Ask The Coach
The Secret to Maximizing Your Experience with an Executive Coach
I'm a senior research scientist with a pharmaceutical company in North Carolina. I have recently had several sessions with an executive coach as part of my company's leadership development program. This initiative is coming to a conclusion and a meeting has been scheduled next week for me to present an action plan to my manager, based on my work with the coach. The plan must include my strengths, as identified by my colleagues, areas for development and future career plans. My concern relates to creating an action plan for my development needs. I really don't know where to begin. In the past, I have found your newsletter helpful in addressing other professional issues and hope that you can provide some advice on my personal dilemma.
Overcoming Fear of Public Speaking
I'm a thirty year old surgical tech at an academic medical center in San Diego. Throughout my education and career I have suffered from a fear of public speaking. Recently, I delivered a presentation as part of a quality improvement meeting and didn't sleep at all the night before. I have made a commitment that this will be the year that I do something about this situation. Can you give me some advice about how to master my anxiety?
The Hidden Phenomenon that Can Sabotage Success in a New Job
I'm a product manager who has recently joined a medical device company in Minnesota. My new job is terrific and I believe that it is a great fit for me. The problem is that I'm having a difficult time emotionally separating from my previous company. I worked in the old organization for seven years. It was my first job out of college and a wonderful experience. The size of the company limited my opportunities for growth and I subsequently joined my current employer. I left Florida for Minnesota and in the process said goodbye to many friends and family. I'm having trouble getting to know people in my new community and find myself spending a lot of time on the phone with colleagues at my old company. There are times when I'm tempted to quit and go back to Florida. I know that my work will eventually be impacted if I don't let go of my previous employer. Your advice would be sincerely appreciated.
Responding to Objectionable Behavior in Meetings
I'm a new Product Marketing Manager in a Seattle medical device company. I've noticed in meetings that there are a lot of people with "sharp elbows." In other words, it is not uncommon for meeting attendees to make derogatory remarks to each other. I have yet to determine if this is an organization-wide cultural norm, but I find it off-putting and counterproductive.
My turn as a target will inevitably come and I want to be prepared as to how to respond. I have no intention of allowing myself to be a doormat.
Dealing With a Boss Who is Unavailable
I was recently hired as a marketing manager in a Minneapolis medical device company. During my first week on the job, I asked my manager how often she would like me to communicate with her. The response was, "Only contact me if you have a serious problem." This was not the response I was expecting and frankly, I'm beginning to wonder if I made a mistake coming to this company. What advice would you give me for dealing with this situation?
How to Learn from a Job Rejection
I have been interviewing for a great job and recently learned that that I will not be receiving an offer. To say that I'm disappointed is an understatement. I went through a series of interviews with this organization over the past two months and felt confident at each stage that the job was a perfect fit. I put a tremendous amount of energy into the interview process and don't understand why I was rejected. My spirits are low and I'm not sure what to do next.
The Key to Succeeding in a New Job
I am a recently promoted department head in a large Veterans Administration hospital. I'm confused about advice I have been receiving from friends and colleagues. On the one hand, I have been told that it is critical that I keep my manager informed of my department's successes. Others have encouraged me to focus on building relationships with my key stakeholders, including my manager. In your opinion, where should my efforts be focused, communicating successes upward or in building relationships?
Is a Switch to Consulting Right for You?
I just returned from a business trip to California via the Red Eye, took a shower and went into work. This is the third time in six weeks that I have made this trip and it's getting old. On top of this, my boss is frequently "missing in action." Whenever I need to speak with him, he is either in a meeting or traveling. At times like this, I dream of being on my own as a consultant. In many respects, I operate as a solo practitioner, but inside of a large company. I know that you have been in consulting for some time and would like your opinion of the pros and cons of "hanging out my own shingle."
Making the Most of Networking Meetings
I am a senior manager in a mid-sized technology company and recently was caught up in a lay off. I never thought that this could happen to me and I'm still a little numb. The thought of looking for a job, and particularly getting involved in networking is quite anxiety provoking. There is a networking event, sponsored by a professional association, coming up in a few weeks that I would like to attend. My problem is that I haven't done anything like this in years and would welcome your advice on how to maximize this and other networking events.
The Team from Hell
I am a newly appointed R & D team leader in a medical device company in Minnesota. I should point out that I have no previous management experience. The prior team leader had very little discipline or structure in the way he led the team. As a result, the overall work ethic is poor. People come to work late and leave early and often take extended lunch hours. We are behind schedule and over budget in several areas. Can you give me some advice on how to begin a turn-around process?
Delivering Presentations to Senior Executives
I'm moving into a new mid-level management position that will require me to deliver presentations to the organization's senior management team. Speaking to peers has never been a problem, but I have always been very anxious in front of executive teams. I need help quickly. My new job is one I have worked very hard to get and I don't want to fail.
