Category: Hints & Tips

Hints & Tips ·

Self Promotion is NOT Self Aggrandising. Build the former and avoid the latter.

Over lunch with a senior-level executive who had been with a US MNC for a nearly 3 years, working Southeast Asia. He mentioned that in another year or two he’d like to return to the United States on the coattails of the company, better for the kids, quality of life, and so forth. “Sounds good,”…

Coaching ·

Don’t disappear into the job

The job won’t bury you; you can do that all by yourself. When I coach senior execs, I often find two different career groups. The first have recently gotten a new position, internally or externally. The second are looking for their next job (outside the company), and have not actively done so in years. This…

Talent and Hiring ·

Hire with Head and Heart

Hire with head and heart. If you’re not emotionally engaged to bring on a new hire, it’s a chore. If time and thought is not invested, it’s easy to get weary of the hiring process, and it gets pushed back for a later date. A decision is, by default, uncertain. Such is life, and such…

Interviewing ·

Each Interview Counts

I recently spoke to a [young] friend of mine who is scoping the market, and interviewing for another job with another company. The role reports into someone he knows quite well, who is apparently keen to get him on board. I asked him how it was going. “Pretty smooth so far. I’ve had four interviews,…

Communication ·

How some companies interview badly; 5 suggestions to raise the bar

I once had a corporate client with bad interviewing habits. It wasn’t just one person; the slowness to hire seemed to be part of their culture, a rather sclerotic interviewing process. The visible damage was often good candidates, initially interested in joining but lost interest after a few months, and later spoke disparagingly about them,…

Communication ·

Tell Me What You Think, Seriously…

Early in my career, I had an interview with the MD of a competitor. It was scheduled for late afternoon in their office, and the earlier part of the day had been awful. I’d misplaced my wallet and phone in the gym during lunch, and spent unneeded energy looking for them, panicking about not being…

Hints & Tips ·

Win the Boss Over–5 Points

I recently had coffee with a friend, reminiscing about his previous company and one of the co-CEO’s there who has since moved on. “Smart guy,” my friend said, “although we never got along very well.” “Why?” “You were either with him or against him, not a lot of grey. I wasn’t part of his inner…

Communication ·

The authentic voice when interviewing

The authentic voice. Companies want to hear it from candidates when interviewing, and candidates always need to think about finding their cadence in an interview. But what does an “authentic voice” really mean within in a corporate setting, whether interviewing or maneuvering through the organisation? Authenticity often radiates from comfort–borne by repetition; confidence in knowing…

Communication ·

The Mechanics of Manners; 10 points

More than simply being polite, better to describe manners as the “instruction booklet” for humans. In today’s topsy-turvy world of social media, manners matter even MORE than in the past. Friction is caused by two objects moving into each other, and manners lubricate the friction. None of us are born with good manners; we all…

Communication ·

The smart-ass at work

My one strong piece of advice to those entering the work force; Don’t be a Smart-Ass. Here’s what smart-asses do at work: [list style=”circle”] They do not take instructions well. Work is about doing what you’re asked to do-the way the boss or the company wants it done. If you want to do it differently,…

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