Job Wanted: My Ideal Job Description

I need a job, so while I am searching for roles and positions I think I am qualified for in the traditional way, I am creating my own Job Wanted ad and sending it to companies I think I would like to work for.

This is the job I want:

Job Wanted:

Hazardous journey, fair wages for the work performed, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition in case of success.

Opportunity to lead teams and develop people, promote organizational values while creating excellence in performance, constant challenges, provides the how to the organizational why, meaningful results are rewarded.

Send response if you’re curious how my optimism and leadership can contribute to your success, or you would like to assemble a team that can weather anything. Safe or mediocre positions need not respond.

For resume, please send request to lars.ray.0@gmail.com

If this looks vaguely familiar, it’s because the first paragraph is a modified version of the infamous Help Wanted advertisement posted by Ernest Shackleton in 1914 for his epic adventure to the South Pole. The rest of it is my own.

Taken literally or as a metaphor, the first paragraph speaks to what I am looking for in a role. I want a role with a sense of adventure, filled with challenges to overcome and a goal that is inspiring. The remaining paragraphs are the strengths I utilize to deliver the results.

It has been said that if you do not work to fulfill your dreams, then you will work to fulfill someone else’s dreams. I’m OK with this, so long as your dreams are big enough to inspire and are worth the risks. It is then that I make your dream my own, and together we achieve the seemingly impossible, boldly inspiring growth along the way. 

I have lots of skills that are transferable to almost any industry. I can do most any task from mopping the deck to plotting a course; from managing a project to creating a center of excellence filled with teams who deliver the business. So can most anyone else. What I contribute that others do not is the passion to be a part of a team that makes a difference to the business and to its customers when a “safe return is doubtful”.

Do you have a position that requires this kind of employee to ensure your success? Is your dream this big? If so, I would like to work for you.

Question: What is your ideal role?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

Why I Follow Liz Ryan, and You Should Too!

Spend any time whatsoever on LinkedIn, and you will be inundated with blogs, stories, news and ideas from the world’s foremost thought leaders on any topic, be it business, technology, leadership, HR practices, or what-have-you.

There are some that I follow, and others I read regularly. But Liz Ryan is one of those influencers that top my list. Liz has a mission to bring human energy and mojo into the workplace. So do I. She talks on topics of career development, employee challenges, leadership, job searches, and much more. So do I. So for me, it's not so much what she talks about, but how she talks about it. There lies the connection between us.  Here’s why

Breadth of application

One of the best attributes of her blogs is the breadth of application her topics touch. In any given article – whether it is for job seekers, employers, or workplace environment – there is something for everyone. Her insights always provide me with a take-away, be it for now or maybe later. She is not afraid to give something away useful and applicable. 

She challenges the status quo

In her own words Liz states that she has been an HR VP forever. Maybe so, but she sure doesn't speak like one, not one that I have ever met anyway. She uses language of the common worker, not the executive trying to impress. She challenges the perceived “rules” of engagement. In short, she causes me to think and evaluate what she promotes – whether I buy into it or not is another matter.

She applies common sense

Read one blog of hers and you can’t help but come away with “wow, I never considered that!” Sometimes it’s that common sense that actually challenges the status quo mentioned earlier. From her graphics to the language she employs, you can’t help but see the practical side of her position on a matter. Without ever stating it, it’s as if she is challenging her readers to try it for themselves and prove her wrong. 

She is funny

All of her topics are serious, but she expertly shows us her sense of humor. She even invites one and all to connect with her in LinkedIn, but adds that if you do, please add a joke to the invite. I love that! So I asked her to marry me and invited her to connect with me in LinkedIn. She accepted…my LinkedIn invitation, not my marriage proposal.

Real life applications

While all my previous reasons can be viewed as subjective, her relevancy to real life applications is not. They apply to the here and now, and in every industry I can think of. They apply to small business, medium enterprises, and large corporations. They apply to entrepreneurs, indie’s, and contractors alike. They apply to employees, employers; leaders, managers, workers; local companies and global companies.

