Building Successful Careers

October Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:36:00 +0000

What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful (Hardcover)
by Marshall Goldsmith (Author), Mark Reiter (Author)

This book helps you to identify gaps between managers and executives, a easy reading. Enjoy.

Proactive vs. Defensive Visibility vs. Excuses

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:07:00 +0000

My friend is an accomplished professional. She constantly deals with big clients. Recently, she worked on a complex business negotiation with her company's largest client. The client was very skillful in applying various negotiation skills including changing positions, escalating and blaming her for delays, renegotiating terms back and forth.

She struggled through the long and unpleasant negotiation process. Finally, every party was satisfied and the deal was made. But she felt bruised inside and out.

When we went to lunch to celebrate the success, she questioned if could she do better given the same case again in the future. "What's the most troublesome issue you faced?" I asked my puzzled friend. She lamented, "Communications with the client, internal business partners and my boss. Everything became convoluted, the client's negotiation techniques mixed with their hidden agenda. I was accused of being the defensive and making many excuses. Some information was true for a brief moment, then became false because of ever changing terms and conditions."

I was amazed, my friend isn't the type to be defensive and full of excuses, she is humble and responsible.

"There are two pairs of concepts, paradoxes: Proactive vs. Defensive and Visibility vs. Excuses. Both can be used to describe the same action and same information, due to different timing", I said. "What do you mean?" She asked. "Let's assume that you have some key information that is critical to either your boss or your business partner in dealing with your client during the negotiation. If you presented it to your relevant partners before the negotiation, your information become instrumental in winning the negotiation, you will be viewed as proactive and giving the right amount of visibility. If you did not pres ent the critical information beforehand, but after the fact, you could be blamed for acting defensively and full of excuses. It is all about timing in this ever changing world, a piece of critical information presented at the right time can win your company an important deal."

Dealing with Change

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:08:00 +0000

The world is an ever changing place and the pace of the change is accelerating. Holding on what we have, life style, working style, existing technology, communication style and etc is no longer realistic in this world. Our career or jobs will change at least 7 times in our lifetime.

One of my friends called today and joked about the only people whose lives were not affected by this downturn in business are those on social security. I joked back, it won't be true for long when inflation hits the country.

The choice is up to you: resist the change, accept the change, adapt to the change or embrace of the change. At end of the day, whether you are willing to change or not, your life is going to be different.

How does one embrace the change?

Positive attitude and ability to anticipate the trend enable you to embrace the change.

Each week, free yourself from your daily busy work and schedule four+ hours for research and learning new things. Your research will quickly show you trends and tips that will be helpful for your future..

Change comes with risks. Are you willing to take these risks? Are you in the position mentally and financially to take these risks?

One of my mentors told me, "Never run away from things, always run into something big for you." To embrace the change, you have to anticipate it and adjust your career and life accordingly, learning new skills and moving into new fields. Make your assets inflation proof. Tips and ideas from experts are readily available. You just need to look for them and start to practice on them today.

Making Quick Decisions with Limited Data

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 01:35:00 +0000

During my recent talk at Microsoft, a program manager shared her frustration on having trouble making quick decisions with very limited data, say 10-20% of data. Her manager considers this ability is one of the major indicators of professional maturity. I agree with her manager. But how can one make quick decisions with very limited data?

The key is to become systematic in the decision making process. Summarize and build decision making models that take a few parameters. If you constructed many simulation models in the business world, you can change a few parameters and provide quick conclusions. Once these models become part of your thought process and part of your intuition, you can accelerate your decision making process significantly. Of course, you can always compare with incoming data and validate your conclusions again.

Observe the senior people around you as they face the same challenges. Find out how they come up with quick decisions and why they think the way they do. You will be able to learn and construct your models very quickly.

Understanding the precision of the decision/conclusion is also very important. In this fast changing world, you are expected to give an educated guess with 60-80% of accuracy instead of 99.9% of accuracy. It is simply okay to take a guess or give a quick conclusion. When you do that, add a disclaimer of your precision along with your conclusion.

How to Release Stress

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:52:00 +0000

Stress is caused by problems and issues. The best way to release stress is to write down your problems and issues, focus all your thinking and energy to discover the solution.

July Book: Leadership Passages

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 18:34:00 +0000

Leadership Passages: The Personal and Professional Transitions That Make or Break a Leader
by David Dotlich

This book is for senior executives who went through life change events. It is a easy read and provides interesting suggestions for anyone who are going through any dramatic life events, such as promotions, layoffs, new job, lost loved ones, starting a company, moving to foreign country to start a new career...

