Do You Have Career ADD?

I've been wanting to write this post for many months because there's been an exponential increase in what I see happening out there in business. Are you paying ATTENTION? Are you PRESENT when you work? Do you solve PROBLEMS or do you put them off?

More and more, I see a clear divide between two types of people:

One type, let's call them the Makers & Shakers, come to work early, work with excellence, think outside of the box, take calculated risks, deliver on-time (or early), and stay true to their promises. The get the job done and ensure their bosses and teams respect them. Their clients, customers, and vendors sing their praises and they come to the job with a big smile and a positive attitude.

The other type, let's call them the Slackers & Fakers, don't live up to and fall quite short of the Makers & Shakers' level. They are late to every engagement, they do 'just enough to get by' at work, they do the same thing every day without improvement, they are usually late with all deliverables, and over-promise and under-deliver. They rarely complete what they say they're going to do and their bosses and teams regularly have issues with their performance and decisions. Their clients, customers, and vendors are slowly going away or shunning them. Finally, they come to the job with a huge weight on their shoulders and complain incessantly about all the bad luck they're having.

Which one are you? You probably say to yourself, "I'm a Maker & Shaker!". But there's a trick here.

This delineation is not a light switch — it's a spectrum. At one end are the Maker & Shakers and at the other the Slackers & Fakers. Somewhere on that spectrum line falls your present state and your future.

Look back at your current performance (it doesn't matter if you have your own business or if you work for an organization) and score where you fall within the BIG 7:

1. Regularly come to work (or meetings) early or arrive late?
2. Think outside of the box or just get by with the same old stuff?
3. Stay true to all of your promises or over-promise and under-deliver?
4. Get the job done or procrastinate and miss deadlines?
5. Boss & team respects you or they have issues with your performance/decisions?
6. Client/Customers/Vendors love or shun you?
7. A positive and enthusiastic attitude every day or a negative and complaining attitude?

ACTION: Draw a line on a piece of paper and chart where you fall on each of the BIG 7 items. Be honest!

If you have Career ADD, most of your BIG 7 items fall closer to the Slackers & Fakers end. You need to start addressing some of the more serious areas — but the best part? It's a simple choice and your state of mind. Any one of the BIG 7 can be turned around with a concerted, willful effort and repeated attention to not slack back to the dark side of the BIG 7.

It's easy to make the decision — unfortunately, it's hard to make it a habit. You have a lot of work to do.

P.S. In no way is the use of the term ADD in this blog a denigration of people who suffer from ADD. I used the term to capture an associative behavior that impacts the typical executive or business owner.

Image provided by gemsling at Flickr.

This Guy Just Used Jelly Beans To Change My Life.

You might remember ZeFrank — a really funny and insightful individual.

How To Say Goodbye To Co-Workers On The Last Day Of Your Internship.

I work with a LOT of interns and they always have the BEST questions!

I thought I would give back to all the interns who have worked for me and have coached with me . . . here are some great responses (from colleagues) who experienced a classy goodbye from an intern:

Intern:

"You can say farewell to everyone individually, you can send a mass email with all of your contact information, or, what I recommend, do both."

Long-ago Intern, Now Employed:

"The ones you are familiar with, say goodbye, the ones you dont talk to, to hell with them, and to your boss give them wine/candy and a thank you card (they may want to hire you after that!)."

Current Intern:

"Most people will come in to your office and say something to you throughout the day. You can give a general "thank you so much for making me feel welcome and making this a great experience". You bring up specific instances when they helped you like "Thank you for teaching me all those Excel commands!" or refer to an inside joke you might share. I was always told "hopefully we'll see you around here full-time next year".

A Past Intern, Now an Executive:

"During one internship, I walked around throughout the afternoon and stopped to chat with each person and said goodbye. I wrote a personalized thank-you note to every employee I interacted with to thank them for the various things they did for me and left it at their desk at the end of the day. When I ran into coworkers and bosses later on, every one of them brought up those thank-you notes and said they were impressed and everyone was so excited to receive one."

So take the time and say goodbye personally and send a thank-you note. It works.

What Is The One Simple Change That Made Your Life Better?

I did some research on the web and then asked a number of colleagues, past and present clients about what they changed to make their life better. Not surprisingly, this list delivers many simple changes one can easily do.

This is what I came up with:

I stopped watching the news. It is all over-hyped drivel designed to keep you afraid. It's not good for you.

I stopped worrying about what other people thought. It's like I've been set free from a mental prison. I realized that not having the approval of others had zero affect on my life. 

I quit smoking. I stopped slinking around and feeling like a pariah.

