Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

Is a Promotion Always Good News?

A reader recently asked this question:

I have been at my current workplace for 2.5 years, and I’ve had 3 raises and 2 promotions during that time. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, the thing is, I worry that these promotions are largely circumstantial and that taking them on might cause me problems in the long run. The first promotion was caused by a colleague who quit at a crucial time, and I inherited her job because I had worked on all of our department’s projects with her. The second promotion (last week) is caused by a general restructuring of the company. I was the most convenient employee to move into this new role because it overlaps a bit with my current role, so presto change — another promotion.

Both promotions created sudden changes in my job description with new responsibilities, just at the moment when I had started to feel comfortable in the old position. I was not even asked if I wanted the new mandates– both times, it was a fait accompli (which I find really strange).

My concern is that I might not have gained the experience necessary to succeed in my current role, which will now include partial managerial responsibility. I only worked for a little over a year in both my previous positions. I don’t feel that’s given me enough experience to be able to handle all the different variables that can arise in my line of work. In so many ways, I feel like I am being asked to run before I finished even learning to crawl.

How do I make sure that I don’t fail at my new position? I’m really excited about the potential I see with this job, but I also feel overwhelmed with all this new responsibility that I never even asked for and frankly would not have asked for until a few more years had passed. When people are promoted to quasi-managerial roles, how much experience is it common to have?

Here was my advice:

A person who excels at his position is often rewarded with a higher position and eventually reaches a level that exceeds the employee’s field of expertise.  This is called the Peter Principle, a concept that was put forth in the 1960s by Dr. Laurence J. Peter, a psychologist and professor of education.

Why does this happen?  Well, as in your case, most companies prefer to hire from within because internal candidates are considered to be more trustworthy and have a better understanding of how their organizations work.  For the same reason, qualified internal candidates keep getting promoted until they aren’t qualified anymore, and at that point will be stuck in a situation where they feel insecure about their abilities and produce work of less value to their companies.

It is possible to turn down the promotion without losing your reputation.  Start by graciously thanking the person in charge for the opportunity and telling him how much you appreciate his faith in you.  Then, explain why you feel it’s best for the organization if you stay in your current position.  You might say, for example, that you really love your job and still feel like you could add a lot of value to the role and learn more within it.

Remember that by turning down the promotion, you are creating a problem for management – now they must fill that job some other way.  So as best you can, try to compromise and perhaps even come up with an alternative solution.  For instance, maybe you can volunteer to assist in hiring a more senior individual and take on more responsibility until that person can get up and running.

All in all, this is a good problem to have, and you’re handling it in just the right way.

For advice from three other terrific career experts, check out Intuit's Fast Track blog.

Are You Promotion Material?

According to a study from the Center for Talent Innovation, 268 senior executives cited executive presence, or being perceived as leadership material, as an essential component to getting ahead.  In fact, executive presence accounted for, on average, 25 percent of what it takes to get promoted.  Co-sponsored by Marie Claire, the research initiative was led by my colleague Sylvia Hewlett, who often studies the barriers faced by women in achieving workplace equality.

Executive presence: the two magic words

Apparently, the desire for work/life balance and other oft-cited female challenges are not actually the reasons so few women make it to the C suite.  The principal factor women are neglecting is executive presence.  The majority of female executives don’t understand it and don’t know how to display it effectively.

According to the study, the three areas that comprise executive presence are:

• Gravitas:  The ability to project confidence, poise under pressure, and decisiveness.  Sixty-seven percent of senior executives surveyed cited gravitas as the core characteristic of executive presence.
• Communication: includes excellent speaking skills, assertiveness, and the ability to read an audience or situation.  Twenty-eight percent of surveyed executives felt that good communication telegraphs that you’re leadership material.
• Appearance:  While how you look and dress does affect your executive presence, it’s not nearly as critical as the first two factors.  Only 5 percent of the executives thought appearance was the #1 consideration in the decision to promote.

