|  |  |  | | | | | | SECTION I – The S in L.E.A.D.E.R.S.: SELF | | |
“Leaders Must Lead Themselves”
How many times have you gotten up in the morning, gone to work, returned and gone to bed not having a clue as to what you did that day? Many of us have had that happen and then passed it off as just another aspect of the daily grind. I can remember, early in my career, finding myself on such a treadmill. I was more or less adrift without any concept of where I was going. When I took my first job, I got off to a rocket fast start. I managed to move up quickly from one job to the next, and was lucky several times to “be in the right place at the right time”. My career took off, and with each new job I faced challenges of increasing intensity that took more and more time from the rest of my life. I did not complain, because I wanted to succeed. I also had the good fortune of an incredibly supportive wife who was successful and hard working on her own. She understood and shared in my desire for success. All of this fed a frenzy of activity, most of which I thought was good. To be honest, I had no real idea where all of this work was leading me. I had spent virtually no time thinking through what I was doing in my career or where my career was going. As long as I was moving forward, with more and more challenges and responsibilities, there was no time or reason to think about me. I was consumed by the job, and for a very long time that was all that I needed. After I had worked for about eight years, it finally dawned on me that I was doing nearly the same things that I had been doing at the start of my career. Yes, I was working in bigger organizations, had a bigger title and was making more money; but in many ways, what I had done in the past year was the same as what I had in the previous eight years. This realization was shocking, but also life-altering. For the first time I realized that I was not in a “career”, I was in a job; and that I was not necessarily doing what I wanted, I was doing what my boss needed and wanted me to do. Satisfying the needs and wants of a boss in not in itself a bad thing. On the contrary, being the “go-to-person” has a great deal of merit, as was evidenced by my explosive rise in the hierarchy. The problem was that I was paying no regard to my needs, my career, and my future. That was when I started to focus on “Self.” Making my “self” a priority does not mean being selfish. I didn’t reduce my efforts at work, or avoid the hard assignments; but I started to ask myself the “what about me?” kind of questions. Those questions lead to the conclusion that I needed to make some changes to achieve the vision I had for my future. In short, I started thinking about the last letter in our L.E.A.D.E.R.S. mnemonic, only now it had a priority in my life. As I said earlier, making my self a priority was not “selfish”. The distinction is that the self-focused person looks beyond what “is” and envisions what can and will be. This was the time when I really started to ask the question ”How am I doing?” Although I had given and received many performance reviews over the years, I had never before thought to do one for myself. The short version of the story is that I did my review and then spent a great deal of time deciding what I wanted to be at some time in the future. This process triggered a series of actions on my part, through which I was ultimately transformed into a very different person. I went back to school and took a large number of courses that would enhance my knowledge, skills and behaviors. I started focusing on outside activities that would establish my credibility in areas I needed to add to my portfolio. I read new and different books, attended new organizational meetings, joined some new service and professional clubs, and networked in all of them. In essence, I remade myself. At the end of about five years, I had the experience, credentials and contacts to be considered for a much different set of jobs. It took some time, but I got my career on the track that I wanted and I never looked back. By applying the leadership embodied in the word L.E.A.D.E.R.S., I lead myself to a new and fulfilling career. You can, and must, do your own review of where you are, where you’re headed, and where it is that you really want to be. Take the time to consider your SELF | | | SECTION II – Mini Case – “I Quit ” | | |
Brent had been a supervisor at the same organization for eleven years. As the company’s expert in automobile financing, he knew that he was respected for his expertise. Although he enjoyed that recognition, he felt unfulfilled in his job.
