Category Archives: Your Career

Leading Your Team Through Change

January 17, 2015 bloomineverygarden Leave a comment

When managing organizational changes, leaders can focus the majority of their time on planning and executing the change and a much smaller portion of their time on preparing and engaging their people. Some leadership models do not encourage transparency and engagement, leaders may avoid what they believe will be difficult conversations, as long as they can.

Just the opposite is true, engaging your team as early as possible (and before rumors start) can deliver a great return – and make a difference in the team’s focus and productivity. It can also retain valuable talent during and after the transition.

You Have to Know Them – their skills & capabilities, interests and aspirations, level of commitment, and the extent of their willingness & flexibility.
You Have to Tell Them – share what is changing and why — and more importantly what your organization hopes to achieve as a result. Their immediate concern will be how it will impact them – sometimes you won’t have all the details, explain the process that will be used and when you expect those decisions will be made.
You Have to Hear Them – listen carefully to their words (or absence of them) and the emotion behind them (often fear and anxiety); re-state what you’ve heard for understanding, acknowledge their concerns and their emotions, and respond with honesty & compassion to set expectations.
You Have to Involve Them – ask for their help in designing new solutions or solving problems, it demonstrates value for their experience at a time when they may feel uncertainty.

. . . And They Should Know What To Expect from You . . . the best way to position your team for change is to build a culture of trust and respect for your leadership every day.

©Bloom in Every Garden 2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Your Career

Pursuing An Internal Career Opportunity – The Strategy

October 24, 2014 bloomineverygarden Leave a comment

There is more to applying for a job internally (within your company) than just posting for it – here’s what you can do to give yourself an advantage:

Assess Your Skills and Qualification for the Position – be objective and realistic. Identify gaps and determine if there are transferrable skills that apply. Transferable skills are core competencies that can apply across functions/industries.

Update Your LinkedIn profile – Hiring Managers are checking out your profile – even for internal positions. Also be mindful of what’s posted on your personal social media accounts – although most hiring policies prohibit using this information – present yourself in the most positive light.

Talk with the Hiring Manager & Recruiter (before you apply) – it’s an opportunity to find out details that are not in the job posting, gives you insight into the style and personality of the manager, puts your name top of mind when he/she is screening applicants.

What to Ask – is this a new role or a backfill, describe your ideal candidate, what are the most important qualifications and those least important? Take detailed notes.
What to Share – after listening carefully to the Hiring Manager’s answers – highlight very briefly the skills and experience you have that match the critical qualifications and ideal candidate attributes.
Plan for a 15 minute conversation – send a calendar invite for 30 minutes; include your desire to discuss the position and the conversation should only take 15-30 minutes. Hiring Managers are many times overloaded and getting their attention can be challenging. It’s important that this is a conversation not an email exchange.

Include a Resume and Cover Letter – submitting a job posting is not enough – even for an internal job. Your resume gives a complete picture of your experience. Use the cover letter to speak directly to your interest and qualifications for the position (use insights from your conversation with the hiring manager, include examples that connect the dots on transferrable skills).

Do Your Research – reach out to contacts in your network and use other tools/resources (business & industry websites, LinkedIn).

Develop a profile of the organization (business overview, business performance & goals, organizational culture, challenges they are facing)
Gain insights about the Hiring Manager (prior roles, leadership style, etc.)

Fill in the Gaps – if you are missing direct experience or knowledge – learn more about it to prepare for the interview. For example if the position requires specific systems knowledge (e.g. SAP, etc) – get an overview/training from a knowledgeable resource in your network or via a referral.

Applying and interviewing for internal jobs is becoming standard practice, management directed transfers are less common. Be prepared to invest the same amount of effort for an internal job – as you would if you applied externally – it will be well worth the investment.

©Bloom in Every Garden 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Leadership, Your Career

Leadership Under Pressure – Maintaining Your Focus

October 12, 2014 bloomineverygarden 1 Comment

How do you maintain your focus, composure, and momentum as a leader when you’re under pressure?

