Tag Archives: Balance

Keeping a job offer alive

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Keeping a job offer alive

 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 professional development and 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.

It’s usually bad news when your job offer is put on hold. Sometimes the offer disappears. So what strategies can you employ to make sure you keep that offer alive even if the employer has to suspend plans for bringing you on board?

Today we are talking about our careers and things we can do to keep moving forward.  Steve and I were talking about when people are pushing their careers forward; and find themselves applying for positions and then waiting; applying and waiting; almost an unending cycle.  Sometimes the jobs can go ahead, placed on hold, temporary hiring freeze, or reorganization issues that suspend our momentum.  What are some of the things we can do to stay on the short list or field of vision?

 

One important acknowledgement is that others will not be as diligent about your career as you.  You are totally responsible for your own career and professional path.  Others can be helpful; but you have to drive that bus.  Some things you can do to increase your chances are:

 

Especially in these economic times, hiring managers, HR and recruiters have hundreds of applicants and resumes in front of them every day.  It’s unlikely that your resume will continually stand-out as time goes by, without some effort on your side.

 

Some things to try with internal job postings:

 

People do business with folks they like, know and trust.

  • Be proactive in staying on their radar
  • Recognize that others are not responsible for your career.
  • Schedule monthly lunch dates, phone call, email an article that they (the recruiting department or team) may be interested in, or an update on one of your current projects that they are interested in.  This level of “touching-base” doesn’t have to be frequent or elaborate.  Just something to remind them that you are still out there and are interested in working with them in the future.
  • Add them to your regular LinkedIn.com professional network and stay on-top of what their department is doing.
  • Make friends and build relationships with the other team members of that group or project area.
  • Invite and escort them to any speaking engagements, seminars or professional association gathering that they might be interested in attending.  By attending the event with them, gives you additional relationship-building time.
  • Clarify the essence of what you are looking for – versus a specific ‘job title’.  Many positions share transferable skills, projects, high-profile results, functions and environments – but they may not have the same ‘job title’.  For instance, a Project Manager, Program Manager and Operational Manager all provide essentially the same functions – but at different scope and level.  Usability Lead, Customer Advocacy Agent, Quality Assurance and Beta Program lead all provide similar functions – but in departments.  You may find an equivalent match in a different area under a different job title.
  • Be open to creating your own position.  If you know want to stay in development but want more hands-on with clients – pitch your own position as a Technical Support Designer that works with high-profile clients to create one-off utilities that are specifically customizes to fit their needs.  Once that client is satisfied – you program manage how to safely implement it into the regular maintenance stream.  This single position combines: Tech Support, Business Requirement Design, Change Management and Program Management skill sets.

Continually demonstrate your worth and value to the company and department

  • The fact that they had to place their hiring on hold because of budget or organizational issues; doesn’t negate their need for resources and help.  It only suspended the “HOW”, not the “WHY” or reason for hiring.  Let them know that you realize that they are currently understaffed and offer assistance (especially in the area or position that you are interested).
  • Keep them updated on what you are working on to see if they can re-use or share your code/libraries with them.
  • Offer to facilitate any code review meetings or document results of those meetings for them – as a way to help them with the tedious documentation compliance aspects of design and development (while at the same time getting the birds-eye view of how they internally work).
  • Facilitate Brown Bag Lunch learning series on topics they are interested in and continually invite them (especially in the area or position that you are interested).

Use this time to become the perfect match

  • Use this time to fill in your skills gap. For instance, if your top competitor for this position has better presentation skills or marketing/sells savvy – use this time to join Toastmasters.org, or some relevant professional organization.  Start networking to bring in potential new clients and sales leads.
  • Report your achievements in those gap areas, such that they see your commitment to continuous improvement.

 

If you are interested in something outside your company – do the above items AND add the following:

 Add technical recruiters to your list of resources.

  • Technical recruiters can skim and filter an abundance of positions for you, without having your resume out there for everyone to see
  • Create a video or Youtube video resume for external recruiters to make use of.

