MANAGING IN REAL TIME IS YOUR MEETING MIEN ENDANGERING YOUR JOB ? WHEN EVASIVENESS REALLY MEANS "NO" ARE YOU PREPARED FOR A STRONGER JOB MARKET ? MY ADVICE IS . . . MANAGING IN REAL TIME You may not have noticed but management techniques that were once considered fundamental tactics are slowly evolving, thanks to younger workers (22- to 35-years old) who are changing the rules. The boss _ who would like to get rid of many of them _ can sniff a coming labor shortage and has swallowed hard. The smart boss will learn to lead them. Here are some tips. Get rid of dead wood. Nothing makes management appear more inept to the young than seeing the boss manipulated by a fiftysomething with upstairs protection. Libby hasn't done one productive thing in 20 years but it would be too much trouble to get rid of her so you let her lie. Big mistake. Your younger workers will never stop buzzing about Libby and they will reduce effort to her level. Never will it occur to any of them to work harder to compensate for her sloth. Those days are gone forever. If you don't get rid of Libby, your younger workers will depart at the first opportunity. You'll be in a non-stop recruiting and fire-fighting mode. Be transparent. Let everyone know what you want done and how you want them to do it. Say, "Here's what I want, here's what I reward." If attitude matters to you make that clear. "I expect warmth in your voice when you talk to co-workers, internal and external customers. Create the effect that you're delighted to help out." Then reward those who do. Leave no one guessing as to what you might say or do in a given situation. Consistency is so important to a stable, productive department. Who wants to wonder what diva-like behavior the boss will pull today? Buy into the servant-of-the-troops school of management. Remember that perception is reality. Younger workers don't listen much to the grapevine. It takes an organization-wide crisis before they will ask a long-term employee what's going on. What they see is what they believe. If they see top management in closed-door meetings they aren't going to assume the group is planning a blow-out employee frolic or big bonuses. They assume big trouble is around and begin emailing their resumes. If management takes long lunches, abuses the work rules, and then turns on troops who follow suit, nothing spoken or written will convince them there is a consistent standard for everyone. Don't appear to dislike your job. Even if you do, nothing will demoralize the troops more completely _ or turn them off to the idea of ever moving into management themselves _ as seeing a boss they respect suffer in her role. If you don't want to manage people, get out of management. Don't hang around and play the martyr. You'll set a poor example and your turnover will reflect the troops' disillusionment. Fairness is more important than money. When hot projects are rotated among all department members you will get a better performance from even the marginal folk. Why? Who's going to turn on another cylinder when he knows he will never get to participate in _ much less head up _ a fun or career-building project? Equal opportunity doesn't only apply to hiring minorities. Understand that today's work place is episodic and project oriented. Cut jobs into chunks with deadlines and rotate the chunks. Projects with deadlines get the kind of effort managers dream of because that's the way younger people want to work. They like to compete against themselves. You set the goals and explain them. Then you can hold responsible anyone who doesn't perform. Stop expecting people to think like you or act like you. They won't. If you put the burden of self-management on people who don't even see the value in management, you're not going to get the result you intend. Instead, manage employees according to age and interest. You'll get a much better result. TOP IS YOUR MEETING MIEN ENDANGERING YOUR JOB ? Brainstorming meetings _ out of favor for a few years _ have recently been revived to the chagrin of all twenty-and thirtysomethings. You know how it works: Ideas are expected to be tossed out by the dozens in the hope that there will be one or two nuggets of genius among them. The problem is, you've heard them all before in excruciating detail. Your thoughts are likely to stray to a scuba diving vacation or to the 50-percent off sale starting today at Needless Mark-up. We've all endured similar meetings with caffeine-fueled individuals who believe they're about to revolutionize health care or solve the problem of global warming in this very room. How do you usually position yourself in these settings? Yawning is deliberate criticism. So is squirming, staring into space, drawing on a note pad, or having an out-of-body experience. Your co-workers will take your behavior as a personal assault. They will think they are bored with them, not just with meetings. Before you shoot yourself in the foot with your attitude, check off your responses to the following questions. 1. The last good idea developed by your group during such a meeting was: a. Last month b. Last year c. A good idea has never been presented at a meeting. 