Make the most of your college degree! Discover the 200 jobs with the best pay, fastest growth, and most openings for people with associate’s, bachelor’s, and higher degrees.

More than 65 eye-opening “best jobs” lists help to quickly identify jobs that may be right for you. Over 200 information-packed fob descriptions explain responsibilities, skills needed, earnings, projected growth, and courses required.

This book can save you loads of time by giving you all the info you need to successully apply for these (precious few) graduate jobs. It’s a wonderful reference for any recently graduated job-hunter that wants to get it right first time… (that would be you, right?)

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©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

As determined and ambitious professionals, we aim to build a great reputation and become known as an ardent professional in our domain, as well as being known as a totally awesome nice guy, right? We help others where we can; we say good things about people. We get ourselves ‘out there’… Unfortunately, the more you put yourself out there, the more you open yourself up critics and criticism.

You know the type – these are the a-holes who go out of there way to disagree with you. These jackasses and aren’t afraid to point out your every mistake, and pull apart your work for the sport of it. We just rise above it, yes? Sometimes, perhaps most of the time… but not all of the time, I’ll bet. This constant negative criticism can be upsetting and hurtful – it can knock the wind right out of our sails.

We want to remain calm, collected, steady. We don’t want to let it get at us and ruin our day. Heck, this outfit I am wearing is too good to be ruined by sagging shoulders! This is how to let these waves of negative energy wash off us like water from a duck’s back:

1. Don’t take it to heart- sure, most of the crap thrown your way may be a personal attack, and then sometimes we just interpret it that way. Often, what looks like a personal attack is a genuine, constructive stream of feedback, perhaps clumsily executed.
2. Stay calm, don’t react immediately – Give your brain a chance to compute the situation, so take a deep breath. Even if the person is spoiling for a scrap, keep your calm as you will need to remain focused and with composure. You know already, but a fight in the workplace is an instant path to dismissal (and perhaps criminal repercussions too), but even if it doesn’t go that far it is likely to result in you losing work and ruin your reputation.
3. Maybe, they could be right? It’s sometimes a hard pill to swallow, but it is possible that those guys who keep on at us are in fact right. I hate to say it, but it has happened to me on more than one occasion. I dismissed the comments, and pooh-poohed the criticism… only to find out that everything they said was bang on. What an idiot I felt, and I can remember thinking “why didn’t I listen…?” So the moral is to give the critics a little air time and make sure what they say isn’t the truth. In the days of social media and blogging, there is ALWAYS somebody out there more qualified and knowledgeable than we are. If this is an opportunity to learn, then grab it.
4. Consider the so-what? factor – not sure about you, but I sometimes get into arguments about something where winning results in nothing for me except a moral victory. Do you? Then I have to ask myself – so what? Why do I even enter a potentially damaging quarrel that results in no gain? Consider the so-what? factor before letting your blood pressure rise!
5. Shrug it off – If none of the above gives you an answer, then try doing something really simple: shrug it off. It’s a fact of life that not everyone is going to find you agreeable, or agree with what you say or do. Nor should they. If your quarrel is not something you can learn from, then ignore it and move on. Grin, and bear it.

Despite being close to it, we’re not super-humans

We find negative criticism hurtful and tiresome if we let it. Best option is to find a way to cope and move on as quickly as possible.

And for your interest and amusement, here are some wonderful quotes on arguments.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Powerful Personal Energy Creating, Sustaining and Transferring Energy and Success – how to find your PEP (Personal Energy Powerplant)

It’s really no secret at all! We are driven everyday by ENERGY. But what energy? And whose energy? Powerful Personal Energy looks at the relationship between consistent personal and professional victory and success and our ability to maintain positive, dynamic energy in our life. To do this we need our very on PEP (Personal Energy Powerplant). Program creator and instructor, Henry Beeland, Founder & CEO of Evergreen Team Concepts will show you how following a few simple guidelines can have you on the path to a daily energy explosion.

You will learn three primary concepts:

1. Creating your own driving energy force

2. Sustaining your energy regardless of external influences

3. Transferring this powerful energy to everyone you meet

This program includes a DVD, CD, Workbook, Powerpoint, all handouts and an audio file, and together it makes a great package for building powerful, positive energy and sharing it with others.

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©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Recruiters, managers and HR professionals receive a lot of resumes each day. Very little time is spent reviewing each resume so you need something which will make you stand out above the crowd. Here are ten tips which will make your resume pop.

1. Follow the instructions

When you read the request for applicants, are the recruiters asking for a resume and cover letter? Do you need to send your resume in a specific format? Are there specific words that you need to have in your cover letter to reassure the hiring professional that you have read their advertisement? The applicants which do not meet standards are not even considered.

2. Don’t be boring

When you read your resume, do you find that you are falling asleep? If you are falling asleep then you can be assured that the person reading it finds it boring. Focus on the things that will make your audience excited. Are there any words that can be used in the place of ‘responsible for cash handling procedures?’ Your resume is a reflection of yourself.

3. Use numbers

Tell the hiring professional what you have done. You want the recruiter or HR person to know exactly what they are getting. If your sales numbers increased by 300% or your customer base increased by 10%, write it in your resume. Let the manager know that you served over 200 customers a day as a bartender.

4. Use an original layout

Countless applicants use the resume template that MS Word offers. HR professionals and recruiters have seen it so many times that they can probably write these resumes in their sleep. If you do something different with the layout, you will set yourself apart from the crowd. Try placing your name vertically upon the page. Be different.

5. Talk about your strengths

Your resume is designed to tell people what you can do. Managers need to know about the strengths that you offer. If you are an excellent listener, talk about that. Do not be low key when you are writing your resume. Put your strengths right above your experience.

6. Read about copywriting

Copywriting is the art of using words to sell products. In this instance, you are the product. Learn some new tactics which will make your resume dynamic and appealing. There are plenty of copywriting manuals on the market.

7. Testimonials

If your manager has written a glowing recommendation, put it at the top of your resume above your contact information. This will make you stand out above the crowd, because you are immediately showing what you can give your prospective employer.

8. Proof, proof and proof again

Technical errors are sloppy and show that you are not paying attention to detail. Let your friends proof your resume. Read it over and over again to make sure that it places your best foot forward. Remember that spell check only catches those words which are misspelled, not the ones which are improperly used.

9. Use bullets and short phrases

Huge paragraphs turn people off. The recruiter does not want to read a tome, they want to get an idea about whether they should hire you. If they are having to slog through a narrative, chances are they will not read to the end. Use bullet points to draw attention to your work. Use short sentences to get your point across.

10. Tailor your resume

There were key words and phrases placed in the advertisement. The employer might be looking for an executive assistant. The employer might be searching for an administrative assistant. Tailor the words in your resume to meet the criteria specified in the advertisement. There should be no question about your abilities.

To make your resume pop, you want to show the employer that you care about the position that they are advertising. Use care in your words and tailor them to meet the expectations of the hiring professional. A resume that stands out is more likely to get the interview

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Stephen R. Covey’s book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has been a top seller for the simple reason that it ignores trends and pop psychology for proven principles of fairness, integrity, honesty, and human dignity. Celebrating its 15th year of helping people solve personal and professional problems, this special anniversary edition includes a new forward and afterword written by Covey that explore whether the 7 Habits are still relevant and answer some of the most common questions he has received over the past 15 years. This audio edition is the first ever unabridged recording of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

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©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

How to handle 50, 100, even 1,000 things at once!

• Tools to use and tools to toss
• How to handle those impossible situations
• The often-overlooked art of self-management
• How to avoid wasted effort and goose chases
• Managing worries, misfortune, and heartbreak
• How to juggle home and personal priorities and an outside job
• How to make home management a choice, not a chore!

(more…)

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Your salary history tells an important story of how far you’ve come along a career path, so it’s fitting that a prospective employer might be interested in learning more about your past earnings. Yet it’s unfair to take a salary history at face value, because there are so often back-stories that need explaining.

Career experts say you should be prepared to discuss your salary history with a prospective employer, along with any back-stories. For example, if you changed careers and took a pay cut in the process, you’ll want to share that. Still you don’t want to put yourself at a disadvantage, so it’s important to tailor your approach to the circumstances.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you have ever wondered why some teams consistently demonstrate high performance and achievement of its objectives (and why some don’t) you have probably experienced great leadership by a leader who understands his or her team.

A leader’s role is to create the right environment for work to succeed (measured according to the objectives specified.)  Ever wondered how a leader does that?

David Rock shares his experiences of effective leaders in his book Quiet Leadership: Six Steps to Transforming Performance at Work. It starts by establishing a fact that most of us will already know: that  improving human performance involves one of the greatest challenges of humankind: changing the way people think. As a coach, speaker, and consultant to organizations around the world, David Rock has observed that the key to leading people (as well as living and working with them) is found in the way followers process information.

The way followers interpret the words and actions of a leader and then commit to a course of action is a process, and adapting our leadership style and behaviors according to this process it is the most important facet of practicing leadership, says Rock. I’d sure like to master this, how about you?

By learning how leadership affects people internally, you can master it.

Supported by the latest groundbreaking research, Quiet Leadership approaches the challenge of leadership by showing how the minds of followers respond the leaders, and the situation, which will help busy leaders, executives, and managers improve their own and their colleagues’ performance. It’s no science journal, but it does back up the theories with scientific fact.

Who is the book for?

• Quiet Leadership is for the business leader (right up to CEO) who wants to be more effective at inspiring a leadership team
• It’s for the CFO/CIO who is busy and needs to make the most out of every brief exchange
• It’s also for the executive who would like to influence a manager to plan more effectively (but can’t seem to work out how)
• And it’s for the manager who wants to inspire the sales team, but is drawing a blank as to how
• It’s for the human resources professional who is ready to take on changing the culture of a whole organization
• It’s for the parent or caregiver who wants to reach new levels of communication and understanding with their family members

Quiet leaders are masters at bringing out the best performance in other people. They improve the thinking of the people around them—quite literally improving the way their minds process information—without giving blunt instruction. Given how many people in today’s organizations are being paid to think and analyze, isn’t improving our thinking is one of the fastest ways to improve performance?

Quiet Leadership offers a practical, six-step guide to making permanent workplace performance change by unleashing higher productivity, new levels of morale, and greater job satisfaction. Above all, Quiet Leadership will give you the clarity and strength that comes from mastering and using powerful insights that teach you to perform and succeed, at the highest level.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Are you considering making that leap of faith into self-employment? Then you need to read this…

I just stumbled upon a great article on my old friend Mark McClure‘s blog: What is it You’re Escaping to? It reminded me of how nerve-racking and amazing the journey from full-time employment to becoming an entrepreneur really is.

Mark shares a video interview of Pamela Skillings of ‘Escape from Corporate America’ fame by Devesh Dwivedi (nicely indexed too Mark!).

One subject covered that will hit home, if you’re thinking about this journey too, is ethical moonlighting – you know, starting a business or working independently outside of your core employment. I have done it – many people do it – ethical moonlighting is an activity that is more common than you think (so don’t worry about doing it yourself… it’s a natural part of the process!)

We’ve got to test the water, right?

Ethical moonlighting is not something we will shout out about – particularly to a current employer. If you have a conscience, you might even feel sneaky or corrupt. The truth is, though, going it alone is tough… and we won’t take the final plunge if we haven’t built up confidence in our ability to create an income stream by providing a profitable product or service that plays to our competencies and interests/passions to a market we can access.

Let me run that by you again…

Income Stream = Profit  x  Product/Service  x  Strengths  x  Passion  x  Market  x  Accessibility

There are quite a few variables here. So let me ask you, why would you NOT test all this out before you close off your current income stream?

We have to test that water before jumping in!

Don’t Feel Bad About Ethical Moonlighting

That’s my advice. Go for it. Gain your confidence. Fill your boots with experience and give yourself the opportunity.

Pamela Skillings’s book Escape from Corporate America: A Practical Guide to Creating the Career of Your Dreams shares brilliant advice on this subject and it tells you all you need to know if this is something you are going through at this time!

Photo Credit: rinidisini

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Contrary to popular belief, working a part-time job doesn’t mean you have to forego those almighty benefits!A number of part-time vocations come with subsidized health insurance coverage, paid vacation days, retirement matching, corporate discounts, and more. You just have to know where to look.

Often, part-time employees must work at least 20 to 30 hours a week to be eligible for company benefits. And some companies won’t cough up the healthcare and financial perks until you’ve been an employee for 3, 6, or 12 months. Still, a benefits package is a benefits package, no matter how you get it.

Whether you’re a stay at home parent returning to the workforce and looking for legitimate at home part-time jobs, a college student in need of extra income looking for part-time weekend retail jobs, or an office worker who’s grown weary of the 60-hour-a-week grind, there’s probably a part-time job with benefits out there for you.

1. Package handler. Do you have a strong back and an aversion to offices? Then you might get a lot of mileage out of loading and unloading packages at a UPS warehouse in one of the 90 cities the shipping carrier serves. Part-timers must work a minimum of 15 hours a week and wait 12 months before being eligible for benefits. But the company fully funds your health insurance premiums and offers tuition reimbursement for part-timers who take harder-to-fill shifts. Median wage: $11 to $12 per hour.*

2. Barista. Pacific Northwest-based Tully’s Coffee serves up some pretty rich perks to the part-time baristas who work in its Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, and Arizona retail locations. Employees who put in at least 17.5 hours are eligible for sick pay, a 401(k) savings plan, a limited health plan, dental insurance, legal services, and a slew of discounts. On top of those perks, baristas who work at least 24 hours a week are eligible for medical insurance (including PPO and HSA offerings), disability insurance, and holiday and vacation pay. Median wage: $8.45 per hour.

3. Test prep tutor. Do you enjoy working with students? If you have some teaching experience and know your way around standardized tests, working as a classroom instructor or private tutor can be a great way to parlay your skills into a part-time job with flexible hours and health benefits. Companies like Kaplan regularly hire instructors and tutors to guide teens and adults through the test preparation process — from the SATs to grad school admissions testing to professional certification exams. Median wage: $12.22 per hour.

4. Customer service representative. If you’re a people person who’s good on the phone, working as a call center rep might be the gig for you. Not only do many of these jobs lend themselves to flexible, part-time shifts, more and more companies are hiring customer service reps to work legitimate at home part time jobs. U-Haul hires telecommuting E-Hotline Agents who are eligible for health benefits their first day on the job. After 90 days, they’re eligible for the company’s 401(k) savings plan, and after a year, they’re eligible for the employee stock purchase plan. Note: Home-based customer service reps must have a reliable computer and internet connection. Median wage: $11.16 per hour.

