If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and life coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies. In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into office etiquette on various real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
Over the holidays, I visited my family (as many people do). During on conversation with my mother, I was offering to pick up a movie for mom to watch.
Mom: “Don’t bother. All the movies are in discs these days. I like videos and they don’t make them anymore.”
“Well, you have a DVD player in your reading room. We could…”
Mom:”No,No. It’s connected to the small TV. I don’t like that TV.”
“No, problem. We’ll just connect it to your big TV in here. You are right … it’s much better watching this set. We’ll just…”
Mom: “Don’t bother. Your sister tried it and she couldn’t do it. Your cousin tried it and he couldn’t do it. They both say that the TV is too old to be connected.”
“Well, it won’t hurt to…”
Mom: “Don’t bother.” And I decided to drop it for now.
The next morning, while mom was still asleep, I took a closer look. I took the DVD from the small set and successfully moved it to the larger set in the family room. Since I knew mom already worked the VCR machine, I wrote out the instructions for the DVD as close to the VCR players instructions as possible. When mom woke up, I played a DVD for her and she was very excited.
I realize that many people believe that “history repeats itself” as rationalizing for not trying things others have failed. But you are not the same person that tried before. They don’t know what you know. They don’t have the same experience, background or resources that you do. Even if you are the one that tried and failed before … you are currently a different person than you were last year, last month and even yesterday.
What past limitations are you using to hold you up?
I know the title is a little strange, but indulge me for a moment. Most of us really appreciate the freedom and lightness of flight. We are attracted to a stress-free environment that allows us to flow in our areas of genius and passion. We all realize that we are more productive, effective and empowered when we are work and passions are closely aligned. And when we are so aligned, we feel we are a bird in flight, floating on air, flowing where our genius takes us.
Even if 100% of our day isn’t in-flight like that; most of us have pockets. We often find ourselves in the ZONE or flowing.
Now — when we’re in those pockets or zone … are you a free bird or are you a butterfly or a combination?
Some definitions:
Free Bird: Has lots of experience and freely shares it. A bird is light, free and flowing. Consumes just enough to stay light; confident that more opportunities will become available exactly when you need it. The abundance mentality allows the bird to stay unencumbered and light. They soars, shares (drops) their experience on others and flies away. When their knowledge drops on the right flower or field, it fertilizes, feeds and energizes. When their knowledge lands on unexpected people, cars, benches; it annoys.
Butterfly: Has lots of experience and freely shares it. A butterfly is light, free and flowing. During the process of collecting nectar, some pollen sticks to their belly and legs. This allows them to continue to fly unencumbered (like a bird) but have more beneficial affect on those it touches and lands on. While they are going about their normal activity of gathering nectar, they deliberately focus on where they land; therefore, their knowledge and experience land on those that are asking.
Using this in the office:
How can we be the best of both? Maybe we want to be a hummingbird of such. Something that is a combination. What is the one thing we can do TODAY, that allows us to be an opportunity agent to others and ourselves? An Opportunity Agent collects appropriate contacts (pollen) as they go about their regular business (their nectar). Because they are building a network and contact database, they can cross-pollinate among their contacts at the appropriate time. Instead of only providing their singular experiences, they can connect their important contacts with other high-caliber contacts, resources, and networks. This provides an exponential benefit to those they land or connect with.
By deliberately and mindfully staying in contact with the significant people you cross paths with, you have the option to extend your wonderful network to others in the future.
Available free tools like Linkedin.com helps you do this almost automatically (like the butterfly or humming bird). I have a short free videos on how you can easily do this with the social media tools of your choice.
Check out http://lauraleerose.com/snapebook/ for the It’s a SNAP video
Check out http://lauraleerose.com/leveraginglinks/ for additional tips on leveraging the links you already have.
Send me your tips to staying in touch with your significant contacts.
And if you don’t already have a Business Networking Plan for 2013 — check out my Individual Networking Strategy Workbook. It is intended to help you create a networking strategy to supports and propels you toward your career goals.
In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into these things in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
A reader writes: As an employee, how do you handle a situation if you know your manager is being dishonest? A few employees have already approached HR, but they didn’t take the issue seriously. What do we do next?
There is normally a hierarchy for these things in most companies. And it would depend upon the severity of the accusations. Since the question said “A few employees have already approached HR”, I am assuming that it isn’t a single incident and it’s large enough issue that affects multiple people.
2) If HR isn’t taking it seriously, it may be a sign that you and your co-workers may not know the entire situation. There may be extenuating circumstances or a gag-order in place or legal ramifications for the manager to tell his team what is actually going on. It could be that the HR manager understands this, but is under the same legal obligations to say and do nothing. That could be the reason HR seems to not be taking it seriously. Call a meeting with the offending manager, the “few employees that have already approached HR”, and the HR manager.
