The Career Strategist

How to handle the Voldemort in your life

2011-07-13T21:41:00.001-04:00

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How to handle the boss or co-worker that makes you crazy

You know the boss that pushes your buttons? The co-worker who walks by your office and the mere sight of him makes you want to strangle yourself. Or the manager that you pray is out of town. He's the Voldemort in your life.

You might have thoughts of breaking his computer, throwing his IPOD into the nearest river, pouring sawdust into the front seat of his car, or maybe decorating his office with a few dozen water balloons. I know the feeling. But it doesn't pay off in the long run. The truth?

Voldemort’s are everywhere.
When your Voldemort spews outrageous ideas, he's frustrated.
When frustrated, they take their frustration out on you.
It's not about you--it's about them.
You choose! You can either enroll or disengage from their frustration.
Visualization: Pretend he/she is McMurphy and just had a lobotomy.

Be gracious. You still have your brain.

There are consequences to your actions.
Everyone remembers how you make them feel. Next time you come through the gate, he might remember you as gracious.
Once a boss, maybe a future investor; once a co-worker, maybe a future boss; once a co-worker; maybe a future partner.
You cannot accomplish anything alone.
Relationships are critical to your success.
Industries are incestuous.
It takes only seconds to destroy your reputation.
We all say stupid things—so forgive.
Everyone remembers how you made them feel -- so be big (as opposed to small)!

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Are you a leader or follower?

2011-07-10T14:18:00.001-04:00

The University of Pennsylvania Lightweight Crew Team, coxswain DJ Nucci

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There are two positions in life; you decide if you are a leader or follower.

Just because your boss tells you do to do something, doesn't mean you should. It may be the wrong thing to do. You have know what rules to break. When someone tells you to do something, it's your choice. Their direction may not be what you fundamentally believe.

Your job is to follow your boss who's in a leadership position,--as long as you trust them to do the right thing. If your boss does something wrong, you move on.

If you blindly follow anyone; that's your fault. Corporate greed isn't new; nor is moral turpitude. As CEO of You, the only person who is ever going to look out for you, is you. If you think your boss has your best interests at heart, think again. His job is to look out for him.

Security

People delude themselves into thinking that security comes from a job. It does not. It comes from within. Think of all those who deluded themselves at Enron, Arthur Anderson and WorldCom just to name a few.

Great leaders must be good followers. The issue is---you need to know when to follow and when to lead.

Sometimes you need to break the rules. What rules are you breaking in order to lead?

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Are you riding the underdog wave?

2011-06-30T12:35:00.000-04:00

When people talk about success I wonder how many challenges they overcame? What you tell yourself is the most important conversation. Motivation is a powerful force. You must be your biggest fan.

Image via Wikipedia

Belgians win the Grand Challenge Cup in 1907

When the world says it can't be done, you have a choice. You either let them win or say to yourself,

"I will pull myself from the slumber of darkness in the early morning and meet the challenges that the average person will not because I am not average."

Tears could water a nation for the years spent in darkness struggling for your space. Find your muse. For those who bet against you--see their force as the "underdog wave."

Success is overcoming greater odds than anyone ever expected, one day at a time, a goal no one ever ever expected you to achieve.

For some--success is being alive. For others it's winning a race.

Riding the underdog wave in your quest can be a powerful force!

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Copyright 2011 Ev Nucci

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14 Questions successful entrepreneurs, executives and money managers ask themselves

2011-06-28T11:06:00.004-04:00

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The difference between conformists and non-conformists is that non-conformists change the world. So ask yourself, what bothers you, what do you want to change?
Why you do what you do is important. What meaning can you create for yourself and others?
Create value. What value is missing that you can create?
The world is filled with basically lazy and conservative people. Do what few others will do. Where can you be extraordinary?
Our dreams and visions are bigger than the constraints of the people's who's lives surround us. Sometimes you have to ask yourself some dangerous questions to get to the next step in your career. Are there people holding you back?
You are the architect and create the rules.What rules do you want to create?
Extraordinary people are extraordinarily generous. What do you want to be generous with?
Your job is to find the environment where your genius comes out. Who are you at your best?
Everyone knows the person that can be counted on every time. Are you that person?
Get focused. Surround yourself with sources of inspiration. Are your friends draining you? Are your friends in alignment with your goals? Do your friends contribute to you being the best person you can be? Or are they losers?
The number one skill of an entrepreneur is the ability to identify an opportunity (be opportunistic and sell. Being an entrepreneur is not that big of a deal. The child who mows lawns, opens the lemonade stands, shovels driveways is an entrepreneur. How are you teaching your children? Or are you enabling to do nothing? Do you wait on them hand and foot?
The most successful people love do what they do—they stay focused on their goal. The passion for achieving that goal is self-evident. Money isn't success. Doctors can be broke and janitors can be millionaires. What do you love?
You are a brand. What you stand for, what is important to you?
Ninety-nine percent of the population will quit five yards before the finish line. Are you the one percent or the ninety-nine percent?

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If all of us helped the rest of us--go be somebody's angel today!

2011-01-14T09:09:00.000-05:00

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So many people show up here who hate their boss, their jobs, can't find a job. Make less money or no money. Your house is in foreclosure. Times are tough.

Really? Here's a reality check for what matters.

For the last seven months my 17 year-old son has been wearing life vest defibrillator because he's at risk for sudden death. He was born with congenital heart and lung disease. For 17 years, we've been fighting for his life and his education.

This past few weeks have been anything but fun.

Tuesday as we came home from the hospital this 17-year-old said,

“Mom, I’m sports, that’s who I am.”

“Honey, I understand, but we have to deal with what God gives us. There’s a lot things I wish I could do, but I can’t.”

“Mom, do you have any idea what’s it’s like to have this defibrillator on? I can’t get up out of chair. This thing gets stuck and I have to carry it around--it’s killing me.”

“No, honey, I don’t know what its like to wear that thing.”

“Well, I can’t take it. And I’m sports, it’s who I am. I just want to live my life again.”

“Honey, I don’t want to dissuade you from your dreams because my parents never supported me in my mine. So here’s all I’m going to say. If your dream is to be a professional soccer player, that’s fine. But I think you ought to consider a back-up plan. It’s wise to have one. Most importantly, I would like to be your angel, not you be mine. My Mom is my angel. God gave you a body that can only do so much with—and no matter what, you have to take special care of it, and my fear is that if you push that body, something will happen to you. And I just want to make sure that you out live me, so that I can sit on your shoulder. That’s all, OK? Let me by your angel.”

Two weeks from now this 17-year-old will go back under the knife. My husband came home the other day and told me about a co-worker's baby who just died.

Everyday I do what I can to help. Imagine if all of us helped the rest of us?

Image by AlicePopkorn via Flickr

Go be somebodies angel today.

