Understanding When You Are The Problem

You have bad luck.  You keep getting fired, you never get the good projects, or you have really warped coworkers; or maybe, just maybe; (it’s not them, it’s you)? Here are 5 ways to tell if you’re the problem.

You have had multiple micro-managing bosses.

We all know that micro-managing bosses exist.  But, if you’ve had two or three in a row, there’s a real possibility that they aren’t so much micro-managers as they are managers who recognize that you need to be micro-managed.  Some employees don’t know how to get from step A to Step E without a manager spelling how exactly how to do B, C, and D.

Some employees are sloppy with their work.  Formatting is unprofessional.  Typos.  Important questions are left unanswered.

Take a close look at what kind of things your manager is saying to you.  Instead of bristling under the “micro-managing” make an effort to fix those problems before your manager appears.  You may find that as you are more careful and thorough in your work, your manager backs off.

You Get Punished For Behavior Your Coworkers Get Away With

If you show up for work 15 minutes late, the boss reams you out, but if your coworker gets in 20 minutes later than you do, no one says anything to her.  Sometimes that’s an example of managers playing favorites, but sometimes it’s an example that the employee is clueless as to the effects of her actions.

If your job is to answer phones, or you play a critical role in a group project, it matters when you show up at the office.  If, on the other hand, you work independently, have few meetings, and consistently get your work done before the deadline, your manager is less likely to care when you show up.

If your manager is punishing you for behavior that your coworkers do as well, it’s highly likely that he’s attacking this behavior because you’re doing something else wrong, like missing deadlines, holding up other people’s work, or ignoring customers.  Check and see what problems are caused by your mistakes.

Your Coworkers Never Want to Eat Lunch with You

Yes, the office can sometimes have “mean girls” who will pick on people and purposely exclude them.  But, if it’s not just the “cool” people that are not inviting you, but that no one is, and furthermore, when you invite people to go with you, there is hesitance or the just flat out no, then you might be the problem.

Do you have a bad sense of timing?  When everyone else is heads down on a major project, are you the “hey let’s go to lunch”? Person.

Are you a restaurant complainer? If you’re the type that sends your meal back three times because something is wrong with it, other people don’t want to go out with you.

Do you “order expensive” and then split the check evenly? Do you order steak, wine and dessert while your coworkers order sandwiches and soda and then you say, “Hey, let’s just divide the bill evenly.  It’s easier.” Yes, it’s easier to exclude you for your tacky behavior.

Are you a whiner? Yes, misery loves company and coworkers frequently complain to each other at work, but the topics are generally limited to topics of shared misery–the bad boss, the crazy deadlines, etc.  If you’re talking about your loser boyfriend/girlfriend (dump him/her, or get over it, sweetheart), your crushing debt in the same breath as you brag about your new motorcycle, or tell your gruesome childbirth stories to your not similarly enthralled coworkers, then you’re the problem here.

Are you a bit gross? Do you chew with your mouth open?  Forget to use your napkin?  Pack lunches that are excessively smelly?

You Had Multiple Run Ins With Different Racists/Sexists/Ageists

We all know that these people exist, but it’s not ever-present.  If you’re constantly encountering people who are treating you poorly because of your race, gender, age, or other characteristic, it may well be that you’re perceiving something that isn’t there.

Sometimes people are jerks.  Sometimes you’re getting “picked on” because you’re a low performer.  Sometimes people mean no offense when they say things.

It’s a better idea to assume that people aren’t being racist/sexist/whatever, but are rather acting in good faith.  Try to assume this going into your relationships with other people.  If your manager corrects you, honestly evaluate if you need correcting before jumping to the conclusion that you’re being singled out because you’re not 24 and beautiful.

If someone says something that you find offensive, gently correct him or her.  Don’t assume that because you think the statement is racist that the speaker thinks it’s racist.

If your boss or coworker truly is an “…” giving them the benefit of the doubt won’t cause you any harm and it will become obvious later on that they are the true problem.

