As you progress in your career, and master certain key skills…what you need to be successful in the future changes. Yes, you’ll always have your attention to detail, problem solving and analytical skills….but you won’t find yourself using those in the same capacity as you become responsible for other people, head up departments, divisions. So what have I found to be helpful that no one tells you?
A great interview with Bill Gates and the current CEO Satya Nadella of Microsoft in the WSJ Magazine. I’ve been impressed with him for awhile now….the way he handled a big fail on his team caught my attention that this was no ordinary leader. Continue reading
Lots of people ask me about this…sometimes it seems like there’s a rule book that everyone knows about but you. I’ve talked about the 3 Ps: Performance, Platform, and Perception as being key for promotion, but here’s some lessons learned about how to navigate this tricky space.
One of the problem “frames” I often use is defining the what versus the how. The “what” is usually the tricky part: it involves requirements, defining the end point, the outcome. People are much more comfortable in the “how”…because it’s reassuring and easier to just do things. But it can lead to activity, not results.
There’s been a lot of discussion on the importance of IQ and EQ in the workplace: I generally categorize the IQ as how smart are you….ability to grasp complexity, figure out problems quickly, get to the answers. EQ is “how well you play with others”: self awareness, empathy, the ability to get others to want to be on your side. But here’s the make or break quality that is key….even if you are great at the other two things. Continue reading
So this is the kind of anxiety where you wind yourself up before anything goes wrong. You dread the meeting, speaking up, presenting, dealing with the person who you might find intimidating or difficult. Here are a couple of tips that can help: Continue reading
This post, “6 things I Wish I Knew when I Started Working” is great. It’s never too late.
Out of all six, here are the two that really resonated with me. Continue reading
It’s easy for this to happen: you accept new responsibilities because it’s a sign of your potential, an opportunity for growth, and expanding your platform. But what do you do when you’ve bitten off more than you can chew? Continue reading
I find that performance reviews can be vague. You’re left with an “Ok, I’m doing well but now what?” And does “doing well” match up with your expectations regarding compensation, promotion, or new roles? Midyear reviews are better because you can do something with the rest of the year.
Here’s my advice on what your manager should know about you: Continue reading
A friend of mine is an associate professor at NYU, and he asks me to come and guest lecture for his students. This class is focused on process reengineering.
People underestimate the importance of process. Processes are horizontal, but organizations are vertical, so there’s a tension. Processes are end to end, but because organizations are silos, they only see their piece of the process which is usually well managed…it’s the “white space” between the functions that is where the disconnects usually lie.
Here are the reasons why I think bad process happens to good people.
Everywhere I’ve worked, I’ve found that processes are broken. Not people.