Unrealistic Fear

Tom (Dick, or Harry) has a problem. He’s in way over his head. Competent, well educated, articulate, he’s scared of the slippery slope that lies ahead. He could veer off the path, but he’s chosen to stay the course. And he’s relieved it will soon be over. They’re going to fire him, he just knows it.

Realistic fear? Realistic, no, not remotely. Fear, yes, absolutely. I’ll leave the psychological evaluations to those who specialize in that, and work with the career side of the equation.

This individual is surprisingly typical of many talented employees. He masks his fear and no one knows he’s in trouble. He looks calm, cool, and externally collected. Internally, he’s a mess. He’s not sleeping and fixated on worry, thinks of little else. His ultimate concern isn’t job loss; it’s what lies at the bottom of the slope: it’s the box under the bridge. And he’s living in it.

If you’re one of the competent, intelligent, emotionally healthy and otherwise self aware employees who get yourselves in such a tangle, I have some suggestions for you:

Get real: It may be typical of you to underestimate your talents and abilities. You probably focus on what you don’t do well and ignore where you excel. Own your best stuff. Outline your strengths, describe your attributes and don’t stick a “yea, but” in there.

Delegate: One of your challenges is forcing yourself to “give it away.” You’re convinced that no one else can do it (whatever it is) as well, or as quickly, or as expertly, as you. Critical error. The more work you keep, the more you do. Yes, you did handle it all earlier in your career. Since then you’ve been promoted to positions of increasing responsibility and visibility. You’ve taken on more direct reports and more authority. And you’ve not let go of what your subordinates should be doing. That’s too much for one person to handle. Even you.

Team leadership: Your job as a leader/manager is to help guide your organization toward meeting and exceeding its goals. You have two primary objectives:

1. To provide your subordinates the appropriate training, development, empowerment and opportunity to become interdependent, reliable, accountable team players. It’s their job to overcome obstacles, anticipate the unexpected, and accept responsibility for consequences that result from their actions. Give them room to do it.
2. To be part of a leadership team that designs and communicates a compelling strategic vision that enables employees to take the action steps necessary to make it happen.

Get organized: Organize what is yours to do, not what others should be doing. If you are procrastinator, avoiding issues that are looming large, it’s essential that you engage, immediately. If you are spending the time you have on low priority projects that are more appropriate for others to complete, break the cycle. Delegate.

Take stock: How’s your health? When’s the last time you went for a check-up? If it’s been more than a year, make an appointment. It’s not that anything’s wrong with you, it just helps to minimize concerns that nibble around the edges, and your physician’s office is a healthy place to start.

Regular vacations are essential to your well being: High performance engines require quality maintenance. Why do less for yourself than you would do for your car or lawnmower? Take sufficient time away from work, phones, computers, email, and trade papers to recalibrate your body clock to sleep restfully until you wake. Recalibrate your mental models so that you can read, play, and celebrate for the joy of it.

Get out of your head: If you’re unable to focus, at home or at work, and feel overwhelmed, it’s time to get help from a professional. Sometimes all it takes is talking with someone who is both objective and empathetic. Other times it takes more and it takes longer. Be open to the process that works best for you. You’re worth it.

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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 he 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.

Stop Looking in the Rearview Mirror and Focus Ahead

If you only focus on where you’ve been and what you’ve left behind, you won’t see what lies ahead.

All she could talk about was how stuck she was; how she and her business, both successful, had slowed, then ground to a stop.

“My customers once had money to throw around and they loved to throw it my way,” she wailed. I had a high end business and my clients didn’t have to worry about where the next buck was coming from.  Now they’re either broke or think they are and want nothing to do with me. I’ve not only lost my clientele, I’ve lost my social network and my social standing. I call these people and no one answers. I leave messages and no one returns my calls. I don’t know if it’s me or it’s them but it’s all I can do to drag myself to work in the morning.”

She has every reason to be concerned; to vent about an economy that has drained the joy and the cash out of what she does and who she believes herself to be. That doesn’t mean she needs to sit atop that vent until it draws her into a place that’s hard to escape.

