tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80529778878163521392024-02-20T22:04:31.202-08:00Paths to HR GreatnessThe road to a world-class HR career is paved with challenges, invitations, rejections, creativity, compliance, taking a stand, taking the lead, taking the backseat, falling on your sword, rising to the occasion (but never rising to the bait), keeping your vision alive and inspiring others to join you. If you're called to HR, you've come to the right place.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-26484903072384054252010-01-24T09:56:00.001-08:002010-01-24T09:56:21.128-08:00reBlog from humancapitalleague.com: Why Al Gore Shouldn’t Be This Year’s SHRM Annual Keynote Speaker<p><span class="zemanta-img" style="margin: 1em; float: right; display: block; width: 110px;"><a href="http://www.daylife.com/image/08vUeSy0rb4Cz?utm_source=zemanta&utm_medium=p&utm_content=08vUeSy0rb4Cz&utm_campaign=z1"><img style="border: medium none; display: block;" src="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/08vUeSy0rb4Cz/100x150.jpg" alt="BERLIN - OCTOBER 23: German Chancellor Angela..." width="100" height="150" /></a><span class="zemanta-img-attribution" style="margin: 1em 0pt 0pt; font-size: 0.8em; display: block;">Image by <a href="http://www.daylife.com/source/Getty_Images">Getty Images</a> via <a href="http://www.daylife.com">Daylife</a></span></span></p><br /><p><a class="zem_slink" title="Michael VanDervort" rel="homepage" href="http://friendfeed.com/michaelvandervort">Michael VanDervort</a> invited me to take the opposition view to the announcement that <a class="zem_slink" title="Society for Human Resource Management" rel="homepage" href="http://www.shrm.org">SHRM</a> is hosting <a class="zem_slink" title="Al Gore" rel="homepage" href="http://algore.com">Al Gore</a> as the <a class="zem_slink" title="Keynote" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keynote">keynote speaker</a> this summer at the annual conference. He posted my article yesterday on his site www.thehumanracehorses.com. And it's since been picked up by other sites. The Human Capital League is one of them. Here it is:</p><br /><blockquote class="zemanta-reblog-quote" style="margin: 1em 3em;"><br /><p>It’s been a few days now since SHRM proudly announced that Al Gore will be this year’s keynote speaker in <a class="zem_slink" title="San Diego" rel="geolocation" href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=32.78,-117.15&spn=0.1,0.1&q=32.78,-117.15%20%28San%20Diego%29&t=h">San Diego</a>. And my mind is still swinging so wildly from befuddlement (in the benign moments) to outright outrage (in moments of clarity) that I’m having a really hard time focusing on my work. Since a large part of my work is writing (specifically writing about <a class="zem_slink" title="Human resources" rel="wikipedia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_resources">HR</a>), I’m thinking that if I get it out of my system this way, I can return to more pressing matters at hand. But then again, maybe this exercise will put me in an even bigger (I just typed, “bitter,” Freudian?) swivet. I guess time will tell.<span class="attribution zemanta-reblog-cite" style="padding: 1em 0pt; text-align: right; display: block; width: 100%;">humancapitalleague.com, <a href="http://humancapitalleague.com/Home/1587">Why Al Gore Shouldn’t Be This Year’s SHRM Annual Keynote Speaker</a>, Jan 2010</span></p><br /></blockquote><br /><p>In the ensuing article, I list a large number of reasons why I think it's a really bad idea.</p><br /><div class="zemanta-pixie" style="margin-top: 10px; height: 15px;"><img class="zemanta-pixie-img" style="border: medium none; float: right;" src="http://img.zemanta.com/pixy.gif?x-id=bf87bd86-9538-41ce-8608-c82964bddc5e" alt="" /></div>Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-80261342671650215602010-01-01T07:35:00.000-08:002010-01-10T13:05:16.898-08:00Best Resolutions for HR in 2010<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzU_jDW0LtwB9xDNvgkxLI46a_B-V044WBqRoRiVRDzjgKvgbBZV0y-nkn-uytORnd239hfPR5Y15w0f4nbRiyWfkrHhPxLBf4Gf2o2-ThnLaEbMPfvLvDqPYPyQPhYsu2zAztFMDqIc/s1600-h/iStock_000009680471XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfzU_jDW0LtwB9xDNvgkxLI46a_B-V044WBqRoRiVRDzjgKvgbBZV0y-nkn-uytORnd239hfPR5Y15w0f4nbRiyWfkrHhPxLBf4Gf2o2-ThnLaEbMPfvLvDqPYPyQPhYsu2zAztFMDqIc/s320/iStock_000009680471XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421797037444642130" /></a><br />No matter what the year, not matter what the economy, this is traditionally the time for introspection; looking back and looking forward to the months ahead of us. And this past year is certainly one to put behind us as quickly as possible. <br /><br />Every year I enjoy putting together this list of Best Resolutions for HR, primarily because each list is an advance peak at the tone and concerns of the year ahead of us. And, because HR is the custodian of the experience of most people who work around the world, what you have to look forward to is an accurate reflection of what working people everywhere have to look forward to. <br /><br />So I wasn’t surprised that this year’s round of Best Resolutions have taken on a distinctly philosophical point of view. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution 1: I will learn like I’m going to live forever, but live like I’m going to die tomorrow.</span> Says <span style="font-weight:bold;">Mary Cheddie, senior vice president of HR </span>for <a href="http://www.intervalworld.com">Interval International</a>: “In the macro-economic environment we’re all experiencing, it’s critical that we in HR understand what’s in every nook and every cranny of our business. As HR professionals, we must continue to learn. We have to get out into the organization and with other business leaders and professions.”<br /><br />For the many HR professionals who have lost their jobs this year, Mary has this advice around the second half of her resolution: “It’s time to stop and consider what’s important to you personally. What do you love to do? What do you want to do? What do you need to do? I’ve known many people who, when they find they’re out of work, use this as an opportunity to change the direction of their lives and do something they love to do. If you’ve lost your job, find your passion. And go for it. Love what you do every day. That’s the secret of life.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution 2: I will not let a job description define who I am and all that I have to give to the world.</span> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Tiane Mitchell Gordon, <a href="http://www.aol.com">AOL</a>’s senior vice president of diversity and inclusion</span>, says, “We often only think of ourselves in a singular dimension. And then we judge our successes and failures by that one dimension. We shouldn’t define ourselves by one little thing.”<br /><br />This singular point of focus is unhealthy in the best of times. But in this era when people are losing their jobs without notice, it can be particularly devastating. Says Tiane: “Because so many people are tied up with their paying job, that’s how they think of themselves, without considering their greater worth beyond their job roles. But that’s not their only identity that they should be focused on.<br /><br />“It’s very hard for me to separate who I am at a personal level from who I am at a professional level. The two intertwine for me. And in our roles in HR especially, it’s so important that we bring all aspects of who we are to the work we do. Then, not only do we have more to give the people we work with, but we have more to give the world outside of our jobs.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution 3: I will redouble my efforts around employee engagement.</span> For some employers (but certainly not you, right?), the notion of employee engagement might sound quaint and dated, especially given the current climate of layoffs and unemployment. The last time I heard, "they should just be glad they have a job" was back in the late 70s. And even though several recessions have come and gone between since, never has the employment climate been this brutal as it is right now. So, where does that leave the discipline and practice of employee engagement -- all those wonderful efforts to make sure the corporate culture sustains an environment in which your people can invest their best efforts? <br /><br />According to <span style="font-weight:bold;">Craig Ramsay</span>, former Director of Workforce Research for the famously engaged company, Intuit, and now <span style="font-weight:bold;">Vice President Business Development and Managing Director, SF Bay Area</span>, <a href="http://sirota.com/">Sirota Survey Intelligence</a>, "It's more important than ever to demonstrate to employees that they're valued assets of the company. Employees have to feel and experience engagement on a daily basis," regardless of what the economy is doing. And, if the economy is perhaps on the upswing, this is definitely an essential time to recommit to the principles around building an engaged culture in which your people know that their talents and efforts are still important to you and your enterprise. This is the time to regain the confidence and trust your people have for your business so they will invest their best in your objectives.<br /><br />"It's HR's job to make engagement a reality for employees during their daily lives. Work with your leaders to define and commit to what that experience should be and then help them change their behaviors to shape that experience. This isn't about installing elaborate new programs. It's about ensuring that your people -- all the survivors of these last few years -- feel valued. Help them reconnect with the goals and interests of your company."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution 4: I will resolve to do what’s necessary to keep high performers engaged and passionate about the organization.</span> Says <span style="font-weight:bold;">Lynne Zappone, senior vice president, Americas HR and Global Learning</span> for the <a href="http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/">Intercontinental Hotels Group</a>, “We have a big commitment and focus on high-potential talent. We have to constantly be looking or opportunities to help them grow and develop….We have an employment brand that says we make a commitment to give our people room to grow. And we want to stand by that and deliver on it." <br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution 5: I will tell the truth as an act of respect for my people.</span> Says <span style="font-weight:bold;">Kristin Kelley, HR Leader</span>, <a href="http://www.owenscorning.com/">Owens Corning</a>, “Having respect for people goes hand-in-hand with having the heart to tell them the truth. So often we don’t want to give people feedback because it makes them uncomfortable or we don’t want to hurt their feelings. But you’re not respecting someone by not confronting what needs to be confronted inside the organization. Sometimes telling someone the truth is the nicest thing you can do for that person.<br /><br />“Having the right people in the right roles has never been more critical, especially if we’re ramping up this year. It’s not acceptable to settle for any talent that’s not performing at the level you need them to perform at. Helping people be really clear around what their job is and setting really meaningful goals is truly the biggest impace that HR can help an organization make.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution 6: I will seek to inspire others to strive for greatness.</span> Says <span style="font-weight:bold;">Arte Nathan, president</span>, <a href="http://www.sdwnet.com">Strategic Development Worldwide</a>, “HR has always been more inspirational than technical. It’s the inspirational stuff that helps organizations be great. The world in which we live is full of things to do and rarely leaves time to dream. So someone has to remind others to take that time. This includes helping others remember that the best days are ahead of us. <br /><br />“Part of inspiration is believing in tomorrow. Organizations need to be filled with people who are not only good at what they do but who also believe that they will always be better. In HR we have to dream. We have to help others to dream.”<br /><br /><br />My dream for you is that you have a wonderful 2010.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-22531016420732382942009-10-30T17:01:00.000-07:002009-10-30T17:02:55.688-07:00Really Crappy Advice -- And How to Keep It From Killing You<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4I6qBT7uPVGEjOZXKexpAVJV9HS5Kwu_lhzv5D8JdUqQunbkWEOP3FbyA6UO3zLIYBOEYVhoaIqPbY_nDgovV5AM4erCHksfILM2MmlH9cHzjKNWC7cW_hWoNEEzqoKzKZotbZJbiTfum/s1600-h/iStock_000001998296XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 215px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4I6qBT7uPVGEjOZXKexpAVJV9HS5Kwu_lhzv5D8JdUqQunbkWEOP3FbyA6UO3zLIYBOEYVhoaIqPbY_nDgovV5AM4erCHksfILM2MmlH9cHzjKNWC7cW_hWoNEEzqoKzKZotbZJbiTfum/s320/iStock_000001998296XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398546442430407858" /></a><br />In recent weeks I’ve been watching events unfold in Sedona — that whole James Arthur Ray thing and how people died in an ersatz sweat lodge. I suppose for many people, a terrible event such as this (where people paid $9,000 for the privilege of dying a horrible death, surrounded in the gloom by their vomiting and fainting companions) is so exotic that most people might think, “that could never happen to me.” And that would probably be true.<br /><br />However, this whole clutch of motivation and self-help teachers has been bugging me over recent years. Most of them are pretty small potatoes. But they promise big, and encourage people to take risks with their money, relationships, future, and careers that they might not otherwise take. The cumulative effect of little damages everywhere can be very destructive indeed. I’m worried that the general public might be even more at risk as the economy continues its stagger, stagger, crawl mode. These are emotional frontiers we’re in, folks, and the woods are lousy with snake oil salesmen – people who promise to give you a breakthrough secret to life in a week or a weekend, for the price of a semester of college or a small car.<br /><br />I have had in my bookshelf for a couple of years now the book, SHAM, by Stephen Salerno. And I’ve been really reluctant to read it. Primarily because I knew he would blow the lid off of the mechanics behind self-help gurus and their business models. And at the time I was also reading Martin Seligman (the very legitimate founder of the very legitimate positive psychology movement), and I was also dabbling in more than a little Jack Canfield, Tony Robbins, Marianne Williamson and even Joel Osteen. And, frankly, I still like the way their messages make me feel. And while I certainly didn’t buy The Secret’s promises hook, link and sucker (I mean, sinker), having grown up in a family whose mantra was mainly, “ain’t it awful, ain’t it tragic,” I knew there is definitely something to be said for willfully focusing on the positive side of things. A positive attitude is more conducive to creative thinking and endurance during a time where everything seems to be hitting the fan. At least it makes the ride a little more tolerable.<br /><br />But I also know a manipulative head-game when I see one. (At least I hope I do.) I certainly learned to recognize the signs when I bought into one, much to my ever-lasting regret pretty quickly thereafter. So, I thought I’d lay out a list of danger signs for you – with the hopes of helping you keep your money in your pocket. (I get the fact that this could mean that I might miss out on a few sales of my own books – but at the end of this post I’m actually going to offer you my first book for free. I won’t even ask you for your email address as one of those cheesy quid pro quo gambits.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Avoid any course with titles containing such words as “breakthrough,” “success,” “transform,” “dream,” “vortex”and whose tuition includes a comma.</span> Speaking from personal experience here. These kinds of courses are mostly warmed over material drawn directly from the texts of books that you can purchase for $20 to $30. There will be much playing of John Denver and hugging of total strangers — most who look like they either haven’t been hugged in decades or they’re really really really looking forward to hugging you. The break times are dedicated to urging you to sign up for the advanced course at twice the price (but today – and only today – slashed to the same amount you just paid for the basic course). My memories of those break times involve softly trance-inducing singing from the stage and a certain zombie-ness of the people moving to the back of the room where tables are conveniently set up, where staffers cheerfully accepted credit cards. Did I get anything of value from that basic week? Yes…my mastermind group is still intact after almost five years. We meet on the phone every other week and have become supportive friends. But have our circumstances changed significantly since we met that that “breakthrough” week? Nope. (As you can imagine, I’m usually the cranky one on our phone calls.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">If you go to any course with a title that includes the words “spirit,” “warrior,” “vision quest,” make sure there is an EMT on call at all times before laying your money down.</span> Most spiritual quests are flat-out scary. Who are these people to say they know the way, and will lead us there through a regimen of fasting, meditation and bodily deprivation? The way people refer to spirituality as Spirit, as if Spirit is their next door neighbor with handy cable piracy skills, is revolting. And the way white Americans romanticize the mysteries of Native American life and traditions is deeply hypocritical or willfully shallow. If they’re so enchanted by the Native American way, how about coming out to the Southwest, don’t stop at the spas or casinos, and spend that week teaching Native American children to say no to crystal meth addiction and alcoholism? Share the inspiring benefits of your own education, skills and privilege, rather than trying to siphon off a few sips of mysticism from authentic traditions that you will never get anyway?