Hi all, as we enter a new year – I’d like to share a video featuring some great tips on what it takes to deliver strong, meaningful presentations. Please take the time to watch the entire video presentation - it’s 18 minutes, well spent.
Happy New Year,
Servant Leader
A few days ago, a friend asked me for some advice on what to consider, when contemplating a new job. I shared some wisdom that I’d learnt from a mentor last year – when I was searching for new opportunities. Below are the 3 key factors which I shared with him. I would encourage you all to give them careful consideration, when seeking a new job.
1. What’s the chain of command ?
Often, your manager is the single most important factor in your career velocity. If you’re contemplating a new job, take time to review the new chain of command. How well do you know your hiring manager and his or her boss? What do you have in common with your manager? Do you get a sense that the chain of command truly appreciates what you bring to the table?
Your manager will play a role in providing opportunities for you to develop, as a leader. 3 key characteristics of great jobs are high visibility, a high level of complexity and meaningful, measurable business impact. Your chain of command and especially your manager – will play a major role in positioning you as a high potential performer and providing you with the opportunities to take on more responsibility. Talent, hard work and great interpersonal skills are certainly important – however you’ll need a strong cheering section as well.
So, it helps if you or someone you know – has a great relationship with your hiring manager. Otherwise – it’s a good idea to make sure that you have a very frank discussion with that person regarding your aspirations and her expectations. Many of us seem to forget that our ambitions and our relationships go hand in hand, perhaps even more so than our skills, talents or smarts.
2. What are you going to do? Are you changing your functional role, your industry, both?
What’s the real meat of the role? Is it something that you’re passionate about? Are you staying in an industry that you’re comfortable with, or are you breaking entirely new ground? What do you know about the Org Culture in the organization. It’s worth noting that individual business groups within a large organization, will often have fairly distinct org cultures. Do you clearly understand what success means in your new role? It’s your organizations perception of your performance that matters, and not your own interpretation of how well you’re doing. What constitutes success in the first 30, 60 and 90 days vs. the first year on the job. Trust me – there’s a difference and you don’t get 90 days to prove yourself.
3. Do you have any transferable skills?
What do you bring to the table? How does your work experience to date, prepare you for this new role. How comfortable are you with the job description and key deliverables of this new job? Do you have the skills required to slide into the new role and hit the ground running. Strong transferable skills can help you build and maintain momentum, in your new role.
As you consider a new role – these are the 3 key factors you need to consider carefully – in order of priority.
By far the most important is the is #1 “the chain of command”. Your manager can be your greatest asset or your worst handicap. If you don’t get along with your manager, he or she is unlikely to present you with the opportunities you need to keep growing in your role. Sometimes you get along with your manager but she clearly doesn’t think much of your output. If you can’t stand out in the eyes of your manager or your managers chain of command – it may be hard to make any significant headway.
Even if you have a trustful relationship and a strong rapport with your boss – you’ll need to constantly “manage up”. Get clarity on what’s important vs. what’s urgent, prioritize deliverables and proactively manage expectations. Here’s an interesting book, on “managing up”. I also came across this article – which you may find useful.
Cheers,
Servant Leader
A few weeks ago, I was offered a chance to deliver a speech on Globalization, to a group of Leaders – including the Indian Ambassador to the United States – her Excellency, Ambassador Meera Shankar. Ultimately, my speech was not chosen, however it received some great reviews - so I thought I’d share it with you all. Below is the transcript of the speech, in its entirety.
Globalization, Education & Career Choices
What does Globalization really mean? I’ve heard it’s defined as the constantly evolving process of integrating economies through an International network of exchange or trade – normally this involves foreign direct investment, capital flows, migration, and the spread of technology.
Truth is, it’s one of those words that means many things to many people – depending on who you are, what you’ve seen heard, experienced, where you grew up and perhaps even where you live right now. I was born in Montreal, Canada – to Nigerian parents. I grew up in Nigeria with occasional stints in London, England. When I completed my under grad degree, I moved back to Canada, where I lived and worked for several years, before moving here J. So, in my case, Globalization represents Opportunity – for me, for my family, my loved ones. Opportunity to accomplish great things – and I know I’m not alone in that mind set.
I’d like to tell you 2 quick stories – just 2 stories, about friends and colleagues, people just like me, from different places around the world, who share my perspective.
Let me start with my good friend Raj – he’s just a little older than me, but looks years younger. He was born in Delhi, India. When he was a boy, he and his friend Anil dreamed of getting a good education and perhaps someday moving to the U.S.A – the land of Opportunity. Everything he’d heard about America indicated that it’s a place where one can get a great education and accomplish great things – do big things. When he was about 15, Raj’s sister met and married a talented computer scientist and they moved to the state of California – his whole family was the envy of friends & relatives, because this was seen as an opportunity for family members to also visit America.
