I saw in the news today that Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York (is she still called that after the divorce? Hmmmm) was caught trying to peddle access to Prince Andrew. Interesting concept, eh? The news folks all seem to be in an uproar about that. And while I think it is more than a bit tacky, is it really any different that what we face in business life everyday?
For example, our networks are a form of currency. We do a favor for this person, and someday, will likely get a favor in return. It isn’t a good or bad thing…. It just is.
Or another example, you take a client out to lunch or dinner. Yes, part of it is building relationships. But another part of it is that you are planning to get some business from this client in return for the lunch. Again, not good or bad. It just is.
Or another example, you are hired for a specific job simply because of the contacts you have in your industry. Because of your contacts, you can open doors that were previously closed to your new company. They are hiring and paying you for your influence. Not good or bad. It just is.
A final example…. The administrative assistant. If you are smart, you never alienate anyone’s assistant. Because, in fact, that assistant is the one that controls the access to the executive -- which is, of course, a form of influence. And believe me, if you piss her off (and yes, it is usually a “her”), you will never get the face time you need with an executive.
Again, it is neither good nor bad. In fact, the assistant is PAID to control access to the executive (among other things, of course). And I’m not dissing this function. If you’ve read my previous post about admins (2-22-10 Did ya notice?), you will realize that I revere the person and the position.
So what can the new/aspiring exec learn from Ms. Ferguson’s problems? Of course, the obvious thing is that you shouldn’t get caught on videotape. Kidding. (Actually I’m not kidding, but dealing with the media is a whole ’nother post.) You should learn that selling influence is common, although perhaps not as crass as her actions. And you should learn that you must not peddle influence dishonestly. And you should learn that influence can appear in the most unlikely positions and locations (like an assistant), so never underestimate the person you are talking to.
Cheers!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
5-21-10 One Year Anniversary
Wow, it was one year ago today that I retired. Hard to believe the time has gone by so quickly. As I was leaving that last day, I remember that I sent my husband a text…. C’est finis (it is finished). What I realize now is that I should have sent him this text instead. Il est juste de commencer (it is just starting).
Okay, so what the heck does this have to do with the new/aspiring executive? Well it opens up the avenue for a discussion about career change, of course. I’d say that I went through a major career change when I retired. And that is added to just a long list of previous career changes. My husband used to tease me that I couldn’t hold a job. And he’s probably right. I’ve worked in five different disciplines over the past 25 or so years (IT, finance, operations, program management, sales and marketing). And within each of those, I held multiple jobs. So it is fair to say that I have a wide range of experience when it comes to career change. And really, what is retirement, if not a career change??
There are plenty of studies out there that talk about how the average worker will make multiple career changes in their work lives. And my own model identifies managing change and ambiguity as a critical executive skill (12-3-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-13-10 Now Go Do Something).
So why does this come to mind now (besides the obvious reason of my anniversary)? I’ve been emailing with one of my previous co-workers and her news seems to have brought the entire subject of career change to the forefront of my mind. She (along with her family) is transferring from the Midwest to the southeastern seaboard. Same company, new position, and really new location. I’d say that qualifies as a major career change! (Good luck, Taylor! I know that you will do just fine!).
I’ve had this career change discussion with many of my co-workers over the years. Here’s how it usually goes. When you get the new assignment, the excitement is very high. How can one NOT be excited about a new job? And for the first month or two in the new position, everything is new and exciting. You are meeting new people, learning new things, etc. Things are looking very rosy.
And then, a month or two into the new assignment, you find yourself thinking…… What WAS I thinking when I accepted this job?! I don’t know anything about this position. You begin doubting your wisdom of accepting the new assignment, doubting your ability to do the job, and doubting your desire to accept the new responsibilities. You may even find yourself wishing for the safety and security of your old job.
You have to push past this. And you will. You likely wouldn’t have gotten the assignment if someone didn’t believe that your skills and abilities were a good fit. You just have to find how those skills and abilities fit within the new context. It comes down to relying on your experience as well as relying on your network to get settled into the new function. In fact, you will likely find that your network is a critical aspect of learning about and successfully executing your new job (1-4-10 Let’s Talk). After about six months or so, you will find that you are wondering why you ever doubted the wisdom of your decision to make the career move. Congratulations. You are well and truly settled into your new assignment.
Cheers!
Okay, so what the heck does this have to do with the new/aspiring executive? Well it opens up the avenue for a discussion about career change, of course. I’d say that I went through a major career change when I retired. And that is added to just a long list of previous career changes. My husband used to tease me that I couldn’t hold a job. And he’s probably right. I’ve worked in five different disciplines over the past 25 or so years (IT, finance, operations, program management, sales and marketing). And within each of those, I held multiple jobs. So it is fair to say that I have a wide range of experience when it comes to career change. And really, what is retirement, if not a career change??
