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How to break negativity and create positive atmosphere in a team??

jay_nexus — Tue, 22 May 2012 21:20:28 +0000

Recently started new job and first thing I have noticed its very negative atmosphere in new team.

Its challenging as a Manager but not productive and healthy for any business..

Any suggestions please

Many Thanks

Review Baron Cohens Dictator Least-Focused Yet - ABC News

maomao16 — Tue, 22 May 2012 20:02:13 +0000

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Baron Cohen stars as Admiral General Aladeen, who has ruled the oil-rich, fictitious north African nation of Wadiya cruelly and cluelessly since he was 7 years old. Aladeen oppresses his people from the comfort of his sprawling,jordan retro 11, opulent palace, sleeps with movie stars (including Megan Fox in a cameo) and orders the execution of his underlings for the silliest of perceived offenses.

But when he travels to New York to make a speech before the United Nations, he finds he's been double-crossed by his right-hand man (Ben Kingsley) and forced to survive as a commoner. Stripped of his trademark thick beard, Aladeen is rendered unrecognizable and ends up working at an organic grocery store in Brooklyn run by the androgynous, ultra-politically correct Zoey (Anna Faris, who's nearly unrecognizable herself with short, dark hair).

For a long time, it's hard to tell what Baron Cohen's point is in spoofing this type of despot: that torture and rape are bad? Could it really be that simple? A climactic speech Aladeen gives toward the end highlighting the benefits of a dictatorship hits close to home, but it's a long slog through hit-or-miss gross-out gags to get there.

Baron Cohen is once again working with Larry Charles, who directed "Borat" and "Bruno," but the results are more scattershot than ever. An early bit works in which Aladeen plays a personalized Wii game that allows him to kill Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics (anti-Semitism has long been a main target of Baron Cohen, who's an observant Jew). A helicopter ride over Manhattan that Aladeen takes with his former nuclear weapons expert (Jason Mantzoukas) creates some cultural misunderstandings that freak out the pasty tourists sitting across from them ?? that's good for some uncomfortable laughs.

But more often,jordan 11 for sale, "The Dictator" relies on crass sexual jokes and easy fish-out-of-water hijinks. At times, it even plays like Eddie Murphy's "Coming to America," which was amiable enough but didn't exactly represent cutting-edge comedy. About two-thirds of the way in, Kathryn Hahn shows up out of nowhere, with no introduction, for the film's most graphic sight gag. Surely, there must have been more from this reliable comic actress, and her brief inclusion feels like the product of an awkward edit.

As always, Baron Cohen fully commits to this character and even manages to find some glimmers of tenderness beneath the cold exterior. Like Kim Jong Il (to whom "The Dictator" is dedicated), who was at the center of the brilliant puppet musical "Team America: World Police," Aladeen is just plain lonely. But playing this type of out-there satirical figure has really run its course.

Clearly, Baron Cohen is a smart, gifted and versatile actor; it's time for him to stretch his abilities and dictate to himself a new kind of challenge.

"The Dictator," a Paramount Pictures release, is rated R for strong crude and sexual content, brief male nudity, language and some violent images. Running time: 84 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.

———

Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:

G ?? General audiences. All ages admitted.

PG ?? Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.

PG-13 ?? Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.

R ?? Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

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Got a promotion - what to say to my former peers on first meetings?

amitmargalit — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:46:01 +0000

So, my boss is moving on, and I was selected to replace him. What do I say to them on my first meetings with them as their new boss?

Further details:

Entire team is my currently my boss + 9 people (includes me).
I am a team-lead with 2 directs (until the switch is finalized).
All other directs are managed directly by my boss.

I've read the guidance on New Direct First Day Meetings, and How to Handle a Disgruntled Non-Promoted Direct, and I can't find exact guidance what to say.

I want to do something similar to the New Direct First-Day guidance, and it will be awkward, as saying that "Honesty is above all" to people I've been around for the past year may be received badly.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Amit

Re: Google Job Search Tips Chapter 1

jbancroftconnors — Tue, 22 May 2012 17:04:44 +0000

San Francisco Bay Area / Silicon Valley

It can be hard here as we have a glut of information. Yes, we have ten million (or so) people in a fairly small area. However it's very fragmented as only two cities are a Million plus. A good majority are of the cities are under 100,000. My home town is right next to the SFO Airport and has only 46,000 people.

There still are some good resources:

Project Management Institute- San Frnacisco: http://www.pmi-sfbac.org/

Project Management Institute- Silicon Valley: http://www.pmisv.org/
Both are excellent for project management related networking and connections

Business Journal- Silicon Valley: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/

Business Journal- San Francicso: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco
Both of these will give you an excellent overview of the local business trends. Pay attention to real estate purchases and leases.

SV Forum- http://www.svforum.org/
Covers a broad variety of business areas. Someone to connect to for everyone.

San Mateo County Economic Development Association- http://samceda.org/san-mateo-county-economic-development/peninsula-bay-area-information/business/
Like a Chamber of Commerce, for the whole county.

self assessment - annual review

bmonroe2012 — Tue, 22 May 2012 15:51:22 +0000

I have been requested to complete a self assessment for my annual review. This will be my first self assessment. Can anyone recommend which podcast would best assist me in listing strengthens and weaknesses?

Re: Do refreshments for employees actually help buy-in during rollout presentations?

gytmobile — Tue, 22 May 2012 13:56:09 +0000

I am a huge foodie. I love having food at a class, event, and here in the middle east even an office call demands tea and at least a cookie or candy. If the class is very early or more than a couple of hours a snack or continental breakfast is nice. But it's important to remember that treats won't create buy in for a bad idea or a "training" that is really meant to bash people over the head. Make the training useful to the employees is what's most important. My feeling is that all of the tools we give employees should make it easier for them to do their jobs, not harder. That said, it never hurts to have a treat or two.

Big to Small Meeting Agendas

vbhill — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:53:00 +0000

I listened to the podcast before a crucial meeting which I lead, so I changed the order at the beginning of the meeting. This is he most important meeting I lead, and it made a huge difference. We spent the largest block of time, with the best of people's energy and thoughts on the most important issue. When I struggled to guide the meeting, people were more patient. We moved the work ahead and made clear assignments to keep it moving. At the evaluation of the meeting (at the end) people had positive things to say about our productivity. Only complaint was that some prefered to follow the printed agenda, so I'll set the agenda with the most important things first in the future.

Re: Google Job Search Tips Chapter 1

jdbrown1998 — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:48:14 +0000

Great cast...definitely going to use this in my transition from southern Louisianna back to CT. This will give me a jump start on plugging into the community.

City of New London, Connecticut - Business

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Re: Google Job Search Tips Chapter 1

gnewby — Tue, 22 May 2012 12:15:43 +0000

Another great cast. Thank you for all you do, Wendii.

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Re: High C: Help wanted in (self-)coaching

jasonmbelanger — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:36:26 +0000

Many thanks Mike and Mark! I got an offer yesterday for the opportunity I wanted. I bought your resume guidebook this past February and followed your guidance diligently to produce a solid resume. I then bought your Interview Series podcasts, listened to each of the podcasts, and studied 30+ hours for my phone interview. Feedback I got from one of the 4 interviewers is that, although my technical skills might not be as strong as the other candidates interviewed, my attitude, questions asked, and my strong close put me over the top in total points scored! You've sold me on the close - it's crucial! Now I'm going to focus on strengthening my Dad's CV with your guidance. Thanks again! Jason

Re: High C: Help wanted in (self-)coaching

RDHodgson — Tue, 22 May 2012 10:23:47 +0000

Ah, ok. Sorry. I was assuming you were unfamiliar. Sorry if it seemed like I was talking down to you. :)

---

Rory

6147

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Re: How to Show Passion

justcallmefrank — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:32:59 +0000

I constantly consider what could go wrong in nearly every thing I do. I have been told I can come off very negative when I convey what could go wrong with a plan. So, practicing to better communicate will definitely help me.

Your example of my wife inviting me out for dinner was on point :-)

- Frank

Re: How to Show Passion

justcallmefrank — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:23:23 +0000

Thank you for the advice. I like your point about how you felt the airline job was an awesome job. In the back of my mind I knew I didn't want the job, but I need it and only enjoyed one aspect of it--the project development.

- Frank

Re: Resigning from my Current Role - Family Complications!

The_Kaiser — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:09:16 +0000

Thats fantastic guys, thanks for the feedback.

I will speak to my brother separately first and articulate the situation using the guidelines above. I guess it comes back to the question 'how would I feel if the role was reversed?' I think I would want to know first.