What can she and you do to shift focus from your rear view mirror and what’s quickly receding from sight, to what lies ahead?

“I can’t do anything. That’s it. End of story.”

That’s the end of that chapter. Your story is much bigger than one chapter. Tell me about you.

“What’s to tell? I’m fifty-one years old. I have three kids and four grandchildren and no husband. I travel, which I love, and I entertain, which I love even more. I have friends who love to be with me because I make them laugh.”

With that, she let out a hearty, delighted laugh, as though remembering something wonderful. I asked her to describe the occasion. Her eyes brightened and she smiled softly, reflectively as she told a story that was full of life and exuberance. The tension that had seemed to define her fell away, and she relaxed. She was back in balance.

“What do I need to do?” she asked. “I’m ready.”

 When stress overtakes you, emotions rule and emotions want you to survive. What you fear most (and can’t control) rises up to take you down. The feeling is so real, so frightening that your primal response to it is fight or flight. As a result, you think too little and behave too much. None of those dreadful things are going to happen to you but your emotions don’t know that. They want to save you.

When reason overrules emotion, you think before acting and move as though stuck in mud. The act of putting one foot before the other is exhausting as you inch forward, eyes down, taking care to not stumble and fall.

When you’re confronted by change you don’t expect, adapt by allowing your emotions to inform reason and reason to manage your emotions. Once you’re in balance you’ll begin to see the road forward and the possibilities that lie ahead.

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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 seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Lonely Layoff? Get Moving!

It’s easy to get stuck between lonely and cranky when you lose your job, particularly when your neighbors and friends still have a job to go to. You know you have to get on with life and start interviewing, but you’re having a tough time getting off the couch and putting on your shoes. If that’s your situation and you have the energy to read this column, I have some ways to remedy your situation.

Begin by confronting your feelings. You’re going through a difficult experience and it’s natural to be bombarded with a variety of emotions, everything from disorientation to denial; guilt to grief.  Be patient with yourself. You can’t rush feelings; they unfold in their own time. So deal with them, and they’ll pass, even though it’s slow going.

You may get in a habit of sleeping in or hiding out. Whatever you call it, it’s time to rejoin the living. One of the best routes to reentry is through exercise, which is as good for your head as it is for your heart and all your other parts. Whether you power lift at the gym or power walk in the neighborhood you’ll start feeling better about yourself.

Once your energy’s returned and your optimism restored, you’re ready to launch your search. There’s plenty to do, so dig in.  Start with your resume. Organize your information in reverse chronological order, listing job titles, locations, employment dates, duties and responsibilities. Quantify your accomplishments.

Next, write a basic cover letter that accompanies your resume. You can customize it later. Keep it simple with three brief paragraphs: The purpose (the reason you’re sending a resume), rationale (how your experience demonstrates you’re the one for the job), and expectation (the date you’ll call to secure the interview). That’s it.

Now you’re ready to Network. Let your friends and acquaintances know that you are looking for a job by describing what you want to do and why you’re good at doing it. Ask for suggestions of people to contact, and offer to keep in touch regarding your progress.

Prioritizing and time management will offset procrastination. Know what’s most important, make a plan, then do what you find most difficult, first, what you find easiest, last, and stick with the program five days out of seven. You’ll have the weekend to do it the other way around.

Next on your list of must do’s: What do you want in your next job? For some, it’s more of the same, for others, it’s a clean break from the past. If you’re heading down a trail you’ve never been before, you’ll benefit from the advice of those who have already completed the journey as well as those whose business it is to advise about such things. Once you get the direction sorted out, describe it to others in ways they can understand so they can help you get there.

Now it’s time to make a list of individuals who can directly or indirectly connect you to the job you want. Who are the people who know people who hire people? Here are a few ideas to jump start your thinking: the person you sit next to at a ball game, religious service, concert, or dinner party. The person you typically stand next to at a soccer match, meet in the grocery store, or visit at a coffee shop. Former or current classmates, work mates, play mates. And what do you say after you ask them how they, their kids and the job is doing? If you’re changing career paths, try something like this:

“I’ve given a lot of thought to my next career move and what I want to do: (describe what it is and why you’d do well). I’d like to speak with people who do similar work and who enjoy it. They might know of businesses that could benefit from my interest and abilities. Who do you suggest that I contact?”

