Spending More Time in a Glass House

I’m back!

After an embarrassingly long delay, and lots of nagging from far-flung corners of the world (namely Sydney, Australia) here’s the next installment of the Northward Leadership blog. Our topic this week is the power of an external perspective , or, more simply stated, why it’s important to talk to an outsider.

Last Thursday, I was sitting in the Costco parking lot, on my cell phone, catching up with Danielle, a rising star in federal service. I was Danielle’s coach while she participated in a year-long, leadership-development program offered by her agency. While I was coaching her, we did some great work together. And after the program finished, our dialogue continued and the friendship endured. We check in every once in a while, and I am also able to track her comings and going on her own blog.

Last week, Danielle was in a career pickle, due to issues beyond her control or outside of her sphere of influence. She was on the verge of making a rash decision about taking on a new job, which, in my opinion, could be a bad move. She and her local board of advisors had explored many different options – none of which, however, was really optimal.

After telling me about her quandary, I offered up a very simple, unique solution that was exactly what she needed to hear to solve her problem. After screaming with delight and calling me a saint, she metaphorically kissed me through the phone and I blushed with pride. “Damn, I’m a brilliant, gifted coach,” I said to myself.

Well, as luminous as Danielle thought I was, the honest truth is that all I did was offer an outsider’s perspective – a viewpoint of someone far away from the inner sanctum of the problematic situation. With no prior history or emotional entanglement, I was able to see something that everyone else missed. Think about it… it’s why we hire a therapist or visit Dr. Phil to get an outsider’s laser insight into something that might be bothering us.

What’s the learning here? If you’re stuck, or need clarity around a seemingly insurmountable issue, TALK TO AN OUTSIDER. Go find someone you'd not usually talk to about this issue and seek their counsel. You may be surprised at the wisdom you'll experience.

So, put yourself into your glass house, open the curtains, and invite your neighbor-who’s-never-seen-you-in-your-bathrobe to peer in.

What was Danielle’s final comment as I made my way into Costco?

"Jeff, you need to update your blog…"

Telecommuting, the Kiss of Career Death?

I came across an LA Times article this week about the career perils of telecommuting. Writer Molly Selvin does a terrific job summing up my feelings about working from home (i.e. Out of Sight, Out of Mind). She cites a recent Korn/Ferry International survey about promotion prospects for different employee groups.

Take a look. Molly sums it up nicely, and there's some learning for all of us around continuing to be visible in our careers. Whether you're a telecommuter, or an employee working in a regional office, far removed from the mother ship, keeping one’s visibility with bosses, peers and subordinates is extremely important.

What are some ways to stay visible?

• Plan on spending at least a little bit of time in the office. As the article highlights, the informal water cooler chat is key for staying in the loop. I remember the “end of the day office drop in by the boss” as great times to elevate visibility and informally hear what’s really going on in the organization. Bottom line, don’t hide out!
  
  
• Converge with peers who also share your situation. A young client of mine recently moved home to telecommute when his DC employer was acquired by a west-coast conglomerate. Larry now schedules a few sessions a week where he and his colleague meet at a local Starbucks and work parallel with other, just to break the silent monotony of working at home.
  
  
• Volunteer for task forces, special assignments, special projects, etc. This is a great way to stay visible, as well as current with what’s going on.
  
  
• And if you can swing it, make your next job one where you are office-based. While a lot of us can’t fathom ever working in an office again, keep an open mind about it, and there might be some political-capitol payoffs in the long run.
  

If any readers have tips on being a successful telecommuter, send ‘em on! We’ll compile and post!

Help us with the new eBook!

I was chatting with Bob last week, who is a GS-14 in a large federal agency. He's terribly ambitious and called me in a panic about missing a key deadline for his 2007 (calendar year) departmental plan. His boss was a tad upset and he needed to chat with me about this potentially costly mistake.

Has something like this happened to you?

After many requests, we're finally pulling together our first eBook about costly mistakes employees make while trying to advance their careers. We'd love to hear from you about what you think these might be. Anyone who send us their ideas will receive a free copy of the eBook when it's published later this spring.

Send your ideas to Jeff and he'll get back to you!

And once again, Happy New Year!

What's It Gonna Be In '07?

I’ll go ahead and spit it out right now… I HATE New Year’s Resolutions! I always have. Even as a kid, I thought they were silly. I’ve always believed (and also known) that the likelihood of success is about 0%. So year after year after year I sit at the NYE dinner table and listen with venomous contempt as my friends and family make their profound intentional declarations for the upcoming year. Maybe it does work for them, but it’s never worked for me. Like most everyone else, by February 1st, I’ve forgotten what my resolutions were.

Enough venting; I’m now climbing off of my soapbox…

Here’s what I do know, however -- Having a vision of where you’re going increases the chances of you achieving your goals. I’ve said it over and over again: Knowing the “What” helps us figure out the “How!” So maybe there is something to the New Year’s Resolution shenanigans?

