Tuesday, April 29, 2003

Agree to Agree and Trust Rules Today, I am reminded about the importance of communication once again. Picture the scenario. A valued staff person is counseled because he has been overusing the "flexible hours" allowed by his organization. While other staff members come to work every day, even if they work in the evening, he stays home. Sometimes he arrives at work at four, sometimes at eleven. Here's the problem: he thinks he is effectively and efficiently using the "flexibility" his organization allows. His boss and fellow staff  people think he has taken flexibility to the enth degree. Harder working (they think) staff people use his apparent 35 hour work week as a morale issue. He has exceeded the "norm" of flexibility allowed by his organization. Experiencing some problems since the first of the year, the staff person thinks he has been keeping his supervisor informed of the issues. He is sure the supervisor has allowed the extra "flex time," under the circumstances. When the supervisor counsels him, he is shocked. The supervisor feels he offered the individual "official" personal time off which the staff person never applied for. So many problems are here. The organization needs to define flex time; agree on work hours, especially core work hours. The supervisor and staff person need to talk to agree on a better way to communicate in the future. The individual's peers need to learn to talk with each other to resolve conflicts, not just talk about each other to each other. There is now a serious trust issue here. Trust Rules: The Most Important Secret Warmly, Susan   6:53:29 PM   Agree to Agree and Trust Rules     comment [] Compress Your Job Search Timeline I love the midnight rush. My clock said I'm posting this on Monday; the computer says it's Tuesday already. The information is the same either way. Yesterday, I posted a new article that discusses how to shorten the length of time you will find it takes to locate a new job. By a guest writer, the article hits several key points about how to compress your job search timeline. I share a couple more here. The most important tip I know is to keep a fresh, updated resume on hand at all times.  Put it out on the market occasionally to test the waters. What are your skills worth in the job market? How marketable are you? How does it feel to participate in a job interview? Taking stock of your career, which is what you do each time you update the resume, is important. It is also heartening, if the layoff blow hits you, to put your resume in play the very next day. Most people, unfortunately, start their job search after several weeks of agonizingly creating a resume. Another timeline compression tool is networking. Keep in touch with your network. Network members are your most important source as they can help you look for your next opportunity. The more people you have in your network, the more people who are out there with their radar on, identifying opportunities. Add to your network diligently - and give, as well as receive. It pays off a hundredfold. Compress Your Job Search Timeline Warmly, Susan 12:02:05 AM   Compress Your Job Search Timeline     comment []

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