Thinking Like the CEO of Thinking Like the CEO of Your Own Career: Your Own Career:

Goal-Setting, Advancing and Goal-Setting, Advancing and Avoiding Career DerailersAvoiding Career Derailers

6/27/076/27/07

Janet BickelCareer and Leadership Development Coach Faculty Career and Diversity Consultant

Critical Career Knowledge Critical Career Knowledge AreasAreas

• know what (scientific/clinical expertise)

• know why you are doing what you’re doing (goals, values)

• know whom (manage key relationships, build community)

• know how (negotiation skills, political savvy)

• know when (adaptable, take risks)

Your Aspirations?

Reflecting on what fuels you

•What do I want to devote myself to? Accomplish? Become?

•What brings me to life? What am I most enthusiastic about?

•What do I value most highly?

•When does life feel the most meaningful?

What does “Success”

mean to you?

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•Promotion: Rigidly defined

•Advancement: Undefined

•Success: Self-defined spending time on what's most important to you

Professional Development WorksheetProfessional Development WorksheetFor each of your areas of effort (eg teaching, research, clinical) specify:

• Last year’s goals and accomplishments

• This year’s goals

• What resources, collaborators, new skills and time do you need?

• What competing commitments interfere? How can you address?

•What is your learning agenda?

Buzz Groups: Buzz Groups: please find a please find a partner and discuss these partner and discuss these

questionsquestions

• What does your calendar say about your goals?

• How can you improve your focus on what’s most important to you—and what’s rewarded by your organization?

Critical Career Knowledge Critical Career Knowledge AreasAreas

• know what (scientific/clinical expertise)

• know why you are doing what you’re doing (goals, values)

• know whom (manage key relationships, build community)

• know how (negotiation skills, political savvy)

• know when (adaptable, take risks)

*Learn about the systems you work in

*Recognize when you’re relying on a “story” or snap judgments--ask more questions

*Learn how value is created and translate that knowledge into action

*Anticipate conflicts and make constructive use of them

*Get comfortable letting others know about your work and what you care about

*Do not internalize negative politics!

Becoming Politically Savvy

Managing “Up”Managing “Up”

How do you relate to How do you relate to

authority figures? authority figures? •• resent?resent?

•• need to please?need to please?

•• over-depend?over-depend?

•• defer to?defer to?

•• avoid?avoid?

•• or do you effectively or do you effectively partner with?partner with?

Managing “Up” meansManaging “Up” means developing a pattern of developing a pattern of

interaction with your boss that interaction with your boss that produces the best results.produces the best results.

Seek to understand her:Seek to understand her: ““Big picture” ie, goals, Big picture” ie, goals,

priorities, pressurespriorities, pressures Preferences re communicationsPreferences re communications

NB: You don’t need to like your NB: You don’t need to like your bossboss

Managing “Up” includesManaging “Up” includes*building trust

*communicating effectively

*addressing boss’s priorities

*anticipating other points of view

*agreeing to disagree when necessary

*standing up to a bully

Political skillsPolitical skills Harder for women and minorities to acquire:

*less likely to be mentored

*often miss out on “hallway” conversations and golf games

*norms of recognition and achievement sustain men’s drive but not women’s

He’s assertive

He’s authoritative

He’s good at details

He’s open

He follows through

He’s decisive

He’s confident

They’re networking

They’re debating

She’s pushy

She’s bossy

She’s picky

She’s unsure

She doesn’t know when to quit

She’s vindictive

She’s conceited

They’re chitchatting

They’re catfighting

Don’t assume your work speaks for itselfDon’t assume your work speaks for itself• Timidity is like waiting to be asked

on a date

• Keep your boss updated

• Recognition attracts new opportunities

• Articulate how your productivity and success benefit your institution and profession

Negotiation is… Negotiation is… a communication process aimed at

getting what you want at the least cost while also strengthening the relationship.

Negotiation skills include:*thorough preparation*analytic and intuitive listening*identifying common goals

and mutual gains*persuasion*building relationships

Women also tend to:Women also tend to: underestimate their worthunderestimate their worth

too rule-orientedtoo rule-oriented

take disagreements personallytake disagreements personally

fold too readilyfold too readily

when nervous, talk too much or shut downwhen nervous, talk too much or shut down

give in to bullies and “ambushes”give in to bullies and “ambushes”

• Women do not initiate negotiations as frequently as men--or fare as well

• Negotiators take harder line against women, making worse first offersand pressuring women to concede more

• Women often out of the loop when important issues decided

• “Likeability problem”: assertive women are less well-liked

Source: Babcock, Linda. Women don’t ask: negotiation and the gender divide. Princeton U Press, 2003.

ResilientResilient people: people: Possess the capacity to be robust Possess the capacity to be robust

under conditions of enormous under conditions of enormous stress and changestress and change

Have a big advantage because: Have a big advantage because: ‘‘success’ never been so fragilesuccess’ never been so fragile momentum not the force it was momentum not the force it was getting ‘better’ not enough if also getting ‘better’ not enough if also

need to get ‘different’ need to get ‘different’ must anticipate and adjust to deep must anticipate and adjust to deep

new trends new trends

ResilienceResilience depends on: depends on: cognition: free of denial, arrogance, cognition: free of denial, arrogance,

nostalgia nostalgia

strategies: experimenting with strategies: experimenting with alternatives, alternatives, simultaneous projects, simultaneous projects, building building communitycommunity

risk-taking: avoiding safe ruts, risk-taking: avoiding safe ruts, inventing inventing options options

spirit: living your values spirit: living your values reflection and renewal: giving yourself reflection and renewal: giving yourself

“green” time“green” time

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Avoiding Career Derailers

Top 15 Derailers of Top 15 Derailers of Careers of Careers of

Leaders/ManagersLeaders/Managers • lack of emotional intelligence

• not reflecting on what drives you

• not producing results

• seeking job security

• unable to adapt to change

• failing to build an effective team

• lack of integrity/ethics

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)Emotional Intelligence (EQ)--To be aware of & understand my

own & other’s emotions--To use my awareness to effectively

manage myself in relationship

• In many performance areas, EQ matters TWICE as much as technical expertise or IQ

• The more complex the work, dependent on others to get the job done, and degree of stress, the more EQ matters

Career Derailers [cont.]Career Derailers [cont.]• Avoids risks, stays in comfort zone

• Isolated

• Arrogant/Defensive

• Betrays trust

• Overdepends on one boss or mentor

• Overdepends on a single skill

• Politically naive

• Ignores feedback

Keeping your Keeping your Aspirations AliveAspirations Alive::

Build your communityBuild your community Take risks: experiment with Take risks: experiment with

and invent options and invent options Live your values Live your values Set aside time for reflection Set aside time for reflection

and renewal [“green” time]and renewal [“green” time] Feed your creativityFeed your creativity

Career development is like long-distance

hiking:

Muscles: basic skills

Boots: self-efficacy

Map: advancement “how- tos”

Walking stick: supports

Trail guide: mentors

Pack: responsibilities

“She wins, you win”•Support each other!

•Address conflicts

•De-personalize negative politics

•Create a strong network of allies

•Build bridges to the next generation