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Number 201

Do you have professional and other goals in mind for the year? For the future? So what's your plan?

It can be motivating to have a broad, enticing vision, but it can also be daunting. Sometimes people put off their biggest objectives and most exciting projects because they don't even know where to begin.

To get started and keep moving toward your goals, think about ways to establish specific benchmarks and measure your progress. For example, if you propose to write a book, you might commit to writing a certain number of words each week or month.

Maybe you are one of those folks who have heard about the power of measurable goals more times than you can count. But you're still not convinced. Maybe metrics strike you as time-consuming or boring, or you think some values can't be quantified? Before you give up on the idea of making your goals measurable, consider these points:

• Measuring creates awareness. If you regularly measure something, you tend to keep it in mind. So if you're trying to develop a habit, coming up with and applying a metric will help you to keep on the path. For example, research says that if you decide to eat less in order to lose pounds, you are more likely to stick to your diet if you regularly weigh yourself and chart your weight. And it's the same for organizations. Studies suggest that, in businesses, government units and non-profits, attention tends to focus on the things that get evaluated.
• Quantity can lead to quality. When you count positive steps, you are likely to take more of them. And the more you practice an activity, the better you get at it. One of the first in a series of books focused on the power of practice is Geoff Colvin's "Talent Is Overrated." Colvin examined research about "what really separates world-class performers from everybody else." He concluded that great performers -- whether in music, sports or business -- are the ones who practice intensely. Quantity doesn't always lead to quality, but often the more times you do something, the more you learn. And when learning is involved, quantity leads to quality.
• Measurement can foster self-control. "If you can measure it, you can manage it." That quote is often attributed to management guru Peter Drucker, but his take on measurement in the workplace was actually more nuanced. He saw a danger that measurement "could be used to control people from the outside and above -- that is, to dominate them." He suggested that the better use of measurement is to "make self-control possible." He thought metrics should be used by every manager "to appraise his own skill and performance and to work systematically on improving himself."
• Measurement can replace micro-management. As a coach, I've encountered many situations where managers want to delegate but can't seem to do it. Sometimes they hover annoyingly over a project because they want a better sense of how it's going. But when the manager and the project leader are able to come up with the right metrics, suddenly the problem disappears. A good measurement and reporting system can create transparency. Then it becomes easier both to solve problems and to recognize progress. And, when you begin to demonstrate your achievements, it's easier for your manager to let go.

At times we are slow to create a measurement system because we don't know what to measure. It is not always easy to quantify the impact or value of your work, but the process of selecting metrics can contribute to your ultimate success. Choosing your approach to keeping track requires you to ask important questions. The first step may be to break a large goal into pieces. Then you'll want to consider which factors actually matter.

Suppose your New Year's Resolution is to get to the office earlier. You start to build a picture by recording your daily arrival times. And then you begin to wonder: why is it harder to be prompt on some days than on others? So you expand your log to record your bedtime, your hours of sleep and whether you lay out your next day's clothes before going to bed. You notice the patterns and eventually you change your evening routine. You start getting out of the house sooner, and your commitment to arrive at work earlier is reinforced by that ping of pride each morning when you record the time you hit your desk.

It can be useful to experiment a bit as you choose data to show how you're doing. As you explore options, consider these three approaches to measuring progress toward your goals.

• Measure progress toward actually completing the mission. Some goals can be framed in numerical terms, which makes progress easy to chart directly. Suppose, for example, that you want to raise your profile by energizing your blog. It's a simple matter to set numerical targets, like the number of posts you intend to publish this year.
• Count important activities. Often major factors impacting completion of your mission are beyond your control. So observe the things you can control. Determine which activities are most likely to contribute to your success, and start measuring them. For example, perhaps you are trying to attract new donors for your foundation, but economic trends may limit your success. Get moving by identifying the most important fundraising steps toward your goal, like calling supporters and hosting events. A direct measurement approach would count outputs from your work process, like the number of dollars raised per month. But the measures that kick you into gear might be those that track your inputs to the process -- your actions -- like the number of people you call and the time you spend talking with prospects.
• Create capacity. Complex goals may require a staged approach to measurement. Often you can't start racking up actual results until you put the tools, systems and resources in place. If your goal requires something big, like creating a task force, map out key milestones, like recruiting the team. Your first stage of evaluation will be to monitor completion of the capacity build-out.

