Career Advice for the Young and Restless - and Their Bosses

Managers aren't meeting the expectations of those newly hired out of college.  New hires aren't meeting the expectations of managers.  Why is there a disconnect?

There are a number of books out there that try to address embarking on a career, and the one that is on the top of my list right now is Dan Pink's

It's the story of Johnny who let others pick his field of study and is at last working at a first job he's not particularly great at, with a boss who isn't particularly kind or helpful,  while he pines for what he truly has a passion for.  Through a career counselor in the form of an anime muse, he learns some life lessons that set him up for success:

These are all valuable lessons and the earlier they're learned the better.  No matter how much we plan, the best things in life happen from opportunities and serendipity-- keep you're eyes wide open.  We need to think of our careers not as a promotion-driven ladder, but as an experience-based lattice.  Scaffolding helps us follow jobs that suit our strengths and interests and open doors to other worlds of work.

If you're willing to help others and to be persistent, you will have your time to shine and have your share of opportunities. Take risks and learn and grow from mistakes.  In the end, you want to look back and see that you made a difference in a way that means something to you.  Don't put this part off, start today!

For more, please see Dan Pink's website at

www.johnnybunko.com

Other advice:

Meg Jay's Why 30 is not the new 20

Dream Teams Can Be Nightmares - Here's Why

Think about the various teams you've been a part of over the years and particularly those that were able to achieve great results.  According to Google's "Project Aristotle," which analyzed years of data related to team work,  surprisingly it's not who is on the team that makes the difference--  in other words, a team of superstars will not make the team rock.  It's likely that the high-performing teams you were a part of gave you a feeling of more belonging, understanding, and shared voice.  

Teams where conversation is shared and everyone has a chance to talk in the same proportion increase the collective intelligence of the whole group.  If one member dominates, this can spell disaster for a team.  How can the team prevent this?  It can establish group norms, which may be informal and unwritten or openly acknowledged -- some go so far as to have a team charter.  For example, the norms can lay out the expectation of equal dialogue and create signals to alert members to behavior that breaks norms.  In the case of talking too much, the acronym WAIT or "Why Am I Talking?" might be a good sign to raise when conversation is too one-sided.  Personal awareness of talking too much is a first step -- See "Know When You Talk Too Much."

Group norms can also promote psychological safety, which is described as feeling free to be yourself in a group without concern about being judged or punished, especially publicly.  Google's researchers concluded that understanding and influencing group norms were key to improving Google's teams.

Overall, your experience with high performing teams will be more positive if it is on a team that appears less focused and more interactive as opposed to one that is extremely efficient.  Relationships and compassion matter most.

Read more at "What Google Learned from its Quest to Build the Perfect Team."

Also check your social sensitivity by reading faces at
http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ei_quiz/


Learn more about microexpressions at
http://www.scienceofpeople.com/2013/09/guide-reading-microexpressions/


and read Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker article  "The Bakeoff," about the quest for the perfect, healthy processed cookie, for more insights into teams.

When I talk to leaders I get the feeling that I am important

I posted this saying on Pinterest months ago in my "Leadership" board and practically every day it's one of my pins that gets repinned.  For me, this repinning feels like someone is yelling at a manager out there who hasn't figured out that leadership is the key to humanizing the workplace and to optimizing performance through people, ultimately increasing the bottom line for the organization.

When I ask people the traits of their best bosses, the following come up routinely:

Integrity (linked to accountability), honesty, has my back, teaches, shares, recognizes my accomplishments, challenges me to develop, cares about me as a person, ...

Remember that no matter how effective you are at managing the organization, it's the people that are essential to your success!  Employees where both leaders and managers are effective are much more likely to be highly engaged (72%).  Effective leadership beats effective management for employee engagement (35% are highly engaged with effective leadership compared with 23% for effective management)  Source: Towers Watson 2014 Global Study.

"Management consists of controlling a group or a set of entities to accomplish a goal. Leadership refers to an individual’s ability to influence, motivate, and enable others to contribute toward organizational success. Influence and inspiration separate leaders from managers, not power and control." See "Three differences between managers and leaders" by Vineet Nayar at HBR.org https://hbr.org/2013/08/tests-of-a-leadership-transiti

Curing busyness so that we can be compassionate beings - Humankinda

JetBlue has created a 16-minute video called "Humankinda" shines a light on the disease we have called busyness.  People wear busyness like a badge of honor.  It makes us appear important and accomplished. 