Resigning is a tough thing to do, although I'm so looking forward to a new challenge!

Re: High C: Help wanted in (self-)coaching

falkb — Tue, 22 May 2012 04:53:48 +0000

> How comfortable are you with failure as such,

Failure and making mistakes? Oh, I absolutely HATE that. That's kind of the point...

> how familiar are you with the literature on making mistakes, on producing a "minimal viable product" and adjusting as you go?

You mean, in the rapid prototyping/lean/agile vein? Yes, I'm familiar with that. We're actually pretty good at that - we have been releasing to production every few weeks for years now. Or have you got anything else in mind?

What I realize now probably isn't very clear from my initial question is, I'm not asking about project management so much, but more about personal behaviour in the little, everyday things.

> Now, see, the thing is, she wants to move forward because she needs that stuff to help the business move forward

Yes, thanks, I understand that quite well. I fully understand and embrace the need to do more, faster, with less-than-perfect precision and certainty - that's why I'm asking.

But what tricks has everybody found to implement these principles in their everyday behaviour? For example, to resist the temptation to check back with somebody else before writing an email to a customer when you're already 95% sure in your answer, and 95% is good enough? To not write the very nice three-paragraph email when two lines might be just good enough?

One technique I'm using, and this is probably opposite of what pure Is and Ds need to be doing: When I have just written an email, I quickly hit the "Send" button, before I'm tempted to restructure it and make it just a little bit nicer (unless it's important, of course).

Is anybody else using such little tricks?

--
Falk Bruegmann
3-6-4-7

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Re: Do refreshments for employees actually help buy-in during rollout presentations?

ABQ_Andy — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:27:13 +0000

This has always worked for me during my longer training sessions for all of the reasons listed above. The key to making it successful and minimizing disruption is to follow the M-T guidance on meeting breaks. If you give your trainees a break every hour, they'll be able to get up, use the facilities, get refreshments, and return with a better mental state for learning.

The worst result I've ever had with refreshments was that during one training session, nobody ate the donuts. I found out later that they were "bagel people." So, to that point, figure out what they'd appreciate.

Please let us know what you decide to do and how it turns out for you.

--Andy

Re: Colleague hijacks my work + possible redundancy

falkb — Mon, 21 May 2012 20:12:44 +0000

Is "J" the same guy as "F"?

What does the following sentence mean?

>>“J” as my ‘backup his own systems are often lacks enough ‘tickets’ to solve.<<

How exactly does this guy hijack your work? What exactly his behaviour? Just covertly talking to users?

--
Falk Bruegmann
3-6-4-7

Re: Do refreshments for employees actually help buy-in during rollout presentations?

kima — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:59:32 +0000

Had to chime in on this one. To me the important part of providing food is that when people break bread together, it strengthens their relationship. So, by all means, provide refreshments - but be sure to include time for you to participate, socialize a bit, etc. It doesn't have to take long, even 15 minutes will help.

Google Job Search Tips Chapter 1

wendii — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:58:17 +0000

Last week's Career Tools cast gave you one hint on what to google to meet people in your area who could help you with your job search. It's pretty simple, you just google for the name of your town and the word business, and see what comes up which might be useful. In the cast, we gave three examples - Charlotte, North Carolina, Pueblo, Colorado and Bremen, Germany, and we tried to help you understand how the results could be helpful. (The cast is here, if you didn't get to it yet: http://www.manager-tools.com/2012/05/google-job-search-tips-chapter-1) Having started you off, we'd like to crowd-source a resource which helps everyone, no matter where they live. What we'd like you to do is to google your town and business, just like it says in the cast, and tell us what you find that you think will be helpful to job seekers. Thanks! Wendii

Need info on pgmt tools

vkalya — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:51:47 +0000

Hi All,

I am Stepping in to Managerial glove and would want to know about open sources/tools for overall project execution & delivery

project planning[schedule/effort]

Estimation

Project tracking[Milestones...]

Traceability matrix

Requirement gathering

....

Re: My silly question: Where is "like" button?!

GlennR — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:10:58 +0000

Excellent point, JDBrown1998! (See what I did there?)

Colleague hijacks my work + possible redundancy

merasmus — Mon, 21 May 2012 13:14:16 +0000

Hi MT-managers.

A collegae (“J”) regularly interferes, or hijacks my work. I fear myself becoming redundant.

My environment;
* Employed for 1 year with temp contract (expires Nov-2012).
* Global multinational, non management function.
* First time in this role as Operations Process Coordinator. Non management.
* Three colleages for various backend systems.
* all tech work offshored to E-Europe, India (EndUser → myself → offshored workerbees).

Background;
Management instated that systems has primary responsible, and a ‘backup’ coordinator so to guarantee critical processes are cared for incase of sickness/vacations. All four of us started the new job on the same day. “J” as my ‘backup his own systems are often lacks enough ‘tickets’ to solve. My other 2 colleagues has distinct, different process to care for which requires thorough XML experience of which J has none. He would covertly talks to users drawing attention to himself. Yes, i feel threatened.

Health;
F has health problems and often is on sick leave (already 4 times this year) for at least 7 days or more. unlike him I don't interfere in his job as a few times i did he lost his cool, and i withdrew. Cruely, his health problems could work to my advantage as often his processes are left stale in his sick leave.
Socially F is an analyst who cannot take a joke. He unsuccessfully tries to chum-up with our manager. F is good at his job (or pretends to be). We sit directly in across from eachother.

Resolve;
F and me has ‘talked’ to each other about his hijacking of my work. For now its a draw.

1-on-1;
I’ve mentioned it to my manager in a weekly 1-on-1. Rightfully his concerns was guaranteeing the process, and he felt the ‘team’ tension already.
Overall my performance is good. Not a star performer (not yet!). My manger knows about my desire for staying in the Group, even if its in another ‘market’ (China, Australia, South Africa etc).

To F this is just a job. I am a user & fan of their products and feel ‘at home’.

Remarks
1. Our manager stated that he’d like me to be backup to F’ processes.
2. Both F’ contract and myself expires very soon.
3. Our manager is aware of me and F’ relationship.

Questions / remarks;
1. How can i best stop the interference in my activities?
2. If YOU are my manager, and you know about above situation THEN....
3. Extend (my) contract, or not..?

Any advice, comments appreciated

Re: How to deal with bogus statistics?

ryan_k — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:41:07 +0000

Couldn't you have developed a retrospective report to show how many outages went unreported previously and then explained that you were being more diligent in the reporting than the previous guy (at the pub) had been? Talk up your attention to detail and positive impact that identifying more outages overall has for the business.

Outages impact operations (and therefore the moneys). If the root causes aren't being fixed because they aren't identified because the outage isn't reported to management in the first place, then that's bad!

If the bosses didn't want to know about the real level of outages that were occuring because it impacted their bonus.. well thats an ethical dilemma right there - more bad :). I'm not sure I would want to work in an environment that put you in that kind of position.

Re: Too many directs?

ryan_k — Mon, 21 May 2012 11:29:48 +0000

If I were in your position I would be thinking about structure too. A flat structure is certainly a nice ideal, but what happens when you are on holidays or on extended leave? which of your current directs would manage the team? If you have no leaders below you with that team size, it would be a signification management effort for your 2IC to stand in for you - depending on what management experience they have behind them.

I would recommend creating 2 small teams of 8 with two managers reporting to you. Then you have the ability to develop new managers and up skill talent for the future, push lower level managerial work to them and at the same time free yourself up for higher level tasks. If your company is on such a growth path and will be adding more employees in the future, then putting this structure in allows you to add another small team later on underneath you quite easily should the need be there - or easily expand the 2 groups of 8 up to 12 or 13 even depending the capability of the manager running each team.

An effective manager following the manager tools principles will be able to still get the work done - and even more - with another layer of management. I would sell it to your boss as future proofing the company for further growth by developing new managerial talent in your area.

Re: Resigning from my Current Role - Family Complications!

falkb — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:27:26 +0000

About the order of things: If you skip your direct boss and resign to your brother, you are diminishing your direct boss - he loses face. On the other hand, if your brother hears that you resigned from somebody else than you, this might hurt the relationship. How about, for example, arranging two short meetings back-to-back, first with your direct boss to resign, then with your brother to explain yourself?

About how to break the news to your brother: I'm just reading "The Power of a Positive No" by William Ury, who is one of the authors of "Getting to Yes". He suggests that a powerful No should consist of three elements - in your case:

A "Yes!" to your own interests in having the job that is right for you.
The "No." to continuing to work in your present job.
The "Yes?" that expresses the wish to keep and protect the relationship to your brother, regardless of your career decision.

