Women helping other women achieve their
career goals just doesn't make for good TV.
During the "The Real Housewives of New York City" reunion show last month, two of the housewives, Alex McCord and Jill Zarin, were engaged in what can only be called bitchy behavior. Read the full article HERE.
According
to Talent Management magazine, April 2010 “Preventing Exit Interviews” (http://bit.ly/bBb4sL), here
are the most common reasons people stay with their employers . 91% of the respondents surveyed
listed at least one of the first two items among the top reasons they stay:
1.
Exciting work and challenge
2.
Career growth, learning and development
3.
Working with great people
4.
Fair pay
5.
Supportive management or a good boss
6.
Being recognized, valued and respected
7.
Benefits
8.
Meaningful work and making a difference
9.
Pride in the organization, its mission and its product
10. Great work environment and culture
As
I often do, I tested that thinking with my own experience. Just why did I leave
my last job? Was the work exciting and challenging? Exciting yes, but not
challenging anymore. Was there growth for me, could I learn and develop? Yes,
but it was very hard to navigate through the huge organization to know just
where I could look for new opportunity.
I am sure it was there if I really pushed, but we were going through reorganization after reorganization, and career growth and development seemed to be low on the priorities list year after year. Next, I looked at the “working with great people” and I realized that is why I stayed as long as I did. The people at HP were bright, innovative, practiced the “HP way” and set the bar very high from which I would judge other potential employers.
So,
it was true for me that without challenge and career growth, development and
learning, I became disengaged and left.
If
you lead people, or work in Talent Management, ask yourself how many of your
top performers are retention risks because they are not getting what is on the Top 10
list.
In my coaching practice with engineers, physicians and other highly technical people, I have
learned that being a good software designer, MD or financial analyst requires
the competency of identifying problems, figuring out cause and effect,
evaluating solutions and then killing, or getting rid of the problem. These
people are wired to find what is wrong (not what is right) with your code, your
throat or your IRA portfolio. Then, when they propose a solution and
options, after your OK, they proceed to kill the problem so that it goes away.
Now, if that highly technical person is given the opportunity to manage a project, work as a team leader or manager, a new way of problem solving must be learned. It is called collaboration. That involves slowing down, asking for other team members’ input, weighing options, gaining buy-in, discovering that other stakeholders want to put their 2 cents in, and only days, weeks or months later can they finally “kill the problem.” It can be really frustrating to have to slow down, listen to others, get their opinions, and gain consensus.
So the career path from individual technician to manager of technical people is not one that everyone can successfully master. Organizations need to carefully select potential managers for those positions through assessments, projects, task forces and small leadership assignments which allow the technical person to discover if they can blend their deep technical knowledge with more people skills, in order to take that next career step.
It is hugely satisfying for me to see and foster this blend of deep technical skills and strong people collaborative skills. A person with this blended skill set will have a lot of latitude in their organization, and consequently they have many more career options than those with only technical - or only people - skills.
All that said, it is reassuring that when I need a highly technical person to fix my computer, they can kill that virus quickly, without any hesitation.
Last
week an article caught my eye in the Dallas Morning News. The title was
‘Venting To Boss Can Hurt Your Career.”
I
eagerly read it because some of my clients still feel compelled to vent to
their managers and do not realize the potential danger they step into.
What
happens after venting? You feel better, yet the boss will tag you as a whiner,
trouble maker, immature or get the impression that you are not up to the job.
Worse yet, they will put you on the list to “manage out”. Think about how many
times you bring problems to the boss without solutions, vs. opportunities,
ideas and positive news?
The
boss will quickly get either a negative or positive impression of you based on
your approach.
Find a safe place to vent, preferably someone who will listen and not judge you, yet who will hold you accountable to affect change and take action on the issues that are bugging you. A friend may listen, but not if it becomes a regular pattern of you dumping and them listening. Offer to hear them out with their work issues from time to time.
If you have a coach, all the better, coaches are trained to listen, help you see different perspectives, gain awareness on the situation, what role you may have in the situation and in the problem solving. If not, join a group who gets coaching from a certified group coach. It can be a way to get help for a smaller investment, connect with others, and learn in a politically safe environment. Save that precious time with your boss for showing your strengths, progress, issues you did solve and strategizing together on business initiatives.
I'm an executive coach helping leaders accelerate personal growth, maximize strengths and add more to their organizations' bottom lines.
Recent Comments