Mark Hirschfeld

… but in the middle of the punch line I keep nodding off.

For those of you in the U.S., I hope you had a nice holiday!

Friends, as we go into the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, I want to express my gratitude to you. Over the past seven months since I’ve leaned into this platform I’ve learned a lot, developed some great new relationships, caught up with some former associates, and have been inspired by many of your posts.

I’ve posted this a number of times, but my employer has a free web site where you can send a message of thanks to someone. Seems worth sharing again. Use it as much as you like,

Wishing you peace and health and safety. I’ll return to social media next Monday.

In gratitude, Mark

Go to: https://appreciate.biworldwide.com/

Friends, I’ve posted this before, but given the increase in COVID cases I thought it worth sharing again:

There was an article in the newspaper about a woman who was recently invited for an in-person job interview. She thought it went well, but didn’t get a call back.

She followed up and found the position had been filled. When she asked why they hired someone else, they said: “When you came in for an interview you wore your mask the entire time. We thought you might be one of those people who will complain about every safety issue.”

Each of us will need to make a decision about what kind of work environment for which we will feel comfortable. In the case above, the woman was actually relieved she found out that their values regarding safety weren’t the same as hers, and went onto her next career opportunity.

I used to work for a utility that highly valued safety, and I never felt unsafe when I worked there. That was important to me, so in that case my values and the values of my employer were aligned.

Use online resources to understand the safety culture of a prospective employer. Additionally, you can use networking skills to gain additional insights.

Do your homework. Find a job that is right for you in an environment and culture that fits what is important to you.

All my daily posts at http://www.markhirschfeld.com

Donald O. Clifton, the grandfather of positive psychology, offered a simple formula for establishing meaningful, productive relationships:

“It’s when A does something for B for B’s own good, with no expectation of return.”

He continued: “When you expect a return, there’s a catch that impacts the relationship. Having said that, when you do invest without any expectation of return you almost always get a return.”

In the research from my friend and colleague @bradshuck, we find this principle applies to being an effective leader today.

We must invest.

We need to have a return, to be sure.

But if our relationships with our team is such that we expect them to give back to us to the exact degree we invest we’re not going to get anywhere.

With new employees, we invest more, at least in the short term.

With an employee who is considering an internal move, we invest in helping the associate find ways they can continue to grow and achieve their goals, even though that may impact our team productivity for a time.

In this challenging world, investing in our people in a way that meets this spirit of Dr. Clifton’s definition is the leadership approach we sorely need.

#leadership #engagement #compassionateleadership

Back in the day I spent time working in the United Kingdom. When someone loses their job because of a downsizing or merger, there is a term they use:

Redundant.

They say: “you have been made redundant.”

Although accurate, it’s terribly hurtful. Demeaning.

When you’re unemployed, you’re going to hear words, like redundant, said about you.

Those words aren’t you.

They’re words that a broken, inhumane society says, but they’re not you.

You, rather, have talents.

You have skills.

You have goals.

You have ways you can contribute.

Never, ever, forget that have been made to do work, to add value, and to find satisfaction in helping a group achieve something meaningful.

The last thing you are is redundant.

Stay in the game.

Do your homework.

Tell your story.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources

You can find all the posts at http://www.markhirschfeld.com 

#career #careercoach #jobhuntingtips #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch #jobsearchtips

 #jobsearchcoach #jobsearchhelp #jobsearchstrategies

Have you heard of the Johari Window? According to Wikipedia, it “is a technique that helps people better understand their relationship with themselves and others.”

According to the model, each of us has BLIND SPOTS. We can reduce blind spots by asking for feedback. For your job search you might ask former co-workers, bosses or customers to give you feedback about your career and how you could improve.

Each of also put on a FAÇADE and don’t reveal our true self. We may need to keep some things close, but there are also likely things we can share that would reveal more of our true self and, in doing so, may create more interest to prospective employers. This would require us to self-reveal, which isn’t always easy. Often a close friend/coach can be a place to start that process.

Using these techniques will not only help your career search, but can be useful in all parts of our life.

(More about Johari Window: https://tinyurl.com/zm3ubkf)

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources  All posts at www.markhirschfeld.com

#career #careercoach #jobhuntingtips #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch #jobsearchtips

I’ve got a short survey out on Twitter and LinkedIn. Here the question:

In my career there were times I ended up in a new job when I wasn’t actually looking, either by referral or approached by an employer. You?

For Twitter, go to: https://twitter.com/MDHirschfeld/status/1329439789960065027?s=20 f

For LinkedIn, go to: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/markhirschfeld_what-is-your-career-experience-activity-6735201451909414914-Q29K

A couple of years ago I got some points from my company’s recognition platform.

I redeemed for a new golf club.

My golfing will attest that every time I hit a good shot (which isn’t as often as I would like) I’m likely to mention that I got the club because of recognition from my employer.

According to the academic research, I see “trophy value” in the club, and it is natural for me to share where I received this reward, in this case from my employer.

We will socialize a reward like this, but it is bad form to do so with cash—you just don’t talk about getting cash like you would an item like my new driver.

As you’re developing your recognition and reward strategy, take advantage of the “trophy value” of noncash awards.

And if you want to find me on the golf course, I’ll be in the rough.

#ThankYouThursday #recognition  #appreciation #gratitude #grateful #inspiration

My employer has created a free site to recognize folks. Use it as often as you would like! Give some appreciation, right now: https://appreciate.biworldwide.com/

I’ve spent too much time complaining about… socks. Why, because too many socks are one-size-fits-all, which if you have a size fourteen shoe like me that means no-size-fits-all.

I’m old enough to remember when having one resume and cover letter was standard fare, which you carefully prepared on your typewriter and copied.

Those days are gone.

You now have the ability to customize all your job search communications. You could apply to ten different jobs and have ten different cover letters and resumes.

Really, why?

When you take the time to customize your messaging to a specific employer, you increase the perception that you have done your homework about the employer and are truly interested in them.

They like people who show interest—they’re funny that way.

To have one “cookie cutter” set of correspondence these days is just plain lazy, and makes you stand out in a way that doesn’t advance your search.

There are training videos on the web site of my faith community and a handout. This content is free: https://www.thetablempls.com/jobresources 

#career #careercoach #jobhuntingtips #jobhunting #careers #jobsearch #jobsearchtips

 #jobsearchcoach #jobsearchhelp #jobsearchstrategies

I saw this quote on social media: “Being a leader means bothering to listen.”

The word “bother” may have different connotations across the globe, but in my neck of the woods it feels like we must do better than merely “bothering” to listen to our team members.

We must embrace listening to our team members.

We must look forward to listening.

We must take joy in doing so.

We must listen when we disagree.

We must listen when there is conflict.

We must listen when there is concern, even fear.

We must listen when there is joy and celebration.

We must listen.

We most go beyond “bothering” to listen to embracing the act.

Why?

When folks are heard, truly heard, there is more engagement

When they are heard, truly heard, there is more inspiration and creativity.

When they are heard, there is more commitment.

According to research from my friend and colleague Dr. Brad Shuck, outstanding, compassionate, leaders are present for their team members, listen actively and without distraction, and stay in the moment.

Leaders who listen are leaders who inspire and engage their teams.

Are you listening?

#leadership #compassionateleadership #employeeengagement