The Games People Play at Work
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The Games People Play at Work

Author Yvette Bethel Releases 2 Emotional Intelligence Books and Wins 4 Awards

Author, Yvette Bethel, launched two emotional intelligence books in 2012 and both books earned recognition from the 2012 USA Best Book Awards. 

The 2012 USA Best Books awards received by Bethel are:

E.Q. Librium:                       Finalist: Business, Careers

                                          Finalist: Self Help, General

Getting to E.Q. Librium:        Winner: Self Help, General

(Activity Book)                      Finalist: Best New Self Help Book

The USA Best Books Awards have been in existence for 10 years and the book entries are received from US and international publishers like Harper Collins, McGraw-Hill, Llewellyn Worldwide and small, independent publishers.

The USA Best Book Awards appoints a distinguished panel of industry judges who possess extensive editorial, PR, marketing, and design expertise. According to Bethel, "It is an honor to achieve this level of recognition so soon after the launch of the books. It is especially validating to have industry judges review both books and determine they can compete with the best books released in 2012. Hopefully this achievement will help to get the word out about the very important topic of emotional intelligence."

 

Bethel’s two books were also recently approved for availability within the international Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence network.  Six Seconds is the most extensive emotional intelligence organization in the world based in 11 countries, supporting network members and emotional intelligence practitioners like Yvette Bethel in over 100 countries. 

E.Q. Librium: Unleash the Power of Your Emotional Intelligence; A Proven Path to Career Success and its companion activity book, Getting to E.Q. Librium are available online at www.theeqeffect.com. The books are available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and iTunes.

Body Language: An Important Form of Communication

In the work environment, communication plays a vital role in the success of your team, so mastering your non-verbal communication or body language helps you to build healthy working relationships.

Your body language has an impact on your team

When communicating, messages sent to your co-workers are both verbal and non-verbal.  Your body language is so powerful, it can completely derail a conversation if it is inadvertently sending a message that is different than your verbal information. For instance, you may always say you adhere to the values of your company as a manager and one of the values is that your company values people.  However, your actions as a manager do not demonstrate this.  To be specific, you do not listen to employees, interactions with your staff are treated like a transaction, you never have the time to deal with people issues, nor do you spend time coaching and developing employees.

When this happens, trust is compromised because employees are witnessing your actions and completely disregarding your words because they are now meaningless.

Aligning Your Words and Your Actions

One of the most effective ways to ensure your body language is congruent with your verbal messaging is to be aware of your body language.

Here is a list of body language signals that can derail your communication:

Rolling your eyes.

  • A blank look.
  • A look of disbelief.
  • Nervous laughter.
  • Shifting eye contact.
  • Changes in breathing and other physical movements like shifting uncomfortably in your chair.

 

 How to develop awareness of your body language

Observe yourself in the mirror or record yourself using video: You can understand how you come across to others by observing yourself. Facial expressions may not be easy to observe as replicating them when you are not in the situations that trigger them can be challenging. So use video to record a few sessions so you can watch your body language.

Check your posture: are you standing and sitting straight or leaning forward? If you have a straight posture, it can convey confidence and interest. Leaning forward can indicate interest also but it can also give the impression of aggression or defensiveness.

Accept feedback from a person you trust: Ask a person you trust to provide feedback about your facial expressions and gestures. Ask them to be objective and highlight areas which you can improve. Let them know the verbal and non-verbal messages you intend to communicate and discuss or practice alternative ways you can use expressions or gestures in those situations. Practice the alternatives until you feel you have mastered the intended body language.

Reframe your Thoughts

Once you have identified your body language patterns, you can use reframing to change your non-verbal reactions to positive, non-verbal responses. Reframing is a tool you can use to view a situation that would usually trigger a negative response in a different way so that you can respond objectively to the circumstances both verbally and through your body language. For instance, you may have a coworker who never has anything positive to say about the people you work with, including you.  If you can reframe the situation by understanding hurt people tend to hurt people, you can realize their behaviour is not about you, it is always about them and their pain.  This understanding can help you to let go of your pain.

