Help, my manager is killing my career

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women stressedChances are if you like your manager, your team mates and the tasks at hand are still interesting, then you may be less likely to jump ship unless you are vastly underpaid or you have a personal situation that requires your attention. There is a saying that “People leave managers, not companies,” and a bad manager changes everything. If your relationship is less than cordial with your manager, this can permeate daily interactions to a point where you feel that he or she is a hindrance to your advancement or even your emotional wellbeing in the worst case scenario (and I hear about this more than you think with serial offenders showing patterns with the new hires.) This issue is very tricky and I hesitate to give advice in a one size fits all matter since there is nuance to this topic and I would advise you to speak to your career coach or a trusted advisor first.

What can you do? Explore other options within the same company and navigate the politics by lunching with peers from other teams and even get a sponsor who a leader (the boss of your boss, or higher or a different team leader) so that you can start to understand the bigger picture of mobility, project allocation and promotional tracks. Also, sometimes a bad manager isn’t just someone who has a bad personality but someone who is stuck between a rock and a hard place themselves suffering from systemic constraints ( such as lack of resources, understaffed etc.) and so you have to figure out if this is a temporary issue or a true sign of dysfunction of the entire company.

Failing that, sometimes you just have to call a spade a spade and move on. There are other firms out there.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Can you see a clear path forward? How motivation theory works in practice

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clear path way featuredThis week as week 3 of our series of decision making around staying out or getting a new job, we explore what happens when you see less of a career track where you are and you think you can get further in another firm. Basically, it boils down to the old saying “dead men’s shoes” or in this case, “dead women’s heels” as if you cannot see a promotional track ahead of you, chances are you are ready to look elsewhere and who could blame you?

Goal setting theory and other organizational psychology theories and basic principles suggests that motivation is not a specific trait in any one person but rather it is a combination of your ability to do the job and experience more successes than grinding organizational obstacles, along with your ability to see a clear path forward otherwise known as “opportunity”. This is how you stay motivated at work.

However, make sure you are actually seeing the big picture- firms often offer much more mobility than you can see with the naked eye. First port of call is to ask your manager how he or she feels you can grow in the firm and how you can grow in the next year or two? Network outside of your direct team as openly as you see fit in your specific situation. Look at job boards and see what opportunities are being advertised.
The art and the science is knowing how much trust you can have in your manager to sponsor you. Next week we shall talk more about this.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist
Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Its all about the money. Getting that pay rise

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money money moneyLast week we began looking at how to weigh up your options regarding staying and progressing at your firm or making a move to further your career.

Let’s start with the financial factor of feeling or being actually underpaid for the job that you do. First thing to do is to do some research on what your peers get paid online and yes interviewing is a way to do this as well as conversations with trusted peers. Secondly, before leaving, there are ways to explore pay and compensation changes with your boss and your HR team without threatening to leave and never present an ultimatum and especially if you don’t actually have a new job to go to. Do Not Bluff unless you are independently wealthy and can afford some time off.

Go to your boss and say that you would like to take him or her to lunch to chat about the past year. If you did a great job, present your case and ask for a higher base and/or a higher bonus or commission structure. Sometimes base salaries are harder to play with than commissions but ultimately if you are truly under market values ( as women often come in lower than men on base salary) there is a real case to give you the bump that aligns you with peers. If it is just about the money, and you are otherwise pretty happy, then why jump ship to an unknown workplace culture and structure? This conversation is worth having and then you can decide what to do!

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist
Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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New Year, New Job? Not so fast

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People waiting for an interviewSo, bonuses are paid and you are ready to make a move to your next job. You have your reasons for leaving and they are one or more of the following:

  • You think you can do better financially for the same work
  • You see less of a career track where you are and you think you can get further in another firm (title and responsibilities)
  • You are leaving your manager, not your company
  • You are changing industry or function and can only do that by leaving
  • You are not aligned with how things get done in your current job

Over the next five weeks we will look at each of these factors to give you a sanity check on whether you truly are leaving for the right reasons.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist
Contact nicki@glasshammer2.wpengine.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Bonus season is just around the corner and the big question becomes should I stay or should I go?

