Hearing and Fearing in Today’s Workplace

If the following comments sound familiar, they may be representative of what many people hear or fear, in today’s workplace.

If you want a job here, you’ll do more with less.

You’ll demonstrate and communicate your worth to and for the organization every day you’re on our payroll.

You’ll retain and re-train qualified personnel at no cost to the company.

There are more reasons than space to describe why organizations pare their payrolls and tighten their belts. Bottom line, they want to stay in business and provide incomes for the owners, employees, vendors, and support services that depend on their continuing existence.

Reasons, no matter how prudent and sound, don’t stack up if you’re the one who gets the pink slip. The only good news about your bad news is that you know it’s over and if you want food, clothes, and shelter you’ll find another job.

What happens to layoff survivors? They’re the ones who sort through the aftermath and divide the workload that’s left. They go through the motions realizing that they’re commodities to be bought and sold; they’ll be asked to terminate others; told to do “more with less” and that work isn’t supposed to be fun.

For the past several years, employees were riding high because unemployment was at an all time low. Companies were jumping through all kinds of hoops to woo them, only to lose them to the competitor down the street.  Just showing up became reason for celebration. Suddenly, or so it seems, businesses find themselves back in the ‘80’s when everyone was more mean than lean, and the handwriting on the wall said “like it or leave it”.

In truth, employers don’t like it, they don’t expect that you will, and they don’t want you to leave. If you go, you’ll take knowledge, productivity, and reliability with you. If that isn’t bad enough, it will take time and money to replace you. All are in short supply.

Where does that leave the employer? Hopefully, learning from

experience. The last time the economy shuddered and businesses quaked, employers withdrew from their employees. They shut down communication with the people they needed most and created the workplace of  “what’s in it for me?” Without intending, they gave employees a reason to be cynical.

Employees are more street savvy now. They’re more independent, self reliant, and self-protective. They’ve learned to deal with change, get retrained, and negotiate their worth. They aren’t mad when they leave, they just leave.

You’re the boss. Level with them. Tell them what’s going on, where you want to take the company, the challenges to overcome, and the part you’d like them to play in making it happen. When employees are part of the solution, they’re not part of the problem. They need to hear that you need their intelligence, creativity, and flexibility to be successful.

If layoffs are in the cards, tell them. If you’re not sure, say so. You have an obligation to lead. If you turn around and no one’s following, that’s a strong indication that what you’re doing isn’t working.

If more of the same isn’t the answer, and you don’t know what to do differently, invest your money where there’s a high rate of return: enroll in quality leadership development programs and take your key players with you.

Read what leadership practitioners and gurus write on the subject. (John P. Kotter’s Leading Change; Morrell and Capparell’s Shackleton’s Way ; Buckingham and Coffman’s First Break All the Rules are examples of good reads.)

Create a team of diverse thinkers who can rally around a central vision and mission. Over communicate: say the same thing seven times in seven different ways. Celebrate victories, no matter the size.

Keep it simple, keep it honest, and lead by example.

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Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts conducted seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Question: What do I need to do in an interview?

Thanks for your calls and emails requesting information about the following topics related to job interviews.

What are the best questions to ask on an interview?

The ones that net the information you need to make a good decision. They’re the probing, open-ended questions that ask how, what, where, when, and why? They find what you ought to know and not always what you want to hear. They’re tough to ask and challenging to answer:

“Describe the employees who have been your most successful; and those who didn’t make it.” “Tell me about the boss’s management style and the people who respond best to it.” “How do you measure success in this company and who does the measuring?”  “Who’s going to tell me how I’m doing and how and when will I find out?”

What are three ruts to avoid while on an interview?

Being too eager, being too aloof, and being too sloppy. Over eager applicants talk too much, try too hard, and keep the spotlight on themselves instead of the positions they seek. They seldom ask questions and turn every question they’re asked into a soapbox for their candidacy.

Under eager applicants call themselves “laid back”. They say too little, slump too much, and generally project an “I could care less” attitude into the proceedings. There are too many “I could care more” candidates out there to take any time on this one.

Too sloppy applicants arrive late, act clueless, and look like yesterday’s lunch. They sit in the wrong chair, call the boss, “pal”, and answer their cell phones in mid interview.

