Nonfiction: GREAT ON THE JOB (1) Author: Jodi Glickman
G*I*F*T
You will see four key themes throughout Great on the Job. Understand these concepts from the outset and you'll be ready to tackle the practical, tactical, use-'em-right-away strategies that start in the next chapter.
Generosity, Initiative, Forward Momentum, and Transparency: they are the GIFT of Great on the Job and they will come into play repeatedly as you move through the book.
GENEROSITY
"I read something early on that you can accomplish almost anything in life if you do not care who takes credit for it." --Eduardo Castro-Wright, Vice Chairman, Wal-Mart
When you think about critical business skills, generosity is not one that typically comes to the top of the mind. Drive, ambition, motivation, leadership, vision--those are some of the characteristics you likely think of first.
However, generosity is a key component of effective communication. It doesn't matter how much drive or motivation you've got, if you don't share information with team members openly, share credit with colleagues readily, put others' agendas and schedules ahead of your own when necessary, and help your colleagues, then you're missing a critical business skill.
Being generous shows you are a good team player, it makes people like you, it creates goodwill with people you work for and with people who work for you. It's the basic law of karma--the more good you put out into the world, the more that comes back to you.
"Dirk made the first [shot] and we missed the second (shot]." --Mark Cuban, Owner, Dallas Mavericks, referring to star player Dirk Nowitski
Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, was asked by a reporter about team captain Dirk Nowitski's missed game-tying free-throw shot. Cuban pointed out that Nowitski made the first shot but conceded that "we" (the team) missed the second one.
Giving individual praise for success and assuming collective responsibility for failure is inherently generous, and distinctively subtle. Cuban recognized an opportunity in the situation--a simple "we" instead of a "he" reminded fans that basketball is indeed a team sport. Cuban shared credit instead of assigning blame and propped up his star player to engender goodwill.
The next time you or someone on your team "misses the boat" on an assignment or fails to deliver on time, think about Mark Cuban's comments. Generosity is a powerful tool--the more you do to make someone else's life better, the more you'll do for yourself in advancing your own career.
You will see the theme of generosity in the following chapters:
* Chapter 1, "Master the Hello and Good-Bye" (page 31): being considerate of people's time (e.g., asking someone at the outset of a conversation if it's a good time to talk).
* Chapter 2, "The Foolproof Download" (page 47): leading with the punch line--sharing information readily and up front, not making people wait for or guess at the meaning or the important parts of your conversation.
* Chapter 3, "Be Strategically Proactive" (page 73): assisting others--going above and beyond the call of duty or digging in and getting your hands dirty even though you're not required to do so.
* Chapter 6, "Ask for Feedback" (page 153): scheduling the conversation around the other person's calendar and providing specific areas of performance you are looking for feedback on (versus the vague "How am I doing?"--which creates work for the other person).
* Chapter 8, "Raise a Red Flag" (page 199): highlighting problems early, coming armed with solutions.
* Chapter 9, "Manage a Crisis" (page 219): proactively coming up with solutions to problems.
INITIATIVE
"A lot of people in business say they have twenty years' experience, when in fact all they really have is one year's experience, repeated twenty times." --Hugh Macleod, Author of "Ignore Everybody"
Taking initiative and being proactive are hardly novel concepts in the business world. Everyone knows that being proactive is an essential skill in business--you've got to make things happen for you instead of waiting for them to happen to you. The number one habit in Stephen Covey's world-renowned "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" is "Be Proactive."
The question, then, isn't "Should I take initiative?" It's "How do I take initiative?" How can I be strategically proactive? How can I be helpful when I'm not sure how or where to start? How can I take an active role in shaping my assignments, working with good people, or contributing to high-profile or high-impact teams? And if I can't do any of those in the near term, how can I be helpful in assisting others with less exciting work now in hope of making more plum assignments come my way over the longer term?
Taking the concept one step further, ask yourself how you can be proactive without creating more work for others.
***** About The Author *****
Jodi Glickman is the founder of Great on the Job, LLC. She previously, worked in the investment banking division at Goldman Sachs and was a policy analyst at the Environmental Protection Agency. She holds a B.S. in Social Policy from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University.
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