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Stop hiring the duds who cost you money

2011-01-12T09:49:00.003-05:00

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Each job posting draws thousands of job applicants. I have clients who receive 10,000 resumes a month. Others 200,000 a year—all since the beginning of this recession.

Today’s environment is burning out every HR department.

Finding real talent is not easy. Going through hundreds of resumes, isn't fun. Interviewing is an art. So hiring the most talented team--takes more than just sticking a job on a website.

And if you don't think so--think again. Why would it be so easy to recruit from one company and not another? Or even more important, how does one company become a leader and another doesn't?

It's the talent.

BlackRock, Inc. is the largest, most respected and prestigious asset manager in the world. It didn't get there by hiring average talent.

So are you asking the right questions? Interviewing the right people? Recruiting real talent? How do you know the person you’re talking to isn’t positioning himself for the job?

What’s the difference between an authentic interview and one where the candidate “tells you what you want to hear”?

What are the secrets recruiters use to ensure their candidates get placed?

And resume mills--have any idea what they do, how they work and their over all goals?

How do you know if someone is lying on their resume? Are “word clouds” scanning out the perfect candidate instead of flagging them for consideration? What’s the perfect candidate look like? Does the HR department know “real talent”?

The only thing that separates great companies from good is their talent.

And talent walks out the door every night.

Contact the leader in extraordinary talent, Nucci Consulting Group, to take your company from good to great!

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Four solutions for the, "I hate my boss and don't know what to do syndrome"--part 2

2010-09-14T16:46:00.008-04:00

We sit with our friends and laugh about the bosshole
who makes our life miserable.

Steve Carrell as Michael Scott

From the Television show, The Office

"What is the single most important thing for a company? Is it the building? Is it the stock? The turnover, the people? My proudest moment here wasn't when I increased profits by 17%, or cut expenditure without losing a single member of staff. No, no, no, no. It was a young Guatamalan guy, first job in the country, hardly spoke a word of English, but he came to me and he went "Mr. Scott, will you be the Godfather to my child?" Wow. *Wow.* Didn't work out in the end. We had to let him go. He sucked."

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"Learn the art of patience. Apply discipline to your thoughts when they become
anxious over the outcome of a goal. Impatience breeds anxiety, fear,
discouragement and failure. Patience creates confidence, decisiveness,
and a rational outlook, which eventually leads to success.": by Brian Adams

So how do you solve the problem of the nightmare boss?

A. Change bosses in the company (if the company is big enough)

Solution 1:

A few decades ago I was offered two promotions with a huge corporation. After I accepted one job, my boss quit—and it turned out that my new boss was a micro-manager more interested in having an extra-marital affair than in doing her job. After six months of frustration, I called the Senor Vice President who offered me the other promotion and asked him to lunch.

I developed a business plan, discussed how I could build their organization, advantages I brought and what a mistake it was that I didn't accept his offer. After we returned from lunch he called and asked if I was interested in a different position, yet better opportunity with him. I was thrilled! Later that day I was offered a much larger position than I dreamed and called my husband and asked him if he wanted to move.

Solution 2:

My friend, Tim called asking for advice. His firm had just hired, John, as a new Managing Director and portfolio manager who ran large cap growth. Tim received a call from John asking him to come to New York City to meet with him. Tim lived in London. Tim assumed the reason he got the call was because he was being asked to interview him as a member of his team.

"Tim, trust me, you're not going there to interview him. You are going there to be interviewed."
"How do you know?"
"Think about it, how did John get his job?"
"Because the CIO is friends with him."
"There you go."
"What do you mean?"
"He's bringing in his own team."
"What? Can't be. I've been here for eight years."

"So."
"Really?"
"Tim--trust me. The CEO did not hire the CIO and say to him that his is not allowed to hire his own team. That's ridiculous. His job is bring performance up and guess what? He called you to interview you."
"I cannot believe that."
"Well, you better get ready my friend. And if I'm wrong, I'll eat cat's ears."

When he came back from New York he called.

"How can someone so smart be so stupid?"

"Sometimes we just can't see it ourselves."

From his perspective he was being demoted. However, the move wasn't about Tim--it was about John. And it's called business. Life is not fair. It had nothing to do with Tim--so the company offered him another position within the organization, however, now he was no longer running money.

He didn’t know what to do. I suggested that he accept the new position so not to create a problem, find himself a new job where he could run money and then negotiate a way to keep all of his stock options creating a win-win for everyone involved, that way he would leave on a positive note with a good recommendation and he could continue to do what he loved. He followed my advice and is still with the company that he joined which was over ten years ago.

B. Get your boss some training

Solution 3:

The direct report of a client was a lousy leader. He had disgusting manners, was thoughtless, self-involved and loved to humiliate people. He was brilliant at managing up, was organized and a rainmaker!

He had been mentored by a boss who also humiliated others.

With no role models people lived in fear of him.

We recommended an off site leadership program (who would love Mr. Charisma.) and a12 month coaching program. In addition, he received a DISC profile which gave him objective feedback and helped create self-awareness.

C. Sometimes you need to move on!

Solution 4:

John T, at 55 years of age, spent his twenty year career as a large cap portfolio manager with one of the largest institutional asset management firms. Two years ago the firm merged with another and he was laid off. Today he is with a small firm, but less prestigious. His boss retired. And today he finds himself at a crossroads.

He wonders about his current bosses political skills and if his job will be intact at year’s end. He is beginning to lose confidence in the firm’s strategic business plan. And he wonders if this is the time to reinvent his career. Times seem to uncertain. He doesn’t know what to do.

I recommended he leverage himself to work with a different boss, different department where he will gain new skills. The firm wants to build an alternatives department, he a brilliant manager, great performance who’s always wanted to run a short fund. Take the opportunity, gain the experience and a new boss, a win-win for him and the firm.

The result is that John is happier than he’s been in years. Performance is up and he’s looking to start his own firm later this year.

For leaders:

We all have core emotional needs. As a business you want to exceed your return on investment of capital. So how do you do that? By hiring outstanding people who love to excel. Every human being has core emotional needs that need to be met. The more emotional needs that are met--that happier people will be.

The single greatest motivator is that every human being wants to be part of something bigger. Tap into that greatness among team players (we, not me people) and you will exceed your return on investment.

Never hire someone who moves for money because they are moving for the wrong reasons and are a bad hire. Only bring in people who fit with your culture long term, love a challenge and don't job hop. Otherwise you will have huge turnover and a lousy culture.

Invest in your people--it's the only capital that matters.

Belong
Expression
Acceptance
Trusted
Competence
Validation
Control over your own life
Congruence
Recognition

Bosses, your capital walks out the door every night.

PEOPLE WANT TO BE SURROUNDED BY OUTSTANDING PEOPLE, WHO VALUE THEIR INPUT, WHO RAISE THEIR BAR, AND WANT TO BE WITH OTHERS WHO VALUE THEIR WORK, CHALLENGE THEM AND HELP THEM GROW.