Publisher Comments:
Predict and Survive the Make-or-Break Crises You Will Face in the Course of Your Career
"Leadership Passages describes systematically that it is far more effective and compelling to build on both successes and failures, rather than trying to overlook or even ignore the valuable lessons that unavoidable adversity in both our personal and business lives can teach us."

–Daniel Vasella, chairman and CEO, Novartis

"If you want to succeed and have inner peace at the same time, then this book is for you."

–Ram Charan, coauthor, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done

"Leadership Passages describes in direct, simple, and honest language how human beings become great leaders. Filled with wisdom, insight, and practical advice from three world-class coaches–reading this book is like attending and completing a senior-level leadership program, or spending a week with the best executive coach."

–Linda Clark-Santos, senior vice president, Talent & Organizational Capability of Washington Mutual

"Do careers stop when we are passed over, have a bad boss, or just blow it? Not according to this book. Great leaders pick themselves up and move on, learning while they go forward. Leadership Passages shows us how."

–Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager® and The Secret

"This breakthrough book on leadership development is filled with practical advice on ways to lead others and ways to learn from your life as well as your career. We all know that experience is a teacher, but Dotlich, Noel, and Walker show us why!"

–Joe Berardino, vice chairman, Sciens Capital Management LLC, and former chairman and CEO, Andersen Worldwide

Tournament of Champions

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 17:56:00 +0000

My son is an excellent baseball player; he is fast, strategic and calm under stress. This year, he is on a great team. They won the Saratoga AAA Little League Championship two weeks ago. The team advanced to the Regional Minor Tournament of Champions.

Everyone was excited. The coaches and team practiced everyday.

They won the first game on Saturday. They won the 2nd game on Monday. They won the 3rd game on Tuesday. Then they entered the final. It was a tough game. Luck was not on our side. Many hits were caught in mid of air, there were two questionable calls from the umpires and the team got frustrated. My son scored but the team lost the game. They are in the 2nd place.

The final game wiped all recent victories, everyone felt defeated instead of enjoying the great season. I know I was one of them.

My son and I walked to my car, I asked him: "How do you feel?" His face was still calm, showing neither excitement nor disappointment. "Mom, it is okay”, he said. “ I learned one thing from my coach, if you want it bad enough, use your heart and guts, you will get it eventually."

It was a moment of truth in my life. We use our brain every day forgetting about our heart and guts, the sources of true success. So gather your passion and courage and go for what you want in your life. Eventually you will get it

Recommended handbook: The Business Style Handbook

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:23:00 +0000

The Business Style Handbook: An A-to-Z Guide for Writing on the Job with Tips from Communications Experts at the Fortune 500 (Paperback)
by Helen Cunningham (Author), Brenda Greene (Author)

This books is very helpful if English is your 2nd language.

Being Challenged or Managed

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 04:59:00 +0000

My friend lost his job recently and has been actively interviewing for a new one.

Last month he came out of an interview, calling his best friends, telling us how excited he was. He felt challenged by the hiring manager, by his energy, vision and ambitions. We all hoped he would get his dream job. But he didn’t. One of the stakeholders did not approve hiring him. We felt very sorry for him.

He went to another interview a few days ago, another good opportunity; we were all excited for him and kept our fingers crossed. He called me after his interview; his voice was low, filled with sadness. He said he felt he would be “managed not challenged” by the hiring manager during the interview.

How sad! being managed and not challenged! A creative mind that is challenged generates excellent ideas. A great leader sets the bar high, exudes high energy and challenges and inspires his employees.

A good manager could use a matter of fact attitude, gather all facts about all the candidates, compare their strengths and weaknesses and then make their decision. Yes, he could get the most qualified employee, but might not get a super-charged employee, an innovative mind and productive and creative solution generator.

Orthogonal Networking

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Sat, 23 May 2009 20:59:00 +0000

The long weekend is coming, another perfect time to network and find new opportunities. One of my friends complained to me:” I having been seeing the same friends in the same professions for 20 years, they are my competitors in the job market, I am not motivated to network with them!”

I sort of agree with her. I suggested her try something different, something I called “Orthogonal Network”, instead of networking with the group of people who have the same professions, network with people who are in the same field, but in different roles. For example: If you are an engineer, try to network with an accountant, a sales person or marketing person, and vice versa. If you are a controller, you might want to network with a VC, CEO or another executive.

These friends in orthogonal roles know what’s going on in their companies and will recommend you to the openings in their company without feeling been threatened.