I ride my bike to work. It's such an improvement in so many ways. I'm healthier, look better and I arrive in a much better mood. All that and I'm saving lots of money.

I put a hook beside the front door and ALWAYS put my keys on the hook. This small thing has made my life simpler and better.

I started taking myself more seriously. I've found out how good it feels to pursue my goals despite anyone else's opinions.

I stopped spending so much time around toxic, needlessly negative people. I have a fresh, new outlook on life!

I try to be mindful throughout the day, especially if I become frustrated. The conflict of an unnecessary desire is usually to blame. I try to recognize these instances and correct my perception to appreciate what is right here now at the moment.

I do yoga. I'm becoming fitter and more mindful. I am palpably more stressed in the weeks I didn't make it to yoga.

I only drink plain water with meals. My life really is better (not to mention my skin, GI, overall health.) So simple, but a big difference.

I make my bed every morning. Makes my room tidier and therefore I don't feel so stressed in the mornings. Also stops me from going back to bed.

I cut my Facebook use by 95%. I check it monthly to catch up on what my friends are doing AND I've cut out all the narcissistic people who focus all of their posts on themselves.

I made a conscious decision to never again buy, pick up or flip through another beauty magazine again. Made me feel 10x better about life and myself and relationships.

I take the stairs at work. Floor 2 to floor 10. It is quiet. I let my mind wander. A few times a week I hear somebody complaining about the elevator. They don't know what they are missing.

I started being myself. Exactly 100% do what I want when I want. I stopped trying to change to make a certain woman like me. I did this two years ago. Met my fiancee 18 months ago and I know that she loves me completely for me and I love her for her.

I leave ten minutes earlier than I "have to" no matter where I'm going. I get there early and I'm NEVER late.

I get up early, like REALLY early . . . 4:30 AM. I not only have time to workout or meditate or read, I'm also getting to work early and getting all of my tasks done. I'm SUPER productive.

I realized that the problems in my life had two solutions. Either they were fixable and within my control, or they were outside of my control and not worth stressing over. The second kind of problem, I can still control my reactions to it and how much it affects my life.

Intermittent fasting. I don't eat Mondays or Thursdays. Lost a whole bunch of weight and really appreciate the food I eat the rest of the time.

Giving up the idea that working 40-60 hour weeks would make me more money and a better Mother to provide. Once I gave that up to live a simple life I couldn't be more happy. I'm a stay at home Mom and a self employed crafty Woman. Time with my family is priceless! Money can't buy you memories.

Journaling. It's a very unique opportunity to pose questions to yourself that no one else has. I've had breakthroughs in my journal, and thoughts that've changed my behavior dramatically.

I used to be very interested in politics. Now, I really don't care about it. First of all, because nothing major is going on - ever.

I got rid of my TV. If I want to watch a particular show, I'll stream it. I work from home so I usually have a show in the background for ambience (Dirty Jobs, etc.) if I'm not in the mood for music.

Image provided by Moyan_Brenn_BE_BACK_IN_SEPTEMBER from Flickr.

3 Clues You're About To Be Fired.

You go to work every day. You put in long hours. You get your tasks done. Everyone is happy. You think you're doing a great job — your position is safe — your expecting that promotion or raise.

You're WRONG.

A lot of people are in this mindset right now. Just keep your head down, do your work, don't make waves, and good things will be coming your way. It's the mistake many people are making.

All is well and good until there's a knock on your door or you're asked to a conference room at 7 AM. Oh look! It's your boss with someone from HR!

What happened? What did I do? OMG — I'm let go?

Here are the three most prevalent clues one received when things start to get "hinky" at work:

1. Communication is severely restricted.

Suddenly, the people you rely on the most are suddenly not available. You set up meetings, they cancel. That crucial status update meeting you scheduled? Postponed. It seems many things around you are starting to circle and enclose you.

What to do: Start prodding and poking the communication bubble. Look for a way to 'pop' it. Sometimes people find they just need to alter the way they communicate and instantly everyone notices your message or concerns. Maybe other people are yelling and screaming — so they get the attention. You need to get it back.

2. Projects and initiatives you are spearheading are suddenly downgraded.

You're at the top — everything is going fine and then, over a period of weeks or months, some of your projects are cancelled, you might lose a key resource, or the regular interest paid towards your work is moved from critical to on-hold.

What to do: Step back and take a broad view of your situation. Are all projects and initiative on hold? Maybe it's just not you. But if it is, try to understand the WHY of the downgrade — maybe it was too expensive, moving too slow, or your project was too strategic, too out there. Maybe you really didn't get the right buy-in from the important people at the top. Make that happen . . . today.