I can highly recommend this book; here is a short summary as a teaser:

http://www.bennadel.com/blog/2015-The-Power-Of-A-Positive-No-How-To-Say-No-And-Still-Get-to-Yes-By-William-Ury.htm

Hope that helps,

Falk (3-6-4-7)

Too many directs?

mlindhe — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:38:09 +0000

Hi everyone,

Are there any general guidelines on how many direct reports are too many?

My particular stats:

I work in advertising (creative director)
I've worked at my current company for about 2 years
We got acquired by a larger company in 2011 (our biggest client)
I have 16 direct reports today
6 months ago I had 8 directs
1.5 years ago I had no directs (just leadership role)

Needless to say, our company and creative department has expanded aggressively in the last 12 months. We have become extremely efficient. We are also becoming more and more effective (staff has doubled, but output & revenue quadrupled in past 6 months).

I'm really enjoying the new challenges. I am however starting to think I might be managing too many people. My boss + his boss (GM) strongly believe in keeping the organization as flat as possible.

Any thoughts deeply appreciated - Thanks!

PS. I'm new to the podcast and this forum (fantastic stuff!). Please let me know if I'm breaking protocol with this post in any way.

// martin

Re: A devil's advocate in a pragmatic Scrum Team

SteveProthero — Sun, 20 May 2012 23:28:35 +0000

The above advice is very good. The only thing I can add is I wonder what it would have been like trying to manage Steve Jobs - crazy attention to detail and opinionated and judgmental? Not saying this guy can deliver the results that SJ did t but it strikes me the conversation between you and he could draw on these advantages but trying to get him to add practical solutions to the things he is seeing and the detail he is getting hung up on (as I take it).

The coaching element from you should be on two levels - his immediate performance but his longer term value to the organisation and profession - one key thing that comes to mind is developing some analytical control in him that asks the questions "Just because I can see it does it mean I should say it".

A real risk in teams is shooting the guy that maybe not so easy to go along with group think or "hey I will just fit in and create no waves".

Not an easy issue and I am sure there is much more complication but think these kind of team players are valuable but they take work and a lot of that control work needs to be done by the individual under the managers guidance or "reflection".

Steve Prothero

Truetoyou

Re: Resigning from my Current Role - Family Complications!

SteveProthero — Sun, 20 May 2012 23:13:23 +0000

It is a simple saying but a good one "If you find yourself talking about someone - talk to them".

Next bit is how do you have the conversation and how can you frame it. There is obviously two levels the family issue and the professional issue - so you could start off by saying there are two levels you need to have the conversation on and then start on the professional level.

A framework you could use is one developed by Gervase Bushe (details in his Book Quiet Leadership) but some coverage of the model here at this link

http://www.slideshare.net/gerryparker/learning-leaders-conflict-and-leadership

In short you cover each of these "aspects" of you desire to move to the new role by raising with your brother

Your observations

Your feelings

Your wants

Your needs

Can be in any order but it will give a full picture for your brother to understand why you are making this choice and provide a deeper understanding. You will need to do some work and maybe rehears what your going to say but you should find this model will help in any difficult conversation.

Steve Prothero

Truetoyou

Re: High C: Help wanted in (self-)coaching

RDHodgson — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:02:02 +0000

How comfortable are you with failure as such, and how familiar are you with the literature on making mistakes, on producing a "minimal viable product" and adjusting as you go?

Here's a nice little trick: if you're being asked to just get a rough estimate out there, or a thing that just works but is ugly, or which isn't perfect but is "good enough", well... you're thinking to yourself, "No no, this and this and this will be wrong with it! These qualifications and adjustments are needed!"

So, how about, when you're thinking that you stop, and rather than trying to implement those adjustments, you note down all the ways in which there are problems and drawbacks and sloppy things done in producing what you made. Note what's wrong and what problems they could lead to. Essentially, just try focusing on ways that you can *predict* the problems that might occur. Make that a separate part of the project. Then focus on giving your boss the minimum that she wants, all the while holding onto where you've made a note of all the problems. And if she's happy with it and wants to go forward, then... well, go ahead.

Now, see, the thing is, she wants to move forward because she needs that stuff to help the business move forward for the sake of the bottom line. From her point of view, short-comings are fixable after you've moved ahead (I'm assuming she's not giving such tight deadlines as to encourage carelessness and slopiness though, of course) - what's so important in business is moving forward as quick as possible. Once you've given her what she wants, then you've got a whole list of things that can be added to improve the product or proposal or whatever it was you were asked to produce - you have a whole schematic of various problems and things that could go wrong, and she's in a position to decide where adjustments can begin to be made.

I guess what I'm saying is this: you're going to need to make adjustments whatever happens. Whatever you do it's never going to be perfect. But it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice conscientiousness. It just means you're going to change when you let that superpower of yours shine. Rather than using it to try and create something perfect straight away, you're instead going to use it across a broader time-scale, listing details and numbers and all sorts of stuff about improvements that need to be made ex facto, and then implementing those in order of priority.

I hope this is more helpful to you than simply being told to "not sweat the details, just focus on getting something vague and mostly good out there". No. That's anathema to you! And it's totally ignoring this wonderful tenacity and ability you have for detail and planning. Instead, you want to think about adjusting how you do it. See, I think the C way of thinking is trying to (1) approach a project which has one or a few central struts to it, (2) pick it apart in all its intricacies and notice how much more complex it really is, and then (3) try to solve each bit, puzzling through all the various ways to do that, and (4) implement those solutions. I suggest you start doing (1) and (2) on whatever project you have, but then solving just the central struts as best you can without brining in all the other complex details, and implementing (3) and (4) afterwards, once your boss is happy with those central struts.

And see, that's the great thing about being a C - you can plan for these things. A low C might just barrel on ahead, oblivious to all these problems! And then they've got to start agonising over picking things apart afterwards, dealing with the added stress of admitting their thing wasn't as awesome they were so confident is was. Whereas you have the confidence only a C can have, of knowing all those details, knowing just what the problems are, and knowing that you've already mapped them out, and are just ready and eager to pounce in and start fixing thing!

Rory

6-1-4-7

Re: The "Tentatively Accept" meeting response

dmb41carter36 — Sun, 20 May 2012 16:05:06 +0000

Thanks so much for the feedback everyone!

Re: A devil's advocate in a pragmatic Scrum Team

mtietel — Sun, 20 May 2012 16:04:29 +0000

I also have a Devil's Advocate in my scrum. When properly channeled, he's an invaluable member of the team that keeps us from flying off the road at high speed. He surfaces edge cases that no one else has thought of, etc. How I channel his strengths:

Adjusting feedback about:

working on tasks that aren't on the board
"lone wolf" behavior - that is, refactoring behind everyone's back
designing for what we think might be in 2 years vs what we know is right now

Reinforcing feedback about:

getting tasks done within the estimates
surfacing refactorings at planning to that they can be tasked out beforehand and prioritized by the business
identifying refactorings and documenting them on the "tech debt" list

Re: Network Marketing - a scam?

RDHodgson — Sun, 20 May 2012 14:14:49 +0000

Ha ha. That puts it so much more clearly. I did some digging around online for the company itself, and a lot of red flags came up. Was wondering if it's me being overly cautious, or if it really is as bad as it sounds.

Thanks. :) Looks like I dodged a bullet there. Forgive me if this sounds rather naive, I'd just never heard of this stuff before.

Re: Resigning from my Current Role - Family Complications!

The_Kaiser — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:45:56 +0000

Currently downloading 'How to Resign' 1, 2 and 3 from Career Tools.....

Resigning from my Current Role - Family Complications!

The_Kaiser — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:34:37 +0000

Hi All

I've just secured a great new role which I'm incredibly excited about and can't wait to get started!

Now I need to negotiate my exit and notice period with my current employer. Here's the complicated part. My employer is my brother and I think he will be fairly hurt that I am leaving.

My brother is the MD of the business and is not my line manager, so I was thinking I should play by the rules and resign via my actual line manager.

Any advice? I've toyed with the idea of speaking to my brother separately but I'm not certain thats the right way to go about it.

Thanks

Ash

Re: Network Marketing - a scam?

falkb — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:11:46 +0000

Have a look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-level_marketing#Income_levels

--
Falk Bruegmann
3-6-4-7

High C: Help wanted in (self-)coaching

falkb — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:02:39 +0000

BLUF: What tools or techniques have you seen to help High Cs to overcome their natural tendencies? What approaches, goals, ressources do you suggest for coaching?