For every setback we experience, we learn important lessons about life and about ourselves. It takes courage to do something productive with what we learn.

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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 seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Are You a Greater Risk Than a Reward?

How’s this for a cautionary tale?

“He is so blatant in his demands it’s just breathtaking. That’s his style; impolite, self centered, arrogant, dismissive. I’m not alone in this opinion but I may be the only one willing to take what he dishes out. I’ve been working here ten years, the last five, for him. I’m one of the few still standing. He intimidates everyone, including our company’s President. We’ve had constant churn since he took over as VP. Many of our top producers have left or are leaving us to work for the competition.”

She’s describing what it’s like to work for a combination steamroller-wrecking-ball; someone whose behavior she has endured and has no intention of leaving. He’s the pain she knows, the cross she’ll bear, and the insult so familiar that to be without it leaves her feeling disoriented.

“I don’t want to work for someone else. This person needs me. He depends on me. Who else would take it?  Yes, he’s rude and insensitive but I don’t think that he’s a bad person; that’s just how he is. And I’m not perfect, none of us are. I make mistakes and so does he.”

After so many years of enduring the expected, tolerating it, sometimes welcoming it, she is still being surprised, offended, and hurt by it. She has no desire to find another job, and no intention of telling him what she thinks. She won’t or can’t entertain the thought.

“He’d never let me finish my sentence. He’d cut me off with a few choice expletives and tell me to get back to work.”

Her boss describes their relationship this way:

“She’s used to me and it doesn’t bother her. She’s tough; she can take it. If I really offended her she would have left, so I’m not concerned. Am I politically incorrect? Absolutely. I don’t have time to couch my words and make nice, I don’t have patience with people who need coddling and I’m not going to Charm School.  If employees want to sing Cumbaya, they need to work somewhere else. Turnover doesn’t bother me. People who quit bother me. I don’t have a problem finding talent to replace them.

I like to compete and win. That’s who I am and what I do. I want the life I want, and in my universe, that happens when you focus on the end game, work hard to make it happen, and if people get in the way, you get them out of the way. If they’re too soft to take it, they leave on their own or I tell them to go.  It’s business, it’s not personal.”

I wouldn’t bother telling you all this if it weren’t for the irony of the situation. Several weeks after this self proclaimed King of the Hill described his take on business and his role in it; he was terminated, effective immediately. Who did him in? His long-suffering secretary? The dozen or so employees who left because they couldn’t take him?  Those who remained and wanted him gone? No. The Board. They fired their “intimidated” President and hired a replacement who saw an accident waiting to happen and took action before the company was sued for supporting an environment of harassment or discrimination.

If you consider yourself untouchable, indispensable, and indestructible, because you drive decisions and people harder and faster than whoever is in second place, you may not be as safe as you think. At some point someone bigger than you can take you out for no reason greater than you’re a bigger risk than you are a reward. And they’ll tell you it’s business, not personal. 

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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 seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Is Organizational Change Taking Your Breath Away?

If the rapid rate of change in your organization is taking your breath away,  read the late Isaac Asimov’s take on the situation:

“If the last 50,000 years of man’s existence were divided into lifetimes of approximately sixty-two years each, there have been about 800 such lifetimes. Of these 800, fully 650 were spent in caves.

Only during the last seventy lifetimes has it been possible to communicate effectively from one lifetime to another – as writing made it possible to do so. Only during the last six lifetimes (375 years) did masses of men ever see a printed word. Only during the last four (250 years) has it been possible to measure time with any precision. Only during the last two (120 years) has anyone anywhere used an electric motor.

And the overwhelming majority of all the material goods we use in daily life today have been developed within the present, the 800th lifetime.”

You’d think with that perspective, everyone in your organization would feel overwhelmed by change.  But, as we all know, it just ain’t so. Some folks thrive on it. Particularly those who are in charge of making it happen. The rest find themselves somewhere along a continuum: some frozen solid, some grudgingly moving along, some gasping for air while running as fast as they can.

