Get Your Career In Gear

Be Visible!

Are you looking for another great resource?   If so, take a peek at Be Visible.  It's not your average ezine.  The design is fabulous! The content is second to none!  And it's free (with the option to make a small donation).  This one is too cool to miss!  Go there now!

Thanks go to my good buddy Phil Gerbyshak (The Make It Great Guy), for pointing me in that direction!

Act Like The Apprentice!

I have to admit, I'm suffering from Apprentice withdrawal this season.  Somehow my brain just can't remember that it's on Monday instead of Thursday.  I miss the learning.  I know it's just TV, but if you watch closely there are phenomenal lessons to be gleaned.

What would you do differently if you were playing the apprentice?  Do you want to play?  Here's a scenario...

Your boss calls a meeting.  Your entire team is in the room.  It's so quiet you can hear a pin drop.  You can feel the tension in the air.  And then she finally utters a word you never expected...CUTBACKS!

She has 90 days to cut 3 people from the team.  Basically she's putting the decision in your hands.  Here's the deal.  The 3 people who add the least value to the company at the end of 90 days will be cut.

Your heart pounds and your brain spins.  In 90 days you could be out of a job.  Nothing you've done in the past matters.  It isn't fair.  You didn't see it coming.  90 days isn't long enough!  Oh my god...what now?

Your future is in your hands this very minute.  You've got 90 days.

• What will you do?
• How will you start?
• What will you do more of?
• What will you do less of?
• What will you start doing?
• What will you stop doing?
• What will you keep doing?

Are you willing to play it out with me?  Talk to me!  What's your plan?

Your Career Is Your Business

Dave Lorenzo from the Career Intensity blog recently posted a great piece called "Your Career IS Your Business".  What I loved about it is that it reminded me so much of Dan Pink's "Free Agent Thinking", and Tom Peters' "Brand You".

When you work "as an employee" for a long time, it's really easy to forget that you are in control.  What I mean by that is...you are there by choice, and you are free to leave if the gig stops working for you.  This is especially true for people who have worked for the same company for several years.  You forget about your choices, and sometimes you even feel like the company "owns" you. 

Dave gives you 3 pointers for managing your career like you would manage a business.  Briefly, they are:

• It makes sense to diversify income streams
• We should always prospect for new opportunities
• Keep growing and improving

Go visit his post and see what you think of the rest of his wisdom.

Let me ask you this...  If your job was eliminated tomorrow, how prepared would you be to move on?

Achieve Breakthrough Goals

If you haven't discovered Phil Gerbyshak's blog yet, you need to take a minute right now and pay him a visit!  His posts are high quality and his resources are fabulous!

One of his posts recently focused on how to achieve breakthrough goals.  If you have a list of really great ideas and/or a stack of incomplete projects, you can relate.  Phil refers to this as the "failure to finish syndrome"...and boy can I relate to that!

He calls his new idea the "Accountability Circle".  This is what he means in his own words.

"I mean I tell a few people that I trust that will hold me accountable one of my goals, give them my time frame, and ask them to help me be accountable to achieving this goal.  And they share one with me, in fact they share 1 each. This gives us 3 people in our accountability circle, and it works because of it's simplicity. By telling 2 people my goal, I am asking both of them to help me be accountable and achieve my goal, and if I'm not on track, I ask them to challenge me and ask me why I'm not on track. I'm hoping that 1 of them will have the courage to step out and tell me, and would LOVE IT if both of them would.  And I hope that at least 50% of the time, I am willing and able to challenge them if they are not achieving their goals. It's almost like a primary, and secondary, though if all parties are in 100% of the time, it does work best. "

Another idea that really works well is a "Fast Focus Day".  Here's how it works...

You need at least one other person, but it can work just as well with 10 people.  Everyone selects a project and agrees on one day to focus on it.  Pick a start and end time for the day.  The secret is to pre-schedule periodic progress reports through the day.  Here's an example:

Let's say you've got 5 other people who want to be part of your Fast Focus Day.  Before you begin do these things:

1. Agree on a date
2. Agree on start and finish times
3. Agree on progress report times (every hour or two works best)
4. Schedule a conference line (use a free one like freeconference.com)
5. Go to it!

Keep the progress report calls as brief as possible so that everybody can get back at their project just as quickly as possible.

You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish!

Would you like to give it a try?  Let me know and I'll organize one!

Video Coaching By Business Gurus

Have you ever thought how cool it would be to get a coaching session with Tom Peters?  How about Tony Robbins?  Well now you can...courtesy of AOL.

I'm not an AOL fan, but I have to admit they've set up a pretty cool site for video coaching.  The topics cover just about anything you can think of, but of course I zeroed in on the Business/Career section.

