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Monday, June 30, 2008

Mistakes

One of the many things that is so important in life is to learn from our mistakes, but in order to learn from mistakes, we first have to be willing to make them.  Mistakes aren't made and lessons aren't learned by those timid souls who sit idly by and wait to be told exactly what to do.  When you start in a job, you may not quite know enough to do a lot of things on your own. If you don't, be proactive in asking your boss what you can help with next.  Don't sit and wait for her to come to you.  If you learn quickly, hopefully you have a boss who will encourage you to make decisions and will give you the authority to make them.  Know this though, eventually, you are going to make a decision that is a mistake.   

When you make your first major mistake, I hope you have a boss who works through it with you, who explains why it was a mistake and what might have been a better option.  Enlightened bosses will know that you're going to eventually make a mistake.  They hope they can catch you before you make it, but that isn't always possible.  

An important piece after you make a mistake is how you communicate it. When you do make a mistake, own up to it. Don't blame someone else if you know that you screwed-up.  None of us wants to think that we're the ones at fault, but when we really think about it, we might be.  It wasn't done on purpose, but it was our fault.  Our knee-jerk reaction is to blame someone/something else.  I've worked in organizations where the first thing out of people's mouths when they screw up is "such and such was supposed to ________, that's why it happened."  They also love to tell everyone else that same thing.  Please don't do that.  Be an adult.  Don't start telling others that it was someone else's fault.  Be willing to say, "It was my fault.  I screwed up.  It's a lesson I've learned and it won't happen again."  Seriously think about what you learned from the mistake--you should have followed up with someone or you should have gotten the price quote in writing or whatever.  

The next key is not to let it happen again.  Making mistakes isn't career killing, but making the same mistakes over and over is.  You don't want to become known as the person who always screws up.  You also don't want to be known as the person who doesn't take responsibility for her actions. 


Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Promotions Aren't Like Birthdays...

Promotions at work aren't like birthdays...you don't get one every year. I've seen too many young people recently who think that they're entitled to a promotion after being in a job for only a year or two (and sometimes after an even shorter time). And they're pissing off their managers. Worse yet, when they do receive a promotion, then they expect one every year. It doesn't work that way in the real world. There are often situations where a candidate is on the border between title levels when he begins working at an organization. As part of the hiring negotiation, the company may agree to a review his performance after six or twelve months and agree to a promotion to the next level if his performance meets specific expectations. Even after that initial promotion, though, it may be 2-4 years before he receives another promotion.

Let's say the levels of an organization are as follows:

-Coordinator - Assistant Manager - Manager - Sr. Manager - Director - Vice President - President

With a promotion every year, an employee will have worked through the entire organization in six years, and anyone who thinks that the norm is to be president of a company in six years is seriously delusional. Anyone who thinks that being a director after six years is delusional! And in sports, it's even less likely. The simple rules of supply and demand apply for sports jobs more than most other jobs. Be realistic before you start a job. Otherwise, you're going to show just how naive you are and you're probably going to piss off your boss in the process.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Voice Mail Messages You Leave

Before you leave a voice mail message for a person who could possibly hire you for a job or internship, make sure you know what you're going to say. As ridiculous as it may sound, rehearse saying the message out loud. Do it often enough so it doesn't sound like you're reading it. You'd be surprised how easy it is to start rambling like an idiot and continually repeat yourself. Something I heard recently that I thought was a good suggestion was to call your own cell phone (even if from your cell phone) and leave a message when you're driving or just have some down time. Once you listen to it, you'll be able to pick-up on any annoying ticks (um, you know, speak at lightning speed, etc.) that you have and correct them.

Another minor little detail to consider is what you'll say if the person actually answers. I've been in the office late at night and answered the phone to a startled person on the other end. Don't discount the possibility of someone being at his desk. Additionally, sometimes the best time to reach the person you're trying to speak with is in the morning or the evening, before or after traditional work hours (7:00a-9:00a or 5:30p-8:00p). I know that I am NOT a morning person and was often in the office late at night. During the day when I'm running between meetings, I might not have time to speak at length with someone, but later in the day, I usually do.

Something I forgot to put in the last post about the message you have on your voice mail intro--be sure to say your first and last name if you have a name that people often butcher. None of us want to intentionally butcher another's name. This will help make sure they at least get close to pronouncing your name correctly when they do speak with you.