Everyone You Work With Is Really Stupid

Your boss is an idiot.  His boss is an idiot.  Your coworkers are dumb as rocks.  And, we won’t even talk about the completely incompetent HR department.

Now, there’s a really good chance that you’ll work with one or two people who are dumber than a box of hair.  But, if everyone is, you may need to rethink your definition of stupid.  Are you defining these people as incompetent because they disagree with you?  It may well be that they just disagree with you.

Are you defining them as not so bright because they don’t understand what you are saying?  Is it possible that you are not a good communicator?  Is it possible that you don’t understand what they are saying, and not the other way around?

Whenever there is a problem at work, you need to look at the possibility that the world isn’t out to get you–that you just may be the person who needs to change.

Loyalty

For all the good news emanating from the elimination of Osama bin Laden, there is one aspect of the mission that is receiving relatively little coverage. And it is too bad because there is a lesson in what is being overlooked.

Last summer U.S. intelligence sources noted the possibility a “high value target” may be living in walled luxury in a remote town in Pakistan. In September the President, chief aides, national security officials, CIA officials and military leaders began holding regular meetings. In time it was learned that the target might be bin Laden. Yet not once during this long period of meetings – when not everyone was in agreement – was security breached.

Loyalty to the Big Cause

In Washington where leaking information is blood sport, this is remarkable. It is a tribute to the President’s ability to head a multi-disciplinary team and keep everyone focused on a single goal. But it also is a tribute to the men and women – military, civil servants, and yes, politicians – maintaining a code of secrecy in pursuit of a mission. Why did they do it?

The obvious answer is national security and the ability to bring the world’s most high profile outlaw to justice. But that’s not the full story. And here’s where it matters to leaders outside government. These men and women were loyal to a cause greater than themselves. From this cause they drew hope and applied their professionalism to see that the job was well done.

Loyalty to the Cause Means Shared Values, Not Blind Obedience

While you probably won’t be party to such a high stake gambit as the search for bin Laden, you can strive to instill a sense of shared purpose so that you inspire a loyalty to the mission. Many leaders make the mistake of conflating loyalty to a cause with obedience to the leader. Big mistake. In fact such misapplication is what fuels breakdowns – be it in security or in failure to complete a project.

Most people follow leaders they admire and are loyal to them, but as James MacGregor Burns has written so eloquently, this kind of loyalty stems from shared values; followers and leaders believe in the same things.

Leader Becomes Facilitator

How a leader engenders commitment to the cause is the subject of a forthcoming book but it can be summed up by stating simply that the leader becomes the facilitator, allowing followers to channel their energies and organizational resources toward getting the job done right.

The cause needs to be big but not grandiose. For example, human resource professionals work hard to make their companies employers of choice. As such talent comes to them. Think Google or Whole Foods. But also many companies large and small that you never heard of but which people want to work for because employees feel like contributors, not hired hands.

Put People First

As facilitators of the cause, it falls to leaders to live the purpose of the organization. They lead by example by doing what is necessary to keep the operation running smoothly. Such leaders also put people first, not simply in words but in actions. They coach and develop as well as challenge and cajole. They put them in positions where their talents and skills match the job and so the employees have the opportunity to prove themselves.

Creating and sustaining common cause is never easy but as seen with the success of the mission to capture bin Laden the rewards can be high.

Have you inspired loyalty to a goal in your organization? What worked?

The Argument for the Older Applicant/Employee

 Although there are laws designed to protect workers over 40, age discrimination is often subtle and very difficult to prove. In many cases, the best defense is a proactive campaign designed to shift attention away from the fading color of your hair and to the value you offer an employer.

