Career Acceleration Notes (CAN)

Guest post: S.M.A.R.T. Career Tips

A guest post written by my friend and colleague, Billie Sucher  I'll be co-presenting with Billie at the upcoming Career Management Alliance Conference on a topic of interest to all career professionals:  working effectively with clients across the generational divide...

S.M.A.R.T. Career Tips

Are you concerned about your job in 2008? Do you wonder if you’ll be downsized this year?  If you are, you’re not alone; the talk of recession is a daily occurrence. In today’s tumultuous workplace, there are no surefire strategies to guarantee that your job won’t land on the chopping block. And if you choose self-employment, each and every day is a roller-coaster ride, to be sure. On the other hand, whether you work for someone, or for yourself, here are some S.M.A.R.T. career tips to make yourself more valuable, in or out of recession:

Seize the Moment…

Don’t dwell on last year’s successes or failures. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That's why we call it the present.” (Babatunde Olatunji ) Whatever you didn’t accomplish last year, now’s your chance to do so in this one. And if you had a stellar year last year, don’t bask in your success. (You know the drill: Those who snooze, lose). What specific ways can you help your employer become more productive, efficient, profitable, or competitive? Write it down! Do it!

Make Yourself Do the Uncomfortable Thing, Until…

Take public speaking, for example. Maybe you are uncomfortable addressing the management team, customers, suppliers, or even your colleagues. Stretch yourself. Take a class. Practice. Learn. Or how about technology? Instead of saying I don’t know much about computers, check out your local community college or enroll in an adult education class. Have a friend tutor you; ask your 12-year-old nephew to show you some computer tips. Help is yours for the asking if you decide to take charge and do the uncomfortable until you get to a more comfortable place.

Act with A Good Attitude and Gratitude in All Things…

Does your voice sound energetic, up, and on? What message does your body language send? Are you a problem-solver or a problem? Are you a complainer and a whiner? Do you act with confidence and conviction, or do you drag yourself around, day after day? Are you excited about going to work? When you walk through your employer’s door, are you happy about being there? Or, do you let yourself, and everyone around you, know how miserable and unhappy you are? Just for fun, keep track of your attitude for 21 days. Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (unsatisfactory) to 5 (exceeds expectations). Track your performance. What does it reveal to you? What, if anything, needs to change?

Rejecting the Rear-View Mirror Syndrome…

Years ago, a chaplain I was taking a class with shared these words : “don’t live your life looking in the rear view mirror.” And there’s no better time than today to start in, start up, and start over. Do the something extra for yourself, your employer, or someone else. Do more than is required. Be willing to help out without being asked. Be the first to volunteer for the new project or assignment. Step up. Don’t worry about whether it’s in your job description! (It probably isn’t.) And don’t dwell in the past. The past has passed.

Take Time to Make Someone Matter; Make a Difference

Make it a point each and every day to contribute to someone’s happiness or well-being or sense of self-worth. Look beyond yourself. Look around. Any ideas emerge? Maybe it’s as simple as saying good morning to someone. Or perhaps listening instead of talking?

Or promptly returning your phone calls? Or responding to e-mails in a timely manner? Or being courteous and thoughtful instead of abrupt and rude in your interactions? How about a random act of kindness?  There are so many opportunities to make others feel like they matter, be it your co-worker or customer, mentor or manager, supervisor or stranger on the other end of the line. Will you be the one who takes the time to make someone matter this day? In the words of Anita Roddick, if you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t been in bed with a mosquito!

Billie R. Sucher, MS, CTMS, CTSB, JCTC, CCM, a private practice career transition consultant, has worked with scores of organizations and individuals since 1985, earning a reputation as a trusted, knowledgeable "go-to" partner for executive-level to entry-level clients around the country. She holds a Master's degree in Counseling, coupled with various industry certifications. Her professional resume / cover letter work appears in 20+ nationally-sold career books. Sucher is a contributing writer for both CareerHub and Career Management Alliance blogs. She is the author of Between Jobs: Recover, Rethink, Rebuild; Baseball for Life Perpetual Calendar, and her newest book, Happy About The Brand You (Happy About Publishing) is scheduled for release in 2008. 

This post also appears on The Alliance Community Blog

Women are soldiers in the Talent War - "On-Ramping" on Wall St.

BusinessWeek Online recently reprinted a post from Winning the Talent War: the topic is one of the most compelling for our society. Ostensibly this issue relates to women, but it is reflective of the major cultural changes that are affecting women and men of all generations. The topic is "On-Ramping," the process of re-entering the workforce after taking a career break, frequently to focus attention on the care of a family member.

