Career Advice - Success Is Only Four Steps Away

The formula for career success is really quite simple.

In fact, success in the world of work requires only that we complete four basic steps. Anyone can do it, given a reasonable amount of energy and common sense.

They are:

1. Provide a product or service that people (employer, customers, et al) want to buy.

2. Assure quality, always.

3. Guarantee full value for the price paid.

4. Make each transaction a pleasure to be repeated.

These four steps apply whatever our career path-- working in a profession or as a salaried employee; serving as a salesperson in a retail shop; or operating our own small business.

At this point, a common sense question begs to be answered. If it is so simple, why aren't more people successful?

Well, success does require commitment and hard work, the extra effort, a burning desire to succeed. Success demands an orientation outward to the needs and desires of the market, rather than inward to our own immediate gratification. The way to success is simple, but it's not easy. Not everyone is willing to pay the price.

The Four Steps

How about providing the product or service people want to buy?

Many of us fail to provide this elementary requirement because we refuse to actually listen to the customer. This happens over and over again whether the buyer is the boss, who hands out assignments; or someone buying our brand of nuts and bolts. Too often we listen, but we don't hear.

Often it is more convenient to provide the product we already have on hand, or the one we can turn out easily, rather than go to the trouble to deliver what the customer wants. We are so busy serving our own needs and interests that we don't have any time or energy left over for the customer.

What's the story on quality and "value for price paid?"

Quality is discretionary – always. It gets left out sometimes when we try to gain a quick profit by cutting a corner on the ingredients we put in the product. Quality is missing when someone doesn't have the interest or the energy to stay an extra half-hour after the office closes to check the shipping list or to proofread the memorandum going to the boss.

"Value for price paid" is essential for success, whether the price for the case of goods is one dollar or one hundred dollars; whether the job is in the mailroom or in the boardroom. If we are interested in success, there is no plausible reason for not delivering quality and value for price paid.

Perhaps the easiest of all the elements in the success formula is the one having to do with attitude: "smile ... be friendly." Anyone can make it "a pleasure to do business."

Take the most obvious example of this reality. Salespersons in retail stores usually work on commission. Their success is a direct line from what they sell to what they earn.

It doesn't take a brain surgeon to figure out that the friendlier and more helpful a salesperson is, the more they will sell and the more they will earn (i.e. the more successful they will be).

Being courteous takes very little effort. It is the difference between "What do you want?" and "How may I help you?" It's the difference between ignoring the waiting customer while finishing the joke with another member of the staff or moving briskly to help the would-be-buyer find the correct size in the desired color, at an acceptable price.

When it is all said and done, our personal success depends directly on our being driven by a goal of delivering benefits for those to whom we sell our wares rather than serving our immediate interest.

Anyone can be successful. It is a matter of individual, personal choice. Grab success or leave it for someone else.

XXX

Career Advice - You've Been Passed Over, Now What?

You sincerely believe you are the best qualified among the candidates for the promotion to manager of your department. You believe you deserve it. Your friends agree.

But, wham! The rug has been pulled out from under you. The position you would have given an eyetooth for goes to someone else. Your ego is trampled. You are mad and disappointed. You want to march in, tell the boss where to go and leave the place.

But hold on. Apply a little common sense before you go off the deep end. You've still got your job and this is a good time to consider where you want to go with your career.
Force your chin up. Congratulate the winner right away. This will be painful, but it actually will help you regain your balance. Moreover, it will strengthen your position as a team player.

This is a dangerous time for you. Simmer awhile before you act. Brood and grieve a little in private if it makes you feel better. Reject bitterness; it's poison. Look beyond your ego. Sure, your feelings have been bruised. No need to be ashamed of that.

But really has all of this been damaging to your long-term career goals?

Time To Be Objective

Your greatest need at this is to understand the "why" behind the situation.

Start with a discussion with your boss. Remember, you are there to gain information, not to argue your case. Don't beat around the bush. Admit you are sorely disappointed. Assure your boss you are not bitter or resentful. Pledge 100 percent allegiance to the team. Admit, however, that you are concerned about what has happened and what it may mean for your future.

Focus on the critical questions about what happened and why. Has your past performance and your preparation for the next step been at least up to par? Are you as qualified or better than the competitors? What might you have done to improve your chances to win a promotion?