Corporate recruiters outlined the top advantages to hiring people over the age of 50 — attributes that could be highlighted during the interview process:

▪             Work ethic

▪             People skills

▪             Good judgment

▪             Emotional stability

▪             Business knowledge

▪             Credibility in the field

▪             Decision-making ability

▪             Wide range of contacts

▪             Politically savvy/influential

▪             Customer service perspective

▪             Depth and breadth of experience

▪             Commitment to organization goals

Executives who prove to interviewers that the benefits of hiring midlife executives outweigh the negative perceptions are likely to succeed in the job market. Midlife professionals are, often found to be, more committed to company goals, more reliable; and they carry greater credibility with stakeholders, says Jean Erickson Walker, author of The Age Advantage, Making the Most of Your Midlife Career Transition and facilitator of the monthly Portland, OR ExecuNet networking meetings.

According to Walker, younger employees tend to make decisions more quickly than older workers, but their lack of experience often prevents them from identifying the correct issue. “They explore and take risks, but if things don’t work out, they rarely have a back-up plan.”

Older workers, on the other hand, may be less impulsive, but they nearly always make the right decision. “And when they don’t, they always have a back-up plan,” notes Walker. “In the long run, organizations are going to save time and money with experienced employees.”

In addition to demonstrating unique senior-level experience, executives have to work hard to thwart common misconceptions. The survey revealed specific misperceptions held by many hiring officers when evaluating a more senior executive — despite the fact that the average age of those placed by search firms was 47.3 in 2008, up from 46.2 in 2007. Among those common misperceptions:

▪             Focus

▪             Health

▪             Lacks energy

▪             Costs too much

▪             Difficult to work with

▪             Just waiting to retire

▪             Lacks technical skills

▪             Lack academic credentials

▪             Desire for flexible work schedules

▪             Ability to mentor younger employees

▪             Inflexible/unwilling to deal with change 

▪             Uncomfortable working for a younger boss

▪             Corporate mentality; expects a lot of support

“Inflexibility needs to be addressed because that is a big concern about the senior workforce. What is perceived as inflexibility may, in reality, be experience,” says Walker. “Senior executives have the ability to evaluate the potential of a situation. They may seem inflexible because they have the experience and expertise to know ‘This isn’t going to work.’ Experience, observation and wisdom tell you that there is a better way of doing something.”

Opting out of a typical 9-to-5 role for a contingent position demonstrates flexibility as well. “Executives who focus on solving issues could wind up in contract, project or consultant positions,” notes Walker. “These ‘fixer’ roles could lead to terms that are as long as full-time positions.”

Walker recommends an easy method for addressing the “lack of energy” perception. “Casually refer to activities that show energy, or make comments and references to your energy level,” suggests Walker. For instance, mentioning a recent marathon run or sailing adventure will demonstrate an active lifestyle. Asking the interviewer about a nearby gym would also suggest a high activity level.

“It’s important for candidates to refer to long-term professional goals,” says Walker of the “just waiting to retire” perception. “Since job tenures overall are shortening, the senior worker is more likely to remain with the company longer than the younger employee.” 

“Employers write programs to sort through candidate résumés, and ‘year of graduation’ enables them to eliminate anyone over a certain age,” says an ExecuNet member.

Whether age screening is real or imagined, senior executive candidates have developed some creative methods for avoiding exact dates; but experts agree that this is not the best — or most truthful — method.

“I’m 57 years old. My résumé shows the date I graduated from college as well as all my employment dates,” says an ExecuNet member in the online networking forums. “It has been suggested that I remove all dates except for the last decade or so. The thinking is that a 57-year-old executive will find it harder to secure a job than a 40-year-old executive will. I’m up in the air on this. I don’t want to ‘date’ myself out of a possible interview, but I also do not want to mislead a prospective employer.”

Master résumé writer Jacqui Barrett-Poindexter responds, “My advice, which repeatedly I have seen work well on clients’ résumé documents, is to go back 10 to 15 (sometimes even 20) years — depending upon the pertinence of the further-back information/achievements, etc.”

“Sometimes, company affiliations or job roles dating 21 to 30+ years back need to be mentioned based on the target audience. In these instances, a summary section showcasing key information (names of companies/positions/key accomplishments) ONLY should be listed. Omit the dates,” says Barrett-Poindexter.