There are plenty of studies out there that talk about how the average worker will make multiple career changes in their work lives. And my own model identifies managing change and ambiguity as a critical executive skill (12-3-09 Morphing to a Model and 1-13-10 Now Go Do Something).
So why does this come to mind now (besides the obvious reason of my anniversary)? I’ve been emailing with one of my previous co-workers and her news seems to have brought the entire subject of career change to the forefront of my mind. She (along with her family) is transferring from the Midwest to the southeastern seaboard. Same company, new position, and really new location. I’d say that qualifies as a major career change! (Good luck, Taylor! I know that you will do just fine!).
I’ve had this career change discussion with many of my co-workers over the years. Here’s how it usually goes. When you get the new assignment, the excitement is very high. How can one NOT be excited about a new job? And for the first month or two in the new position, everything is new and exciting. You are meeting new people, learning new things, etc. Things are looking very rosy.
And then, a month or two into the new assignment, you find yourself thinking…… What WAS I thinking when I accepted this job?! I don’t know anything about this position. You begin doubting your wisdom of accepting the new assignment, doubting your ability to do the job, and doubting your desire to accept the new responsibilities. You may even find yourself wishing for the safety and security of your old job.
You have to push past this. And you will. You likely wouldn’t have gotten the assignment if someone didn’t believe that your skills and abilities were a good fit. You just have to find how those skills and abilities fit within the new context. It comes down to relying on your experience as well as relying on your network to get settled into the new function. In fact, you will likely find that your network is a critical aspect of learning about and successfully executing your new job (1-4-10 Let’s Talk). After about six months or so, you will find that you are wondering why you ever doubted the wisdom of your decision to make the career move. Congratulations. You are well and truly settled into your new assignment.
Cheers!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
5-19-10 The Real Power
On Monday, I talked a little about the power of your position as an executive (5-17-10 Personal Impact) along with the impact that the position power has on those around you.
I was browsing the latest issue of Harvard Business Review (May 2010) this morning and ran across an article that really caught my attention….. And in my opinion, extends the discussion of position power.
The article is from Michael Segalla and is based on his research as to where the real power resides in the organization. Michael is a professor and researcher at the HEC School of Management in Paris. You can find the HBR article at the link below. It is a very short, but very powerful article, I think. Go ahead, click the link. I’ll wait.
I was browsing the latest issue of Harvard Business Review (May 2010) this morning and ran across an article that really caught my attention….. And in my opinion, extends the discussion of position power.
The article is from Michael Segalla and is based on his research as to where the real power resides in the organization. Michael is a professor and researcher at the HEC School of Management in Paris. You can find the HBR article at the link below. It is a very short, but very powerful article, I think. Go ahead, click the link. I’ll wait.
Vision Statement: Find the Real Power in Your Organization
Glad that you came back! Didn’t you find the article interesting?
For the new and/or aspiring executive, I find a couple of interesting implications from this research.
First, it would be interesting to plot where you are on the grid. Do you fall in category A -- untapped potential? If you are new or aspiring as an executive, the answer is likely yes. So what? Well, in my mind, the issue for you becomes one of how you move up in the hierarchy and in objective authority --- while maintaining your high sense of responsibility. Of course, that movement up isn’t something you get to chose. But you CAN influence it. How? By finding a boss or mentor that trusts you AND that can help your movement. When you find this person (or persons), you will find additional opportunities to prove yourself. It is then up to you to make sure that you succeed.
A second implication for the new/aspiring executive is to understand how those around you (your peers, your bosses, etc) fall on this grid. Yeah, I know, you can’t go out and interview all of these people to get a fix on it. But that’s okay, because if you stop and think about it, you likely have all of the information you need to plot each person on the grid. And if you don’t have the info, your network can certainly help to provide it.
Once you have them plotted, then what? Well, it should help to shape your work, discussions, meetings, etc. with each person. And you can’t just limit this to those people above you on the grid. Look at the grid that was reproduced in HBR. There are a lot of people in the lower section of the grid with a significant amount of objective authority. Wouldn’t these be ideal people to have as part of your network? And what about category B, dangerous deadwood, people? You certainly can’t ignore them, because they do have a lot of power in your organization. And frankly, if you ignore or butt heads with them, it is likely that they can snuff your career advancement chances in a heartbeat. But since you now know that they wield a large amount of power but lack the sense of responsibility, you can shape your interactions with them -- such that you aren’t damaged or hurt by the interactions.