2. The ideas presented at brainstorming sessions are implemented: a. Sometimes b. Rarely c. Never 3. The last idea you presented was: a. Considered thoughtfully and finally implemented but altered beyond recognition. b. Used as a springboard for someone who took all the credit c. Ruthlessly stomped on 4. If you had an idea that would improve the company's market standing and add profits you would: a. Present it packaged as attractively as possible b. Toss it out casually c. Swallow it and wait for your next job If you checked more c's than a's or b's it might be a good idea to consider how your attitude is affecting your career. Meetings are part of the formal power structure. They provide visibility _ sometimes negative visibility _ for everyone who attends. If you don't make an effort to generate and sell your ideas, the group will conclude you don't have any or you're not a team player. When you don't follow the accepted model of participation _ enthusiastic brainstorming _ the group feels threatened and rejected. This is dangerous in an environment that clearly values meetings and thinks group activity is productive. (Remember that logic is not necessarily part of organizational culture.) Quantity is as important as quality. Brainstorming isn't designed to _ and rarely does _ generate practical ideas to be implemented before week's end. It's a vehicle for allowing people to think aloud and share whatever pops into their heads. If you're the black hole at the meeting because you don't want to present a less-than-perfect idea or be seen to add to someone else's idea, others will take offense. They'll conclude you have no ideas. Are you rebelling against the organizational culture? Will you succeed in changing it? We don't think so. What you are doing is raising doubts about your commitment to the organization and whether you and it are a good fit. Once your boss concludes there's no fit, your career in that department is over. It's a matter of waiting for someone to develop an exit strategy _ yours. The unique British parliamentary institution, the loyal opposition, never was transplanted successfully to any other organization. Just because the company's policy manual doesn't explicitly forbid opposition, loyal or otherwise, doesn't mean it will be tolerated long term unless you're the genius who saved the company with the killer brand. Even then, other ways will be found to punish you. Finally, discomfort is the surest test of fit. If the same procedures that your co-workers accept with little stress push you into overload, it's time to consider your options. Raising visibility with other departments that don't meet as often _ or ever _ should be your first option. Then it's on to the outside. TOP WHEN EVASIVENESS REALLY MEANS "NO" Many of our clients tell us they are frustrated by the lack of clarity from a boss or a hirer. For example, they've been kept dangling for a job offer, a promotion, an interview, a great letter of reference for months. The person who can do what they need done is elusive, rarely returns telephone calls, and offers no concrete explanation. Most people are inclined to wait it out and keep bugging the person. This is rarely a successful strategy. What they don't understand is that continually putting someone off means "no." The more verbiage that surrounds the negative, the less likely are they to hear the "no." Why doesn't someone just tell you that what you want isn't going to happen? It's more ethical, honest, and stand up. Unfortunately, there is a shortage of those qualities everywhere. In fact, in some organizational cultures they are non-existent. You have to listen between the lines. Here's an example: You haven't had a promotion in three years. A boss who tells you to be "patient" is really saying he doesn't want you to leave because it would be a lot of work if he had to train your replacement. You aren't going to get a promotion in next three years unless you make your boss a proposition: If he finds a higher level spot for you, you will train your replacement. If he's listening between the lines he will understand that if you don't get a promotion, you will launch a serious job search _ in fact, you may have done that already. If he has a gram of self-interest he'll realize that what's at stake is his comfort more than your career. It's the most successful strategy we know. Remember this: You may have to offer to recruit as well as train your successor. Your boss's hot button is convenience _ his. A boss who says, "It won't work," or "It can't be done." or "the culture here won't stand for it," is telling you none of the above. What he really means is, "I won't be part of pushing this agenda. If you want that, you'll have to go it alone." This is the most confusing way a boss says no. "I won't," is a very different message from, "It can't be done." Always assume that what you boss is telling you is the former, not the latter. However, there is a way to test the "it can't be done" pronouncement: Ask the grapevine. "Carrie, (who has been on the job for 30 years) did anyone every get a sales job when she had an IT background?" Carrie knows or will find out. She has no reason to tell anything but the truth. If the answer is no, you will have to change jobs if you want to move into sales. Before requesting anything from a boss, analyze what would happen if you got what you wanted. How would that affect your boss? Would you become a competitor, perhaps able to surpass him in time? Never expect anyone to act against his own interests, especially long-term employees. They are the true stakeholders. At some level your boss knows you won't be on board forever. This minimizes her need to help you because even if she does how will she get paid back? As the job market rebounds, you will experience _ or hear about _ many equivocating shambling bosses and determined employees. There is huge pent-up demand in organizations who've extracted huge effort over the past four years. Those who expended that effort are about to launch the greatest game of musical chairs ever. The