Build your Emotional Intelligence Skills

Emotional intelligence helps you to become self-aware and therefore equips you with information you can use to choose a self-regulated response.  Skills like optimism, thinking about the consequences before reacting, and navigating your emotions are all useful in helping you to modify your body language permanently.

Practice

Brain science has established that over time, our brains are hard-wired to react emotionally to stimuli without thinking.  In light of this, it is important to keep in mind it will take time to rewire your brain to adopt new, positive responses so practice, practice, practice.

Yvette Bethel is CEO of The EQ Effect, a consulting company dedicated to transforming cultures through building collective emotional intelligence skills. She is also author of the emotional Intelligence books E.Q. Librium and Getting to E.Q. Librium.   If you are interested in exploring how you can improve your emotional intelligence or how to create higher performing teams, you can visit www.theeqeffect.com  to contact us.

 

 

What is E.Q. Librium?

Author Yvette Bethel coined the term E.Q. Librium to describe your ability to use your Emotional Quotient (E.Q.) to achieve balance in emotionally charged situations. E.Q. Librium is achieved when you are able to identify both your emotions and the emotions of others, and you can filter that information into a balanced, holistic, and self-regulated response.

When you build your capacity to balance your emotions internally, you can become a positive influence within a group. The more people in a group who can navigate their emotions, the more effective the group will be at communicating purposefully and respectfully, particularly when there are diverse personalities at play.

Achieving E.Q. Librium means you are attaining conscious personal and team emotional attunement. When in a state of E.Q. Librium, intentional strategies designed to circumvent emotional reactions are more easily implemented.

E.Q. Librium involves using emotional intelligence to bring emotional stability to a situation and presupposes that individuals and team members will experience a variety of emotions. The traits needed to achieve E.Q. Librium are integrity, self-management, curiosity, objectivity, and accountability, despite prevailing emotions.

Seeking E.Q. Librium in a team environment does not mean you will always find a solution that will make everyone happy. In fact, your decision may be profoundly unpopular. What it does mean is that leaders are equipped with the skills to listen with empathy, manage morale, make decisions that are uncluttered by emotion, and address the fears of the team. Additionally, leaders can facilitate multi-channel flows of information so that relevant information continuously moves to and from the right people at the right times, and issues are addressed.

E.Q. Librium will help you to seek solutions to serve the greater good. In addition, because this approach may not be palatable to everyone affected by your decisions, it can help you to manage the fallout. In reality, maintaining E.Q. Librium is an art, and you may have to try several different strategies before finding one that brings the balance you seek.

Getting to E.Q. Librium is an activity book that takes you on an introspective path to E.Q. Librium. Once you complete the activity book, you will be more aware of yourself and others. Take advantage of the list of Emotional Intelligence Competencies listed in Part Three of this activity book. The list is designed to help stimulate your ideas so you can set clearer objectives for your E.Q. development; it will be referenced throughout the activity book.

If you enjoyed this blog you will enjoy the books E.Q. Librium and Getting to E.Q. Librium. You can purchase your copies at www.theeqeffect.com.


                                              


Goal Based Networking


Many of us use the word networking as a catch-all term that refers to creating connections that support our perceived needs.  Our needs can be social in nature or career based.  Whatever the source of the need, many of us approach networking in a broad-based, general way.

Types of Networks

The strongest performers build a strong team.  Not all of us have the benefit of team of employees, but we can all define and build networks that provide strategic resources so that we can create the effect of a team.  Therefore, instead of a general approach to networking, a more targeted approach can benefit you and the people around you.  

Operational.  Building a network that supports your productivity is very useful whether you are in your own business, working for an employer or unemployed.  The reason for the existence of this type of network is to help you get your work done efficiently and achieve the results you desire.  Operational networks can bring about increased sales opportunities, improved efficiency and enhanced performance results.

Power. We typically associate networks with power and power emerges depending on how you cultivate your web of relationships.   Some people build a network designed to position them for a role of power in the future.  Others build a power network with the intention of strengthening and maintaining their existing power base.  Both types skillfully cultivate their connections so they can elevate themselves in the power hierarchy. 

