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November 2010 Archives
I was asked recently:
"What it would take to break into a business that I've never had the time to work in before because of the career field I am in?"
Often, all it takes is telling people your story in a few sentences. For example, if your prior job required you to be on call 24/7, you may not have had the time to take on a second job to break into your ideal chosen field. In a cover letter to an employer, you could explain this as follows:
"I've been interested in pursuing my career in XXXX, but until recently when I left my job in XXXX, I didn't have a flexible work schedule that would allow me to test the waters. Now that I have moved on to a new opportunity, it is my desire to work with you on a part-time basis to bring my skills to your location."
At the very least, you will get a chance to talk to this employer about the opportunity and demonstrate the honesty that most companies will value.
Sorry Manning lovers, Peyton Manning is not the greatest quarterback of all-time. As a football fan, I'm tired of hearing announcers, fans, and players drool over how "great" he is and how he seems to be "the best of all time." There have been better performers out there who can win the big game more regularly when it matters, and it almost appears that some of the people fawning over him have made him out to be better than he actually is.
I'm sure Manning is a nice guy; he seems to keep out of trouble, he gives back to his community, and he represents the NFL as a pretty stand up guy. Of late, he even has grown up and has taken the blame for his teams woes (something he rarely did in the past, often blaming his teammates for losses).
How in the world does this relate to HR? Well, when you put too much faith in one player to carry your team, the team suffers. With no running game, a weak offensive line, and Peyton's increased propensity for throwing an interception, the team is starting to show wear.
On your team, you may have one star performer you rely to heavily on, instead of making the rest of your team live up to the same standards. As well, you may have depended on this person so much that you've allowed others in your organization to thrive in an environment with little effort, talent, or productivity.
Take a hard look at your organization, especially during peak season. Look at the dynamics of your team, and see if there is a Peyton Manning on your team that you fawn over too much, and see what you can do to ensure that this person either has support, or that other people are equally recognized for their contributions to the efforts.
One of the great leaders during my time at Disney was Lee Cockerell. I had the pleasure of participating in his Time Management workshop while I was a manager there. His manner of speaking and approaching the topic was so refreshing; he didn't speak down to the audience from a pedestal of a senior manager. Rather, Lee spoke to us and related to everyone in the room with how he has been able to manage time more wisely and responsibly while still having time to enjoy life as well.
I encourage you to check out both of these great resources. I have used Creating Magic in my classes as well as for my own personal reference and reminder of the lessons I learned in my 5 1/2 years with Disney.
Today Apple is running specials on iPad and iPod Touch. You can get a great deal of productivity on the go being connected to the workplace and your people no matter where you are.
Many workplaces seem disconnected when it comes to allowing employees to work virtually.
I attended a trade show this weekend with my mentee to show him how companies promote themselves and how they do a good or poor job of representing their brands well.
What I found at this particular show was either apathetic or pushy; there didn't seem to be a lot of vendors who really understood what it meant to promote their brand.
When promoting your brand, it's important to balance the need to be assertive with the need to be available. I had a couple people shout out to me in the aisle when I wasn't even looking their way which I found to be a little startling.
To instill a proper etiquette and protocol in your staff to prepare them to work a booth or a trade show, emphasize projecting your brand image effectively, whether that means being the way you would at a store or business or having the information people want readily available
With the holidays approaching, it doesn't mean it's time to give up hope on finding a new opportunity or a promotion where you currently work. I've helped 10 people in just a couple days with cover letter critiquing. If you'd like me to take a look at a cover letter, send it to me and I'll look at it Monday or Tuesday. robert@galaconcierge.comMany of the issues I have seen so far are around not asking early enough in the cover letter for an opportunity for an interview or not telling the potential employer why you would be the right fit for the job. Enjoy your weekend! Robert
This week, I am offering a special for the first 15 people to submit to me a cover letter for review before November 23rd. I will take the time to review the letter and also send you a revised one with suggestions on wording after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
If you are interested in taking advantage of this offer, visit
and click on the email address listed at the bottom of the page.
I currently have some of my students working on a 5-7 minute presentation on their career choices and how they came about to the decisions they have made through sources, interviews, and their own personal experience.
One of the key points of this presentation is to get the students up front selling themselves as future professionals. Many have expressed some fear at the concept, but when I laid out the simplicity of what I am looking for, they realized that it is not as daunting as they would like to believe....