How about you? If  you are stuck, why are you? And what are you still holding onto?

If you lead a team and they’re stuck; why are they? What are they holding onto and why won’t they let it go?

Take the time to figure it out. Relentlessly pushing yourself and your employees won’t get you “there”  faster when you’re not ready to leave where you’ve been.

William Bridges, a leading change management consultant and author of several books on work transition issues, is complexity simplified when he writes, “It’s the transition, not the change that people often resist. Every transition begins with an ending. We have to let go of the old thing before we can pick up the new – not just outwardly, but inwardly, where we keep our connections to the people and places that act as definitions of who we are.

Bridges’ Seven Principles of Transition Management elaborate:

1. You have to end before you begin.

2. Between the ending and the beginning, there is a hiatus.

3. That hiatus can be creative.

4. Transition is developmental.

5. Transition is also a source of renewal.

6. People go through transition at different speeds.

7. Most organizations are running a “transition deficit.”

Does it help to change the word “stuck” to the word “transitional”? It should, if the description better fits the condition.

Anyone who has lost a long held job or meaningful relationship, knows and understands grief. Grief fills a transitional period that separates what was from what is yet to be.

Wise managers understand and acknowledge that time. They realize that many employees grieve their losses as sweeping change moves across a formerly stable workplace.

Wise managers help their employees gain closure. They know that denigrating the past or those who represented it only extends the period of mourning.

Wise managers remove excuses to hold onto the past. They make their case for why change is necessary; what is at risk if change doesn’t happen; and what the future direction will be.

Wise managers figure it out. They involve more minds than their own. They consider solution options and assess the upside and downside impact of each.

Wise managers make their decisions while developing  an organized plan of implementation. They incorporate multi-level feedback loops and adjust as necessary.

Wise managers communicate more times than they think it’s necessary, then communicate some more. They say it, write it, and say it again.

WHY we’re making these changes;

WHAT are the means and method for making them;

WHO will play a part in moving the organization forward;

HOW it will look like when we’re done.

A sense of urgency is enough to stimulate some to action; others just need a road map. The majority need a reason why. Give them what they need and there’s a better chance they’ll follow you into the future.

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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 seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Rejoining Your Life After an Unexpected Layoff

I bet you know him. He goes to work early and stays late. He’s known as a company man. He’s dedicated, loyal, with a work ethic that challenges the most diligent. His only fear is failing health even though he’s never taken a sick day. (He’s never had a day that he stayed out sick. He’s had several sick days.)

He’s just been laid off and never saw it coming.

He was starting to think about retirement. Not that he wanted to, but he was losing his edge; slower than he liked, more forgetful, less enthusiastic. It took energy to be enthusiastic. He’d need to save his energy for nights that he worked late.

Retirement’s gone. He’s been laid off. Now he needs to get a job.

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If this sounds familiar, it is, and you’re not alone. The good news is, you can get your bearings, you can figure this out if you use your time and energy wisely and think differently than you have before. To get the next job you’ll need to connect with people you haven’t paid attention to in a very long while.

Rejoin your family. You need them to welcome you home. You’ll need to be as vital to them as you’ll soon find they are to you. You’ll want to have a place to be and a role to play. You’ll need to be a wise listener; an empowering husband, and an encouraging father. You want to learn about their life’s lessons, their struggles, and their successes so they’ll want to care about yours.

Take your time and stay the course. It won’t happen overnight. You worked your way out of their lives, you’ll have to earn your way back in, one day at a time.

Rejoin your community. Learn how to connect so you’ll know where to contribute. When you combine who you naturally are, with what you inherently do, and where that combination is needed most, and you give fully of yourself, you will get more in return than you can possibly anticipate.

Expand your thinking. When is the last time you read a book because you wanted to? If it’s been a long time (or you’ve never been a reader) you’re in for quite a surprise. There’s a world of information waiting for you. Explore and experience learning where other people go to learn. Go to the library, go back to school, go to a play, go to concert, google.

