Merge's Blog

Tag Archives: self-awareness

The informational interview – your secret advantage for your next job

Are you looking to the next step in your career?  If so, you should be tapping into a secret advantage that most job seekers ignore.  It’s called the informational interview.  Part networking, part information-gathering, and part low-key self-promotion, an informational interview is a powerful way to position yourself as the prime candidate for your perfect job.

Some estimates suggest that up to 80% of open positions are never advertised, they’re filled through word-of-mouth.  If all you’re doing is applying for the 20% that are advertised, then you’re trying to be the star in a cast of thousands.  The informational interview will shift the odds in your favour by helping you tap into the other 80%.

How do you get an informational interview?

So how does one go about getting an informational interview? So glad you asked 🙂 , because that is exactly what I cover in my latest column in The Globe and Mail that published this morning.

The informational interview:  A solid way to boost your career

informational interview

If you get the print version of The Globe, you’ll find this column on page B11. Continue reading →

What does it (really) take to get promoted? Hint: it’s not sucking up to the boss!

So what does it really take to achieve career success in the workplace?  To get promoted?  To be recognized for both your current work and the potential you have to grow and rise in the ranks?  I’ve often heard people say that the only way to get ahead in the world of work is to “suck up” to the boss. But is it possible that what some people call “sucking up” may simply be learning how to work with your specific supervisor or manager?

In my leadership training and mentoring practice, I have had the opportunity to dialogue with tens of thousands of managers in organizations across the country, and they are unequivocal in their assertion that they can tell the “actors”; they know when their employees’ actions and behaviours are self-serving and when they are selfless. So if this is true, then “sucking up” is clearly not the reason why certain employees get ahead. Which raises the question – “What is?” And that is exactly what I address in my latest column in The Globe and Mail.  Gathered from my tens of thousands of conversations with the people who should know the answer, I list out nine specific things you can do to rise in the ranks.

What does it (really) take to get promoted?

G&M0081219

If you get the print version of The Globe, you’ll find this column on page B8.

Note: if you are a subscriber to The Globe and Mail, you can also read the column directly at their website at this link: https://tgam.ca/2Tuhg1U

So … do you agree?

So, as always, I’d love to hear about your experiences, both as an employee and as someone in a leadership position.  Do you agree with what I have found to be true, or have you observed that “sucking up” is really what it takes to get promoted? Either way, I’d love to hear from you.  Please add your comments below.

If you want to be deliberate and thoughtful about ways to position yourself for career growth and success, you may also find these links to past columns I wrote for The Globe and Mail to be helpful:

 

Social awareness is a necessary component of emotional intelligence

social awarenessI have long championed that emotional intelligence is a fundamental and necessary skill for leaders, and I repeatedly see evidence of that (or lack thereof) in my leadership development practice.  A conversation with my husband last weekend reminded me specifically of one significant component of emotional intelligence.  Namely, social awareness – the ability to sense others’ feelings and perspectives and to accurately read emotional cues.

This manager lacked social awareness

Last Friday, my husband and a co-worker were, as he puts it, chest-deep in preparation for a senior management meeting scheduled for early Monday morning when a manager from another area walked into the room.

“Whatcha doing?” he asked with a smile.

“Trying to get all the materials together for the Vice Presidents’ meeting for Monday morning,” said my husband.

“And it’s an absolute mess.  We’re going to have to push until literally the last minute just to make sure that all the required data is there, and to also put it in some semblance of order,” added his colleague.  “I have a feeling that we’ll have to work late tonight, or else we’ll have to come in over the weekend to finish it.” Continue reading →

4 steps to finding a personal brand

Last month, reporter Sarah Ovaska-Few from Financial Management magazine reached out to me for an article she was writing on what it takes to find and build a personal brand.  As regular readers of the blog know, I have spoken and written on this subject before (see Five ways to build a kick-ass brand) so I was delighted to see if I could be of value to her.

Taking time to reflect on your personal brand can help focus your career goals

Here is a link to an online copy of her article which published earlier this month:

4 steps to finding a personal brand

personal brand

In it, Sarah interviews not only yours truly, but also Dima Ghawi, an executive who went through a personal branding process.  The premise in this article is that if you refine your personal brand, it can help you weigh your career options, highlight your skills, and thus eventually focus your career goals.  Definitely worth a read if you’re thinking about where and how you want your career to grow and progress.

What are your thoughts?  What advice do you have to offer those who are seeking to define their own personal brand?  I would love to hear about your experiences and decisions.

What does it take to be recognized as a high-potential employee?

Last month, I told you all how excited I was to be one of the featured speakers at the Elevate Your Mind conference presented by the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Alberta in Edmonton at the Shaw Conference Centre on May 14, 2018.  This is an organization that I have partnered with for several years on a variety of learning events, so I am very excited that they are welcoming me back to “elevate
the skills of professionals in any stage of their career.  My session on May 14 is titled Are you a HiPo?, and I am looking forward to giving attendees specific high-energy and fast-paced ideas to get recognized as a high-potential employees in their organizations.

Registration is open now

Registration is open now, so if you’re thinking about attending, don’t delay!  This link will take you directly to the registration page.  Even though this event is organized by CPA Alberta, registration is open to anyone from any organization.  If you belong to a profession that requires ongoing professional education credits, then this may be a perfect (and fun!) way to get a head start on 2018’s requirements.  Here is a link to the Conference Agenda page, with additional links to more information.