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">If someone wants to teach you how to be rich (for whatever price), first find out how he got rich himself. </span>Look at the frequent fliers of this particular line of work, and you’ll find out that most of them got rich by sticking their hands into pockets of people just like you (and me). And they’re getting richer. Did he ever grow a company, other than the staff of eager minions he has working for him now? Did he turn around a major corporation? Did he emerge from his own family of alcoholics and desperados to blaze his own trail by making something or contributing something useful to society (that is other than an ultra-expensive retreat)? Is he an unimpeachable researcher who has the gift of translating esoteric, hard-to-understand information into immediately useful ideas that anyone can have for the price of a book? That might be someone worth paying some attention to.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">When someone tells you that you’re nowhere without his secrets or gift, laugh and walk away. </span>Need I say more? Okay, I will. I know of one so-called Buddhist guru (she’s American) who actually replaced the words “Higher Power” in the 12 Step Program with her own name. That’s amazing. But what’s even more amazing is that hundreds of otherwise intelligent people said, “Duh, okay.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Just say no to any product marketed to you via email by someone you’ve never heard of but endorsed by someone you have.</span> These people exchange mailing lists, knowing full well that purchasers of self-help products are the most likely to come back for more and more. The cynicism is mind-blowing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Avoid self-help books that were Number 1 on Amazon for, like, three hours one day. </span>Again, it’s the lists at work. These people know how to game the system and they use each others’ lists to snag that coveted spot, even for an instant. This way they can call themselves “bestselling authors.” Big whup.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Don’t give up your own dreams. </span>Life is full of true mysteries. My personal favorite one is the mystery of synchronicity. I’m a total sucker for those stories, and I have true, first-hand stories of my own that would curl your hair. But I wouldn’t bet the ranch on a synchronicity that I perceive to be an omen. (Even though, in my heart of hearts, I kind of hope it is.)<br /><br />We all need fresh infusions of inspiration now and then. And personal growth does involve keeping your mind open and venturing into uncomfortable zones now and then. But no breakthrough experience should involve group puking or even close bodily contact with strangers to the strains of “Sunshine On My Shoulders.”<br /><br />Keep your wallet in your pants. Or purse.<br /><br />(Now for the free offer: I will give you a free copy of my very first book, Find Your Calling, Love Your Life. For absolutely nothing. Not even your email address. Just click the green button on the home page of Unlock the Hidden Job Market, and it will lead you to free downloads. You can also have a free sample chapter of our new book, Unlock the Hidden Job Market. Naturally, Duncan and I would love it if you also purchased that book. But you know what? You don’t have to.)Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-31819145955895494182009-10-14T06:09:00.000-07:002009-10-14T06:15:21.666-07:00Are You Too Shy To Network?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIwAnlJ8ZpIQZ-N5TePLVSAFZBZX_MM_M_ofzmV114Xl0N5MV83lpFTpdJjs5PXUvfpE0w8rRYMi34hPSrSw1wi9T2q7_ugSAeAgCt84D4bUgb43MzFniMULGSjgD-eUmUfX0zrIfpbI/s1600-h/istockmanwithbagonhead.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 218px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjIwAnlJ8ZpIQZ-N5TePLVSAFZBZX_MM_M_ofzmV114Xl0N5MV83lpFTpdJjs5PXUvfpE0w8rRYMi34hPSrSw1wi9T2q7_ugSAeAgCt84D4bUgb43MzFniMULGSjgD-eUmUfX0zrIfpbI/s320/istockmanwithbagonhead.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392443594243609282" /></a><br />My friend Patricia is probably the only person I would call a natural networker. Her worldly possessions have been in storage for most of the last 10 years as she goes where her heart tells her to (always beautiful places: Hawaii; Aspen; Naples, FL; San Diego; hey! Why not?). Jobs and projects fall into her lap no matter where she goes (and right now she’s in Austria after having spent a couple of weeks in Spain). She always has friends to stay with or a house to borrow. I would say she’s female version of Tim Ferris. But she’s her own self. And she makes her way in the world through relationships she builds along the way.<br /><br />You ever have one of those right-words-at-the-right-time moments that blasts all your illusions away? Patricia gave me the right words at the right time and showed me the way to think about networking. It was a few years ago while she was visiting me on Cape Cod. I was feeling rudderless, pitiful, unnecessary, unwanted, all those un’s that make it such a drag to get up in the morning. Patricia and I were sitting in the livingroom wrapped in blankets and drinking coffee (well, she was drinking herbal tea, of course). I was saying that I just couldn’t bring myself to knocking on Cape Cod businesses begging for a job. And she gently said this:<br /><br />“It’s not about what you need, it’s about what you can contribute.”<br /><br />Oh.<br /><br />Ohhhhhhhhhhh.<br /><br />I’d been thinking about networking all wrong! It wasn’t about what a pitiful needy, loser, user I was. It was about letting the world know that I was here to help. Patricia certainly isn’t a needy, loser, user. She moves through the world like a queen (in a good way), and people take their cue from her – treating her accordingly. And she benefits a lot of lives as she goes. She may not have a permanent address (other than her Naples PO box). But she has real friends who love her, and she earns an honest living (thanks to laptops and cell phones), growing spiritually, emotionally and professionally along the way.<br /><br />You may not want to live the life that Patricia has (although, for me, every time she breezes through Santa Fe, where I live right now, ever fiber of my being screams ROAD TRIP!). And you may not have the flexibility of treating the entire planet as your own personal marketplace.<br /><br />But then again, maybe you do. At the very least the marketplace that you most naturally belong to needs you! But it may not know you’re there. If your resistance to networking is keeping you shy, I don’t blame you. So maybe the thing to do is examine your beliefs around networking. And maybe change your mind just a little.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Networking is a waste of time.</span> It could be, depending on what you expect from your networking activities. If you want a job right this very minute (of course you do, just bear with me here for a minute), you’re probably going to think that networking activities are a waste of time because what are the chances that any given networking encounter will result in a job offer? To be honest – practically zero.<br /><br />Yes, I get that you need a job – right this very minute. And networking will eventually bring you that job. But it’s a cumulative effect kind of thing. One person leads to another who leads to another who leads to five others. As my coauthor for <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unlock-Hidden-Job-Market-Successful/dp/0137032498/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251998727&sr=1-5">Unlock the Hidden Job Market</a>, Duncan Mathison, says: Networking is about planting seeds. Lots and lots of them. Some will sprout. But the more networking you do, the more of those seedlings will sprout. And some – not to drive a metaphor in the ground or anything – will bear fruit.<br /><br />Still not convinced? What are the chances that staying at home will result in a job offer? Guaranteed: Zeeee-roe.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Most of the people I meet at networking events are people who are out of work themselves.</span> That's probably true. Those networking events are the worst. They suck the life right out of you. They waste your time. And feed your growing sense of despair and overwhelm. So. Stop going to them.<br /><br />Networking is not about going to networking events. It’s meeting people one-on-one, showing sincere interest in what they do, your shared industry or profession, your community, future trends, ideas, etc.<br /><br />This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t network with other people who are out of jobs. But still make those one-on-one events, high-quality conversations where both of you end up with a growing list of ideas, connections, phone numbers, companies, introductions.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">People don’t want to meet me. </span>How do you know? Somewhere someone needs you. And that will only happen if you get the heck out of the house.<br /><br />Just because you don’t have a job, that doesn’t mean you don’t have value and that you have nothing to contribute. People need you. To use Patricia’s philosophy: Get out and find out who they are. Under other conditions would you let negative self-talk prevent you from lending a hand where your unique strengths and gifts can really make life easier for someone? Of course not. So why let the inner gremlins have the power now?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">People only want to hire to people who already have jobs.</span> That’s a myth. If you’re unemployed right now, you actually have some advantages working for you. You’re available now. You’re not coming in with that entitled “what can you do for me” attitude. You won’t be taking their offer back to your current boss to try to snag a sweeter offer. Everyone knows that really great talent is on the loose right now because of the massive trend of lay-offs. The fact that you’re between jobs right now is not a black mark on your record. It’s just one of those things.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">There’s no point in starting now, since the holidays are around the corner. </span>Wrong. This is absolutely a terrific time to look for a job. Budgets are being formulated for Q1. So while you might not start until January 1, you’d be making great use of your holidays by networking your brains out. And just think, if everyone else thinks that there’s no point in job hunting right now, you are out there with very little competition.<br /><br />For a great article on this subject, check out: <a href="http://unlockthehiddenjobmarket.com/blog/%E2%80%98tis-the-season-to-follow-the-money/">T’is The Season To Follow the Money</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I look like hell.</span> That might be true. If you’ve been stuck at home all day, not having seen the business end of a razor in weeks, it might be time to put on your go-to-meetin’ clothes (assuming they still fit) and see if your car will start.<br /><br />Not judging here. In recent months I’ve been stuck at home writing books. Yoga pants and t-shirts have been my friends. My business clothes have been on the floor, serving as bedding for the cats. And just yesterday I spotted a coyote sauntering past my windows. And, while I was admiring its glossy coat and bushy tail, the thought came to me that it is better groomed that I am. I picked up the phone and made an appointment. For tomorrow. Can’t wait.<br /><br />If you look like hell, you know what to do. You probably won’t look like Heidi Klum, once you’ve spruced up. But you won’t look like Tom Hanks in Castaway either.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">People will know that I’m only networking because I need a job.</span> So what? You’re not the only one looking for a job. The question is: are you the person they’re looking for? It’s up to you how they’ll regard you. They’ll take their cues from you. If you act ashamed or frustrated, they’ll pick up shame and frustration and treat you like you have a contagious disease. Figure out what it will take to behave with confidence, calm and professionalism. And do that.<br /><br />Focus your conversation not on what you need but on what they need, what they think, who they might introduce you to, who you might introduce them to, etc. Remember: It’s about contribution, not need.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">I’ve already done everything I can think of to get my resume into circulation. </span>No you haven’t. Networking is not about bugging your family, friends, the Rotor Rooter man. A reader actually wrote to me saying that she gave her resume to her mail carrier.<br /><br />Networking is about expanding your circles of contacts, acquaintances, colleagues. It’s about making lists of people and their phone numbers. Then picking up the phone and calling those folks. It’s difficult, I know, especially for people who don’t enjoy calling strangers. But remember, you’re calling colleagues and peers…people you have something or someone in common with.<br /><br />These are people you might be able to help.<br /><br />And that’s what it’s all about.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-34248118704478220242009-09-20T18:53:00.001-07:002009-09-20T18:56:04.460-07:00Why "Job Clubs" Are Bad For You<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORCXBgb_ismnaOqoJNMqxky6oXi8D7whu8GpkgO_MCfmHExz4UY-8tBk9vw1SrS8avSucADTGrNvm8K4w7SFYgfn3mIu93mLpQb0I0bgQZoUMcA9M3qkRHUKo2-icLDMTHTayMpCYHIs/s1600-h/discouraged+group.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgORCXBgb_ismnaOqoJNMqxky6oXi8D7whu8GpkgO_MCfmHExz4UY-8tBk9vw1SrS8avSucADTGrNvm8K4w7SFYgfn3mIu93mLpQb0I0bgQZoUMcA9M3qkRHUKo2-icLDMTHTayMpCYHIs/s320/discouraged+group.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383733360629767778" /></a><br />Not that you need the assist, but let’s make this really simple anyway. If you were desperately looking for a gallon of milk, where would you go? To a place where other people who were desperately looking for milk are hanging out? I’m guessing probably not. You’d probably go where there’s milk. Or at least talk to someone you’re pretty sure would know where to find said milk.<br /><br />So what’s with this trend of job seekers joining job clubs — groups of other job seekers – all equally frustrated in the fact that they’re having trouble meeting people who might have a job possibility up their sleeve? That is not networking. That is wasting your time.<br /><br />Does that sound harsh? Surely you’ll meet some very interesting, valuable people in these groups. Of course you will. But meet them under different circumstances (like a local volunteer endeavor where you gather to give back to the community, for instance), not when the only thing you have in common is a sense of expiring hope that somewhere in this world there might be a job with your name on it.<br /><br />This is why these groups are bad for you:<br /><br /> * The time you’re spending with these people is time you could be actively meeting people who actually have leads and introductions that will eventually land you the job you’re looking for.<br /> * They’re convened based on the commonality that everyone in the group is out of work.<br /> * They often do not benefit from the leadership of a professional, such as a truly excellent job search advisor. A well-meaning one, maybe. But that won’t get you the job you want.<br /> * The loudest woe-is-me’er tends to dominate the group’s culture, sending everyone into the Pit of Despair.<br /> * The people there know less about finding a job than you do (you’re here, after all!). And pretty soon your beliefs will be skewed toward hopelessness.<br /> * You will start to think of these meetings as actual networking events. They’re commiserating events. Commiserating events won’t get you where you want to go. No!<br /> * Job club members are likely to be more interested in handing you their resume than really doing anything productive with yours.<br /> * You’re likely to get a lot of stupid advice on how to create the perfect resume (there is no such thing) or put your best foot forward in a job interview (let’s make this simple too: Blow your nose, straighten your tie, be on time, be yourself, be genuinely curious about the person you’re speaking with, no pat answers, no goofy gimmicks, no begging [even subliminally], remember you’re a grown-up with tons of value to offer the world).<br /> * You’ll feel really bad when you do land your job and you have to leave these folks behind.<br /><br />So what should you be doing with your networking time? Meeting working people in their offices. Your counterparts in companies where you might like to work, preferably soon. Local professors whose expertise is your industry or profession. The membership director of the local chapter of your professional association. Your peers at companies that used to be your competition. People who work for companies or industries you’ve always been curious about but, up until recently, had been too busy working to really set aside the time to explore.<br /><br />Stay away from groups – especially leaderless groups – where the only thing you have in common with these people is that you’re all looking for your next gig. You’ve got much better things to do with your time.