Jul. 13, 2018 "What it takes to be an executive": Today I found this article by Eric Beaudan in the Globe and Mail:
Global head of Odgers Berndtson’s leadership practice and author of Creative Execution
Marshall Goldsmith, twice designated the #1 Leadership Thinker in the World, said it best: “What got you here won’t get you there!”
Just because you’re smart, committed to your organization and have been told that you’re on the fast track to success, your path to an executive role is by no means guaranteed.
I often coach leaders who mistakenly believe that becoming an executive is an easy step up, a plushier role with a larger team or budget, and suddenly hit a wall as they realize that being an executive isn’t just a change in title, but an entirely different ball game.
Just because you’re smart, committed to your organization and have been told that you’re on the fast track to success, your path to an executive role is by no means guaranteed.
I often coach leaders who mistakenly believe that becoming an executive is an easy step up, a plushier role with a larger team or budget, and suddenly hit a wall as they realize that being an executive isn’t just a change in title, but an entirely different ball game.
An executive, by definition, makes decisions. But as an executive, you’re not just making decisions for your team or your division. You’re weighing the organization’s strategy, execution capabilities and potential risks, and thinking not just about your success but about the organization’s overall performance.
That shift in thinking – from a singular to a 360-degree perspective of the organization – is what differentiates executives.
That shift in thinking – from a singular to a 360-degree perspective of the organization – is what differentiates executives.
This means that, as an executive, you need to constantly find ways to connect different parts of the organization, leverage new capabilities, and achieve something that linear thinking could not.
You’re what the military calls a force multiplier – someone who dramatically increases the effectiveness of a team. Your job is to create new value, disrupt your environment and push the limits. It’s not for the faint of heart.
You’re what the military calls a force multiplier – someone who dramatically increases the effectiveness of a team. Your job is to create new value, disrupt your environment and push the limits. It’s not for the faint of heart.
You are also starting with a blank canvas. When you’re a manager or individual contributor, your goals are usually handed down to you and shared across your team.
As an executive, your role is to paint a clear picture of where you want to take your team or organization, and drive that vision with energy and conviction. You alone create the road map.
As an executive, your role is to paint a clear picture of where you want to take your team or organization, and drive that vision with energy and conviction. You alone create the road map.
Still interested in becoming an executive? My advice is to start thinking like one. This will help you sharpen the leadership skills you’ll need to get the job done.
Here are five simple ways to develop your executive potential:
Here are five simple ways to develop your executive potential:
1) Create a unique point of view. Cultivating a unique point of view is a great way to stand out and sharpen your strategic thinking skills. Executives are thought leaders who not only know their industry inside out, but also have a distinct position on where their organization is headed and know their role in helping to make this happen.
I often tell executives that one of their key tasks is to create context for people – helping them understand the world and their place in it.
I often tell executives that one of their key tasks is to create context for people – helping them understand the world and their place in it.
2) Embrace ambiguity. We recently researched finance executives as part of a CFO Leadership Program we designed with Rotman Executive Programs and discovered that many successful CFOs are low on the need to create process and rules, and are comfortable in low-structure environments.
This counterintuitive finding led us to understand that executives must learn to embrace ambiguity and resist the need to impose structure or process on others, especially if they aim to transform the organization. If you crave structure, stay in a well-defined role where the rules and processes are clear and constant.
This counterintuitive finding led us to understand that executives must learn to embrace ambiguity and resist the need to impose structure or process on others, especially if they aim to transform the organization. If you crave structure, stay in a well-defined role where the rules and processes are clear and constant.
3) Say less, ask more. The most common mistake newly appointed executives make is to assume that they have all the answers and need to educate others.
Your role is in fact to ask questions that get people thinking and move them to act. Confident executives stand out by saying things such as, “Have we tried this?” or, “Why are we still doing that?”
They are constantly asking the tough, intelligent questions that help shape the conversation around the table, rather than trying to impress everyone with their wit or knowledge.
Your role is in fact to ask questions that get people thinking and move them to act. Confident executives stand out by saying things such as, “Have we tried this?” or, “Why are we still doing that?”
They are constantly asking the tough, intelligent questions that help shape the conversation around the table, rather than trying to impress everyone with their wit or knowledge.
4) Be self-aware. A whopping 90 per cent of executives who fill out our surveys rate themselves as “excellent” or “very strong” across various leadership attributes.
Some of them are bold enough to rate themselves as excellent across the board – with zero leadership development needs! A little bit of self-awareness and humility will go a long way to making you more human, likeable and credible.
Executives know how to talk about themselves and their flaws, and regularly seek advice from their teams or colleagues. Every good executive I know solicits feedback on a regular basis.
Some of them are bold enough to rate themselves as excellent across the board – with zero leadership development needs! A little bit of self-awareness and humility will go a long way to making you more human, likeable and credible.
Executives know how to talk about themselves and their flaws, and regularly seek advice from their teams or colleagues. Every good executive I know solicits feedback on a regular basis.
5) Practise inclusiveness. An executive is concerned with hearing the voices of all employees and stakeholders when mapping out their vision.
