True Fit?

I want to scare you as you embark upon the next stage of your life.

Up until now you have followed a well-trodden path with some direction and a few choices to make along the way; and now as you prepare to graduate, some of you will go on to higher education while the rest will without a doubt be seeking a job. My advice for you – be you, the world will adjust. I want to give you permission to start thinking differently and to find the right fit for you, instead of trying to fit in; to find a job that lets you be you and do the things that you are good at most of the day, and requires a little effort on the things you are not good at.

After I graduated from Queen’s University I spent my entire career in the financial services industry, culminating in becoming President of CIBC Wood Gundy at the age of 37. After having been a trailblazer in building and starting businesses, one day I found myself at the end of a barrel with the words “we can’t live up to your expectations or aspirations.” I had been fired, and the long and the short of it was that I DIDN’T FIT.

I didn’t even really know what fit was, not until it happened to me again at the Bank of Montreal when after two years as a vice chairman I was gone again. I was forced to take stock and figure out what people should pay me for, and that began a wonderful journey to find my True Fit, while helping others find theirs, by using four simple steps.

My new book True Fit is available on-line and in all bookstores. 

Amazon.ca
Chapters.indigo.ca

Unhappy at work?

Recently I read an article highlighting seven key signs that you are unhappy at work. I had to pause and wonder why it would take anyone seven signs to realize that they were unhappy at work. Perhaps the clearest sign is that you hate getting up and heading to work every day and just in case you need a second, you cannot wait for your work day to end so you can leave your job. To my way of thinking the first sign is enough of a reason, but if you needed a little more reinforcement for those who just want to be extra sure go to the second sign. But dear lord anyone who is unhappy at their job doesn't need seven signs. Perhaps a shrink but not seven signs!

The more important question to ask yourself is whether there is a job that you can find where you will be happy every day and if there is how do you go about finding it? Before you can find all this out you have to figure out what this job must look like for you.

You see happiness or unhappiness always leads back to yourself and understanding the basics about yourself. Whether it be in work or in love, first we must understand who we are before we can go and find a job or a person who is compatible with us. When it comes to love many of us understand the things we like and don't like, what we will and won't do and usually have a clear understanding of the partner we are looking for and how we want to share our life. We've been brought up, taught and had numerous role models to follow in our understanding of finding the right partner. 

However, when it comes to finding the perfect job, that is our perfect fit we are most often completely unprepared.  Other than those lucky few who always knew what they wanted to be; a Doctor, Lawyer, Accountant or Engineers, I suspect like most people you had no clue what you were going to ending doing for employment let alone how to go about figuring that out. Does anyone ever remember discussing with their parents what they love about their job or whether they love it at all? My parents would have looked at me like I had grown a third head if I asked that question. 'What are you asking?, they would say, I work what does loving work have to do with work, work is work"

So you see, I thought exactly the same way for years until I came to a point in time after a very successful career in finance staring at the fact that I could not get a job anywhere let alone something that I thought I was a fit for. What I realized was that nobody out there had any idea of what I brought to the table, hell neither did I, I thought of myself in terms of what job titles I had held over my work life, not what I was a good fit for. So when faced with the prospect of unemployment with six kids I realized the old adage, "necessity is the mother of invention" 

So I quickly had to figure out what I was good at who out there needed what I was good at doing and who hopefully wanted me to work with them both in skills and personality. So before I could figure out who needed and wanted me, I had to figure who ‘me’ was and would anyone pay for me?. What kind of people would I work best with?

What I find truly remarkable is how long people will tolerate their own unhappiness at work. Even more incredible is that fact that they show absolutely no interest and take no initiative to change that. It's almost as if we have all been raised to believe that work and happiness are mutually exclusive terms.

NEWS FLASH folks, you don't need to be unhappy at work. But you do need to do some work to find that perfect situation for you and it starts with figuring out yourself so that when you are doing your job search you are searching in your target rich environment (TRE). You TRE is the place that needs you and your skills.

So, unhappy at work folks , it’s not going to change by sitting miserable at your desk. Last I checked life is not a dress rehearsal so get up off your duffs, make it your New Year’s resolution to put some serious effort into finding the right fit for you and as they say " Figure out what you love and get paid for doing it"

All that stands in the way of a happy job is "YOU and some hard WORK"

Tell Me About Yourself

"So tell me about yourself" These five simple words that have the capability of messing up your interview right from the start. This one question strikes fear, dry mouth, increased heart palpitations and not to mention unsightly sweat in all the wrong places in even the most capable applicants.