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-80078260225184095982009-09-14T11:37:00.000-07:002009-09-14T11:37:15.231-07:00Locked Out by a Factor of “Too”<a href="http://unlockthehiddenjobmarket.com/blog/locked-out-by-a-factor-of-too/">Locked Out by a Factor of &#8220;Too&#8221;</a>Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-43613497541732936802009-09-08T11:37:00.000-07:002009-09-08T12:34:01.606-07:00Feeling Discouraged? How to Re-Energize Your Job Search<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCvE2VlMAk0UsGpXB6DROYbUhvmGOx8HrKvj_8lMU6e4xIlgn2luOsUjmt1i4ixD59OAeuBaM6vtPX1HTXBT3KqAAM24p-6-Dq0XjBQGsJZji3NBYr9S93abrbC90WUR1mDfgeU5vxtc/s1600-h/iStock_000010313360Small-1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaCvE2VlMAk0UsGpXB6DROYbUhvmGOx8HrKvj_8lMU6e4xIlgn2luOsUjmt1i4ixD59OAeuBaM6vtPX1HTXBT3KqAAM24p-6-Dq0XjBQGsJZji3NBYr9S93abrbC90WUR1mDfgeU5vxtc/s320/iStock_000010313360Small-1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379169264917280738" /></a><br /><br /><br />Did you happen to see yesterday’s <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/07/us/07worker.html?scp=2&sq=Michael%20Luo&st=cse">NY Times article</a> about how the nation is flooded with millions of would-be job seekers who have just plain given up? No? Well. Don’t bother. It’s a bummer. (But I linked this article to the online page anyway, just in case you’re like me and you just have to take a look.)<br /><br />Probably someone somewhere said something along the lines of “Fate favors those who don’t give up.” That only seems to make sense when you’re flying high and everything seems to be clicking in your direction. But when you’re in stagger, stagger, crawl mode, you’re thinking something else. Probably something that includes words that my mommy taught me to never say.<br /><br />While I can’t change your life for you, maybe I can help you restore your faith in fate and your own future. The name of the game here is to re-energize yourself and your search. Put faith back in the saddle (hey, I live in New Mexico, what do you want?). Since I’ve been dedicating myself to the issue of finding work in rock-hard terrible times, I thought I’d share these tips with you:<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Adjust your expectations.</span> Ugh. Not helpful, is that? Okay. So let’s look at this just a little more closely: Depending on how old you are, your internal clock that tells you that you should have some hot prospects by now may have been set during recent boom times when all you needed as a pulse and preferably no prison record. One reason why you might be feeling the gut-punch of discouragement at this particular time could be that your clock is out of synch with the mud-slow slog of today’s job market. Know that it will take significantly longer this time to find that great job that really is out there waiting for you, and you’ll be able to handle that one-day-at-a-time approach a little more easily. Every “no” that comes your way takes you one “no” closer to that ultimate “yes.” Salespeople will tell you that. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2. Keep your funnel full.</span> Salespeople will also tell you about how important it is to have a full and busy calendar of appointments with prospects, networking partners, information sources, etc. Knowing that you always have new opportunities coming up will keep you relatively relaxed as you deal with the one currently on your agenda. A dud meeting won’t feel so apocalyptic when you have more appointments to look forward to. Don’t let an empty calendar catch you flat-footed and discouraged. It’s awfully hard to get that funnel flowing again when it’s gone bone-dry.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3. Lay off the sugar, fat, and booze (I don’t have to mention the other stuff, right?). </span> Comfort eating will suck the life and spirit right out of you. You’ve seen people eat crawfish in Louisiana right? It’s like that when you eat for coping. Buh-leeve me, I know. Plus, glazed-over eyes and gaposis don’t count as business casual.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">4. Expand your networking.</span> My coauthor, Duncan Mathison, for our new book, Unlock the Hidden Job Market, says that the first wall of discouragement that job seekers hit is when they’ve handed their resume out to all their friends and business contacts with the request that they pass it along to their contacts. And then they wait for a job interview to come back like a bottle in the tide. As Dr. Phil says, “How’s that working for you?” Bust out of your immediate clusters of social and work contacts and reach out to people you might not have thought of yet. Professors. Reporters. Your employed counterparts in other companies. The membership director of your professional association. Even Mom’s church friends. In our book, Duncan tells the story of one guy who got his new great job because a church friend of his mother’s had a daughter who…. You just never know.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">5. Seek out networking relationships with people who truly have something to offer. </span> Now is not the time to be codependent. You don’t to be a heartless user either, of course. (But you wouldn’t do that anyway, right?) Just like the tip from #3, keep your networking diet filled with healthy, positive people who are functioning in society. You might feel like you’re being compassionate and understanding listening to someone’s problems for the umpteenth time. You’re not. You’re being enabling. And look where it’s getting you. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">6. Expand your ideas of what a great career and/or industry might be out there.</span> The steam might have run out on your current professional train. Don’t rage against the wind that no one wants what you do anymore. What good will that do you? Think about all the different ways you can put what you do into good use. Perhaps another industry? Another customer base? Another part of the corporate organization? Maybe the government? Strip away all the external contexts that surround your skills, look at what you offer in terms of the value you bring to a potential employer. And speak to that. Who you can be, not who you once were.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">7. Always be ready to talk to strangers.</span> If you follow this blog, you know the story about how I met a guy on a plane from Albuquerque to Dallas, found out that his wife was threatening divorce if he didn’t find a job in Albuquerque. When I reached my hotel room in Connecticut that night, I sent off an email to an HR person at a big manufacturer in Albuquerque. Long story short, he got the job. And it wasn’t ever advertised. You just never know who knows whom. By the way: The missus still divorced him. Can’t win ‘em all. <br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">8. Remember that any conversation can turn into a job lead.</span> I once met someone in the ladies room on the 32nd floor of a mid-town NY skyscraper. Why I was in my underwear at the time is beside the point. But I was. She was the office manager of The Cousteau Society. The position of membership correspondent had just opened up. One thing led to another, and soon I was drinking Perrier and eating brie next to The Captain himself. You just never know.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">9. Stop relying on the system.</span> Online job boards are good but they should only take up a fraction of your job search time. Maybe a few years ago, they spat out job leads like tennis balls out of those scary machines. But not anymore. You’ve got to be proactive in your job search. You say you are being proactive? Good. Now. Be more proactive.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">10. Be grateful that you’re unemployed.</span> Pretty sick, huh? The thing of it is: In this terrible market, you have to use all your time to search for that next great job. This isn’t a spectator sport anymore. You’ve got to be out there swinging. It’s said that 70% of all job opportunities are never published, so plumbing the hidden job market is the way to find that great job that’s out there waiting for you. If you were holding down a job (probably one that you wouldn’t like but would be too afraid to quit), you wouldn’t have the time to meet the people who will ultimately introduce you to the people who will have the job you would really be happy with.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">11. Redesign your goals.</span> The job will come. But it probably won’t happen today. But you can still be successful today. How many phone calls can you make today? Can you set three up more appointments? Can you research 10 new businesses or industries that might be a good fit for your skills and values. Of course you can. Every day you’ve got a job. And this is a job you can do. And once you realize how much control you really do have, you’ll start to feel re-energized.<br /><br />Note from Martha: These principles were borrowed from my new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Unlock-Hidden-Job-Market-Successful/dp/0137032498/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1252435353&sr=1-4">Unlock The Hidden Job Market: 6 Steps to a Successful Job Search When Times Are Tough</a>, which I coauthored with Duncan Mathison, who spent nearly 20 years at outplacement firm Drake Beam Morin helping executives land their next great jobs. Please pass this on to everyone you know who is out there hammering away at the job market!Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-22910086471678629612009-07-04T09:41:00.000-07:002009-07-07T20:03:25.284-07:00Why Cooperative Employees Can Be Bad for BusinessYou might not have noticed this yet because it is, after all, a weekend, and you do have a life. (I, however, am stuck inside working on a book deadline...do I hear a violin playing somewhere?) But the media is all abuzz about a major blunder (not to mention ethics violations) coming out of <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com">The Washington Post</a>, which will be printing a special “note to readers” about it tomorrow. Long story short: In an effort to gin up additional revenue sources, the marketing department thought it would be a good idea to launch high-level salons at the publisher’s house, giving media, lobbyists and other Washington, DC, power brokers relaxed, off-the-record, access to each other (hence – as the information food chain goes – public opinion). In theory a possibly good idea. I’m always looking for a good salon, aren’t you?<br /><br />Here’s why it’s a bad idea: For $25,000 to $250,000, you too can be a sponsor of these salons. Basically buying your way into the public’s ear. Sort of like a tick. When you boil this scenario down to its core components, it comes out this way: The newspaper is selling extraordinary, exclusive access to its reporters. And it flies in the face of basic journalism ethics in so many different ways, it’s hard to know where to begin. <br /><br />So I won’t. Unless you’re in journalism, you’re probably wondering what this has to do with your own business. Here it is: If the reports are true, the newspaper’s reporters (the ultimate individual contributor) don’t have it in them anymore to stand together as a group and go: “Uh, hello? Stupid idea!!!! We won’t have any part of it!” And because of this, they allowed the Post to thoroughly embarrass itself. It's quite possible that your quiet employees are letting you destroy your business, too. By accident, of course, but still...<br /><br />According to today’s <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/business/media/04post.html?_r=1&ref=business">New York Times article</a>, the Post ombudsman said that “the plan was well developed with the newsroom.” And that made me wonder, “Really?” Somehow I don’t think so. Not the Washington Post newsroom that I know from growing up in the Washington, DC, area.<br /><br />Here’s what I’m thinking has really happened: The Washington Post reporters have lost heart. They are too busy doing the jobs of multiple reporters to really focus on any one thing. And they have spent recent years hearing over and over again how newspapers are a business and no one will have a job if journalists refuse to get the fundamental fact of newspaper life: It’s all about making money. Jobs are being lost right and left. Newspapers are closing around the globe. An essential component of democracy – the free press – has been compromised to such an extent I’m reminded of a line in the movie <a href="http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=Breaker%20Morant:%20Masterworks%20Edition&search_submit.x=0&search_submit.y=0&lnkce=acsEnhCk">Breaker Morant</a> when the main character casts aspersions on the virtue of a woman he dallied with: “Who’s going to miss a slice of bread off a cut loaf?”<br /><br />Journalists are discovering the same thing that the rest of us are discovering: The only way to keep your sanity about your job is to not care about your work anymore.<br /><br />I'm just guessing here, but here’s what might have happened inside The Washington Post: Most seasoned journalists spotted this groovy idea coming down from Marketing for what it was: A spear in the ribs of journalistic integrity; an ethics stink bomb just waiting for the rest of the media (competition) to get wind of it. Some of those journalists may have spoken up. And then got resolutely ignored. Perhaps some of those journalists already have a history of telling corporate that its desperate ideas are chuckleheaded. And some have resolved to not do it anymore, especially when they see people lose their jobs around them. Others are still doing it, but they’ve already been pigeon-holed as contrarians. So they get routinely ignored anyway.<br /><br />Others just might not know any better. They’re young. They weren’t paying attention in their Legal Aspects of Journalism class – they certainly weren’t paying attention to the part about sustaining objectivity.<br /><br />Others are just too plain tired. They’ve given up the fight for whatever has remained of the cherished Fourth Estate. They have lost that heart, that fight, that is supposed to be the red meat of good, solid journalism.<br /><br />Result: Some young suit from corporate – who probably doesn’t know any better either – might have said to the gathered throng of silence: “So. We’re all in agreement, right? Excellent. Carry on.” And then the ombudsman gets to tell reporters from the competition that the plan “was well developed with the newsroom.”<br /><br />I’m no romantic when it comes to journalism. The field has more mediocre schmoes in it than quality professionals – the same way with any profession. But the thing about journalists is that as a group they are more likely to be a gigantic pain in corporate’s backside than any other profession. And it should be that way.<br /><br />So when they’re quiet – or even cooperative – with corporate on such a rotten, smarmy notion as sponsored salons, you know that you have a cadre of professionals who had the stuffing kicked out of them. And they just want to hang on to whatever jobs might be left in a dying profession.<br /><br />As a result, the Washington Post might be a cautionary tale for leaders everywhere. When you suddenly hear silence from quarters where you would normally expect shrieks of outrage, that is not a good thing. That means that you have lost the heart and passion of the very people who used to care enough to send their very best.<br /><br />Mediocrity prevails when really great people stand by and go, “whatever.”Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-7687892779182845822009-04-19T11:41:00.001-07:002009-04-19T11:58:36.235-07:00How to Stay Motivated During Your Job Search<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-lern5Yb_NKgiQ2Ho4FehxZ7EvD4z3JxEX3gwI_Bc3Gsfu30hRSrWrjZxxGE8KrktOy0d7kyk3pmpU1GQxhQVLN8iTHA5ZdW3kjlFYaKeQBDP2RBYd5iJFLQ6v5BuXzszGlvqt4YBTAO/s1600-h/iStock_000004093529XSmall+copy.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_-lern5Yb_NKgiQ2Ho4FehxZ7EvD4z3JxEX3gwI_Bc3Gsfu30hRSrWrjZxxGE8KrktOy0d7kyk3pmpU1GQxhQVLN8iTHA5ZdW3kjlFYaKeQBDP2RBYd5iJFLQ6v5BuXzszGlvqt4YBTAO/s320/iStock_000004093529XSmall+copy.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326442168601349650" /></a><br /><br />Last week I sent out a request to readers to tell me how they were punishing themselves for being out of work. Boy, that was a mistake. My inbox was flooded with emails from people truly in pain for being jobless. They expressed their suffering in alcohol abuse, isolation, insomnia, weight gain (or loss), hopelessness thinking, neglecting the kids, you name it. I got it all. So this week I’m going to focus my message on practical steps for staying positive in terribly uncertain times.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Remember, you don’t get extra points in heaven for your misery here on earth.</span> You also don’t look smarter for being cynical. Not to belittle your suffering here (not at all), I would like to invite you to at least contain it in a sharply defined box, and not let it slosh over into all aspects of your life. Sure, when you do that, you will have really miserable people tell you that you’re just being silly, shallow, stupid by finding reasons to be happy. Let ‘em. Whole lives have been ruined by someone casually dropping their own D-bomb (D for despair, depression) on someone they just passed judgment on and then walking away from the wreckage, not realizing what they have done. Your life is your own to lead, and you owe it to yourself to find happiness wherever you can.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Listen to your heart.</span> If people keep hammering away at you to do the "smart" thing, and your heart is telling you different, listen to your heart. Every time I ignore my instincts, heart, desires, etc., and let myself get talked into something I really don't want to do, I regret it dearly. And quite seriously and painfully.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Treat regrets like cavities.</span> You can't erase regrets. I've tried. You can't even forget them, really. I've tried. Woulda coulda shoulda's should be treated like cavities: Permanent holes that should be identified, cleaned out from debris and the stinking ickies, and then filled with something really strong: gratitude, faith, hope, appreciation for what we have, lessons we don't need to learn again, that kind of thing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Have a plan of action.