Self-Development. A developmental network exists specifically for your personal and career evolution.  It provides you with opportunities for self-development so you don’t have to rely exclusively on your employer.  Before building your developmental network, create a plan for your growth.  While developmental plans typically focus on academic pursuits, they can be expanded to include mentors, coaches, peers, professional networks and alliances with persons who possess specialized knowledge.  Cultivation of this type of network is especially useful when you are seeking a change in career or a promotion to the next level.

Purposeful. There are some who are future focused and approach networking from a purpose driven perspective, creating a master networking plan for the present and future.   Building a master networking plan presupposes the existence of a larger plan built on your personal and career goals and objectives.  One of the dynamics in this type of network is that people you network with can change as your needs evolve. 

Personal.  It is important not to exclude personal networks designed to ensure you take an holistic approach to life.  It is conceivable that your personal and other networks can overlap but be sure when you allow overlapping in your networks; you are not risking the relationships you want to maintain.  Personal networks include social networking on the web and in-person networking at events, focused on health, fun, travel, hobbies or volunteer work.  

Growing Your Networks

Some networks like developmental networks are built on trust, others, like the power networks thrive in the absence of trust.  If you prefer to build and maintain an authentic network characterized by trust, credibility and integrity here are a few tips:

  1. Avoid being the one who is always taking.  Reciprocity is important so ensure your exchanges are balanced.  Reciprocity does not necessarily mean you will always have an opportunity for equal exchange because you may give more to some than they give to you but someone else in your network may help you more than you helped them.  Therefore adopt a service approach where giving is a conscious and continuous activity.
  2. Self regulation is another way you can maintain your network.  You are destined to run into diverse types of people.  Some will take delight in pushing your buttons.  With this in mind, always remember an important thing about networks:  Sometimes the most unexpected person shows up to help or support you so treat people in your network with respect, even when you are irritated.
  3. Be genuine.  Everyone can spot a fake a mile away and it is not possible to connect with someone who is pretending.  Additionally, pretentious behaviour does not allow a network to evolve organically.  Instead it can be stagnated by a lack of trust.
  4. Nurture your network.  It isn’t enough to have in initial conversation and obtain a business card and file it.  On the other hand, you can’t possibly maintain relationships with everyone you meet. Therefore, you want to build the right relationships and maintain those connections.  Send occasional emails, acknowledge special events with cards or ‘stroke’ letters or send information about something that might interest the person you met.  Stay in touch, even if you have to diarise reminders.
  5. We are living in a global community that is constantly shrinking. So be sure your network extends beyond your geographic boundaries.  
  6. Build your brand – It is not enough to build a network of people who won’t remember you when opportunities surface.  Build your brand in a way that can add value to you and the people in your network.  Take steps to remain at the top-of-mind because it is especially helpful when people have heard of you in a positive way before you meet them.
  7. Remember, few people do something for you because they owe you or because it is the right thing to do.  Instead, they buy into supporting you because they can benefit from it directly or indirectly so be sure to position your connections with a value proposition.
  8. Define who will be in your network (types of people or names), how you will cultivate the relationships and in some cases, who should be skillfully retired from the network because of their risk to the network.  Skill is required because you never know who will help you in future and how they can help you.
  9. Allow your network to be organic.  You will change over time and so your network will need the flexibility to evolve to reflect your changing needs.

Network building takes time, deliberate giving and consistence.  Author and business consultant Keith Ferrazzi summed it up saying, “The currency of real networking is not greed but generosity.” 

Yvette Bethel is an author and CEO of Organizational Soul, an HR Consulting and Leadership Development company.  If you are interested in HR Consulting Services or exploring how you can create higher performing team leaders, you contact her through her site at www.orgsoul.com. 

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The Team Effect


You hear the words team, teamwork or team building at the office, some of us more than others.  But do authentic teams really exist? Or are you a part of a disconnected group of people who happen to work for the same employer, all with different agendas?  Sometimes employees are lured into thinking a team exists because the word is used so often.  Unfortunately, they end up feeling confused or betrayed because they experience an isolated feeling when collaboration is anticipated, or when relationships they thought were healthy turn out to be one sided or exploitive.  They eventually realize they are a member of a group of people working together who are putting their personal agendas first, supporting each other only when it serves them.

