Monthly Archives: May 2009

The Ethics of Work Life Balance

Posted on May 28, 2009 | 1 Comment

This Business Week article has an interesting tact regarding work life balance. I had never really considered ethics to be a part of balancing my home life and my career. However, I definitely recognized when the times when I was working significant amounts of overtime hurt other aspects of my life.

An excerpt from the article follows:

“It may seem misplaced to discuss work-life balance in a column about ethics. But recall that one of five fundamental ethical principles is fairness, and that we demonstrate fairness in everyday life by how we allocate scarce resources. The most precious commodity you have is time, both in your professional and your personal life. It’s also your most critical nonrenewable resource. As a manager, you must constantly ask yourself how you should allocate your time. You know it’s wrong to spend so much time on one project at the expense of equally critical ones, or to spend so much time managing one employee that you’re unable to manage others.

But a good manager should be, first and foremost, a good human being. Just as managing your career well means allocating your time wisely among the different projects and people you oversee, managing your life wisely means giving due time not just to work but to family, friends, community, self, and spirit. You wouldn’t think of spending most of your work day talking with one client on the phone. Why, then, is it O.K. to devote so much time to your job when you don’t give non-work-related things the attention they deserve? “

The author continues by discussing the fact that no matter how much overtime you are working in this economy it won’t protect you from getting laid off. I would have to agree with that assessment. I’ve been a person who has made myself nearly 100% accessible for work. E-mails at all hours, instant messenger at night, conference calls, weekend meetings etc. It helped protect my job in some instances, but not in all of them. I don’t regret the hours that I worked in order to get successful products out the door – I did get a lot of satisfaction out of it. However I do recognize that is time that I’ll never get back.

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An Ode to Frugality

Posted on May 26, 2009 | 1 Comment

A while back I posted things that companies could do and some things that they should not do in order to be frugal. Having operating capital will always make success much easier to achieve. Now that I am unemployed, I’ve decided to revisit this topic. This time I want to revisit it from a personal perspective. Operating capital is pretty important on a personal level too, but there are so many people who live paycheck to paycheck out there.

In a lot of ways I was quite fortunate to grow up in a very frugal household. My parents were immigrants who came to this country with only a few dollars in their pockets. American was the land of opportunity and they were going to stay for a few years, save some cash and then head home to the motherland. Over 50 years have passed since they arrived, and they never ended up going back. In the grand scheme of things my parents were not a rags to riches story, but they always made sure we had enough. I have to give all of that credit to my mother. Dad was good at coming up with hair-brained schemes. Mom, wow, she was like the drop of water that ground down rock when it came to her determination to save. My parents never managed to make a lot of money, but they sure saved managed to save enough for retirement and to put me through college.

Important things I learned from my mom:

1. Buy the best you can afford and then keep it forever.
2. If you’re going to use credit, pay it off before any interest charges accrue. Avoid loans that aren’t mortgages if at all possible.
3. Put aside at least 10% of your income every paycheck. When you get a raise, put all of that away too if you can afford it. Don’t just save your money, invest it. After 10 or 20 years of doing this you’ll find that you can live on 50% of what you make.
4. Home cooked is better, cheaper, and healthier. Many times home made is too.
5. Comparison shop. Wait for a sale. It will always come.
6. Don’t go grocery shopping hungry. (ok, this one is my husband) My mom has the corollary – always shop with a list.
7. Don’t buy the hottest new item as an early adopter, you will overpay.
8. For big ticket items, always ask for a discount. Just make sure to be nice about it.
9. Learn how to do things yourself.
10. Sometimes things that are free are the most fun to do.

I’ve always subscribed to these lessons. Yes, occasionally there have been some lapses, but that is inevitable for anyone. I’ve bought some expensive toys that I’ve later regretted. I have a few too many things in my house that I don’t really need. It could be far worse.

My most recent example of of cost cutting is that I spent 3 days painting deck railings that are two and three stories above the ground. This is some of the nastiest knee and back killing painting you can do. You’re always bending over to paint the outside or kneeling to reach the inside. I spent $160 on top of the line paint that should stick like glue. I got a quote to paint the railings after I had the house first built…. by doing it myself I saved $5000 in 2004 dollars. Many folks would call me crazy. I figure I got a lot of exercise in the fresh air and sunshine and my house looks great. Right now I also have the time to do it.
railing
That is a big example. I have a lot of little ones too. I rarely go out to lunch – $10 a day adds up over time. I’ve been known to use coupons to save a few bucks. The bargain matinee is the way to see movies… and so on. Strangely, not doing all of those things doesn’t make me feel like I am missing anything. I spend my extra money on nice vacations and my hobbies (none of which are cheap I’m afraid).

Right now I may be unemployed, but thanks to my mom and all she taught me – I’ve got an emergency fund saved and I don’t have to worry for a while. I hope that if this happens to you that you’ll be in the same boat. If not, start planning to do better. Your stress-level will thank you.

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Best to be B-O-R-I-N-G?

