Category Archives: Group

When hiring, should I prioritize relevant non-startup experience, or general creativity and critical thinking?

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When hiring for my start-up: should I prioritize relevant non-startup experience, or general creativity and critical thinking?

Right now, I am interviewing potential hires for my start-up. Since my company is young, we could definitely use some fresh ideas and sharp minds to help grow our business. However, it would also be great to hire one or more individuals with industry-specific experience. Would it be a good idea to hire some employees for their expertise and some for their general creativity/skills, or should I just pursue those with the “total package”?

 

My best advice is to start with an all-star that can hit the ground running. Cash flow is king. Strategically add employees with very measured and strategically planned skill sets as you grow.

As you strategically add to your team, it will become clear what complementary skills, personalities and talents you will need to fill in the gaps.
One item that you, as the owner, need to be very clear in is describing your ideal working environment and team. Once you can clearly visualize the personalities, skills, talents and passions that you really want – the right people will start to appear. Don’t wait to “know it when you see it”. Your job is to “know it so you can recognize it”.

Visualize your team from the start.  Imagine the exact atmosphere, energy and professionalism that you want.  Be able to taste it and feel it.  Once you can do that – this particular question will become irrelevant.

How do you get someone in another department to do something you need that isn’t important to them

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How do you get someone in another department to do something you need that isn’t important to them?
Imagine you’re on a deadline that’s important to you. The
project might not qualify as “mission critical” to the rest of
the organization, but it’s certainly essential for your own
team. So far, so … ordinary.Now you run into a road block: a task wherein you need input
from someone from another department, or where you need the
other person to actively do something.  Sometimes, your request is a distraction to the other person’s business goal.
The key thing that you have already realized is that this isn’t important to them.  SO – they ARE doing you a favor.

Do not approach this as “they are the road block”.  Instead – approach them as a valued consult or mentor.  Make it easy for them to do this favor for you; and be prepared to do the work.

Approach with appreciation, admiration, and friendship.
Some recommendations:

1) Invite them to (and pay for) lunch or dinner to interview them on this topic.

2) Approach it as if you are gathering valuable information from them — AND YOU ARE NOT ASKING them to do the work.

3) Share your current situation and ask their advice on how to go about accomplishing it.  Ask them what they think your next step should be.  People often give their opinions and advice freely.  Take advantage of this human trait.
4) Be prepared to do the work, with the information and advice that they give you. (This may mean that you create the spreadsheet with their information.  Or that you do the research from the links and pointers that they give you. Or it may that you right your own recommendation and ask them to edit as they see fit.  Or that you do all the leg work and make it easy for them to sign-off.)
5) Do everything that you can possible do to reduce their effort and time.  Make it easy for them to help you. This monkey on your back is your monkey – not theirs; therefore, you are responsible for feeding your own monkey and not pass it onto someone else’ shoulders.

6) Ask permission for a follow-up  so that they could review your mid or final draft of your project.

7) If they say they can not help, emphasize how much you appreciate their time and admire their experience in this area.  Then ask them to recommend someone else that they think would be a better fit for this project.

Approach the topics with an appreciation of their time, their talent and their experience.  Treat them as special.  Realize that they are in the best at what they do and therefore are in much in demand.

End-Game:  The job isn’t done once you get what you want. It’s only just begun.

  • Don’t forget the THANK YOU:   And when they do come through for you – publicly recognize them in either a mention in your project proposal, Thank You Note to their superiors, and/or a gift of appreciation.
  • Reciprocate:  Take the time to learn about their various projects and volunteer your services in the near future.

How to show customers they are appreciated.

