Not too far off a year ago I blogged that my new job makes me nervous.  I was nervous in new job because I didn’t know how my success was going to be measured, how I was going to achieve and accomplish in such a loosely defined role.

In less than a year all that has changed.   I’ve just presented a summary of what has been achieved since I took over the area I am responsible for, and have had high praise from my superiors.

Here is some tips I can share on my experience – how not to be nervous in that new role and how to achieve success:

1. Set clear agreed goals at the outset – set goals for what you are going to achieve in 3, 6 and 12 months.  Most importantly, have senior management review these goals with you and ensure these goals are in line with what they want to achieve
2. Regularly review your progress against your plan – in any job, and particularly when you are managing a large function, there will be lots of distractions along the way to achieving what you originally set out to do.  Constantly reminding yourself of your aims will help you get there – a map to your destination if you like
3. Communicate success – even with the most difficult and troublesome turnaround or startup assignment, there will be milestones achieved in terms of improvement or new accomplishments – record them and share them with your senior management.  Don’t assume they see every success as you do
4. Make it visual – when you finally present your achievements at 3, 6 or 12 months, quantify that success.  How much has attrition reduced this year compared to one year ago, how many software releases are you team achieving, how many problems resolved in the last quarter versus one year ago etc – you’ll surprise even yourself at how good the change is!

I would also suggest lots of positive reading around your new role – create a sense of excitement and positive momentum when you take the job and try to sustain that by reading inspirational books.  I’ve mentioned a few that I found very powerful in my first few months in the new job, but you may have others which work better for you – these certainly helped me set up my current role to be a great success.

Finally, if you are still nervous in your new job, remember one thing: you were hired for your talents and skills to do this job!  People who know the challenges and problems much better than you do took a lot at your skillset, took the time to interview and identified you as the best candidate to get this job done – so feel great about yourself and get out there and do it!

Related posts: My New Job Makes Me Nervous!

Entrepreneurs who start up a new company often naively assume they will be able to cover all parts of their startup operation themselves.  Legal and compliance work, company secretary duties, client relationship building, product design – in the early days, the entrepreneur of a startup usually handles all of these activities himself or herself.

However, once a company is up and running, the owner of a successful company will be wise enough (or simply exhausted enough) to know their own strengths and weaknesses –  then concentrate on their areas of strength, building the product etc, and hire people where they are weak – building client relationships, legal etc.

There’s an interesting parallel in the offshoring world, particularly amongst software vendors. For some reason most software vendors build a great product and hire good people in their local markets offshore, but also try to build inroads with the client onsite by themselves.

Looking at the example of financial services, it is well known that financial hubs such as the City of London and Wall Street are tight-knit communities with very strong networks.  

Any software vendor who has a proposition to bring to these hubs needs to know the local market, the people who make decisions and have an inside track on exactly what these people need.  Spending most of their time focussed on building their local teams in India, China, Brazil or other low cost locations, they are not equipped with the knowledge needed to close the deal.

There are a huge number of outsourcing and offshoring firms coming into Wall Street and the City of London and introducing themselves in the hope of doing business – but for a scalable model this simply will not work.

Any firm that is serious about building its offshoring and outsourcing franchise needs to bring in local talent – insiders who have been working in the financial hubs (in this example) for years.  Ideally these are people who have spent extensive time on the delivery side of projects at their target clients, or failing that someone with a very good network in the financial services industry. 

How to find such candidates?  Clearly firms will encounter good advocates and backers in their client firms they have shared project successes.  If that doesn’t turn up the right candidate then a good look at well connected people in that company on LinkedIn might reveal the answer!

My recent role has been a turnaround of a problem area – a global function with a large offshore component.  When I took on this area, it simply was not working.  The client was unhappy, the technology senior management were unhappy and the team themselves were unhappy.

Six months later and the story is very different.  The global team feels empowered and passionate about their roles, the client has given feedback all around the regions that the product is more reliable and they are getting what they want from the team, and the senior management are relieved because they are no longer getting noise from their senior clients.

Without a doubt, having a very hard working and dedicated offshore team was a huge reason for this amazing turnaround, but there are some generic lessons that can be applied to making any offshore engagement or in the case of this engagement, a mixed model onsite/nearshore/offshore engagement, a huge success.

1. Build a Team

Don’t just manage a workslate, create a real team structure.  Roles and responsibilities with all team members.  Start with your direct reports – define what you expect them to own – and then empower them to own it.  This works well for both manager and direct. The direct report is empowered and will hopefully take on a sense of ownership about their area.  Secondly, you hold them directly accountable for their area – you know who to speak to when things go wrong, but equally you reward and recognise when things go well.

2. Set Objectives

It’s especially difficult to motivate a team with a continuous delivery responsibility – when does the project ever finish?   Nevertheless, regardless of the type of engagement and delivery process you have, it’s important to create projects or “initiatives” that you can set goals on, complete and then reward your team for the completion of.  We all need a sense of completion, reward and recovery before we are motivated to take on the next challenge.  Without this you will very quickly have a team that is exhausted and de-motivated.