Of course, I am sure that there are many other implications that go with this model of determining the real power in an organization. And many thanks to Professor Segalla for sharing his powerful research with us.
Cheers!
Monday, May 17, 2010
5-17-10 Personal Impact
For the new or aspiring executive, it is important that you never, and I mean never, underestimate the amount of influence or impact that an executive has.
In looking back at the comments made by my survey participants, I was led down memory lane. When I was first starting out in business as a finance analyst and even once I became a first-level manager, I remember how “in awe” I was of the Finance Director. And how terribly nervous I would be when I was in a meeting where he appeared. And if I was the one giving the presentation? Well, let’s just say that extra-strength antiperspirant was a requirement. I could remind myself that he was just a man…. That he didn’t have any special powers or abilities. But believe me, when he spoke, those of us around him listened. We analyzed his every comment and look. And then took what we believed were the appropriate actions -- or at least what we guessed that he expected.
As I grew into my responsibilities and became more comfortable with my abilities, that nervousness around the boss’ boss’ boss faded. But I will always remember what it felt like. And I swore that I would go out of my way to make sure, as I moved up the corporate ladder, that those around me didn’t feel the same nervousness that I grew up with. In fact, I would take care to remind those folks that I am the very same person that I was before I became an executive.
But I learned, much to my amazement, that no matter how much I believed that I was the same person…. The fact is, people reacted to and treated me differently. Whether we like it or not, there is a “power” that goes with having achieved (or been granted) executive status. You have to remember that, for example, slight “suggestions” that you offer are often seen as “commands”. Or that off-hand comments you make can generate significant consternation in your organization. People are often reluctant to come back to you to clarify your comments. And as a result, they will often take off working on projects or tasks that you never intended and didn’t even want.
The fact is you can create a significant amount of unintended consequence simply by virtue of the position power you wield as an executive. Consider the extra work that you can generate with just a flip remark. Measured comments are particularly important when you are around those that will take every statement you make to heart.,
Cheers!
In looking back at the comments made by my survey participants, I was led down memory lane. When I was first starting out in business as a finance analyst and even once I became a first-level manager, I remember how “in awe” I was of the Finance Director. And how terribly nervous I would be when I was in a meeting where he appeared. And if I was the one giving the presentation? Well, let’s just say that extra-strength antiperspirant was a requirement. I could remind myself that he was just a man…. That he didn’t have any special powers or abilities. But believe me, when he spoke, those of us around him listened. We analyzed his every comment and look. And then took what we believed were the appropriate actions -- or at least what we guessed that he expected.
As I grew into my responsibilities and became more comfortable with my abilities, that nervousness around the boss’ boss’ boss faded. But I will always remember what it felt like. And I swore that I would go out of my way to make sure, as I moved up the corporate ladder, that those around me didn’t feel the same nervousness that I grew up with. In fact, I would take care to remind those folks that I am the very same person that I was before I became an executive.
But I learned, much to my amazement, that no matter how much I believed that I was the same person…. The fact is, people reacted to and treated me differently. Whether we like it or not, there is a “power” that goes with having achieved (or been granted) executive status. You have to remember that, for example, slight “suggestions” that you offer are often seen as “commands”. Or that off-hand comments you make can generate significant consternation in your organization. People are often reluctant to come back to you to clarify your comments. And as a result, they will often take off working on projects or tasks that you never intended and didn’t even want.
The fact is you can create a significant amount of unintended consequence simply by virtue of the position power you wield as an executive. Consider the extra work that you can generate with just a flip remark. Measured comments are particularly important when you are around those that will take every statement you make to heart.,
Cheers!
Friday, May 14, 2010
5-14-10 You Can't Do Everything
Continuing the theme of discussing survey participant extra input and comments…..
One of my participants talked a little about outsourcing. His comment was that his department was utilizing resources from both Russia and India. “Many of our engineers do not like the idea of sending work outside our country (and company!) and are not supporting this effort. Without their engagement, it becomes very difficult to get full potential from foreign partners.”
Okay, yeah, in the US outsourcing has a really bad name. Moving jobs off-shore, and all that. But the fact is there isn’t any company that can do EVERYTHING. In this case, we just couldn’t hire enough engineers (of all types) to get all the work done on a timely basis. So the thinking was, let’s move some of the grunt work, like drafting functions, to off-shore firms. That would free up our very experienced engineers to do the critical functions like stress and design.
