Fit Into the Organization 3: Enhance Your Visual Fit

This continues our series on how fitting in helps you get the biggest raises and better jobs

John, the managing partner of a Big 3 accounting firm, complained to the colleagues surrounding the table for lunch. “How do you motivate the new crop of college graduates?” he asked. “For example” he continued “They come to work in shorts and t-shirts if they don’t think they have a client coming that day. Then, they embarrass the firm, when a client appears unexpectedly.”

Dress for Your Current Job

How much respect would a star basketball player receive if he appeared to play the NBA championship game wearing football pads, helmet, and jersey? The logical answer in sports eludes many people about dress at work.

Each company or industry expects certain dress standards. For example, some expect

• Employees to wear actual uniforms (fast food, retail, service technicians, or others)
• Informal uniforms such as suits, dress shirts, ties, etc.
• More casual uniform

Few seek something as causal as shorts and a t-shirt. Your chance for success will increase as you dress appropriately.

Avoid Outlandish Dress

Sometimes, employees like to dress in costumes or such for special occasions. For example,

• Some companies encourage employees to dress in costumes for Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day,  or other holidays
• Others allow it, but do not encourage it
• Ask your supervisor what they will wear for special situations
• Follow management’s lead. Dress similar to them
• You do not want to dress inappropriately even on Halloween

Dress for Your Future Job

Do you visually fit in to the promotion you want? You can begin now to dress for future jobs:

• Observe how the people working in the positions you want dress each day
• Focus on just one or two levels up at this point
• Examine how you dress
• Identify the differences and begin dressing more like them
• CAUTION: don’t start wearing suits if you work on the production line

Monday we highlight how your formal and informal conversations define how you fit in

This blog will improve as you submit comments, questions, and experiences. We will answer your questions in future blog posts. Please submit your comments and questions so we can answer them.

Fit Into the Organization 2: Fit into Corporate Cultures

This continues our series on how fitting in can help you get the biggest raises & better jobs

Tom, an outstanding software project manager, maintained a very solid, detail-oriented approach to life. He carefully weighed his words and thoughts. He spoke hesitantly, softly, and deliberately. He stumbled over his thoughts when pressed to think or speak quickly. These traits served him quite well as a project manager. His quality benefitted by his attention to detail. Unfortunately, he accepted a job with one of the new SAAS companies. Their culture thrived on creative chaos and spur-of-the-moment innovations. Tom could not fit in to that culture and lost his job within 5 months.

Different Corporate Cultures

The Sergey Group defines corporate culture as “the collective way we do things around here.” They continue: “It involves a learned system of meanings which guide our perceptions, understanding of events, and what we pay attention to…It consists of the created and shared beliefs, values, and glue that holds an organization together, and it also involves the very nature of the organization. Culture is about individuals in a group sharing patterns of behavior.”

Every corporation or organization maintains a distinctive and unique culture. Some cultures include:

• Slow moving, deliberate cultures that consider every option before proceeding
• Quick, impetuous organizations that act on the spur of the moment
• Innovative, spontaneous cultures that value and reward creativity
• Structured, well-organized cultures that every person has a purpose and place
• Acquisitive, growing cultures that borrow or buy other companies to expand

Identify Your Corporate Culture

You must identify the culture of your work team or organization in order to fit in. Trying to fit into a culture that contradicts your personal values and personality creates personal conflicts that will leave you unhappy or dissatisfied.

You can discover the culture from

• Observe how people interact, the layout of the workstations, and types of meetings
• Learn from your mentor and network within the company
• Listen to informal & formal communications
• Ask insightful, thoughtful, and inoffensive questions

Friday we discuss how to visually fit in to your work team, organization, and company

Fit Into the Organization 1: Overview

This begins a new series about a key element in getting the biggest raises & better jobs

Brenda worked doing civil engineering drafting while working on her masters in civil engineering. She performed her work very well and received compliments from her supervisors. Unfortunately, she also possessed a confrontational attitude that irritated people. As a result she lost 3 jobs in 18 months while studying for her masters. She also lost 3 jobs in 18 after receiving her master’s. She finally recognized her problem and adjusted her attitude. She has held the last job for almost two years.