But this busy frenzy is taking its toll.  Failure to take breaks and connect with real people has a range of unintended consequences:

• high stress
• lack of creativity
• failure to build trust
• disconnectedness (not approachable)
• unhappiness
• bad health

I could go on.  All these and more create a volatile environment.

Watch the video.  It's very funny (Veep's Sam Richardson is perfect in his narrator/helper role)

But don't gloss over the humor, do something about it.  Spread the word and stop the madness!


See Fast Company's take on it also see "The Busy Trap" by Tim Kreider in the New York Times

Don't fear or loathe networking -- it's essential for success in the current work environment

I often hear people say they hate networking events.  They fear them.  When you meet people superficially, it seems like you're using them.  Or it seems fake. 

Given that the work environment has become increasingly complex and that those who collaborate improve the bottom line for businesses by over 10 percent (source: Corporate Executive Board), then  it makes sense that networking is an essential tool for getting things done.

Networking helps us:

• share knowledge and contacts
• help others
• build relationships before we need them
• get "just-in-time" help
• get more done with less effort

Networking can be strategic or serendipitous-- a planned or chance encounter.

Everyone should be ready for networking opportunities.  A starting point -- understand your goals and interests.  What's your value proposition?  This is the part that will make you memorable when the person you meet realizes there is something you have to offer them.  This will also make you feel better about networking since you will have the opportunity to become a "giver,"  not just a "taker."  See Wharton Professor Adam Grant's books Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success.  You can also read his HBR article on the same subject. 

People also experience what Never Eat Alone author Keith Ferrazi calls the "frontier ethic."  Some just never want to show any sign of weakness and don't ask for help.  They have a "tough as nails" exterior and would rather keep things close held.

Remember that it's not about selling yourself but about providing enough information that the other person can associate something with you.  Be confident and approachable and watch your body language.  See Amy Cuddy's TED Talk on body language. Follow up after the event.

Lastly,  network on your own terms.  Choose the time of day you're at your best.  Create your own communities of interest, clubs, social get-togethers. 

Set a goal today--  introduce yourself to one new person a week. (You can find this person in the networks of your friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, etc.)

Good luck!

Be Inclusive for a High-Performing Culture

 

Stereotyping applies beyond the realm of gender, and raising awareness of unconscious bias is known to reduce it.  Encouraging people to correct for biases creates opportunities for women and minorities.  Having greater diversity in leadership and followership can have huge benefits not only to corporate America, but to our society as a whole.  Diverse groups have healthy debate, are more creative, and solve challenging problems.  Different strengths fuse to make the unit stronger.

 

As Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant not in their article “When Talking About Bias Backfires” NYT 7 Dec 2014:

 

Knowledge of the prevalence of stereotyping can lead to greater stereotyping, but awareness can correct biases.  Studies have shown that when women lead, performance improves.

 “To break down the barriers that hold women back, it’s not enough to spread awareness. If we don’t reinforce that people need — and want — to overcome their biases, we end up silently condoning the status quo.”

In “Speaking While Female,” NYT 12 Jan 2015, the same authors highlight why women don’t speak up, and I believe the same could go for others-- whether shy, introverted, or humble.  It is often men who dominate meetings and interrupt women.  With this awareness, they can help by being on guard for this behavior and by using their voices to bring attention to the contributions of those who don’t have the loudest voices and are not dominant.

 

Having practices that foster inclusion and see to it that everyone’s voice is heard would ensure that the best ideas are surfaced regardless of gender, age, race, etc.  This would contribute to a high-performance culture.

 

Lastly, in Madame CEO, Get Me a Coffee, NYT 6 Feb 2015, Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant discuss gender stereotypes and helping behaviors.  When women don’t step up to help they are seen in a far worse light than their male counterparts.  Many helping behaviors are seen as women’s work:  taking notes, setting up refreshments, etc.  Again, just having the awareness that this is happening can enable men to step up and take their turn.

 

 

Thanks to Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant for framing these important issues.  Having them out in the open enables us to continue the inclusive conversation.

Developing Executive Presence: Don't say "I'm sorry" as a default

Pantene has a video spot of women saying "I'm sorry" in too any situations.  If this looks familiar, it's time to stop the habit.  It's undermining how people view you

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=pantene+i'm+sorry