The Employee Engagement Network

Terrence Seamon New Brunswick, NJ
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Here We Are. Now What?

We Have Met The Enemy

"We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us" - Walt Kelly, creator of Pogo.

In the last blog entry on strategy, I mentioned that the job hunter's greatest Enemy is the Self.

Let's look at that more closely.

Take the following test. The twelve items below represent twelve key ingredients in an effective job search. The more times you answer Yes, the more likely you will successfully land. The more No answers, the more likely you are sabotaging yourself.

For each of the following statements, answer Yes or No.

1. My job search is my full time job now.

2. I have a clear Objective for my job search.

3. I understand that I am now in a Sales & Marketing role, and that my Product is Me.

4. I am NOT going it alone; rather, I am reaching out to others to support me.

5. I am on LinkedIn.

6. I am busy networking every day, with everyone.

7. I have Target Companies that I am researching and pursuing.

8. I am NOT waiting for the phone to ring.

9. I have joined at least one local networking group.

10. I believe in myself.

11. I know my strengths (i.e. my skills and accomplishments).

12. I am developing a strategy to attain my career goals.

How did you do? Are you your best ally? or your worst enemy?

Posted by Terrence Seamon, July 2, 2009

Be Sure You Have A Strategy

How many business people have a strategy? My guess would be: Not Many.

It's not for lack of appreciating the value of having a strategy. No, it's mostly because people do not know what a strategy really is.

There is a very helpful article called "Are You Sure You Have A Strategy?" by Donald Hambrick and James Fredrickson, published in the Academy of Management Executive, 2001, Vol. 15, No. 4.

The authors remind us that the term strategy comes from the Greek strategos meaning "the art of the general." In a war, a general has an objective and a strategy for achieving it. Hambrick and Fredrickson identify several key elements of a strategy. Here's my take on their model:

- The Arena: Where will the action take place?

- The Enemy: Who are our competitors?

- The Vehicles: How will we get there?

- The Weapons: How will we win?

- The Staging: What will be our speed? What will be our sequence of moves?

- The Measure: How will we obtain our returns?

How might this apply to a job hunter?

First, a job hunter must have an Objective. Everything else in the strategy depends upon that.

The Arena is Where the job hunter wants to land. Ideally, the job hunter has identified Target Companies to pursue proactively.

The Enemy is the Self. A job hunter will defeat himself more surely than any external competitor. (More on this in a future blog entry.)

The Vehicle of choice for job hunters is Networking.

The Weapons are Self-Awareness (especially about one's own Skills and Accomplishments), Self-Belief, and Persistence.

The Staging involves Sequence of Moves as well as Speed. The warrior job hunter does not wait for the phone to ring. Instead, she makes her own moves and makes things happen, keeping a high level of activity each week of her search.

The Measure is three-fold: Interviews, Offers, and Starts. Until the job hunter gets an interview, there is no chance of an offer, and no way to start.

Now that you know the elements of a strategy, it's time to map one out. What's your Objective? How will you attain it?

Posted by Terrence Seamon, July 1, 2009

You Are the Solution

Someone sent me the link today to a good piece on resumes by Alison Green where she asks: What is the Number One question your resume should answer?

The question Green has in mind is: What did you accomplish in this job that someone else wouldn't have?

What Green is saying is, What has made you special so far in your career? What's your differentiator?

The clue is in the word accomplish. In an excellent resume, you tell a compelling story, about your skills and past achievements, that says to prospective employers, Here's what I can accomplish for you.

So, if the ultimate question in a job search is, Why should I hire you?, the answer is, Because I am the solution to your problem.

How do you become the solution and not just another dreary job hunter? The key is a mental adjustment, from pushing a Product to presenting a Solution to a Need.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 30, 2009

What Draws You In?

With the help of sitemeter, I can view the locations of people who visit this blog. They come from all over; for example:

- Israel
- Japan
- Ireland
- Canada
- Norway
- Russia
- Palestine
- Netherlands
- South Africa
- Germany
- Spain
- India
and all over the United States

My wife asked me, What are they looking for?

Good question.

According to Google Analytics, the Top Content that my visitors look at includes:

- the series on Organization Development
- the series on Employee Engagement
- the post on 70-20-10
- the post on RASCI
- the post on "sense of agency"
- the post on the 3 things you like most about your job


What draws you in?

