“CHAPTER XXII — CONCERNING THE SECRETARIES OF PRINCES

The choice of servants is of no little importance to a prince, and they are good or not according to the discrimination of the prince. And the first opinion which one forms of a prince, and of his understanding, is by observing the men he has around him; and when they are capable and faithful he may always be considered wise, because he has known how to recognize the capable and to keep them faithful. But when they are otherwise one cannot form a good opinion of him, for the prime error which he made was in choosing them.” – Niccolo Machiavelli

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Even as far back as the Renaissance — and probably before — people have known that good people attract other good people while evil, avaricious, greedy, mean people attract those with the same failures and vices. You can be, and will be, judged by the company you keep, but few people seem to understand or remember this very useful part of human nature. Worse still, even when people understand that the company they keep is damaging their career and life, they remain in their company simply because leaving it — quitting a job, finding another, moving schools or homes — is simply too much trouble. This column is a reminder that the damage you do to your career by associating with the wrong people is far worse than the inconvenience you will face in trying to change it.

When my wife and I hold our annual parties, one comment we hear again and again, is about the friendliness of the people we attract to us. No matter how old or young, what they do for a living, how rich or poor they are, our friends all have a certain quality that makes it fun to be around them and share their lives and engage in conversation about the world and our place in it. Over our 26+ years together, my wife and I have often commented on how lucky we are to have found such a wide variety of amazing friends. Then again, perhaps it isn’t just an accident that this happens.

We, like I would advise you, are very careful to bring a particular type of person into our lives and into the life of our son. Like us, they should be marginally optimistic. They should love a good conversation, regardless of what the topic might be or where it might go. They should be as comfortable grabbing a quick bite at Henry’s Tacos as they are attending a concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown LA. They should have hobbies and interests that they like sharing with others like our friends who belong to the local geology club, are docents at the LA Zoo, share the archery field with us or those who get a kick out of camping at the beach.

Why do we look for people like this? Because they are the people we are ourselves — or least, strive to be. We look at our friends and hope that others see us in the same light. Our friends are a reflection of ourselves and over the years this has proven to be a very good thing. We have developed many deep and long standing relationships based on our underlying — even unspoken — methods.

Now, take a look at your friends, your co-workers, your business partners. These people are a reflection of you, your dreams, your values. Do you see in them what you would most like to see in yourself? If not, why not? If you are surrounded by those who skirt the law, take advantage of others only to better themselves, or abuse those around them, why are you there? Surely you must know that when seen from outside, these people reflect directly on you. You become one of them, whether you like it or not.

Surround yourself with those people you respect and you will find the respect of others. Find those people that are successful without being evil and you will find the same path for yourself. Seek out those people who reflect the “better angels of your nature” and you will find long term abiding friendships that accurately reflect who you are and what you want out of life.

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Douglas E. Welch offers his career “prescriptions” – actions that every careerist should be doing to “build the career you deserve.” These prescriptions include blogging to share “what you do and how well you do it”, selectively using Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media sites and maybe even producing your own “show.”

Recorded at Tuesdays with Transitioners in Northridge, California. (http://tuesdayswithtransitioners.ning.com)

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Funerals have a way of sharpening your perspective on everything. The father of friend died unexpectedly this week. He had also become our friend over the years, helping us with legal and corporate issues in our small company. I also worked for him, providing computer assistance. As I talked with his wife after the services, she related how I would need to stop by soon to help her sort out all the information that was stored in their computers and help her put things in order. What’s even more striking is, this is not the first time I have had this discussion with someone.

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Cultivating Your Career Opportunities by Douglas E. Welch

11,000 Words

While we often talk about having one, monolithic, Reputation – with a capital R — I believe that there are a series of reputations that combine to create the whole. It is often said you can’t “do” projects, you can only do the individual tasks that make up the project. The same can be said for reputation. You don’t build your reputation as a whole, you cultivate the smaller reputations that create it. Each individual action builds your reputation in unique ways and each requires some thought as to how they relate to the whole. Cultivating Your Career Reputations examines each of these reputations in detail and helps you find specific areas where you can improve your work, your actions and your thoughts so that your overall professional reputation can grow

Buy Now

Working in high-tech often means working very closely with people and developing relationships that go far beyond the usual situation of employer and employee. Over the course of your career, many people will become family. You need to be prepared for the eventualities of life, in both your own life and the lives of those around you.