At some organizations the word teamwork is embedded in the corporate values and performance management process then supported by internal and external courses.   Leaders and coworkers support the elaborate smokescreen by espousing teamwork as a value.  Building a culture characterized by collaboration starts at the top.  It doesn’t start with merely articulating the right words; it starts with leaders who take the time to become aware of their subtle and overt behaviours that create division and conscientiously transform them.  

Two of the decisions leaders make that inhibit teamwork are: promoting persons who are ruthless or employees who are technically competent with deficient interpersonal skills.  Promotion of these types of employees automatically lowers morale and the possibility for teamwork because employees feel they are being used or attacked.  These types of decisions made by hiring managers feed entitlement behaviours in the workplace because when employees feel unfairly treated the perceived inequitable treatment creates the foundation for the belief that they have an extended list of rights.

Another type of leader who creates a mutation of the team experience is the manager who is lacks all the basic skills to perform in their senior role so they use strong performers in order to create the appearance of satisfactory performance.  These managers initially create the facade of teamwork where unsuspecting employees believe they are part of a mutual collaboration but these employees are actually in a one-sided working relationship, performing in two roles.  The employee in the supportive role sometimes realizes they are being used when they are overlooked for a promotion because the manager can’t release them.

In some work environments members of a group attack each other either openly or surreptitiously.  Their intent is to expose each other’s shortcomings, sometimes camouflaging the attack as a legitimate complaint in an effort to make themselves look better.  Sometimes it works because the decision maker is not a critical thinker but we all know that when a person has to make another person seem incompetent in order to profile their value it says a whole lot about the deficiencies in their self esteem.

The Team Effect:

Creating the team effect takes much more than a team building activity or a social event. When employers sponsor staff socials to address team issues, some employees show up and enjoy themselves, others choose not to attend because they do not want to spend a minute of their personal time with their coworkers.  No matter how successful the social interaction appears to be, an event is an external attempt to transform an internal issue of not feeling valued or respected.

The team effect addresses these internal issues and exists when:

  • Team members trust each other and are willing to be vulnerable because mistakes are treated as learning opportunities and not the end of the world.
  • Members of the team may not like each other but they put aside the propensity for avoidance or dysfunctional confrontation refusing to allow pettiness or anger to infiltrate their interactions.  They put the team agenda before their personal proclivities.
  • There are office politics, but relationships are managed in a way that the tendencies toward competition do not overwhelm the need for collaboration.
  • Leaders understand that creating and sustaining healthy team dynamics takes time and sustained behavioural modification.  These leaders demonstrate the right behaviours, select the right people for teams and reward desired collaborative behaviours.  While they do recognize individual achievement, it does not override the achievement of the team.
  • Members of the team know how to provide constructive feedback to their colleagues, no matter their level, balancing the positive and negative, inspiring commitment, mutual respect and creativity.   They understand what to say, how to deliver the message and the importance of right timing.
  • Members are transparent with open agendas and their interactions are aligned with their open agendas.  
  • Emotion happens and so does self management.
  • Members experience a sense of connectedness and real support.  They sense, care about, empathize with and value each other.
Bill Bradley, a retired NBA player and US Senator, once summarized teamwork saying, “Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship, explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it.”  By following his advice, you will address employees’ needs to feel valued and respected by setting the stage for the team effect.

Yvette Bethel is CEO of Organizational Soul, an HR Consulting and Leadership Development company.  You can find more information at www.orgsoul.com. 

The People Side of Change

We have all experienced change and have heard change mantras such as, ‘change we can believe in’ or ‘the only thing constant is change’.   But when change happens, no matter the intention behind it, there are a minimum of three types of responses: 

When a change is announced there is a group of people who are deep within their comfort zone.  They execute routines with very little effort because they are in the realm of the familiar.  These comfortable employees may be good performers or they may be poor performers.  Whatever the case, they can become a group of resistors if their routine, hierarchy or status is threatened in any way.

