Search Results - hesitate

Topic: The Butterfly Effect: Learning from Tragedy: embraced it and adopted it to our particular field of study and human interaction. Many of us have experienced different events in our lives that have altered our path or changed the course of our destiny. Yes, I know that the Butterfly Effect is not the same as the Domino Effect but sometimes these two effects overlap and it becomes difficult to draw a line between them. I hope you will bear with me (Animal) as I take liberty with my analogies and please, take them for what they are worth. I typically tell stories of consequence. I like telling these stories, and it would seem that that my numerous sources enjoy telling them to me. I recently contacted one of my mentors, Dr. Hal Simeroth, regarding a paper I was writing about Everyday Leaders. Hal is just that, he is an everyday leader that has made a tremendous impact on my life and the lives of so many others. I met him a little over tow years ago when he interviewed me for a Manager of Recruitment position with a technology start-up company. I sat across a desk from him as he told me a bit about himself and then proceeded to put me at ease with his gentle but analytical approach to questioning. Hal was the Vice President of Engineering and he was one of the four VPs I would be interviewing with (individually) before I sat down with the CEO of Select University Technologies, Inc. I don't think I even knew that I should have been nervous as I wasn't. That company, SUTI, has since gone belly-up, much to our dismay..., we thought we would retire from there, along with many others. But we have remained friends and we speak or meet for lunch often. At the end of my recent conversation with Hal, I asked if he wouldn't mind indulging me a bit and allow me to ask him another question for Bonus Track. He was glad to oblige me and said, "Fire away." Dr. Simeroth has a Bachelor's in Engineering, a Master's in Religion and a Doctorate in Ethics. He is not your typical engineer, so I thought his Butterfly Effect answer might have a different spin. And it did. He didn't even hesitate when he plunged into a very short but effective story... Hal went to work for a quickly expanding PC company out of Los Gatos, California, in the 1980's. They were experiencing exponential growth; the executives & CEO involved were living the high life. On the day they announced the company had gone public, shares were grabbed up and it was a huge coup. A party was held in Silicon Valley, the likes that none of them had ever seen. A very elaborate shindig with booze and drugs readily available and many were partaking. The CEO took off from the party, along with a friend, for a joy ride in his Ferrari - he was flying high on cocaine and thrilled that his own personal holdings were now worth $6M. Unfortunately, the same day he became a very wealthy man was the same day his life ended. He drove his Ferrari off a cliff. His passenger miraculously survived but the CEO left his wife, children, and a brand new incredibly successful company behind. Hal was the VP of Engineering with this company and this incident changed his life and his perspective. The company, somehow, managed to thrive following this tragic incident but the leaders were impacted and their paths were altered. One moment everything is perfect and wonderful..., the next, their leader was gone and they had to re-group, and they did, but not without a significant amount of pain and challenge. "We learned the hard way." Embrace today, don't be flip with achievements, remember that others are affected by your actions, and know that success is never guaranteed. Take advantage of the tales others tell, learn from their trials and pain. What will you learn today? by rayannethorn…; Added by Rayanne at 11:49pm on April 23, 2009

Blog Post: 10 'Dumb' Things to Tell a Candidate: Added by Martin Ellis at 4:36am on December 19, 2012

Blog Post: How to Reduce Employee Turnover and Retain Your Top Talent

Added by Tracey Clayton at 9:05am on August 27, 2019

Blog Post: Developing A Career Fair Communication Strategy: What To Know When Plan Your Post-Career Fair Communication Plan: Rakuna 2021 Student Survey reveals valuable insights: 90% of respondents prefer to use email and phone as the favorite professional communication channel and hear…; Added by Rakuna at 4:28am on November 6, 2021

Blog Post: Creative Ways to Recruit an Amazing Advisory Board: Last week on Hire Power Radio Show, Rick Girard sat down with Jon Shower to talk about the crucial task start-ups have to build a solid board of advisors. By harnessing the power a…; Added by Rick Girard at 3:47pm on October 12, 2017

Topic: Overcoming bureaucratic obstacles: ho cried Wolf!? Eventually, when the wolf did attack, no one came to help the boy. In the same way, make sure that when you take on the bureaucracy, it's really worth it. Must you have a change in the way things are done now? Does it truly make your life or work unbearable? The tips below can help you, but keep in mind that in using them, you are spending political capital. If you can live with the current situation, it might be best to save your battles for truly important things. Determine what you really want When faced with obstacles or frustration, it's common to focus so much on them that we forget what we really want. Then, when the person in charge asks us, we hesitate and stutter because we haven't thought things through. Think about what you'd want if the bureaucratic obstacles were to be removed. Be as specific as you can, in terms of dates and quantities. Think through your acceptable alternatives You might not get what you want. That's how life works. So you need to think about what alternatives you could live with. In particular, think about the different levers you can pull. Can you change the location where something happens? What about sequence? If the person you want to see is unavailable, could someone else in that department help? If you can't get all of what you want, can you live with some now and some later? If the other side doesn't suggest alternatives, you can suggest them yourself. Don't take things out on the front line person Getting angry at the service desk or help desk person rarely will accomplish anything. Chances are, they lack any authority to make decisions. That's why they're telling you that the policy is the way it is. Getting angry solves nothing and might only delay a real solution. If you have to be annoyed, be clear that you're not upset at that person but rather at the policy. Find the decision maker If you want something, you need to find someone who has the authority to make the decision. As noted above, only rarely will that person be on the front line. More commonly, that front line person merely carries out the already established policy and will be reluctant to make exceptions. You will need to find that person's boss, or the boss's boss, who will have the authority to make the decision that's favorable to you. Remember that there's strength in numbers You have a greater chance of getting what you want if you have allies - other people who have the same concerns. If all those other people voice the same issues, the other side knows that you're not just some isolated troublemaker. Be clear on your escalation process If you have trouble with another organization, say within your own company, be clear on how you will escalate an issue. Will you go to your own boss first? Will you approach the other department's boss yourself? In any case, be clear with your boss on this process. If and when you do escalate, think through as much as you can about the issues, why you're escalating, and what you want done. Document the situation Documenting the situation will help the other side know what's going on. It also shows that you're staying in touch with the situation. Be as specific as you can on names of people, dates, times, and actions that were promised. Respond positively to the "roadblock comments" Those We can't do that or I don't have the authority comments drive you crazy, don't they? Here's a way to handle them: Turn them around to a positive question and then ask the other person that question. For instance, a response to We can't do that would be What can you do? A response to I don't have the authority would be Who does have the authority? Build up your political capital You often must call in favors when you need to get things done. Therefore, take time to build up good will and hence political capital with others. Be helpful when you can (while of course keeping your own job as your top priority). Build relationships with others. Those relationships can help you if these other tips don't. Be gracious when you get your way No matter how frustrating the situation, be gracious if and when you get your way. A thank you takes little time and effort, but is a nice touch and can make things easier for you the next time. Remember the serenity prayer When all else fails, remember the serenity prayer: Ask for courage to change what you can, serenity to accept what you can't, and the wisdom to know the difference.…; Added by Steve Levy at 7:13am on January 28, 2009

Blog Post: 4 Reasons Why You Didn't Get a Job: By now, you’re feeling like there’s no hope. Especially when you think you’re…; Added by Micheal Obineme at 8:32am on July 2, 2014