5. Computer software test/quality assurance analyst. Are you the person everyone comes to when their latest software purchase has them stumped? Then why not put your tech savvy to work? Software companies — notorious for their flexible schedules (including part-time hours) and generous benefits — always need people to test their creations before they ship. Note: A two-year or four-year computing degree or prior programming experience likely will be required. Median wage: $18.84 per hour.

6. Sales clerk/cashier. If you think part-time weekend retail jobs or working for a grocery store take you out of the running for subsidized health care, you’re wrong. Employees of Whole Foods who work at least 30 hours a week and have put in at least 800 hours with the supermarket chain benefit from the company’s fully funded health care plan. Plus, the longer they’re with the company, the more paid days off employees receive for vacation, holidays, and personal time. And after a year with the company, part-time employees are eligible for a 401(k) plan and a 20 percent discount on all store items. Median wage: $8.16 per hour.

7. Bus driver. Don’t want to work in an office or a retail location? With a valid driver’s license and a squeaky-clean driving record, you can try your hand at driving a bus for a living. Not only are the schedules flexible, healthcare benefits and paid-time off are frequently included. In King County in Washington State, after completing a 26-day paid training program, drivers who work at least 12.5 hours a week are eligible for the county’s healthcare package, paid vacation days, and sick leave. And after seven months on the job, part-time drivers are eligible for the county’s retirement plan. Median wage: $12.80 per hour.

8. Medical assistant. Not only is healthcare one of the most recession-proof fields out there, it’s known for offering more than its share of part-time employment options — complete with health benefits and paid time off. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks medical assistants as one of the fastest growing careers today. Sixty-two percent of medical assistants work in doctor’s offices, performing a variety of administrative tasks. While some medical assistants learn on the job, many come to the field with a one-year or two-year degree. Median wage: $11.26 per hour.

9. Domestic worker. Like the general public but don’t like the hustle and bustle of public places? Then you might like working in a private home as a part-time nanny or house cleaner. In Seattle, the agency A Nanny for You places domestic workers with families, some of whom provide monthly healthcare stipends that workers can apply to their own health insurance costs. Plus, the pet waste removal franchise DoodyCalls, which boasts 40 U.S. locations, offers health coverage to employees who have been with the company 30 days and work at least 30 hours a week scooping Fido’s backyard droppings. Median wage: $13 to $17 per hour.**

10. Temporary office assistant. As companies struggle to operate with leaner budgets this year, they’re more likely to hire temps to handle pressing projects than add another staff member to their payroll. And while you won’t catch any company doling out benefits to its temps, the agencies that hire these project-based workers frequently offer such perks. Case in point: Express Employment Professionals, a temp agency with 600 offices in four countries that offers its administrative, industrial, and professional temps health coverage the moment they’re placed on their first assignment. After working the requisite number of hours (varies from branch to branch), Express temps also are eligible for holiday pay, a 401(k) program, and computer and job skills training. Median wage: $10.50 per hour.

This guide is written by Michelle Goodman, author of “The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube” and “My So-Called Freelance Life: How to Survive and Thrive as a Creative Professional for Hire.”

Source: Salary data from PayScale.com. The salaries listed are median, hourly salaries for part-time workers with 1-2 years of experience and do not include any bonuses, commissions, or profit sharing.

* Salary data from UPS.
** Salary data from DoodyCalls.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you’ve been asked to ‘take the minutes’ and don’t know where to start, then try here and you’ll soon be a minute-taking whizz-kid. I also include minutes templates for your convenience!

There comes a time (in most office-based jobs, at least) when we become important enough, or available enough, to take the ‘minutes’ of a meeting. In fact they are an important record of a meeting, and getting it right is crucial – or we spend more time trying to remember what was said, and who said it, in the next meeting.

The weird thing is, until you enter an office environment or similar where minutes are taken, it’s an activity that is quite alien, and mostly unknown. I remember some poor chap a few years ago who was asked to take the minutes, and when he distributed them after the meeting by email, this is what we got:

Minute taking isn’t one of those things that is taught in education…

What is Minute Taking?

In its simplest form, minute-taking is documenting a record of discussion, decisions and actions to be taken and the date by when it needs to be completed; i.e. the ‘minutes’. The minutes are not a blow-by-blow transcript of the whole conversation (no-way!) – it’s purpose is to ensure that any agreements and actions are captured so that the people who took responsibility for them have something to refer back to.

The general process of taking minutes is this:

1. Start of meeting – person taking the minutes is registered with the attendees, and then attendees are noted (and anyone missing recorded – often tagged as ‘apologies’). The start time of the meeting is recorded in the minutes
2. The minutes of the previous meeting are reviewed and actions/updates reported and recorded in the minutes
3. Whenever a discussion results in a statement of important news, a decision or an agreed action, it is recorded as a summary in the minutes (along with who said it, who agreed, who took the action, and by when the action will be completed)
4. The meeting closes and the time noted in the minutes
5. The minutes are typed up (if hand-written) and then distributed to attendees, the ‘apologies’ and then anyone else who has asked (and given permission) to receive them, normally by email

Hand-written, or typed in-situ?

I tend to take minutes on a laptop so I don’t have to type them up again after the meeting. It is easier if you use a template (links at the end of the article). I often populate some of the dicussion points ahead of time, based on the agenda. Then I just fill in the blanks on my laptop during the meeting.

Then again, I can ‘touch type’, and I can type fast. If you struggle to navigate a keyboard, then typing in-situ might not be a good option for you. Then, try hand writing them and typing them up later.

Knowing a bit about the subject helps when taking minutes

Taking minutes is all about recording a summary of the important points and decisions. But what if you don’t know enough abut the subject to know what is important? Try looking at the minutes of the previous meeting to prepare for what is to come, and if you’re totally clueless, then speak to the meeting chair and ask him or her to provide you with cues as what to record!

Remember the context

Context is important when taking minutes. If a decision was taken, for example, note down a summary of how the decision was taken, who agreed and what points were drawn out. There is no need to write chapter and verse – summarize it in a statement that describes the process and the outcome.

You’re part of the meeting, too!

In most contemporary environments, the minute-taker is also a contributor to the meeting – so if you’re taking the minutes, you don’t need to stay out of the discussion. It’s important that you get involved in the meeting too, if that is what is expected. However, your contribution to the discussion should not be at the expense of the minute taking. If you need time to record something, then ask for it.

Don’t delay in sending the minutes

In my experience, you shouldn’t wait too long after the meeting to type and distribute the minutes. We’re human beings – we forget stuff. Context is sometimes lost, or influenced by our own biases.  The longer I wait to record the minutes, the harder it is to complete and the less accurate they become.

Templates

Here are some great templates for Microsoft Office: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/CT010117260.aspx

Or if you’re like me and prefer OpenOffice: http://templates.services.openoffice.org/en/node/262

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Coercion: a practice of forcing another person to behave in an involuntary manner. It’s the basic weapon of bullies and dictators… but is it always a ‘bad’ thing?

If I am asking the question, then I must have an unexpected answer, right? Well not really, but I will pose an argument that I hope gets you thinking.

Coercion plays on fear, but it is not always the same as a threat, which is a direct and deliberate escalation of coercion. Coercion is often more subtle and less tangible, as it’s in the intepretation. For example, one person may feel coerced, whilst the next one may not; the threat is perceived at different levels by different people, often as a product of how fearful they are about losing something, such as status, reputation or even pay.

A manager asks an engineer to work longer hours without a raise, in the same breath about something regarding possible future job cuts. Is the engineer being coerced? You decide.

In my article ‘The Five Sources of a Leader’s Power, and how (and how not) to use them’, I present a case for using coercive power and suggest it isn’t implicitly bad. I do state, though, that there are good times to use coercion, and there are bad times, too.

Let me just remind you of them:

Use coercive power when…

• you need to ensure standards and policies are adhered to
• there is significant risk in a situation
• you have no other option

Don’t use coercive power when…

• you have the ability to apply other power. Rather, use positional power if you must
• you won’t be around to put things right, afterwards
• you’re feeling frustrated and emotional

‘Policy’ is Often Coercive

Rules, regulation, conditions and terms – they’re almost always a manifestation of coercion. They present a clear statement of desired behavior/outcome, and what could happen if they are breached. For example:

• In some countries, governments fine parents who refuse to send their children to schools
• Some organizations mandate an office dress-code, and state what will happen if it’s breached
• Most people must submit their tax information, or receive a fine
• Pay at the counter, or be arrested for theft

Taking Responsibility for Using Coercion

Because coercion is perceptional, one could try to argue that it’s the fault of the person who feels it, not the manager that applies it. If one engineer runs home crying, then that’s not our fault, is it? Err.. yes I think it is.

Those guys that go off for weeks on stress-related illness? It’s possibly coercion at play, and it’s management that should take responsibility.

Like all forms of power, the impact of coercion is situational, and we won’t always know how it hits workers when it is used. Coercion is a high-risk tactic, and if managers take the risk, then managers must take responsibility for the outcome – whatever the result. Like with the manager and engineer in the example above, if the engineer starts to panic and becomes sick due to exhaustion and stress, who is to blame?

When in those rare, rare times that we have to personally use coercion (e.g. to avoid a catastrophic loss), we must then be prepared to deal with fall-out. It’s our responsibility to put in place measures to monitor the situation, establish alerting mechanisms and prepare remedial actions.

Clumsy Conversations Interpreted as Coercion

Coercion can sometimes be clumsy, or not deliberate. To use the manager/engineer example, what if the manager had intended to genuinely warn the engineer about possible job cuts which was a totally separate matter than working extra hours? The threat as perceived was not intended as a threat, but the situation (nevertheless) resulted in the use of coercive power. Heck, we can all make mistakes when we find ourselves in tough management situations in which we have little experience, so we have to tread carefully when it comes to coercion. Unintended coercion is perhaps the most damaging of all, because we won’t always know it’s transpired and therefore be alert to watch for a worsening situation or be prepared to mop up the mess.

So, is Coercion a ‘Bad’ Thing?

I believe that coercion at a personal level is almost always avoidable, yet I don’t believe it is necessarily bad. Policies and regulations are coercive, often to protect ourselves as well as the interests of other people. Coercion is something that we must take responsibility for, and prepare for the time when the risk doesn’t pay off. Whether it results in a whinge, stress, rebellion or revolt, we must apply coercion with responsibility, or not bother with it.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Have you been asked to stand in front of a crowd and give a speech…. and you’re crapping yourself about it? Guess what, join the 85% of people who feel the same! You’re not unusual in this fear, and there is a way through it. I’ve got 5 secrets to share on how to stand up and give a speech, and make it ROCK!

These ‘secrets’ aren’t cheesy bits of advice like ‘imagine everyone is naked’. If my imagination was that good, then I’d be struggling to concentrate and the speech would be terrible. No, this is practical advice on how to give a speech and articulate better. So here goes:

1. Firstly, I advise that you start understanding your current state of mind. You’re nervous. You’re worried that you will blunder. You’re worried people will think you’re a dork. Right? So you’ve got it in your head that you’re going to fail, somehow. As Kenneth Wydro writes in his book Think on Your Feet: The Art of Thinking and Speaking Under Pressure,
   

   ‘We come to expect too little of ourselves.’

   It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, because the nervousness about failure is creating the conditions for failure! So the answer is to balance it out; when your mind begins to wander towards thoughts of failure, instead begin to think about the benefits of success – imagine that your speech has gone perfectly and that you’re being applauded and back-slapped by the big cheeses. For many people who try this, the more they focus their mind on these images, the more powerful they become, and eventually they become less of a ‘bag of nerves’. Keep doing it, and it will change the way you’re thinking about that speech ahead.

2. Start preparation by deciding the end. What I mean is, decide what you and your audience should get out of the speech. Often, we can be so nervoud about the speech, we forget the purpose of it in the first place. So if your speech is to provide an update on progress, decide on your final conclusions before talking about anything else. If you want your audience to do something following your speech, then decide on what that call to action is first. It’s easier to work back from an established endpoint, than work towards an open goal. When you have your desired outcome at the front of your mind, you will be much more confident in how you’re going to get there in your speech. This is especially important if you haven’t had much time to prepare for your speech and you’re thinking on your feet.
3. Prepare a clear and concise representation of what you’ll be talking about. Ever sat through a speech that has more waffle than IHOP? Yeah, me too. Drivelling speeches like this occur when the speaker hasn’t formed a clear, concise and powerful perspective of the subject they’re crucifying. These people often refer to notes and repeat them verbatim without emphasis or elegance, and the whole experience seems fragmented. Are you worried you’ll do this too?
   You can overcome this by building a picture of your subject that is simple enough to remember fully, yet it also comprises the major components that you need to get across. Here’s an example; say you’re giving a speech about training, and you want the audience should buy the training course. You’re on a commission, so you better not mess up…  so construct a simple, memorable and logical model that represents the important components of your argument (these could be the benefits of the training – a certificate, the time the training will take – 1 day, and the cost of the training – $100.) The model might look like this:

   
   See what I have done here? It represents the 3 important points I want to get across – a certificate, 1 day, and $100. This representation can be easily remembered, or even more easily secreted on a post-it on to refer to whilst speaking; it doesn’t require you to read notes, or stare at a single point for too long. It’s a model which enables you to be to the point, clear, and concise.
   Kevin Carroll and Bob Elliott use a similar technique too in their book Make Your Point!: Speak Clearly And Concisely Anyplace, Anytime. Carroll and Elliott have over 40 years experience helping clients such as Microsoft, GE and Cisco with their communication. They use a ‘Diamond’ to construct and internalize the messages of a communication, which they find results in less waffle and more audience engagement.

4. Form interesting and unusual analogies to get your point across. The more interesting something is, the more memorable it will be (and even better, the more memorable YOU will be to other people). Let me give you an example, two years ago I gave a speech to over 400 sales professionals at a small business conference where I discussed online consumer behavior. I was required to explain a concept that required a diagram, which I called the ‘crotch of doubt’, because it looked like a line drawing of, you guessed it, a crotch. In fact this was as a result of me working through the above exercise of constructing a model that fits! It got many laughs, and it also stuck – even today I get people saying ‘you’re that crotch guy aren’t you – great speech!‘

   

   This is what Granville N. Toogood tells us in his fantastic book The Articulate Executive: Learn to Look, Act, and Sound Like a Leader; he writes:

   ‘A good analogy can make all the difference… a good analogy can stir the blood.’

   So if your speech requires you to explain a concept, particularly if it’s about a particularly dry and unexciting subject, then inject some interesting and unusual analogies to raise interest and a few smiles. (And do this early, as it will also boost your confidence.) Warning: don’t go too obscure as you may end up losing your audience!

