Career Management in Turbulent Times

Having finished the final touches to my presentation for a marketing event on Monday, I decided to take a break by reading The Economist and the Newsweek. Having gone through the entire Newsweek, I had a strange sensation....something you feel when you just know that something is not right but you can't put your finger on it. The feeling intensified half way through the Economist. Having put both magazines down, the reason finally came to me......both publications have moved on from talking all gloom and doom of the current economic crisis to the usual stuff (read America, America and more America!). To be fair they did give some space to news from Iran and Russia especially how the 'tyrants' from these countries will be brought down by the economic downturn. Maybe the prospect of this happening soon has cheered the editors!

Anyway, what I really wanted to focus my thoughts on today is 'what can one do to continue proactively manage one's career' during this economic turmoil?'

Allow me to give my two cents worth; some of which I shared in a recent workshop I conducted. For each, I will take the liberty to share an example from my own (limited) experiences where ever I can:


1. Don't despair : In 1997, I woke up one day thinking that I am busted! My car payments were behind. Some freelance work I was doing came to a halt. My day job was precarious to say the least. In 1998, I became a father of twins. It was tough. Was I worried? Yes. Despair? No. Someone I knew and respected at my workplace told me that 'hey...just keep saying to your self - what's the worst thing that can happen...you will feel better'. Strangely, it turned out to be a good remedy and the reason is in point no. 2 below.
2. Find the higher purpose. My higher purpose has always been teaching, educating and guiding. I learn best by doing these and that’s exactly what I did and did more of and sometimes for very little financial return or none at all. I was happy enough to keep my depression to a manageable level.
3. Change. Sometimes, simply trying again and again and again is not the best course to take if you are doing the same thing in each try. So, I decided to venture into something entirely different. In fact, I even moved my family (then) to a new location. You don't have to go to that extent but institute some changes into your life. Read different books, watch different movies, have lunch with different people. At work, take your head out of the PC and look at what others are doing, what are their job functions, what are their tools, what are they enjoying about their jobs. You might just find your next career objective.
4. Maintain your professionalism. When I left my job at the University, the Dean of the faculty wrote such a heart-felt reference letter that I almost changed my mind about leaving. That letter opened many doors for me. Then, when I left my next job, some associates and clients asked me how much I made from selling off my shares in the company. I didn’t make any money as I was merely an employee of that company. It took my former boss to tell me that the thing he liked about me was that I take ownership of my job and the company no matter how difficult the job is. So, be professional and it will pay dividends when the economy picks up. It did for me.
5. Prepare for skirmishes at the workplace. Tough times will bring out the best in people and occasionally the worst. Don't take it to heart. But, don't allow critical issues to be swept under the carpet either. During times like these, we need to move fast and be lean and mean. So, nip problems before they blossom into full blown issues....but do it in a nice(r) way. I know I don't always do that, but I try.
6. Manage your workplace reputation. If you have been unfairly labeled in any way at the workplace, this is the time to prove your real worth. You can erase years of bad reputation by doing something extraordinarily altruistic or synergistic to your team or colleagues. This downturn may well turn out to be your second chance in your career development.
7. Revisit your career motivations. Take time to reflect on your passions and values. There will be things that you need to re-adjust. The floods (crisis) in the sub-Saharan plains is nature's way of bringing renewal(growth) to the lands. So, this downturn is an opportunity for your renewal. Whether you are still in your job or has been made redundant, you can renew your career objectives and with it a big portion of what constitutes your life.
8. Update your Resume. Not to switch job but to see where you have arrived at since the last time you got your resume updated. Are you where you wanted to be 3 years ago, 5 years ago, 10 years ago? If yes, good for you and hang on in there. If not, time to do point No.7.

Career Management is a reflective process followed by action. What better time to do the former while waiting the opportune time to do the latter. Trust me, the opportune time will come. It always does. Have faith.

Cheers everybody.

Nations & Corporations : Bonded by a Common Crisis of Trust

A couple of days ago, a senior Malaysian minister commented on national TV how cynical the Malaysian public has become about all that they hear from the ruling government controlled mouth pieces.

A few days before that, I heard a similar complaint from an executive of a giant Malaysian corporation. She is tired of having to continuously 'prove' to her underlings that she has their best interests at heart.

Both the minister and the executive are right as the concept of nationhood and the emergence of all powerful corporations are indeed facing a tremendous pressure of legitimacy. True loyalty is hard to come by these days but for good reasons too.