Surviving an Acquisition
I am a 28 year-old scientist in a mid west company that has just been acquired by a large east coast organization. The communication here on the acquisition has been very limited. The acquiring company has made the usual statement, "No plans are scheduled for changing the company's structure at this time. We plan on the organization continuing to operate as an autonomous business unit." The new company may be very forthright in this statement, but I need to think about my family and career. What steps can I take to protect myself in this uncertain atmosphere?
How to Avoid One-Sided Performance Appraisal Meetings
I am a 36-year-old marketing director in a life sciences company in North Carolina. It's the time of year when we go through our performance appraisal process and my frustration level is starting to peak. My appraisals are often a mirror image of the previous one. I would like your help in making this year different. My boss does a good job of reviewing my accomplishments against the various organization metrics, but this is where the process stops. I want to find a way to talk about my career options and get some coaching from my boss. He has a great reputation in the business, has much more experience than me and could easily tutor me on how to get to the next level. How do I bring these things up in our meeting?
The Most Overlooked Factor in Accepting a Job Offer
I am a twenty-eight year old engineer faced with a challenging career dilemma. I have been interviewing with two companies and both have expressed an interest in hiring me. In fact, I will probably receive job offers within the next week. One of these companies is very high profile and a place where most of my colleagues would love to work. The growth of this organization has been spectacular; they pay top salaries and have an unusual array of benefits. The second company is well respected, offers interesting work, but is smaller and does not pay as well as the first.
Managing the Unmanageable
What to do when the
pressures of work feels overwhelming
I am a marketing analyst for a healthcare products company in New Jersey. My workload has created a situation where I don't have a life and this has been going on for several months. I'm loosing weight and have had the same headache for several weeks. When I try to speak about this situation with my boss, he insists on telling me about his problems and how hard he is working. This is a great job and I've worked long and hard to get it, but now I am wondering if it's worth the hours I'm working and impairing my health. I will admit to being somewhat of a perfectionist, but my standards have always been high. Can you offer me any advice?
Salvaging a Struggling New Manager
I am an R & D director in a Seattle medical device company with a troubling problem. Approximately six months ago, I promoted one of my brightest engineers into a manager position. In recent weeks it has become apparent to me that she is having difficulty succeeding in this position. At first I didn't want to believe the obvious signs. People on her team have been expressing concern that she is micromanaging their work and making decisions that should be made at the engineer level. Her staff meetings tend to be a monologue with little room for team member input. My concern is that if I approach her with the information I have received, she may leave the organization. Her skills are highly marketable and I know that she receives frequent calls from headhunters. Can you give me some advice on where to begin with this situation?
The Three Rs of Managing Conflict
I'm a lead engineer for a North Carolina medical device company. This is my first time in a leadership role. In the past, someone else took care of the difficult "people stuff' and I concentrated on engineering. The area I'm currently finding most difficult is addressing conflict within my team or with other teams. I find myself either withdrawing or becoming too aggressive and making matters worse. We are a small company and there is no training available to help me improve in this area. What advice can you give me?
Is Your Blind Spot Getting in the Way of Career Advancement?
I work in a large east coast hospital as director of a residency program in pediatric surgery. We recently did some assessment work with an outside consultant and I discovered that people find me very intimidating. This was the first time in my fifty years that I have ever received such a comment from anyone. Apparently no one has felt comfortable in pointing out this perception to me. Since receiving the feedback, I have established a series of one-on-one meetings with the residents to try to get to know them better and to ask for additional feedback. Is there anything else I can do to help address this issue? It is very important to me that this perception doesn't get in the way of my career advancement.
How to Develop a Killer Network
I'm a 30-year-old R & D manager in a medical devices company located in San Diego. I have worked in this organization for my entire career. What concerns me is that I have absolutely no professional contacts outside of the company. Working long hours and raising a family have not left much time for developing such contacts. At the present, things are going well, but I fully understand that my situation could change overnight. If I ever end up with the "boss from hell" or we have a lay off, I won't know where to turn. How do I get started in building a network?
Dealing with a Boss Who Micro-Manages
I'm a 24-year-old Quality Assurance engineer in a Minnesota based medical devices company. I graduated from a top-notch engineering school with honors. My question has to do with my boss, who micro-manages constantly. He checks my work frequently and sometimes challenges the approach I am taking. He sends my reports back to me with multiple suggestions for changes. In the past six months, two engineers have left because of this individual's management style. The people in R&D and manufacturing have been very complimentary about my work and I really believe that I am a good engineer. Any advice you can give me would be appreciated.
Turning Around a Disappointing Performance Review
As I sit here writing to you, I have smoke coming out my ears. I received my annual performance review yesterday and was blown out of the water by my boss's comments that "I'm not a team player." Let me back up a minute and explain. I'm the top producer of all of my manager's direct reports. I have received a number of financial awards for my work and most importantly, put in more hours than anyone in the entire department. I hardly slept at all last night and am tempted to write a rebuttal for attachment to my performance review. I would appreciate your advice before I do anything impulsive that could harm my career.