Where do you start? Do you go back to the early days? Are they really interested in “…it all started in a small town just outside of Waco Texas” or the more boring “I don't think you can read my resume so let me repeat everything that is written on it”. Which is akin to reading every slide in a presentation in case people can’t see or read. The third alternative is to just rattle on and on about how “I am the greatest thing since sliced bread and any company would be lucky to have me” speech. 

Well I know there is a much better alternative to the painful suggestions made by most recruiters. You see, when someone asks you tell them about yourself what they are really trying to do is answer a very simple set of questions in their mind:"What's in it for me to hire you?’ ‘What should I pay you for that will make me more money?’ And lastly, ‘Do I need your skills and if I so, do I like you enough to believe that you will be a good fit with everyone else that works here?" 

You see I believe that before you can answer any of these questions you need to be comfortable enough to understand exactly what are you good at, and what skills you possess that someone should pay you for. As you prepare for an interview ask yourself what kind of people you work best with and do they exist where you are applying? Secondly, is your conflict resolution style compatible with the firm you are hoping to be hired by? And lastly, if you could describe the perfect day of activities that you will be required to do does it match the job description? Seems simple enough, yes? Write it down, it will provide clarity. I have received countless feedback from those that I mentor despite how simple these questions seem they provide great clarity.  

Far too many people fall into the trap of describing themselves in terms of their CV or Resume, which in my opinion is nothing more than a trip itinerary of jobs. Seriously I always ask my clients and those I mentor, "Is that the single best document to describe who you are, what you are good at and why someone should hire you?" I sincerely doubt it and in all my years of asking the question nobody has ever said yes it is! But we still use the conventional resume...well I have a different I idea for you in how to revamp your resume and how to answer the dreaded question.  

In my book, "How to hire the perfect Employer", I outline how you can go about building your own infomercial so that when asked the question "Tell me about yourself" you will have rock solid pitch that will ensure that the employer will be able to figure out whether they need your skills and want you as in your personality and character.  So, for those that have not read the book, what does an infomercial look like? Let me share my infomercial with you, the one that I use every time I go on a pitch for new business. 

When asked the dreaded questions, I start by saying; "I am trusted advisor to CEOs, Department heads and managers of financial services organizations. I work with them in helping execute their plans by doing recruiting, consulting and coaching"I then continue to tell them that throughout my career I have hired over 900 people while I was at CIBC and BMO. I was responsible for numerous strategic initiatives both in their creation and execution. Lastly, I have mentored and coached numerous people that have gone on to great heights. I am collaborative in my conflict resolution style and the perfect day for me is doing all three of the above mentioned in my infomercial, working on finding good people, advising clients on how to improve their businesses and lastly but most importantly coaching people into finding the perfect fit in employment for them. 

The perfect employer for me is someone who is first and foremost seeking a trusted advisor with my background and experience. IF they are just looking for a Head Hunter to show them CV's then I direct them to the many other firms that do that for a living the way the client wants it done.With this clear understanding of my strengths and what I offer to each client I work with, I approach the dreaded ‘Tell me about yourself’ question with ease…. 
‘Let me tell you about myself, I am a trusted advisor to CEOs….”

Finding Your Fit

I recently read a study that said over 70% of the people working in Great Britain were unhappy with their jobs. What a sad state of affairs, imagine getting up every morning with nothing to look forward to except for the end of the day. OMG, I would shoot myself yet I do understand how you can end up in that trap. If this is you and you are reading this get up on your feet and say to yourself “I deserve to be happy, I deserve to have work that utilizes my skill set and finally I deserve to enjoy going to work every day because I get to do the things I am good at.”

In order to make any significant changes in your life it begins with a realistic assessment of where you are at the time. Determine your skills and what interests you. Then read my book, How to Hire the Perfect Employer, and follow the process that will lead to your powerful infomercial that will allow you to look and opportunities and see if they are right for you.

You have the power to make the changes happen. I believe that people are often afraid to look for work where their passion is due to the belief that they won’t be able to make enough money. As I always say to people;

“Do you know that?”
“Have you actually done the work and research to find that out?”

Don’t you think you will be far more valuable to a company or yourself if you are doing the things that you are good at every day and watching your productivity jump by leaps and bounds instead of spending time on the things that you suck at and have really no interest in doing?

Throughout my coaching practice I am amazed at how unmotivated people are at finding the right fit at work for them. Behind family and health, their job, where they spend 40% of their time every day is the most important aspect of their life happiness. When I started my business, I quickly realized that I could make money from my passion. By understanding who I was and what I am good at I could target myself to the clients that needed me most and wanted me to do the work utilizing my strengths. I never wasted my time pitching people that either didn’t need my type of service or want my personality and process. I stayed and continue to stay within my target rich environment, focusing on those clients that need and want me.