Use your social media contacts

  • Use your social media like LinkedIn.com or other professional pages.  Keep your resume and profiles are accurate and relevant to the position that you are interested in
  • Social media pages (such as Linkedin.com) have Job-Postings.  Take the extra step to look up who actually posted that job and build a relationship with that person through that social media.
  • Start conversations and discussions on your social media pages to be recognized as an expert in this area.
  • Make use of Youtube.com to video your presentations, blogs, articles on relevant technical issues.

Create your own networking opportunities.

  • See what types of networking or speaking engagements others in your ‘dream position’ will be attending in the future – and arrange to bump into them there.
  • Post your speaking engagements and networking meetings on your professional media pages and invite your social network to those events.
  • Post your articles, blogs and vlogs about this field – and follow-up with webinars and chats, to be recognized as an expert in this area.

Try it and let me know what you think.

In my GoTo Academy: Soft Skill Tools for the GoTo Professional continuous online coaching series, I go into this in detail.

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

 

15 Etiquette Tips to Get Ahead

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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 methods 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.

Yvette Maurice (http://blog.opencolleges.edu.au/perfect-office-manners-check-list-30-rate/) wrote an interesting article regarding Do You Have Perfect Office Manners? Check This List of 30 To See How You Rate!

I liked it very much.  There are great tips for getting comfortable in your current position.  I then took some of hersame tips (just 15) and modified them for the 15 Etiquette Tips to Get Ahead.

They are strictly based on Yvette’s tips with a twist.

Here are some of the things Yvette listed – but with a small twist to get ahead.  For her unmodified advise, read http://blog.opencolleges.edu.au/perfect-office-manners-check-list-30-rate/

1. Don’t “Blame-storm”  – Get the team to immediately focus on the solutions.

When you see the Blame-storm start, initiation the focus on the solution by saying, “Great, we know what we need to fix.  How do you want this to work from this point forward?”  Focusing on how and why something occurred only keeps you in the same ‘thinking state’ as when the problem was created.  Visualizing how you really want the “entity” to work is really where you want your ‘thinking power’ to be focused.

2. Chewing Gum and other ticks

Everyone has a nervous tick or activity.  Some it’s chewing gum, others it’s twirling their hair or tapping their fingers.  When you see yourself doing your “nervous tick”, use it as a trigger to let you know something is not exactly right.  Then ask yourself these questions:

  • Am I bored? If so, start another project on my todo list.
  • Am I nervous?  If so, do something positive and productive to reduce that nervousness
  • Am I angry or frustrated? If so, think about what you can do right now to reduce those negative feelings.

3. Dressing with Respect BUT FOR SUCCESS

Dress like the person you want to be.  Dress more like the next level up then your peers.  If the managers are dressing in more business attire and your co-workers dress very casual – I recommend dressing more like the managers (or the group that you want to be).  Surround yourself with the type of people you want to emulate.

4. Don’t take Personal Hygiene to extremes

Don’t over-do cologne or perfume.  Many people are allergic to scents in deodorants, soaps and perfumes.  Also be careful with scented candles, if you are in a shared working space.  It’s more of a health and safety issue at this point.

5. Cover Your Mouth and Say Excuse Me

In Yvette’s article, she was commenting on how to handle coughing and sneezing.  My recommendation is to stay home when you are ill.  Often people feel that they are being tough when they come into the office – but actually you are costing the company money.  And no co-worker around you appreciates it either.  Think of it this way.  You come in and work with (infect) 5 people.  Now instead of losing 1 day of work from you, the company is losing 5 people the next few days.  You are also only 40% productive while you are there; and others are also distracted with the thought that they will become sick as well.  With today’s ability to work from home – the best solution is to stay home and help out from home.  You’re get better faster and will be able to produce at 100% then you do arrive in the office.

6. Keep Interruptions to a Minimum

In Yvette’s article, she recommends keeping personal calls to a minimum as to not interrupt your co-workers.  If you work in a cube environment, reserve a conference or team room for those important personal calls.  With the advent of text and on-line instant messaging, many can carry on a quick communiqué from their desk.  And then take the longer (necessary)  conversations to a small conference room (or schedule those at lunch or during outside breaks).