Background:

While generally happy with me, my boss wants me to:

get more things done faster and in parallel with the absolute minimum level of effort necessary to achieve their business purpose
take on tasks and responsibilities where I don't control some of the variables and there's a risk of making mistakes or even failing

I know I certainly could improve by adding more of these behaviours to my arsenal. However, I have a high C component, so they run somewhat counter to my natural tendencies.

Questions:

What mental or organizational tricks, tools, techniques and systems have you used to overcome your High C tendendies? What tools have you seen work for others?
My boss is willing to coach me in these areas (not necessarily MT-style). What approaches, goals, ressources do you suggest for coaching?

Thanks for your help!

Falk Bruegmann
3-6-4-7

Network Marketing - a scam?

RDHodgson — Sun, 20 May 2012 10:48:09 +0000

Anyone here ever been involved in that field?

I mean, it can't be a scam in the traditional sense - they're not asking for money. But I got a job offer from a franchise local to me, and it does all sound very... too good to be true, and as if they aren't letting on what a slog it is, and how much of your soul it can really kill.

Maybe I'm just assuming too much, but it feels very cheap and dirty to me.

Re: A devil's advocate in a pragmatic Scrum Team

falkb — Sat, 19 May 2012 19:46:11 +0000

BLUF: Work with the team to create and enforce a consensus about what, when and how to refactor/document. Help the team to strike a balance, and to get out of the "one guy cleaning up after everyone else" setup. This should improve the team dynamics, and make this guy's performance more comparable.

I see two main topics here. The first is how to balance refactoring with technical debt. The second is this specific guy's behaviour, including perceived negativity and possibly lacking performance. I will concentrate on the first topic in my posting, as it's the one I feel most knowledgeable about.

Not refactoring (and not documenting) at all will slow you down well before you reach your end-of-year deadline. Or, expressed positively: In a half-a-year project, there will definitely be some refactoring opportunities and some level of documentation that will pay off well within that timeframe.

On the other hand, refactoring (and documenting) everything that could possibly be refactored (documented) will slow progress to a crawl immediately. Some refactorings would pay off only after a year, or five years, or never.

One guy refactoring while everybody else is recklessly charging ahead will simply not work. Also, the team dynamics of "one versus all the others" are as unhealthy as it gets. This one guy probably feels he is the lonely person who has to clean up after everybody else because it is the right thing to do and nobody else is doing it - that is, they are not doing their job right. The rest of the team probably feels they have to pull part of this guy's weight on feature development, while he is "goofing off" doing not-so-important stuff. As I said, not healthy.

So, you and your team need to strike a balance on how much and what to refactor/document, and how to organize that. There must be some sort of consensus about this in the team, and the actual refactoring/documentation must be spread evenly across the team.

In the teams I'm part of, it works roughly like this:

1) You are encouraged to do minor, local refactorings as you go along. This is the little boyscout rule: A good boyscout always leaves the campsite a little cleaner than he encountered it. But, there has to be a balance: You don't do 4 hours worth of refactoring on a task that was planned to take 2 hours. In other words, "timeboxing" is the magic word. If a refactoring would lead you to go over the estimated time of the story/task, you talk with your team lead about whether it's worth it to do the refactoring right now anyway, or wether it should be postponed, e.g. until the next time somebody is doing some larger task in that area.

2) Larger refactoring opportunities go on an internal backlog. The team estimates and prioritizes those, and discusses with the product owner if and how many of the highest value stories should be scheduled for the next iteration. The question to ask in prioritization is: How much is this specific piece of technical debt actually hurting us, i.e. slowing us down? If it's just ugly, but slowing nobody down, it should not get refactored.

Once there is a consensus, it is "just" a matter of enforcing it. As enforcing team rules falls directly into your area of partial role power as a scrum master, I, personally, feel it would be OK for you to give feedback on this topic.

Then, if everybody is doing roughly the same amount of refactoring and documentation, the performance of this specific individual should become easier to compare with that of his teammates.

In conclusion, a word about the "negativity" you mentioned. Just pointing out opportunities for refactoring does not need to come across as negative ("Hey guys! I just found a neat new way of doing X! If we spend some time on the code here, we can save ourselves tons of trouble in the future!"). If it does persistently come across as negative, this individual's boss could probably work with him on improving his communication.

Sorry for the long posting - I guess it's just a topic I have a lot to say about. I hope some of that is helpful to you!

Good luck,

Falk

--
Falk Bruegmann
3-6-4-7

A devil's advocate in a pragmatic Scrum Team

Merziger — Sat, 19 May 2012 14:16:10 +0000

Hi,

How should I react as a Scrum Master when in a team of mostly pragmatic people, I have a very detail-oriented "devil's advocate" kind of guy?

The Product Owner is afraid, that the negativity will affect the teams performance over the long run and has correctly stated, that Mr Detail does also gets the least work tasks on the Scrum board done. The project is under high time pressure as we will barely be able to implement the absoult minimum of requirements for our first release at the end of this year.

I can see that the negativity could take some of the teams enthusiasm away and that the others seem to perform better. But I do see some positive effects of his style, too:

While others simply implement a given feature the easiest way possbile, this guy looks if there is a coherent apporach in the system to similar problems and refactors stuff. He also focusses (maybe too much) on good documentation.

The management of the inside customer (where the product owner is from) has stated, that they may want to replace the guy. My management (the internal IT department) definately wants to keep the guy.

Until now I tried to present the advantages of his behavior to the customer while giving him feedback, that he should keep his work as transparent as possible and not work on complex refactorings and quality issues, that are not on the Scrum Board. Therby increasing his visible performance.

I am unsure how his performance really is. I also am not sure, if he adds to diversity and prevents the team from taking a too narrow perspective or is just holding the team back.

I would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.

Thanks

Matthias

Re: Stepping up: advice request

Dave75 — Sat, 19 May 2012 07:43:58 +0000

Further advice request: will rolling out the trinity before I am officially promoted be detrimental ("who does this guy think he is?")

So much has happened in the last 3 months, my feet have hardly hit the ground. Here (belatedly) is the update:

The month standing in for my boss went smoothly, I was able to have peer one on ones with the critical staff in the department with great results. When my boss returned he was very happy with the results from the month, and his boss gave me very positive feedback also.

A few weeks later, my boss announced he had resigned to take up another opportunity. He then went on leave for 3 weeks leaving me to continue my role standing in for him. Since then, I have taken his responsibilties on a full time basis (I still have my job to do as well). Last week I had a meeting with his boss, who told me I was doing a great job and that "when things picked up" I would be given a promotion into my old bosses role (we are a developing company in a very tough market).

I am now in a position where I am responsible for the results my department, but I am still officially an individual contributor in my role. I want to begin to "roll out the trinity", but I am hesitating because I do not have the credibility of 'being the boss' yet with my peers.

My current plan is to continue with the peer one-on-ones and wait until the promotion comes through before rolling out the trinity more widely. I would love some feedback and advice on what I should do in this situation.

Dave

Re: Notepad and Pen

jdbrown1998 — Sat, 19 May 2012 03:00:34 +0000

Another place that has a comprehensive list of notebooks that all look professional and work well is www.quiverglobal.com. They make pen quivers that connect to your notebook so you don't lose your pen. Their list of nice notebooks is Moleskine, Moleskine Folio Watercolor, ecosystems,, Rhodia, Piccadilly, Black n' Red, Leuchtturm1917, Letts of London, teNeues CoolNotes, Mnemosyne, Arwey Hardcover Notebooks. I am currently using a Leuchtturm 1917 and it is nice but I think I will be switching back to Moleskine.

On another note has anyone had any expierence with saddleback leather? They make moleskine covers and briefcases. This is link to their website. http://www.saddlebackleather.com/Classic-Moleskine-Cover?sc=8&category=1287

Thanks for any info anyone might have.

Re: Professional subordination when it makes me look bad and hurts relationships

jdbrown1998 — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:15:18 +0000

I agree with what everyone else was saying in regards to supporting the decision.

I would also add that in your original post you said you agreed with your bosses evaluation of their performance. However, you did not agree with the consequence for that performance. Moving forward the best thing you can do for them at this point is to illustrate the behaviors that they need to work on improving and let them know that changing those behaviors in the future is what can get them back on track for their careers. I think this is the best way you can show support for your boss while helping the direct...let them know about what behaviors led you to the first part of that statement.

And hopefully you will be able to wish them luck and success in their new roles.

Good luck!