Raj and Anil both graduated with honors from Universities in India. Raj moved on to the U.S and secured a job in the Financial Services sector while Anil ended up securing a job working for a U.S based firm, in Delhi. They stayed in touch and after a few years, Anil also moved to America – at the urging of his friend. Now, let’s fast forward 10 years to the year ’07. Raj works right here in Seattle as a Marketing Manager – for a well known technology firmJ, and Anil has a great job with GE, in Atlanta. Both men became leaders in their own right and learnt how to think and work with a Global mindset. They’ve also visited home on a number of occasions, over the past 10 years – and noticed that “Globalization” had resulted in plenty of new opportunities, back in India. They’d talked about moving back to Delhi, in order to be close to their family and friends. The prestige of living in America has long since worn off, however the life in America is peaceful, predictable and still bear’s some promise.
However – in 2008, Anil took the plunge and moved back home, with his wife and children. The financial crisis in the U.S affected his organization and he wasn’t seeing the same sort of opportunities that he’d envisioned – just a few years earlier.
He’d heard that he could get up to 75% of his U.S salary, in India and he was keen to test the waters, back home. To his surprise, both he and his wife found local companies which matched their U.S salaries and provided great growth opportunities for them, professionally. Now he calls Raj every week and urges him to come back home.
The winds of change are blowing – globalization has resulted in new career options and a new mind set for many aspiring leaders, around the world.
My final story is a little more personal. It’s about me and a childhood friend of mine – his name is Desmond.
Desmond and I met while we both studied at the University of Lagos, in Nigeria and we became close friends. Growing up in Nigeria – I’d always dreamt of living and working in North America. Unlike me, Desmond had no desire to live & work abroad. He understood the benefits but felt that he wanted to be a big fish in a small pond – and for him that meant working for an Oil Company or a foreign bank. You see, in Nigeria, working for an International Oil Company or a Bank, was seen as the best possible job that in Nigeria. That’s the form of Globalization that still represents opportunities for millions of Nigerians. It was either go abroad or work for a foreign based company – the pay was better and the trappings of success were very attractive.
Desmond first worked for Nigeria /American Bank, a bank with strong ties to the United States. He soon determined that a foreign degree would provide even more opportunities with these Intl Companies, so he left Nigeria and pursued an MBA at Imperial College, London. He did well and was offered jobs in the UK and Lagos, he chose Citi Bank, Lagos Office – sticking with the mindset that Intl Companies in growing markets/economies, offered the best opportunities. The MBA helped and he did well, moving twice to Mgt positions in other International banks, in Nigeria. Working for a Global Organization helped him develop as a leader; he learnt how to think globally, whilst working locally.
However, over last few years he began to notice a trend. Indigenous companies – banks & oil companies have caught on to Globalization and are aggressively extending their operations to other African & European Countries. Desmond and several of his colleagues, stifled by the monolithic and increasingly conservative approach of multi-nationals, started looking elsewhere for new opportunities, locally.
They were shocked to find that several Indigenous or local companies offered much more attractive financial incentives than they’d received foreign-based companies provide – something that was totally unimaginable just 10 years ago. Desmond soon jumped ship to a local bank, where he’s paid almost twice what he was making before and has the autonomy to negotiate big deals and lead increasingly important initiatives.
The winds of change are blowing – globalization has resulted in new career options and a new mind set for many aspiring leaders, around the world.
Clearly, the advent of Globalization has opened doors for aspiring leaders around the world – but that’s not all. One key result of the recent Global Financial Crisis is that large International Companies notably in the U.S have been forced to shed Jobs both here and abroad. Talented, aspiring managers, stunned by recent events are starting to re-examine their options and they’re finding that “first world” nations don’t necessarily offer the best opportunities.
I’ve been blessed to have a good career so far, first in Canada & now in the United States – however, there are thousands of others like Desmond and Anil who can now afford a lifestyle similar to my own. Globalization has reached the developing markets, local businesses are increasingly taking their products & services to International markets – that phenomenon will continue to grow, as more and more talented leaders flock to these smaller growth markets.
That’s why I believe Globalization, as I know it – provides some great career choices for aspiring leaders and that’s why I’m happy and honored to be a member of the University of Washington “Leadership” MBA Class of ‘2011.
Thank-you all very much, and enjoy the rest of the evening…..
Hey guys, I wanted to reach out and apologize for not posting any leadership development write-ups, over the past month. The challenges of work and professional development have been such that I couldn’t make time to write.
That said, I’m back in the saddle this week and looking forward to writing a few articles, this month. I’ve also invited a few of my colleagues to contribute write-ups, as well.
