The Ultimate Corporate Entrepreneur

Learn and Give Back - Jan 29 Responsible Risktaking™ Webinar (Early Bird Pricing ends Jan 16)

Some years back I came across a non-profit organization that aligned with my personal and professional values.

I'm thrilled to be leading a special webinar on January 29 Responsible Risktaking™: 7 Ways to Thrive in the New World of Work in support of F.L.Y.'s fundraising drive that ends January 30. 

F.L.Y. (http://www.flyprogram.org/index.html) teaches at-risk teens how to make better decisions and is located in Silicon Valley. One of their programs has a striking 85% success rate! This is all at one-tenth of the cost of taxpayer dollars for incarceration.

Matching Donations

The Sobrato Family Foundation (http://www.sobrato.org) is gnerously matching donations received by the January 30, 2010 deadline (up to $30,000) and will given an additional $30,000 if F.L.Y. is able to meet its annual goal!

About the Webinar

I've pulled out all the stops for this 90-minute webinar on January 29. I've taken the top questions/issues about personal and professional "risktaking" that were asked of me during various speaking engagements and training programs in 2009 and pulled together a meaty presentation and eworkbook for our interactive event. (You'll be able to download the recorded WebEx webinar if you're unable to attend the event live.)

Early bird pricing ends this Saturday at midnight. Learn more and register here.

I look forward to your joining us on January 29!

Are You Risking Your Team's Success in 2010?

I was asked to "shadow coach" a junior program manager in his new role. His first big challenge was assessing the skills of a team who had been together for months, but who were behind schedule in launching their product.

This new PM was now responsible for figuring out who would remain with the team and who would be replaced. My role was to walk him through the process of asking the required questions and reviewing the results with him. Ultimately his job would be to select the right team for turning this situation around and launching the product in six months. 

What made the situation more difficult for the PM was that he came from this talent pool and felt he had a handle on their strengths and weak areas. I sensed early on that some of the members were his friends outside of work.

My "informal" role was to guide him through the process of making a tough decision as fairly as he could without losing his heart in the process.

Focusing on the Right Things

Given our turnaround challenge we had two weeks to assemble the team:

• Identify the required skills and knowledge for this "new" project
• Interview and select team members who would remain with the group
• Complete a resource gap analysis of missing expertise
• Negotiate with managers for shared resource expertise

Three questions we asked each of the current team members included:

"What do you consider to be your expertise?"

"Do you feel that you're in the right role with the right responsibilities?"

"How do you feel that you contributed to the team's current situation?"

We were listening for a sense of responsibility for the team and personal accountability for their area(s) of expertise. In other words, how much "skin in the game" did they have with this team and the product? We also wanted to find out if their current role and responsibilities weren't playing to their strengths.

A sense of urgency combined with the right attitude and approach to problem solving was critical. Although not optimum, we could always create a patchwork quilt of expertise with shared resources.

Moving Forward, Holding Back

When was the last time you assessed your contributions at work, in general, and to your team, in particular? 

Are you moving your team forward or holding them back?

Can you identify your skill gaps? Would you know what steps to take to raise your performance level, adjust your relationship cache, and adapt to shifting conditions before someone asked you to do so? Do you trust team members to tell you--do they "have your back"?

But let's also reverse the situation. Is your team holding you back?

Now, would you say that your current behavior and performance is consistent with your past peak performance? Is this the "true you" or an outer skin you're wearing because of the environment you're in today?

This "Great Recession" continues to play havoc in the workplace. You might be camouflaging yourself to survive in your current environment. It's not unusual for people to shift their performance and expectations downwards in order to accommodate the lowest common denominator of fearful behavior on the team.

You might consider asking the same three questions above that this PM asked his team members. We were able to select the right team for the right reasons at the right time.

Skirting Around Risktaking: Why Giving Voice to the Word Matters

I read the HBR blog article How Do Innovators Think? with its focus on "inquisitiveness". A great attribute to have, indeed, and one that speaks to someone's curious nature. But as the authors discovered, inquisitiveness on its own doesn't always translate into action.

And without action, curiosity is just another nine-letter word that never moves anyone to innovate. 

The six-year study surveying 3,000 creative executives validated Professor Hal Gregersen's work of twenty years where he discovered that the big common denominator among global leaders was inquisitiveness. "It's the "same kind of inquisitiveness you see in small children".

