She walked into the coffee shop this morning right on time.  Just like I expected.  I had heard a lot about her through our shared network.  Many among them prompting us to meet.  We had traded notes and connected online.  She was reading my blog and provided a summary of some of the cool projects she was initiating to transform the culture of her organization.  She has a big job, initiating big change for a big company.  We had a lot of good reasons to connect, network and share ideas on people, potential and performance.

As we exchanged pleasantries and eased into the conversation she openly shared that our meeting on this very morning was a bit ironic. After a decade of leadership, contribution, achievement and growth in her organization she was leaving our meeting in the coffee shop to resign from her job.  She was resigned to her conviction that it was simply time to move on.

Today was resignation day.

I could sense her anxiety and anticipation.  It brought me back to that morning two years ago.  To my own personal inflection point.  I was naturally interested and invested in our conversation.  I wanted to know more.  I asked why?

I listened intently as she explained the genesis of her decision and her subsequent journey toward acting upon it.  She was clearly well within the confines of the comfort zone.  She had a very good career.  With a very reputable employer.  With a boss she respected and trusted.  With a compensation plan and benefits package that provided security for her family. With perhaps no clear, compelling, concrete reason for resigning.

Until a transformational event in her personal life moved her to pay more attention to that whisper.  To listen more closely that internal voice.  To further explore a new direction with very clear purpose. To acknowledge her fear, doubt, anxiety, discomfort, hesitation and move through it.  For an executive A player none of this is as easy as it might seem.  She put in the work.  She is moving on to pursue her professional passion with clear and compelling purpose.  She is inspired.  So am I.

She acknowledged that passion was a driving force in her decision.  In doing so we talked a bit about how frivolous a passion pursuit can sound to others.  How unreasonable.  How it can be perceived as even borderline irresponsible.

That word receives its fair amount of scrutiny and criticism.  After all, isn’t it only a job?

Not to her.  Not to some of the most content, fulfilled, introspective, balanced and evolved people I know.  To these people the meaning matters.  The attempt to try and find the intersection between the meaning and the money is seemingly worth the risk and sacrifice that come when you dream big.

I thought about her a lot today.  I am sure it has been a hard day.  Whether the next step is the kitchen table or new career path probably isn’t as significant as the move toward something that simply matters a whole lot more.

A huge loss to this particular organization.

A huge win for my new friend.  I think she will find the win really does exist in the choice, change, challenge and chance to try and find the intersection between passion and the paycheck.

Not the outcome.

I have no doubt she is going to enjoy the journey.

Posted in Employee Engagement, Leadership, Uncategorized

Tags: Career, Job

Today’s work experience is fueled with emotion. The means in which you provide for your family, the community you live in, the evolution of your skills/competency and how you spend such a large percentage of your time are life essential considerations.

I believe there is an increasing desire for more meaning in the experience. If the organization can connect with candidates and employees on an emotional level, elevate the vision of the experience in both the hearts and minds of right-fit talent and deliver against those expectations consistently…you’ll have accomplished something powerful. They are the genesis for cultivating pride and commitment toward a shared purpose. Far too often that vision and values set is missing from the job description and performance review. They shouldn’t be.

Passion at work doesn’t manifest itself on auto pilot. And people aren’t ‘potentialized’ without real strategic effort and investment from both the organization and its leadership. Performance starts with people strategy.

Decisions around work style design and experience are increasingly important. So is delivery. How we connect our people to those decisions and communicate them both inside and outside the organization guide, shape, influence and develop culture.  Culture can absolutely be a competitive advantage or the one big thing that inhibits performance.

The premise behind my own organizational guiding principles is simple:

Put people first…profits follow.

Posted in Brand, Communications, Employee Engagement, Leadership, Recruiting, Sales

Tags: Career, Jobs, Work

Once Mohandis Ghandi was asked, “You have been working at least 15 hours a day, every day, for almost 50 years.  Don’t you think it’s time for a vacation?”

Ghandi replied, “I am always on vacation.”

Posted in Employee Engagement

Tags: Career, Ghandi, Job, Vacation, Work

I am lucky.

I got to spend the last 12 months traveling the country (and the one directly north) sharing my ideas, insights and experiences about business performance and the world of work. I did that over 30 times and consider each one of those moments and extraordinary privilege and awesome responsibility.

I also spent this past year consulting with two of the most recognizable companies in the world on brand strategy and communication design. These companies are category leaders whose employee collective is making the world a better place. As part of our cultural immersion research we were fortunate to interview hundreds of these high potential/performing employees about their work experience.

Those experiences combined with my own reinvention and personal/professional exploration evolved my opinion about work style design and experience in a profound way. We are living in an extraordinary time of challenge and change that I firmly believe also presents an awesome opportunity. To adjust, evolve, adapt, improve and grow.

Change isn’t easy. Often the catalyst for change is hardship. And that is true for many of us as we move through these uncertain times. Stories abound of both tragedy and triumph as we all shift to sort through the impact of the last 24 months. One such story touched me deeply following a recent conference keynote.

Post session I was approached by a woman in the audience who aligned with a few of my ideas. She inquired about my availability for career/life coaching. I told her that career transition wasn’t the kind of coaching work I did, but would be happy to make a couple recommendations that would be right fit. She appreciated my offer and said she would email me for recommendations.

A week later she called in direct and I answered, prepared to recommend a colleague who I was confident could assist. She inquired if I could spare a few minutes of time and upon agreeing she openly shared she was losing her job after 12 years of employment. Devastated, she immediately broke down.

I heard the pain. Fear. Stress. Anxiety. Damage. In that moment she would have done anything to have that job back. That job that made her miserable everyday. With a manager she didn’t respect and organization she no longer believed in. Anything. Anything would have been better than this.

