Career development

So what do you do with all those business cards when you come home from the networking event? Stack them away in a cardholder or actually
sit down and write “Nice To Meet You” messages? If the first choice is yours, good news is that you belong to majority. And the bad news?
You are making one of the biggest mistakes that can cost you endless opportunities.

WHAT'S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE?

A sample of 613 workers was asked the following question: “In your opinion, which one of the following is the biggest mistake people
make when networking with professional colleagues?” The top 4 responses given in Government Training News were:

1. Not asking for help when they need it (37% of respondents)
2. Not keeping in touch with contacts (28%)
3. Not thanking people for their help (22%)
4. Burning bridges with past employers (13%)

This information is brought to you by our friends from C-Paths, a Chicago-based consultancy, whose mission is organizational growth and profitability support.



Managing an interview is not easy; be that a hiring interview, an interview with your client, or an interview for the media.
The CNN/CareerBuilder.com “Handling Eight Types of Interviewers” article is about managing interviewers in the workplace,
but these recommendations hold water in any other context. Read on!
read more



LOVING THE JOB YOU HATE

by Scott Reeves

You know the feeling: Getting out of bed Monday morning is a struggle, followed by five long, bleak days.

You're not alone. About a million people a day phone in sick--and it's not the bird flu. Some surveys have found that 87% of Americans don't like their jobs. "We spend our highest-energy hours working, and families get what's left," says Jane Boucher, author of How to Love the Job You Hate: Job Satisfaction for the 21st Century. "Most of us can't just quit our jobs."

The problem of being stuck in a lousy job is compounded by the feeling that we are what we do. This attitude is prevalent among men and becoming more common as more women earn professional degrees and climb the corporate ladder higher. If you hate what you do, your self- worth is likely to take a hit. It's just part of our culture. When you meet someone new, one of the first questions asked is "What do you do?"

Job loathing is more than just a punch in the gut. Boucher says it costs the nation an estimated $150 billion per year in treatment for stress-related problems, absenteeism, reduced productivity and employee turnover.

"There are three basic motivators for employees, and money isn't No. 1," says Boucher, who is also an adjunct professor at the McGregor Graduate School of Antioch University in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and a professional speaker. "Workers are motivated by people they like and respect. A happy employee needs to feel that work is important. There has to be a sense of empowerment and independence-- people don't like to be micromanaged, because it chokes creativity."

The question is simple: How do you make things better in a job that doesn't rouse your interest when the alarm clock goes off? Boucher offers ten tips:

1. Communicate. Let the boss know your achievements and problems. Don't boast and don't gripe. Create a sense of teamwork. Define the problem at hand and offer ways to solve it.
2. Do Something for Yourself. Take on a project that's dear to your heart or set aside time for what you do best. For example, if you got into medicine because you wanted to be a caregiver but find yourself buried in paperwork, find the time to be with your patients. Make an effort to connect with each patient and his or her family.
3. Improve a Bad Relationship. Some people are born grumpy and simply won't like you. Instead of fretting about it and thinking it's something you did, simply ask the person each day, "Is there anything I can do for you?" This will ease the tension and, over time, may win over the person who has the long knives out for no apparent reason.
4. Delegate. Never allow process to trump the result. Remember that you can't do everything all the time. Pass off some of the grunt work to a hungry young staffer who needs to learn the basics and a fundamental lesson in life: You don't start at the top, and you earn plumb assignments by working hard in the trenches. If you create a clear path of advancement, the smart employee won't kick when asked to handle routine stuff.
5. Seek Feedback. Ask your boss and co- workers, "How am I doing?" Make it clear that you seek feedback to improve your performance-- not because you crave praise. Show others how feedback can increase their productivity and boost their career choices.
6. Tackle Tough Assignments First. Get the difficult or unpleasant work out of the way first, because it doesn't improve with age and will look truly hideous after lunch. This also allows you to finish the day with something you find challenging and enjoy.
7. Have A Little Fun. Work isn't play, but it doesn't have to be mind-numbingly serious all the time. A few quips will boost everyone's morale. If you're not the office wag, encourage the lighthearted goofball in the corner to share his take on why the Yankees are baseball's best team. It beats grinding your teeth for eight hours a day and is likely to boost morale and productivity.
8. Encourage Teamwork. Doing more with less demands increased productivity. Teamwork is a good way to achieve this goal. Working in teams is a learned skill. If you don't know the basics, learn them and share your insights with others.
9. Body and Soul. Pay attention to your physical and mental health. Stick to the basics: Eat right, exercise and get enough sleep. If you feel crummy, your job performance will suffer. You don't have to be a corporate guru to figure that out.
10. Get a Life. People who have interests outside work make better employees, friends, parents and spouses. Take the time to do whatever it is that you're passionate about. No one on his deathbed ever said, "I wish I'd spent more time at the office."

