harry says yes

I have thrown together the best advice I was given by my peers and seniors that has set me up for success and helped me achieve my recent promotion to an IT Team Manager. Without going overboard, it was down to them. Its not possible to move forward in life without the support of others. Thank you to all.

show leadership qualities

Act the position before you get it

• Opportunity - Don’t wait, be pro-active. My company offers a plethora of leadership opportunities. I took on the departmental social committee, and also led a team to raise over three thousand dollars for the Red Cross China Earthquake appeal.
• Volunteer - Cover your manager. I asked to handle escalations; go to his meetings; meet his peers while he was unavailable. What starts as just listening, turns into you having the empowered knowledge to produce the solution.
• Perspective - Leaders focus on the big picture. I took interest in the entire department and company; the issues facing my director; the big projects that are happening - understand and show concern, and jump on any chance to help out.
• Show you see past your projects, and team. Show business ownership. A VP in the business tried going through a backdoor to get a project done. It would have been a great quick win for him, but would have set the company’s strategy and roadmap way off course. The team and I intercepted this and pushed forward the right plan for the company. This was recognised by my VP, and now we have a great project in front of us.
• Identify Change - Look for ways to change process and results in your job and drive it through. Drive your project in early and under-budget.

network

set yourself up for success

• Gain a relationship with your manager’s peers - if you can work well with them, they will want you as their peer. I exposed myself, put my name on the line and made the manager’s take notice of my skill and ambitions.
• Mentorship - Soak up all the experience and advice you can get from your seniors. They are where you want to be. Learn what got them there. There are many approaches to mentorship. Set up more than one mentor: get someone in your company, someone outside, someone like you, and why not someone with a contrasting viewpoint to yours. There is different value in each type. Over on the jibberjobber blog, there was a fantastic debate about gen-y which sparked great points around geny really contrast from older generations because we do seek guidance: The baby-boomers didnt trust anyone over 30, or so the slogan said. I believe in the great work of my seniors, and in turn, they believe in me.
• Impress - Shine to your clients and peers, and your leaders will notice. This isnt just for the promotion. this is a life skill. do it - go help someone above and beyond today!

career plan

understand your path and commit with passion

• Passion - My old high school rector’s quote sums it all up (never forgotten since the age of fourteen) - “Dead eyes - Never employ a man with dead eyes” - thanks JVL
• Skills awareness - understand your weaknesses and develop a plan to overcome them. I’ve got the passion and drive for the people, but can i deliver projects? I will focus on gaining this with peers, experience and training.
• Formal Training - Outline courses you’d like to take that would enhance and better your skills. You might not be able to take them all before in the deep end, but it is part of a plan for success. I’m really looking forward to taking a course on negotiation!

Now finally, as a manager myself, i get to give my own advice as well! My advice is simple: Say YES!
YES, you can do it
YES, you can help
YES, you can succeed!

Following the previous Denis Darzacq post, i also want to shout out this fantastic animation that has been going around the art and design blogosphere (swissmiss, hellobauldoff, fubiz.

it is profound and i leave it blank for your own message:

go here for a hi-res download version.

some amazing pieces in a series by Denis Darzacq. 'Hyper' is a follow up to the fantastic 'La Chute'

The best thing about the images is no photoshop tricks! He hired dancers and sportsmen to strike the poses.

I much prefer Hyper due to its less dark imagery. La Chute was realised after the riots in Marseille in 2005 (?, might have been 04) and demonstrates the fragility of life. are we hanging by a thread? are we falling from top of high rises and about to go splat? looking perfect until the last moment before the crash.

Hyper explores what it is to be an individual in todays society. my outlook is the fully stocked supermarket represents the society and mass production that consumes us and tries to take our 'self' away. the striking poses of the subjects is the fight to break away from the mass.

wicked stuff. yes.

In North West America, especially Vancouver, the Chinese are represented with strength. In Vancouver there are about almost 600,000 Chinese People (stat source). Naturally the China Earthquake was a disaster that hit home and effected a lot of lives across the globe.

I am the social prime for my department at work. Social can be translated to also mean charitable work. Today myself and a close team have organised a 50 50 draw to raise money for the Red Cross Aid Appeal (link ).

