Many have become cowards … and it is taking a toll on the workplace …

"Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out." — Ronald Reagan  

Ronald Reagan said it right and you can differ in opinion, but many feel he did it right as President. Have the best people around you, tell them what is expected, and give them the authority – or empower then – to carry out the mission. Simply put and so true.  So – why do businesses struggle with this and why don’t they get the wisdom in empowering people. 

Many managers are just cowards. If they empower and you do better than expected (and maybe better than them), they have no value. They protect themselves at the expense of company and their team. Sham – a pity. I see it everywhere. It is evidence that we need managers and leaders who have a spine, are not afraid to take risks who know that the secret to success is find the right people, motivate them, give them room to grow, define what you expect of them, and get the hell out of the way so they can do their jobs. 


So why is this so prevalent in companies today – that inability to execute, to grow and to change:     
* Is it lack of information – heck no; there is more information now than ever    
* Is it lack of motivation – probably not.    
* Is it FEAR – yes. 

Fear in the workplace today has made companies who need to grow and change do the same over and over again. It is safer for the managers – they won’t put their necks out for fear of being chopped.  It is easier and safer not to rock the boat – to go along and get by. The result – lack of leadership. People have become accustomed to not doing their best, but rather doing to get by and be safe. 

You can define yourself as a leader by not being ruled by fear and doing the right thing – not always the safe thing. Sure – you may have to pay the price at some time but you will sleep better at night, be respected and be proud.  And that is what we need in today’s workplace – pride in doing the right thing – doing the job right – doing right for others. 

And thank you for reading this. 
Dan Moran 
President & Founder 
Next-Act  Career Management & Transition Specialists 
125 Wolf Road, Suite #128 
Albany, NY 12205 
Office: 518-261-4212  Cell: 518-641-8968  eFax: 586-279-4212 
dmoran@next-act.com 
Follow my blog: http://careerandgrowing.blogspot.com

Celebrate Wins ...

“Celebrate what you want to see more of.” – Thomas J. Peters

Short blog this week – off to Europe for a few weeks of vacation. I thought I would share something I wrote a few years back that is so very true – we don’t celebrate the wins in our life as we should – and wins motivate! I hope you enjoy ---

Often in life and business, good things happen. A big sale. A step forward in your family. A new job or career. Something just big that has an impact on your future, your career or your business.

It happens, and then it’s on to the next thing – with no celebration. No special acknowledgement. No celebration. Sounds familiar?

Athletes get metals when they win. Performers bask in applause. When you win, you need to stop in your tracks – and celebrate it. Give yourself something special. Recognize others. Take or give reward. There is a reason athletes, performers and others get recognition – it drive them to do better in their next endeavor, and celebrating wins for yourself will do the same.

Win – Celebrate – Win Again – and bask in the glory.

Dan Moran

President & Founder

Next-Act

Career Management & Transition Specialists

125 Wolf Road, Suite #128

Albany, NY 12205

Office: 518-261-4212

Cell: 518-641-8968

eFax: 586-279-4212

dmoran@next-act.com

Follow my blog: http://careerandgrowing.blogspot.com

There is one thing you can’t change – no matter how hard you try – and that’s your personality …

"Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig." - — Paul Dickson

I spoke at the New York State Society of Human Resources Management Statewide Convention in Saratoga Springs this past Sunday and Monday. Met a boatload of great HR professionals from across the state; it was fun and very invigorating. Thanks to the SHRM folks for their hospitality and for honoring me with the opportunity to speak on two subjects, Do You Have A Plan? – The Importance of Career Management and The Critical Importance of Fit, focused on finding employees that “fit” the job for longer productivity and tenure.  Both sessions were packed!

In both sessions, we talked about core personality – some call it the mental DNA of an individual – and how critical it to understand this in order to make the right career decisions and for the employer, hiring decisions. It is an imperative. We also talked about training, and developing people. What was fully accepted by the crowd – no matter how hard you try, train, beat into or otherwise try to change – you cannot change a person’s personality. No way – no how. It is “baked” into one in the first six months of life, and it will not change (BTW, heavily influenced by parents and parental support in early months). One can behave differently but when possible, they will revert to their core personality.

This is why people fail in jobs or are disconnected or unproductive – the job does not “fit” their personality. Put an outgoing person in a dead silent room of cubicles where they “communicate” with a computer screen all day long, and they will not connect and they will leave that job. Put a private person in a role that requires full-on, constant people contact (like a call center) – they will disconnect and burn out – real fast.