“I see younger workers focusing heavily on the plain vanilla duties and degree listings versus expounding on concrete evidence of their actions and results,” says Barrett-Poindexter. “They often ‘forget’ what their target audience’s needs are and pack the résumé with non-relevant dates. Remembering that the résumé is a marketing document to sell your unique skills and attributes related to the company’s needs and wants will take you a long way toward gaining interviews.”

Barrett-Poindexter also outlines a straightforward approach. “You might say something to the effect that you are sensing potential concerns about age, and then reassure the interviewer that you are fully prepared to master all requirements of the position — that you are committed to bringing a wealth of education, training and experience that few could equal, or some such similar response (such as answering the question indirectly but meaningfully).”

Walker points out that incomplete résumés are a common mistake, and they don’t present a realistic history. “Don’t leave off the early years of your work experience. This signals that you don’t think your age is an advantage.”

“Use dates only when the education is current,” advises Walker. “Don’t put dates for education, training or certification unless it falls within five years. Any education before then is background for what you were able to accomplish in your career. Companies want people who are continually learning and growing,” says Walker.

Omitting dates to get an interview can damage credibility and leave the interviewer feeling betrayed.

“I believe so strongly in the integrity of relationships, and it is a key point in hiring. People expect integrity and values from midlife workers. Trust is essential in building integrity; and if I make you doubt me, you won’t trust me enough to be part of your organization.” 

Loyalty

For all the good news emanating from the elimination of Osama bin Laden, there is one aspect of the mission that is receiving relatively little coverage. And it is too bad because there is a lesson in what is being overlooked.

Last summer U.S. intelligence sources noted the possibility a “high value target” may be living in walled luxury in a remote town in Pakistan. In September the President, chief aides, national security officials, CIA officials and military leaders began holding regular meetings. In time it was learned that the target might be bin Laden. Yet not once during this long period of meetings – when not everyone was in agreement – was security breached.

Loyalty to the Big Cause

In Washington where leaking information is blood sport, this is remarkable. It is a tribute to the President’s ability to head a multi-disciplinary team and keep everyone focused on a single goal. But it also is a tribute to the men and women – military, civil servants, and yes, politicians – maintaining a code of secrecy in pursuit of a mission. Why did they do it?

The obvious answer is national security and the ability to bring the world’s most high profile outlaw to justice. But that’s not the full story. And here’s where it matters to leaders outside government. These men and women were loyal to a cause greater than themselves. From this cause they drew hope and applied their professionalism to see that the job was well done.

Loyalty to the Cause Means Shared Values, Not Blind Obedience

While you probably won’t be party to such a high stake gambit as the search for bin Laden, you can strive to instill a sense of shared purpose so that you inspire a loyalty to the mission. Many leaders make the mistake of conflating loyalty to a cause with obedience to the leader. Big mistake. In fact such misapplication is what fuels breakdowns – be it in security or in failure to complete a project.

Most people follow leaders they admire and are loyal to them, but as James MacGregor Burns has written so eloquently, this kind of loyalty stems from shared values; followers and leaders believe in the same things.

Leader Becomes Facilitator

How a leader engenders commitment to the cause is the subject of a forthcoming book but it can be summed up by stating simply that the leader becomes the facilitator, allowing followers to channel their energies and organizational resources toward getting the job done right.

The cause needs to be big but not grandiose. For example, human resource professionals work hard to make their companies employers of choice. As such talent comes to them. Think Google or Whole Foods. But also many companies large and small that you never heard of but which people want to work for because employees feel like contributors, not hired hands.

Put People First

As facilitators of the cause, it falls to leaders to live the purpose of the organization. They lead by example by doing what is necessary to keep the operation running smoothly. Such leaders also put people first, not simply in words but in actions. They coach and develop as well as challenge and cajole. They put them in positions where their talents and skills match the job and so the employees have the opportunity to prove themselves.