Servant Leader
A few months ago, a colleague sent me a Great presentation by Robert McDonald – CEO of P&G. As I listened to Robert outline his 10 Leadership Beliefs , it occurred to me that Value based leadership principles have a lot in common with the concept of Servant Leadership.
Leadership is nothing more than observing a set of behaviors – behaviors are based on beliefs. Beliefs are based on one’s background, culture, values and the environment in which one grows up. People love to work for a leader who is predictable, they like to understand where their leader is coming from.
The scarcest resource we have is leadership, and it’s also the most important resource in the world. Nothing happens without leadership. So, be deliberate about your personal beliefs, your values, your leadership principles. Below are Robert’s 10 Leadership Beliefs…
Robert’s key message is that we should all lead purposeful lives. How many of us are controlled by our calendar – rather than our key goals? I do agree that it’s important to spend some time – outlining your purpose in life and get in touch with what you want to accomplish with this life.
So, what are your beliefs? What do you believe, as a leader, why do you believe the way you do?
Servant Leader
In my last post, I provided a recap on the recent Biz Week Web cast – featuring Marshall Goldsmith and a surprise guest – Alan Mullaly.
I haven’t read much or heard much about Alan Mullaly – I just know him as one of 3 auto maker CEOs who was roundly criticized for flying corporate Jets to Capitol Hill, during a period when many in their companies where loosing their jobs, or taking pay-cuts. Truth be told, not many CEOs of Fortune 50 companies stopped using their private jets, fewer still sold them outright, but I digress…
Mr. Mullaly was introduced as a great leader with great attributes. The moderator teed things up by asking Alan to provide some leadership insights for listeners and explain how he stays positive, in a difficult financial environment. He could easily have basked in the accolades and reinforced the comments which Marshall had made earlier. Instead – he spent the first 5 minutes providing a brief overview of his career and thanking Ford’s employees, dealers, biz partners e.t.c, for helping the company through a very difficult period. He then explained certain elements of his management philosophy.
“It’s important to include everybody – it’s got to be okay to share your issues/challenges –with others. That way, everybody can help. Leaders need to unleash all the energy of their organizations – to help others. Figure out how to help – which helps keep one from getting isolated, and helps the entire team move forward”. As leaders, we must always lead by example, ask the right questions, clarify what we’re about, what’s our compelling vision, what areas need special attention.
Alan drives shared accountability through a rigorous, “very disciplined review process which we run through weekly meetings”. He provided 5 key attitudinal or behavioural traits which every one attending these meetings, must espouse.
Sometimes, when senior level executives speak, we feel as if we’ve heard it all before and they’re just repeating a party line. Surely there must be more to being a great, effective, leader than all this “stuff”. “Sometimes you need to play politics”, “It’s about who you know, not what you know”, “You’ve got to be tough with others”. “People only follow you if they fear you”. I’m sure you’ve all heard some of these assertions before – I won’t try to dispute them here, there are many path’s to success – as a leader. It’s just gratifying to note that some great leaders believe in the principles which Alan shared during the Web cast….
Servant Leader…
A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Biz Week was hosting a special Web cast with noted Executive Coach – Marshall Goldsmith - whose been named, one of the 50 great thinkers and leaders who have influenced the field of management over the past 80 years.
I listened in on the webcast – and, as promised, here’s my recap and key takeaways.
First, some context – one of the key objectives for the web cast was to provide listeners with some tangible insights on how to effectively respond to the current economic downturn and prosper, even in an environment when many are disillusioned, uncertain or even, scared. Here are a few quick points which Marshall outlined and reiterated.
I. Life is constantly changing.
II. Don’t fixate on the present situation, the present challenges.
III. Life isn’t fair, don’t dwell on issues, deal with them.
IV. Ask yourself - How can I make the best of today?
V. Stay Upbeat – things will happen in this rapidly changing world.
Marshall gave the example of Alan Mulally – CEO of Ford, who has been dealt tough hands, first at Boeing Commercial (during the 9-11 period) and now at Ford, which is facing tough challenges during the current economic upheaval. Marshall mentioned that Alan remains upbeat, he is positive, he has fun, he’s enjoying his life. He’s very positive and he’s not stressed out, and that attitude, permeates across his organization.
Marshall then told a story about how he attended a recent lunch with Alan and a few friends – and he was actually selling ford vehicles to his friends, during lunch. (he sold 3 of them, using nothing but word of mouth and Ford Brochures).
Marshall went on to point out a few reasons why, he believes Alan is very successful, as a leader. He is incredibly disciplined, always focuses on what he can do and provides great process management.
We can all learn from his attitude. The reality is that life is always changing for all of us. We can fixate on the negative or we can say “here’s where things are today – let’s deal with it”.
