"New leaders need a little extra care"/ 16 job interviews

Aug. 25 "New leaders need a little extra care": I cut out this article by Harvey Schachter in the Globe and Mail on Aug. 24, 2015.  It is a hard job to be a manager.  It's also hard to get into a new role.  Here is the whole article:

Bill Gentry is a first-time manager. He also is a researcher who has studied the difficulties people new to management face, and through his work at the Center for Creative Leadership, has trained new managers. “The biggest thing is that what made you a successful individual contributor won’t work now that you lead others,” he said in an interview.

That means first-time managers in your organization need your help. You can’t just throw them into the new job and expect them to succeed because they have been top-flight before. Unfortunately, almost 60 per cent of managers say they never received any training when they transitioned into their first leadership role.

You need to be honest about the challenges, so they aren’t surprised when things don’t go smoothly and don’t feel they are the only person who has ever struggled with the transition. You also need to tell them they are supported – and show it. The Center’s research shows that when people feel backed by their supervisors and organization, they have higher job satisfaction, higher commitment to the organization, and are less likely to want to leave.

Three leadership challenges predominate:

1. Asserting authority

Fifty-nine per cent of managers cite this difficulty, as they struggle to establish or assert their new authority. “You are going from BFF to boss and it’s a big challenge. You can’t have the same relationship with your colleagues,” he said. You may be able to keep the friendships, but they’ll be different or you may even lose them.

2. Developing managerial effectiveness

The new manager will be concerned with being an effective leader but at the same time needs to be productive at their own work, which often must be maintained at this initial supervisory post. Forty-six per cent of those surveyed highlighted this issue. “We need as managers to figure out time when we can do our own work and also when to be doing coaching and performance appraisals and other managerial tasks,” he said.

3. Leading team achievement

Before, you just led yourself. Now you must lead others, forging team chemistry, and 43 per cent signalled their difficulty adjusting to this challenge. This can be particularly demanding when directions, goals or expectations are unclear.

In a research paper and during the interview, Mr. Gentry offered advice on handling each of those problems. In establishing your role as a new manager, you must be clear and direct, setting the tone for how you will deal with your new subordinates.

First, acknowledge to yourself that the relationship with former peers must change. Then meet with them, and talk openly about the new situation. In particular, you have to ensure your relationship with people you are close with won’t lead to accusations you are favouring them as the new boss. “Be clear and firm. Ask how you can work together so that they are treated fairly and others see the treatment as fair,” he advised in the interview. “Be prepared that the friendship may end.”

As soon as the promotion is made, the new manager should set up a meeting with each direct report to focus on that individual’s needs and motivations, learning what each likes about his work, how each likes to be led and whatever concerns exist. The new manager will also want to outline his vision for the future, but learning about his or her followers comes first.

Supervisors of first-time managers can also help them with developing managerial and personal effectiveness. Work closely with them to set specific, measurable goals. Encourage them to maintain an overall list of responsibilities and active projects for their entire team.

That list can help them to see the bigger picture. Get them to think about how often they should be holding one-on-one meetings with their team members. And finally, encourage them to use one calendar for work and all their other activities instead of maintaining separate calendars for different spheres, which leads to confusion. That sounds elementary but he says a surprising number of people run into trouble on this score.

As for leading team achievement, he preaches an approach known as DAC, for direction, alignment and commitment. The manager must tell subordinates the vision and check that everyone knows their role and the role of their colleagues in reaching that goal. Then, through those one-on-ones, the manager must understand what motivates each individual and how to apply that to attaining their goals. As well, the first-time managers should be saying “together” a lot – using that term improves productivity – and dealing with conflict as soon as it arises.

First-time managers can gain support through what are known as “circles,” having all the rookie supervisors in an organization meeting regularly to share the issues confronting them. If a more senior manager can attend those sessions, as mentor, that’s even better.

First-time managers usually oversee the most people in an organization. Hoping they’ll be successful is not a strategy. When you promote them, you need to wisely support them.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/new-leaders-need-a-little-extra-care/article26053566/

"I've had 16 job interviews, but no offers. What am I missing?": I cut out this article in the Globe and Mail on Aug. 24, 2015.  Now this is a good article that I had interest in reading.  I have done lots of job interviews and not get hired, but some I do get hired.  I have gotten feedback right from the interviewer.  Here's the whole article:

THE QUESTION

I am 35 years old, currently living outside the country with my parents. I have two master’s degrees from the United States and London in fine arts and media relations. I want to work in the business side of the entertainment business in the U.S. or Canada. I have had a number of short-term positions over the past five years, and 16 interviews over the past 10 months for full-time positions with no job offers. Am I overqualified, or do I not have enough long-term job experience? What do I need to do to land a position?

 

THE FIRST ANSWER

Bruce Sandy

Principal, Pathfinder Coaching and Consulting, Vancouver

You need to find out specifically why you were not selected for any of these positions. Ask for specific feedback from the company or human resources officials about what they liked about your interviews and what you need to change in your presentation or your references. Ask if they think you are overqualified and what you need to do to land a position with their companies. Take note of their comments and recommendations.

If there are identified problems with your presentation and interview style, consider working with a career coach or counsellor to refine and hone your communication, presentation and relation- ship-building skills. Practise interviews and videotape them. Get specific feedback on your communication style, body language, tone and connection with the interviewer. If there are problems with your references, find new ones. They should have a recent copy of your résumé and copies of the job ads for which you are applying. You need to know whether they can fully support you and what they will say about you during reference checks.