Then you have the employees who sit on the fence.  They are undecided and want to find out what the majority thinks before they commit to a change.   They may listen to compelling arguments from various perspectives and don’t make up their minds immediately.  Alternatively, they may have a well defined opinion but their allegiances may cause them to straddle the fence.

Early adopters buy into the vision of change immediately and they are willing to work through the uncertainties of the process because they understand how the change will help them and everyone else.  Early adopters are an asset to any company during a change process because when employees witness other employees buying into a change initiative, they may be more inclined to move in the same direction.

Sabotaging Change 

When a change is initiated, the change leaders can sabotage the change process in various ways:

  1. Change is organic and needs to be led through continuous communication.  It is usually ineffective if managers facilitate a single meeting where they make an announcement and leave everyone to their own devices. 
  2. Management may collectively decide to implement a change, but in the throes of chaos that typify the initial stages of change, they may stifle the creativity that helps the best possible outcomes to emerge.  By trying to overly control the process, they muzzle the flow of information and as a result, are disconnected from what is really going on.
  3. There are change leaders who either don’t buy into the change project or they are unable to fully comprehend it so they create an appearance of change by superimposing the new operational framework over the old one.  More specifically, they end up creating the illusion of change, but they haven’t made any real change because they want to remain within their comfort zone. For instance, when coaching is introduced to a company as a people development tool, what typically happens is some managers grasp how to use the process to develop employees.  Others are unwilling to relinquish a predominantly autocratic leadership style so they use the tool but they manage to continue to suffocate employees.

Change leaders may be formal leaders like managers and executives or they may be informal leaders such as early adopters.  Regardless of who the leaders are, they set the pace and tone of the change.  They can allay fears or create them.  They can make the change process easy, or complicated.

Change and Uncertainty

In the midst of any change, there is uncertainty.  Will I have a job when this is all done?  Will I be able to operate with the same level of competence once the changes are implemented?  Will my status within the organization remain the same?  Will my coworkers respect me as a supervisor if my knowledge level is the same as theirs?  How does this change impact my career plans? Do I possess the basic skill set necessary for succeeding under the new working conditions?  These are all the kinds of questions that generate uncertainty, anxiety and inevitably resistance if left unanswered.

The People Side of Change

In change projects there are three important components: process, content and people.  Architects of change tend to focus more on the content and process of the change, scoping the old processes to determine what needs to be changed, creating process maps for the new procedures and troubleshooting potential implementation set-backs.  Sometimes change leaders become inflexible about their implementation plan because the original vision was theirs and they spent time and other resources planning the initiative.

Change leaders sometimes discount the destabilizing effect change can have on the team so they don’t place the same amount of emphasis on the people side of the change.   The key to a healthy change process is the active facilitation of top-down, bottom-up and lateral communication channels where employees, who have to perform the daily tasks, can provide and receive immediate feedback.   Feedback is critical because the change architects can’t possibly think of every eventuality if they are not intimately involved with the process on a daily basis.  

Once concerns with the change are revealed, change leaders should establish an investigative process that will provide an understanding of the root causes of the people, process or content issues.  Focus groups or meetings with individuals are used as tools to explain concerns raised during a change initiative.  By listening to issues (no matter how trivial) and seeking and implementing solutions, change leaders can shorten the period of resistance. 

In order to lead an effective change process, it is important for change leaders to manage their resistance to modifying the original change plans.  A new perspective can be the difference between a disaterous change initiative and a successful one. 

Yvette Bethel is CEO of Organizational Soul, an HR Consulting and Leadership Development company.  If you are interested in exploring how you can create a higher performing organization, you can contact her at info@orgsoul.com. 

Dodging the Fall


The words dodging, evasion, prevention and avoidance have both constructive and dysfunctional applications.   For instance, avoidance can be a calculated action taken that will serve the greater good.  You can take actions that can help you to avert a catastrophe and save jobs or you can decide on avoiding an immediate decision because it takes time to weigh the risks.  There are times when it is okay to wait and let a situation cool down.  This can be a productive approach as heightened emotions impede communication. 