At home in the evening and on weekends, Brent would spend hours drawing and painting. He had discovered several years ago that he was a pretty good artist, and that it gave him great pleasure to create a painting that people would admire and enjoy. He wished that he could spend more time painting, but there were only so many hours left in the day after work. Today, Brent went to work and something snapped. He realized that he was 38 years old and that he simply did not like his job. He liked the people, he liked the company, but his work just felt like a drain. Right after lunch, Brent went to his boss and quit. His boss was shocked, and frankly so was Brent. Now What for Brent? – Brent probably did the right thing, but at the wrong time. He acted on impulse, and now he is facing no income and no plan for the future. If you are feeling like Brent, unfilled and drained by your job, please step back and give yourself a chance think the situation through and make plans. Becoming somebody or something else is a process, and it requires not only following your heart, but also creating a plan for the journey. The first step is to love yourself. You should care enough to invest the time in thinking through where you want to be, and how to get there. Perhaps Brent has decided that painting is important to him and that it’s what he wants to do. The problem is that the expression “starving artist” is not just an expression-- for many it is a reality. Brent is only focusing on his desire to paint, when what he needs to do is step back and rationally asses how he can fulfill all of his dreams and aspirations. With his artistic talent, it is possible that a career change to the advertising department would be both a practical solution and a fulfilling outlet for his creativity. Maybe he should take a painting class to see just how much better he can get. If he has extraordinary talent, formal training could enable him to truly make a living from his art. Another option would be to stay with his current job and try selling his paintings “on the side.” It could be that although painting is a great therapy for him, it is not something he should be doing full time. On the other hand, if he can become commercially successful, there will be plenty of time to shift his life in that direction. I am not suggesting that Brent should stay in his job and remain miserable forever. He should consider his short- and long-term options, and develop a plan that will lead to where he really wants to be. Just walking away from that which he knows, and has been very good at, could be a disaster. Making the right move, not just some move, is what he--and you--should always aim to do.
| | | SECTION III – Tips From The Czar | | |
Caring for the self is often precipitated (as in my case) by a realization that something is wrong with the status quo. Initially, the focus is on what’s wrong. Ideally, you should start with a clear understanding of what you are doing, then assess what it is that is wrong, and finally, what courses of action might be available to you.
Being unhappy in a job does not always result from being in the wrong job; it often results from doing a job for the wrong person or in the wrong organization. If that is your case, explore all of the options, including a candid discussion with your boss. Many times, those conversations can spare you from making a radical move by dealing with the issue directly and effectively. Bosses often have no idea that they are in some respect problematic for the people working for them. A careful, but honest discussion can help clear the air and enable you and your boss to focus on improving the relationship. At other times, a discussion that brings to light a discomfort with a job can lead to a quality reassignment, either within the same section or department, or elsewhere within the same firm. I have not met many leaders who wanted to make their staff miserable. Most of us actually do know how to love; but even if your boss has not learned that core concept, he or she probably cares enough to try to help relieve your pain. Always give your boss the benefit of the doubt, and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. | | | SECTION IV – Ask The Czar | | |
Phil: I love my job, but I am going nowhere in pay. What can I do?
The Czar: This is a short and simple question, regarding a complex issue that can rarely be resolved with a short and simple answer. On the one hand, you should consider yourself extremely fortunate that you love your job. On the other hand, you feel unfortunate in your pay. That could be a real problem, or a real perception problem. While not everyone loves their job, most people are convinced that they don’t make enough money. The question is whether you are being underpaid for your job, or if you are in a job that just doesn’t pay well. For example, teachers often love their job; yet many of them leave teaching because they can not make the money that they want. Although they may well deserve to earn more, teachers are paid according to a general salary range for that profession. The same is true for every job in every industry. This is not an economics lesson, but it is important to remember that the “laws of supply and demand” tend to set the value a society puts on workers. Many people in teaching love what they do, and do it in spite of the fact that they are not the highest paid people in their neighborhood. On the other hand, if you are actually underpaid for the job you are doing, then you may have a problem that needs action. The first option is always to have that conversation with your boss. If that seems impossible, then maybe you need to “test the market” outside your company. The other factor could be that your performance is not up to “Expectations.” If not, and assuming you know if it is or not, then you need to work on your “self” to find a way to improve. If that is the case, your commitment to self will drive you to either get better trained, better focused on the key skills and knowledge necessary to get better, or you will ask the company to help. All of these are things you need to take ownership of. Do that, and you will have explored the possible alternative futures. Do not stay in your current job if the pay is a problem that you simply can not get out of your head. If you do, you will eventually become bitter and angry and then your performance will deteriorate and the pay situation will probably get worse. Send your questions to gerry@the-czar.com
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