I first met Terry McSherry at the December ExecuNet Raleigh meeting at the Café Carolina and Bakery. Other than the quick speed-dating like introductions we shared sitting at the same table, we really didn’t speak that much. This past Monday I met him again at the Colonial Baptist JobSeekers group. And we had an opportunity to talk during the 8:00am open networking session. Terry has compiled a wealth of information about this whole job seeking thing in the Raleigh area.
A long time IBMer, Terry found himself in the same position as so many of us these days, suddenly out of work and wondering what to do first. He shared a PowerPoint presentation with me called “Stepping into the UNKNOWN, What just happened to me?” It’s very brief, only six pages long. But wow, does he do a great job helping people understand what the next steps should be!
He starts at the beginning, sharing his thoughts and feelings when he found himself suddenly unemployed. The topic is one that every listener can empathize with. He then offers practical suggestions on what the next steps should be and where to find networking groups to support you through the process. He engages you along the “Road to Recovery through Dynamic Interaction,” and finally, provides a “Restoring Personal Integrity Worksheet” to help you regain your life’s balance.
Terry did an absolutely wonderful job pulling all of this diverse content together. Now he’s engaging the primary groups (Wake Tech, Job Seeker Groups in the area) for their buy-in. He also understands this is a working document and feedback from those involved is critical. I think Terry’s information is so good; I want to help him increase his audience through the power of networking.
I like networking because I like to help people. I believe if we have the wherewithal to do something good for another human being, and we don’t do it, then we’re selfish and wrong. If you know of any support groups, outplacement services, employment agencies, school groups or career counseling services that could benefit from having Terry speak, give him a shout. Let’s use the power of networking to encourage his efforts. Link to him on Linkedin. His email is terry.mcsherry99@yahoo.com.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Discovering the Power of Networking
To be sure, since I got laid off I’ve been on a voyage of discovery and am learning that through networking the possibilities for opportunity are limitless. Let me share with you what’s happened since discussions with the publishing house opened. In the first email I received from the editor expressing her interest in my book proposal, she asked, “Do you do any blogging or personal promotion that you can point to for pushing your book?”
The only answer I could say is “No.” Up to that moment I had never considered personally promoting myself for anything. I mean, I have some music videos on YouTube and I did have a light blog for awhile on our family website. But those things I did for self-enjoyment, not self-promotion. I never meant any of it to be taken seriously. And I have since deleted the blog from my family website. The videos are still on YouTube. If you want to have a laugh, go check them out. The url is http://www.youtube.com/user/vfontjr.
I started thinking long and hard about the editor’s question and looked at my network statistics on Linkedin. As of December 22, the statistics were:
My trusted friends and colleagues: 255
Two degrees away: 41,200+
Three degrees away: 3,125,800+
Total users I can contact through an Introduction: 3,167,300+
I sent these stats to the editor. She was impressed and importantly, so is her publicity manager. The 255 friends and colleagues are people I’ve worked with over the past several years or know on a personal level. As I kept thinking about these statistics, I knew I could improve them. So I embarked on yet another mission to determine how fast and how large I could build my network. Remember, the numbers above are from Dec. 22nd.
Today, January 7th, a scant 2 weeks and 2 days later, my network stats are:
My trusted friends and colleagues: 1,691
Two degrees away: 615,400+
Three degrees away: 12,078,700+
Total users I can contact through an Introduction: 12,695,800+
That’s a whopping increase of 663% and these numbers are growing daily!
To further test the power of networking, I established 2 blogs at http://victorfont.wordpress.com and http://victorfont.blogspot.com. These blogs are identical in content. I usually write on the Wordpress blog and cut and paste to the BlogSpot blog. Julie Powell, the author of Julie & Julia, got her start on BlogSpot. Unfortunately, BlogSpot either doesn’t provide statistics or I don’t know how to find them. On Wordpress though, the second day I had the blog open, I had almost 100 readers! I am convinced that to accomplish BIG things, you must network.
Yesterday I received a phone call from Vern McDonald of Vaco, LLC. First he told me that I am doing a great job networking. He’s been watching my progress on the Linkedin update digests. After a brief conversation about what I’ve been doing, he asked if I’d be interested in being a guest speaker at the AITP. The AITP is the Association of Information Technology Professionals. Vern is the Executive Vice President of the Research Triangle Park Chapter. There are two topics that I am passionate about: Authentic Leadership and Networking. We’re meeting tomorrow to discuss opportunities. So because I am discovering the power of networking, don’t be surprised if you get an invitation to come hear me speak.
