The Power to Choose

When I was growing up, no one would have dared utter the words “I want to be happy in my job.” I can only imagine the scornful response from parents and teachers: “What are you talking about? A job’s a job’s a job. Shut up and do your homework.” That was then. 

I want to be happy in my job.

We  were  not expected to be happy at work. We just went out and got a job. These days, you can make a choice. Do you want to be happy at work? Or do you want to settle for a job that’s “good enough,” even though it’s not a good fit for you?

If you are unhappy at work, there’s a natural tendency to complain about your job and do nothing about it. If this is the case, you aren’t willing to do what it takes to change the situation. And that’s okay. But if you decide to do nothing, at least stop banging your head against the wall. Stop moaning about your job. And be aware that staying in a job you dislike, or working around people who constantly make you feel uncomfortable, can make your work suffer. You can waste years of your life not realizing the reputational damage that you’re doing to yourself on a daily basis. It just chips away until everyone can see that you’re totally disengaged.

THE POWER TO CHOOSE

You don’t have to live and work like that, though. You have the power to make a choice, and an infomercial can help. By looking at what’s revealed in your infomercial—what do you genuinely love to do, for instance, and how much of your capacity is being used—you’ll be forced to look in the mirror and come to terms with where you are at in your working life. Then you can choose to stay or to go. 

Your Capacity Utilization

Finally, it’s crucial to assess whether a potential employer wants all  of  your capabilities or  just some of them. How do you do this?

Depend on your infomercial to measure how close an opportunity comes to being a true fit. Use it to assess your current employment situation. Use it to identify an opportunity that’s worth pursuing further, a referral that’s right for you, or an industry sector you’ve never considered before. And use it to spot the red flags. Say no if you have to—and feel good about that decision. Capacity utilization tells us whether the job you’re considering accepting is going to utilize all of your capacity or just a little of it.

Consider the five-thousand- yard passing quarterback. He’s an excellent quarterback, but, ideally, he wants to be on a team that throws the ball 100 percent of the time. So what happens when he’s recruited to a team that wants him to execute a playbook that has the team running the ball? It’s a recipe for disaster. The coach isn’t going to be interested in his passing ability because he doesn’t care about that particular skill. In fact, the first time the quarterback throws  the ball, the coach says, “Hey, we don’t throw the ball. What are you trying to do?”

It doesn’t matter how good the quarterback is; his ability is not going to be reflected in what he is asked to do by this coach. As long as he remains on the team, he’ll feel inadequate. And, worse, he’ll be regarded as a failure because in the end, what he’s really good at isn’t needed or valued. The quarterback has to ask himself, “How much of my capacity, my strengths, and my abilities are being used by this team?”

Everyone’s level is different, depending on how high a priority they put on their own happiness. For me, it’s about 80 per- cent because I need to spend some of my time running the business instead of coaching. What’s your priority on your happiness?

Like the quarterback, you have tremendous skills to offer. And you may have presented a whole list of what you could do for an employer or a client. But if that company only needs 20 per- cent, in most cases they’ll take what they need and overlook the rest. They’re not looking at your capacity—they are looking at what they think they need right now. In fact, it’s quite possible

Your Personal Bandwidth

Before you start looking for work, it’s important that you understand your personality bandwidth. Personality bandwidth is a little different from the “Who do you like to work with?” question we explored in the previous chapter. It measures your tolerance of different personalities. The range of personalities you can work with helps determine your personality bandwidth. If someone gets along with everyone and everyone loves them back, then they have a wide personality bandwidth. If someone is only comfortable with certain kinds of personalities, and only certain kinds of people are comfortable with them, then they have a narrow personality bandwidth.

I was interviewing an individual for a marketing job in Canada. He was anxious to get the job and told me all the reasons he would be suited to the role based on his CV and past experience. So I asked him, “What’s the worst thing anyone has ever said about you?” He replied without hesitation, “I don’t suffer fools very well. Most people piss me off.”

The candidate’s answer told me that he might have a very narrow personality bandwidth—and therefore be entirely unsuited for this particular job. Like others with a narrow personality band- width, he had strong sense of the personalities he wanted to be around and those he wanted   to avoid. This gave him an approach that could rub others the wrong way. It’s okay for him to be bespoken in this way, but he needed to under- stand how narrow his world was. He would work best in a place where his work spoke for itself and he didn’t have to interact a lot with people. As a marketer for products, he would have to work with every level in the organization; in this kind of sales-generation role, he’d be a disaster.

A broad personality bandwidth, on the other hand, is like being able to speak numerous lan- guages. Typically, people with a broad bandwidth have jobs in customer service, client relationships, and sales. They don’t care if someone is difficult or overbearing because by their very nature—their personality bandwidth—they get along with everyone. They can communicate with a wider variety of personalities; clients and friends are one and the same. They find it easy to be empathetic and can almost instantly connect on some level with everyone.

Those with broad personality bandwidths can tolerate a diverse range of personality types, and they see the best in all they meet. Those with narrow bandwidths have to choose their clients or employer more carefully. For that marketing job, I knew the company needed someone who loves everyone because that’s what makes for a great salesperson, not someone who finds most personalities difficult to deal with.

Your Target-Rich Environment

Let’s start with your target-rich environment. It’s where you should be looking for a job, given everything—your skills, experience, character, working style, and personality—you have to offer. All our lives, people say give me your CV, tell me where you worked before—because it’s all about “the job.”