What can you do about age discrimination if you’re in a job market that’s tossing people out who are half your age?

You can’t control an economy that’s firing more people than its hiring; or control an aging process that giveth more wrinkles than it taketh away. You can control how you respond to what’s happening, and like it or not, you’re measured by your reactions to the things you cannot change.  Pay attention to what employers want. They look for employees who are positive and optimistic.

They want problem solvers, not problem makers. They need people who can do more with less, who can streamline, expedite, deal with change and change at will. They need people who know that team players do more than just show up and that respect for diversity is more than a slogan. Being part of this work force is more than looking the part; you have to play the part, every day.

And that’s true if you fifteen or fifty-five.

What are some basics for good salary negotiation?

Knowing the lowest salary you can accept before you set foot in your first interview. That keeps you from taking a job that pays less than you can afford. “But they want me!” won’t pay the rent . “They promised me a big increase in 90 days” won’t put food on the table.

Once you land an interview, defer talk of pay and benefits until you’ve had ample opportunity to understand the challenges the company and your prospective department faces. Match your strengths to their needs, providing appropriate anecdotal examples that describe how you will add value to their business.

What should I emphasize when preparing my resume?

Brevity. Clarity. Truth. A resume is a fact filled summary of your work experience. It’s an outline of duties and responsibilities with an emphasis on significant accomplishments in terms that are quantifiable and measurable.

Organize your resume in reverse chronological order, reaching back 15 years. List those jobs that you held earlier (prior to 1986) without elaborating upon them. Select 24 lb. paper that’s white, off white, or gray; 12 pt. type, in easy to read font. The person screening your resume dedicates about 30 seconds to its review, so edit, then edit some more.

Go heavy on the action verbs (accomplished; established; leveraged) and easy on the adjectives (loyal, trustworthy, hardworking). Keep the emphasis on what you did and how you did it. A resume isn’t an advertisement or a marketing piece; it’s an objective presentation of your work history.

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Yes! You may use this article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts conducted seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Public Speaking and Remaining True to Yourself

Do you love public speaking as much as public stoning? Do you enjoy giving a presentation as much as getting a root canal? Do you shut down when you’re asked questions, and avoid asking questions when you need information? If so, you’re in some scared but good company.

Let’s face it. You don’t have to speak up if you don’t want to. You don’t have to ask for what you believe is rightfully yours. Just be prepared for the consequences when you don’t:

She told me that she worked harder than anyone in her department. She came early and stayed late. She did her job in addition to what others didn’t want to do or never got around to doing. She never asked for anything in return. She didn’t think she had to. She knew she was appreciated. People smiled at her and thanked her for the extra that she did. That extra enabled them to arrive late and leave early. She couldn’t understand why she was never promoted and they were. She couldn’t understand why they made more money and she made less. But she kept her counsel. She didn’t want anyone to think that she wasn’t appreciative of the company and the job they let her do.

Gender aside, if she sounds like you and you want more than what she’s getting, you need to become more assertive. How can you do that and remain true to your character?

Most reticent people draw their energy from within. They want time to think and space for that reflection. Their preference for quiet becomes problematic only when they are asked to respond in the moment, without time to consider the issues and ponder their consequences.

Do they sound like you? If so, and you want to be able to slow down the people and process long enough to get your bearings, I have a few techniques for you. Tailor them to fit your style:

• State the obvious. You want time to think: “I’ll get back to you with that information no later than 2 o’clock this afternoon (or whatever time you need to get the job done).
• If the questioner is impatient and wants an immediate response, confirm that you heard the request. Then clarify your understanding of it before immediately responding to it.  Not only does it buy you time to think, it gets at the crux of the issue: “Tom, I understand that you need that information immediately. What else is going on that’s impacting the project? The more I know, the better I can help.”
• Go slow to go fast. Ask open ended questions: “Tell me more…”; “Help me understand…”. You’ll save time, effort, and good will by knowing at the beginning what is needed at the end.