The Importance of Fitting In

You must fit into your work team, organization, or company to get ahead. Failing to fit in results eventually in termination. Managers and executives consistently list the need to fit in as one of three requirements for good employees.

Employees that do not fit into the work team create problems for the team or organization. For example, the team may lose:

• Cohesion among the team
• Morale and esprit de corps
• Productivity and efficiency
• The best employees
• Clients and customers
• Revenues and profits

These potential losses drive HR recruiters and hiring authorities to work very hard to only hire people that will fit in. Supervisors and managers to act quickly to eliminate the source of trouble when someone does not fit in.

Ways to How Fit In with the Team

On the other hand, by fitting in, you enhance your reputation and chances for receiving the biggest raises or the best jobs offered by the company. You fit in in several ways. We will outline a few ways, in the coming posts:

• Culturally
• Visually
• Conversationally
• Organizationally
• Professionally
• Socially
• Written rules
• Unwritten rules
• Support team members
• Stay connected with former friends & co-workers
• MYBLG (Make Your Boss Look Good)

In addition, we will outline methods to help you ensure you fit in, including:

• Find and listen to a mentor
• Develop a network inside and outside your work team or company
• Read and study good sources on business and culture

Wednesday we discuss understanding corporate cultures to fit into them

Changes in, and Impact of, Human Resource Practices

Occasionally, we review changes in the workplace that may affect your career or job

Bryan had applied to work for a technology company. His background in finances and business development qualified him for the position. His friends gave him several contacts into the company. As a result, he knew exactly what job they wanted done and prepared answers to demonstrate his qualifications to do the job. His preparations helped him get through two interviews. The company then required him to take a talent test and a four hour competence/logic exam. After both tests, they informed him he did meet their qualifications.

Factors Empowering Human Resource Departments

Human Resource Departments exert great control in today’s corporations. The Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) provides certification for human resource professionals. Much of the certification requires training on legal issues governing discrimination, harassment, policy and procedure.

Many of the rules human resources must implement originated in laws passed by congress or local legislatures. The laws protect companies and employees. In addition, lawsuits based on legislation further define and restrict the culture and practices of the organization. The litigious nature of today’s world create narrow interpretations that seem overly-restrictive to many. Yet, provide protection for many employees.

Human Resource Selection Process

Hiring a full-time employee generates a large financial obligation. In addition to the salary, companies will be required to provide health benefits. They may incur the additional financial burden of matching funds through a 401K. In addition, companies pay for the workstation, equipment, and other costs.

The expense created by hiring someone combined with potential legal liabilities demand that corporations exercise caution in the recruiting and selection process. The company may require you to perform the following activities in the process of hiring you. For example, you may need to:

• Submit a rather lengthy online application using the company’s language and terms
• Pass a structured interview usually involving multiple interviewers
• Take a talent, competence, or other test
• Provide multiple personal and professional references upon request
• Negotiate salary

Monday we will share tips to help you fit into your work team, company, or organization

Economic Trends Affect Your Income and Living Standards

Occasionally we review how certain economic trends affect your lifestyle

The Lewiston’s were like most families in America today. He supervised a warehouse and shipping terminal. She worked two part-time jobs in fast food and retail companies. Like many families, they had a daughter and her two children move back into the home. The daughter went away for several months leaving the children with her parents. Her mother had to quit both her jobs to stay at home with her grandchildren. The loss of her incomes coupled with increasing costs of the children, utilities, food and healthcare distressed the family finances significantly.

Indications of Better Times

This week the Census Bureau announced a .6% increase in consumer spending. The largest increase came from a 1.8% increase in auto sales. Typically, this news indicates an increase in consumer confidence. The economic wisdom decrees that people buy more things when they believe the economy will grow. Car purchasing especially indicates trust because people have to commit to such long-term financing.

In addition, the unemployment numbers indicated more discouraged workers began seeking jobs again. We see more help wanted signs appearing in windows. We also see more billboards advertising job openings along our highways. Further, many companies can not fill all of the opening for their jobs. They cannot find potential employees with the right skills.

