Tag Archive for: Tip of the week

Self-Regulation is the Key to a Successful Career

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 By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational PyschologistNicki Gilmour
Some people are blessed with an even temper and tactful diplomacy at work. The rest of us are not and we are in fact very human with buttons that can be pressed and triggers that can be triggered. It is entirely worth your while figuring out what your hot buttons are so that you know why they exist and then what to do to make sure you are in control of your reaction.

You don’t have to be a robot but you do need to know how to apply emotional intelligence (EQ). If you are short of EQ, then work with a coach to develop it and if you still don’t have it then you have to learn how to fake it until you make it.

Reactions matter. It’s a virtuous circle to stay calm and carry on.
People want to work with people who are going to show real but positive emotion regarding regular and especially stressful situations.

Equally, be aware of passive aggressiveness which is a productivity killer and is mistaken as self-regulation. It typically takes the form of team members leisurely ignoring each other and pursuing their own agenda. If you are saying yes to a task but really are saying no, then you should step back and think about other ways to communicate that you would like to do the task differently.

Treat others how you would like to be treated.

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Can You See A Promotional Path At Work? Leaving To Go Up The Ladder

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Woman-on-a-ladder-searchingBy Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Psychologist

This summer we have talked about the scenarios that tend to create catalysts for talented people to seek out career coaches to help them navigate the promotional pathway which sometimes means leaving your current team or firm.

When I am coaching, I often hear that my client does not see a clear promotional path and this can be due to many elements but it always involves politics and people.

Sometimes the lack of vision to what the next internal move is is simply due to rigid corporate structures and a perceived lack of places to be promoted into. The old adages “Dead Men’s Shoes” or “Not enough pie to go around” are often mentioned here. Sometimes that is true, but sometimes you need to realize that space will be made for the “right” people. (* the phrase right people could be a whole article in itself, but that is for another day later this summer on unconscious bias, keep reading this column.)

In other instances, what companies sometimes do not grasp is that ambition does vary person to person but having systemic grind due to bad organizational development creates a pebble in everyone’ shoes that simply de-motivates even the most focused players over time. Can this be addressed? Yes. Is it usually addressed in firms? No. Sadly, due to the slightly invisible nature of company and team culture, the average manager cannot start to solve these issues.

Sometimes wanting to leave is about an individual manager or team member, but proper organizational development work can eliminate many of the bad behaviors that can be practiced by less than desirable coworkers. Bad behaviors appear when survivalism is the culture so some of these same folks might be quite nice colleagues in a different environment. Lewin’s theory suggests that behavior is a function of personality PLUS environment, or in other words, the perfect storm can occur in any firm for hellish behaviors to become commonplace.

Either way, it really is about leaving to get a promotion and work in a better culture.

Culture is “how we do things around here” and that is why we coach here at the glasshammer as we think we have the secret weapon for our coachees- we focus on you the individual but we understand the organizational structures and cultural markers so that we can help you pick the right firm and the right opportunity as your next promotion is everything! Call us for 8 sessions (over 18 months) for an introductory price of $2500 and watch your career take off.

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Finding a New Job While Doing Your Job Well

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Is it time to change jobs, change firms or leave the industry? (F)By Nicki Gilmour, Executive Coach and Organizational Pyschologist

Last week we identified the lack of trust as a reason to leave your current job or firm and trust is everything at work just as it is at home. And a few weeks ago, we talked about how the biggest key for individual and team performance was in fact having psychological safety at work so in many respects this ties into that topic.

There might be reasons to stay and build that trust but I hesitate to give advice over the internet in this column as each case will be different and very personalized to the players and the situation.

Instead, I am going to say it straight; if trust is lacking and cannot be built then leave. Of course, the trick is to do your job well while you are securing your next ( better) role in a different team or company.

Do not “stay and quit”.

Remember, every project you do, or skill you acquire can be talked about on your resume and in your job interviews. Use the time wisely and find a firm where trust is abundant. How do you know that? Ask questions like” What gets rewarded here?”. “What gets tolerated?” and “How does the task (insert your type of tasks that you do) get done around here?”.

Best of Luck!

If you are looking for an executive coach to help you navigate your career then please contact nicki@theglasshammer.com for a no obligation conversation

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Power – How Do You Feel About This Word?