These basic steps will work at mom-and-pop businesses and across all industries, including semiconductor companies such as Intel (nasdaq: INTC - news - people ), banks such as Wells Fargo (nyse: WFC - news - people ), food processors such as Tyson Foods (nyse: TSN - news - people ), software companies such as Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) or cutting-edge researchers such as Genentech (nyse: DNA - news - people )--you name it.

"Don't let your job become just a paycheck," Boucher says. "At its best, your job can be an expression of creativity."

Shifting Gears, the newsletter of C-Paths




Mentoring practices is an increasingly popular topic of discussion, let alone an essential part of leadership development.
Creating Successful Mentoring Partnerships is an article by Ann M. Johnston, presenting the caveats and recommendations for
building successful mentoring relationships.
read more




In seminars and workshops we often get the question from executives: So how exactly can I figure out that the high-flying candidate is not the right one for
my company? The article below from Shifting Gears newsletter (shiftinggears@cpaths.com) is giving 5 recommendations that we use ourselves when
hiring or partnering with people (and we could not emphasize the first one more!).

FIVE SIGNS THAT SAY "RUN" FROM TOP-LEVEL CANDIDATES

An Execunet article

With shareholders all but declaring war on board nominating committees, it's incumbent on the entire boardroom and corporate recruiters to avoid making costly errors when recruiting the organization's next chief executive.

"The stakes are too high," says Mark Jaffe, president of Minneapolis-based search firm Wyatt & Jaffe, (www.WyattJaffe.com) who, after 22 years recruiting top executive candidates, has identified 5 telltale indicators that suggest certain applicants may be, as he puts it, "damaged goods."

Jaffe urges corporate talent management officers and executive recruiters to look for the following cautionary signs, while performing their due diligence on executives who may otherwise appear qualified for the job:

1. Executive has difficulty talking "off script" about non-business topics. Never seems completely natural or unrehearsed.
2. Candidate struggles to answer the question, "What wrong turns or tragic decisions have you made in your career?" Shows inability to do honest, self-critical analysis.
3. Conspicuous lack of "crash and burn" experience. Impossible to know how the person deals with situational failures and disappointments.
4. Executive can't identify a work relationship — subordinate, peer or boss — that became dysfunctional. More specifically, unable to attribute any factors in that breakdown to themselves.
5. Never mentions "the team" while relating stories of conquest.

Boards shouldn't expect to catch every red flag, Jaffe says. But they should seek outside validation to be certain that their companies' next leaders are persons of exceptional substance — and not just polished self- promoters. "If you're about to sign off on a $20 million employment contract, what's a bit more scrutiny to be absolutely sure you have the right person for the job?" he asks.

TEN GOOD REASONS TO QUIT YOUR JOB AND START YOUR OWN BUSINESS

by Michael J. Katz

It’s been five years since I made the decision to leave my corporate job and start my own company. No question about it, leaving nice coworkers, a stable paycheck and 12 years of tenure with one company was the scariest thing I’d ever done. And yet looking back, it was the defining moment not only of my career, but of my personal development as well. The fact is, I am now so enamored of blazing my own trail that I could never go back – I am hopelessly, incurably, unemployable.

As a result, I receive a steady stream of, “Can I buy you a cup of coffee?” invitations – from old colleagues, new friends, complete strangers – anybody who is considering a change, and who wants to know, “Why should I start my own business?” This is what I say:

1. You’ll dance to your own music. There’s a lot of noise in the corporate world. Not physical noise, but opinions, rules, history and a whole lot of, “that’s the way we do it around here,” always just an inch or two below the surface. In such a setting it’s hard to find your path, or as I like to say, “hear your own music.”
Once you’re on your own, you’ll suddenly begin to hear what’s there, and the more you can hear it and have the courage to follow it, the more enjoyable and yes, profitable your life will be. The fact is, there is no right way to live, to act or to grow a business.

