Archive for February, 2009
Gambling with Your Career
Posted by emmett in Career Development on February 28th, 2009
Gambling with Your Career
Gambling can be a fun and exciting proposition if you have an adventurous spirit and a tolerance for risking your assets. There are those brave souls that venture into the casinos, gaming halls, and private games that find the risk taking involved thrilling. They don’t mind the fact that the odds in every game favor the house and not them. These armature gamblers don’t mind the “sucker bet”. They fearlessly go against the odds in the hope that “lady luck” will smile on them. They get an adrenaline rush; their pulse quickens, the excitement builds for them from the thought of going against the odds, making a long shot and beating the house.
But the professional gambler does not trust in “luck”. When playing against the house the professional knows that the odds are against them. To play and play well in this arena the professional prepares. here is no “chance”. There is only skill. The professional plays the odds. They calculate the odds of their game of choice. They bet with intentionality. They watch each move carefully.
When playing against other gamblers the professional players track the cards played and look for “tells” from other players that might give them an edge in the game or insight into how others play it. They take all this information, formulate a plan, and play the game accordingly.
Your career development is a lot like gambling if you are not intentionally, actively, calculating your best moves and managing your career. Read the rest of this entry »
Work-Life Balance or a Balanced Life
Posted by emmett in Personal Development on February 22nd, 2009
The Balanced Life
Work-Life Balance is a hot topic in today’s hectic workplace. Is there such a thing as work-life balance? I don’t particularly like the term. I find that using the term “work-life balance” tends to lead to a dichotomy in the minds of people, as if work and life are two diametrically opposite concepts. They are not. There is not work distinctly set apart from life, or more precisely, the rest of your life there is only Life with work as one aspect of it that must be kept in balance with all the other aspects or parts of your life.
While I may be a proponent of the idea of work-life balance as it is traditionally expounded, I do however strongly believe and coach “Life Balance”. As the term indicates, my contention is that we need to think in terms of life in its totality, life as a whole, the sum of all that parts that make it up. Work is part of life and does not stand alone outside of it, or worse in opposition to it. As part of this view I contend that our lives, while being made up of many roles or parts, should not be and cannot be compartmentalized in to separate little boxes or individual domains.
Your life consists of many parts or many roles most of which you perform at the same time. You are a parent, spouse, child, employee, employer, a sibling, a community leader, church leader, a volunteer, co-worker, and on and on the roles go. They all add up to your life. To be happy, to find contentment, you need to find the balance between all those roles in your life and not just “work” and the rest of your life.
In a society and culture that tells us we can “have it all” trying to balance the demands of work, family, and all your other commitments is a real challenge. The more roles we play in our lives the more hectic they become. The more we take on because we can’t say “no” … for whatever reason … the greater the possibility that our life will come off its axis and spin out of control. The truth of the matter is that very few of us, if any, can “have it all”. Each of us has our limitations. Whether we care to admit it or not we cannot do everything and be everything to everyone. The first step towards achieving a balanced life is to face or own limitations. Read the rest of this entry »
Things You Need to Know: Skills and Education Are Not Enough
Posted by emmett in Career Development on February 19th, 2009
When people come to me for career development one thing that I find that they have often overlooked, to their peril I might add, is to understand that skills alone are not enough. Do not mistake what I am saying, you must have skills to compete in the workforce, you must have them in abundance and they must be up to date in order to be viable in today’s job market. But, and read this carefully, skills alone will not land you the job. That news often comes as a surprise to people, especially individuals that are highly skilled or educated in their chosen fields.
These clients usually have a story of at least one time (usually several) where they were passed over for a promotion or lost a job opportunity to individuals they “knew” were (or perceived by them) as less skilled or less technically excellent than themselves. What they failed to realize was that “the race is not always to the swift … er… skilled”. These individuals have failed to understand what employers’ are looking for when they hire and promote individuals.
Equally surprising to individuals who sacrificed and strove to gain a degree in their adult years is the idea that the degree they worked so hard to get may not make them the attractive candidate they see themselves to be. Listen, all education is worthwhile. The pursuit of a degree is generally a good thing and I believe that all adults should be life long learners”. While I would not discourage anyone from pursuing a degree the bachelors, masters, or doctorate may not open the doors you think it will and may not be the deciding factor for the potential employer. There are other things, more important things that potential employers will be looking for. Read the rest of this entry »
Chess or Checkers-Manager as Chess Master
Posted by emmett in Leadership Development on February 14th, 2009
Manager as Chess Master
Growing up I always enjoyed the game of checkers. It was easy to learn and easy to gain at least a modicum of mastery over the strategy involved in playing the game. It was basically a game of attrition. Take all of your opponents men and you win. Even if you played with a different version of the rules you could quickly adjust your strategy because all your pieces and the pieces of your opponent moved the same. I learned quickly, became quite good and lost very few times.
A younger brother introduced me to the game of chess. A game I had always shied away from because I felt it was too complicated, too difficult to learn, and took too long to gain any mastery over whatsoever. It was a game, not of attrition but strategy. You didn’t try to lay waste to your opponent’s forces you tried to outmaneuver them. The pieces were all different, they moved in strange ways, and it wasn’t as predictable. I learned the peices, learned the moves, practiced my play, gained some level of skill, and my brother refused to play me any more.