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 29, 2009

Your Interview Dashboard - Part 2

In Part 1 of this series called Your Interview Dashboard, we started designing a "mental dashboard" that a job hunter can install in his or her head for use during interviews in order to smoothly steer through the challenging waters of the interview.

Here are a couple more gauges:

- Your Answers Part 3: Are you conveying your Skills and Accomplishments? To do so clearly, succinctly, and powerfully, tell CAR Stories, using the Challenge - Action - Results format. Start with describing the challenge or problem you faced; then describe the actions you took; then detail the results you achieved.

- Your Energy & Pace: If you have ever taken a training class on Presentation Skills, you probably learned that How you speak is as important, if not more than, What you say. This How is comprised of many facets, including Pace and Energy, both of which are important in an interview. Let's look at each element.

Each of us has a natural pace that manifests in our movement and in our speech. Some of us are fast moving, fast talking. Others more methodical, slower in moving, slower in speaking.

In an interview, it's important to find a balance between being yourself and matching the pace of the interviewer. It's like a dance and you don't want to drag your partner down, nor step on your partner's toes.

Participating in an interview is stressful, demanding an energetic performance from you. You may find as the interview goes along, that your energy level varies. If your energy is draining away from you, so will your enthusiasm. It's important to monitor your energy level so that you boost it as needed to energize your answers.

An interview can run as long as an hour or more. And it's not unusual for an employer to string several interviews together in one day. By the end, you could be wiped out. How do you maintain your energy level throughout such a grueling course?

The best thing you can do is train. Like a runner. If you are a job hunter, get in shape. Start training. Practice and rehearsal are key.

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 28, 2009
 

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Terrence Seamon updated their profileon Wednesday
Be careful with hirering a coach. I have been coached by two different coaches. One was just hired, the other one was hired to get middle management to agree and focus on change. I did see right thru her, and knew that she was just "brain washing"...
Frode Heimen, Ray Seghers and 10 other members joined Terrence Seamon's groupJune 28
This group is intended for anyone who wants to help Managers do a better job promoting employee engagement. What skills does a Manager need? What tools can a Manager use?
Great question, Samantha. And I notice that you asked it in January! With the first reply coming in June. First, I must salute Frode. He has tackled an age-old problem that exists all over the world: how to motivate call center staff. Now, in an...
There was a bestseller by Leigh Branham a few years ago that addressed why employees leave an organization: http://www.iaap-hq.org/ResearchTrends/Real_Reasons_Why_Employees_Leave.htm When you study the reasons that Branham brings up, you see a c...

Profile Information

Who are you?
Professionally, I have been a Training & Organization Development Guy for over 25 years. In a nutshell, I'm a facilitator, blogger, and transitionist.

Currently I am a Career Transition Consultant with The Ayers Group, helping executives and professionals to galvanize their job searches.

Prior to that, was Portfolio Manager, for Management & Leadership Development, at the American Management Association.

I joined this network because I believe that employee engagement hinges on Managers.

My greatest accomplishment in life is the two sons that my wife Joan and I have raised. I am so proud of who they are becoming.

My greatest desire is to see peace on earth and I feel called to apply my gifts to that goal.

My approach is "One Small Thing" every day. If all of us did one small thing every day, we would change the world.
What is your interest or involvement in employee engagement?
I started a new social network on ning called The Heart of Meaningful Work - http://heartofmeaningfulwork.ning.com/
Website:
http://learningvoyager.blogspot.com
Where are you located?
New Jersey

The Heart of Meaningful Work

I recently started a new social network on ning called The Heart of Meaningful Work. I envision it as a cousin to the Employee Engagement Network.

The economic downturn we are still experiencing has caused many people to question and explore the meaning of work in their lives. Is it enough to work to live, to pay the bils, and put the kids through college? Maybe it is, for now. But do we work for another reason? Is there a higher purpose to our work?

How can we discover our calling in life? That's what I'm hoping to share and discuss at The Heart of Meaningful Work. If you find this interesting, you are invited to join. I look forward to seeing you there.

Terrence Seamon's Blog

Terrence Seamon

Nice weather. No job. Life is good.

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine sent this message: "Nice weather. No job. Life is good." Not exactly a haiku, but refreshing. What a great attitude, in the face of the worst economic downturn of our lives.

