On Careers
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When Fear Grips Business Development
Continue reading… 3 CommentsI am a serial entrepreneur. I start companies. So far in my career—a couple of home runs, a double or two, maybe a single. Never a strikeout. A fly out maybe.
For the past three years, I have been working (nights and weekends) on a new company with a colleague. We have spent well into six figures, not accounting for our time. "Incubating" and "sweat equity" are the terms now in vogue. This is a new business in the publishing space—a niche market easily in the hundreds of millions, (or, as much as $10 billion, according to some estimates).
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5 Signs You May Be a Bad Coworker
Continue reading… 2 CommentsI get a lot of mail at Ask a Manager from people consumed with fury over habits their coworkers have–habits that I bet most of those coworkers aren't even aware of.
Here are five signs that you might be the one pushing your coworkers to the limits of their sanity:
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10 Career Mistakes I've Made
Continue reading… 0 CommentsUnless your career has been an unblemished rise to the top, you can probably identify a few mistakes (or maybe more than a few) made along the way. Here are some of mine:
1. Charting a path from A to B to C to D without giving much thought as to whether I'd like B and C. That is often a very bad move, because although D may be nirvana, B and C are where a lot of time is spent.
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7 Steps to Sustain a Career Change
Continue reading… 3 CommentsIf it's time for a career change, to a path that energizes and inspires you, try this. Grab a magic wand (an invisible one will do), close your eyes, spin around three times, wave the wand and say, "Wobbity bobbity, fibbity fun, when I open my eyes, career change be done!" Really. Do it. I'll wait.
[See how to change your work and the world.]
How'd that work? Not so well? Bummer. It looks as if you'll have to do it the way everyone else does it—one step at a time. Here's the reality: Real substantive change doesn't happen with the wave of a magic wand. Success requires commitment, effort, and persistence. It unfolds over time. It's easy to come out of the starting gate sprinting full speed toward change. But this isn't a sprint. You have to be in it for the long term. Here are some tips to help you maintain momentum on the way to a career you love.
Pick a path you care about. Imagine two paths. One of them you pick because other people will admire it, or because that's where the money is, or because of external expectations. The other lights a fire inside of you. It energizes you to even think about. A big part of maintaining momentum is about feeding the energy to keep you moving forward. When you aim your efforts toward something you really care about, you get energy from the pursuit. It's also a lot easier to take the inevitable bumps and bruises along the way when you experience them in pursuit of something you love.
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What to Expect When Across-the-Board Layoffs are Coming
Continue reading… 2 CommentsMy company just announced "across the board" layoffs. Does that really mean that 5 percent of every department will be cut? The announcement said the entire company will be affected.
Not knowing the inner workings of your company, I can't say for sure what the management has planned. However, in general, it's unlikely that the same percentage will be cut from each department.
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How to Survive a Bad Boss
Continue reading… 4 CommentsHave you heard the one about the boss who made his assistant check his sandwich every day to be sure it didn’t contain tomatoes? Or the boss who always worked weekends and put dated notes on everyone’s desk saying, “I was here. Where were you?”
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20 'Rules for Radicals'
Continue reading… 2 CommentsMy friend Nicholas Bate is a visiting lecturer at Warwick Business School in England. His minibooks are classics. His 14 Rules for Radicals
was a nice jumping off point for me, and I wanted to point you toward his "rules." (Aside: Here in America, Nick, we always need a round number like 20, so I've added six. I just had to make some parenthetical comments, too.)
[See 20 temptations to fight at work.]
This is Nick's introduction:
Be different. Be distinct. Be radical. It's good for you, it's good for your business. It's good for your kids. Be a radical. And now would be a perfect time.
. . . When I was at secondary school, the deputy headmaster demanded to see me. Apparently my school trousers broke school uniform regulations. They broke the rules. There were "too radical." That was the start of something. . . .
These are the radicals' rules, according to Nick:
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6 Things You Learn at the Job Interview
Continue reading… 8 CommentsI preach all the time about how the small stuff matters in a job search, because employers are drawing conclusions about you based on little things. The reverse is also true. As a candidate, you can learn a ton about a prospective employer by watching how they handle little things during the hiring process. Here are six:
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When a Résumé Should Take Risks
Continue reading… 3 CommentsThere has long been a debate among human resources professionals over whether a job applicant is wise to include a section pertaining to personal interests on a résumé.
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4 Myths About Career Passion
Continue reading… 5 CommentsI make my living helping people figure out how to create careers that light them up, so I end up having a lot of random conversations about career passion. While the idea is appealing to everyone (because who wouldn't want to love their work?), it can also kick up a fair amount of skepticism.