5. Practice a few key statements. It’s well worth practicing the delivery of a few key statements that form ‘milestones’ in your speech. You might have just two, or quite possibly twenty, but a good tip is to align them to your ‘model’ as I described above – ideally as summary statements, or perhaps a statement that leads into that point. However you choose them, these statements are the backbone of your speech, so they need to be strong and well rehearsed. It’s a good idea to physically say them over and over, and put emphasis on those words that mean the most and are specific to results or actions. Try varying your pitch too and your rate of speaking. Get these few statements spot on, and the rest of your speech will fall into place!

If you REALLY want to master speaking…

Then you will want to try this amazing system that shows you how to build up your speaking skills and confidence, and it works for everyone! It’s aptly named The Art of Great Conversation and you will see why when you try it, risk-free. This system gives you the tools and techniques to totally master confident speaking, and it covers

• How to convey your ideas for maximum impact
• Developing an impromptu repertoire
• How to improve your speaking voice (even if you consider it very poor)
• Controlling your gestures
• Keeping control and the audience in the palm of your hand

This system is for people who are serious about improving their speaking and developing confidence when talking to strangers. Is that you? Then buy it today.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Colleagues date.  It’s a statement of fact. Heck … it’s how I met my wife!

Although it’s something that is generally accepted by employers, there are still some things we should know to make sure it doesn’t cost us our job or income (and hey, we’ve just survived a recession, let’s not lose our jobs over a bad relationship at work…)

Over the last few months, I’ve been hearing from professionals who have experienced romantic relationships with colleagues to discover some tips to make sure that your date doesn’t spell disaster for your career. If you’re in a relationship (or getting hot under the collar and about to start one) then here’s some great advice, given by people who have been there and done it (and sometimes, regretted it…)

Have An Exit Strategy

OK, this isn’t normally considered a good start to a relationship! True enough, though, several of the people I talked to mentioned that they wish they had thought of how they would end it before they got in too deep.

Before you begin a deeper relationship with a colleague, it’s a good idea to consider how you will handle the situation if things come to a painful end. If need be, can you transfer somewhere else within the organization?

The main tip is to seriously consider how well your date (and yourself) can handle break-ups. Can you honestly describe both of you as emotionally mature? If not, then you should consider how a break up will lead you to behave, and what measures you will have to take to avoid fall-out.

Agree Rules

It’s often helpful to lay down some rules that you and your date will honor, whilst at work. These should be to protect both of your jobs and productivity. These rules could control how you will both arrive and leave the office, or how you will both react if you’re in a professional situation together. It’s well worth establishing do’s and don’ts to avoid embarrassment later.

Don’t Date a Superior/Subordinate

Most employers are cool about dating your professional equal, but when it comes to dating a superior (someone on a higher level than you in the organization) or a subordinate (someone on a lower level than you in the organization), employers often apply massive pressure to close the relationship. Why? Well, for both you and your date, there is a conflict of interest. That is, the interests of your romantic relationship are often directly opposed to your professional relationship. If your colleagues were to find out, you or your date could be accused of favoritism. Not just that, but should things go wrong there is a potential to be charged with some kind of sexual harassment suit. And perhaps the most likely problem that will occur is that you will both find it difficult to concentrate on your jobs and productivity will suffer.

Avoid Office Communication

Most companies and corporations reserve the right to access and read all forms of office communication, including e-mail. Romantic messages between you and your date are, therefore, in the corporate domain. Which can be embarrassing if you’re found out. Especially if it lands in the hands of unscrupulous people. If you really must communicate something personal to the person you’re seeing, use your cellular phone or, best of all, wait until office hours or over. You don’t want to be caught with your pants down, so to speak.

Don’t Bring It Into The Office

Whatever you do, don’t bring your relationship into the office. This includes discussing your relationship with other co-workers. Most importantly, don’t engage in public displays of affection! It’s unprofessional and cheesy, to be frank. It’s OK to let others know you’re dating after the relationship is ‘established’ (euphemistically termed, but in other words – once the lust has died down), but even then you should behave professionally at work.

On the flip-side, fighting with your date must be left outside the office doors. Even when tension is high, however, resist the urge to quarrel at work or you might be out of a job. This is especially true if your arguments get in the way of productivity.

Prepare for a Happy Ending

Perhaps I’ve painted a picture of doom and gloom for office romances. It’s often written in employee newsletters and minor news items about co-workers taking the plunge into marriage. It does happen. Perhaps it will for you, and good on you if it does. Do prepare for it though. Remember, you may have been covering up your relationship for months or even years. Be prepared for the shock (and maybe anger) from you colleagues when they find out you’ve been decieving them. And do check with company policy about spousal co-working – it’s normally OK but in some workplaces it is against the rules and it would require you to re-locate or find alternative employment. I’m no lawyer (nor do I pretend to be) so have somebody competent to see where you stand.

Summary

It should be simple: use common sense. But I know, to be honest, that when in a romantic relationship at the office, common sense can go right out of the window. However, I do hope that you see the value in the advice I have provided above!

And I must admit, this article has been written from the perspective of hindsight. Apart from the last piece of advice, I broke all the other rules myself when dating my wife over 10 years ago!

If you have any sound advice you would like to pass on to readers, then why not leave a comment in the box below?

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

I have often written about the relationships between leader and follower, as it’s a subject close to many of our hearts – once we realize that each and every one of us has the capability, opportunity and choice to become a strong leader, and by the same token, a strong follower.

Here, I have rounded up some of the most popular articles on this blog that discuss this subject, ranked by number of hits.

1. The Five Sources of a Leader’s Power, and how (and how not) to use them (484,655 hits) – Power is a force of influence and authority. Most leaders wield power, but how power is manifested and used often differs between leaders. Where does a leader get power from? Or do a leader’s followers give it to them? Well it’s both. In this article, we’ll be looking at the five different sources of power a leader can use, with some advice on when these powers should be used, and perhaps when not.
2. What Should You Do If Your Boss Hates You? (397,212 hits) – Your boss hates you – what should you do?
3. The Leader, The Followers, and the Situation (301,309 hits) – If you know history then you’ll probably be aware that Winston Churchill was a brilliant wartime leader, bringing the UK from the depths of despair at the beginning of World War II to being triumphant alongside its allies at the end. He was the undisputed king of wartime leadership at that time. But in peacetime, less people know, he was an average leader at best. Did he lose his touch? Did age and the effects of war wither away his ability to hold a nation together in peacetime? Maybe a little, but the greatest factor that tarnished Churchill’s crown was that the peacetime situation was totally different from that in wartime
4. As A Leader, Your Personality Is Everything (Part Four) (233,801 hits) – If somebody gives you feedback that surprises you, how should you respond? Defensively?… dismissively?… aggressively? Of course not. Here’s how.
5. How To Strike the Balance Between Personal and Positional Power (159,498 hits) – A leader has five sources of power, and each has it’s place. Use of power in the wrong way often means that a leader loses their followers. How should the balance be struck?
6. As A Leader, Your Personality Is Everything (Part One) (87,221 hits) - This is Part One of a series on the importance of your personality and it’s implications for you as a leader. It is one of the most important assets you possess. Did you know that? Your personality traits are the standard behaviors you exhibit, and they are what your followers come to depend upon . For example, you might be typically dominant, or perhaps you’re always a friendly person, or even someone who takes very few risks. These examples are personality traits.
7. The ‘mystery’ boss: why your bosses behavior may occasionally look strange (84,033 hits) – Frequently, I’ve felt my boss (in a number of organizations) is on another planet. The feeling was most acute when we’ve both been in meetings with a number of other colleagues from different departments. My boss would say strange things, e.g. use vague, ambiguous terms, say things in conflict to what we had agreed between ourselves, or in some cases, say things are technically wrong to my knowledge. In technical circles, this is typically seen as ‘bad’. This would lead to frustration on my part (particularly as it’s the tendency of technical folk to want perfection), and worse still, on occasion prompt me to correct my boss, creating disastrous results (mostly for me I should add). Why did this happen
8. As A Leader, Your Personality Is Everything (Part Three) (67,395 hits) – This week in Part Three we shall be looking at ways we can learn how other people perceive our personality and behaviors, and how they impact these people.
9. As A Leader, Your Personality Is Everything (Part Two) (56,800 hits) – Your personality is your personal brand and it’s how people, particularly your followers, will expect you to behave. Your behaviors are the root of your leadership style, and consistent behavior is what makes that style predictable by followers. Therefore, your behaviors and your personality are closely linked. But how do you know what your personality is?

[Number of hits correct at 12:30 BST 7/14/2010]

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I look ahead at the challenges I face at work, and at home, and think about whether it’s really worth it. Finding the strength to overcome them isn’t easy, but it’s ALWAYS possible.

I mean, just over two years ago, I learned I had cancer. I had a two year old boy, my wife, and my family to think about. Even then, I wondered if I could really face and overcome it. The thought of death, or worse – a protracted death of pain and suffering, flashed through my eyes once or twice. Finding the courage to overcome those thoughts and focus on recovery and providing for my family was tough; yet I found it, because I just couldn’t let an illness beat me and take me away from my family. The strength to face my challenges came from an overriding need to avoid my family facing an even greater one. Once I faced it, and then overcame it, my life changed around so much for the better.

When I’m under pressure, now, I think back to those days and remember how maintaining a perspective on the bigger picture, and by understanding that conquering a challenge now can result in amazing opportunity later, it becomes a huge source of strength for me.

I saw something on YouTube today which focused my views on this once again. It made me think (as it will you) about what we consider as a real tough challenge, and how it can be overcome – not just to survive – but to continue to inspire countless others to do the same.

I found this video by Nick Vujicic – a guy who WILL give you something to think about, and most likely, provoke inspiration.

If this touched you as much as it did me then you can read more about Nick, and learn about how he amazes, inspires and transforms people in this book Life Without Limits: Inspiration for a Ridiculously Good Life or get the full DVD of the above intro, by clicking No Arms, No Legs, No Worries: Youth Version.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Your relationship with your boss is important. In most cases, your boss has influence on your career progression, job satisfaction, and even your pay. Pleasing your boss is a good thing to do, and here are 8 things you can do today to do that (without appearing to be a total kiss-ass.)

1. Finish something off. We all have things that our boss has asked us to do, that we just haven’t gotten around to completing. Why not dust it off and close the file on it today?
2. Pay a compliment. Unless you’re really unlucky, bosses are humans, just like us. They have fears, hopes, phobias, hatreds, passions and insecurities, just like the best of us. Being told that we’re doing a good job is always welcome, right? So I’ve found it travels a long way to pay your boss a compliment for something well done. Make it a genuine compliment about something relevant to your work (and at the right time), and you’re onto a winner.
3. Compliment your boss to their peers. As above, but this time compliment the performance of your boss to his or her peer group. Again, make the compliment genuine, relevant and appropriately timed.
4. Suggest a new idea for your boss and your team. Our managers like forward, creative thinkers. Suggest an idea on how to improve the performance of your team, or save time, or costs. And be prepared to be asked ‘OK, so how do we make it happen, and when can you start?’
5. Tidy up your desk. Sounds simple, but it works! When our workspace looks sloppy, we create the wrong impression with everybody who passes it. One thing that gets right up our bosses nose is when demonstrate a careless attitude towards our colleagues.
6. Make visible progress on your objectives. Spend a bit longer on your objectives set during your last appraisal. In most workplaces, your bosses objectives are dependent on the delivery of yours. Completing your goals will mean success for you and your manager, too. I have created an excellent course if you want to truly ACE your objectives (aceyourperformancereview.com.)
7. Assist/support a colleague. Bosses really do love it when we play as a team. If you know if a colleague is struggling with a tough task, or if they need help working something out, then offer some help. Give a bit of your time and effort. Not only will your boss like it, but you’ll build a stronger relationship with your colleagues too.
8. Ask for help. Face it, sometimes we find ourselves we’re struggling with something that we know should be a slam-dunk. If we can’t find help from colleagues, we keep going without escalating it to our boss… until we’re either late with the activity or it doesn’t get done at all. You know, it takes courage to lift up your hand to your boss and ask for help. And every time I’ve done this myself, it has ended up in some form of assistance being offered without any bad feeling or consequences. In fact, it shows to our boss that we know when to escalate problems and we use sound judgment.

Learn some more great tactics for success in your workplace by reading my eBook The 10 Habits of Highly Successful Professionals. Get instant access to this popular guide by joining my mailing list today.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you want to become a better manager, by learning from the best, then here’s your answer.

I recently discovered the print version of the wonderful Harvard Business Review. In my opinion, it’s the world’s authority on business leadership for managers.

Now published monthly, HBR delivers entrepreneurial ideas and insight to help managers (and future managers) strengthen their leadership power and grace.

Every issue shows how to use technology to get one up on your competition (and who doesn’t like that, eh?)

It also guides strategic decision making in times of change (whenever are we NOT in change – let’s be honest!) In fact it came in helpful last year when I was advising a business leader to shift towards a blended sourcing model. (A quick scan of the HBR gave me some insight on how to approach the pitch.)

What I like most of all are the profiles of innovative leaders, as it tells us more than just a bio or resume – it gives a warts ‘n’ all view of how successful leaders got to the top.

And if you’re a manager of talent, it provides useful insight and strategies for retaining and developing talent. And I found it appropriate for ALL levels of managers – not just the lofty execs.

The HBR is a must for managers and strategic leaders. Get a 12-month discounted subscription (cover price $169.50) for just $79.00 – a saving of $90.50.

Buy it Now.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Yesterday I shared  7 Ways To Become Liked in Your Workplace and whilst I was writing it I remembered that shyness in the workplace is a big reason that a lot of people struggle to fit in. So I thought it would be a great idea to share 7 ways to conquer shyness too.

The problem is, shyness leads to avoidance of contact with other people, but other people often perceive it as aloofness, arrogance or being ‘snooty’. When in fact, it’s often very much not the case!

If you’re shy, then I bet it’s very frustrating. I know, I am shy too. Most people who know me well wouldn’t say I am – perhaps they would say I am the most ‘un-shy’ person they know. But the fact is, I don’t easily just walk up to someone and start chatting about stuff, full of charisma. It’s frustrating for me, because my job demands the charisma of me.

Do you feel this way too?

There is good news – there is a way through it. Over a number of years I’ve learned how I can conquer shyness (I am not there yet, but it’s a lot better for me). There are 7 things you can try, like I did, to get over the shyness.

1. Recognize you’re shy, and accept the responsibility to overcome it – it starts by accepting it, and taking responsibility for it. Only you can make you less shy, nobody else. So unless you’re prepared to take full responsibility for it, you’ll fail in your goal. The best way to start taking responsibility is to tell people about your shyness.

2. Watch how ‘non-shy’ people are, and learn – take some cues from non shy people and try replicating them. Be prepared to fail at first – this is part of the learning process. Having a role model (even if they don’t know they are) really helps.