The only answer I could say is “No.” Up to that moment I had never considered personally promoting myself for anything. I mean, I have some music videos on YouTube and I did have a light blog for awhile on our family website. But those things I did for self-enjoyment, not self-promotion. I never meant any of it to be taken seriously. And I have since deleted the blog from my family website. The videos are still on YouTube. If you want to have a laugh, go check them out. The url is http://www.youtube.com/user/vfontjr.
I started thinking long and hard about the editor’s question and looked at my network statistics on Linkedin. As of December 22, the statistics were:
My trusted friends and colleagues: 255
Two degrees away: 41,200+
Three degrees away: 3,125,800+
Total users I can contact through an Introduction: 3,167,300+
I sent these stats to the editor. She was impressed and importantly, so is her publicity manager. The 255 friends and colleagues are people I’ve worked with over the past several years or know on a personal level. As I kept thinking about these statistics, I knew I could improve them. So I embarked on yet another mission to determine how fast and how large I could build my network. Remember, the numbers above are from Dec. 22nd.
Today, January 7th, a scant 2 weeks and 2 days later, my network stats are:
My trusted friends and colleagues: 1,691
Two degrees away: 615,400+
Three degrees away: 12,078,700+
Total users I can contact through an Introduction: 12,695,800+
That’s a whopping increase of 663% and these numbers are growing daily!
To further test the power of networking, I established 2 blogs at http://victorfont.wordpress.com and http://victorfont.blogspot.com. These blogs are identical in content. I usually write on the Wordpress blog and cut and paste to the BlogSpot blog. Julie Powell, the author of Julie & Julia, got her start on BlogSpot. Unfortunately, BlogSpot either doesn’t provide statistics or I don’t know how to find them. On Wordpress though, the second day I had the blog open, I had almost 100 readers! I am convinced that to accomplish BIG things, you must network.
Yesterday I received a phone call from Vern McDonald of Vaco, LLC. First he told me that I am doing a great job networking. He’s been watching my progress on the Linkedin update digests. After a brief conversation about what I’ve been doing, he asked if I’d be interested in being a guest speaker at the AITP. The AITP is the Association of Information Technology Professionals. Vern is the Executive Vice President of the Research Triangle Park Chapter. There are two topics that I am passionate about: Authentic Leadership and Networking. We’re meeting tomorrow to discuss opportunities. So because I am discovering the power of networking, don’t be surprised if you get an invitation to come hear me speak.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Transition: The State of Change
The 11th edition of Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines transition as:
a: passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another : CHANGE
b: a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another
I suppose that at any time, most of us are in a state of some sort of transition, whether it is due to a loss of job or another significantly life altering event. Gone are the days when you could work for 30-years at an 8-5 job with ½ hour lunch and 2 15-minute breaks. Gone are the days when you can count on a pension from your life-long employer. And maybe the days to count on Social Security being there to support us through our retirement will soon be gone as well.
Transition is a time to take stock of ourselves; to inventory our strengths and weaknesses and fervently seek the blessing and direction of the Author of our lives and pathway. It’s time to seek a new vector in life; to discover what really makes us happy and find a way to support ourselves doing it.
As I look back at my 25-year career in Information Technology and the years I spent in Emergency Medical Services prior to that, I count myself among the blessed. Sure, things haven’t been easy, but over the years, I’ve worked in professions that made me happy and provided a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. The greatest satisfaction comes from knowing that I’ve performed to the best of my ability serving the needs of others. It makes me happiest when I exceed the expectations of my constituents.
So what now? Maybe it’s time to walk away from Information Technology and seek new windows of opportunity. With my broad experience and deep knowledge, I won’t be happy with any position less than a VP or an office in the C-Level suite. I’ve held both titles in the past and know full well how to do those jobs competently.
I’ve always been interested in real estate. I started taking a course to obtain my license in the state of Connecticut the last time I was in transition due to a job loss. I got about half way through when I landed a job in Raleigh, NC. Locating to Raleigh from Waterford, CT was one of the biggest transitions my family ever endured. We sure don’t want to go through that again if we can avoid it. Perhaps I can take a course again, finish it this time and pursue that avenue.