Re: Professional subordination when it makes me look bad and hurts relationships

buhlerar — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:45:48 +0000

You said you didn't want these guys to feel like you betrayed them. But think this through -- if you stand by your boss, they may not agree with what happened, but if you tell them you disagreed with the decision, won't that only serve to make them feel like the decision was even more unjust? You can't change the outcome at this point, so there's nothing substantive you can do to fix the problem (as they see it). All you can do is stoke the fire of their frustration. Granted, maybe their ire isn't directed at you, but you're not just redirecting their anger, you're actually encouraging more anger.

Furthermore, what happens when they go to their next role and the new boss tries to coach them? Are they going to be open to coaching when you essentially just told them they didn't do anything wrong? Maybe if you stand by the big boss they at least stop and think maybe they missed something and they should redouble their efforts.

I agree with other comments here that managers basically have to take the bad with the good. But even more importantly, you have a responsibility to encourage effectiveness, and soothing your own pride here (while certainly understandable and tempting) will do just the opposite.

Welcome to management!

Re: My silly question: Where is "like" button?!

jdbrown1998 — Fri, 18 May 2012 20:41:27 +0000

you could always do it the old school way - Bump:)

Re: Professional subordination when it makes me look bad and hurts relationships

Smacquarrie — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:04:09 +0000

Simply state the decision that has been made. I hope that you, or sOmeone else, will be meeting with the demoted employees before you roll this out and make it common knowledge to the rest if the team. if asked directly, tell them that you had input but that the decision was made above you. In most cases I would say that any decision from above should be treated as your own. This still holds true here. You had input but did not make te final decision. You still need ti support it though. You do this by not mentioning to anyone on your team that you disagree with it. Just my 2 cents.

Re: Professional subordination when it makes me look bad and hurts relationships

robertwilliams — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:15:13 +0000

Thanks for the advice. It's not so much the decision itself that troubles me, it's my concern that these guys will assume I was responsible or complicit.

I know that I can't professionally undermine or oppose my boss's decision publicly, and I don't want to ask him to tell them it wasn't my doing either. I know I have to support the decision even though I disagree.

What I'm not sure of is whether, if they ask me, I could disavow any participation in making that decision, without expressing my disagreement. I think that would be really difficult.

Also, to clarify, these guys are getting moved to a different team, so I won't have the opportunity to coach them.

Re: Professional subordination when it makes me look bad and hurts relationships

acao162 — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:33:38 +0000

If you aren't in charge of promotions/demotions/raises/bonuses, you don't even get a vote here. Put another way, you have to support the boss because it is the professional thing to do.

There is nothing wrong with rolling out O3s and coaching them back to a development role. You can't tell them you think the boss is wrong, in any fashion. Praise where it is earned, correct the underperformance.

Here's the thing - you don't know what your boss knows. It might be that he needs super stars in those roles, not average performers. Maybe changes in the org are coming and he's trying to set up a team that can respond to this. It might be that he can't share those changes with you yet.

Your personal feelings are yours. They might feel betrayed. If they ask you directly "did you say I was doing a bad job", tell the truth but with respect to the organization. Don't get sucked into the "I think you were fine but Joe overruled me" conversation. The professional thing to do is dust off and get the work done. Believe me, the people who can't handle the change will be shown the door.

Re: Certification, MBA, or just work?

GlennR — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:32:57 +0000

My first boss used to say, "You pay for your training whether you do it or not." I pride myself on being a continuous learner. Once you develop a strategy of being a continuous learner, it's easier to seek out opportunities. Mark has promoted reading professional publications, media such as the Wall Street Journal, and of course, there's the recommended books in another part of the forum.

In addition to an MBA, weigh also other certifications within your profession from professional organizations. For example, I received a certification in Human Resources back when I was pursuing an interest in that field.
Join Toastmasters-- it will improve your ability to persuade others; it's a networking opportunity, and it's many times flat out fun. I think there's a podcast on this I'm about to listen to.
Take the Dale Carnegie course in human relationships. I forget the correct name, I took it in 1987 and it has made me so much more effective both personally and professionally. (Didn't improve my memory skills though, did it?:-)
Consider joining your organization's coaching or mentor programs. (Note: coaching in this program is different that what MT refers to in the sense that you're not coaching a direct.)
Attend an MT conference (It's on my list, guys, I promise.)
Seek out other opportunities

Obviously, you can't do all of these at once. As I said, weigh them against each other. Maybe the MBA is the right step for you or not depending on a variety of reasons.

Good luck!

Re: Do refreshments for employees actually help buy-in during rollout presentations?

GlennR — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:47:29 +0000

Have you considered asking them what they'd like? I'm almost certain they'll say yes, they do want refreshments. But get some feedback on what they'd like to eat and drink. Most likely you'll have a spectrum ranging from healthy snacks such as fruits and OJ to whatever the local equivalent of a cinnamon roll is. The trick is to now how much of each to have.

As a trainer with many years of experience, by all means have refreshments. Especially if you are starting at the beginning of their work shift. Some people need caffeine and will be in a negative state of mind if they don't get their favorite drink.

Having their favorite refreshment puts them in a better frame of mind and paves the way for them to accept your proposed behavior change.

Re: Do refreshments for employees actually help buy-in during rollout presentations?

Solitaire — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:05:43 +0000

And just to add, yes I think refreshments can help with buy-in and can be seen as a reward for their participation.
You just need to decide what is suitable for the number of people involved.

Re: Do refreshments for employees actually help buy-in during rollout presentations?

Solitaire — Fri, 18 May 2012 13:04:06 +0000

It depend what you have in mind. A few selection of biscuits on the table with jugs of juice or water to fill up cups, would cause minimal disruption. Tea and coffee for people to serve themselves could cause more disruption.

Or how about holding the meetings, but handle the refreshments in one or two shifts for everyone separately?

Or you could get a breakfast roll for everyone at the beginning of the day, then move onto the training sessions for everyone.

Lots of different ways to have "refreshments" with varying levels of disruption.

Hope you manage to find something that suits you.

Megan from Brisbane, Australia

mberryman — Fri, 18 May 2012 11:55:04 +0000

Hi! I'm a mid level manager, with an IT background, working in an engineering organisation. I've only just discoved Manager Tools and am hooked on listening to the podcasts. I'm now listening to the very first ones from 2006. I've introduced the weekly one on one meetings to my team, and am just starting the poker chip feedback reminder approach. I desperately want to attend the Sydney conference in August but due to budget cuts I can't get approval to attend. At least I now know that MT visits Australia and will save to get myself to the conference next time round. Please consider coming to Brisbane as well as Sydney when you visit Australia. Also you have ruined my listening to all other podcasts, as they just don't measure up to Manager Tools. Thanks for the great tips, Megan

Re: Professional subordination when it makes me look bad and hurts relationships

Chris.Lodge — Fri, 18 May 2012 09:15:32 +0000

I am always reminded of the old Godfather saying “it’s not personal, it’s business”.

Don’t let emotions rule your judgement; either with your directs or your boss.

If you don’t agree with your boss and can’t live with the decision, resign. If you can live with it, take it on board and carry on. Don’t do the old “Sorry guys, the boss as told me to tell you…..”. It’s not the way to go.

If your directs hate and blame you for what has happened to them, then so be it. You can’t stop them.

Another saying from my forces day “rank has it privileges and respectabilities. You can’t have one without the other”

Re: Do refreshments for employees actually help buy-in during rollout presentations?

Chris.Lodge — Fri, 18 May 2012 08:26:35 +0000

I say go for it

I always find it amazing the influence that little things like refreshments have on people.

I think it shows that you are thinking about them and that you are prepared the buy into this.

Not sure on your comment about walking around and causing distraction. Is it to do with the way that you are training these guys?

Re: Newly promoted, difficult co-workers

AB_76 — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:50:46 +0000

I'm new here & just read this thread. How are things going now? Which suggestions did you use and what has the response been?

Professional subordination when it makes me look bad and hurts relationships

robertwilliams — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:41:37 +0000

BLUF: How do I professionally support a decision which I disagree with and may cause others to think I betrayed them?

I am a team lead / project manager. My manager is about to essentially demote a couple of my team members by moving them from development to a support role, because he believes them to be underperforming. I do not agree with his decision, and he knows it, although I agree with his judgment that they are not stellar performers.

I have not yet started O3s with these two guys or been giving them any formal kind of feedback other than things like "Hey I appreciate that" and "Great job".

I believe these two team members will feel that I betrayed them and will assume I gave my boss negative feedback about them, which is not the case. One of them is a friend - we were friends before I became team lead, which happened around 3 months ago.