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The key to client appreciation is understanding what the client values.  In Dr. Gary Chapman’s 5 Love  Languages, people respond to 5 different categories of appreciation/love: Words of Affirmation, Acts of Service, Receiving Gifts, Quality Time and Physical Touch.
A relationship (whether a personal, professional or business relationship) is composed of one or more people.  Therefore, a show of the right kind of appreciation (the one that the client would value most) in any of those venues would work.  Dr. Chapman mentions that everyone has 2 dominant categories.  For example – if you know that your client feels appreciated (loved) with words of affirmation and acts of service – you would best be served by giving them a plaque/award with some fanfare or a special “Done For You” complimentary service.   On the other hand, if your client doesn’t like to be put on stage – then giving them an award in front of people would have the opposite affect and he/she would resent being there.
Understanding the proper acts that make them feel appreciated (or loved) is the key to a successful client appreciation program.  Then selecting items that fit one of their 2 dominate profiles would win the day.

If you would like additional recommendation for your specific situation, please let me know.  I would be happy to setup a quick discovery call, so that I can better understand your unique situation and offer some next-step recommendations.

What is the Right Way to Handle a Personal Crisis at Work

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What if your car is totaled…what if something really bad happened in your personal life?

Chances are, we will all have situations like this from time to time. What
is the best way to handle personal crisis at work?

Of course this greatly depends upon your role and responsibilities at work.
If you are in an industry that relies on your person touch and full attention – then you are doing your clients a disservice by taking their money and not giving them your full attention. The best way to handle this situation is to be candid about your current mindset (not that you have to give details – but that you have an emergency that is taking much of your attention); that the client deserves your full attention and energies – and that you will need to reschedule to be able to do that.

If you are in an office environment, you should have your auto-responders and voice mail set to collect all your calls and emails. In you canned auto-responders and updated answering machine message – you explain your general situation and when you will get back to them. Ask them to include the reason for their call – so that you can have the answers for them when you call them back.

If you have tasks that need to be done, you should have documented procedures regarding those tasks. The ones that are MUST DO for today, hand them off to a team mate or your manager (so that he can hand find the appropriate resource).

If this is actually a personal crisis — then you will not be in the proper mindset to do high-quality, high-performance work. Put the systems in place to enable the quality work to be done without you.
Many people make the mistake of thinking that if things can get done without them, this means they are dispensable and replaceable. Some people feel that if they are the only ones with these skills that their job is secured.
This is a false premise. Jobs are never secured; companies are purchased; companies are merged; companies go under. Relevant skills come and go. Just because you are really good at X – doesn’t mean that X will be relevant tomorrow. And the rapid pace in which technology is changing today makes this last point even more likely.
This only sure thing that “making sure you are the only one with the knowledge” does is to keep you stuck in this current role and band level. It limits your advancement opportunities.

My name is Laura Lee Rose and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, professional development and work life balance strategies. I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have the time to learn new technology or train their staff.

At the end of the day, I give people the peace of mind that everything is getting done exactly the way they want – even when they are not there.

I am devoted to my clients, and want the best for them.
My clients succeed because they take action and are ready for success.
complimentaryconsult
This offer isn’t for everyone.

So – for the people reading this blog today, that are ready for success, email me at LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info right now – to reserve your complimentary consult. You will receive a follow-up email to select your one-on-one coaching appointments.

How to be super productive when you only have five minutes

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There are several ways to be productive when you only have five minutes (i.e. this will take less than 5 minutes to read):

1) Learn to delegate.  Be open to the concept that you have a talented staff around you.  Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should be doing it.  If the item is something that others can handle satisfactorily, hand it off.  Only keep the items that ONLY YOU can do.   Only keep the items that are aligned with your pay-grade, and career goals.  This allows you to use your five minutes to review several projects that other people are handling for you.

2) Set your timer.  Often times it’s never a “all or nothing” type of thing.  Set your timer for 5 minutes and chip away at some of your inventory and backlog of email, notes or clutter. When the timer goes off – so do you.  Repeat this several times during the week until your inventory is eliminated.