Annual Raises Remain Small

In spite of the good news, some problems still persist. First, typical raises continue to fall below increases in the consumer price index. The majority of Americans received only a 12.8% increase in 2011. The consumer price index rose by 3.2% during the same period of time. As a result, most wage earners lost buying power by .6%.

The good news continued in 2012. The consumer price index last year rose only 1.7%. Data about raises in wages and salaries have not been released for 2012. Studies in August of 2012 forecasted a 3.0% salary increase. However, actual increases for the previous three years did not measure up to the forecasts.

Friday we highlight some changes in corporate human resource practices and processes

Unemployment News: Hope Spurs People to Job Searches

We frequently review wage, salary and employment trends as released by various sources

Ryan lost his job, as a title officer, more than 3 years ago. He weathered the collapse in housing for two years. Eventually, the downturn in construction and home buying caused the title company he worked for to let him go. He started looking for a new job with little hope of success. Not only could he not find a job in the title industry, he couldn’t find any kind of job paying what he used to make. The extension in unemployment benefits kept food on the table, but the constant rejection of his appeals for a job deflated him. Sometime, in the end of 2012 he gave up and stopped looking. His wife found a job paying a fraction of what he used to make, but it paid the bills. Ryan stayed home taking care of the kids.  

First Quarter Sees Hundreds of Thousands Give Up

The Department of Labor publishes what is commonly known as the unemployment report on the first Friday of each month. They define the marginally employed as individuals who “were not in the labor force, wanted and were available for work, and had looked for a job sometime in the prior 12 months.” They were not counted as unemployed because they had not searched for work in the 4 weeks preceding the survey.

The reports for December, January, February, and March indicated increases in the marginally employed and discouraged workers. “Discouraged workers are persons not currently looking for work because they believe no jobs are available for them.”

Latest Report Indicates Returning Hope

The report published on June 7 for the May statistics indicated the marginally employed returned to numbers from 12 months ago. “In May, 2.2 million persons were marginally attached to the labor force, down from 2.4 million a year earlier…Among the marginally attached, there were 780,000 discouraged workers in May, little changed from a year earlier.”  Erasing the increase of the last four months.

Wednesday we share how recent news about the consumer price index may affect you

10X2=Promoted! Enhances Chances for Advancement

This concludes our series outlining how the 10X2 philosophy helps you get better assignments

Terry understood the power of combining good connections with good performance. He always performed his duties with excellence and efficiency. He also made friends quickly and formed lasting relationships with colleagues and others. Unlike many people in business, he maintained relations with colleagues through regular lunches, going to cultural events, emails, and phone calls. His performance and relationships combined to generate seven promotions in 28 years.

Connect with 10 People a Month

Let’s summarize how connecting with 10 people enhances your chance for advancement. Connecting with 10 people gives you the opportunity to:

• Learn valuable information and improve the skills to do your job better
• Seek additional assistance from people who can hasten your work along
• Serve other people and help them to achieve their goals or resolve their problems
• Increase your visibility and competence for team or other work assignments
• Discover the written and unwritten rules of the organization and abide by them
• Identify the culture within the corporation or industry trends outside the company
• Relax and get out of the mainstream to refresh mind and body with others
• Just because affiliating with others can be therapeutic and invigorating

Share 10 Value Statements a Year

You increase management’s respect for you when you quietly share value statements. Well crafted value statements help clarify your contributions to the work. The statements communicate the value you have added to your job, your work team, or your organization.

They establish a perceived return on investment, especially when you include details of how you

• Increased revenues or sales
• Improved the amount of units produced or service given
• Decreased the costs required to accomplish the same desired results
• Acquired new skills or talents that make you more eligible for additional duties
• Calmed and retained a dissatisfied or irate, but valuable, client
• Enhanced the quality of your work
• Mentored a co-worker to perform better and increase productivity

Consequently, they notice you and your value, and consider you for better assignments

Monday we review some interesting facts relating to today’s workplace economics

10X2=Promoted! Make Real Improvements to Your Work

This continues our series outlining how the 10X2 philosophy helps you get better assignments

Eileen worked in a manufacturing company. She felt pressure to increase her performance and the productivity of the entire operation. While the company pushed for improvements, she put even more pressure on herself. Her quiet, aloof manner kept her isolated from the rest of the workers. In time, she succumbed to the pressure and began falsifying her production reports  Her position of responsibility insulated her so that no one, in authority, caught the falsification for years. But, it eventually caught up with her and she lost her job.