Your life should be focused on working everyday on your strengths. The things you suck at you will always suck and should seek a job or career that requires as little as possible from that side of your personal balance sheet. Balance is for investment portfolio, work to your strengths every day and you cannot help but be successful and a success by any measure you wish to judge. You have the power to make it happen…so DO IT!

Book Review: How to Hire the Perfect Employer

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned Janet Graham’s excellent blog babesonbaystreet.com. I did an interview with Janet which is covered in a series of blog posts.

In addition to the interview, babesonbaystreet.com posted a great book review on How to Hire the Perfect Employer. I’ve shared a selection of quotes from the review below.

"In his book Beqaj says: “I want to help you determine:

• -- What you enjoy doing most (this will reveal what you’re good at)
• Who you work best with, and why (this will reveal your wiring, or personality type)
• -- Your preferred method of resolving conflicts
• -- Your Target Rich EnvironmentTM (TRE)TM – the types of employers who fit you and your goals – companies where you should therefore concentrate your search

Armed with this information, you can then script and present a powerful Personal InfomercialTM”."

"The book is quite concise and most chapters include exercises for the reader to complete for example, a Personal Balance SheetTM which helps the reader find the common denominators in the things they enjoy the most and least, are good at and not good at and provide evidence that demonstrates their three strongest “good ats”. Beqaj uses his personal version of the completed exercises as a teaching template for the reader."

"It took a lot of courage to share the learning gained from some profoundly challenging life lessons and Beqaj has it in spades. The concepts presented are straightforward and simple, in fact, once you have read the book and worked through the examples you might think the approach quite obvious. On the contrary, I think this is his gift to the reader. He explains these concepts in simple terms, using simple exercises which once completed offer rich data and a powerful means of communicating to the world who you are by way of your Personal Infomercial."

To read the full babesonbaystreet.com book review click here.

An Interview with Janet Graham of babesonbaystreet.com

Last week I was honoured to be featured on babesonbaystreet.com, a wonderful blog founded by Janet Graham. Janet, who worked on Bay Street from the early 1980s until the mid 1990s, is passionate about telling the inspiring stories of women like herself --women who ventured into a work environment that was dominated by men, and were incredibly successful.

I had a great interview with Janet and this week she posted the first in a series of blog posts covering the highlights.

Here’s the first question and answer from the interview:

JG: What is your impression of the difference between the experience of a male and female in the securities industry today?

JB: “Well the best way I could probably put that would be that I found that women made better sales people and, in fact, the women that traded for me were extremely good at trading as well. I found that the essential difference between men and women was that women had a great ability to actually build friendships and relationships with their clients. If you think about it, at the end of the day, if we’re all selling pretty well the same commodity, what makes someone pick that button versus someone else’s button? I believe price is a red herring. People don’t do business on the basis of price. Women were far more adept at doing that, both with females and with males. Also, I think that a big difference was that they didn’t have the same sort of ego. Or if they did have the ego they were actually able to put it in check and they didn’t have that same sort of over-aggressive, competitive, “I have to win, you have to lose” mind set. They were more collaborative. They were more compromising in their approach to people.

I think that with some people competitiveness works well but if you take a broad cross-section of clients and people that you interact with in the industry, there’s no question that being more collaborative and more compromising makes you far more effective at what you do. All of the women that ever worked with me who I had hired or inherited were all extremely good at that. In fact, the only ones that weren’t very good at that were the women who weren’t being women, who were trying to be men, and I was like “don’t be like a man” because [men are] not very good at this. They’re not as good as you at doing this and bringing what being a woman brings to the table, to tell you the truth. But a few of them just couldn’t get that, right? They just couldn’t get that.”

JB: “I think the other thing about women that I think distinguishes them in the industry is that they, in general, think multi-dimensionally in terms of their interactions with people, whereas men are very linear in their relationships with people; it’s very sort of cut and dried. The best example I have about someone thinking like that is when I brought in the Dale Carnegie program for the entire trading floor because I wanted people to improve not just their presentation skills but their interpersonal skills with everybody in the room and outside it. And while everyone went to their Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday sessions, it was a woman who said, “hey, why don’t we invite our clients?” and she reached out and invited her clients. Can you imagine the impact of sixteen weeks of seeing your senior clients up there telling you their problems, their woes, their ups and their downs? In the end, who are they going to do business with? It’s that kind of thing that I think really highlights the difference between men and women.”

To read Janet’s own thoughts check out the full original post. You can read more about her story and philosophy here.