3. Explain your offshore model

Offshoring is not the same as having an onsite team sitting beside the client – and it never will be.  It is a different model with it’s own strengths and weaknesses.  Make sure your client understands this – what they will get from it and what they won’t.  They may not get the best people in the business sitting beside them and brainstorming future initiatives, but they might save a huge amount of money freeing them to hire analysts for such activity.

For a mixed model, it’s also important to explain the offshore function within your team.  Make sure the onsite and nearshore teams understand the strengths and weaknesses of each team – the teams should be complementary.  At all costs avoid having overlap of function between the teams – this will only lead to problems.

My wife (also a project manager) needed to design a lessons learned template to be used at her organisation for post project reviews.  She asked me for my help and I was only too happy to oblige.

For the greater good I share my Lessons Learned/Post Project Review document template here – feel free to make use of it yourself, just promise to post a comment and tell us about your project!

Lessons Learned / Post Project Review – Template

• Project Objective

State briefly what the project was about. 

E.g. This was a six month project to realise cost savings for the operations department through the delivery of a new automated invoicing system

• Project Outcome

What was the end result.  Did it work, did it happen?  Again, keep this brief. 

The project was delivered one month later than the original schedule, but there was high client satisfaction due to additional functionality delivered in the new system and zero post project defects.

• Risks and Issues Review

Four sections as follows:

a. Risks successfully mitigated

What risks were identified at the start of the project and successfully mitigated before they became an issue.

Here table form is probably most effective

b. Issues successfully mitigated

Risks that actually became real issues but were successfully closed out.  Again table form is probably best to present this list

c. Issues not mitigated

Identified issues which were not closed out. Why were they not closed out?  Could anything have been done differently?

d. Unforeseen risks and issues

Why were these not anticipated by the project manager or project sponsor?  What lessons were learned.  Could anything have been done differently.

<END OF TEMPLATE>

Further notes:

The lessons learned document should ideally be no more than one A4 page in length.  If anything merits further discussion this should be undertaken in the form of a post project review (meeting or conference call with stakeholder representatives from all groups involved in delivering and realising the benefit of the projects, as well as the sponsors).  This discussion should be minuted and the notes published to the attendees.

Escalation is a very powerful tool in the professional workplace.  However, like anything powerful it should be used with caution.  Used well, escalation can be used to snuff out issues and help you get the job done, misused they can earn you a reputation as some who “cries wolf” at the first sign of trouble and uses escalation because they do not have sufficient influence.

Here are some simple tips on using escalation in your day-to-day job:

• Seek solutions first – it’s much better to escalate to your manager and inform him of a conflict and how you resolved it.  You must exhaust all avenues of resolution before escalation – it is the last resort, not the first resort
• Keep it logical – when you do need to escalate, keep emotion out of your language in describing the situation.  Make it clear to who you are escalating how you would like their help to resolve the situation
• Repair the relationships – when you escalate you are likely to upset some people.  Try to repair the damage as soon after the event as you can, or you will find it hard to seek their co-operation on future projects

Escalation is useful, but use it with caution and it will serve you well.

The end of my three month quest to locate my ideal new job and finally part ways with my employer after too many years to count came to an unexpected conclusion last week – I decided to stay right where I am.

So what happened?

I started with a firm resolution of what I wanted from my job move, and listed the things that I would need from a new role – my “checkboxes” if you like.  The more checkboxes I ticked with any potential option, the more likely I was to take it.

As the months of my searching and interviews with other companies progressed a couple of things happened:

• My perspective changed – when you think you are about to leave, your perspective on your current role is likely to become more objective and a little less emotionally attached.  This is a great position to be in to give a job a fair appraisal – and my job started to mark up pretty well against my change criteria
• Opportunities opened up – when you are very keenly looking for something, you will spot it anywhere, even if that thing is right under your nose – where you are today.  So be open to this happening to you, don’t discount a career opportunity because it is in the same company, same building and even very same desk as you sit today!
• Plan your exit conversation – when you go to discuss your exit with your current employer, ensure you remain calm and relaxed.  Your manager has been through this situation before, so try not to worry about how they will react.  What is important is to remain supremely focussed on what you want
• Know that wish list – it’s worth having a list of things that, if offered, would make you stay in the current role. Is it a pay rise? Perhaps you want some flexible hours or work location, spending some of your week working from home.  Be sure to read up on your company’s Human Resources website on what is possible, and explore options you were possibly too scared to mention before you decided you were going to move

I find myself completely recharged and rejuvenated though I am remaining in essentially the same role. 

In a way I have actually left the job, and am restarting on Monday with the perspective of a new hire.  This makes my entire search a completely worthwhile experience, and will hold me in good stead for another few years in my current assignment.

So before you too say “I quit” – have a very good look around.

Chatroulette is a fast-growing viral phenemonom and the latest social networking site that’s got everyone standing up and taking notice.

With coverage in recent weeks in everything from Time Magazine to The Guardian in the UK, the one question on everyone’s mind is “who created Chatroulette”?

