Direct Your Career - The Professional Guide to a Better Career

Don’t go in the cave!

May 5, 2012

Have you ever noticed that every company seems to have at least one employee that cannot find anything good at all about coming to work. They hate their job, management, their pay, HR, the guy in the next cube, the cafeteria, their career, and everything, but you of course. Until you leave, and the next person is ok and you’re not!! I worked with this guy once that I thought was a great guy, we’ll call him Eyeore. Well Eyeore was always ok for the first ten minutes of any conversation. He knew sports, politics, and the weather as well as anyone. But if you stayed longer than ten minutes, something happened. Eyeore would go into the cave of depression, and he wanted to bring you with him.”Good morning Eeyore.”"Good morning Mike.”Ten minutes of healthy banter, but then:”Did you hear the company is for sale? Heard they have a buyer and they’ll be shutting down this office.”Now, that is pretty tough news early on a Monday. Come on in… I used to fall right into that trap and go right into that cave with old Eyeore. I would get all worked up, scared, down, and maybe even start asking others

Chain of Command

May 3, 2012

I spent four years in the United States Navy. I learned a great many useful life lessons during that time, but the most significant lesson I learned was to respect the chain of command. In a military context, the chain of command is the line of authority and responsibility along which orders are passed within a military unit and between different units. Orders are transmitted down the chain of command, from a higher-ranked soldier, such as a commissioned officer, to lower-ranked personnel who either execute the order personally or transmit it down the chain as appropriate, until it is received by those expected to execute it. In general, military personnel give orders only to those directly below them in the chain of command and receive orders only from those directly above them. Thank you sir, may I have another? The concept of chain of command also implies that higher rank alone does not entitle a higher-ranking service member to give commands to anyone of lower rank. For example, an officer of unit “A” does not directly command lower-ranking members of unit “B”, and is generally expected to approach an officer of unit “B” if he requires action by members of

Authenticity – are you always authentic?

May 2, 2012

What does being “authentic” mean? In this case, I mean to ask, are you qualified to do your job? Do you have the skills or experience to perform the duties you are being paid to do, or are you what people call a “poser”, or an imposter. I Won, I Won! There are many people who luck into their jobs. They hit a sort of lottery of circumstances that almost drop their jobs into their laps. Often, they are in the right place at the right time. Or, they inherit their positions because their bosses simply left. In some cases, people get their jobs because they are likeable, or to say it more politically incorrectly, because they are attractive. So what happens when people get these jobs that they do not deserve? Well, any number of outcomes are possible. In the best scenario, the poser learns the job. They have enough time, intellect, and work ethic to study hard, ask for help and take advice. There is nothing wrong with that, as many people need time to learn their positions. The best example of that is when someone is elected President of the United States. There is nothing that can

There is no “they” in your career

May 1, 2012

Like so many people, in my early years I often blamed a great many things in my career on the invisible “they“. As in “they don’t care about us” or “they just don’t understand”. It was the same thing so many people say that are not in control of their jobs or their lives. Then, one day, a great boss said to me “Mike, quit saying they. There is no they. There is only you.” It caught me by surprise, but a second I realized it was some of the best advice I ever got. I have had many conversations with people over the years that talk about “they”. The fact of the matter is that whatever your rank, there is no they. You can take control of any situation and demonstrate leadership once you accept the fact that you are they, especially if you are in management, then, in fact, YOU are THEY. Do the right thing Whenever you are faced with making a decision, make it. If you do the next right thing, whatever that happens to be, you are most assuredly not going to get into trouble. There is an old management saying that goes “I

Are you ready for your Interview!?!

April 30, 2012

So, you've spent hours and hours searching job boards for openings. You contacted all of your friends, joined social sites like LinkedIn, and expanded your network. You've read my book "The Professional Guide to Creating a Killer Resume" and tweaked your resume to the point that you are really happy with it. And you've sent it out more than a dozen times. All that hard has work paid off and you've finally received a call back. They want you to come in for an interview. Yikes! Are you ready?

Job hunting in a tough market!

April 29, 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. This will take how long??? 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

Is college worth it?

April 28, 2012

Obviously, that is a loaded question. I can assure you that all of the people who have dedicated their lives, professions, and livelihood to education will and should give you an emotional “YES”! But what of the rest of us that worked hard in high school to get good enough grades to get into a top notch university? What about the parents and students who pay something south of $100,000 to get a four degree with absolutely no promise of a job afterward? And lastly, what about the 60 credits you are required to take, called electives to augment the 60 credits of your major so as to give you a well rounded education? When is the last time you used “The Planets, Stars and Universe” in your new job as an accountant? You need to go to the Business Office I have always held that there are two parts of the university environment. There is the education part, the one we all understand whereby college professors teach classes, do research, and publish papers. This is the part where crotchety old people who don’t work in the real world, essentially inculcate young heads of mush with the important facts they

Choosing the Perfect Career!

