we target. Why? Because this helps us narrow down the world into a small group of people who are most likely interested in what we have to share. We often engage in networking the same way, except that the characteristics of our target audience are the same characteristics we have. We seek out people just live ourselves! As Einstein once said, “solutions are not found within the same paradigm the problem was created.” If we continue to always consult like-minded people, we may always get the same answer. If your network isn’t providing you the answers you seek, you may be suffering from a lack of diversity of thought. I’ve improved my network online by joining international groups. Their perspectives bring new insight into my assessments and even the definition of my career related issues.

As an engineer, I always sought to consult engineers when making career changes. They were just like me so their experience should be similar. It was. So were their suggestions and my results. Most of us struggle to understand where our skills can take us in our career because we have such a limited view of the world. While you may find that the problems you see with your career are fairly common, the approach others take can be very different. I have found much of my career to be trial and error. Now, I use the expertise of my network to learn about pitfalls before I unknowingly dive into one.

Mutual Support. Have you ever joined a group on LinkedIn where nothing really seemed to be happening? There were no engaging discussions, useful links, job leads and articles. You probably didn’t stay with that group for long. People usually stay engaged when they see some benefit. In the previous example, my network was normally engaged with a bunch of engineers to solve a single problem. However, in networks that promote mutual support, members often find more reasons than the single issue they initially sought to resolve. The network provides opportunities to engage with other members, by providing solutions as well as finding them. Quality exchanges of ideas will also lead to the development of trust, where you will find that the network will respond favorably and open itself up a little more to expose you to more growth opportunities.

Readily applicable knowledge. Have you ever read a book that you could never figure out how to apply to your situation? There’s little that is more frustrating than advice you can’t use. A real network-centric strategy will offer solutions that can be implemented right away. No one wants the “take two aspirins and call me in the morning” type of guidance. This type of give and take will allow you to create a network that lasts over your whole career because we all bond to people who genuinely help us.

In solving issues in a network, it’s very important to clearly outline what the goals are, what you need people to do and provide some sort of feedback path so that learning can take place. Leave little to interpretation. However, you’ll need to give members of the network room to stretch out their creativity for solving problems. Some of the best networks I’ve seen are almost like a fish tank. You throw the idea in the water and all the fish rush up to the surface to chomp on it.

Peter Drucker once said “more business decisions occur over lunch and dinner than at any other time, yet no MBA courses are given on the subject.” You could infer from Drucker that the path to career success is heavily dependent upon your network and something that you aren’t taught to develop. The best way to begin is to just start. Find a group online and offline as your starting block. Engage heavily in the conversation and drive to the solutions you need. Focus on helping others along the way. They’ll remember you for it and reciprocate. The greatest advantage about learning to create your network both online and offline is that you’ll never be disconnected from your knowledge source.

Why High Achievers Fail

Todd Rhoad — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 13:44:07 GMT

Stagnant high achievers are those exceptional professionals that avoid challenging situations. This is the latest analysis from the Harvard Business Review. In their June issue article, “Managing Yourself: The Paradox of Excellence, “ Thomas and Sara DeLong state that high achievers focus more on protecting their image and performing routine activities than on taking risk to experience personal growth. I want to take some time to explain why these results aren’t universal, as my clients don’t exhibit these characteristics. This is a look at what we have instead of what we need.

What is a high achiever? I assume by the term high achiever, the DeLong’s are referring to someone in upper management or the executive ranks of an organization. I think it is important to recognize that a high achiever, by this definition, may be someone who managed to be promoted up the ranks of an organization but may not be necessarily gifted. There is a big difference. We all know that many people are promoted to their level of incompetence, and then some (refer to Dr. Lawrence J. Peter’s principle published back in 1969). If you look at some of the descriptions of behaviors from the individuals outlined in the article, you realize that these types have to be included in their pool of data. For example, they tend to shy away from a challenge. Really? I’m glad professional athletes don’t follow this model. Other characteristics include a refusal to ask for help, obsession with self, willingly does the wrong thing, struggle with insecurities, confide in those who tell them what they want to hear, and stay in their comfort zone, to name a few.

This really sounds more like a politician than a corporate warrior. It makes you wonder why they were promoted to such a high level position, doesn’t it?

In my experience with high achievers, personalities are much bolder. High achievers know what they want and they take the time to define it. This provides their vision. They align themselves with their passion, which typically promotes lifelong learning (not an avoidance of it). This is the fuel that drives their efforts to achieve. Influence is also very important for achieving goals so they are good at attracting and motivating others towards a common goal. This puts them in the right environment to be successful. Finally, they are brilliant at the basics. You can’t make it in the pros if you don’t have game. This ensures they have the skills to perform, no matter where you put them.