Creating and sustaining common cause is never easy but as seen with the success of the mission to capture bin Laden the rewards can be high.

Have you inspired loyalty to a goal in your organization? What worked?

Perception About Your Web Site

Check your stats:  Your About Us page is probably one of the most visited and highest ranked pages on your website. 

For most small businesses, the About Us page is what most powerfully establishes credibility.

That is, unless yours stinks.

Writing about you is hard.  Writing about your business can be even harder.  That’s why many companies end up with About Us pages like this:

“Acme Consulting is a global network solutions provider, redefining enterprise networking and connectivity by consistently providing outstanding customer experiences and innovative, world-class services.”

Sounds impressive.  Says nothing.

Imagine you channeled your inner Bernie Madoff and desperately need a lawyer.  What do you want to read on a law firm’s About Us page?  Would you hope to see this?

“The stability and continuity of Acme Law Firm provides a perspective that considers both your immediate and long-term interests through wisdom borne of participation in thousands of legal scenarios…”

Or this?

“If it’s humanly possible, we’ll get you off.  In the last ten years we’ve won 97% of our cases.  We’re all divorced because we never go home.  Granted, we do socialize, but only with judges we’re actively corrupting.  We regularly face ethics violation proceedings because we only recognize a line when we’re stepping over it…”

Sure, intentionally over the top to make a point — but unless you like the thought of “three hots and a cot”, you’ll call those guys.

Potential customers who click your About Us page are already interested; now they want to be reassured you are the right choice.  Here’s how to be sure your About Us page gives potential customers what they need:

Think customer first. What do potential customers want to know?  At a basic level, first-time visitors want to know you own a real business with real capabilities.  What questions are you asked during sales calls?  What information tends to seal a deal or win over a hesitant customer?  If I’m looking for a fulfillment center, “providers of outstanding customer experiences” means nothing to me, but “99.3% on-time shipping with a .002% error rate” sounds pretty good, because …

The Facts are compelling and superlatives are not. Lots of About Us pages are filled with words like outstanding, excellent, world-class, visionary, cutting edge, etc.  If your business truly is outstanding, prove it with facts.  If your business truly is visionary, talk about innovative products you’ve developed.  If you don’t have many facts and figures (yet), admit it.  Describe what your business hopes to achieve, and how.

Don’t try to be something you’re not. As a general rule, the smaller the business the “fluffier” the About Us page.  Trying to make your small business look bigger is a natural impulse but can also create awkward moments when a potential client asks for references or specific examples.  Own the fact you’re a startup and show why new clients will benefit:  Greater focus on individual customers, shorter lead times, a burning desire to prove yourself in a new market, etc.  Candor is compelling.  Turn who you really are into an advantage.

Describe qualifications, but be brief. Certifications and awards are great, but pick a few that resonate the most with potential customers.  (Stick the rest on a separate “Industry Awards” page.)  If you won an Emmy you can probably leave out your “Best Supporting Actor in a Non-Speaking Role at the Roadhouse Dinner Theater and Swap Shop” award.

Kill the stock photos. We’re all expert stock photo spotters.  Use real photos or no photos at all.  Seriously:  Will anyone believe these fine folks work for you?

See your About Us page as a continual work in progress. Most About Us pages stay static for months or years.  Whenever you land major customers, add expertise and capabilities, enter new markets, open new locations, etc., update your About Us page.  Keep it fresh for prospective clients and for SEO purposes.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. I was asked to give a critique on a client’s web site, but it was awful.  Ask someone to read your About Us page and then describe back to you what you do.  If they can’t immediately answer most of the five Ws (who, what, when, where, why), get back to work.

Final thought: If you’re fairly modest and writing an About Us page feels “sales worthy” or self-congratulatory, focus on facts, figures, and accomplishments.  Objective information is a lot easier to write and a lot more powerful as well.  Think about the needs you fulfill and the problems you solve for your customers. Then use plain language to describe how you fulfill those needs and solve those problems.