Is there any way I can still be professional but tell these guys that I had nothing to do with them being moved or even that I opposed it?

Re: Cover letter - alternative to "fits your needs specifically"

yellowfir — Thu, 17 May 2012 23:42:50 +0000

I would rather have my application erroneously rejected for being underqualified, than have it be rejected because I misrepresented my record.

Sometimes people think this is a sheepish form of modesty, even though I am immensely proud of my achievements. Perhaps such reticence is just a personality flaw.

For now I will continue to use the phrase that "my background fits your needs specifically". Thank you for reassuring me.

Re: Certification, MBA, or just work?

SteveProthero — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:49:12 +0000

First up I declare my hand - I am an MBA (Australian Graduate School of Management) so I do have a bias. I would say yes go for it and this is based on two core ideas:

1. Learning is a benefit - you can see situations and understand some of the drivers and are in a better position to consider and act.

2. It allows you to stand back and understand the whole business and its place with in the economy as well as macro understanding of the key elements of the business - so you can ask really tough and relevant questions (and have a selection of options to put forward based on more than just your current subject knowledge.

What I think is really powerful is to be across the MT approach (to me the "MBA" of people managment) and the MBA itself as a context and library of knowledge and understanding.

In my role I was able to turn a $7m loss into a $20m profit in a year - largly drawing on the MBA but using MT in the impliemntation and bringing the team of nearly 900 staff with me.

So my vote is "go for it".

Steve

Steve Prothero

Truetoyou

My silly question: Where is "like" button?!

AppleJack — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:46:07 +0000

There are just too many posts and podcasts that I want to acknowledge when a really great comment that was made, but I don't necessarily have anything substantial to add to the discussion. If I were speaking with someone in person I would smile or nod, but online...well I suppose there are emoticons... but I keep finding myself looking for the "like" button to click... or better yet the "interesting" or "educational" buttons such as those in Ravelry forums.

Good reads for technologists transitioning into management?

thedlibertariat — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:15:25 +0000

Does anyone have a list of good books/articles/literature for technology folks moving into management?

TIA

Re: Stressed and overwhelmed about transitioning

jg407 — Thu, 17 May 2012 22:00:41 +0000

Hi All,

As the original poster of this topic, I have to say that these responses were really wonderful to read. I have gotten a little better since as I have continued my meditation and am reading on emotional intelligence to help myself with my infinite need for immediate gratification/satisfaction and my complete lack of patience.

I have had some unexpected developments happen in the last few weeks that have put me on a path, at least temporarily, that I am ok with and will keep working on bettering myself.

Thank you all so much for sharing and helping, I really appreciate you all and this forum!

All the best,

Re: Managing time and attention in an open office?

acao162 — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:13:43 +0000

Or, you could do exactly as Glen suggested, and just talk to people....sigh.

Thanks for reminding me about that as well!

Re: Managing time and attention in an open office?

GlennR — Thu, 17 May 2012 16:06:23 +0000

My favorite management quote by someone other than Mark: "90% of all management problems are caused by miscommunication." I interpret that statement to include failure to communicate.

If you are having this issue, isn't it possible that your co-workers are having this issue? Have you talked with them about possible solutions? For example, I remember reading about 37Signals where they implemented a quiet time at a certain point of the day. (They don't communicate with their customers via phone so I'm not sure how you'd handle that.)

When you bring this up, be sure that you are not perceived as complaining or whining, only that you're trying to figure a way for everyone to be more productive.

Re: How to Manage a Large Group of Angry People

GlennR — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:55:19 +0000

Applejack gives great advice. I recommend you follow it. Let me emphasize the part about listening. As someone said, Listen with the intent to understand; not to argue." This is not a debate.

Re: Internal Manager Devleopment

fafournier — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:10:46 +0000

If you get anything good with that, let us know back here, I would certainly be interested to know as well!

Re: Request for a kick in the pants re starting O3s

mporter — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:11:38 +0000

I also had a commitment issue when I started doing O3s. I was afraid I wouldn't have the discipline or time to have the meetings regularly. So...I went public. I announced to the whole group of directs that I was starting the meetings and handed out the schedule. I explained what the purpose of the meetings was and that I considered them very important. By announcing it publicly, I had an accountability mechanism. Then, once they started, everybody recognized the value and they came to be the meetings I looked forward to. I've done them for over 10 years and will admit that I have had to refresh them from time to time but they're still worth it - for me and my directs.

Re: Cover letter - alternative to "fits your needs specifically"

RDHodgson — Thu, 17 May 2012 11:13:03 +0000

Yep. You got me.

And I'm speaking as a High C also. I get why you're reticent, and I would feel that way too. Applejack is spot on there: unless they say you must meet all the following criteria, then of course you *must* meet all of them. As it is, you specifically meet 8.5 of the criteria.

If it's ambiguous whether they want all or most, err on the side of "most". Unless I'm mistaken, there's no harm in saying you meet them specifically, and them looking and seeing you only meet 8.5 specifically. They'll just toss your resume aside if they're that strict. They aren't going balk, laugh at you and tell everyone you're a big fat liar.

Perhaps you could say, "I specifically meet your requirements for...." and state *just* those requirements that you meet?

Re: Heads up regarding future layoff

PaulM — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:27:02 +0000

Thank you so much Buhlerar. that's exactly what I was wanting to hear. Yes I've listened to the podcasts you linked, and I purchased the interview series a few years or so ago. I think I'm prepared with your other points. I've been copying contact lists and my performance review data, so feel confident there.

As an update, we had our team meeting today where it was announced that peers of mine in Toronto and Halifax have been laid off both yesterday and today. Perhaps this might send some more work my way, but my job doesn't lend itself to working remotely from another city.

Re: Cover letter - alternative to "fits your needs specifically"

AppleJack — Thu, 17 May 2012 00:40:51 +0000

If the ad says "should" not "must" so if you have 8.5 out of 10 you should be fine. I'm also high C and am a little uncomfortable with stating that I meet the needs specifically, so I'm experimenting with incorporating that phrase in to my cover letters. Sometimes I use it, sometimes I don't. Regardless of whether or not I use that phrase, my cover letters are always written to make connections for the reader between the job description and my resume.

Good luck!

Re: Presentation during Interview. Powerpoint - how much 'froth'?

Fitch — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:54:55 +0000

hey

Thanks for the tips there. Had the interview now so let's see how it goes!

Do refreshments for employees actually help buy-in during rollout presentations?

dmb41carter36 — Wed, 16 May 2012 19:46:08 +0000

I am rolling out a new system with training sessions for all shop floor employees (8 sessions of 10 ems) and am wondering if this actually helps achieve buy in.

I am not sure as on one hand, it can be seen as a nice gesture. On the other hand, it gives yet another reason to have people walking around and causing distractions.

I'd love to hear other people's thoughts on this one.

Re: Cover letter - alternative to "fits your needs specifically"

yellowfir — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:54:16 +0000

Ah! I think that I understand now why you asked me about being a High C. To generalize:

The job advertisement states "Candidate should have the following 10 criteria."

I meet 8.5 of those, so I get anxious about the other 1.5. I do not feel that I my experience meets the needs specifically.

You're saying that because I meet most of the criteria, that it is legitimate for me to state that I meet the needs specifically.

Is this an accurate understanding?

Re: Hot Wash in a virtual setting?

GlennR — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:31:38 +0000

Great suggestions, ChrisBakerPM,

Here are two that approach the topic from a different perspective:

Get on the phone in advance of the meeting and talk to as many of the team as possible one-on one and secure their commitment to fully participate in the meeting. Thank them for the help to date, and let them know that you're still counting on them to sustain a maximum effort through and after this meeting. "Betty, thank you for your work on the communication plan. I just want you to know that I think it's important for us to have an effective evaluation meeting so that we can be more effective next time. I know you plan on being on the call, but I just want to ask you to chime in when you think you can add value. We really want everyone to bring their "A" game to this meeting. Can I count on you to do that?" (Put it into your words, but I hope you see where I'm going here.) (And don't tell me you don't have time. If you need to prioritize the list of whom to call, fine. But nothing ventured; nothing gained. Or delay the meeting until you do have time.)
If at all possible, find someone else to drive the charting process while you facilitate the meeting. I did both in a meeting yesterday and I found my facilitation skills suffering because of my drive to take accurate notes. The group understood this, but I could have been more effective as a facilitator had someone else taken notes.

Re: Hot Wash in a virtual setting?