7. If Someone Does Something Nice, be Appreciative AND RECIPROCATE

In Yvette’s articles, she mentions saying thank you for these nice things.  If you want to get ahead, actually reciprocate beyond what they did for you.  If they helped you with a project, send a thank you note to them and copy their managers.  If they mentioned you in their presentation, mention them in yours and ask them to stand up when you give your presentation.  Reciprocate one step beyond what most people would be expecting.  And make sure their manager (and your manager) knows they are helping you.

8. Be Helpful and Cooperate with Your Colleagues to a point

In Yvette’s article, she correctly recommends helping others.  If someone needs help with a copy machine or directions to someplace, please be courteous.  But don’t take too much time helping others.  Don’t take on others people’s problems as your own.  You lose time and momentum on your items.  If your colleague’s problem is aligned with your goals, take the time to assist.  If their issues distract and derail you from your tasks, schedule and goals give them your consult and move on.  Call-in and delegate their problem to the appropriate person.  Remember, your colleague is currently stuck and is just asking for assistance to get to the next step (to get unstuck).  They aren’t necessarily asking you to do their work.  Advising them or calling in the right person for the job is helping.  It doesn’t have to be you doing the actual work; just advise them to their next step so that they are no longer stuck.

Also – be careful you are not training people to continually come to you with their issues.  Teach them to fish.

10. Look After New Employees to a point

The only thing I would add is that – if you are taking much time with a new employee; make your manager aware.   The new employee should already have a ‘helper’ assigned to them.  Get the “helper” involved in orientating the new employee.  If you company doesn’t have an orientation program for the new folks, then make your manager aware that you are helping a new person.  As long as your manager understands where your time is going, your manager can assist with the issue.  Don’t be afraid to talk to your manager about your project progress, your interruptions, and your challenges.  It’s your manager’s job to manage the normal ebb and flows of a project.  Keep them in the loop at all times.

12. Instead of Wait Your Turn to Speak in a Meeting – Create Your Turn

My only recommendation is to get your topics on the meeting agenda.  Meet with the meeting facilitator to add your issues to the agenda.  Tell the facilitator that you will need to leave the meeting at a certain time and ask him/her to put your agenda toward the front end of the meeting.  This way, you can relax and really listen to what’s going on in the meeting, without being worried that you won’t get a turn to speak.  If you want to get ahead, you will want to participate in meetings.  But, as Yvette mentioned, you don’t want to unnecessarily interrupt.  Showing initiative to place your topic on the agenda will allow you to calmly have your turn.

13. Respect not only Your Elders

The only thing I would add is to RESPECT EVERYONE.  You never know who these people will be next year or even next month.  Your co-worker may become the next manager of a sibling department or your department.  You may find that – in order to be on your dream project – you will have to work alongside someone that you don’t normally associate.  You may find out that in order to complete your task; you will need to ask a favor of a sister-department.

14. Manners at All Times but with balance

Although I agree with the general thought of “mind your manners”; don’t be a doormat either.  Take respectful initiative in everything you do.  Be considerate but selective where you put your time.  Keep your own business commitment in mind at all times.  Don’t risk not completing your tasks to assist others with their jobs.  If someone is having a lot of computer problems, call IT for them.   If someone needs a lot of help, advise them to seek their manager.  It’s their manager’s job to make sure his/her employees are running smoothly (not yours).  Make sure your manager is aware of what’s going on with your project – so that he/she may help manager some external distractions that you are encountering.  Keep external interruptions to a minimum, to allow yourself to stay on track.

Keep the airplane rule in mind:  “Put on your oxygen mask before helping others.”

30. And Don’t Nit – Pick!

I’m just skipping to tip 30.  My general rule is to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.  Everyone is actually doing the best that they can with the information and expertise that they currently have.  Everyone wants to do a good job.  Everyone wants to do the right thing.  If you have that attitude, things will look differently to you.

 

Try it and let me know what you think.

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

Leveraging Links

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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.
Most professionals have a LinkedIn.com account and profile.    They accept requests from friends, coworkers and family members that they already know. Then they stop there.

  • Is your social media connections assisting you in your professional and career goals?
  • Are you using your social media contacts smartly?
  • Are you connecting only with people you already know instead of the people that can help
  • you in your development?

