May 14 2018
Your New Career – Introducing Guest Contributor – Mr. Jordan Corn

This marks a new chapter in my articles, a contribution by a guest writer.  I have known Jordan Corn for many years.  He, like me, spent many a night and weekend doing improv.  He’s also an IT person.  Also worked (works) for AAA.   However, he’s a far better musician and quicker on the wit than I ever was.  He was able to get along with people with whom I never could.  And his advice was always measured and well-reasoned.

Anyway, when I found myself in search of my next occupation, Jordan reached out to me, and was supportive and helpful, as you’d expect from a kind human being.  He forwarded me something he had written when he, himself moved on from a long-term engagement.  I found what he had written to be useful and pertinent, so I asked him if I could republish it.  I also asked him to please write a forward for it, which he graciously did.  So please enjoy this diversion from what The Monkey customarily writes.

About a dozen years ago, I was called to a “quick meeting” in a conference room I had never seen.  My sixth sense was tingling, and for about the only time in my life, it was 100% accurate.  To this day, I don’t know how I figured it out, but I was there to learn I was being separated after 23 years of a successful career.  I had worked in chemical process automation, quickly rose to manage a group charged with automating a global business’s manufacturing sites, later managed the company’s plant-floor Y2K program, then drove a knowledge management effort, and was now in enterprise IT architecture and strategy.  My resume read like a textbook from the era.

Thanks to that sixth sense, I was one of the few people who wasn’t utterly shocked by what transpired in that “quick meeting”.

For weeks and months afterward, people at my now-former company would reach out to see how I was doing.  Their outreach overlapped with the network I was building as I moved forward and met different people.  I came to realize that talking to them was very different from talking to my newer contacts.  This awareness prompted me to document the three types of transitional networking in which I was engaged.  To this day, I believe the model I discovered helped me put the past in perspective and accelerate my forward progress.
-Jordan

Three Kinds of Transitional Networking

Introduction

Career coaches heavily – and rightly! – coach professionals on the value of networking in order to land their next job.   So, upon the loss of a job, it is natural for a professional to embark on a personal networking campaign.

Unfortunately, the guidance on productive networking is spotty, and its successful execution is rare.  In part, productive networking is difficult because we generally tend to be more comfortable around people we know and find expanding our network to be a challenge.  Compounding this is the fact that employees in transition are emotionally wounded, and do not wish to appear as needy.

If you are an employee in transition, an effective networking model should successfully balance your needs for comfort, emotional support, and productivity.  It should provide opportunities for connection, catharsis, grief, personal development and growth,  and, of course, employment.  The three-tier model described here meets all of these requirements, and provides a mechanism to actively manage – or at a minimum, to be aware of – time spent in different forms of networking.

It is important to keep in mind that this is only a model, and as such, it is not perfect.  Activities that appear to fit into one classification in the model may turn out to cross lines, or be entirely misplaced.   Some activities may not seem to fit the model at all, or their fit may be apparent only in retrospect.  However, this model is useful in allowing you to observe and govern your own behavior in the quest for forward motion.

The Model

Backward Networking

“Backward Networking” is the act of connecting, staying connected, or reconnecting with employees in the place the professional has just left.   Wanting to do so is often a natural reaction to the loss of a job.  Typically, you are given a number of weeks’ notice before termination.  During your final weeks, you may spend significant time in the office, perhaps seeking employment elsewhere in the company, and in all likelihood, receiving emotional support – or at least friendly inquiries – from coworkers.
Upon termination, it feels natural to continue these relationships.  These people are seen as friends, and continuing to network with them offers a sense of continuity in a harshly changed world.  They offer an ongoing view of what is happening in the organization, and may even offer leads.  There is comfort in associating with them, a sense of connectivity to the past, and they’re generally easily accessible.  Early association with them is emotionally healthy.

As time passes, however, you should come to realize that it is limited – and diminishing – value in maintaining these backward connections.  As you move forward in your job search, much of what individuals at your former company have to say will seem unimportant, and will in fact be counterproductive.  Much of what they want to do is to commiserate.  Many of them are looking for a progress report; they want to know how you’re doing.  Some of them live in fear that they too will lose their jobs, and they are seeking to understand the transition process and its impact.  And, in all fairness, some of them do in fact simply miss you and want to stay connected.  So there is a strong possibility that you will continue to receive invitations from them.

As these invitations arise, or as you ponder the prospect of a lonely day and consider contacting someone from your former place of employment, consider the value in it for you.  Commiserating about your former organization and management is comforting, but after a point, it provides you with little value.  Progress reports are useful, but to those who receive them, not to you.  Furthermore, progress reports are risky.  There may be people in your former organization whom you do not want to update on your progress, and once you’ve started updating former colleagues, you cannot control how that information is disseminated.  Explaining the transition process and its impact to former colleagues is likewise helpful to them, but likely only minimally to you.  The only real value, then, in maintaining these connections is social.
This is not to suggest that you should completely avoid networking with your former colleagues; only that you understand that you’re doing it entirely for social reasons, and to have little expectation of a return on the investment of time, other than immediate gratification.  So network with your former colleagues, but with several caveats:

  • Recognize that it will not advance your search
  • Recognize that you are doing it for social reasons only
  • Limit the amount of time you spend on it! …and…
  • Exercise caution in what you report to your former colleagues

Lateral Networking

In its most basic form, lateral networking is exactly what it sounds like – that is, networking with people who, like you, are in transition.  People in transition can come from any number of places.  They can be colleagues who were dismissed when you were.  They can be people you meet at professional associations, job fairs, etc.  You might meet them in career networking groups, or via e-mail lists.

People in transition are excellent networking colleagues, for a number of reasons.  First, and perhaps foremost, they are going through exactly what you are experiencing.  This makes them prime – and much safer – candidates for commiserating, swapping stories, and sharing learning.  Second, they are on the lookout for job leads.  Therefore, they may be aware of the opportunities that you have yet to encounter.  Third – and this is especially true if they do not come from your previous organization – they know people who you don’t.  This can make them excellent sources of contacts in companies you may be targeting, contacts with recruiters you have yet to meet, etc.

People in transition can do far more than finding your contacts.  They are excellent sources of feedback on resumes, cover letters, references, job applications, etc.  They are good sounding boards, too; once they know you, they can offer you significant advice on how to advance your search, what avenues might be wise to consider, and where you might be wasting your time.  They will usually do this both constructively and sympathetically, as they are in the same position you are.

Much has been written lately about the benefits of job hunting in groups, which is of course an activity ideally suited to people in transition.  Among these benefits are having someone to ask questions of a potential employer that you as a candidate do not want to ask, strongly targeted leads, and the ability to effectively attend multiple networking events simultaneously.
There is also an enormous emotional reward in interacting with people in transition.  They understand what you are experiencing, and can be truly sympathetic.   You will want to reciprocate the help they offer you.  You will find doing so to be truly uplifting, both for the impact it has on those you are helping and for the feeling of worth it provides to you.

People in transition are excellent antidotes to the lonely days you will likely face during your transition.  With a broad enough network of them, you should have little trouble finding someone to talk to, have lunch with, or plan an outing with, whether it be to a job fair or the local coffee shop.  Be warned, though; when your colleagues in transition find jobs, you are likely to experience an emotional setback.  Just remember when that happens that your newly-landed friend may be able to help you find a job in his or her new organization.  And remember too that there are always more people entering transition, many of whom would benefit from your experience, and many of whom can open new doors for you.

It is important to recognize the role of people from your organization who lost their jobs when you lost yours.  While these people can be excellent lateral networking contacts, you need to ensure that your connections with them don’t take on too many elements of backward networking.  Just as with your backward networking contacts, reminiscing about the past and complaining about your former employer is of limited value.
Lateral networking can extend beyond people in transition.  A broader definition of lateral networking is interacting with people who may (or may not) be able to help you move forward, or whom you may (or may not) be able to help.  This broader definition would include:

  • Recruiters who might or might not be aware of opportunities for you
  • People currently employed at other organizations (including your former company) who you know are job-hunting
  • People in professional associations who might be able to connect you with leads

Forward Networking

Forward networking is the act of connecting with people who are likely to move your search along.  Clearly, these are the people with whom you want to spend as much of your time as possible or as much of your time as possible seeking.

The most obvious forward networking contacts include hiring managers and interviewers, HR staff at companies at which you are pursuing leads, and recruiters who have approached you with definite leads.  These individuals are clear gatekeepers as you approach specific jobs, and so must be treated differently than either your lateral- or backward-networking contacts.

There are other, less obvious people who fit the criteria of forwarding contacts.  You likely have friends or acquaintances who can either help you network into their companies or perhaps even hire you.  You may be connected to these people in any of an infinite number of ways – they might be neighbors, fellow volunteers, members of professional organizations to which you belong, members of your religious organization, former coworkers, etc.