boss saying "no" today is taking account of what he sees as his future, your future, and the organization's future. Even if you're grossly disappointed by your boss's unwillingness to help you, burn no bridges. She may end up reporting to you in a different organization! Making her sulky because you bruised her on the way out won't win her cooperation in the next life. TOP ARE YOU PREPARED FOR A STRONGER JOB MARKET ? The media is predicting the return of hot job market starting in September. Supposedly, organizations will be scrambling to fill many slots and you will have a choice of desirable opportunities, complete with signing bonuses. You will finally be able to tell your boss to "take this job and shove it." Whoa. Let's consider a few realities. The people who get the best job offers as the market improves slo-o-owly will be those who have laboriously been stirring the pot for the past six months. They have finally, established a position on the frontal lobes of hirers who will recall them as openings occur. The diligence of the job hunter is always a more important factor than the economy when it comes to who gets what job. Companies will hire cautiously and only when it's clear the troops will leave unless more help is forthcoming - and quickly. However, the hiring process will still be "hurry up and wait" as always. That will give you some time to polish your resume carefully, think seriously about what you're looking for, and ignore the rumors that XYZ is throwing money into the street in an all-out quest to attract top talent. Attend your September networking meetings even if you're relatively happy in your current job. Who knows what might come up? Meet and greet everyone regardless of attractiveness or obvious usefulness. You'll need them all even if recruiters are already stalking you. Commit to the role you want next. Even desperate employers steer clear of the undecided. "Communications" or "marketing" won't cut it. Both are examples of an unfocused job hunter. Far better is, "consumer package goods marketing for a Fortune 50 food company," or "internal communications for a medium-sized insurance company." Sterling references and a Phi Beta Kappa key from an Ivy League school will not overcome lack of focus. We're betting everyone knows at least one person with an advanced degree (sometimes two!) who has been drifting for years. See interviews as learning opportunities they are. Learn to interpret the questions you're asked as clues to the hirer's agenda. What they want to know about you is the clearest statement of what they want and an insight into their values. This is a two-way street: Be agenda driven on your side, too. What do you want them to know about you? If your number one issue is a chance to manage, put it up front in the conversation. If your pocketbook permits, spend the money on an "ab fab" interview outfit. Get professional help if you're fashion-challenged. Any good department store will offer it free. Polish up your briefcase; ditch it if it's hopeless. Unless you're prepared with current set of contacts, a clear statement of what you want, and the outfit hanging in the closet, you can spend hours rewriting a resume but you won't be able to close the sale, no matter how hot the job market is. TOP MY ADVICE IS . . . "My boss is being transferred to Atlanta and it's a big move up for him. He wants me to go with him. He can arrange it and I'd get a 10 percent increase in salary. However, it's doing the same job I'm doing Boston and I like living here. Can you help me make this decision?" The only reason to move to Atlanta, even if you loved it, would be for a better job. Better in your case means a different growth experience. If you're doing too much of the same thing now, you'll just be doing more of the same thing in a hotter climate. Get with your boss and talk job descriptions. If his job is a stretch yours should be as well. Be absolutely clear about your loyalty to him and willingness to go only if it's for a job that offers a learning experience. If your boss wants you along he'll find ways to revamp your job so it's at least a 25 percent stretch. Don't rush into this. You don't want to be "down and out" in Atlanta trying to get back to Boston. "My boss went to a motivational seminar and all he can think about now is risk taking as a way to maximize performance. He actually went skydiving just to prove he wasn't risk-averse. He wants me to give him a list of risks I'm willing to take to get better at my job. I don't even like to go to a movie unless it's been recommended by someone I know! Before I start a serious job hunt, can you suggest a way out of this?" A risk means that there is at least a chance that something won't turn out but it doesn't have to be life threatening. What you boss wants to see is that you're willing to experiment, put yourself on the line - at least a little - and try new things. This isn't an unreasonable expectation. It can be a growth experience. Here's one idea: Start reading Fast Company. That will change your thinking. Try changing your routine just to shake the cobwebs off. For instance, if you always open your mail first thing in the morning do something else and save the mail for the afternoon. Have lunch at an Indian restaurant instead of the deli down the street. Ask your boss if he has an agenda he'd like you to investigate. I doubt your boss wants life altering change so much as a sign of receptiveness to new ideas and new projects. Show him you are willing to do that and he'll soon move on to his next fad. TOP
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