And now, accepting her reality (she was part of the 3rd round of layoffs and could see it coming but was paralyzed by fear and did nothing to prepare herself for it happening) she wanted to answer one question. What am I going to do?

In calming her down I offered to stay on the phone for a bit and provide whatever support and counsel I could. In doing so, I felt compelled to understand her situation a bit better and asked a series of questions:

Q: Were you good at your job?
A: Yes, I think so…(probing and supporting commentary provided. She had skills).

Q: Over 12 years did you get good performance reviews?
A: Stellar. Raises and a promotion.

Q: Why did they let you go?
A: It was economics. The company is falling apart. It’s the third round. I was hoping it wouldn’t be me but I guess deep down I knew this could happen…

Q: And you wanted to continue working there?
A: I want to make sure I can pay the bills. I hated working there.

Q: Did you get severance?
A: Yes.

That helped (with some additional probing for detail) me understand her situation.

Now, a go forward plan. That needed to start with a mind shift.

Q: Were you directly responsible for the business strategy and decisions specific to its execution?
A: No. I did my part. My job. Whatever my boss asked.

Then let me be clear: what happened to you is not your fault. There were people responsible for decisions that contributed to the downward spiral. They usually sit in corner offices and have  fancy titles. They are paid to lead through challenge and change. To anticipate and adapt. To improvise and overcome. That might sound aggressive given the economic tsunami but that is the job description. And no doubt, many don’t get it right. CEO’s screw up all the time.  So, they failed you. You didn’t fail. Furthermore, you may have just been given a gift (although it’s hard to appreciate the gift in the moment). 8-10 hours a day for over a decade is far too much time to spend doing anything that makes you miserable. You have skills, competency, demonstrated commitment and many special gifts.  Lets talk about how to find an opportunity worthy of your time and talent that also will ensure you can pay the bills.

Shift.

Q: Are you ready to accelerate your career transition and embrace what is next and new?
A: Yes.

The remainder of the conversation was spent around how to architect a career transition Job Search 2.0 style. The starting point that can accelerate the outcome is usually a mind shift.  It isn’t easy.  It won’t be for a while.  But I know many stories where challenge and change were disguised as opportunity.

This conversation and others like it combined with the prompt to deliver a webinar on this very topic served as my own catalyst to add a new program to our speaking/training portfolio in 2011:  From Campus to Career:  Career Mobility & Job Search 2.0 Strategy.  Intended for both those in transition from college and mid career professionals.  I don’t know how often we’ll deliver the session…but I do know it’s a very worthwhile topic.  We all have to pay the bills.

How does the story end?  You guessed it.  3 months.  Better job.  Better boss.  Better business.  Bills paid.  More meaning and money.  Kinda cool when you end up with both.

Posted in Recruiting, Uncategorized

Tags: Career, Job, Job Search, Personal Brand

My intern Lora, who has posted here before about her internship and graduation experience is moving on to launch her full time career with Target Corporation.  On paper it sounds like a fitting end to an internship. Graduate from college.  Extend the internship through summer.  Walk into work at one of the most respected and progressive Fortune 500 companies on the planet with a full time gig.  Just like we planned. Not exactly …Lora was treated to a very unusual internship experience no doubt – hanging out with me during the start of Ryan Estis & Associates didn’t afford much structure and protocol (although we managed to have a little fun). And her transition into the big corporate gig wasn’t a walk in the park.  Through it all she had a great attitude!  And I think that is part of the point.  Show up.  Contribute.  Smile.  Give a little extra.  And when it isn’t easy or exactly what you want it to be, keep going.  That is part of the journey.  Lora had this part down and because of her attitude, extra effort and preparation when opportunity presented itself she is walking through the doors at Target Corporation this morning.  I asked her to offer one farewell post specific to her transition into full time employment.  The post follows.  Congratulations Target!  You are lucky to have Lora.

When college was nearing an end, all I hoped for was a smooth transition from graduating to getting a full-time job. Turns out only a select lucky few of my peers were able to make that happen. In my case, anxiety reached an all time high when my internship would end in a couple of months to when I was going to be able to land a good job.

My path to successfully finding a full-time job began a little over a year ago when joining Ryan Estis & Associates. I started a marketing internship with Ryan and learned much more than school could ever teach. The opportunity prepared me for life after college. With the internship I was able to gradually gain responsibility from doing administrative duties to being more involved in client projects on a day-to-day basis. This not only prepared me for responsibilities unknown to college students, but also helped me gain the confidence I need to be successful at whatever I do.

When it came time to start looking for a job, I was able to proudly write and send out my résumé with all that I have accomplished. It still wasn’t enough. Although the job market is getting better everyday, it was tough to even get that first interview. Then I decided to use Job Search 2.0 strategy. I have always admired Target Corporation and know many people within the company. I had been applying at Target for months, for as many positions as I was qualified for. Even my sister, who has been employed with Target for numerous years, referred me and that still wasn’t enough. Then, one day my friend gave me the name of a Target recruiter. I emailed the recruiter my résumé and talked about the position I was interested in at Target, asking for any advice she had to obtain an informational or actual interview. The recruiter ended up calling me and interviewed me over the phone. She thought I was a great candidate and invited me to headquarters for a second and third interview with two different people.  The interviews actually went extremely well and to my surprise, the recruiter called me the next day and offered me the job. This may seem like a fairytale ending, and to me it is, but it was no walk in the park to get where I am today.

My best advice is to take every opportunity to learn and experience more, accept challenges, be prepared, and intern in college, even if it is unpaid. I held a total of three internships plus part-time jobs through college, and although it was hard at times, I would do it all over again. I am exceptionally thankful for everyone involved in my internships and now feel ready for this new transition into my first full-time position!

Posted in Leadership, Recruiting

Tags: Career, Internship, Job Search