Now, about public speaking. The higher you rise in an organization, the more often you’ll be called upon to make formal and informal presentations. You may never be great at it, but you can always get better:

• Know what you want to say and why it’s important to say it.
• Organize your speech into talking points.
• Speak from your core and not from your head.
• Vary your approach without changing your message.
• Practice in front of a full length mirror.
• Critique your performance. If you’re bored or confused, so is your intended audience. Get back to basics: Does your message stay on point? Are you getting your points across in a compelling manner? Are you challenging your audience to think differently than they otherwise might? Do you want them to take action? If so, have you told them what they need to do?
• When you give a speech in real time, focus on your audience instead of yourself. Speak to individuals whose body language signals that they are receptive to your message. For every person you connect with, you collect two dozen or so who are sitting nearby and believe that you’re speaking directly to them.

Once you’ve learned out to speak, your next development opportunity awaits: Your ability to listen.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, article in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.

Question from a reader: How do I deal with petty complainers?

A reader asks:

Q: I enjoy my work but have no tolerance for petty people and this place is filled with them. They constantly complain about each other. What makes it worse is that the department head seems to buy into whatever is being said so now she’s part of the problem. I try to stay out of it but it’s inescapable. I know I need to find a job somewhere else but why should I give up what I enjoy because of their stupid behavior? Should I try to handle the situation or just give up? 
- D.E.

A: Before you give up on your current situation let’s look at what might be fixable right where you are. In order to do that, examine the challenge and separate the issues. 
You’re working with a bunch of squabblers who are creating more negativity than you can reasonably tolerate.

You try to stay out of it.

Your boss has become part of the problem instead of part of the solution.

You don’t know whether to stay and ignore it or find work somewhere else. 

Squabblers: Most employees who spend more time arguing with each other than getting the job done want the person in charge to take charge. Everyone’s a bit different. Some people need more structure; others less. Some want to know exactly what the boss expects; others want room to maneuver. Some need attention; others want to be left alone. The chaos occurs in the absence of clear leadership: everyone talks about what they want and no one listens and acts on what they’re saying.

You said that your boss “buys into whatever is being said and now she’s part of the problem”. When a boss takes sides, she’s not leading, she’s following. If she doesn’t clarify organizational and departmental goals, roles, and expectations, her employees operate in a vacuum. In that void, they’ll take their frustrations out on each other, with one or several vying for control.

Some people prefer to find fault and place blame when things are going badly. Others want to stay out of the fray, hoping that avoiding it will somehow make it tolerable. Hopefully, more of your colleagues prefer solutions to problems and would like to get back to work.

If you’re one of the latter and are willing to make an honest effort at leading change, there’s a significant role you can play: Listen to the complainers. I realize their gripes sound petty to you but they’re important to the people making them. Listen for themes in the information you hear. Pay attention to what you see. Call a group meeting. Describe your observations, without judgement. Ask for confirmation where you’re on target and clarification when you’re not. Help the group separate the issues that individuals have with each other from the larger issues the group may have with the boss or the company. Ask for a few volunteers (too many can be overwhelming and nonproductive) to present the group’s concerns to the boss.

Then make an appointment with her. Describe the purpose of the meeting, and ask if she’d like to see a written summary of the ideas the group would like to explore with her. Be sure to include suggestions for solutions the group agrees would benefit everyone: the individuals, the department, and the company. Indicate the group’s desire to work with her and each other in making things right for everyone.

Change takes effort, time, and patience. Everyone, including you, who are involved in the process needs to feel convinced that changing behaviors will result in better outcomes.

Should you leave or should you stay? For the near term, if you have the energy and grit, give the group and their solutions a chance to work. If you’ve given it your best shot and nothing changes, it’s time to look for an environment that better matches who you are and what you need.

Good luck. And let us know how it turns out.

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Yes! You may use this article by Executive and Career Coach, Joyce Richman, in your blog, newsletter or website as long as you include the following bio box:

Joyce Richman (www.richmanresources.com) has been specializing in executive and career coaching since she started her own practice in 1982. She works in a variety of environments including: higher education, manufacturing, sales, marketing, media, technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, banking and finance, service, IT, and non-profit sectors. A member of the adjunct faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership, Joyce is certified to administer a number of feedback and psychological instruments. Joyce is a weekly guest on WFMY-TV and the career columnist for The Greensboro News & Record. She is the author of Roads, Routes and Ruts: A Guidebook to Career Success and co-author of Getting Your Kid Out of the House and Into a Job. A popular speaker, Richman conducts seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada andEurope. Her coaching profile can be found at TheCoachingAssociation.com.