You already know how to behave among the gatekeepers – attentiveness, a positive, can-do attitude, and a blend of assertiveness, humility, and curiosity are essential.  In dealing with these individuals, you cannot complain about the past, commiserate, or have down days.  While the less obvious forward contacts rarely are immediate gatekeepers, you must treat them as if they are.  By default, you should view every forward connection you make as an interview.  While most of your contacts will not be as formal or intimidating as a panel interview, it is crucial to assume that each person with whom you forward-network is judging you as a potential candidate.  This is true regardless of whether your contact is as simple as a casual e-mail request, or as involved as an office visit and lunch.

Finding forward contacts is a matter of talking to people.  Your lateral contacts are an excellent starting point.  Job postings often provide contacts.  Beyond that, the most effective way to find contacts is to be clear that you are job hunting, without appearing needy.  Don’t hesitate to let friends, neighbors, fellow congregants, and professional colleagues know you’re looking.  They will suggest contacts to you.  You may even make a few useful forward connections through your backward contacts, but approach these by initiating targeted requests (i.e. “Bill, I recall that you used to buy from GreatCo.  As I recall, Joe was your salesman there, wasn’t he?  I’d appreciate it if you could provide me with his contact information.”) rather than as part of general networking.

Spend as much time as you can finding and connecting with forwarding contacts, but remember, when you’re exhausted, having a bad day, or have simply run out of ideas, to go back and connect with your lateral contacts to get re-energized.

The Blur Between Lateral and Forward Networking

There is clearly a gray area between lateral and forward networking.  Some people you think are lateral contacts will turn out to be forward contacts.  Some people who start as lateral contacts may become forward contacts.  Some people who you think are forward contacts may lose their status as you learn more about them, or if their position changes.  Here are some guidelines for dealing with the blur between these two classes of people:

  • Assume that anyone you meet who is working for a company that might hire you is a forward contact, until you have reason to believe otherwise. Therefore, do not assume you can safely commiserate with them.   After all, you cannot control what they may say to a potential gatekeeper who asks about you, so why give them anything negative to relate?
  • Similarly, approach people who are in transition cautiously – do not simply assume that because they are in transition, they are lateral contacts. Use your early interactions with them to determine their role.
  • Take care in dealing with lateral contacts who have landed, and therefore have potentially become forward contacts. It is quite possible that you have shared more with these people than you would with other forward contacts.  The good news is that since they shared an experience with you, they are likely to be significantly more forgiving of your grievances than other forward contacts would be.  However, once they become forward contacts, you should shift your attitude in dealing with them, and look to other lateral contacts for commiseration.
willrwills 0 Comments
May 6 2018
Your New Career – Part 3: Social Media Presence

Hopefully, by now, you’ve prepared your toolset for the job researching and interviewing process?  If not, go back and read a previous article.  I’ll wait.
Until now we have focused on relatively simple areas to address, including your emotional health.  Look for a guest post shortly about what happens to your network of friends after you are unemployed.
Now we have to turn our attention to one of the more difficult tasks.  This one is particular will take some time and creativity.

It’s time you “professionalized” your social media presence.

By that I mean, review:

  1. Your Facebook Page
  2. Your LinkedIn Page
  3. Your Twitter Account
  4. Your Instagram Pages
  5. Your Snapchat Account
  6. Any other public social media (blog posts, Pinterest, MySpace, Tinder, etc.)

A Little Primer on Social Media and the Interwebs

Facebook has been in the news recently (April 2018 – https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/may/06/cambridge-analytica-kept-facebook-data-models-through-us-election) due to a scandal with Cambridge Analytics where they scraped Facebook data and used it to build a persona for millions of unwitting Facebook users.  This persona was then leveraged to generate specific political ads based on that user’s likes and dislikes to guide them to vote for a particular candidate.  It was generally considered illegal not because of what was attempted, but because it was allegedly done without Facebook’s knowledge/consent.  It’s okay though, Zuckerberg apologized (https://9to5mac.com/2018/04/10/zuckerberg-apology-to-congress/).

Mind you, big data engines and machine learning algorithms can now categorize you based on studying all of your online presence, including emails and text messages.  You must know by now that your Alexa queries are used by Amazon to suggest products and services – and that this information is sold to others.  So it’s important to know what sort of footprint you’re leaving out there.

Try this – search for your name online using Google.  Too many hits?  Enclose your name in quotes.  Note how Google search often finds you very quickly and has links to a host of information including company career names, media posts, Facebook pages, ReverbNation (if you’re in a band), and others.  You are very easy to find, it’s hard to erase the Internet trail you’ve left out there, and it tells potential employers a lot about you.  See if you can find out where you live, who lives there with you?  Your property taxes?  Easy.  The cost of your home?  Yep.  Mugshots?  Check.

See a photo of the front of your house?  Yep, thanks Google!  note that in itself says a lot you.  Live in a dangerous neighborhood?  Is your yard full of weeds and is there graffiti on your garage door?  Search for your home on Google maps and use Street View to navigate to the front of your house.

And this information will be out there forever, or until aliens take it down with an EMF pulse (http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2014/01/14/emps-how-to-detect-blast-that-could-darken-world.html).  EMF is unbelievable.

The Folly of Using Your Actual Name

While it might be tempting to come up with user names that reflect your real name — especially since it’s often easier to make up a unique user name by using parts of your actual name – that’s a very bad practice.  This makes it easier for online searches and machine learning algorithms to compile a list of all your recent activity and associate it to you personally.

If possible, then, make up a user name that means something to you and your friends, but doesn’t generally link to your actual name.

Gmail is Your Friend (This Time)

Another way to find links between your accounts is to look at the contact email address (or phone number) on your profile.  First, you should resist the urge to provide a phone number except for some very specific security-related functionality (to text you to unlock a bank account).
But more importantly, if your email address is sammysosa@aol.com (see my previous post on not using AOL as a domain), and your name is actually Sammy Sosa, then you should not use this email in your profile information on social media.  Instead, use Gmail to create a new account called something like “baseballhero78@gmail.com” and use that in your profiles.  Set up your email client (Outlook, Mac Mail, Gmail) to receive emails from that account.  You can still use sammysosa@aol .com (or better yet, @gmail.com), but use it for professional correspondence and things that you aren’t ashamed of sharing with potential employers.

Google is Not Your Friend (Usually)

Keep in mind that by using Google Gmail, you’ve already agreed to allow Google to scan all of your emails, advertise to you based on your email content, and potentially share this information with others.  The same goes for searching.  Everything you search for is remembered by Google and your ISP’s to be used to market and study you.  The same goes for any events you put on Google Calendar.  And for YouTube videos, your search for, channels you subscribe to, and any videos you watch – all of that is owned by Google, but licensed for your use.  Thanks and Neat!

True Story => Recently I was in the market for a new car.  I searched for Mazda CX-9 to read up on dependability and see reviews.  After only a few of those searches I started getting ads for that Mazda, and emails from Mazda.  Creepy.  After only about 15 minutes of searches.

Twitter-mania

Twitter has made it easy to communicate with vast arrays of people, publicize your personal opinions, and follow organizations that may interest you.  Twitter rage is a thing, where a Twitterer will tweet angry things at various politicians, actors, social media outlets, organizations, etc.  Rarely do you get a response, but your Twitter friends who share the exact same feelings as you will Like the tweet.

Under the same guideline as “don’t use your real name”, you should not have a Twitter handle (or associated profile email address) that you use to tweet anything that a prospective employer should not see.

If you would like to stay on Twitter and rant, leverage a Twitter handle that cannot be linked back to you by name.  Or, if you have a lot of followers due to your clever tweets and amazing Twitter polls, change the name of that account to something that is not readily linked to you.  Then start a new Twitter handle that you can use for personal and professional tweets.  Then link the professional account to your personal email and take the time to follow a number of industry icons.  Do NOT Tweet anything using this personal account that would tip people on your personal political opinions, and don’t tag your “rant” account from your personal account.

“But I’ve Gotta Be Me!”

Sure, thanks for that.  That’s what the Russian bots said.
Listen, you don’t know what the political leanings are of the people who will be reviewing your resume.  TECHNICALLY, Human Resources and prospective interviewers are not allowed to look for any social media presence, but the reality is that it often happens.

Most mature employers and recruiters can set aside their personal opinions and interview you objectively.  But some cannot.  And when you are in search of a job, you need to be a clean slate.  Or at least a professional slate.  Heck, you can use your professional social media account to research a prospective employer and even Like or retweet stories the organization puts out there.  Great way to show that you support what they are doing.