< RANT >Being an outsider to Canada, I underestimated the amount of beaurocracy i would face. gambling licences, the enterprise charitable team, building management, company retiree's complaining we were competing with them and stealing their potential funds. All I wanted to do was raise a lot of money, quickly, and give poeple a perk for donating. Quite honestly, its been a nightmare! < thats the rant over >

Now its running, I'm really excited about the enthusiasm shown throughout my building and looking forward to some big bucks for the appeal.

Going forward, i'm trying to think of other fundraising activities using a slim (zero dollar) budget. The issue with disaster relief is it would seem inappropriate to have a party or something... its got to be low key. but next time i'd rather not have to deal with the government!!! Brazen Network, any ideas?

Also, for anyone interested in making a donation, go to the red cross appeal site and you can donate direct there. Also if you are in a corporation engage your company and see if they can match any donations you make. This is common in my company.

Good luck to everyone raising money for any appeal. Its highly rewarding.

Canada: donate here

My Interview for the leadership position is on Monday. Very excited! I will be up against another two candidates, both with more senior positions and having spent longer at the company than I. I need to bring my A-game out in the interview room and there’s so much ground to cover.

Task

I’ve been asked to produce a 30 60 90 Day Plan

Prep

I’ve done my campaigning. Making sure everyone knows what I want: I now regularly get copied in on manager’s meeting minutes as they regard me as part of the management team now. Now it’s time for the crucial interview

Understand Manager’s Role

Here’s a great article from Penelope Trunk about leader’s mistakes (link). Those points are a great start to understand the pitfalls my employers would look for in me as a first time leader.

Good Managers don’t just orchestrate a team. They need to give added value. What is my added value? How can I contribute to the team, that they can’t already do themselves?

Identify what the strategy and goals of my employers are. Play to their vision. Employee support and motivation, business partner relationships, and money all need to be addressed.

Understand Myself and Management Style

Identify Unique Selling Points – I will not be like the other candidates (the only gen-y applicant) and need to bring the strengths of gen-y forward and dispel the myths.

Here’s my Agenda underlying the 30/60/90day plan: 
KEY selling points
- Big Picture View
- People Focussed
- Excitement & Desire
- Confidence and no inhibition to ask for help
- Commitment

Interview Technique

On top of the presentation, I’m bound to be asked some curve balls. My director can be rather jovial with me, and threatened she'd make me sweat in the interview room:

Understand Your Own Negatives (this is ALWAYS asked in interviews)
 - Inexperience. I’m countering this with a strong mentorship from my current boss who I have a strong bond with already.
 - Just-In-Time attitude to work. As a manager, I’d have to plan, prepare and be ahead in work. My Just-In-Time attitude only spreads to work I do for myself. My view and approach would shift considerably with people dependent on me.

Five-Year-Plan usually comes up too
- Dedicated to company
- Strive to grow inside the company

As I am already a member of the team, I am also bound to be asked how I would motivate a specific person in the team. It would most likely be a senior member who knows how to do their job well already.

 

Outlook

I think provided I relay my desire to focus on people, drive our business-partnership relationship, I’ll be in good stead for the job.

Very excited for the opportunity!! Yes yes yes

I love Swissmiss

Heres a fantastic lecture from gmail guru, Paul Buchheit. When the user asks for x & z; you need to really produce y.





 

talk link via hello bauldoff

When contemporary art works...

link at woostercollective

I was promoted at the start of this year. Whats it done? Made me thirsty for my next! My manager received a fantastic opportunity to spearhead a special assignment at work leaving a temporary opening for his job. I'm gunning for it!

With all the election campaigns on in America, I realised how important creating an identity and campaign is for any push for a new position. here are my targets:

• Brand - Make people view me as a potential manager. My seniors and peers should believe I have the right personality and attitude to lead. When a management opportunity comes up, they must think of me as the first name to mind.
  


• Advertise - Tell anybody and everybody that wants to know, I'm looking for leadership opportunities. Everyone, up to VP in my department knows my plans. I've read online not to have peers understand my personal career plans, as they could get edgy overtaking senior staff, but if they want the job, competition is always a great thing.
  


• Experience - I'm filling in for my manager and volunteering for anything leadership related. If I don't know how to do it, I'm positive I can learn while running.
  

yes.

link via HELLO BAULDOFF