Do not publish the meeting to people that are not already involved. Don’t make this a bigger deal than it should be. Limit this closed meeting to only those already talking about this. The purpose of the meeting is to clarify any misunderstanding around this particular situation to stop the rumors and innuendos. Since the HR manager is already informed of the situation, having the HR manager present gives additional professionalism and balance to the meeting. Allow the HR manager to invite and include anyone else he/she feels appropriate for this purpose. Allow HR lead the meeting, and submit your own agenda and Q&A to be covered in the meeting (ahead of time). If this is an honest misunderstanding, the manager, employees and HR (as a group) can quickly and openly clear up the issue.
**Document this step with email to HR(and cc the employees that have already reported this to HR as well). Keeping a log of your steps (including phone and hallway conversations) through email and email notification will give your situation more leverage and credibility.Keep all your correspondence regarding this matter.
3) YOU calling the meeting and openly inviting the HR manager and manager — avoids HR inactivity. YOU providing the purpose, agenda and Q&A for the meeting (ahead of time), allows HR to meet the manager before the meeting to discuss the issue privately. This illustrates that your only intention is to get clarification and not accuse or judge anyone. Setting an meeting appointment is a reasonable forcing function (for more information on Reasonable Forcing Functions, contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info
The item will be discussed — even if it’s to merely to say “We understand your confusing right now. There are some exciting things happening that we are not at liberty to discuss.” At this point, HR and your manager understands that by not attending the meeting and attending to this issue — only creates more confusion and a bigger problem.
**Document the fact that HR and manager refuses to meet with email to HR and manager (and cc the employees that have already reported this to HR as well). Keeping a log of your steps through email and email notification will give your situation more leverage and credibility.
4) There is also a hierarchy in most organizations. If the HR and manager does not accept your invitation (document that), then tell them that you plan to take it to their managers or executive level — because it is affecting morale and productivity. Being up-front with your next step plans allows HR to decide what to do next. Having all your steps documented with the actual email dates and HR responses will be useful when approaching executive level.
5) Take it to the next line. If the HR manager is not providing the required service, then you request a meeting with the HR second-line manager and your manager’s second-line. Mention that there is an issue that is affecting morale on the office/production line that you would like to make the executive branch aware of. Mention that you require their consult on this issue.
Giving everyone the benefit of the doubt is a diplomatic and honest way to approach many difficult issues. Believing that everyone involved wants this issue resolved quickly and quietly will benefit you greatly.
For more information on Reasonable Forcing Functions and Handling Difficult Office Situations, sign up for my on-line laser coaching series: GoTo Academy: Soft Skills for the GoTo Professional.
In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into these things in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
Should I hire over-qualified people?
(or will they leave as soon as something better comes along)
Professional development series
This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and life coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies. In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into office etiquette on various real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
In the recent interview with Steve Wynkoop (founder of SSWUG.org) we covered the “hiring” topic (don’t miss another professional newsletter tip—signup for the free newsletter here). This article covers the topic in more detail.
I recently received this question from a reader:
I currently have several positions open, and the job descriptions clearly outline the experience necessary. I’m drowning in applications from overqualified people. I know with the unemployment rate so high, people often have noticeably more experience than the jobs they apply for require.
However, I fear that if I hire overqualified applicants, they will leave as soon as a better job comes along. So I prefer to hire candidates ready to move up or laterally. Is it worth considering overqualified candidates? Or can we add something to the job description to improve our applicant pool?
You are in a great position. My recommendation is not worry about the future if you hire an over-qualified person. Focus on hiring the perfect person for the job. And let “what if” take care of itself. Let’s take the following examples:
Conclusions:
Don’t wait until the top-performers leave your company to figure this out. If you don’t invest in your current employees’ career development, then you will be left with only low to mediocre performers (which make your management job that much more difficult). Avoid offering lateral positions merely to ease your discomfort with hiring ‘over-qualified’ candidates. Offer lateral position when it comes with additional promotion or skills advancement opportunities for the employee that is making that change.
If you liked this tips, more can be found at www.lauraleerose.com/blog or subscribe to my weekly professional tips newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/
The weekly newsletter contains tips on:
1) Time management
2) Career maintenance
3) Business networking
4) Work life balance strategies
If you haven’t taken advantage of your introductory time management coaching session, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info
When to hire?
Professional development series
This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and life coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies. In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into office etiquette on various real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
In the recent interview with Steve Wynkoop (founder of SSWUG.org) we covered the “hiring” topic (don’t miss another professional newsletter tip—signup for the free newsletter here). This article covers the topic in more detail.
In today’s tight economy, many employers are under financial strain. They need additional staff and resources to get the products and services out the door, so that they can expand and sell more products. On the other hand, ‘right now’ money is tight to hire new employees. Because of this dilemma, many businesses wait much too long to hire and fail because of this.
So – when is the right time to hire?
