Career development as an investment strategy; invest in your future.
Career development is not something most people think about. Most people are job-focused and ignore the impact today’s job has on tomorrow’s opportunities.
Why implement a career development strategy?
- Managing your career means you are likely to earn more money over your lifetime.
- As you age, excellent career development can alleviate ageism issues.
- With a career development plan in place, job search becomes easier. It is your hedge against unemployment.
- Your personal brand precedes you and jobs more often come to you.
- Career development planning reduces the risk of layoffs and obsolescence. Continue reading…
Executives: Create your personal brand to self-insure against economic downturn and the job hopping label
Career management for six figure executives is about building and maintaining a personal brand. Take it from Audi and Iron Man. Sales for the very high priced custom-made car jumped 10% after the release of Tony’ Stark’s latest adventure. It’s about product placement. It isn’t about one incident on your resume.
Today, I received a request for information by a reporter doing a piece on job hopping. His premise, all too familiar, is that the current economy = job hopping.
Of course, this contrarian takes exception to that concept because I know many people who were laid off had been in their jobs for more than three years; layoffs and company closings are equal opportunity career killers.
Continue reading…
Do you want your employees to be happy or satisfied?
Inc. Magazine posted an article by the founder of Zappos on why he sold to Amazon. The article bears reading for many reasons, but I was struck especially by its emphasis on ‘happy.’ I think that is an error in focus.
The whole idea of an employer making employees happy is presumptuous, in my view. There are too many variables not in the employer’s control. And an individual’s view of their happiness quotient changes, constantly.
As mentioned by both Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and Tony Hsieh, Zappos founder, rarely do people know what will make them ‘happy.’ Happy may be an allusive goal, some folks have it, others don’t. Happy isn’t an achievable outcome.
Control what you can control. Perhaps instead of happy, consider satisfied. (Some research indicates ‘happy’ is something one is born with.) Employee satisfaction can be ascertained, measured and even controlled. Beyond the formal testing/metrics, there is much you can learn just by being observant.
A few indicators to track employee satisfaction:
- Is there employee-traced vandalism?
- Is turnover high?
- Are people working productively?
- Do they volunteer for extra hours?
- Do they volunteer new ideas?
- Do they attend company sponsored events?
- Do they pick up after themselves?
- Do they refer their friends?
- Is there excessive absenteeism?
- What do employees say on exit interviews? Are they angry?
A coach’s view. I can share what is absolutely true and measurable. The reason most people leave their employer/job is they don’t feel appreciated. The corollary is also true. Many people accept jobs or stay in jobs where they are underpaid or perks missing because they know they can make a noticeable contribution will be appreciated, acknowledged and celebrated.
Continue reading…
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The price seems high the rewards, intangible; the value, great. So difficult to make that decision to hire a coach. Last night, I reviewed the statistics for a few of my recent job search coaching clients. Here’s what I found.
Client 1: Granted interviews with every company (10+) to whom he was introduced. Was told his resume was impressive and organized. Of seven options, it was he who declined to go forward with six companies, not the prospective employer. Once he decided on the two companies where he’d most like to work, received offers from both. Negotiations improved the offer of his choice. Continue reading…
What coach do I need?
My friend Michael told me he had been ruminating about his possible need for a coach. He told me he wanted someone well connected who could provide introductions and who could help him define what he wanted to do. He considered he could use someone to help him bring his management game up a notch as well. I think his is a common desire.
Unfortuately, it is not a realistic one. No professional coach would offer connections and introductions to a client. The coaching relationship is changed significantly if the coach takes such an active role in the coachee’s career.
Plus, the likelihood is low that a person actively engaged as a coach is actively engaged in your niche employment market. Instead, a good coach teaches how to make those connections and knows enough about how business works to guide you through your leadership challenges. Someone who has worked in your industry, preferably as an executive would be a good resource to consider.
The second part of his coaching proposition is equally flawed. If you are an executive and you don’t know what you want to do, you need to talk to someone qualified to administer personality tests and such; typically a psychologist. A coach helps you get you where you want to go and while a good coach helps you refine that goal, they do not engage in helping you select the destination. Continue reading…
Themocracy