Career Success Partners

Secrets of the High Achievers - A Look Inside Their "Codebook"

Career Success Radio Show

Interview with Sandra Naiman, author of "The High Achiever's Secret Codebook"

Carrie and I had an excellent interview with Sandra Naiman, author of "The High Achiever's Secret Codebook - The Unwritten Rules for Success at Work."  Her interview aired this past Tuesday, June 23rd, on Exceptional Wisdom Radio, and an archived copy of the broadcast can be heard HERE or by clicking on the pictures below.

Join us in listening to Sandra discuss why some people SKYROCKET to success while other fall way short.  Sandra explains that the answer does NOT lie with a person's gender, age, personal connections, tenure with their employer, or years of experience.  Rather, the critical factor that determines whether people make it into the "winner's circle" is the way they conduct themselves daily during the course of doing business.

Sandra Naiman is an organizational development consultant/career development and executive coach based in Denver. She has designed and delivered strategic training programs and processes for Fortune 500 companies throughout the world. Formerly, she was senior vice president and change management practice manager for Drake Beam Morin, one of the world's largest career transition firms. Sandra has an M.A. in psychology from the University of Colorado. She delivers her High Achiever's Secret Codebook workshop to thousands of people at major corporations each year.

Sandra's book, "The High Achiever's Secret Codebook - The Unwritten Rules for Success at Work" was released in February 2009 by JIST publishing.

What is a "Strategic Thinking Partner," and Do I Need One?

It may be a cliche, but it really is "lonely at the top."  There are simply SOME THINGS that senior executives and business leaders cannot talk about to their colleagues, teammates and subordinates.  Senior people in organizations need someone they can talk to who is outside the organization; someone who is objective, with no agenda and no "axe to grind."

Many of today's high-performing business leaders are turning to a new breed of outside advisor -- the Strategic Thinking Partner -- to enhance their own leadership decisions and to dramatically improve their capability to deliver high-impact results and exceptional value.  A Strategic Thinking Partner serves as a leader's "personal" career success advocate and champion, in a unique role that no one else internal to the organization can fill.

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"Your Strategic Thinking Partner is your 'personal' career success advocate"

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Strategic Thinking Partners provide a valuable third opinion -- frank feedback, insightful questions, multi-company experience and bold challenges -- with no agenda other than helping the business leader become wildly successful and deliver amazing results.

Consider the value of an unbiased Strategic Thinking Partner who provides the expertise and a process framework to support YOU in:

• Forming and testing new ideas with an outside Partner who has no vested interest in the outcome and who has expertise and perspective across a variety of businesses and organizations

• Thinking through important decisions -- considering all of the pros and cons, weighing the advantages and disadvantages, surfacing "outside-the-box" ideas, options and alternatives

• Exploring your career passions and personal aspirations, ambitions and "big hairy goals"

• Discussing and deciding on ethical dilemmas
  

• Discussing and dealing with highly sensitive and important personnel and "people" issues

• Discussing important personal issues that may be impacting the job and performance at work

• Creating a "space" to think, mitigating the tendency to react too quickly to events and circumstances

• Helping to stretch your thinking and shift your perspective on viewpoints, situations and circumstances

• Drawing out ideas and solution alternatives to successfully solve key challenges and to deal effectively with obstacles and stumbling-blocks

• Helping to hold you accountable to the important and to keep you focused on "the end goal(s)"

• Giving you honest, candid feedback that your colleagues will not or cannot give you

Having a confidential Strategic Thinking Partner is like having someone else to figure out a new puzzle with, trying different moves and combinations, creating new patterns and possibilities.  Sometimes you CAN do this with your leadership and management team, but MANY times you cannot -- a Strategic Thinking Partner is there to fill the gap in those situations

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"Independent perspective and insight is critical to business leaders who want to overcome obstacles to effective decision-making. 
A Strategic Thinking Partner is "custom-made" for that role."

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Other key advantages of a Strategic Thinking Partner:

• The most effective strategies and tactics incorporate insights from many vantage points -- both inside and OUTSIDE the organization.  The Strategic Thinking Partner serves effectively as an outside and independent voice.

• The management team -- the source of a business leader's "second opinion" -- have their own vested interests.  Frank, agenda-free and unbiased feedback and advice is almost impossible. A Strategic Thinking Partner always offers honest and detached feedback and advice.

• The confidentiality of some critical issues precludes discussions with members of the inner-company circle -- or even the board and other outside advisors who may be impacted or otherwise biased in their thinking.  A Strategic Thinking Partner is ALWAYS there to facilitate clarity of thinking in a completely unbiased manner.

• Making oneself TOO vulnerable to the team can undermine a leader's "standing" and credibility.  Your vulnerability or credibility is NEVER threatened through your interaction with a Strategic Thinking Partner.

• Your confidentiality is NEVER compromised with a Strategic Thinking Partner.

In summary, a Strategic Thinking Partner provides a sounding board and an invaluable outside perspective.  People in organizations all "breathe the same air," which is a euphemism for jointly sharing a view of the world that might be out of touch with reality -- an all-too-common situation. 