In my opinion although it is true that humans as a whole have gone through a quantum leap in the last 20 years in terms of technology and innovation; the one distinguishing differentiator that not many seem to pay much attention is that humans as a whole have also become much more 'educated' and 'educatable’.

Let me share some examples of this. I hope those of you who are reading this will share your examples too even if they are contrary to my arguments.

Let's take the wheat growers in India. 50 years ago, these are your traditional 3rd world farmers who live at the mercy of weather patterns and the middle men. Both not always in their favour. In fact, the western media often use the faces of these farmers to illustrate their sleek pre-program blitz when dealing with Asian issues which of course are all about strive, poverty and chaos! Today, these very same farmers are adept at using communal internet enabled personal computers to keep track of wheat price and manage their inventory. They are no longer at the mercy of the middle men. Yes, they still need them to move the produce to end users but collectively they are now able to receive a better and fair return from their lands. They have become educated and these 'poor and illiterate' farmers seem to have been 'educatable' to begin with. They had the capacity within them, to learn and to be informed. They just needed a tool.

Then there was this social experiment conducted in the slums of India (I can't recall in which state or city)where specially designed personal computer kiosks were placed at the various spots in these slums frequented by children. The amazing discovery was this : In no time, without any coaching from anybody, without any manual or how-to-do material - these kids learned how to use the machines and navigate the internet! And, they were all illiterate street children...

Corresponding to this, more and more research data points to the increasing disillusionment felt by people at large at institutions that only a few decades earlier held sway over their lives. Religious, legal and community based organizations are facing a congregation that are not so easily convinced by rhetoric. The prevalence of Malaysians who trust blogger produced 'news' compared to the traditional (and official) media is a testimony of this. In fact Obama’s campaign strategy was aimed at positioning himself and his team as separate and different from the existing status-quo and it helped him win the presidency. He appealed to the mistrust that people felt over their government and the large corporations that provide them with employment.

Now let’s get into our workplaces. Do employees buy into the company's stated reasons for certain critical but unpalatable actions. For example, this is the season for down-sizing (oh! please....don't tell me its 'right-sizing'). When you ask people to leave, its down-sizing. No two ways about that. Period. It may be a strategy though. That’s fine. However, the reasons for this strategy needs to be truthful and believable. The company is not doing well? Then make sure the company is not sponsoring a football referee’s shirt sleeves in the English Premier League. Poor financial results? Than make sure, the C-suite guys and ladies behave accordingly. Don't feign pain over the financial results but live life as if there is no tomorrow. Travel economy class and stay in 3 star establishments. Switch to remote meeting tools instead of 16 hour travels and week long stays at exotic locations. Take a pay cut and forgo the fat bonuses. AND, no more symbolic one dollar salary reductions. Make it a thousand dollars.

The following example may be hilarious but it just goes to show how informed and educated our employees can be and we better not take them for granted. This young R&D researcher once told me that his manager informed him and his colleagues during an office meeting one day that the particular natural resource that their company is reliant on will be depleted in less than 15 years and hence they need to be more creative and innovative in their R&D work. Well, the push for more creativity and innovativeness from your people is fine but you had better be more convincing as the young man who shared this example with me said that only days before the meeting, he read in a research journal which quoted the very same manager that his company is in no serious danger as there is enough evidence that there are reserves of this natural resource for another 50 years! I am sure this manager's R&D staff were absolutely energized and became more innovative and creative!!

Just as people are increasingly cynical and suspicious that the governments of the world are in existence only for the benefit of the rich, many workers are also becoming disillusioned with the behaviors of corporations that are seen as having only one purpose for being : The profit of share holders and office bearers. The Enrons, Satyams and Lehman Brothers of the world have further added fuel to this mistrust. How can employees really believe in what their corporate leaders are saying if at the back of their minds there is an ever present fear that they are being taken on a ride and that one day...without any warning... their world will come to a screeching halt. Can you imagine the devastation felt by those who believed in the values of Satyam?

Peter Cappelli's The New Deal at Work: Managing the Market Driven Workforce (Harvard Business School Press, 1999)labeled the relationship between the workforce and their employers as "...an uneasy dance". Well, I can say that today, it's no longer an uneasy dance...it has progressed into a full blown love hate relationship. The revelations of corporate frauds (Maddox-like)and down-right mis-management coupled with the emergence of new forms of news makers and carriers (fueled by the internet and its associated technology)have only exacerbated the cynism of the workforce.