Avoidance is an action or lack of action propelled by a decision and oftentimes, the decision is propelled by an emotion.  This article will explore the darker side of avoidance, why it happens, and what can be done about it.
When avoidance is in a dysfunctional mode it can be driven by fear or anger.  When a person is in a negative avoidance mode, the quality of communication diminishes.    It is important to note that communication can shut down whether or not a person is still engaging you in conversations.  There are some who choose to literally stop all forms of verbal and written communication, others leave the channels open but their responses are vague, circular or confusing.  Sometimes the responses are passive aggressive, where a person is giving the façade of co-operation but there is no intention to follow through with constructive action.

When the intention behind avoidance is not driven by fear, but by a need to take a step back and view the big picture, it is functional if procrastination does not set in.  When avoidance is driven by the fear of a low performance rating, job loss or the loss of a good customer, because of incompetence, a lack of integrity, a low tolerance for mistakes or a lack of knowledge it can end up with disastrous outcomes.

Dysfunctional Avoidance Tactics

Here are a few ways both employees and people leaders avoid and negative responses: 

  • Avoiding the subject can be achieved by changing the subject or pretending the subject was never mentioned.  It is also done by answering a question with a question.
  • Minimization is a commonly used tactic that is used to create a positive spin.  The intention behind minimization is to mislead by creating a false sense of security.  For instance, some persons will a general statement that everything is going well or they misrepresent the facts in other ways.  A way to test this is to ask for specific information.
  • Others avoid by screening their calls, not responding to emails or at an extreme, hanging up on others.
  • Blame is a common way that employees divert attention from themselves.  Blame is sometimes accompanied by half truths designed to appease fact seekers.
  • As previously stated, avoidance can be a passive aggressive strategy that is responded to with passive or overt aggression. 

How Avoidance Impacts Others

Using avoidance as a delay tactic only frustrates the people impacted by the delay.  In response, frustration can result in tension or even shouting and profanity, especially if the avoidance is creating an unfair situation where someone feels disadvantaged or disempowered by the circumventive behaviour.  In extreme cases an avoider’s safety can be put at risk causing them to constantly look over their shoulders in anticipation of some type of retaliation.

Introducing Accountability

The whole point of dodging the fall is survival.  When avoidance occurs because of fear or cowardice, the reasons undergirding the evasive action can be fear of consequences, circumvention of conscience, or no conscience at all.  In fear or anger driven circumstances, dodging the fall is about avoiding responsibility and accountability.  Unless the avoider has a cathartic personal experience and honesty and integrity become priority values that drive courageous action, it is highly unlikely that evasion will cease because the need to survive is overrides or nullifies the need to be honest.

If personal transformation is not an option, another way to transform this type of behaviour into functional behaviour is through effective leadership.  Attuned leaders realize the impact of avoidance behaviours on their efforts to build a cohesive, motivated team so here are some of the ways they develop accountable employees:

  •  Take assertive action to correct unwanted behaviour.  This can include handing out warning letters and depending on the risks created by the avoidance tactics, termination.  This sends a clear message that avoidance will not be tolerated.
  • Reward appropriate behaviour through performance management or other recognition progammes.
  • Coach direct reports and peers.
  • Mentor coworkers.
  • Model desired behaviours.
  • Provide learning opportunities.  It is important to note that behavioural training without effective systems implemented to ensure the application of the learning produce a much lower return on investment than training used in conjunction with other developmental opportunities.

As a people leader, it is important to select the right combination of interventions so that the root causes can be adequately addressed and authentic change can begin.  As a leader, it is imperative to sustain the behaviours necessary to effect change, otherwise, sporadic attempts to create long-term change will be pointless.

Yvette Bethel is CEO of Organizational Soul, an HR Consulting and Leadership Development company.  If you are interested in exploring how you can create a higher performing organization, you can contact her at info@orgsoul.com.


 

Work the System

 

It is very interesting how people spend time mastering the system.  First they experience the process, exploring its inherent strengths, understanding what the system is designed to do.  Then they scour the process for the inevitable oversights that were invisible when the architects created the system. 

