Tag Archives: self-improvement

Connect With Exceptional Career Women NOW!

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I’m proud to say that I’m now a blogger at womenforhire.com.  Founded in 1999, it’s a website dedicated to “connecting employers with the brightest group of diverse career women, as well as providing those women with exceptional advice on advancement”.

I’ve found it to be one of the few sites that puts its money where its mouth is.  It offers top-shelf information in a style that’s empowering and refreshing – and lots of it is free.

They posted my article on playing forward your decisions to stop the self-sabotage.  Here’s a taste:

“what may seem very minor decisions throughout our day, deserve more of our attention because they could end up disturbing our lives in a major way.”

Read more of Stopping My Self-sabotage

Stay tuned!

To MBA or not to MBA? That’s Andy’s question

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There’s a discussion going on over at brazencareerist.  Andy Drish is trying to decide whether to get an MBA or not.  His dilemma came about because his employer is offering to pay for part of his MBA and he’s finding that to be too good an offer to refuse.  Among the things that have been brought up in the course of the discussion are:

1. Whether or not he has enough work experience or will he be one of the youngest in the program – and feel that he cannot contribute as much as the more experienced students.

2. Are his two local schools the best choices?

3. How quickly should he aim to complete the program.

What I noticed was not being considered – and it was something I thought about when I looked into getting an MBA – is the opportunity cost.  While I was kicking the tires of local MBA programs in Sydney, something became evident early on.  In a labor market where everyone and anyone has an MBA, the degree no longer makes candidates stand out as much.  As a consequence the increase in pay is not as significant as it was a few years back when not as many job candidates had an MBA.  In a nut shell, I found the return on investment in an MBA to be questionable. 

That puts an interesting spin on things.  Ten years ago, getting an MBA was the no-brainer thing to do if you wanted to rise up the corporate ladder at a faster than average rate.  Today the answer is not as black and white as that.  In an increasingly diverse and complex environment, traits like entrepreneurship and resiliency are powerful commodities.  Neither of which can realistically be mastered in the comfort of an air-conditioned class room. Both are the result of living through real experiences and manoeuvring through real challenges.  As such, putting yourself on the line and starting your own business or taking time to travel and explore the world, are two experiences that will make you stand out from the pack.  Speaking for myself, I do not have an MBA.  I’m not saying that I never will get one, but I know that my experience as an entrepreneur has landed me jobs that I would otherwise not have been considered for. 

If it’s the knowledge that you’re looking for in an MBA program, today there’s so much information outside of the walls of academia that personally I do not see the need to sit in a class just for that.  As long as you’re making time to read quality material and to listen to pod casts, it’s possible to stay on top of the major trends in management, finance, accounting, strategy, change among other things.  Here are two of my favorite sources of information: Harvard Business IdeaCast and TED

‘What about networking?’ you say.  Sure it’s likely that you’ll meet like-minded go-getters and high achievers just like you in an MBA program.  But that’s not the only place where these type of people congregate.  If you have $50k to spend and the time to spare, I think you’ll be better off joining the most prestigious golf club, tennis club or sailing club in your area.  There, for even less money and more fun, you’ll get to meet the who’s who of the business world.  And even better than at a university, there will be a cross-section of people.  At clubs it’s likely that you’ll find more than just cubicle bound employees in their 20s and 30s like you looking to get ahead.  For example business owners, CEOs and other decision makers of a variety of age groups – who either got an MBA years ago or never got close to academia.  Another effective way to make good connections is through doing volunteer work.  The major perk is you get to support good causes while you meet people who may one day be key in your career. 

I’m not saying that MBA’s are dead – and that people should stop getting them.  Personally, I’m still open to the possibility that one day I’ll enrol.

However, I am asking people to look at an MBA degree for what it’s worth. I’m asking you to be open to other possibilities. An MBA is not a cure-all for career stagnation.  Other things like starting your own business, travelling and writing a book are also solid ways to breathe life into your work life.  If you do enrol in an MBA, I hope that it is for the right reasons.

I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts.

