Monthly Archive for October, 2010

What Could Derail Your Career Success?

Added on October 24, 2010 at 7:10 am

I just got certified to use the Hogan Suite of Assessments and one reason that I chose to invest in these tools is that it provides information on what could derail client’s career success and life satisfaction.  It assesses 11 performance risks that interfere with a client’s ability to build relationships with others and create cohesive, goal oriented teams.  A key premise behind the assessment is that performance risks are common for working adults.  If client’s become more self-aware about their own derailers and actively manage them, they can reduce the career impact of the performance risks.

 What is fascinating is that although clients may see signs of their derailers in their every day work life, they usually don’t become a problem until the person is under stress, or in a situation that is tapping into their personal resources.  Because they are busy coping, they are not actively managing their reputation and proactively self-monitoring.  We have all been there.  It could be situations like being in a job that is a poor fit and wearing you down, multi-tasking beyond what is healthy, or a situation where you have been in your job so long that you now feel “comfortable” so you stop actively self-monitoring.  “They know me now!  I can let it all hang out.”

 What is interesting is that when people are being derailed, the behaviours can be categorized into three themes.  These stem from distorted beliefs about how others will view them.

  •  Moving Away From People – You manage your negative feelings by avoiding contact with other people.
  • Moving Against People – You manage your own self doubt by dominating and intimidating others.
  • Moving Toward People – You manage your own insecurities by building alliances.

For example, if a person has a derailer of Skeptism they will demonstrate the “moving against people” behaviour.  They will become more suspicious, mistrust others, and they will be more likely to confront other people they suspect of misconduct.  On the other hand, people who demonstrate the Reserved derailer will be more likely to move away from people.  They will become aloof, insensitive and indifferent to the problems of other people.

It’s important to clarify that just because you have a derailer, it does not mean that it will derail you.  You have a much better chance of not getting derailed, if you know what your derailers are and you can develop a strategy for recognizing the signs and managing them before you get “in the grip.” It is kind of like knowing that you have a genetic marker for a disease.  If you know you have a high probability of getting the disease, you can take steps to control some of the lifestyle habits before it gets the better of you.

If you are curious to learn more, call me at 778-227-8717 or email me at Natalie@karmichaelgroup.com.

Make good leadership selection decisions

Added on October 7, 2010 at 3:37 pm

The Karmichael Group has recently added a suite of leadership assessments to their service offering – the Hogan Assessments.  These tools will allow us to support clients in the selection of internal and external leaders.  http://www.hoganassessments.com.  The Hogans are used by more than half of the Fortune 500 firms and there have been more than 400 validation studies completed.  They are used by the Federal Government in the United States due to their level of reliability and validity.

The Hogan Suite of Tools allows us to gather objective data on leadership candidates.  It specifically measures a leader’s natural style, potential derailers, culture fit, and strategic and tactical reasoning.  Using this information as part of a robust selection process that includes well defined hiring criteria, structured interviews, and reference checking can increase the quality of hiring decisions by more than 38%.   It also clarifies what level of support newly hired or promoted leaders will need during their first 90 days on the job.

For more information on our assessment offering, please contact Natalie Michael at 604-926-8717.

How To Present Your Leadership Development Plan To An Executive Panel

Added on October 4, 2010 at 9:17 pm

How to Present Your Leadership Development Plan To An Executive Panel

 Last week I had the pleasure of sitting in a boardroom while six high potential leaders presented their leadership development plans to a panel of executives.  The executives made up the succession management committee and the “high potential leaders” were individuals that the executive team thought were the most likely contenders for internal promotions if a job became available.  These “high potentials” were asked to present their leadership development plans, so that they could get input from the executives on whether they were focusing in the right areas.  It was also an opportunity to obtain resources for training and coaching and to get some practice presenting to executives.   Some of the presenters did a great job and others were lack lustre.  In case you ever have to do this, here are some tips on what to do and what not to do based on what I witnessed.

Tip One: Prepare

If you have to present your leadership development plan to a succession panel, I would highly recommend that you prepare in the same way that you would prepare for a panel interview.  Think about what you are going to say, how you are going to say it, and the kinds of comments or questions that may come up.  Doing this will help you be calm and composed – a key ingredient if you are trying to exude “executive presence.”

Tip Two: Be Mindful Of Your Introduction

The best introduction I witnessed was a leader that said: “I want to start by telling you that I am happy to be here today.  I am genuinely interested in being an executive in this company and I consider it a great opportunity to be sharing my career goals and development goals with each of you.”  Wow.  He was the only person who said this and it definitely captured people’s attention.  Talk about setting yourself up for success!  

Tip Three: Showcase Your Strengths First

Although the topic of “leadership development plans” is usually focused on what you want to improve, make sure you talk about what you are already good at.  One woman said: “Although I have a number of leadership strengths such as my ability to develop business strategy, and create a high performing team, I also recognize that there are some areas I need to further refine to prepare myself for an executive role.”  When she said this, I thought: “Smart move, lady.”  She used the opportunity to remind everyone of the strengths she is currently bringing to the business.

Tip Four: Link to Business Outcomes

When the time comes to talk about your development goals, I recommend linking your plans directly to the company strategy and your day to day business outcomes.  For example, one leader said: “Given the amount of change in the business right now, my department needs to become more visible across different functional groups and we need to build our reputation with senior leaders.  Given that this is part of my team mandate it is a perfect opportunity for me to build my own skills in relationship development and strategic influence.  I want to learn what I can on this topic and apply the best practices in my day to day work.”  Everyone around the table got it.  Compare this to another fellow who stood up and talked about all the things he is not good at and how he has challenges with morale on his team.  When this second fellow was presenting I questioned why he was selected for the program in the first place and I am sure some of the executives were wondering the same thing.

Tip Five: Pick a Presentation Style and Stick To It

When presenting some people read off the page and other people used a more narrative approach.  Either method worked as long as you stuck with it.  The people who ended up confusing the panel were those who could not decide if they were reading off the page or telling a story.  In these cases, the panel kept flipping through the pages wondering if they were tracking the presentation correctly.  Just pick one method and commit!

I hope these tips are useful to you.  Remember, these presentations are an opportunity for you to showcase your career goals to decision makers in the business.  Maximize it, so you can reach your own career aspirations and make some great connections along the way.