3) Use the time to setup appointments that leads to high-income activities.  Keep your phone conversations short, to the point, and use them to setup a longer meeting to fully discuss the issue.  Keep the interactions to the point — i.e.  decide on time, place, and reason for the meeting.  Then hang-up and log it in your calendar.  You can set several high-income generating appointments within 5 minutes.

4) Announce upfront that you only have 5 minutes to review their progress or listen to their issue.  Use that time to properly delegate to the right group or agree to a longer meeting later to discuss.  Hand-off the coordination of that meeting to the person that brought the issue to you. Tell them at that time, how much time you will have for that lengthier meeting.   Leave in 5 minutes (use the timer method).

5) Always arrive at least 10 minutes early to a meeting or event.  Carry a professional or personal development activity or your Individual Networking Strategy Workbook (discussed further in the Professional Development Toolkit) with you.  When you arrive at a meeting early or the meeting is starting late — take out your professional or personal development activity and study it.  OR use this 5 minutes to business network with those around you.

The Professional Development Toolkit goes into more detail on the who, what, where, when, why and how of all of these things.

For more information, why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward.
With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest speak at no cost to your group organization.

How to make the right call between multiple job offers

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How do job seekers receiving multiple job offers that weren’t quite what they expected know when to accept one, keep hunting, change directions or go off on their own?

job labyrintUse my Pro and XCon list.  Everyone is family with the Pro and Con list.  They list what they like about the job and what they don’t like about the job.  Using the Pro and Con method often results in indecisiveness because you often find that each job has as many Pros and they have Con.  Using my Pro and XCon list is a 3 column list.  You have your regular Pro and Con columns.  But then you add your XCon column.  The XCon column is third column.  You use the XCon column to list what needs to happen to turn the Con item into an XCon (or acceptable to you).

Then use the XCon items in your negotiation meetings.  This strategy actually better directs which one to accept OR if you need to continue to look.

Reminder:  Employers and companies are going to be putting their best foot forward during the interview and hiring process. If you find them unwilling to negotiate at the interview stage, they will be less likely to negotiate after you are hired.  If you do not like how they are reacting to your attempts to create alternative solutions, then merely move on without regret or doubt.

How do job seekers  know when to keep hunting or go off on their own?

My recommendation isn’t to “go off you your own”, just because you can’t find the perfect job.  Only start your own business if you want to start your own business.   Then the next question – after you have decided that you want to start your own business – is when to start it?   And, that my friend, is a topic for another day or better yet – a one-on-one business coaching meeting.

I also have several worksheets that help clarify your goals, your teams missions, and your performance expectations in the Professional Development Toolkit.  The toolkit goes into the who, what, where, when, why and how of all of the above.  It contains audios, videos, presentations, and worksheets for your use and growth.  Take the next step and check the toolkit out <<HERE>>

Sample Pro-XCon Worksheet:

Pros Cons XCon What will reduce discomfort of the Con

Job 1

$45/hr – underpaid Request $60-65/hour
Analytical, model and mathematical work that I enjoy Don’t have enough money to do much. Ask if there’s an opportunity to get paid for your articles and publications on your findings (in addition to the hourly rate)
Opportunity to set a standard Can’t enjoy my free time very much. Find alternative/added revenue stream
Opportunity to present papers on discoveries
Opportunity to define processes and lead policies
     

Job 2
$85/hour
Easy work Have to accept without reading/signing a contract.  After I accept, I get a written contract to review and sign. Accept job, with the contingency on the review and acceptance of the terms.  And you will start 2-weeks after you sign the contract. Don’t give Glaxo a resignation until you have read contract.
Will have enough money to do a few more things (including supporting my daughter if she needs it). Not very exciting or challenging work. Ask if there are presentation opportunities within the company.
Will have some funds to enjoy my free time.  Will have some free time to enjoy. Ask if there are any opportunities (in this company) to set standards or procedures in the area that you are interested in.
Is there an outside activity that can fill the presentation, publication, and setting standards gap?  Is there another thing that gives me the same fulfillment or filling?

