Part 2: Getting Ahead


Chapter List

Chapter 6: Vision, Mission, Goals
Chapter 7: Management-Level Office Politics
Chapter 8: Creating Visibility
Chapter 9: Coaching Your Manager
Chapter 10: Delivering Results
Chapter 11: When, Why, and How to Ask for a Raise
Chapter 12: How to Get A Promotion

Part Overview

Viktor Frankl (1905–1997) was an Austrian psychiatrist who was interned in a Nazi concentration camp, along with his wife and family, during World War II. His wife and family perished, yet he was able to emerge with a deep knowledge of human behavior and a theory that people’s primary motivational force is the search for meaning. His life story has been an inspiration to many, and his book Man’s Search for Meaning has proved to be one of the 10 most influential books in America.

Dr. Frankl’s simple yet powerful theory of success and fulfillment is based on a simple drawing: On the success/failure continuum …, success is defined largely by external measurements (your job title, the car you drive, the neighborhood in which you live, how much money you make, how you are perceived by others). On the fulfillment/depression continuum, fulfillment is defined by internal measurements (how you feel about what you have done, what you are doing, and what you plan to do.) One can be absolutely successful and unfulfilled at the same time; one can be a financial failure and thoroughly fulfilled at the same time; one can be both wholly successful and absolutely fulfilled at the same time.

click to expand
Dr. Frankl's success/failure continuum

Applying Dr. Frankl’s theory of success to getting ahead in our careers allows us to explore why we want to get ahead in the first place: Are we chasing success, or are we evolving our careers through personal growth? You can get ahead either way, but one path leaves you asking what is missing, while the other provides you with peace and strength and opportunities.

Soul Searching

When I was fully engaged in my corporate career, I woke up one morning and asked myself, “How did I get here?” The answer was easy: It just happened. I had had no grand plan, no strategy; I had simply worked harder, faster, and longer than my peers, chasing success. Ultimately, I found myself in a job I didn’t like, with a corporate culture that didn’t match my values or strengths, and I didn’t like the choices I made, the unhealthy relationships I developed, or myself while I worked there. I was living someone else’s expectations for a great life, financially successful but personally unrewarding. At that time I did not know exactly what I wanted; I just knew it was not this.

Through coaching, I found that what I really wanted was a values-based life. I learned that achieving both professional success and personal fulfillment was an attainable goal, and I wanted my work, my friends, and my life to be oriented around my values. To get clear on how to fill the gap between where I was and where I wanted to be, I had to recognize a few things:

  1. That I was good at some work processes that I did not enjoy (for instance, cold calling on sales prospects)

  2. That I was marginally good at some work processes that I really liked (for instance, consultative selling)

  3. That I was really good at other work processes that I really liked (gap analysis, problem identification and resolution, coaching)

Bingo—values meet skills. And, I found that as a pathway to dealing with all of the components of getting ahead, knowing your values, your strengths, and what you like make the entire process easier.

Ask yourself:

  1. Do I know the difference between what I am good at and what I enjoy?

  2. Do I know the difference between being driven by needs and adrenaline and being motivated?

  3. Do I know the difference between my own values and priorities and the values and priorities of my organization?

Once you have identified those critical areas—the differences between what you like and what you are good at, between needs-driven behavior and self-motivation, and between your values and those of your organization—you can work on filling the gaps, because that is the road to success and fulfillment for you.

A good coach can help you work through those questions to identify what will bring you success and fulfillment. My clients have added the following components as important elements of their own success and fulfillment:

  • Imagination, to envision what is possible

  • Setting, and reaching, high goals

  • Loving what you do (blurring the line between work and play)

  • A readiness to take smart risks (and a willingness to fail)

  • Surrounding yourself with diverse, competent people (and helping those people to learn and grow)

  • Integrity, always

  • Balance, to keep everything in perspective

Life Balance

Years ago, discussing life-balance issues with an employer—taking time for family, for personal growth, for fun—was an invitation to be terminated. When I was in my twenties, I was raising two children, going to school, and working full-time. I was promoted into a mid-management job, and my boss told me, “Don’t ever tell me you can’t make it to work because of your kids. This job is your first priority.” Of course, it was not long before I demonstrated that my first priority was different from what he thought it should be, and my job went away.

Today, though, most employers embrace the theory of life balance—that employees are happier and more productive when all of the components of their lives are in balance. Finding your life balance is a fundamental component of success, fulfillment, and ultimately getting ahead (and living to enjoy it). Several years ago, Brian Dyson, vice chairman and COO of Coca-Cola Enterprises, shared his perspective on life balance during a commencement address:

Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. You name them—work, family, health, friends, spirit, and you are keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls—family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life.

Finding and maintaining that balance in your life is one of the most important strategies you can use when moving ahead in your career, because a balanced life is based on your values, and you make smarter choices when you respond out of your values, rather than reacting from your needs.

The following chapters will show you how to create a balanced life while evolving your career by tapping into your strengths, skills, and values. Whether you are dealing with management-level office politics, trying to create visibility without appearing egotistical or boastful, or coaching your boss to be a great leader, the focus will be on advancement through personal development and balance.




How to Shine at Work
How to Shine at Work
ISBN: 0071408657
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 132

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