Facebook

Another “same deal here”, but a little more difficult.  Facebook does allow you to mark your account private and not allow search engines to find you.  And you should immediately do that.  However, the world is a small one (thanks Disney!) and while it’s full of joy, it’s also full of fears, but there’s so much that we share, that it’s time we’re aware.  It’s amazing how many people operate in similar social networks.  A recruiter may be a friend of a friend who is a cousin of a family member of yours and stumble upon your information.  And that could be good or bad, but you’d prefer it was neutral.
Here are some things you can do on Facebook –

  1. Create a private and a public persona. That is, create two FB accounts and use the private one for sharing opinions about politics or Selena Gomez.  Come on, Selena.  Charlie Puth is adorable!
  2. Lock down your account.  FB allows you to control how posts are viewed, so do NOT allow your posts to show up publicly.  Create groups of FB friends that you want to include in your most personal views, and another group for views that are relatively benign.  Use the appropriate visibility when posting.
  3. Delete your Facebook account. A bit extreme, but Facebook popularity has been waning recently.   Deactivate or delete your account.  You can download all of your content in case you want to re-activate it at some point.
  4. Clean up your Facebook presence. Yep, look at the “likes” you have set up for movies, books, other companies, political affiliations —  and drop the ones that could be polarizing.  Looks through your recent posts and delete those that are highly political or extreme.  DELETE any photos that are suggestive, including a certain lack of clothing or where you were drunk and riding that Skeedoo up onto the dock, while holding a beer.
  5. Do NOT list your Facebook account on your resume.  See previous sentence.  Read it again.
  6. Create a business/organization Facebook account. If you use your personal Facebook account for another venture such as a restaurant, professional service, a personally run company, a social group, etc. it’s just as easy to create a second account and move all of that content from your personal account to your organizational account.  Then do not link the accounts, and be careful when you tag one account to the other.    Facebook provides some nifty tools for organizational pages.
  7. Remove information that would lead people to know your age, your marital status, your employment, your sexual preferences, your religious affiliations, etc.
    Mark the following bio items private or hidden:

    1.  Birthdate
    2. Relationship Status
    3. “Looking for a (man/woman/elf)”
    4. Job details, if not pertinent to your job search.  If LinkedIn says you were employed until last month, and Facebook says you’re now waiting tables at a Wawa, then remove the Wawa.  There’s nothing wrong with waiting tables at Wawa.  But it may not be pertinent to your desire to be a Vice President of Technology.
    5. Education years – people can figure out how old you are if you graduated from high school in 1983 or if all your likes are from 1966-1969 (Star Trek TOS!).
    6. Bio quotes that may not be funny to everyone: “I killed Amelia Earhardt”.  I mean, okay but why?

Remember that everything you do on Facebook, including Likes, Tagging, Comments, Locations are used by Facebook (and sold to others) to paint a picture of you.  What do you want that picture to say about you and your employability?

Profile Photos

Review all of your social media accounts and make sure your profile photos are professional. They don’t need to be a headshot in formal attire in front of a clearly fake backdrop, with mood lighting.  But they should avoid anything that suggests you’re not professional.  Also a blurry shot (or pixellated one) tells me that you don’t have many photos of yourself or that you’re not very technologically adept.  If you don’t know how to crop your head out of a photo and/or reduce or enlarge a photo without creating blurriness, ask a more techno-savvy family member to assist.

Update your photos every few years.  Using one from 15 years ago will surprise an employer when you show up as someone much older looking.  That’s not to say employers should be avoiding hiring older applicants, only that it’s misleading and may suggest to your employer that you’re vain, disingenuous, or haven’t paid much attention to your Internet accounts (or hair color) recently.  Do the same if your look has changed recently.
Select a photo where you’re smiling naturally, not making a “duck face”, not trying to be seductive, not brandishing a weapon,  not wearing a bikini,  not with any part of your body duly exposed, etc. – I think you get the… picture.
And as you take informal photos in your personal life, keep an eye out for ones that have a nice image of your face, smiling and natural.  Put a copy of those in a folder because a) we both know that we rarely take good photos anymore and b) it could be useful for a future profile pic.   At some point, crop the rest of the photo out and use that for your headshot.

Note: if you’re an actor/actress, there’s a whole other aspect to headshots that are beyond the scope of these articles.  That’s when you need professional services.

In general, look at your profile photo and objectively ask what it says about you.  Or better yet, ask your mother what it says about you.

LinkedIn

This is such an important one that I’m going to devote the next post to it (3.5).  THIS is the main online tool in your job search and it likely needs cleaning up and refined.  More on that later.

Sealing The Email Address Part 2

This is so important that I’m going to keep harping on it, like a seal.  Like a Harp Seal.
harp-seal-pup-1a-1996-xl.jpg
For your resume or for any correspondence to potential employers, you must have a professional email address. Drop the funny names (buymymonkey, anyone?) or antiquated domains.  Create a brand new and professional email address that reflects a polished and objective person.  Use that for professional correspondence, your resume, and social media profiles for professional use.

Summary

That’s just a quick take on what you need to do to your social media presence before you start applying for jobs.  It’s so critical that you appear professional, polished, and objective.  For me, it was surprising how much I was projecting about myself with my social media accounts all mixed and cross-referential.

It took me a few weeks to clean everything up but in the end, it allowed me to take two personas:  the guy you absolutely need to be employed at your organization and my informal social media presence.   Let no one cross the other!

And work to keep it that way, even after you’re employed.

willrwills 0 Comments
Apr 28 2018
Your New Career – Part 2: Your Toolset

Now finally we are finally getting into the meat of things with finding your new career. And it calls for organization and effort.

Note that my advice is based on my experience of seeking a professional, managerial position.  My previous position was just shy of C-level, so what I was looking for was a bit north of a lay position.  A lot of what you’ll read is about aiming at the middle to upper management.  However, most of the suggestions can be leveraged for any position you’re interviewing for.  And, as I’ve said, if you have specific questions you can always email me or post a question in the comments.

Let’s start by getting set up with the tools you’ll need to be successful:

  1. Make sure you have an electronic calendar where you can keep all of your appointments.  In my case, I used Mac’s Calendar app.  All my devices (all Apple products) use it and they sync using iCloud.  It’s vitally important that you know who you’re meeting with and when.  Missing appointments is a great way to lose a golden opportunity or send a negative message to your potential employer.  A paper calendar can make do, but why not instead make an effort to move into the 21st century and leverage a digital calendar?  Further, by using an integrated calendar app, the appointment contains the address where you’re heading to (and/or the phone number) and you can immediately link to Maps and get guidance and drive time, or you can click on the phone number and easily make a call if you’re running late.  Try that with paper! (…during the interview, slowly unfolds paper map to find the location of next interview…gets paper cut…).

    When choosing a calendar app, you can certainly also use the calendar that is part of Outlook.  That works best when Outlook is also your mail client.  Outlook, however, does not play well with Mac Calendar or Mac Contacts, not even Google contacts (at least for now).
    You can also use Google Calendar, which works well if you have a Google email address.  You can access it by logging into Google and going to calendar.google.com. The good news is that Mac Calendar can connect to the Google Calendar, but Outlook appears not to.  The bad news is that, as with anything you share with Google, it will be scanned and stored for use by their AI marketing monster.
    You can use a paper calendar organizer but imagine how “high-tech” you’ll look when you’re interviewing and have to crack open that journal and write your follow-up appointment down.

  2. Make sure you have an electronic Contacts list.  If you’re like me, a few years ago my contacts were scattered everywhere.  I had Outlook contacts, and Google contacts, separate contacts on my phone, iPad, Mac laptop contacts, and a mishmash of every person I’d interacted with for 25 years.

    I switched to using Google contacts.  Again, this is best when you already have a Google email address, and you can access it using http://contacts.google.com. See the pattern?  http://[content type].google.com and you can get directly to the page with the info you want.  I linked it to my Mac, and it works flawlessly with Mac mail.  However, it doesn’t work well with Outlook.  That’s another pattern you’ll find.

    This is the perfect time to go through ALL of your contacts, merge duplicates, and delete those that are no longer relevant.  Export all of your contacts into a flat-file and import them into Google, which has a nice “find duplicates” feature that lets you merge similar contacts.
    Make sure you have a “me” contacts entry that allows you to quickly send yourself an email.  This is great when you want to take down notes via your electronic device and send them to yourself for later.

  3. Make sure you have access to solid Word Processing software.  You would be surprised how many resumes I’ve seen that were clearly written in Notepad (or vim).  Nearly every platform comes with a decent word processor.  Certainly, Microsoft Word is the king, but Mac Pages is fine, along with a bevy of free writing tools you can download.  Or just invest in the Microsoft Office 360 license, at least for now.  All you really need is a way to do bullet points, bold text, paragraphing, and, for the love of God, spelling, and grammar checks!
  4. Setup a Cloud or backup storage location.  This is not directly related to your job search, but having a cloud drive that you can access from any device allows you to quickly get to your resume or other pertinent information.  Imagine you arrive at a job interview and realize you didn’t bring any extra copies of your resume.  With your resume being on a cloud drive, you can quickly print a few copies at Kinko’s, for example.

    And I should not have to convince you to have a solid backup of all your systems.  I use Apple TimeMachine.  You can use an external drive or the aforementioned cloud drive.  This has saved me even when all I needed was the last version of my resume.

  5. Create a Job Search Log.  On a shared/cloud drive, create a document that you will use to track every company that you contacted or sent a resume to, and every networking activity you participate in — and the result.  Below is a snippet of my log:
    Sample Job Log

    It’s basically a three-column table that includes the date, the activity, and the current status.  I used “orange” to indicate job applications, and white (or clear background) to indicate other activities, and gray for those that had reached a conclusion (good or bad).  These are all gray because they were from earlier this year.

