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This Is Not What I Signed Up For Moment

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This Is Not What I Signed Up For!

This Is Not What I Signed Up For MomentI have had multiple discussions with people who are having This Is Not What I Signed Up For Moments.

These people are at all levels who have taken new jobs and found out that the job responsibilities were different than what they expected. I like to say they were seduced to take the job. Now they have to decide whether to get a divorce from their employer.

Sometimes they can negotiate to fix the situation but most of the time a divorce or separation agreement is needed, i.e. they need to find a new job and quit.

When this happens my first question is what did you miss during the interview process?

Sometimes there are red flags that people ignore. Other times the person did not do enough digging. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we can do a job that is really a bad fit. Finally, there may be circumstances that are undetectable like the hiring manager getting fired or let go in the time between accepting the position and starting the new job.

Let me give you a few examples.

CIO Walking into a Toxic Mess

Cynthia was an accomplished CIO who was an excellent IT problem solver. She had gone as far as she could in her previous position in moving the company’s IT operation into the new world of cloud computing before her boss said stop. She grew frustrated and decided to leave.

She then sought out a new position where she could modernize a company’s IT infrastructure. The management team of a medium-sized manufacturing business pursued her and promised her free range to be able to modernize the IT infrastructure.

After she took the position it became evident very quickly that there were competing interests across the enterprise to prevent this from happening. The politics were ferocious between finance, manufacturing, and engineering.

This is not what she signed up for! What did she miss?

Cynthia was only talking with IT management and the CEO. She was hearing what the CEO and IT management wanted her to hear. She really needed to speak with the heads of others within the organization that would be affected by the changes she was in charge of.

Cynthia left on her own accord for a new job in less than a year.

Audit Heaven to Audit Hell

Gary was a consultant who used the practice of financial audit to help companies improve their processes. He was a great leader and had an excellent reputation for bringing change using a gentle hand. He had the knack for finding flaws in the process and then convince his clients it was in their best interest to make changes that were not always easy to do.

The problem was Gary had a wife and children that were wondering what he looked like. He was gone a lot.

Gary decided to take an internal audit position with a company that was in an industry he was very familiar with. He was told they wanted him to be a strong leader.

Gary was used to having a free hand in making changes. He quickly discovered that he could not change ANYTHING. They had a process that was rigid but very flawed. Gary tried to lead some initiatives to fix some of those flaws and each time his hand was slapped by his boss. He heard every time, do what you are told and stop trying to fix things.

9 months after starting the position Gary was let go. He is looking for a new job.

This is not what he signed up for! What did he miss?

He saw red flags during the interview process but ignored them.

Gary had seduced himself that he could go from being an audit consultant where he advised to being an internal auditor where he was directly responsible for the outcome. As a consultant, he enjoyed freedom but most internal auditors are expected to follow the rules. It was not a good fit.

In hindsight, Gary should have never accepted this position.

My Sales Quota is What?

Sam had been a B2B sales guy for many years. Sometimes it was in new business development and other times he was in account management which is sometimes called customer success these days.

Sam took several years off to take care of his elderly parents.  After both of his parents had passed away he was hired by a distributor for products sold to the utility industry. It was a small team of sales people that had worked together for years.

It was very evident from day 1 that he was an outsider and would always be an outsider. Multiple people had been hired for this position and each left in less than a year. When he received his first commission check and it was half of what he was expecting it was a kick in the gut.

When he asked why the check was so small, he was told there was a typo in his offer letter.

The problem was that the company was unethical in its practices with him.  This is why the people who proceeded him left in less than a year.

Sam is looking for a new job.

This is not what he signed up for! What did he miss?

He should have looked for turn over in this position and this is fairly easy to spot on LinkedIn. Search for past employees with the company who had job titles similar to the one you are interviewing for. Reach out and ask them why they left.

You would be surprised at the number of people who will talk to you.

It is your responsibility to research a company.

How to Prevent This is Not What You Signed Up For Moments

You can be seduced into a job and I have experienced this. This can be prevented by:

  • Know thyself
  • Doing your homework
  • Following your instincts

It is your responsibility to dig deep into the organization to find out whether what you are being told is true. This is done through the interview process and online research.