For some, the reason behind mastering the system is a goal of achieving professional effectiveness or personal actualization.  For others, the intent may be less honourable.  Here are three ways employees attempt to manipulate systems, finding short cuts that avoid accountability:

  • Extra days:  There are employees who seem to disappear right after a public holiday.  They wait patiently for the holiday to arrive or if they are not interested in waiting, they obtain authorization from a doctor for sick days so they can abdicate their responsibilities temporarily.   For some manipulators, this behaviour is beating the system.  However, they don’t consider the impact of unplanned absences on others who are left to take on additional workload.
  • My best friend the manager:  There are employees who try to beat the system by becoming friends with the manager.  Their motive is to carefully position themselves so the manager will be lenient.  The point of befriending the manager is usually self preservation but like any system, the system will restore balance.  This means the work will have to be done and done properly by someone else.     There are managers who bring about forced balance by letting someone else do the work or doing the work themselves.  Others fake the appearance of balance until unavoidable situations arise that expose the gaps.  Sometimes balance is restored as a result of removal, termination or transfer of the person undermining teamwork.
  • Christmas vacation:  Some employers have a policy that doesn’t allow employees to extend their vacations past December of each year to avoid the accumulation of vacation in the upcoming year.  Sometimes this policy is coupled with another policy that all vacations have to be taken before November so there can be a full complement at work during the holidays.  People who manipulate this policy find a way to stall all year so the company has no choice but to allow the remaining vacation days to be taken during the Christmas the holidays.

Five Causes for Working the System

There are various reasons why employees seek ways to circumvent a system, seeking shorter or easier route:

  • Laziness:  One of the first assumptions persons make about persons who work the system is that they are lazy. Laziness is an inherent lack of drive or motivation that leads to low productivity.  Perhaps this is true in some circumstances, and untrue in others.
  • Incompetence: Working the system can also be assigned to a lack of competence.  This happens when employees go into survival mode and find ways to attain a satisfactory rating in spite of their shortcomings.
  • I am better than this: We cannot make an assumption that working the system is synonymous with laziness or incompetence.  It can be assigned to a sense of superiority and a refusal to participate in certain tasks because of a lack of interest or challenge.   Some take on this attitude because they took the job for the money, not because they were interested in a career.
  • Difficult working relationships: Some people who work the system are highly competent but demonstrate a lack of interest because of a difficult working relationship either with a difficult manager or executive or a belligerent coworker, intent on sabotage.
  • Entitlement: Entitlement is a sense that someone has a right to a benefit, whether or not they actually do.  In the context of working the system, entitlement attitudes can cause employees to take liberties they think they have a right to because of a notion of being short changed.

Unfortunately, there are productive employees who make every effort to follow the rules while observing the chosen few flagrantly bending the rules.  In some cases, productive employees may eventually adopt a detached attitude of “If you can’t beat them, join them” or “there is no point”.   However, there is also the risk that if good workers become despondent, they will look for another job because their work ethic dictates productivity.

Everyone we encounter has an agenda driven by a value system.  Whether the agenda is one based on integrity or dishonesty, selfishness or altruism, it is an agenda.  Working the system is usually perceived as a self-centered action because it usually benefits the person initiating the manipulations.  However, there are altruistic persons who manipulate systems so the greater good can be served. 

Thomas Sowell, an economist, political commentator and author once said, “One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”  When there are persons working the system for personal gain, let us be careful not to demonize the producers but instead, focus on finding ways to stimulate and engage persons intent on working the system and stimulate their productivity. 

Yvette Bethel is CEO of Organizational Soul, an HR Consulting and Leadership Development company.  If you are interested in exploring how you can enhance your team, you can contact her at info@orgsoul.com.


 

Reinvent Your Career




When starting a new career, you are in the exploratory phase of your career, trying to understand if your chosen path is the right one.  The next stage in your career is the establishment stage where you are learning through training and experience, establishing yourself as a resource.   At this stage you are immersed in your career and if you are engaged, you start to think about ways you can expand in your role and position yourself for a promotion.

At the maintenance stage of your career, you continue to gain breadth and depth of knowledge.  At this stage, you may have received promotions or you may be in the same role for an extended period of time.     

