Blog Archives
Cinema Meets Business (Part 3)
Our waltz down movie lane continues with more great tips from some movies that we all know well (and maybe from some we don’t).
- Citizen Kane: “It’s no trick to make a lot of money, if what you want to do is make a lot of money.” — Berstein (Everett Sloane), Kane’s (Welles) business manager explains. This quote from Orson Welles’ masterpiece reminds me of another movie quote from Jenna Elfman’s character in the movie Keeping the Faith with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton. Her character, who is an accomplished businesswoman references how she spend all of her time and energy accomplishing what she thought she wanted only to find out that once she got it she still wasn’t happen. Translation- Money is fleeting. Don’t just focus on making money. I have found that when I focus on helping others then the accolades and money will follow (but it shouldn’t be a focal point for everything you do).
- Rudy: “No one, and I mean no one, comes into our house and pushes us around.” — Notre Dame coach Dan Devine (Chelcie Ross) says in a speech to the team before their final game of the season. Commitment and pride are important ingredients within the recipe for a successful organization. The key is to band together and not compete against each other. One of the key ways that Lou Gerstner led IBM from near bankruptcy to being the titan it is today was through eliminating competition among business units. Realize that the focus should be about the team and not about making yourself look better than others at work. Let them do that and when they fall on their faces you will come across as genuine and a team player.
- Trading Places: “You make no friends in the pits and you take no prisoners. One minute you’re up half a million in soybeans and the next, boom, your kids don’t go to college and they’ve repossessed your Bentley. Are you with me?” — Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd) states to Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) before the opening bell in New York. Your career will have ups and downs. The key is to find a way to ride the ups without arrogance and emerge from the downs with key lessons and a smarter mindset. In other words, build resiliency. Find the way to pick yourself up after a bad mistake and realize that you can comeback and succeed again.
- Glengarry Glen Ross: “Only one thing counts in this world: Get them to sign on the line which is dotted.” — Blake (Baldwin) commands in front of a group of downtrodden salesmen. This is quite an intense scene. For those who haven’t seen it, take a look.
Besides the classic lines: “ABC, always be closing” there is a good lesson in the quote above. In business, intentions are great, but you will be measured by your results. In a sales environment it is great to have a bunch of “leads” and a large funnel, but ultimately you will get paid and judged according to the sales you make, the times you get someone to sign on the “line that is dotted.” The same goes for almost any other functional role in a company. While intentions are good (and so is action) it is all about the impact you make. Ensure that you are maximizing your impact and focusing on the right things to drive results. This will translate to more attention from the higher-ups.
- Scarface: “Don’t underestimate the other guy’s greed.” — Frank Lopez (Tony’s Mentor) says to Tony (Al Pacino). Greed can be a strong driving force and can motivate someone to achieve great things; however; greed is not a lasting strategy. Greed fosters enemies and animosity. Being greedy means being alone. It is better instead to find another driving force that is more aligned with team goals instead of individual delusions of grandeur. Most people who are successful are so because of the help and support from other people. Foster support, not greed.
BE AWESOME!
-MR. BIZ
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Did college really prepare us for the corporate world?
Happy 2012 Everyone!
After anywhere from 2 to 14 days off during the holidays (depending on how many vacation days you had leftover), it is time to get back work.
I will spare you all the flowery talk about new year’s resolutions and hope and possibilities. Instead I wanted to “get down to business” by offering my two-cents on a core question that has crossed the mind of many, especially a few months into our first jobs after graduation: “Did college really prepare us for the corporate world?”
My short answer is No & Yes. But let me explain…
For most of us, this is what entering the “real world” is like.
This cartoon really encapsulates the the “no” answer to the question on the table. In college, study is generally focused on theory. Topics are addressed in a vacuum of assumptions, looking to pull out main points. Most of us at some point have said to ourselves, “when is this going to be relevant in my future job?” (I remember saying this in response to the Scandinavian Mythology course I took in college. A story for another time).
Most of our professors are researches and by nature talk in theory. The corporate world is the exact opposite; it is about practicality. Decisions are routinely made based on facts over theory. No one ever pulls out a textbook to refer to a scientific law related to a dollars and cents decision. Even business theories (while useful) do not always prove to be right in market situations. Moreover, it is interesting to look back on the courses we took, realizing that the ones we found to be most useful and applicable were the most practical (like a course I look on negotiations). Not to downplay the intellectual enrichment extracted from the many theoretical things we studied, but most did not prove to be incredibly useful in corporate situations (except maybe at cocktail parties where inserting an interesting thing we studied here and there can liven conversation or add to the punchline of a joke).