 

 

Jobs close to home are under valued

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Once upon a time I used to think less of those people who considered a long commute to work a deal breaker when considering a job offer.  My main requirements to accept a job were money and title.  If I felt that I could either do the job or learn it and the money was good and the title glamorous enough then the deal was done – the job was mine.  That was true until I accepted a job that was a 1-hour drive (each way) in heavy traffic from my home.  The first 6 months of my job I was over the moon.  I got a significantly higher salary than at my previous job, my package came with a car and an office all to myself.  Life was good.  I would drive to and from work with music blasting in my car – I was loving every minute of it. 

My bubble burst when I attended an informational evening for one of the local MBA programs.  There I found out that on average students spend 10 hours a week on course work, per class.  Although I did not enrol in an MBA program (I’ll write about that in my next post) that number came too close for comfort.  It became obvious to me that by sitting in traffic, I was in essence wasting 10 hours of my week (480 hours a year).  Before then I had no real use for those 10 hours so I was quite happy to sit in my car and use the time to psych myself up for my day and unwind after work.  But as soon as I found a better use for my time, I began to feel that I was incurring an opportunity cost.  When that happened, I started to dread my daily drive.  However, not being one to stay stuck for too long, I started to listen to educational CDs in my car (I confess, I was a late adopter of MP3 technology – now I’m addicted to pod casts!).  Feeling that I was not wasting away as much in my car, certainly helped me cope with the commute, but it did not make the feeling go away entirely.

When I resigned from that job after 18 months I can’t say that it was because of the commute, but it was certainly one of the things that helped tip the scale.  From that experience onwards, a short commute has become one of my top 10 must haves in a job.  It comes close to working with like-minded people, in a industry I believe in, in a role where I can contribute to society, in a company that takes the environment into account – and a nice pay package.

Does that make me a loser?  If that’s what you think, well, at least I’m not a time waster.

How to decide between 2 great job offers?

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In a recent post I wrote about how to cope when you don’t get offered a job that you want.  Now I’d like to explore the opposite situation.  What can you do when you’re in such high demand that you need to decide between two great job offers?

Even if it’s one of the good problems to have in life it’s good to be prepared.

Here are some points to help you compare:

  1. Forget the money:  To make sure that you’re choosing the right job for the right reasons, look beyond your pay-check.  Ask yourself: “If I did not work for money, which job would I choose?”  Which job is more in line with what’s important to you and what you’re drawn to?  The more in line your job is with those two things, the greater your chances are of staying motivated for longer and being better at your job.
  2.  Stretch your time line:  What do you find when you look beyond the role you’re being offered?  Are there areas within the company that interest you and that you could get involved further down the track?  In which company is there more room for growth?
  3. Launch pad: Which role offers you a more solid foundation for your career?  Look at what each company has to offer in terms of training and other professional development opportunities.  For example does either company have a mentoring program? 
  4. The green test:  Which company scores higher when it comes to contributing to the community and lessening their impact on the environment?  
  5. What are the minds like:  If you get a chance, meet your future team.  Do you sense that they are like-minded?  If it’s within your role to work with clients, how like-minded are they?
  6. The car trip test:  If you were to go on a road trip with one of your future bosses, which of the two would be the easiest to get along with on an 8 hour road trip?  With which one would you have the most fun?  Who would teach you the most?
  7. Push your limits:  Which role would challenge you the most?  I’d go for the one that stretches me the most.  After switching jobs 12 times in 10 years, I know that after 3 months you’ll start to feel at home.
  8. Role models:  Because you’re only as good as those you hang out with on a regular basis, make it a point to find out if there are people within either company who are worthy of imitation. 

Okay, now lets talk money.  But only after you’ve weighed up everything else. Otherwise you risk being blinded by money and missing out on all the other things a job can offer.  It has been my experience that the unquantifiable rewards of a job have benefited my career the most in the long-term.

I’d LOVE to hear what you think.

‘So what?!’ (How to cope when you don’t get a job offer)

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Lets face it, with the current state of affairs, the competition for good jobs has gone up more than a few notches.  Chances are there will be many more bright people out there looking for work.  To you that means that it’s possible that you’ll have to interview for several jobs before you land one.

But is getting rejected from a job the end of the world?  Being that throughout my work life I’ve been turned down from jobs (notice the plural) even after I’ve gone to several interviews, I personally don’t think so.