Let’s look at some of the points the article makes.

Living in the past. Too often we are held back by misinterpreted failures from our past. Maybe the risk we took some time ago was a failure but not for the reason we attached to it or maybe it wasn’t as bad as we thought it was. Looking at it from multiple perspectives helps us understand it better so that we don’t allow these memories from holding back our risk-taking. I agree with this but feel that it most likely impacts everyone, not just high achievers. However, I feel that high achievers are driven to succeed so they will find a path to the right solution. After all, how many times can you fail in companies today and still keep your job? I think you know that answer.

Support networks. The DeLong’s note that high achievers are individuals and avoid other people’s opinions. Hmmmm....I wonder how they got to the top? Networking is the quickest way to the top. I know we are supposed to say that you must get a great education, work real hard and do great things to get ahead. That’s all you need to do. People will recognize you and push you to the top. Unfortunately, we work with people and they all have their own objectives and I won’t give you a position that I want. Nothing personal.... just business, right?

Some of my clients have branched out to start their own companies around the globe before completing their graduate degrees. That’s not an easy task for an individual. In my book, Blitz The Ladder, I show you how to create your own network that will help you build your success. I even show you how to draw a map to your goals. We can’t give ourselves the rewards we seek. They must come from someone else. When we get a reward, we’ve successfully networked. My clients, as mentioned above, plan their path so their rewards are too (and even the people who will give it to them). Networking is critical, not an option.

Vulnerability. It’s okay to communicate small failures that you’ve made. It will make you seem human and people will respond to that. Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. It’s a shame it’s come to this. High achievers don’t really admit failure. It’s a learning experience which makes us more prepared for the future. DeLong mentions a story about leaders being embarrassed that they didn’t understand the financial products they sold. Wow! That’s a high achiever? I can see why they wouldn’t tell anyone about that.

Now a certain amount of humility is important. Admitting failure isn’t a flaw. However, real leaders teach people how to drive through failure to find success. If the leader doesn’t understand what they are doing, everyone below them will know it but those above them probably won’t because they won’t let them know about that. This dives right into a lack of integrity and an obvious focus on self and not the company. This is not a characteristic of a high achiever. It’s part of someone who’s in a position they shouldn’t be in. I consider this an exception, not the rule.

Long term vision. High achievers avoid short term risk for fear of failure, or so they say. I agree with Delong’s that long term success can require short term risk. I also think that highly educated professionals suffer from a tendency to avoid risk, mostly because they analyze it too much. My experience has shown that high achievers are fairly savvy at handling risk. They don’t assume it all. They attract top performers who will share it, giving up a little reward to ensure a big success.

The DeLong’s article does a good job of defining the characteristics of those struggling in upper management and executive positions. However, my definition of the high achiever is a little more complicated than this. High achievers are focused leaders who set the example and drive to their goals until success is achieved. Sure failure occurs but it is a learning activity that points us in the right direction. Real high achievers are gifted and understand what they are doing. I sure hope my definition of high achievers is correct; otherwise, I think I know why the economy collapsed. Of course, fixing that problem would be a much bigger issue.

Success: Talent or Bling?

Todd Rhoad — Thu, 19 May 2011 22:19:17 GMT

After I graduated from college, I had big expectations for success. It would be on a meteoric climb up the organizational ladder. I’d sit in the corner office with several aids at my beck and call. Half of my day would be spent counting my money and the other half would be on playing golf, or something more fun than work. Sure, I knew I would have to work my way up, but that wouldn’t take too long once people witnessed the power of my knowledge, skills and abilities. Okay, maybe my credentials would impress them too. I do have two graduate degrees. That’s got to be considered as ‘career bling,’ right?

Well, it didn’t take too many years on the job to figure out that I had assessed the environment incorrectly. I mean….I was really wrong. But all of those people on TV managed to achieve great success, why can’t I? What can they do that I can’t? As it turns out, there are quite a few things that have contributed to their success that I never considered early on. Here’s a few you might want to write down somewhere and think about how it fits in your idea of success.

They’ve got natural ability. Some people are just got at a certain things and most times it’s very obvious. One of my wife’s high school classmates, Brent, was in this group. He was one of those people who could walk into an auditorium and sing without the need for a microphone. It was amazing. So much so, he was invited to attend Juilliard in NYC. The important point here is that some people can provide a return on investment much faster than others. I love to sing too but it would take too many years to teach me to do it better with no guarantee that I could even get close to sounding as good as Brent. To put this into today’s corporate terms, if I’ve got to train you, I’ve hired the wrong person. Companies don’t have training budgets anymore. I’m not sure they’ve ever wanted them. They want people who can walk into a job and be fruitful from the first day.