We typically associate with folks of the same socioeconomic circles.  Studies show that your salary and income are typically within 20% of the group of people you regularly hang around with.  So, if you want to jump to a different salary or professional level, we may need to change who we hang around with.  If you want to leap to the next professional rung, we may want to find ways to network with people that are of that next desired level.  In other words, surround ourselves with the success we want to achieve.

We can use our social networking profiles to do this.

For a quick review of the steps, watch the video  and  purchase the Leveraging Links Zipinar Ebook.

To create your individual networking strategy, sign up for our free workbook at: http://eepurl.com/njCWz

Make a quarterly goal of increasing your networking circle by 10% in the right direction.

Other things to consider:

1) Invite the authors of your favorite technical journal articles to your LinkedIn.com network
2) Socialize at the cafeteria and create intellectual discussion groups.  Add them to your LinkedIn.com network
3) Conduct Brown Bag Lunch series on important topics to your industry.  Offer to send the presentation and whitepaper to those that connect with your on LinkedIn.com
4) Work on white-papers with your manager on items that can be shared and published.  Invite your readers to link with you on LinkedIn.com
5) Select a side-hobby and invite those folks to your linkedin.com network.

Try it and let me know what you think.

Turning competition into collaboration.

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A friend of a friend was visiting from Berlin, Germany.  Although I regularly teach a private group lessons at my friend’s home, she wanted to postpone (cancel) our January group classes — so that her group can take lessons from their visiting friend.  Although I could have seen this as a negative, I didn’t.  It would not make much sense to do so.

  • My friends have been taking from me forever; and they will continue when their friend returns home.
  • Their friend will only be here through January.  I’ll be here long after their friend leaves.
  • My friends enjoy all different types of dances; and it’s fun for them to learn from different instructors.
  • Although I have connections into the Argentine Tango community, I don’t  teach Tango (which is my friend’s friend’s expertise).
  • When their friend leaves, I can still help them stay in practice with Tango during our regular dance lessons.

So I immediately went into collaborative mode.  When my friend mentioned why she was canceling our January classes,  I forwarded my friend all the Argentine Tango community information that I could find.  I also introduced some local Argentine Tango instructors to my friend’s friend.   Local instructors could then offer guest workshops and private lessons with an international Argentine Tango instructor without much overhead or hassle.  I also connected her with a local Argentine Tango instructor that has her finger on the pulse of everything Tango.  This allowed all sides to benefit from the connection.

Even though making these connections between the guest instructor and others may not directly or immediately benefit me — both sides realize that I was thinking of their best interest.  And like any good dance partner, we look out for each other (both on and off the dance floor).

On the dance floor or work environment, we don’t want to show-off, out-do, or struggle with our partners.  We don’t want to make our partner feel uncomfortable or ungraceful.  If the moves aren’t coming out exactly as we had initially envisioned, just relax and co-create a new movement from the blending of your styles.  If your follower isn’t exactly paying attention to you OR if your leader isn’t giving you any play time — just ease into the space and make the best out of this current situation.  You may be surprised  what will develop.  This specific song/task will only last a very limited time.  But the steps and care that you in invest in this time will give you lasting results.

If you are interested in knowing how to take these  concepts into the professional environment, please sign up for my professional and career management (free) newsletter at : http://eepurl.com/cZ9_-/

URGO method to reduce overwhelment and stress

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URGO
Urgent Rating Graphing for Overwhelment

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.
Every day we are inundated with new tasks, special requests, and high-profile client requests.   But we rarely truly take the time to relationally and realistically prioritize to our best career advantage.  A co-worker is in the middle of some family issues and you end up picking up his/her slack.  The company undergoes some re-organization, and your project lists has increased.  Often times we don’t feel we have a choice, but you really do.
Below are some quick steps that gives you a visual chart that clearly outlines which project or task to spend your time on.
I call this my URGO (Urgent Rating Graph for Overwhelment) method.

  1. Identify your imperatives or career goals
  2.  List your significant time sinks or tasks
  3.  Score each task 0-5 (5 being the most in aligned with your goals) for each listed goal
  4. Chart the results
  5. Create a career plan to accomplish those priority action items.