To begin with, nothing is the end of the world.

More than that, there’s opportunity in everything.  The key is knowing how to find it.

Here are a few of the things that have helped me say (and really mean) ‘So what?!’ whenever I’ve been rejected:

  1. Think silver lining:  Not getting a job offer might be a blessing in disguise because a better job might be waiting for you right around the corner.  I have the benefit of hindsight since that happened to me not so long ago.  After going to three interviews, including one with the company’s Managing Director, not only was I sure that I’d get an offer, but I really wanted this particular job.  It ticked all of my boxes, including that it was close to home and it paid 20% more than my current job.  I was very surprised when my recruiter called to say that someone more experienced got the job.  As I was licking my wounds, within the hour of getting turned down, I got offered an interview for a job which more than exceeded my expectations.  It included a 30% higher pay and a national management role.  After three interviews I did get an offer that I accepted.  And the fact is that had I been offered (and most probably accepted) the first job, my recruiter would not have thought of me when this second job came along.
  2. Un-spoil yourself:  I get it, life lessons do not pay the bills.  But learning to make lemonade when life gives you lemons is one of those skills that will help you cope with one of the realities of life.  Unlike what we may have lived under our parents’ roof, in life we do not always get what we want.  Learning to make the most of what we do get will definitely give us an edge over those who waste precious time whining whenever they don’t get what they want.  It’s not about being complacent, it’s about being real and un-spoiled!
  3. Bounce back:  In a changing world resiliency is winning trait.  The more times you get a chance to practice bouncing back, the better you’ll get at it and the less shaken you’ll be next time that things don’t go how you expected.
  4. Keep the lessons:  Be honest with yourself and ask yourself why you did not get a job offer.  What could you do better next time?  Review your cover letter and resume.  Or could you have packaged yourself better during the interviews?  Use the experience as an opportunity to learn a thing or two.  Those lessons are your to keep for life.  Very few successful people got to where they are today without falling a few times.  The key is they got up and learned from the fall.
I’d LOVE to hear how you bounce back from a rejection. Or if you haven’t…

I had breakfast with Carly Fiorina, Diana Sawyer…

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This morning I had breakfast with Carly Fiorina, the ex-CEO of Hewlett Packard, Ivanka Trump, yes Donald’s daughter, Dara Torres, the 40-year-young Olympian, of course Bobbi Brown, from the make-up empire was there too, and Gayle King was also among the bright and inspiring women who joined me as I ate a bowl of oatmeal.  Impressive right?

Well, guess what?  You too could have breakfast with them (for free – except BYO oatmeal) and lots of other super inspiring women – all worthy of imitation, all willing to share their journey to success with you and me.  Here’s how – click on this link and you’re there.

Aside from having access to podcasts of interviews of these women, at www.womenforhire.com you’ll find a wealth of free resources for your career. For the guys reading this, advice does not come dressed in pink on this site.  And unlike other sites where they offer teasers and then when I get to what I really want, they ask me to pay, this site does have free sound advice.  Finally someone who doesn’t use ‘tactics’ to get money from me.

(no, they are not paying me to say any of this)

Here are my favorite lessons from this morning’s breakfast meeting:

Just by listening to Carly Fiorina – who was named at 43 by Fortune Magazine as “The Most Powerful Woman in Business” – I learned that after her very public firing from HP, even that did not seem to her like the end of the world.  As traumatic and disappointing as the experience was, she was able to find a lesson – she now knows that she’s not afraid of anything. 

By listening to Diana Sawyer, one of Good Morning America’s anchor, I learned that I’m doing the right thing by waking up at 5am.  To all my friends who for years have asked me what do I at 5am, all I can say is there’s no doubt in my mind that the day belongs to those who are ready and able to seize it.

I loved hearing Joy Browne’s interview because like me, she’s worn lots and lots of hats throughout her career.  Trained as an engineer she got to work at the NASA space program, training astronauts.  And from there she’s worked in radio, written books, and worked in archaeology among other things.  Based on her experience she recognizes that every role she’s had is related simply because there are transferable skills.  To you that means that nothing that you do at work is entirely new.  In other words, as many times as you switch jobs, you’ll never ever be starting from scratch.  I’ve known this in my career as a job hopper but it’s always great to hear it from someone so accomplished. 