Are you in a job that aligns with your natural abilities? Are you using your talents? If not, you’ll find it hard to be highly successful. Write down your natural strengths. Talk to others to verify what they see in you. Do they see your natural strengths?

They practice a lot. This may seem a little unexpected but those highly successful and talented people we want to emulate put a lot of effort into their craft. One of my former colleagues was a golfer. He was good at it and qualified to play in the Buy.com golf tournament for amateurs. A good performance at this event would ensure a great start to a highly successful career, or at least he would have put himself in the right environment where his performance would determine his path. Wouldn’t we all like to be there? One day I asked him about his game and how he became so good at it. He mentioned that he would hit thousands of golf balls each weekend. My arms fall off after two buckets of ball at the driving range. He said it was to develop ‘muscle memory.’ This is essentially performing a movement so many times that your muscles don’t need a lot of sensory input to perform the task successfully. You see this phenomenon on TV a lot when you see basketball players make jumpshots from great distances without even looking at the goal. How do they do it? Memory.

How many of us can say that we can do our jobs successfully and consistently with very little effort? Have you honed your skills to such a professional level? Great success requires great sacrifice.

They do what they love. How many of us aren’t sure what we want to do but we are sure it isn’t what we are doing now? I’ve certainly been in that situation a time or two. It’s an easy trap to fall into. You get a new job with a good salary. After six months or so, the novelty wears off and you realize you are in a job, not a career. However, the pain isn’t bad enough for you to change jobs again. You live with it for longer than you should. Your challenge is that you put yourself in a position where your natural abilities aren’t allowed to flourish. You’re a brilliant college graduate working in an environment that has too much structure. There’s a process or procedure for everything. You’re told how to do it, where to do it and when to do it. So, you’re results are less than perfect. The highly successful are a little more fortunate in that they love what they do. Their natural abilities and constant practice make them good at it. Most people like things they are good at. Now imagine you are paid to do something you are really good at. It makes you want to be better.

Are you doing what you love or are you just doing something to pay your bills hoping that someone will stop by to offer you the opportunity of a lifetime? Are you excited to go to work? If not, you’re success may be a reflection of this attitude.

They’ve been found. There is something to be said for being in the right place at the right time or even just being in the right place. There are people with great talents all over the world. Are they all highly successful? Probably not. I’m sure one of the greatest basketball players in the world will never be seen on TV. Why? He’ll never be found by agents. Many of us grow up in environments that aren’t overflowing with opportunity. Even, Chris Langan, the guy with one of the highest IQs in the world (195) never finished college and spends his time on a horse ranch. His choice of environment has been the limiting factor to his success. The horses won’t pay him a lot of money for better feed, even if he could invent it. Just as with those athletes that are never found by an agent, you won’t find the highest levels of success if you’re in an environment that doesn’t want it. You have to go where your skills and abilities are really needed, appreciated and rewarded.

Are you in a company that rewards great talent? Are they constantly seeking out the most qualified individuals or do they only seek someone to fill the position? If not, you need to find the right place. Start your quest by talking to the right people. Who are they? Stay tuned.

The Bad Boss Checklist

Todd Rhoad — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 14:35:00 GMT

My close friend, Anthony, found his dream job a few months ago. I still remember his glowing email thanking me for supporting him. It made me feel good. But, as fate would have it, he sent a new email this week that didn’t have such a happy tone. Alas, his joy was interrupted after sufficient time to interact with his boss. I can tell you that there is very little in the workplace that can be worse than a bad boss. Anthony is now in the horrible situation of suffering under a bad boss. We are now assessing his situation and trying to figure out his best move. My brother, Chad, has a good saying for this situation; that is, ‘the only thing worse than having a job is not having one.’

To help you assess whether or not you are living under the command of a bad boss, I’ve created a checklist for you to use in your evaluation. Thanks to my friends and LinkedIn connections for their help in compiling this list. Don’t forget to review the tips at the bottom to see how you can handle a bad boss. You really have only 3 options: stay and fight, leave or wait it out. In any case, it’s difficult. Don’t be afraid to reach to friends, family and consultants like myself for help. The common misconception is that the bad boss is the exception. I suggest that the good boss is really the exception, not the norm. According to workplace researchers Sharon Jordan-Evans and Beverly Kaye, when people quit, they don’t leave a company, they leave a bad boss. Surveys show that up to 75% of employees who leave their jobs do so at least in part because of their manager.

Here is the checklist. If you use it, send me your results. I want to collect statistics on these that I can share with everyone.