Take care of your heart, your head and your feet. If you’ve avoided check-ups because doctors tell you what you don’t want to hear, check-in. Tell them you’re ready to listen. And if they say it’s OK, lace up your shoes and take a brisk walk. Walk alongside babies in strollers, and dogs on leashes. Wave at children on swings and families on cookouts.

There are extraordinary ordinary people in this world who are ready and willing to assist you in your job search if you will let them know that they are important to you. Not because of what they do, but because of who they are.

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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 seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

“I can’t find a job! Is it me or the economy?”

A recent caller wanted to know if she could blame the economy for her inability to find work. I told her that if it made her feel better to do so, please, be my guest. She said that it didn’t. She wanted to somehow get past the fact that there were so few jobs and so many people looking for them.

“I’m not a spendthrift,” she said. “I have bills to pay and no way to pay them unless I dip into savings. What can I do to get a decent job?”

We talked about her search and the obstacles she’s encountered. Much of what we discussed had universal application so I asked if I might share the conversation with you. She agreed.

Obstacle: How can high school graduates compete effectively when compared to college graduates?

Key word: Self-confidence. In this market, most companies are under the gun to keep expenses down and production up. They want to hire employees who can hit the ground running, who are as efficient as they are effective. They look for people who can combine strong work ethic with high-octane performance.  In other words, if you can sell yourself as energetic, focused, and flexible, with a track record to match, you are competitive.

Obstacle: How can you overcome a bad case of interview-jitters, particularly when you’ve always been scared of authority figures?

Key word: Focus.  Authority figures scare most of us. The trick is to remember that you’re a responsible adult, not a dependent child. The person sitting across the desk or standing across the room hasn’t the moral or legal authority to judge your beliefs or your behaviors unless you give them that right. They may approve or disapprove of your actions, but you get to choose what to do about it.

Focus on what you’re there to accomplish. Tell your story and don’t get hijacked by your emotions. Ask good questions. The best questions enable the interviewer to describe the challenges the company and department must confront and what they need and expect from their best employees. Then, respond according to your strengths and abilities.

Obstacle: When responding to ads, whether in print or the internet, I know I’m going up against hundreds of people who are as anxious for that job as am I. How can I move to the head of the line?

Keyword: Network. People who position themselves ahead of the crowd rely on and dedicate at least 80% of their search time to networking. Networking contacts can introduce you to decision makers who get you in the side door without your having to wait in line. Here are three examples of how it works: 1. Talk to people who work where you would like to work or know people who work there. If you don’t know who they are, (I realize they don’t walk around advertising the fact) ask people you know to help you find them. Next: tell the person why you’re interested in that particular company (have a few good reasons) and ask who you might speak to, to learn more about opportunities there. Note: you didn’t ask for an interview. You want a “conversation” to determine that there’s a match between what they need and what you do. 2. Talk to people who are supervisors or managers in their respective places of business. Describe what you do best and ask them for recommendations as to where you might look and with whom you might speak. 3. Talk to people you know personally and with whom you have a great deal in common. Describe what you do best, which, to no great surprise, is what they do best. Ask them to brainstorm with you regarding job possibilities and, hint, hint, who would be good personal leads for you to contact.

Obstacle: What can you do when you’re your own worst enemy?

Key word: Affirmations. Negative self-talk does you more damage than what anyone possibly could think or say about you. Believe in yourself, and say so. Believe that each encounter you have, each meeting, each interview, is a positive opportunity for something good to follow, and tell yourself so. 

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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 seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Economic Shifts and Challenges

Like it or not, employed or not, you’re in the middle of the busiest business intersection you’re likely to experience. It’s hard to know whether to wait for traffic to clear, cross against it, or jump in and go with the flow. One thing’s for sure, you can’t stay in one place for long, so what do you do? Let’s look at the possibilities.

Wait for traffic to clear: The last time the economy went south and took employment with it, significant numbers of twenty and thirty-somethings, caught between too many layoffs and too few jobs, sat it out by applying to graduate schools, and  schools of medicine and law. If they finished their respective programs (many did not),  they ran into some unexpected obstacles. They had either glutted the market they gambled on and there were no positions available, or they didn’t want the jobs for which the degree prepared them. Instead of getting ahead of the game, they lost time, money, and momentum.