What I loved most about what Dara Torres, who at 40 years-young swam at the Beijing 08 Olympics, was that she was open and honest.  Among the great insight that she shared was that she did not know early on in her life that she was going to be a swimmer, let alone an Olympian.  She figured it out at an age that’s considered to be too late by elite athletes’ standards.  That tells me that if you still do not know what you’ll be doing for the rest your life, that you still have time to find out and even succeed.  She also says that being dedicated, organized and focused has had a lot to do with achieving the goals that she’s set for herself.  Hint, hint…

I hesitated to click on Ivanka Trump’s interview because I feared that I’d be listening to a silver-spoon-fed spoiled brat.  I was very surprised to hear that Ivanka, who has had all that she has wanted and then some, has really made a life for her self.  That tells me that regardless of how much we’re given, it is up to each of us to make a life for ourselves – to cast our own shadow.  The fact remains that we are each given a life to live – and it’s up to each of us to live it.  Ivanka could’ve very easily made a career out of embarrassing her self at her dad’s expense, but instead she chose the high road and is making a career for herself.  And guess what?  Before she went to work at her dad’s business, to learn the ropes, she was employed at another organization.  That’s a huge hint for anyone who wants to have their own business.  Donald Trump knows that a great way to prepare yourself for owning your business is to work within an another organization.  I wrote about this in an earlier post and it’s quite refreshing to see it put in practice by one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs.

These are my top 5.  I’d love to hear what you learn from these remarkable women.  

Is your money where your mouth is?

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Here’s some food for thought.

A recent survey conducted by McKinsey & Company showed that 87% of 7,751 people around the world who were surveyed demanded that companies go green and focus on more than profits.  I didn’t find that surprising.  What I found jaw-dropping was that 33% of those same consumers said that they were either ready to buy green products or already did.  In other words, only one third were willing to put their money where their mouth is.1

What does this have to do with your career?

As concerned as I am about what companies people are supporting with their hard-earned cash, I’d like to turn the focus to what employees are doing with their careers.

Just like more and more of us demand companies to have a triple bottom-line that is focused on profits, social contribution and environmental impact, the question is what is the bottom line of our careers focused on?  Does your career have a triple bottom-line, focused on financial rewards, social contribution and caring for the environment?  Or are you working for money alone?  By working for money alone, as employees are we again not putting our money where our mouth is?

Here’s the deal.  As long as there are employees who are willing to work for money alone and consumers who are willing to base their purchases on price alone, there will always be companies who will be able to exist for profit-making alone.

To help tip the scale, here are my thoughts for the day:

1.  Work as if you count.  Anita Roddick said it best:  “If you think you’re too small to make a difference, you haven’t been in bed with a mosquito.”

2.  Ask yourself:  “By going to work every day, what am I helping to move forward?  Is that in line with my values?”  If your answer is ‘no’ ask yourself: “What would be in line with what is important to me?”  For a list of assessments that will help you find out what you value, check out my post: I’m not so sure I’m self-assured.

3. Ask yourself:  “Through my work, am I creating the world that I want to live in?”  If your answer is ‘no’, then ask yourself: ”What would I like to work for?”  As a starting point, it does need to be to save the rainforest in Brazil or orangutans in Sumatra, it can be to simply stop supporting what you are right now.

Why Bother With a Day Job When You Want to Be an Entrepreneur?

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If you’re sitting there – fresh out of college or in the middle of a career transition – trying to figure out whether it’s better to get a job or start a business, I can assure you that you’re not alone.  In fact, in the past week I received emails from twentysomethings across the globe asking me what’s the right thing to do – that’s why I decided to write a post.

I grant you that the idea of not having a boss to report to, of working on your own terms and schedule, and of wearing whatever you please to the office (or only your boxer shorts) would tempt the best of us.  The question is, as an entrepreneur-in-the-making, would you be choosing immediate comfort over what you stand to learn from working within an organization – which in the long run could play to your advantage?