3. You get a 'different' vibe or tonality from your superiors.

Your great relationship with your boss suddenly changes. He/She speaks and directs you from email rather than meetings. Everything suddenly is in writing. His or her peers are standoffish or act weird around you.

What to do: I always start out by turning the mirror on myself. Is there anything I'm doing differently? Did I change anything? Sometimes, it could be as simple as a clothes-change or style modification. Second, check out if something personal is happening to your boss. Ask around or more importantly, ask them politely. You might find out their spouse is ill or their child was just diagnosed. Sometimes it's not you.

Then again — It's YOU.

If these things are happening and some of the suggestions don't work, your name might be on a short list somewhere. If two or all three of these things are happening — start taking steps to secure possible new digs somewhere else. Get your resume in order, start reaching out to key influencers, and start getting out and meeting recruiters.

You've received a message — take action!

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. The alarm bells are ringing at work — and you don't know what to do next. Don't worry - you and I can work on it together so you instantly develop a plan of attack - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people who wanted to take assertive steps in this area — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Image provided by fczuardi at Flickr.

How To Be Successful 80% Of The Time.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” One of my favorite quotes from Woody Allen. Most people forget that to be successful, you have to get out of your office chair and meet people. To go to functions where you mingle with professionals. And be on time for appointments with those people.

That’s it. Show up.

This week, one of my clients told me a powerful story about a monthly gathering of executives that I introduced her to — this time she brought a friend along.

Her friend (we’ll call him John) works for a major consulting firm — a huge one. While at this event, John introduces himself to another attendee and proceeds to find out that this person is a major partner his firm.

This partner is impressed that John is out networking for the firm. They have a great conversation and the partner proceeds to ask him out to lunch.

What just happened to John’s career? It went through the roof and is currently in the stratosphere. Why? Because he showed up.

Over the next week or so, start looking for opportunities to get out and meet people. Spread your wings — start making friends and bringing home gobs of business cards.

You never know who you might meet. At the very least, it allows you to get out of that stale office and into the sunlight. You get to interact with people in various vocations — the ideas will start flowing — and then magic happens.

You’ll thank me.

Who have you met (at a function, meeting, etc.) that changed your life?

Image provided by Dell's Official Flickr Page at Flickr.

10 Ways To Have Fun At Work.

Okay — We're in the middle of August and work is the last thing you feel interested in doing right now.  You can either have fun or turn it into a clock-watching, tedious, and painful nightmare. Your choice.

How can you have fun at work?

1. Keep a 'glass half-full' attitude at all times. The more you look at situations and problems with a positive attitude, the more fun you will have. Honest.
2. Try to do something different every day. Mix it up. Variety is the spice of life.
3. Add 'pizazz' to everything you deliver. Go the extra mile and ensure that every deliverable will wow your boss, your peers and your clients.
4. Sing! Dance! A little spring in your step or a quick little ditty will never hurt anyone - it will immediately change your mood.
5. Be light & funny. Don't tell jokes — but a little humor or light comment always brings in a little sunshine to the office.
6. Get outside. Instead of a meeting in a windowless meeting room - go outside for a 15-30 minute stroll with your team.
7. Stand up at meetings. When you have a status meeting, make it for no more than 15 minutes, have everyone stand around a white board, and adjourn early. People will love you. Have meetings in the gym (if you have one) — move everyone around.
8. Compliment people. Take the time to notice something on everyone you meet and mention it - be honest.
9. Stay connected. Keep your contact list robust and healthy by calling 1-2 people every morning for 5-10 minutes. Catch up, keep it light.
10. Think . . . There are always options. It's not the end of the world and most of the time, people aren't going to die. So don't take everything so serious and hard. Think outside of the box — brainstorm options — you will surprise yourself.

POST YOUR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS BELOW

P.S. Changing your perspective at work isn’t hard — it just takes a little imagination coupled with action. You and I can work on it together so you instantly get what I’m talking about - Let’s talk. I’ve worked with thousands of people who wanted to take assertive steps in this area — call or email me to schedule a complimentary session.

Work Twice As Hard As Others.

A great interview (2 minutes) with Elon Musk, founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors, and SpaceX.  

Ethical Leadership — You Need A Mastermind Group.

In Napoleon Hill's bestselling book, Think & Grow Rich, he introduces a practice called The Master Mind Group. As an executive who wants to succeed, you should regularly assemble a grouping of professionals who will help you learn, understand and grow.

They could be an attorney, an accountant, a financial planner, a marketing/pr consultant, etc. At the end of the day, you need a grouping of smart individuals who know their areas cold and can help you with any problem, situation, or opportunity that might arise. You meet with them on a quarterly basis, off-site, usually for a full day (you also pay them for their time).