More to come later this week
Much debate exists around the kind of training and teaching methodology that should be in play when dealing with students and trainees of various skill levels. In practice, I've always felt is was best in any training or teaching situation to teach to the smartest in the room, and offer support and extra time for those who need further clarification. This allows the best use of time while encouraging others to step it up in terms of their study habits and their contributions to the material. What are your thoughts on adjusting your teaching or training style to the highest/lowest level of skill or interest of the people you are teaching? I'll share some of your emails next week. robert@galaconcierge.com
On last, Thursday's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd", Colin brought up some solid points comparing Derek Jeter's purported contract demands with that of a golden handshake or parachute.
Debate has gone back and forth on whether the Yankees should reward Jeter with a 6 year deal at his current salary (or something similar) or offer him a 1-3 year deal with a possible decrease after that.
Jeter's range and abilities have decreased, but some supporters suggest he should be rewarded for past performace.
In organizations today, much is made about paying people for what they have done in the past through "golden handshakes" or lifetime perks and benefits; while many of these programs are designed to reward for past performance, there is clear debate on how effective these are or whether or not they create more problems.
In Jeter's case, I think the Yankees need to look at reality and perhaps look at a short-term deal and go from there; it's worked with Andy Pettitte, and he continues to perform well on a year-to-year contract.
From a high school job managing a gas station to a 120 room hotel, from a restaurant serving thousands of people day to a 1200 room resort, as well as in retail, my travels through my career have included time doing labor scheduling for employees and managers. Download a complimentary copy of my PDF, From Grids to Grins: Labor Scheduling for Small Business, for some of the tips and best practices that have been employed in developing labor schedules for business of any size. Whether it proprietary software that the company provided to as an online tool such as TimeForge, or something as simple as a schedule written out on paper, putting together processes and best practices for labor scheduling are so important to running a tight ship and an efficient and effective labor team. There are no excuses these days for managers and businesses to keep their HR team happy through effective scheduling done with enough notice for employees. For further tips on Labor Scheduling, check back issues of this column, as well as future posts that go into more detail on labor scheduling.
How do we create the B.E.S.T opportunities? By creating links between the business community, our schools and colleges, and our students and teachers. This past week, I arranged for two companies to visit my students for a brief introduction. These weren't just any visitors however; they were two of my former students who have either graduated or are still in school and working in management. What these students have brought with them through these visits are actual jobs that they are hiring for, perspective on life as a student, what industry management is really looking for, and another voice to further reflect on the material I have been covering in class. Out of the first visit this semester this past Tuesday, two of my students are interviewing for jobs this week and next. Next week's visitor probably also will be providing experiences for students to interview as well. All it takes is a few minutes of your time to come out to a classroom and interact with students. These speakers came in for 30 minutes at the end of one class, stayed during the break, and another 30 at the beginning of the next class. One has already told me she is planning on hiring one of my students. Everyone in the B.E.S.T acronym has benefited from this experience. If you are interested in guest speaking at any of my classes at SCCC or FMCC, please contact me at robert@galaconcierge.com
A perennial question with varying answers. As my guest speaker stated in yesterday's classes, "if you have the personality and the passion for what you do, we can teach you what you need to know when we hire you."
Self-actualized companies practice this daily and in their long range plans.
What makes most companies fail at bringing the best out of people is not taking chances on a good personality with lesser knowledge or skills.
What makes potential employees fail at selling themselves is their unwillingness to look beyond what they lack to instead focus on how good they can be as a person for the organization.
Next time, before you go on an interview, practice, practice, practice. As well, make sure you don't sound too rehearsed, and sound like yourself. Hopefully, you sound enthusiastic, professional, and caring enough about the organization to succeed and be hired.
On Lake Avenue in Saratoga, there is a hill at a traffic light where I am waiting for someone to pull so close that I accidentally back into them because they are too close to me. It's frustrating; I leave a couple yards between me and the car in front of me to prevent that car from backing in to me, yet the cars behind me always find the need to park as close as possible with no regard for safety.
At the workplace, a similar situation arises when too much emphasis is placed on looking over the shoulders of those who work for you. When employees feel that every single move they make is being watched, it creates a situation where mistakes may happen and frustrations may grow.
Whether its at work or on the road, leave a little space between you and the person in front of you, and you'll find it will add a sense of calm to the well-being of all.
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