The identity of the sites creator has finally been revealed by The New York Times, who sent an email to the sites contact address with a polite enquiry as to who the brains behind the site were.

Andrey Ternovskiy is a 17 year old Russian teenager who is still in high school in Moscow.  He explained to the New York Times that he was afraid to come forward and identify himself because he is still “under age”.

Ternovskiy, who has been coding since he was 11, explained to the interviewer that the site was created as a hobby, with help from his Dad, who taught him to code.   He also went on to say that he had never been to the United States, but a trip was on the cards. 

With the huge success of ChatRoulette, it’s likely Ternovskiy will be on the “most wanted” list of many technology venture capitalists, who’ll be very keen to get involved in financing whatever projects he turns his attention to next.

For those who haven’t seen the site, ChatRoulette connects the video cams and microphones of complete strangers for chat and interaction of their choosing – hence the roulette – and when they want to move to another person they can do so with the click of a button.

The site, which is well described in this New York magazine article has attracted random viewers, musicians but also inevitably people looking for online sex and other strange activities.

The beauty of Chatroulette is in its simplicity – users are connected to each other at random, and either party can simply disconnect and request another connection at any time, with no way of going back and reconnecting.

Eleven years with the same employer is a long time.  I have had a great experience, but it is time to move on.

Three short weeks following my decision to move, I’m one interview away from a great new job.  Here is how you can achieve your next career move, and find your ideal job at the same time, with my top tips and advice for making the next move:

1. Clear the slate – get clear of any emotional clutter you have in your old job – it will not serve any purpose in your job search.   No matter how you try to bottle it up, if you have issues about your current employer it is going to come across in discussions you have with people about new openings. 

If you’ve been with an employer a long time, it’s inevitable you will have negative feelings and issues about your current workplace and potentially colleagues – but before you start looking for that job work through your issues and find a way to describe your current situation and your reasons for looking in a positive way – because people will ask.

2. Know yourself – if you want to move jobs, and especially move employers, you are going to have to tell your story – and many times.  People are going to ask you what you are doing today, what you are looking to do next and where you see your career going in the long term.  So sit down before you start any job search and really think about those things – and write down whatever comes to mind. 

Especially important here is defining your ideal next job.   Keep this written down somewhere safe – and when you are in your final interviews you can come back to reference this and check if you are making the right decision!

3. Work that network – this is the most powerful step you can take.  Once you are poised and ready to go, get out and meet anyone and everyone you can in your network.  Sites such as Linked In and Plaxo are great for seeing who you are connected to professionally.  Don’t forget to meet up with people you don’t know very well as well as those you meet regularly – just say you are broadening your network and could you buy them a coffee – it’s unlikely they will refuse the offer.  Remember that networking is a two-way relationship, so they may not be able to help you in your search but you might even find you are helping them with a similar need.  The key thing is to be open minded as you enter any meetings, stay relaxed and be prepared for the conversation to take a direction you didn’t expect it to.

I got my last job by having a coffee with someone I hadn’t spoken to in a few years, and my current role over a beer – so this last step is very, very powerful!

Apple previewed their all new iPad yesterday to much media frenzy and excitement.  But hang on a minute, isn’t it just a giant iPhone?

Yes, we would all like a bigger screen to read an eBook on our iPhone when we are commuting to work.  But can you imagine yourself standing on a busy train shoulder-to-shoulder with another passenger squeezing a look at your iPad?

If the iPad could contract to the size of an iPhone with the click of a button, then that would be something.  Steve Jobs has worked miracles with his suite of products before, I am sure this isn’t beyond his capabilities…

It’s bonus season, and most banking staff can only think about one thing – a certain off-white piece of A4 paper.

I’m always fascinated by the build-up to the big day where every single staff member gets sat down by their manager, told some story about the firm’s performance over the last twelve months, their performance and appraisal rating before finally being told the numbers on that sheet of paper.

The sheet of paper holds two essential pieces of information: the salary of the employee effective 1st Jan (and hence any pay rise) and the bonus.

The sheet of paper may also contain details of any promotion, for example a Vice President or Director title, but let’s face it, a title change means nothing unless the numbers are there to back it up.

Each year has a slightly different feel. this year there is, of course, an intense awareness of this normally private, internal process, through the media.  All banks are aware of this, but banks such as Citi, Goldman Sachs, Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and JP Morgan are under particular scrutiny by the papers and TV news coverage.

The thing that has struck me most this year, however, has been the sheer amount of people skulking in quiet corridors speaking in hushed tones on their mobiles. This usually means one thing – conversations with recruitment agents.

Banks have a tightrope act to walk in this year’s bonus and compensation round. on the one hand, the media are scrutinising every bonus being paid, and the government are not far behind them. On the other hand, employees who have not been given a pay rise for two years during the downturn are tapping into an ever-recovering job market.

It may not boil down to a simple choice between satisfying Joe Public or the employees. Bank chiefs may well end up in the unfortunate situation of alienating the general public at large,for whom any bonus is too high a number, and suffering serious staff attrition, which is going to be a difficult situation to resolve in the short-term.