NO ASS KISSING-BUT BE VISIBLE

DO NOT EVER become known as an ASS KISSER but DO NOT EVER HIDE IN THE CORNER!! IF it appears that the LEADER of your organization is manipulated by ASS KISSERS consider moving on. The organization is destined for hardship if personnel decisions are made based on anything other than performance merit. At the same time always STAND YOUR GROUND and PRESENT YOUR CASE!

CATALOGUE YOUR SKILLS

VERY IMPORTANT!! Your career is moving along and GUESS WHAT?? You have learned much and developed many new skills. Your PERSONAL EMPLOYEE VALUE has increased. OPPORTUNITIES WILL BEGIN COMING YOUR WAY. I can't tell you how many times I have had conversations with very interesting people that I thought may be good fits for my management team. I asked for a resume and they did not have a current resume available. REMEMBER!?!? BE LOYAL TO YOURSELF. BE PREPARED!Keep up a resume of your total/current experience and ability. Remember, this is a journey!!! You must be ready to move from here to there.

RESEARCH-RESOURCE IT'S EVERYWHERE

Unless you work for a government agency or a secret product development department in your company, you are free to talk about your job at any time with anyone.AND GUESS WHAT?? Have at it!! You will never find a better way to bounce ideas, opinions, or direction relative to your position and gain new ideas than to speak with those around you. Talk to friends, neighbors,social acquaintances,family. Solicit their thoughts but be prepared to hear differing views. I used to attend strategic/planning meeting and made it a point to ask everyone in attendance about ideas and opinions on the subject at hand. I would also ask how they thought the general public or our customers felt . Most often I heard about focus group sessions and market intelligence but I most enjoyed feedback that came from personal experience(eg. "my neighbor told me"). It's important we know how those around us feel about what we do. ASK THEM!

BUSINESS CASUAL___BE CAREFUL

I remember when business casual came to be. I was mortified.I had always thought that the Business Suit was part of career growth. The suit or type of suit was proof of success or position. I never thought the way one dressed had anything to do with their comfort at work but BUSINESS CASUAL came to be. If you work in a casual environment DO NOT FORGET THE TERM"BUSINESS". This is not the beach. This is not a party. This is not a sports bar. This is BUSINESS. The best rule to follow is to pay attention to what MANAGEMENT is wearing. If they wear blazers-wear blazers. If they wear skirts-wear skirts. Don't show up in jeans and loafers without socks. Always be mindful that you are representing your business. Your appearance is important. BE CAREFUL!

Company Person vs Own Person

I remember when I was very young I never understood what a COMPANY MAN was. Supposedly it was someone who did not question the company's position on anything and simply marched in the direction they were told. " What a silly way to define loyalty ", I thought. "No one does this. There will always be something one will not agree with." As I continued on my career journey I often ran into situations where I disagreed with company policy for both business and ethical reasons. I don't know when I forgot this thinking but it had been a long time since I thought about the COMPANY MAN .Then came the Financial Horror Stories of Wall Street. We all know the stories of greed and corruption that have contributed to the terrible condition of our economy. This has made me ask a question I have not thought of for many years. "HOW MANY COMPANY PERSONS SAT THROUGH THE DECISION MAKING SESSIONS THAT CAUSED THIS MESS"? Certainly they outnumbered those who are their "OWN PERSON". Hey! Great companies are comprised and made of differing opinions and people who have the fortitude to be true to themselves. ALWAYS BE YOUR "OWN PERSON". You will be happier with yourself.

I DON'T KNOW!

I was in a strategic session one day when we became bogged down on a technical point. It so happened my IT head was out that day; so, I asked his bright intern to join us. I asked the intern to clear up our confusion. He answered our inquiry and we went back to work. The next day my IT head visited me early. His intern had called him the evening before and told him about his visit to our session. The intern was nervous because he was not sure he had given us a correct answer to our inquiry. In fact he had given us an incorrect answer which caused us to waste an entire afternoon of work and cause unnecessary expense due to travel. I asked my IT head why this had happened. He remarked the young man was afraid to admit HE DID NOT KNOW. His fear was dealt with but his reputation was seriously bruised!! If you don't know when asked you must answer,"I DON'T KNOW"!!

BE BRAVE!!!

I had a young Manager Trainee whose first assignment was as a member of a project team that was charged with designing a new product. One day the project manager came to me to complain that this trainee was difficult because he would sometime disagree with the consensous of the team. I asked the manager if the trainee would work toward the next goal after voicing his opinion: even though, he disagreed. The manager said he did. I made it a point to sit in on a few of the team's meetings. On one occasion I made a suggestion concerning changing a feature of the product. Everyone agreed with my suggestion except for the Trainee. I asked why and he explained that originally he had disagreed with this feature but the team adopted it. He said that as it turned out the team was correct and the product feature was imperative to the success of the product. He went on to explain his thinking and he was right. I thought how interesting! I made a suggestion that everyone should have disagreed with (given the history) but the person who did disagree had changed his mind and supported the team decision. When I spoke with the trainee later I commented on how impressed I was with his BRAVERY. He was surprised. He did not feel he was BRAVE. He felt it was his responsibility to be CANDID and steadfast in his opinion. I learned something that day. BEING RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR ACTIONS IS REQUIRED FOR SUCCESS and it can be misconstrued for BRAVERY! Oh, yea I gave the implementation Assistant Project Managers position to the Manager Trainee( his first management position in a career of successful management). BE BRAVE!!!!