3. Talk to somebody new every single day – it’s a small goal, but it will make a massive difference. You probably address many people in your day – the guy at security when you walk into your office, or the barista when you’re buying coffee, but instead, really talk to them; ask these people how they are, or say ‘Good Morning’ – anything that gives you an opportunity to speak clearly and positively.

4. Forget about YOU – one of the characteristics of shyness is a belief that everyone else is staring, or is judging, or harboring thoughts about us. Chances are – those people have too much going on in their own lives to be doing this, or are shy and are thinking the same about you too. The trick is to forget yourself – don’t even consider that other people find you interesting enough to stare, judge, or harbor thoughts. So take the focus off yourself, and place it on something else.

5. Accept the worst – if you must, try this. It’s a rough way of doing it, but it does work very well. When you face a situation (like a meeting) where your shyness will flare up, because you think people are going to laugh at you, talk about you, think bad of you, then accept that they already are. Face this truth you have created before you put yourself into the situation. Feel the hurt, and deal with the pain. When you’ve been through that, you’ll feel so much better about it that when you step into the situation, your shyness will have reduced by a mile.

6. Mix with non-shy people - OK, you’re stepping into the breach, but associating with non-shy people will help you learn by osmosis. It’s easier to learn something new when you’re mixing with the people who exhibit the skill. This might only be possible by mixing with folks outside of your core team. It’s the antithesis of mixing with shy people; you might feel more comfortable at first in this group, but in the long-run, you won’t be learning the skills and behaviors you’re trying to develop.

7. Don’t give up on people - one thing shy people tend to do (that is, if they haven’t accepted responsibility for their shyness) is to dismiss people outright if they have a bad experience. It’s a way of coping. But a bad experience is a good learning opportunity, and often, a single encounter is not a good measure of a person’s character. Don’t give up if someone rebuffs you or gives you a hard time because of your shyness. The workplace can be a harsh place at the best of times, but don’t let one exchange result in a dysfunctional team!

I hope you find these tips useful. They won’t all work overnight. Some might not work for you at all. But you won’t know until you’ve given them a go!

Please share your story about your shyness by leaving a comment below.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Most of us like to be liked, right? When we know we’re liked, we know we have been accepted into the fold and that we will likely be offered help and support when we need it. Work, in general, is easier that way. Here are some tips on how to be liked in your workplace.

1. Be Nice – it might sound simple (too simple!) but being nice to people really is a great way to become liked. It doesn’t take much – it’s often straightforward courtesy and a kind word, but I’ll bet we have ALL know people who haven’t endeared themselves towards us by not being nice

2. Be Interesting – especially if you’re a shy person – always have some topics of conversation prepared so you can start conversations with people in those first few seconds when you’re sussing each other out. If all else fails, talk about the weather! At the very least, have a list of questions that you hold in your head that you will always be able ask, no matter who they are. Nothing is worse than being tongue-tied when you meet someone for the first time (at least it feels that way at the time!)

3. Be Upfront – people generally like to know where they stand with other people. What drives most people mad is when a colleagues behavior is unpredictable, or unexpected. My advice is to be as honest with people as you can, but retain respect, tact and courtesy. If you are shy, then tell people… in my experience, most shy people come across snooty and aloof without meaning to; that is, until it’s know that they’re shy

4.  Nod and Mirror – no, this isn’t a 101 on driving, it’s a lesson in building rapport through body language. When you’re in conversation with someone, demonstrate you’re listening by the occasional nod and perhaps a question to check that you’ve understood what they’re saying. The other thing to do is to to mirror the other person’s stance and posture – and do it naturally and subtely or it would look like a parody and you might end up with a smack on the nose

5. Involve Others – A sure fire way of becoming popular is to invite colleagues to be involved in something either in or out of the the workplace. E.g. a project, a meeting, or a club. Use your imagination, although make sure the invitation is justifiable and not just a ‘jolly’. And if you receive a rejection, don’t take it personally or harbor ill feelings! One last thing, make sure that any out of work invites are socially appropriate too. Extending invites to a live sex show isn’t, perhaps, the right thing in most countries. Equally, an invite to ‘Traction Engine Maintenance Fest’ won’t win many friends too

6. Do Quality Work – Yeah, this is what we’re paid for. Having said that, all of us can often get away with lower quality if it isn’t in the eyes of ‘The Management’ – yet the results of our work often impact colleagues downstream. If you’ve read my eBook ‘The 10 Habits of Highly Effective IT Professionals‘ then you’ll also know that most of us are in a ‘value-chain’ in our workplace, so poor quality we produce as an output goes into somebody elses work as an input. There is no better way to cheese someone off than giving them poor quality materials to work with

7. Support Others – being liked often happens quickly, but for the people who are more stalwart in their affection (tougher nuts to crack) then a way of breaking through is to support them. It doesn’t need to be direct (i.e. hand-holding/spoon-feeding, which is another way of cheesing someone off if it isn’t asked for.) Support can come in many guises, e.g. a good word about them in someone else’s ear; forwarding them an email that you’ve received which would help; offering to take on a duty to ease workload, etc.

Here’s a great article on Andrew Rondeau’s blog, Great Management: How To Get People To Like You At Work In 3 Simple Steps

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Here are ten essential interview tactics. They’re tried and tested!

Remember these next time you’re sat in the interview room – they could make the difference between the You’re Hired! and the You’re Outta Here!

1. Don’t sit down until invited, and when you do, sit with an upright posture. This helps you to appear attentive and engaged in the conversation. It also helps you breathe properly too.

2. Smile, most of the time. Don’t grin like the Joker; smile naturally! Smiling suggests that you’re relaxed, confident, and that you want to be there!

3. Return a firm handshake – but not too firm. Spraining the interviewers wrist is a bad start. A firm handshake shows strength of character. A limp-wristed handshake will leave a bad impression.

4. Relax… or appear to be relaxed. Breathe like you normally do. Easier said than done, when you’re nervous.

5. Try to remember to not sit with your arms crossed – this will suggest defensiveness and it could change the approach your interviewer takes towards you. It’s surprising how easy it is to forget, and cross your arms in an unnerving situation.

6. Gently gesticulate (move your hands to emphasize your words) as this helps interviewers remember what you say.

7. Keep up eye contact with interviewers but don’t stare! Some people find this a bit intense and can provoke a nervous response.

8. Speak clearly, and don’t rush your sentences. This will prevent your voice from raising its pitch and you appearing nervous.

9. Mirror your interviewer’s posture subtly as it demonstrates agreement. It’s a tactic that can help develop rapport.

10. Nod your head regularly to show agreement – gently though. Don’t overdo the nodding!

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

What Defines an Executive? The clothes… the job title… the voice?

I’ve noticed that recently, this website has received a LOAD of hits from you guys interested in ‘articulation’ – that is – how to communicate in a way that gets your point across effectively. What was weird is that I’d just finished reading a book when I checked the stats: The Articulate Executive in Action: How the Best Leaders Get Things Done by Granville N. Toogood.

It got me thinking about what the persona of an Executive is. One conclusion is that Executives, in my experience, are very capable of talking about something so you understand it, in order to be influenced. Isn’t this essential when influencing and supporting others when making business decisions – of which involve huge sums of money and resource?

I say… hell yeah!

When I read this book, I began to think about how important communication skills are at the highest level. Just imagine if an executive lost his company $billions because they were misunderstood? There are some great examples in the book that show this really does happen. But most Executives who reach the top of their game are amazing speakers. Their voices are melodic and balanced. Their command of language is eloquent and appropriately applied, depending on their audience. Are successful Executives born with this skill, is it trained, or is it developed over time?

It’s easy to think that many Execs are born with it. But that just isn’t true.

The thing is, we can learn how to articulate likes Execs. I did. Over the past 10 years my career has taken me from technical consultant to an Executive in three organizations. What I discovered in that journey are two things; 1) when you meet someone for the first time, they make their minds up about your status, influence and abilities in the first 30 seconds, and 2) if you’re perceived to be the monkey, rather than the organ grinder, it’s very difficult to reposition yourself in their mind. First impressions last, after all. One of the major factor in whether I was seen as the organ-grinder (a key influencer) was how articulate I was in the conversation. Fact. I had to learn the hard way but I got there in the end. More on that in just a second…

On reflection, ‘being articulate’ is a great skill to have, but it doesn’t replace or diminish the need to produce business results. So it’s really a skill that gives us a ticket to the game – it doesn’t give us a touch-down. Nevertheless, to play as an Executive, we still need the ticket!

How Do We Become Articulate?

You know, this entirely depends on many factors of your situations – there is no magic formula. One method I know works in most cases is PRACTICE. That is, put yourself in situations where the objective is to convince and influence, as often as you can. The more you do it, the more you will learn. You won’t get it right first time. Or the second. Or the third. Eventually, your confidence will increase. And that’s the key. Confidence. The people we meet every day who can’t articulate well have one underlying characteristic – one evidence by mumbling, and repeating, and broken sentences – it’s lack of confidence. This might be YOUR starting point, as it was mine; but over time and with lots of practice, you’ll overcome it, like me.

I do recommend the book I mentioned: The Articulate Executive in Action: How the Best Leaders Get Things Done, if you consider yourself an already confident speaker, and you want to learn how to make the next leap up. It’s a business book in a business context, so it won’t tell you how to articulate yourself from first principles, but it’s a very good book if you’re looking to step up the career ladder quickly by several rungs. Look out for the ‘POWER formula’ (no it’s not a food supplement for body builders!) and you might also like the specific and deliberate use of humor as an articulation tool, too.

If you’re starting out in your career then I recommend this fantastic book, too: How to Develop Self-confidence by Dale Carnegie – it’s where I started on my journey, and it’s one of the most important books I have ever read!

Update: I am also told (by Jim Michael of Truro, UK) that this book is brilliant too; Speak Like a CEO: Secrets for Commanding Attention and Getting Results: Secrets for Communicating Attention and Getting Results.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

A List of Bitesized Quips…

Here’s a list of 99 things to do to become a high performer. If you regularly do all 99, then I’m sure you’ll be on the road to super-stardom…

1. Tell people what you are doing
2. Ask people what they are doing, and offer help
3. Enter recent achievements into your ‘external profile’ on LinkedIn and other social networking sites
4. Practice articulating your achievements
5. Communicate progress across your sphere of influence
6. Discuss failures, and what you did to recover
7. Describe what you have learned, frequently
8. Coach other people (with their permission)
9. Find a personal development coach
10. Always ensure that your goals and objectives are S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound)
11. Regularly review your projects and extract learning
12. Send polished updates
13. Join company activities and teams
14. Always respond to employee surveys
15. Focus on your performance objectives
16. Attend company parties and events
17. Praise fellow workers – it will be reciprocated
18. Instead of reporting problems, highlight solutions
19. Align to the truth, always
20. Offer to be a spokesperson for your organization in the press
21. If you compete in sports, offer your back to your organization – sponsorship
22. Get involved in focus groups in your organization
23. Prepare for one-to-one meetings in advance
24. Learn basic project management skills, and use them, if you don’t have that experience
25. If asked, tell people about the good things in your life, rather than what’s dragging you down
26. Have fun – and share the fun
27. Be upfront about the things that are acceptable to you, and the things that are not
28. Set standards, as well as conform to them
29. Take risks, and manage them
30. Be nice to support staff, e.g. Personal Assistants
31. Network, network, network
32. Press flesh, as well as the keyboard
33. Conduct working lunches
34. Keep meetings short, and stick to the agenda
35. Show how you make decisions
36. Make yourself accessible
37. Don’t be afraid to approach Execs
38. Be creative and go forward with your ideas
39. If your ideas are rebuffed, try again
40. Avoid email unless it’s necessary
41. Always follow-up
42. Give feedback, often
43. Ask for feedback, often
44. Assume authority, until told otherwise
45. Empower yourself – don’t wait for others to do it for you
46. Focus on your strengths
47. Don’t spend too much time worrying about your weaknesses
48. Smile
49. Roll your sleeves up
50. Don’t let your status confuse your usefulness
51. Use your role as a springboard, not a fence
52. If the need arises, bypass procedure
53. Stand up for what is right
54. Find sponsorship from someone senior
55. If you can, sponsor someone else’s development
56. Keep yourself fit and healthy
57. Dress accordingly – but not necessary with conformity
58. Avoid ‘groupthink’
59. Institute a ’10% stretch’ – each month set yourself a 10% higher target in something
60. Find role-models
61. Become a role-model yourself
62. Make many friends
63. Help people
64. Invite colleagues to social events
65. However you do it, remember people’s name
66. If conflict is necessary, don’t avoid it
67. Don’t wait to be asked to do something if it needs doing
68. Don’t work late, work smart
69. Never use excuses
70. Never accept excuses
71. Before you hit Send, read it again
72. Sell, don’t tell (if you don’t have to)
73. Share the joy and fruits of success
74. Share your knowledge, don’t withhold it
75. Be different
76. Support a worthy cause, or create one
77. Know how you spend your time
78. Know that your time is precious
79. Appreciate that other people’s time is precious
80. If in doubt, ask
81. Learn how to forget status, eventually
82. Lead from the back, as well as the front
83. If you really must blame, then blame yourself
84. Hold other people to account
85. Read about something outside of your core interests
86. Always be a jobhunter, even within your current employer
87. Change jobs frequently, even within your current employer
88. Organize your workspace at least once a week
89. Create an opportunity for a colleague; expect nothing in return
90. Never take No as a bad answer – it’s Maybe you shouldn’t accept
91. Make sure your body is running on a full tank – don’t work hungry or thirsty
92. We have two ears and one mouth -  listen more than you speak
93. Don’t put anything off to tomorrow that can be done as well today
94. Remember that delegation is not abdication – true as delegate or delegator
95. Make sure the boundary conditions are clear, in whatever you’re doing (i.e. uncompromisable conditions or standards)
96. Don’t start working until you know what you have to achieve
97. Plan, but don’t over-plan – a plan should be S.M.A.R.T. too
98. Take frequent breaks – as often as you need to (and can do)
99. Remember, you’re not a super-hero – so don’t beat yourself up if you don’t behave like one

Do you have a hundredth…?

Then tell us your high performance tip by leaving a comment below!

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Ever wondered how to become truly invincible – I mean Rock Solid; impenetrable; bullet-proof? The answer is much simpler than you expect. It is…. Be the Truth.