Once you pay someone well, what matters is how you treat them . People will never remember what you say, or what you did, but they will always remember how you made them feel. Make someone feel like a million dollars and they will remember you forever. They will work harder for you, challenge people, help them grow, inspire loyalty—believe in them. See greatness in them. Raise their bar—know that they are capable of more and they will deliver it!

The greatest thing leaders do

for outstanding employees

is to

stretch them.

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Copyright 2010 Ev Nucci ev-nucci

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Plus 2 more...

What to do when you hate your boss!

2010-08-17T08:57:00.010-04:00

Maybe the hiring process was rushed. If it was a typical recruiter, they probably called and said, "hey I have a job for you..." Very original. So now you hate your job and you hate your boss.

So what do you do?

To make matters worse, it's the worst economy since the great depression. So your job prospects are limited...right? And that puts even more pressure on you, your spouse, significant other, family and financial situation.

Your days are hell--your boss terrorizes you. He humiliates you and everyone else. He screams, yells profanities, doesn't provide any teachable moments. You don't trust him. Truth is--you're drowning.

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."
Martin Luther King, Jr.

You have no respect for him. You make up names for him behind his back--you even make monkey faces and dream of putting fart balloons on his chair or filling his car with cow manure. You and your pals laugh about his career ascent because it's obvious he's been Peter Principled.

His ethics are more than questionable--he steals your work and your clients passing them off as his own. His contempt and impudence towards you is an effrontery to your erudite and resourceful contributions to the organization. His disdain for you isn't personal. It's everyone. It's who he is. You cannot figure out for the life of you how he still has his job because you are convinced he's related to Lucifer.

Or maybe he's not that bad--but he's pretty bad.

So what do you do?

1. You look for a new job--then quit yours.

2. If the company is big enough, you figure out how to move yourself out of reporting to him and to report to someone else in the organization. (more on this in the next post)

3. You figure out how to get this loser some training or coaching in way that never comes back to you. (more on this in the next post)

4. Finally for those people who keep showing up on this blog and want to destroy their bosses life--forget it. Believe in the power of karma. It all comes back to you in life. Forget out revenge. It is not worth it. Move on.

So let's start with what's a great company supposed to look like? What are the values? And how do you start? Let's start with you starting your own company. I've been down this road. So trust me. You create the values. What would they be?

Where do you start?

It's hard isn't it?

I've offer you some ideas below. Think about how your values and how you're going to model those values in your behavior. How will you treat people? Your clients? How will you treat your employees?

What is your fine line between profit, employees, environment, accountability, shareholders? How are you going to lead by example? You are the boss. So take the bad experience you have had--and learn from it. Every lousy boss I ever had taught me something.

The beauty of having a lousy boss is what they teach you. Everything you never want to be.

The bad experiences you have in life can be the greatest learning experiences. It's up to you. For me--it's made me a far better person. Is it hard? You bet. But I believe that tragedy builds character. I know--enough character already. I tell my son who's training for Olympics, put your head down and don't give up. So to should you.

Our Values

Integrity

At ABC Company we:

Demonstrate integrity and ethics in our words and actions
Show respect for and value all individuals for their diverse backgrounds, experience, styles, approaches and ideas
Speak positively and supportively about team members when apart
Listen to others for understanding
Assume positive intent

Accountability

We are all accountable.

Accept personal accountability for our own actions and results
Focus on finding solutions and achieving results, rather than making excuses or placing blame
Actively engage in discussions and support decisions once they are made
Involve others in decisions and plans that affect them
Keep promises and commitments made to others
Personally commit to the success and well-being of teammates

Passion

We are passionate about our business, our clients and our performance.

Promote a positive, energizing, optimistic and fun environment
Serve our clients with passion and quality of our products and services
Promote creative and innovative ideas and solutions
Aggressively promote and protect our reputation

Humility

We have the humility and hunger to learn.

Display openness and curiosity to learn from anyone, anywhere
Solicit and provide honest feedback without regard to position
Personally commit to continuous improvement and are willing to change
Admit our mistakes and learn from them
Never underestimate our competition

Simplicity

We strive for simplicity.

Stop processes, procedures and activities that slow us down or do not add value
Work across organizational boundaries/levels and break down internal barriers
Deal with people and issues directly and avoid hidden agendas
Prize results over form

Results

We love success.

Achieve results and celebrate when we do
Help people to be their best by providing coaching and feedback
Work with others as a team to accomplish results and win
Have a “can-do” attitude and drive to get the job done
Make people feel valued and appreciated
Make the tough calls

Do some of those values above sound like a company you want to work for? Ideas for you to consider.
Be the change...

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To be continued

Copyright 2010 Ev Nucci

ev-nucci

ev nucci entrepreneur author career

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The power of believing in yourself

2010-05-28T14:34:00.005-04:00

"Man's greatness lies in the power of his thought."

Pascal

My sixteen year old son wrote an essay that inspired me.
I share it with you---hoping it does the same for you.

The story of my life

By P. N.

Generally life becomes more fascinating as we age.
Mine started out pretty dramatic---sort of like a Harry Potter movie without Valdemort.

I guess it was the morning in November, 1993 my Mom yelled at my Dad,

“DON’T TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THE BABY’S HEART MONITOR.”

I guess she yelled pretty loud, I didn't hear her, even though I was still in her stomach. Course I might have. But I wouldn't remember.

How the heck could I?

I guess Dad wasn’t doing his job. A few minutes later he ran down the hall to get the doctor because my heart rate dropped.

They rushed Mom into the delivery room and I was born.
They put me into her arms,
but I guess you're supposed to cry and I wasn't.
Go figure.

Probably Dad's fault too.

Then I turned blue.

A bunch of people whipped me away from Mom--like I was a football.
Mom panicked. So did Dad. So they pulled Mom and Dad out of the room.
You do not want to be around Mom when she's panicked over me.
She gets a little crazy when it comes to me.

They put me on a something--she said it was a ventilator and then into an ambulance and rushed me to Children Hospital of Philadelphia.

All by myself. Dad followed in his car. Mom wanted to go, but they wouldn't let her--wonder why?

Probably scared of my mother's eye.

A little while later, they found out that I was born with something bad.
It was called congenital heart disease and a diaphragmatic hernia.

Congenital means something you were born with something.
I don't know all the problems, but Mom says it's that I didn’t have four chambers. I didn't look scary. But problem with my pulmonary artery and aorta too which made my heart deformed.

I didn't look a monster or anything. I've seen pictures. I looked normal, except for all the needles and tubes.

When you have a diaphragmatic hernia there is an opening in your diaphragm so my stomach, intestines, and kidneys were in my upper chest cavity—where my lungs and heart were supposed to be. (Almost like I was a sausage inside)
So my heart was on the right side of my body and my left lung didn’t develop.

I was a mess (on the inside, not the outside).
When the docs found out what a mess I was, they wanted to let me die.