Overcoming stereotypes: How do you handle it professionally?

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Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of the business and time management books TimePeace: Making peace with time  and The Book of Answers: 105 Career Critical Situations– and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.

Simply put, I give people the time to be, do and have whatever they want.

Someone recently asked me how to handle certain stereotypes like:  “You  are just like my daughter, doesn’t listen to any advice.”  “You are too inexperienced, so you don’t really know what you are talking about.” “You haven’t been around the company for long, so you don’t know how these things really work.”  “You are a developer, you don’t understand marketing, how to make a sale or what the client really wants.”  “You are just a testers.”

The one thing that I would like to emphasize is to avoid apologizing for who you are. You can agree with the “offender” by saying that you can see how that particular comparison could be made. But that you are your own individual and much more than  your current job title. And that you find that you learn best by experiencing. Every day and every interaction plays it’s role in make you who you are. This makes you unique.

Also – don’t take offense.  Many stereotype comments stem from insecurity or ignorance.  It’s easier for people to pigeon-hole with titles and stereotypes.  Getting angry doesn’t change anyone’s opinion and sometimes even gives credence to the accusation.   Stay calm, don’t entice or excite the conversation, walk away if you have to, and always act professional.

Just relax, take a breath, and know that everything is unfolding perfectly. Remember, it’s not the easy interactions that define who we really are; it’s the more challenging ones. In this way, the difficult people are your greatest teachers.

I have a presentation and paper on “How to say YES to everything, but on your own terms”. It covers various professional responses to sometime unprofessional comments.  Please email me for more information about this presentation at LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

Bragging advice for the terminally shy

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This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and efficiency coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.

Simply put, I give people the time they need to be, do and have whatever they want.

It can be incredibly difficult for women to self-promote, since culture traditionally encourages self-disparaging attitudes in women. But not just women have this problem.  How can you get over cultural barriers, or natural shyness, and really toot your own horn? Here are some tricks, and methods for learning to brag about one’s skill set and experience in order to build a business, attain new clients or get that promotion.
Several avenues:
1) Just Ask.  When you do good work, more often than not, a coworker, sibling department or client will come up and either thank you for your service or complement you.  Take that opportunity to ask them to “put it in writing” as a testimonial or to your manager, and cc you and their manager.  They are always happy do do that.  The only reason more people don’t do it, is because it never occurs to them.  Just Ask.  Make is a point to do something nice and valuable for someone else, at least twice a month and ask for the note or even a video testimonial.
2) Create your Professional and Career Press Kit.  Collect accolades. awards, recognitions, accomplishment, and customer notes in your achievement folder or Career Press Kit – as they happen.  To many times people wait until the end of the performance review to remember what they accomplished throughout the year.  Note them as they happen and you won’t have to remember.
3) Speak up.  Start giving informative and valuable presentations and proposals.  The best way to illustrate your value is to illustrate your value.  If you are in the corporate environment, give Brown Bag Lunch training sessions on the next generation technique; create a proposal on how to either increase revenue, reduce costs or decrease time to market; start a movement to optimize or automate non-billable hours so that everyone can spend more time making money for the company.  Stay visible with videos and even incorporating your head-shot to your email signatures.  Make sure people know who you are.  Make it a point to do at least 1 public speaking engagement a month.
4) Appreciate others.  When someone else helps you, write a note to their manager and cc-your manager and them.  Outline the important task that you accomplished with their help.  Make it a point to thank at least one person a week this way.
5) Shine through others.  Bring in valuable speakers and talent into your department.  Create your own catalyst event to bring others together.  Be the opportunity agent that connects the right pieces by asking experts to speak at your speaking series, interviewing them for the company newsletter, or arranging a consultation on a specific problem that your department or client is having, etc.  Include this as your one-speaking engagement a month activity.
6) Weekly manager or client meetings.  Take the initiative to schedule repeating weekly one-on-one meetings with your manager or client.  Through the act of reviewing your weekly accomplishments, you are getting your achievements some stage time.
7) Don’t keep it in-house.  If your manager is the only one aware of your talent and expertise, you are doing yourself a disservice.  During performance time, all the managers of the same band have to rate and rank their pool of employees against each other.  If you are only known to your manager – you won’t fair well in that comparison.  Start volunteering your service and expertise to sibling departments other target markets.  Be working on at least 1-side project for someone else at least twice a month.  This is a good way to get “thank you notes” from the others and keep the pipeline of jobs coming.