    Also, you may forget where you have applied and apply there again.  Or perhaps you applied and never heard back – this is a great reminder tool to check the status of that application.

    Keep this log close to you and update it nightly (or more frequently).  As you’re looking for a job, networking, getting feedback and referrals, it’s easy to lose track of the last thing that happened.   It also helps you remember names and assemble your notes.

    Take any names of people or organizations and add them to your contact list.  Make sure you include phone numbers and addresses.  If you don’t know the address for a business, for goodness sake use Google to search for it.

  6. Get a decent email address.  Oh my oh my, how many resumes have I seen where the person’s email address is something like “deerhunter37@aol.com” or “babybabyloveme@hotmail.com”.  C’mon people!

    First, do you really want an interviewer to judge you based on your email address before getting to know you?  What if your email is “crookedhillary@yahoo.com” or “impeachtrump@gmail.com”?  Is that the right message you want to send professionally?  Hint: NO.   Invest in getting a decent and professional email address (they’re free!) that uses your name or some derivative of it.  Make sure it doesn’t send a message about your political, romantic, dietary, or pop-culture references (“hanshotfirst@greedo.com”).  You want to be a blank slate heading into that interview.

    Also, having domains that seem old or outdated (@aol.com, @myspace.com, @netzero.com, @me.com) again just paints a picture of your technology hipness before you get a chance to say a word.  AOL implies you use a dial-up connection (14.4K baby!) and the others are just old providers of email addresses.  Go grab a free email address from Google, iCloud – or create your own domain (https://www.melyssagriffin.com/use-gmail-custom-domain/).
    Here’s an article on the “mockability” of your email domain. (http://11points.com/11-email-providers-ranked-mock-ability/)

    As you progress through interviews and the ranks of interviewers at an organization, your email address will be seen by more and more people.  Make sure it reflects your professionalism.

  7. Find a tool to provide background information on an organization.  This is not absolutely required, but you really should know the details about the company you will be interviewing with.  If you were laid off, you may have been provided access to an outplacement service.  If so, they often provide access to Hoovers or Bloomberg, or others to be able to research the financial viability of organizations.  If you don’t have that, Google can suffice.

    Really this is more advice than a tool: make sure you research an organization before you apply for a job there.  What’s happened recently?  Did they just get acquired?  What’s their financial position?  What earnings (losses) did they report in the last quarter?  If nothing else, it gives you discussion material during an interview to show you’ve done your homework (more on that in a subsequent article).

  8. Pay for LinkedIn Premium.  If you’re already on LinkedIn, you probably have received countless offers to upgrade to Premium.  I eventually did and found it helpful.  You will get one month free, and then I paid for a subsequent month.   Premium Career (currently $29.99 a month) is sufficient.   In my opinion, it’s perhaps barely worth the cost, but worth it.

    Using premium you can see who looked at your profile and often see a specific name or organization that showed interest.  You get statistics on how often your name came up on searches.   To me, that was an important and interesting part.  It allowed me to follow-up with people who seemed to revisit my profile.  You have to be careful and not do this in a creepy way.  I’d recommend referencing the organization they work with and not “hey, I saw you skulking around my profile…”

    Also, you can turn on the “I’m looking for a job” switch on LinkedIn, which makes your profile show up on candidate searches.
    A future article will provide direction on cleaning up your online presence, including on LinkedIn.

  9. Pay for a Resume Writing Service. Oh yes, this is important.  We’ll get into your resume in more detail in a subsequent article, but this is so important.

    Resume structures and accepted formats change often.  What looked cool and hip a few years ago (your headshot on a resume!) is embarrassing now.  Multi-columns versus single column, using color, a “career goals” section, how you list employment, how far you go back and other key elements of a resume keep changing.  Having a professional service create a resume for you is useful and vital.  You’ll stand out from the others who still use outdated techniques, and you’ll be seen as investing in your job search.

    Also, the way companies scan resumes and look for keywords can be severely impaired if you create a cutesy resume with all sorts of “cool” fonts (papyrus, anyone?).

  10. Wardrobe Makeover.  This is absolutely a tool. The way you look is also seriously important to how you fare in an interview.  It’s unfortunate but true that employers will judge you on how well your clothes fit, how contemporarily professional you appear and the color combination you choose.  There are suit colors that are more appropriate for interviews than others not just the obvious (stay away from all-white unless you’re applying for the job of host of Fantasy Island).

    If you were previously employed at a casual or business casual organization, you may find that you don’t even own a well-fitting suit, or that your polo shirts are ratty, bally, and worn.
    If you’re serious about getting a decent job, you’ll have to spend some money on a few good interviewing outfits, new shoes, and even a new carrying case.  We’ll cover a section on the interview process, but please do NOT show up at an interview with a backpack, or any hat, or way colorful socks.

    Also, get a haircut, get your teeth whitened, treat that acne, invest in cologne (don’t slather it on!), practice smiling naturally, practice your handshake.   When you step into the interviewer’s office, you need to strike them as a great “first impression” person.  This is often a key, but unwritten part of the interview process.

    Finally, have your interview clothes dry cleaned.  Don’t just iron them or worse yet show up with wrinkled clothes.  After every two or three interviews, have them dry cleaned again.

Being prepared for your job search means having all the tools in place to react to opportunities, do research on organizations, and have that snappy outfit ready when you’re called in for an unexpected interview.

willrwills 5 Comments
Jul 19 2017
The Unrivaled Leader : Part 7 – Answering Email is Not Productivity!

I find that the amount of time that I spend answering emails continues to grow, and has continued to grow since the introduction of that platform in 1972.  Thanks, Ray Tomlinson.  I’ll email you my personal thanks.  And if I find where you live… Heck, before starting to writing this article I spent the previous hour reading, answering, and forwarding work emails.

Who hasn’t felt the satisfaction of emptying their inbox by rifling through and responding (REPLY ALL!) or forwarding emails and then deleting them from your inbox.  Or felt the stress of opening emails and seeing 200 new ones.

Emailing is not productivity.

I sometimes wish that sending and replying to emails was accompanied by physically poking the recipient (or sender) in the eye.  In this way, you (or they) would be keenly aware of the pain you (or they) were inflicting by simply flinging emails out to others.  And answering emails rarely is an end to a workflow.  Emails beget emails beget emails beget… (Proverbs: 110: 1-16)

Emails are used as replacements for meetings, and too many meetings is something I ranted about in the previous article.  And emails have come to replace the phone or face-to-face conversations.   I’ve experienced my next-door cubicle neighbor sending me an email that could have been solved with a five-minute visit.  Things are in a sad state of affairs.

So I mulled and mulled and tried to come up with some ways to avert email overload.

I recalled once where I inadvertently deleted all my emails from my inbox and you know what?  Nothing bad happened.  The people who needed something from me simply re-emailed or (or, [gasp!] called me).

Things I Have Tried
To help, here are some actions we took related to email overload that I and my team have tried over the years to varied success:

  1. We tried “no email” mornings where the management team agreed that between 8:30 am and 11:30 am, we were not going to send each other emails.
  2. We introduced a mechanism with subject line pre-fixes that provided information on the content of that email without you having to open it.  For example:
    1. “AR” means “Action is required of you”
    2. “PF” means “Print and File”
    3. “NRN” means “No response necessary”
    4. “FYI” means, well, “NRN”, but “NRN” was a strong suggestion NOT to respond
  3. We had an email etiquette class to remind people how and when to write emails.

All of these provided a modicum of relief, but because we could not control what others did relate to the email we were still inundated.

Suggestions
So to wrap up this short article, here are some suggestions and guidelines that I think you ought to strongly consider:

  1. Peel off people from emails that are not key or are not expected to provide input.  There have been countless times in endless email “chains” where I’m CC’d and dragged along in the wake of the conversation.  Some parts of the conversation are just “yep” or one sentence that continues to pull me along like a minnow in a paper eddy.  Just drop people off, especially executives from the To: and CC:.
  2. If you’re CC’d – avoid the temptation to respond.  Technically, as a cc:’d recipient, the intent should be to advise you rather than gather your feedback.
  3. Keep your emails very short.  No more than one paragraph.  Writing long emails simply forces people to speed read and skip potentially vital content.  Tighten and re-tighten the language.  Less is more, more or less.
  4. Do not send inflammatory emails.  Emails, like regrets, are forever.  And you don’t want to leave evidence of your unstable personality for all to read at some future performance review session.
  5. As a corollary to the previous item, if you do find the need to send a strong email, don’t send it and instead save it for an hour (or a day if possible).  Read it again at that time and you may find that a) things have changed and thus there is no need for your email, b) things have changed for the better and your email now seems silly, c) you really should not have sent that email at all, d) you don’t really care about the topic as much as you really thought at the time.  Ambivalence is a strong and often rewarding emotion.
  6. Immediately unsubscribe from junk emails.  Hit the “Junk” and then the “Block” buttons on your toolbar on spam emails.
  7. Setup rules by the recipient to move emails from less important people (or informational emails) to a separate folder — that you probably then will never visit.  Then set up rules that periodically empty out these folders.
  8. Before sending any email, pick up the phone and call the person.  You may get your answer right away.  [Note: the worst is when someone emails you and then picks up the phone to discuss the email they just sent you.  “Justifiable homicide” comes to mind.]
  9. Proofread your emails.  So many times I have received emails that appeared to be written by someone who didn’t understand verb tense, punctuation, correct forms of possessiveness, oh, the English language, etc.