The final stage in your career is disengagement.  Here are a few reasons why disengagement can occur: 

  • You are experiencing difficulties with your colleagues or manager. 
  • You are not interested in the position you occupy because you mastered role and you are no longer 
  • challenged.  
  • You goals and interests have changed.
  • You have changing family circumstances. 
  • You are not performing satisfactorily.  

Whatever the reason, disengagement can be a difficult stage because you know it is time to leave but you may not be clear about what to do next or when to make a move. 

There is no fixed timeline for moving through the four career stages.   For instance, some persons may accept a job and move immediately from exploration to disengagement because the work environment is not a good fit.  In cases like these, employees have an opportunity to learn valuable lessons about their strengths and weaknesses.  Alternatively, a person can take decades to move through the career stages gaining breadth and depth of experience before they disengage.  Whatever your reason for disengagement, it is important not to become stuck.

When you feel stuck, you can experience stressful emotions like anger and frustration that can lead to agitated outbursts or even apathy. A sustained negative emotional state can be harmful to your productivity, your health, and your ability to relate effectively with your colleagues.  Stressful emotions can also affect your ability to focus on your career, derailing your attempts to work on a career plan.  The good news is that regardless your circumstances, reinvention is possible.

Steps to Career Reinvention

Reinvention not only takes vision, it takes planning and discipline.  Here are eight tips you can use to reinvent your career and sustain the changes.

  • Connect with your purpose.  If you don’t already know your purpose, start from a place of knowing your strengths and preferences.  There are various ways you can do this.  One way is to hire a career coach.  Another way is to complete a self assessment.  For an abridged, free assessment you can visit www.assessment.com.  If you choose, you can opt to pay for the full version of the inventory.
  • Identify your values.  Once you identify the career you prefer, identify and understand your primary values so you can structure your career in a way that meets your personal and professional values. 
  • Identify your ideal work environment. You may be purpose driven but you accepted a role in an environment where you cannot thrive.  For instance, you know you love a career in accounting but you are not the type of person who can thrive in a competitive environment.  So you enjoy your work, but you have great difficulty with the culture and this can lead to the development of  a love-hate relationship with your work.  
  • Write a career development plan.  It is important to identify your skill gaps, your desired career path and then create your career development plan.  Waiting for your employer to train you may not be an ideal decision because training is contingent on budgets coupled with your employer’s commitment to developing employees.  
  • Create a Career Action Plan: Once you create your development plan you can create another action plan designed to move you along a defined path to your goals.  It is important to build timelines into this plan so you are clear on how long you want to remain in a particular role.  This plan can also focus on building your network, updating your résumé or starting a business.
  • Network, network, network.  Networking is important whether you are changing careers or seeking a promotion.  When changing careers, you can tap into your network to access industry intelligence which can help you to identify an ideal role or work environment.  It can also provide you with information about existing or upcoming vacancies.  If you want to prepare for a promotion, a network can provide you with a mentor or it can serve as a resource you can tap into when you need to make things happen.  
  • Create a system of accountability.  Despite your best intentions, your reality of busyness can derail your career change plans.  To remain focused on your goals, it would behoove you to find a way to remain accountable to your goals.  Some people form mastermind groups which are groups of like-minded people who come together to support each other with attaining their goals.  Others join networks or clubs and some decide to keep their plans to themselves.  If you choose not to share your plans, it is important to create a system of personal accountability you can use to remain on a path of change.
  • Build balance into your career plan.  There may be times in your career when you decide to sacrifice balance to achieve your goals.  While sacrifice is sometimes perceived as necessary, you can remain stuck in the mode of sacrifice, neglecting to reinstate balance in your life.

In closing, it is important for you to realize you should be the primary author of your career plan.  As previously stated, this means you should create a realistic vision for your career and life so you can decide how long you will await a promotion or other types of developmental opportunities.  You also need to determine how much you will invest in your own development so you are not at the mercy of a fluctuating training budget.  

Yvette Bethel is CEO of Organizational Soul, an HR Consulting and Leadership Development company.  If you are interested in creating and executing a personal career plan, you can connect with her on the contact page at  www.orgsoul.com. Career Coaching Sessions begin in January 2011.