Be clear about your purpose which will define your priorities – be mindful of your motivations and intentions
Be respectful and honorable even when you are not treated that way; remember you are responsible for your behavior and everyone else is responsible for theirs
Acknowledge the pressure and give yourself permission to take a pause for a “personal huddle” – remind yourself of your gifts & talents and the experiences that have prepared you to succeed
Establish a filter and decide what justifies an investment of your time and attention; everything that happens does not require a reaction or a response – recognize and dismiss the distractions
Organize yourself and take the time to develop a plan – compile all the mental reminder, lists, post-its notes, and notepad entries in one place
Seek wise and trusted counsel – you don’t have to solve everything on your own
Communicate clearly and often – it reduces repeat questions, it minimizes confusion caused by the absence of information, and makes you more productive
Be solution oriented when issues surface – spend about 60 seconds on what happened or didn’t happen; shift your attention quickly to “how do we resolve this?” and be open to the possibilities

Your Career

Innovation Starts On The Inside!

September 5, 2014 bloomineverygarden Leave a comment

Innovation is the driving force for every organization focused on growth and competitive advantage.

Where Does Innovation Start?

Innovation Starts on The Inside. When you are exposed to diverse perspectives and experiences, and to new ideas and concepts, it changes what we think is possible (or impossible!). It’s the foundation of creativity and innovation.

A Strategy for Personal Innovation . . .

Develop a World View

National Public Radio offers an amazing collection of original programs and content from member stations and bureaus across the US and the world with a mission to start conversations, increase understanding, enrich lives and enliven minds. www.npr.org

TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED is a global community, welcoming people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world. We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world. https://www.ted.com/#

Increase Your “Innovation IQ”

News Sources – beyond reporting the news – they develop and publish robust online content with insights and trends on a wide range of topics in business, politics, social issues, health, technology, science, arts & entertainment – The Washington Post, CNN, Forbes, and The Huffington Post (to name a few).

Stay Abreast of Trends/Best Practices in Your Field

Leading Colleges and Universities are a great resource for innovation and best practices. One Example: Harvard Business Review aims to provide professionals around the world with rigorous insights and best practices to help lead themselves and their organizations more effectively and to make a positive impact. http://hbr.org/

Professional Organizations and Member Organizations offer a wealth of information and access to their member communities. Corporate Executive Board is a great source with practices and leadership councils in areas including Information Technology, Finance, Human Resources, and Marketing & Communications. http://www.executiveboard.com

Identify and Follow Thought Leaders

Identify and follow a diverse group of leaders. Many times an innovative idea in one industry can either directly apply to another or spark a new idea. View a list of the most innovative companies – also organized by rank, industry and country: http://www.fastcompany.com/section/most-innovative-companies-2014

Utilize social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) to “follow” leaders and their companies/organizations.

Innovation Starts on The Inside!

Leadership, Your Career

The Emergence of Compassionate, Authentic and Servant Leadership

July 16, 2014 bloomineverygarden Leave a comment

Leaders can be consumed by delivering results. In business –
it’s driven by increasing dividends to shareholders, in education –
it’s the pressure of rigorous student testing requirements and
performance measurements, in the non-profit arena – it’s constant fundraising and meeting donor expectations.

I am so excited about the evolution underway in leadership
validated by science and emerging research. Leaders be authentic, compassionate, care about the well-being of those around them and their community – and deliver superior results!!

This leadership concept has been clouded by assumptions that these qualities demonstrates weakness, avoids resolving difficult issues and having hard conversations, and does not drive a high
performance culture.

Thought leaders from both the academic and business community are weighing-in and the data tells a different story. These models of leadership drive a higher level of customer focus and innovation,
quality, profitability, productivity, efficiency and build results
focused teams.

Companies who practice these models of leadership are clearly leaders in their industry and are among the Fortune’s Best Companies to Work For. The reality is that data correlated to results is the proof that opens business minds to consider a different approaches to leadership.

How Are Those Leadership Models Defined:

Compassionate Leaders understand and use power responsibly. Compassionate Leaders understand people’s motivators, hopes, and difficulties to create the right support mechanism to allow people to be a good as they can be. They take responsibility for the growth and development of others.

Authentic Leaders are genuine in their intentions and understand the purpose of their leadership is serving their customers, employees, investors and not their self- interest. Authentic leaders have high levels of emotional intelligence (EQ), a deep sense of oneself and one’s impact on others. They lead with their hearts, as well as their heads.

Servant Leaders focus primarily on the growth and well-being of the people and the communities to which they belong. They share
power, put the needs of others first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible. Servant Leaders follow these
principles: service first, community building, persuasion
not coercion, followers willingly follow, and leadership is a journey.

