The Unwritten Expectations of the Job

Leaders, there's a great book called THE 7 HIDDEN REASONS EMPLOYEE'S LEAVE. The #1 reason on their list is: Job or workplace not living up to expectations.

Expectations begin with the job posting lots of jobs look good on paper but learning to read between the lines will help manage your expectations from the beginning.

If you're on Linkedin, you get those "this job might be a good fit for you" pop-ups when you log in. Do you ever click on them? I do, if the job title is intriguing enough.

A job popped up recently that captured my attention. The job title looked good, Director -People & Culture Development - but, see, when I read through the job description, I got the impression that their culture isn't so good.

One of the central functions of the job is to make sure that company makes one of the "best places to work" lists. 

Being on a "best places to work" list gets a company a lot of street cred but doesn't usually tell the true story about what's really going on.(I speak from experience.)If they want someone to develop the culture that also tells me that it ain't so good right now. 

Deeper into the job posting there were at least 5 or 6 bullet points that began with "create and implement . . ." which in corp-speak translates to "we don't do any of this right now but we know we should".

The unwritten part of creating and implementing a program is getting the entire company to agree with your plans and to participate in what you're trying to create and implement. Have you ever tried to get a toddler to do something they don't want to do? Or give an animal a pill? Yup, that's what "creating and implementing" is like in a workplace. If you're LUCKY you can "create and implement" about 1 new program a year.

The additional duties were all the basic HR generalist functions. By my estimate, the work that 4 - 6 people do at any other business . . . .

Then, there was the little matter of "expected 40 - 50 variable hours per week" and "twice yearly off sites". Which translates to: you will have no life when you work here, you will be at our beck and call.

I wish that company luck in finding a "good fit" for that position. But, even more, I wish luck to the person who actually agrees to all the written -and unwritten- job requirements. I certainly wouldn't want it. 

Have you ever taken a job that's description seemed good on paper but turned out to be not-so-good?

7 Ways to Give Back

Leaders, what have you done for someone else today? Life isn't just work and work isn't your life. Where do you give back?

I think life is richer, and work is more satisfying when we give back. A lot of the ways for you to give back only take a few seconds but they make a HUGE impact!

It's so easy here are a few suggestions on how you can give and enrich your life:

1. Share an event or page on Facebook, especially if a friend is trying to get a business off the ground;
2. Make a comment on Linkedin, or endorse someone for a skill (if you genuinely know they possess that skill);
3. Volunteer your time or donate your money: there are a zillion non-profits out there -find one that lines up with your beliefs and spend some TIME helping them;
4. Take someone to lunch;
5. Call, email, text or WRITE to a friend or family member who you know is struggling with something;
6. Say "please" and "thank-you" when you are out in public and someone helps you; and,
7. Pay attention when people speak, put down the cell phone and engage.

Easy, right?

Being Social

Leaders understand that social networks are for being SOCIAL; which means: reaching out, connecting, maintaining and creating relationships. With rare exception, the super-majority of my actor-friends "get" this. They are engaging and funny and fun. They share, they interact -it seems to be in their DNA. Maybe because their work is all about interaction and observation.

 It is funny, I can always tell when someone from my "business world" is looking for work because they suddenly become verrrrry busy in the social world. Lots of "endorsements" and new "friends" on LinkedIN (But, surprisingly not a ton of comments or "likes" on posts.) I also see lots of postings on Facebook and Twitter but still, not a lot of reaction to others.

It's the virtual world's version of a selfish child shouting "Look at ME! Look at ME! Look at what I can do!" -OR- a boorish new acquaintance at a cocktail party outlining their list of accomplishments without pausing for a breath or asking what is going in YOUR world.

I hate to break it to you, but people can see through all that. If you can sense ANY potential or use in the world of the social network, what you're going to need to do is interact with people consistently -especially when you AREN'T selling something (or looking for work).

Social networks work best when you approach the party with a sense of excitement to interact with friends, to make new friends and to match people up with like interests/needs/wants with NO anticipation of "getting something" out of it.

I like that thrill of sharing a website with a friend, or introducing two friends who have mutual goals, or of sharing content that I hope will impact/help/inspire someone.

Either start now creating genuine connections or don't do it at all; anything else will cause you more damage than good.

Good Boss or Bad Boss?

Leaders, how do you REALLY know if you have a "good" boss or a "bad" boss? There are websites devoted to stories of "bad" bosses -even a movie! But, I haven't found any devoted to "good" bosses.

In my years in HR, I had people who had what I would consider a "good" boss but that employee didn't like the boss; usually because the boss expected their employees to be on time, finish their work, communicate effectively -that kind of stuff!