Posted on May 23, 2009 | Leave a comment

I love it. The New York Times article “In Praise of Dullness” talks about the skills needed to be a successful CEO. (thanks to the lead to this article from Bill Warner at http://www.paladinandassociates.com/)

They relied on detailed personality assessments of 316 C.E.O.’s and measured their companies’ performances. They found that strong people skills correlate loosely or not at all with being a good C.E.O. Traits like being a good listener, a good team builder, an enthusiastic colleague, a great communicator do not seem to be very important when it comes to leading successful companies.

What mattered, it turned out, were execution and organizational skills. The traits that correlated most powerfully with success were attention to detail, persistence, efficiency, analytic thoroughness and the ability to work long hours.

In other words, warm, flexible, team-oriented and empathetic people are less likely to thrive as C.E.O.’s. Organized, dogged, anal-retentive and slightly boring people are more likely to thrive.

These results are consistent with a lot of work that’s been done over the past few decades. In 2001, Jim Collins published a best-selling study called “Good to Great.” He found that the best C.E.O.’s were not the flamboyant visionaries. They were humble, self-effacing, diligent and resolute souls who found one thing they were really good at and did it over and over again.

That same year Murray Barrick, Michael Mount and Timothy Judge surveyed a century’s worth of research into business leadership. They, too, found that extroversion, agreeableness and openness to new experience did not correlate well with C.E.O. success. Instead, what mattered was emotional stability and, most of all, conscientiousness — which means being dependable, making plans and following through on them.

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Is a Positive Attitude Important?

Posted on May 19, 2009 | Leave a comment

Huh – I got a lot more out of this article by Mike Mahler about positive attitude than I expected. Trust me, this isn’t the usual rah rah positive attitude is everything piece. Mike is one of the fitness professionals that I follow semi-regularly online. Like many other trainers he worked in another field before he decided to focus on his business and I find him to be interesting and articulate in relating real-life professional tales to achieving goals.

I think that the key message here is: You have a goal that you want to achieve. The way to get there is to just get it done. You might not enjoy it, you may not want to do it some of it, and your attitude about the parts you don’t like might not be the best. As long as you are committed to doing it you stand a much better chance of achieving your goals.

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The Zen of Painting

Posted on May 15, 2009 | 1 Comment

Lately I have been focusing not on work using the mind, but on work using the hands. A lot of people do not like doing hard physical labor. They especially don’t like it if it is boring or repetitive. I’m quite the opposite. The more “mind-numbing” the work, the more I relish going out and doing it. I like things that are physically tiring. I think it is because I have spent so much of my time *thinking* as part of the jobs I’ve held. Physical labor requires a completely different sort of thinking. It is a unique focus on exactly what you are doing. Hours can go by and I am blissfully unaware. Thoughts float to the forefront of my consciousness and then drift away. Sometimes I get my best “ah ha!” moments when I am not actively solving problems.

This week I have been painting the kitchen and preparing to put up a tile backsplash that I have talked about doing since we moved into this house. I’ve spent hours on a ladder so far this week. 7 hours yesterday alone – prepping and painting the ceiling. The beauty of a ladder is that you must be in the here and now. You need to experience what is going on around you. I can always tell when I am not in the present and I am either planning the future or ruminating about the past. When I am not paying attention on a ladder I tend to skip a step on the way down and land on the floor with a thud and a shock (usually on my feet). Dangerous yes, recoverable – thankfully yes. I managed that twice yesterday, and then finally the noise in my head ceased and I was able to focus solely on what I was doing. I wasn’t the painter. The ceiling wasn’t the object to be painted. The roller was an extension of who I am. There was no planning, thought or struggle. It just happened.

Thinking about how this relates to other instances of my life I have to say it feels like being in the “zone”. I’ve felt like this at work, and it is a really amazing place to be. I’ve had days where I’ve ripped code for hours on end and didn’t even budge from my desk. Other times, I’ve had the same experience putting together budgets and proposals for projects. I’m not sure if this is a universal experience – but I’ve typically have gotten into the “flow” or the “zone” when I’ve worked on something alone. It gives me the opportunity to just focus – without any distractions. Occasionally a good brainstorming session will do it. Sometimes a great volleyball match will as well. Those are always team activities, but it is a lot harder to feel the “flow” that way for me.

Here are some suggestions to help get you into the zone.

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Employee Engagement Is Up

Posted on May 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

This Business Week blog article notes that during the current recession employee engagement in their jobs is up – which is different than measurements of employee satisfaction. However…

“Despite the resiliency of their engagement, employees gave senior management poor grades on leadership, particularly when it comes to dealing with change and addressing future challenges. Only half of respondents said leaders are, in essence, leading.

Interestingly, Gebauer said her firm is starting to explore the concept of “healthy” engagement, where employees give their all while employers focus on their overall well-being, as opposed to unhealthy engagement, where employees risk burnout. The consultancy is even developing an index to measure this phenomenon across its client base, which I’ve dubbed the “Misery Meter,” although I’m sure Towers Perrin will come up with a more marketable moniker.”

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Saying Goodbye is Never Forever

Posted on May 8, 2009 | 1 Comment

I’ve left a number of jobs. The excitement about what comes next is always electrifying and I’ve always been a person to look forward to the next thing. That is the fun part about leaving. Hopeful optimism as I step into the unknown. Good thing I am a “grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” person and not a “stick with the evil you know instead of the evil you don’t”.