And the list can go on. As you can see, I really like what Liz publishes, mostly because I find a comradery in her outlook on the work life. And when I find a connection that I believe in, I want to share it.

To learn more about Liz Ryan and her company, Human Workplace, visit http://www.humanworkplace.com

Question: Who influences you, and why?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

A Question of Inspiration

LinkedIn has a running series called "What Inspires Me" with responses from prominent influencers as to what inspires them. It has been delightful reading, but to be honest, however, some of them I thought were concepts rather than personal items of inspiration. But I can be like that – taking a word to its literal meaning and easily finding fault when I believe it has been used incorrectly or out of context.

Then I read a blog by Jim Sniechowski, PhD, on this very topic. Awesome! I’m not alone in my thinking. In his blog, which was about defining what inspires him, he defines what inspiration is. The word “inspire” is defined as (his paraphrase):

•  to arouse feelings and/or action 
• a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul
•  to breathe life into
•  “Animate” was another word that appeared in the definitions and it was defined as:
• to fill with courage or boldness
•  to create liveliness

As he states it, this is the lens we should be looking through when seeking what inspires us.

So a better question is to ask is “what in my experience of being alive consistently moves me to feel something, or take an action, or breathes life into me?”

One of the qualities of a great leader is that they inspire others to act. Contrast inspiration with motivation, and you will see there is a distinct difference. Motivation is the purpose, the reason, and/or the motive to act. Many leaders motivate, which is appropriate and necessary, but fall short of providing the inspiration to go along with it. Many workers today are motivated, but wholly remain uninspired.

As a leader, do you move your team to feel something; do you fill them with courage or boldness; do you breathe life into them at work?

Something to consider: instead of asking your direct reports as to what inspires them at work, how about asking them how you inspire them at work. It’s OK if you don’t. Then you’ll know where to start.

Question: What in your experience of being alive consistently moves you to feel something or take an action or breathes life into you?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

A Question We Need to Ask Ourselves

I love underdog movies – you know the kind I mean - an average guy takes on an overwhelming task, is nearly defeated, and ends up winning. Those kind. Kingdom of Heaven, Major League (the first one), Zorro, Robin Hood, and The Shooter are just some on my list.

While the majority of my favorites are action-type flicks, one of my top five favorites is “Major League III – Back to the Minors”. The only thing it has in common with the previous two releases is that it carries over some of the former players. Other than that, this could be a standalone story, and a great one at that.

What makes this particular movie so good, besides its humor, is that it is a model of both great and poor leadership styles. It is so good in fact that I recommend it as required viewing when coaching someone new to management.

One particular scene asks a question I believe we should be asking ourselves each day. The manager of the minor league team, “The Buzz”, is with the owner of the Minnesota Twins watching a Twins game. Throughout the game, the Twins perform field error after error. The Buzz manager asks the Twins owner, “Of your lineup of 23 guys, how many make baseball a priority?” The owner replies with a disgusted look, “14…maybe”.

Wow! That is powerful. You see, of the 23 players on this major league team, 10 were more concerned with product sponsors, modeling contracts, or other “opportunities” resulting from their fame and position on the team rather than the team itself and the game of baseball. Their own success was driving their decline in performance.

It’s a simple concept that is so easy to get sidelined until it becomes uncontrollable. It’s a great metaphor to use to gauge the performance of your team, or even yourself. Pick the topic, insert yourself and ask, “Do I make this thing a priority?”

Or, you can generalize as I do. I ask myself (at least weekly), “of the things that are important to me, what are the things I make a priority?” I say my health is important to me, but do I make it a priority? I say my relationship with my wife is important to me, but do I make it a priority? I say my job is important to me, but do I make my team a priority?

For me, baseball has become the word that means priority.