The simplest answer to this complex question is: “When the important work isn’t getting done.”
There will always be an abundance of work on our plates. But when we see that the MUST DO tasks are not getting done at the quality, accuracy or speed that our business needs to be successful – then we need to reevaluate where we are placing our resources. We need to constantly focus on the business goals, mission and vision (versus being distracted from the everyday items).
For instance – if the ‘nice-to-have’ items are getting done; instead of the MUST DO – there are several things we can do:
1) Reposition resources from the ‘nice-to-have’ items and onto the MUST DO.
2) Train inside personnel to move onto MUST DO items
3) Contract help for a short-term to close the gap on the MUST DO. This is useful if it’s a temporarily blip or gap.
4) Replace/retrain ineffective personnel (Performance Improvement Plan or PIP). This is useful if the MUST DO is fully staffed but just not being executed effectively.
5) Place ineffectual employee on a PIP plan and subsidize with a temp-to-hire personal. If PIP fails, you can convert the temp-to-hire. (For more information on how to implement a PIP, contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info )
6) Add additional staff, if you have the funds and time to interview.
7) Outsource or hand-off to business partner/affiliate, if you don’t have the funds or time to interview/train.
Hiring isn’t always the silver bullet.
Quick steps to move forward:
1) Identify the staffing gap (clarify the business goals that are not getting accomplished).
2) Outline the skill set and time frame needed for the gap.
3) Research alternative ways to fill that gap that fit your budget and time frame.
Conclusions:
Don’t wait until the last minute to hire a candidate that requires training. Merely hiring someone will not solve the problem. When you hire, you ultimately increase administration tasks, expenses and learning curves. The delay caused by the inevitable learning curve places additional financial and morale strain at the workplace. Consider your natural business cycle with hiring. If you are hiring in a spike consider more qualified candidates. If you are hiring during the slow season and are ramping up for your next spike, then you have time to train someone less experienced. If you don’t have time or money to hire, consider outsourcing or handing-off to business partners/affiliates with a referral revenue plan.
If you liked this tips, more can be found at www.lauraleerose.com/blog or subscribe to my weekly professional tips newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/
The weekly newsletter contains tips on:
1) Time management
2) Career maintenance
3) Business networking
4) Work life balance strategies
If you haven’t taken advantage of your introductory time management coaching session, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info
Why do employees continue to job-search?
(Even when they already have a good job)
Professional development series
This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and life coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies. In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into office etiquette on various real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
In the recent interview with Steve Wynkoop (founder of SSWUG.org) we covered the “hiring” topic (don’t miss another professional newsletter tip—signup for the free newsletter here). This article covers the topic in more detail.
Two recent surveys found that a majority of full-time workers continue searching out job opportunities, usually online and often through social media. What are the pluses and potential pitfalls of continually being on the search?
My first recommendation to employers is to not take “continually searching” personally. There are many reasons individuals window-shop. People often droop over the newest sports-car or gadget. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are unhappy with their current toys.
There are often many reasons for job-window-shopping:
1) If workers are not satisfied with their current work environment, they will continually look elsewhere.
The advantage to this is that many people can handle a ‘bad working environment’ as long as they see a light at the end of the tunnel (a potential new position in the horizon). Conduct frequent one-on-one meetings to understand what is lacking in your employees career development plans.
2) People are always curious. This is an advantage to everyone. Employees should be encouraged to bring these new desires and new knowledge to their manager to see if there are appropriate jobs opportunities in your current company that fits. Management would be prudent to hold frequent career development one-on-one meetings, so that they understand what their talented employees are looking forward to doing.
3) Excellent employees are always forward looking. If the employee sees no ‘next step’ within their current company, they will look more seriously at their next step outside of their current company. Management would be smart to continually outline attractive and progression job roles for their best employees.
4) People need to feel valued and want to be continually challenged in their area of passion. At a certain professional level, it is not ‘money’ that satisfies. The best employees are attracted toward an increase of mastery and autonomy in the areas that they are passionate about. If management isn’t listening, they are likely to lose their most valuable employees — because it is the talented that walk and the weak that stay.
5) If management uses this opportunity to negatively affect the employee’s advancement opportunities, then management is short-sighted. The employee is doing exactly what they need to do to create the most effective and efficient match between what they want to do with their careers and what they are actually doing with their careers. The employee is acting responsibly. Management would be acting responsibly by listening and reviewing current company’s opportunities to better match their employee’s talents and passion.
Conclusions:
Don’t wait until the top-performers leave your company to figure this out. If you don’t invest in your current employees’ career development, then you will be left with only low to mediocre performers (which makes your management job that much more difficult).