Hopefully, you know yourself well enough that you will not take a position that is not well suited for you. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. I use myself as an example when I went off to teach high school math in an inner-city high school. Listen to this podcast episode From High-Tech Training to High School Teacher, and Why I Left. [Podcast]. I had convinced myself I was an extrovert when I am really a closet introvert.

Lastly, follow your gut as it is usually right. If it does not smell right then something is usually wrong.

Has this happened to you? If so, tell us about it in the comment section below.

Marc Miller  

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Switching to Digital: How to Jumpstart Your Remote Career [Guest Post]

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Jumpstart Your Remote Career

Jumpstart your remote careerRemote work is on the rise and will most likely continue trending in that direction. Particularly with studies continuing to show that remote workers are happier, healthier and more productive.

Or at least they can be.

Whether remote work is a positive or negative experience all depends on how you manage it.

Here is a breakdown of the good, the bad and the ugly of remote work and how to deal with it.

THE GOOD:

Saves time and money

The average commute time in the US continues to hover at around 30 minutes each way, with commute times on mass transit being around 1 hour. If you add commute time into your workday, that extends an 8.5-hour workday to 9.5 hours if you drive and 10.5 hours if you take public transportation.

In addition, driving to work every day puts additional wear and tear on your car, which also increases your maintenance costs. Remote work eliminates all of that, giving you more personal time and fewer expenses at the same salary.

Better ability to create your own schedule for maximum productivity

The standard 8-hour workday is a holdover from the Industrial Revolution. It has nothing to do with how people work their best and everything to do with how to increase the factory efficiency. Some people do their best work at 4:00 am, while others aren’t functioning on all cylinders until at least noon.

Working remotely often allows you to work when it works best for you.

Better work-life balance

With the number of women in the workforce continuing to rise, this is putting a heavier strain on Millennials in particular to achieve work-life balance. If the average commute is 30 minutes, that also means that attending a mid-day school program would require a minimum of 2-3 hours to attend.

Remote work not only gives employees the ability to schedule time around family events but attending them requires less of an investment.

THE BAD:

Greater need for personal discipline

Working in an office rarely prevents people from checking their social media, but it can be a powerful deterrent to spending several hours on it. Your home also has distractions such as TV and piles of dirty laundry.

Working from home with no supervision can make it difficult to stay focused and on-task, requiring a much higher level of personal discipline.

Greater need for boundaries

When you leave the house to go to work in an office, there is a physical separation between work and home. While working in an office may require you to put in more hours, working from home can move in either direction.

It can either consume your life or the demands of your family, friends and loved ones can keep you from getting any work done.

Without the ability to set healthy boundaries, remote workers may find themselves even more stressed out at home.

Can create a sense of isolation

Humans are social beings and as much as working in an office in constant proximity to other humans can sometimes agitate, it can also be comforting.

In an office, there is always someone that understands what you are going through at work and people to process any major changes in the company with.

While it is not impossible for even remote workers to develop strong relationships with coworkers, it can be much more challenging.

THE UGLY: 

You might get on the top of the list for downsizing

Nowhere is the phrase “out of sight, out of mind” more detrimental than when it comes time for downsizing. While remote workers may put in just as long hours as an office worker, no one sees that. While you may have children to feed and loved ones to care for, you don’t have a desk with pictures on it to remind everyone of this. When you are nothing more to employers than a name on a paper, it makes it far easier to make you the first to go. Working from home might require extra work on establishing relationships with colleagues and staying visible.

Can lead to severe burnout

No matter how hard we try, achieving a perfect work-life balance is never going to happen. Sitting at work knowing you are missing a child’s event because you can’t be there is stressful. What can be even more stressful is knowing you could be there, but can’t because you need to get work done.

If you let it, this can create an overwhelming sense of guilt, which can quickly lead to burnout.

WHAT TO DO

Use productivity tools

One of the key ways to overcome the guilt that remote work can create is to learn to focus on what you need to accomplish rather than on how much time you are spending doing it.

It doesn’t matter if you are self-employed or working remotely for others. No one can be productive for 8 straight hours.

By blocking your time into tasks rather than “work hours” you may find you get far more done in less time.

Some great techniques to check out are the Flowtime and Pomodoro.

Schedule your time

Once you find a good productivity technique, you can further its effectiveness by using a calendar app like Google calendar to schedule your time into blocks. One time management technique from the experts is to always schedule a blank spot into your day.