This past week I had the pleasure of meeting Annmarie, the Broker-in-Charge of the Garner, NC Coldwell Banker office. Annmarie really knows her stuff and absolutely radiates integrity. We talked for about an hour about the real estate profession in NC. I learned a lot and am praying about whether to go to school or not. I can earn my provisional broker’s license in six weeks. It may very well be possible that my wife and I can work together at this as a team.
There’s also the book. Even though I’m writing, I am not motivated to really buckle down and focus on it full time until I hear something definitive from the publisher. And then there’s ministry. There isn’t anything in life that gives me greater satisfaction than helping others. Ever since I met Pastor Paul Zeron in Bayonne, NJ when I owned the Bayonne Computer Center, I’ve been serving in ministry. I’ve taken on many roles: Deacon, Church Treasurer, Worship Leader, Adult Bible Class Teacher, Discipler and from time to time provided pulpit supply as a Preacher/Evangelist. My wife I perform regularly with the Friends in Christ Singers as part of the outreach ministry of Friendship Baptist Church in Raleigh. Within the past week we’ve been asked to perform a concert for a neighborhood party in May and in the fall to open for a popular Gospel group, the Daybreak Quartet. There are still a few details that need to be worked out about the fall concert, but if it happens, I promise you’ll hear about it first.
The only thing I’m definite about is the uncertainty in that I don’t know where I’m headed. But with the irons I have in the fire, I am confident the Lord is blessing.
a: passage from one state, stage, subject, or place to another : CHANGE
b: a movement, development, or evolution from one form, stage, or style to another
I suppose that at any time, most of us are in a state of some sort of transition, whether it is due to a loss of job or another significantly life altering event. Gone are the days when you could work for 30-years at an 8-5 job with ½ hour lunch and 2 15-minute breaks. Gone are the days when you can count on a pension from your life-long employer. And maybe the days to count on Social Security being there to support us through our retirement will soon be gone as well.
Transition is a time to take stock of ourselves; to inventory our strengths and weaknesses and fervently seek the blessing and direction of the Author of our lives and pathway. It’s time to seek a new vector in life; to discover what really makes us happy and find a way to support ourselves doing it.
As I look back at my 25-year career in Information Technology and the years I spent in Emergency Medical Services prior to that, I count myself among the blessed. Sure, things haven’t been easy, but over the years, I’ve worked in professions that made me happy and provided a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. The greatest satisfaction comes from knowing that I’ve performed to the best of my ability serving the needs of others. It makes me happiest when I exceed the expectations of my constituents.
So what now? Maybe it’s time to walk away from Information Technology and seek new windows of opportunity. With my broad experience and deep knowledge, I won’t be happy with any position less than a VP or an office in the C-Level suite. I’ve held both titles in the past and know full well how to do those jobs competently.
I’ve always been interested in real estate. I started taking a course to obtain my license in the state of Connecticut the last time I was in transition due to a job loss. I got about half way through when I landed a job in Raleigh, NC. Locating to Raleigh from Waterford, CT was one of the biggest transitions my family ever endured. We sure don’t want to go through that again if we can avoid it. Perhaps I can take a course again, finish it this time and pursue that avenue.
This past week I had the pleasure of meeting Annmarie, the Broker-in-Charge of the Garner, NC Coldwell Banker office. Annmarie really knows her stuff and absolutely radiates integrity. We talked for about an hour about the real estate profession in NC. I learned a lot and am praying about whether to go to school or not. I can earn my provisional broker’s license in six weeks. It may very well be possible that my wife and I can work together at this as a team.
There’s also the book. Even though I’m writing, I am not motivated to really buckle down and focus on it full time until I hear something definitive from the publisher. And then there’s ministry. There isn’t anything in life that gives me greater satisfaction than helping others. Ever since I met Pastor Paul Zeron in Bayonne, NJ when I owned the Bayonne Computer Center, I’ve been serving in ministry. I’ve taken on many roles: Deacon, Church Treasurer, Worship Leader, Adult Bible Class Teacher, Discipler and from time to time provided pulpit supply as a Preacher/Evangelist. My wife I perform regularly with the Friends in Christ Singers as part of the outreach ministry of Friendship Baptist Church in Raleigh. Within the past week we’ve been asked to perform a concert for a neighborhood party in May and in the fall to open for a popular Gospel group, the Daybreak Quartet. There are still a few details that need to be worked out about the fall concert, but if it happens, I promise you’ll hear about it first.