This a great time to enhance your education, just do it wisely and do it without dropping out of the workforce. Take courses that improve your ability to do what you do best, talk to industry insiders, network with heavy hitters who have gone where you want to go. Think they won’t talk to you? Give it a try. It’s likely they have more time and readiness to talk now, when the market is flat, than when they’re too busy to give a rip.

Stay employed.If you can’t get the job you want, deal with it by finding work that enables you to cross train in your industry, area of specialization, or allied field.  What’s the advantage? You’ve increased your arena of experience, your marketablity, and your workplace credibility. With increased employment flexibility you’re likely to stay employed longer.

Stay alert. Watch out for pot holes, like lower salaries and fewer benefits. In an effort to stay afloat without major layoffs, businesses are cutting payroll by offering less in salaries, wages, and bonuses. Take it in stride. When the economy turns around, salaries and perks will slowly rebound. Here’s why:  

Many employees are waiting out the recession, holding onto jobs they need but don’t want, working for companies or bosses they don’t like. As soon as the economic tides shift, and jobs become available, so will they. Companies will respond accordingly, competing with increased salaries and improved benefits.

Employer nerves are frayed, and for good reason. They’re doing whatever they can to stay in business, keep the creditors at bay, and their employees working.  Yet, try as they might, they don’t feel valued for their efforts. If anything, they feel that employees want for more than they can give. Instead of appreciating the fact that they’re employed, they complain about longer hours and shorter pay.  They don’t seem to realize that the alternative is the unemployment line. Instead of seeing a loyal work force, they see one that is tentative at best, and struggling at worst.

On the other hand, some employees aren’t feeling too charitable about their employers, and for good reason. Every day feels like “what have you done for me lately?” They’re working more because their co-workers have been laid off and they haven’t the good will or energy to put up with the stress of wondering “Will I be the next one to go?”

Embattled employers will do well to see their employees as a lifeline to the future. The company may not be able to pay them more or work them less. They can let them know in countless and creative ways that their work makes a difference, and that the business is surviving because of them.  

It’s important that employers acknowledge that employees struggle with debt, family obligations, and the fear that all Americans share when at the cross roads of economic shift and national challenge. Acknowledge and appreciate their loyalty and your commitment to find ways to make good on their sacrifice. And mean it. 

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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 seminars and workshops throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. Her coaching profile can be found at www.thecoachingassociation.com.

Never Drop the Ball in Your Job Search

This caller wanted to be sure that other job seekers didn’t make the same mistakes he did so he shared his story…

“I’d been looking for work for several months, first staying local, then extending my search well beyond the Triad, all in an effort to snag something, anything that would work. I had just about run out of hope when I got a call, then another, one interview, two interviews, two companies then three! They were coming out of the woodwork and they were all coming after me. Each one sounded more earnest and interested than the other, and all I had to do was sit back, get those offers, choose the one I liked most, and hello, Gravy Train. Three companies, all knocking on my door.

I can’t begin to describe my relief or the resurgence of my self-confidence. I hadn’t felt this good since getting three offer letters from college.

I needed a break, a well-deserved vacation. So I kicked back for several days and popped some beers, caught some rays, hung out at my favorite bars, shot pool, went to bed late and got up later. Ahhhh, such freedom..

Many, many beers, and a very long trip to the beach later and it dawned on me that I had never received any of those offer letters. How could I have spaced like that? I knew I needed to call the employers to find out what was going on but I couldn’t make myself do it. So I waited. And waited. And waited some more. By my bleary calculation, it had been six weeks since those interviews, those heady, euphoric interviews and I knew, just as I knew that day turned into night, I was never going to hear anything more from those companies.

