careers

A moral dilemma

My recent post on dysfunctional workplaces sparked a moral dilemma, of sorts. It goes like this:

You have a choice. On the one hand, you can spend your career playing it safe, hanging back, being a yes man (or woman), and making sure your ass is always covered. We'll call that the "safe path." Or you can take risks, be passionate about what you believe in, speak up, stand up for what's right, and possibly commit political suicide in the process. We'll call that the "risky path."

Which path do you choose?

I, for one, chose the risky path, and it worked pretty well for me. Well, that's not entirely accurate. I didn't so much choose it as it chose me. That path always felt like it was part of me, in my blood. I could no more play it safe than I could change the color of my eyes from brown to green.

Let's assume that, unlike me, you have a choice. As much as I would like to influence that choice by telling you mine was the better way, I can't. The truth is that I have no idea.

For all I know some people aren't meant to rattle cages, challenge the status quo, throw caution to the wind. They either can't or don't wish to live their lives on a razor's edge. … Read more

Do you have a dysfunctional workplace?

Does your boss act out and throw tantrums like a spoiled child? Does your company ship most of its product the last 24 hours of the quarter? Are you afraid to bring up certain hot-button issues in meetings for fear of being humiliated? Do you spend more time covering your ass than you do sitting on it? Is your company in a perpetual state of limbo because nobody can make a decision? Does your company's mission statement change weekly?

These are all signs of a dysfunctional workplace. But don't fret; you're not alone. In fact, an entire lexicon has grown up around dysfunctional corporate behavior. See if you can recognize some of the issues that drive you and your co-workers nuts in these definitions:

Analysis paralysis. Chronic debating that obstructs the decision making process. Often a systemic problem within a company and a symptom of dysfunctional leadership, processes, and pretty much everything else. Also see disruptive management style.

Breathing your own fumes. When executives actually start to believe and make decisions based on the spin-doctored bulls--t they consistently spew out to the media, analysts, investors, customers and employees.

Blowing smoke up someone's ass. Feeding an insincere compliment or bulls--t to someone who should know better but hasn't been around long enough to develop a healthy, cynical filter against that sort of thing. Not to be confused with having your head stuck up someone's ass.… Read more

Work can kill you

Back in the early '80s, when I was a young engineer at Texas Instruments headquarters in Dallas, my thoughts were mostly preoccupied with women and partying ... except at work, where I occasionally designed chips, too.

I worked with a bunch of college grads from all over the country. We were all single and at the same stage in our lives. There were road trips to New Orleans, New Braunfels (for Wurstfest--where Texans came every year to drink their weight in beer), the Guadalupe River, South Padre Island, and Colorado (where we attempted to ski). The rest of the time, you … Read more

Ten qualities executives seek in up-and-comers

In a prior post I whined about the shortcomings of climbing the corporate ladder. What I neglected to mention is that, after years of horrific behavior modification that some call management training, I eventually became pretty good at it. In fact, I was a manager and an executive for more than 20 years.

During that time I developed a pretty good sense, from both sides of the equation, of the qualities that executives look for in up-and-comers. So, if you're one of those gluttons for punishment (and compensation) who seek a place in the esteemed ranks of corporate management, here's some free advice on how best to get there.

One caveat, though. Depending on how you interpret them, these qualities can have different meanings. They can even be watered down into almost meaningless, generic dribble. I've seen that done in dozens of corporate "core value" statements. So I tried to provide meaningful descriptions to for clarity's sake.

Ten qualities executives seek in up-and-comers:

Passion. Driven to get the job done and do it right; passion for one's function, the marketplace, the company's product, work in general; high energy level

Intelligence. There's no substitute for intelligence, with emphasis on insight, analysis of complex problems, deductive reasoning, out of the box thinking

Fearless. Willing to take risks, embrace new challenges, make mistakes, and say what's on one's mind without fear of consequences; opposite of CYA mentality

Leadership. Innate ability to motivate people to willingly do one's bidding, especially when there's no direct benefit for them to do so… Read more

Snooze your way to a better career

Ever have a dream so vivid that, even after you wake up, you think you're still dreaming? Then you go back to sleep and, later in the day when you try to recall the dream, you can't remember a thing.

So you think you'll be smart and have a pad and pen ready by your bedside so you can write it all down right away. Real smart. I did that recently. You know what I found when I woke up in the morning? An illegible jumbled mess that looked like a four year-old had written it. It took a few minutes to decipher the jumble. Here's what I'd written on the pad in the middle of the night:

Soaring, flying high with Kim (that's my wife), dad watching, mom there too, I think. Ice cream cones and pogo sticks. Happy.