As you may have noticed, I included a schedule to each of these action items.  And each of this actions as associated with actually “doing the work” ( or the right to brag).   The key is keep practicing on a regular schedule.  If you continue to see yourself as shy, the you will stay that way.  If you visualize yourself as a mover and shaker, you will become what you imagine.  A habit is just a thought you keep practicing.  Keep practicing the thought that you are a valuable and vibrant person.

If you want more information on these techniques, just holler at me.  LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info

Why are managers more satisfied with their life than non-managerial employees?

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A recent Pew Research Center survey found that managers are more satisfied with their family life, jobs and overall financial situation than non-managerial employees. However, despite all that, more respondents said they would not want to be a boss or top manager–43% vs. 39%.

Pew Research Center did not explore the reasons behind their findings so I’d like to explore these two findings a little deeper. Specifically: 1) Other than getting paid more, why are bosses more happy than non-managerial workers? Isn’t it more stressful to be a manager than it is to be an individual contributor? 2) If being a manager is overall more satisfying, why did so many people say they did not want to become a boss someday?

1) Other than getting paid more, why are bosses more happy than non-managerial workers? Isn’t it more stressful to be a manager than it is to be an individual contributor?
It’s not the title, it’s the attitude and mindset.
People that feel in control of their professional development and career growth are normally more happy than people who feel that they are not empowered to decide their own destiny.  People that feel they can design their own career direction and take full responsiblity for their professional develoment – are often more happy then people that wait for someone else to decide their career path.
People that feel empowered are normally those who advance up the technical or managerial corporate ladders.  They feel free to slightly deviate from the assigned tasks to accomplish the essence of the goal via an even better solution – one which increases company revenue, limits costs, or reduces time to market.  They take on assignments above their grade-level and business network with sibling departments and other managers.  They market their skills, proposals and services to others outside their immediate group.  They make sure to offer their assistance  outside the company through professional organizations and associations. People that have bigger career plans beyond their current position are often happier because they have the Big Picture and vision in mind.
People that are only focused on keeping their current job and not rocking the boat, often stay as individual contributers. They stay focused on doing their assigned tasks, properly.  They feel that they are doing everything that is being asked of them and often work late and weekends to complete their assigned tasks. They mistakenly believe that doing excellent work in everything that is asked of you – should bereceiving an Excellent Performance Review.  Yet they continually receive “Meets Expectations” or “Average” – which rarely gets a raise or bonus.   People that focus on “doing everything that is asked of them” – do not realize that bosses expect you to do well at your assigned dutites.  Therefore you are merely “meeting expectations”  — not excelling.  Because of this thinking, these types of people often stay both frustrated and as individual contributors.
Once again – it’s not necessarily “manager” versus “staff” titles that are causing this separation; but the attitudes of the individuals.  It’s the feeling of empowerment versus disempowerment.