There is real value in having these views challenged from time to time.  Business leaders and executives need to have the truth, and in organizations, they don't always get it.  An effective Strategic Thinking Partner will help you seek out the truth.

Have YOU considered engaging a Strategic Thinking Partner who has YOUR vested interests in mind?

Overcome Your Career Fears With These Excellent Tips and Sensible Strategies

Career Success Radio Show

Interview with Katy Piotrowski, author of "The Career Coward's Guide Series" and 2009 winner of the NCDA's Outstanding Career Practitioner of the Year Award.

Carrie and I had a great interview with Katy Piotrowski, author of the latest release in the Career Coward's Guide Series, "The Career Coward's Guide to Career Advancement."  Her interview aired on Tuesday, June 16th on www.ExceptionalWisdomRadio.com and an archived copy of the broadcast can be heard HERE or by clicking on the pictures below.

 

Katy offers some excellent ideas, tips and sensible strategies for overcoming a range of career fears.  You may find this interview helpful if you answer "yes" to one or more of the following:

• Are you unhappy in your job but think you might be a failure at switching to a new one?
• Does the thought of trying to communicate all of your accomplishments to your boss overwhelm you?
• Are you afraid of taking the necessary steps to put you on the path of doing what you really want to do for a living?
• Does the most effective career advancement and job search method -- networking -- fill you with fear and dread?

Katy is a masters-degreed career counselor with 16+ years experience, founder of Career Solutions Group (formerly JobWorks), author of "The Career Coward's Guide to Interviewing," "The Career Coward's Guide to Changing Careers," and "The Career Coward's Guide to Resumes," and "The Career Coward's Guide to Job Search", and "The Career Coward's Guide to Career Advancement", and has authored the Fort Collins Coloradoan career advice column, "On the Job" since 1994.

Proactive Career Management is NOT an Option

Actively managing your career progression and career track is critical to your career success.  It is ultimately up to you to take control over your career direction and take personal responsibility for your career success.  Consider these ideas and suggestions for actively managing your career.

Career Management Ideas:

Keep Your Resume Up-to-date - Keep your resume current and up-to-date.  Sounds simple, but in reality, very few professionals do it.  Highlight your latest achievements, include the latest industry jargon and terminology, update your contact information, and ensure your presentation is in alignment with your "next step" career interests.  It is much easier to keep your resume up-to-date in real-time than it is to have to compile it from memory later.

Keeping your resume up-to-date will also facilitate your continuing reflection on your career track and future direction.

Stay In Touch With Your Network - Your business, professional and personal network will ALWAYS be your best source for future job position referrals, but only if you maintain ongoing contact with these individuals.  Stay on their radar screen through frequent communication - holiday cards, birthday cards, notes of congratulations, kids' birthday remembrances, etc.  Also consider writing an informative newsletter for distribution to your network.  Send articles you find which might be of interest to your network contacts.

Staying in touch with your network will definitely pay huge benefits to you in the future.

Be a Subject Matter Expert - Develop an area (or areas) of subject matter expertise that you become known for.  Drill down deep in that area; keep current on the latest thinking in that area. Position yourself as the "go to" resource or specialist in that area at your company, in your community, in your profession and/or in your industry.

Your area of subject matter expertise lays an excellent foundation for establishment of your personal brand -- your unique value proposition that gives you competitive advantage and puts in you in high demand. 

Build Upon Your Key Strengths - Know your areas of key strength and continue to build your proficiency in those areas.  Your areas of key strength are those things that strengthen you when you're doing them.  Some people are excellent public speakers, others are excellent writers, and others are excellent teaching others.  Understand your areas of passion and commit to ongoing mastery of those areas.

Promote Yourself - Keep a log of your achievements on a real time basis -- write them down.  Summarize your achievements on at least an annual basis.  Share that information during your performance evaluation with your manager.  Publish your accomplishments on LinkedIn or on other online networking platforms. 

Manage Your Personal Brand - Google your name from time to time and review the information you find on yourself "out there."  Ensure what you see is consistent with your personal brand and how you want to be viewed by others.  Actively manage your publicly available information, or at least maintain awareness of what others will be able to read about you.

Keep Your LinkedIn Profile Current and Compelling - As a huge fan of LinkedIn, I highly recommend joining LinkedIn and keeping your profile update-to-date.  Also ensure your profile promotes your subject matter expertise and areas of strength.  Keep your LinkedIn profile information consistent with your resume, as the two will likely be compared by prospective employers.  Request recommendations from network members through LinkedIn and ensure those recommendations are posted on your LinkedIn profile.  Include a link to your LinkedIn profile in your email signature; a great way to promote yourself.

Know Your "Next Step" - You ALWAYS want to be able to explain in 30 seconds or less -- with crystal clear clarity -- (1) exactly WHAT you currently do and HOW you add value and (2) exactly what you want to do NEXT in terms of career step.  Item (2) is particularly important if you are seeking something new to do in the near term -- whether at your current employer or somewhere else.  Others WILL and can help you with your next career step but ONLY if they know HOW to help you -- i.e., knowing WHAT you want to do, WHERE you could do it, and HOW YOU want them to help you.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: Andy@CRGLeaders.com, 239-285-5575