The preponderance of educated women who choose to leave or interrupt their careers to care for children or parents has caused corporate America to incorporate some flexibility in what has otherwise been a rigid career path. A substantial minority (37%) of highly qualified women off-ramp - that is, they voluntarily leave their careers for a period of time. According to the Center for Work-Life Policy, most highly qualified women who are currently off-ramped (93%) want to return to their careers, but the path to return is frequently blocked by a "maternal wall." The cost of educating and training these women and men, only to lose them at the height of their productivity, has caused firms like Lehman Bros., Goldman Sachs, and UBS to endorse programs and policies that scale the maternal wall.

Women have made it acceptable for their male counterparts to expect that employers re-evaluate the 24/7 expectations of successful professionals and executives. For highly qualified men, off-ramping seems to be about strategic repositioning in their careers -- a different spin on the predominant concerns of women.  Maggie Jackson asks an excellent cross-gender question in her piece in the Boston Globe (Jan.13, 2008), 'On-ramping'  not just for women anymore: "Is it too much to ask to have a society that values taking time off sometimes to care for others?"

Elite universities and Wall Street firms want to be at the forefront of the war for talent. You can be sure that on-ramping is becoming mainstream when the University of Pennsylvania, Dartmouth, and Harvard create programs to facilitate it. Check-out YourOnRamp, an online resource to help professional women manage their career. The site is sponsored by the Harvard Business School Executive Education program; it provides women with a targeted job board, network and career resources.

The costs associated with litigation surrounding family responsibilities discrimination (frd) and a generational demand for work/life balance is the call to battle; how nice that this war is likely to result in a win-win for families and corporations.

Change is just a 6-letter word

As we conduct a campaign in search of the "right job," so too are we focused on the campaigns of politicians who seek job and societal change. What is it about this word, "change" that it keeps popping-up in political commentary? Who can and should claim the flag of change? 

Those of you who read my post last week, Resolve to enter the "neutral zone, will probably guess that I am going to recommend that job seekers of all types, including politicians, abandon the search for "change." While it is an appealing rallying cry, William Bridges is correct to suggest that change is likely to offer only short-lived solutions. Instead, job seekers would do well to create the time and space necessary to process the endings that will ultimately lead to new beginnings. 

Instead of offering pre-fabricated solutions or intangible promises of "change," perhaps politicians should encourage citizens to embrace "the neutral zone" - that extended period of reflection and discomfort that may eventually morph into transition and new beginnings. Isn't this what the primary and general election period is designed to offer - an opportunity to discuss issues of importance , consider new paths, make new connections...?  A candidate who understands and promotes the neutral zone is leading to a very dynamic place - those involved are likely to be fully engaged.

So, should we recommend that William Bridges serve as an adviser to our political candidates?! It would be healthy for politicians to lead toward transition: to embrace a process similar to that employed by job seekers - one that begins with an ending and transitions toward a new beginning. 

Resolve to enter the "neutral zone"

With a brand that promotes "career change and success strategies...," you'd think I'd be all over the New Year as a time to make resolutions and embark upon ambitious goals.  I'd like to be a cheerleader for easy change, but experience tells me that successful transitions are not governed by the solar calendar.  Instead, I'd like to defer to the wisdom of William Bridges, author of Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes. 

Bridges makes the argument that transitions start with letting go of what no longer fits in your life - transitions start with endings. Once you know what you don't want to continue, Bridges suggests that you enter the "neutral zone."  This is the uncomfortable period when you are confused by all the advice, information, and clues that might lead you to your expected outcome.  You might not be surprised to learn that this theory comes full circle with the belief that the transition process concludes with new beginnings.

My point in writing this post is to encourage you to give yourself the time and emotional energy needed to navigate the "neutral zone."  For some, the "neutral zone" is so painful that any acceptable relief is preferable.  For those who need the "quick fix," it may seem preferable to quit a job, apply for a transfer, or quickly accept another job.  These options may relieve immediate pain, but it is unlikely that hasty solutions will guide you through the 5-6 transitional periods of your personal/work life.

Navigate the "neutral zone" the way a paramecium navigates an aquatic environment: take in new information, reach-out to others, ask for feedback, respond to clues, read voraciously.  It may not sound like a fun place to be, but with a little help from your friends and a career professional, your investment in this zone should be enlightening, invigorating, and rewarding. There is no perfect calendar date or prescribed length of time for this process: the reward you can expect is a new beginning toward the next stage in your work/life.