I've been a huge fan of Tom Peters for years, but one of my favorites is his theory of "Brand YOU".  You know how you have your favorite brand of shampoo?  Well Brand YOU is the same concept, only it's about branding your reputation in the world of business.  Tom's quick videos are a must see.  You can find them here:  Brand YOU

Here are a few more videos that are worth checking out too!

Stephen Covey

Lois Frankel

Jeffery Gitomer

Brian Tracy

Let me ask you this....Who do you turn to when you need career advice?

Cheers!

Log Your Successes And Achievements

Do you ever look back on something and say to yourself, "Gee, I wish I'd done that!"  Well this post is one of those "Gee I wish I'd done that" moments for me.

Jacob Cazzell from the SuccessMinders blog hit the nail on the head in one of his posts titled " Is Your "Success Resume" Up To Date?"

I happily worked for the same great company for over 28 years.  That may give you an idea of just how rusty and out of date my resume was.  When it was time to pull it out and update it, the scope of the job was enough to make you want to jump off a cliff.  Very tough lesson learned here!

Jacob starts his post by asking a couple of short, but very important questions:

• Do you keep an achievement cheat-sheet?
• Do you keep your "success resume" up to date on a regular basis?

He then outlines a process for getting it under control in 5 easy steps:

1. Choose your tools
2. Layout the document
3. Play catch up
4. Stay current
5. Update Quarterly

He gives plenty of detail and ideas to get you going, so be sure to check out his post here.

If you're already on top of the game here, congratulations!  If you're like I was, make the commitment to get going now!

Let me ask you this...What additional tips would you add to Jason's post?

Ask For Feedback - Regularly

The subject of FEEDBACK is one of those muddy little areas in the corporate world.  I'd dare say most managers squirm at the thought of it.  Why?  Not because they don't think it's important.  Not because they don't have anything to say.  But because they don't quite know HOW!  And not knowing how makes it uncomfortable enough to avoid.

On the flip side, most professionals don't take the initiative to ask for feedback either.  They simply adopt the mindset that "no news is good news" and keep doing what they've always done.  When the annual review process to comes along they start stressing about what kind of surprises might be in store.

Butch Ward from the Poynter Institute recently wrote a great article called The Value Of Feedback. It was based on some training he attended on becoming a more creative leader.  Here are a few excerpts from the article:

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"How well are you doing your job?" I asked. Lots of humility: some hesitant nods, a few uncertain head bobs –- in general, a reluctance to answer.  "Note that I didn't ask you, how do you think you're doing," I clarified. "I asked, 'How well are you doing?' How well does your boss say you're doing?"  The reluctance began to morph into an unspoken -– but clear -– answer. I asked the obvious follow-up.  "So how many of you get regular feedback from your boss?"

Maybe you've heard the same statements. Or maybe they're yours:

• "I don't really need a lot of feedback."
• "I must be doing okay, since no one's telling me otherwise."
• "I gave up a long time ago on getting any feedback –- I figure if they're unhappy with my work, they'll tell me."
• "I'd like to give more feedback, but there's just not time."

Truth is, constructive feedback rests at the heart of our efforts to become better people.

Do you receive enough feedback from your boss?   If you're not sure of your answer, consider these questions:

• Do you know how well you're doing your job?
• Has your boss given you specific examples of what you're doing well, and examples to illustrate what you need to work on?
• Have you and your boss agreed on a plan for measuring your growth over time? What do you agree improvement will look like?
• Does your boss know your ambitions? Have you received straightforward feedback on what you need to do to achieve those ambitions?

If you answered "yes" to these questions, you seem to be receiving the information you need to help you grow as a journalist. If not, maybe it's time to ask your boss for a conversation.

After all, you have that right. Just as much as you have the right to a computer, a telephone and auto reimbursement, you have the right to honest, constructive feedback. Otherwise, how can you do your job?
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To add to that, this is the process I used for getting my boss to give me feedback.

At the end of our weekly meeting, I simply asked 3 questions:

• What's going well?
• What could go better?
• What needs to change?

Then I followed it up with questions that made it easy for her to give me SPECIFIC feedback.  Just short phrases to get her started.  Things like:

• What should I should keep doing?
• What should I start doing?
• What should I stop doing?
• What should I do more of?
• What should I do less of?

As you can see, the process was simple and painless and it made it easy for her to be very specific.  It also helped me navigate better going forward.  Best of all, there were NEVER any surprises when it was time for my annual review.

Let me ask you this...How do you get feedback on how you're doing?  Talk to me!