  Want to be more strategic as you set your goals? From the archives, here's an ezine on thinking strategically as you set your goals.

A longtime client I’ll call “Betty” asked me to give a talk about how to survive in an organization that’s going through a multi-year transition.

I was pleased to speak at the company where Betty is a manager. But when she told me the topic, I was surprised. That’s because I can’t think of anybody more adept than Betty at navigating a rewarding career through an industry experiencing prolonged restructuring. She has survived multiple mergers, division liquidations and realignments. And she’s been adept at jumping ship and making a great landing at the perfect time.

Then I realized that Betty was concerned about her colleagues. She saw some of them worrying and whining, instead of coming up with her kind of survival strategies. So without mentioning Betty’s name, I used her as a model as I developed a list of tips for surviving in the midst of transition.

If you work in an organization going through widespread change, try these tips for steering a steady career course even when it gets stormy:

• Know it’s not about you. Institutional change is like stormy weather. It’s pouring everywhere, not just on you. Complaining won’t help and bitterness can make your situation worse. It’s vital to survival that you look at the big picture and let go of any anger at finding yourself in a game you didn’t sign up for.
• Understand your industry and its environment. One reason Betty keeps landing on her feet is that she puts in the time to understand her company’s business. She knows a lot about its competitors, she’s alert to the needs and interests of its customers, and she’s well informed about broader regulatory and economic developments. By thinking like a CEO, she can spot the trends and be ready when the next wave hits.
• Know your bosses’ goals. Your longtime supervisor may fondly recall your contributions from a few years back, but that may not be enough to save you when the going gets tough. Your most valued colleagues are the ones solving today’s problems and contributing to the achievement of tomorrow’s goals. If you want to do well this year, be sure you understand your bosses’ big objectives. Ask yourself: what do they need in order to be successful? And are there more ways I can help them succeed?
• Network! Network! Network! One reason Betty does so well is because she is so widely connected. Whether you are looking for a new job or a new idea, your position will be stronger if you have a wide circle of professional acquaintances. Join groups, volunteer for projects and find other ways to get to know people throughout your organization and beyond it.
• Find stability in other places. Some folks are less at ease with uncertainty than others. If the constant state of change at work is getting you down, find people and communities to rely upon in other aspects of your life. Although she can be a bit of a workaholic, Betty is smart about building a balanced life. She is active in her church, she works hard to stay connected with many friends, and she finds the time to visit family members scattered across the country. Betty has created structures in her life that give her a place to rest when everything at work seems crazy.
• Be in great shape. Let’s face it: change can be exhausting. When the world seems to be shifting it takes extra energy just to get through the basics. So, while working around the clock might be the answer in an emergency, it’s a shortsighted strategy when transition is the new normal. You need sustained energy for the long haul. Betty is not an athlete, but she has learned that a regular fitness routine and enough sleep are critical to strong performance during difficult times.
• Reduce financial pressures. One thing that has helped Betty keep her jobs is that she has never become desperate at the thought of losing one. Betty dreamed of buying a larger home, but instead she kept the small one and invested her savings in rental properties. When times are uncertain, do what it takes to build up your rainy day fund or alternative income sources.

Number 199

Most savvy careerists understand the importance of getting off to a great start in a new job. But many don’t take full advantage of that other opportunity in a transition: the chance to tie up loose ends in the old job and turn your experience into a substantial building block for the future.

A young lawyer I’ll call “Bill” was let go from a law firm after the leaders of his energy practice group left the partnership, taking their clients with them. Bill started his week as an associate with a bright future but by Friday he was ushered out of the office with a small severance payment and a cardboard carton of personal items.

Bill was stunned, and then angry. But, on the advice of a mentor, he controlled his emotion and quickly launched a plan that paid off later. Bill saw that the firm’s lawyers were furious with the departing energy group, and associated him with the traitors, even though he wasn’t invited to join their new enterprise. And he recognized he’d been unwise during his time at the firm in not making an effort to get to know colleagues outside the busy energy practice. Most worrisome, he feared that lawyers who weren’t his friends would talk about him as not competent enough to either stay in the firm or be invited to join the departing unit.