Look for Real Improvements

We made reference in previous posts to the need to improve the productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, or quality of your work. Your company will not offer you a promotion unless they feel that you will fulfill the following requirements in your new position. Therefore, you must convince them that you will:

• Do the job they want you to perform in the new assignment or promotion
• Fit into the new work or project team
• Generate the return on investment they expect from the new position

Management will judge your ability to fulfill these expectations based on your current performance. Generating real improvement in your work will impress them only when you share your value statements with them.

Your value statements, however, must reflect real improvements, rather than cosmetic improvements. Measuring your performance week to week or month to month allows you to provide real proof of your improvement.

Do not exaggerate or  falsify the information. Lying will catch up with you.

Let Others Help You Improve

Connecting with 10 people a month will help you discover better, more efficient ways to work. For example, they may:

• Teach you methods and solutions to challenges in your work
• Expedite work because they possess the expertise needed to make improvements like
  • Purchasing
  • Fleet management
  • Facility management
  • Information Technology
  • Interior decorating
  • Machining
  • Electronics, or
  • Other skills
• Connect you to others who may also help improve your work

Friday we spotlight how connecting 10X2 will enhance your possibility for getting promoted

10X2=Promoted! Focus Your Value on Desired Assignments

This continues our series outlining how the 10X2 philosophy helps you get better assignments

Herman worked in a division of a md-size company. He reached the top of his current career ladder. The company opened a new division with great possibilities. The new division was small, merely 3 employees. Herman saw potential in the new division. He admired the purpose and mission of the new division. Without neglecting his own duties, he began expanding his work to offer assistance to the director of the new division. Within a few years the director invited Herman to join the division that had grown to 11 employees. Within another few years the new division dominated the publicity and growth of the company.

Identify the New Assignment You Desire

You may either rely on management to decide your best promotion, or identify two or three transfers or promotions on your own. We will continue in the assumption that the assignment you desire continues in the same company rather than a different company.

Possibilities for new assignments in the same company may include a:

• Lateral position in a different branch or location
• Lateral position in a different division of the same office
• Assignment on a new project team or committee
• Promotion to a higher position in the same operational line
• Promotion to a higher position in a staff position diagonal to yours

Select your desired position based on

• Increasing time spent performing skills you enjoy performing
• Enhancing your reputation with others in the company
• Stepping from that position into a better future option

Identify Skills and Accomplishments Needed

Once you narrow your focus on 2 or 3 desired options, you begin preparing for future appointments. Do not neglect your current assignments, but begin increasing the connections skills to that desired assignment.

• Include people in your 10 connections a month who will help you develop the skills, understanding, and ability to perform well in the desired assignment
• Share value statements that highlight using skills and fulfilling responsibilities similar to those from your desired assignment

Wednesday we emphasize the need to actually add value through real improvement

10X2=Promoted! How to Share Your Value Statements

This continues our series outlining how the 10X2 philosophy helps you get better assignments

Warren transferred from one division to another within a global headquarters unit. The transfer also provided a promotion with raise in grade and pay. He enjoyed working for the old division, but recognized they failed to value what he did when the passed him over for promotion four times in two years. He practiced the 10X2 philosophy by connecting with 10 people or more a month from different divisions. His connections included his counterparts in the other divisions. He also shared 10 value statements with management each year. The other division rewarded his efforts with the transfer and promotion.

Include Value Statements in Performance Appraisals

You also include your value statements in annual performance appraisal documents or online forms. Most performance appraisals request two pieces of information

• Goals you hope to achieve during the year
• Performance to your goals

Most report performance in vague generalities or nonspecific empty terms. You report the facts of what you did with value statements.

Focus Attention on the Good of the Team

Last post, we shared several methods for communicating your 10 value statements to your supervisor and management: verbally, emails, reports, and performance appraisal documents. Sharing them will only accomplish so much. You also need to put your value statements in context.