[See how to change the world and your work.]
No doubt some of that skepticism is fueled by an overdose of happy-thought gurus who are long on fluff and short on realistic implementation. But a big part of it is also tied to an all too common misperception that pursuing passion is little more than unrealistic, pie-in-the-sky dreaming. That misperception is fed by a number of widespread myths. Here are four of the most common myths that prevent people from stepping into their potential.
Myth No. 1: Pursuing your passion is selfish and self-indulgent. Too many people fall prey to the notion that if it's fun, it must be selfish. And of course we can't have that! Better to stick our noses to the grindstone and grit our teeth. (What's up with that?) Is creating a career where you feel energized and engaged in your own best interest? Of course! But finding work you love is also one of the best things you could ever do for your loved ones.
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Why New Hires Need a Culture Lesson
Continue reading… 2 CommentsA month ago, we signed a new apartment lease. As part of the paperwork, we had to indicate the names we wanted on our mailbox. Today a man appeared at my door with the mailbox nameplate—and a bill for nearly $50.
Now, I admit the engraved nameplate is nice, but for $50 I'd rather just keep the handwritten sign that was there before. I brought this up with some friends, and the consensus was that this was absolutely normal in Switzerland and everybody knows that they'll get charged that much.
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7 Tips for Chatting With Your Job Interviewer
Continue reading… 4 CommentsOne of the hard truths about job hunting is that jobs don’t always go to the best candidates. They go to the candidates employers like the best.
Yup, it’s about chemistry. And a big part of chemistry comes from that time-honored social lubricant: small talk. Most adults know the basics of chitchat, but, let’s face it, some of us are better at it than others. So, whether you are an introvert or extrovert, here are seven tips for being a small talk pro:
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Why the Airline Pilots' Excuses Aren't Cute
Continue reading… 0 CommentsDo you have a grandparent like this? A middle aged friend of mine recently visited her 90-year-old grandma in a local nursing home. “Oh my God, Joan,” Grandma said. “What happened to you? You are so fat.”
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5 Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer
Continue reading… 10 CommentsIn this economy, it's easy to feel like you should jump at any job offer that comes along. But doing that could land you in a job that would make you miserable and could even harm you professionally. Here are five reasons to consider turning down a job offer:
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5 Management Books for a Deserted Island
Continue reading… 2 CommentsOK. The ship is going down and you're paddling toward a small island, while hanging onto a mysterious trunk. When you get to the beach, you search in vain for other survivors and realize that it may be some time before you’re rescued. You remember the trunk. You haul it under a palm tree, slowly open the latch, and discover there are 10 books inside. Five of them are management books and five are not.
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How to Change the World and Your Work
Continue reading… 6 CommentsOne of the great untapped resources we have today is our individual potential to make a difference. Imagine if everyone woke up and asked themselves, "What difference do I feel called to make today?" What kind of positive impact could that have?
I'm excited by the possible cumulative result of people incorporating that question into their decisions. But what really lights me up is that the answer to that question can actually be a source of energy in our careers, and in our lives in general. Far from being solely saintly and altruistic, it can have a significant positive impact on how we experience our own lives. It's the ultimate win/win.
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How to Address Your Layoff in Your Job Search
Continue reading… 2 CommentsI was recently economically separated from my former employer. Should that information be included on a resume or cover letter? Should it wait for the interview?
Your resume is what you use to market yourself. Think of it as advertising. Everything you put on your resume must be true. Under no circumstances should you lie on your resume. If you do, you'll get caught and it will be much worse for you.
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5 Ways Volunteering Can Save Your Job Search
Continue reading… 6 CommentsYou know, of course, that volunteering is good for your community. You may even know that it’s good for you personally. Research has shown that people who volunteer tend to live longer, have lower rates of depression, enjoy better physical health, have more friends, and are more self-confident.
What you may not know is that volunteering can help you get a job, too. Here are five reasons you should carve some time out of your job-hunting schedule to “work for free," along with a bonus tip:
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20 Temptations To Fight at Work
Continue reading… 0 CommentsIt’s so tempting ...
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How to Handle Defensive Coworkers
Continue reading… 9 CommentsIf you've ever worked with anyone who is chronically defensive, then you know how difficult it can be to talk to these individuals about practically anything. They argue, they don't hear what you're saying, and, sometimes, they even lash out at you or others. As a result, most people end up avoiding them entirely, since interactions can be so unpleasant. That means problems go unaddressed, and the people around them feel like they can't get their voices heard.
But there's a secret to defusing someone's defensiveness and having a less difficult and less emotionally charged conversation.
