Q. How do I escalate the corporate ladder when my ideas and plans are not taken seriously?
A. Well, first ask yourself: are the ideas I am presenting in line with the company vision? If the answer is yes then it sounds like you are in the wrong company. One of the keys to being promoted and "climbing the ladder" is finding the right fit. They say people don't leave jobs they leave bosses. Why? Because it is not the right fit. Their visions are not the same, so unless your management is going to change, you may want to think about finding a new job.
Before you start looking, take a moment to reflect and ask yourself what you could have done differently. Could I have been more aggressive? More opinionated? or built those relationships more? Always, take a lesson with you to your new employer and don't let the same thing happen again.
One more thing, take a look at the people around you who are getting promoted and watch what they are doing. Obviously they are doing something that 1) you are not 2) that management likes and wants to see more of.
Remember, that one of the ways that people do move up the corporate ladder is to gain experience and then move onto another employer. People do not stay in the same place for 30 years anymore.
Just something to think about.
Yours Bluntly,
Jessica
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The POWER of relationships in the workplace
Your boss is not always the one who controls your destiny at work! Often, decisions are influenced by other groups of people. These groups are your boss’s colleagues and your own colleagues. What decisions am I referring to? Anything, from the promotion you want to the funding of a project you created. Yes, your boss does hold the key. But, the likelihood of the key being used is greatly influenced by these two groups.
Are you surprised?—never underestimate the power of working relationships in the work place.
It is important to build a relationship with your boss but it is critical, when looking to move up the proverbial corporate ladder that you spend time building relationships with groups of people who you may not, at least initially, think have any deciding factor in your career. Being liked and highly regarded among other teams and departments will increase your chances of being promoted or influencing the outcome of a decision.
Why? because people like to support and promote people they feel good about – someone they can feel is like them.
Let’s face it, it is not an easy task because building relationships is one of the most difficult things you can do.
Why? -- Primarily because different moods and different personalities are stuffed into one office. And then we are forced to, as Larry the cable guy would say “Git- R- done!”. People are hired for their individual talents, not their ability to share these talents. And rarely, do we every have the opportunity to hand pick those with whom we work, so we are left to make the best of difficult situations.
Here are three ways that you can increase the likelihood of succeeding in building relationships at work:
· Shut your mouth- That is until the right time. It is human nature, we all want to be heard, and we all think our ideas are the best. They very well may be, but when you speak over other people your brilliant idea gets lost in the chaos and increases tension. We can not effectively hear two people at the same time. If you are speaking while someone else is talking you might be missing pertinent information that would make your idea even better. I see it every day, people get cut off by a boss or someone who thinks they know what is about to be said, this is followed by a few minuets of banter back and forth which winds up with and no one really knowing what was said because no one was actually listening. Try this, be quiet until all that banter is done, and then come in and calmly voice your idea pulling from what other people have said. This way your idea is considered brilliant because you were able to incorporate their ideas (which they considered brilliant so they feel respected and admire your good judgment), and you clear calm voice was heard because you waited until the right moment.
If you decided that voicing your idea in the boardroom is not a good idea, take it behind closed doors, where the key person will have all eyes and ears on you. You don’t have to be loud to be heard.
· Soup, Sandwich and Relationship – One of the best ways to get what you want is through building relationships, and at work the best time to get to know people is by “doing lunch”. So how does this work? When you go out make sure to develop a real interest in the other person, ask them all sorts of questions about things outside of work. Let them do most of the talking, the more the other person talks the more important they feel. William James said: “the deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” People are more likely to go out of their way for you if you make them feel important and appreciated. Not only that but, you would be surprised how much people will tell you when they are relaxed. P.S. don’t wait until they ask you to go to lunch, you take the first step. This will help make them feel important from the start.
· Give it away for free – Well now that you have gone out to lunch and learned all about your boss, co-worker or whoever, the next thing is to act on it. Now that you know they have kids who love Elmo, the next time you see something (within you budget of course) pick it up for them. The idea is to, make a deposit into their life, and show that you don’t just want things from them but you are willing to give. The gift can be something as small as a pack of gum or a 6-pack of Diet Coke, anything that they like and use on a daily basis. You can pick that up if they are always asking for a piece of Gum or are always drinking a specific drink.
For me it would be my very own small nail clipper, I always need one but never have one with me so I scrounge around the office to find someone willing to share theirs – that would be the perfect “I thought of you gift”. So you see it does not have to be much, just thoughtful.
In summary, succeeding at work is not always easy, and there will be plenty of times when you will have to stretch yourself to be the bigger person, but it is all worth it in the end. I challenge you to always let people know you are thinking about them and that you actually listen. Your work life will become much easier and more successful.
Are you surprised?—never underestimate the power of working relationships in the work place.
It is important to build a relationship with your boss but it is critical, when looking to move up the proverbial corporate ladder that you spend time building relationships with groups of people who you may not, at least initially, think have any deciding factor in your career. Being liked and highly regarded among other teams and departments will increase your chances of being promoted or influencing the outcome of a decision.
Why? because people like to support and promote people they feel good about – someone they can feel is like them.
Let’s face it, it is not an easy task because building relationships is one of the most difficult things you can do.
Why? -- Primarily because different moods and different personalities are stuffed into one office. And then we are forced to, as Larry the cable guy would say “Git- R- done!”. People are hired for their individual talents, not their ability to share these talents. And rarely, do we every have the opportunity to hand pick those with whom we work, so we are left to make the best of difficult situations.
