Direct Your Career - The Professional Guide to a Better Career

Performance appraisals should be boring, not a surprise

January 29, 2012

For many years, I have been against annual or semi-annual performance appraisals, sometimes called reviews. The idea that once a year you and your boss sit down face to face and talk about how you did the entire previous year just seems unnatural. The business guru Dr. W. Edward Deming agrees with me. Surprise!! I have had no bad experiences with reviews. I haven’t had a bad review or a surprise review. I simply believe that there is little if any value in this annual display of power whereby you are talked to by your boss about what should be discussed every single day of your career. I cannot imagine what would happen if your boss actually said “Bill, on October 13th at 3:45, you came back a few minutes late from your break. On January 3rd, the spreadsheet you gave me hand an error in it. So, I have to give you a low grade, and therefore no raise.” ******************Advertisement********************************* Tired of sending out resumes with no response? I can help! Download The Professional Guide to Creating Killer Resumes Step by step instructions on how to create a professional resume! ************************************************************** Could you imagine the surprise? Why wouldn’t he

Are you a Chicken Little?

January 28, 2012

There are many versions of the story of Chicken Little, but one such story line is that a chicken named Chicken Little is hit on the head by an acorn while eating lunch. In her panic, she comes to the irrational conclusion that the sky is falling, and decides she must warn the King. On her way to see him, she meets up with many other animals, namely Henny Penny, Cocky Lockey and Goosey Loosey. When she encouters them, she screams ”the sky is falling, the sky is falling!!” and even gets them to join her on the way to warn the King. Finally, they come across Foxy Loxy, a sly fox who offers the chicken and her friends his help. The fox is not a good character, and uses their fear to take of advantage of them. How does that apply to you? Every office is full of Chicken Littles. They go around the office spreading rumors, gossip, and creating fear. They ask questions with a hint of the worst possible outcome, and sew seeds of discontent. I had one such friend years ago. Each conversation would start in the most normal way. We would talk sports or the weather, sometimes even family. Then, he would ask the question. “Did

Fitness – Physical, Emotional and Spiritual

January 27, 2012

One of the secrets to Turbo Charge your Career is being fit. I am not talking about joining a gym necessarily. I am talking about getting physically, emotionally, and spiritually fit. Pump Me Up To be physically fit, all you need to do is eat food that is good for you. You know what that means. If not, go to http://thetennisdad.com/blog and my son Ryan will help you. Also, it means getting enough sleep, and limiting your alcohol consumption. I recommend you quit alcohol completely, but moderation is fine as well. And stop smoking. Today. For exercise, walk around the block to get your heart rate up. Use it or lose it!! Emote with me baby The next key is emotional fitness. This is a complex subject that I address in my book, but basically it means clearing up all of your emotional baggage. Address your relationship problems. Apologize to those you have hurt, get over the men or women who have hurt you, and resolve to address all future mistakes immediately. There is a lot to this to process, but making amends and dealing with mistakes quickly is very important to emotional well-being. I See Dead People The part

Dress for Success

January 26, 2012

Several years ago, I was having a discussion with one of my staff. The conversation went all over the place, but he finally blurted out “You know, I just can’t figure out why I don’t get promoted. I am as good as anyone around here. I know more than a lot of them. How did you get to the top??” I feel pretty, oh so pretty!! His question surprised me a little bit. This employee, by his appearance alone never gave me, and I’m sure anyone else the impression that he wanted to be part of management. What I mean is that this gentleman was in his later 30′s, but looked like a throw back to 1965. He was bald on top, and what was left was long, un-styled hair that he pulled back into a pony tail. He had a very bushy mustache that never looked trimmed. He only shaved every two or three days, and had a perpetual five o’clock shadow. And lastly, he wore “ironic” tee shirts, faded jeans, and sneakers, canvas boat shoes actually everyday, that were well “broken in”. The irony was that this man was very smart and very talented at his profession. The

IT is hard, but why is Retail IT So Much Harder?

