Tag Archive: dream job

Help Me Help You! (A Manager’s Guide to Managing Employees’ Careers)

Season Three B, Episode One. Podcast recap! (And if you missed the podcast, you can find it here.)

Podcast Recap: Season 3b, Episode 1

In this week’s podcast recap we focus on helping managers navigate the tricky business of guiding their employees as they plan their careers. There’s a fine line between helping them and doing it all for them, and the first question is:

How much do I need to do?

Many managers ask us: “What’s my role in my employee’s career plan?” In our experience, the employee is 100% accountable for determining their goals, and the manager is responsible for helping them analyze and address the gaps or steps that are needed to get them to those goals.

Of course many people really struggle with telling you what their goals are, so there is a role for manager in helping them figure that out.

You’ve likely got some combination of employees in the following categories:

  1. “AAA Keeners”:  These are your superstar employees who always go above and beyond. They ask for extra experience, and they gobble up opportunities like leftover stuffing at Thanksgiving. They just know what to do and how to play the game.  While this category might seem easy, they can also be tough to help.
  2. Great Performers who are “Tentative”: These are great performers who seem to need a little extra boost. They may be a bit more hesitant to throw their name into the hat. They may even turn down opportunities because they think they aren’t ready (even if you think they are.)
  3. “Arm Crossers”: This cadre is a bit…..difficult to say the least.   They expect promotions, assistance, guidance, mentoring, job shadowing…you name it.  Unfortunately they’d like to be sitting back enjoying a coffee while you do all the legwork to get them there.  You are the manager after all.  It’s your JOB to promote them.

For all three types, the manager’s role in career planning starts out with asking questions and coaching people to come to their own conclusions.

Examples of Questions to Ask:

  • What are your goals?
  • What are you looking for?
  • What work are you doing right now that makes you happy?
  • When have you received great feedback on something you did?
  • What one thing that you did this {year, quarter, month} brought you joy?
  • What have you done that you have really enjoyed (inside or outside of work?)
  • What work are you doing right now that frustrates you?
  • What skillsets are you great at?
  • How would you rank yourself on those skills on a scale of 1-10?
  • For those skills that aren’t a 10, what do you need in order to get to a 10?

Your keeners and your tenantive performers will likely do well in this type of coaching.  Your Arm Crossers, on the other hand, may push back and demand that the manager do the work for them.  Or say “I dunno”.

Ruth and Nicole came to a “Both And” approach, with Nicole jumping to some “solution-ing” and Ruth advising you to put the power to change on the employee’s shoulders. At some point, after all, the ball has to be in their court.

Either way you want to try to reach the arm crossers and hope that you can either get them re-engaged in the work or engaged in work elsewhere that brings them joy.

When to have these conversations?

For new employees, this is something you’d want to start talking about during on-boarding or during a 30-day check-in.  For existing employees this should be a purposeful meeting once or twice a year (OUTSIDE of 1:1’s, Performance Management etc.).  It’s important to give this type of conversation a special time and place to make sure that it has impact.

Take some time with your team and help people think about “what they like to do” to help them really start reaching for their dream job.

Until Next Time,

Nicole

 

Career Change Q&A with Jamie Johnson

Season Three, Bonus Episode. Podcast recap! (And if you missed the podcast, you can find it here.)

Podcast Recap: Season 3, Bonus Episode

How to Turn your Side Hustle into a JOB

This was our first podcast with a guest!

We welcomed Jamie Johnson, Canadian Brand Ambassador for The Balvenie whisky, and famous podcast host of The Whisky Topic.

We thought you’d love to hear about how she transitioned from working in an administrative role in the Not-For-Profit Sector, to galavanting around the country drinking whisky and having a blast.

It all started with a vacation in Kentucky that led to Jamie creating @BourbonThing (a whisky tasting club with some friends) on the side while still working full-time.  It wasn’t long before her circle of friends grew to include their friends, and their friends, and then their friends, and suddenly strangers were in her apartment tasting whisky (which is not as scary as it sounds.)

Jamie realized she was on to something, so she got her hustle on, and went out to find bars and restaurants that would co-host with her. This was obviously a great business move for the owners of the bars, and when that business grew Jamie started adding corporate gigs and bachelor parties to her roster.

Some sudden changes at her office left her with a TSN turning point in her career, and the voice of a mentor helped her speculate whether @BourbonThing could be a full-time gig. The answer was a resounding YES.

