Monthly Archives: June 2009

Well… Get To It!

Posted on June 5, 2009 | 1 Comment

I recently came across this article on the Harvard Business Journal site. Boy did this resonate with me.

This topic is one of my pet peeves. Over the years I have heard so many people complain that they aren’t getting to important tasks in their home or work lives. Quite frankly they aren’t setting their priorities correctly. Usually it goes something like this: “Right now I don’t have time to eat right and exercise – but once things settle down at work I’ll get to it.” or “I should get some training or learn more about that, but I barely can get through all of the tasks in my day job right now.” or “In order for me to be more effective I need to start doing ‘x’ but I am too busy trying to get ‘y’ done.” That last one is my personal favorite. It has bitten me more than a few times now and I vow that it isn’t going to happen to me again. Typically the thing that I should be doing is something that I’m not comfortable with. It is a new skill or it is hard for me based on my personality type. Sometimes it is a lack of confidence that holds me back. I think that the best advice I ever got in those instances is to “fake it”. Yes, seriously, pretend that you are competent and capable in that area and do what you think someone who is would do.

Something else that I thought was valuable in this article is that you need to make a conscious decision about which items to pursue and which to just let go. There’s no point in beating yourself up about not getting to something that you know is highly unlikely. It is a fantasy if you think you’ll get to it. Who needs to drag along that baggage for years? The amount of stress that adds over time is just not worth it. I worked with a career coach who had a favorite saying – the best way to let something go is to visualize it. Put the thought in a bubble and visually pop that bubble. How do you feel once it is gone? Relieved? Happy? Sad? That first feeling you have is key to the issue.

So – two things.

1. GET TO IT! This is for those items you really just need to incorporate in your life. Stop procrastinating.
2. LET IT GO! Stop carrying around unwanted items in your head that you know you’ll never prioritize to the top of the queue.

Do both and you’ll feel much better.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Tactical

Tagged , , , ,

Behavioral Competency Interviews

Posted on June 1, 2009 | 1 Comment

Recently I found the article “Distinguishing Yourself as a True Leader During Behavioral Competency Interviews” on the Korn Ferry website. This article is specifically geared toward senior leaders and executives, but there still is a lot of good information in there for anyone.

Back when I worked at Nortel Networks we made a point of using behavioral interviews for positions at all levels in our group. Frankly, I am surprised by how few organizations do this. As an interviewer you can get a much better view into how people really are, and how they will fit into your culture when you ask them to describe specific events in their career. It is crystal clear when people aren’t actually speaking from experience but are merely trying to spoon feed you what they think you want to hear. Personal and specific experiences are sometimes very difficult to talk about. Candidates who talk about them honestly come across with integrity.

Some of my favorite behavioral interview questions include:

  • Tell me about the biggest disappointment that you have had in your career.
  • Tell me about a time when you had to work with an unproductive person. How did you handle it?
  • Tell me about a time when you had to put an employee on a performance improvement plan or had to terminate them.(for managers)
  • Tell me about the project that you are most proud of. What do you consider your biggest career success?

It’s always great idea to ask followup questions. Some of mine are:

  • What was the most important thing you learned from the situation?
  • Were you happy with the result?
  • If you had another chance, what would you have done differently?

As an interviewee I’ve found that even when your interviewer is not using the behavioral style of interviewing you can use behavioral responses to your advantage. Telling a story about your actual experiences allows the interview to better get to know you and how you actually work. It also allows them to see how you learn both from your successes and from your mistakes. Personally I have learned a lot more from my mistakes than I have from any successes that came easily.

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Tactical

Tagged , ,