As we grow older, we all prepare for the day when we die. We create our wills, buy insurance, and create Trusts, all in an effort to make it easier for our family and friends when we pass. In addition to all the usual arrangements, though, all of us need to consider the new, computerized world in which we live. In the past, our children may have sorted through paper documentation, but now, more and more, of our lives are bound up in our computers, our email and many other personal and business-related documents.

Computer issues might seem a shallow thought compared to the other issues surrounding a funeral, but in today’s world, it is very important. In the last 2 years, I have faced this issue with several clients and, as I work with many older people in my consulting work, I am sure to face it more as the years pass. To that end, I am developing plans for all of my clients that can help make computer issues less of a concern when the time comes.

First, every member of the family should have some concept of where family data is stored, passwords needed for access and backups in the event that anything happens to the family home. Too often, I find myself digging for passwords or even attempting to crack passwords in an effort to access data. Data could be scattered among several directories or even several computers. None of us likes to think about death, but I try to keep, in the back of mind, the old adage, “I could get hit by a bus tomorrow.” We never know what is coming and the only way to insure that our families can continue with as little trouble as possible is to prepare today.

Next, insure that backups of data, even if they are relatively old, are placed in several locations. Family members should share backups with other family members and friends. You may never need this information, but if you do, it will be extremely important to access it easily.

Clean out your paper files and label everything religiously. It should be obvious where to find a variety of information no matter who might be searching. If your son or daughter can’t find the deeds to property, life insurance policies and more, get to work today. They won’t need further difficulties at an already difficult time.

Have I prepared enough myself? Probably not, but each passing funeral brings more urgency to the task. My own wife jokes of how she will have to call in a close friend to sort out my hard drive when I am gone. In making my own preparations, though, I can learn to develop systems and advice for my clients.

As I see others struggle through their times of loss, and how our computerized lives can make it more difficult, I am re-dedicating myself to removing as many obstacles as I can, both for my clients and myself. I hope you will use these guidelines as a start for your own preparations. No matter what your age, you need to consider how your high-tech work impacts those around you at one of the most stressful times in their lives.

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Telling the truth, especially in situations that require it, is important to every career. The truth can be hard. It can be dangerous to your job. It can also raise you above others who have decided to ignore the problems that are right before them. Sure, we all tell little white lies to smooth our interactions with others, but in the end, the truth is usually the most powerful tool we own.

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The scary part is that we humans have a great ability for ignoring the truth even when faced with it. Worse still is our ability to lie to ourselves. Most of us are great at ignoring the truth in our lives, our relationships and our work. We can go through great gyrations to ignore that one, large, inconvenient truth and when we do so we damage everything around us. This is why it is so important to learn to tell ourselves the little truths we face every day. In our hearts and minds we often see things exactly as they are. When that happens we need to acknowledge those truths, not ignore them.

What sort of little truths do we face in our career each day? Sometimes we can know in our hearts that we are not that good at our job. Maybe we lack skills. Maybe we lack training. Maybe we lack the right environment. Some people will lie to themselves and think they are doing a great job, even though evidence to the contrary is right in front of them.

It is far better for you to acknowledge your limitations and then work to remove them rather than trying to hide them from yourself and others. This doesn’t mean you have to go around the office explaining to your manager and co-workers just how lame you are at your job. You only need to tell yourself this little truth — acknowledge it fully — and then figure out some way to improve your work. This is where the power of little truths can be deeply felt and used.

Perhaps you know that one of your teammates, your manager, your CEO, simply isn’t up to the job they have been given. Maybe some form of substance abuse is involved. Maybe they are involved in illegal business practices. You can lie to yourself — and them — and explain it all away. It isn’t embezzlement. It’s just creative accounting. No one will find out those parts are sub-standard. What does it matter? Maybe Bob is just having some health problems. He can’t possibly be doing drugs in the bathroom.