</span> The above-mentioned negativos would scoff at this and say, “well, duh.” Yes indeedy, duh. But here’s where I’m going with this: When you have a plan you have something to measure your progress against. Small wins – like how many phone calls did you make today? – are far more within your control than “did you get a job offer today?” Control will keep you from sliding down the muddy embankment of overwhelm. A plan will help you keep your spirits up, and that’s what we’re talking about today.<br /><br />A plan will also do something else for you: It will give you something to talk about instead of your frustration. This could be especially important when it comes to talking with your significant other. In my book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228264628&sr=1-11">Rebound</a>, psychologist Bill Berman talks about how the stresses that he sees in marriages, especially around the job search, come from the other spouse feeling shut out. And to be “helpful,” that person starts offering up some well-meaning ideas – which, of course, as we all know, usually makes matters worse. Having a plan of action will stave off the “just get any job, already” last-ditch suggestion.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Declare a moratorium on downward spiral thinking.<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> About 10 years ago, I was flat broke and living on Cape Cod (if you’re going to be stranded in life, Cape Cod is a good place to do that in). This was a time in the U.S. economy where it seemed that everyone was getting rich. And I couldn’t get a phone call returned, much less a paycheck. I couldn’t even keep a part-time job in a local bookstore, of all places. I was definitely in the trenches. I must have exuded some major loser vibe. So I would wallow in the question why? Why why why why why? <br /><br />One day I realized that this kind of thought habit was getting me nowhere, and probably cranking up the loser vibe to glass-breaking decibels. So I gave myself permission to stop thinking like that. For just a month. <br /><br />I still worked according to plan. I just gave myself permission to not feel bad about myself and my lot in life every single second of my waking (and most of my sleeping) hours. The relief was the kind of serene, heavy blanket of quiet that can only be compared to those seconds between cramp contractions. It really does feel better when it stops. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Raise your sights, don’t lower them.</span> We’ve talked about this in this space before. Don’t go for jobs you’re clearly overqualified for because you think they’ll be a sure bet. They won’t be. Remember: entry level does not mean easy entry. And healthy hiring managers are not going to be attracted to candidates who are so desperate that they’ll take “anything.” That’s insulting to everyone, including the hiring manager. And you’d be taking away an opportunity from the person who is the right fit for that job. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Be a cluster buster.</span> Great networking (the kind that will get you your next job) is about meeting people in totally different clusters or groups than your current selection of social and professional circles. Use all that energy that you were using beating yourself up, and channel it in the direction of meeting people you wouldn’t have otherwise met before. Seek out one-on-one meetings with these people. I’ll be talking more about that in future columns. But you can certainly teach yourself this material in the meantime. Don’t wait for me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Don’t depend so much on job boards.</span> They’re good but they’re limited. And every time another half million people lose their jobs (that would be monthly these days), your competition is getting stiffer and stiffer. You’ve got to make your own way. Again, I’ll tell you more about that in future blog postings. Just know that over-reliance on online postings is playing a huge role in bringing you down.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Go out and play. </span> As I’ve mentioned to you before, there have been tons of studies done on how people are more innovative, creative, and optimistic that day after they had a good time -- not the day after they kept their nose to the grindstone. Infusing your life with fun also helps keep up your resilience. If you have children, you also get the side benefit of knowing that you’re setting a good example to the kids that happiness does not depend on a steady paycheck.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lay off the booze.</span> Really. And pills too.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Coddle your noodle.<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span> I know, vitamins and healthy food are expensive. But you are placing a lot of demands on your mind right now, putting your brain through its paces. Give yourself the brain food you need to keep it running at its best. Blueberries, strawberries, walnuts, salmon, carrots, spinach…you’ve seen this list before. Augment the food with a multivitamin, E, all the B’s. We’re talking about keeping your spirits up here, and your brain needs every possible support it can get right now. Don’t be mean to it.<br /><br />Likewise, <span style="font-weight:bold;">watch your explanatory style</span>. When your phone isn’t ringing, what are you telling yourself as to the reason why? When the other person on the line is sounding peevish, is it you? One of my favorite expressions these days is “don’t believe everything you think.” If you punish yourself by assuming that everything bad or disappointing that’s happening is happening because of you, somehow, knock it off.<br /><br />If you have trouble getting to sleep, you might <span style="font-weight:bold;">consider relaxation or self hypnosis tapes</span>. My favorite (and I’m just saying this, I’m not making a penny off of this recommendation) is almost any “paraliminal” from Learning Strategies Corporation. (www.learningstrategies.com) There’s one on relaxation which knocks me out. But I like almost all of them, except the one on peak performance. My preference is the ones that feature just Paul Scheele’s voice alone. The ones he does in collaboration with others make me feel rattled.<br /><br />(I have trouble staying asleep. So in the middle of the night I just reach for the earplugs and start one up all over again.)<br /><br />In the morning, <span style="font-weight:bold;">practice mind control</span>. My waking nano-seconds are my worst time. For decades I’d wake up with a self-abusive tape already running (it’s amazing I’d even be willing to go to sleep the night before, knowing what would be in store for me upon my waking up). A few years ago, I resolved to start up my own brain engine in the morning. So the second I felt myself coming awake, I’d intentionally tell myself all the good things I could about my life, my world, my place in it, etc.<br /><br />Yes, yes. I’m aware that might come off as very Stuart Smalley to some of you – especially you cynics out there. Tough. All’s I can say is that most of us would never talk to a tender young child the way we talk to ourselves. So if you are like me and somehow got the idea that despicable self-talk was the same as emotional discipline, then you need to change your tune – especially in the morning.<br /><br />Finally, <span style="font-weight:bold;">take your lessons, impressions and influence from positive people</span> who are out there enjoying life and finding ways to thrive. In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228264628&sr=1-11">Rebound</a>, I spoke with people who were laid off and then landed happily. I wanted to talk to those folks with happy endings to report. Let the news programs focus on the dread tales of over-qualified people humiliating themselves in the job search. That’s helping them sell ads; it’s not helping you keep your spirits up. I wanted to help you keep your spirits up by showing how happy landings can and do happen.<br /><br />Keeping your spirits up will be your most competitive advantage when it comes to finding your next job. Hiring managers will want to work with the person they will enjoy being with 8, 9, even 10 hours a day. Not some sad sack who says, “I just want a job, any job.”<br /><br />Remember the lessons of Tigger and Eeyore in Winnie the Pooh. You want to be Tigger. <br /><br />PS: Another GREAT way to start the morning is by watching this following visualization tool. It's by the folks who brought us The Secret. I don't know what I think about the Law of Attraction but I do know that an uplifted spirit is its own reward. So check this out. It's free, wonderful, and you can watch without having to sign up for anything: <a href="http://thesecret.tv/secret-to-you/">http://thesecret.tv/secret-to-you/ </a><br /><br />PPS: If you have a favorite way of keeping your spirits up, email me at martha@reboundyourcareer.com and I'll send you a free PDF of my first book, Find Your Calling, Love Your Life.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-82745218506224879592009-03-13T18:38:00.000-07:002009-03-14T04:49:34.854-07:00If You're Worried About Acing the Interview, You're Barking Up the Wrong Tree<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPqqnLQAZ_eC-Yj00zKpeV7RtuO5sBLAE7fOiI2MFqzAW5D_qAM1q8a9QjSqLfBKc6xmifpK4vvuV3JomLujGR6GAX-alsu7o4EWv5VvdblhkOGrPIPdrIp40ghlQ3bsmh2XUCMHrVZBM/s1600-h/iStock_000001939067XSmall.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 212px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPqqnLQAZ_eC-Yj00zKpeV7RtuO5sBLAE7fOiI2MFqzAW5D_qAM1q8a9QjSqLfBKc6xmifpK4vvuV3JomLujGR6GAX-alsu7o4EWv5VvdblhkOGrPIPdrIp40ghlQ3bsmh2XUCMHrVZBM/s320/iStock_000001939067XSmall.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312850657352980818" /></a><br />It’s hard to be choosy these days, isn’t it? The news is filled with stories like the public school that received more than 700 resumes in response to an advertisement for a janitor’s position (did you hear the emphasized detail that the resumes had to be put into a safe? What’s the deal with that? I truly don’t understand what that signifies. I’m thinking that’s just media hype, designed to get you all in a dither about something that’s neither here nor there.). It’s hard to hold onto hope and high standards for what kind of job you’d like to ultimately land when you’re surrounded by messages that the job market world is coming to an end.<br /><br />Buy into the terrible headlines that people are losing jobs right and left (and, make no mistake, they are), and you’ll be tempted to abandon all hope for a job that’s good enough for you. But let me remind you, as Lauren Doliva said in my new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228264628&sr=1-11">Rebound: A Proven Plan for Starting Over After Job Loss</a>, there is still a war for talent. “And talent is winning,” she said. <br /><br />In other words, find the job opportunity that matches your skills, abilities and passions, and you’ll nail the interview – regardless of how worried you are about whether or not you’ll “ace” it. People are still looking for you. You just have to find those folks. And that means you have to be just as choosy as your interviewers are.<br /><br />Easier said than done, right? Right. I get that. And it’s hard to forget that it’s the interviewer who has the ultimate power to actually offer you the job. I get that too. But remember, you have the ultimate power to say yes or no to that job offer. “Talent is winning the War for Talent,” and you’re on the winning side. Even if we find ourselves in a national economy of 10% unemployment, that means 90% of America is still working. So why not you?<br /><br />So what does this have to do with worrying about “acing” the job interview? One word: Desperation. Regardless of whether you’re single or married, you probably remember at least one date when all you wanted to do was crawl out of the restroom window. Puppy dog eyes that transmit the message, “you’re my best and only chance for happiness.” Ew! Just typing those words makes my skin crawl. Memories….<br /><br />So what are you going to do to keep the desperation to a low boil? Or a low howl? Here are some ideas:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Keep your dance card full.</span> Don’t just rely only on online job boards for lining up interviews. If you do, you’ll be sitting at home staring at the unringing telephone forever. Seek out networking conversations that might lead somewhere, even if that lead is only more introductions to additional people you can have informational conversations with.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Get over your aversion to networking. </span> I’m writing a new book right now with the ultra-fabulous <a href="www.duncanmathison.com">Duncan Mathison</a>, who is teaching me (and ultimately you) all about the fantastic networking techniques that remove you from those expensive, soulless, schmoozy schmoozy hiya hiya mixers that make you want to run screaming for the ballroom doors. But while we’re waiting for the book to actually hit the stores, I’ll share with you what I can. Let’s just say for the moment that one introduction leads to another. And you probably haven’t yet met the person who will offer you the job of your dreams. That person will most likely come into your life through a series of personal referrals. And it’s likely that you have met the person who will ultimately lead you to that person. Hmmmm, who could that be?<br /><br />In the meantime, network your brains out so that you have plenty of options to pick from (or at least you feel as though you do), so you won't worry so much about "acing" the only interview on your calendar -- all the while ignoring the signs that you could be walking into the job of your nightmares.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Remember that when you are in the interview itself, you must be just as careful a shopper as the interviewer is.</span> When you’re talking with the person who might be your boss, find out from him or her specifically what makes the person who will ultimately land the open position a top performer – in the top 20% sparkly bracket. First of all, it’s important to know exactly what those characteristics are. But it’s also important to know if your potential boss actually knows what those characteristics are. How can you please a boss who doesn’t know what he or she actually wants? And then decide whether or not you want to please your boss in just those ways. Qualify your potential boss just as much as they're qualifying you.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Make sure you are willing to actually meet those characteristics.</span> If you’re picking up a vibe of prejudice, attitude or cynicism, don’t automatically think, “it will be different with me.” It probably won’t be. But you won’t really know for sure until you find out what’s behind that ‘tude.<br /><br />I remember that during my first job interview, I heard the sentiment, “It takes a special person to do this job well.” Well. Let me tell you, that spoke directly to my confused, codependent heart. I thought to myself, “I’m a special person. Whatever the challenge is, I’ll muscle right up to it.” Translation: “I will earn your love.” Boy was I wrong. Boy was I stupid.<br /><br />What I should have said was, “Really? Tell me more. What do you mean by, uhm, <span style="font-style:italic;">special</span>?” If they were honest they would have said, “You won’t mind being treated like crap by a narcissistic prima donna witch – I mean, boss. You won’t mind being humiliated in front of strangers. You won’t mind being on the receiving end of smug abuse from the person who just had the job before you and was promoted to be your direct supervisor. You won’t mind being set up to fail by people who really don’t care that this is your first job and maybe you could use a little kindness and understanding.”<br /><br />If all of those things were said to me in answer to a question that I posed: “Really? Tell me more,” then I would say that I aced the interview by getting the fact that I didn't want it. I got the job. I took the job. I lost.<br /><br />I get emails all the time from people who feel abused by their bosses. They need so much help and emotional support. But the first piece of advice is “beware of the dog.” And in this case, that dog might be a lousy job. Don’t be so eager to ace a job interview that will chain you to a dog.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-23850575226558576502009-02-28T12:02:00.000-08:002009-02-28T18:14:57.301-08:00Don't Turn Your Back on Love<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_9ALVJxtEfFfdA8nPWNNMc-DdiRr14hH2Y4twkHSCHS57AaVjdfX4cY85bfvLdJJmO0OwVC5kq8b1FZCRVNhwjA3eX4oNTKEH6Si95gKFmHfh2SsYTLxgbP_ugKgHvtUCE5kQcsvTcyU/s1600-h/DSC00417.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_9ALVJxtEfFfdA8nPWNNMc-DdiRr14hH2Y4twkHSCHS57AaVjdfX4cY85bfvLdJJmO0OwVC5kq8b1FZCRVNhwjA3eX4oNTKEH6Si95gKFmHfh2SsYTLxgbP_ugKgHvtUCE5kQcsvTcyU/s320/DSC00417.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307936640237503426" /></a><br /><br /><br />Anyone who knows me well enough to be invited into my house will tell you I have a lot of (I mean, too much, of) several things: towering stacks of aging <a href="http://www.nytimes.com">New York Times</a> that seem to share in my delusion that I really will get around to reading them all, magazines that have bought into the same lie (<a href="http://www.coastalliving.com">Coastal Living</a>s get read, <a href="http://hbr.harvardbusiness.org/">Harvard Business Reviews</a> never see the outside of their poly-bags, I’m sorry to say), and books. (There are some who might say that I have too many cats, but I don’t let those people in.)