Based on my experience in the past decade of earning a living as both an entrepreneur and an employee, I believe that working as an employee can add to your entrepreneurial flare.  The key to maxing out on your time as an employee is to be deliberate and aware of what you stand to gain.

Here are some clues:

  1. Make mistakes on someone else’s tab. The sooner you accept that mistakes are part of your growth process, the sooner that you’ll stop wasting time dwelling on them and spend more time learning from them.  The catch is that mistakes can be very costly and it’s through dealing with mistakes that you get better at handling them.  As an employee you get a chance to sharpen your skills in handling mistakes.  Hopefully you’ll also get a few basic ones out of the way – while someone else is paying for them.  Which means that if you plan to one day have your own business, I suggest that you focus on learning from your mistakes so that you make them only once – on your employer’s tab and not on yours when you own your business. 
  2. Practice your skills.  Unlike learning to be a surgeon, in the business world there isn’t such a thing as live sheep for you to practice your skills.  In business, you’re either doing real deals, or you’re not.  Working as an employee is the closest that you’ll come to practicing your skills on live matter without risking your own money.
  3. FREE training.  As a firm believer that there’s no such thing as a free lunch, I still believe that one of the perks of working as an employee is the access to training that you get.  For that reason, if you’re drawn to entrepreneurship, I suggest that you make sure that you choose to work with a company that offers their staff top-shelf training.  And even if you’re not drawn to sales, I suggest that you get some formal training.  The bottom line is that sales is what makes up the bottom-line of any business.  Your ability to contribute to it is what in large part will drive the success of your future venture.
  4. Learn tried & tested systems.  If your employer knows what they’re doing, they’ll have sound systems and processes in place.  From the templates that the HR department uses, to sales tracking systems, to customer service scripts, you’ll find that great businesses have a framework that allows them to follow well-designed processes.  Because a systematic approach is key to delivering consistently without having to waste resources re-inventing the wheel, I suggest that you take a close look at your employer’s framework. Take the opportunity to learn – one day your own business will benefit from having systems in place.
  5. Expand your network.  Not that I don’t think that your college buddies are smart or competent and would make for great business partners.  But I also believe that a diverse team, with multiple points of view and levels of experience is great for business.  And what a better way to find a business partner than through working with someone and finding out if they bring out the best in you – or the worst?
  6. Establish relationships with suppliers.  Similar to meeting colleagues who could be good business partners, working within an organization is a great opportunity to kick the tires of suppliers.  I’ve made it a habit to stay in touch with the ones who deliver high quality in a timely manner (with a smile) and at competitive prices.
  7. Try before you buy.  As an employee, getting regular income, you have less financial pressure.  That’s why you can expose yourself to a few industries and roles before locking yourself into a business or industry.  Trying several roles is a great way to learn more about what you enjoy, what’s important to you and what you’re great at – before you risk your own capital in a venture.
  8. Get ideas.  I’m not advocating that you snatch ideas from your employer, but I do suggest that you keep your eyes open.  It’s quite common for employees to spot something their employer needs, be it a service or a product, and then turn around and make them their first client.  Be open to possibilities, I say.
  9. Learn some tricks.  As someone in your twenties, the likelihood is that in your first few jobs you’ll be among the youngest one in the team.  Although I do not believe in idealizing people or in giving credit based on seniority, I do believe that as a rookie, you stand to learn from those who have been around the block a few times.  I’ve personally found that whenever I’ve shown respect to my older colleagues, that they have been forthcoming with their tricks of the trade.  It’s then been a matter of keeping what works and ignoring the rest – respectfully please!
  10. Learn what NOT to do.  Just as an employer does things right – after all they are making enough money to pay your salary – they also have room for improvement.  Learn from their weakest links.  But do me a favor – do not dwell on their mistakes. There’s nothing more short-sighted than an employee who focuses on what their employer does wrong.  Learn as much as you possibly can from your employer – the good and the bad.
  11. Save, save, save.  An almost guaranteed paycheck is one of the perks about working as an employee.  The trick then is to keep your eye on the ball and save as much of your salary as you possibly can.  Granted, wearing designer clothes and owning the latest model toys is a lot of fun, but neither one grows your seed capital for a future business.