Find your “fit” …

I cannot emphasize enough – find the ideal fit of your personality to the job you want to do or the career you seek to follow and do not fool yourself into thinking “… I can adapt.”. You won’t. You will disconnect and you will fail (sorry to be so blunt – but true). And above all, you will not be happy and fulfilled. There are many assessments ( be careful of the online free assessments, most are not validated in the manner they should be) that can direct you to this. Your college career center, local One-Stop Center or a professional in this field of career consulting can help. But get the answer and make the right match of personality to career/job.

Align your personality to the right jobs or career …

With a full understanding of your core personality, you can be helped or you can on your own discover the jobs or careers that align to your personality and where you will have the best potential for career success. Those who are more inquisitive (and as well creative) will not do well in jobs requiring repeatable routine; those who are easygoing will not do well in jobs where there is pressure to produce results on a continual basis. Those who tend to be reactive will find it difficult to work in stressful, life-defining situations (like healthcare direct care) as they may react rather than act. A more resilient person is best in this role.

In evidence …

“The single best predictor of future behavior is past behavior,” he says. “Your personality is going to be essentially the same throughout your life.” As evidence, he points to U.S. Air Force research on personality types that began in the 1950s. For decades, researchers tracked their subjects by observing their behavior and interviewing their families, friends, and colleagues. The conclusion? Basic personality traits did not change, Davidson says. “Introverts were introverts, extroverts were extroverts. The descriptions were constant. 

                                 - Alan Davidson, an industrial psychologist in San Diego whose clients include Chevron, Merrill Lynch, and   the Internal Revenue Service.

Be all you can be – be what you should be and be happy. That should be your top  goal – go do it. And thank you for reading this. - Dan

Dan Moran

President & Founder

Next-Act

Career Management & Transition Specialists

125 Wolf Road, Suite #128

Albany, NY 12205

Office: 518-261-4212

Cell: 518-641-8968

eFax: 586-279-4212

dmoran@next-act.com

Follow my blog: http://careerandgrowing.blogspot.com

Pick Your Battles Carefully - the win may not always be good ...

Don’t’ fight a battle is there is no value in the win”, Erwin Rommel

I was asked the other day --- ‘Dan, what do you think is one action that can short circuit someone in their career life outside of the normal stuff that can get you fired?”

Good question ….

And then I knew the answer …

… Not picking your battles carefully …

Some people seem to be constantly embroiled in battle on some level. They battle with their boss, their co-workers, other departments, etc. They become known for this ineffective behavior, and it is often a career-killer. Those who battle everything are labeled as “difficult”, and are not team players. They do not grow – their value to the company is questionable.

Unfortunately this tends to permeate in other parts of their life as well – with friends, at home, in relationships and with those who service them (vendors, retailers et al).  You see these people – they flip out at the drop of a dime, they are ready to engage --  they don’t appear to be happy, and it shows. You can be sure that in the workplace this shows too, and this can impede growth, promotion and development.

Finding a way to be harmonious with others – without getting stepped on – is being a leader and is a desired asset. The opposite is a reputation – or a brand that one doesn’t want – and it goes along with them, from job-to-job.

The key to developing your brand of one who works well with others, who is  a leader and can foster good relationships is simple: Pick your battles carefully.   Engage in the battles that are truly important --- and let the others go.  Think about the results you can gain  and the value of the “win” if you engage, and measure it against the risk.  You will let some things slide – and while it might be difficult at first, it is a better decision at the end of the day when you look back. You will be also  be happier and more content and your value will consistently increase and you will go places. This is a talent learned usually later in life – in fact research shows us that older people tend to pick their battles more carefully than younger folk – and I will admit myself, this is true of me. Maybe it is maturity; maybe it is just letting go of the notion that you must win – always and at whatever cost and god forbid, never lose.

Engage but do so when it makes real good sense. Win the battles – the big and important ones – and let the others go. That is leadership – that is a person respected in the workplace and in life.

And thank you for reading this …

Dan Moran

President & Founder

Next-Act

Career Management & Transition Specialists

125 Wolf Road, Suite #128

Albany, NY 12205

Office: 518-261-4212

Cell: 518-641-8968

eFax: 586-279-4212

dmoran@next-act.com

Follow my blog: http://careerandgrowing.blogspot.com