Although the authors found that 15% of executives were deeply innovative (defined as someone who had invented a new product or started an innovative venture), these creative types were often careful about asking questions for fear of looking stupid or because their organizations wouldn't value it.

In fact, the authors report that by the age of 6½ students stop asking the provocative questions and in high school it comes to a full stop. By the time young adults join the workforce they have already had the "curiosity drummed out of them".  

They're fearful of taking personal risks. But risktaking isn't always about taking the big, bold leaps into the unknown. In fact, most of the time it's the every day behaviors, such as asking questions when those around you might judge you for "not getting it" or when you just know that the direction your team, organization or customer plans to take is just plain wrong, and you step up to diplomatically challenge it. 

In today's economic climate, professionals are being punished--directly and indirectly--for listening to their voices. When a company's focus is on short-term survival instead of long range innovation, adults soon realize just as they discovered in grade school that teachers value the right answers more than they value the curious nature.   

Poof! There goes inquisitiveness. Instead, we have these great pools of talent sitting around silent at a time when we need people to speak the loudest.

Innovation is the only thing that will get us moving again in the right direction. But inquisitiveness on its own won't get us there if we don't follow-up with the right actions.

But, first, let's give voice to the word that has the power to change how you think about yourself and the value of your contributions.

It's called risktaking. Now, say it out loud.

R.E.I.N.V.E.N.T. Readiness: Coming Down off the Fence

Last week I spent a nice evening with Engage Her Silicon Valley Circle members describing what goes into a personal or professional reinvention.

One of the questions I often get asked is when do you know you're ready to reinvent yourself?

Well, it depends on what track you're on when you ask the question.  

Track 1: Professionals who are learning the process for the first time. 

Track 2: Professionals who understand the reinvention process recognize the timing and dynamics associated with their Personal Inflection Curve™, and how to put together a career reinvention strategy and execution plan for a smooth transition. (They know when it's time for their next reinvention.)

The biggest challenge for individuals on the fence about reinventing themselves is to not get in the way of their own success. Yes, self-sabotage. So, let's start with the reasons people use to convince themselves that reinvention is not for them.

Why I Shouldn't Reinvent Myself 

I could be labeled by potential employers as not good at anything.

• Reinventing yourself is not about scattering your talents. The process actually helps you to focus on what you're good at and what you truly care about. Learning how to bridge the past, present and future to create a seamless transition plan is part of your reinvention.
  

I'll be throwing away everything I've learned.

• You include Portable Assets and Transferable skills when re-branding yourself. So, you decide what you want to bring along with you for your next reinvention. There's no tossing out anything unless you decide the experience is not something you want to include this time around (you can always incorporate past experience in future reinventions).

I like my employer and I don't want to leave.

• Reinventing yourself is not about leaving your employer of choice. It could be that you want to position yourself for a new role or new responsibilities within the company. It's not always about leaving. Quite often it's about learning how to do something better or different in your career. 

In a down economy it's a risky thing to do.

• Actually, it becomes risky to not change or challenge yourself in any economy. But, particularly, in a down economy you need to be looking for new ways to differentiate yourself. Reinventing your career is about leveraging your existing talents, strengthening new areas, and identifying gaps that need closing (now or later) in order to keep yourself competitive in the workplace. This isn't risky business, it's a smart move.  

People may not like me any more.

• When we change and 'shed old or outworn skins', there's always the risk that you'll outgrow people, your current role or position, and even your employer. It happens. Why not bring someone you care about along for the ride? Changing in parallel (even if you change in very different ways) is another perspective for you to consider.
  

I'm not good at anything else.

• People typically surprise themselves when they discover that they're actually better at a number of things they enjoy. The glass isn't empty, it's suddenly overflowing.

I'm not confident enough.

• Believe it or not, taking a risk on your own career development and personal success increases your confidence!
  

[ONE MORE SINCE THIS MORNING'S POST]

I'm too old to reinvent myself.

• Growth, change and new beginnings are a way of life. Embracing change begins with acceptance that nothing stays the same. Reinventing yourself is learning how to navigate change for different stages of your life--it's key to lifelong success on your terms.

(My thanks to Engage Her participants for contributing to my original list.)