But it seemed that no matter how we explained it, our engineers weren’t buying into the concept. And if they don’t buy in, then they don’t provide the guidance and the interface that their foreign counterparts need to do their jobs. And you end up with elegantly designed product that comes out like crap in the drawings. Not a good situation.
So how to solve this problem? Given that there was no choice about outsourcing to foreign firms, there are a couple of potential solutions.
For example, it helps to bring a large cadre of the foreign engineers in-house for an extended period of time. It aids in developing the engineer-to-engineer relationships that are needed for the long haul. After you have set next to and worked directly with someone for the last 4 or 6 months, it is very difficult to ignore their phone calls or requests for information later on. It is all about establishing the one to one relationships.
Another solution is to recruit a senior engineer and place him/her in country with the contract firm. This person then becomes the liaison between the engineers at home and the engineers in the foreign organization. It has to be a senior engineer…. One that has not only the technical experience but also has the network of contacts throughout the home organization. He/she then uses these established home office relationships to get the data and information that the contract firm needs to be successful.
You’ll notice that both solutions are all about relationships. Probably the first solution is better than the second in terms of relationships. This is simply because it establishes multiple person-to-person relationships between the organizations rather than a single conduit between organizations. However, both are viable alternatives to those times where your organization just can’t do everything.
Cheers!
One of my participants talked a little about outsourcing. His comment was that his department was utilizing resources from both Russia and India. “Many of our engineers do not like the idea of sending work outside our country (and company!) and are not supporting this effort. Without their engagement, it becomes very difficult to get full potential from foreign partners.”
Okay, yeah, in the US outsourcing has a really bad name. Moving jobs off-shore, and all that. But the fact is there isn’t any company that can do EVERYTHING. In this case, we just couldn’t hire enough engineers (of all types) to get all the work done on a timely basis. So the thinking was, let’s move some of the grunt work, like drafting functions, to off-shore firms. That would free up our very experienced engineers to do the critical functions like stress and design.
But it seemed that no matter how we explained it, our engineers weren’t buying into the concept. And if they don’t buy in, then they don’t provide the guidance and the interface that their foreign counterparts need to do their jobs. And you end up with elegantly designed product that comes out like crap in the drawings. Not a good situation.
So how to solve this problem? Given that there was no choice about outsourcing to foreign firms, there are a couple of potential solutions.
For example, it helps to bring a large cadre of the foreign engineers in-house for an extended period of time. It aids in developing the engineer-to-engineer relationships that are needed for the long haul. After you have set next to and worked directly with someone for the last 4 or 6 months, it is very difficult to ignore their phone calls or requests for information later on. It is all about establishing the one to one relationships.
Another solution is to recruit a senior engineer and place him/her in country with the contract firm. This person then becomes the liaison between the engineers at home and the engineers in the foreign organization. It has to be a senior engineer…. One that has not only the technical experience but also has the network of contacts throughout the home organization. He/she then uses these established home office relationships to get the data and information that the contract firm needs to be successful.
You’ll notice that both solutions are all about relationships. Probably the first solution is better than the second in terms of relationships. This is simply because it establishes multiple person-to-person relationships between the organizations rather than a single conduit between organizations. However, both are viable alternatives to those times where your organization just can’t do everything.
Cheers!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
5-12-10 Shoulda Told Me #10
In the past, I’ve talked about how you should find a career that follows your passion (3-19-10 A Couple of Things to Consider and 3-15-10 Do Overs?). Here’s another reason why this is important. Work isn’t always fun. Big surprise, eh? We’ve all heard the cliché --- “that’s why it is called work”.
And as I’ve said before, your career is way too long to not have a passion for what you are doing.
The corollary to that is…. Life is way too short not to have fun along the way. That means your work life too. Yes, there are times when you have to be serious and studious at work. But there are also times when you should be enjoying yourself and having fun at work. Just don’t take it too far.
A few years back, the department I was in started up a “have fun at work” team. I mean, really, do we need a TEAM to help us have fun? In this case, apparently our bosses thought so --- thought that they could introduce a more enjoyable experience to our daily lives through this team. Interestingly, it was mildly successful. But just as interesting, it didn’t really last long.
Why? Because in my opinion, having fun at work cannot be forced. It doesn’t work so well when someone looks at you and says, “okay, for the next hour everyone have fun!”, right? Having fun at work is spontaneous. And it is unique to the individual or to the team.
So having said that you should have fun at work, I should also point out that there are limits. You should never have fun at someone else’s expense. You should never use “blue humor”. And you should never engage at inappropriate behavior on the way to having fun.