One of the early lessons I learned when I first entered the management arena was the need for the effective use of your human capital, your staff. It is key to the success of the manager, the employees, and the enterprise. To be an effective manager you need to maximize your human capital by using them to their maximum potential for which they were intended (hired for). Knowing their capabilities and limitations enables you to place them in positions where they are most likely to be effective and where you can protect from their limitations and thus use them efficiently and effectively to accomplish your goals. You can think of this in terms of a board game. Think chess or checkers. Read the rest of this entry »
Perception vs. Reality
Posted by emmett in Leadership Development on February 7th, 2009
Once when in the employ of a non-profit social service agency (touchy-feely type of place) I was called into the office of a vice president. He asked me to be seated and struck up a conversation concerning a recent meeting in which I had stated some strong opinions about the subject up for discussion. He assured me that my comments, while strong were nothing inappropriate for the type of meeting it was. However, feedback he received made it clear that some folks in the meeting were “uncomfortable” with my remarks and the conviction with which they were made. I reminded him that I had remained silent until directly asked and then asked him if what I said was wrong or off the mark in some way. His reply was “no, but” I had still made them feel uncomfortable.
Then he turned the topic of conversation to a complaint that had been made about me to the COO by another Director who was a long time friend of the COO. I had not given into a request by this Director to make use of one of my staff member whenever this Director felt the need to use her. In essence I had not given subjugated one of my human capital resources to the whims of her felt needs. Now I will be the first to tell you that I can be blunt at times. When asked my opinion I will give it in a forthright manner that will not always make you feel good. Also, I will readily admit to wanting to have a good deal to say about the resources given to me, especially when someone tries to appropriate them for their use without really consulting me.
The vice president then said these words “ I don’t disagree with what you said in the meeting and I know that the other Director is a bit of a whiner but she is friends with the COO but Emmett, you’re being perceived as uncooperative. You’re getting a reputation for …” Of course I was struck by these words. Me? Uncooperative? Me? I assured him that it was not my intent to be uncooperative and then he said “but you’re being perceived that way and you know that perception is reality, it’s the perception that counts”.
I was a bit non-plused. As I started to offer a reply he cut me off and said “You should be thankful that I’m telling you this so that you are aware of how you are being perceived.” At that point I said nothing else. I knew that it would have been futile. Thanking him for taking the time to share this with me I turned and left.
You may have heard that old maxim before or you may have been told at one point in your career that “It’s perception that counts” or you may have heard it said or even been told “Perception is reality”. You may have had it used on you in a feedback meeting similar to mine. You may have heard it in a more positive vein. I don’t know if you agree with the sentiments of those words. You may buy into the philosophy behind those words. A philosophy that really screams “We prefer style over substance”. Read the rest of this entry »
Everyone’s Number One Responsibility
Posted by emmett in Career Development on February 6th, 2009
Whenever dealing with clients who come to me for career development coaching I make sure that early on in the discussion we cover the number one responsibility of every employee.
The question is usually proffered in this way “So, what do you think your number one job responsibility is? Or “What is the number one responsibility of every employee not matter what their job?” After a few moments of fumbling for the answer, or blank stares and puzzled looks they will usually venture a guess or two such as “customer service”; “do what they hired me to do”; “do my job”. After they make the attempt to answer I will let them off the hook and tell them. “Your number one job, no matter where you are in the company, no matter what your job description is to make the boss look good.”
Your Manager as the Gatekeeper to Your Career
Posted by emmett in Career Development on February 6th, 2009
Manager as Gatekeeper
Picture this. You are on your career journey through the workplace. You wander wearily along that road in a strange land. It’s a bleak land of twilight with only occasional rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds that beset your journey. It is a land inhabited by strange and sometime fearsome creatures that plague your journey and seek to impede your progress. But you press on with your travels along that road strangely compelled by the annoying gnawing in your gut and that buzzing about your head from those blood sucking insects trying to drain you of your vital juices. The going is rough and you are making slow but sure progress when you come across a huge iron gate that blocks the path. On the other side of the gate is the land of your new career. A land of plenty where the grass appears greener, the sky bluer, the air sweeter, and the inhabitants a wait to greet you welcome you to your new home. At that gate is the gatekeeper. There is something about the keeper that seems familiar but you can’t quite place it. As you draw closer the image of the keeper becomes clearer, you focus harder on their personage and to your surprise looks remarkably like your manager. A sudden rush of realization washes over you and you are certain that the keeper is your manager.
There the gatekeeper stands before you, with the keys to the gate in their hand, the power to grant you entrance in to the land beyond the gate. Will the gatekeeper open the gate for you ushering you through the gate to that new land of opportunity? You present your qualifications, you argue for your skills and past service, you make the case for entry skillfully but it seems to have little effect on the gatekeeper. Will the keeper be moved to open the gate or will the keeper stand fast ignoring your pleas for entrance … Your past “merits” mean little at this point. The decision now entirely depends on your past treatment of the gatekeeper.
OK. Maybe my little tale is a bit melodramatic, but the truth of the matter is your manager is the gatekeeper to you career. Read on.