But the concept that one’s skills are only applicable to a particular type of job, in a single industry or sector, is ridiculous. Once you’ve written your infomercial, you can find great opportunities in a lot of different places. A computer programmer who likes to sell doesn’t have to resign himself to days at the office looking at a screen. His target-rich environment could include sales, consumer testing, even teaching at a college.

You need to do your homework to figure out your target-rich environment. This takes some research online and talking with others to make sure. Keep asking yourself, “Am I looking in the right places?” Look again at the list you made of who you work best with. Where do people like that work? Is it in a quiet office or a rambunctious, wide- open space—or in a country house? What would work for you? That’s your target-rich environment.

It took my good friend Rick almost thirty years to realize that his target-rich environment was bigger than he thought. During high school, Rick played drums with a bunch of guys who ended up becoming the well-known rock band The Tragically Hip. Rick put his drums aside, pursued mining engineering, completed a master’s degree, and then worked in international mining companies. Even though he had landed in an industry that appeared to be the right fit for his qualifications, it didn’t feel right. “All those years, it was always about the job,” Rick told me. “It was never about who I am or about finding a place where I’d really fit in.”

Rick left mining and came to me. He was being recruited by Canadian banks, and he didn’t want to make the same mistake as before. Rick was finally ready to figure out where to find a true fit. It wasn’t easy; in fact, you’ll remember that he was the one who told me that the idea of finding the right fit initially scared him. “My God, I thought as I started to answer the four questions,” he recalled. “I should have continued to play drums in a rock and roll band.… It honestly freaked me out a bit.”

After his infomercial was complete, Rick knew that he needed to find a fit where he could more fully use his strengths in dealing with people and developing relationships. He made the choice to accept a job in investment banking. “I used to think I was a miner who happens to do investment banking; now I know I’m an investment banker who likes mining but is much happier at the relationship side of things. I love dealing with the clients and help- ing them out,” said Rick. “I’m telling you, I have never been happier in my life or more at peace with myself.”

Rick’s narrow view of who he was restricted his choices of where to look for job opportunities. It meant that he had ended up working as an engineer in the mining industry because that was his “title.” He admitted that he kept learning in his job to add value so he could get the next mining job. After Rick developed his infomercial, he finally understood his target-rich environment—which for him extended beyond mining. And now, working with people who understand him, Rick is happy and finally feels, after thirty years, that he fits in.

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!

Data Predetermined the Real Winner in the Latest US Election

I along with the rest of the world were held hostage by the American election cycle for the past few months, if not the past year. Personally I cannot let the 70 billion dollar election expenditures go by without at least a bit of commentary – the campaign budgets make the auto bailout look like a shrimp cocktail and they can't even say they saved any jobs in Ohio! From where I sit politically, it all ended exactly where it started 24 months ago, less 70 billion, EXCEPT for one big difference: The Obama campaign broke the mould in data harvesting and changed the game permanently.

The world was fascinated as CNN's John King dissected all the voting patterns and historical data at the large touch screen. He made the results look logical and hinted very early in the evening that it was going to be an Obama victory. No question, the demographics of the Obama victory were interesting, but what was even more intruiguing was how the Romney campaign got  completely blindsided. What happened?? Data mining is what happened. Time magazine broke the “inside story” of a group in the Chicago Obama headquarters that revolutionized data harvesting:

http://swampland.time.com/2012/11/07/inside-the-secret-world-of-quants-and-data-crunchers-who-helped-obama-win/

A group of PHDs and scientists (that were kept entirely separate from the regular campaign staff) began working nearly four years ago on the data management issues they encountered during the 2008 campaign. The first Obama campaign was lauded for its revolutionary use of social media to get the youth vote. This time around the Democrats built an incredible database of information to form the most sophisticated data mining model ever used in politics or most likely in any other organization. The use of data is how Romney got blindsided. Read the article, it was amazing how they used the data to fundraise and get people out to vote.

In one of their quarterly publications McKinsey also wrote about the importance of data mining and its powerful future:

http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/mgi/research/technology_and_innovation/big_data_the_next_frontier_for_innovation

In addition, a relatively new extremely creative entrepreneurial firm called Price Metrix has revolutionized how the the world manages their investment advisors. With this article they explain why you should seriously worry you if you are not on this data directed train:

http://www.pricemetrix.com/cms/wp-content/uploads/PriceMetrix_Insights_Moneyball-for-Advisors_English.pdf

You see it's politics, businesses and probably more industries than you can even think about that are harnessing the value of data to make critical decisions. This has been going on in the sports world for ages and now technology has allowed everyone to harness its power.

So my question to you is, "are you capitalizing on all the data that is available to you at the workplace??"

Or do you have client information scattered about in different databases that should be consolidated (that was one of the big tasks of the Obama brain trust)?

Are you paying too many different sources to provide the same information (that is why the Bloomberg terminal became so popular in the cost cutting 1990s)??

Do you have managers who comprehend the new world dynamics and how to harness the data to understand what is really going on out there? Or are you stuck in the old horse and buggy decision making process that has sent many a businesses slowly move along the curve of extinction?

Technology is and will be the ultimate disrupter,  spreading its influence into every aspect of our lives. Apple, Google, Facebook and YouTube have being doing it for years. But you thought it was just about social media. Wrong, it's all about the data, who has it, what do they do with it and what does it mean for you.

Take heed everyone, the future is here and there is nowhere to hide. If you are not taking advantage of the data, your competitors will! Just ask Mitt and the Republican Party, since they and everyone else had no warning of the tsunami that hit them on election night. Strike yet another victory for technology!

What side of the disrupter world do you reside in? Are u the disrupter or the one being being dirsrupted??