Earlier, Marshall mentioned that he coached Alan for a period of time, while he was at Boeing , and even then, he was a great people manager. Towards the end of the webcast, Alan Mullaly made a surprise appearance on the call. I have to believe that this wasn’t staged, because the moderator sounded genuinely surprised. I’ll discuss what I learnt from Alan’s commentary – in my next post.
Servant Leader…..
A friend invited me to watch a Sounders Game, last week. For those of you who don’t know – the Seattle Sounders are a soccer team, playing in the U.S, Professional Soccer League – MLS. It was a great event, we lost the match – but the atmosphere was great.
As I watched the game, I remembered a conversation I’d had with another friend - who recently watched the Sounders take on one of the worlds best teams – Chelsea FC, of the English Premiership, in a friendly match. He talked about how Chelsea dominated the match with creative attacks and disciplined defence. Spraying passes effortlessly and making the game look more like a practice session. I heard similar feedback about another friendly, against FC Barcelona.
If you’re a die hard Sounders fan, you may disagree with this assessment – I wasn’t there, so I can’t judge. However, I’ve played and watched football (or Soccer), for most of my life and I’m quite knowledgeable about the worlds best leagues, and players.
As I listened to my friend go on and on about how well Chelsea played and how fit and strong -they looked, I asked him a question. Do you think any of our Seattle Sounder players could play for Chelsea? Are they good enough, and if not – why not?
I’d like to throw this out as an exercise to all you Leaders & soccer lovers out there.
Now, think of Chelsea as a Fortune 50 Company – (such as Coca-cola, Procter & Gamble or Microsoft). The Sounders could be a much smaller, mid-tier Fortune 10,000 team.
Pls feel free to respond to my questions through comments on this blog post, or you could email me directly at leaders@theleadershipjournal.com
Servant Leader
Earlier today, for some reason, I found myself thinking about Judy Elder. She was the GM, Consumer Products Division at Microsoft Canada, back in March ‘02. I probably have the unfortunate distinction of being the last person she ever interviewed for a position at MSN Canada, she passed away on March 28th ‘02, at the age of 47.
In addition to her role in the Consumer Products Division, Judy was also responsible for the Canadian retail and consumer marketing of all of Microsoft’s software, hardware tools and Xbox. She came to Microsoft Canada from IBM Canada, where she served as Vice-President, Communications and simultaneously held the position of Director of Integrated Marketing Communications for IBM North America. Prior to joining IBM Canada, Ms. Elder spent almost 18 years with Oglivy and Mather Advertising where she rose steadily through the ranks, culminating in a six-year term as President of Ogilvy One, Ogilvy and Mather’s direct and interactive marketing company. She also served as the Chair of the Canadian Marketing Association.
Although I didn’t know Judy Elder personally, I remember being struck by her warmth and her smile. She had a way of making you feel at ease, even whilst asking tough, penetrating questions. I got the job, and during my first week – I ended up attending a memorial ceremony for Judy. The event was so well attended, and so moving, that I resolved to find out more about her. In doing so, I came across a speech she delivered to a Women’s Television Network series, organized by the Toronto Board of Trade. The speech was delivered just a few weeks before she died. It was called “Mothers, Fathers, Men, Ambition: The people and values that motivate and shape women’s success”. The speech was so inspiring that it motivated top Canadian corporations to fund the Judy Project, a leadership forum for executive women at the University of Toronto’s Joseph L. Rotman School of Management. (Those who think words can’t have a lasting impact, – should think again).
It is that Speech which I remembered – this morning, as I prepared to write a motivational email to one of my mentees. Although this speech targets women, we can all benefit from Judy’s assertions about Life, Loved Ones & Ambition. In Jan ’05, 3 years after she passed away, Judy Elder was amongst the first 12 people in Canada to be inducted into the Marketing Hall of Legends, along with great Canadian entrepreneurs who created iconic brands such as Roots, Tim Horton’s, President’s Choice and Cirque du Soleil. I’m honored to have met this woman, even for only an hour – and I encourage you all to read her speech – and send me your comments.
(If for some reason, you can’t access the pdf links in this blog post – you may need to download Adobe Reader 9 It’s free – and you’re not compelled to change your search tool bar, you can simply uncheck the box): Link to Download.
Servant Leader….
Hi there, as some of you may know – this journal exists to provide useful, tangible information on Leadership trends, for a global audience, around the world. We will strive to post our write-ups, on a bi-weekly bases, primarily on Saturday’s or Sundays. So, those of you who have RSS feeds, can look out for new write-ups, every couple of weeks.
We’re hopeful that you will be able to apply some of our suggestions during your work week, and share your insights and learnings with us, through comments on our blog posts or emails to leaders@theleadershipjournal.com.
Cheers,
