Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom

How Not to Get Fired Like the Yahoo! CEO

Alexandra Levit — Mon, 28 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Last week, Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson was called to step down from his position following a scandal involving his credentials. An investor recently discovered that on Thompson’s resume, the ex-CEO claims he graduated with a computer science degree from Stonehill College, when in fact he finished with an accounting degree. A computer science degree did not even exist at the school at the time.

When the truth came out, Thompson blamed a headhunting firm for misrepresenting his education when he was in the process of being hired by eBay in the mid-2000s. It didn’t work. The firm fought back by providing Yahoo! with a copy of Thompson’s original resume – fake degree and all.

A while back, I talked about how to cope productively in the wake of scandal. And cope productively Thompson did not. For all of the details about what he did wrong and how you can avoid it, check out my recent post on the Quickbase blog.

Could a Good Culture Save Your Life?

Alexandra Levit — Thu, 24 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

If you have to get rushed to the hospital, you’d better hope it’s one where everyone is smiling, because according to 2011 research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, hospitals with strong cultures consistently report better patient outcomes.

I thought that care for heart attack victims was pretty standard in this country, but it turns out that’s not the case. Patient death rates vary considerably, as much as twofold between the highest- and lowest-performing hospitals, and you’re more likely to survive in a hospital that has great team spirit.

For more on the life-saving benefits of good culture, check out my post at the AMEX OPEN Forum.

How to Be an Effective Spy

Alexandra Levit — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Increasingly, managers and recruiters are being encouraged to assess cultural fit during the hiring process in order to ensure that candidates will assimilate well.

If you’re a job seeker, though, there are things you can do to determine whether you are a good match and help the company out. After all, it's just as important for you as it is for them; you will not be satisfied or productive in an environment that doesn’t support your values and vice versa.

The best way to do this is to spy...but how? Check out my post at the AMEX OPEN Forum for the particulars.

What Happened to Hierarchy?

Alexandra Levit — Thu, 17 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I recently got two reader e-mails. One was from a 20-something marketing professional who was frustrated by the lack of an organized chain of command at her company.

The other was from a 45-year-old who was thrilled that after more than 20 years in corporate America, he was at last working in a so-called “open environment.” No more offices, no more cubicles.

These messages really got me thinking: Are hierarchies dead? Check out the full discussion in my post over at the AMEX OPEN Forum.

Being an Introvert in an Extrovert's World

Alexandra Levit — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Sherrie Haynie, a consultant with CPP, Inc., the publisher of the Myers-Briggs assessment, had this to say regarding introverts:

“Often, introverts describe how they interact with the outside world as a performance, and acting is work. Similar to professional actors, introverts may appear enthusiastic, lively and entertaining. However, many describe the experience as being ‘on stage’ – for an introvert to spend a significant amount of their day using non-preferred characteristics requires a great deal of energy.”

Wow. I couldn’t have said it better myself, and I am, in fact, one of those introverts.

Eva Rykrsmith wrote a great piece on how introverts can be more effective at work. For some other thoughts on how introverts can manage the stress of a role that requires extroverted behaviors, have a look at my post on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

What Will Young Workers in 2030 Be Like?

Alexandra Levit — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Did you know that there’s another baby boom on? Since the mid 2000s, the fertility rate in the U.S. has been at its highest since 1971, meaning that the generation preliminarily known as Generation Z is actually larger than its predecessor, the mammoth Generation Y.

The new boom is thought to be caused by a confluence of factors including a greater number of procreating immigrants and a high population of childbearing-age women – including those who have put off having children until their 40s.

Generational expert Neil Howe coined the term “Homelanders” to describe today’s children, stating that they are growing up in a time of “greater public urgency and emergency, both at home and around the world.”

For more about the Homelanders and what they'll be like as workers in 2030, check out my post on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

A Manager's Guide to Mentoring

Alexandra Levit — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I swear by mentoring as one of the best ways to teach your team members what they need to know to be productive and send the message that you think they’re important and care about their growth. Obviously, an official mentoring program is great to have, but what if your company hasn’t gone down this road before?

The Mentoring Group says that before implementing a formal initiative, you should consider how much support mentoring has from executives and employees, the time and resources people have to spend, and the overall health of the organization.

For other preparation and execution musts, check out my post on Intuit's Quickbase blog.

How to Survive a Scandal

Alexandra Levit — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

While writing my recent book Blind Spots, I had the opportunity to meet Patrick Rodgers. Patrick was a lawyer who had been a notable member of his community since he was young, participating in the Kiwanis Club and his local Chamber of Commerce. But one year, when Patrick’s brothers both passed away from cancer, Patrick neglected some important client paperwork and was disbarred.

It took him four hard years to regain his credibility and return to public service. Patrick can’t change what happened in the past, but he now strives to remember his mistakes and incorporate the values of honesty and trustworthiness into his job as a mediator every day. At the end of the day, Patrick is a survivor.

At some point in your career, you may find yourself embroiled in a scandal. This is obviously not a great thing to have happen, but if it does, all is not lost. Check out my post on Intuit's Quickbase blog for how to cope productively and come out on top in this situation.

Should You Gamble on the Next Business Fad?

Alexandra Levit — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Corporate America as fun and games? Maybe, now that gamification has come on the scene.

Gamification is defined as the use of game design techniques to engage audiences. Gamification encourages players to engage in desirable behavior by dangling the carrot otherwise known as “winning.”

The reason we like online gambling so much is that apparently, human beings have a psychological predisposition to gaming. And many organizations are jumping on the gamification bandwagon in order to motivate employees and combat disengagement.

What's gamification all about? Find out what I uncovered over at the AMEX OPEN Forum.

How to Save Your Culture from a Merger

Alexandra Levit — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 12:00:00 +0000

I recently attended a networking meeting in downtown Chicago, and a mergers & acquisitions attorney told me that his business was booming. It seems that in 2012, consolidation is king. Given that I write this column, however, I immediately thought about the impact of all of these mergers on organizational cultures.

A merger usually goes through because it looks great on paper. All of the numbers line up, and it makes sense from a business perspective. Unfortunately, many M&A teams fail to take into account how well or poorly two companies with legitimate cultural differences will integrate.

How can you save your culture from an impending merger or acquisition? Check out my advice over at the AMEX OPEN Forum.