Did you miss some signals from your boss, telling you to improve you performance? Were there any bonafide indicators saying you were a candidate for promotion? Or have you been engaged in wishful thinking?

What qualification did you not have? Will there be other chances to win promotions? What can you do to improve your qualifications for advancement?

You must listen as you have never listened before to both what is said as well as what is implied between the lines. Be aware that you will be strongly inclined to hear the best side of the story. And don't forget, it is the most natural thing in the world for the boss to try to soften the message. Besides, if you have been doing an adequate job in your present slot he will want to keep you around. Or he simply may be testing you for a bigger assignment.

Now you are ready to get to the bottom-line. Review all of the facts. Do you agree with what you learned from your review with the boss? Have you been treated fairly? Were there legitimate reasons you were passed over?
Do you care enough to take the necessary action to win the next time? Do you have a reasonably secure future in the organization? Can you be happy where you are? What are the acceptable alternatives? Do you want to find a more rewarding situation elsewhere?

Being passed over may be a blessing, although if it is, it appears to be quite will disguised. You have an opportunity to gain a more realistic view of where you are, where you want to go and what you have to do to get there. Or you may conclude you are satisfied with your present position, so you can relax with more time to smell the roses.

Changing Careers? Avoid These 5 Classic Mistakes

Most of the experts say that the average person can expect to change careers (not just jobs) 3 to 5 times in their working life. The reasons? Many people are burnt-out, underpaid, stressed out, bored, unsatisfied, or at a career dead end. For some, their careers have changed on them --thanks to corporate mergers, changes in technology, company restructuring, age discrimination, and a thousand other reasons.




After counseling thousands of people in finding new careers and jobs, we have found that there are 5 classic mistakes most career and job changers make:




MISTAKE 1: NO CLEAR GOAL.


Not having a clear goal is like trying to run a race when you do not know where the finish line is. Many career changers have only a partial goal. They KNOW that they want a job with less stress, or more money, or more of a future, or more independence, or more satisfaction. A career goal, however, should be comprehensive, specific, clear, and realistic. It should include not only the practicalities of your situation, but also who you are, the realities of the job market, and the potential pitfalls.




MISTAKE 2: NO CLEAR PICTURE OF YOUR STRENGTHS.


Most career changers (and job seekers) spend more time worrying about their weaknesses than their strengths. Most people don't even know what their strengths are. But it is your strengths--not your weaknesses--that determine your career success. Get a professional assessment. This should also include your personal characteristics, motivation, aptitudes, goals, values, interests, and talents. A career and job decision is too important not to have this picture.




MISTAKE 3: NO CAREFUL PLANNING.


Sure, most people think about it for a long time, but thinking is not the same thing as detailed planning. Most people plan a night out with friends more carefully than they plan their careers. Planning would mean researching the new career, talking to people who are in the new career, getting some hands-on experience, reading (books, trade journals, industry newsletters), developing strategies for any possible negatives or problems, consulting with a mentor, knowing what education or training you would need, and other actions.




MISTAKE 4: NO MOTIVATION.


As a psychologist who has worked with underachievers of all ages, I can tell you that many have good intentions but fail to take action. This is, of course, a normal human trait. There are times when all of us procrastinate, give ourselves excuses, and do not do the things that will lead us to our goals. If you are changing careers, however, you had better be motivated. Only consistent, daily, well-considered action will get you where you want to go.




MISTAKE 5: NO INDIVIDUALIZED JOB SEARCH STRATEGY.


If you are changing careers, you need something more than the usual job search tactics. You need a strategy that fits who you are as a unique individual and the fact that you are changing careers. For example, if you tell a job interviewer (or anyone else) that you are "changing careers," it is the kiss of death. You see, if you are changing careers, then you are starting over--from square one--and are competing with kids just out of school. Instead, you should say, "I am taking the next step in my career" (which, actually, is closer to the truth for most career changers). Another example: Make sure your résumé is rewritten so that it doesn't "lock you in" to the old career. Go light on the jargon. Emphasize skills in the old career that would be a real advantage (not just "transferable skills") in the new career.




If you avoid these classic mistakes, you are well on your way to making a successful job and career change.