3 Ways to Love Your Job

Last week's post on Employer Branding ended with 3 vital questions.

I have been in sales for 15 years. My roles, markets, and client emphasis have evolved rapidly over that time. I got into Sales after spending the better part of the 90's at Arizona State University. I figured my leadership experience in student affairs coupled with my love for socializing would serve me well. It has. 

I came out of school doing tele-sales for a cigar company. I played the law of averages. If I call 100 people 2 of them will say yes. It worked....but my skill set never evolved. Two things are inelegant in this process:

- 2% is not a good ratio
- Hearing a bunch of NO's to get to YES does not foster any type of customer loyalty

Over time, my sales career has gone from transactional to consultative. It is no longer about the widget and now about the essential place I have in my customer's company culture. The law of averages no longer exists, the gift of gab has been dispelled, and the product/service/price is not enough.

In order to aid my professional development I have had to be aware of the 3 questions we pondered at the conclusion of last week's post:
•Which companies do you want to partner with because you know they cannot function without your partnership?
•What is your dream job and how can you get hired in 5 years?
•Are you willing to tell your CEO that from where you are sitting things are not working?

Gotta Have It!
There are companies out there whose products you might really love. There are other companies that might have a sexy culture that really intrigues you. But if you are not selling a sexy service said company probably does not have room for you on their 'vendor roster'. Just because a company has great product development and/or marketing does not mean they are a fun company to work with.

I go back to Simon Sinek's book, "Start With Why". In this book, Simon addresses the issues in this blog by dispelling what we seem to have convinced ourselves. You cannot pretend to be who you are not as a company. Your valuable time and effort will be wasted in chasing rabbits if they have no reason to stop and meet you eye to eye.

You need to find companies, prospects and new hires who match your WHY. The core values of your company need to match those of your desired prospects. You need to hire team players with common personal missions. You, as a job hunter, need to find that company whose business purpose matches your personal intent.

Where Is Your Rushmore?
Max Fisher had convinced himself that he wanted to be in high school forever. He had a school rich in opportunities that allowed him to form several student groups while developing himself as a leader. But, he neglected his grades and got kicked out of school. It wasn't the school that mattered. He just needed an organization that supported his ambition, trusted his intuition, and allowed him to experiment.

Too often, we think in direct extremes:
"My job sucks but it's work"
"That company is super cool but they would never hire me"

So we pass the time punching the clock and pretend that work is work.

In the movie Cool Hand Luke, our hero challenged the biggest guy on the lot to a boxing match and got his ass royally kicked. On his way back to the barracks as his constituents looked over him with shame he said, "at least I tried". Damn Right!

It's easy to hate your job because you settled for a company that would hire you. It is easy to have a job that does not challenge you but pays the bills well enough. It is easy to sit back and watch others fail...to shake your head and tell them they should have stayed off the radar. At some point, you owe it to yourself to go fight the bully!

Open Door
I bet you see things on the job every week that could be improved upon. I bet you either keep it to yourself or throw your hand up in a team meeting and bitch about it.

In a seminar I did earlier this year I asked attendees "how do you know what your employees prefer and how do you convey that to your CEO?"
The responses:
A. We take a survey (but never show the results to the CEO)
B. We do a focus group (without considering the participants)
C. We value our Executive directives and do not allow input from employees to effect our planning

Most CEOs do not know the nuances of their company culture. Does that mean it is incumbent upon line managers and employees to hide problems from their executives? If you happen upon the CEO at the water cooler and he/she asks how things are going, you will tell him/her "exceptionally well" and dart off in the other direction.

There has to be a way to inform the CEO of the issues that are causing turnover. There needs to be a way to eliminate the things that are not working and develop initiatives that make sense to the employee. When jobs are performed well employees should be rewarded, when employees stay late on a Friday they should be thanked, and if a middle manager protects employee feedback from the CEO...that person should be fired.

There are no easy answers but we need to keep in mind where our energy is best utilized.

If a company is a bad prospective customer they will be a terrible customer. This will waste valuable time and resources without producing sufficient revenue. This is an affect of pretending to be someone you are not. You cannot fit a whole donut in a coffee cup (take one bite at a time).