Can you imagine that?
They wanted to give up.

I wouldn't be here.
They said I wouldn't be able to read, write, or speak. I'd be a carrot, a veggie. They said I would die anyway!
They told Dad this and he cracked up. He was whaling away. So he called Mom.

She couldn't make out what he was saying cause he was whaling away.

Mom told him to put the doctor on the phone.

Imagine what she was thinking?

The doctor told her that they should do the best thing for their other two children. Let the kid die. The other two would have a great life. Sure they would have been losers.

I would love to have been on the other side of that phone call.

My Mom thanked the goof ball Doctor and then she told him to sit his buttocks there. She wanted a piece of him! (joking).

I'm wondering if she was going to beat them up?

Then Mom got on her broomstick and flew down to CHOP (joking).

The doctor told Mom she couldn't leave the hospital.

Right.

Mom’s pretty determined.

I'm sure she smiled at him.

About an hour later Mom and Dad met with about six different doctors at Children’s Hospital. They said,
“He’ll never live.” yayayayayayayay
gabagaba -- you know all that horrible stuff.

Mom thanked them all. Dad wheeled her into the room which I had it all to myself.
There were only eight rooms like it in the world. It was a room filled with machines.

On two sides were machines dedicated to saving my life. White & red lights, steel machines, and beeping noises.

I was in a teeny tiny bed. Naked. Over my bed was a light. They had me hooked up to all kinds of machinery. And I was breathing with a tube in me. My mother says there were about 27 needles in me.

The doctor walked over to my mother a few minute later and asked for her decision.

Mom says she looked at her and said,
“I’m going to my job, which is to pray. I expect you to do your job--which is to make sure I get the best possible medial care for my son.”

Then Mom leaned down next to me into my ear and said,

“You have your mother in you, don’t you dare give up.”

She leaned down into my ear every single day. For years.

That was the day I was born.

I fought for my life the next five years. So did my Mom and Dad and my brothers.

I'm going to be 17 years old this year. I've had lots of hospitalizations and operations. It is hard for me to do things.
But I never give up. It’s not in my DNA.

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Laid off, out of work or burned out? The magic of reinventing your career

2010-05-05T16:02:00.010-04:00

Life isn't about finding yourself.

Life is about creating yourself.

George Bernard Shaw

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported unemployment at 9.7% (or 15 million). Some of those jobs may never return. So how do you reinvent your career?

Mike Keller had been through a few mergers. His company, Wyeth was planning a merger with Pfizer. Mike spent his career working for four different major pharmaceuticals and Wall Street. So what did he do? He took the time to evaluate his career and prepare for a new future.

First, he went back to school to get his Masters Degree, then he obtained his coaching certification. He had laid the groundwork for a transition, but when Wyeth and Pfizer decided to merge, why did he leave a job he didn't have to?

“Just like Wall Street the pharmaceutical industry is going through a transition. There is a lack of new blockbuster drugs and when other industries were going through significant changes by downsizing, restructuring, becoming more cost effective and more innovative to compete globally, by being more effective with lower resources--the pharmaceutical industry didn’t.”

From Wall Street to teaching to manufacturing, how does one reinvent themselves? A financial analyst transitioned into a New York policeman, a math teacher to motivational speaker and a business owner to government worker.

How do you transition?

Mike transitioned from a Fortune 100 human resource executive to executive coach.

“I did a full assessment of what I liked and didn’t like about my job. I disliked the administration of HR company record keeper. What I loved was developing people. So I looked at the skills that were aligned with what I enjoyed and figured out how I could make that a full time job. For me being a coach is the best of both worlds, I work with different people, help them focus on what do they really want, their goals, in a project plan format and help them develop themselves into what they really want to do.”

Re-discover your passion

One of your challenges may be discovering your passion. Mike suggested you write out answers to the following questions which may help you:

What do you love to do? In your spare time do you, what have you dreamed of doing, or what do you enjoy so much that you would pay someone to do it?
Focus on who you respect, admire, want to be like. Write out the people that come to mind.
Think about what you enjoyed doing when you were a child, what made you happy? Write it down.
What do you love, what have you dreamed of, what are you obsessed with, what would you do if you didn’t have to earn a living? What do you wish you could do?
Persevere - keep going over this until a collection of images reveal to you what you should be doing. Write it in a journal. Keep writing until it is clear what your passion is.

One of your challenges may be trying to figure out what the next step in your career is or how to leverage or transition to the next. Mike Keller offered the following advice:

Dissect your current job, map out those skills and prioritize them.
Discover how to get the skills and experience you need to leverage yourself into the right opportunity
Close the gap with new training
Leverage yourself into your new career
Irrelevant of your situation, keep an open mind, always be open to new opportunities and new relationships.

Mike Kellar can be reached via email: mkellar@engagedleadershipcoaching.com. Feel free to check out Mike's website www.engagedleadershipcoaching.com

Four secrets for CEO of You, Inc.

1. You are powerful – You have the power to change your life. Pay attention to opportunities.

2. Invest in yourself – You are the most important investment there is--so what are you trading at? Are you Goldman, which is $147.79/share or Berkshire Hathway which is $114, 509 per share?

3. Change the self-talk – Injured Olympic or professional athletes are trained in self-talk techniques. Change the discussion in your head. What you tell yourself is critical to your success. In our next series we will be pursuing this issue further.

4. Winners never quit – Abraham Lincoln, Churchill, Einstein, Thomas Edison, Charles Schwab—all people that didn’t quit. This list represents people that have faced great challenges and can include many others. Whatever challenge you face, winners know the road to success is paved with failure. Learn to love the word no.

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Should the Board Member quit and how does a Prop Desk Portfolio Manager market himself?

2010-05-04T10:23:00.009-04:00

"Leadership is influence."

by John C. Maxwell

"Good leadership consists of showing average

people how to do the work of superior people."

John D. Rockefeller

Dear Career Strategist,

I am a Board Member on a non-profit. I have served for three months. The Chairman doesn’t think an agenda is important. Board meetings are scheduled for one hour but end up lasting three. I am frustrated and thinking of resigning.

Dear Frustrated,

It takes time to build credibility, trust and authority. Visit with other board members. Develop relationships and insight into the organization, subtlety explore their issues and concerns.

Learn the historical data, what problems have they had in the past, what's holding them back, that member's perspective relative to goals for the non-profit, etc.

Your goal is to get a handle on their past problems, how they have handled them and what the futurity of the organization is from each member. Take copious notes. Everyone is resistant to change irrelevant of how small that change may be.

Over the course of your meetings you will also have an opportunity to not only learn about each board member, but also build coalitions. They have an opportunity to learn about you, your leadership skills, innovative talents, prior contributions.

You are establishing new relationships, establishing credibility and developing a common goal.