If you were to write your own haiku-like message about your situation, what would it be?

Posted on May 9, 2009 at 5:20pm —

Terrence Seamon

Engaging in Mutual Support

It's tough out there in this downturn if you have lost your job. However, there is a very bright spot. It's people helping one another. One manifestation is the JobAngels idea started by Mark Stelzner.

Another is the job search support group phenomenon where little groups are springing up all over the country, designed by the members, for the members. I've helped to start oneContinue

Posted on April 1, 2009 at 8:56am —

Terrence Seamon

Leading In the Crisis

I've been so busy that I forgot to publicize here at the EE Network that I've recently started a new series at my blog, Here We Are. Now What?, called Leading in the Crisis, where already there are several entries including:

- Steve Roesler on Engaging people during crisis

- Kelley… Continue

Posted on March 1, 2009 at 2:17pm —

Terrence Seamon

Engaging Voices

I just launched Engaging Voices, a series of guest bloggers at my blog Here We Are. Now What? First guest: our own David Zinger.

Posted on January 14, 2009 at 8:48am —

Terrence Seamon

The Engaging Manager

Legendary CEO Jack Welch is known for a number of his management concepts and practices, including the 4 E Model that talks about several key aspects of leaders:

Energy - Leaders have high energy
Energizers - Leaders know how to energize others to perform
Edge - Leaders have a competitive edge
Execute - Leaders can get stuff done

Interestingly, another E, engaging people, is not there. Maybe it's "in there" somewhere, perhaps under… Continue

Posted on December 16, 2008 at 11:58am — 7 Comments

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At 3:22am on June 28, 2009, Frode Heimen said…
Hi Terry. Thank you for the invite. I have joined the group. I will spend some time there in a few days. Got family and friends coming over, and I need to enjoy the sunny days of summer. Glad you liked my blog. Have a great day.
At 6:25am on June 9, 2009, Jay Forte said…
Looking forward to your comments on its approach.
Best,
Jay
At 7:50am on June 6, 2009, Jay Forte said…
Hi Terry,
Checking in to see if you were able to get to the book yet. Let me know!

Best,
Jay
At 3:09am on May 14, 2009, Bobby Clark said…
Hi Terry, thanks for the welcome. Hope your job search is progressing well. I checked out your blog site and it was very helpful and interesting. I write poetry as a way to relieve stress. My favorite author is Mary Oliver. Don't know if you've read her works, but "The Journey" is one of my favorites. I found your recent posts on transparency interesting also as I'm in the middle of writing a post this week on transpararency in decisions. I'll check out the podcast you reference. Take care!

Bobby
At 3:28pm on April 5, 2009, Ann Andrews CSP said…
Thanks Terry - if ANYONE on the site has downloadable business/training products, please let me know - I am building an online training company - The Corporate Toolbox (www.thecorporatetoolbox.com) and am always on the lookout for great e-books or audios or surveys or workshops ......kind regards - Ann
At 9:50am on March 31, 2009, Keith Owen said…
Terry,

A while back you left a comment for me. I apologize but I am just now responding. My excuse is that I travel a great deal and sometimes overlook taking care of important tasks. Anyway, you mentioned the possibility of sharing some of my research on the Management Tools page and I would love to do this. Anyway, that for your comments. I look forward to getting more activfe in the netowrk now that I have finished my overseas assignemnt.

Keith Owen
At 2:13pm on March 17, 2009, Jay Forte said…
Books are due this week from the publisher. Will send one out as soon as they arrive.

Jay
At 11:38am on March 17, 2009, Jay Forte said…
Great idea...will do. And will be glad to send you a copy. Send me your mailing address and I will get one out to you. You can see much of its thinking and tools on www.FireUpYourEmployees.com.

Thanks...and watch for it in about a week.

Jay
At 3:58pm on March 14, 2009, Jitka Holt said…
Hello Terry, Thank you for the welcome! There is a lot to read through: my self(ish) interest right now is to find what's available on equipping managers to engage their staff (at different organizational levels). The EEN seems to be a great knowledge-sharing info. Of course, I'd very much appreciate any specific leads on the subject.

Many thanks again, Jitak
At 2:45am on March 13, 2009, MinhNH said…
Hi Terry,
Thank you for your welcome.

Minh
 
 

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