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Office Politics – Should I leverage it to further my career?

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leverage office politics

Early in my career, I have been burnt by office politics but not in the way you think.  I didn’t feel burnt because someone else sabotaged my job.  On the contrary, I concluded, I burnt myself because I didn’t understand or appreciate office politics and the importance of using it fairly and skillfully to protect and build my career advantage. ...  read more

Mentoring Model – Mutual Mentorship or Paying it Forward?

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Yesterday, one of my friend sent me this article written by Steve Blank about  Mentors, Teachers, and Coaches.   I wanted to shared it with you to get your perspective.  Steve makes great distinctions about the difference between mentors vs. teachers vs. coaches.   I completely agree with this.  He says

  • Teachers, coaches and mentors are each something different.
  • If you want to learn a specific subject find a teacher.
  • If you want to hone specific skills or reach an exact goal hire a coach.
  • If you want to get smarter and better over your career find someone who cares about you enough to be a mentor.

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    How to Answer – What is Your Salary Requirement?

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    The “what is your salary requirement” question is always a tricky and awkward one to answer.  The best way is to avoid answering it tactfully for as long as possible.   I recommend the following strategies in address the salary requirement question.

    1. Try your best to not provide any numbers – because you want to avoid either being too high or underselling yourself. Most recruiter friends always tell me “don’t be the first to draw blood”
    2. Re-focus the discussion on how the company reward above average performers, whether this company is the best fit, etc…This signals to the company that you believe you will be a top performer and that you can more about this role than just compensation
    3. Re-direct the question back to find out what the salary range is for this position? Therefore, making them show their cards first.   This is always a great way to deflect this question as well as find out if what they had in mind fits within what you expected.  If it does, you can respond vaguely and say “let’s focus on whether I am a good fit first and then hopefully we can talk about the right compensation based on my experience and skillsets”
    4. Tell them you are excited about the company – this subtly negotiates on your behalf, and if the company likes you and they don’t know your salary requirement, they may make you a salary offer on the higher end to make sure they can secure a positive response from you.

    Here are some examples of salary requirement answers that have worked for me or my clients.

  • “Salary is only part of the picture. My number priority is finding the best fit for my career. I am very excited about this opportunity. I think I can be a valuable addition to this company. What is the salary range that the company is looking at for this position?”
  • “San Francisco is an expensive city to live in so starting salary is important, but what is also important to me is how this company rewards high performers. What is the bonus structure? How will compensation progress in a year or two?”
  • If pressed to provide a number, then try this “I hate to overshoot and be disqualified for this position, but if you need to know then the minimum I would accept for an ideal position is … ”

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    Self Promotion Ideas

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    In a previous post I wrote "Hard Work Does Not Guarantee Success." I still believe it but it begs the question - Then what else do you need to do to guarantee success? One answer that many people would agree with is - self promotion - make sure important people (like your boss and their boss) know what a top performer you are. That's easier said then done. How to finesse self-promotion without coming off too boastful or self-centered is tricky.

    How to Communicate Bad News to Your Manager

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    I don't have to tell you that not everything at work is always smooth sailing. Sometime things are delayed, mistakes are made, wrong numbers are published. It may be your fault, it may be a bad circumstance, or a combination of both. What do you say when your boss wants a progress report and things are not going so well?

    Believe in Yourself – You are “Beautiful”

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    This post is not about external appearances.  This post is inspired by a recent show I saw onVH1 called Storytellers: Christina Aguilera.  It’s in a format where a music artist sings to a small group, and talks to the group about herself, her music, and her inspirations.  Christina’s story about her song “Beautiful” really caught my attention.

    The piano player accompanying Christina on the show is Linda Perry, the writer of “Beautiful.”  Linda explains that while she may be a successful rock singer and a famous song writer to others, she also gets insecure about herself and her talent.  She wrote this song in order to inspire herself and others to believe in yourself, no matter what people say.

    Christina chose to sing the song, and was able to record it in one take, because the lyrics really spoke to her.  As successful as she is, Christina also gets insecure at times.  She said these lyrics about believing in yourself seem to be written for her.  She wants to inspire her listeners as well – “Believe in yourself, no matter what people say.”  Here are some of the lyrics:

    Every day is so wonderful
    And suddenly, I saw debris
    Now and then, I get insecure
    From all the pain, I’m so ashamed

    I am beautiful no matter what they say
    Words can’t bring me down
    I am beautiful in every single way
    Yes, words can’t bring me down
    So don’t you bring me down today ...  read more

    Laid Off? Now What – 5 Things to Do

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    You have just been laid off.  Now what?  This can be a confusing and stressful time, and sometimes well-meaning friends don’t know what to say or how to help.   Don’t worry!  Your fellow readers Tamara, Ajantha, Judy and I have some great tips for you.  The best way to move forward after being laid off is to stay active.  I categorized the tips into five sections: Immediate, Practical To-Dos, Determine Your Path, Motivate Yourself, Start Job Search, and Enjoy Yourself.

    Immediate, Practical To-Dos.

  • Your work files are company property, period. This means that you should leave these files alone. However, if your employer gives you some time to transition out of your role, or tidy up business, you should copy your contact list. These are relationships that you carry with you, so you should let them know that you’re leaving.
  • Apply for state unemployment, which you can easily do online. Each week you delay, the less money you’ll receive from the government before your time period is up. When I was laid off during the dot-com crash, I used my unemployment insurance — and its first extension — to supplement my travel budget before I focused again on job-hunting. It was great. However, employers are not legally obligated to provide a severance package, so don’t count on this option.
  • Review changes to your HR and other benefits. Some deadlines are extremely important and can affect what happens to your health or retirement plans. In addition, you may need to transition your retirement account. All of this is relatively easy to do; it just requires paying attention to some key details.
  • Check all your spending habits, and bring your monthly expenses down quickly. Calculate how much cash you have, or can have, available to you for at least the next two months. This is smart planning. Unless you have another source of funding, such as a trust fund, I suggest temporarily canceling those extra perks — such as spa treatments, fancy dinners, etc

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