THE BAD BOSS CHECKLIST

□ Loves brownnosers, tattletales, and relatives who report to them. They choose favorite employees and cover up and make excuses for the poor work of their incompetent favorites. They ignore selected people and discriminate against many employees. A CareerBuilder survey which spoke to 4,000 workers found that 25% of them accused their supervisor of playing favorites.

□ Fails to communicate, and may not even have, expectations, timelines or goals. Bad bosses change their minds frequently leaving employees off-balance. Bad bosses change expectations and deadlines frequently.

□ Use disciplinary measures inappropriately when simple, positive communication would correct the problem. Bad bosses ignore employees until there is a problem, then pounce.

□ Speak loudly, rudely, one-sidedly to staff. Bad bosses don't provide the air time for staff to respond to accusations and comments. They intimidate people and bully staff. They allow other employees to bully employees.

□ Take credit for the successes and positive accomplishments of employees. They are equally as quick to blame employees when something goes wrong.

□ Fail to provide rewards or recognition for positive employee performance. They want the accolades for themselves.

□ Is not qualified for the boss job by either skills or experience, despite their own opinion of their abilities. They may have bought into their own BS.

□ Will not let go of problems or mistakes. The bad boss returns to discuss negative events continually and searches for faults in employees.

□ Will not accept constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement. The bad boss can't deal with disagreement from employees who have their own opinions about work related issues.

□ Will not accept an intellectual challenge. They are the boss and feel that their knowledge got them to their current position, so they must be really smart. In CareerBuilder’s survey, 40% of respondents said their company’s leadership team didn’t listen to employees or try to raise morale. Go team!

□ Lacks integrity, breaks promises, and is dishonest.

□ Has never had management training. In a CareerBuilder survey, most bosses say they had never received any management training before becoming managers. The survey also found that 26% of managers were skeptical about their ability to manage when first hired. They were particularly concerned about being able to deal with issues between co-workers.

□ Use their own network to create performance reviews of their ‘undesirable’ employees so that they get the outcome they want.
□ Does not have the courage to deal with a difficult situation despite knowing that it is the right thing to do.

□ Blames everybody all the time for things they do not even know about; the fact they do not know how the business works, makes them blame others for their lack of knowledge.
□ Manages to have a work environment so stressful that nobody has the least amount of motivation to work.
□ Micromanages everything, including things they know nothing about.

□ Assigns their own tasks to others because he doesn’t have the skills to complete them.

□ Fails to make a decision. After all, you can’t be hung by a bad decision if you don’t make any decisions at all.

How to deal with bad bosses

The most common method for dealing with bad bosses is to leave the job. Most leave the company, while a few manage to find other positions within the company. If you have the unfortunate opportunity to work for one of these gifts to business, here are a few ways you can deal with them.

• Communicate - make him the decision maker on all and any issue, overload him with relevant and non relevant information, asking before doing something, until he grows tired and relaxes.

• Document – make sure you document all decisions and discussions, including the one-on-one conversations with your boss. Also, build a file of all of your good work, including email kudos from coworkers, other managers, industry pros, etc.

• Form alliances – If you can’t stand your boss, consider developing relationships with those above and around him. They’ll see you for who you really are and may give you good reviews when it’s performance review time.

• Play along – I’ll admit that it’s a sick game but no one seems to want to end it. So if you like your
job and the other people you work with, you may need to play the game. Keep a positive attitude and support your boss. Sure they may be an idiot, but they are the boss and have the power to send you home permanently. Take your pick.

• Inform – make sure you provide your boss with details on everything you are doing. If they don’t
know the business, they’ll never be able to figure out what you do. That could be a problem for you but not if you are constantly providing them insight to what you are doing. Email is usually the best method. You may also create your own weekly or monthly status report on your activities. A boss should know what their people are doing. So what if you have to help them figure out what that is.

• Wait – a real jerk won’t remain in a management position too long. Also, the rate at which companies change today means you will most likely see change in 6 to 12 months anyhow. Hopefully, this change will give you an opportunity to move. Stay in tuned with organizational changes as that is where your opportunities lie.

As you know, bad bosses are here to stay. It’s an evil we all are aware, yet no one will make any effort to combat the problem. With politics reigning supreme in many companies, there may never be a solution. How else can a low performer compete with high performers? It’s not the end of the world for you though. In my model of career success, environment is a huge factor that many of us neglect. We often stay in an unrewarding company or position because we don’t think we can find a better one. That’s a career limiting state of mind. Greater success is achieved by putting yourself in a supportive, rewarding environment. Stay tuned for my next book and I’ll show you exactly what that type of environments looks like.