Rock Climbing

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:52:00 +0000

Rocking climbing was my son’s top choice to celebrate his 11th birthday; he was going to challenge himself as well as his friends.

His younger brother was not sure whether he should join the group. One hour before the party my friend called and asked if her 7 year old could join the rock climbing party. My younger son heard our conversation; he decided to join the troop.

Climbing the 20 foot wall was an easy task for my older son. He conquered every single wall the instructor suggested. But it was a hard task for other 11 year old boys. One of them quit after he reached 5 feet, two of them quit after 10 feet. “It was too hard, it is too high, I am afraid of heights” the boys told others when they finally touched the floor.

My younger son followed in his older brother’s footsteps, his legs were trembling, he struggled, rested and struggled again. With his family cheering him on, he finally reached the top. Then he struggled even harder to get down. He would not let go and slide down the wall.

I held the sweaty little one and asked him how he felt. He told me the same thing the other boys said, he was tired and scared. “Why didn’t you quit?”, I asked. “ I saw the top, I was very close to it! My brother did it, I can do it too!” he replied.

We all experience fear, a tiring moment, a feeling of unfair competition and treatment. Some of us quit because we don’t have a goal or hope for the outcome. Some of us continue because we have clear goals and faith in our success.

How to talk to a jerk?

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Tue, 12 May 2009 07:21:00 +0000

"If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem." Jerks hardly bring any solution but problems and complains one after another.

If you run into notorious jerks in your life, both personal and professional, you are not alone. Dealing with jerks needs maturity and stronger mental strength. Practicing the following tips is helpful:

1) Never lower yourself to the jerk’s level. Try to elevate the conversation to your level, be professional, productive and solution driven.

2) Hear their complaints and acknowledge that you heard them.

3) Ask them for the solution (what needs to be done logically, not emotionally) and go over the consequences of their proposed solution or let them know you are going to evaluate their solution if you are not ready to go over their solutions.

4) Stop the conversation if the jerk starts to bring you down to his/her level.

5) Remind the jerk that you both are on the same team, you are not fighting a battle with him and you are here to collaborate.

6) Stick to ideas. Do not let things get personal.

Some of us are not comfortable confronting others. We tend to accept complaints and allow ourselves to be bullied. Then we complain to others. The problem is that jerks will continue to bully you and drive you in the wrong direction and you have to deal with damages and negative consequences. The best way to deal with jerks is to confront them assertively, keep the conversation positive, try to build a collaborative spirit and discover a logical solution about the problems for which they are adamant.

We would love to hear your tips and experiences in dealing with jerks.

May Recommended Reading

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Fri, 08 May 2009 04:45:00 +0000

Two Great books to help you understand people and help you build your network. Easy books to read.

1. Vital Friends: The People You Can't Afford to Live Without by Tom Rath

2. How Full Is Your Bucket? Educator's Edition: Positive Strategies for Work and Life by Tom Rath and Donald O. Clifton

Enjoy

Microwave Leader

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 06:01:00 +0000

Many leaders are proud of their ability to attend to details and put their team members in action. It certainly is a great leadership trait. I also witness many leaders who put high pressure on their team every minute asking for meaningless details. Their goal is not about moving toward a strategic direction, but control. By directing their teams to do unnecessary tasks, they satisfy a personal craving to control every single detail. They remind me of a microwave oven. A microwave oven generates heat by spinning water molecules back and forth but it doesn't move them anywhere.

Be an inspiring leader, not a microwave oven kills individual creativity and passion.

Be a goal, result oriented leader, not a heat generating microwave oven.

Wealth

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:23:00 +0000

In the 1300s, Timbuktu was a mud hut built on top of salt and gold mines. The city was full of gold. The wise King Mansa Musa had a grand vision of a golden kingdom. King Mansa Musa decided to carry tons of gold while traveling to the holy city of Mecca. He gave away his gold along the way. When he reached Mecca, his gold was gone but his name was golden. People no long thought Timbuktu was a mud hut; they imagined a city shining like gold.

The wise king brought back knowledge, books about laws, math and more. Scholars and architects returned with the king and built the golden city envisioned by King Mansa Musa, turning the mud huts into a center of learning, culture, religion and trade. A true civilized golden kingdom was born.

In the modern age,Bill Gates gave away much of his fortune, significantly improving the image of Microsoft while avoiding many lawsuits and gaining the respect of the world.