After your meetings, sit down and write down the pros and cons. Determine if it it's worth your time and energy to continue contributing to something that obviously needs your expertise. Remember that change, irrelevant of how simple it may be--takes time.

Your credibility must be earned and three months probably isn't long enough. Be patient.

The reality of the job market

"Leadership is the capacity to translate
vision into reality."
Warren G. Bennis

Dear Career Strategist,

I was a portfolio manager on a firm's prop desk eight years. I have been out of work for a year and cannot find a job. What do I do?

Dear Prop Desk Portfolio Manager,

It's a recession--so change your frame of reference. First it is a numbers game and secondly--most importantly--it's about fit. Increase your ante. In other words, how many companies are you applying to and how creative are you in your approach?

If you are sending your resume to Wall Street firms through their websites--Wall Street firms are receiving THOUSANDS of resumes. So, I’m not saying don’t send your resume, just change your paradigm. You need to send about 100 resumes to online jobs and expect one call for an interview.

If you sent your resume to five advertisements--and didn't hear back, and expected to, then you are a bit delusional in your expectations. You better get cracking! If you did get an interview after sending five resumes--kudoos to you! You are the exception rather than the rule!

Your best bet is to be creative! Who would you hire? Someone who targeted you and your firm with a business plan on how to solve one of their problems or a resume through your website?

Read on my blog about how to do research--that will prepare you relative to due diligence and business plan preparation.

You can send your resume to recruiters and retained executive search consultants but send it to those who specialize in your area. If you are in manufacturing, don't send your resume to somebody who specializes in asset management. There is a huge difference between recruiters and search consultants.

www.nucciconsultinggroup.com

Retained search consultants don’t get people jobs. They are hired by companies to find the most talented people who have a particular set of skills.

My advice is to be your own search consultant in this economy. Always take every call from a search consultant. Refer people, be friends, know who they are. Smart people keep their ears to the ground and understand quid pro quo.

Hope that helps—good luck, now go get them!

"Example is leadership."

Albert Schweitzer

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What superstars do when a merger or takeover comes knocking at their office door

2010-04-02T21:26:00.027-04:00

"Your profession is what you were put on earth to do with such

passion and intensity it becomes spiritual"

Van Gogh

Jeff had been with his company for twenty-five years. When he walked into the conference room to meet with the new team post merger he felt confident.

He looked around the room and it suddenly dawned on him that he had no clue what was going on. It wasn't until he looked into the eyes of strangers that he felt betrayed. No one in the room was a friend--they weren't his allies. They were all with the new company--even though his company had acquired theirs. He felt like a fool.

Later he walked back to his office, sat down and stared into space. He didn't understand. He had earned a masters degree, was a workaholic, had risen through the ranks to senior manager. Through great pain and agony he was finally somebody. Now he didn’t know who he could turn to or who to trust.

What do superstars do?

The only person in charge of your career is you. The company is not responsible for your success, ascent or descent. So now that a take over or merger is about to happen, what do you do?

What do you do first?

Invest in yourself. Join professional associations and attend the meetings. What is happening in other people’s worlds? Do you know? No? Good idea to start now. If you haven’t helped other people before—you might want to start now. Generosity goes a long way. And if you don’t know what to say, start with, “So how are things going in your business?”.

From a fiduciary perspective, when a company is sold, the CEO and senior executives who were part of the merger conversations cannot tell you anything. If they do, it would be a breach of their fiduciary responsibility. Their first obligation is to the organization--the stockholders or equity partners, not you.

Who are aligned with? The power players? And do they like you? Are you on the right team? Will they go to bat for you? Superstars are lining up figuring out who will be on what team when the merger happens. If you aren’t in the room claiming your seat at the table, guess what?

Start volunteering. Figure out something you are interested in and enjoy that will bring out the best in you. For example, my sons are involved in crew so this year I’m the Parent Coordinator for Columbia University’s Crew team, Lightweights. I don’t have lots of free time, but I’m around young people, get to see my children and meet the other parents. It’s the best I can do this year.

Don’t take a merger personally, it is business. Even though this is your life, it’s a business this is happening to—and I know how tough that is when it’s happening to you. But it’s better for you to be prepared before something happens than to have it happen to you after the fact. .

Everyone can be replaced. Before Rahm Emanuel took his job as Chief of Staff, he called all of his predecessors and asked for advice. He wrote down their words of wisdom on an index card and carries it around in his pocket. One of the things Karl Rove told him, “find your replacement immediately.” Think of Rahm or Karl telling you to find your replacement in a merger if that helps.

Keep your eyes open, be a pragmatist. Don’t stay for a short term bonus when you may suddenly find yourself out of a job and unable to find employment. Don't leave without a job. Remember, you have a lot more leverage when you have a job than when you don’t.

Good luck superstar!

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Fourteen traits of leaders

2010-03-23T16:36:00.006-04:00

"Success is the ability to go from
one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.": Sir Winston Churchill

How do you determine if someone is a leader? You may have managed money, but people talk back. The traits for building an asset management firm or starting up a new hedge fund are different than managing any kind of fund whether its short or long. What are they?

1. The best predictor of the future is their past experience as a leader.

2. They create a vision and when they talk about the future their eyes light up.

3. They inspire people.

4. They love a challenge.

5. They emote a constructive spirit of discontent--that un-scratchable itch.

6. They abhor status quo.

7. When they speak--people listen.

8. They are not ideologues, but pragmatists.

9. They are responsible people who enjoy the feeling of accomplishment.

10. They possess a relentless iron will.

11. No one can lead without criticism or discouragement. (i.e. President’s need to be able to deal with criticism) Leaders are separate from their peers and come from carrying responsibility that only they can carry—it’s a certain mental toughness.

12. Both peers and family respect them which demonstrates their character.

13. Their strength of character—to what extent will the person go to be liked? Sometimes you will ruffle feathers.

14. Great leaders reflect, learn from failure, fail up with integrity and by example.

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."
Henry David Thoreau

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Ten steps to achieving gold medal status in a hedge fund start-up

2010-03-02T10:48:00.003-05:00

"The wise are instructed by reason; ordinary minds by experience; the stupid, by necessity; and brutes by instinct."

Cicero

1. Marketing, operations and risk management matters

Think Madoff or Stanford.

2. Be generous with equity.

If it’s just about money--your team will leave for the same reason you did. How do you think BlackRock grew from a complete start-up to the largest money manager in the world?

3. Tie compensation to the company's performance

It eliminates silos.

4. Compensate based on equity.

Re-think any compensation programs from the past. Remember cash is king.

5. Listen to the people you hire.

Listen for what isn’t said. Running money and running a company are two different things.

6. Great talent is expensive.

You get what you pay for.

7. Build a culture based on excellence not entitlement.

Water rolls downhill. What you do, your actions and your words-- the consistency of your message is critical to your company’s success.

8. Loyalty is earned

You have to earn it from your employees.

9. Be passionate about your most important asset—human capital

Treat them with respect and invest in their development.