Here are three ways that you can increase the likelihood of succeeding in building relationships at work:
· Shut your mouth- That is until the right time. It is human nature, we all want to be heard, and we all think our ideas are the best. They very well may be, but when you speak over other people your brilliant idea gets lost in the chaos and increases tension. We can not effectively hear two people at the same time. If you are speaking while someone else is talking you might be missing pertinent information that would make your idea even better. I see it every day, people get cut off by a boss or someone who thinks they know what is about to be said, this is followed by a few minuets of banter back and forth which winds up with and no one really knowing what was said because no one was actually listening. Try this, be quiet until all that banter is done, and then come in and calmly voice your idea pulling from what other people have said. This way your idea is considered brilliant because you were able to incorporate their ideas (which they considered brilliant so they feel respected and admire your good judgment), and you clear calm voice was heard because you waited until the right moment.
If you decided that voicing your idea in the boardroom is not a good idea, take it behind closed doors, where the key person will have all eyes and ears on you. You don’t have to be loud to be heard.
· Soup, Sandwich and Relationship – One of the best ways to get what you want is through building relationships, and at work the best time to get to know people is by “doing lunch”. So how does this work? When you go out make sure to develop a real interest in the other person, ask them all sorts of questions about things outside of work. Let them do most of the talking, the more the other person talks the more important they feel. William James said: “the deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.” People are more likely to go out of their way for you if you make them feel important and appreciated. Not only that but, you would be surprised how much people will tell you when they are relaxed. P.S. don’t wait until they ask you to go to lunch, you take the first step. This will help make them feel important from the start.
· Give it away for free – Well now that you have gone out to lunch and learned all about your boss, co-worker or whoever, the next thing is to act on it. Now that you know they have kids who love Elmo, the next time you see something (within you budget of course) pick it up for them. The idea is to, make a deposit into their life, and show that you don’t just want things from them but you are willing to give. The gift can be something as small as a pack of gum or a 6-pack of Diet Coke, anything that they like and use on a daily basis. You can pick that up if they are always asking for a piece of Gum or are always drinking a specific drink.
For me it would be my very own small nail clipper, I always need one but never have one with me so I scrounge around the office to find someone willing to share theirs – that would be the perfect “I thought of you gift”. So you see it does not have to be much, just thoughtful.
In summary, succeeding at work is not always easy, and there will be plenty of times when you will have to stretch yourself to be the bigger person, but it is all worth it in the end. I challenge you to always let people know you are thinking about them and that you actually listen. Your work life will become much easier and more successful.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Don't Get Sick!- Health care in the work place
Q. My job has horrible health care. How do I convince management to change the health care carrier?
A. You have a right to be concerned about the health care you are provided. But, did you know that 46.6 million people do not have insurance? Therefore, start by being thankful that you work for a company that provides some type of health care no matter how awful it is.
Here are the issues:
Health care is a big issue, it costs more each year and you get less coverage. Trust me when I say that Management puts a lot of thought into the health care they provide for their employees. They consider costs to the business, what is affordable for their employees, and what they think will make their employees happy.
Here are some reasons they probably choose this particular policy: they have had this provider for a long time and do not want to disrupt employees who will have to switch doctors, it is cost effective, they have a great relationship with the representative (this is very likely), and they obviously think it is a good policy. Needless to say, management does not always make decisions that make workers happy. You have several options:
1) Go out on your own and get your own policy – you can Google health insurance and you will get plenty of options
2) Talk to management - But, girl, I am not sure this is a fight that you want to start. It all depends on the company, and your relationship with management. – I will give you some tips in a minute
3) Unionize – health care can be used as one of the bargaining tools ( This may not be an option, but I would not recommend it even it is)
If you want to talk with Management then here are some steps to take:
· Do some investigative reporting- get to know everything there is to know about your policy. Find the HR person in your company that is the expert and ask them to explain it all – you may want to take them out to lunch to soften them up. You never know when you will need their help. You should be ready to field any question about the policy.
Also, research the different options available. There are some options like Health Savings Accounts, tax advantaged financial accounts, attached to high-deductible health plans that people can use to cover their medical bills and save for medical costs. Or choose a higher deductible plan that gives you more freedom but passes some more cost on to you.
· Don’t complain- Be part of the solution, not the problem. Once you do your research, present possible solutions to the proper person in Human Resources. Management views people who complain as a problem and if you are seen as complaining then they will not be receptive to what you have to say. The main objective is to get your way, so if you are viewed as the complainer, find someone else to do the talking for you.
In your presentation make sure you point out the differences, but don’t trash the current policy, just show how the new one is better. Some key points you will want to address are: how it will save the company money, offers more options & better coverage, and improves employee morale.
· Find people you trust- Don’t let everyone know what you plan to do. You do not want to be met with opposition before you are ready. Find a few (well respected) people that you can trust as allies to help you accomplish. Ideally you want influential people who you already have an established relationship with to help you. One of the best people you can have as a resource is someone in Human Resources.
Changing anyone’s mind is difficult; your approach will make all the difference. Keep in mind that if your organization is large the change is going to be much harder and take longer. I am sure that you have learned the value of investigating the health care policy before you accept the position. I have to warn you to not lock horns with management if you want to continue to climb the corporate ladder. Also, if you don’t want to put in all the work then you should start looking for another job.
I hope this helps!
Resources:
U.S. News- November 6, 2006 – Best U.S. Health Plans or ww.usnews.com/healthplans
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)