GlennR — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:31:32 +0000

Great suggestions, ChrisBakerPM,

Here are two that approach the topic from a different perspective:

Get on the phone in advance of the meeting and talk to as many of the team as possible one-on one and secure their commitment to fully participate in the meeting. Thank them for the help to date, and let them know that you're still counting on them to sustain a maximum effort through and after this meeting. "Betty, thank you for your work on the communication plan. I just want you to know that I think it's important for us to have an effective evaluation meeting so that we can be more effective next time. I know you plan on being on the call, but I just want to ask you to chime in when you think you can add value. We really want everyone to bring their "A" game to this meeting. Can I count on you to do that?" (Put it into your words, but I hope you see where I'm going here.) (And don't tell me you don't have time. If you need to prioritize the list of whom to call, fine. But nothing ventured; nothing gained. Or delay the meeting until you do have time.)
If at all possible, find someone else to drive the charting process while you facilitate the meeting. I did both in a meeting yesterday and I found my facilitation skills suffering because of my drive to take accurate notes. The group understood this, but I could have been more effective as a facilitator had someone else taken notes.

Follow up after the interview

Jabero — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:19:18 +0000

Hi everyone, I was just wondering what most people expect the typical time frame to be, when you are waiting to hear if you will get a second interview.

I had an interview last Wednesday, during the interview they stated that they had a lot of interest and they would be scheduling second interviews, but they did not say when. I sent my follow up thank you email the next day; however, I have not heard from them as of yet.

When would you follow up again, or would you?

Certification, MBA, or just work?

Smacquarrie — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:18:18 +0000

BLUF: Should I pursue further education or certification to further my career?

I recently completed my BSB/M degree and am looking at further expanding my learning. Many of the positions I have been looking at ask for either a MBA or some form of APICS certification if not both as a "nice to have".

Should I pursue either of these or look at more generic postings where I can go into a company and then grow organically with that company?

My background:

I have been with the same company in Aerospace for more than 11 years now. I started out in the warehouse and have moved up as far as I can without moving out of state (something I cannot do for the next 5 years). During this time I earned my degree and currently work in a materials management position within traffic and logistic. I have a Six Sigma greenbelt and have worked as a PM on several projects. I am looking to get into management or a role where that is a possibility for me in the near future.

Re: Cover letter - alternative to "fits your needs specifically"

RDHodgson — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:58:00 +0000

Right, well, you meet those needs specifically don't you?

Re: Heads up regarding future layoff

buhlerar — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:39:12 +0000

In my case, they were very open with the fact that I'd be laid off (the company was in bankruptcy) but the dates weren't certain so it was hard to plan too far ahead.

Listen to these podcasts, which give good advice about how to prepare in case of layoff (obviously it's more certain in your case).

http://www.manager-tools.com/2008/01/the-annual-layoff-immunization-part-1-of-2

http://www.manager-tools.com/2008/01/the-annual-layoff-immunization-part-2-of-2

I will say something, though -- I was at a company that went from over 90,000 employees to basically a few hundred in about 10 years, so I saw a lot of rounds of layoffs even before the bankruptcy. The list of people to be laid off is a very fluid thing, so although the information you have may be 99% or even 100% accurate as of today, by the time the layoffs actually happen things can change. So take this as a good opportunity to prepare, but don't do anything that would jeopardize your situation if you stay. If you don't want to stay, then you can always leave on your own after you make it through.

As for actual advice, the podcasts mention things like printing out contact lists, switch email and physical mail delivery, gather recruiter contact info, updating your resume, etc. I ran into another couple of issues that would have made the transition smoother if I'd addressed it before the layoff.

First, I didn't have a company phone, but they had given me access to the Exchange server. On my last day, they disconnected me from the network (no surprise) but also wiped my phone remotely. I had printed out my contacts (and actually had them soft copy) but it took several days to move them over to Gmail (my phone was Android) so that I could see my contacts on my phone again. Would have saved a lot of time to have moved that information well in advance.

Second, I spent several months beforehand switching email addresses for several online accounts (utilities, credit cards, news websites, even manager tools, etc.). It's easy to underestimate just how many websites you have accounts with, and obviously I didn't want to be locked out once I lost access to my work email address. Essentially, I just went through everything I could think of, and then watched my email inbox for a few months -- everything that came in that was personal, I immediately logged into the website and changed the address. By the end, I was confident I'd caught everything (and with my new job, I just left them on personal email accounts so I wouldn't have to do that again).

Third, it's pretty obvious advice to update your resume. But if you're listening to MT advice, you're doing that every quarter. I hadn't followed this advice very well. If you want to quantify your accomplishments, you almost have to do it while you're still employed. After you leave, you don't have access to the spreadsheets, emails, intranet sites, etc. that house much of the data. So put in the time updating your career management document with your data points. You can always rephrase something, or decide which accomplishments to include in a resume when applying for your next job, but you have to capture the data while you have access to it.

Fourth (maybe 1st), buy the interview series (if you haven't already) and follow the advice on how to prepare answers to questions about your accomplishments. This can take time and you never know how fast your first interview will pop up. And referring to my previous paragraph, you may find holes in your explanation that can be more easily filled while you're employed (access to project plans, spreadsheets, meeting notes, etc.).

Finally, focus on your work. Last thing you want to do is lose focus and let your performance slip. That leaves a poor last (and lasting) impression on the people you'll be relying on for networking and for references.

I won't give you definitive advice about your "trip of a lifetime," but how far in advance do you need to plan something like that? I'd consider it insanely reckless to book anything before you get official notice from your company. And how long will you be out of work? (Answer: you don't know.) Do you have the money to spare, should your unemployment last a year or more? (I don't need to know, but you should.) The fact that you're already thinking in those terms makes me wonder if this is just a way to escape the stress instead of deal with it productively. But I will agree that looking back on the few months I was out of work, my biggest regret is that I wasn't able to take advantage of the time off more effectively (spend more time with family, etc.). You're certainly not going to have a chance to do this a month into your new gig, so if you don't lose focus on your work, have plenty of money to live on, and can plan it on relatively short notice, this could be a good opportunity. Just don't do it as a salve for a stressful situation -- otherwise you'll really just compound the stress once you get back.

Whatever happens, good luck!

Heads up regarding future layoff

PaulM — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:24:15 +0000

Hi there,

BLUF: I received word indirectly on Monday that I will be getting laid off within a month or two. I have 99% confidence in this information. What would be the most effective behaviors for 1. While I'm still employed, and 2. After the layoff comes?

I'm in Canada and would be eligible for 3 months severance based on my company's policies. if I find a job externally after the layoff, I can keep the severance, so obviously the best case situation is to start employment as soon as possible following my termination notice date.

I don't believe there is anything I can do to change this decision, and if I did, I would not be completely happy with the role that would remain, so this is somewhat good news to me. They may offer me a chance to relocate to Toronto or Montreal, since the issue is not my performance, but that there is no work in my location, however this is not an option for me at this time.

I am tempted to take somewhat of a "trip of a lifetime" (not necessarily something long and expensive, but something I would NOT normally do). Should I resist this urge? and how should one manage a job search during this time?

There is a layoff cast as I recall, so I will revisit that, but I don't recall if it spoke about having foreknowledge of a layoff. Does anyone have any suggestions? Would it be appropriate for me to post resumes on job boards and change my LinkedIn headline to something like "seeking new opportunities" now? Has anyone been in a similar position?

Thank you.

Re: HELP! How can I purchase the interview series?

wendii — Wed, 16 May 2012 01:13:51 +0000

I think Maggie has replied to you via customer service. However, if there's anything else we can do to help, just email us at customerservice@manager-tools.com. Thank you! Wendii

Re: Getting promotions and raises as a Statement of Work employee

buhlerar — Tue, 15 May 2012 23:00:31 +0000

I don't really recall MT guidance related to "how to ask for a raise" but I think what I said before still applies -- there is usually no direct linkage between what your company is paid and what they pay you. The fact that you found out about the price increase from the client may mean that your employer doesn't know you know. I'm not sure I have a good recommendation of how to bring this up, but whatever you do the discussion should be based on your accomplishments not on the price increase. That's not your money. For example, if I find a $100,000 cost savings for the company, I can't very well go to my boss and demand a $100,000 bonus. Nor can a salesperson claim 100% of any new business they bring in. Of course it all goes into the general equation of how much you're worth to the company and likely translates into more pay. But if they're only paying 5% extra, your company may very well be correct to classify the move as lateral (maybe that % was just an example).

In any event, sounds like your performance is certainly quantifiable and noted by both your company and the client. So I'm sure your success will translate into your financial gain.