10. It's the little things that will make a difference in your employee's life.

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Olympic Secrets for CEO of You, Inc.

2010-02-21T22:17:00.003-05:00

Olympic secrets for CEO of You, Inc.

1. You are powerful – You have the power to change your life. Believe it.

2. You never want to peak too early in life. Once you do, it's all down hill. I haven’t peaked yet.

3. Invest in yourself.

4. Spend your twenties creating yourself.

5. Change the self-talk – Change the discussion in your head. Only positive thoughts. No self-recriminations.

6. Winners never quit – They are the best prepared, work harder and never ever give up.

7. Rejection doesn’t mean what you think it does. Go back again because no doesn’t mean no—and go ask five more people.

8. All the people that don’t believe in you are a tidal wave to push you forward. If you’re married to them or they are parents, explain to them they are sabotaging your efforts. They aren't your friends.

9. Whatever challenge you face, winners know the road to success is paved with failure.

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What a blogger, a movie, and Julia Child can teach the 60% of American's that hate their jobs

2010-02-07T19:19:00.001-05:00

What does passion have to do with career?

Stunning statistics--60% of the Americans hate their job. As CEO of You, Inc, I'm not sure those that hate their jobs would be a good investment.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What do you enjoy?
What makes time fly?
What did you do as a kid that you loved?
If you didn’t have to make any money, what would you do?
What do you about your job?
What compromises are you wiling to make?
What skills do you need to pursue what you love?

Sometimes life can help you discover your passion. In the movie, Julie and Julia, Julia Child tries a number of different careers before she discovers cooking by attending Le Cordon Bleu at the age of thirty-seven, then she worked on her first cook book for another eight long years. The more you work at something, the more talented you become. That’s why you want to follow your passion.

The route to discovering your passion, capitalizing on it--can be unconventional. For example, in the movie, Julie and Julia, Julie Powell is a government worker with ADD, never finishes anything, yet wrote a novel so its obvious her passion is writing. She challenges herself to stay committed to for one year to blogging (writing) about and cooking 536 recipes from Julia Child’s first book Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I checked out The Julie/Julia Project Blog after watching the movie to see if it was real and sure enough it was. So for those of you who think you can’t do something, sure you can.

So what’s holding you back? Fear? There’s twenty different ways to achieve your goals. Be creative. A job you hate versus a career which is your passion.

And Julie Powell, you are quite an inspiration! Thank you for writing the Julie/Julia Project!

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Copyright 2010 Ev Nucci

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What Jefferson can teach us

2010-02-07T15:13:00.001-05:00

"He who knows best knows how little he knows."

Thomas Jefferson

"I cannot live without books." Thomas Jefferson

"I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion,

in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend."

Thomas Jefferson

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."

Thomas Jefferson

"Information is the currency of democracy."

Thomas Jefferson

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While looking for a job, your Jerry Maguire can help with you kwan

2010-01-28T19:48:00.005-05:00

The most famous line in the movie Jerry Maguire is “show me the money.”

Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) is a sports agent at SMI. Due to a guilty conscience, he writes a mission statement about integrity. The next day he’s fired. Jerry keeps one client, Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), a disgruntled wide receiver egomaniac. Tidwell tests Jerry's with a very long telephone conversation in the famed "Show Me the Money!" telephone yelling match.

The move is about how one person can change your life, how people learn from and become better because of each other.

Find your Jerry Maguire because in looking for a job, you need a pragmatic, optimistic cheerleader that gives you sound strategic advice. I don’t care if it’s a career coach, friend or spouse. It's tough getting rejected.

The road to success is paved with failure.Thomas Edison started out in life as a train-boy on the Grand Trunk Railway, between Port Huron and Detroit. He decided to run a laboratory in the caboose where he was printing his newspaper, the Grand Trunk Herald. But one day a bottle of phosphorus fell to the floor and exploded. Instantly the car was on fire. The conductor, fearing he would be charged, pitched the chemicals out the window, and threw Edison off the train. Edison’s dream of working on a railroad were over. He was 16 years old.

"I have not failed, I just found 10,000 ways that didn't work."
Thomas Edison

Tenacity. It’s a recession. For every one job advertised, thousands apply. Do not take it personally. Sometimes, it’s about the numbers.

When you are applying to company websites, it can be numbers. Match your skills and attributes to their needs. Solve their problem. Better yet, network yourself in there. And if they don’t hire you after the twentieth time you applied—apply one more time. I promise you, your tenacity will impress them.

Be creative, brave, and courageous. Be your best self. Your Jerry Maguire has to believe in you, support you and point out how you are getting in your own way. We all do. If we didn't we wouldn't be human.

My youngest son was born with severe congenital heart and lung disease. If living is a struggle imagine the challenge he has with learning.

His dream was to follow in his big brother's footsteps--attend a certain high school. His brothers are at Wharton and Columbia. We didn't discourage him.

He spent a year preparing for the entrance exam. Later suffered a mild stroke. He didn't give up. Jan 8th he received his letter.

He didn't get in. We were his Jerry Maguire.

Find your Jerry Maguire to help you discover greater kwan!

Rod Tidwell: Maybe you don't. Because it's not just the money I deserve. It's not just the "coin." It's the... - "the kwan".
Jerry Maguire: That's your word?
Rod Tidwell: Yeah, man, it means love, respect, community... and the dollars too. The package. The kwan.
Jerry Maguire: But how did you get "kwan?"
Rod Tidwell: I got there from "coin," dude. Coin, coin... kwaaaan.

What to look for in your Jerry Maguire?

Interested in you, respect and appreciate who you are. Innovative, supportive of your brand, effective communicator, understands sales, leadership, integrity, encourage as well as instruct, is honest even when it isn’t easy, “speak the truth in love.”

Great coaches are experts at seeing greatness in others and helping them discover their own greatness.

Next post is the structure of success.

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Ten success strategies for building a great company or for a start-up

2010-01-18T17:48:00.010-05:00

            Frequently I am asked the common components of building a successful start up like BlackRock or how to sell one five years later to the industry giant. You might ask what does she know about successful start-ups?

           BlackRock was founded in 1988 and is now the world's largest money manager with $3.5 trillion in assets under management. I spent ten years working with the founders of the firm building out their management team.

          Prior to working with BlackRock, I had build four different companies, one I sold to the industry giant five years after I founded it. So I know a little bit. And what little I know, I share with you.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics research shows that nearly six in ten businesses shut down within the first four years of operation. With the onslaught of recent financial failures I cannot help but wonder if those statistics are wrong.

The single most important component in building a great firm is leadership. What’s a great leader? Great leaders have a vision that inspires and motivates others to follow them. They dream big and inspire others to act. The smartest firms recognize the power of a diverse leadership team, both from a gender and background perspective.