Example:
Step 1:  My professional goals and mission statements

  •   Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
  •   Become the GoTo MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
  •   Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months

Step 2: List your current tasks and desired tasks

  • Have a great, innovative approach to solving a new market problem that might open the company to a whole new market
  • Team mate is growing through some tough times and I am stuck picking up his/her slack on maintenance issues
  •  Assigned to an end-of-life product that has been scheduled to be dropped.  But a few clients won’t upgrade to the new product; therefore, the ‘drop’ schedule continues to be postponed.
  • Although I am not behind, I would like some time to get ahead of my current project.
  •  Next Generation Project X is the next high-profile product.  My business proposal would fit perfectly in that scenario.

Step 2: Take each task and objectively rate or score it for each of your career and professional goals

Make a proposal for a new solution to the executives

  • Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
    • Score 5 – I feel that this is innovative and can be used in our company’s next generation product
  • Become the GoTo/ MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
    •  Score 4 – If this goes as I expect, I could be implementing this in Project X.  I could become one of the technical leads on Project X
  • Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
    •  Score 4 – This would get me off some of the ‘end-of-life’ product and out of maintenance duty

————————————–Total Score  13
Continue to pick up slack for a co-worker

  •  Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
    •  Score 0 – It could be considered being a team-player, but neither my manager nor executives actually recognize or acknowledge that I’m doing this.  Right now, I’m doing it.  I’m not even sure my co-worker realizes the extra work he is putting on me.  Besides, this really isn’t even my responsibility.  It’s my manager’s role to manage everyone’s changing work schedule.  Not allowing my manager to know what’s going on is not to my benefit.
  •  Become the GoTo MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
    • Score 0 – Once again, no one is aware of what I am doing for my co-worker.
  • Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
    • Score 0 – This just keeps me stuck on this maintenance project.

————————————–Total Score  0

Working on ‘end-of-life” and maintenance products

  • Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
    •  Score 2 – One of the few people around here that still understands this old technology.  Everyone else has either quite or has moved onto the new platforms.  But this technology is currently obsolete.  My company is just behind the curve on ending it.
  • Become the GoTo/MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
    • Score 0 – I don’t have a chance to even learn a new technology because of my current maintenance tasks.
  • Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
    • Score 0 – Without my intervention, I’ll be stuck on this ‘end-of-life’ and maintenance gig.  I’ll become the only one with this old technology knowledge and they won’t be able to remove me from this spot.

————————————–Total Score  2
Although I am not behind, I would like some time to get ahead of my current project. 

  •  Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
    •  Score 2 – The current projects are on the technology that is being phased out.  I can not be regarded as a thought-leader with this project.  As long as I don’t fall behind, my remaining time should be spent on other things.
  •  Become the GoTo MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
    •  Score 0 – This is not new technology.  Therefore, spending more time that I need on this is fruitless.
  • Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
    • Score 2 – If my project is actually phased-out, I will be available for a new project or position.  But there’s no telling when that will be.  It’s been in this same state for 2 years already.

————————————--Total Score  4

Next Generation Project X is the next high-profile product.  My business proposal would fit perfectly in that scenario.

  • Get recognized as a thought-leader in my field
    • Score 4 – This project is getting lots of visibility.   I already have ideas on the next directions on this platform.
  • Become the GoTo MPV that the executives go to on new innovation and technical strategies
    • Score 5 – My  proposals will tie my ideas to the Project X evolution schedule.  We will be no only able propel the development cycle forward but be able to patent and license how we are doing it.
  • Acquire a new-level promotion within the next 6 months
    •  Score 5 – My blending my business process ideas directly into the Product X infrastructure, I will be building a foundation for a promotion and leadership role.

————————————–Total Score 14

Step 4) Chart the results
From the chart, you can visually see that Getting the Next Gen Project X  and Presenting your proposal to the executives are your top career and professional goals.

Step 5) Create your career plan with those to priorities in focus.
Some suggestions would be:

  • Stop picking up the slack for your co-worker.  Talk to him/her honestly about the issues and encourage them to talk to your manager about it.
  • Start diverting your time to creating that proposal and interviewing executives on what they are really looking forward to in the next fiscal year.
  • Start volunteering your time on Project X and networking with the Project X managers.
  • Prototyping your process as it would look and feel in Project X
  • Continue to work on your proposal and demo/practice on Project X team and managers.
  • Start patent disclosure meetings with your company legal departments.

