The People Skills Blog

Taking Pride in Your Profession

This past week I had an incredible time teaching management skills to a great group of managers at Pratt & Whitney Canada in Longueuill, QC. The group was a mix of all different types of people but heavily represented by engineers. 

One of the things I noticed in the engineers was the pride they took in the little silver pinky rings on their fingers.  As they explained, the ring comes from the Ritual of the Calling of the Engineer. In this ritual, an engineer wears an iron ring on the pinky to symbolize pride in the profession but maintaining a humility to serve others.

In my travels, I've come across two kinds of people.  Those who take pride in whatever they do, and those who simply go through the motions.  I spoken to a Marine who bragged about how important his job was, carrying the tripod to an M-60 machine gun and then I've chatted with professionals who do little more than complain about every aspect of the job.

Which are you?

It seems to me that if you're going to be in a profession, it wouldn't hurt to pick something you could be proud of.  After all, we spend the better part of our finest hours at work.  I'm not saying we should live to work, but if we're going to be working, how about taking pride in it?  Imagine what would happen if everybody did:

• Gate agents for airlines would make it their personal responsibility to make sure you made flight connections.
• Mail would be delivered to the correct addressee every time.
• The person at the drive-through window of a fast food joint would personally inspect your bag to make sure your order was correct.
• Telecommuters would truly "work from home."

I already thoroughly enjoy my profession so taking pride comes easier but I'm really going to examine my attitude towards it this week and make sure it's correct.  Why not do the same for yourself?

Who's in Charge Here Anyway?

As you know, I fly someplace nearly every week.  Many people shudder at that, some from just the hassle of navigating airports and delayed flights, but most are flat-out terrified of flying.  When I poll a group about the fear of flying, most say they'd rather drive since they feel a sense of control.  Now  most people know deep inside there's a  better chance of dying in a car crash driving to the airport than from an airline accident, but that's how powerful the need to be in control actually is.

In the past month, I've been contacted by two different individuals who are facing absolute misery at work.  One person is working for a boss who plays favorites (and she is not the "favorite" therefore having a miserable time).  The other is working for a miserable boss AND company.  In her "Retention" award for her performance in 2009, she received a check for $1,000.00 but was forced to sign an agreement that if she left in the next two years, she's have to pay it back.  Both were struggling but saw no way out.  Economic conditions have a way of going with the misery you know rather than face the misery of uncertainty.

I know times are still tough for most folks.  Bailouts haven't trickled down to everyone and I travel around this country enough to see that first hand.  What I do know is people are still hiring and the best candidates are still finding jobs.

Your choice when faced with a miserable work situation is to either shut up and take it or do something about it.

The first individual felt empowered when I told her to simply put her resume together and look for new positions.  She has yet to interview, but just the proactive step of taking control was enough to get her thinking positive again.  The second individual felt as though she was giving up by looking for a new position.  Frankly, I can't imagine working for a psycho boss or a company that attaches strings to a "Retention" award.  After giving herself permission to look elsewhere for a job, she now has a better sense of control (and I told her not to give back the $1,000.00 award.  Make those morons beg you for it!!!).

There is plenty of bad news out there.  You don't have to look far.  If you let it bring you down, you basically concede that you're powerless.  I'm not buying it.  Focus on what you can control and you'll find you have much more power than you think. 

There will come a day, in the not-too-distant future when good times will return.  Rather than wait for that day, why not take some steps right now to retake control of your destiny.  You have more power than you think!

The Business of Satisfying Needs

What a man can be, he must be.  Abraham Maslow.

This quote, from a 1943 paper by the famed psychologist is still taught in management courses today.  Personally, I use it when I lead management development and leadership training courses with organizations around the country.  While the mere mention of it causes eye-rolling in my audience, the principles I believe are relevant today.

The Reader's Digest version of it follows:

As humans, we move through life in search of having needs fulfilled.  The needs begin at the basic, physiological levels and move up through safety, social, esteem, and finally self-actualization.  Self-actualization is the toughest to define.  The quote at the top of the page is the definition Maslow himself coined.  It's up to such intense levels of debate these days by a wide variety of groups that suddenly Maslow seems relevant yet again (figuratively of course since he died in 1970).