In addition to having a strong executive presence, sounding educated is essential if you want to ascend to the next level.  Nearly sixty percent of executives felt that unprofessional, uninformed speech detracts from executive presence.

Check out the full post on Intuit's Fast Track blog for more on how to learn executive presence.

How to Give a Negative Review

It’s the part of being a manager that everyone dreads.  A less than stellar employee’s review is coming up, and you have to be the bearer of bad news.

Ideally, the feedback you are about to deliver shouldn’t be a surprise.  Good managers address negative performance as specific examples come up and immediately work with the employee to improve. 

But in the real-world, this may not always happen, and even if it has, the annual or semi-annual review is the time to re-address past issues.  For a few suggestions to help you through what may be an uncomfortable task, head over to my post on the Fast Track blog.

Nobody Cares About Titles - Or Do They?

Corporate hierarchies are out. Organizations are flatter than ever. Entrepreneurialism is the new best practice. The newest college grads are railing against the establishment, saying they don’t want to “pay their dues” in order to climb the corporate ladder rung by rung, and that they want to do meaningful work right away. And the business world is listening to them. It seems as if the entry-level grunt is a thing of the past.

Given these changes, the tendency is to think that titles, even when you’re working within the context of a large organization, don’t really matter so much anymore. I myself believed this, until a few years ago when I received a promotion to vice president. I had been doing the work associated with this role for quite a while, so when I started using the new title, it was really more of a formality.

But subtly, little things around the office began to change. I noticed that more people actually answered the phone when I called, instead of letting me go straight into voicemail. Executives would communicate with me themselves instead of sending their assistants to find me. I started getting to sit in on planning meetings no one had considered inviting me to before. And when I’d walk into my colleagues’ cube area, someone would jokingly say, “okay, everyone, back to work, the boss is here.”

It then occurred to me that a title like vice president still carries a great deal of weight. Despite what we might like to think, people have a certain perception of us, and treat us a certain way, based on our level. No matter how much we know and contribute, to some extent our value and importance will always be tied to our rank – a rank which is sometimes well-deserved, and sometimes not so well-deserved. In much of today’s business world, a higher title means not only more money and a bigger office, but the ability and influence to get your job done more efficiently, and with less agida.

So next time you’re thinking of blowing off your performance review because you can’t see the point in advancing to the next level, maybe try looking a bit harder. The point is there.

For Global Workers, 2012 Will Be a Mixed Bag

According to the latest Randstad Workmonitor survey, workers across the globe feel slightly – but not totally – positive about conditions in 2012.  The good news is, those of us in the U.S. are not alone.  The bad news is, it’s going to take longer to dig out of our economic hole since it doesn’t appear that our neighbors are in a position to help out.

In 21 of the 30 countries surveyed, employees expect to have more disposable income compared to 2011. But only in a bit more than half of the countries (18 out of 30), respondents feel their employer is entering a better year financially compared to 2011.

Rewards for Performance

In most countries, at least 60 percent of the employees feel that their salary does not reflect their performance, which could be related to uncertain economic times. These numbers run especially high in Poland, Hungary (both 79 percent) and Greece (81 percent).

Willingness to Relocate

This one is interesting.  In general, employees do not want to move (abroad) for a job even if it would be a job better suited for them; less than a third of the respondents worldwide would do so.

In China and India, however, employees do not have problem with relocation: 64 percent and 58 percent respectively would move if the right job comes along. In some cases a pay rise serves as an incentive, although employees in Denmark, Japan, Luxembourg and Switzerland indicate they want to stay put even if there is a pay rise connected to a job for which they have to move.

Job Satisfaction

In Europe, Norwegian, Danish and Dutch employees are the most satisfied. Outside Europe, Mexico and India rank highest. Japan has the least satisfied employees.  You might recall that less than two years ago, the Conference Board reported that U.S. workers had the lowest job satisfaction rates recorded in 22 years (only 45 percent were satisfied with their jobs in 2010).

