Making the Most of It

There's this ongoing conversation I have been having, with trusted peers and adult children as they navigate the workplace, peeking into other opportunities and plotting moves.  I've also had this conversation, on various levels, with our team, as we're recently completed the annual review process (yippee!).

It's a fairly simple goal - let's get better at our jobs!  We have to be on stage, in place for so many hours a day, often foregoing our real passions, ignoring the seductive tug of personal distractions.  Most of us spend way more time with our co-workers than we do with our loved ones - this is disturbing, but a very different post for another time.

Many of the concepts posted here I've only recently put into practice in any intentional way; they are lifted from a Forbes.com article on the same topic - although I have put my own spin on their list:

1.  Anticipate your group's needs - pounce on opportunities to identify needs that your group doesn't even know they have yet.  It shows initiative, and in no time, management will appreciate that they can look away and depend on you to do MORE than your job.

2.  Get to know your boss better - since your boss decides your destiny (salary, opportunities like travel and training, additional responsibilities) it's probably a wise strategic move to get more invested, mostly professionally but also a bit personally.  And in your spare time, get to know your boss's boss.  It's all about building relationships, building rapport.

3. Positivity is a plus - whether in the workplace or not, this one needs very little promotion. 

4.  Stay current - keep up with changes in your industry and be a continual learner so you can talk intelligently, plan accordingly, and bring additional value to the table.

5.  Bring a solution with the problem - Are you one who can easily pinpoint workplace problems?  Management doesn't really want your complaints.  They may not even want your sky ideas.  They want clear and creative options from reliable sources (see #10 below) so their evaluation is easier.

6.  Coaching is key - everyone needs a workplace mentor, even if the relationship is informal.  That way, when a storm is brewing, you have someone to confidentially commiserate with and also to count on for guidance.

7.   Communication is key - okay, like coaching, this one is key!  It's important to address issues, to walk through conflict as it reduces stress, encourages honesty and absolutely slams down drama.  Ask the right questions to increase your understanding.

8.  Go above and beyond - all the time.  Do your job, of course, but volunteer for extra, especially if you have a chance to do something in another area.  It will increase your value as you will see the operational side of your business in new ways - all the other pain points, needs, and strengths of the entire organization.  It will give you a glimpse of the big picture.

9.  Get out of the office to gain perspective.  Taking a walk around the building can bring unbelievable clarity, often helping to set priorities for the rest of the day and week.  Try to work smarter so you still get out of the office timely. 

10.  Do what you say you are going to do - didn't we learn this one in first grade?  You will get management's attention if they perceive you as reliable, that you do what you commit to doing, and that your commitments are done with quality and timeliness.

I'm not saying all your dreams will come true, but leading yourself in the workplace can, hands down, be the most gratifying part of clocking in.

Power Posing

This past week, I welcomed a new hire to our work group and did my best to thoughtfully onboard him.  At the same time, I'm in the middle of another search.  So I've been thinking about how to recruit the right people, the right fit, for the team.  I know interviewees and new hires are usually intentional in how they behave because they know judgments are made in the first few seconds of exposure to strangers.  I'm more aware than ever that on the other side of that equation, on the other end of the table, the person running the show is also probably conscious of showing who they are.  The actors have arrived and the stage is getting set.

It doesn't mean anyone has to be less powerful.  It's all in the pose.  Social scientists have long noticed that we humans tend to complement another person's pose.  If the other person is dominating, we retreat or at least dial it down a bit.  However, if you want to take the power, or at least not lose your advantage, it's a better strategy to mirror the other's pose.  If they lean forward, you lean forward.  If they sit back, you do the same.

It's a given that the video in our lives trumps the audio - that how we behave is bigger than whatever words we choose to say.  Our nonverbals govern how others think and feel about us - but the newer thing is that researchers are discovering that our nonverbals also influence the most important person in your life - YOU!  Your presence, your thoughts and feelings, impact how you carry yourself, and the tape you play in your head.  That's what this 5-minute clip below is all about - it contends that tiny tweaks in your posture going into a stressful event can lead to big changes, one that encourages acting powerful and dominant, which are two pretty awesome adjectives to bring with you to a job interview, or anywhere else you are lookin' to score a win.

Moby Dick

So my technical expertise is my Moby Dick - and today that whale is gone.

I stood in front of about 40 IT professionals in my university community at a brown bag lunch today and uncovered something I was hoping no one had noticed:  this IT Manager really only knows a handful of things about IT.

I can blame it on a number of factors:

1) The pace at which the change is moving, driven by the consumerization and mobilization of IT, makes it a full-time endeavor to stay current on engadget, cnet, gizmodo, etc. - and sometimes, shucks, I would just rather surf on Zappos. 

2) I'm too busy with other tasks to swap out a motherboard or review the benefits of solid state drives, along with lots of other distractions that are fun but not fruitful for me. 

3)  That's not what I'm paid to do anymore.  And that's the key.  In most cases, we have the jobs we have because of our strengths.  Harry Kraemer, in the book From Values To Action, discusses the notion that, instead of berating ourselves for our weaknesses, we should focus on improving our strengths and also surround ourselves with people who excel in areas we are weak.  In my case, I no longer rely on screwdrivers and external drives as my tools.  My tools are self-reflection, seeking out differing viewpoints, knowing what I know and what I don't know, and keeping things in perspective.  The tools of leadership.  I'm more likely to be listening to someone who knows that IT is somehow involved in their problem or solution and my role is to connect them with the resources, the experts, the funding, the answers.

If you want to hear Harry talk about his book, sit back for three minutes, click on the following (if you can't see the video or are having any problems, close your browser and try again, or try another browser, or give me a call...I do know a THING or two about IT problems):

Harry made me realize that value-based leadership expects you to kill the whale in your life.