Nine Lessons from Jamie if You’re Considering Making a MASSIVE Career change:

  1. Side Hustle: Test out what you want to do. Manage the risk of leaving a secure job/industry by trying it out and seeing what the interest is like before you leave your full-time gig.
  2. Network:  It doesn’t matter how many connections you have NOW.  It’s about how many you can MAKE. This is in your hands and it takes time and patience to get there. Go out when you don’t want to. Introduce yourself even if you’d prefer to crawl onto the couch and stay there with Netflix and a stiff drink.
  3. Credibility: Get the accreditation that you need (if it exists.)  If a formal option doesn’t exist, attend events and go out and meet the experts to build your own credibility.
  4. Support: Figure out financially how this will work. Can you start donating to a paid leave through your company? Can you take a sabbatical? Can you do full time work and your side hustle without getting burnt out? What is the GO/NO-GO turning point? Do you have a mentor, friend, spouse, or partner that is willing to offer emotional support and guidance?
  5. SAY YES. To everything (almost).  You never know who you are going to meet. Be willing to take a hit to your ego in order to meet more people and gain experience.
  6. Social Media: Build a following to help build your credibility and share news, your message and knowledge. If you don’t know how to do this, there are a flabillion people out there who can help.
  7. Things Take Time: Be patient.  It can take a while for your side hustle to turn into a full time opportunity.  Wait for the right opportunity and don’t make the mistake of taking the first job that comes along.
  8. Do your Research: Do the do.  Know what you are talking about and getting into.
  9. Be Yourself: Don’t be afraid to ask questions and admit what you know and what you don’t know.

Follow Jamie on Instagram or Twitter @BourbonThing and check out the WhiskyTopic on iTunes.

Until Next Time,

Nicole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3 Steps to take before you quit your job

It happens so suddenly.  Things seem to be chugging along and one afternoon you come to the drastic realization: “I want to quit my job”.   It may have been percolating for some time. Anger and resentment like to age like a fine wine (mmm wine. Is it Friday yet?).   Maybe something specific has triggered your sudden need for change. Perhaps you’ve had a sudden leadership shuffle or organizational realignment that just turned your work-life upside down. Either way, something has to change and you’re going with the all -or-nothing approach. You want to quit your job.

Okay, sit back and breathe.  This has happened to all of us.  The following 3 steps ensure that you are making the right move, and if the move is real – how to make sure you are prime interview material.

3 Steps to Take Before You Quit Your Job

Assess. Correct. Act.

1) Assess

First things first.  Let’s do some root cause analysis.  Some questions to ask yourself:

  • What do you love about your job?
  • What are you really good at?pablo
  • What could you be better at?
  • What makes you think you should be better at them?
  • What do you dislike about your job?
  • Which one in particular (there may be many, try to pick the one with the biggest impact) would you say is making you want to leave?
  • Why [insert answer to your last question here]? i.e. Why do you think your boss doesn’t know how to lead?
  • Why [insert answer to the last question here]? i.e. Why do you think your boss has no desire to help you to succeed?
  • Why….[you get the picture right]? i.e. Why do you think your boss dislikes you as a human?
  • What evidence do you have to support your beliefs/observations?
  • Is it possible these are assumptions?
  • Where do you want to go?
  • Why do you think it will be better?
  • What evidence do you have that supports that?
  • Is there a person/place/resource that you could use to determine if another agency/consulting firm/hospital etc. will be better?

*Note: This line of questioning will hopefully have you saying things like “Well, I just assume s/he dislikes me because x,y,z, but I don’t know this for a fact.”

2) Correct

Now, finding a job can take a while.  So maybe there are some opportunities in that big list above to make some course corrections.  Make things better.  Maybe they get so great you don’t need to leave, or maybe they just become more tolerable while you are on the hunt for that new dream job.

  • What can YOU change about your behaviours/habits/style that could help?
  • What skills/experiences do you need to develop to make the transition?
  • What tools, resources, people (mentors, colleagues etc.) do you have to help you make changes/get experience and skills?
  • What changes would help that YOU have influence over?
  • What things do you think can OTHERS change?  Are you willing to have a conversation with them about it/work together to solve it?
  • What things aren’t going to change/things you don’t have control or influence over (i.e. policies, organizational structure) ?  Can you come to terms with that staying the same during your transition?
  • What things might get in the way?

3) Act

Now do the things.   Make the changes.  Use your influence, tools, resources, and people to help you get what you need. Make the best of the situation.  Now is a great time to “SHINE”.  This will serve a couple of purposes: work will be more bearable, you will have overall better days that make you happier, you will be more confident, and you’ll have people who are willing to give great references. You may love it so much, you decide to stay.

Have you had the sudden urge to leave? Did you act on it? Did you use some of these steps? How did it turn out? What would you have done differently? We’d love to hear about it in the comments below or on Twitter @whiteboardcons #iquit.

Until next time!

Nicole