Being the Truth is a simple concept; in every situation in the workplace (and at home), we should always be faithful to the truth of whatever it is we’re dealing with. This means:

• …not dressing up a bad situation to look good
• …always sharing threats as well as opportunities
• …disclosing all relevant information
• …avoiding political pressure to hide information
• …introducing clarity from a confusing situation

As I said, it’s a simple concept. But the reality is, Being the Truth is a heck of a job. In our workplaces, we find ourselves under a lot of pressure to Be a Lie. More often than not, it is political pressure that comes to bear. This is when we are implored or instructed to hide details, or plain lie, so we don’t disrupt an initiative, or make someone look bad (the latter being the reason 99% of the time). This pressure almost always comes from ‘The Management’. The pressure is not always direct, and often in the form of a perceived threat of some sort, e.g. a denial of promotion, disciplinary action, increased pay, or simply just pissing the boss off (which results in the former three anyway).

I feel this pressure – you probably do too.

Being the Truth is not easy.

So you might be wondering why I am suggesting that Being the Truth makes us invincible?

Well the Truth is the absolute reality. It is the state of the world, and nobody can change that at any precise moment of time. I can’t change the color of the sky in the same way I can’t stop that project being overspent right now. So therefore, the Truth is unmoveable. When we Be the Truth, our position on anything is clear, and solid. The only thing to discuss is the future!

When We ‘Be’ The Truth, We’re Protected By It

OK – it’s easier to get this by demonstrating the opposite – what happens when we ‘be’ a lie. You see, when we lie we then protect the lie to avoid the truth coming out, or to avoid the embarrassment of being found out. So we often stay clear of conversations connected to the lie, or we might lie further to cover it up. We begin to be in denial about the truth and our behavior becomes defensive, tricky and subvertive. We’re forced to remember a huge amount of false information and all the connections between them, who we said it to, when, etc. The Web of Lies. We leave ourselves open to attack from anyone who can offer a substantiated truth, from any angle. The whole house of cards can come down at any moment! If you’ve been in this situation, you’ll remember how stressful and how totally destructive it is.

Also, and I don’t know about you, but when I lie it feels bad inside and it damages my self-esteem.

But when we be the truth, nothing can attack it! It protects us, and allows us to focus on our work at a high productivity rate because we don’t have to worry about maintain the matrix of falsehoods in our brains!

Is This Spiritual Nonsense?

This is plain common sense, really. It’s not spiritual dogma. In plain terms:

• If you lie, you have to keep lying, and it’s harder to keep up the web of lies going because they’re not reality. At some point, you will slip up.
• If you’re truthful, then it’s irrefutable, like the color of the sky is blue. It might not always be what you want to hear, but expectations and situations can be changed. Reality can’t.

Is This Ignoring the ‘Grey Areas’ of a Situation?

Being the truth is having integrity to what we know is reality, although reality is perceived. So it’s ‘our’ reality and therefore ‘our’ truth. Sometimes, perception doesn’t always give us the entire truth, and sometimes, a mistruth.

Situations in our workplace have grey areas, e.g. we might think that a whole raft of layoffs is due to profiteering (how we might perceive it at first), but then discover from a convincing manager that the layoffs are about company survival, because if profits don’t increase then the company financiers will pull out. Everyone involved in this situation will have their own perception of which is the greater truth, which possibly changes as the situation changes. It’s a ‘grey area’.

‘The sky is blue’ is true as a general perception, and it also becomes a big grey area when the storm clouds blow in (if you pardon the pun).

Pretending an old truth is still king, perhaps to save face, is really a lie.

Being the truth is also about adapting what we perceive as the truth when new information is presented (that is, information we believe in and trust).

The Skill of Being the Truth

So you want to be invincible then? You’ll face adversaries that will try to convince you that their lies are in fact reality. These people will try every trick in the book to get you to buy into their lies. Even threats and blackmail. And you’ll also experience people who have different information than you, and therefore have a different perception on the truth (you must listen to these people and adapt if necessary).

The problem is – how can you tell the difference between these sets of people?

The answer: ask enough questions of someone, probe around, cross-reference information, read body-language, and you’ll have a good chance of spotting the angels from the sheisters. The liars will be forced to develop and maintain a ever-increasing web of complexity in their heads to protect the lie. At some point, they’ll trip up.

Now I am not suggesting you should be cynical and suspicious of everyone you meet and engage with. You’re hardly likely to have a polygraph to use on your CEO. What I am saying is that before you adjust your Truth – your very being – then ensure that the information you’re using is credible and trustworthy. This is the toil we must face.

Be the Truth

You can be invincible too – you don’t even need a cape and lycra. Adopt the principle of upholding the truth and hang in there, as it’s going to be a tough ride.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

I’ve just received an email from a ‘web entrepreneur’ (putting it kindly) with the most laughable and highly dumb disclaimer I have ever read….

Yeah this is off topic, but I gotta share it before I burst. Some dumbass has just sent me an email to provide me with an excellent opportunity to learn a Highly Guarded Secret Video Shows Me How To Make Money Fast And Start Earning An Easy $1,200.00 Profit TODAY! Never Before Revealed (apparently). It comes complete with an easy-to-click, shortened link (hiding the destination, of course) and then this total corker of a disclaimer…

** Disclaimer **
The author is not responsible for the
content of this email,
and anything said in this e-mail does
not necessarily reflect our views.

Ain’t that a laugh?

TO: The guy who sent me this email (you know who you are)…

You are Officially a

Just keep in mind, folks, that if you recieve an email with a disclaimer like this, chuck it in the trash!

Have You received a ‘funny’ email like this? Share your story!

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you don’t know what being ‘underemployed’ means then join the club because it’s an emerging term since the recession. Simply, it’s when you’re working in a job way below your pay-level, capability or capacity. Is this you?

Are You Underemployed?

If you have been forced to take a lower-level job, or have accepted a cut in hours, or possibly even a drop in salary to stay in work, then you are in the ranks of the Underemployed.

I probably don’t need to tell you how it happened though: as employers have come under financial strain through the recession, they cut costs which normally mean lay-offs and, more recently, cutting down the number of hours or pay they offer to their employees.

Tough, isn’t it?

Now I must come clean – I have written before about the subject of taking a lower-level job, and it’s still the only option for some people (see ‘Should You Take a Lower Level Job?‘)  I believe that the people who do the hard work, intelligently and diligently will regain balance in their job and salary when the economy is booming again. It’s a simple fact that the best people will move into the best sustainable jobs. I put sustainable in italics as we all know that, sometimes, idiots are often promoted out of a role. I don’t mean that!

Will the underemployed stay underemployed?

If I didn’t answer that question in my last paragraph, let me say this. When the economy picks up, and business begins to boom, then organizations need people to do work. All the automation in the world doesn’t change the fact that business is reliant on people. So when companies are ready to grow they will seek out good people in order to fill roles to help them do so. This should only be a temporary effect.

Has the employment landscape shifted?

Of course it has – employers have now seen the benefit of more frugal human resourcing, despite my last comment. So we should expect to see more temporary staff and greater use of outsourcing to freelancers. So the world has moved on to increased mobility of it’s labor pool. So don’t be surprised if the face of employment doesn’t go back to exactly how it was before.

Is there anything to learn?

Hell yeah! What I’ve learned is that we all need to keep growing, learning and developing ourselves – and to take responsibility for it. We can’t control the economy directly, but we can control our personal ‘value proposition’ to employers. If you want to take just one thing away from the last couple of years, look at how you made yourself attractive to your employer (I was going to add that I don’t mean in the physical sense, but if that’s how you earn your income then that wouldn’t be true!)

What can we do now?

I advise hanging in there and keep looking for a job – try a weekly job scan just like I discuss here in this post Who Said that the Top Jobs Weren’t Advertised on Job Sites? And I also recommend that you try to make the absolute most of your current job because you’re in there, you’ll spot promotion opportunities as they emerge, and you have an audience of people who will listen to your ideas, your experiences and plans. It’s much easier to find your dream job whilst you’re connected inside the organization where you want to work.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Do you have talent as a writer and have a passion to share your knowledge and experiences in the workplace? Then Write for Me!

I’ve just opened the doors again to ask new writers to join my team of bloggers (see ‘Write for Me‘).

Do you have something to share?

I would love to attract new talent to blog about their experiences in their workplace, and how they have progressed (and failed). If this is something you would like to get involved in, then get in touch with me today.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Well, actually, I did. But the world of jobhunting and recruitment is changing which ultimately gives us more choice. Let me show you what I mean…

I launched a product called JobGuerrilla last year to help jobhunters take control of their jobhunting campaign – as I believe that the best job you can indivually find is one you find yourself and even help create. I still believe that this is true. However, if you have looked on any quality job site lately, you might have noticed a growing number of highly paid, senior or even C-level (CIO, COO, CEO, etc) jobs posted there. This is a marked change from the recession days of 2009.

Don’t believe me? Enter ‘President’, ‘CIO’ or ‘COO’ into the job search box at the top of this page and see for yourself!

More and more senior roles are being advertised on job sites now, which is evidence that the economy can withstand new growth in the job market.

Your Regular Scan

Since last year, I have regularly scanned job sites to identify changes in the kind of roles being advertised. I like to do this not just because it helps me share information like this with you, but it also (selfishly) helps me identify any new jobs that might be suitable for me. Do you do this? Well if not, I thoroughly recommend you to regularly scan the job market, perhaps once a week or so. This will keep you in touch with the changes in the job market and it also helps you identify growth in certain industries or regions. And it takes only a few minutes too.

I added the job search box at the top of this page just for that reason. When you come back to my blog to check out an article, why not check what jobs are being advertised whilst you’re here?

Still, Personal Control is Best.

Although the shape of job postings is improving, I still believe there is nothing better than to take control myself. Jobs posted on these sites have still been through at least one phase of recruiting from the ‘hidden job market‘ – so they’re only there because they couldn’t be filled by guerrilla job hunters who are offered them first. I prefer to be one of these people. Do you?

The JobGuerrilla method shows you how to become one of these people who take control of their jobhunting campaign and develop job opportunities before they are advertised. This is becoming the new model for jobhunting. The great thing is, you can trial this new method for 60 days and if it doesn’t work for you for whatever reason, you can ask for your money back!

So I will sign off by saying Good Luck if you’re beginning your job search. The good news is, the outlook is improving. Use job sites to search for the roles you deserve, but if you want to find the very best jobs before they’re advertised, then try the JobGuerrilla method risk-free.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

OK, we’re still not out of the woods yet, but isn’t it a good time to compare your salary now against the market benchmark? Here is how to do it.

The turmoil of recession has meant that salaries have been squeezed by employers. Some people haven’t had a raise in a couple of years, and heck, some people have had their salaries cut! Now the economy is stabilizing, isn’t it time to see how your salary compares now to the benchmark?

This is what many people are now doing. John Hines is a bank manager in Phoenix, Arizona, and he told me

My salary was frozen in 2008, and then cut by 5% in 2009! I totally understood why the bank had to do it, and I am still in a job, right? But now I want to know where I compare to other bank managers in Arizona. Is it time to ask for a raise, or move on to find a more lucrative deal, or should I hold out?

So I helped John find out. What John discovered was that his current salary is almost 6% above the average, so he is going to keep his mouth firmly closed…. for now. He’s going to check back in another 3 months to see how he compares then.

But what about You?

Do you think you’re on a bum deal, but are not sure? Or maybe you think that you’re currently at the top-end of the benchmark and therefore possibly at risk?

Courtesy of PayScale.com you can find out right now (US/Canada only). You can compare your salary against people with the same job in the same state, using the tool below. And don’t just do it once! By using these tools regularly, you will build a picture on how the benchmark for your job is changing as the economy improves – so try it at least every 3 months.

How Did You Compare?

Share your results by leaving a comment.

US Users:

Canadian Users:

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Your Performance Appraisal is a point in time where a) you’re assessed on how well you have done against objectives you have been set, as well as b) it being an opportunity for you and your manager to provide feedback to each other about your behaviors, skills and achievements during the review period. To maximize your Performance Appraisal score, you must achieve the objective measures set by your manager exactly as they were set.

I deliberately laid out my opening sentence into two pieces, ‘a’ and ‘b’. Because ‘a’ (in almost all cases of Performance Reviews) is where your score comes from. The assessment of the apsects of your performance described in ‘b’ are the more subjective, woolly measures that are almost impossible to score, so they are generally aspects of your soft-skill development that you and your manager will work on over time and are not graded (however, they are still important and have a great effect on the relationship between you.)

So the rule of thumb is if you want to maximize your score, then you need to ensure that you’ve done everything as specified in your objectives. Easy, right?

OK, so it’s not that simple, isn’t it? Well it isn’t if the objectives you agreed with your manager are not SMART.

That is, they are not Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timebound.

• Specific – Objectives should specify what they want to achieve, and why.
• Measurable – You should be able to measure whether you are meeting the objectives or not.
• Achievable – Are the objectives you set, achievable and attainable?
• Realistic – Can you realistically achieve the objectives with the resources you have?
• Timebound – When do you want to achieve the set objectives?

Only when your objectives conform to these criteria does achieving them possible, let alone easy.

Just a side note: objectives don’t really serve their purpose (that is, to increase your capability, develop skills, and add to experience, as well as add value to your company) if they’re easy, do they? When objectives are tough – when they stretch you – do they encourage you to build these things I described here.

Each of these factors is critical (without one of them, the objective is actually impossible to achieve), although I think that the most important factors (in terms of a starting point) of a SMART objective are measurable and specific, i.e. that a target has been specified that can be measured. Let me illustrate with some examples.

Q: Which of these objectives are measurable and specific?

1. Obtain 3% market share of the mobile phone industry by 2004.
2. Increase sales 10% from 2003 – 2004.
3. Survive the hard times the business is currently in.
4. Grow overall business by 15% year on year for the next five years.
5. Increase brand awareness over 2 years.

A: Objectives 1, 2 and 4 are specific and measurable. Objective 5 is questionable – the measure of ‘brand awareness’ isn’t specific, and the amount of increase isn’t stated. Objective 3 is also not specific or has a measure (how is ‘survival’ measured, and over what period?)

Get the picture?

Once you have specific and measurable in your objective, it’s quite obvious what’s required. The other factors (achievable, realistic and timebound) are fleshed out from here. So if your objectives don’t specify exactly what is required, and how it is measured, then achieving them is quite frankly impossible!

Graded Results

Quite often, managers set a scale of graded results in order to allocate a score to your performance. What this does is to set targets for each grading. This will look something like this:

Say you have been set an objective to reduce the cost of errors when keying in data. Your manager wants to reward you on a scale.

0% – 2% error rate: 100% of performance score

2% – 5% error rate: 50% of performance score

5% – 10% error rate: 25% of performance score

10% or above error rate: 0% of performance score

When objectives are set using a scale of graded results, it is very clear what you are aiming for, and what the reward is. Providing you have the ability to control and influence the results, (and that it is clear how error rate is defined) then these are SMART objectives. Right?

Are your objectives SMART?

