dress for success

The only thing worse than a weak competitor, is no competitor at all

February 24, 2012

When I was a young businessman, the company for whom I worked was a rather successful retailer in a niche space. We were part of the warehouse club industry like Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Clubs. As we continued to achieve more success, some of our competitors were not so fortunate. Some went out of business while others were acquired by larger companies. I thought this was great news and felt no reason not to celebrate our success openly with my colleagues. We would often talk about our “weaker sisters” and in some morbid way we would joke about how long they would be in business. It was what is sometimes called gallows humor, but nonetheless, we loved talking about our dominance. One day we were all talking in a little circle on a coffee break. We were chatting about the imminent demise of one of our closest competitors, when an older executive overheard our conversation. “Mr. Hayes, did you hear the news?” I asked. “No, what news?” the executive replied. “The Warehouse Club just posted another loss for the quarter. They will be out of business in no time.” “Well, that isn’t really good news. We are much better operators than they

Choosing the perfect job

February 10, 2012

As a career coach and senior executive, I can’t tell you how often I hear people say “I just don’t know what to do with my life. What do you think I should do?” It is a very tough question, and I am here to tell you that that question is not always coming from high school seniors 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 seem to either trip into their careers, or have their careers chosen for them by their parents. 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 will enjoy for a long time, if not the rest of your life is a true challenge. It does take a little planning on your part though. The plan will

How do you ask for a raise?

February 7, 2012

Why do we work? We all work for money and there is nothing wrong with that. Of course there are many more reasons for working, but at the end of the day it is because someone will pay us for our efforts. There is also a natural expectation that not only will you be compensated for your contribution to the business, but at some time during your tenure your employer will give you a raise. But, what do you do if your employer has not given you a raise for two, three, or even more years? What can you do to get more money? Most larger companies have a formal process for giving annual raises. It often starts with a review (which I am not in favor of) and ends with you being told by your boss that you will be getting a 1, 2 or 3% raise. You don’t really have much negotiating power during this process since it is has already been decided at a much higher level. But, if you don’t believe you are being compensated fairly, you can use the information you will find later in this article to negotiate a larger raise with your employer.

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

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

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

I need a new job!!!

January 10, 2012

In recent weeks, several of my clients have asked my help in finding them a new job. They each have different reasons for wanting to change jobs. Some just want more money. A few are not comfortable with the financial health of their current employer. And, I have one entry level client and one recently “outplaced” client that just need help getting started. Finding a job is not necessarily that hard, but finding the right job does take a plan. There was a time in the recent past when people would just shotgun resumes or respond to every job ad they saw. That method does work, but it is a lot more painful in terms of time, and success. If you think about it, you need to hit the right company at the right time looking for your credentials. Odds seem a little against you. So, it is best to create a plan of attack, and to work your plan. The first rule of thumb that people need to know in the job search is that, as non-scientific it may be, you should expect to spend about one month per $10,000 of salary hunting for that new job. If you

Can you judge a book by it’s cover?

January 6, 2012

I’m sure you have heard that you should never judge a book by it’s cover. That phrase means that what a person looks like does not necessarily reflect on the inner person. Is that always true? 20/20 Vision Humans are primarily visual beings. We judge most everything initially on what we see. The sense we rely on most is vision. We don’t smell people to identify each other as animals such as dogs do. We don’t spray our territories to keep intruders away like lions do. We don’t listen for clicks and whistles to identify friends and family much like the earth’s largest mammals the whales do. No, we primarily use our sense of sight to get our first impressions. Well, if sight is so important to us, wouldn’t it be fair to say that what you see does often reflect the inner person because the person knows what image they are trying to present to you, right? Self Proclaimed Worlds Hottest Sports Reporter? For evidence I present Mexican sports reporter Ines Sainz. Miss Sainz recently tweeted that she had been treated inappropriately at the NY football Jets training camp. She was unhappy that some of the players made some

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Career and Management