<br /><br />Some of the books are cynical (like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Working-People-Talk-About-What/dp/1565843428/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235850494&sr=1-1">Working</a>, by Studs Terkel). Some are silly (like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Your-Cats-Just-That-Into/dp/0761139478/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235850557&sr=1-1">Your Cat’s Just Not That Into You</a>, by Richard Smith and David Sipress). Some are cherished, like <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Airmans-Odyssey-Antoine-Saint-Exupéry/dp/0156037335/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235850606&sr=1-1">Airman's Odyssey</a> by Antoine de Saint Exupery (you know, of Little Prince fame?). <br /><br />But the one that brings today’s post to mind is Marsha Sinetar’s book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Love-Money-Will-Follow/dp/0440501601/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235850803&sr=8-1">Do What You Live and the Money Will Follow</a>. I’m so glad to see that just one week short of its 20th birthday, it’s still going strong. Especially these days.<br /><br />My worry for “these days” is that people are going to be tempted to give up on pursuing their passions, turning a deaf ear to that still small voice, in favor of pursuing some kind of career alternative that is “smart.” Smart or quixotic, we have all been leveled by the same economic scythe. And there will be some of us who might be tempted to put aside our yearning, burning passions to go after retraining in some field that the business magazines have identified as the top careers of the next decade (give, take). <br /><br />Well, given the state of the journalism career path these days, my question is this: If it’s so smart to go after those jobs, how come the business journalists themselves haven’t dropped their press creds like poisoned pen letters and gone chasing after those gigs themselves? Answer: When your calling is in your blood, there’s just no ignoring it. <br /><br />You still have to find work that you can love. It has to do more than paying the bills. In fact, if you have found a life’s work that falls just short of paying all the bills, don’t change the job, reduce the bills. Here’s why:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You will like what you see in the mirror. </span> We are not our jobs. And we certainly are not our income. But we are definitely made up of how we spend our working hours. Are you proud of what you do and who you do it for? I sure hope so. That kind of pride is cheap to acquire and excruciatingly expensive to lose. Either way, it’s precious.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You will like whom you work with and for.</span> When you are doing what you love, people who choose to enter into a transaction with you already have something in common with you. There’s a parallel universe of mutual respect that you two immediately engage on. And that just gets any conversation off on the right foot – especially a business one.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You become a much more valuable (read: indispensable) employee</span>. Passion-driven projects ignite your imagination. And when your imagination is sparked, so is your capacity for innovation. And when that happens, boy-howdy! Companies see you as the ticket to their market dominance (at least the smart ones do, and you only want to work for the companies that get it). Which isn’t to say that you won’t ever get laid off again. But if it happens to you under those circumstances, you will rightly recognize it as a loss of a job, not of your livelihood. Big difference.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">You’ll love your life 10 years later.</span> Yesterday I reconnected with a friend I had met through work a little over 10 years ago. We haven’t seen each other in a decade but we threw our arms around each other and hugged long and hard (the kind of hug that you get when you’re not thinking to yourself, “okay, was this long enough?”).<br /><br />I met Evelyn about the same time I discovered my own life’s calling and passion – which is, oddly enough, to study joy in the American workplace. The minute I discovered the kind of work I would love forever, I discovered a new part of myself to love. And when that happened, I discovered a whole new way to reach out to the world and connect with people I will love for the rest of my life. It’s quite a satisfying sequence, let me tell you.<br /><br />So good times/bad times will come and go. And the jury is out as to how long this particular spate of bad times will persist. So while we’re sitting this one out (to whatever extent we’re sitting it out), let’s learn about love and how we can express it through the work we do and the people we meet along the way. <br /><br />Not a bad gig, if you ask me.<br /><br />Special free offer (really, no catch): If you would like a free PDF copy of my first book, <span style="font-style:italic;">Find Your Calling, Love Your Life</span>, email me at martha@reboundyourcareer.com and I'll send it to you right away.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-73556973749413150422009-02-23T05:59:00.000-08:002009-02-23T06:01:01.086-08:00Make Up Your Mind to Change Your Life in 2009: Part 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQoBnlsBcfTqw9ZAHhCKpEo0e5ydtwJf0mOkXX_OnrKGg7bAYmRn9cVqNClaVO1FABn1S4N6PyHYC53vF7NCZt4YAUx1WubhnbjUArw6xfLtlYOwAv_dKiPHEiYC8q5vbagwSEVCiCAD4/s1600-h/0+(2).JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQoBnlsBcfTqw9ZAHhCKpEo0e5ydtwJf0mOkXX_OnrKGg7bAYmRn9cVqNClaVO1FABn1S4N6PyHYC53vF7NCZt4YAUx1WubhnbjUArw6xfLtlYOwAv_dKiPHEiYC8q5vbagwSEVCiCAD4/s320/0+(2).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5305724687910837730" /></a><br />Much to everyone’s surprise, it gets really cold here in New Mexico in the winter – frozen-solid-birdbath-water cold. Consequently I’m never in a hurry to slipper-shuffle down the long drive to the newspaper box – not when the flannel and down on my bed are so warm. And so my first news fix happens even before my first cup of coffee. Courtesy of <a href="http://www.cnn.com">CNN</a> and my remote control.<br /><br />This morning there was a segment about how seasoned executives are competing with 14-year-olds for summer jobs with theme parks. One former executive/current job candidate is quoted as saying how this is her chance to do what she’s always wanted to do, which is work with animals and people. To which I thought: Yeah right.<br /><br />And then I thought: Uh oh. Here comes a whole new Recession-era story line: It’s gotten so bad out there that seasoned executives are competing head to head (in a manner of speaking) with youngsters who can barely be trusted to upsell by simply saying, “You want fries with that?” And then quickly on the heels of that dread scenario will be the executive applicants’ frustrated conclusion that “I am such a loser, I can’t even compete with a pimply pre-pube.”<br /><br />What recruiter in his or her right mind would even consider a seasoned, middle-career executive for a job that a teenager can – and, by the way, should – do? There’s the over-qualified issue, of course. But even more to the point, these people are totally non-applicable. If we’re going to see more of this kind of behavior, we should add a third category to the problems of being qualified. You’ve got over-qualified (which is often code for being, well, you know). You’ve got under-qualified. And you’ve got N/A qualified. That’s where these people land. <br /><br />Recruiters know that as much as these people might want the gig now, if they are handed a six-figure job offer in July, they’re going to ditch their summer job in a twinkling. They also know that the supervisors are going to be barely post-pubescents themselves. And who wants that kind of power issue going on? And, perhaps most compelling of all, if you’re talking customer service, just think of all those parents taking their kids to these parks for a jolly holiday and, perhaps, an escape from their own woes. Do they really want to hand their money over to someone just like them? Do they want to be reminded on their day of escape, “Don’t judge, you could be me before too long”? I’m thinking probably not.<br /><br />N/A stands for non-applicable. It also stands for non-appropriate. And it just isn’t appropriate to crawl down your career ladder just for the sake of a job – even if you need one so badly that first paycheck is all that stands between you and Snidely Whiplash. Plus it’s insulting to everyone involved: you, the hiring company, all those kids who really deserve to take their spot on the first rung of their own career ladder. Entry-level does not mean easy-entry.<br /><br />Which brings me to Step Two of my conversation with certified executive and life coach, and licensed mental health counselor Meredith Kaplan. (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/blog/post/PLNK312LHJ7QLPRCM">Click here for Step One: Acknowledge Your Feelings</a>) Merry (that's her pretty picture at the top of this blog posting) says that if you want to change your life in 2009, <span style="font-weight:bold;">Know Your Core Genius</span> is the essential second step. If it’s counting correct change, filling bags of popcorn, and filing customers onto whirl-and-hurl rides, great! Knock yourself out. But I’m thinking you’re capable of more than that. It’s largely a matter of remembering what those things are and holding on to them for dear life.<br /><br />“You owe it to yourself to figure out what your core genius is,” she says. “If you do it by yourself, brainstorm the answers to such questions as: <br /><br />‘Where have I had peak experiences?’ <br />‘What have I done that no one else can do quite like I can?’ <br />‘What is it that attracts people to me in terms of my work-related skills?’ <br />‘What is it that attracts people to me in terms of who I am as a person?’<br />‘What is it that I have or can do that is unique from other people?’<br /><br />“These are the traits, skills and passions that can take you further in your career,” she says.<br /><br />If you come up with a big, fat, “nuthin” when you ask yourself those questions, it could be that your self-esteem has been so hammered by your rough patch that you can’t see yourself as clearly as your friends can. So, says Merry, go to your friends for the feedback you need to get that clear picture of who you really are and what you can really do. <br /><br />“Seek out people who really know you, people you can really be yourself with, and ask them straightforwardly, ‘What do you think my strengths are?’” she says. Those are the things you want to expand on and use to position yourself in the career marketplace.<br /><br />Keep in mind all the elements that make up your core genius and you won’t be so tempted to give into the siren song of “gimme a job, any job will do.” First of all, you won’t get it. Secondly, be glad. Just imagine how silly you would feel if you encountered on Saturday the guy who interviewed you for an executive job on Friday. Only now you’re wearing a silly hat and counting change.<br /><br />(To contact Merry directly, email her at meredithkaplan@bellsouth.net)Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-58063593668946025182009-02-08T09:46:00.000-08:002009-02-08T10:10:02.554-08:00The Children Are Watching<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sxz3W82i6PvI6t-XMD4eAOzayweH6i5hTVH48kd6TYtdNzr8uypP6Ywx5CY2ujUchJROMk2OW3hx0mX9T9I8j_vQHDy27DDhpI7glEZMAV0e-VVEeKc0WI5JrhlpUxDnKV88lLR8-KY/s1600-h/iStock_000005466158XSmall(2).jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_sxz3W82i6PvI6t-XMD4eAOzayweH6i5hTVH48kd6TYtdNzr8uypP6Ywx5CY2ujUchJROMk2OW3hx0mX9T9I8j_vQHDy27DDhpI7glEZMAV0e-VVEeKc0WI5JrhlpUxDnKV88lLR8-KY/s320/iStock_000005466158XSmall(2).jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300488458709343506" /></a><br />Looking back on my own career of 30 some-odd years, I would say that the single most important event in my professional life didn’t even happen to me. It happened to my dad. He got laid off just five months before I graduated from college. <br /><br />I’ve mentioned him before in this column, but in case you’re new here, let me give you a little detail. Well, as much detail as I know myself, which isn’t much. See, he was a covert case officer for the <a href="www.cia.gov">CIA</a>. In street lingo, that means he was a spy. But technically speaking he wasn’t. His job was to recruit spies. We were stationed in places, oh, like Miami, Berlin, Mexico City, Madrid, Munich, Vienna, and, of course, he was in Saigon for a while where he wore a flak jacket over his nerdy 1968 business suit. Students of the Cold War would see this list of cities and go, “check, check, check.” And then rightly conclude: “Wasn’t home much, was he?” Nope. He went on a lot of “business trips.”<br /><br />Anyway, I’m telling you all this not to brag (well, maybe just a little bit) but to set the stage for why I’m so passionate about the topic of children and work. I learned two things by watching my father through the years. It’s completely unacceptable to do anything you’re not totally passionate about. And, then finally, there is no security in job security. I think the only reason why I’ve never been laid off myself is because I laid my own self off the moment I heard that my dad lost his job – via a callous pink slip that was handed to him while he was on assignment in Mexico City, right in front of a classroom full of baby spies he was teaching that day. <br /><br />Children of divorced parents, who then see their standard of living plummet when the parents split, learn very early that poverty is just one decision away. And children of laid-off parents learn the same thing. No matter how passionate, brilliant and dedicated you are to your profession, unemployment is one decision away. <br /><br />And just as children of divorced parents grow up reluctant to throw heart, body and soul into an intimate, romantic relationship, children of laid-off parents get very early that you can’t really trust what your employer says about job security. <br /><br />In my heart of hearts, I’ve always been “self-employed” because of that hard understanding that there’s no such thing as job security. And while this might be a moderately healthy attitude for an individual to take, it’s really too bad for employers who might have benefited from my talents, skills and dedication to their organization’s mission. <br /><br />During this time of laying people off, we’re almost in an anorexic thrall. The compulsion to trim and slim seems to have taken on a life of its own – or at least a momentum that is going to be extremely hard to stop. But it will stop one of these days, and you’re going to need to start hiring again. <br /><br />Where will you get your talent? If this current economic situation lasts as long as the doomsayers predict, you may be drawing your most new hires from the generation that is today’s kids – those kids who are right at this very moment finding out that mom and/or dad are suddenly – and through no fault of their own – without a job. <br /><br />Assuming you’re still in HR when that time comes, you may look back on this time and think, “Oo, maybe we should have given more thought to the kids.” Remember, it was only 10 months ago or so when we were obsessing about the impending hiring crisis as Baby Boomers retire and their replacements fall short of both numbers and knowledge. That crisis is still coming toward us (even though maybe some of the Baby Boomers won’t be retiring quite so soon).<br /><br />So how can HR keep the faith with future generations of workers when so many companies (not yours certainly) are breaking faith with their current employees? Here are some ideas, and I sure would welcome more as they occur to you:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Assume the leadership that is rightfully HR’s to govern the lay-off process in your organization.</span> Make your process absolutely top-notch, humane and as generous as you can and drive it from the top. Don’t passively allow individual departments, divisions, businesses, leaders decide who they’ll run it as independent fiefdoms. That’s when stupid management tricks begin to take over. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Make <span style="font-style:italic;">humane</span> the guiding principle of all your lay-off procedures and practices. </span> Tell people what to expect as soon as you know. Maybe some essential talent will ditch the ship before you want them to, but you’re also going to see that the bulk of your people will stick around and help you turn off the lights – if that is indeed your new mission. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Give your people every reason to go home and say good things about your company. </span> Offer them lavish advance notice that their jobs will be eliminated; give them the flexibility they need to search for new jobs while on their current job; pay for training that they need; offer them developmental assignments that will give them essential experience that they can talk about in upcoming interviews. If you have to furlough them only temporarily and you really want them to still be available to you, pay them a reduced salary if they dedicate their free time to community volunteer work. If you have to lay them off completely, remember that you still need to get their work done. So implement new contract-worker programs to keep them onboard as freelancers.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Make sure that coaches and child/family therapists are available to your employees as a resource.</span> Your people may be so thrown by the shock of losing their jobs that they don’t realize how what they say at home will affect the motivation and dreams their children will have about the future. Families in the throes of this stress, shock and even despair shouldn’t be surprised to see school performance suffer and grades plummet during this time. No parent wants to see their children fail, either now in school or later in life. So this is a crucial time in their own children’s development. Help them out with this.