What have you done to help assuage the tidal wave of emails?  Email me and let me know:  willrwills@gmail.com.

Update 7/20 –

  1. The inclusion of the email address at the end was an attempt at irony.  My thanks to the readers who said “hey, you know that you included your email address, right?”  Yes, I do.
  2. Another annoying thing was suggested by a reader.  Let’s call him Peter.  That would be:

Having a long email chain forwarded to you simply with “FYI”, forcing you to read the entire chain – and then finding out you were already on the TO: or CC: anyway!  Ugh!!

Will R Wills 2 Comments
Jun 9 2017
The Unrivaled Leader : Part 6 – Stop Scheduling @!&#!** Meetings!

The title should be enough guidance on this topic.  This is as bad as sending too many emails.  Just stop.  STOP!

Literally, using the correct definition of the word literally, I can say that too many of my workdays are non-stop meetings from the moment I walk into the moment I leave for the day.  If I hadn’t blocked off some time for lunch, I would be meeting through lunch.   And in fact, sometimes people put meetings through my lunch.  And when I’m out of the office (on business or PTO), meetings are scheduled that I am asked to dial into.  There’s no escaping meetings!

The result of so many meetings?

  • I’m unprepared for meetings.
  • Meetings run over so I’m late to meeting+1 all the way to meeting+n.  People in these meetings are irritated at me for being late.
  • I end the day exhausted and feeling like I haven’t accomplished anything.
  • I end up taking real work home so that I can complete my deliverables, in preparation for the next day of meetings.
  • My PTO is ruined because I have to tell my family to head out on their own while I take this 30 min call, which ends up being an hour or more.
  • My business trip or training is ruined because I have to duck out at some very crucial session time to take a 30-minute meeting.

And if you think having an agenda ready for each meeting will decrease the number of meetings that are scheduled, you’re wrong.  Agenda’s don’t take much to pull together.

And maybe you think that challenging people on meetings will cause them to reschedule or cancel them?  No.  Often the challenge is responded to with a name drop:  “Well, VP Mr/s. Smith needs this meeting and this is the only week they are available and you’re not available this other time so…”.  And then, often, VP Mr/s. Smith doesn’t even show up for the meeting, or shows up and is unprepared.

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When I See My Calendar

This is a problem all the way up the chain, and frankly, I’ve found that while everyone complains about this, rarely does anyone do anything about it.  Oh sure, they might schedule meetings to deal with the plethora (would you say we have a plethora of meetings?) of meetings.

And worse yet, the trend now is to not even check if your calendar is free for a meeting. Often I receive meetings on top of (or overlapping) existing meetings on top of…  I had one day where I had four meetings at the exact same time.  Professional courtesy is gone, I suppose, but this is just regular human courtesy, or perhaps laziness.

Has no one any workable advice on how to avoid meetings?
I care about you, and so I’m going to help you reduce the number of meetings you are invited to.   And I don’t want anything in return!  I’m the Buddha of “better work habits”! I’m the Jesus of “just giving you more time”.  I’m the Mohammed of “making your work life easier”.  I’m the…eh, Jim and Tammy Bakker of … not sure where I was going with that.

Below are some of the things that have worked for me.  Some are obvious, and maybe some are not.  Try out different ones at different times.

Top 10 Ways to Reduce the Number of Meetings

  1. Decline meetings.  Yes, just decline them. You have work to do that’s more important than that meeting. Just hit the “Decline” option and provide a comment that says you have some deliverables to work on.  Your declining (or declination? dejection? ) will often lead to other meeting invitees seeing this and declining the meetings themselves and being able to use you as an excuse why:  “well, Bill can’t make it so we need him there and I’ll wait until he’s available”.  Remember, you can use this technique, too.   But, this is especially easy if you have some reasonable rank in the organization.  If you’re a layperson and decline the CEO’s meeting request, you could have a lot of time in your future with no meetings.
  2. Decline but propose a new time. This is the kinder version of #1 above.  If the meeting has some merit, but you are otherwise indisposed, propose a time that works better for you.
  3. Set a cap on meetings, and then follow #1 or #2 above.   45-hour workweek.  Two hours of meetings a day is 10 hours.  10 hours of meetings per week is almost a quarter (that’s 25%!) of your week.  That’s a lot of time in meetings.  So put a cap at 2 meetings per day, or 10 meetings per week, and stick to it.  If someone places a meeting on your calendar and you’re over your limit, decide which other meetings should be declined.
  4. Have a no-meeting day.  Just take a day off every week and block off that time as “Busy”.  Decline meetings that are placed on that day.  This doesn’t eliminate people who just drop meetings haphazardly on your calendar, but it does help.
  5. Add random fake meetings to your calendar. Yes.  Take the time, or have your admin take the time to create a spate of fake meetings with realistic-sounding names.  One time my admin created such a realistic name that I thought it was a real meeting and started stressing.  Imagine my relief when it turned out to be a fake meeting.  We high-fives! Just plop a couple of hour meetings each day across the week.
  6. Fake PTO.  Alright, maybe not fake, but go ahead and block off time in the future to take a vacation from work.  If you’re like me, you have to do this so far in advance anyway because you’re already booked up for the next two months.  Put “Hold for PTO” out on your calendar, mark the day off and wait.  If you end up taking the day off, then that’s a good thing because you get some time to relax and regenerate.  If you end up not taking the day off (but you really should, people!), then you have a reasonably unfettered day to complete your work.  Note that if you overuse this, people will ignore these blockages and put meetings on your calendar anyway.
  7. Setup no-meeting mornings. As an alternative to marking a whole day off, mark off your mornings only (9 am to noon).  Studies show that you’re most alert in the morning so use that time to do difficult or important work.  You want to be a hero, and you are a manager (or above)? Create a policy for your department that is “no meeting mornings”.  That positive energy will carry long after you have to stop doing this because some other department complains because their manager won’t do the same, wah.
  8. Convert your meetings to stand-ups. Take a page our of agile development and host stand up meetings in place of using a room or going off-site.  This does a couple of things:  1) these meetings are usually shorter because no one wants to stand up for long, 2) thus these meetings are more curt and specific, 3) you and your team look trendy and high-tech. Look at you with your team doing that stand up thing!
  9. Let your admin control your calendar and tell her #1 – 8 above.  The only thing attending to many meetings is stressing over how to manage all these meetings and decide which ones to decline.  If you’re the lucky person who has an assistant, as that person to follow my rules above.  First, you’ll relieve your stress because you’re not having to do this.  Second, usually, your admin will care just a little less about hurting other people’s feelings and will end up declining a heck of a lot of meetings.  A good assistant is one that will stand up to others on your behalf.  But you have to stand up for them as well.
  10. Work from home. If you’re lucky enough to be afforded this option, do it.  It’s difficult to set up meetings with people who telecommute.  Yes, you can Skype or Hangout it, but that’s not usually used for real meetings.  And yes, often you have to come in for real meetings, but out of sight is out of mind, and just by being out of the office you’ll not be invited to so many meetings.

I understand some of the above is a bit extreme.  You need to decide what will work best for your organization.  Maybe you soften some of them up.  For example, you don’t want a reputation for adding fake meetings to your calendars: “Oh look, here comes Mr. I’m so busy I have to lie about my meetings guy!” But if you call them “work times” rather than “fake”, then you’re just being more productive with the valuable time your organization provides!  That is so nice of you and should earn you an award.

Alright, give it a shot. Help address this blight on productivity right away!  Have any other ideas that worked for you?  Let me know in the comments!

willrwills 0 Comments
Jun 8 2017
Apple WWDC 2017 – Quick Take Day 3

I’m actually in the middle of Day 4 but didn’t get a chance to update this last night.  I’m sitting at lunch with 1,200 of my closest friends, enjoying a chipotle chicken wrap and a Coke.
Some useful information about WWDC:

  1. Food is supplied.  There’s breakfast, which includes donuts, coffee, fruit juices, and fruit.  There’s coffee intermittently throughout the day.  There’s lunch that usually is a few sandwiches, chips, a cookie, and a drink.   Each night there’s an optional evening event that provides entertainment and at least finger foods.
  2. San Jose at this time of year is either bright, cool, and sunny or overcast, cool, and rainy.
  3. If you can’t stay in the city itself (which is very walkable), stay North of the city so that in the morning when you drive in, you’re not heading toward SFO (where all the other traffic is heading) and in the evening the exact opposite is true, which is good, too.  Also note that there’s parking right at the San Jose Convention Center, which maxes out at $20/day – but is very convenient.
  4. Bring a backpack to carry your materials around.
  5. Note that ALL of the sessions are available online afterward to all Apple developers.  While there’s excitement about seeing the presentations, you should pick and choose the ones that you really want to interact with.
  6. The Labs (by appointment or walk-in) are the most useful as you get to discuss ideas and issues with Apple engineers.
  7. You are free to go and come as you please, just wear your badge.
  8. The wristband that you are required to keep on, and that apparently cannot be taken off without destroying it (I haven’t tried), gets pretty dirty after sleeping and showering with it for a few days.