INFLUENCING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE WITH AN MBA

Todd Rhoad — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:33:00 GMT

One of the best skills you can learn from your pursuit of an MBA is how to influence change. To learn more about how this skill can create opportunity, we will talk with one of the nation’s top change management experts, Rick Maurer. Rick Maurer, a renowned change management expert, speaker and bestselling author, educates audiences on how to get results from major change without headaches, cost overruns, and hidden problems...or Change Without Migraines™. His expertise helps organizations identify even deeply hidden resistance, overcome it quickly, and in so doing implement even the most difficult strategic and tactical changes.

Mr. Maurer has worked with business leaders from a variety of companies throughout the world including major Fortune 500 companies, as well as private companies and nonprofits. He is currently the CEO of Maurer and Associates (www.beyondresistance.com).

In this interview, Rick offers some great advice for those who are looking to improve their career and get ahead in business through the influencing change in their organizations.

Todd: Why do companies have so many problems with change?

Rick: While there are a lot of reasons, there is one fundamental one that destroys many otherwise good projects. Leaders fail to understand why people resist change and why they support it. Leaders who really get the reasons why people resist just do a better job of avoiding problems. Or, when problems do occur, they spot them quickly and know what it takes to turn resistance into support.

Todd: What’s the best way a young MBA can influence change in the company?

Rick: Let’s assume that the young MBA is the leader for a project (or at least a portion of a project). In those instances, there are a number of things the leader should do.

1. Determine who needs to support this change and what level of support you need from these various stakeholders. You might need some to be vocal champions for the change. These people are like the mavens in The Tipping Point. If they support something, others get interested. Perhaps you need some stakeholders to support you. The supporters differ from champions in that they can be counted on to supplies ideas, resources, etc. when you ask – but they will not be as extroverted in their support. And some stakeholders must just go along.

Once you’ve determined what level of support you need, then determine what level you are likely to get. Look at the mismatches. Those are places where you will need to build bridges.

2. Here’s where a knowledge of support and resistance comes in. I identified three sources of resistance. In simple terms: I don’t get it. . .I don’t like it. . . I don’t like you. Any of those can stop a change dead in its tracks. (The good news is that the opposite of those three is what you need. People need to get what you are talking about. They need to like it in the sense that they are willing to get engaged in making it success. And they trust your leadership. This knowledge can be immensely valuable as you work with stakeholders. For example, its not likely that someone will be your champion if they don’t think you’ve got what it takes. So, your task is to somehow show them that they can count of you.

Todd: This work with resistance seems to be the foundation for your work. I noticed that you have a free e-book, Introduction to Change without Migraines on your website. Is that a good place to start?

Rick: Yes, that e-book gives a good overview of those three sources of resistance and support. And, your readers should feel free to make multiple copies of the e-book if they like. It might be a helpful resource in planning meetings.

Todd: How can an MBA become a change expert?

Rick: It helps to embrace a really sound theory of change rather than just trying to apply a random set of tools and techniques. A lot of organizations you the Change without Migraines approach, but there are many good change management theories out there. Just make sure that the one you choose takes resistance seriously. If these theories blame the people who resist or try to tell you that a certain percentage of your employees will always be “laggards,” be skeptical. I find that people resist or support change in large part due to how the leaders introduce it.

There is one big thing that your readers can do today that will increase their success tremendously. Address why before how.

Todd: Intriguing, but what is why before how?

Rick: Glad you asked (laughing). People are not interested in how a change is going to be implemented until they see why a change is needed. So well before you get an idea in your head and a plan to address your vision, make sure that others see the same picture you do. As I tell my clients, the stuff that keeps you awake at night needs to be keeping everyone else awake as well. In organizations where most people see the trends and potential problems and possible opportunities, they are far more eager to get engaged and make the changes a success. This may seem simple, but a study that I did a few years ago indicated that failure to make a case for change (addressing why) is the biggest mistake leaders can make. And those who do a good job of painting the picture of what’s going on, enjoy a much higher success rate.

Todd: How can people access the e-book you mentioned?

Rick: Simple Go to www.rickmaurer.com and they’ll find a link on the home page for Introduction to Change without Migraines.

The New Face of Competition

Todd Rhoad — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:55:00 GMT

The upcoming NCAA basketball tournament has put me back in the mood for a little hoop action. So, I thought I’d keep with that spirit and even do some reminiscing. Every year in high school I remember the eager anticipation of basketball tryouts. It was definitely much different than business is today. Tryouts were all about performance and you had to show your stuff every year if you wanted to make the team. On that first day we were all anxious to see who would show up to the tryouts. We were looking to see if there were any new tall kids or really good shooters that might threaten our chances of winning a position. If you’re that way too, consider this post a scouting report for the new lineup of MBA students.