Lies like these are convenient to you. They let you get through the day with less worry and anxiety. They can also lead to your greatest and easiest downfall. Each of them could bring your job, your company and your career to an end with a short, sharp, shock. While these truths are often the hardest to face, they are also the most important. If someone is embezzling, you want to make it very clear that you had nothing to do with it and, more importantly, brought it to the attention of someone in charge. This is the clearest way of protecting yourself from prosecution, even if it does mean the end of your job.

If someone is abusing drugs, and you do nothing, you are enabling their abuse. You may even be enabling their death if the situation is serious enough. You can try small interventions first, but in the most dangerous cases you may have to face the issue head on. It could be that your co-worker is endangering your life and the lives of your co-workers. To stand by and do nothing is facilitating your own injury and perhaps death. In a situation like this, you should see how important the little truths can be. If ignored long enough, by enough people, these truths can turn into dramatic situations.

What are some truths that you need to tell yourself right now? What have you been ignoring in hopes that it might just go away? Who is in danger because of your willful ignorance? Yourself? Those around you? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to ignore these little truths and let them get worse until a crisis occurs or are you going to face them — in large ways and small — and seek a solution that benefits everyone. I hope you can see the paths that the truth puts before you. It should shine clear and bright if you only make the effort and have the courage to see it.

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 Douglas E. Welch (http://douglasewelch.com), wirter and producer of Career Opportunities Column and Podcast, presents to Tuesdays with Transitioners, a career group in Northridge, California (http://tuesdayswith transitioners,ning.com)

Can’t see the video above? Watch “Production, Promotion and Proactivity in Your Career” on YouTube

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In this Career Tip – Douglas asks employers and job candidates to “partner” and  work towards making hiring a win-win for everyone involved.

Can’t see the video above, watch “Career Tip – Stop adversarial hiring practices” on my YouTube channel.

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Showing people “what you do and how well you do it” is an important part of every career. You need to be visible so that people can seek you out for opportunities instead of always feeling you have to go begging for a job.

Visibility and Your Career was presented at LaidOffCampLA on May 1, 2009.

If you do not see the video above, please watch “Visibility and Your Career from LaidOffCampLA” on YouTube.

Given my focus on computer consulting and writing, it always seems to amaze people when I tell them that my college degree is actually unrelated to either of these areas. I graduated from Bowling Green State University with a degree in — theater! That’s right, I did every possible job in the theater during my time in college. I was an actor, a dancer, a singer, lighting operator, stage manager and more. I think I spent more time in the theater than I spent in the classroom during my college years and even though I do not work in professional theatre now, I think that that time has had a direct and significant impact on my life and career ever since.

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Now available from Douglas E. Welch and Amazon.com

Cultivating Your Career Opportunities by Douglas E. Welch

11,000 Words

While we often talk about having one, monolithic, Reputation – with a capital R — I believe that there are a series of reputations that combine to create the whole. It is often said you can’t “do” projects, you can only do the individual tasks that make up the project. The same can be said for reputation. You don’t build your reputation as a whole, you cultivate the smaller reputations that create it. Each individual action builds your reputation in unique ways and each requires some thought as to how they relate to the whole. Cultivating Your Career Reputations examines each of these reputations in detail and helps you find specific areas where you can improve your work, your actions and your thoughts so that your overall professional reputation can grow

Buy Now

So much of your career — especially at the beginning — is about how you present yourself to others. If you present a confident, intelligent air, people will think of you as confident and intelligent. If, on the other hand, you enter the office for an interview staring at your shoes and mumbling, you set the wrong expectations from the start. No matter what you may be feeling — fear, anxiety, lack of confidence — you can and should “act” like you are fearless, calm and full of confidence.

