Executive Recruiting and Executive Coaching

First, I don't like having a tie around my neck all of the time either and enjoy dressing down just as much as the next person. But, if you are looking to outdistance the competition and put yourself in a position to win...

[fa icon="thumbs-o-up"] Career Coaching 101--ALWAYS BE MINDFUL OF DRESSING FOR SUCCESS!

Many years ago, I made a decision that I would rather explain being over-dressed than counted out for being under-dressed. This decision came on the heels of a situation where my boss and I went to negotiate a matter with a client. Neither of us had ever met the client or been to their office, but were told by our operations staff that the client was always dressed casually in jeans. Now, we didn't wear jeans, but we did go business casual, in dress pants and shirt. When we walked into the office, all of the people we were meeting with were dressed in suit and tie. They had won the negotiation before it even started. I've never made that mistake again!

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I think most would agree on the importance of planning and strategy in the C-Suite. But, do you think it is equally important to your job hunting effort? Absolutely...yes! You are much more likely to land your next great job or career and in a shorter period of time by starting with a plan.

A few years ago, a financial services firm was airing commercials that had people walking around carrying their number…the amount they would need to save for a comfortable retirement. Remember? In one commercial, a fellow happens upon his neighbor who is on a ladder trimming his hedge. The neighbor asks him what he is carrying and he explains that it is his retirement number. On the hedge, the neighbor has a number too, $GAZILLION. When questioned about how he will achieve his number, the neighbor offers that his plan is to blindly throw money at it and “hope” something good happens. The point of the commercial is that most people don’t have a retirement plan. Instead, they have a guesstimate of what they might need for retirement and then randomly save when they think about it.

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Decision Making: Utilizing effective processes to make decisions.

We've previously discussed the importance of hiring for solid decision making skills. Now we turn to improving your decision making. How are your decision making skills? 

I know that I struggled in my early adult years with this skill. My first breakthrough came when a friend offered that very few decisions carry such dire consequences that they can't be undone. He said, the best approach was to gather enough information to support your decision and then make a decision. If that decision turns out to be wrong, you can make another decision. I've also used a decision making process I learned from one of Donald Trump's first books, Trump: The Art of the Deal. In the book, Trump explained that he approached many decisions by trying to decide the worst possible outcome of the decision. Then, assuming he could live with that worst possible outcome, he went forward with the decision.

Decisiveness is a critical skill to success in business and life. Here is a process we recommend to our executive coaching clients:

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Decision Making: Utilizing effective processes to make decisions.

Speaking with a CEO recently, I was reminded how important "decision making" is to career trajectory, when he related he would be demoting/terminating a senior executive who struggled with the skill.  A recent Gallup article reaffirmed this stating only 1 in 10 managers possess great decision making skills. They defined someone talented in decision making with the following:

They solve the many complex issues and problems inherent to the role by thinking ahead, planning for contingencies, balancing competing interests and taking an analytical approach. 

Making solid decisions in a timely manner is a trait of great managers and employees. Many who struggle with decision making have a bias regarding certain factors in their decision making process.  They often struggle with admitting they made a mistake too, thus compounding their poor decision making skills.
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Earlier in the week, we talked about the need to "get over it" after losing a job and prior to beginning your next "job search." Here's some more guidance to help you "get over it!"

Are you thinking on paper? I believe this is not only vital to your success, but your sanity. I'm convinced that you can't solve the "big deals" in your head. In addition to the many writing exercises I recommend like daily goal setting and mindstorming, I want to tell you about another one that is beneficial to anyone who is feeling resentful, angry or full of self-pity.

This is something I always suggest to the recently unemployed, but it is applicable to anyone who just needs to "purge" themselves of some negative emotions. There are basically three steps:

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