If you hate your job consider WHY. Are you paying attention to the right things? If someone is an a-hole...work around them. You don't have to freak out every time said a-hole attacks you....let them drown themselves. Focus on where your talent is best appreciated and make your current job, your dream job.

Executive leaders appreciate confidence, concise language and solution oriented thinking. You can tell the CEO of a issue in the workplace if you have the above mentioned 3 traits in mind.

Your job will be awesome if you love your customers and co-workers (and they love you). Your job will be awesome if you ignore the a-holes and focus on the good stuff. Your job will be awesome if your well-educated opinion is respected in the board room.

Don't Forget to Remember!

~ Dave

Just Pretend

In a former life I was a lyricist and singer in a Rock Band. I never felt right singing songs that other people had written. I wasn't able to understand the journey behind the words. I didn't feel authentic delivering the message.

My friend Mike Robbins introduced me to his concept of Authenticity in business a few years back. A seemingly simple concept but continuously over-looked. Mike's concept has spread to the masses in the last few years. Every company is adamant in promoting their commitment to transparency.

Last night the HR Happy Hour gang had a lively back channel Twitter Chat regarding Employer Branding. Authenticity, Transparency and Executive Awareness were the predominate agenda items. My passion for the aforementioned subject matter prompting a community member to call me a Bolshevik. Every company wants to admit that they are perfectly in tune with barstool banter. There are great HR Professionals (Oracle) that will tell you straight away that if you want to have fun you are in the wrong place. But if I were a CEO I would visit http://www.glassdoor.com/ and take the feedback seriously.

I am a Salesman and I love winning but at this stage in my career I am equally pleased with people who flat out tell me "we will never do business with you". Fair enough, now I can spend time with someone who appreciates my effort! Unfortunately, interviewers cannot look you in the eye and tell you that you are not a good fit for their company. Nor can a potential client tell you that your organizations don't mesh. Most CEO's have more to worry about than public perception but millions of dollars ride on barstool conversation and glassdoor.com reviews. Believe it!

At some point it became necessary to differentiate yourself by wearing a suit and tie. Dress has nothing to do with on-the-job performance and that's a fact. When we talk to the CEO, we hold our hands in front of us and speak in polite terms, instantly putting ourselves in the unremarkable category. We meet with a client and politely talk about what we do. Why would they give a shit?

There are 3 questions to ponder:

• Which companies do you want to partner with because you know they cannot function without your partnership?
• What is your dream job and how can you get hired in 5 years?
• Are you willing to tell your CEO that from where you are sitting things are not working?

We will attack this subject matter in great detail next week!

"After all, in the end, just pretend"
- Ben Folds, Ben Kweller & Ben Lee (in unison)

Don't Forget to Remember

Dave

The Genuine Article

I remember being in my boss' office....the news relayed that I had (again) been passed over for a promotion. Nearly in tears, I told him I wished that 'they' understood how hard I worked and how much 'this place' meant to me.

I had performed to my quota year after year, was the first to volunteer for any new initiative and never missed a day of work. My problem? I wanted something for every inch of my effort...I was selfish and it was transparent.

The people around me recognized my hard work. They also recognized my false motivation and the volatility that fueled it. The same manic energy I put into 12 hour work days, I put into searching for kudos for everything I did. Through melt down after melt down, I eventually turned to slush.

I wish someone would have had the wherewithal to help me channel my motivation. I am here to help you do that through the following advice:
Let Genuine Intent Guide Your Actions
Ask Not for a Pat on the Back
Do Your Talking in the Ring
Understand that Promotions may not be a Good Thing

Get Real
One cannot act without purpose. The 'look busy the boss is coming' technique may only work once. You need to set a purpose to every day that involves taking organizational directives and giving them meaning to your life. You have to find meaning in every thing, understand why it is important to you and carry out said task with true intention.

People love those who carry themselves with confidence. You get to confidence by understanding the WHY behind every task and always pursuing a grandiose purpose.

Without Thank You
Yes...you will bust your butt on a project for which someone else will get credit. This does not happen more than once. Eventually a flood gate opens and the pretenders are revealed. It is better to be discovered behind the curtain than to be in front of initiatives you cannot expand upon.