The only thing I’m definite about is the uncertainty in that I don’t know where I’m headed. But with the irons I have in the fire, I am confident the Lord is blessing.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Colonial JobSeekers: Support Group with a Purpose
Since first entering the job market, I’ve had many opportunities to seek employment. My first job out of school was working as a deck hand on a deep sea diver’s tender. You know what I'm talking about, the guys with the big metal helmets and weighted boots. No, we weren’t in the deep sea. We were working in the Hackensack River in Hackensack, New Jersey. That’s where a WWII submarine, the USS LING, is docked and open to the public for guided tours. The Submarine Memorial Association operates the NJ Naval Museum and the USS LING as a permanent memorial to the men who served and died in the submarine service. The work we performed allowed the boat to be docked in NJ. The diver had been hired to bury telecommunications cables deeper in the muddy river bottom so the Ling had enough room to pass over them without issue. It was the best paying job I ever had up to that point. I was earning $17/hr. for moving hoses around and making sure the air and water pumps continued operating. That was a small fortune in those days equivalent to about $90/hr today when indexed for inflation. Interestingly, I got that first job through networking.
My second job came through networking as well. A friend of my mother’s worked as a plant manager for Litton Automated Business Systems in Clifton, NJ. He hired me on to work in the machine shop. I started out on the drill presses and worked my way up through grinders, chuckers, lathes, and finally the big computer controlled Cincinnati Acramatic milling machine. I made parts for early mainframe computers, machining the core memory drums out of aluminum stock. These were eventually covered with a magnetic coating that recorded the data. The tolerances were in the .0001’s of an inch with the aluminum polished to a mirror finish. It was exacting work.
My third big job came through networking as well. After I became certified as an EMT in the state of New Jersey, one day when I was working at a gas station, I witnessed a young girl get struck by a motor vehicle. I ran across the street to render assistance. When the ambulance arrived at the scene, the responding paramedic said he was impressed with my field assessment. He told me the Jersey City Medical Center was actively hiring EMTs and Medics. I landed a job there the next day. The paramedic I had met had already told the department chief about me.
For some reason, after landing three successful network provided jobs, I began looking for work through traditional methods: submitting resumes, applying for jobs and talking to recruiters. For me, networking wasn’t a big draw when I worked in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Here in North Carolina, networking seems to be one of the best ways to go. One of the largest networking groups in the Raleigh area is offered through the Care Ministry of Colonial Baptist Church in Cary. I attended the Colonial JobSeekers group yesterday and must say it is quite an experience!
Meeting every Monday, there are approximately 200 people in attendance. It is the best organized and structured group I have seen within my limited networking frame of reference. There is a time for open networking starting at 8:00am over free coffee and bagels. At 8:30, there is a Spiritual Encouragement session in the Chapel where one of the church’s Pastors presents a Bible based devotional. After the devotional, the large group breaks up for more open networking and then moves on to the Special Interest Groups. Because it was my first time, I had to stay in the Chapel to attend the new member orientation, but later joined the Senior Management Group. There are groups for Admin, HR, Training, Education, Bio/Pharma, Manufacturing, Construction, Telecom, IT, Sales/Marketing, and Engineering. They also provide Interview Prep Workshops, Career Transition classes if you are seeking a position in a new industry, and basic and advanced Linkedin Training. The group meeting ends at 11:00am.
I met a lot of interesting people and am encouraged by what I saw. During the Chapel session, after the Pastor speaks, group members get up to share job landings, upcoming job interviews and prayer requests. Of the six or seven people who reported they’ve landed a job and are starting work next week, all of them found their jobs through networking. Yes, I’m encouraged.
My second job came through networking as well. A friend of my mother’s worked as a plant manager for Litton Automated Business Systems in Clifton, NJ. He hired me on to work in the machine shop. I started out on the drill presses and worked my way up through grinders, chuckers, lathes, and finally the big computer controlled Cincinnati Acramatic milling machine. I made parts for early mainframe computers, machining the core memory drums out of aluminum stock. These were eventually covered with a magnetic coating that recorded the data. The tolerances were in the .0001’s of an inch with the aluminum polished to a mirror finish. It was exacting work.