If you liked this tips, more can be found at www.lauraleerose.com/blog or subscribe to my weekly professional tips newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/
The weekly newsletter contains tips on:
1) Time management
2) Career maintenance
3) Business networking
4) Work life balance strategies
If you haven’t taken advantage of your introductory time management coaching session, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info
Professional development series
This is Laura Lee Rose, a business and life coach that specializes in professional development, time management, project management and work-life balance strategies. In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into office etiquette on various real-world IT topics in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please sign-up for the continuing online coaching series.
In the recent interview with Steve Wynkoop (founder of SSWUG.org) we covered the “hiring” topic (don’t miss another professional newsletter tip—signup for the free newsletter here). This article covers the topic in more detail.
In today’s tight economy, many employers contemplate hiring under-qualified candidates at a lower rate. Should you take on a promising employee that you know you’ll have to spend substantial time training, but could pay off? And if so, how do you identify such a candidate?
There’s a risk whenever you are hiring. Even a very experienced employee can turn out to be a dud. Most of us depend upon our gut feel and use your best judgment on any new hire. There are a couple of things we can do to reduce our risk.
Understand why you are hiring:
During the interview:
After hire:
Conclusions:
Don’t wait until the last minute to hire a candidate that requires training. The delay caused by the inevitable learning curve places additional financial and morale strain at the workplace. Consider your natural business cycle with hiring. Don’t place an unqualified trainee in the middle of the critical path. If you are hiring in a spike consider more qualified candidates. If you are hiring during the slow season and are ramping up for your next spike, then you have time to train someone less experienced.
If you liked this tips, more can be found at www.lauraleerose.com/blog or subscribe to my weekly professional tips newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/
The weekly newsletter contains tips on:
1) Time management
2) Career maintenance
3) Business networking
4) Work life balance strategies
If you haven’t taken advantage of your introductory time management coaching session, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info
Most everyone is familiar with Pro and Con lists to help make a decision. Often times the Pro and Con List does very little to clarify the decision – because – well – the reason you are creating the Pro/Con list is because it is a ‘close call’ to begin with. We don’t go to the trouble of making a Pro and Con list on ‘no-brainers’. Often times the pro and cons are pretty equal – making the decision still difficult. Our mistake is that we stop at this point. We don’t take the next step to reduce the impact of the “Cons”.
Use the Pro/Con/What if table instead. List your Pros and Cons (like you would normally), then add a “What if” or “What needs to happen to reduce your discomfort of the Con”. Once you have your matrix filled out, and then determine the probability and impact of each. If you can’t think of any way to reduce the impact of the ‘Con’ – that adds clarity. But most of the time we don’t take that step to think of things to improve your position.
Take the below example between a current job and a new job. Once you have identified the “What Needs To Happen” – have a transparent and collaborative discussion with the hiring managers to see what is possible.
Pros | Cons | What needs to happen to reduce discomfort of the Con |
Job 1 – current |
||
Enjoy the people and type of work | $45/hr – underpaid | Request $60-65/hour raise |
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, inventions and publications on your findings (in addition to the hourly rate) |
Opportunity to set a standard and make a name for myself in this area | Can’t enjoy my free time very much. | Ask if there are any other things you can do for separate and added pay (i.e. referrals, sales leads, promote at trade shows, explicit things that will make the business money) |
Opportunity to present papers on discoveries | Can’t comfortably support my family obligations | Find an alternative/added revenue stream (in addition to this hourly rate) external to this company. |
Opportunity to define processes and lead policies | ||
Job 2 – new opportunity |
||
$85/hour | Don’t know the folks. Will be working in isolation (not in a team). | I work well both in a team and in isolation. I can create opportunities to share my knowledge with co-workers through group discussions, lunch meetings, etc. I can build working relationships outside of my specific task. |
Easy work | Have to accept without reading/signing a contract. They want to know if I will accept before going to the trouble of a contract. After I accept, I get a written contract to review and sign. My fear is that after I accept and resign from other job—I find something in the contract that is not acceptable. | If I want, I can accept job ‘now’, with the understanding that I still need to review and accept the written contract. And you agree to start 2-weeks after you sign the contract. Then don’t you’re your resignation on old job until you have read the new job contract. |
Will have enough money to do a few more things (including supporting my family). | 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. | |
Not a high pressure job. No stress. Have free time. | 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 feeling? | |
Learn more about company and its other departments. There may be other, more exciting project that you can get involved in as well. |
Bottom line: Taking the time to do a Pro and Con is critical; but sometimes it’s not enough. Taking that extra step to find a solution to the Cons helps you better understand your next steps.
In my GoTo Academy: Tools for the GoTo Guy and Gal continuous online coaching series, I go into Time-boxing and the use of Parking Lot methods in detail.
If you are interested in more training in these areas, please signup for the continuing online coaching series.
Subscribe to my weekly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/
The weekly newsletter contains tips on:
1) Time management
2) Career maintenance
3) Business networking
4) Work life balance strategies
If you haven’t taken advantage of your introductory time management coaching session, please contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info