If you expect to hear 'thank you' every time you perform, you will become a professional foot tapper. Some companies and managers are not good at recognizing achievement...that's not your fault. The key to keep from getting discouraged is to discover your personal achievement in everything and reward yourself.

The only validation that really matters is your own!

Results Shout Out Load
In a Radio interview I did, the host was freaked out to hear my technique of keeping my mouth shut for the first 6 months at a new job. I stick by that recommendation.

No one likes a person who comes in a room and starts talking about their 'past achievements' at high volume. Ease your way in...

You don't have to talk about how great you were or how great you will be...just be great!You need not talk a mean game, play a mean game. Eliminate the bravado, don't pre-frame your work, do your fighting in the ring!

Casting Call
I used to believe I wanted to be promoted to management because I saw that promotion as an ascension up the corporate ladder. When I finally got a promotion to Manager, I realised how much I disliked managing. The a-holes who held me back from promotion were right...I wasn't the guy for that job.

The bottom line is this:
You cannot let others determine what is right for YOU.
You need to pursue your career with YOUR best interest in mind.
By being true to yourself you will represent others in a more genuine fashion.

The worst thing you can do is pretend to be someone you are not, be miscast, get in over your head, under-perform, act out of character and lose your dignity.

There are many things far more important than your job. But, you spend most of your life at work...do it the right way:
Be True to Yourself!

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave

Keep Fighting

So you lost your job, your husband left you, that big promotion didn't come through, your team lost, your child disappointed you, you didn't get the job you desired.

It's Not Your Fault!

In these times a toil you will go through a 3 step process:
1. Anger
2. Self Pity
3. Action

We are going to skip steps one and two and get to the part in the movie when our hero bucks up and gets back to what he/she is good at.

Nothing disappoints me more than seeing someone act out of character: Those who have lost their hope, question themselves and pass blame. That time is not now! No Brothers and Sisters when you are done reading this blog you will get out of bed, put down the remote, stop searching job sites and go for a walk. It's time to search yourself for what is important, develop a plan to live it and to go after it.

That dream job you want is yours and the promotion you seek is eminent if you understand the following:
Stop Feeling Sorry for Yourself!
Beggars Cant be Choosers!
If It ain't Meant to be Don't Force It!

How I Stopped Crying!
I once loved a girl who didn't love me. I spent countless hours worrying about her and around her I consistently acted out of character. She didn't dislike me but she was overwhelmed by my bravado...I showed off when I should have been calmly present...I was annoying to be around. I complained to my friends about the misery of the situation and they rolled their eyes. They knew I could have controlled the situation but I chose not to. They too were annoyed by my bravado. They were right.

So when my friend cried over a boy, I too rolled my eyes. I saw in her the ass I was in said situation and I bucked up. I vowed to put my emotions in check and to develop better communication skills. Sitting in my apartment listening to The Cure did nothing for me. When I got out with my pals and breathed a little fresh air: I was reminded of my incomparable awesomeness...and I never looked back.

Ask (and accept) and You Shall Receive
This may be the toughest job market in my life time and yet I have managed to find jobs for people. Many of them have addressed my offer with "I don't want to do that". Do that 10 times, stay unemployed for a year and then come ask me if that position is still open. I am sorry to phrase it this way but "Beggars Can't Be Choosers". Wake up, get back in the game and upgrade when you can. If someone offers you something and you have nothing else on the table - accept it!

The Colts Have a QB
We would all love to Quarterback an NFL team, play drums for Rush or host a game show. Those jobs are taken by people who dedicated their lives to earning them. I have said many times in this blog that you can be anything...apply reason.

If you want to switch careers, give yourself a 5 year plan. If you want a promotion dedicate yourself to a well planned career track. Blind ambition and misguided action will not pay the rent. Be real with yourself, get in where you fit in and find a way to put what you love into what you do.

Trust me...you can be anyone you want to...you just need to understand how that fits into YOUR plan.

So I can tell you this. The sun will shine tomorrow. You will find someone to love (who deserves you). You will get the job you want. You will ultimately get a promotion.

CALM DOWN! Accept things for what they are, don't force the issue, use your time wisely and always have a plan.

That light at the end of the tunnel is closer than you think. Don't ignore it.

Don't Forget to Remember!

Dave