 by Dr. Jeffrey Lant. Author's program note. I'm writing this article at 5 a.m. Sunday morning, the time when my more leaden-footed competitors are still fast asleep dreaming of the next Jimmy Buffett concert they just can't wait to attend. Yes, per usual, I have stolen a march, maybe two, on those who may say they value time managed for maximum effect... but show by their every word and action that they just don't get it... and that's very good news for you who adhere to the "lead, follow, or get out of the way" School of Upward Mobility. After all, the less they understand, know and do about the matter, the faster you ascend to greatness -- if and only if you follow these recommendations. You are your chief cheerleader. Better start acting like it. Riddle me this, bat person. When you last entered the parking lot at your place of employ were there beaming colleagues strategically positioned to wish you well, Godspeed and up, up and away? Of course not... you got the same lame greetings and comments (if those) you always get... pathetic, forgettable, pitiful. It was hardly like the great Pasadena Rose Parade, a celestial flurry of flower petals to provide just the right effect for you. Fast Breaking News: The off-handed way you were treated today when you arrived at your place of (not nearly gainful enough) employment is what you can expect in the interminable days, months, and years ahead... and if this doesn't motivate you to take your so-called career in hand and make radical changes in how you'll approach it, maximum success being the only acceptable goal, then shame on you. I want you to grasp one fundamental truth about you, your career and your trek for succeess. NO ONE (even sometime spouses and adult children who, to your acute exasperation, still live with you at age 45); NO ONE, I aver, asseverate and decidedly assert, cares about your current career and the radical retooling you must begin at once so as to achieve goals which are of prime importance only to you. In short, you need to station yourself in front of the mirror and take a good, close look at the only person in your life who will sincerely and from the heart welcome your constant success... instead of greeting it with two of the most dismissive and disdainful words in the language: "WHO CARES?" "Who cares if the sky cares to fall in the sea? / Who cares what banks fail in Yonkers? Long as you've got a kiss that conquers?" You care, and that must be enough to begin the beguine. Thus, for the tune to accompany this most important article, I give you a pair of Gershwins, George and Ira, geniuses both, who respectively in 1931 wrote the dazzling music and peppy lyrics for "Who Cares?"; found in the hit Broadway production of "Of Thee I Sing." Go to any search engine and find the version that most appeals to you. There are many to choose from. Then make G. Gershwin's sophisticated, quick-stepping melody your particular and long-overdue theme song. Study the company that pays you... do you really understand it and its mission? Chances are that the lower you go in the personnel ranks of the enterprise which values you so much that it actually pays you, the less those personnel know about that enterprise. But this is not the case with those who aim for upward advance. These people make it a point not merely to have (at least) the last five years of annual reports and other useful findings and revelations but actually to scrutinize them. Such people come clearly to know how valuable such information can be -- to you. In addition, gather current expert analyses of the company's stock and overall business situation, benefits, problems, data which top officers have and the lower ranks don't. The more such timely, strategic data you gather and master, the more clearly you mark your place amongst the great ones of your business. The faster you wish to advance, the more assiduous you will be not merely in collecting such data... but truly understanding them. Next, search the greatest repository of business information in the history of ambitious human kind, the 'net. Make it a point to locate valuable intelligence, on its products, services, biographies of key employees, executives, directors, etc. Nothing that a senior executive would find helpful should fail to find its way into your bulging portfolios. Meet the boss, understand the boss, help the boss.... and the boss will help you. Generations of sad sacks and the terminally clueless have wasted untold millions of hours complaining about the boss, making sure that not a single blemish or imperfection goes unnoticed and commented upon. This is helpful to no one. Humbly, I am here to offer a better, more sensible policy. Help your boss. Here's how to do it: First, resolve that you will forego the thrill of shredding your boss. Generations of employees have turned this into a rite of passage; you can't be "one of us" they say unless you turn the boss into dross. YOU, reader, must rise above this and keep YOUR objective always in mind. This means working with, not working against, your boss. Open a file called "helping the boss." On Day 1 you've got nothing in that file. Make sure this situation is as short as possible. Keep your eyes open for aspects of the company that need improvement, immediate, intermediate, and long-term. Your job is to see... and report.... on problems... and possible solutions. How do you do this? By not merely walking through things but perceiving them, perhaps for the first time. Thus, even as you drive into the parking lot, go into improvement mode. See it as a discerning critic would see it. Is it clean, for instance? Does it make a good impression on visitors as well as workers? In short, is it a credit to your company... or a certain demerit? Now do this with every aspect of the company, your company, the company YOU want to improve your life by joining its leadership team, even becoming El Jefe Maximo. Slow and steady wins the race. It is very important that you approach this project slowly and deliberately, always keeping your objective clear in mind. Thus, be discrete. Do not draw attention to yourself and never, ever tell anyone what you're doing or your ultimate goal. Mum's the word. "Only those who look can see." Every working day you and your fellow employees go through a series of steps, all supposed to assist in the company's growth and development. The longer you have been going through these steps the more likely you do them automatically, without thinking, without seeing, and certainly without the idea of scrutinizing and improving. If you mean to move up, you must be different. You must not pass by casually without actually considering what you've seen. You must see with the eagle-eye of someone determined to move up by pointing out and eradicating flaws, imperfections, errors, and money draining problems. Pay dirt. Now hear this! Every time you see a problem, see it as an opportunity for you to shine by improving the company and its operations whilst giving you a leg up on your flat-footed competitors. What to do now calls for determination, delicacy, discretion and action. As you mean to become a leader, so now must you act like one. Once you have found something that needs correction (and, remember, every company has a plethora of such matters) write it down. Then consider whether you can solve the matter yourself, or not. In short, once you have identified the problem what comes next? If you can solve the problem, do so. Then send a short note to the CEO indicating the problem and what you did. Please note that solving the problem yourself without notifying the CEO or proper authority within the company is only recommended when the problem is small and easily fixed. Otherwise... Write to the CEO. I must say and say strongly that this message must be a minor work of art. Your job is merely to point out the problem. No criticism of any kind, much less criticism that might fall upon the CEO and his "watch" must ever be made. You want to be a member, and a respected one, of the leadership team. This means picking your shots and always being chary about what you write and how you write it. No answer? Once you have identified the problem and so advised the CEO (or appropriate company officer if you know who that may be) sit back and relax. Be patient. Give it two-three weeks for response. Do not follow up prematurely or give the CEO the feeling you are pushing or pressuring. That defeats your purpose. And if you must follow up just do so in a line or two. More likely the CEO will send you a brief note of acknowledgement and thanks. Eureka! When he does, put this golden missive in your hope chest. You are now on the blissful ladder of success. Wait three or four weeks, then do it again. Soon the CEO will get the point of you, golden guy or gal that you are, and you'll be singing Gershwin in the shower. After all, your lunch with the CEO must soon occur... "Life is one long jubilee/So long as I care for you/ and you care for me!" |