Bill launched a process that not only led to a new job but also changed the way his former colleagues regarded him. In the days after his departure, he methodically contacted the law firm leaders and staff and found ways to thank each of them for something. Even though it often felt like a reach, he wrote notes expressing appreciation for the collegial atmosphere, the training in managing client accounts – for any kindness or strength he could describe without feeling positively silly. And as a few years went by he stayed in touch, even referring a little business to his old firm.

What Bill did was reframe his law firm experience in the minds of his colleagues. Most of them probably didn’t remember him vividly, but they did think of him positively. And when they eventually brought in a new wave of energy work they remembered Bill and recruited him to rejoin the firm, this time as a partner.

Whether you’re sad to go, or can’t wait to get out the door, it’s normal in a career transition to focus more on the future than on the past. But if you’re smart you’ll do what it takes to create a classy departure. In today’s fluid job market it’s inevitable that you’ll bump into some of these people again. And, when that happens, what they may remember is your last few days on the job. Here are five tips for leaving your job like a polished professional:

• Give proper notice. Once you’ve decided to accept another opportunity, tell your boss immediately, before word gets around. Your boss won’t like being surprised by your departure, but it’ll be much worse if word drifts in through the grapevine. Give as much notice as possible – two weeks or a month are common, but more could be better. And follow up your conversation with a brief resignation letter that clearly states your last day.
• Resist the urge to speak up. You may have fantasized about how great it would feel to tell the team what you really think. But don’t do it. Your goal now is to end things on a good note, not point out the error of their ways. Even formal exit interviews should be approached with caution, because you can’t really count on confidentiality.
• Finish your work and leave a trail. Your last days on the job are a great time to show that you have what it takes. If you can’t complete your projects, leave them in good shape, so the next person will know where to get started. Leave notes about your tasks, contacts and responsibilities, to help your co-workers or replacement keep things moving.
• Say “thanks.” Think about every person, at every level, who has been helpful to you in some way. Don’t over-dramatize. But write notes, stop by your colleagues’ desks, or find other appropriate ways to thank them for what they have done or what they have meant to you. The more specific you make your “thank you’s,” the more effective and appreciated they will be.
• Make plans to stay in touch. Make sure everybody has your new contact information and confirm that you have theirs. If you haven’t connected with them on LinkedIn, do it now. You are likely to see many of these people again, but don’t leave it all to chance. Think about the people you most want in your future, and promise yourself that you will find ways to make it happen.

Number 198

The trick to redefining your career is to create a disciplined change process and stick with it. I’ve read a lot of research about how change happens, but when I work with coaching clients I often suggest a simple process that I’ve been exploring since I was a teenager.

As a child, I followed my New Zealander parents’ example and drank lots of tea. I liked it loaded with milk and sugar. But as a young teen I started worrying about the calories. I didn’t want to give up my habit of drinking cups of tea every day after school, but kicking my sugar habit seemed too tough.

Then one day I was inspired to reduce the sugar volume so gradually that I’d never miss it. As I sat at the kitchen table, staring at the heaping pile of sugar on my spoon, I decided to start by removing just a few granules. In the following days, I estimated earlier volumes and tried to remove a few more grains. I kept at it, progressively lessening the amount of sugar from two or three spoonful’s to none. It took nearly a year, but I learned to enjoy sugarless tea without ever feeling deprived.

I was intrigued by the power of creating change through small, painless steps and applied what I called “the Sugar Grain Principle” to other aspects of my young life. For example, I became better at keeping my room neat by building little habits, like routinely shutting the closet door or spending just five minutes cleaning each morning.

I remembered the Sugar Grain Principle years later, as a senior at Ohio University. An injustice in the way women students were treated motivated me to somehow support equality. I didn’t expect to actually change practices that were widespread, but I thought the Principle might help to frame a satisfying gesture, just for me.

So I promised myself to every day do at least one small “Thing” in support of greater equality for Ohio University women. It didn’t have to be much. A Thing could be as small as a sugar grain. But I needed to come up with something – anything – every single day.

It was easy at first. A day’s contribution might be as basic as speaking about equality in class. But over time it become more difficult to find my daily Thing, and I was forced to move out of my comfort zone. To meet my quota of sugar grains, I enlisted friends and spoke to any class or club that would have me. I started doing radio interviews. And I became the first woman to enter the MBA program.