The away game. Playing basketball on the road always had a little stigma to it. Afterall, it was a court you didn’t play on too much so you didn’t feel as comfortable playing on it as you did on your own court. For American and European MBA students, they don’t play outside their comfort zone much. Most stay within their own country to earn the MBA. Whose court does everyone else want to play on? You can expect to see a lot of new faces at the tryouts as nearly 75% of applicants from Asia, Central Asia and Latin America will choose to play outside their country. Most are choosing to get their MBA in the United States. About one third of African and Mid-East applicants will join these new recruits on American courts.

The Triple double. Back in my high school days we played every day in hopes of building some real skills for the game. Well, it seems that what MBA students are trying to do too. To an overall majority, pursuit of the MBA is about building skills. About 96% of respondents from GMAC’s 2011 mba.com Prospective Students Survey said they wanted the MBA for the development of knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs). Rounding out the top three accolades, all with double digit percentages, the MBA students are striving for is career advancement and increased opportunities for more challenging and interesting work. Of course, that’s like saying you want to play basketball so you can dribble and shoot. It’s a given. That’s what most of us are trying to get from it. No major news here.

The draft. Surprisingly, many of the new MBA students are restless professionals. They are seeking to tryout again for the same team. They want to play for someone else and the MBA is expected to help with that change. GMAC’s results show 51% of respondents want a job function change. Another 37% percent want to change industries. Only about one third want to stay on the same team, most likely in hopes of gaining a better position. So, who do these graduates hope to be drafted by? Consulting companies. The consulting sector is the most attractive to industry changers, especially those currently working in finance, accounting, products and services, energy or utilities, or technology. Also, nearly 50% of those currently in the government or the nonprofit sector seek to find employment in the consulting field. Additionally, 50% of those working in health care are considering staying in the industry, but 45% are considering employment in consulting. Lastly, 1 in 5 are considering starting their own team by diving into entrepreneurship.

Well, it’s really hard to say where all this will lead us. Is it possible that the largest populations in the world will help us saturate the MBA market faster than the market recovers? Maybe we saturate the ranks of middle management with MBA graduates. Whatever happens, we’ll continue to see professionals become dissatisfied with their current career path, so much so that they make the decision to change it. So, we’ll see professionals work to build new skills and then put them to work for a new team.

Challenges for International MBA Students

Todd Rhoad — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 21:41:00 GMT

As the financial crunch of 2007 swept the whole world and posed more and more pressures on the labor market, some professionals choose the MBA to further their studies in hopes of increasing their competitiveness. Among these professionals are many international students. However, compared with the local students, MBA students from abroad, inevitably, have to tackle with many more difficulties.

Language is not only the first, but also the biggest challenge. We all know that language is a prerequisite for survival in a foreign location. As you might expect, the international students have long been affected by their mother tongue. However, in the US, there is no exception for the international students who are pursuing the MBA program. Sometimes, international students, no matter what their majors are, cannot fully express what they are thinking, which will inevitably be detrimental to their studies in the future. To some extent, the problem of language may even decrease the confidence of the international student in their daily life. In a nutshell, all international students, MBA students included, must overcome the language obstacles at the very beginning.

When a student chooses to study abroad, they also choose to live abroad. Throughout their program, problems were the new living style may be generated, regardless of their major. Becoming fully accustomed to life in a new place can be daunting. For instance, there may be many differences between the city they are studying in and their hometown, such as food, transportation and some other aspects. For each new circumstance, their lives are forced to change to accommodate each new element. In some instances, International students may take a long time to handle this kind of change.

Additionally, International students must also deal with some emotional problems, such as loneliness and separation anxiety. For example, one of my international classmates was very unhappy last semester because he felt lonely. He told us that his loneliness stemmed from the lack of belonging. In his eyes, everything around him was totally strange for him. He had no good friends, could not feel the caring from the others and could not even feel the existence of himself sometimes in such a new society. Indeed, some international students, especially students in MBA program may have the same obstacles. Both on campus and in the world outside, they regard themselves as different from others so under this kind of pressure they may isolate themselves. After a long time, the accumulative loneliness has been changed into anxiety, which will again bring a negative impact on their studies.