Actually I wanted to focus on the basic premise of "search mode".  According to the theory, if there is any challenge to a level of need or it's actually been lost, humans shift focus and try to recapture the level.  This can be an ugly thing as we see it now played out in the ruins of Haiti as people riot after days without food, clothing, and shelter.  The same behavior is seen in organizations when there are rumors of layoffs.  "Search mode" is not quite that intense but you'll find people hunkering down, not wanting to make waves or produce out of fear for their jobs.

So what does this mean for you? 

As a manager, you'll need to tune into the needs of your people.  Whether you believe Maslow or not, people are moving targets when it comes to how they experience needs.  People are at all different stages and times in their lives.  Personally, I woke up this morning feeling good and then when I opened my Facebook page, I read of the death of one of my childhood best friends, Brian Griset.  Right now I feel really deflated.  If I was going to lead a workshop today, it would no doubt be a struggle to have a lot of energy.  Keep tuned into your people to find out what needs they have and do your best to try and satisfy them.

Personally, it's a good idea to track where you are on the hierarchy.   Take stock of where you are in your work/life balance. If there is a chance you job is going away, see what you can do to build immediate value and guarantee you'll dodge the pink slip. Reflect on what self-actualization looks like for you and take steps to work towards it.  It could be a spiritual end-state or just a really Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG if you attended one of my keynotes or workshops). 

Hopefully this tip will make you think today.  I know I have.

The Not-So-Secret Formula for Job Security

Always give a hundred percent, and you'll never have to second-guess yourself - Tommy John

This past weekend, my mom ecstatically shared some very good news with me.  Her company had just given her a 5% raise which was much more than the 3% given to the other employees.  Her boss shared that "insider" news with her because he wanted her to know how much he appreciated her doing her job AND anything else that needed to be done.  The interesting thing was that this 5% raise only came out to 60 cents more an hour but it was all the small company could afford.  For my mom, who used to pull down a big salary working in HR at a large defense contractor, the raise was very small but for her, the recognition made all the difference in the world.

While some say our Great Recession is coming to an end, there are still a ton of people out of work and others who still fear the dreaded pink slip.  What if I told you the secret to keeping that job or showing you're qualified for a better one was a simple formula?  Would you implement it?  I hope so.  Here it is:

Do the job you were hired to do to 100% completion and then look for something else to do.

Simple isn't it?  Then why don't more people do it?

Most people I speak with view work as an entitlement.  When something is an entitlement, it also becomes something that we take for granted.  When something is taken for granted, our attitudes toward it change to one of expectation.  Before we know it, we look at our job or employer as our adversary and it's our job to do as little as possible to get by and then live for weekends and holidays, only to dread the aftermath of returning to the job.

Before we know it, work is a politically-charged environment where a subjective boss rewards everyone else but us (and of course nobody works as hard as we do right?) so that now we do even less - just enough to get by.

How do I know this?  It used to be the way I looked at work.  It's also what I see as I travel around the country, working with lots of different organizations in both the public and private sector.  It's depressing listening to all the stories, but seldom do I hear anything but whining.

Maybe it would help to focus on the things we can change and not on those we can't. 

• We can't control what our boss does, but we can work as hard as we can.
• We can't control the reward systems, but we can work as hard as we can.
• We can't help that others slack off and get rewarded, but we can work as hard as we can.
• We can't change subjective performance management systems, but we can work as hard as we can.

Do you notice a theme?

We're only a couple of weeks into the new year.  Why don't we all make a resolution to give 100% in everything we do.  At worst, we can sleep better at night.  At best, we'll be rewarded for our effort.  I'm in...are you?

Navigating the Chess Match of Life

Surely you've heard about the ripple effect.  A pipeline bursts in Alaska and the speculation of disaster results in higher gas prices.  Forecasted snow brings a rush on groceries and snow shovels.  The thought of potential shortage spikes the price of the Christmas gifts to three times the intended retail value.  It's cause and potential effect.

In the same way, our actions produce a ripple effect.  Life is a bit like a chess match.  For us to win, we need to think three moves ahead.  Every potential move from the opponent should result in a selected strategy to counter.  Nothing is left to chance.  Unfortunately, few people choose to live their lives this way.