<br /><br />There are all sorts of basic, human decency reasons why employers should support the entire family through a lay-off crisis. But this is business, right? So here’s the business reason to remember that children are watching: One of these days you’re going to want to turn the lights back on again. There’s a whole generation out there who you’re going to count on to throw the switch. Whether they will or won’t tomorrow depends completely on how you treat their parents today.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-36441363656477075822009-02-08T09:41:00.001-08:002009-02-08T09:45:54.657-08:00Do You Know Anyone Who Needs Hope and Encouragement After Being Laid Off?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwzz0vBbg-8Zsb-_7QXPSwFd4hiwLvgUmlExvffiMoqFX2nNenh808Xsy_1sXrPa5uwhQ7lR8uCXilwdHNXX18SauNCDQljNOAGx_fwNoxlTILdwCi_7SZ9_1UEkdZ1Xo_YqK32ft07g/s1600-h/0137021143_cover.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwzz0vBbg-8Zsb-_7QXPSwFd4hiwLvgUmlExvffiMoqFX2nNenh808Xsy_1sXrPa5uwhQ7lR8uCXilwdHNXX18SauNCDQljNOAGx_fwNoxlTILdwCi_7SZ9_1UEkdZ1Xo_YqK32ft07g/s320/0137021143_cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300483268262188450" /></a><br /><br />My new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228264628&sr=1-11">Rebound: A Proven Plan for Starting Over After Job Loss</a>, hits the bookstores this week! Get it online by clicking the link (which sends you to Amazon) or visit your local bookstore. Barnes & Noble has been a special friend to Rebound, so I bet you'll be able to find plenty of copies there!Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-82384105120490666772009-02-06T09:55:00.001-08:002009-02-07T14:44:35.381-08:00Make Up Your Mind to Change Your Life in 2009: Part 1<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfqSOYfaC-eZtgN51NLCoCy_323hpXNxwmjXJYc_8AtaSA7QRZFFcVwa4hCsi2IqNCpvqE7jYOSUDgksW6qmFb9Q8HD0__I1BZD2vCwwNhl0Afm_vSbodEfeqNv_u7WgaD9Iicl9uu-z3/s1600-h/0+(2).JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfqSOYfaC-eZtgN51NLCoCy_323hpXNxwmjXJYc_8AtaSA7QRZFFcVwa4hCsi2IqNCpvqE7jYOSUDgksW6qmFb9Q8HD0__I1BZD2vCwwNhl0Afm_vSbodEfeqNv_u7WgaD9Iicl9uu-z3/s320/0+(2).JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299734041638932898" /></a><br />If you're a magazine nerd like I am, you might remember when <a href="www.self.com">Self</a> magazine was first published. I loved that magazine, especially the feature that always appeared in the back, called Fresh Start. It was always just a one-pager, featuring the story of how one young woman changed her life in a really significant way. Oh how I missed that department when they canceled it. I just loved stories of people who were given the chance to begin again.<br /><br />Well, here's the deal now. With hundreds of thousands of people being laid off and many more facing the prospect of losing their jobs in upcoming months, we're all being given the chance to begin again. Woo-pee! Right? Yeah. I didn't think so. But, like it or not, change is being handed to us, if not actually being shoved down our respective throats. So we have a choice: we can change our lives intentionally, or have them changed for us. I pick the first choice. Which would you pick? <br /><br />But, you know as well as I do that no life change can actually stick unless we make the change from the inside. And we have to make that choice happily and hopefully (not in the context of dread and punishment). So, to get the best possible advice for all of us, I went to one of my favorite sources for mental health counseling and positive thinking -- Meredith (the very aptly nicknamed "Merry") Kaplan. (That's her pretty picture at the top of this posting)<br /><br />(I also interviewed her for my chapter on handling rage in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228306268&sr=1-11">Rebound: A Proven Plan For Starting Over After Job Loss.</a>)<br /><br />Merry (meredithkaplan@bellsouth.net) is a licensed mental health counselor and an executive and life coach with a national clientele (but she herself is based in Palm Beach Gardens, FL). And she gave me this six-step process to align your thinking around change and to organize the way you manage your life from here on out. <br /><br />We've broken this interview down into seven parts. Use this process and see what your life is like by 2010! We're thinking that this action process will prove to you through real experience that you do have the power to make your life exactly what you want it to be. So...here's Step One:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />Step One: Acknowledge Your Feelings</span><br /><br />Merry says, "It's so important to acknowledge your feelings because if you don't you are in denial. And your denial will hinder the process of setting a new course for yourself. Once we are in denial and we are not accepting, we limit ourselves from opportunities for success, opportunities to visualize what it is that we want from our future. Also by acknowledging your feelings, you are able to share them with those near and dear to you. When you are able to verbalize how you feel, you are able to get the support from the people who are in the best position to help you emotionally. They'll be able to understand how you're feeling and respect the journey that you're on. Even if all they can do for you is be a circle of good listeners, that's a very important part of your toolkit for change."<br /><br />Merry says that even though there might be social pressure to put on a happy face and hide your true feelings, regardless of whether you are a man or a woman, you really need to be fully and expressively authentic with both yourself and your closest friends. <br /><br />"Because of our socialization, it's much easier for women to express their feelings and have their friends and female relatives acknowledge those feelings and be empathetic. It's more difficult for men to express their feelings, especially to other men. When they do have someone in their lives that they really can share those feelings with, it certainly lightens the burden. They can actually reduce the possibility of psychosomatic illness that comes when they internalize toxic feelings. That's when they develop all sorts of stress-related medical problems. So it's extremely beneficial for both men and women to acknowledge their feelings to both themselves and to confidants whom they know and trust."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">So Rebound Readers:</span> Here's your assignment for the day...Make a list of all the emotions that are swirling around you right now. Get them down on paper. And then make another list of your closest confidants -- your spouse, your golf buddy, your walking partner, and resolve to set aside some time to share with them those feelings that you might be trying to ignore away, feelings that maybe you think might put you in a bad light. Take that risk. <br /><br />You know you would want your friends to do the same with you, if they were wrestling with a life change challenge. You would want to be there for them. And, I'm willing to bet, once you show them how to open up, they just might give you that chance themselves!Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-15651412010362110292009-02-03T04:50:00.000-08:002009-02-03T05:07:08.520-08:00Do You Know Anyone Who Needs Hope and Encouragement After Being Laid Off?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5wgl54twQqyRu-g7ygFgsLUSvPiRqPdsCgEotm-lwhLWuPdhdf1gJDMQs8Ma85cS84oQ7Xup-JMaXXfzrgByfRz_umrmNCHpOd_g7h8X1UjBNTwAzFLvUbxVe9aTX3hS6SfaOM-vdzo/s1600-h/0137021143_cover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo5wgl54twQqyRu-g7ygFgsLUSvPiRqPdsCgEotm-lwhLWuPdhdf1gJDMQs8Ma85cS84oQ7Xup-JMaXXfzrgByfRz_umrmNCHpOd_g7h8X1UjBNTwAzFLvUbxVe9aTX3hS6SfaOM-vdzo/s320/0137021143_cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298553280221632562" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">REBOUND IS OUT NOW!<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span><br /><br />Hi everyone:<br /><br />Sorry for the commercial, but I'm so excited to see that <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Rebound/Martha-I-Finney/e/9780137021147/?itm=1">Rebound</a> is now available online and in bookstores! I just had to tell you!<br /><br />For those of you who have been following me over the last couple of years, and then wondered why I disappeared in November, this is the reason why! I was busy writing the book I hope will give a lot of comfort and perspective to people who are facing the prospect of being laid off. <br /><br />I write about career, legal, financial, family, personal emotional issues. And there are three aspects I'm especially proud of in this book:<br /><br />1. I interviewed the top experts in their fields to bring the absolute best possible advice together in one volume.<br /><br />2. Rebound features a collection of first-person stories of people who have been laid off, the lessons they learned along the way, and how they landed happily in their new careers.<br /><br />3. Each chapter concludes with three quick action items: The best thing you can do; the worst thing you can do; and the first thing you should do. <br /><br />I hope you and the people you love aren't facing this crisis right now. But who doesn't know someone who is going through a layoff? Here's hoping that Rebound will give them what they need to come out the other side stronger than before!<br /><br />(By the way, at the moment <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233666362&sr=1-3">Amazon</a> is temporarily sold out -- they sold out within an hour of the book being available! But Barnes & Noble's online store has copies still. And Amazon will get a fresh supply any day now!)Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-91427481760674747842009-02-01T10:37:00.000-08:002009-02-01T11:25:56.575-08:00Confidential to HR and Other Execs Who Have to Lay People Off: Great Idea!(Do you know anyone who needs help, advice, inspiration, and hope after being laid off? Please send them to my new blog, Rebound Your Career! It's based on my new book entitled, amazingly enough: Rebound: A Proven Plan For Starting Over After Job Loss, which will be available online and in bookstores everywhere on February 9! Hey! Just around the corner! Yay!)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Check out <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/business/01pre.html?_r=1&ref=business">Preoccupations</a> column in today's NY Times.<br /><br />The title: "Handing Out the Pink Slips Can Hurt Too," which is eerily close to the title of chapter 12 of my new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233516282&sr=1-3">Rebound: A Proven Plan For Starting Over After Job Loss</a> (It's available on Amazon tomorrow!!!!!)<br /><br />In my chapter I help the readers understand the HR perspective on this terrible time. This way they get at least some comfort in understanding what it's like to be you these days. Not so much fun, is it? I didn't think so.<br /><br />Embedded in the NY Times article is such a fantastic idea, I wish I'd thought of it. But I'm really glad someone did...and much better that this guy did because the NY Times is better at spreading the word. Here it is:<br /><br />When you have to lay off really cherished high performing employees, write a recommendation for them on their LinkedIn pages.<br /><br />Laying people off, especially people you love and you know your company really needs, is excruciating. It's a terrible time for you. So helping them get their new future off on the right foot is essential to both of you!<br /><br />Don't forget to look for ways to hire them back -- even if it's only on a contract or freelance basis. You still need to get the work done. And they still need the work.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-64677848835752911872009-01-27T05:08:00.000-08:002009-01-27T05:24:37.655-08:00Do you know anyone who has been laid off?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypYJ_Xl-OOtj4kVlqGbZFqLoBvELZZc_H5LsjaQwUHDyrDrX6WLCVCNqlcrxvoa4Nd8jsm4T1gNpShEJsIdzP3fP3HNQWmb7QTUz8tJhLrCrYmzSn20UmP6ZwkgGKKqlOSSk_QmaQJpQ/s1600-h/0137021143_cover.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 205px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypYJ_Xl-OOtj4kVlqGbZFqLoBvELZZc_H5LsjaQwUHDyrDrX6WLCVCNqlcrxvoa4Nd8jsm4T1gNpShEJsIdzP3fP3HNQWmb7QTUz8tJhLrCrYmzSn20UmP6ZwkgGKKqlOSSk_QmaQJpQ/s320/0137021143_cover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5295961861871977554" /></a><br />Hi Everyone:<br /><br />The media has already designated yesterday as "Black Monday." 68,000 jobs were lost in US companies. And the job loss doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon. <br /><br />You might already know that the reason I was so quiet on this blog during the November/December/early January time frame was that I was busy writing a new book, specifically for people who have been laid off. It's called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228306268&sr=1-11">Rebound: A Proven Plan For Starting Over After Job Loss</a>. And it's coming out Feb 9! Just a couple of weeks away!<br /><br />If you want to learn more, visit <a href="www.reboundyourcareer.com">www.reboundyourcareer.com</a> <br /><br />But I also wanted you to know that I'm carrying on the conversation I started in Rebound with a new blog: <a href="www.reboundyourcareer.blogspot.com">www.reboundyourcareer.blogspot.com<br /></a><br /><br />Since most of the HR Journeys followers are in the people side of business, I thought that you would want to know that I've created this source of advice, hope, inspiration, even a laugh or two on my other blog! I hope you enjoy it. And I hope you'll pass it on to the people who need it most!<br /><br />Let's hope this year is over soon and we can return to the business of building dreams.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-81141181946048274572009-01-21T03:44:00.000-08:002009-01-21T17:34:47.886-08:00Best Resolutions for HR in 2009When I wrote last year’s Best Resolutions article, it was very clear that the HR leaders in the country could see big trouble coming right around the corner. And now that it’s here, the question has become: How does HR handle the people side of business now in such a way that we will emerge from this unprecedented time powerful, proud of how we’ve managed these tough times and with our corporate cultures intact? Employee engagement is difficult enough when times are good. But now that times are bad by every possible measure, this is where we discover the essential ways that HR can continue its leadership role to drive the company toward a future outcome that everyone can be proud of.<br /><br />With that in mind, here is what HR leaders are recommending to be some of the Best Resolutions for HR in 2009:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution #1: I will tell the truth.</span> David Russo, former Senior Vice President of HR of the famously engaging <a href="http://www.sas.com">SAS Institute</a>, and now CEO of <a href="http://www.eno-one.com">Eno River Associates</a>, follows up that resolution with this mandate: “HR will not participate in sugar-coating problems. HR will not allow the organizations to either broadbrush or whitewash situations. HR will face up to management and hold their feet to the fire. <br /><br />"HR will handle things such as re-engineering, downsizing, right-sizing, diversification, and divestiture with honesty, logical business purpose and compassion. HR will not become a partner to bloodletting. HR will tell the truth: ‘This is what we’re going to do, and this is why we have to do it. This is survival mode and this how we’re going to survive.’ HR will make sure that by telling the truth that the best right people are not sacrificed in an effort to stem the tide.<br /><br />“If it’s communicating up, horizontally, or down, I’m going to tell the truth,” recommends Russo as a resolution for all HR professionals. <br /><br />“And don’t get wrapped up in little protective lies that turn into big hate-filled conundrums,” he concludes. “When that happens, the trust would be gone forever.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution #2: I will hold onto the commitment of employee engagement now more than ever.</span> No company can ever afford to be cavalier about customer service and the customer value proposition. Ever. Especially now. And the thing that we’ve learned about employee engagement over recent years is how inextricably linked the engaged employee is to the quality of the customer service promise. So, even though companies must lay people off and cut resources back to the bare bone, they still have to do it in a way that’s consistent with the established employee value proposition. <br /><br />Says Loren Nalewanski, Vice President, Lodging HR – Work Environment, Marriott International: “The time is ripe for us to ensure we handle all these difficult decisions with dignity and respect for the individual. We have to be making smart, critical decisions that allow us to emerge beyond ‘09 and into ‘10, and even beyond, very very strong. And we have to have the right mindset about our people as we move into this difficult year and not make knee jerk reactions to what’s happening all around us.