One of my professors told us that the life of the international MBA students, to some extent, will be a disaster. She meant that these students have to bear quite a few unique difficulties during their studies. For example, the content and system of study may be totally different from those in their native country. The knowledge they received as an undergraduate may not be fully compatible with that of the new country so they have to devote themselves more to their studies if they would like to keep pace with the local students. And sometimes international students feel much more pressure during their study because they have to both get the knowledge for their major and increase their ability of the language. If they cannot successfully tackle the problems, they will not get a satisfactory result in each semester.

We cannot forget that work experience is one of the required elements for international students to apply MBA programs because the study of MBA program is not only the master of the pure theory, but also the application to the practice. For the international students, insufficient working experience is not a small problem. International MBA students, who have less working experiences than others, put themselves in a comparatively disadvantage. Therefore, they cannot easily understand the combination of the theory and the practice and eventually cannot gain the essence of the MBA study. If so, their studies become a waste of time.

The last, but not the least, problem international MBA students have to face is the limited opportunities after their graduation. In certain industries, the international students cannot easily find an internship or a job after they have finished their two or three years of studying because only the local students or students with the permanent residence right have the access to the opportunities. It is even worse that international MBA students, unfortunately, may be discriminated in some places. In fact, in my personal view, this problem is not only a problem for the international MBA students, but also a big issue for the whole society. Let us take high performing international MBA students, for example. Often, they cannot find jobs after graduation solely due to the lack of a permanent resident status, so they go back to their home country. But isn’t this a loss of talent?

All in all, international students, especially those who embark on the study of MBA program, have to face those inevitable problems we. In a long run, I wish that with the joint efforts of the international students themselves and the society, less and less obstacles will be in the world and a more harmonious studying and working circumstances can be provided for the international MBA students.

Nan Zhu (Christine) is an MBA student at Pace University majoring in financial management. She is from China. Christine is also a member of MBA Writers, a group of MBA students and graduates who write about many topics of life with an MBA. She can be reached at zhunan85@gmail.com.

The Leader Blueprint: Building Tomorrow’s Da Vinci

Todd Rhoad — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 02:34:00 GMT

Creating future leaders for business is on the verge of becoming a crisis. Three reasons reign supreme on the subject: it limits power and threatens the future, companies aren’t good at it and the qualities of tomorrow’s leader are nothing short of the modern day Da Vinci.

In its recent regulatory filing, Apple disclosed their shareholders desire for a CEO Succession Policy. Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, has had a few health problems but still opposes such an annual proposal citing it will “constrain the actions of the board” and provide a competitive advantage to their competitors if they were to provide a detailed plan on their successors. Even family businesses struggle with such decisions. Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom and CBS, struggled horribly to find an heir to his throne. Apparently, this shift in power has very high stakes. So high, in fact, that Sumner asked both his son and daughter to leave the company for fear they would not be able to handle his role.

The leadership question has, and always will be, a challenging question. Do you think that Academia creates business leaders? What about organizations? The truth is that it takes both. Current economic conditions, however, have made this task extremely difficult. In IBM’s 2010 Global Chief Human Resource Officer Study, less than one-third of companies say they are effective at building the next generation of leadership capabilities. To make matters worse, a full 39% of respondents to the Stanford University’s and Heidrick & Struggles research survey said that they had "zero" viable internal candidates. The survey identified a lack of focus by the board as the primary complication in selecting the next leader. They just aren’t taking the time to prepare for this scenario.

In assessing the future requirements for organizational leaders, it’s more likely that we won’t be able to find many people who possess such superhuman characteristics. Nonetheless, the search must go on. Below are the five top traits of tomorrow’s leader. It’s important to note that these infer an exceptional mastery of whole brain thinking. A great example of one individual that captured many of these traits is Leornardo Da Vinci, who was a painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. Of course, he would not have been adaptable to continuous change, as the only constant he had in this regard was procrastination.

Master of geographic differences. It’s hard to question the concept that workforce investment follows opportunity anywhere on the planet. If efficiencies can be gained, the geographical hurdle can be overcome. As companies seek to grow, they monitor and respond to growth markets, mainly by seeking and acquiring talent in those markets, wherever they are. In the US, most companies hire talent based on referrals from their existing employees, assuming that the potential employee holds the same values as the referring employee. Now, consider the need for acquiring talent in a location outside of your normal expertise. Do you know how to attract and retain this talent in a foreign land? Can you keep them in both a growth and mature market? If leadership is your quest, you will be required to understand and appreciate how to drive employee performance and motivate them from different cultures and backgrounds.