Recently I taught a workshop on management skills to a group of Executive Assistants.  One attendee complained initially of a boss who refused to delegate tasks to her and how this made her job incredibly boring and miserable.  Meanwhile, her boss was terrible to deal with, complete with emotional outbursts and other unpredictable behaviors.  She was very unhappy and even did her final group project focusing on a way to get her boss to trust her.  If he only knew the ripple effect his personal management style was having on his staff. 

I've seen this often with clients.  One or two bad decisions leading to an steady stream of negative consequences.  Our actions today produce results that either bring joy or sorrow...with interest.  If this concerns you, why not take these three steps when making important decisions:

1. Look at the consequences to me.  What will this action result in.  What are the short term and long term effects.  Will I benefit or suffer because of this decision in both the immediate and distant future.
2. Look at the consequences to others.  Will this action draw people to me or drive them away.  Who else will feel the negative effects of a poor decision.  Family?  Friends?  Co-workers?  Staff members?
3. Look at the consequences to my career.  Will my action produce benefits to help me reach my goals or will this cause severe impediments?  Could this decision become a career-killer?  Will I look back 5 years from now and kick myself for the decisions I make?

Life is full of choices.  It's what makes our day to day existence so dynamic.  We're products of our choices but so (fortunately or unfortunately) are our family, friends, co-workers, and staff members.  Take some time this week to consider the ripple effect.  Every action produces reactions.  Let's make sure the reactions are the ones we hope for.  The beginning of a new year is a great time to start a new strategy.  Maybe this is a good one to kick off with?

Successfully Navigating the "Red Zone"

As we near the end of the year, many of us are thinking about the new year to come and some of the goals and aspirations we want to accomplish.  I'm also sure many of you (and me included) are lamenting the fact some stuff didn't get done.

Most people I know start out a year with some short and long term goals and then get busy, pretty quickly, getting them done.  Personally I've often noticed that most goals are easy to achieve up to a point.  Then for some reason, I get ground to a halt.  This seems a lot like the American football phenomenon of the red zone defense.

One of the biggest challenges a football team faces is when they get down into their opponent's "red zone."  This is the area between the 20 yard line and the end zone.  Of course the goal of the offense is to move through the 20 yards and score, but these are often the toughest yards to get for the following reasons:

• The defense has to spread less - there isn't as much field to cover
• With the thread of the immanent score, defenses tend to tighten up
• If the defense is playing at home, it's hard for the offense to hear the signals of the quarterback due to the crowd noise
• Protecting your own turf is a basic human survival skill

With all this stacked against an offense, they have to work extra hard.  The best defensive teams have a remarkable ability to really lock down the red zone and thus get scored on very little.

Now this is a bunch of football speak and if you're not a fan, I've probably lost you by now but let's liken this to our own quest to score (and not in the singles' bar sense ok?).

Setting goals and making early progress is pretty easy.  I've worked with plenty of coaching clients who swear they're ready to write that book, get that job, or achieve that dream.  Most do pretty well to a point.  Then, as success is almost realized, they freeze.  Of the dozens of folks I coached on writing a book, only three managed to get it done: Pat Kastner, author of Caring to Change, Teresa Rome, author of MindOverGolfBall.com, and Bonnie Burnett, author of Halfway to the Moon.  How do you explain?

• Success means you have to set new goals.  There is a potential letdown
• Success means you open yourself up to criticism.  Everyone is excited when you say you're writing a book.  When you write a book, people then feel compelled to criticize it.  I know from experience!
• Success may not live up to the expectations you thought as you get close to reaching it.

In other words, the red zone defense tightens up on you!

What should you do?  How about putting in more effort as you near the finish line?  Realize that early success doesn't guarantee and easy finish.  The final stages of your quest may be the toughest, but keep in mind you're almost there!

I'm excited for some big breakthroughs this coming year.  Knowing the red zone will be there later in the year will help me formulate a winning strategy.  How will you break through the red zone?

How Real is Your Fear?

What is your most frightening memory?  Mine is from way back in 1972.  I was at the drive-in movie theater with my mom, dad, and younger brother when, in the intermission between movies, the trailer for a new movie The Return of Count Yorga projected on the screen.  It scared the crap out of me and I had nightmares that night about it. For months I was afraid to turn out the lights and from that point on, I always hid under a blanket when previews came on at the drive-in.