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution #3: I will be even more passionate about working with leaders to become positively clear about their personal values, their moral compass, and what they stand for. </span> Says Courtney Harrison, former Managing Director of HR for the U.S. Olympic Committee and now senior faculty member of the <a href="http://www.ccl.org">Center for Creative Leadership</a>, “We keep seeing companies that are going bankrupt, laying off masses of people, or under investigation for legal issues. We’re watching people get led away in handcuffs. And every time we watch another one of these scandals, we think, 'Well, at least we learned our lesson.' But it still keeps happening. <br /><br />“Good HR people know that the solution doesn’t lie in putting together a one day class on ethics or establishing an ethics policy. True leadership, especially in today’s world is about risk taking, courage, and standing up for what you believe is right. <br /><br />“Leaders need to be absolutely grounded in who they are,” she says. “And this requires a personal investment and discipline to be reflective. It takes time, and potentially money. And their organizations must be willing to invest in the pursuit of more personal exploration. <br /> <br />“In tough economies, the few great companies out there stand out because they’re the ones that forge ahead with leadership and leadership work,” says Harrison. “They don’t say, ‘we’re pulling back on it because we can’t afford it.’ If there’s ever a time to afford it, it’s now when you need it." <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution #4: I will take the leadership role in moving the company forward in creative uses of people. </span> Says Lauren Doliva, Managing Partner, Chief Advisor Network, <a href="http://www.heidrick.com">Heidrick & Struggles</a>, “Companies may be trying to reshape themselves in the context of reductions in force, but in about six months to a year, they are going to discover that there is still work to do. But now there are fewer people to do it. Now’s the opportunity to think about how you’re going to reshape the process of getting your work done.”<br /><br />The Free Agent idea is alive and well. And those free agents may be the very people you laid off a few weeks or months before. They know the workings and culture of your organization, their relationships with your clients, vendors, etc., are still current. And they may be willing to take your calls now – now that they’ve had the chance to process the shock of having been laid off. Whether you choose to go with the people you laid off from the company, or bring in entirely fresh cadres of talent and innovation, open your mind to the notion of bringing in the best people for the projects at hand. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution #5: I will remind myself that this is a marathon and not let the current economic crisis alter our strategy and focus on acquiring and retaining the best talent possible.</span> Julie Weber, Senior Director, People, for <a href="http://www.southwest.com">Southwest Airliines</a>, says that you may have slowed down new hiring – maybe even shut down that pipe completely – for the time being, but don’t lose sight of the fact that you’ll be hiring again one of these days. And effective recruiting necessitates a long ramp up of identifying and cultivating relationships with your target talent. Don’t wait until you need them to spring into action. You will already be too late.<br /><br />“From a recruiting perspective, she says, “I might be tempted to just turn off the recruiting machine and focus on something else for a while. But recruiting is a marathon, and over time conditions will change. We have got to keep those recruiting fires burning. We have got to keep ourselves in the game. We have to continue to be out there promoting Southwest as a strong employer. We have to continue to stay on top of where the great candidates are from a strategic sourcing perspective.<br /><br />“You may not be building for this afternoon, but you’re recruiting for the next two or three years. Take college recruiting, for example. In order to get the best talent that’s out there you have to start finding those students and talking to them early on in their college career. Not when they’re seniors. College recruiting isn’t something that you can just turn on quickly and be successful at it."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution #6: I will help my organization retain its confidence and competence so that we can get through this.</span> Says Marianne Jackson, Senior Vice President of HR, <a href="http://www.blueshieldca.com">Blue Shield of California</a>, “We have a good number of people in the Gen X and Millennial generations who have never had to lead through such a remarkable economic crisis. It’s HR’s role to help people keep things in perspective and to discover ways to use innovation to sort through challenges that require solutions that are unlike anything they’ve used before. <br /><br />“When we’re talking about how HR can help an organization come out the other side of a crisis stronger than before, the usual thing to do is to hunker down and cost manage, do lay-offs, slow down hiring, and try to manage through the implications and effects the crisis has on your brand. <br /> <br />“In this case, we have to focus on the confidence of both the organization and its people. This crisis is hitting everyone – often twice in the same household if both wage-earners are laid off. Then as people lose confidence they lose their ability to innovate. So we have to be committed to providing a lot of compassion.”<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Resolution #7: I will stay on top of how my people are handling this crisis personally.</span> Senior Vice President of HR for <a href="http://www.lowes.com">Lowes</a>, Maureen Ausura, agrees with Marianne. “It’s easy for management to take it for granted that when employees show up for work, they leave their personal troubles in the car. And, even though there is an historical crisis going on right now, we expect there to be no change in their performance. <br /><br />“So our profession this year needs to make sure we know how our employees are feeling and how we can help." <br /><br />I’ve already heard those dreaded words that I thought we had left behind in the 1970’s: “They should just be grateful to have a job.” <br /><br />When I raised that issue with Maureen – strictly from a devil’s advocate perspective, of course, she said: <br /><br />“That attitude is extremely short-sighted. We know that customer service and satisfaction is what distinguishes Lowes. And our employees are not going to be serving our customers if we’re not serving them. Employee engagement principles drive so many positive business results, that to replace them with the point of view that we’ll just replace them if they’re not performing is extremely short-sited.<br />“If you damage your reputation as a great employer now, it will take a long time to recover. You can’t just all of a sudden say, “Oh! Now we want to be an employer-of-choice again. People have very long memories.”Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-53596139511092328432008-12-30T08:26:00.000-08:002008-12-30T08:50:42.481-08:00Do you know anyone who has been laid off?Hi everyone:<br /><br />If you know anyone who has been laid off, they might like to know about a new blog I launched just yesterday. Please help me spread the word:<br /><br /><a href="www.reboundyourcareer.blogspot.com">www.reboundyourcareer.blogspot.com<br /></a><br /><br />This blog will be a destination for people who are between jobs, and who need to feel less alone and more in control of their careers and destinies. I'll be adding lots of practical advice, as well as interviews with experts on career management, professional development, finding work, what to do in the meantime, and how to get their proverbial foot in the door. I will also include lots of stories of people who were laid off and who landed happily in their next jobs.<br /><br />Please help me spread the word about this blog! And I'll do the rest!!<br /><br />Happy New Year to everyone who follows HR Journeys!Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-22718474254357830432008-12-28T15:24:00.000-08:002008-12-28T15:34:37.121-08:00Rebound: Your Most Important New Year Resolution If You're Laid Off(This is the first posting in a series based on everything I’ve been learning since I wrote <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1228306268&sr=1-11">Rebound: A Proven Plan for Starting Over After Job Los</a>s, which will be published in February. But you can order it now on Amazon and get a special pre-pub price.)<br /><br /> If you’re one of the roughly bajillion people who have seen, read, bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Rhonda-Byrne/dp/1582701709/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230506729&sr=1-1">The Secret</a>, you know about the Law of Attraction. Personally I’ve got mixed feelings about the Law of Attraction (even though it did seem to work pretty well for Oprah…she made out okay). Apply just a little bit of pressure on me (like, say, a gun to my head, my hand on the Bible or my face on TV), and I just can’t step forward and say “thoughts become things.” Matching vibrational intention with the universe strikes me as being a healthy helping of what I uncharitably refer to as “oogy boogy,” an attitude that makes me pretty unpopular here in New Age Santa Fe. (My neighbor, just for an instance, buried a crystal in our dirt road to ward off the evil spirits emanating from the south – which is basically where you will find Albuquerque.)<br /><br /> All this being said, I have to cop to a confession: When I first saw The Secret, I immediately bought at least 10 copies and sent them to all my friends (well, most of them; there was one absolutely absurd segment about a woman laughing her way through breast cancer, and I just couldn’t send the dvd to my friend who survived breast cancer with the help of a knowledgeable oncologist, a scalpel and massive doses of radiation). Why? Because the film made me happy just to look at it. And I wanted to share that feel-good with the people I love. And on top of that, there’s a fantastic five-minute <a href="http://thesecret.tv/secret-to-you/index.html">video</a> available for free through their website that is designed specifically to help you start your day with a song in your heart and wings on your spirit. I watch it as often as I can – without wearing down its inspiring effects – and it gets me every time. Makes me so glad to be a human being on this wacky, rocky, wonderful, nerve-wracked planet.<br /><br /> And my starting the morning with an upbeat frame of mind just stacks the odds in my favor that I’m going to have a productive, creative, innovative day with at least one or two happy surprises by the time I turn off the light at night. It’s not a metaphysical thing. It takes no leap of faith or suspension of belief. It’s just the way things are.<br /><br /> It’s an actual scientific fact that people who are of a positive frame of mind are most likely to find creative solutions to thorny problems, bounce back from setbacks, appeal to other positive people who actually work for great companies that treat them well and that are hiring. This isn’t about the Law of Attraction, it’s about the fact that people who are happy are generally fun to be with. And people who are fun to be with attract other people who are fun and happy. You know, it’s a birds-of-a-feather kind of thing.<br /><br /> When you are happy, you’re more receptive to the idea of having fun (not to mention to fact that you’re more likely to be invited to do fun stuff with other fun people). And, a Harvard study actually proved that nose-to-the-grindstone types had more difficulty finding creative solutions to a work problem than people who reported having fun the day before.<br /><br /> So what’s the most essential resolution for you in 2009 if you were laid off in 2008 (or if you think that you might see the dreaded pink slip in 2009)? <span style="font-weight:bold;">I will build my happiness muscle and protect it at all costs.</span><br /><br /> Ugh. How can anyone expect to be happy in these times, especially when they’re out of work? Reasonable question. But by giving into the assumption that happiness is more easily had in an environment of employment stability and financial security, you’re depriving yourself of what could be your most valuable tool for resilience, possibility and success that will see you toward a brighter, more fulfilling future.<br /><br /> In case you find yourself giving over to the dark side, here are a few notes on happiness that might help you stay committed to the brighter side:<br /><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Happiness is free.</span> Yeah, yeah, I know. Cliché. But you know how clichés become clichés? Because they’re true.<br /><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Happy people attract happy people. </span> And, as I’ve said before, lots of happy people have jobs and they’re happy to share inside info on what openings there might be. Happy people are more likely to share just about everything they’ve got – even if it’s their last packet of ramen noodles – because they’re pretty sure that a very cool surprise, or lucky break, is on its way to them. Any day now.<br /><br /> Happy people notice those lucky breaks and then take advantage of them. A few years ago Richard Wiseman wrote the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Luck-Factor-Four-Essential-Principles/dp/1401359418/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230506930&sr=1-1">The Luck Factor</a>, in which he outlines four “essential principles” for being lucky. Principle Three is “Expect Good Fortune.” Just knowing that it’s on its way can’t help but lift your spirits. And when it finally comes, guess what. You’ll notice it. And it will make you happy.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"> Hiring managers don’t offer jobs to people who bum them out. </span>I was a very lucky girl the day I happened to turn on Oprah and she had Randy Pausch as her main guest. (If you know The Secret, you probably also know <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Lecture-Randy-Pausch/dp/1401323251/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1230506990&sr=1-1">The Last Lecture</a>. I vote for The Last Lecture.) In their interview he said that we have a choice in life: We can be the mopey, grumpy Eyore. Or we can be Tigger, who revels in all things and finds joy everywhere. (A friend of mine has a sign on her fridge, featuring Tigger, with the words, “no bouncing before breakfast.” Makes me smile every time I think about it.)<br /><br /> The thing is, said Pausch, people love to hang out with Tiggers. And that includes employers. If you insist on being an Eyore and you find someone to hire you because he or she just so relates to your many melancholy moods, run as fast as you can in the other direction. Better yet, bounce.<br /><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">Happy people have great stories to tell.</span> Have you ever noticed how unhappy people tell bummer stories? I noticed that about myself a few years ago when I was indulging in a bummer litany during my daily emails with my oldest friend across the country. I was complaining about this and that, thinking that each anecdote was riveting. After all, Nora Ephron’s mother said that anything bad that happens to a writer is just material. I discovered that I was really boring myself with this brand of material. And I resolved to stop gathering that brand of material. So the minute I realize that a relationship or circumstance is about to give me material, I get out of that situation pronto. (Except for customer-service horror stories; my friend and I still love to trade those hurts-so-good tales from our cross-country lives. Actually we love to wallow in them, like long hot baths, until we get all pruny.)<br /><br /> The resolution to sustain a happy outlook comes bundled with a whole new set of stories that will be made available to you. Your radar is adjusted, and you start picking up signals that you might otherwise be missing. Examples, for instance, of kind people doing good things for each other. Or great <span style="font-style:italic;">deus ex machina</span> stories of people landing amazing jobs that are perfect for them. And, back to the attraction thing, as you start telling those stories more and more, a happier breed of person will be joining your audience – while the sad sacks slink out of your life.<br /><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">You’ll be setting a good example to all those who take their clues about life by watching you.</span> If you have kids, you’re teaching them how to relate to uncertainty. Uncertainty is part of their destiny – that’s one of the few things I can tell you right now with any certainty. Handling uncertainty with confidence and optimism is a skill set that they’re going to need more than any generation before them. It’s up to you to show them how it’s done. Do you tell the dread stories of woe, horror and outrage? Or do you focus on what’s good, hopeful, positive and happy-making? To borrow from David Bowie: Let’s bounce.<br /><br /> If you have to wait a while for your next job or lucky break to catch up with you, you might as well have fun doing it. Punishing yourself isn’t going to shorten your sentence of languishing between jobs. You don’t earn your chance at good luck by beating yourself up or denying yourself the pleasures of each day. The days are really all we have, as Pausch, I’m sure would tell you…if he could. So love each one and love your life within those hours.<br /><br /> Happy New Year. By which I mean, <span style="font-weight:bold;">happy<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span> New Year.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-85258642047108849672008-12-15T12:30:00.000-08:002008-12-16T08:42:04.551-08:00Maybe We Should Stop Caring About What Other People ThinkWell, I'm back. Didn't think I'd be posting twice in one day (especially after such a long silence) but reading today's Business section of the NY Times pulled me back to the computer. <br /><br />Two items hit me between the eyes (I don't even want to talk about the articles about newspapers going down the tubes, that's too upsetting). The first item is actually a series of articles about the alleged Madoff Ponzi scheme, where investors are losing up to $50 billion (maybe even more) because they trusted someone who may not have been so trustworthy. What really stood out for me was not the truly tragic stories of super-annuated Palm Beach investors who lost millions. What stood out for me was the handful of individuals who chose not to invest their money with Madoff simply because they felt that he played too close to the vest regarding his investment strategies. Despite what other people thought, they chose to listen to themselves and honor their own judgment.