And put a monthly reminder on your calendar to revise your About Us page.  It can always be improved.

How To Master Any Skill

The intersection of talent and effort is a funny place. Think about a skill you’ve tried to develop, whether business, sports, or personal.

At first you improve at a rapid rate. Then your improvements slow down.  Eventually, no matter how much effort you put in, you just don’t seem to get better.

So you do one of two things:

You decide channeling your inner Mozart is impossible and you quit, or

You decide maybe you haven’t really worked hard enough, and you keep digging.

Most of the time we stop trying to improve because we assume our talent has taken us as far as we can go.  We decide, “We can never be the Mozart of our field”.

If we keep digging, we still don’t tend to improve, mainly because doing more of what got us to the level we have reached rarely results in further improvement. Think of that as my Modified Einsteinium Definition of Insanity:  Doing (more and more) of the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

At some point the problem isn’t effort; the problem is how we apply that effort.

Why?  Say you’re trying to improve a physical skill.  Over time your skills become automatic.  Automatic is a good thing, because it means you’ve internalized a skill, but automatic is also a bad thing because anything automatic is hard to adjust.  The key to improvement is to find ways to adapt or modify what you already do well so you can do that even better.

We learn best from making mistakes.  To improve, find ways to make mistakes:

Slow down. Forcing yourself to go slower breaks habits as well, and is a perfect way to uncover adaptations that weren’t apparent at normal speed.

Speed up. Go much faster than normal. Sure, you’ll screw up, but in the process you’ll break up old habits, adapt to new conditions, and find improvements.

Break a complex task into component parts. Almost every task includes discrete steps.  Pick one, deconstruct it, master it… then put the whole task back together.  Then choose another component part.

Measure differently. Pick a different measurement than you normally use to analyze performance.  Measure speed instead of accuracy, for example, or use video or audio.  (A friend taped four initial meetings with prospective customers and identified several bad habits he was unaware of.  Watching yourself isn’t particularly fun, but it’s darned objective.)

The cliché “perfect practice makes perfect” is accurate because each time we practice perfectly we perform a task as well as we possibly can.  When we try to do our best, every mistake is obvious — and then we can learn from those mistakes, adapting and modifying our techniques so we constantly, even if only incrementally, improve.

That’s where talent and effort intersect.  Skill, like talent, isn’t an end result.  Skill is a process.

Take Mozart.  Everyone knows the musical prodigy Mozart composing and performing by the age of six.  Less well known is the Mozart who put in thousands and thousands of hours of focused practice starting at age three.  His genius lay not just in talent but also in effort.  Talent took him far; hard work and focused practice took him a lot farther.

Here’s a business example, one that might surprise you.  A friend of mine runs an excavating firm. He spends a lot of time on a backhoe.  Speed and efficiency are critical in his business because he’s paid by the job.  The longer it takes to dig footers for a new building, for example, the less money he makes.  He’s constantly trying new techniques and experimenting in unusual conditions like muddy or frozen ground or different types of soil.  He approaches excavation like it’s an Olympic sport — and he’s gotten darned good at it.

Whatever you do, you can do better.  It doesn’t matter if it’s a physical task, or making sales calls, or managing employees, effectively doing a performance appraisal, or conducting interviews.  Any task can be performed better and more efficiently.  To improve, don’t make the mistake of simply working harder.  Shake things up.  Reinvent a skill that has over time become automatic — but not perfect.

If you do, the results will be messy and frustrating at first, but with the right kind of effort your skills will improve.  And then you can have your own Mozart moment.

(If you’re not familiar with the movie “Amadeus,” in this clip Salieri composes a welcome piece, the king performs it, then Mozart schools Salieri.)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ciFTP_KRy4&feature=player_embedded

Want to know more about how to develop your own skills?  Check out Daniel Coyle’s The Talent Code, Gladwell’s Outliers, Matthew Syed’s Bounce, or Colvin’s Talent is Overrated. Read a little, and then practice a lot.