I’m not trying to be a party pooper by suggesting that you go about being an employee in a deliberate way.  Rather, I believe in making the party work for you (and me) and not the other way around.

Find a recruiter for life

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I did a short stint at a recruitment agency.  It was long enough to see the underbelly of the industry.  While what I saw was not pretty, I’m now thankful that since then I found a very professional recruiter to work with.  For the past 4 years I’ve stayed loyal to a recruiter who has landed me two great jobs in a row.  In fact, they have all been bigger and better than my previous ones.  Okay, so I kissed a few frogs before I found my prince(ss) – but my search certainly paid off.  I can now say that there are some great professionals out there.

What does my prince(ss) have that all those frogs didn’t:

1. She shows respect for me:  On our first meeting, it was clear to me that she took time to get to know about my career path.  From her comments, I knew that she had gone through my resume with a fine-tooth comb.

2. She gets me:  At our first meeting she asked me well-thought questions about my career and life in general.  To close our meeting she did a great job at summarizing my checkered career path and pointed out aspects of my personality that were quite insightful. 

3. She keeps her word:  At our first meeting she proposed a series of next steps.  Shortly after, she followed through on each one of her commitments.

4. She shows integrity:  Although shortly after we started to work together, she asked me for a 30-day exclusivity, she never asked me to sign a contract.  She trusted my word.  In return, I felt compelled to trust hers.

5.  She keeps me in the loop:  Since day one, whenever she makes contact with a potential employer, almost immediately I receive a phone call to let me know how it went and what are the next steps.  When she’s not meeting with my potential employers, she also keeps me up to date about her search and potential opportunities that may be coming her way.

6. She involves me in the job search:  She encourages my feedback about the roles that she sends my way.  As she often reminds me, she wants to know if these opportunities are on track with my expectations.

7. She has my best interests in mind:  She isn’t manipulative and has never forced me to go to an interview I’m not 100% sure about.  The same has applied to every position I’ve accepted.  She gives me space and time to make up my own mind.

8. She’s well-networked and specialized:  Being that she’s worked in the healthcare industry in Australia for more than a decade, she’s known by the key players.  As an owner-operator of her boutique agency, she personally takes care of these relationships.

9.  She thinks laterally:  Time after time, she identifies opportunities that most recruiters would not think to connect with my career path.

10.  She’s supportive:  Using her back-ground in coaching, she’s able to help me resolve doubts I might have before an interview.  Usually she also gives me clues as to what the employer is looking for.  I’m well aware that she gets commission if I get the job, but to me it feels that she’s going the extra mile to make sure that I feel prepared at my interviews.

Maybe your prince is right around the corner.  When you find them, I suggest that you hold on to them.

Getting out of the (procrastination) rut

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It’s gotta be exam time in Australia because in the past few weeks I’ve received several emails from my Gen Y readers asking me if I have the cure for procrastination.

After my jaw dropped when I found that in Google there are 4,890,000 entries for procrastination, I decided to share with you what I’ve learned to do through the years to get myself out of the procrastination rut.

(I’m still wondering how often all those sites dedicated to procrastination get updated…)

Plan A: Schedule tasks I dread for first thing in the morning, between 8-11 am.  I find that tackling something I’ve been dreading first thing sets a really nice tone to my day.  Try it tomorrow morning.

If for some reason plan A doesn’t work, I bring out the big guns.

Plan B: I fill the task with meaning by following this simple visualization:

1. I close my eyes and start taking deep breaths. Then,

2. I ask myself: “Why do I want to accomplish this task?”  In other words, what will it mean to me when I’ve finished my board paper, expense report, promotional letter, or whatever it is that needs to get done. Then,

3. I try to imagine how will I feel when that paper, report or letter is done.  I try to add as many colors and emotions to my picture.

4. Slowly I open my eyes.

I usually find that doing this psyches me up and pulls me out of the rut and into action.

If plan B doesn’t do the trick, I do what a Buddhist monk taught me – I surrender and remind myself that everything is impermanent.  That surely doesn’t get the job done, but at least it makes me feel better about procrastinating. (Please don’t try this one at home…)