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money money moneyChances are, if you work in banking, you are thinking about bonus season. If you are keen to move companies, do your research before you get your bonus and start conversations with the right firms ahead of time. Why? Well, it is sometimes like being in a bad relationship, a small gesture can make you stay for a little while longer when you know you need something different. Money is always a factor, but look at culture, growth opportunities and ultimately the job you want after the next one as you make your decisions to move. Good luck!

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@glasshammer2.wpengine.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work in technology

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Leading an ERG or a network? How do you get recognized for your work?

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Business meetingDo you lead a women’s network or other Employee Resource Group ( ERG) at work? If so, you probably know that there is real work and time needed for this endeavour to be successful. So, how do you use this opportunity to develop leadership skills and then get recognized for this work?

My first piece of advice is to communicate what you are doing so that senior people can see your leadership skills. This is a good time to ask yourself, is this group institutionally supported? One way to check if it is, is to look at whether it is mandated from the top and has actual participation from leaders and managers in a meaningful way. If it is pure grassroots from the “bottom up” chances are you are not on senior people’s radar for the work that you are doing. Also worth considering is the question – is this network connected to the talent strategy? if not, wine and cupcakes are fine, but don’t expect to be the next CEO because of it.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Virtual networking, does it work?

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woman on the phone featuredLinkedIn and other online networks are really good ways to maintain your contacts and yes some people do accept connections from people they don’t really know but the fact remains that humans still prefer actual relationships over virtual ones when it comes to getting business done. It is necessary to have a digital presence, think of it as an online resume and personal branding plays a role, but it is what you do with those connections that matter. Ask people to lunch, coffee and in-person networking events so that you can explore mutual interests because fruitful relationships that have a quid pro quo is the way to truly succeed, advance and make lasting contacts.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Overcoming stereotype threat as a woman in technology

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Women-on-computerWe recently had our 6th annual women in technology career event and several audience questions touched upon the issue of what it means to be a women in technology and even what to do when you fall into the “Imposter Syndrome”. There are stereotypes around how technologists are supposed to look for sure, and research shows that unconscious bias is still an issue from messaging women into the industry to promoting them all the way to the top. However, you are here, you are doing it and you can do two things. Firstly find good sponsors to give you the best of the projects and shepard you so that don’t just have have outstanding experiences but you get to fully appreciate the wins and failures without being judged for your every move. Secondly advocate for yourself fearlessly and believe in yourself because you belong here. Lastly, always know that there are good teams and companies out there so if you are not valued, go somewhere that supports your talent and growth.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Making the right decision for your next job.

People waiting for an interviewFollowing on from last week’s advice around dealing with an unexpected change in fortune at work and the very tangible real fallout of being out of a job in a sudden manner, we look at how to make the right decision for your next job.

Firstly, if you have any kind of financial cushion, make a promise to yourself that you will not make rash decisions and instead take the time to reflect on what you really want to do next. That in itself can feel slightly overwhelming so consider a qualified coach to help you through this time as a good sounding board is exactly what you need to help you frame this situation as an opportunity to get what you want. More satisfaction, more time, more flexibility, more money, a different title? These are all elements that you can now think about as maybe it is time to go up the ladder or go lateral? Either way, it is ultimately an ideal time to take the time to figure out what you want and what works for you at this juncture as last time you interviewed for a job, you might have been in a different place in your life. Not least, you have a chance to think about your enhanced skill set since that last time around.

By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

Contact nicki@theglasshammer.com if you would like to hire an executive coach to help you navigate the path to optimal personal success at work

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Bumps in the road. What happens when things go temporarily wrong at work?

women stressedThings can go wrong in your career, at least that is how it seems. Maybe your company is downsizing and you got a tap on the shoulder informing you that your team is being consolidated and there is no place for you. Maybe they even marched you out of the building!

What do you do in this situation? You are faced with a choice of how to recover. Yes, how to recover as there are many emotions and thoughts involved with this type of situation. The best thing you can do is let go of any negative emotion ( anger, bitterness etc) and list what you enjoyed most and what you enjoyed least about both the job itself and the company culture. This will help you figure out what is next for you, professionally!

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