How to Hire the Perfect Employer featured on CBC

A couple of weeks ago I had a lot of fun being interviewed on The Lang & O’Leary Exchange on CBC Newsworld. Here is a sampler from my interview with Kevin O’Leary and Dianne Buckner, who was filling in for Amanda Lang:

DB: So you begged for a job, did you?

JB: Begged for a job

DB: And did that work?

JB: No. Didn’t work.

DB: And what was the problem? What is your theory about hiring an employer?

JB: My theory about hiring the perfect employer is that you need to have two things. First of all you need to be looking in the right place for the right employer. And [second] you need to find someone who needs you and someone who wants you.

What I found was that there were a lot of people that needed me but there weren’t a lot of people who wanted me. One of the bank CEOs at the time said I’d love to hire you but I’d have a difficult time explaining to my board that I hired someone who had been fired by Canadian banks twice.

KO: So isn’t the whole game in the banking business not what you can get from them, it’s what you can give to them in terms of driving cash flow into whatever unit you’re involved in?

JB: That’s probably the case if you work for a private enterprise, but within a banking culture or conglomerate or multi-national organization at the end of the day it’s about fit. You have to fit the corporate culture.

DB: So this idea of how to hire the perfect employer ... I mean, generally speaking we don’t think of the job hunter as being in the driver’s seat. How are you turning it around that somehow we are hiring the employer?

JB: Well, one of the first things I talk to people about when they come to see me and I’m helping them find a job is that you have to understand what you’re really good at. You’d be amazed how many times I say to someone, “So what is it you’re good at?” And they say, “Oh, I’m a vice president” or “I’m good at sales.” I say, “No, no, what should I pay you for? What should I pay you to do for me?”

So in my particular case when I make my infomercial I tell people that I’m very good at hiring people. I’ve hired over 900 people in my career. I’m a good judge of fit, talent, person. I’m good at looking at businesses strategically, and lastly I’m very good at coaching and mentoring people. So if you’re interested in any one of those three items, I’m very good at that and you should pay me to do those things. So in the same way I say to people, “Figure out what you’re really, really good at.”

The second thing I tell people to do is figure out which kind of people you work best with. Make a list over your lifetime of all the people you’ve worked with and you’ve worked with some more efficiently and happily than others. Look for those [kinds of] people at the organizations you’re going to interview for a job.

All organizations resolve conflict in different manners. Some of them have a benevolent dictator, some of them are accommodative, some are compromising, some are competitive. You have to understand what yours is and [whether] it fit[s] within an organization, because if it doesn’t it carries over to how people see you. So if you’re competitive and in an organization that’s accommodative or avoidance, you not only don’t get anything done, but people say, “You know what? He’s not a team player.”

This last point I made about conflict resolution is key when it comes to finding an organization that wants you. A person with the right skill set might get fired by one organization because their direct communication style rubbed people the wrong way. But that same person, with the same personality and skill set, can end up in a new organization where their communication style is effective and is considered a strength, not a weakness. I’ve seen this dynamic at work many times – nothing changes except how good the fit is.

If you’d like to watch the interview in full, here it is on CBC’s website.

How to Hire the Perfect Employer: Book Launch

I am delighted to announce that my book How to Hire the Perfect Employer: Finding the Job and Career That Fit You Through a Powerful Personal Infomercial has just been published. This book has been a long time in the making but finally having a copy in my hands makes it worth the blood, sweat, and tears it took to finish it.

I’m proud of this book and I believe it’s going to change people’s lives.

If you asked me why I wrote the book, I’d have to say it was for two main reasons.

First, because the process I describe in it—how to find your best fit in a job and career—has had such a major impact on my own life. For so long, I felt out of kilter in my work. Not only did I not fit my work, I didn’t think it was even possible to fit. (Ever felt the same way?)

I had some successful and exciting days in corporate life, but I also spent time on the outside looking in. I went through the painful process of taking responsibility for my life and figuring out why I didn’t fit and how and where I could fit. I emerged from a dark period to create a business that makes me so happy each and every day. If only I had discovered this earlier!

And my second reason? Because I’ve seen this process make such a genuine difference in the lives of the many people I have coached. It doesn’t matter whether they’re inside or outside the finance industry, already in a job or looking for one, new to the workforce or toiling at the most rarefied of senior levels—it works. My process is helping people take responsibility for themselves and their careers and for how the world sees them.

My book holds out hope to people caught in the very sad reality of work life today, the reality that only the tiniest percentage of people are actually doing what they truly love to do. My overall message for everyone reading my book (and this blog) is: You can find your fit and love what you do.

I hope you’ll order a copy of the book, and please stick around on the blog to glean as much as you can. I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, and comments, and I’d really hope that I can help you move toward a career that really fits.