There is a lot of exciting stuff coming in iOS 11, a major upgrade to the O/S.  The machine learning capabilities built into the platform is simple to leverage programmatically.  The ARKit for Augment Reality is shockingly powerful and usable across all platforms.  Some of the AR demos they did were jawdropping, and in fact, they wrote code on stage and executed it to show how easy it is to include AR support (and Machine Learning and…).  In fact, the “watch as I write the code right now” parts is the most engaging for me.

Apple is doing a nice job of laying the groundwork for future applications and making sure all of their platforms work seamlessly together.

It’s not lost on me that the major challenge of Android is the huge diversity of screen sizes and device capabilities.  It must make it difficult to write a common app for that platform.  Steve Cook reminded us that 83% of iOS users are already on the latest release of iOS.

This is a quick take, so that’s it for Day 3.  As noted, I’m in Day 4 so I’ll write that up tonight (or tomorrow morning) with overall notes about the conference.

willrwills 0 Comments
Jun 7 2017
Apple WWDC 2017 Quick Take – Day 1

I’m a day behind writing my quick takes.  I’ve tried to stay on east-coast time, without a lot of luck.  It’s going to be quite the adjustment to my circadian clock when I return home, not to mention my midichlorians. The drowsiness will be strong with this one.

Conference Logistics

The conference was moved to San Jose this year.  Usually, it’s over in SFO.  All presentations and sessions are in the San Jose Conference Center.  San Jose is just south of San Francisco.

In general, the conference is made up of presentations and labs.  Some of the presentations are keynotes and others are product updates.  The labs last the entire day.  You must enroll for each lab on the day of the lab, starting at 7 am.  However, as I found, they fill up insanely fast.

Each day you are provided pastries, fruit, and coffee for “breakfast”, and a lunch consisting of a wrap (or salad or sandwich), some chips, drinks, fruit, and a cookie or brownie.

Each night there are evening events, including food, music, and even a movie.  There’s a large bash on the “last” day, which happens to be Thursday despite the conference running to Friday.
Attendance I believe was estimated at around 6,000 people.

Sunday

I flew in Sunday night because the opening session was 10:00 am and it’s near impossible to fly East Coast to San Jose and get there in time for such an early session.  On the other hand, I left as late as possible Sunday so I effectively was in my hotel around 2 am (my local body time) when I hit the sack.

I found out very late that I was attending this conference so hotels were pretty much booked.  I’m staying out near the San Jose airport – which is fine because my flight out on Friday is like 5 am or something.  What did work out well is that I’m north of San Jose so driving to the conference I’m driving against traffic (i.e. no traffic) as most people in the morning are heading into SFO.  The same goes for the evening drive back to the hotel.
Thus far I’ve found a lot of great Asian food near the hotel (thanks Yelp!).
Registration is Sunday all day, which is important as you will read later.  Having arrived so late, I was unable to register until Monday.

Monday – Day 1

Monday was about calculating how early I needed to leave the room to get to the conference two hours before the 10 am the main session with Tim Cook.  It was a 22-minute drive from the hotel so I left around 7:30 am for the Convention Center.

Once I got there around 8 am I did find parking at the Convention Center ($20/day!).  I walked down and found a very long line into the WWDC already in place.  I then was told that I had to get into yet another comparably long line first to register.

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The line to get into WWDC
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Similarly Long Line to Registration

The good news is that the weather was nice and so waiting in line was not so bad.  Also, make sure you use the restroom before getting in line.  I did not and thus I had a grimace on my face the whole time.

My main worry is that I would not get in.  I later would find out that everyone basically gets in.  If you want to sit near the front and look Tim Cook in the face, you’re going to have to a) register on Sunday and b) arrive very very early Monday and wait.  But if you’re okay being farther back (and there are plenty of large displays with closeups of the stage), then you can arrive around 9:15 am.  Still, registering Sunday is probably a good idea – you will cut your line waiting in half.

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More waiting for registration…
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The goal!  Registration!

Registering provided me with a wrist band that the attendant said “do not remove it”, a nice black denim jacket, and some WWDC pins.

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My Official WWDC17 Denim jacket!
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My “Permanent” Wrist Band
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WWDC 2017 Pins

Once registered, I went back into the original line, but by this time the front door had opened and a lot of people had been allowed in.  The entrance to the center had drug (bomb?) sniffing dogs and a modicum of security.  They scanned my bag quickly and I didn’t have to go through a metal detector.

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Old Scratch and Sniff sadly addicted to opiates…

By the way, the makeup of the crowd was interesting –

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The Crowd

Which I described as:
Makeup Tweet
Anyway, I made it past security and was put into a very long line, just inside.  It literally took another 40 minutes to be allowed to enter the main room.

Here’s a nice thing.  Since it was just me, I was able to wander up near the front where staffers with blue signs were pointing out single seats.  So despite arriving very late, I was able to get a decent seat.

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My View – not Bad!

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The Staffer with the Green “Seat Available” Sign

Opening Keynote

Cook’s keynote was as expected – lots of excitement and shouting as he entered the room. He speaks very well and really commands the crowd.  In his keynote, he said that there were 6 major announcements today.  I know that most in the crowd expected number 6 to be a new iPhone.

So we patiently waited as he described some top-to-bottom rewrites of major tools (Xcode), iOS 11 with a bunch of neat features, the new Max OS called High Sierra (followed by a giggle in the room), new iMacs (including a crazy-powerful, dark grey machine with like 1.21 gigawatts of something or rather), a new iPad Pro that sits between the large and small one, some amazing drag-and-drop that’s part of iOS 11 for iPad Pros and finally number 6, which was a new…

Home Pod?

There was a thud when he announced this, followed by murmurs that sounded like “how about the iPhone 8?” repeatedly whispered.
Home Pod is basically an Alexa, but for Apple.  On the plus side, it seems to have some kickass speaker technology that blows the doors off Alexa and Google Home.  It includes a Siri interface and can act in place of Apple TV for Apple Home Kit integration.  But it’s not a new iPhone and so a bit of excitement left the room at that point.

Platforms State of the Union

Once the opening session completed, there was a bit of a break, and then the second session which was the Platforms State of the Union.  This took us through all the various platforms, including ARKit, MusicKit, UIKit, Swift, Xcode, and all the core technologies.   This session lasted until about 4 pm, followed by “hands-on” time in various labs on the new devices and software and then an evening event (food and drinks in San Pedro square).

Bottom Line

An interestingly slow start to the conference.  Yes, some neat things were announced, but it looks like for the June Apple announcements, it’s all about shoring up their technologies. They took major tools like Xcode and rewrote them from the bottom up.  They introduced the latest in Apple’s open-source programming language Swift 4.0.

You can look up all the products and updates announced, I won’t include those here.

If this wasn’t Apple, I think I would have totally amazed.  As it was, I was impressed, but like others wasn’t sure why I felt let down.  I think after years of shocking us with new technology, this one was about streamlining and improving performance.  Frankly, it may actually be a good thing.  Running at 100mph can produce shocking innovations, but if you never take the time to go back and fill in the missing pieces, you’ll end up with flashy-unstable-garbage.

willrwills 0 Comments
May 5 2017
The Unrivaled Leader: Part 4 – Don’t Bullshit

This is a simple idea that seems to evade even the most competent people, especially as people move up through the ranks.  It’s the idea that your superior ability or intellect gives you the superpower of being able to deceive without detection.

“If you think no one on your staff will pick up on the fact that you are misleading them, either by commission or omission,  you need to reconsider your strategy.”

What does it say about you if you’ve assembled a team that is not bright enough to pick up on being misled?  What will happen when they figure out that you’ve been less than honest?  Will it ever be possible to regain their trust after you are caught in misdirection?

I’m not advocating spewing every little bit of confidential information to your staff.  That would be very poor judgment and even poorer management.  When faced with delivering bad news – news that you may not know the details or may not be able to share the details about due to confidentiality, you have to find a balance between misleading and having the integrity to treat your staff with respect.

If you’ve treated your staff respectfully along the way, truly behaved as a servant leader, made sure to listen and act upon feedback, you might be surprised just how your staff will be to go through the most difficult times at your side.  It’s the fact that you are a respectable, empathetic, approaching, kind leader that makes it possible to deliver very bad news and still have the support of your team.  Trust me.

People like to hear reality, and your staff is looking to you to provide them with the possible opportunities for success even if that means they need to find that success in another organization or in another capacity.