Still, I wish someone had told me early on in my career that is was okay, in fact encouraged, to have some fun at work. It makes the days fly by. And it creates an environment where people WANT to be in your organization. It gives you an edge in attracting and retaining the best (including yourself!). So look for those opportunities where you and those around you can have a good time.
Cheers!
And as I’ve said before, your career is way too long to not have a passion for what you are doing.
The corollary to that is…. Life is way too short not to have fun along the way. That means your work life too. Yes, there are times when you have to be serious and studious at work. But there are also times when you should be enjoying yourself and having fun at work. Just don’t take it too far.
A few years back, the department I was in started up a “have fun at work” team. I mean, really, do we need a TEAM to help us have fun? In this case, apparently our bosses thought so --- thought that they could introduce a more enjoyable experience to our daily lives through this team. Interestingly, it was mildly successful. But just as interesting, it didn’t really last long.
Why? Because in my opinion, having fun at work cannot be forced. It doesn’t work so well when someone looks at you and says, “okay, for the next hour everyone have fun!”, right? Having fun at work is spontaneous. And it is unique to the individual or to the team.
So having said that you should have fun at work, I should also point out that there are limits. You should never have fun at someone else’s expense. You should never use “blue humor”. And you should never engage at inappropriate behavior on the way to having fun.
Still, I wish someone had told me early on in my career that is was okay, in fact encouraged, to have some fun at work. It makes the days fly by. And it creates an environment where people WANT to be in your organization. It gives you an edge in attracting and retaining the best (including yourself!). So look for those opportunities where you and those around you can have a good time.
Cheers!
Monday, May 10, 2010
5-10-10 Rubberband Man
To continue last Friday’s theme of smoothing out the emotional highs and lows in the executive’s life (5-7-10 A Funeral and A Wedding)……
When I was doing my original research for the Executive Skills and Traits model, I asked each of my survey participants if they had any additional information that they felt important to share with new and/or aspiring executives.
One of the survey respondents said, “yep, you have to be the rubberband man”. And then he went on to explain, “you have to have a fair amount of resiliency to work in this industry. You have to quickly recover from the ’bad stuff’ and continue moving forward. Even if some days, that forward progress seems as little as ¼ of an inch. People will judge you by how you recover from the body blows that our business has to sometimes endure”.
I feel fairly secure in assuming that this need for resiliency isn’t unique to the aerospace industry -- that every industry has its own share of body blows that are delivered indiscriminately to the people that work within the industry.
Resilience is one of those traits that I believe ties closely with the Executive Traits portion of my model (1-18-10 Executive Traits). Specifically, it fits within the context of “energetic, persistent, versatile” traits. As an executive, you will face problems. And you will also have successes. Resiliency applies both ways. You have to be able to bounce back from the problems, in order to keep moving forward. And similarly, you also have to bounce back from your successes. Huh? Yeah, that’s right. Successes often encourage the executive to rest on his/her laurels, leaving him/her unwilling to go out on the next limb. Or a huge success can even freeze the executive, if he/she thinks the particular success can never be replicated.
So yes, resiliency is tied to maintaining an emotional even keel. You have to be resilient to bounce back from the highs and lows, successes and failures.
Cheers!
When I was doing my original research for the Executive Skills and Traits model, I asked each of my survey participants if they had any additional information that they felt important to share with new and/or aspiring executives.
One of the survey respondents said, “yep, you have to be the rubberband man”. And then he went on to explain, “you have to have a fair amount of resiliency to work in this industry. You have to quickly recover from the ’bad stuff’ and continue moving forward. Even if some days, that forward progress seems as little as ¼ of an inch. People will judge you by how you recover from the body blows that our business has to sometimes endure”.
I feel fairly secure in assuming that this need for resiliency isn’t unique to the aerospace industry -- that every industry has its own share of body blows that are delivered indiscriminately to the people that work within the industry.
Resilience is one of those traits that I believe ties closely with the Executive Traits portion of my model (1-18-10 Executive Traits). Specifically, it fits within the context of “energetic, persistent, versatile” traits. As an executive, you will face problems. And you will also have successes. Resiliency applies both ways. You have to be able to bounce back from the problems, in order to keep moving forward. And similarly, you also have to bounce back from your successes. Huh? Yeah, that’s right. Successes often encourage the executive to rest on his/her laurels, leaving him/her unwilling to go out on the next limb. Or a huge success can even freeze the executive, if he/she thinks the particular success can never be replicated.
So yes, resiliency is tied to maintaining an emotional even keel. You have to be resilient to bounce back from the highs and lows, successes and failures.
Cheers!
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