At the same time, though (and here is where the “yes” to the question comes in), there are certain skills that have been taught to us through school.
- The corporate world is a giant (and sometimes messed up) group project. We have all had MANY group projects through years of schooling. We learned that most of the time there is someone on the team who doesn’t pull their weight and generally there is scrambling at the last minute to meet a deadline. The corporate world is no different. There are people who put in more work and those that put in less. Often you are not rewarded with anything more when you put in extra effort for the team (i.e. in group projects you all got the same grade) and projects are rushed to meet financial goals so that something good can be said on an earnings call with analysts. Ultimately, in the corporate world you need to learn how to work with others and school gave us a lot of experience doing that.
- Preparation meets execution. In college, all the reading, lectures attended and studying comes down to your ability to illustrate your knowledge of a topic on a test or in a final paper. The same is true in the real world. It is about results. While preparation is very important (just like in college), if you are unable to perform when the pressure is on, you are not going to succeed.
- Politics (and I am not referring to student council). Through years of school we are used to cliches and people talking about us behind our backs. Unfortunately, this does not change when people get older. Remember the lessons of when gossip got you in trouble when you were younger. Don’t fall into the same trap at work. Stay out of all the office politics and focus on your job and getting results.
Whether you feel that college prepared you for the corporate world or not, the bottom line (and yes, feel free to cross off that square in your “Corporate BINGO!” game… for those who don’t know what I am referring to, go back and read this previous blog post) is that we need to be flexible and adapt and learn how to be successful in the work world. We can’t rely on a textbook to teach us what to do. The best thing is to find good mentors to help us along the way and to take action (aka “just do it”).
Apocalyptic predictions aside, I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be an exciting and memorable year. I hope that it will be a successful one for you.
BE AWESOME!
-MR. BIZ
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What NOT to do after an interview
Recently I spoke to a friend of mine who has been applying for various jobs. She was very excited about one in particular that she had reached the 2nd round of interviews for. She mentioned that the interview went well and that she was hoping to get to the next round.
She also showed me the email she sent to the interviewer… I wish I had seen her note before she hit “send”…
Her “Thank You” email read as follows:
From: XXXXXXXX
Sent: XXXXXXXX
To: XXXXXXXX
Subject: Thank You!
Hi XXXXXXXX,
It was a great pleasure speaking with you yesterday. Once again, thank you for your time.
I am glad we had an opportunity to connect regarding my strong interest in [my company's name] and the [Name of the program]. I am confident that my professional and leadership experiences, as well as my solid interpersonal, strategic thinking, and analytical skills would make me an invaluable asset to your company. Throughout the course of my interview process, I’ve only grown more enthusiastic about [my company's name] and the [Name of the program].
It was great to learn about your experiences and the unique opportunities that the program has provided your career thus far. This reaffirms [my company]’s commitment to developing aspiring leaders, and providing its employees the flexibility to apply and hone their skill set in diverse business areas, to support the professional and personal growth of its most important assets, its people.
I look forward to hearing from your team within the next week. Additionally, please look for an email from Starbucks with a $5 gift card in appreciation for your time. Enjoy!
Kind Regards,
XXXX
While yes, this is a nice gesture, the message behind it could be totally taken wrong. And actually was taken wrong by the interviewer. When my friend received a response she was horrified…
From: XXXXXXXX
Sent: XXXXXXXX
To: XXXXXXX
Subject: RE: Thank You!
Hi XXXXX,
Thank you for your email below.
If I may, I wanted to provide you with a little feedback. Please note that I am passing along this message after having already submitted my decision to the recruitment team. That said, my reaction has no positive or negative effect on your candidacy (as I saw this after submitting things).
Your note was fine. It had some detail to it and both mentioned your strong points and referenced me as an interviewer. However, in these notes you may want to be more specific, not generic like it appears below. Reference something specific that we spoke about (a job I had or something we talked about so it makes it appear that you were engaged in what I was saying about my background and experience), any job would have “unique opportunities” and anyone who interviews you will have had “experiences” at their company. Be specific. This point is only a side note to my main thought, though.