I would also suggest that spirituality and faith is an important
guiding force for these leaders, and a desire to build something much more important than results – long lasting relationships and legacy.

References

Christina Boedker, The Rise of the Compassionate Leaders: Should You Be Cruel to Be Kind? https://www.businessthink.unsw.edu.au/Pages/The-Rise-of-the-Compassionate-Leader–Should-You-Be-Cruel-to-Be-Kind.aspx

Emma Seppala, Ph.D, The Unexpected Benefits of Compassion for Business. http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/feeling-it/201304/the-unexpected-benefits-compassion-business

Bill George, Peter Sims, Andrew N. McLean, and Diana Mayer; Discovering Your Authentic Leadership. http://hbr.org/2007/02/discovering-your-authentic-leadership/ar/

Bill George, Mindful Leadership: Compassion, contemplation, and meditation develop effective leaders. http://www.billgeorge.org/page/mindful-leadership-compassion-contemplation-and-meditation-develop-effective-leaders

Megan Schmidt, At Your Service, Servant leadership culture builds efficient and results-focused teams. https://greenleaf.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/ASQ-Quality-Progress.pdf

Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership. What is Servant Leadership? https://greenleaf.org/what-is-servant-leadership/

Additional Resources:

Daniel Goldman, Author, Emotional Intelligence. http://www.danielgoleman.info/

Modern Servant Leader, Fortune’s Best Companies to Work for With Servant Leadership. http://modernservantleader.com/servant-leadership/fortunes-best-companies-to-work-for-with-servant-leadership/

The Greater Good, The Science of a Meaningful Life. Compassionate Leaders are Effective Leaders. http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/compassionate_leaders_are_effective_leaders

©Bloom in Every Garden 2014. Unauthorized use and/or
duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Your Career

Your Next Career Decision – Where Will Your Gifts Best Serve the World?

July 15, 2014 bloomineverygarden Leave a comment

Do you want to make a change to a career that is more rewarding and fulfilling?

Are there organization changes that have changed your job?

Is there a job loss and you’re trying to figure out what to do next?

Our decision process typically includes a lot of factors.

Here’s the textbook criteria we typically start with . . .

We want a position with equivalent or better pay or benefits, has room for advancement, at a secure and stable company. We want to like the organization and people we work with and for.

What we may be thinking . . . .

Does it fit the picture of where I envision myself based on what I believe I’ve earned or deserve?
Does it have the same stature (title, position, rank) – is it a step back or beneath me?
How will this change how other people view my success?

And what we may not even consider – and is really important to consider. . .

Where will our gifts and talents make the biggest difference to those around us?
Where can we bring honor and credibility?
Where can our presence bring light?

These aspects connect us to our purpose, and our purpose nourishes us in a way that money, power, and position cannot. Further, when we operate in our purpose, it shifts how we measure our value –
we realize it comes from the inside-out.

So before you make your next career decision,
think about it differently!

©Bloom in Every Garden 2014. Unauthorized use and/or
duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Your Career

Are You Green? (In Your Garden at Work)

April 29, 2014 bloomineverygarden Leave a comment

“Go Green” – Make a commitment to yourself to be positive
and purposeful even in the most challenging circumstances.

Everyday we are faced with challenging people, competing
priorities, and the unexpected . . . .

You receive an email – with a long cc list including your manager – about a serious issue that you weren’t aware of

You are given an assignment – the purpose, what’s required, and outcomes are not clear, the due date is only a few day away and this is the second time this happened today!

You are in a meeting and the conversation turns to frustration about your manager and upcoming changes in your department

And We Have a Choice . . .

“Green” takes the high road and responds with respect and humility, is not silent and uses her voice to shed a positive “light” and believes for the best outcome even if it’s not easy or obvious.

“Yellow” can appear neutral but is actually on the brink of going “Red.” The most important thing is that we recognize it and change our perspective.

“Red” operates from a place of frustration, fear, or a feeling
of being overwhelmed, not appreciated or valued. These emotions are manifested in negative words and actions we direct at other people (we justify it because we believe the circumstances warrant it).

©Bloom in Every Garden 2014. Unauthorized use and/or
duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Bloom in Every Garden, Season, and Circumstance of Your Life