Before you tell me I was robbed and poor me, I can tell you learned plenty from that experience: Lesson One: Be accountable. I dropped the ball, they didn’t. It was up to me to follow up with them and if didn’t hear anything in return it was up to me to keep looking. Lesson Two: Know who I am. I have talent, strengths, and transferable skills. I have values and beliefs. Lesson Three: Get real and get focused: if I job search everywhere for anything I’ll end up nowhere with nothing. Lesson Four: Stay centered. I allowed myself to panic, which was the biggest mistake I made. Instead, I need to hone in on what I want to do that combines what I do best and what I most enjoy doing. Lesson Five: Stay connected. I had lost touch with my friends and had stayed away from my family. I was ashamed to admit that my search was going so badly, embarrassed to admit that I was in a deep funk, and scared to admit that I had lost sight of the horizon. I realize now that I was depressed. I may have sought help earlier had I stayed in touch with people who knew me best and cared about me most.

My story has a positive ending. I’ve found a job that’s a good fit, where I’m feeling reasonably confident, and believe I’m making the kind of difference my boss expects from me and I expect from myself.

There’s a big difference between who I was and who I am now.  I’ve survived my greatest fear; losing my job. I’ve made mistakes and I’ve learned from them. I have goals: I’m planning for the future and saving money for emergencies, two things I had never done in the past. I care about the people in my life and show it, and I always want them to care about me.

That’s my story. Thanks for listening.”

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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 she started he 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.

Maximize What You Do Best

Everyone needs to know what they do best so they can match themselves to the jobs that require their skills and strengths. Before I have described someone who was struggling with this challenge and frustrated because he couldn’t figure it out. After making a series of bad career decisions he had managed to dig himself into a financial rut matched only by the dimensions of his personal funk. He had lost the heart, drive and confidence to dig himself out.

He called to tell me about his situation.

“I’m in a double bind,” he said. “I’m afraid to fail and afraid to succeed.”

I asked him to describe an attitude he’d be willing to change if he honestly wanted out his dilemma.

“‘Fear’. I know that’s easier said than done. If I were less fearful, I’d take more chances. If I took more chances I’d increase my odds of succeeding personally and professionally.”

When we last spoke, you told me you dropped out of school because you were in a no-win situation.

“That’s right. I was failing my courses. I wasn’t disciplined enough to study and didn’t want to admit to myself or to others that there were things I didn’t know. So rather than lose face, I walked away from the problem.”

Why is it so hard for you to ask for help?

“I don’t want to look needy or stupid.”

So you chose to fail rather than ask others for guidance?

“And ended up doing something stupid.”

You’re not stupid. You’ve clarified your two primary hurdles: Asking questions and taking actions. When you know what you need, ask questions to get answers, and take actions on what you learn, you start to dig out.  What’s a question you’d like to ask?

“I need to be interested in something to stay with it. I need help figuring out what that might be.”

Let’s begin. How do you like to spend your spare time?

“I’ve always liked fixing things. My dad was real handy. When I was a little kid he’d let me watch him work and hand him his tools. By the time I was a teenager he’d let me do the repairs and he handed the tools to me. I loved that. Are you telling me I need to be a handy-man?”

“Stay with me. You’re interested in fixing things that are broken. Can you recall other situations when you used that skill?”

“Absolutely! I’m the one who always sees why ideas won’t work and what we can do to make them work better.  My friends used to say that I was never satisfied, nothing was ever good enough, that I was always trying to improve things.”

It sounds like you’re analytical.

“Yes, I hadn’t thought about it, but that’s right. And I like the sound of that much better than other names I’ve been called.”

Here are some synonyms for ‘analyze’ and being ‘analytic’. Tell me how you respond to these: investigate, diagnose, question…

“That’s me!”

Competent, logical, resourceful, practical, systematic…

“You’ve got it. I love to investigate things, trace problems back to their source, and come up with a diagnosis and logical process to correct the problem. My family used to tell me that I had a knack for trouble- shooting and problem solving. I never paid any attention to it because it was easy. I didn’t think it had any value.”

It has value to those who benefit from it. You have natural talent. Focus on it. The more you practice, the more quickly it becomes a strength. The more you develop your strength, the more likely you are to achieve excellence. Ask questions, take action, and find opportunities to maximize what you do best.

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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 she started he 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.

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