Anecdote #1 – Years ago I worked at an organization that was ultimately acquired by a larger organization that produced the exact same software that we did.  Now, you can imagine the feeling in the department: that soon we’d be merged and as a result, we’d all lose our jobs.  So I approached my manager and asked him whether we had anything to fear or whether he could share any details about the impact of this merger on our department.

“No no”, he said, “everything will be great.  We’ll merge the teams and we’ll merge the products and have an even better offering to the market.
So I pressed him again – do I need to maybe update my resume and keep an eye out for a job, just in case?

“No No No”, he reassured again, “Just sit tight. All will be well and we’ll be in a better place soon.”
A month later, we were all called into a “kickoff meeting”.  HR walked in and laid us all off.

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I approached my manager and asked him why he could not even give me some idea that there was a chance we’d be let go.  In fact, it was pretty obvious to everyone (see my note about having a smart staff) that we likely would be let go, but his reassurances made us trust that we’d be okay.
His response was that he was just doing his job.

If the opportunity arises, would I ever work for him again?  Nope.  Did he poison me to this organization?  Yep.

So what was he supposed to do?  Was he supposed to tell us that we’re all losing our jobs?  Of course not.  Well, He could have suggested that the future was uncertain, but that the worst that would have happened would be we’d be paid a severance based on tenure.  He could have reinforced that it’s always good to keep your resume updated.  He could have done something other than telling us everything would be fine, which was a lie.

Anecdote #2 – A number of years ago I was pursuing my MBA at the University of Central Florida (go Knights!)  One of my business classes posed a thought question.  Here’s the short version:

“You manage a Wal-Mart that will be closing in 6 months.  Another larger store will be opening in the next town, but none of your staff will be moved to that other store.  You need your staff to keep working until the smaller store closes, and then they will all be released.  Do you:

  1. Say nothing, and on the day of the closing simply arrive early and lock the doors?
  2. Tell your staff the situation, and work with staff on job placement opportunities and/or lobby regional management for some “stay on board” compensation?

My leaning would be, as you might expect, #2. I asked my then boss and he said “most definitely #1.  In his words “this is a business and there are no friends in business”.  Ironically, a few years later he was laid off.

To me, a good leader is someone who represents the best in humanity; someone who, when you run into them long since you’ve parted ways, you want to walk up to them and shake her/his hand.  Party of being that boss is to treat your staff with integrity and above all, don’t bullshit them.

Next: Part 5 – How to Interview

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May 3 2017
The Unrivaled Leader : Part 2 – How to Get Feedback

Alright, now you’re on the right track.  You have decided that feedback is essential to your success.  And you’re title/position is anything from an entry-level staff member to a C-level member of executive leadership.  Good for you!

In my attempt to make these posts direct and useful, without further ado, here are some specific ideas about where and how to gain feedback –

  1. Always end the conversation with “what can I do better for you?”  The job of an effective manager is to communicate a strategy or direction to staff members, provide the necessary tools and/or guidance to reach that ultimate goal, and – get the heck out of the way.   But before getting out of the way, keep tabs on performance by ending discussions with questions about what YOU can do for the staff person. Don’t make every interaction a coaching session.  What you really want is your staff to coach you.
  2. Schedule one-on-one’s with people across your organization, as time permits.  And when you meet, don’t discuss project status.  Ask the person questions about how they are feeling, their stress level, their notions about whether the job is engaging or not, where they want to be in three to five years, what you can do to help them be successful (see #1 above).  Keep it casual and interactive during the engagement.  And don’t force the discussion to meet any particular time frame: don’t cut it off at thirty minutes but also don’t stretch it out to thirty-minutes.  Get to a point where it feels like you’re wrapping up, and then wrap it up!  Take notes if need be.
  3. Setup “Fireside Chats” with groups of your staff members.  When I used to do this, I’d have my assistant set up groups of four or five to meet with, and pick a cross-section of people who may have varying opinions.  She’d then schedule monthly Fireside Chats, each with a different group.  If one of the people selected for a group was generally a “complainer”, we’d also invite someone who was more positive as well.  This keeps the group from moving in too extreme in any particular direction.   That being said, you could also do the exact opposite and say, invite-only people who are concerned or unhappy.   It’s challenging, but it allows you to receive feedback directly on the cause of concern.  It also could make the group more comfortable because they are speaking in a like-minded way.  Caution: if you do this, you want to make sure each person doesn’t simply build on the other’s input to create an artificial angry mob.  Make sure you diffuse discussions because people are shouting – or stop the meeting and reconvene using one-on-one’s, should this occur. During these chats (and you can call them Fireside Chats because it sounds friendly), if you have the option, supply fountain drinks or light snacks.  You want people to be comfortable in speaking to you and open up about their concerns.  And everyone likes free food and drinks!

    If specific people come up in the discussions, ask that the group speak more generally and then speak to you later to provide more specific information.  After all, if someone on your team is causing problems, you want to know so that you can independently verify what’s going on.

    Finally, take notes.  Spend time listening, NOT speaking or defending – no matter how direct the feedback is.  Ask probing questions.  Bring out comments from members of the group who are not saying anything.  At the end, review the notes/action items you took.  You’re not promising you can address every concern, but in my experience, most of the concerns will be fairly straightforward to resolve.

  4. End all staff meetings / stand up meetings with an “open floor”.  Set aside fifteen minutes or more at the end of the meeting to take any questions about anything.  Ask if the staff has heard any good rumors. If you have managers and staff reporting to you, remind your managers before the meeting that this is about staff feedback and not theirs.  If you have managers who want to provide feedback, use a one-on-one, or get all the managers together without staff and ask for their direct feedback.

    Note: if you have managers that may intimidate your staff to not speak, first, don’t invite your managers, and soon thereafter, change their behavior or move the offending manager out of the organization.

  5. Install a suggestion box. There’s no shame in having a simple way for people to provide input.  Make sure paper and a pencil are nearby and check it periodically.  And take the time to acknowledge any suggestions you do receive – especially those that you cannot practically address.
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  6. If you are the leader of an organization, create and distribute a “climate survey”. Make sure the survey is not too lengthy.  Search for samples on the Internet and give people time to complete their surveys.  Include open-ended questions where staff and management can supply unstructured feedback.
  7. Don’t be afraid to strike up a conversation casually when you run into someone in the hall. Listen to me:  if you have a large team, it does not matter if you have forgotten the staff person’s name.  Just say “I’m sorry, I just don’t recall your name”  It won’t be taken as hard as you think.  BUT, if you forget their name repeatedly, then I suggest you practice some memory games. In this hallway conversation, ask honestly how things are going.   Or ask about a specific project or something noteworthy that occurred in your organization.  Make it a casual two to give minute “hello!” and part with “good speaking to you”.  This makes your staff comfortable in seeking you out to provide feedback.

I’ve always used the story that I want my staff to be comfortable saying “hello” when they see me out of the building, or at a store or restaurant.  I use Target as an example as in “if I see you in Target, I don’t want you to be uncomfortable to say hello – or try to avoid running into me.”

Next: How to TAKE feedback

willrwills 0 Comments
Nov 3 2016
The Fear of The Fear of Public Speaking

According to StatisticBrain.com, 75% of women and 73% of men suffer from speech anxiety or the fear of public speaking, also known as “glossophobia”. Borrowing from a Jerry Seinfeld routine, he noted that people are more afraid of public speaking than dying, such that “given the choice, people would prefer to be in the casket than delivering the eulogy for the person in the casket.”

About five years ago, I suddenly developed glossophobia. It happened as I approached my 40’s. It struck with horrifying consequences. Suddenly, in the middle of a presentation, I would experience a panic attack. I was unable to continue, my heart racing, and unable to catch my breath. I immediately forgot everything I was going to say. It really frightened me because I had not previously experienced such anxiety. And throughout my life, I’ve been very comfortable presenting in front of very large audiences. I’ve hosted entire IT Conferences, single-handedly, without a trace of serious nervousness. Worst yet, the panic attacks continued. I started dreading doing any presentations and then even conference calls with large audiences. Something had changed and I desperately needed to find out what – and correct it.

“Suddenly, in the middle of a presentation, I would experience a panic attack. I was unable to continue, my heart racing and unable to catch my breath.”

I started searching for examples of others who had experienced such problems and stumbled upon a number of very successful stars who were in a similar situation. Celebrities like Donny Osmond, Leann Rimes, and Paula Dean all struggled with social anxiety and panic attacks.

For me, Osmond was the most intriguing. At the same time, I was searching and coping, I actually happened upon a television special specifically about Osmond’s issues. As he described, in the mid-nineties in the middle of a run of starring in Jason and the Technicolor Dreamcoat, Donny Osmond started suffering panic attacks. The child star who had been performing in front of thousands since age five suddenly was calling in sick, or faking his way through performances. What had happened? He was Donny Osmond! How could he feel such anxiety? How would he correct this? In short, he ended up in lengthy therapy and taking all sorts of anxiety minimizing drugs.