2. You’ll never have to retire. Retiring is a strange concept to the satisfied, self-employed person. It implies that work is something you want to be done with, something you wish were over. When you truly find your passion however, the concept becomes meaningless. Do painters stop painting? Do musicians stop playing music? Do comedians stop being funny just because they’ve reached a certain age? Not if they are doing what they truly want to be doing. Sure, you may slow down or change focus as you get older, but the game is never over, since the game and your life will be one.

3. You’ll put your money where your mouth is. I never planned to start my own business, and I always secretly believed that I didn’t have the guts to be successful on my own. When I look back now, I’m not even sure how I managed to convince myself to leave the perceived safety of living within the protected walls of a large corporation. When I finally jumped however, I was surprised by the number of friends, former co-workers and family who remarked on my “courage.” Frankly, I’m not any braver now than I was before, but I know with certainty that I don’t need a corporation to take care of me (and neither do you).

4. You’ll no longer live in two worlds. I used to be two people: “corporate Michael” and “home life Michael.” Corporate Michael was less friendly, less intuitive and a lot less interesting. I found it easy to switch back and forth between the two Michaels, and for a long time it didn’t even strike me as odd that I would make decisions at work based on a completely different set of criteria regarding what was fair, what was smart or what was worth doing. That’s over – I’m now one person no matter what I do, and I have a more balanced, more humanistic approach to business.

5. You’ll know your own power. Swept up in the turmoil of working as part of a corporation, there’s a tendency to blame others, wait for others, think that others are making things happen. Working alone you’ll realize how much control you actually have (and have always had). That realization will give you the courage and drive to do more things than you ever dreamed of when you saw yourself as an insignificant part of a big machine. You’ll have nobody else to blame, and even more importantly, you will see how much credit you really do deserve for everything you’ve created.

6. You’ll be free to walk away. When you first start out on your own, you will probably be grateful for whatever business comes your way. The thought of “walking away” from a client may seem suicidal. It isn’t. As your reputation grows, people will approach you, ready to hand you their money and have you begin work. That’s terrific. However, in some cases, the fit won’t be there – something in your gut will tell you it’s a bad match. You will learn that you can say “no thank you” and walk away. Nobody assigns projects or clients or teammates to you anymore. You and only you decide who you work with and on what terms, and if it doesn’t feel right you need only say so.

7. You’ll make new friends. If you’ve been with the same company for a long time, you’ve probably developed several close relationships. You may be afraid that you’ll be lonely and isolated out here in the “cold cruel world.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Starting your own business gains you immediate entrance into a collegial world of fellow sole proprietors and entrepreneurs, eager to have you along for the ride. We hold meetings, we have events, we meet for lunch, we talk on the phone – we share ideas, support each other and hang out together. Price of admission: a friendly demeanor and a willingness to help other people find their way.

8. You’ll pick the players. Wherever you sit in a company, you’ve got people you interact with every day. Your boss, your direct reports, the head of the legal department, the desktop support guy, the receptionist. Hopefully you like and get along with most of these people, but whether you do or not, you’re stuck with each other. When you run your own company on the other hand, you pick who’s on the team. You get to choose your attorney, your accountant, your landlord, your printer, your partners, your clients – everybody in your daily life is there because you decided to put them there. You get to choose.

9. You’ll have real problems, instead of imaginary ones. In a corporate setting, your happiness and success is dependent upon dozens of intertwined relationships and handed-down decisions, any one of which can change your world in ways you may not anticipate or even understand. With so much out of your control, it’s hard not to spend time “What If-ing” and worrying about the future: “What’s my boss really think of me? What if I don’t get put in charge of that new project? What if they cut my budget next year?” Fear of what might happen can become worse than the situation itself – imaginary problems.
When you’re building your own business you’re immersed in reality. Sure, you may have days where you worry about paying the mortgage, but you’ll be in the game, fighting the good fight, and no longer obsessed with the possibility of being blindsided by an unforeseen shift in the corporate winds.

10. You’ll find your purpose. You didn’t come here to follow somebody else’s vision or sit on the sidelines watching the clock tick away until retirement. But somehow, somewhere along the way, you forgot. Now, after so many years of following the pack, you’ve come to see work as a place you go to earn enough money to do the things you really want to do. It doesn’t have to be that way. Working on your own will give you the freedom and focus to find the exhilarating, balanced, self-directed career you’ve always dreamed of.

One of my favorite quotes is from the book, The Artist's Way, and I've had it taped to the top of my computer monitor for the last five years: "Leap, and the net will appear.” Go ahead, I’ll be waiting for you.