My third big job came through networking as well. After I became certified as an EMT in the state of New Jersey, one day when I was working at a gas station, I witnessed a young girl get struck by a motor vehicle. I ran across the street to render assistance. When the ambulance arrived at the scene, the responding paramedic said he was impressed with my field assessment. He told me the Jersey City Medical Center was actively hiring EMTs and Medics. I landed a job there the next day. The paramedic I had met had already told the department chief about me.
For some reason, after landing three successful network provided jobs, I began looking for work through traditional methods: submitting resumes, applying for jobs and talking to recruiters. For me, networking wasn’t a big draw when I worked in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Here in North Carolina, networking seems to be one of the best ways to go. One of the largest networking groups in the Raleigh area is offered through the Care Ministry of Colonial Baptist Church in Cary. I attended the Colonial JobSeekers group yesterday and must say it is quite an experience!
Meeting every Monday, there are approximately 200 people in attendance. It is the best organized and structured group I have seen within my limited networking frame of reference. There is a time for open networking starting at 8:00am over free coffee and bagels. At 8:30, there is a Spiritual Encouragement session in the Chapel where one of the church’s Pastors presents a Bible based devotional. After the devotional, the large group breaks up for more open networking and then moves on to the Special Interest Groups. Because it was my first time, I had to stay in the Chapel to attend the new member orientation, but later joined the Senior Management Group. There are groups for Admin, HR, Training, Education, Bio/Pharma, Manufacturing, Construction, Telecom, IT, Sales/Marketing, and Engineering. They also provide Interview Prep Workshops, Career Transition classes if you are seeking a position in a new industry, and basic and advanced Linkedin Training. The group meeting ends at 11:00am.
I met a lot of interesting people and am encouraged by what I saw. During the Chapel session, after the Pastor speaks, group members get up to share job landings, upcoming job interviews and prayer requests. Of the six or seven people who reported they’ve landed a job and are starting work next week, all of them found their jobs through networking. Yes, I’m encouraged.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Feedback, the Mightiest Gift of All
Okay, so now I know what a peer review is. It is feedback to the book proposal from a fellow author. Back in the day when I worked for Warner-Lambert, I learned what a mighty gift feedback can be. I consulted with them for almost two years, working in the HRIT department. For each of those years, I wrote and managed the compensation planning system and process. When I arrived on the scene, the process was to distribute individual spreadsheets to managers so they can enter proposed merit increases, bonus awards, and restricted stock distributions for their employees. I don't remember exactly how many spreadsheets were distributed, but there was probably close to 2,000, if not more. Warner-Lambert had an employee count of approximately 47,000. The entire compensation cycle was cumbersome, error prone, and tedious.
My first assignment was to write a system to automate the compensation cycle process. I think we used dBase III for that one. Later iterations were in Clipper and FoxPro. Whatever the backend, I developed a tool that distributed the databases on 3.5" floppy disk to help automate the roll up and reporting procedures better. It worked, but it wasn't the best design. The second iteration was client-server with a centralized database. No roll up necessary. It provided better control and fewer errors, but it was slooow! Put more than 20 managers on the system at any one time and the system bogged down. The third system I designed but didn't code was the web-based Combined Compensation System or CCP. That was the winner. It was also one of the first applications to go when Pfizer bought Warner-Lambert.
After two years of consulting with Warner-Lambert, I heard there was a position open for a manager in the department. It was a technical manager role. There were no direct reports. I asked the department director at the time, David Erikson, if there were any rules in place that prevented me from applying for the position. Today David is CEO of Mindkey Global A/S. I am happy for his success. When I asked David, he was sitting behind his desk with a pen in his hand. He looked up, put the pen down, and said the job is yours. I know you and we don't need to look any further. He asked me to submit my resume so he could get the hiring process started. After 13 years in consulting, I was tired of not having any paid time off. I wanted the job for the paid vacation and benefits. It was a good move even though I took a big pay cut. I am ever thankful to David for giving me my start in corporate life.