Like an orchestra conductor, you will be tasked with bringing together disparate perspectives from across the organization to achieve a cohesive “rhythm.” There is no “in crowd” or “out crowd” as far as you’re concerned – your job is to make everyone feel included, heard and a part of the team.
Like an orchestra conductor, you will be tasked with bringing together disparate perspectives from across the organization to achieve a cohesive “rhythm.” There is no “in crowd” or “out crowd” as far as you’re concerned – your job is to make everyone feel included, heard and a part of the team.
Becoming an executive may indeed be in your future, but be prepared to do the hard work!
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/careers/leadership/article-do-you-have-what-it-takes-to-be-an-executive/
you forgot the big one - Being psychopathic in nature . Im not kidding . If you match the wants and needs of the HR-girls in their posting and put it up against the traits of a Psychopath - Bingo ! A match ! The truth is shocking !
This is a North American phenomena - It does NOT exist everywhere in the world surprising ?
You forgot - be a sociopath
"For all it's strengths, AI won't soon replace human's personal approach": Today I found this article by Brian Scudamore in the Globe and Mail. However, I can't find it on the website.
You will have to pay to access it. The summary is that you can't automate the customer service. If you call a customer support system, and you talk to a computer, you will get frustrated.
Would you rather talk to an actual person instead?
https://www.pressreader.com/canada/the-globe-and-mail-ottawaquebec-edition/20180713/282187946788014
Jul. 20, 2018 Firmware quality assurance engineer: Today I found this article by Jared Lindzon in the Globe and Mail:
Job: Firmware quality assurance engineer
The role: This job deals with the communication between digital code and the physical output. Engineers ensure that the commands provided by software are properly executed by hardware for physical technology products.
“It’s trying to validate that gap between writing code and, for example, seeing a motor spin, or making sure a phone vibrates in the proper manner, which can include duration, intensity, things like that,” said Daniel Dixon, a Coquitlam, B.C. native who recently graduated from Simon Fraser University with a bachelor's degree in applied science.
Mr. Dixon spent a year working for automotive manufacturer Tesla as a firmware QA engineer as part of SFU’s experiential learning program, and is now preparing for his new role as a haptic firmware QA engineer at Apple. The role, he explains, is divided between working with code and working with physical products. “My job is partly in the desk, partly in the lab,” he said.
Though the role is relatively new, Mr. Dixon says it’s very common in Silicon Valley and can be found almost anywhere hardware products are designed. “Any tech company that produces a physical product would have at least a firmware team that does its own QA, or a dedicated QA engineer for firmware,” he said.
Salary: Within the competitive hiring landscape of Silicon Valley, where most of the world’s biggest technology companies design and test their products, Mr. Dixon says most firmware QA engineers earn between U.S. $100,000 and $120,000 annually.
“By the time your salary got to around $120,000 or maybe even $125,000 you’d be moving on to a different role,” he said. “Usually the natural progression is you move on to become a firmware developer or a manager, [who] earn more.”
Unfortunately, salaries aren’t quite as high outside the Valley or on the other side of the border, where competition is far less fierce. According to career resource website Payscale.com, quality assurance engineers in Canada earn an average of about $60,000 a year. “Firmware is slightly more specialized, but I wouldn’t expect a starting salary averaging more than $65,000 to $75,000 [in Canada],” explained Mr. Dixon.
Education: While there are no mandatory licensing or educational standards, a majority of those in the industry hold at least a bachelor’s degree, typically in computer science or engineering. “An engineering degree in general will get you in the door,” said Mr. Dixon.
Job prospects: While a large proportion of the industry is based in Silicon Valley, job prospects are on the rise in Canada as the country’s technology industry continues to mature. Since there remains more demand for software-specific roles, however, and since the skills are easily transferable, Mr. Dixon says many with the necessary background ultimately end up working on the software side.
“Because that degree is so adaptable I know a lot of people who, even though they had the hardware experience, elected to go pure software just because the availability of jobs is greater,” he said.
Challenges: Firmware QA engineers are tasked with managing a lot of fast-moving pieces, literally. Pinpointing the source of an error in a large and complex system can be frustrating. “There’s a lot of things that can break, and it’s your job to figure out what it is,” said Mr. Dixon.
He adds that the task is made harder by the fact that firmware QA engineers can transfer between drastically different companies and product types. For example, Mr. Dixon’s previous role at Tesla pertained to thermal control systems, but in his new role he will be tasked with applying those skills to iPhones. “As a firmware engineer you need to learn how to adapt, and become an expert in that realm,” he said.
Why they do it: While becoming an expert in a new and complicated realm has its challenges, Mr. Dixon says the mobility of the job is also one of its greatest perks.
“The interesting part of the job is how many fields that you can touch while still just being in a firmware QA role,” he said. “It all boils down to software converting into hardware at some point, which is what makes it cool; you can go into an entirely new industry with the same set of skills.”
Misconceptions: Mr. Dixon says that the industry is so new that few have any understanding of what it is he does, and most assume the role is similar to any other computer-engineering job.
“Even other people in the tech industry – but not necessarily in firmware – think I just program stuff, but they don’t realize the scope and the difference, that it’s about software talking to hardware and all the details in between,” he said.
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