Thoughts on people, teams, organizations, communities, effectiveness and success
I had coffee with a colleague I’ll call Andy; he’s got a problem.
You might have the same problem too.
Subject? How to (finally) get an offer from a firm that’s been courting him for 10 months. Position scope change, multiple lunches and interviews, headcount freezes and freeze liftings have all come and gone without “the offer we’ll be giving you” actually happening.… Read the rest
The voicemail left on my phone was all-too typical. “Mike this is Kelwin. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve applied for a few jobs and you may be getting some reference calls. Thanks for any help you can send my way. I’m really hoping one of these jobs work out.”
Limp job references, like limp handshakes, are never a way to make a decent impression.… Read the rest
The current job market is generally a seller’s market: qualified applicants significantly outnumber available openings. Unlike the early part of the decade – a buyer’s market – it means that employers can be (and usually are) very selective in whom they hire, and buyers – job applicants – don’t have the ability to be very highly selective due to the undersupply of job openings.… Read the rest
There are a number of benefits from working with individuals as an executive coach, and working with start-up and leadership teams as a team coach. Some of them are financial, and some of them are pride in accomplishment. Some of the benefits are the unexpected thank you’s that make you smile from the inside. Here’s one of the latter:
“Dear Mike,
I was referred to your blog by another former BGIer [Barclays Global Investors – now part of BlackRock].… Read the rest
I think Made to Stick by Dan and Chip Heath is a really good book. Most of the Heath brother’s content is great, both in their book, as well as in their monthly column for Fast Company. But even Babe Ruth stuck out, and their interviewing advice in Fast Company – Hold the Interview: Why it may be wiser to hire people without meeting them – is a real stinker.… Read the rest
Signs of a slow recovery abound which should mean that some form of job uptick will occur. While it’s pretty clear that a rising economic tide will not lift all ships – some jobs, for example, are likely lost forever – the 18-month logjam in the job market appears to be breaking up.
The question for many, as people start to take new jobs with other companies, and their jobs and other jobs as well start to open up, is easy: Stay or go?… Read the rest