Warner-Lambert employed an anonymous 360 review process as part of the employee appraisal system. It was the first time I ever received a report card from my co-workers. After my first full year as a manager, I almost derailed my career. When the 360s came back from my peers and subordinates, I was completely shocked. The feedback from my superiors and customers was fine, but what I heard from the people I work with on a day-to-day basis ran shivers up my spine. To summarize, "Victor is arrogant, condescending, and makes me feel stupid." I was blown away by this! I thought I was performing to the best of my ability. I had no idea I was making people feel this way. It certainly was not consistent with my personal values and heart attitude. I was completely unaware of the impact my management style was having on others, although my wife may have raised a red flag a once or twice.
Our new Director, Chris Erikson (no relation to David), cared deeply for us as people, more so than as employees. She recommended the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC. The tuition stood in excess of $6,000...$7,000 if you include travel, lodging and expenses. Our department didn't have that kind of training money in the budget for an individual contributor. I asked two of my customers, the VPs of Compensation and HR, to fund the training. They agreed to split the cost. The course was the most amazing diagnostic I had ever been through. I've never attended anything like it before or since.
What I learned was eye-opening. The behaviors called out in my 360s were readily apparent to the observers. For the 13 years prior, I earned a living walking into a company and providing right answers to technical problems. I became highly successful by telling my clients how to do things the right way. These behaviors didn't change when I became a corporate manager. I did not realize that the behaviors that drove my success as a consultant would not allow me to progress as a manager. You must treat people differently when you are their leader. What a revelation to me!
I've been gifted with an ability to define technical solutions to problems very quickly. Within a few brief moments of understanding an issue, I can usually visualize a solution in my mind. Telling clients how to fix a problem is what consultants get paid for. Telling teammates how to fix a problem, isolates them from the solution, hurts their feelings, and does absolutely nothing to foster teamwork. The psychologist assigned to mentor me through the diagnostic suggested altering my approach through targeted questions. Even if I could visualize a solution early in the problem solving process, don't tell your teammates what that solution is. Start asking questions to steer your teammates to the solution. Let them develop their own thinking through your influence. It drives buy-in, teamwork and collaboration. The changes worked phenomenally well. My next years' 360s came back exemplary. I successfully overcame the negative perceptions. If it wasn't for hard feedback, I never would have made it.
The author gave me hard feedback in the peer review, but I know his intent is to help me succeed. He thought there might some conflict of interest between books he's written and mine. I don't believe so because my book is very different from anything out there. He absolutely did not like using the term "10 Commandments" in the title. He had a lot to say about that, but the editor had already made the point clear. His conclusion, "the author seems to be a good enough writer to go forward." Thank you for your gift of feedback!
My first assignment was to write a system to automate the compensation cycle process. I think we used dBase III for that one. Later iterations were in Clipper and FoxPro. Whatever the backend, I developed a tool that distributed the databases on 3.5" floppy disk to help automate the roll up and reporting procedures better. It worked, but it wasn't the best design. The second iteration was client-server with a centralized database. No roll up necessary. It provided better control and fewer errors, but it was slooow! Put more than 20 managers on the system at any one time and the system bogged down. The third system I designed but didn't code was the web-based Combined Compensation System or CCP. That was the winner. It was also one of the first applications to go when Pfizer bought Warner-Lambert.
After two years of consulting with Warner-Lambert, I heard there was a position open for a manager in the department. It was a technical manager role. There were no direct reports. I asked the department director at the time, David Erikson, if there were any rules in place that prevented me from applying for the position. Today David is CEO of Mindkey Global A/S. I am happy for his success. When I asked David, he was sitting behind his desk with a pen in his hand. He looked up, put the pen down, and said the job is yours. I know you and we don't need to look any further. He asked me to submit my resume so he could get the hiring process started. After 13 years in consulting, I was tired of not having any paid time off. I wanted the job for the paid vacation and benefits. It was a good move even though I took a big pay cut. I am ever thankful to David for giving me my start in corporate life.
Warner-Lambert employed an anonymous 360 review process as part of the employee appraisal system. It was the first time I ever received a report card from my co-workers. After my first full year as a manager, I almost derailed my career. When the 360s came back from my peers and subordinates, I was completely shocked. The feedback from my superiors and customers was fine, but what I heard from the people I work with on a day-to-day basis ran shivers up my spine. To summarize, "Victor is arrogant, condescending, and makes me feel stupid." I was blown away by this! I thought I was performing to the best of my ability. I had no idea I was making people feel this way. It certainly was not consistent with my personal values and heart attitude. I was completely unaware of the impact my management style was having on others, although my wife may have raised a red flag a once or twice.