Acting taught me how important it is to stand up straight and speak clearly so that the person in the last row can hear you. It taught me how to look someone in the eye and actually listen to them, as if I was hearing the lines for the very first time. Stage management taught me the importance of organization, working with others and managing them. I never realized how important this would be to my career outside of the theater.

Acting the part

Presenting yourself well isn’t about any sense of arrogance or excessive ego or pretense. Rather it is about presenting the best image of yourself possible. You shouldn’t necessarily believe that you are the perfect candidate for a job, but you can act like you think the perfect candidate would act. You can present your credentials and experience in the best light possible, even if you are just getting started in your career. You can give yourself every advantage in the interview process.

Later in your career, you will also see when acting the part can make a significant difference. There are days when the thought of training another person or troubleshooting another computer wears me down. Still, when I meet the client, I know that I need to “act” like the confident and friendly computer consultant that I am. What’s odd is that after a while, I find that I am no longer acting the part, but I have moved my thinking and my actions into a better place. Before I know it, I am no longer acting, I am simply working at my best.

There are many other areas when “acting the part” is especially important. Through the years in your career you will be asked to present on some idea, topic or project, though many people greatly fear public speaking. You see them every day literally shaking as they try to announce some new project or initiative at their company.

If you act the part it becomes much easier, and much more engaging, when you speak in public. I think this is one of the biggest advantages my theater experience has given me. I can stand up in front of people and talk on any number of topics off the top of my head without suffering the fear and anxiety that most people experience. This single ability has greatly helped me to stay employed, develop organizations and lead people for over 25 years. To be able to speak clearly in a situation where others would be fearful is greatly respected by others. It gives you an immediate advantage. You are seen as someone who has conquered a fear that most people have themselves and that raises the esteem of others. They can see that they would be scared in such a situation, so when you are not scared, they respect you all the more for that.

So, should all of you head over to the local acting school? Well, I certainly don’t think it would hurt, if my career is any indication. We can all use a bit of help in learning how to present ourselves better and communicate our ideas more clearly. Another option would be to find your local Toastmasters chapter. They approach public speaking a bit differently, but the results are much the same — presenting yourself well in public.

Communication is one of the most important aspects of any career and any skills that help you communicate more clearly would certainly be an advantage. “Acting the part” could be one way to raise yourself above the average careerist and give you one more important advantage in building the career that you deserve.

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I have been listening to the Killer Innovations podcast since the beginning. Phil McKinney, former VP of Technology for Hewlett-Packard, is an expert on innovation and his podcasts always illuminate the thorniest innovation problems.

After listening to this episode — Fighting The Corporate Anitbodies — I had to pass it on to you. This podcast comes from McKinney’s  new book, Beyond the Obvious, which includes many of the ideas he has discussed in his podcast over the years.

When we are trying to innovate, there are many different types of corporate “antibodies” that use their tried and true methods to prevent that innovation from happening. McKinney gives us some methods for counteracting these antibodies and, hopefully, move our innovations forward.

I hope you enjoy this podcast. Please share your comments and questions in the comments area. I think this is a great topic of conversation for career builders of all types.

Fighting the Corporate Antibodies by Phil McKinney

The antagonist of the innovator is the corporate antibody.

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Much like antibodies in our immune system attack and destroy foreign objects that might harm the body, “antibodies” in your organization identify and neutralize forces that threaten to destabilize a company. And in much the same way as antibodies can damage the very thing they seek to protect — for instance when they cause the body to reject a transplanted organ — corporate antibodies can stunt a company’s growth (and not address the innovators dilemma) when the shut down the fresh ideas and unconventional thinkers it so badly needs.

Some of the types of corporate antibodies are:

• The Ego Antibody

• The Fatigued Antibody

• The No-Risk Antibody

• The Comfort Antibody

Antibodies are the roadblock to innovation.

So how do you fight the corporate antibodies? Listen to the podcast …

Note: This podcast presents the highlights from Chapter 3 from the book, Beyond The Obvious.

“That’s not the way we do things here. That will never work in our industry. It wasn’t invented here so it can’t be any good. Things will never change around here.”