Similar to the examples of wheat farmers and slum children, the workforce of today is also very much more ‘educated’ and informed. Even if they are not, their internet generation children at home will be. I wonder what are the children of those who are working at Monsanto and BAT telling their parents about the environment and health! Karl Marx may well be a satisfied man if he was to live today as he can see how powerful the ‘workers of the world’ have become with their ability to access knowledge and news from multiple channels. Today’s workers are no longer gullible herds. They are powerful forces that will soon revolutionize the may we manage corporations.

But, I do not see a silver lining yet. Governments and corporations are still behaving with blatant disregard to what is true and honorable. Is this the price we need to pay for trusting the mantra of ‘market correcting it self’ before the market finally corrects it self? Only time will tell and in the meantime we have only one tool to manage our workforce as agreed by a team of HR professionals in a recent round-table session I facilitated : Open and honest communication.

“It was just a pen” – Stories from the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company

I have on numerous occasions shared the legendary service mentality of the Ritz-Carlton exhibited by its Ladies and Gentlemen all over the globe. A couple of days ago, I came across yet another book extolling the impeccable service culture of this company. Written by Joseph A. Michelli (McGraw- Hill, 2008), The New Gold Standard is filled with stories and anecdotes from the Ritz-Carlton experience.

In one such instances Brian Gullbrants, vice president of operations shares the story of how the company decided to change the pens that they have been using. As they realized that they have been using the same type of pen for many years, they decided to have a newer one comparable to that of their competitors. However, due to un-characteristically careless decision making and a failure to pay attention to details they found the new pens to be of poor quality which were later recalled and the whole process repeated until the perfect pen was found. They realized that for the Ritz-Carlton, 'it is not just a pen'! It is about a service that should be unrivalled in ALL aspects. Then there is another story of how in one of their new hotels, the swimming pool was built in such a way that it is in the shade for much of the day ( of course we Asians would probably love that).

But then this is the legend of the Ritz-Carlton. It is such a great hotel company that we tend to learn valuable lessons not only from its success stories but also from its mistakes and recovery. After each service lapse, they seem to come back stronger. After each natural disaster, they seem to win more friends.

What makes this company such a great service provider? I believe this has something to do with its value proposition to its employees (the Ladies & Gentlemen). Somehow ingrained in its leadership genes is the importance that need to be paid to those who really make a difference in their business – the cleaners, the house-keepers and the kitchen staff. These are the Ladies and Gentlemen on whom the service quality of the Ritz-Carlton rests on.

There is something special that the leaders of a company need to do to gain such a level of service mentality as exhibited by the Ladies and Gentleman of the Ritz-Carlton. I am not sure what that is although the writer has identified a few factors. I still feel there is something more here. Maybe you could phantom what that is after reading the following story as described on pages 13-14 of the book:

Natalie Salazar was a 12 year old figure skater just one step away from Olympic qualifications when she was diagnosed with cancer. One year later she was told that she will not make it. At that tender age, her only regret was that she could not make it to the school’s prom night.

This tragic story was shared by Mrs.Lewis, Natalie’s teacher, at a church in whose attendance was Laura Gutierrez, the area director of human resources at Ritz-Carlton Dearborn. Laura shared it with her Ladies and Gentlemen and they decided to do something about it.

With a spontaneous service mentality so characteristic of the company, they hosted a prom night at the hotel attended by Natalie’s 18 class mates and skating team members. The entire do was manned by the Ladies and Gentlemen with no external contractors involved. The audiovisual technician was the DJ while the IT technician became the official photographer. They put all the decorations befitting a ball for a princess and Natalie danced the night away with an ever present smile on her face. She ate all her favorite food and had all her favorite songs played. At the end of the night she was led away to a waiting chariot to be taken home for rest as she was scheduled for some tests at the hospital the next day. Tears flowed freely and her parents choked with emotion watching their little girl having the night of her dreams.

On Thursday, September 20 2007, Natalie Salazar succumbed to the ravages of cancer. She was buried in a dress sown by the Ritz’s seamstress who also sew her ball dress.

Why would a group of ordinary wage earners go to such an extent to make a difference?
Because they are the Ladies and Gentlemen of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company!