The gift of a Starbucks card is thoughtful however can come across as inappropriate, which is how it came off to me. While I am sure that your intention was to thank me, if you take a step back I think you can see that the gift comes across like you want to influence my decision. Therefore, I cannot accept this gift. I would urge you not to do this in the future. A thank you note should be fine on its own. And actually getting my address to send a handwritten note is a much better idea since most people do not do that anymore- a handwritten note makes you seem unique and has a good touch to it. It is much easier to shoot off an email to someone than to actually write something out by hand.
If you are set on giving a gift, here are a couple thoughts: (1) Give the gift AFTER the decision on your candidacy has been made. You are currently still amidst the interview process. If it was really about your appreciation of my time (like you said) you would want to give the gift if even if you did not get the job. Sending it before makes it seem like a bribe. (2) Give a gift that is personalized to the person. If we had talked about coffee during our interview that is great, but I strongly dislike coffee and have actually never really had a cup of coffee in my life. This specific gift seems impersonal for me.
When I was promoted earlier this year I owed a great deal to one of the human resource managers. What I did was investigate what she liked, and I gave a gift accordingly (with a handwritten note). This was also done after I signed the offer letter, not before.
Thanks,
-XXXXXXXX
Luckily my friend took this experience as an important lesson: recognizing and thanking someone is a key part of the interview process. In fact I know some people that would not hire someone who did not send a follow-up note or thank you. That said, be careful of the message a gift sends. Gifts are great, but they need to be done at the right time and in the right way.
Mr. Biz, OUT!
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Sharpening Your Sword
I can still hear the advice from Joan, the regional head of the Leadership Development Program (LDP) at AT&T when I first started with the company… “Don’t forget to continuously sharpen your sword.” … it’s not what you think, I wasn’t a part of the “fencing” department… She was referring to always remembering to be a student, taking time to develop your skills and continue learning.
With all that goes into the day-to-day of our jobs it is hard to set time aside to improve our skills, and often when we get busy with work or our personal lives this learning is the first thing to falls by the waste-side.
This “continuous learning” can come in many shapes and sizes. For some it is going back to school part-time to get a graduate degree, but (since that is a major commitment) you don’t have to go to that much of an extreme. The first step is to figure out where you have skill gaps but also where you have strengths. Then look for resources that will fill the skill gaps and others that will take a strength and turn it into something you can build your brand behind. For example, if you struggle with interacting with your boss, find a book on managing your boss and read it, taking note of techniques you can incorporate into your relationship with your boss. If you feel you are a solid speaker, join a toastmasters or find a way to go back to your college to talk to a group of students. This will allow you to become a master at speaking, which will lead others to see your skills in the area of public speaking (more on the importance of building on your strengths later).
For me personally, I remember that I struggled with remembering my list of “To Do” items each day and lost a good number of great ideas I came up with because I didn’t have a good way to keep track of everything. Around that time I was reading Richard Branson’s autobiography (Losing my Virgininity, a great and pretty entertaining for a biography, book) and he talked about how he had this notebook that he carried around with him to write down his ideas and keep track of his day (clearly nothing revolutionary, but effective for him). I decided to give this a shot (in the form of one of those small Moleskine notebooks) and it has worked wonders for me keeping track of my list of action items and ideas that pop into my head throughout the day. While there are many other electronic tools that can do the same, actually putting a pen to paper really worked for me. Now a have a part of my bookshelf full of these notebooks that I have filled out over the last couple of years.
Here are a few more ideas of ways to “sharpen your sword” to be a constant learner:
- Take a Local/Online Course (if, for example, you do not feel comfortable with finance, find a course or materials you can review to improve your comfort level)
- Join a Professional Organization (related to your industry or just an area of interest or around a skill-set like Toastmasters for public speaking)
- Reading a book on the topic (or magazine or Harvard Business Review-like article)
- Reading Blogs/RSS Feeds (part of sword sharpening is keeping up to date with your industry)
- Find a mentor who is an expert that you can ask questions to and bounce ideas off of
Just remember the old adage that if a lumberjack has one hour to cut down a tree, he will spend 45 minutes sharpening his axe and 15 minutes actually chopping. In this analogy we are generally coming in with a pretty sharp axe (from our college educations) however a lot of the sharpness (1) doesn’t translate to a corporate environment, and (2) goes away after we chop (i.e. work) for a while, so we need to keep resharpening.
If you have any other ideas of ways to “sharpen your sword” feel free to comment.
Until next time, Mr. Biz OUT.
3 Quick (and Easy) Tips
I think we all have heard some derivation of the old saying that little things make a big difference.