Change expert. Leonardo Da Vinci once said “He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.” Da Vinci also felt that achieving your goals required a stern resolve. But you should already know that reaching the top of an organization commands resolution, even in the face of constant change. But, once you are there, a personal ability to manage change becomes insufficient. You’re leading an organization full of people who must also be able to mend and mold themselves to fit the constraints of any requirement. For many organizations, this new mindset will challenge the old in that we must now reward those who think outside the box and challenge status quo. According to the CEOs surveyed in IBM’s Capitalizing on Complexity survey, fifty-eight percent of CEOs prefer to persuade and influence, with only seventeen percent with an affinity for command and control. In becoming a change expert, you’ll need more than just effective change management, you’ll also need technical expertise.

Technical prowess. Normally, we don’t see the top seats in companies filled by the technically gifted. However, a little technical ingenuity is helpful as companies brace for dramatic increases in complexity, as they must be able to consistently mold operations to be faster, more flexible and capable of using this complexity as a competitive advantage. In dealing with complexity, you must be comfortable with ambiguity and experimentation. Finding the correct response to change demands not only thought but action, even if you’re wrong. It’s a closed loop system, where you analyze the path you need to take, put the company in drive, measure the performance and change the course as needed. And, yes, there will be problems for which a little ingenuity and innovative thinking must be brought to the surface. New customers in new geographies will bring with them new needs and demands for which the old way of thinking will fail to serve them. Future generations won’t use technology like we do. They’ll be much more creative than we are.

Creativity. While Leonardo Da Vinci is revered for technical ingenuity, he was renowned primarily for his ability to utilize the right half of his brain. He was a painter, an occupation driven by his skill at visualizing the big picture then the details; whereas, using the left brain would afford you the ability to see the details then form the big picture. This functionality is critical as the future may require an organization to constantly transform its business models in response to changing environmental conditions. You must be able to change activities, products, locations, partnerships and many other factors as the need arises. In IBM’s Complexity survey, sixty percent of CEOs cited Creativity as being the future’s most desired leader quality. Developing creativity requires experimentation, which aligns with technical prowess, and requires consistent interaction with imagination.

Collaborative Genius. As you can imagine, if we are going to a truly global economy, we won’t be able to create everything by ourselves. We’ll have to interact with other companies, cultures and people, maybe even partnering to complete our own products and services or simply to win the business from the customer. This new level of collaboration required envelopes the whole business environment, such as working with internal groups to create strategy for dealing with change, partnering with other organizations to provide new services and products to new geographies and collaborating with customers to develop new and better experiences. To make this talent more complicated, these new processes will demand a new level of speed and simplicity. Customers want what they want and they want it now. Your goal will be to create the appropriate self-sustaining team environment that generates value for all stakeholders.

As you can see from these factors, academia nor the organization can support the development of all of these skills. Academia can make you a technical expert but not necessarily a collaborative genius. The organization can make you comfortable in dealing with geographical differences, yet it may not be able to make you into a change expert. Creating tomorrow’s Da Vinci requires intentional effort. Academia can’t do it alone, nor can the organization. Organizations are even considering tapping into MFA programs to identify the next group of leaders, since these graduates are creative and taught by business professionals, but they won’t have all of these elements either. Organizations must understand that Academia won’t be developing Da Vincis.

If Da Vinci had an apprentice today, he/she would have to be skilled in both the technical and business arena. Most likely this would be a combination of academic accomplishments. The apprentice would already be somewhat of a collaborator, having identified and developed their own team of supporters to aid in the identification and development of required skills, abilities and knowledge. Such close support provides for honest feedback and support without the fear of political retaliation when failure occurs. It also allows the apprentice to develop skills outside of the workplace, since the support of the team would continue in other activities such as social networking. Leonardo would use such occasions to mingle and socialize with other mathematicians and artists.

If you’re looking for the next Da Vinci, they’ll probably be well educated and possess numerous tangible accomplishments. They contribute to their field of study. They’re published. They’re networkers, both online and offline, and drive their efforts to completion with passion. Friends are easy for them to find as they have a great personality and are quite likable. Their experience is broad as they have a great interest in learning as much as they can. The subjects they like are where their expertise really lies, as they will have spent many years of effort on them.

If you’re looking to build your own, you’ll need to prepare the right environment for them. First, you must give them room to experiment and learn. You can’t smother them with micromanagers. They are thinkers and have the ability to complete whatever you throw at them. They’ll also need their small informal team of supporters, which most build themselves. That should be encouraged. They’ll also need a mentor or two. This will be someone with considerable experience in many areas of business. Their assignments should reach many aspects of the business so that they can develop a deep understanding of the organization and how they can optimize it to meet the rapidly changing demands of the market. Lastly, they need support from management. Throwing them in a highly political environment where resentment, jealousy and contempt flourish will only serve to drive your Da Vinci into the arms of another organization. Your Da Vinci is your star player. Treat them that way.