I've also seen great employees who couldn't figure out why they were unhappy and were sitting in my office because they earnestly wanted to do a better job. But, really, when you got down to it, these employees were doing their best and could never please their boss; not realizing that their boss was simply awful!

Bob Sutton (who wrote the "No A-hole Rule" and "Good Boss, Bad Boss")has a test, to help you determine whether your boss is "good" or "bad".

You can take the test here: http://goodbadboss.com/

A warning, though, if your boss comes up high on the 20 point scale, the advice may be: "If you cannot get him or her fired, get out as soon as you can."

Do you love your boss? Hate your boss? What qualities make a "good" boss.

Take it With a Grain of Salt

Of COURSE, I had to click on an article with the provocative title of "The 10 WORST College Majors"!! Oh my gosh! Don't let my kids choose THOSE majors, oh please, God. (I hope you sense my sarcasm there.)

Guess what? A BUSINESS-focused magazine with a tagline of "Information for the world's business leaders" has an article skewed to scare anyone away from a degree in just about every arts field.

It is the job of the Forbes editors to KNOW their audience and play to it just like any musician would! (Couldn't resist an arts reference!! Hee hee!) 

I hate to break it to you, but, the arts have ALWAYS been a risky field. So is business, if you don't have the acumen for it!

The question is: do you have the STAMINA to make money in a field that is more focused on the arts rather than business? And, why can't you do both? Who SAYS you cannot be an artist/writer/actor/ photographer/musician/archeologist/arty-type with a great mind for business, too! Go for what you love. Be the exception to the rule! 

The surest way to failure is to live someone else's dream! If you love the arts, go for it. If you love business, go for it! If you're somewhere in the middle, go for THAT! Live YOUR dream!

Go Back a Year

Leaders realize that the thing they are worrying about TODAY is not the thing they'll be worrying about in a year.

Whenever I'm tempted to get upset, or spend valuable time worrying about something - I take a step back and ask, "What was I worried about LAST year at this time?" If I can even remember, I am able to realize that the thing I was the most worried about often didn't even come to pass.

Last year at this time, I was worried that if I quit my job we'd go broke. Guess what? It didn't happen, in fact, quite the opposite. . . That helps me spend time moving forward instead of stuck in the slough of worry.

But, if I get stuck in "worry-mode" a great exercise to alleviate worry is to take it to the EXTREME. Play the "what's the worst that can happen" game. Only if the worst that can happen could (honestly) result in a death, then it's probably not that bad.

If that game doesn't help play the "Plan B" game. If happens then I'll do . Find as many things you could do if your WORST happens. 

Stuck in Neutral

Seth Godin has a brilliant blog post about the "Neutral Employee", click HERE to read it.

You know those neutral co-workers, right? In corp-speak: they're neither disengaged OR engaged. In real-speak: they just don't care.  While you're smiling and laughing and throwing around ideas like the leader you are; or while you've rolled up your sleeves to get some stuff DONE, they're doing the bare minimum. They're not whining, but they're just not helping or contributing or thinking ahead. In short, they're behaving like my tween-er daughter when I ask her to help me clean up the house . . .

I'm might get taken out for this, but I'm going to share a secret from the hallows of the Human Resources department: no one likes "neutral employees". No one. Bosses try to get rid of them in any way they can.

Below is a handy field-spotting guide for "neutral employees"

Physical characteristics may include any or all of the following:

• Slow walk;
• Dull eyes;
• Hunched shoulders;
• Lack of eye contact;
• Droning voice

Verbal characteristics may include any or all of the following:

• "I just want to do my job."
• "I don't have anything to add to that . . ."
• "I don't care . . ."
• "Why do we need goals?"

What's that you said? You're afraid you might be a neutral employee? Well, leaders, here's a short exercise:

• Make a list of all the ideas you've shared with your boss in the past month; or,
• Make a list of all the ideas you've implemented at your workplace in the past month; or,
• Make a list of  what you've learned to help you in your job in the last month; or, 
• Make a list of all the opinions you've shared with your boss in the last month; or,
• Make a list of your personal work goals for the past month; or,
• Describe the most engaging conversation you've had at work in the past month.

If you don't have anything for those lists, or if your most engaging conversation was about the latest episode of "Downton Abbey" then you are probably a neutral employee.

Never fear! It just means it is time to snap out of it and go back to being the leader you are! I guarantee your boss and co-workers will like you better if you do.

Any positive step you take will take you off the lay-off short list and move you in the right direction and the added benefit is that you'll probably find that work is more interesting and you feel more "engaged"!

