Jackie Cameron - Coaching and Communication

British actor Richard Briers - who is probably most famous for playing Tom Good in the Good Life  70s sitcom - was talking on the radio yeterday about his career as an actor.  He has acted in other TV shows and  in many plays  and well into his 70s now he is currently appearing in a play in London . But he described the time when he graduated from acting school along with actors Alan Bates, Albert Finney and Peter O’Toole ( actors he describes as the “New Wave” ) he said “I think I’ve had it”  . He realised that he would have to find his niche as he could not compete for the kind of parts they would get and  this led to a very  successful career in what he calls ” light comedies”.

He is not alone in finding that he was in amongst many other equally talented people in his chosen profession and his approach is a good example of how to make the situation work for you.

Every year new graduates enter the job market  to be the same qualifications/exam passes. Some will already have an idea of how they want to specialise or to what level in the organisation they aspire but most will take things step by step and gradually work out how they can make their mark. There will be high profile stars but there can only be room for so many of them in any business . But that does not mean that the others are any less talented  - or for that matter valuable and attractive to employers!

The responsibility for finding a way to mark rests with the employee though. It can be tempting to just settle with what is offered - but that can often lead to dissatisfaction and frustration.  And when you do decide to move to another organisation how you did what you did well is just as important as what you did well.  ( something which is easy to overlook and undervalue)

• It might be the lawyer who is particularly dealing patiently  with elderly clients
• Or the HR person whose ability to discuss tricky issues or break bad news is particularly sensitive
• Or the accountant who will take time and demonstrate that they understand the client’s business challenges as well as do the numbers
• Or the recruiter whose interest in people ensures that the right questions are asked at interviews resulting in a great hiring track record
• Or the new hire who makes a point of speaking to everyone to try to get to know people quickly they come into contact with regardless of seniority or if they are in another team
• Or the trainer who has a knack of understanding the needs of the participants in workshops and adapting the programme to suit

In short - when you ask the question “who is  good at..” immediately comes to mind.

So - what are you good at - and have you found your niche ?

Working with some managers I split them into  two groups and set them a task. While they were working I noticed that one group was quickly organised and they had finished well before the others. We then adjourned for coffee but one of the second group was still working on something - and then he joined us. It was clear that he was finishing something for his group - though the rest of them were already drinking coffee.  Afterwards we talked about the task and I mentioned what I had noticed.

The first group said that they finished quickly because someone offered to lead and write up their responses right at the start….and the rest of the group were happy to let him.

The second group said that they worked together all the way through and the guy who joined us later than the rest had offered to double check the answers - because that is how he liked to work.

In both cases the team members generally and the guys who took on the specific roles were happy with the outcome.

A friend was telling me that everyone in her business had been  challenged to develop  client relationships and there were some tensions around the time it was taking up and the one size fits all methods that had been “rolled out”.  While I believe that every person in an organisation has the potential to impact on client/customer relationships there will always be  some who are naturally good at it, some who are keen and willing to learn how to do it, and others whose skills should be used in other areas! So I had some sympathy with her situation and as an illustration  I described little kids when they play football. Usually they all run after the ball and try to score a goal - which is easy because there is nobody left at the back defending!

Now we all know when somebody is taking liberties by not doing what they should in their role but there are times when the best decision is to let someone else get on with what they do well. The opportunity to do the same for them is bound to show itself at some point in the future.

As a final thought on this I now offer short one to one  coaching sessions on how to use Linkedin. This is in direct reponse to the comment ” I know I should be using social networks but I just don’t have the time to learn”. Over the past year or so I have been using the tools  and learning by doing. It suits my activist learning style.  Whilst I do not hold myself up as an expert I do have expertise that would help others to shorten the long learning period. Sounds like a good balance to me - and to my clients thankfully!

This post is part of the group writing project “What I learned from Colourful Characters”hosted by Robert Hruzek at Middle Zone Musings

If you are a manager think about the people in your team that get the most attention? On balance do you focus more on the the ones that don’t cause you any trouble?

I heard a young person being interviewed on TV about why he got into trouble and he said it was to get attention…and of course it worked! Luckily he had worked out that the kind of attention he got was not entirely positive and he was now making some different choices.

So when thinking about the “colourful characters” that I have encountered in my working life - and there have been many ( I am wondering what that says about me!) I started from the premise that colourful = badly behaved. And to be fair - that was often the case. But most for most of them the bad behaviour was accepted as part of their overall persona.

Sometimes they would challenge the norm - speak up and demand to be heard when they thought some rule or way of doing things was absurd

At others they would choose to dress in a way that stood out rather than fit with the unofficial business wear “uniform”

For others they would share information that they probably should not have…

For those of us who were more comfortable obeying the  rules - or need to enforce them -  their behaviour was uncomfortable  but not necessarily “bad”

The main redeeming feature that they all had was that they were very good at what they did - and what they did they did well. And that’s what made the difference.

It’s something to bear in mind as a manager. Maybe the person behaving badly really falls into the “colourful character” category  and though it makes your life difficult don’t let it make you lose sight of their strengths.

And in all of this - remember to give the quiet, unassuming, high performers some attention too!

On Saturday Scotland will play Italy in the Six Nations Rugby tournament. In the previous game  a couple of  weeks ago they lost the game against Wales - which they had been leading right up to the last few minutes - because of a couple of bad decisions. There is a lot of  national pride invested in these rugby games and it has to be said that the comments about “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” - a phrase often used about Scottish sporting outcomes - were understandable. So I was impressed by the reports of Scotland Captain Chris Cusiter’s comments on the defeat and what they learned.  On the official website he says

 ”In the debrief we looked at the decisions that were made. We have to learn from that, and become better players and better leaders because of that.”