One thing that has never changed for me is that it is always so hard to say goodbye to the good folks that will be sorely missed. Once someone isn’t a coworker anymore I tend to lose my “game face” and my emotions leak out. It’s hard not to feel sad when I get a big hug from someone I really liked seeing every day. When I leave I always try and say goodbye to every person I worked with. Every single one. It is a taxing day, and this time I didn’t quite manage it. There were a few folks (and some of you read this blog) that I missed. It wasn’t intentional, our timing was just off. Goodbye – it’s been fun – best wishes – may we meet again.

There are people from each and every company that I’ve worked at that I wish I could still work with. They are all different. Some are quiet. Some are loud. Some are always serious and business-like. Some are always looking at the funny side of work. Some really pushed my buttons but they made me a better person in times of confrontation. Some are sensitive and helped me to realize when I might be stepping on toes. I’ve tried to keep in touch with most of the people I developed a connection with. Sometimes it is difficult because work was the only common interest. Other times old coworker became lifetime friends. And, one of my favorites is when old coworkers become new coworkers under different circumstances. It’s so nice to see a friendly face that I know I can trust.

When my old coworkers and friends found out that I lost my job, I received a huge outpouring of support. Frankly, I was shocked. I got notes and phone calls from people all through the span of my career. I heard from people in CT at UTC where I worked fresh out of college, I heard from IBMers from 15 years ago that I haven’t seen since, I got great support from ex-Nortelers, those that went through the Caspian days, and of course from some ex-coworkers from my recent position. Thank you everyone – I hope to see you all again in another company someday!

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Turning my world upsidedown

Posted on May 5, 2009 | 1 Comment

Times are tough. Companies are looking at their resources and figuring out which ones will provide the most payback. This isn’t just products and equipment, it is people too. Now is not the time to rest on your laurels. It doesn’t matter what you did last year, two years ago or 10 years ago. There are a lot of people who live in the past. They remember the highlights of their career. They believe that because of what they have accomplished before that people should respect them now. That is not how the world works today. Every day you need to earn the respect of your coworkers and your superiors.

Your previous experience just doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is how you perform today and if the skills that you have are directly relevant to the company that you work for. Close enough isn’t good enough. Sometimes there just won’t be a role for you going forward even if your performance is good. Just because you were successful at something before doesn’t mean that the organization hasn’t changed around you.

Right now I am struggling to absorb this. In the 23 years my career has lasted, I have never found myself involuntarily out of a job until now. Looking back at that – considering I have changed companies a number of times – preferring small and underfunded ones – I have weathered the dotcom bust while working in a startup – it is quite an amazing statistic. It’s an interesting place to be and it surely will change the perspective of this blog somewhat. I’m a little angry, a little sad, but a lot hopeful. I’ve been looking for the proverbial kick-in-the-pants to motivate me to do something different – and here it is. In a few short days I will no longer have a desk to go to and an identity that can be defined by my position.

I am so fortunate compared to many others who are in my predicament. I am not living paycheck to paycheck. I will still have good health insurance through my husband’s employer. I received the news during my favorite time of year – May/June – before it gets too hot and after the days have gotten longer and the cold is gone. Hope springs eternal when my garden is blooming.

I have the time to decide what I want to do and when I want to do it. Right now I think that the opportunities are only bounded by my imagination. I have a list of projects a mile long that I want to accomplish. I want to dive into some of my hobbies full speed as well. I am actually worried that I won’t get to everything that I want to do. Imagine that! I think I will be too busy!

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More on Social Networks

Posted on May 5, 2009 | Leave a comment

In my January 9th post I referred to an article about cultivating weak ties in social networks to assist in networking and job searching.

Recently the Wall Street Journal had the following article dubbed “Should Over-50 Job Hunters Join Facebook?”. The article itself wasn’t that remarkable to me – I think that social networks can be really useful.

What I liked about the article is that one of my contacts – Chuck Hester from Raleigh, NC was specifically called out in a national magazine article. Chuck is a LinkedIn master. What is really outstanding about what he does is that he considers “paying it forward” instead of “paying someone back” to be the key to networking. The first time I met Chuck he asked me – what can I do for you? He wasn’t worried about how I could help him. He wanted to figure out if there were ways that he could use his network to assist me in my endeavors. As part of his desire to help others, Chuck runs a regular “LinkedIn Live” gathering in the area to help people connect with one another. I don’t think that I’ve met anyone quite like Chuck in this respect.

I think that everyone can learn some lessons from Chuck. Networks are meant to be nurtured. They aren’t mean to be used only when you need help. I know that when someone in my network is looking for an opportunity I will provide them with whatever help makes the most sense. I’ve spent hours editing resumes for people that I hadn’t seen in 15 years. I’ve provided references for coworkers that I trust and would love to work with again. Sometimes I’ve spent time giving people insight and perspective on an industry that they are trying to break into. It’s worth the time and effort to do these things. Pay it forward.

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