Building job security is simple but it sure isn’t easy.
“Are you adding real value or merely passing information along? How do you add value? By continually looking for ways to make things better. …Every hour of your day should be spent increasing the output or value of the output of the people for whom you are responsible.” Andy Grove on job security.
Why do some people appear to be bullet-proof when lay offs and bad economic times force many very talented executives onto the unemployment lines? Your value to the company is based on many attributes, but the bottom line IS the bottom line. As the CEO of your career, how you contribute and how you invest in the contributions of your team are critical factors for career stability. Continue reading 'Job security made simple'»
Branding, Coaching, Management strategies, Promotions, Uncategorized, career advice, career development
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Andy Grove, career advice, career development, career management, executive career, job security, Rita Ashley, six figure jobs
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 'Overcome the job hopping label: Personal brand to the rescue'»
Branding, Coaching, Management strategies, Promotions, Uncategorized, career advice
| career advice, career branding, career development, career management, networking, personal brand, Rita Ashley, six figure jobs
The intangibles will get you every time.
Since it is my job to give advice to people regarding career development and job search I dabble in a bit of anecdotal research to find answers. My style is to get the information right from the horse’s mouth: in this case, the executives who promote their direct reports (managers) to executive positions. Here’s what the corner office says about how to get promoted from manager to executive.
The first queries I sent out resulted in exactly the list of guidelines one would expect:
- Volunteer for more responsibilities
- Do what you can to stay visible
- Learn all you can
- Cooperate with other departments
- Deliver on your groups’ charter
- Stay up to date on the market and your area of expertise
- Maintain your brand
Continue reading 'What can you do to get promoted from manager to executive?'»
Jump from Director to Vice President
The biggest leap you will make in your career is from Director to Vice President. The jump from Director to Vice President is so difficult because a Vice President is commonly an officer of the company with implied legal liability.
The Board and “C” level employees are certain to vet a prospective Vice President very carefully because it is extremely costly to remove a VP once in place. Firing a Vice President creates bad publicity and can affect the stock price, not to mention the disruption of running the business.
1. The clearest path to jump to a VP level job is to be promoted. More commonly, currently in place Directors are promoted to Vice President because they have proven they can stand up to the challenge and the scrutiny of the Board. They have proven themselves in a manner no outside candidate can. Even if you are not especially interested in a longer career with your current employer, a promotion is your clearest path to VP. Take steps to make that happen possibly using a Coach. Once you have achieved VP status, you will be seen as a VP candidate generally. The key to promotion for a technology executive for any position, is to be seen as a business person who understands technology. Continue reading 'How to get promoted from director to vice president'»
Is there a tug of war to get your team to do what you need done?
When was the last time you had a new idea and spent most of your time ‘selling’ it to your direct reports? Or worse, monitoring to insure they do what they committed to doing?
How do you spend your time? Do you feel you spend 80% of your time with personnel issues instead of getting product out the door or landing that big sale? And how is turnover? A bit high? We know how expensive that is.
Frequent complaints professional employees make and in fact, reasons they change jobs are:
- I don’t feel appreciated
- My ideas are not acknowledged,
- I have no say in what I do.
First step. Abandon the idea you are responsible for the solution to every challenge. Let the team be the hero. Sure, you get the final vote, but if you are committed to a quality outcome, let your team participate in the decisions. When it’s their own, they have vested interest in a successful outcome.
Second Step. Approach all challenges from the standpoint of solutions, not problems. Teach your team a new vocabulary. Use this approach as you instruct them. Get the direct reports on board with reminders that stating the obvious isn’t a conversation starter. Have them tell you a solution, even if it isn’t a viable one; it starts the conversation and it changes the content from negative to positive: Here’s the situation and here’s what I propose to fix it. Continue reading 'Get what you want from your team the easy way for lowered stress, reduced turnover'»
Management strategies, career advice
| career advice, career development, career management, employee retention, engage teams, executive careers, job search, management tips, Rita Ashley, turnover
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Themocracy