Neither of those options seemed palatable but the idea that others had experienced the same onset of anxiety made me feel that there was hope.
The best part of the situation is that I had a boss that was quite supportive and would keep an eye out for my attacks, jumping in and taking over. He sat and listened to me, in astonishment, as he watched someone who had been so outgoing and confident now nervous about presenting information that I knew very well. I also had peers and direct reports that I confided in who would also rescue me if they noticed me faltering.

Now that I’ve generally been able to address my anxiety without therapy or medication, I want to pass along some tips and techniques that work for me – and some interesting information that I’ve found after speaking to other speakers that I consider dynamic and talented.

The Fear of the Fear
My first revelation was that I was starting to fear the feeling of fear. Having a panic attack is a horrible feeling – one that you don’t forget. After a few panic attacks during presenting, I started to worry well before my next presentation. I was feeling that panic feeling days and weeks before my presentation. It would come and go, but when I had it, it was as if I was presenting and panicking. My brain was making me relive the worst possible moment over and over, and it caused me to dread presenting. Was I having a mental breakdown? Was what I was feeling unique to me?

“My first revelation was that I was starting to fear the feeling of fear. “

I decided to find the answer by approaching my peers who I thought were very good speakers and asking them directly “do you get nervous before presenting?” The answers I received were interesting and reassuring. A summary of the most common answers included:

  • “Yes, I still get a little nervous but once I get going on stage I get over it very quickly.”
  • “Yes, but I would not describe it as nervousness. It’s actually more like adrenalin and I’ve learned to almost like that feeling.”
  • “Yes, I get very nervous, but then I realize that I’m totally prepared and so I talk myself to a more calm state.”
  • And from one speaker who always seems so confident and cool while presenting: “I’m nervous the whole time. I’m not panicked, but in the back of my head, I do get a little edgy. It keeps me on my toes.”

The message was most speakers still feel that twinge of nervousness prior to the limelight, but they are able to muscle through it. Some presenters do a good job of hiding it. Or, they change that nervousness into excitement. Now, this was a technique I could practice! It did feel good to know that even the best speakers have some derivative nervousness just like me. I’m not so special after all, and that was okay with me!

So given my research and my experience, I would like to present the ten things I did to basically overcome my panic attacks and push through the nervousness to present and present well.

1. Prepare
I used to speak completely off the cuff, with few notes. I knew what I wanted to say and was able to pivot quickly. But when nervousness set in I would often find myself completely lost on my next point or not recalling key information that I wanted to pass along.

So, to address this I started actually writing out word for word what I was going to say. I would write it out exactly how I wanted to present it, including pauses, colloquialisms, and interjections, and I would bring those notes to my podium. I didn’t read the notes word for word, but I did skim over them as I spoke. I used this technique early on, knowing that eventually, I would have to abandon this. Presenting while staring at notes standing behind a podium did not exude executive presence. But this gave me a crutch and, early on, helped me get back out in front of people. These days I don’t write out such detailed notes.

2. Improv
Since my early twenties, I had been interested in comedy and improv. I actually had performed some open-mic stand-up comedy while living in Jacksonville and generally enjoyed it. Now, twenty years later, I wondered if improv could help me with my nervousness. I signed up at the venerable SAK comedy theater in Orlando and proceeded to take and pass Levels 1 through 4. I stopped and did not proceed to their Conservatory Classes, something I might take up down the road.

Improv was an interesting experience. I had always thought (and received feedback) that I was quick, clever, and funny. So I had a high level of confidence. What I found was that there are a LOT of people who are funny – and it felt like most were funnier and quicker than I was. It was a unique experience, both enjoyable and humbling. I had a fantastic instructor in Level 1 named “Bob Kodzis” who was quite supportive. I made a number of friends that I still have today.

Through Improv, I found confidence in performing, especially since Levels 1 and 4 had a “showcase” at the end where we put on a real show in front of a live audience. It was nerve-wracking and exhilarating – and great fun.
What Improv taught me was that I could stand in front of a group and talk about anything without any preparation. I didn’t need notes and could come up with material without much effort. It was a great confidence booster.

I think of this when I find myself nervous. I say to myself “heck, I could get up there and get an offer from the audience and create a whole scene, so presenting material I already know will be a breeze!” This helped.

3. Reality Check
Sometimes as I’m about to present, I think to myself “in an hour I’ll be back at my desk and this will be behind me”. I practice “mindfulness” and try to take myself out of the “right now” and think about what is happening to me as if I was a spectator.

Mindfulness is a useful technique that I use even when I’m not presenting.

4. Break Up The Monotony
Having to present twenty PowerPoint slides full of material is not only boring to the audience but it is also stress-inducing. It’s just talking and talking, and it is difficult to allow for a few seconds of silence to catch your breath. So, now I try to add some multimedia. This accomplishes three things:

  • It allows me time to be “off-stage” and catch my breath
  • It provides for more a more interesting presentation
  • It breaks my presentation into thirds or quarters and this allows me to track my progress towards completion.

I’m not suggesting that you pepper your presentation with home movies or clips from South Park. Any multimedia needs to be pertinent and appropriate. Also, it cannot be too long. A few minutes tops. And you should introduce the clip and summarize it afterward.

Another technique I have is that I might find a co-presenter for materials or parts of the presentation. I introduce an expert to provide some additional insight. Again, this has to be well thought out and appropriate. And nowadays I don’t use this technique, though I found it helpful early on.

5. A Life Line
I found that having an outlet available takes away some of the anxiety. That is, I have one or more people who can answer any questions or elaborate on a particular point. This is like a co-presenter except that these individuals stay out in the audience. I may even let them know that “I might ask you to elaborate on this” so that they can be prepared.

If I became nervous, I could always say “hey Eric, what would you say is our potential list of customers” and let Eric expound on this. I would use this time to take a drink of water and gather myself.
But here’s the key, just knowing that I have that lifeline takes away a lot of anxiety. I rarely now have to use these lifelines.

6. Turn Anxiety into Excitement
Like one of the survey takers said to me, nervousness and excitement are closely related emotions. I practiced turning my nervousness into excitement. I’d say to myself “Hey! I’m getting the chance to present and many people will not get this chance!” I knew that I do present very well and always get great feedback, so this is yet another chance to spread this joy to more people. I talk myself into being excited about the upcoming presentation. And when it goes well, I congratulate myself privately on doing a good job.

7. Calm Down
When you are about to go on, your nervousness can often peak, causing your heart to race and your breathing to speed up. I’ve found that forcing yourself to breathe deeply and slowly, and paying attention to how you are controlling your heart rate can actually make yourself feel calmer. This gives you the ability to control your body and your reaction.

Some people may need a relaxant to prepare for a particularly stressful presentation. And while I do not, I know others who do and find this useful. The challenge is not to look “drugged up” unless you’re presenting in front of pharmaceutical companies.

8. Take Notes While Waiting to Present
One of the funniest things in comedy is called a “call back”, which in general is a reference to something that has already occurred. While waiting to go on, always have a notepad and pen with you. Take note of things the previous speaker said that you can emphasize as well. Also, sometimes things said can be used for humor. The current speaker may mention something that you can use as a light, personable attempt at humor. Have your presentation printed out and with you, and flip through it (quietly) as the current speaker speaks and annotate points that they made that you can make on the appropriate slide.

I recall one example where my boss’ boss presented something before me that was about the traits they are looking for to fill a particular position. The words he used included “never let you down”, “never give up”, “never lie” and to me, this sounded like the lyrics to the Rick Astley song “Never Gonna Give You Up”. I made a note, tried to remember and wrote down the various phrases in the song, and then suggested in my presentation that Rick Astley could be the right person. Got a solid laugh and put me at ease. In fact, as I read off the lyrics to the song, people quickly knew what I was doing, but I methodically went through the lyrics to the end before I announced Rick’s name as the best candidate.

By the way, taking notes has the added benefit of taking your mind off your presentation.

9. Rehearse
An easy technique to help with nerves. Rehearse and rehearse again. Driving to work, speak out loud to yourself, and pretend you are presenting. Time yourself. Record yourself. But in general, know your material and your speaking points. This helps stem a key facet of insecurity while presenting.

10. Stand on Stage Beforehand
A simple technique that helps me is to get up on the stage prior to the session being opened. Walk around the stage to every edge. Look out over the empty chairs. Imagine what it will be like when there are people in those seats. Get comfortable with the layout of the stage, the location of the podium, the controls you will need to flip through your slides.

Also note that in presentations on large stages with a sizable audience, you will likely have spotlights on you. This has two effects: it makes it quite warm on stage, so be prepared to sweat. And it makes it difficult to actually see the audience. It’s why performers ask for the house lights to be brought up when addressing the audience. But it can help you because if feels like you’re presenting to an empty room. Sometimes you can see a few rows upfront and that’s good because it gives you some feedback.

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I can’t say that these techniques will work for you. Heck, you may need lengthy therapy and medication – and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if you’re like me, just knowing that others have similar problems can make you feel a little more confident that you, as well, can address the fear of public speaking. And maybe using some of these techniques you can get back to giving knock-out presentations.

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