When you give away your gold, your name is golden. We all have many valuable things to offer to the world. When you offer them, you build your golden professional reputation or corporate image. Now help is needed more than ever:

Your customer might need your help to meet new challenges
Your manager might need your help on urgent projectsYour sales team might need your help to close a critical deal
Your laid off neighbor might need your help to get some job leads
Your former college classmate might need your help with interview skills or professional references
Your children’s school might need extra help with art or music classes or field trip drivers

Offer your knowledge, skills and time. You may not possess the gold of King Mansa Musa or Bill Gates, but knowledge and time are can be defined as your gold or wealth. Share your wealth with others.

When you share your wealth, your professional reputation and corporate image becomes golden.

Tips for Practicing English #5

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Zimmerman) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:21:00 +0000

Tip Number 5: Use closed captioning on your television set.

Activate the closed caption feature on your television set so you can see and hear the words at the same time. You retain 20% of what you see, and 40% of what you see and hear. Closed captions are not always completely accurate, but they are tools that can be very useful to you. Try it.

April Recommended Reading - 100 Ways to Motivate Others

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:52:00 +0000

100 Ways to Motivate Others: How Great Leaders Can Produce Insane Results Without Driving People Crazy by Steve Chandler and Scott Richardson

Many excellent tips about inspiring your team members. Very useful handbook for managers at current situation.

Tips for Practicing English #4

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Zimmerman) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 15:08:00 +0000

Tip Number 4: Speak English at home.

Declare an English only time at home. Get agreement with your family members that you will speak only English between certain times, perhaps during the dinnertime. Ask each family member open-ended questions (questions that cannot be answered with a yes or no) so they will have to speak more English. I know it is difficult, but oh so rewarding because your English skills get better and better.

---Pat Zimmerman

Tips for Practicing English # 3

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Zimmerman) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Tip Number 3: Read and/or listen to talking books.

Use your commute time listening to talking books in English. You can kill two birds with one stone (achieve two objectives with a single effort) by listening to self-help books. If you don’t want to listen to books…find time to read books in English.

---Pat Zimmerman

100 ways to motivate yourself - change your life forever

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 19:24:00 +0000

100 Ways To Motivate Yourself: Change Your Life Forever by Steve Chandler

The hardest person to motivate is yourself, if you could keep yourself motivated all time, your life certainly would be changed forever.

Tips for Practicing English #2

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Zimmerman) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:18:00 +0000

Tip Number 2: Volunteer to give presentations at work or for an organization where you are a member.

You stretch yourself to grow and develop better language skills while building confidence in speaking before an audience. We retain 20% of what we see, 40% of what we see and hear, 80% of what we see, hear and do and 90% of what we see, hear, do and teach.

Tips for Practicing English #1

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Zimmerman) — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Tip Number 1: Speak only English at your workplace.

The best thing you can do for yourself when you are learning a new language is to surround yourself with the language. That is exactly why people go to the country where the language they are learning is spoken. Venture out of your comfort zone (where you speak mostly your first language) and find ways to practice English.

If you speak a language that others cannot understand, they tend to resent it and think you are talking about them…telling secrets or making fun. The more you speak English, the more self-confidence you gain. Your skills just keep getting better.

---Pat Zimmerman

Why Improve English Skills?