January 25, 2012

I have been in IT for my entire career, and I love it. Right out of college, after studying computer science at Indiana University, I got my first programming job in a hospital, and I loved that job. I loved writing programs and watching my users’ faces light up when I made their lives just a little easier. I loved a clean compile after days of cleaning up bugs and syntax issues. Yes, I love IT. Throughout my IT career, I worked in several different industries. I worked in healthcare, insurance, distribution, manufacturing, and retail. Mostly, retail. I held many different technical positions during my time, ranging from the help desk to programmer, and eventually to the top position, called the Chief Information Officer (read that while letting the words echo ceremoniously in your head). The CIO is the big cheese. Each industry in which I have worked, has its own challenges, and its own rewards. In healthcare for example, it seemed we had endless access to great doctors, nurses, and technicians. I remember once telling a doctor, while eating lunch in the cafeteria that I had a pain in my neck, and he scheduled me to come by that

When should I discuss compensation?

January 24, 2012

Yes, that is a tough question. You don’t want to be too forward and ask before you have even had an interview do you? No, of course not. You do want to seem assertive and show interest in the position, and asking makes you seem worldly, right? Well maybe, but not automatically. It can also make you seem inexperienced and greedy. The real answer is you don’t ask. You have to go on interviews without having any idea what the compensation is. Quite often there is a phone interview and your current compensation may come up as a question. If you must answer, then you must, but you should avoid it anytime you can. “But why oh guru of the job market? Won’t I be wasting everyone’s time if we are far apart?” you ask. Yes, it is possible that you are way over or way under the compensation for the job, but if that is true then someone made a mistake in qualifying you for in the first place, or you did in applying for it. A phone interviewer should determine from your current job title and level of responsibility if you two are in the same ballpark salary-wise.

I hate my job! (Choosing Your Career)

January 23, 2012

As a career coach and senior executive, I can’t tell you how often I hear people say “I hate my job. I just don’t know what to do with my life. I really hate my job. What do you think I should do?” That is a very tough question that I can’t answer for you. It is a completely personal choice based on a lot of factors. I can also tell you that that question does not always come from high school seniors or college students either. Many of my clients, men and women in the 40′s and 50′s still express the same concern. Their dilemma is very understandable since we really receive little or no actual guidance on this subject in our youth. High school guidance counselors are geared more to making sure you get into college if that is what you want to do. Most people simply trip into their careers, or have their careers chosen for them by their parents. What are you passionate about? Choosing a job is not that hard. Anyone can do it. Just look around you and say “I want to be that when I grow up.” But, choosing a career that you

What is the practical financial value of a college education?

January 22, 2012

As a career coach, I have had all types of clients. I have spoken to everyone from entry level people to the CEO’s of $1 billion plus companies. I have also spoken to many groups about career planning, business strategy, and even retirement. Most of the questions I answer are pretty traditional about compensation negotiation, interviewing techniques, and resume tips. But, recently a reporter asked me what I thought the true value of college education was to the long term success of a person’s career.

Get fit for a good career!

January 20, 2012

One of the secrets to charge-up your career is your health. I’m not talking about joining a gym, although that may be a good idea as well. What I am suggesting though is a three pronged approach to getting fit physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I love the reaction I get from some people when I mention the third prong. Physically fit simply means taking care of your body in the traditional sense. It means making sure that you aren’t doing things that will hurt you. It means eating food that is good for you, and not over-indulging yourself. You already know what that means; eat a balanced meal of mixed foods groups. It is so easy. I am not selling a diet here. I am saying do what mom said when you were a kid. Eat some vegetables, some fruit, some carbs, and some protein. You should snack very little and limit your sugar intake. Don’t use artificial sweeteners. Recently released research suggests that cancer cells are fueled by sugar. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell

A Healthy Dose of Job Paranoia is a Good Thing

January 19, 2012

Some years ago a co-worker and I were chatting. He was frustrated and complaining that he was tired of the way he was being treated. He had no examples of his alleged mistreatment, but told me that he was the best Financial Planner the company had, and he wanted some respect. He went on like that for about twenty minutes. When he stopped, he looked at me and said “What do you think?” No one is irreplaceable I thought for a minute and said “Brian, do you think if you got terminated today that the business would continue tomorrow?” He was confused and just a little stunned by my question. Because I rattled his confidence, he really struggled for an answer, but finally said “Of course not, but why would you say that? Do you know you something? Did Steve say something about me?” His sudden paranoia struck me. Gone was the arrogance or the complaints. He was suddenly faced with his own “professional mortality”. He was beginning to realize that being the best employee with a questionable attitude does not mean you are safe in your position. Having no humility or gratitude for what you have been given is

Why do you care so much about METRICS?!?