Personal Motivation and Retirement

The most ambitious employees can be found in Turkey and Italy as well as in Mexico and India. Employees in the Nordics and Japan are not very much focused on getting a promotion.  Seventy percent of U.S. workers report that they expect to work beyond their official retirement age, and 59 percent of those say they’re happy about this.

Do these numbers reflect how you are feeling, and what's happening in your workplace?

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

Do a Performance Review from Scratch

The mere thought of giving a performance review still makes some managers want to run for the hills, but fortunately, a greater focus on constructive feedback and proactive planning have made this annual or semi-annual exercise a lot less painful than it has been in the past.

Instead of feeling obligated to address the employee with a litany of her shortcomings, the twenty-first century manager uses the review as just one meeting in a series of regular get-togethers to chat about progress on previously determined objectives and devise strategies for meeting current challenges.

In this type of review, there are no surprises, because the supervisor and the report have been discussing these issues all along.  If your organization doesn’t already have a performance review methodology in place, here are some simple steps for preparing for and delivering one:

Make Sure It's Legal

In her book Performance Planning and Appraisal, Patricia King says that performance appraisals must be based on a thorough analysis of the job, standardized for all employees, not biased against any race, color, sex, religion, or nationality, and performed by people who have adequate knowledge of the person or job.

Develop Documentation

If putting together an appraisal form from scratch, you’ll first want to devise a rating scale – perhaps from 1-4 with 1 being “outstanding” and 4 being “needs improvement.  Include established objectives and job responsibilities as well as the measured outcomes.  You can also incorporate a section for assessment of important qualities such as productivity, dependability, and initiative.

The last section should have room for the next year’s development plan, with accompanying objectives and actions, and the report should end with signature lines for both the manager and the employee.

Schedule the Meeting

Ideally, formal performance reviews should be held every six months, but if your employee is new, you may want to have one after the first 90 days.  Tell the report about the review, and instruct her on what she’ll need to do to prepare.

Organize Your Thoughts

Take out last year’s review, if there is one, and note what was achieved.  If the employee regularly interacts with others, think about soliciting their feedback as well.  In jotting down your thoughts, use concrete examples and address behaviors, not personality characteristics.   Expect her to broach the subject of career growth and compensation, and think about what you’ll say when the time comes.

Conduct the Review

Start off by explaining the purpose of the review (i.e. to exchange feedback and to discuss the status of previously determined objectives, outline new goals, and formulate or update the development plan). Let the employee comment on her performance first.  Listen carefully and then respond with a mix of constructive criticism and positive feedback.

If a disagreement comes up, try to remain objective and keep your defensiveness to a minimum.  Write down any agreements made about future goals and action plans while they’re still fresh in your mind.  Leave time at the end of the meeting for the employee to ask questions and air issues, and make sure she understands what will be expected of her over the next year.

Finalize and Sign the Appraisal

Add comments to your portion of the form based on the in-person discussion, and have the employee add her thoughts as well.  Both of you should sign the completed form and commit to revisiting the development plan every few months.

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

 

More on How to Keep from Getting Fired

I've been getting requests for more strategies to prevent getting fired.  Adapted from my new book Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can't Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success, here are four more to keep in your back pocket.

Be Hard to Replace

You should build up a unique set of skills and take ultra-specific training courses so that no current employee can do your job as well as you can and the organization would have to hire someone new.  Stay in the spotlight – in a good way – so that your absence would be glaringly obvious.  While they still aren’t indispensable, highly visible, highly specialized employees are much more trouble to replace.

Take Responsibility

If you’ve gotten in hot water with your boss or HR for inappropriate behavior, you might still save your job provided you stop the behavior right away and sincerely apologize to all involved.  You might, for example, say something like:  “I know I really screwed up.  I want you to know that I’ve learned a lot from this experience, and I promise that nothing like it will ever happen again.”  Be honest with yourself.  Have you done something that has made you unpopular around the office, even if it’s as harmless as a gossip session gone bad?  You’ll need to turn things around quickly as possible.