This allows you to manage last-minute emergencies that might arise. If none do, then you have a few minutes of ready-made free time.

Block distractions

There is a wide range of site blockers and other tools that can help you minimize distractions at home. You can also create better boundaries by having a work phone and personal phone and putting your work phone on “do not disturb” in the evening.

Take advantage of chat features and communication tools

While building and maintaining digital relationships may be more challenging than in-person ones, it is important to put in the effort. Not only can this help you avoid burnout, it also makes you more than just a name on a piece of paper when it’s time to downsize.

Working remotely is no more or less stressful or challenging than working in an office, it just requires different skills.

Some people thrive in remote work while others may struggle.

Even those innately inclined to telecommute had to struggle to become effective and productive in a home office. We all have the ability to build these skills and thrive in the place we find ourselves.

It just might take some effort.

Lisa MichaelsThis was written by Lisa Michaels. Lisa is a freelance writer, editor and a striving content marketing consultant from Portland. Ever since college, she worked remotely in different positions. Being self-employed, she does her best to stay on top of the current trends in business and tech. Feel free to connect with her on Twitter @LisaBMichaels.

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Are You a Square Peg Trying to Fill a Round Hole? [Updated]

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Square Peg?

square pegAre you the square peg trying to fit into a round hole in your career?

I have been working with quite a few square pegs. They just do not fit into the traditional roles that corporations define.

Some try to squeeze themselves into those roles. Some are very successful. Unfortunately, they usually end up unhappy and unhealthy. The stress of making themselves fit wreaks havoc on their physical and mental health.

I am starting to realize that I am—to some extent—one of these square pegs!

Note: This post was originally published in October of 2015 and was updated in August of 2018.

Becoming an Actor

For many of us when we started our careers we became actors. We were hired to play a role and if we stayed in character long enough we started to think we were that role. I have often written on this blog about becoming an extrovert in order to make more money. I am a closet introvert.

When I was in my 20s, 30s, and 40s, I could stay in character for long periods of time. When I reached my 50s staying in character became exhausting. I found that periodically I would become completely exhausted which seemed completely out of character. I would then need to take time to recharge. Unfortunately, I kept on getting exhausted and it took longer and longer to recharge.

In 2004, I went off to teach high school math in an inner-city high school in Austin, Texas. That first year was exhausting and I really did not understand why. I had convinced myself that I was an extrovert. You can learn more about this from my podcast From High-Tech Training to High School Teacher, and Why I Left. 

That summer I really focused on resting and relaxing. I needed to recharge. When I returned in the fall, I thought I was ready but I was not. I left teaching at winter break and it probably took me a year to recover.

I had become an actor and continuing to stay in character was exhausting.

Have you been an actor at work?

Common Characteristics

Square pegs come in many forms, but let me describe their most common characteristics.

  • Creative – They have a very high interest in music, art, and/or literature. Many have abandoned those interests because they do not fit into what our economy values or is willing to pay for. Instead, they often express their creativity in colorful spreadsheets or attractive PowerPoint presentations.
  • Structure – They do not like staying between the lines. They want the freedom to do it their own way. They are good in chaotic situations where they get to make the rules.
  • Introverted – They work best when by themselves or on a small, cohesive team. If you ask them to make a presentation, give them plenty of time to prepare. Consider Steve Jobs who was very introverted. Jobs would rehearse and rehearse and rehearse before every product announcement.
  • High Empathy – They are kind, caring individuals who want to be treated similarly by their colleagues. I have worked in the high-tech field for most of my career. High empathy people are not generally welcomed or considered the norm.
  • Low Authority – They would prefer having a colleague to a boss. If you try to micromanage them, it is not pretty!

Do you see any of these characteristics in yourself?

These personality traits are largely incompatible with today’s work environment.

  • Today’s work environment does not highly value an interest in music, art, or literature.
  • You are supposed to follow the rules.
  • You are rewarded for being an extrovert. I am a closet introvert! But, I have learned to behave like an extrovert in order to succeed.
  • Emotions are not welcome in most workplaces.
  • Strong leadership is valued in the workplace, but some of us just want to left alone to get our job done.