January 18, 2012

Have you ever heard the phrase “You manage what you measure”? Most have, but what do you think it means, and do you believe it? I think you should believe it, and I will try to explain why. I have met bosses that spend way too much time establishing measurements, or metrics by which to evaluate and beat up employees. They might measure the time you take for breaks, how long your lunch is, how many phone calls you get, or how much time you spend surfing the net. I understand why those managers do that, but it is a waste of time. Those are lazy managers. Sales, moolah, payola! There are some very important metrics that we do need to measure, like sales. Sales is a very important indication of how our business is doing. But, sales alone is not a good indicator of how successful we actually are. Sales by itself is just one indicator. For example, if I told you that we had $50 million in sales, you might get quite excited about that and think it a very positive metric. But if I told you that we did $75 million is sales last year and we

Project Manager in Arabic means Chosen

January 17, 2012

Wait, I was mistaken. Mustafa, from the Lion King means Chosen in Arabic. But, I too think that Project Managers are chosen by God to do what they do. Yes, some project managers believe they are God, but most do not. I remember when Whoopi Goldberg, who played Shenzi, The Hyena said “Mustafa, tell me about it. I just hear that name and I shudder.” Tell me you don’t feel that way when your project manager, say his name is Russell, stops by to get an update…yes, you shudder. Well, maybe a child of a lessor god…. Project Managers have a very challenging job. They first and foremost are required to create a project plan. Easy, right? Well, not so much. A project plan is a detailed list of all tasks, a starting date, ending date, calculation of time needed to get the task done, and yes, your name. The key ingredient to that recipe is of course, your name. No one wants to give dates. They want to say things like “Do you want it right, or do you want it on time?” All together now Project Managers ” WE WANT BOTH!!!” Project Managers are probably the most powerful

Thought words, giggling and other tells

January 16, 2012

I sat through a presentation yesterday that was actually very good even if the presenter was not. The presenter knew the subject, the information, and was an absolute expert. She had well prepared slides, a great speaking voice, and command of the audience, but she drove me crazy with her presentation. The reason she drove me crazy was that she had this little nervous giggle she did every so often. It seemed to accompany a difficult or potentially controversial point. After she made her point, sometimes quite forcefully, she would giggle. It was a defensive, reflexive giggle that lessened the significance of her point. In a nutshell, she sounded dumb. This woman is not dumb. She is smart. She is strong, and rather confident, and in smaller meetings she does not have this little “tell”. I have never seen her do this dumb giggle in meetings of fewer than 10 people. But, fill all of the seats, and her nerves kick in. No big deal you say? Bullshit. It is a very big deal. The lasting impression I and others have of her presentation is her dumb, nervous giggle. Another speaking mistake is what I have heard called the thought

More on emotions

January 15, 2012

As you may be able to tell from my postings, I am big on telling stories and big on controlling your emotions. My reason for doing so is that I have seen countless examples where people have said or done things “in the moment” that they wish they could take back. In many cases, the outcome was career limiting, if not fatal. Boxing I was watching boxing on TV one Saturday with my Dad as a young teen. That was a treat back then because it didn’t happen very often and there was no pay per view (or Don King!). The match was going along swimmingly for one boxer, when his opponent suddenly hauled off and hit him with a low blow. It looked intentional and hurts me now just to recount it. I honestly wince as I play back that cheap shot in my mind. After the affected boxer got his wind back, and his testicles descended back into their original anatomical position, the fight resumed. But something had changed. The boxer who’d been wronged no longer boxed. He came out throwing these hay maker punches all the while leaving himself defenseless. The other boxer easily avoided the punches

Career and Management