How often do you hear phrases like this around your own workplace? If it is like most companies, you probably hear it quite often. Maybe it isn’t laid out so clearly or obviously, but it can be seen the in the action (and inaction) of management and therefore in employees. In the worst cases, it is something that is felt rather than spoken aloud. It is an undercurrent which no one can seem to escape. Instead of changing with the times — or economic necessity — companies plod along as they always have until the time when they —  seemingly suddenly — go out of business. Often afterwards people will stand around and wonder , “What went wrong?” “How could this have happened to us?”

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Join us for…

April 20, 2012 9a-Noon

LA Southwest College

CareerCampLA.Wordpress.com

The answer, of course, is quite simple. Like many companies, they kept returning to the same well for ideas even though they knew that that well was running dry. They couldn’t conceive of a time when they would be out of great ideas, so they felt that the collapse happened suddenly when, in reality, it had been in process for years. If they had been paying attention and not wallowing in denial, they would have understood the importance of looking outside their own industry, their own experiences, their own store of knowledge for great ideas.

Often when I am talking with owners of small companies or employees of large corporations, I am met with the inability for them to see outside their own business or industry. They immerse themselves in white papers, reports and surveys detailing how everyone in their industry is performing and the methods they are using. While there is certainly something to be gained from knowing the “state of the industry” it can also be stifling if that is the only information you consider. As we have seen in the past several decades, it isn’t just individual companies that can go down the wrong business path, but entire industries. In these cases, looking at and following industry standards could be the worst thing you could continue to do. You are no longer thinking for yourself, you are simply following other companies down the road to ruin.

I have seen this demonstrated in conference and conventions I have attended over the years. When the conference is narrowly focused, “groupthink” seems to set in, with people simply agreeing with those around them or thinking the same old thoughts. For me, wide-ranging conferences like TED (and even more so, unconferences like BarCamp) always leave me overflowing with new ideas and thoughts, due to the energy that occurs when unlike ideas bump up against each other.

This scenario is why it is so important to look beyond your own industry, your own market, your own area of expertise for great ideas. You never know where the next great idea is coming from, so you must always keep your attention tuned for anything you might apply in unique ways in your own business. Maybe a new theory in process management has changed the textile industry. You might not be able to apply that theory in exactly the same way, but I can almost guarantee that you can find something within the new theory that applies directly to your own business. Has the banking industry figured out a new way to fund capital expenditures? Maybe you could use some version of that, too. Has a regional theater developed a new experience for their audience that is boosting attendance and revenue? How can you adapt that to dazzle your own customers.

Too often, I hear businesses and organizations talking about sharing information among their own, narrow, industry. They create a consortium or conference dedicated to their very specific market. In my eyes, this is exactly the wrong direction. For me, great new ideas spring up when unlike entities rub against one another. It is when you have the artist talking to the programmer talking to the banker, talking to the business owner talking to the teenager that sparks begin to fly. Out of such interactions come the great new ideas we all need today. I know that when I am talking with someone with a different life experience, a different life focus, a different expertise, it often generates many new thoughts and ideas in my own mind.

This process can seem quite random at times, — and it often is — but that is exactly what makes it so powerful. These random interactions cause new ideas to rub up against each other and spin off entirely new thoughts you would never have developed on your own. There is only so much you can do as you sit alone in your office. You can only dream up so many ideas. You need new input — new experiences, new thoughts, new technologies, new people — to give more fuel to your creative fire. In fact, your mind often gives you clear notice when it needs more input. You can feel stagnated, tired, burn out. You have used up all your internal creativity and need to go find some new input, some new fuel to get it burning again. Go to an art gallery. Listen to music. Go to a local technology meetup on a topic entirely outside your area of expertise. Get together with friends who work outside your industry. Do whatever it takes to spark new thoughts and actions.

You should see the concept of “Not invented here” as a clear sign of something you need to investigate. Instead of dismissing the idea as something unusable and unimportant, dig in and see what it might have to offer you. In today’s world, “Not invented here”, might just mean something even better.

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