In this spirit, I wanted to share a few quick things that I do that have helped me in getting promoted faster and building strong relationships both within my company and with other professionals.
- Nice to “see” you: This is a simple one, but it’s effective. When most people are networking and meet someone new they say, “nice to meet you.” While this is the automatic response for most of us, it can be really disastrous for building relationships if you had already met them but forgot. Imagine this, you are at a company networking event, talking to a colleague about how you had a great conversation with an executive at your company. And let’s say you also had presented something to the executive as well, so you are not just anyone. Now you and your colleague go up to this exec and say hello and he replies, “nice to meet you.” Oh no, he doesn’t remember you at all… granted execs talk to a lot of people every day, but at the same time he has made you look terrible in front of your colleague. That is why it is best to say nice to “see” you instead of “meet” you. Sometimes you can’t remember that you had met someone for just a second a couple years ago as you were heading out the door from an event. Don’t make anyone else feel the way the exec made you feel.
- Emailing at all hours: The nice thing about email is that there is no “business hours” limitation like there is when you have to call someone. Generally I work during the day, hang out with friends/grab dinner/go to an event in the evening and then come back late at night and work a little more (I guess the night owl that college brought out of me has stuck around). Because of this habit I have sent out many emails in the middle of the night to my bosses and colleagues. Originally this was unintentional but as time went on I saw that doing this made my co-workers and boss think that I was a harder worker than anyone else. Now here is the key: whether you are actually working or not, you should wait to send some emails out late at night. Draft the email earlier in the day, finish up the project before going home, but wait until 11pm or midnight to send it to your boss. Trust me, it impresses people and the best part is that you don’t even need to be actually “working” to send the emails out.
- Handwritten Thank You Notes: This is a BIG one. I cannot stress it enough. I would venture to say that sending out a handwritten thank you note is a lost art. With the ease of email and general distractions of our lives, common courtesy has often been thrown out the window. I used to hate how my mom would nag me over and over to write thank you notes as a grew up; to friends and relatives for birthday gifts and to teachers or other adults who had helped me with things. I despised writing them, but today I can say that there are NUMEROUS times when the extra note has helped my career. I can recall at least one of my promotions where I sent a handwritten note to the hiring manager after my interview and he mentioned it made the difference between me and another candidate. Plus a thank you note is tangible and physical, not just one of 100 emails coming into the person you’re thanking’s inbox. It does take a little more time, but it is worth it. Just find a way to get person’s mailing address (internally look at a company directory, if the person is not from your company ask for their business card). I have sent thank you notes to bosses and to mentors for teaching me good lessons, among others. I am sure that when my boss was determining who got the best raises, the thank you notes I had sent (that almost anyone would keep somewhere, because most people keep cards people send them) didn’t hurt me… and my paycheck is evidence of that.
I know these were a bit off topic, but I wanted to share. Next post I will get back to the topic from a couple posts ago: how to take ownership of how engaged and successful you are at work
A nerdy professional guilty pleasure
Mar 5
Posted by Young Professional's Edge (YP Edge)
Everyone has their guilty pleasures. For some it’s chocolate, for others it’s trashy books. While most associate them with their personal lives, these guilty pleasures can creep over into your professional life as well. It can take the form of getting wrapped up in office gossip or even doing something around the office that you shouldn’t do (I’ll let your imaginations go with that one).
My professional guilty pleasure isn’t all that exciting; in fact, it’s downright nerdy. My secret professional love is work conferences.
I dig ‘em. Whether it’s a live webcast, or even better yet, in person, I crave the stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, a good amount of what happens at conferences is fluff. It can take the form of a ra-ra “repeat after me” chant initiated by a company executive. I have even seen my company hire singers who take a stupid template for a song that they throw three or four relevant references about my company into in order to make it sound like the song was written just for us.
Last week, I attended a multi-day leadership conference that my company put on and was reminded of the great things that in-person conferences offer. Here are 5 reasons why you should love conferences too:
So value the time spent at conferences. It’s better to take a conference call or shoot out a couple emails from the hallway outside the conference room than not go to the conference at all. Who knows, you might make a connecting that leads to your next job, or you may spark a big idea at the next conference you attend. Even a nerdy guilty pleasure like conferences can be a huge help to your career.
BE AWESOME!
-MR. BIZ
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Tags: Aaron McDaniel, Careers, Education, networking, Personal Development, Young Professionals