Through the miracle of YouTube, I was able to find that trailer.  You can view it HERE

It's kind of funny how something so silly by today's standard could frighten a 7-year-old decades ago.  I guess looking at the clip now, I can understand, but with the passing of time, it's almost humorous.

Sadly, I know lots of folks that go through life afraid of taking risks because of fear.  It prevents them from ever succeeding and results in lots of self-fulfilling prophecies of failure.  Interestingly enough, those fears are often based on imagined circumstance without a shred of credible proof it will happen.

Take some time and think about your greatest fear.  Is it about something real and tangible or is it POTENTIAL outcome?  Thank about people who fear flying.  The chance of actually dying in a plane crash is far less than dying in a car wreck on the way to the airport.  Actually I find it more frightening to have a short window of time between connecting flights.  That normally DOES result in a bad outcome! If you find yourself paralyzed by something you fear, think of the following acrostic: FEAR is an acrostic for False Evidence Appearing Real. 

Sometimes the things we fear most aren't that scary when you shine a little light on them.  In the case of Count Yorga, it just took about 40 years of dealing with real-life scary stuff to take the fear out! 

This week, take some time to list out the fears you're feeling right now.  List them out and next to each one, ask yourself if the fear is based on tangible fact or imagined hype.  I'm willing to bet your list will get real short! 

If you think about it, there are plenty of naysayers right now calling for a dreadful 2010.  What are they basing it on?  Certainly nothing I can tangibly hold onto.  I'm ready for a breakout year and I hope you are too!

How Adaptable Are You?

This past weekend we did a road trip to visit my in-laws in Tennessee.  It was a pretty quick trip but I was there long enough to know that things move much slower in the South then they do here in Maryland.

Interestingly enough, after about two days, I found myself beginning to slow down as well.  It didn't take me that long to adapt and as I found yesterday, not long to ramp back up to the fast pace here at home.

Adapting to regional changes is something I've lived with for a long time.  I grew up in Southern California, lived almost five years in the outback of Western Australia, spent two years on the maddeningly small island of Guam, one year in West Tennessee, and four years in the rain-soaked Pacific Northwest.   Each location has a unique culture and attitude.  I noticed early on in each place that the culture didn't adapt to me.  I had to adapt to it.

This adaptation phenomenon impacts individuals as well.  All of us hope people relate to us, but in fact most don't.  It's our responsibility to adjust ourselves to them.  This works in marketing and in basic human interaction.

A colleague of mine facilitates a great workshop activity where she has the group attempt to sell snow plows to Hawaiians.  It's all about learning what people need and adapting to them.  Are you willing to do that with others?

Author Tony Alessandra  developed what he calls the "Platinum Rule" which says Do unto others as they would have done unto them.  I think it's a pretty good rule. 

This week, why don't we all take the time to make ourselves more adaptable to the people and surroundings we live and work in.  I'm heading up to Boston to deliver a workshop so I'll get a real good opportunity to try this out.  What will you do to make it happen?

Out-Think and Out-Work Your Competition

Have you noticed how competitive things are these days?  Seems like more and more people chase fewer and fewer opportunities.  Luck seems to be in short supply and all of are fighting harder to get what used to be easy to obtain.  Have you been successful?

This past Saturday I facilitated one of my Job Hunt Boot Camps in Germantown, Maryland.  There were about 120 job seekers and career changers in the audience and we had a great three hours together.  One of the points I tried to drive home was what it took to win a job in a competitive environment.  In my mind it takes two things:  out-thinking and out-working your competition.