noreply@blogger.com (Pat Zimmerman) — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Many of our readers are immigrants or first-generation Americans and need to improve their English language skills. Why? Actually, you can live your entire life in the United States without speaking, reading or writing English…if you live in the right place. There are Chinese/Korean/Japanese/Spanish doctors, dentists, bankers and grocers. People have many reasons for not improving their English: I do not have time to work on my English; I am busy working and raising a family; my children will learn good English skills in school. You are fooling yourself if you tell yourself these things. You really will never get ahead in this country without speaking, reading and writing English fairly well.
Learning the language of the country where you live broadens your world, opens up opportunities, gives you freedom, helps you gain general acceptance of others and makes your children proud of you.
By learning the language, you widen your world. You can enjoy movies, television shows, plays, lectures and read English newspapers and magazines. You learn and can participate in what is happening around you. You can save money by reading ads and taking advantage of special sales and opportunities. You can go to your child’s school and actually speak with the teacher. You can help your child become a better student. You can read maps so you know where to go, contracts so you know what you are signing, signs for directions and safety. You can become an independent person.
Language opens up opportunities in the business world too. You can participate in group discussions, give presentations and take an active role on a team. If you just sit through meetings without offering any suggestions or ideas of your own, the others in the group may think you may not be too bright and have nothing to offer. Usually you have a lot to offer, but are just afraid or too shy to open your mouth and express an opinion for fear others will not understand your words. If you leave all those wonderful ideas in your head, unspoken, is it any different than not having an idea? If you want to build your business, products, or offer special services, you need to understand the culture and product use patterns of the marketplace. Without proper English skills, you will have a hard time building sophisticated products and services for your business. Don’t worry about having an accent. The United States is a very large country. Each region has its own accent so sometimes Americans have to listen hard to understand Americans from other parts of the country. This country also likes to think of itself as “the melting pot” of the world. People from all over the world come to work and live in America. Most immigrants do not lose their accents unless they learn the language before they are eleven years old. Accents are okay as long as people can understand what you say. In fact, I think they are charming.
Knowing the language is freeing. You can communicate with doctors, dentists, bankers, grocery clerks and waiters. You can actually give a clerk the correct change to pay a bill and not have to be fumbling for change or pay with large bills and hope you are getting the correct change in return.
You gain general acceptance of others when you are can understand what is being said and act appropriately. You can respond to everyday questions: “What color would you like? May I see your driver’s license? How many would you like? What size do you take?
Make your children proud. Your children should not be your translators. You are the parent. Most likely one of the reasons you came to this country was for a better life for you and your children. That is admirable. You gave up a lot to travel thousands of miles to a different culture to come to America. Embrace this culture and learn the language for yourself as well as your children. YOU deserve to have a good life too. YOU deserve to do something good for yourself. YOU deserve to take some time to improve YOUR life.
Often you can find English classes conducted by volunteer organizations that are associated with international organizations such as Pro-Literacy America or state organizations such as Cal Lit. Churches, libraries and community colleges offer English classes and tutoring. Some groups offer classes free of charge while others charge a fee. Look around and find the group that best fits your needs. Update your skills and become a part of this country we all call home.
---Pat Zimmerman

Teaching skiing

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 01:24:00 +0000

My two boys started skiing at 4 years old since their parents love the sport. When my older son turned four, we were so excited and took him with us to the mountains. We put him in ski class with tears.

One hour later, my husband decided to check on our son. To his surprise, he found my four year old was on the lift all by himself. How dangerous! My husband took him out of class immediately.

I asked him if he wanted to ski with Mommy instead of going back to the class. The four year old loved the idea. We put him on the lift with us and jumped off the lift with him. At the top of the hill, I put him in-between my skis, we laughed all the way to the bottom of the hill.

He enjoyed it so much, swooping down the slopes while still under the protection of his mother. I lifted him up when we ran into bumps or when we had a sharp turn or a stop. I enjoyed teaching him to ski and still remember how little he was 6 years ago.

The second day, I tied a strap around his waist and held him from the back. On the third day, holding the same pole, we skied side by side. By the end of the day, I asked him, “Is Mommy a good teacher?” He said with his head high: “I am good!” That was the best answer I ever heard!

As parents or leaders of businesses, the best results occur when you grow your children or your team members in a way that at the end of day they have built up self-confidence and ability. They learn from you without even realizing it. You are there providing a safety net and guidance according to their skill levels. You bring them to the game at a higher speed, strength and intensity.

Six years have passed and my son is now ten years old. He can ski half pipes, forward and backward, on the slopes of Double Diamond. He goes places with my friends who are experts; he has grown far beyond my capability. I am so proud of him, whether he remembers or not, the very first time he enjoyed skiing was when I held him between my skis.

Our children and our team’s successes become part of our legacy even though we never asked for credit or payback, witnessing their accomplishments is the most satisfying moments of our lives.

Ballet vs. Hockey Game

noreply@blogger.com (Elizabeth Xu) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 06:07:00 +0000

My mentor Harry, Former Chairman of the Board, once called me in his office, " Elizabeth, do you like ballet?"
"Of course, I love ballet!"
" How about hockey games?"
" I only watched a few times, but they seem quite exciting."
" Running business is like directing a ballet. You have planned the story line, plot and actions. You direct the show day in and day out, always making it perfect so everything seems smooth and effortless. As the director of the show, you give directions to your dancers. More importantly you provide the stage for them to perform, mentoring and coaching them to their highest potential. This is the highest level of leadership. Hockey games are surely exciting. You chase after the puck. The puck is flying everywhere. The team is reacting as quickly as possible with many random actions… that is a game, not a business. If you want to build a profitable business, you have to plan, direct, coach and mentor your people. Develop them into stars and provide the stage for them to perform to their fullest potential."
It has been four years; I still remember his analogy of deep understanding about a high performance operation, and I tried my best to direct ballet sometimes even in the middle of the Hockey game.