April 27, 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.” 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 also take on a different form depending

Divide and Conquer Management Style

April 26, 2012

I guess you could say that all managers can be put into general management styles. Some are funny. Some are yellers. Some are dictators. Some manage by committee. Some never communicate face to face, but via email. So I suppose that since people are different, so should there be a variety management styles. One of the most dysfunctional management styles I have seen is what I call the Divide and Conquerer, aka the D&C. The D&C is a manager that chooses to have no structure in his life. He conducts no staff meetings, no structured one on one discussions, any meetings that are scheduled are without an agenda and normally called at the last minute so you can’t prepare. The D&C likes to walk around a facility and get his information by talking to staff, junior managers, or in some cases, complete strangers. He asks for opinions and tries to piece together the “truth” much like I would imagine a cold war era CIA agent has to get his information from a variety of enemy sources named Natasha and Boris. He never believes anthing his staff tells him and pits one against the other.He never gets the whole picture, but

Balance in all things

April 25, 2012

Like so many people, I have often found myself struggling to maintain a certain balance in my life. What I mean by balance, is that I allow myself to focus too much on one thing, spending time and energy on that thing to the detriment of the other important things in my life. I believe life has four parts that must be kept in a harmonic balance. The are: 1) Your health 2) Love 3) Spiritual fitness 4) Your career The first of those things is my health. When I eat properly, sleep enough, exercise and not indulge in things that hurt my health, I allow my mind and body to be prepared for the other parts of my life. I also know that when I don’t sleep enough, eat junk food and not exercise, I feel like a slug. I have less energy, am moodier, and generally just don’t perform well. Click here to Subscribe to Direct your career! by Email The second part of my life that requires balance is my family, or loved ones. I know that if you are not spending the right amount of time with the people who are important to you, be they

My boss is horrible!

April 24, 2012

It is a pretty widely held management belief that people leave bosses, not companies. Most of us can find something socially redeeming about our jobs, our colleagues, and the company we work for. Most employees are not particularly demanding when it comes to raises, benefits, work assignments and workload, even the hours we are asked to put in. No, most of us will just go to work and find something good about it. It is human nature. There is one exception to that postulate, and that one exception is a bad boss. Yes, the dictatorial, unfair, idea stealing, bad breathed, body odored, unpleasant boss will generally run people off in droves. Sometimes employees will just leave the bad department, but most times they leave the company. Why? Because there is way too much risk in trying report this behavior (other than some sort harassment issue), and it is impossible to tell your boss to use mouthwash. It is more prudent to move on. Years ago I had that boss. He was ill-tempered, foul mouthed, short fused, smelled bad and demeaned everyone he spoke to. It was a nightmare to have meetings with him because you knew he was going to

Handling Criticism from Your Superiors: Listen, Learn, and Improve

April 23, 2012

The following article is a guest post by Mariana Ashley. Criticism within certain jobs varies highly, based mostly on the temperament of your superiors. Some supervisors will be very generous with their criticisms, some will overdo it, while others may leave you completely in the dark in terms of your progress. While most criticism on the job is certainly meant to be constructive, here are a few tips for handling and learning from any sort of criticism that comes your way. 1. Never take it personally. Even if a supervisor takes particular pleasure in heaping on the criticism, never take it as a personal attack. If you take criticism as an affront, then you’ll be less likely to improve and abide by your supervisor’s requests. Taking things personally whether or not it was meant to be, and most of the time it isn’t will only give you more of a headache than it’s worth. 2. Ask questions often. The best way to make the most of the criticism that you receive from your boss is to ask questions about what you can do to improve. This demonstrates a willingness to listen and openness to making appropriate changes. It also clears

Praise in public – criticize in private

April 22, 2012

How often have you seen it? The belligerent, screaming boss who ridicules the staff in front of everyone. Maybe you’ve seen in a restaurant. The owner is ranting at the waitress in front of customers. Maybe you have been in a store and heard a supervisor make a quiet, snide remark at a cashier for something he or she did. Maybe your boss lost his temper at work and screamed at you in front of you co-workers for doing something wrong. Maybe you are that kind of boss. Maybe you “dress down” your employees in staff meetings, or make fun of them in front of your boss. Maybe you make them look bad in front of customers to make yourself feel better about yourself. Is that you? There is no place in business for that sort of behavior. Whenever you as a fully functioning manager are required to handle a sticky situation, it is incumbent upon you to handle it privately, quitely, profesionally, and in a dignified manner. People who are treated with dignity will accept your critique in a dignified manner. People are ridiculed will harbor resentments that will affect their future performance and morale. On the other hand,

Get ready for that interview!

April 21, 2012

So, you’ve spent hours and hours searching job boards for openings. You contacted all of your friends, joined social sites like Linkedin and expanded your network . You’ve tweaked your resume to the point that you are really happy with it. And you’ve sent it out more than a dozen times. All that hard has work paid off and you’ve finally received a call back. They want you to come in for an interview. Yikes! Are you ready? Preparation You have 72 hours to prepare for your interview. I guess its too late to lose ten pounds, or work on your tan, huh? Too late to get that MBA or latest certification I suppose. But, all is not lost because there are many things you can do that your competition is not doing, and I will tell you what that is. What to wear First, you need to decide what you are going to wear. No matter what the dress code is of the company to which you are applying, you must dress in business attire. For men, that means you need a conservative dress shirt, a tie, and a suit or sports coat/blazer. Make sure all of your clothes fit

Career and Management