What Reinventing You (Really) Takes

This is what I'm looking for when I assess someone's readiness to reinvent themselves.

• Focused, mentally prepared
• Prepared to put some "skin in the game"
• Ability to trust

Responsible Risktaking as Moral Compass

A cafe conversation with former Fortune 100 employees turned to the recent publicized investigations of a number of Silicon Valley companies.

From the questionable recruiting practices of Yahoo, Google, Intel, Microsoft, Apple, and Genentech to corporate bribes by Sun Microsystems and Intel's EU anti-trust charges, a number of the valley's top companies appear to have lost their way.

Our discussion turned to whether the global recession had shifted the moral compass needle with fearful employees more willing to cross the lines in order to keep their jobs.

I argued that these behaviors were likely entrenched long before the economy took a dive, but that the tanking global economy might have exacerbated an already bleak situation.

I was out voted and accused of naivete. Personal responsibility was not even on the table for discussion!

Granted these are ex-employees whose loyalty to their former employers went out the door when they were shown the door, but I was still taken aback by their perspective.

Now, I’m all for breaking the rules when it makes sense to do so—in fact I built an entire business around risktaking and innovation.

Realizing that companies don’t lose their way without employees losing theirs, I created a business model of Responsible Risktaking™ that takes into account the upstream and downstream risks and opportunities associated with decision points made by individuals.

It’s been over a decade since I worked for Intel as a Supply Chain Strategic Ops manager. As part of my role I accepted responsibility for not putting the company at risk and clearly understood the boundaries and consequences for not doing my job.

This included staying within the limits of the company’s $25 gift limit policy.

I was frequently invited by suppliers to golfing weekends in Palm Springs, offered boxed seats to sports events, tickets to conferences, etc. Turning them down even became a joke when one of our suppliers gave me as a Christmas gift a mug with individually stamped colored pencils totaling $24.95 (I accepted it with great humor).

Knowing that I was clearly in alignment with my chain of command and purchasing rep made it easier to be personally responsible. But even if they hadn’t been, I could still choose how I would behave.

There are deeper organizational shifts when leaders lose their way and compromise their company’s cultural values, something that an uptick in the economy won’t solve.

This is why Intel’s woes are on a more personal level for me. I saw the early unraveling of the company’s strong moral compass over a decade ago, when certain groups and their leaders felt entitled to break the ethics and policy rules without consequences.

It obviously sent a clear message that it was okay to muddy the waters. 

7 Career Reinvention Actions You Must Take Now

This entrenched economic malaise is forcing everyone to change. If you’re like most busy professionals, you prioritize what needs tackling based on the amount of pain you’ll experience if something doesn’t get done.

Whether you’re one of the multitudes who’ve lost your job during this downward spiral of companies embracing the color pink or still pulling in a regular paycheck, you must take steps now to reinvent yourself if you want to do so on your terms. 

[Participants attending the May 12 panel Innovation and Career Tech Reinvention that I’m moderating for the Women Who Tech TeleSummit are in for a real treat. My panelists Sheryl Chamberlain of EMC, Nance Wheeler of Intel Corporation, Christine Adzich of Big Picture Productions, and Megan Fitzgerald of Career By Choice will share their practical tips and career strategies gleaned from decades of experience.]

Reinventing isn’t about tossing everything out. It’s a methodology that provides you with stepping stones for differentiating yourself in the marketplace and work arena. Innovation always begins with you.

Begin the process by reframing your professional reinvention as a way to have some fun instead of working on your career strategy, which sounds too much like work. Here are 7 actions to get you started on your next reinvention.

Action #1

Be honest with yourself.

Where are you at the moment? Are you employed, but hating your job and looking for a new challenge? Maybe you're positioning yourself for a new job or promotion within the company. You may be one of the thousands of “forced entrepreneurs” looking to start your own business.

It’s important that you honestly assess your situation not from a defensive position but an offensive one.

A frequent blind spot that I see with my clients is the maturing of their emotions. How well do you really manage your emotions in different situations? (This is an area that I continue to evolve for myself as well!)

Ask others you trust to give you an honest assessment of your EQ. You might consider taking one of the online EQ or EI assessments to establish a baseline for yourself. Remember, that EQ is something that you can learn, develop, and evolve.