• Express an opinion at work
• But don't overdo it! You might scare people off if you don't keep it respectful!
• Share ideas at work
• Right now it's a little bit of quantity - versus - quality. Don't throw out one idea and get all hung up that no one likes it. I'm going to get all Pollyanna here: ideas are limitless, like stars in the sky, and once you start generating them, they will come so frequently that eventually one will be a "keeper".
• Figure out a way to improve a frustrating work process -or reach out and help your boss or a co-worker.

Have you ever felt "neutral" at a job?  Did you get out of it? If so, how??

Freedom

“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” -Henry David Thoreau

Argh, I read those words and my creative, artistic little soul just aches 'cause I've been there. I felt trapped and uncreative and like I couldn't do anything I wanted to do. I had to sincerely turn my head around and focus!

Those living desperate lives aren't leaders (yet) and usually are deeply in debt and cling to a lousy job situation because they don't have the freedom to take a chance.

Free people are leaders. Leaders are creative, unafraid of change, unafraid of taking a chance, unafraid to speak up when something seems wrong. Less fear is a luxury of freedom; it is one of the signs of being a leader. Singing the song in you, is true freedom.  

I read a comment in a book once that went something like this: "Deprivation is living paycheck to paycheck, I'd rather go without little 'wants' than live like that."

Are you living paycheck to paycheck? I've been THERE. I was working part-time and funds were so low that I would charge things on a credit card then go back to the store and get cash for the returned item and use it to pay bills. (Something I do NOT suggest doing, it just dug me deeper in a hole, as you can imagine.)

If you ARE living paycheck to paycheck. I'm fairly certain it impacts your work deeply. I know it did that to me. If you feel like you hate your job -whether it's the work itself, your boss, your co-workers, or the company you work for-  you feel like you're stuck because of that blankety-blank paycheck, right?

Time to get your finances on track; time to get some savings in the bank, time to get OUT of debt and back on track. The first thing you've got to do is get your head in the game. If you've been eating lunch out or buying expensive coffee, stop it -for now.

That's the first step. Reduce your spending. Separate the "wants" from the "needs". You NEED to eat lunch but you DON'T need to eat out. Take a few extra minutes and make a lunch before work; or, instead of driving out to eat, drive to the nearest grocery store on your lunch hour and buy some lunch things. A loaf of bread and jar of peanut butter in the bottom drawer of your file cabinet will be lunch for a week. Boring, sure, but do you want to create some freedom in your job? Having more cash each week will.

(I can hear you over there, saying, "My job is so awful I NEED to go out to lunch to get away for a while." Let me be honest here: you'll never break free if you think like that. Find some other way to get away. I used to go eat my home-brought lunch in my car so I could get away. Saved me a ton of money and I could listen to music while I ate.)

Here are some books that helped me:

Your Money or Your Life - I classify this book in the harsh-but-healthy category. After reading it, you might realize that the 2 hour commute each way reduces your hourly pay significantly. Some people realize that getting a lower paying job, closer to home is actually MORE cost-effective after reading this book. Some people realize that they'd be better of if one parent stayed home with the kids rather than spending an entire salary on childcare.

The Wealthy Barber - This book reads like a novel and has some really practical, down-to-earth advice on saving and paying off debt. It is told in such an easy-to-read manner that the advice goes down smoothly.

The Millionaire Next Door - This book didn't give me tips as much as it gave me a new mindset. It really made me realize that the people who "look" rich might be in debt up to their eyeballs and that the folks who seem "poor" might just be millionaires in disguise. The message of this book was driven home when one of the top ten wage earners of a company I worked for expressed real longing and regret when I shared that my husband and I had paid of our mortgage and were entirely debt-free. 

The Tightwad Gazette - SUPER extreme savers. But, for awhile I did re-use plastic ziploc bags and shop exclusively at thrift stores and garage sales. I never went as far as drinking only evaporated milk and making my own Bisquick, but it gave me TONS of ideas on how to save, especially during the very expensive baby years of our children. It also taught me to stock up on great sales.

If you are debt-free, or are working on becoming debt-free, what books/websites/programs have helped you?

5 Minute Challenge

Leaders find the time for the things that are important. Even 5 minutes a day makes a difference over time! (If you don't believe me, then don't brush/floss your teeth for a week and see if you notice a difference.) If you want to become more limber, then stretch for 5 minutes a day. If you want to know what's going on in the world, read the newspaper for 5 minutes a day. If you want a better relationship with a peer, co-worker or direct report then spend 5 minutes a day listening to what they have to say . . .