Cultural Dyslexia

Another issue I currently see is cultural dyslexia. These are people who were born into indirect culture (Indian, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) but were then raised in their teenage years in a direct culture (the U.S. and Europe). They attend western universities and acquire some western personality traits.

The problem is that they do not feel they belong in either their birth culture or their adopted culture. I call this cultural dyslexia and we will see a lot more of this issue as people move around the world.

Does everyone suffer from cultural dyslexia who make this transition? No! However, I have seen it enough and how it causes them great angst in trying to fit in that round hole.

Cultural dyslexia is just another form of a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.

Another Example

I worked with a client who was a top-flight IT project manager. She had been seduced into multiple jobs only to have it end in a nasty divorce. She would take a position, run a project for a year and then her boss would give her the same kind of project again.

She would say … “well, ok.”

After another year the project would come to an end and her boss would put on another similar project. She would get angry and say, “NO!” Her bosses response was to think, “we are putting you in your comfort zone.”

The problem was her comfort zone was always to do something new. I hate to tell you but for the average project manager that is very unusual. She did not understand that she just did not fit the hole that her boss was putting her in.

Do you see yourself in any of these examples?

Are you a square peg?

Marc Miller  

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What If You Are Not Passionate About Anything? [Updated]

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What If You Are not Passionate About Anything?

Well, there are a lot of us out there who are not passionate about any ONE thing. We are passionate about a combination of things!

I have talked about those interests that you must fulfill to be happy. In my last post, I talked about my wife and her very high outdoors interest.  She knew about this — kinda but she was not aware of it to the extent that she would go outdoors when she felt blue or just needed a boost.

What happens when you are not passionate about anything?

What if you have so many interests that there is not one thing that drives you? Society tells us that being passionate about one thing will drive you to success.

I hate to tell you but that is BS! I am not passionate about any one thing, but a lot of things, and I am fine just that way I am!

Note: This post was originally written in May 2012 and has been the most popular post on CareerPivot.com ever since. It was updated in June 2018.

Make sure and read the comments.

Interests = Passions

I do have a lot of interests but nothing I am passionate about.  The following graphic came from my Birkman assessment. A score of 85 or above is a strong interest and a score over 90 is something you must have in your life to be happy. Notice I do not have any interests over 82. I like to do a lot of different things.

What you will notice about me is:

  • I like putting things together, either physically or logically. (Mechanical)
  • I like helping people.  I have run help desks, support groups and been in training most of my career. (Social Service)
  • I like to research stuff and figure things out. (Scientific)
  • I like to propose ideas and communicate. (Persuasive)
  • To a lesser degree, I like the outdoors. (Outdoor)

For More: Do your skills match your interests in your career?

Multipontentialite

Multipotentialites have a lot of different interests. The problem is there is no single interest that drives them. The one common theme is they love to learn.

You could describe me as a multipotentialite. I like to do a lot of things, not just one.

For More: Are you a Multipotentialite?.

What do I not like to do?

  • I am not a reader AT ALL! (Literary)

If you have read earlier postings you would have learned that I graduated from high school reading extremely poorly.  I read at maybe 30-40 words per minute.  Reading was hard work! Even though I have overcome that in the last 30 years, I still do not read for enjoyment.  I read books when required.

I do not love to do anything.  I like to do a lot of things.  This is both good and bad.  On the good side, I have been able to move around in my career: programmer, engineer, trainer, IT consultant, public speaker, salesperson, school teacher, help desk support person, non-profit fundraiser and now a career designer.

On the bad side, I have been directionless from time to time. I wrote about this in my post when I left teaching titled, Dealing with that Directionless Feeling.  Rather interesting –  this post is found by readers using Google search every week. I am not the only one who gets this feeling from time to time.

What Can You Do About It?

I have long accepted that I need variety in what I do on both a daily and long-term basis. In my career, I have typically changed jobs or area every 3-5 years. This means I have made a lot of lateral career moves, which as a baby boomer, I was told was not something you wanted to do. We were supposed to always be looking for that next promotion.

I followed my own drummer!

I now try to make a change to my business every year to add variety.

I started the Repurpose Your Career Podcast in 2016, which has added a lot of variety. Learning how to produce a podcast has stretched me considerably.

The Career Pivot community website project was started in 2017 and is currently in beta. Building a membership website and community is something I have never done before.