You must resist bragging as you share your value statements. Your value statements share facts about improvements you made for the good of the company or organization. They share how you did what your boss wanted you to do.

You sincerely focus your attention on helping the company or organization

• Achieve its purpose, objectives, and goals
• Solve problems that hinder or prevent success
• Contribute to the good of the team
• Increase revenues or profits
• Decrease overhead or costs

One of my greatest mentors taught me very early in my career this valuable advice
“There is no end to the amount of good you can accomplish, if you don’t care who gets the credit”

Monday we outline how to focus your 10X2 efforts towards the assignments you want

10X2=Promoted! Structure of Value Statements You Share

This continues our series outlining how the 10X2 philosophy helps you get better assignments

Enoch volunteers at a community program to help people find jobs. His presentations include finding people to contact and regaining their professional identity. In the several years that Enoch has helped people, he refined the tools they used to find jobs. One of the refinements included changing how people described their accomplishments. He wanted to help them describe the value they added to companies.

Communicate Your Value 10 Times

10X2=Promoted! involves sharing 10 value statements a year with your supervisor and management. We shared several different ways to improve your value to the company. Your value involves doing your job—and more. Your value increases as you either increase their revenues or decrease their costs. Either way, you increase their profits or achieve their goals.

You may communicate your value statements in a variety of ways. We encourage you to use different methods each time. You may share your value statements

• Verbally
• In an email
• Text it
• Include it in an online reporting feature

The key to building value statements remains focusing on specific examples of the improvement of value you added to the company. Too many people share generalities For example, :

• They generalize “I helped the company make more money last month.”
• Instead of specifics “Our accounting division lost interest because it delayed processing accounts. I reduced the processing time for accounts receivables by 15%. As a result, we earned $1,312 a month, or $15,744 a year, in extra interest.”

5 Elements of a Value Statement

Enoch describes 5 elements in value statements. The elements combine to indicate the value you added to the company

• Company or division in which you made the improvement
• Skill you used to make the improvement
• Problem that you needed to improve
• Example of what you did, specifically, to make the improvement
• Results from your action including dollars, percentages, or numbers

You may start with either the company/division or the skill in creating your value statements.

Friday we discuss how to share your value statements with your supervisor & management

10X2=Promoted! Identify 10 Achievements a Year to Share

This continues our series outlining how the 10X2 philosophy helps you get better assignments

Barbara leaned about using home run or value statements with her supervisor and in her annual performance appraisals. She commented that understanding the concept caused her to begin looking for a specific opportunity to excel each month. She said that seeking opportunities allowed her to see things more clearly. Setting the goal to share one achievement each month encouraged her to act on the goal. Her goal quickly turned into habit, and habit into normal behavior. All because she set the goal to share a value statement each month.

Opportunities for Improvements Abound

Work offers excellent opportunities for improvement. You may better comprehend the opportunities by dividing them into four categories. Improvements to productivity, efficiency, effectiveness, or quality. For example:

• Productivity
  • Increase how fast you work
  • Help co-workers work faster
  • Discover how to reduce number of steps required to process work
  • Move workstations closer together to reduce lost time
• Efficiency
  • Use less money to get work done
  • Reduce the time required to complete assignments
  • Maintain the same costs, but increase productivity
  • Involve fewer people in the task
• Effectiveness
  • Focus on the essentials of your job
  • Reduce your time spent on distractions
  • Manage your time to the most important tasks
• Quality
  • Reduce the number of unacceptable finished products
  • Redesign your processes to ensure no flaws
  • Implement the 14 steps for total quality outlined by W. Edwards Deming

Reasons You May Resist Accomplishment

Sometimes, you may resist seeing the opportunities around you. You may see them, but hesitate to act on the opportunities. You may hesitate for many reasons. For example,

• The abundance of possibilities may overwhelm you, paralyzing your ability to act
• You may hesitate for fear of setting a higher standard of expectations
• You don’t want to overstep your responsibilities, annoy co-workers, or upset your supervisor.
• You may have improved your work without coordinating with your supervisor of the company and received negative consequences for doing so
• You don’t care about improving your career

Wednesday we highlight how to structure your value statements to impress management