Our new Director, Chris Erikson (no relation to David), cared deeply for us as people, more so than as employees. She recommended the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro, NC. The tuition stood in excess of $6,000...$7,000 if you include travel, lodging and expenses. Our department didn't have that kind of training money in the budget for an individual contributor. I asked two of my customers, the VPs of Compensation and HR, to fund the training. They agreed to split the cost. The course was the most amazing diagnostic I had ever been through. I've never attended anything like it before or since.
What I learned was eye-opening. The behaviors called out in my 360s were readily apparent to the observers. For the 13 years prior, I earned a living walking into a company and providing right answers to technical problems. I became highly successful by telling my clients how to do things the right way. These behaviors didn't change when I became a corporate manager. I did not realize that the behaviors that drove my success as a consultant would not allow me to progress as a manager. You must treat people differently when you are their leader. What a revelation to me!
I've been gifted with an ability to define technical solutions to problems very quickly. Within a few brief moments of understanding an issue, I can usually visualize a solution in my mind. Telling clients how to fix a problem is what consultants get paid for. Telling teammates how to fix a problem, isolates them from the solution, hurts their feelings, and does absolutely nothing to foster teamwork. The psychologist assigned to mentor me through the diagnostic suggested altering my approach through targeted questions. Even if I could visualize a solution early in the problem solving process, don't tell your teammates what that solution is. Start asking questions to steer your teammates to the solution. Let them develop their own thinking through your influence. It drives buy-in, teamwork and collaboration. The changes worked phenomenally well. My next years' 360s came back exemplary. I successfully overcame the negative perceptions. If it wasn't for hard feedback, I never would have made it.
The author gave me hard feedback in the peer review, but I know his intent is to help me succeed. He thought there might some conflict of interest between books he's written and mine. I don't believe so because my book is very different from anything out there. He absolutely did not like using the term "10 Commandments" in the title. He had a lot to say about that, but the editor had already made the point clear. His conclusion, "the author seems to be a good enough writer to go forward." Thank you for your gift of feedback!
Friday, January 1, 2010
The Book Proposal
For the bulk of 2009, I researched IT industry best practices to write my former company's System Development Life Cycle (SDLC). As a fairly young IT organization, the company does not have many documented standard procedures. I only know of two, their computer use policy and the change control procedures. There were no standards for system development. I delivered the SDLC to the organization on Nov. 24th. It is the result of 8 months of research, presentations and vetting with approximately 50 people. The result is what the company considers a best of breed SDLC model that complements the IT governance process. Two weeks and a day after delivering the document, I was laid off.
Before leaving the organization, I discussed the possibility with my CIO of capitalizing on the research I had done and turning it into a book for the masses. He thinks the idea is great. Personally, I've never seen anything like what I am proposing anywhere in the marketplace. What I've done is unique. He encouraged me to reach out and contact a very well-known and significant publisher who shall remain nameless at this point. He published a book with them and couldn't speak more highly of their editorial staff.
On Friday, December 18th, I spent the entire day, almost 12 hours, writing an 18-page book proposal. I submitted it to the publisher at about 7:20 pm Eastern time. I prayed and began to hold my breath. I am not new to publishing. Over the years I've written many technical and emergency medical related articles, as well as op-ed pieces that have been published in a variety of newspapers and magazines. I haven't done this for over 7 years, however. I wasn't inspired to write while I was serving as an IT Director. I know from my magazine writing days, that it can take quite awhile to hear back from an editor, even if you discover later that they are very excited over your work.
What's new to me is book publishing. I don't know what to expect here. I don't know if editors get back to you quickly or if the process can be lengthy as with magazines. About 2:30 in the afternoon on Monday the 21st, I received an email from the editor acknowledging the receipt of the proposal and saying that she would review it. It seemed to me to be a standard polite response. But wow, did I get surprised the following day! On December 22nd, she sent me a second email stating the book is very interesting to her. She asked my permission to send the proposal out for peer review. I readily agreed, not having the foggiest idea what she meant by "peer review." Did she mean peers of hers as in other editors, or did she mean peers of mine as in other authors? Whatever she meant, she had my consent to do it. I was very excited to hear back so quickly.