So to maximize your Performance Appraisal score, you have to know without any ambiguity what you need to do to achieve a maximum rating. So it comes down to the SMARTness of the objectives.

If they’re not, then will you know what to do to gain maximum results? The answer is certainly No.

So what will you do?

Here is your answer! To provide you with the solution to this question I created the ACE Your Performance Review Crash Course. It shows you how to get your Performance Review back on track before your Appraisal, in simple, easy to follow steps. It also shows you how to prepare for your Appraisal, and what your manager will be looking for when he or she makes their assessment.

Read more how you can ACE your Performance Review.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

It’s not what you know, it isn’t even who you know, it’s WHO KNOWS YOU that counts today.

Why is that, quite often, we meet a successul/rich person who is, let’s just say, not as bright as ourselves? It could be luck? Were they born into a rich family? No – more often than not it is because the person under scrutiny is well connected with influential peers. Make sense?

Being well-connected is a massive strength.

If you’ve read my book ‘The 10 Habits of Highly Effective IT Professionals’ (hey – it’s a great read for non-IT people too, you can download it for free!) then you’ll know what I mean when I say ‘everybody is a resource’; strong and skillful personal networking is a clear success factor.

Our ability to build relationships continues to grow as one of those make or break skills in business. Web2.0 and social networking hasn’t taken that away (they have made it more important.)

So what’s involved in building a relationship? Let’s take a look at the stages:

1. Getting in front of people
2. Breaking the ice
3. Developing a basis of relatedness
4. Encouraging interest
5. Building credibility and trust
6. Following through
7. Keeping it alive

Each of these stages requires different skills and approach, but the general rule is to be yourself and put the effort in. Relationships grow as you put more focused effort into them. It has to be reciprocal, right? The stumbler, for most people, is in getting in front of people to start the whole process off. If you’re not a naturally outgoing person, this is even more acute. I haven’t always been skilled at this myself, but what I have discovered is that asking contacts for introductions to their contacts is far better than standing in the arena in a conference hoping to meet someone interesting. So much so that I don’t go to many conferences to make contacts, but instead grow my network virally. How do you do it?

This requires me to have developed skills in ‘breaking the ice’ and ‘developing a basis of relatedness’. Finding a reason to form a relationship with someone requires a bit of risk taking, which I manage by asking lots of questions. When I meet new people, I try to discover something about them that I can engage with and have a bonefeid reason to continue talking. More often than not, this is about being a parent or something about sports (or the plain fact that we have a mutual relationship with the person who introduced us); it doesn’t matter what the topic is about as long as it is interesting and builds rapport. What do you discuss?

Eventually, I will hit upon something that has genuine interest that is common between us, such as a business idea, previous employer, and then focus on that.

From that point, I like to develop the interest further by sharing news, blog posts or ideas with the contact. Or I invite my new contact to lunch or for coffee for an informal chat again, having found a number of things to discuss about our shared interest. This is important, as it’s often the 2nd meeting where a new relationship lives or dies. This is when people make a judgment as to whether we are interesting, or not.

Once a relationship has survived the first few encounters, we tend to make our mind up whether someone is credible and trustworthy before we start to reveal the meaty facts about ourselves and our business, or offer referrals and business opportunities. At this point, it’s important to be reliable. It’s also important, once again, to take a few risks by revealing a bit more information about ourselves and our personalities. This stage isn’t easy because we are opening ourselves up for further judgment. However, if a relationship is to develop, we must do this. Deep relationships stem from strong affiliation on political, business or social agendas, so if they differ wildly then it’s much better to identify them now and not be afraid to walk away.

Following through is then the aspect of a relationship that grows a strong relationship. I am not great at this, naturally, so it’s something that I have to work on and keep at the front of my mind. If we have agreed to call, then we must call (when we said we would). If we promised tickets to a game, then we must provide them! The follow through is the demonstration that the relationship is important to us. You wouldn’t keep a relationship going where you were let down, constantly, would you?

Finally, I like to keep relationships alive by getting in touch to share a bit of news, have a laugh, discuss the game at the weekend, etc. Not all contact points need to be about business. In fact, if it’s just about business then I find that relationships go stale very quickly. I find it helps to always have a question or two about my contact, to show that I am interested in them. Asking questions, I find, is a good way of showing that I care.

What comes of this?

As a relationship develops, your contact will elaborate their internal view of brand YOU. At each stage, he or she will form a perception of your interests, capabilities, experience, and agendas. Some of these will fit with their own. When your contacts are going about their business, their opportunities will possibly align to you and may cause your contact to position you as someone who can help them. The more they know about you, the greater the clarity on how you can be positioned, and therefore the more opportunities you will be exposed to. And if you multiply this by the number of people who know you, then the greater the number of opportunities will come your way.

It’s not what you know. It’s not who you know. It’s who KNOWS you (and not who is just acquainted with you!)

How to Master Relationship Building

As I suggest above, I am no expert in this field. There are aspects of my personality that make some of the stages of relationship building more difficult for me. This is why I found help. What I discovered is this excellent book: Masters of Networking: Building Relationships for Your Pocketbook and Soul by Ivan R Misner and Don Morgan. Why I think this book is great is because, despite what I have shared above, it told me that there are many things about building relationships that are important, but not obvious. I discovered that our appearance is, even in today’s society, the most important factor that sparks a relationship, or not. It also discusses the impact of confidence, which is often the biggest disabler for most people. The greatest lesson in this book is that networking is a continuous journey that never ends!

Buy this book now

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you perform Performance Appraisals with your team, then it’s likely you have needed to give someone ‘bad’ feedback. But did you follow through? Giving someone a bad review is not easy (it’s hellish!) but it’s also very necessary if we have the reviewees best interests at heart.

Have you ever had a bad review yourself? I don’t mean the review process itself was clumsy or mis-used, but I mean ‘bad’ in the sense that it didn’t give you good news? If you have, then try putting yourself in your manager’s shoes, and consider how they felt about giving it to you. Do you think they enjoyed it? In 99% of these situations, the answer is NO.

This is a big challenge for managers, do you agree?

Giving someone a ‘bad’ review is an arduous process. It’s definitely one of the hardest things to do in a manager’s life. It’s no surprise that some managers avoid it entirely.

Would you give one of your team a bad performance review?

So far, I’ve used the word BAD. And I have also put the word in ‘quotes’ too. Because, I don’t believe that giving another human being feedback that helps their development intrinsically bad. Do you?

The reason we might think it is bad is because it is difficult, and cause a painful emotional uprising.

It is human instinct to avoid pain. We avoid it consciously and sub-consciously. Pain isn’t just felt physically, it is also felt mentally, and it is the mental pain that is often the worst. Knowing we will inflict mental pain onto somebody else, especially if we care about them in the context of being a colleague, we will be tempted to avoid it! I have, have you?

But here’s the thing. By avoiding providing painful feedback during a performance appraisal, what are we doing? We’re creating the environment for our colleague’s undesirable behaviors to continue. If he/she feels no pain, then they won’t change. Change only really comes with pain.

Equally (and this is the hard bit) if we avoid giving the painful feedback, we’re avoiding agony for ourselves as the appraisers…

[What if they hate us? What if they cry? What if they resign and it looks bad on me? What if they sue?]

If we don’t go ahead with giving the feedback then we don’t gain experience and get better at it. We create a lose:lose situation. Who wants that?

So isn’t a ‘bad’ appraisal really a ‘good’ appraisal if it helps the appraisee understand the necessary behavioral changes they need to make? And the art of making it a GREAT appraisal is to learn how to help the appraisee cope with the information/feedback they receive, and know what to do with it.

It takes practise. Lots of it. And perhaps some coaching and mentorship – have you tried talking to someone who has ‘been there’ and ‘done that’ in this?

You could also try picking up a great book I discovered that shares some strategies, backed up with real test cases, in how to perform ‘great’ reviews, whether they’re grade A or grade F results. The book is How To Say It Performance Reviews: Phrases and Strategies for Painless and Productive Performance Reviews by Meryl Runion and Janelle Brittain. It also provides tips and insights into preparing an agenda, monitoring body language, and developing the right tone of voice. Why do I like this book? It is written by people who clearly understand the nature of the pain on both sides. It is supportive – it doesn’t tell us how to do the obvious, it shares insights into the psychology of the situations we face and how to find the best approach to ease the pain.

Will you be giving someone a ‘bad’ appraisal? Then this book might be just what you need to make it painless.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you’re conducting a job search, I’ve added a new job listing widget, which should be showing you job vacancies from your area. Question is, does it serve your location well?

Job sites are getting a lot cleverer in how they present jobs to you. Like this one, they’ve worked out that they should show us jobs available close to our location. Does this work for you?

They should be spot on if you live in NYC or a densely populated metropolitan area. But what if you live in a remote area?

Job hunting using jobsites requires slightly different strategies, depending on whether you’re located in metropolitan areas, or not.

If you’re in, or closeby to, a city, then you should notice that the ads tend to have an abundance of vacancies close by, especially sales jobs. But this isn’t always positive: it does mean you have to sift your way through pages and pages of job postings to find one that suits your needs. Using an advanced search is perhaps the best way of narrowing down the results to a set that you can scrutinize closely. This means you have to be competent at using all the search parameters to your advantage. How confusing do you find advanced searching, or is it easy to navigate? It takes practise I guess. The more we practise at using search, the better the results. This is true of Google too.

If you’re in a remote area, then volume of vacancies isn’t always your first problem. Finding ANY vacancies in the job listings is the first challenge (although you probably still see a lot of sales jobs!) People who I have helped find jobs in remote areas have found that using a number of job sites in niche job categories works best. ‘General’ job sites can be too vague. We’ve also found that the job pages of local newspapers and TV stations are also very effective. Have you looked on these sites too?

Take a Look Below…

Check out the job ad below. How close is the vacancy to you? It’s distance from you will tell you which of the above strategies will be most effective.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

The Key Influencing Factor in your performance at work is not your skills, your status, your experience. It isn’t even who you know, or who knows you. All these things are important, but there is something fundamental that is required to make all these things attain value. It is your Self-Esteem.

When we feel that we are adding value to our organization and that the value is created as a direct result of ourselves and the collaboration with colleagues, we have a healthy self-esteem. There is a direct link between the results of our performance review and how highly we believe that our work has caused good external results (sales, volume, customer satisfaction, etc – the things that our objectives are measured against).

So it’s no wonder that the people who are seen to perform the best are the people who appear happy, confident, charming and relaxed.

Get this: Some people think that it is the reward of great performance that creates these things in people. But it is the other way around – these things create the great performance.

In fact an acquaintance of mine who considers himself to have experienced some bad luck lately looks at my own personal success and reward as falling into my lap. He is a skeptical, generally negative person who tends to see the bad in things before he looks for the good. He sees the happiness I exhibit being a result of my rewards (e.g. bonuses). It has been tough to explain that one leads to the other, but not in the way he thinks.

Perhaps he is right, to a certain extent (what do you think?) My belief in myself and high self-esteem must have started somewhere – perhaps by encouragement from my parents or a mentor – but the difference between me and him is that I deliberately shift myself into a ‘virtuous cycle’ where every success creates further opportunities to grow, learn and take on new challenges with confidence. My self-esteem is both a cause, and an effect!

I was looking around to see what is available for people who have a nucleus of enlightenment that their own self-esteem can be a cause and effect too, but are not sure how to develop it. The ACE Your Performance Review Crash Course doesn’t really help in that space.

Instead, I found an excellent course on DVD by Jack Canfield (author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, and The Success Principles) who talked me through his ‘proven recipe’ to approach the building of self-esteem. I was on the road for a few days, so I whacked it onto my iPod and off I went. I was totally engaged – mostly because it shares real stories from real people – so it’s easy to relate to it. Especially as Jack Canfield is humble and down-to-earth. There isn’t a shade of consultant-speak (which I abhor!)

It is very inspirational for people on all stages of their enlightened journey.

If you’re ready to take your journey, this is what you’ll learn:

• BUILD YOUR SELF-ESTEEM HIGHER THAN EVER
• CHANGE YOUR RESPONSES TO CHANGE YOUR OUTCOMES
• TAKE FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES
• CREATE A VISION AND FIND YOUR PURPOSE
• CREATE MORE BALANCE & LIVE A MORE FULFILLING LIFE

Perhaps the short statements above don’t do it justice…

Jack Canfield – Peak Performance Principles – How to Boost Your Self-Esteem and Discover Your Purpose – Personal Development DVD Training Video

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Could you use an extra hour in the day? Want to know how to create one? Here are 8 tips to materialize another 60 minutes in your day without too much compromise.Another 60 minutes in a day would mean you could get those smaller, more annoying jobs out of the way, right? Or maybe it could be used to spend a bit more time with the kids. If you want to find another hour in your day, I might just have a number of things for you to try.

1. Get out of bed 30 minutes earlier, and go to bed 30 minutes later – perhaps a real obvious one, but have you considered it? To be honest, this was a tough one for me. I like my bed. But I was surprised to find out how little I missed that extra hour. For me, going the full 30 minutes on either end of the day was too much a leap of peril, so I decided (to the mirth of my wife) to move it out by 10 minutes each day for 6 days.  I expect this felt more of a psycholigical victory than absolutely necessary, but it worked for me.
2. Listen to podcasts, instead of reading – I read a lot, and if you do too then you will find time to save by listening to podcasts of my favorite content. Have you tried podcasts yet? You will find that many of your favorite media outlets provide podcasts of their content in addition to text. (Shame on me – I don’t offer this on my site, yet). So instead I whack the podcast on my iPod and listen to it in the car or the train.
3. Check emails only twice a day – are you addicted to your email? Do you keep checking it over and over? Your addiction is sapping up LOTS of time. For one day, try checking your email just once mid-morning, and once mid-afternoon (or use a sensible downward adjustment for your job). Then, see how much time it saves! And you will find that your productivity hasn’t been negatively affected. If you’re similarly addicted to Twitter or Facebook (if you are, you join a cast of thousands!), then the same applies too.
4. Don’t watch so much TV – I wouldn’t say I have ever been a TV addict, but it is fair to say I used to watch too much. I would often let the TV schedule rule my own. I guess with Tivo and YouTube, we can choose when to watch during more convenient and abundant time. But cutting out watching many of the shows that were ‘on the fringe’ of my interest has saved bags of time, and I don’t miss them at all. I watch less than 5 hours a week now, rather than the 25 hours + I used to!
5. Walk to work – (hey, wasn’t this about saving time?) Ah yes, walking to work can save lots of time, if you work out in the gym. If you walk for 30-60 mins to work then you don’t need to spend that time working out. The net benefit is saved time (and quite possibly, saved money from not using the gym). Similarly, if you own a dog you could take a more strenuous walk with the pooch rather than going to the gym seperately.
6. Plan your day – those who fail to plan, plan to fail – the old saying goes. But some simple planning can also save you lots of time. When I say planning, perhaps preparation is a better word. Preparing for tasks and activities in advance, perhaps the day before or during a quiet moment, means that the planned time is spent on the task itself, not the preamble. When I take this approach, I find that tasks are completed in the time I allowed, without having to steel time from other activities which has a knock-on effect of eventually eating into my own time!
7. Don’t aim for ‘perfect’ – This isn’t the same as ‘accept sloppy work’, but instead, accept that not everything has to be perfect to get the job done. Especially when writing documents and reports, content is superior to style. The other thing is that your ‘perfect’ isn’t always the same as the next guy’s. If you normally set a high standard, then perhaps your ‘perfect’ is just a stage too far for someone else. A powerful way of getting over this is to product a ‘draft’. Your draft is an imperfect product, purposefully. A draft can be reviewed by everyone, and then only the very necessary points of perfection need be added.
8. Avoid busy places at peak times – sounds obvious, right, but why are the busy places like that at peak times? Because those folks don’t understand this too! Sometimes, convenience is as such (convenience, to me, isn’t standing in long lines). Try to do your grocery shopping and activities like that when everyone else is watching their favorite show! You have Tivo, right?