Let's look at this idea through a lens to pursue a highly ethical leadership style: Can you use this Master Mind Group practice to help you maintain (or regain) your high ethical standards? Yes, you can.

Look at the makeup of the group. You need highly reputable professionals that abide by ethical standards in their respective vocations. Now we all know that there are some miscreants who buck the system ethically (we are not talking about them) — we want the best, the brightest, AND the most ethical.

Choose an attorney, accountant, or financial planner of the highest ethical standards . . . Why? Because they will steer you straight ALL THE TIME. Adopt a 'Definite Purpose' as an objective to be attained by the alliance, choosing individual members whose education, experience and influence are such as to make them of the greatest value in achieving that purpose.

There isn't any use in forming a Master Mind Alliance just to have someone to chat with. Your Master Mind will fail if you don't have a strong motive behind it, and it's up to you to plant that motive in the minds of the group members. Your allies for this group should be chosen for their ability to help you get to where you are going. Do not choose people simply because you know them and like them.

You want the hard truth — you want these members to steer you straight and give you valuable advice.

When you have established rapport, you will find that ideas will flow into the minds of each of the members and likewise into your own mind. When the Master Mind is in effect, it produces ideas that would not come to your mind alone. I have had that experience many times when sitting in on the many groups of which I am a member on a consulting basis.

But in the end, you want these professionals to keep you on the straight and narrow and to help you when you are pulled into shady territory by investors, the board, your peers, etc. You need a voice of reason to help you navigate these treacherous waters.

The Extraordinary Power Of Teamwork.

Yesterday morning, a good friend of mine, Bill Erickson, told a very powerful story that hit me right in the heart.  This week, a Japanese woman was rescued from being squashed by a train after she did what we all fear and fell down the gap. Dozens of passengers were quick to react and together pushed the 32-ton train carriage away from the woman in her 30s, and she was able to get away with minor injuries.

With the right people, focused on a single strategy, can do almost anything. I hear so often about dysfuntional teams and people who are unable to get anything accomplished. The real truth is — it's the manager. They haven't done the requisite work to get their team motivated and focused. That's why they are dysfunctional. So let's break down why the actions of the people at the train worked:

They were focused.

They had a common interest and all pushed at the same time to allow the woman to wiggle free. Are your people focused? Do they get distracted easily? How do you keep them on target — how to you regularly ensure they stay on target? Too often, team members are distracted by actions by others or management's changing priorities. Ultimately, they either don't deliver or miss deadlines regularly. Get them focused and keep them on track with regular updates.

They were committed.

They had a life or death situation to deal with and nothing was going to let them fail. They were all in and every little bit of their hearts, souls, and minds were determined to MOVE THAT TRAIN. Have you captured the hearts and minds of your team? As inconsequential as your work may seem, you need to light a fire under your team and keep them committed and motivated to do the extra-ordinary.

Everyone on your team needs to know and understand what is at stake if they fail and for you to show them how to succeed in a spectacular fashion. Most managers don't do this. They deliver the work and just expect their people to deliver. Show them how to WOW you. Give them the tools, direction, and resources to deliver in a powerful way.

They were energized.

The passengers demonstrated extraordinary strength to move a 32 ton train. These weren't bodybuilders or Olympic weightlifters, they were people just like you and me. What gets each of your team members fired up? Are they fired up right now?

Good managers know exactly the right motivators to push at the right times to get super-human strength, endurance, experience, and performance from their people. All by just using words. Find out what fires up each of your people and ensure you regularly make the same circumstances occur on a regular basis. It can be as simple as a compliment, a positive email, or a pat on the back.

001: Psycho Career Career Psycho

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How To Present To Deliver The Best Clients.

This is one of my favorite scenes from Mad Men where Don Draper not only grabs Kodak, he delivers a one-two knockout punch. Pay attention to his rhythm and cadence during his talk.

How to Handle An Insubordinate Employee.

This is one of my favorites — insubordination is a recurring problem in corporate life today and many of my client sessions center around how to deal with these situations in the right way.

How To Handle A Skeptical Client.

Second in my series of Mad Men management videos - this lesson is critical on how to handle a recalcitrant client.

How to Handle An Employee Seeking A Raise.

I love Mad Men. It's not only the story and characters — it's the business behaviors and practices which permeate every scene. This is the first of a series of Mad Men scenes providing a managerial learning backdrop — Enjoy!

The Real Reason Why People Aren't Getting Hired.