In 2018, along with my virtual assistant, we have been re-organizing the website. You will probably notice the section –

Do You Need Help With …

at the bottom of every post and in the sidebar. We spent a lot of time digging through the nearly thousand pieces of content on the website and organized it into portals. This was fun! We created a Start Here page and eight portal pages.

I purposely make changes to keep things interesting. I am not passionate about anything. I am passionate about a combination of things.

How about you?  Do you feel that you are not passionate about anything?

Are you NOT driven by a single calling? Check out my post about being a multipotentialite and let me know if that resonates with you.

Note: This post is found daily! If you have found this article you are not alone. There are a lot of us who are not driven by any single interest. THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH ME OR YOU.

Marc Miller  

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Are You Likeable? Does It Matter for Career Success? [Updated]

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Are You Likeable?

Is it important to be likable as it relates to your work and career? Do you consider yourself a likable person? Think about some of the best people you have worked with. Have they been likeable? Is it important to be likable to be successful?

In most cases, the answer is “yes.” Now, Steve Jobs was not exactly a likeable guy and for many years neither was Bill Gates. However, I think you will find a lot of very successful people found their success through being likeable.

Likeability and Your Career or Business

Currently, there is much being written on this topic.

Likeable Business: Why Today’s Consumers Demand More and How Leaders Can Deliver by Dave Kerpen.

It pays to be LIKEABLE!

You can have a rock-solid business strategy, unlimited resources, and the most talented people on staff. But only one thing is guaranteed in today’s hyper-connected society: if your business isn’t likeable, it will fail.

Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action by Rohit Bhargava

How to become a trusted resource for consumers in a society of constant manipulation

People decide who to trust, what advice to heed, and which individuals to forge personal or transactional relationships with based on a simple metric of believability. Success, in turn, comes from understanding one basic principle: how to be more trusted.

Likeonomics offers a new vision of a world beyond Facebook where personal relationships, likeability, brutal honesty, extreme simplicity, and basic humanity are behind everything from multi-million dollar mergers to record-breaking product sales. There is a real ROI to likeability, and exactly how big it is will amaze you.

 Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam Grant

Givers are at the top and the bottom of career success. Bottom early in their career and at the top later in their career.

For generations, we have focused on the individual drivers of success: passion, hard work, talent, and luck. But today, success is increasingly dependent on how we interact with others. It turns out that at work, most people operate as either takers, matchers, or givers. Whereas takers strive to get as much as possible from others and matchers aim to trade evenly, givers are the rare breed of people who contribute to others without expecting anything in return.

13 Habits of Exceptionally Likeable People on Forbes.com by Travis Bradberry

Too many people succumb to the mistaken belief that being likeable comes from natural, unteachable traits that belong only to a lucky few—the good-looking, the fiercely social, and the incredibly talented. It’s easy to fall prey to this misconception. In reality, being likeable is under your control, and it’s a matter of emotional intelligence (EQ).

The 13 habits of exceptionally likeable people are as follows. They:

  • Ask questions
  • Put their phones away
  • Are genuine
  • Don’t pass judgment
  • Don’t seek attention
  • Are consistent
  • Use positive body language
  • Leave a strong first impression
  • Greet people by name
  • Smile
  • Know when to open up
  • Know who to touch (and they touch them)
  • Balance passion and fun

Being Likeable and Career Success

We all know that not all successful businessmen or women have been likeable. There have been a lot of evil or mean people who have been very successful. I believe that is changing and changing fast. Just look at the #MeToo Movement.

Being likeable will be even more important to your career success moving forward.

What has changed?

The speed of communication has accelerated. Just look at what has happened in Hollywood. Look what is happening in Washington D.C. with the sexual and ethical lapses of our politicians being called out and now being forced to resign.

Those who are not likeable will not create good karma and it will cost them…eventually. In this day in age, where everything you do is recorded, if you are not be working on being likeable, it will cost you. It may not cost you immediately – but in the long run – it will catch up with you.

This does not mean becoming someone you are not. It is being respectful, considerate and treating others the way you want to be treated.

It has been said many times that:

People hire people they like!

In my opinion, it is more important for your career success to be likeable than knowledgeable.

Yes, it does matter to be likeable!

What do you think?

Marc Miller  

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