The above is just an example.  Your goals and tasks will be different and more complex than the above.  But this method works on a variety of situations from task priority, career management, risk analysis, and much more.  It takes the emotional out of the decision process and allows you to focus on the ROI for your professional career development.

Try it and let me know what you think.

What else do you need to continue to move forward?  Tell LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info — and she will try to make it happen.  It can’t be given if no one knows you want it…. Ask for what you want.

If you are having trouble keeping up with the assignment,  let’s talk….

Using other’s failures to set your pace?

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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?

 

Lincoln: The consumate project manager

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Over the holidays, I  saw the  Lincoln movie (released in Dec 2012) and was struck by what master project manager.   I have always had a great admiration for Abraham Lincoln, but frankly did not understand the depth of his character and convictions.

The movie opens at the beginning of Lincoln’s second term (after his re-elect and prior to his 2nd term).  And I wondered if the timing of the movie release was significant because in Dec 2012 (the movie’s first release),  President Obama was in the exact time-period prior to his 2nd term of office.

The movie focused on two of the most important events in the history of the United States — the passage of the 13th Amendment and the end of the Civil War. The movie does not focus on the life of Abraham Lincoln, but rather on his tremendous leadership in the final four months of his presidency.

Lincoln was a master project manager.

He was a caring father and friend, as well as leader of the United States.

He held certain principles as unalienable rights that all men are created equal under the law.

He also firmly believed that the United States could only sustain in history as a ‘united’ government versus separate states.

It was truly an inspiring sight to see the Congress, perhaps more divided than ours today, pass the 13th Amendment.  Only a few of the men realized that they were actually making history on that day.  It was inspiring to watch Lincoln manage his opposition.  His invaluable leadership and wisdom shines in this movie.

I could not help but leave the theater with a great appreciation for Lincoln’s amazing depth of thought and wisdom.
The movie was based on the book Team and Rivals
A lighter book on the topic is : The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln

Who are your heroes in history?

How do they inspire you into principled based action?

How do they help you keep your non-negotiables?  To create a list of your non-negotiables, download the Non-Negotiable and Imperative Worksheet at http://eepurl.com/n3EpX

Top 3 Office Game Changers

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Top 3 Office Game Changers

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.

As a Business Process Consultant and Efficiency Coach, I am a subject matter expert in the field of Process Improvement.  I work closely with the client to analyze both operational processes and financial metrics to assess project opportunities that positively impact the financial performance of the client business.  In that role, I see a few misconceptions in how to make office changes (or any change for that matter).  The most prevalent false premise is to “start where you are and take small steps”.  That may be the resulting action – but I don’t recommend we start there.

3 Top Office Changers are:

  1. Clearly articulate where you want to be, do and have.
  2. Educate or review the explicit and specific foundation pieces required to get there (i.e., business plan, resources, staff, funds,etc)
  3. Evaluate where you currently are against those specific foundation pieces.

 

Practice forgetting:

My recommendation is to practice forgetting how you got where you are today.  Many of those processes and procedures definitely assisted you to this point.  But now you are going to a different place.  Therefore, you need a different map.  You may find that many of your current procedures are still valid.  But that is not the goal.  So, forget those old procedures for the time being.  Focus on putting in place the ‘right procedures’ for your new goals and destination.

Conclusion: Consider your GPS.  When you have a new destination or goal, your GPS doesn’t try to force you to travel the same path as you did last week or last month.  Your past paths have no relevancy to your current GPS navigations.  Your GPS starts from scratch every time.  Depending upon the gap between where you currently are and your new destination, there may be some roads and routes in common.  But that’s not the GPS’s focus.  It’s just a consequence of time and space – not the goal.  Your Business Practices should be treated like that.

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

 

 

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Top 3 Office Game Changers

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.

As a Business Process Consultant and Efficiency Coach, I am a subject matter expert in the field of Process Improvement.  I work closely with the client to analyze both operational processes and financial metrics to assess project opportunities that positively impact the financial performance of the client business.  In that role, I see a few misconceptions in how to make office changes (or any change for that matter).  The most prevalent false premise is to “start where you are and take small steps”.  That may be the resulting action – but I don’t recommend we start there.