Out-thinking our competition means we have to operate as if we're in a big chess match.  We have to anticipate our opponents moves and think of how to counter them.  We also have to make sure we're continuously innovating and developing new strategies.  Here are three suggestions:

1. Take a look at what everyone else is doing and do it differently.  Anyone can brew and serve a cup of coffee, but what keeps people coming to a Starbucks is the atmosphere and the perception of something special.  After all, they don't do Small, Medium, and Large.  Instead you get Tall, Grande, and Vente.  Blow hot air into your coffee and you get a Latte!  What are you doing individually to take the common and make it uncommon?
2. Take a look at what everyone else is doing and do it better.  One of the many things that annoy me about my constant airline travels are the legacy carriers such as American Airlines and United Airlines.  From the goofy suits the flight attendants wear to the stupid Red Carpet the privileged get to walk on when they board, to those annoying, cumbersome beverage barges they block the aisles with.  I prefer airlines such as Southwest and JetBlue where it's no-frills, no-status, and all practical service.  Flight attendants use small trays to bring stuff so you don't worry about getting blocked in.  What are you doing now to improve what you're doing so your competition won't catch you?
3. Take a look at what everyone else is doing and don't do it at all. Sometimes we get stuck into thinking that the status quo is the only way to get something done.  Maybe there really isn't a good reason at all, it's just that things have always been done that way.  During my Navy days, I was often tempted to skip doing a standard report just to see if anyone actually read the thing.  Of course I  was too terrified to try, but I'm convinced some of those "important" reports  were required for no other reason than it was always required.  Is there a way to eliminate some unnecessary steps in what you do?  Are you taking some time each day to see what could be done to streamline your way of doing things?

Out-working our competition means exactly that.  However we have to define what out-working really means.  I know many of us say we work hard, but don't confuse activity with actual work.  I've had days when I work from home that could be considered "busy" but at the end of the day, I realize that distractions such as washing clothes, checking my FaceBook site, and staring into the refrigerator don't really count as "work."  Instead, think about accomplishment.  I'll bet your most productive day at work is the one you have on the day before vacation.  That day you're probably tying up loose ends, getting last-minute stuff finished, and prepping for your return so you'll not be too overwhelmed.  That great feeling of accomplishment when you leave the office is the really measure of a good, hard day of work.  In fact, I think a day of real work is actually less tiring then a day where you have to look busy.    What are you doing to plan your workday so you'll accomplish much with the max effort you'll be giving?  If you're competing for a new position or a promotion, make sure you work smarter, THEN harder.

I don't see the competitive nature of things changing anytime soon.  Why don't we all take some time this week to strategize how to out-think and out-work our competition.  I know I will!

Opportunity Knocks for Everyone...

Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. Thomas Edison

This week I'm in Orlando, FL on two different projects.  The one I did today was a workshop on social networking for the National Association of RV Parks & Campgrounds (ARVC).  It turned out great and I had a lot of positive feedback, but the one thing my attendees need to do now is to implement a strategy.  In other words, this opportunity will take some action. 

I'm convinced that everyone has equal access to opportunities and luck.  This is encouraging to me because I've run into a lot of people that complain that the only luck they get is bad luck.  Now keep in mind that some circumstances are bad.  Not a whole lot we can do about that.  The part we can control is the actions  we take in spite of them.  Most of you are familiar with Kentucky Fried Chicken.  You may not know that a set of bad circumstances for its founder, Harland Sanders was the very reason for it's success today.

Sanders had a very successful restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky and achieved a lot of fame and money from it.  However, in the 1950’s a new interstate highway was planned that would bypass Corbin. Recognizing that his business was doomed, Sanders sold off his restaurant operations and after paying his bills, was reduced to living on his $105 a month Social Security checks. Confident in the quality of his fried chicken, at 62 years old, Sanders devoted himself to franchising his famous chicken. He drove all over the country, cooking batches of chicken for restaurant owners and their employees. If the reaction was favorable, he entered into a handshake agreement on a deal that stipulated a payment to him of a nickel for each chicken the restaurant sold. By 1964, Colonel Sanders had more than 600 franchised outlets for his chicken in the United States and Canada.  Ironically, he was turned down 1,099 times before he finally found a buyer.  That's what you call making the most of circumstance and taking advantage of an opportunity.

So what about you?  What are you struggling with that could be turned into a great opportunity?  Another famous person, Thomas Jefferson, was said to have  remarked, "the harder I work, the more luck I seem to find."  We live in a time where, with the leverage of technology, everyone has a fair shot at greatness.  You can publish your own books, create your own record label, run your own virtual radio station, or pretty much anything else you'd like to do.  The future is for each of us to create, not to become victims of.

I'm excited for the opportunities ahead.  I hope you are too!