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POWER featuredI often run psychometric tests on my coaching clients to find out with some hard data how they are motivated and driven at work. More often than not, my clients come back with varying levels of ambition and varying levels of the need for power.

Power is sometimes seen as a dirty word for women and many will tell you that they do not want it (even if their data says otherwise), yet power is really just another word for authority and control over what you are responsible for delivering. You should want some power, as otherwise you might find you lack the resources to follow through on your remit.

Own your personal power as you see fit, but at work it is equally important to ensure your authority to execute on a task is aligned with the level of responsibility you have to see it all get done!

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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Working mothers – find the company that makes your life easier!

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Working motherSo, having recently become a parent myself, I now finally understand some of the challenges of being everywhere at once that so many readers have told me about over the years. There are many ways to be great at work, great at home and maintain your sanity. Carol Evans (former CEO of Working Mother Magazine) wrote a great book in 2006 called “This is How We Do It: The Working Mother’s Manifesto” and in 2016 it is still one of the most practical books I have read on the topic. Carol is a friend of mine and we often discuss the fact that some companies more than others have led the way for working parents to thrive not just survive of both genders with innovative policies that they are continuing to develop. There are some personal choices to make and that is, yes very individual at times but I say we need to stop scrutinizing women’s choices. The best advice I can give you is to examine how family friendly your workplace is, because although some positions are rigid with their requirements, you would be surprised in reality what flexibility can become a reality in the near future

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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5 tips to being happier at work

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ProfessionalWoman-comfort-zoneLook, we cannot all be in our dream jobs (or can we?) but while we are working on that, here are three tips to be happier and more productive at work.

  • Find your passion in the small things. Which tasks are enjoyable to do and how can you do more of them?
  • Find kindred spirits to connect with at work. People are happier at work if they have positive interactions with other people so try and find common ground with co-workers on professional topics as well as personal connections. If you so inclined, join an employee network or committee because this is also a good way to know about future opportunities in other teams etc.
  • Enjoy your life outside work so that you can plow through tough days knowing that work is just one element that you need to feel wonderful about. (This last point is often difficult for so many of us who are so invested in our careers but try it, smell the roses more.)

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

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Know your values and know their values when interviewing for a new job

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business meeting at office deskWould you apply to work at the meat factory if you are a strict vegetarian? Most people would say no (dire circumstances excepting), and some people would say yes. This is obviously an extreme example of how our values control which job we do and who we will happily work for.

However, how work gets done in your team or firm often is to do with values (the leader or manager’s values mostly). When interviewing for a new job it is sometimes hard to ascertain what the team or company culture is. Ask these three questions to get closer to the answers that otherwise remain hidden to the naked eye:

  • What is the trait or behavior that makes people succeed here?
  • What is the most challenging part of working here?
  • Value x (insert your value) e.g. fairness, is important to me- how does that rank here in the top 3 lived values and is that stated anywhere in the mission or charter?

If you can get honest answers to these questions, you will get a handle on the culture and of course you need to know your values also!

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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Leaving one industry for another, what you need to know in your transition

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People waiting for an interviewPeople leave industries for many reasons ranging from transferable skills or vertical growth in skills creating new opportunities for professionals to the less talked about but real phenomenon of burnout. The Financial Services industry is vulnerable to peaks and troughs and being laid off without prospects such as the mass layoffs that happen every recession cycle on Wall street is fairly predictable albeit sometimes a small correction only.

Either way, it is time to transition to a new career. What are the top three things you need to consider in the move?

A. Do your skills apply to what you want to do next? If not exactly, can you weave a truthful narrative of how what you have done before will empower you to do the new tasks required? If there are gaps, before you leap from your current job you should close any skill gaps with formal education or informal means.

B. Who do you know in the new arena? How is your network? Start by meeting people who can tell you what you need to know about the product, processes and cultural norms of your desired future gig. These folks are much more likely to know of open opportunities and relevant networking opportunities than anyone else. Information is power.

C. Interview, interview, interview. Practice makes perfect and will give you a good benchmark on how viable it is to move into this space and help you understand your bottom lines regarding money and other factors such as hours, location etc.

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

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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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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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