I'm angry. VERY ANGRY. But I'll try to maintain my composure during this post. Over the past month, I've coached a number of clients and have presented to an even larger number of out-of-work executives. They have all been out of work now for 6-12 months and have little-or-no direction moving forward. When I keynote my workshop or coach them one-on-one:

1. I help them target exact companies that they want to work for.
2. I show them a strategy how to reach out and touch decision-makers.
3. I follow up with them on how they are progressing.
4. WASH - RINSE - REPEAT. It's that easy.

And guess what? Many of my clients immediately get interviews and some get offers (like this morning!).

But there is another group of clients. They've done NOTHING. No phone calls, no meetings, no real opportunities.

All they do all day is send out a few emails, check the job boards, tighten up their resume. That's it.

Here's a dose of REALITY folks: If I haven't said it enough — YOU NEED TO GET OUT AND MEET PEOPLE.

• If you are searching for a job in your sweats, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.
• If you are not getting out DAILY and meeting key movers and shakers, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.
• If you spend your day surfing on the web, sending emails to a few friends, and watching TV all day, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.
• If you are landscaping your yard, shopping for groceries, driving the kids to and from school, YOU ARE NOT LOOKING FOR A JOB.

YOU ARE AVOIDING GETTING A JOB.

I honestly think that many of these people have worked so long in one company or one vocation, they've "COCOONED" themselves into a mental corner that they are unable to get out of. Even when they are given a map and shown the way out — they still stay in the corner waiting for someone to come along and give them a job.

Here's the TRUE REALITY: That's never gonna happen folks.

Get 'real' with your situation. If you've been unemployed for more than 3 months without a viable interview or job offer, something isn't working. You need to change your strategy. Unfortunately, for many people out their, many of their obstacles are in their head.

Sorry about the vitriol today — but sometimes people just need a good kick in the butt to see reality.

Image provided by Family O'Abé at Flickr.

Fire The CEO! That Will Never Happen.

Read this today: "IBM Corp. this summer will lay off  hundreds of workers in the Hudson Valley region as part of a $1 billion company restructuring that could cut as many as 8,000 jobs worldwide." (link) The truth: Bad management decisions by the top impact the hard workers under them.

It happens time and time again - when the same cast of characters - The Board, Chairman, CEO, President, CFO, CMO, CIO, COO, CSO, (and many others) make decisions which are either good for Wall Street (to get that pennies per share price up) or good for them (so they can hold onto their jobs for another year).

It's the typical corporate country two-step - instead of innovation and growth - they focus on swaying to the gyrations of factory/office closings and staff reductions. Make a bad decision? Time to start firing up the guillotine! Instead of realizing that THEY (management) have made serious miscalculations of the market/their customers/their competition, they continue on in their role (with HUGE bonuses) while they slowly eviscerate the organization from the inside out.

Think of what IBM used to be (i.e., the Watsons) where they took bold ideas, acted upon them, and led the industry. They picked up on the PC, Laptops, Operating Systems, Enterprise Solutions, etc. What happened?

Why isn't IBM in mobile computing? They used to be a leader. Answer: Short sighted vision and watching-their-butt management. What can benefit management in the short term (just to get another year or two of outrageous bonuses) or playing the market so they can leave and land at their next gig (and do the exact same thing over again). I would love some news organization to start up a Bad CEO database so we can see where they turn up next — we can track them like Lo-Jack for executives.

And before I begin receiving rebuttals . . . I know . . . there are companies who are doing it the right way, IBM and other companies are reacting to industry changes, etc. I just find it's sad to see a leader in American technology lay off 8,000 workers. That's a LOT of good people. Also, I don't hate CEO's — I just hate BAD CEO's. And we all know who they are.

Got A Great Testimonial Today.

Over the past year,  I've worked with an influential CEO of a major financial advisory company in NYC. During that time, we got A LOT accomplished and we had a lot of fun. He requested in-person meetings with Skype follow-ups and I modified my services to provide what he needed (the team at the Rich Gee Group aims to please!). So without further ado . . .

“Rich has been instrumental in the growth and success of my career and organization. He has a unique ability to inspire you and think outside the box to deal with challenging situations.  I would highly recommend Rich to anyone.”

It's been a great ride and I hope to remain friends forever.

Is It Safe?

From Drive4Show at Reddit.

How Samsung Got Big.

"The cellphones were stacked up high in the Gumi factory yard and more were coming out every minute. Phones, TVs, fax machines, and other gear shattered as it hit the concrete and Samsung CEO Kun-hee Lee and his board cracked the screens and cases with heavy hammers. Then they lit a bonfire and threw everything in." Chris Velazco from TechCrunch takes us behind the curtain to show us HOW SAMSUNG GREW SO BIG.