I actually had to Google pogo sticks to find out what they were. Any amateur or professional shrinks out there want to tell me what that dream means? Is it normal for a 50 year-old former executive to dream about flying high (does "high" refer to altitude or stoned?) with ice cream while his folks watch, never mind what his wife was doing? I don't even want to know what the pogo sticks were for.… Read more

Climbing the corporate ladder sucks

When Michael Kanellos--CNET News editor-at-large--asked me to do this blog, he said, among other things, "people spend their whole lives bitching about work and yet we never read about it."

"Well, yeah, that's true, but I want to write about dysfunctional executives and companies," I complained. "You know, I want to write about train wrecks."

"Sure, you can do that too," he said, the way an adult appeases a whining child. "But I'm telling you, focusing on career and management will be cool. You know the topic, you can be funny about it, and people care about it, yet mainstream media pays almost no attention to it."

As I sat there, pondering the apparent wisdom of his idea, Michael delivered his coup de grace: "Climbing the ladder sucks and everyone is obsessed with it, yet few speak out on it."

Wow, I thought, ain't that the truth. Perceptive guy, that Kanellos.

I had certainly spent a good part of my life obsessed with climbing the corporate ladder, almost lost my marriage over it. And for what? For the money? For the pats on the back? For the knowledge that I'd done something with my life that makes a difference?

I don't know about you, and I never wanted to admit this, but I don't think I did it for any of those reasons. I think I did it because I was programmed to do it. My dad grew up in the Depression and thought he was doing the right thing--drilling into me that nothing was more important than a successful career.… Read more

Jump-start your career in five hard lessons

Think you've got what it takes to become a hot-shot executive but that your boss is holding you back? Or maybe you're just sick and tired of working your butt off while everyone else gets ahead? Well, quit your whining, and do something about it.

No, don't get a self-help book; they're mostly a waste of time. I've got a better idea. But before we go any further, I need to say this: I'm no career guidance expert, I don't have volumes of data, and I'm not here to sell you anything. On the other hand, I do have five hard-learned, real-life lessons from the trenches.

Learning these lessons enabled my success. Yeah, I know, I hate people who say that too, "I was a big success in [fill in the blank] and, if you buy my book, you can be a success too." The only difference between them and me is that I'm not trying to sell you anything.

Will my lessons work for you or anyone else? Fair question. I have no idea. But I do think they're fundamental and not the kind of stuff you're likely to find hanging around a bookstore. These are not obvious "falling off a log" lessons. I learned them through painful trial and error. Speaking of which, if you'd like to know whose advice you're taking, just check out my bio.

If there's an overriding message, it's this: success isn't easy, and there are no formulas. Anyone who says otherwise just wants to sell you something. Everything you're about to read is hard, but I don't know of any work-arounds. If there were an easier way, trust me, I'd have tried it. And, like anything significant in life, just reading it isn't likely to help you much. But if it resonates with you, perhaps it will affect your behavior and then, the sky's the limit.

Lesson 1: Get in the line of fire. Find a way to put yourself in a critical position on a program that can make or break the company. Take big risks, especially early in your career, when it doesn't matter so much. Stick your neck out and test your reach. Management will respect your willingness to put your butt on the line for the company. Don't get hung up on winning. Whether the project succeeds or fails is secondary. Same goes for titles and compensation. Show your capability first. Then see Lesson 2.… Read more

Wanted: ethically challenged workers for executive positions

Ever wonder where your career is heading? Well, let me ask you this:

Are you capable of moral flexibility? Good at covering things up without getting caught? Know what plausible deniability is? Then you just might be a candidate for executive management.

Or, are you in a complete state of denial about your future, a goody two shoes content to let management use you for toilet paper for the next 10 or 20 years?

Want to know what the future holds for you? Then get out your pen and paper and take this quiz, if you dare. Scoring is at the end. Hey, no cheating!

1. Corporate fraud happens: a) rarely b) more often than you think c) sooner or later d) whenever the greedy SOBs can get away with it

2. Executives who defraud shareholders should be: a) slapped on the wrist b) fined c) fined and imprisoned d) forced to watch reruns of The Anna Nicole Show

3. Greed is: a) what I live for b) for lack of a better term, good c) fine in moderation d) the sin of capitalist dogs; long live Karl Marx and the revolution

4. Most board directors: a) have shareholders' interests at heart b) do a reasonably competent job of oversight c) are bought and paid for by the CEO d) are tired old farts that are desperate to be relevant

5. Executive compensation in corporate America: a) is reasonable, CEOs deserve what they get b) is a little hard to swallow, sometimes c) is excessive and out of control d) inflames my hemorrhoids every time I read a proxy statement