HELP! How can I purchase the interview series?

bengstewart — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:16:45 +0000

Hi All,

I am trying to purchase the interview series however the only option I can find includes free cd which will cost $25 to ship to me.

Appreciate if anyone could guide me on how to purchase the digital content only.

Many thanks,

Ben

Re: Org Chart with Official and UnOfficial Relationships ?

lionel — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:09:02 +0000

Looks very interesting - THANKS

Re: Cover letter - alternative to "fits your needs specifically"

yellowfir — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:53:00 +0000

Yes, I am a High C.

I do spend most of my cover letter by linking my experience to the traits mentioned in the vacancy announcement. I have the body honed pretty well.

I am concerned about the phrasing of this one sentence, because it sets the tone for the rest of the cover letter.

Re: Getting promotions and raises as a Statement of Work employee

ColoradoEditor — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:39:15 +0000

Thanks for the response.

For clarification, my on-site manager has let me know that they are paying my employer more for my services than previously -- and my responsibilities have increased as well. Now maybe he should not have let me know that, but he did. They pay XX dollars per hour for certain roles and my role has changed, so they are now paying my employer 5% more for my services.The company didn't raise my price -- the client offered more money for my services and changed my role and increased my responsibilities. The contract has been revised and my employer is making more $$ for my services.

I understand they may be under no obligation to pay me 5% more because they are receiving 5% more.

I am asking advice on how to open the conversation and what to say. I do believe I deserve that extra 5% -- or we can even split it! How do I engage them in that conversation?

Re: Getting promotions and raises as a Statement of Work employee

buhlerar — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:55:09 +0000

I don't have all of the details about what your boss said to you. If he said you were getting a raise then maybe you could argue your employer is being unethical in not giving it to you. I also don't know where you work or whether there any specific laws about this. However, it is not unethical for a company to like the work of an employee and give them more responsibility WITHOUT changing their job title or giving them a raise. And companies raise prices all the time. That is definitely the company's money -- not yours. Of course your high performance level may very well result in additional pay over time, but the linkage is not necessarily automatic or immediate.

An example when not contesting assumptions about professional experience can hurt you.

jd_abramson — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:47:53 +0000

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57428971-93/yahoo-ceos-resume-controversy-killing-employee-morale/

http://money.cnn.com/2012/05/15/technology/yahoo-future/?source=cnn_bin

Scott Thompson, Yahoo's third CEO in about three years, has resigned around the controversy of his resume. I'm sure he did not post the resume on the Yahoo website. But while in interviews with the press, he never contested that he didn't have an undergraduate degree in computer science and he often referred to himself as an engineer.

Mark and Mike, your on point again about the lack of full truthfulness is not honesty.

Thank you to the Manager Tools Team...

Joshua Abramson C.M.
Executive Director
Tupelo Regional Airport

Re: Request for a kick in the pants re starting O3s

dejones — Tue, 15 May 2012 19:16:37 +0000

This was the kind of advice and encouragement I was looking for. If anyone else has ideas or lessons learned re: the consistency, I'd love to hear them. In the meantime, I'm going to sit down with each direct to let them know that I'm going to be scheduling these for a few weeks from now and give them the thinking behind these meetings (thanks to the MT text provided in the O3 email sample). Thanks again!

Re: Org Chart with Official and UnOfficial Relationships ?

bill_enloe — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:56:14 +0000

Try SmartDraw (smartdraw.com). It is a great tool for flow charts, org charts, mind mapping, process documentation, and all manner of visual thinking!

Re: New Manager - Large Team - What's first?

jrhamilt — Tue, 15 May 2012 17:22:48 +0000

Couple of clarifying comments.

There currently aren't any leads for the 4 functional areas. Without changing anything, all 18 may look to me for day to day tasking. Of course, it's probably a little different, but the program is standing up leadership where there hasn't been any in a long time, so there's no incumbant leadership (if you will).

Also, I would only "stop" O3's for those that were no longer my Directs, but have become my Skips due to addition of a lead for one of the functional areas. I suppose it's possible to call someone a "lead" for the functional area and then not give them the management responsibility, but I've always felt that form of management doesn't work in the long run, and leads to confused roles / responsibilities.

Re: Request for a kick in the pants re starting O3s

bug_girl — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:19:28 +0000

Definitely helped cut down on "have you got a minute?" questions.

It also had the unexpected benefit of making my directs feel valued. They know I'm busy, and so knowing that they had a meeting with me, rain or shine, really meant a lot to them. (They told me this, which was a wonderful surprise!)

Some days, yeah, you're going through the motions. But keep doing it, and you will see the payoff eventually.

Getting promotions and raises as a Statement of Work employee

ColoradoEditor — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:29:19 +0000

I find myself in an unusual situation. I work for a company (company A) that supplies Statement of Work services to a major (top 3) technology company (Company B). Company A is my employer -- they handle my payroll, benefits, I have a project manager, I negotiated my salary with them, etc.

The project manager at Company A is super-excited about my work and has created a new role for me on his team. It's a step up from where I was before. I'll be in charge of more process and training and managing schedules and responsibilities for new employees. These employees will not report to me as such -- we all report to the same project manager at Company B.

I have learned, however, that the Statement of Work contract between the two companies has been altered at Company A's request. Company A is now paying more for my work than they were last week.

My employer, however, is calling this a "lateral move" and is putting me off on whether they will pay me more.

At the very least I consider this unethical -- they are being paid more for my services because of the excellent work I provided to the customer. Isn't that, in essence, my money?

How do I handle this conversation with my employer? I'm not sure I'm even supposed to know about the contract revision.

Thanks for any advice.

Re: New Manager - Large Team - What's first?

acao162 — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:45:18 +0000

Starting and then stopping O3s is a bad idea. You run the risk of having people feel abandoned, hurt, ignored, alienated because all of a sudden the boss doesn't find them important enough to talk to.

Eighteen directs is a lot of people, equals 9+ hours per week of your time. However, if you are serious about being effective, I'd start them with everyone. What better way to find your stars than to meet with each one. You might find that current leads are not the "right" leads.

Don't sell yourself short. Doing O3s is a new initiative, but it doesn't have to be a "big deal". Send out the e-mail, schedule them all (maybe over 3 days) and get going. If you are expected to write performance reviews on all 18 people, they are all important enough for an O3. I'd start them immediately. People expect some amount of change with a new boss, so give them a very positive change.

Good luck!

Re: When do I tell the team a member resigned?

wroschek — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:37:51 +0000

Thank you for your input. I wound up telling the team a few days later before our next scheduled group meeting. I stated directly who resigned, the reasons I was given, and what it meant for the team (workload, replacement, etc.). There was some mumbling after I left and performance has not suffered since.

Thank you again for your insight and assistance, I think it went over as well as it could have given my experience.

Sincerely,

Bill

Re: When do I tell the team a member resigned?

VPfreedude — Tue, 15 May 2012 14:14:18 +0000

Hi Bill,

My thought is if you have to wait more than a day or two grab your team together and tell them in a separate meeting. Ask the departing person to keep things under wraps until you have told the team.

My reasoning is I have seen the scenario play out many times where the manager waits to tell the team but by the time of the announcement everyone has heard and many have already started speculating and rumor/gossiping about the hows/whys of the situation. I found it better to get the message out all at one time and people could hear the hows & whys and not get too wrapped up in the event.

Just my 2 cents.

Re: Request for a kick in the pants re starting O3s

acao162 — Tue, 15 May 2012 13:59:54 +0000

I've started, abdandoned and restarted O3s successfully because my folks really liked them. They appreciated the "alone" time with me to discuss whatever was on their minds. One exclusively shares personal stuff, another nearly exclusively shares work stuff. It's a bit of a grind sometimes, I won't lie to you. In fact, some days I have to fake it - I feel so busy, but I know the meetings are important to my directs. Plus, I look forward to my OWN O3 with my boss. Grin.

(In fact, my boss started doing O3s because of mine. She's not an MT boss, that I know of, she's just amazing. We have a team member starting in 2 weeks and she casually mentioned she's thinking of doing the same weekly meeting with new team member as she does with me)

Point is, it could be seen as flavour of the month. So what. Keep it focused on your directs, keep it light. Don't use it as an excuse to bring up shortcomings or review items. Do take the opportunity to ask what development your team needs. You might be amazed at what interests them & be able to clear some tasks from your desk.

I have not had the experience that it cuts down on interruptions unfortunately. It may have actually made them worse, in that my "personal sharing" team member now stops "by" more often to share little stories. We're working on that. I'm working on positive feedback now, hoping to never get to negative.