2) If being a manager is overall more satisfying, why did so many people say they did not want to become a boss someday?
Ironically it is the for same reason.  The same people that are uncomfortable about taking responsiblity for their own careers, are uncomfortable about taking responsiblity for a staff or project.  They do not want the responsibility of directing or steering either a team or themselves.  They don’t want the responsibility of leading any one.
Once again – it isn’t the title.  It is the attitude.  There are many happy individual contributers in both large and small companies.  They are happy because they have autonomy, mastery of their craft and purpose.  They are doing exactly what they want to be doing, and they do it well. They have confidence in their expertise and are respected in their position.   People around them admire and they feel comfortable providing alternative solutions and proposals.   Because they have a following or fanbase, it’s not difficult for them to lead.  They feel empowered and able to influence those around them.  Because of their positive attitude and influence on others, they don’t often stay as individual contributers and are often promoted to leadership role.  NOT because they have a desire to LEAD anyone or tell others what to do; but because they have automatically attracted a following or fan base that are already in-line with their passions and goals.  It is because of this that leadership is their next natural step.
I am a business and career management coach and expert.  I have a Professional Development Toolkit online course that covers all of the above.

How to rebuild confidence after you have been out of work for some time

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Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose – author of the business and time management books TimePeace: Making peace with time  and The Book of Answers: 105 Career Critical Situations– and I am a business and efficiency coach that specializes in time management, project management and work-life balance strategies.  Stephen Wynkoop and I regularly meet on professional development topics. Our interviews can be found at Laura Rose Career Management Series

This week’s topic was “How to rebuild confidence after you have been out of work for some time”

We can have a gap in our resume in a couple of ways:

1)    We are out of work (either by chose or otherwise)

2)    We have been continuously employed but not in the field of our choice.

In either case, employers may hesitate because the fear that technology has passed us by; our skills are obsolete; and we are no longer relevant.

The best way to build confidence after you has been out of work for some time is to actually accomplish tangible and tactile things while you are out of work.   Identify your goals for self-improvement in regards to health, education, presentation skills, networking, and family.  Then accomplish those goals.  Most employers like to hire self-motivated people that can solve their own problems.  By using this gap in employment for some self-assessment and self-improvement (while you are still job searching) is a good use of your time.

Since the main reason for employer’s hesitation in an employment gap is the ability to stay relevant in today’s ever-changing technology, the best advice is to stay relevant regardless of what type or how the gap occurred.  You can do this by:

  • Use the gap to learn a new skill, achieve a certification or license
  • Stay active in your profession by volunteering your services to nonprofits or service communities
  • Teach at a local community college,
  • Create online courses in your field of expertise.
  • Speak at local professional organizations or conferences
  • Write articles, blogs or eBooks in your field of expertise
  • Develop YouTube presentations, demos or prototypes as proof of your new skill set.
  • Create a portfolio or press kit of your accomplishments during the gap

Note: If you are volunteering, make sure you are working in the area that will assist you in your job search.  For instance, if you volunteer for the ASPCA and are a web designer – don’t take on the task of emptying out the litter box.  Instead, work on their website, assist with their SEO and engine optimizations, or automate their manual office duties.  Accept tasks that are in line with your next job description.

Then update your resume with your new skills and links to your articles, videos, apps, etc.

The employer’s fear of the “gap” is that you have fallen out of touch with your field.  If you can show that you have sharpened your skills (during the gap), then you have tangible evidence that you are not only still relevant in your field but an expert.

Where do I place these volunteering and other activities in the resume?


Remember that your resume isn’t a list of all your “paid” employment.  It’s a place to highlight your skills and talents.  The fact that you didn’t get paid for your services does not detract from your experience and expertise.   I would place all the relevant professional skills at the top of your resume.  I would also include them in your Work Experience.

The resume doesn’t highlight the salary for each position.  It just highlights your ability and skills.

In the IT Professional Development Toolkit, I go into the: who, what, where, when and how to accomplish all of the above. I also have a transferable skill worksheet.

Also following online courses:

12 Tips for Realistic Scheduling
10 Tips for Telecommuters
 10 Career Boosting Resolution Laser Lesson

10 Hidden Time Waster Laser Lesson

Get That Well-Deserved Raise Laser Lesson
Professional Development Toolkit
It’s a SNAP – Social Networking Accelerated Process for business networking

Or sign up for my weekly Time and Career Management Newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/