Is there Room for Compassion in Business?
I am a recently promoted manager working in the Chicago area. I'm faced with a dilemma involving one of my direct reports and could use some advice. In a talent review meeting two weeks ago, several of my colleagues commented that this person was a problem employee with little potential to grow in the organization. There were less than subtle remarks that I should "get rid of him." I was a bit taken aback with the comments and to the pressure to take action.
Improving Morale in an Overworked Team
I am a manager of a fairly large lab in a hospital here in Cleveland. We are extremely short staffed with an incredible workload. The morale of my team is very low. I have given the team members a number of pep talks without any visible success. What advice do you have for improving the morale of my team?
What's Getting in the Way of Your Next Promotion?
I am a mid-level manager in an east coast pharmaceutical company and have been passed over for two promotional opportunities in the last eighteen months. The answers I was given for not being chosen have been very general, "We selected people with more relevant experience." In my opinion, I am equally or better qualified than both of the individuals selected for these jobs. This is a great company and I would prefer to stay here, rather than look for opportunities elsewhere. What can I do to increase the odds of my being successful the next time I apply for a promotional opportunity?
Surviving the Office Nemesis
I need your advice in dealing with a colleague for whom I have become a favorite target of snide remarks, sarcasm and put-downs. I have tried ignoring Harry (not his real name) but that hasn't helped. He is far more gifted than I at verbal sparing and I hesitate to respond with similar comments. I'm worried that his remarks might eventually erode my credibility with my colleagues and manager. Please give me some recommendations quickly before I lose my cool with this guy and make matters worse.
Keys to Interviewing Success
I have an interview scheduled next week for the job of my dreams. This is a senior level position that I have been working towards for a number of years. Opportunities like this come along only once every few years in my profession. I have not had a job interview in over five years and my interviewing skills are rusty. What advice can you give me to make the most of this situation?
How to Succeed as a Protégé in a Corporate Mentor Program
I'm a financial analyst in a large technology company. I received an email from the human resources department informing me that I had been selected to be a protégé in a new company mentor program. I'm really in the dark about what to expect or how to behave as a protégé.
Improving Your Relationship IQ
I recently had a performance review with my manager, in which he took me to task on my ability to get along with the people in our organization. On the positive side, my manager had many good things to say about my technical contributions, but indicated that my upward mobility is limited unless I improve my relationship skills. What advice can you give me?
Renewing a Stalled Career
I'm a mid-career chemist who has worked in the same organization for the past ten years. Throughout most of my career I have loved my work and looked forward to going to work each day. For the past six months I have been experiencing a total lack of enthusiasm and I'm not sure what to do about this situation. When I think about looking for a new job, nothing of interest comes to mind. What advice can you give me?
Building a Relationship with a New Boss
I am a Manager of Clinical Quality in a large teaching hospital. Recently my manager took a new job in another city. A new manager has been hired from outside the hospital and will start work in one week. Colleagues who know this person describe him as driven and difficult to work with. I love my job and want to build a good relationship with the new manager, but his reputation concerns me.
Leading in Difficult Times
My company is going through a large reorganization and a fair amount of turmoil. As a manager, how do I project a positive attitude without looking like a Pollyanna during these difficult times?
Fatal Mistakes of New Managers
I am a newly appointed first-time manager in a biotechnology firm. I should also point out that I am new to the company. We are a relatively small organization with ninety-five employees. There is no formal training or even orientation available for new managers and I haven't a clue as to where to begin. Can you help me understand a few of the pitfalls facing new managers so I don't self-destruct in the first few months?
The Boss from Hell
I am a marketing analyst working in a technology company in San Diego. Six months ago a new manager was hired to head up my department. Since then, my life has been miserable. It is not uncommon for him to criticize my work in front of colleagues, change priorities daily and call me at home at all hours. In addition, he is hypersensitive to opinions that are different from his. I'm not sure what to do in this situation. Do you have any advice?
How to Maintain Audience Attention in Your Presentations
Recently I was promoted into a management position that requires me to make frequent internal presentations that last up to one hour. When delivering short presentations, I never have difficulty maintaining the audience's attention; however, with my new, longer presentations, audience member eyes seem to get that glassy look about half way through my talk. This experience is beginning to erode my confidence as a speaker and as a manager. Can you offer any practical advice before I get the vaudeville hook?
Can an Introverted Person Become an Outstanding Communicator?
Six months ago I was promoted into my first management position. The job requires that I direct the efforts of five engineers while contributing thirty percent of my time to engineering projects. My boss gave wants me to be more outgoing and expressive in my communication. I am basically a quiet reflective person and have a tendency to be more comfortable with the engineering part of my job. Do you have any advice on how to become a more effective communicator?
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