Do you have any tips on saving time, without too much pain?

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Most wallpapers that our IT departments add onto our desktops are… well… lame. And who wants a desktop that looks like that loser’s over there too? Now you can download exquisite wallpapers from the National Geographic website.

You can download these for free from the National Geographic website here. Some of them are simply stunning.

Before you download, make sure you can change the wallpaper settings on your PC. Some organizations lock this down to prevent changes that could compromise the machine.

[I should also thank Kevin Purdy from Lifehacker for sharing this link so I can share it with you. Thanks Kevin.]

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Hurry! You can get a whopping $39.93 off an annual subscription of the popular magazine Fast Company – normally priced at $49.90 per year.

This is one of my favorite magazines on the news stand. It is written for the forward thinking people and innovative pioneers who are challenging normal business conventions and shaping the business world.

Fast Company showcases the individuals and companies who impact the world through creative ingenuity. It has a unique focus on innovation, design and sustainability not found in print anywhere else. It’s closest rival is Entrepreneur magazine, yet Fast Company appeals to the more dynamic crowd.

It’s freshness is what really appeals to me. You won’t find many mughsots of folks in neckties here, unless they’re politicians!

If you’re a fast mover in your company, then act fast. Take advantage of this huge discount whilst it lasts.

Only $9.97 for a whole year’s enjoyment – Buy Now.

FACT: Fast Company is printed on 100% recycled paper, and is dedicated to the preservation of the environment and makes sustainability part of its core mission.

You Could Also Try…

Entrepreneur Magazine annual subscription. Save $47.91 (was $59.88)

Buy Now for just $11.97

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Whether it’s to kill boredom, impress your buddies, or to find that unique Secret Santa gift, desktop gadgets are without a doubt COOL. How many times have you seen one on a colleagues desk and thought ‘That’s awesome!’? Here is a round-up of ten such gizmos.

1. Funny GIFT! The Butt Station -Desk Accessory : Tape Dispenser Pen Memo Holder Clip Storage.

A funny tape dispenser shaped liked a guy on the pan. He even holds your pen in his mouth for that extra fun-factor.

It takes standard tape reels and standard pens too. It makes the perfect gift to a buddy or even yourself.

$9.97 – Buy Now

2. Lego Calendar

When I saw this I felt I just had to have one. I love lego – just like 99% of other grown-up kids. It’s compatible with standard lego pieces too so it’s ripe for the odd embellishment once I’ve raided my son’s lego set.

The best excuse for lego on the desk that I have ever seen!

$22.99 – Buy Now

3. Miniature File Cabinet for Business Cards with Built-in Digital Clock, PI-9617

Rolodex’s are dead. When somebody gives me a business card, this is where I want to put it. It even has index cards for easy retrieval.

It’s much better than those faux leather wallets that come as standard from the stationary room.

It doesn’t have room to hide a bottle of bourbon, but apart from that it looks and feels like a regular filing cabinet!

$10.82 – Buy Now

4. Decision Maker

Put those important business decisions in the lap of the gods.

Perfect if any decision is better than no decision. Which is often a very true statement.

At least you can blame fate!

It will certainly help me to decide what to have for lunch.

$12.88 – Buy Now

5. USB Office Fairy Lights

Bring the magic and splendor of fairy lights to your cube.

Perfect for those long winter days.

It fits directly into your USB port so no external power needed. It also means you can store it away at the end of the day without electricuting yourself.

$12.99 – Buy Now

6. Desk Dots…Magnetic Ceramic Spheres

These things are addictive. The sound they make when they clang together is melodic! They make great business card holders or note holdholders – basically use them for anything feasible that you can justify keeping them around to play with…

$19.00 – Buy Now

7. USB Missile Launcher with 3 Foam Missiles

I probably don’t need to say much about how cool this really is.

The picture speaks for itself.

Just beware of hitting your boss in the face with it. They don’t like it.

It plugs into your USB port and requires no additional power!

$34.30 – Buy Now

8. Digital USB Microscope Video Camera

Examine the crumbs on your desk or the beauty of the coffee stain on your report with this amazing microsocope that plugs into your USB port.

It has a million of uses. All of which can be justifiable in the pursuit of gainful employment, no doubt.

Use your imagination…

$99.99 – Buy Now

9. USB Office Glitter Rocket Lamp

Relieve your stress and tension with this desktop glitter lamp. Watch your productivity sky-rocket!

Tell your boss that the relaxation therapist isn’t necessary.

If possible, put this through as an expense claim!

$12.99 – Buy Now

10. USB Powered Paper Shredder

Information security is paramount in today’s enterprise. So what better than to have your own shredder that plugs into your USB.

Just don’t shred your hair, or pig-tails.

Feel free to shred parking fines.

$8.95 – Buy Now

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

We all want recognition as a great colleague, employer and corporate citizen, don’t we? (Even if it isn’t the ONLY thing we want recognition for!) Getting noticed is a sure-fire way of creating golden opportunities later on. This is the first of five simple tips on getting noticed.

Simple Things to Get Noticed #1: Get You and your colleagues discounts in local stores.

This is real simple, and very effective. Everyone loves a discount, especially if it’s on the things we buy the most. So why not visit your local stores, especially delis and coffee shops, and negotiate a discount for people from your organization.

The most effective way is to agree with the proprietor that anyone who produces a company id cards gets the discount.

Typical discounts range from 5% to 20%.

The best kinds of stores to approach are:

• Coffee Shops
• Delis
• Restaurants
• Clothing/apparel
• Travel
• Electronics
• Music

How To Approach Proprietors

Take a walk into a local store and ask for the proprietor, and mention that you believe that you can drum up more customers if they were to offer a discount to colleagues who produce an id card (show them yours). You won’t be able to guarantee an influx of customers, but it does mean that the effect of the discount can be measured. You should offer (at least) to send an email to your colleagues about the discount, or better still, have your HR dept or office manager do this.

Tell the proprietor that you will come into the store regularly to update them on the progress, and to see how many of your colleagues have come in to take advantage of the discount. You could offer to provide the proprietor with a printed spreadsheet to record custom from your organization.

If the proprietor rejects your offer to start with, then you could try to negotiate discounts on specific products or product-lines. This gives the proprietor an opportunity to discount high-margin produce and also cross-sell high-margin produce. For example, coffee can be bought with a 10% discount, but not pastries.

Securing Your Recognition

Whether it’s your personal email, or from a central department, make sure that it’s YOUR name that is associated with getting the discounts. Also, see if you can get this mentioned on your company intranet and posters on your office walls. Oh, and tell people about it!

If you enjoyed this tip to gain recognition in your workplace, then make sure you subscribe to my RSS Feed to be informed when Simple Things to Get Noticed #2 is published!

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Have you ever texted (SMS from your cellphone) the person you’re moaning about, rather than to the person you intended? If you have, then you’ll know what an embarrassing, toe-curling nightmare it is.

I have done this several times in the past. I nearly did it today… I wanted to send my buddy a text message to tell him why I was annoyed by someone, but almost sent the text to that ‘someone’ instead.

Why does it happen?

I know why. I’ve done this in a highly emotional state. It’s almost always because I am pissed off with someone, and their name is emblazoned in my mind through the red mist. So when I begin to write the text, I’ve accidentally selected their name from my cellphone’s address book.

In some circumstances, this could be a career-limiting move. What if I am upset with my boss, and then text my boss to that tune?

It can cause untold embarrassment.

Talk about embarrassment: check this quick story out where a teenager accidentally texted her dad about her ‘first time’…

If this hasn’t happened to you yet, heed my words. Make sure, for pete’s sake, you don’t text your message to the wrong recipient! Before you hit that send button, make a quick sanity check.

It’s a cautionary step you won’t regret.

Texting is very popular in Europe and the East, and is growing in popularity in North America. Infrequent users of SMS/texting are at the highest risk of making these kinds of mistakes. Here is a great book that tells you all you need to know about the language, culture and style of texting – Txtng: The Gr8 Db8

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

People say the dumbest things, right? Especially in the workplace! The invasion of consultant-speak means we all have to sift our brains for the meaning of what should be a simple statement of words. I don’t know about you, but I have had enough…

I recently decided to monitor myself for using bullshit language in everyday business. It surprised me how often I used it. I had to slap myself! Since I started, by contrast I’ve noticed how often colleagues and managers try to sound clever by using words and phrases that most lay-people don’t know the meaning of.

I’ve also discovered that I can still articulate myself effectively, and maybe even better. The truth is, corporate bullshit doesn’t really impress anyone, and is more likely to confuse people. Plus, the invasion of corporate bullshit also means that if somebody doesn’t understand what is being said, they’re often too embarrassed to ask, and they would rather allow the conversation to go on in ignorance.

The worst of it is that whilst writing this post, I am continually hitting the delete button to wipe out the very same bullshit that I am standing against! I hadn’t realized how habitual it is.

I wonder, though, if I am being too hard on the use of corporate speak. Is it just me in a mood, or are well all a little bit fed up of it?

I don’t think so. If you have seen the ‘Bullshit Bingo’ game you can play during business meetings, then you’ll know that there is a growing intolerance, and mockery, towards it (download your Bullshit Bingo card today!)

Here is a funny case. OK, it’s perhaps childish and silly, but it proves the point. Some years ago, a manager in the organization I was working in (I’ll call him Dave to avoid using his real name) liked to mop up corporate bullshit. If he heard a word that sounded clever, then he would use it too. Often completely out of context. Now me and my buddies decided to play a childish prank. We made up several words that had no meaning at all and began to drop them into conversation with this manager. Within a week, he was using these words too. To his embarrassment, he would use them with his boss, who happened to be the CEO. He fell foul when the CEO asked for clarity, and he couldn’t give it! (If you’re reading this, Dave, you know I have apologized many times over!)

I think enough is enough. When somebody uses corporate bullshit with you, then make a point in asking for the real meaning. Even if you really know what it meant by it. Why? Well what about the next guy who hears it? Will they understand? Will they ask? And what if the word of phrase being used is really misunderstood by the person using it? If it’s important to understand what is being said, don’t leave that to chance!

Can you sniff out the BS? Discover the real meaning behind those bullshit phrases in this very funny book: The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit: An A to Z Lexicon of Empty, Enraging, and Just Plain Stupid Office Talk. It’s 192 pages of side-splitting humor on the everyday bullshit that has invaded our workplaces!

Buy Now: The Dictionary of Corporate Bullshit: An A to Z Lexicon of Empty, Enraging, and Just Plain Stupid Office Talk

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you’re a graduate struggling to land your first job, then you really must watch this short video that shares some insightful research. Your struggle could be explained in a different and surprising way!

The research was based on the response of over 200 recruiting managers. Guess what – lack of experience is NOT the main reason. Heck, it ain’t even one of the TOP 5 reasons!

Watch the video – learn what they are.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Sometimes, a story is so unbelievable it must be true. Occasionally, we’ll read something that sounds so ridiculous, that you couldn’t make it up! Here are ten stories that will make you laugh and cringe…

Here is a link to an article from a great blog I found JobMob. If you don’t laugh, you’ll probably cry!

Top 10 Funniest Job Horror Stories.

Some of these stories make me think what the heck were they thinking? (Especially the one where the company fired the married couple…)

Do you have a funny story that you’d like to share? Then please tell us by leaving a comment below.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Only a few years ago, the gossip in the workplace centered around the water-cooler; a meeting place where the latest news about colleagues and management-decisions were discussed and often bitched about. More recently, the water-cooler is becoming lonely. Social media is taking over as the gathering point for gossip. Has it for you?

If you don’t Facebook, you probably know someone who does. (Why don’t you Facebook?) Or maybe you prefer something more high-brow like LinkedIn. Social networking platforms enable you, your friends and your colleagues to relate to each other, provide support , argue – whatever you feel like talking about. It’s a gossipers paradise. You don’t even need to be in the same country, let alone floor of an office.

And why not? It’s fun! It’s an easy way of sharing your news and taking a quick break. We all need a break. Because of that, more and more people are using Facebook in the workplace. Do you?

Why do you use social networking whilst at work?

Sarah Perez shares the results of research conducted by Nucleus Research on the blog ReadWriteWeb. Their study tells us that 87% of the 237 people who responded admitted that their use of Facebook has nothing to do with their work, which resulted in 1.5% drop in their productivity. If this research is read by your boss, what would the reaction be? I expect that FACEBOOK.COM would be blocked right away… or maybe you’d accept a 1.5% pay cut? (Err… nah! Don’t think so)

Do you agree with the conclusion of this research? Does your Facebooking time result in less work?

Personally, I don’t agree. For many people, taking a break from work – even a few minutes – gives us time to sort the clutter in our heads and allows us to get focus and clarity on the job in hand. If you’re like me, a short-term distraction gives your inner-brain an opportunity to solve the problems your working on without you becoming tired or frustrated. I’d say my productivity increases, significantly.

In 2008, the conclusion that Facebook reduced employee productivity was also being challenged by Goldsmith College in London, UK (as reported by the Telegraph newspaper). The research discovered that most of the 1,700 workers surveyed felt more productive after an ‘e-break’ (using the Internet) than they did following a traditional kind of break.

Sarah Perez also shares research performed by the University of Melbourne which confirms this view. The research concludes that people who take short breaks are, in fact, 9% more productive. Those are not just Facebook breaks, but any kind of break.

At least with a Facebook break, we remain at our desk and contactable…

Where it Went Wrong… (an example)

Did you see this story?

