When Your First Reaction is No

I’ve had lots of different roles in my career. And I can pretty much vouch that I’ve always tried to talk the hiring manager out of hiring me.

Like many, I felt that if there was any part of the job that I didn’t know, I was unqualified.

The fact is that if the job’s a stretch, there’s probably at least 40-45% of the role which will be completely new. And that will feel terrifying and seem like grounds for disqualification.

Here’s the thing: you’ll learn the things you don’t know…which is the whole point of taking the next opportunity. It’s ok to feel terrified at a certain level. But don’t rationalize it as an excuse so you don’t make the leap.

Every time someone has spoken to me about the terrifying new job they’ve been presented? I almost always tell them: “Come see me in a month, I think you’ll be great at it”. And that’s pretty much what happens.

My New Year’s Resolution

It’s really simple.

“Be a good person.”

I used to have resolutions like eat better, exercise more, spend more time with friends and family.  Those aren’t resolutions: it’s really the to-do list.

While many of us think of ourselves as good people, I think it’s important that you actively demonstrate that you are a good person. It’s not a passive  description of who I am, I want it to be the goal every day and the lens I use when I look back at the day’s events and the standard I hold myself to in the future.

I’ll let you know how it works out.

Things I Love

This show, “Mozart in the Jungle”, available through Amazon Prime is unbelievably good. Jeff Bezos has just announced his objective to win an Oscar, and there is no doubt with this kind of content.  Supported by a stellar cast, the show is about a symphony and all the lives involved.  Watch the first pilot…I dare you not to get hooked!

The One Question

There is an amazing professor at Wharton named Adam Grant who is the youngest tenured professor ever. More about him later.

He spends an incredible amount of time advising his students. He wrote this in response to a question a student of his asked him about deciding where to work. The one question is “How is this company different than all others?”

The 3 things he talks about are:

  1. Justice: is this a fair place?
  2. Security: Is it safe to work here?
  3. Control: Can I shape my destiny and have influence in this organization?

The questions to interview people are pretty standard, but these questions are interviewing the organization.  It’s easy to get focused on getting the offer, but you also need to assess the organization. These factors are going to affect our experiences more than anything else…whether you stay or go, they are worth asking.

Radical Candor

I came across this post from one of my favorite blogs, A Cup of Jo and it really resonated with me…this idea of radical candor.

Now, you might say to me being honest isn’t so radical. But the truth is, we’re bad at this at the times we need to do it most: when our employees are stumbling or failing. We don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings. We feel bad when we’re being negative. It feels judgey.  It’s easier to retreat and not say anything.

Kim Scott, a coach, talks about the two axis of caring personally and challenging directly.  I love this concept because the reality is, I have found that I can always give really direct feedback as long as the person recognizes it comes from a place of positive intent for them.  And as long as I’m being clear and fair, they get it.  They may not always agree, but it’s always a productive conversation.

 

 

 

 

Click here for the link.

Loyalty

A friend has asked me to speak on any topic of my choosing: the topic I thought would be interesting is my perspective on “Reasons Why Leaders Fail.”

After 20+ years of working, I have seen many situations where leaders have ended up leaving the organization.  One important reason is they don’t know how to instill loyalty.

Jack Welch had a great saying: that to instill loyalty, you needed to take care of  “heart, mind, and wallet.”  Heart was people believing in you, mind was people agreeing with you, and wallet is pretty self explanatory.

Too often I see leaders who assume loyalty without taking care of these three things, only to be disappointed.

I’ll post the other reasons once I hold my session. Have a great weekend!