Secondly, building a great company gets talent right; it’s not a trade, it’s a marriage. With the right marriage, you can create a magical culture. Do not hire the typical executive, hire entrepreneurial talent which will take your start-up to rock star status. Look for the following attributes:

· integrity

· intelligence

· work ethic

· culture fit

· humility

· we versus me mentality

· entrepreneurial mind set

· commitment to excellence

· mutual respect

· tenure

· zealous commitment to the mission

· great attitude – optimistic people

· enthusiastic/high energy level

· fun people to be around

· customer obsessed

· inclusive – (in a meeting every one thoughts are included and encouraged)

· gender and functional equality

The third most important thing is create a culture rich in generosity not scarcity, reflect it in equity. It motivates people and enriches everyone. Everyone wants to be apart of something bigger than themselves. Raise everyone's aspirations and enrich the team.

Fourth, create a grand, noble vision which elevates the energy, enthusiasm and self-esteem of everyone in the company while ensuring that everybody sees a benefit in following the vision.

Fifth, encourage risk taking and failure.

"Our greatest success will come just one step away from our greatest failure". Napoleon Hill

Sixth, consistently out-innovate the innovators, be flexible to change.

Seventh, invest in your people.

Eighth, communicate. Create an open environment where everyone communicates. Involve people at all levels in the decision making process because it encourages ownership of the results. People need to feel empowered, if they don’t, you won’t have a great company!

Nine, continuously improve meritocracy, imagination and excellence in execution.

Finally, a great company lives in integrity with great corporate governance. Water runs down hill--everything starts at the top.

A company becomes the CEO—if he is an amazing leader with great execution skills, then so goes the company! If he’s questionable, so will be the company.

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8 steps towards creating a new future, overcome losing your self-esteem, Part 2. For the unemployed or laid off

2009-12-22T23:55:00.008-05:00

"Humankind cannot bear much reality."

T. S. Eliot

If you have been unemployed, looking for a job, laid off for some time you might be at the point where you are telling yourself,

“I have no purpose. What is the point in filling out any more applications, I send out all these resumes, fill out this paperwork to end up in resume hell. The job sweepstakes gal didn’t show up, CinderGodmother didn’t shower job dust on me last night and Santa has me on the naughty list for cursing.”

And you envision yourself in the movie, “I am Legend, standing in the middle of New York City screaming , “IS ANYBODY OUT THERE?” Nobody responds to your resume, your emails, your voice mails. So you think what’s the use?

Like millions before you, create a new future.

Re-writing your future is a state of mind

You are never too old or young, it’s never too late to start anew. At 92 my grandfather was taking college classes. I'm not sure you want him as your phys ed or chem partner in class, but if you think you are too old to learn--think again!

If one person can learn something, anyone can learn to do it.

Danny Aiello began acting at 40, Rodney Dangerfield at 42, Gloria Stuart was 78 when she was nominated Best Supporting Actress for Titanic, Peggy Ashcroft was 77 when she won Best Supporting Actress, and Jessica Tandy won an Academy Award at 80 for Driving Miss Daisy.

Grandma Moses (one of the most important self-taught artists of the 20th century) started her painting career in her seventies and Bill Traylor started drawing at age 83. In business Irene Wells Pennington became known in her nineties when she straightened out her husband's oil business, Colonel Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken in his sixties and Taikichiro Mori founded his business in his 50s and is the richest man in the world.

So you think you’re too old to start anew? I think not!

1. Failure is part of success. Don’t avoid it.

You need to fail in order to succeed. Every failure is one step closer to success. If failing is a problem for you, then change your mindset. The one percent fail- up and perceive failure as learning opportunities. Without learning opportunities, or practice, how can you get better? Many people are so afraid of failing that they spend their lives avoiding their gifts; or worse, they failed a coupled times and gave up because of it. For years I gave numerous speeches that went well. Then I gave one speech that bombed and it was so humiliating I froze, months later I had a meeting that didn’t go very well. Those two experiences sent me to Toastmasters where I learned how to give a speech.

2. Become extraordinary.

Do what you say you’re going to do. Accept responsibility and criticism. Being extraordinary takes work. Go the extra mile. Go above and beyond. Do what the normal person won't do...be the extreme! And learn what extraordinary people do, study them, learn from them. While at Toastmasters, I learned I had an issue with criticism and had to learn how to accept criticism, to thank the person sharing it with me and to understand that it wasn’t personal. This was an issue I had to learn how to deal with from a professional coach. So the point is that I went from one problem and solved it, to discovering another problem and solved it to back to the original problem. That is what extraordinary people do--they don't give up. Ever. And when people tell them they can't achieve something, they think to themselves, "watch this!" Extraordinary people never stop learning, and it's not about how many letters you have after your name, or what you school you went to, it's about continuous learning--and knowing that the more you know, the more you don't know.

Be extraordinary, handle criticism with grace and dignity.

3. Study your successes

Take out a yellow pad of paper. Write down your successes. What were you doing? What value did you bring? What are you really good at? What does everyone say you are great at? What’s staring you in the face? What is your gift? What and where have you repeatedly succeeded? Where is there a cross between extreme anger and happiness? That is passion.

4. Study your failures

The one percent fail- up. Failures are learning opportunities. Without learning opportunities, you can't get better. What have you learned? What patterns emerge? What did you do that could have done better? Use this time as a time to evaluate and learn. I have learned the most in my life from my failures---not from my successes. In the next post we’ll address structured achievement relative to goals that will address setting a weekly fear/dream goal.

5. Happiness is not the key to success. It is a choice.

Money does not make you happy. I know people that have jobs they hate because of the money they make, relatives that are wealthy, miserable and alone. Money doesn’t fill your home with laughter and love. Money is nothing more than a by-product of your job. Success is a choice. Happiness is a choice. You choose to do the job your were hired to do and choose when and how to leverage that job into another. Life is a series of choices.

6. Trust yourself.

Watch for the yellow lights or listen for the voice inside. If something doesn’t feel right, it isn’t. I call it, “validate and verify.” Check out what it is that your voice is telling you. Don’t rush. What is that yellow light? Generally, I count how many yellow lights I see in a situation and if I count more than three, it turns to a red light and I don’t move forward. It signals the requirement to have a conversation, and flags that something isn’t right. Every time I didn’t trust myself or ignored the yellow lights—mistakes were made.

7. What miracles have you created in your life?

Go to a quiet place and on a yellow pad of paper, write out every miracle you have accomplished in your life. Everything you achieved or created that you never expected to and is a miracle in your mind. List every one. On an index card write down the ten that are mind blowing to you. You simply cannot believe you ever achieved that goal. This is only for you, it doesn’t matter how big or small it is. This is your Miracles card. I put myself through college; it’s a miracle I went and graduated. That is one of about 50 on my yellow pad. Save the back of the index card for the next assignment which is in the next post. Until then, when you get a little depressed one of the things you will do is look at your Miracles card and remind yourself that nothing is impossible.