3 Top Office Changers are:

1)     Clearly articulate where you want to be, do and have.

2)     Educate or review the explicit and specific foundation pieces required to get there (i.e., business plan, resources, staff, funds,etc)

3)     Evaluate where you currently are against those specific foundation pieces.

Practice forgetting:

My recommendation is to practice forgetting how you got where you are today.  Many of those processes and procedures definitely assisted you to this point.  But now you are going to a different place.  Therefore, you need a different map.  You may find that many of your current procedures are still valid.  But that is not the goal.  So, forget those old procedures for the time being.  Focus on putting in place the ‘right procedures’ for your new goals and destination.

Conclusion: Consider your GPS.  When you have a new destination or goal, your GPS doesn’t try to force you to travel the same path as you did last week or last month.  Your past paths have no relevancy to your current GPS navigations.  Your GPS starts from scratch every time.  Depending upon the gap between where you currently are and your new destination, there may be some roads and routes in common.  But that’s not the GPS’s focus.  It’s just a consequence of time and space – not the goal.  Your Business Practices should be treated like that.

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

 

How do you handle a dishonest boss?

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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.

My first recommendation is to take a step back and recognize that you don’t exactly know what is going on.  What may seem to you as dishonest — may be something entirely different.  The face that your HR manager doesn’t see it the same way, illustrates that something else may be going on.  Focus on getting clarity (versus proving someone is being dishonest).   If you go in with the mindset that your boss is being dishonest, everything he does will look dishonest. And everyone that doesn’t see him as being “dishonest” will seem like the enemy.  Instead, focus on getting a better understanding of what exactly is going on.  Once you focus on getting clarity and more information, you will see several available options in front of you.
A few things to consider doing:
1)Revisit HR and ask them the status of this situation.  You may have misinterpreted HR’s interest in the matter at your first meeting. That you interpreted as “disinterest” could be HR ‘thinking’ about the appropriate next step.  HR probably could not promise you anything at that time because he/she wasn’t sure how to approach the topic.  Allow HR a few days to investigate on their own.   Then revisit HR after a few days to get status.   If you approach HR as a group (the group of employees that previously reported together), HR will recognize that this isn’t going away.
**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 through email and email notification will give your situation more leverage and credibility.

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.

Conclusion:   If your attitude is one of  “inquiry” versus an accusation, you will not need to take it past HR.  The only thing you are sure about is that ‘you don’t fully know what is going on’. The only thing you know for sure is that you are confused. Approach your talks to solve your confusion only. Don’t approach the situation as ‘trying to prove to people that your boss is dishonest’. When you approach it as your need to get clarity — people are more willing to meet with you. When you approach it with a chip on your shoulder, people are more likely to avoid you.

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?

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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:

 

  • Some people you feel are ‘over-qualified’ are actually looking for a lower-pressure position. They want something they can comfortably and expertly handle in 5-days/8 hour time slot. Because they are (as you describe) “over-qualified”, your position is perfect for them.  They may not be looking for their ‘next challenge’.

 

  • Don’t assume you understand someone’s reason for applying for your job. They may want a slight career change.  Although they may seem over-qualified for the specific task you have in mind; their interest is more in a change of industry or culture.  Maybe their next challenge is getting experience in this new industry or area.   Perhaps your job offers more travel (or less travel).  It can be any number of things that attract.

 

  • Understand why you are hiring.  If you are in a production spike and need someone that will ‘hit the ground running’, hiring an over-qualified person is your best option.  If your spike is temporarily, consider contracting or temp-to-hire, until your product needs levels out a little.

 

  • To ease your discomfort around this topic, be explicit in your expectations. Explicitly announce your expectations and intentions (including the minimum length of expected stay). It’s perfectly acceptable to include the expectations to stay in this particular job for 8 months, 1 year (whatever your minimum expectations are). You can also include a contract penalty for leaving the position early (1 week, 2 week pay, whatever). This will weed-out the people that are merely using your job as a jobs-gap (bridge to another position).

 

  • Continually outline future career opportunities and advancement routes in both the technical and management ladders.   This helps retain the high-performance employees.

 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