“Teenage office worker (Kimberley Swann) sacked for moaning on Facebook about her ‘totally boring’ job”.

To summarize the story: Kimberley Swann added comments to her Facebook profile that she was bored in her job. She didn’t mention her company name in the updates, but those who know her will guess who she is referring to. Her ‘mistake’ was that her boss was also one of her Facebook friends, so he read the comments, got pissed off, and gave her the boot.

Do you think this is fair?

If she had said that at the water cooler, would Kimberley have been treated the same way?

The two sides of this debate are a) employers don’t want their reputation damaged in the public eye, b) employees want to share views on their life (of which work is a significant aspect of) with friends in a private forum.

So doesn’t the debate center on what is ‘public’ and what is ‘private’? In the case of Facebook, you actually have to be a ‘friend’ of someone to see their updates, which requires mutual consent. In the case of other platforms like Twitter, you can follow the updates of anyone you like, providing they don’t block you or mark their updates as private. So is it reasonable to claim that anything you write as an update to your Facebook profile is ‘private’ and therefore confidential?

It’s a grey area. How does your employer know how selective you are about who you make friends with online? Employers are bound to take the side of caution. Still, does it make it fair to restrict what an employee says in a private forum, no matter who is a member of it? I think it is unfair – damned unfair – but I don’t make the rules.

Until social networking becomes accepted as the norm by employers (which is an inevitability), should we exercise some restraint if we want to avoid any kind of recrimination, regardless if we think this is right or not?

My advice – use common sense. If you must bitch, make sure there isn’t anyone connected to you who will be offended. Yeah this is really boring but if it’s my livelihood at stake I’d rather make sure that wasn’t under threat.

The other thing I suggest you do is to find out if your organization has policies that specifically govern your use of social media. You could simply ask your boss what the deal is with commenting on Facebook.

Organizations must begin to treat its staff like responsible adults.

Contribute to the Debate

Do you think Kimberley Swann faced rough justice? Or was she just being naive? And do you think that your use of Facebook at work is legitimate?

Share your view in two ways:

1) Take the Facebook at Work survey to see how you compare with your peers. Results will be posted on 15 October 2009. Subscribe to the RSS feed to see them.
2) Leave a comment below and tell us your opinion

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

The job market is a fierce competition as employers look to fill their job vacancies with the very best, highest calibre people like you. How do you position yourself as the ‘very best’ and seek and fill those great opportunities?

You can do just that with a new FREE mini-course over 7 days! This course leads you through 7 steps to becoming an expert job hunter by showing you some insider tactics and methods to build a high-impact external profile and engage people inside your potential employers – people who will sponsor you and invest themselves into bringing you into their organization.

You’ll enjoy the wisdom of several years into research into how to build relationships and trust with many people who want to connect with you for your experience, skills and support. Your connections become your allies and the whole process of job hunting will present YOU with employment choices. Who could want more than that? This is how job hunting should be.

Learn these guerrilla tactics today by signing up for this mini-course using the form below:

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you’re looking for a job, then we need all the help we can get, today.

If becoming a Job Guerrilla isn’t for you, then job sites are the best channel for casting your net wide to search across thousands of jobs quickly. Here is a collection of job sites and tools that I reccommend:

• JobGuerrilla Job Search
• The Riley Guide: Sites with Job Listings
• Top 100 job board niches
• The Top Ten Job Search Engines on the Web
• Monster.com
• Totaljobs.com
• Jobsite.com
• JobShouts.com
• TheRecruiterNetwork
• Headhuntersdirectory
• Onlinerecruitersdirectory
• Findarecruiter
• Recruitersdirectory
• Free Tools for Job Seekers
• Online Job Search Tips, Tools, and Strategies
• Tech and online tools for your job search
• 100 Useful Job Search Tools for Recent College Grads

Happy Job Hunting!

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Would You like to join me in searching for a better job than we are currently in right now?

If you would like to join me, I am going to conduct an experiment to find what jobs are available using online job search tools that are better than the one I am in at this time.

Job search websites have matured and expanded so much over the last few years (particularly now as so many people are looking for employment) that I think online search is the best method as it puts us in control, and gives US the choice of roles to put ourselves forward for.

Are there are Myths to Dispel?

Through this challenge, I aim to prove or dispel a number of socially conditioned beliefs of this time:

1. A shift in job is a shift to only a ‘lower’ job (although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing)
2. Only entry-level or junior roles are being created
3. Executive and management vacancies don’t exist
4. There are too many applicants for the same job
5. You won’t find a better job than you’re in now

So I am going to start, right now, in searching for a better job and analyzing the results. (I don’t actually have to apply for the jobs, but I will take note that I have a future choice to!)

Want to try to beat this challenge with me?

I am going to start today. I will search online for a better job. And see what happens… it could be fun!

Find a Better Job: Today… that is the challenge!

Can YOU find a better job that you could realistically apply for, and get, using an online job search? Why not give it a try? You don’t have anything to lose, other than a few seconds. Who knows, it could prove that there are jobs available to you should you need to look for one!

The Job Search Engine I will be Using

Here is a job search engine I recommend, as it contains thousands of jobs across all industries and geographies. Just enter your role, or industry, and your city, state or zip code:

Subscribe to my RSS Feed to find out when I publish my results!

Good Luck – and share your results by leaving a comment below.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

LinkedIn Questions & Answers is a valuable source of business wisdom; chances are that somebody has faced a similar opportunity or challenge before, so why not use their experience to your advantage? The other great aspect of Linked Q&A is it’s an awesome platform to use in your job search.

In the JobGuerrilla Report, I show you how using LinkedIn Q&A is a great lever to stimulate and build business relationships with potential employers and their network. LinkedIn Q&A is an ideal tool for demonstrating how you apply knowledge to business opportunities and problems, so it’s little wonder that people are using it to connect and work together.

The best thing about LinkedIn Q&A is that it is a fantastic platform for showcasing your knowledge to people YOU have chosen as potential employers, and your efforts are rewarded with new connections and even recognition if your answer is the best returned. It’s an awesome feeling when you’re awarded a ‘Best Answer’, and it’s also something that employers will notice when they view your profile. I know of some people who also mention this on the resume! Social Networking really is changing how we approach business and employment.

Here is a great video on YouTube which shows you how to use LinkedIn Q&A effectively to build relationships and add to your network.

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

If you could buy just ONE BOOK to help you with your Performance Review, which one would it be?

I’ve been scouring the web for books on this subject: phrases for effective performance reviews. Why? Well I’ve been interviewing a number of graduates of my ACE Your Performance Review CRASH COURSE and discovered that the people who have enjoyed the best results of all were able to articulate themselves really well – in other words – use the most effective phrases to describe their achievements, behaviors and activities.

So I started to look around to find out which books can help other people achieve the same outcome.

There are a fair few books available, to my excitement. Surprisingly, the best book I found on this subject is actually intended for people who are reviewing their staff. Why I like it is it puts you, as the reviewee, in the shoes of your reviewer. Taking this approach means that we can engineer our phrases we’ll use in our reviews to press the right buttons and hit the note of what our managers listen for. Hey – I’m the first to suggest that our Performance Appraisal is about US, not our MANAGER, but it’s an effective tactic to use the right phrases to ensure our message is understood – right?

The book I found is 2600 Phrases for Effective Performance Reviews: Ready-to-Use Words and Phrases That Really Get Results by Paul Falcone – you can buy it now at the discount price of $8.58 (a steal!).

But what about you?

What book would you buy to help you with your Performance Appraisal if you could buy only ONE? I’d love to hear it. I challenge you to find a better one that Falcone’s – browse around here and see if you can discover one. If I like your suggestion that much, I’ll buy it!

UPDATE: Game Is On!

My wife, Claire, just started the ball rolling. She found How To Say It Performance Reviews: Phrases and Strategies for Painless and Productive Performance Reviews which she thinks is better! Have you found one yet?

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.

Your boss hates you – what should you do?

This is a common problem, I’ve discovered, when checking back through the many emails where I have been asked that very question. When you find yourself in this position, is it a lost cause?

I don’t think so, and here is what to do about it.

First of all, it’s vital that (from this point forward) you keep an open mind. For two reasons:

1. If you have asked yourself the above question, then you must care about fixing the problem. If you didn’t, then you’d have consigned it to the ‘don’t give a crap’ box and moved onto some other challenge. So to fix the problem, you must consider opportunities to fix it before dismissing them outright.
2. There is a chance that your boss doesn’t hate you, in fact, but rather that’s how you have interpreted his/her actions and behaviors towards you. To solve the problem, it’s crucial that you dump any baggage you have first.

If you haven’t yet read my posts ‘5 Reasons Why Your Boss Hates You ‘ and ‘The ‘mystery’ boss: why your bosses behavior may occasionally look strange ‘ then do so now, and then come back to this post. They provide you with great insights into the mind of the typical boss, and possibly suggest why you might be thinking your boss hates you.

Do you recognize any of the ‘crazy behaviors’ that you thought could be hatred towards you, but are possibly more benign? Or perhaps you did discover a reason why your boss thinks you’re a dufus?

If you’re still unclear as to why you suffer a sour relationship with your boss, then now is the time to find out. The best way forward is to understand what problems need to be fixed, and how they should be fixed.

I should just say that I’ve known some people to try to go around whatever problem there might be – most of the time not knowing what the problem is. What tends to happen is that they turn into a kiss-ass. In order to gain new found favor with their boss, they engage in a sickly-sweet charm offensive. You have probably seen other people do this too… or maybe even engaged in it yourself. The effect is often successful, but temporary. When two people don’t deal with their problems (just like in marriage I guess) then any phase of reconciliation is cut short when the problem re-surfaces. And when you don’t know what that problem is, then you’re doomed to repeat it.

So here’s the deal: you’ve got to deal with the source of the bad blood between you and your boss directly.

Don't Give Up!

What If You Don’t Know the Source of the Problem?

What I’ve discovered is that I was most effective when I opened up the discussion with a question about the relationship. It’s about getting on the front foot by creating an opportunity for your boss to provide some feedback. I would ask something like “I’ve noticed that we haven’t agreed on things lately; am I letting you down in any way?” This question isn’t a confession, or an admission of guilt – it’s an avenue for your boss to open up to discuss the problem. This may be the magical question that brings out the source of the problem.

Failing that, I’ve also learned that an outright confrontation works too – but not an aggressive one. If I’ve had problems with my boss that I couldn’t fathom, I have found an opportunity to make an approach on neutral ground, such as the car park or cafe, and state that I have sensed a problem and that I would like to work it out.

Sometimes, this process takes a while. You see, in uncomfortable situations, people often lie. They lie to get out of the situation. Don’t take this personally, but don’t give up too.

So what you might find is that you only discover a part of the problem, or a symptom of the problem. What this means is that you will have to rectify the disclosed issue first (and prove you are serious about rectifying the relationship with your boss) and keep working at the relationship until all the problems have been heard.

The last resort concerns the fact that your boss has a duty to you to provide you with feedback on your performance and treat you fairly as they do their other subordinates. Not only is this a typical organizational policy, but in most countries it is law.

If you notice that your bosses actions look unfair, then you should ask why you were treated unfairly. This is a right you can be expected to exercise, and you should also expect to be given a straight answer

If you’re still not satisfied, then the only way forward is to approach your HR department, or if your organization doesn’t have a HR department, approach your bosses superior and explain the steps you have taken so far to attempt a reconciliation.

When You Know What the Problem Is…

This is a great situation to be in. The ball is in your court, and you should have a specific action to complete or behavior/personal trait you need to change.

The best approach is to take action, without delay. Your response demonstrates how serious you take the rectification. Slouching now will look bad on you, and possibly confirm to your boss why he/she developed bad feelings towards you in the first place.

Next important step is to provide regular updates to rectification activities, in person if you can. If the problem is behavioral then you will need to ask for feedback on the behavior. This is a good excuse to continue building your relationship. Don’t get defensive if the feedback doesn’t tell you that the problem has completely gone, but rather ask for advice on how to continue with the change.

If the source of the problem is personal then this is less straight forward. I once knew a guy who had major body-odor. Bluntly, he stank. His boss really didn’t like this, and made it personal. The relationship turned very sour… but his boss didn’t tell him what irked him because it was embarrassing. Eventually, the truth came out. The smelly guy did change his personal hygiene and the source of the problem went away.

History, and Baggage

I’ve mentioned so far that in order to reconcile with your boss, you need to lose your baggage. Once you’ve turned the corner and you’re dealing with the problems, this needs to persevere.

Truth is, you won’t really lose the baggage. Neither will your boss. The road to reconciliation is a long one, especially if nasty things were said or done before – folk don’t forget that.

Take the example above – the smelly chap – he didn’t just get over that. His experience was painfully embarrassing, and it took a while for him to get over that. Equally, the experience was painful for his boss. His boss wasn’t proud that he discriminated his smelly subordinate, and was also embarrassed by his behaviors. This wasn’t forgotten overnight.

Don't Pick the Scab! Let it Heal!

Those initial days and weeks will be awkward, as you and your boss try to forget (and fail in the early days). It’s much like a scab on your skin: it’s easily opened up and it takes real guts and determination not to pick at it, no matter how frickin’ itchy it is.

Remember These Things…

• Unless you initiate a discussion to learn what the source of the problem is, then you won’t resolve it. This is where the open-mind comes in – get the conversation going with your boss without carrying any emotional baggage with you, and don’t assume anything. The early days of this process is shaky, and both you and your boss can easily read the wrong thing from what’s said.
• You’ll also be hearing the voices in your head and applying listening filters to the conversations with your boss. Most people want to hear the worst, because it confirms what they already knew and tells them ‘they were right’. It takes courage, but switch those voices off!
• When you’re getting the feedback from your boss, don’t be defensive! If you start defending your position on problems of the past, you’ll close down the conversation. Even if you believe your boss to be wrong, don’t fight back or you won’t rectify the situation.
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine before the conversations with your boss. Being hyper-stimulated isn’t going to help. If you’re buzzing, you’ll appear nervous or distracted.
• Don’t use email. Period. Email is not an appropriate communication channel for dealing with relationship problems. Using the phone is OK, but discussing matters in person always works far better because it lets your body language communicate your desire to resolve the problem.
• When approaching your boss to talk, do it with a non-aggressive stance and don’t invade personal space – this is particularly important if you are tall (like myself, I am 6’4″).
• When faced with being forced to deal with problems that are painful, people can sometimes run for cover. So it’s got to be done at a pace that is not threatening or too painful – and this applies to you AND your boss.

Have You Had a Bad Relationship With Your Boss?

What was your story, and how did you rectify the situaiton? Have you got wisdom to share with us?

©2010 SimonStapleton.com. All Rights Reserved.