Wondering what a HiPo is?

P.S. In case you’re wondering, HiPos are those employees who have been tagged as the Continue reading →

Are you a high-potential (HiPo) employee? Don’t miss this upcoming event!

Earlier this year, my regular column for Canadian Accountant covered specific ways to get recognized as a high-potential employee.  In it, I laid out seven ways to become worthy of high-potential employee status.  Well, the topic of the high-potential employee got so much attention that I have now been invited to speak on this very subject at an upcoming conference.

Are you a HiPo?

elevate_mind

I am very excited to announce that I will be one of the featured speakers at the Elevate Your Mind conference presented by the Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA) of Alberta in Edmonton at the Shaw Conference Centre on May 14, 2018.  As our Alberta blog readers may already know, I have partnered with this exceptional organization for several years on a variety of learning events, and so I am thrilled to be working with them once again.  Elevate Your Mind is a full-day conference offering a variety of engaging and targeted speakers and sessions to “elevate” the skills of Alberta CPAs at any stage in their careers, and on May 14, I will be presenting a fast-paced high-energy session titled Are you a HiPo?

What is a HiPo? Continue reading →

Want to climb the corporate ladder? Then get recognized as a high-potential employee

high-potential employeeThere are two ways to get ahead in the world of work. One, strike out on your own as an entrepreneur and create your own million dollar company. Or two, successively rise through the ranks in an established organization. Both are viable options, but if your career objective is to climb the corporate ladder, then you need to get recognized as a high-potential employee, or HiPo.

Seven ways to become worthy of high-potential employee status

If rising to the top at your place of employment and getting recognized as a high-potential employee is something you aspire to, then my latest column in Canadian Accountant lays out seven actions you need to take right now in order to become worthy of HiPo status.  Read Looking to rise in the ranks? Here are 7 things you need to do now.

 

I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic of what it takes to be recognized as a high-potential employee.  Does it even matter?  What has been your experience?  Good or bad, I’m interested.  Share your thoughts either here or on the Canadian Accountant website.

Successful business relationships require that you invest before you withdraw

I continue to be astounded at how many people simply don’t understand what it takes to build solid thriving business relationships that stand the test of time.  This was emphasized to me, yet again, because of something that happened a few weeks ago.

business relationshipsbusiness relationshipsNow that we have opened our new west coast office, I find myself attending a lot more business networking events in Victoria and Vancouver than I have in the past.  At one of these well-attended events, I was walking back to my vehicle at the end of the evening, when I happened to find myself next to a woman who was also leaving the same event.  I had not had an opportunity to meet her earlier in the evening, so as we made the three-minute walk to the parking lot, we shook hands and introduced ourselves to each other.  As we parted ways beneath a street light, she asked for my business card, suggesting that we should meet again over a cup of coffee to get to know one another.  I readily agreed, always open to building relationships in my professional circles.  I took her business card as well, intending to connect with her the next time I was in town.

Our next contact was not what I expected

One week later, I received an email from her.  But it didn’t contain the expected invitation to coffee.  Continue reading →

Five ways to build a kick-ass personal brand

kick-ass personal brandYour personal brand is how others see you. If you want to grow your business, obtain a better job, get noticed by your peers, take your career to the next level, or meet high-quality professional colleagues, the impression others have of you will have a huge impact on your success.  But how do you build your “best” personal brand?  How do you build a brand that “kicks ass”?  And just what does “kick-ass branding” mean?

What does it take to build a kick-ass personal brand?

This is exactly the topic of my latest column for Canadian Accountant titled Five ways for CPAs to build a kick-ass personal brand.  In it, I offer five steps that anyone can take to positively influence how they are perceived by others.  Not an accountant?  Doesn’t matter – the five kick-ass tips I give here apply to anyone who is looking to take their career or business to new heights!

kick-ass personal brand

 

As you can see, authenticity is ultimately at the root of building a kick-ass personal brand.  As far as I am concerned, everything grows from the foundation of genuineness and truth.  But what do you think?  Agree?  Disagree?  This is what has worked for me, but I’d love to hear what you’re doing to build your personal brand.  Share your thoughts here or on the Canadian Accountant website.

Are you inadvertently sabotaging yourself?

sabotaging yourselfAre you inadvertently sabotaging yourself?  A few weeks ago, I asked a different question: Would you run a marathon blindfolded?  It was in reference to how managers in organizations sometimes (usually inadvertently) set their employees up to fail by not giving them the tools and resources they need in order to get the job done!  This post prompted an email from a reader who shared the following:

[This post] reminded me of what one of my bosses used to always say when he saw people doing things in an unnecessarily difficult way.....You can climb Mount Everest in a pair of Oxfords, but it's difficult!

(By the way, Oxfords are formal lace-up shoes, usually worn by men as a necessary component of formal business attire.)

You can climb Mount Everest in a pair of Oxfords, but it’s difficult!

Which got me thinking further.  My original post was about how managers were the ones at fault … asking their people to complete tasks or fulfill responsibilities but neglecting to give them the tools and information they needed to make it happen.  But what if the guilty party isn’t your manager?  What if it’s you?  Do we sometimes, without realizing it, sabotage ourselves by wearing the metaphoric Oxfords when we should be wearing hiking boots?  Continue reading →