Go to the U.S. and Canada and start networking with key officials in entertainment companies. Attend local entertainment business events. Build your network. Set up information interviews with key company officials. Remember to ask them what they are proudest of and what the key challenges are for their companies instead of just focusing on you and your need for a job. If they feel you are a good listener and someone who can help them, they will want to find out more about you and how you might fit.

THE SECOND ANSWER

Billy Anderson

Founder, the Courage Crusade, Toronto

The best feedback for you is in the heads of the 16 people who turned you down. Did you ask them why you didn’t get the position? It’s even better to ask at the end of the interview: “Now that we’ve spoken, do you see any gaps between what I offer and what the position requires?” It takes courage because we don’t always want to hear the answer.

Roughly 80 per cent of jobs are found through connections. Have you fully leveraged yours? Not just who you know, but who those people know.

Have you exhausted opportunities in the country you’re residing in now? The more experience you can get at home, the better your résumé will look and the more connections you’ll make.

You have a lot of education, but is it applicable to what you’re applying for? What type of position or company would it most align with? Start there.

You could call some colleges in North America, tell them you’re thinking of taking some courses to improve your odds and ask what the industry typically requires. Tell them your situation.

Can you afford financially to start as a volunteer if need be, and slowly work your way up once you’ve proved yourself?

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/life-at-work/am-i-overqualified-for-my-dream-job/article26053868/

There was 1 comment on the article: I tried to copy and paste it, but I can't.  It was basically that getting 16 job interviews is really good.  Maybe it's just me, but the comment writer sounds like a young woman in her early 20s.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/life-at-work/am-i-overqualified-for-my-dream-job/article26053868/comments/

Myglobe67 20 hours ago

16 interviews -- well done! Many people in the job market would give their right arm for 16 interviews. Each interview makes you a stronger and better candidate for the next job, and provides you with more information about the industry and market (in your case, the entertainment business). Each interviewer is also a networking contact for the future in their company - or whatever company they may land at in the future. Keep their contact details.

The commentators give you a lot of conventional advice -- like ask for feedback from the interviewer. LOL! I have never had nor heard of interviewers giving feedback -- they just want to move on with the candidate they have selected and not waste time with feedback. In many large organizations, feedback is discouraged if not prohibited, since they fear that feedback will only give candidates a chance to rebut the interviewer's conclusions, or even worse, ammunition for some sort of complaint.

There is so much advice in the HR and job-hunting world, please take it all with a big helping of salt, including mine! Having said that, my two suggestions for you:

-- Network on LinkedIn
-- for your industry, try playbackonline.ca

Myglobe67 20 hours ago

16 interviews -- well done! Many people in the job market would give their right arm for 16 interviews. Each interview makes you a stronger and better candidate for the next job, and provides you with more information about the industry and market (in your case, the entertainment business). Each interviewer is also a networking contact for the future in their company - or whatever company they may land at in the future. Keep their contact details.

The commentators give you a lot of conventional advice -- like ask for feedback from the interviewer. LOL! I have never had nor heard of interviewers giving feedback -- they just want to move on with the candidate they have selected and not waste time with feedback. In many large organizations, feedback is discouraged if not prohibited, since they fear that feedback will only give candidates a chance to rebut the interviewer's conclusions, or even worse, ammunition for some sort of complaint.

There is so much advice in the HR and job-hunting world, please take it all with a big helping of salt, including mine! Having said that, my two suggestions for you:

-- Network on LinkedIn
-- for your industry, try playbackonline.ca

Myglobe67 20 hours ago

16 interviews -- well done! Many people in the job market would give their right arm for 16 interviews. Each interview makes you a stronger and better candidate for the next job, and provides you with more information about the industry and market (in your case, the entertainment business). Each interviewer is also a networking contact for the future in their company - or whatever company they may land at in the future. Keep their contact details.

The commentators give you a lot of conventional advice -- like ask for feedback from the interviewer. LOL! I have never had nor heard of interviewers giving feedback -- they just want to move on with the candidate they have selected and not waste time with feedback. In many large organizations, feedback is discouraged if not prohibited, since they fear that feedback will only give candidates a chance to rebut the interviewer's conclusions, or even worse, ammunition for some sort of complaint.

There is so much advice in the HR and job-hunting world, please take it all with a big helping of salt, including mine! Having said that, my two suggestions for you:

-- Network on LinkedIn
-- for your industry, try playbackonline.ca

Myglobe67 20 hours ago

16 interviews -- well done! Many people in the job market would give their right arm for 16 interviews. Each interview makes you a stronger and better candidate for the next job, and provides you with more information about the industry and market (in your case, the entertainment business). Each interviewer is also a networking contact for the future in their company - or whatever company they may land at in the future. Keep their contact details.

The commentators give you a lot of conventional advice -- like ask for feedback from the interviewer. LOL! I have never had nor heard of interviewers giving feedback -- they just want to move on with the candidate they have selected and not waste time with feedback. In many large organizations, feedback is discouraged if not prohibited, since they fear that feedback will only give candidates a chance to rebut the interviewer's conclusions, or even worse, ammunition for some sort of complaint.

There is so much advice in the HR and job-hunting world, please take it all with a big helping of salt, including mine! Having said that, my two suggestions for you:

-- Network on LinkedIn
-- for your industry, try playbackonline.ca