Be Likeable

Go out of your way to help your co-workers with their projects.  Arrange to have the whole department sign a card for the assistant who has been out sick.  Organize Friday Happy Hour and pay for the first round of drinks.  Being the employee that everyone likes will make you less vulnerable.

Speaking of being liked, things get a little dicey when you haven’t done anything wrong, but for whatever reason your boss has a negative perception of you or your work.  His dislike may be unwarranted – maybe you look like the neighbor with whom he has a bitter relationship, or semi-warranted – maybe he recognizes your talent and is worried you’ll end up with his job.  Regardless, if you live in an at-will state, your boss doesn’t officially need a reason to fire you and can do so with minimal justification, simply because he doesn’t like you.

Address the Issue Head-On

In the event that you enjoy your job and want to keep it, you will have to confront your boss.  Swallow your pride and be prepared to be the bigger man or woman, unfair as the situation may be.  Set up a meeting and say something like: “I’m concerned that I’m not meeting your expectations.  What can I do to improve things?   If her problem with you is truly personal, you may shock her into making it less obvious.

If she defends herself by calling out your performance, calmly ask her for examples by saying:  “Thanks for the feedback.  Would you mind sharing some specific instances so that I can start moving in the right direction?”  Pay close attention to any documentation that is supplied.  This is a good way to assess the case she is building against you.  Hopefully, this meeting will result in some type of resolution, which you should re-count via e-mail for paper trail purposes.

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

Keep From Getting Fired

While writing my new book Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can’t Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success, I met a guy named Sebastian.  Sebastian told me that he had worked as an activity director at a Florida-based family resort for the last few years and that his boss had recently told him that the staff and the members didn’t like him.

Sebastian did not understand this feedback.  He had just circulated a membership evaluation form that rated him an above-average 4 out of 5.  Additionally, he had had no verbal exchanges with any staff members to indicate that they were unhappy with him, and certainly no one had filed a complaint.  Sebastian confided that he was insecure because he didn’t know where this attack from his boss was coming from, and he was worried he might be fired.

Just a few months before the conversation with his boss, Sebastian probably would have told me that as one of the highest rated staff members, he was indispensable.  This situation took him completely by surprise, and he was right to be concerned about it.  The fact that his boss was looking for excuses to complain about him indicated to me that there was – literally – trouble in paradise.  In a subsequent conversation with him, I learned that Sebastian’s boss had recently documented the fact that Sebastian had overspent his budget.  Neither of us was particularly surprised when he was fired a few months later.

Watch for the Signs

Like Sebastian, you may have received signs that your demise is imminent.  These could include:

• Your performance review wasn’t stellar, and/or you are on probation
• You were hired for a specific project and that project wasn’t done well or at all
• You are always clashing with your boss over non-issues
• Your boss has told you that you need to change your attitude
• Your boss is keeping a paper trail by documenting every conversation in e-mail
• Your colleagues are handling responsibilities that were formerly yours
• Your colleagues have stopped confiding in you
• You have been vocal about your unhappiness in the organization
• Meetings are being held without you
• HR has spoken to you about inappropriate behavior (emotional outbursts, insubordination, sexual harassment, etc.)
• An important client or partner said they no longer wish to work with you

Just because one or more of these signs applies doesn’t definitively mean you will lose your job.  Most organizations – and managers – are somewhat tolerant of employees who are going through a hard time.  They may well have faith that you will work through your issues.  However, it’s important to understand when you’re in danger of being fired so that you can take steps to avert it – because unlike layoffs, many firings can be prevented.

Take Action Immediately

If you’re on probation related to poor performance, any actions your boss instructed you to take should be burned into your brain.  Do whatever it takes to improve in each documented area within a matter of weeks.  If the feedback is that you are not contributing, you should zealously amp up your performance in ways that can be measured and tangibly impact the organization’s bottom line.  For example, after the meeting with his boss, Sebastian might have implemented a member-requested surfing class, which would bring in additional revenue for the resort and boost his customer satisfaction ratings.