<br /><br />The other item was in the same section, describing an elaborate University of Alberta research project involving bookstores, pens and coupons. The results of that research project? If you stand *behind* someone who uses a low-value coupon to buy a pen, other people will think you're cheap.<br /><br />To which I have only one thing to say: Who the hell cares?<br /><br />Clearly, someone at the NY Times business section thinks it's important for you to know that standing even in the immediate vicinity of someone who is making a frugal purchase is damaging to your own reputation.<br /><br />Could other people's opinion be so important that you're willing to change your behaviors to accommodate them. To this extent? <br /><br />I'm reminded of the subscription renewal notices that I get from magazines, at least 6 months before my subscription is actually due to expire. Big type on the envelope screaming, FOURTH AND FINAL NOTICE! There's something inside my little reptilian brain that tells me "oh my gosh! People are thinking I'm a deadbeat!" The people inside the circulation department of the magazine? Maybe. The postal carrier? Maybe. But obviously SOMEONE must be thinking I'm a deadbeat...look at these envelopes! I can just smell the judgment! I just don't know where the stink is coming from.<br /><br />Another article in the New York Times a few weeks ago also tried to impose other people's opinion on me regarding the so-called Interview Suit. The article was accompanied by a movie still from the 50s of Hope Lange enduring scathing judgment from prospective coworkers. Was her slip showing? No. She was wearing, gasp!, the DREADED WRONG OUTFIT!<br /><br />The point of this article was that, according to the experts interviewed, if you're not wearing precisely the right outfit, in precisely this year's colors, accessorized with precisely the right shoes, with precisely the right heel, you might as well kiss that job opp goodbye. Several of my friends called my attention to the article, sharing the same opinion of "oh my gosh! it's really getting brutal out there!"<br /><br />But looking closely at all the experts who were quoted, it was clear that every single "expert" had a stake in making you feel inadequate and a sudden urge to go shopping. For, coincidentally enough, an up-to-date interview suit. <br /><br />Now I know there are tons of elegantly dressed HR professionals out there, but I would venture a guess that no one stops to see if you're wearing a 2005 Jimmy Choo or a 2008 Jimmy Choo. Personally, my philosophy is that if there are no holes in the soles, and the heels aren't worn down so much that they resemble a door wedge, I'm good to go. <br /><br />Life is complicated these days, no doubt. And sometimes we need experts to help us understand what the best ways are to use our resources. But I think that one of the reasons why we're in such a mess economically is because a lot of us turned our backs on simple math and common sense, because we figured the next guy was smarter and more knowledgeable than we. We've been caught up in a machine that runs on using OPM -- other people's (read: ours) money. And we've allowed ourselves to exchange our common sense for OPO -- other people's opinions.<br /><br />I think it's time for us to remember what is truly ours, and hold on tight to it (money and opinions)regardless of which way the crowd is going. And to anyone who wants to estrange us from either, we should be asking them: Okay, what are you really selling?<br /><br />But that's just my opinion.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-60102792451708213132008-12-15T09:56:00.000-08:002008-12-15T10:03:19.302-08:00Sorry to have been away for so long!Hello from a snowy Santa Fe!<br /><br />I'm looking out my office window and am watching a Rocky Mountain snowfall that started as a rainstorm in LA. <br /><br />This is just a quick posting to explain my silence for almost six weeks! I've been writing a new book! This one is on how to manage your life, finances and career if you're thinking a layoff is in your future. <br /><br />The book is called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rebound-Proven-Plan-Starting-After/dp/0137021143/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229364008&sr=1-12">Rebound: A Proven Plan for Starting Over After Job Loss</a>. And it will be out in February!!<br /><br />Click the link on the title above and read more about it on Amazon.com<br /><br />Next up: Best Resolutions for HR in 2009 -- my annual posting of how to grow your HR career in 2009! Plus more exciting news about HR Journeys! So...come back next week! And I'll have more details!Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-6964768877692711672008-11-09T10:05:00.000-08:002008-11-09T11:09:47.977-08:00It's Good to Be Bad<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF-7KRu71MhgUJdtOB-mOVcKVuIcpBYnmTFzwWsIY2O9cebaGMEqmgjv5LZrtMtuBLsLRk5AJQk9GcA7ZnO6jXMj2FegT76mbgyfsLgqdEklEORptaixE92zYCSusRT9sANUetLPF558/s1600-h/DSC00372.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFF-7KRu71MhgUJdtOB-mOVcKVuIcpBYnmTFzwWsIY2O9cebaGMEqmgjv5LZrtMtuBLsLRk5AJQk9GcA7ZnO6jXMj2FegT76mbgyfsLgqdEklEORptaixE92zYCSusRT9sANUetLPF558/s320/DSC00372.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5266736155965873666" /></a><br />Actually, until last week, I thought I had this “not knowing stuff” thing down cold. The bulk of my livelihood comes from my talking to content experts and then delivering their wisdom to the rest of the world in a way that ordinary folks (like me) can understand. So I’m pretty comfortable being in strange territory. I figure that all I have to do is come with an open mind, sincere curiosity and passionate desire to learn, and I’m 90% there. It’s my job and I love it. It’s great to be paid to learn, and then to turn around and pass that learning on.<br /><br />So I have to live in a perpetual state of humility, almost always being the one who’s asking the questions. But until last week, I didn’t know what real humiliation is. You see, last week I was the rock-bottom performer in a four-day bootcamp class of all rank newbies -- 40 of them. I was so bad, in fact, that I couldn’t even work up a huffiness when one of my classmates said to me in the elevator at the end of the third day: “It’s funny…you really stand out in class. Maybe it’s because you’re just so bad at this.” The fact that he was absolutely, positively, objectively, inarguably correct took any wind out an indignant reaction that I might have been able to muster up. <br /><br />It didn’t feel like he was trying to be mean. He was just thinking out loud. The only thing I could say in response was, “Yeah, you’re right.” Word to wise: This is why God made thoughts silent.<br /><br />So why was I putting myself through such humiliation? Professional development. Here’s the short version of the story: A couple of months ago I was wallowing in my all-time favorite place on earth (my bed), idly clicking the channels, flipping primarily from the Food Network to the Travel Channel. A commercial on the <a href="http://travelchannel.com">Travel Channel</a> broke through the fog enveloping my attention span, the basic message being: Learn to be a videographer the Travel Channel way! “Learn! Shoot! Earn!” <br /><br />Well. I’d been thinking that it was long past time for me to learn how to use a video camera and post footage online (I mean, if beer-soaked doofuses can do it on Youtube….). Fortunately my laptop was within reach, under a pile of old newspapers and magazines, so I hopped online and checked it out. The promise: For a hefty chunk of cash (not counting travel, lodging, equipment rental), and the commitment of four days of paying <span style="font-style:italic;">really</span> close attention, I too can learn everything I need to know about the wonderful world of professional videography! And guess what! The course is scheduled to be held in Santa Barbara the last week of October! (Other than the dog-friendly beach in Carmel, Santa Barbara is my second favorite place on the planet.) Sign me up! I’ll figure out the money thing later.<br /><br />So I show up with the mature attitude that, “I’m here to learn.” I didn’t aspire to be a National Geographic documentarist or even a Travel Channel “preditor” (producer/editor). I don’t need to shoot footage of Andrew Zimmern burping up chocolate-covered scorpions. I just want to be able to record my wonderful interviews with workplace-world thought leaders, so the material looks more like Charlie Rose or Bill Moyers than footage of some unfortunate sun-addled weekend athlete who wrecks his chances of procreation with some ridiculous stunt with his above-ground pool. See? My aspirations weren’t entirely out of the realm of reasonableness.<br /><br />So we had two assignments during those four days: to shoot two 1-minute videos. The videos that my fellow students came back with were amazing: Harbor cruises with seals basking on buoys, a guitar maker, a guy who keeps kids off the streets by introducing them to the world of skateboarding, an artist, parrots at the zoo, an alpaca farm, a cupcake baker, a haul of sea urchins and a guy eating one right there on the dock (can I just say: ick), a surf fisherman. Forty students (well, 39) each did two fantastic segments.<br /><br />And now we shall compare and contrast: The first of my two videos was of a picture framer staring blankly into a wall while his computerized matte cutter went round and round. Riveting stuff. (Teacher’s assessment: “Only one way to go from here, and that’s up.”) My second video: A shopkeeper scratching her nose while trying to figure out how to operate a cell phone that a customer had left behind. (Teacher’s assessment: “Well, it’s an improvement.”)<br /><br />I mean, I was really sweating that second video. And was actually very proud of it until I realized that everyone else in the class had also improved hugely. Damn! So now you know why I really couldn’t get my dander up by my classmate’s frank observation. Just can’t argue with the truth.<br /><br />While I was driving back to Santa Fe from Santa Barbara (12 long hours with my thoughts, about three months’ worth of NPR’s Fresh Air loaded on my Ipod, and a healthy dose of rationalization), I started asking myself what wisdom I can bring back to you guys. Here’s what I came up with:<br /><br />• To get good, you have to be willing to start out bad – and maybe even stay bad for a while. <br />• It’s not about the grades. Now that you’re an adult, it’s about taking onboard the skills you need to fulfill your dreams and potential.<br />• Now that you’re an adult, candid commentary from an expert isn’t the end of the world. It can actually be a sign of respect. Maybe even good for a laugh – even if it is at your expense.<br />• It’s okay for others to be better than you, as long as you’re getting what you want and need out of the experience.<br />• You may not be as smart (or as good, or even as quick a learner) as you thought you were. But as long as you’re learning what you came to learn, that’s what counts.<br />• To get smart, you have to be willing to be stupid – even, like, really stupid.<br />• Never think out loud. The person whose feelings you inadvertently hurt may be a popular blogger with a global reach of a quarter million readers. She just might be in the mood to name names...and then hyperlink your name to your email address.<br /><br />But then probably not. That would be mean. I'm not mean, I'm just baaaaaad.<br /><br />Would I do the course again? In a heartbeat. I loved it! Can’t wait to start practicing! I might even find my work on the Travel Channel one day. It would be nice to show the teacher that bad can eventually become good. With practice, of course.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052977887816352139.post-86835525435677519092008-10-27T18:46:00.000-07:002008-10-27T18:51:21.891-07:00Don't Be a Victim in the RecessionYou know what really worries me about the hard economic times? Sure, the financials are scary enough. But as an expert in employee engagement who remembers the work world of the late 1970s/early 1980s, I’m afraid that the bully bosses are going to come out of the woodwork like cockroaches in the night. It’s been a couple of decades since I have heard that disgusting phrase: “Just be glad you have a job.” And I’m really hoping that all we’ve learned about the business value of employee engagement won’t just disappear in the face of some new version of the Dark Ages.<br /><br />I’m afraid it’s already beginning to happen, though. The number of emails I’ve been getting from readers who are being belittled and abused at work is increasing exponentially. While I don’t give individual career advice, I would like to offer some ideas as to how to prevail – even thrive – careerwise and emotionally during these hard times. (Believe me, I know how it feels. That’s why I got into employee engagement in the first place.)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Cultivate your options. </span>If you have a bully boss, he or she is going to go after the weak ones first. And that could be you. If you feel like your only option is this rotten job you have, you’re going to be at higher risk for broadcasting the vibe that says, “Oh my God, please don’t fire me!” That’s like catnip to the bully boss. You may think you don’t have any options going for you right now, but start shoving aces up your sleeve anyway. Just knowing that they’re there will silent that vibe. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Network your brains out. </span> Attend professional chapter meetings. (If you’re in HR, you must be a member of SHRM and your local chapter. No excuses allowed.) Reach out to your counterparts in other companies in your community, ask them to join you for lunch, even if it’s just yogurt by the town fountain (no need to bust the budget, everyone is counting their pennies these days). Volunteer for as many professional association and community projects and causes as you can. Do everything you can to be at the right place at the right time.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Don’t be too eager to please.</span> When you’re too eager to please, you’re not demonstrating your professional abilities and indispensability. You’re demonstrating the willingness to be a slave in return for a paycheck. A subservient posture isn’t going to guarantee job security, it’s going to guarantee further emotional abuse. Do your job well, go above and beyond the call of duty, but carry yourself with dignity and self-respect. That might infuriate your bully boss. Tough. Your self-esteem is precious. That’s your springboard to making positive changes for your future, so protect it at all costs. Even if the price is your job.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Make sure there’s something in your life that you’re excited about. </span> What are you proud of? Your children? Your great grades at night school? Your professional course of study that’s going to take you out of the tar pits that you’re laboring in now? The people you love in your place of worship? Your book club? The fact that you rebuild used bikes for needy children? Drawing a blank? Do something about that. You can’t control your boss’s behavior, but you can control how you show up in the world and what kinds of stories you tell about your life.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Keep your resume in circulation.</span> I don’t need to elaborate on that do I? I didn’t think so. Except that I have to say that when you take your next job, make sure your prospective boss meets your expectations – that person is courteous, respectful and actually likes people. <br /> <br />If you’ve got a certifiable maniac as a supervisor, <span style="font-weight:bold;">document document document</span>. You can take some satisfaction in the knowledge that other people probably know that this person is a monster. And they’re waiting for someone to take a stand. That could be you. But you’re not being paid to be a martyr. Keep good records of what happened, when, where, in front of whom, and what your part was in the incident. You never know where they could come in handy: Your HR office or your lawyer’s office.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Don’t put up with any crap.</span> You may have a bully boss, but your bully boss doesn’t have you. Carry that thought in your heart no matter what happens. Looking at your boss in the eye isn’t a firing offense, so keep your spine straight, your chin up and your dignity intact. Easier said than done, I know. That’s why it’s so important to have other resources in your life and work that give you support and satisfaction.<br /><br />I don’t mean to overstate the importance of taking care of yourself during these hard times, but I just can’t help myself: Victors of domestic violence will tell you that domestic violence almost always begins with emotional abuse. Little rudenesses almost imperceptibly escalate into true emotional brutality. The same people who will behave that way at home could very easily behave that way at work. Or they behave that way at work so they don’t behave that way at home. Either way, there’s every reason to expect controlling, belittling, emotionally abusive behaviors to show up in the workplace. If you find yourself the victim of demeaning, confusing, disrespectful treatment, keep two essential facts front and center in your mind: You don’t deserve it. And you always have options.<br /><br />So, back to Point One: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Cultivate those options</span>.Marthahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09411775876120480522noreply@blogger.com0