Final Step - How To Manage Your Hot Buttons

If you're just catching up with us, here are step 1 and step 2 on How To Manage Your Hot Buttons.

By now you should know what your hot buttons are and how you tend to react.  You should also have a good idea about how your reactions negatively impact situations.  In other words, what you regret later.

So, how do you go about managing those situations better?  The simple answer is make the decision and just do it.  But you might need a couple of more steps in there to make it happen.  So let's take a minute and go back to Brad's situation in step 2.

The reality is that Brad could lose his job if he doesn't make some changes.  His behavior is causing tension in the team, and he's alienating his customers.  Both of those situations cost the company time.  Here's a strategy that he could try:

Decide  - By making the decision to change his behavior he's more likely to follow through

Pause & Plan - He knows that every day he needs to cover the tech support line.  He has time to anticipate and create a plan.  His plan might be to change the way he thinks about it.  Instead of thinking about how much he dreads the job, he can focus on how good it feels to help his customers get unstuck.  He could even create a little game for himself.  He could keep a scorecard next to his phone and give himself a point for each customer he helps.

Practice - Changing behavior takes practice.  We're creatures of habit, and it's easy for us to fall back into our old habits, unless we pay attention.  That's why tracking his successes would be a good way to measure progress.

Reflect & Adjust - Brad needs to make time at least every week to review his progress.  Chances are things aren't perfect yet, and reflecting gives him an opportunity to recognize where he still gets stuck.  It also gives him the chance to consciously think about what he can do a little differently to progress further.

Repeat - Persistence is important when you're creating new habits.  So when you're focusing on something specific it's helpful to follow a process and keep repeating it until you get the results you want.  It's the same process that athletes use in their training.

Ok, are you ready?  If you're going to take on this final phase of the challenge, let me know!  I'm happy to help if I can!

Step 2 - How To Manage Your Hot Buttons

If you completed step 1 of How To Manage Your Hot Buttons, you should be more aware of:

1. Which situations tend to push your buttons

2. The warning signals your body sends you when your buttons are being pushed

3. How you tend to react in those situations

Now you're more aware. You have consciously gathered some very important information. Before we move on to "what to do with the information", let's look a little closer.

If I asked someone close to you about how you react when your buttons get pushed, I'll bet they could answer in the blink of an eye. It's one of those things that's easy for others to see, but more difficult for us to admit to ourselves. After all, it's usually not something you're going to brag about. And that's my point. As Dr. Phil would say, "How's that working for you?"

That leads us to Step 2. What is it costing you?  By that I mean, take a good close look at the consequences. What damage is being done, and what is the impact?

Let's take Brad as an example. Brad is an IT guy.  Part of his responsibility is to answer the "help line" for one hour every day.  He hates it.  He thinks it's a waste of time.  He thinks the callers ask stupid questions, and he does everything possible to get out of it.  When he finally does take his turn, he makes sure he let's the caller know he thinks they're stupid.  No, he doesn't come out and say it, but they can hear it in his voice.  He's impatient, he sighs, and he makes sarcastic comments.

So what is this behavior costing Brad?  Well, for starters, nobody wants to call in when he's answering the phone.  People go out of their way to find out when he's scheduled so they can avoid him.  I'd say he's created a reputation for treating callers poorly.

Secondly, his team members are tired of his excuses.  They're tired of covering for him and they're tired of his lame reasons for getting out of the responsibility.  I'd say this is also impacting teamwork.

I'm sure there are several other consequences to Brad's behavior, but you get my point.

For the next several days, ask yourself these questions

§           What are my hot buttons costing me?

§           How are they getting in the way of what I want for myself?

§           What changes am I willing to make now?

Let me know how you do!

Step 1 - How To Manage Your Hot Buttons

First, you need to be able to identify your hot buttons.  You've got to know what they are before you can manage them.  In other words, turn off the cruise control and start paying attention to your reactions.

When a hot button is being pushed it usually signals part of your body.  You might get a knot in your stomach.  You might clench your teeth.  Your heart might beat faster.  Your muscles may tense up.  It could be any number of things, but the key point here is learning to recognize the signals. 

It's sort of like the "check engine" light in your car.  It was designed to give you fair warning that something is or could be going wrong. 

In the case of your hot buttons, you want your brain to recognize and warn you that something is going wrong.  This gives you the opportunity to consciously choose an appropriate response to the situation…and hopefully a response that you won't regret later.

Ok, for the next several days pay extra attention to your hot buttons.  When you begin to feel the signals, step back and take notice.  Ask yourself these questions:

What am I feeling?

What is prompting the feeling?

What am I about to do that I may regret?

What do I need to do right now to prevent doing something I'll regret later?

Let me know what happened!