As I scrambled harder to define new Things, I worried less about failure and became more creative. Eventually, the university president noticed, made me his assistant, and asked me to write a detailed report on the status of women. Most of the report’s recommendations were accepted, and ultimately I led Ohio University’s implementation of Title IX, the landmark federal legislation outlawing gender discrimination in education.

In my job, I met with many individual women, often encouraging them to embark on career paths traditionally dominated by men. Still in my 20s, I was called upon to give advice to faculty members and other women who were far older and wiser. And of course I had no training in career development.

So once again I relied on my experience with gradual change, and I developed a model that, at least inside my own head, I called “the Sugar Grain Process.” Over the years I’ve worked through the Process while navigating my varied career. And I’ve shared the Process countless times, as a mentor, manager and coach.

I understand that The Sugar Grain Process is not unique, and that many similar models can create success. But I have 40 years of experience in fostering career change with The Sugar Grain Process, and I am absolutely confident that it works. Here’s how:

1. Start with a vision of the career you want. Begin the Process by creating, as clearly as possible, a picture of what you desire in your next career phase. You needn’t define a precise destination before you get going, but you may be surprised at how much you already know. Try these techniques to get at your vision by building a wish list:

• Note what you do know. List the elements you want in your work. One way to begin is to identify the good and not-so-good aspects of your current situation. As you find the negatives, rephrase them as positives for your next job wish list. For example, if you keep thinking that you’re bored with the same old thing, reframe that thought into, “varied and interesting.”
• Think about how you’ll need to be. As you contemplate the kind of situation you want, consider what kind of shape you’ll need to be in, in order to excel. Of course that includes being energetic and in good physical shape so you can work at your highest level. But you will also spot other areas where you’ll want to grow, like by developing new skills or building a broader network.
• Jump ahead and look back. Imagine it’s three years from now, and the years 2014, 2015, and 2016 were professionally satisfying. Envision yourself feeling very successful as 2017 approaches. Now describe what made the past three-year period so productive and satisfying. What did you do to bring you to this good place? Do you want to add some of those elements to your wish list?
• Ask what else you want in your life. Consider whether certain values or interests should become more important in shaping your career. If you want to spend more time with your kids, maybe “no weekend work” should go on you vision list. Or perhaps you want to live in a different kind of place?

2. Organize your vision. Once you’ve created a long list of details, break your wish list into categories. It can be helpful to do this by drawing a diagram that not only illustrates key aspects of your ideal career, but also puts it in the context of a life that supports your success. I often ask clients to do this by creating a “mind map,” a colorful, branching diagram with the power to quickly portray complex concepts or projects. Start your mind map with an image or keyword in the center of a page. From that center, draw main branches, spreading like the spokes of a wheel. Label each branch to represent a sector of your life, and fill out the details by adding smaller branches to the main branches.

3. Add a category for your job search. Now that you have a vision of where you want to go, add a branch on your map (or a section on your vision list) related to your possible job search. If these items don’t show up anywhere else, you may want to include:

• Expanding your network.
• Reconnecting with folks you already know.
• Building your social media presence.
• Developing new skills or acquiring certifications.
• Methodically exploring professional fields that are a step or two removed from your own.

4. Commit to a pace of Things. Once your have a picture of where you want to go, decide how quickly you need to move. That will determine how many Things you commit to doing each day, or week, or month, for each category you’ve identified. This is important: the power of the Process comes from your commitment to keep up your pace even when you feel like you are out of ideas or don’t have the time.

5. Begin a list of Things for each category. Start a list of Things – small “to-do” items – for each area on your map. As you come up with your first Things, keep these points in mind:

• It doesn’t matter where you start. I don’t call these little items “steps” because they aren’t linear. Things won’t take you in a logical order along a direct path. The Things on your list needn’t be related to one another, and sometimes they’ll feel pretty random. But as you do more and more Things, patterns will emerge.
• Examples vary. Things might include sending an email to an old contact, attending an event you’d typically skip, spending one hour setting up your LinkedIn account, or exercising for 30 minutes.
• Things will lead to other Things. For example, if you attend a dinner where you meet somebody interesting, your next Thing could be to send a follow-up note.

