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For some employees, seeing the handwriting on the wall in terms of company direction and expectations may draw a much different reaction. When one end-user support department within a communications company announced it was moving toward help desk services and away from training, several trainers balked. They enjoyed the personal interaction and the pace of leader-lead classes and were less willing to answer end users’ questions by phone. One department member elected to struggle through the new job responsibilities but continued to constantly complain and perform poor performance habits. Another employee, perhaps wiser, elected to leave. A staff member at General Electric quotes a popular in-house saying, Glad to Stay, Ready to Leave. In the 1990s, part of the employee’s responsibility is to recognize when it is time to leave.

Final Tip

The idea of self-rescue applies equally to the careers of middle managers and the careers of their staff. Managers assume the position of guides, functioning as resources to employees in terms of company direction and expectations for performance. Managers, however, are passengers as well and must take responsibility for their own careers.

STRATEGY NO. 3: ADOPTING THE NIKE MODEL OF LEARNING

This is not a new educational model developed by the sports shoe giant, but an application of its now-famous motto to one’s own training and development: Just Do It. Do It refers to experimental learning where individuals stretch slightly beyond their current abilities and develop new skills in the process. To reap the benefits of this approach to learning, individuals take responsibility for a special project, or a portion thereof, and then see it through to completion. For example, managers may participate in a cross-functional quality team, serve on a task force, or facilitate a special meeting. A manager may contribute an article to a technical publication or speak at a local conference (or begin as a panelist if the thought of public speaking is too scary). The point is to take on a new challenge that raises the high bar in terms of an individual’s current expertise.

This Do It attitude is key to Barbara Golden’s theory of developing the personal infrastructure for a leadership role. As she says, an infrastructure consists of a personal mission (i.e., what a person lives to do), and the maturation and confidence that occur from experience and difficulties successfully overcome. Do It learning does not need to be limited to the workplace. Opportunities abound within the community, public schools, commercial programs, social services agencies, and even with vendor partners. For example, Bill Sheppard developed many of the leadership skills he possesses today by volunteering as a Sierra Club guide; he improved his speaking skills by investing his own time and money in Toastmasters. A self- employed technical writer, he developed PC expertise by volunteering at his 8-year-old son’s computer lab. A training and development manager within a leading bank worked with a consultant to build a CD-rom-based banking basics course but developed knowledge of multimedia authoring systems in the process.

Do It learning can be compared to traditional learning — the type of learning managers may achieve by attending an annual industry seminar. The manager probably knows 50% of the material already, and another 25% is irrelevant. It is likely that most of the attendees are in similar jobs, and thus do not provide a fertile network for new job opportunities. This type of passive learning may have value, but it must be complemented by active learning that not only offers more challenge but also greater viability for new employment.

Building a portfolio is paramount to the manager’s career success. managers are wise to keep samples of any materials they develop or co-develop (e.g., video tapes, reports, newsletters, and training manuals). These provide managers with added credibility, whether they are seeking a new career opportunity or an internal promotion. Teri Blommaert, a former systems engineer for IBM Corp., advises managers to consider all the work they have done, even if they only played a part within a particular project. Managers should not underestimate the work or their role. They should give it the recognition it deserves. Blommaert knows the importance of Do It learning firsthand. When she undertakes a new project, she strives first to do a topnotch job on the tasks that have specifically been assigned to her. Once accomplished, she volunteers to assist others with different areas of the project, knowing that she is helping, learning, and building her portfolio simultaneously.

The Do It model of learning may sound risky for a very important reason: it is. There is always risk associated with trying new activities beyond an individual’s experience or perceived abilities. However, playing it safe no longer guarantees getting or keeping a job in the 1990s. Because there are no guarantees, it is more judicious to take calculated risks that develop one’s potential than to sit back and hope for new opportunities.

Final Tip

A huge chasm exists between Doing It and thinking about doing it. managers should begin now to identify potential projects that can help build skills, then get started.

STRATEGY NO. 4: REASSESSING PERSONAL GOALS AND ABILITIES

Many managers find the loss of a job the perfect time to take stock of their personal priorities. Increasingly, the quest for the corner office is being replaced by a desire for new perks: flexible work hours, more independence, and a greater sense of fulfillment. In their book, 100 Best Companies to Work for in America, Levering and Moskowitz say that the top companies today are magnets for people looking for meaningful work. A 1991 Gallup Poll of white- and blue-collar workers supports this statement. The survey results show employees rank interesting work as a higher priority than income or chances for promotion.


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