I have a young, very successful friend who keeps his New Year’s intentions (both personal and professional) taped to his bedroom mirror. This strategy works for him and allows him to continually and casually revisit his annual goals. He does not share these with anyone (other than those lucky few who get to visit the inner sanctum of his bedroom), and he has a better sense of where he’s going than anyone else I know.

So maybe they do work? Let's throw out those prior misconceptions and try something new this year.

Here’s the challenge I’m giving myself and I’ll also give you, Gentle Reader:

What’s ONE thing you want to accomplish in 2007?

There it is… Simple. Clean. Achievable. I like it. It's only one thing, and there's no reason why it cannot be accomplished, right?

So, here goes...

For me, it will be launching my new website and virtual learning community for federal employees by July 1, 2007!

Wow! I can't believe I came out and made that public declaration! But the cat's outta da bag, and I guess I now have an obligation to keep you updated!

What’s yours going to be? Post a comment below and let us know what it is. And we’ll keep tabs on you, if you’d like! Or not!

Happy New Year!

Know anyone like this?

The Career Vision, aka Packing for the Trip

How much sense would it make if you starting packing for your vacation without ANY idea of your destination? Imagine a suitcase full of swimwear for a ski trip? Or your best “Sex and the City” Gotham City finery for a trip to the West Virginia cabin (yup, got me one of them last week, but more on that later)? In reality, this problem rarely confronts any of us, and most adults I know are pretty adept at successfully packing their bags for their trips away from home. But I offer you this metaphor as a lesson for your own career-management strategies.

I often get the call from the panicked, potential job switcher saying “I’ve heard from a friend (or a recruiter) that there’s this excellent position in the such-and-such department over at blank. Can you, Coach Jeff, please help me prepare for my interview?”

“Whoa Nelly!!” says Coach Jeff, “Since when did such-and-such department over at blank ever factor into your vision of your career?” And our discussion begins…

Having a longer-term vision of your career, and where it’s headed, is like knowing where you’re going on vacation when you’re packing your suitcase. For example, if you know without a doubt, that your next career step is to get supervisory experience, then why would you ever consider taking on another individual contributor position? That’s like packing your snorkel for a trip to Aspen!

With a crystal-clear vision of both the longer-term and immediate career goals, you have an easy litmus test to know if even going for an interview is worthwhile. And you can seriously prevent those dreaded career mis-steps. Always testing the immediate opportunities against the vision of where you’re headed can significantly reduce the amount of anxiety and stress in managing your career.

Now, some of you are saying, “easier said than done,” so we’ll be talking for a while in this medium about having a vision for your career.

For me, always knowing what's next for Northward Leadership and my own career prevents me from taking on work that does not support my vision. And with that, I’m off to go build a fire in my new fireplace, while wearing the comfy slippers I remembered to pack before I left the city yesterday!

Love What You Do!

Great! So Donald Trump tells us to love what we do, but that seems a bit easier when you’re worth a gazillion dollars. What about the rest of us who have a slightly-lower earning power? Or who have a net worth in the 4 or 5 digit range, as opposed to 7 or 8? Or what about those of us who work for large employers like the federal government or a large technology contractor?

I’ve been very lucky to have always had careers that I’ve loved. From the high-tech world of Germany in the 80s, to the high-flying AAirline industry of the 90s, to the new millennium leadership-development gigs of the present, I’ve ALWAYS loved going to work. From time to time, people have mentioned that they are envious of my career, in that I actually love getting out of bed in the morning and going to work.

When asked what my secret is, I’ve not been too sure. So I’ve been ruminating about this for a couple of weeks, and I think it boils down to a couple of strategies. The primary one, however, is that I’m unabashed in asking for what I want .

Now, what does this mean?

Those of you, who know me, recognize that I can be a pretty extroverted, verbal dude (plus, having a mom who’s a therapist probably helps). What I've realized during this period of rumination is that I'm pretty darn good at asking for what I want. This might be using a trusted advisor as a mentor, going for a developmental assignment in a different, high-profile area, or simply asking to be part of multi-disciplinary, special-assignment work team. I've never been one to sit on the sidelines and wait for others to approach me with new opportunities. I've always been the one to take the initiative and be clear about my intentions and desires.

Now, I'm not advocating whining or playing Machiavellian games. What I'm talking about is including others in my dialogue about the career. You can’t manage your career in a vacuum, so by including others in articulating your desires and growth goals, you multiply the number of eyes and ears who will be working on your behalf.

If others are clear about your interests and intentions, they will be able to steer you into more interesting, more enlightening directions. And as you navigate into different areas, the boredom factor diminishes and you’ll have greater career satisfaction.

So, come out of the career closet and start engaging your inner circle. As you begin the process of, say, “Hey, I’d like to learn more about working in that department,” the chances of it happening are significantly greater, AND, this is what leads to mucho-greater career satisfaction!