6. Maintain records. Keeping track of your Things is important to the success of your Process. Your recordkeeping will help you see your progress, bring you new insights and inspire additional Things. How you do it, whether it’s on paper or in the Cloud, is your choice. In addition to holding on to your lists of completed Things, consider using:

• Logs. They work. It’s well established that keeping a log can sustain your efforts to build new habits. For example, whether you’re making notes on your calendar or maintaining an Excel spreadsheet, you’re more likely to stick to an exercise or other program if you record each minute you spend. Logs can illustrate your efforts, reinforce your commitment and help you see the gap between where you are and where you want to be.
• Journals. They can promote self-reflection, help you explore and keep track of new ideas, and give you a way to manage frustration and setbacks in the course of your transition.

7. Enjoy the Process. The most difficult part is getting started. But once you build up a cadence of Things, the Process seems to generate its own energy. You’ll start to trust the Process, and feel confident that it’s taking you somewhere interesting and important. Often a client who has completed a career shift will say something like, “I’ll kind of miss the Process. It was getting to be really fun.”

Number 197

Do you sometimes have a hard time moving forward because you can’t get your boss’s attention? Do you head home feeling frustrated because your boss won’t listen to you? Or, even worse, does your career feel off-kilter because you and your leader are out of sync?

No boss is perfect, most leaders are too busy, and some are flat out weak. But complaining won’t get you anywhere, and you have too much at stake to just throw up your hands when the communication process breaks down.

Part of your strategy as a successful professional is to communicate well with your bosses and clients, even when they’re hard to reach. Your goal is to successfully deliver your key messages even when it doesn’t seem fair that you have to do so much of the hard work.

Even if your communications are flowing well, these tips may make your messages sharper:

1. Be succinct. Assume your boss is busy and won’t want to waste time. If you ask for three minutes to discuss something important, but then talk for five before reaching your point, the boss could be feeling impatient or annoyed by the time you make your case.
2. Plan ahead. Before your conversation, be clear in your mind about your message and ready to state it simply and directly. To prevent confusion or distraction, limit the number of points you intend to raise. If you’ve requested a meeting where you’ll discuss several items, propose a brief agenda. A simple email with a sentence about each topic can set up your conversation in a good way.
3. Be clear about your goal. Sometimes you have to choose between having your say and having your way. It can be tempting to use your face time for venting about your problems, but that might not lead to solutions. Be strategic in the way you frame your issues, and focus on positive proposals that will support your specific objectives.
4. Understand their communication preferences. If you don’t get through, it may not be your message so much as how and when you deliver it. Different people take in and share information in different ways. For example, bosses who are extroverts may be “external processors” who want to use you as a sounding board while they explore their own thoughts. While in processing mode they might not pay much attention to your agenda, so you should wait. And introverts may find listening to be tiring so don’t make your pitch after they’ve been through exhausting meetings. The Myers-Briggs^© assessment is a useful tool for exploring your communication preferences and seeing how your style may differ from others. A workshop for your whole team could enhance communications all around. And you can take the assessment for yourself, on-line.
5. Be a mindful listener. Strong communicators are active listeners. Your bosses expect you to listen carefully, and good listening helps you understand what they want. But sometimes when we think we’re listening we’re mostly focused on something else, like what we want to say next. You’ve probably experienced someone who is not listening in a mindful way, like the colleague who keeps glancing at his phone throughout your conversation. When listeners are mindful they seem centered, respectful of the speaker and engaged in the moment. To practice mindful listening, resist the temptation to worry about the past or the future, and keep bringing your focus back to the conversation you’re in right now.
6. Let go of frustration. If the boss doesn’t seem to listen, you actually have two challenges. The first, of course, is to break through the logjam by becoming an even better communicator. But there is only so much you can do, and much of this is about the boss, not about you. So the next challenge is to learn how to not let it bother you so much. Writing in a journal is one way to examine your emotions and let some of them go. Meditation techniques like a few deep breaths can help you release some of the tension.
7. Be a courageous follower. At times you may need to deliver difficult messages, like when the boss is on ethical thin ice or about to make a major strategic mistake. For excellent suggestions on how to stand up to your leader, read the classic book, “The Courageous Follower,” by my insightful colleague Ira Chaleff.