8. Have the courage to self-reflect.

It's takes courage to reflect on your dreams, vision of how you want your life to be, who you want to be, how it is currently structured. The reality is that we structure our lives around other people’s constraints. Our dreams and our visions are bigger than the constraints around us. If those constraints are too much, you must be willing to ask yourself some dangerous questions.

Take an honest look at your own life. How much is your life in alignment with how you are spending your time and energy? You have to take responsibility to thrive and flourish wherever you are. Think of yourself as a social architect, you create the rules of the game. Whoever has the goal, makes the rules. You may decide that you need to change some of the dynamics in your life in order to get yourself to the next level. You may have to change some of the players and your environment. Have the courage to look at your life and make those decisions.

She built the best, you could be next!

ev-nucci

ev nucci

entrepreneur

author

career

I got laid off and it's killing my self-esteem!

2009-12-17T14:49:00.002-05:00

Champions never give up!

How do you overcome losing your self-esteem when your unemployed? Taking care of you and your self-esteem is the single most important thing you must do during the job hunt period. You must care for your self-esteem as if it were a china doll.

Your identify has radically changed and when you look in the mirror you no longer see the same person you saw before.

You are in transition. Whatever issues you dealt with there, deal with them. How? Write them out. In a journal.

So take a look at two different people if you think money makes people happy:

A.


     A. A hairdresser who had greater passion for what he did. Just 33 years old and owns 8 salons in the Ukraine.
     B.   A friend of mine who works on Wall Street making seven figures. He tolerated his job because he hates his boss. He leaves his home at 5:00 a.m. and returns at 9:00 p.m. His boss curses, barks, growls, humiliates, berates and terrorizes him. His boss is a character right out of Kill Bill. “Those of you lucky enough to have your lives, take them out of here. However, leave the limbs. They belong to me now.”   And what would it would take? A few words of encouragement to make Private First Class happy he’s cooking hash twenty-four/seven.

Here are five realities I want you to think about:

There is structure to achievement in looking for the next step in your career.
You have all the resources you need.
Identify what is not working.
Experience has structure
You may want results – but it’s hard to get started with a new process.

Next post we’ll go to the next step in the process for you!

Thank you for being here. I am thrilled that you take time out of your schedule to come by.

ev-nucci

ev nucci

entrepreneur

author

career

I got a promotion, but I hate my boss and don't know what to do

2009-12-08T17:36:00.004-05:00

Recently I coached someone who was promoted from an Administrative Assistant to a Vice President and faced great challenges in their transition. The relationship with their boss exploded and the boss reached out to me. Following is some of the coaching correspondence I utilized to assist the individual. I hope this helps you:

Consider for one minute, that maybe the person who is getting in your way is you.

How can that be, you are thinking, right? No way possible. Its your boss, it’s the way he treats you, it’s the way he does...etc.

Forget about the anger and the rage. Maybe you are still thinking, acting, talking and living in your old world, back to when you were an Administrative Assistant.

You may have had a title and compensation change, but YOU haven’t changed yet.

Maybe it’s how and what you think what you say and until that changes, NOTHING ELSE WILL CHANGE. Shift your paradigm. Could the only person holding you back be you? Try that concept on.

It is so much easier to blame someone else than to take responsibility.

Managing up versus “fetching”

You are accustomed to fetching coffee, fetching personal items, and fetching everything someone wants and needs in their professional life. Magically one day you are promoted.

In this new role your job isn’t to fetch, yet that's your mentality. You're still thinking like an Admin. More importantly you aren't even aware that your mind set is different than your peers.

What you do know is that you are not treated the way you want to be by your boss. You look around and cannot figure out why you are not accorded the respect you think you deserve, right? Could it be that you have not yet earned that respect? Just consider it for a moment. Consider that maybe you have not earned their respect.

Yes, you got the promotion. But what are you doing differently? Are you thinking differently? Are you acting differently? Are you responding differently? You do have a different title.

Think about it this way. You have a child. One day that child grows up and says to you, “I’m 18-years-old, start treating me like an adult.” Yet, they keep acting like a child. Do you start treating them like an adult when they are childlike in their behavior? In order for their behavior to change, doesn’t their thought process have to change first?

Let’s look at the difference between administrative and executive responsibilities:

Administrative person

Task oriented
Does what they are told
Anticipates their bosses needs
Supports their boss
Manages their bosses calendar
Is a gatekeeper
Red flags people and crisis
Keeps them abreast of the rumor mill
Fetches coffee

Executive

Evaluates, learns, and understands the market, the industry, and the players.
Evaluates, learns and understands the people within the company.
Is an asset to his boss.
Takes initiative.
Thinks ahead of their boss…anticipates what they are going to need.
Identifies problems

evaluates different solutions, determines the most cost effective, timely manner in which to solve the problem.
Considers the impact on others, if others need to be included.
Keep boss apprised of problems
Solves the problem

Learns how his boss thinks, learns, understands and processes information.
Helps his boss achieve his goals and objectives
Learns what his boss needs from him in order for him to be a star employee.
Is an asset to the company in helping the company achieve the organization’s overall goals and objectives

What differences do you see here? What does the executive do that that Administrative person doesn’t do? Ah, do you see that the Executive person thinks bigger? Do you see that the Executive person solves problems, takes initiative?

What do you do with that as an executive? In your role, you have developed excellent relationships with everyone in the distribution area and they have shared with you their need for recognition, a stronger relationship with their boss, training, support issues, product performance concerns, inadequate marketing materials, and team synergy. Additionally, you have continued to function as a support person for your boss. All of which has caused you anger, frustration, and irritation. Furthermore, you were enraged by the lack of recognition at Christmas time.

An executive solves the problem, is an asset, and takes initiative to sold their boss's PROBLEM.

Have you ever said, “It’s not my job?” Every time you say those words, here’s what you need to imagine. When you finally achieve that promotion you have worked so hard for, what you have done is inch by inch, day after day, year after year, you have slowly climbed a solitary 10-mile high ladder out of abandoned water well. You are standing outside of the water well on your own two feet when you achieve that promotion.

However, when you say the words, “it’s not my job,” your boss shuts down and sees you standing at the bottom of the well, shakes his head in disgust. He is wondering if his protege will make the shift from support to management?

He wants you to to be successful.

There is one person who is responsible for your success and that is you. Success requires learning and that is a life long mission. As CEO of You, invest in yourself.

Take initiative.
Discover his problems and solve them.
Lead by example.
What are his greatest challenges and figure out how to help him solve those challenges.
Be present and listen to what the other person is saying without your own agenda.
Be generous of spirit

Thank you for being here. I am thrilled that you take time out of your schedule to come by.

Copyright 2009 Ev Nucci

ev-nucci

ev nucci

entrepreneur
author
career


Mike Nucci, Columbia alum and Sam Cunningham at Henley Royal Regatta

The Career Strategist

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