This post was originally published on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

5 Tips for Moving up the Corporate Ladder

My friend Jenny Blake, who works at Google and just came out with her first book, Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want, sent along these tips for newly minted college grads.  I couldn't have said it better myself!

1. Don’t just focus on promotion as an end in itself.

It’s like losing weight: you can either focus solely on the number on the scale or on getting healthy overall. Getting healthy has many more fringe benefits. Similarly, don’t just focus on the promotion itself. Focus more on the competencies, expectations and behaviors that will lead to a promotion; you’ll be better off in the long run, happier and most likely get there faster.

2. Think of your career like a smart phone, not a ladder.

Build a strong foundation and don’t be afraid of horizontal moves; if a lateral move leads to greater happiness and productivity, it’s probably worth it in the long run. Even better? Think of your career like your smart phone -- take responsibility for downloading various apps (skills, classes, experiences and 10-20% projects) that will make you a valuable asset to any team.

3. Know what you are working toward; ask for more responsibility not just a promotion.

Get a clear understanding of what success looks like -- ask your manager: in 3-6 months, what would you love to see me doing? What else could I be doing to operate at the next level? It’s a common refrain that people generally have to already be operating at the next level before getting promoted. Keep asking for more responsibility instead of just asking for a promotion.

4. Be an observer.

Pay attention to people who have been recently promoted or who work in the level above you. What skills, experiences and attitudes do they have? Bonus: schedule them for lunch and ask!

5. Ditch any entitlement.

You may think you deserve a promotion (and you might be ready) but also be aware that a lot of the time people think they deserve promotions earlier than their managers do. Be willing to compromise and remember that it often depends on many factors outside of your job performance alone (for example: the economy, other people in the company, open roles, etc).

 

If You’re Underpaid, Do Something

GetRaised.com is a new online service that helps people get raises by determining if they are underpaid and then giving them the tools to do something about it.  Here’s my interview with GetRaised team member Dave Clarke:                           

I wish I’d thought of this.  Where did the idea come from?

Our behavioral psychologist Matt Wallaert was walking to work and trying to think of ways to narrow the gender-wage gap.  We had been thinking about that issue, and how to help people increase their income more generally.  The gender-wage gap doesn’t have to exist - we have the tools we need to solve it, or at least narrow it.  It was one of those “well if we have this, and we have that, and we hook them together...” moments.

So much financial advice is about spending less and saving more of what you make, but it was clear to us that we should help people make enough money in the first place.

What is your philosophy on fair pay?

Fair pay is important because it really does affect us all.  When people feel underpaid and undervalued, they aren’t good, productive workers.  They still go to work, but they go feeling miserable, and they make other people miserable.  And equity is a right that everyone has - pay shouldn’t discriminate on gender or race.

How does GetRaised Work?

First, we need to find out if you are underpaid, so we ask you where you work, what you do, and how much you make, and then we can tell you if you are underpaid or not. This is completely free.  If you are underpaid, GetRaised will give you the tools in the form of a custom raise request for $20.   We guide you through the process of using the raise request kit, keeping track of how things are going while providing information, tips and techniques on what to do at each step and how to deal with all sorts of things, from what to wear to a raise meeting to how to answer some common questions your boss might ask. If the custom raise request doesn't help you get a raise in six months, you get your $20 back.  

So GetRaised recommends to the user whether or not a raise is worth pursuing.  How does it do/know that?  Where does the information/data come from?

For determining whether you should ask, we use three basic things: whether your salary is far enough below the median, the amount of time that has passed since your compensation was last increased, and the amount of time that has passed since you were hired.  In reviewing how your salary compares, we use a variety of sources, including government data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, information from current job postings in your area, and anonymous data from other users near you who have used GetRaised.

Thanks, Dave.  This is fascinating stuff, and in my opinion well worth $20!