Now let’s be clear here - decisions made in a game of rugby do not compare with decisions that some leaders have to make.

But I found it refreshing to hear Chris describe what he should have done .

And - as a couple of the players sustained what could have been serious injuries - how this had put things into perspective.

It  is rare for a leader in any area nowadays to hold up their hand and say “I got that wrong” - yet to me that is a real sign of strength. Leaders are human beings and - like it or not - they have capacity to make mistakes. 

And another strength of a good leader is their concern for others in their team.

I met Chris a few years ago when I won the chance to train with the Scotland rugby team at that time ( that’s another story which - if you have time - you can read here).  To be honest - I had been entered in the competition by my husband and although I watched rugby on TV I did not know many of the players. At that time Chris was injured and was at the sidelines. I “opted” not to go into tackle practice and joined him to stand and watch . He introduced himself as Chris - and I introduced myself back. It was clear I had no idea who he was - and you know something - to his credit he gave no indication that I should have.

Job hunters need to be smarter than ever to find the few jobs that are around when they are looking. The traditional newspaper and journal job adverts, along with online recruitment sites are a good place to start and  here  are some suggestions of how to use social networking online to support the search.

1 Make sure your professional profile is up to date no matter what sites you use

Always keep in mind that Google ( and other search engines) might find your Facebook/Linkedin/Twitter activity and you have to take advantage of that! There is nothing worse than searching for someone and finding an incomplete profile - or a dormant one! So take a look at what you are currently saying about yourself and give it a bit of polish.

2 Keep your CV live and visible on Linkedin

Linkedin makes it really easy for you. Just follow the steps and hey presto you have their equivalent of a CV.  Of course when you are applying for a job you should tailor your CV or application to fit the description but a generic Linkedin profile might just be the route to your next employer finding you without having to go to the “market”. Keep it short and relevant. Use language that fits with the sector you are or want to be in. Mention strengths that would appeal to a potential employer in a way that will cross over sectors ( ie leaving out the jargon) if you are looking to transition into something new!

Remember to keep it up to date - especially if you have a series of fixed term contracts. Linkedin highlights changes in your profile to your contacts which might just be the prompt they need to either get back in touch or mention you to someone they know that is looking for someone just like you.

3 Want to work in a specific sector or for a particular company - use your network for research

In a recent Radio 4 programme working with people who had lost their jobs one of the mentors was working with a guy who had been in IT but had always really wanted to be a teacher. The mentor asked him if he knew any teachers - and on checking his network he remembered that he had a couple of friends with teacher partners. The next suggestion was that he ask them for suggestions about how he might get into teaching. People like to help .  In the next programme he had been invited into a school to see for himself what it felt like and given links to where to get more information.

4 Build your credibility by answering questions

Linkedin has a question and answer section. If you feel you have something valuable to add do it! It will show up that you answer questions and indeed your contribution might even be ranked “best answer” . People ask questions all the time on Twitter . Do a Twitter search on topics you know about and then offer your advice or your knowledge too.  If they like what you say they will probably tell their friends. And other people will see you do it…

5 Make connections for others  when you can

This works when you do it honestly and without an agenda. You have people in your network - friends/contacts- that possibly could work together  so you make the introduction - and stand back to see what happens. When someone does you a good turn - genuinely  - you know how much you want to repay that kindness.

6 Talk about what you are up to - especially if you have a gap between jobs

This might seem counterintuitive - do you really want a future employer to know that you have been out of work? That works on the assumption that there is some sort of shame in not having a job. Many people who find themselves in that situation try to cover it up and miss out on reflecting on what they learned about themselves during what is a difficult time.

Clearly if you spend your time watching daytime TV between visits to the Job Centre you will have less to talk about than if you have done some volunteering. Think long and hard about everything you have done to fill the day and reflect on what that tells you about your approach, attitude and application….and log it on your profile at the time.

7 Ask for help

Following on from 3 above - think about what help you need and ask friends and contacts for  it.  Ask them to put you in touch with someone who can help answer questions, point you to useful web links, make introductions, highlight useful events.

And  - seriously - consider the impact of these

8 Review pictures online that include you

You may not like it but it is a fact of life - your private life as it is presented on your social networking sites is open to be seen by whomever you give permission and this includes potential employers. So take a look at the pictures available on your own pages and those tagged by others and do either a clean up or make them private  -  at least for  the duration of your job search.

9 Mind your language

Four suggestions here

First - if you are in the habit of swearing in your comments on Twitter or Facebook - while you are searching for a job think about how that might come across to a potential boss ( similar theme as pics)

Second - big yourself up. You are not “quite” good at something - simply “good” works.  Think about the difference removing “some” in front of “experience” has .

Third - don’t use text or online speak…

Four - never ever badmouth your current ( or indeed former) employers online. Disloyalty is not usually a good selling point!

A final suggestion

10 Saying thank you

Thank - and be seen to thank - anybody and everybody that has helped you. The people who have helped you will like it and others will admire gratitude as an attractive attribute!

Remember there can be no guarantees in job hunting but you owe it to yourself to give what you do your best shot.And when you do get that precious interview for the ideal job think about your preparation for that .  

I offer coaching for interviews, workshops and coaching for using social networking and advice and guidance on CVs and job applications. Get in touch for more information   jackie@consultcameron.com