She offered some suggestions on how to make the book more marketable. She asked me to be flexible with the title. To give you a little background, after I left the company for whom I wrote the SDLC, I really started thinking about how I can transform the research into a book without duplicating what I wrote for them. I don't want to go back and seek permission to use anything I wrote, if at all possible. It's a work product of my employment. It doesn't belong to me. I had to develop a new approach for my writing. I came up with the idea to encapsulate my research into 10 foundational principles and build the chapters around them. The working title I proposed was "The 10 Commandments of a System Development Life Cycle." Rather than provide further explanation, here's what she said regarding the working title:
"The religious connotation in the title may be off-putting in the marketplace, especially the global marketplace. I am aware this is a foundational piece organizationally, but are you open to reconsidering?"
Of course, I'm open to reconsidering! Writing a book is all about selling the book. With her vast experience in the global marketplace, it only makes sense to take heed of her advice. I let her know that I bow to her expertise and yes, I'll consider a new title. She said, "Thank you for being flexible on the titling. I’ve been publishing IT books for 20 years now, and I’ve learned about some issues surrounding potentially charged titles, especially as we attempt to sell our books into emerging markets like the middle east, etc.. I appreciate that."
The newest title I propose is "Principles for Maturing your System Development Life Cycle." I'm not sure if I want to include the number 10 in the title or not, as in "10 Principles" because there are probably going to be more principles I'll come with as I write the chapters.
Gearing Up for the Job Search
I didn't waste any time gearing up for the forthcoming job search. It's not easy finding a new position at my level. I have to be aggressive. I'm a Senior IT Executive with 25 years' experience. During my career, I've literally done it all. I've been involved with entrepreneurial ventures and start-ups, owned a retail computer operation, consulted for 13 years, owned a custom software house that produced one commercial vertical product for the legal industry and worked my way forward in corporate management and leadership, starting as a technical manager and progressing through roles of increasing influence, responsibility, scope and stewardship. I don't know where I'm going to end up, but I am excited about the prospects. Maybe I'll take advantage of my time off to write a book!
This is a good time for personal reflection and when I look back over all of the industries I've had my hands in over the span of my career, I am sorely amazed. At Bayonne Computer Center, my retail store, we provided hardware, software, and services for accountants, doctors, lawyers, retail operations, construction companies and the military; and I mean the whole gamut of services, too. I provided software installation and setup, training, custom applications, hardware repairs and installation, and Tier I support. As a consultant I wrote custom applications for real-time currency trading, independent distributor vehicle insurance program management, engineering project accounting, asset management and tracking, compensation cycle management, legal recruiting, document management and issue tracking. These are the areas I can think of right now. I'm certain there are a lot of other little projects I worked on that I'm just not recalling at the moment. When I wasn't busy coding, I was always busy teaching classes somewhere.
For the bulk of my corporate life, I supported Human Resources, payroll, compensation, and benefits, first with PeopleSoft, then later with Oracle HRMS. I rolled out employee and manager self-service applications three times, once with voice response features. At Pfizer pharmaceuticals, I became an enterprise architect serving on the corporate architecture council and an information security officer serving on the corporate information security council. These two roles broadened the scope of my experience substantially and allowed me to gain a high level of knowledge in supply chain, manufacturing, corporate IT governance, software validation, learning management and finance. Working for CARQUEST, I learned about distribution and wrote their System Development Life Cycle. Overall, this experience is diverse and global in nature. The applications I've been responsible for producing or supporting have been deployed to over 70 countries, in the Americas, EMEA, Far East, and Australia.
So what's next? I only wish I knew. All I know is that it's time for the job hunt again. I updated my resume and leadership framework. I built a simple spreadsheet for tracking the job hunt activities and expenses for tax purposes. I joined ExecuNet and attended my first ExecuNet Raleigh meeting in December. I'll be attending the largest job seeker networking group in the RTP area at Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, NC every Monday morning at 8:00am starting Jan. 4th. I'm building my network on Linkedin and currently have almost 900 direct contacts with over 1,000 outstanding invitations to go. I've joined a whole bunch of Linkedin groups that I believe are relative. So far, in the one week before the holidays began, I sent out 45 resumes, 41 emails, made 5 calls, had 2 face-to-face meetings, and applied for 7 jobs. The holidays of course, slow things down, but I'll be picking up in earnest next week. And oh yes, I've applied for unemployment.
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