Question: Do you make "baseball" a priority?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

3 Keys to Making a Positive Impact in Your World

You may have heard of Environmental Impact Statements, those reports that show what a particular activity, such as mining, will have on the environment if implemented. If you are in IT, you may have heard of Network Impact Statements. Same thing – it addresses what impacts a new device or protocol will have on the network if implemented. These and others like them are assessments as to the potential impacts a particular action will make, based on experience, environment, conservative assumptions, and known qualities.

Most people and organizations want to make a impact in their world, whether for mankind, your customer, or your community. I know I do. I wake up every day with the personal mission of making an impact on my world. My personal vision statement reads: “To be the difference that makes a difference in the lives of others”. It’s noble, I know, but it’s the fuel that keeps me going to be more today than I was yesterday. My mission statement – the engine that drives me towards my vision, reads: “To live large while serving others in everything I do”. Equally noble, I get it.

So how do you impact in your world regardless of your vision or mission statement? Here are three keys that will ensure you make a positive impact in your world and to those around you.

Know yourself.

I have often stated that I want to be the world’s expert on myself. One of the best ways to get to know you is to ask yourself a lot questions, then answer them. Why does this bother me? What am I going to do about it? Why do I think the way I do?  Why do I respond this way? The next best thing to do is to ask others how they see you – but only if you are willing to hear the answers. You can do this informally or with tools like a 360 degree survey. If you have ever taken a Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator assessment, go beyond the assessment explanations and do the extra effort to explore how your type interacts with the world.

Be Accountable.

Personal accountability is a mindset over skill set  It responds to circumstances with “How Can I…” and “What can I…” Cy Wakeman, author of “Reality Based Leadership”, explains the relationship between reality and accountability, and how to create the right mindset. Her mission is to remove the drama. Get it. Read it. Practice it.

Being accountable is more than being responsible to others or for a particular outcome or resource. Being accountable is about adding value in everything you do. It’s about owning your reality, being a part of a solution rather than creating or contributing to the drama. Cy expertly addresses these points and shows how this can be applied in everyday circumstances.

Be Empathetic verses Sympathetic.

Being sympathetic either creates or agrees with an excuse for why an expectation is not meet, a deadline is missed, or that you can’t do something. Being empathetic understands what the issue is, then places yourself into the solution, i.e. “How can I help? What do you need from me?” Many elements are at play when dealing with empathy verses sympathy. Leadership, accountability, dealing with reality, and knowing yourself all plays into it.

These keys do not make a person perfect, or even easy to get along with. They do, however, guarantee that by growing these competencies, you will make a positive impact in your world. These require intentionality, growth, a change in mindset, and sacrifice.

Question: How do you make an impact in your world?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

How To Be FIRST With Your Customers and Peers

In the Telecommunications industry, as with many different industries, speaking in initials and acronyms are almost a language unto themselves. Frustrating as it sometimes can be, there is always a deeper meaning behind it.

A good example of this is The Home Depot’s use of FIRST for engaging its customers. Beth Ray, a successful Lead Generator for The Home Depot’s home services group explains what FIRST is and how this acronym helps keep her focused on what’s important to her customers and work peers.

F = Find; as in find the customer. While this might seem obvious, knowing who or where your customer might be is not. Beth applies Find to her work peers as much as she does to external customers. She doesn't have the luxury of waiting for customers to find her. This attitude serves as a means of making connections that would otherwise go unconnected. In Beth’s case, the lack of connection could result in either a loss of a potential sale or an unresolved problem that could cost the organization needlessly. 

I = Inquire; as in ask questions to better understand the needs of the customer or peer, and then listen….with interest. This is a critical step in the process as it provides the foundation for care, trust, and a safe engagement. Many problems are well on the way of being solved with this critical step.

R = Respect; as in showing and giving respect to the customer, the peer, the problem, and the possible solution. Customers engage Beth with the assumption that she is the expert in resolving their problem. While she may not know how to apply a new roof, she does know who within her network does, and she makes the connections on behalf of her customer. Showing the same respect to her peers works both ways, resulting in Beth becoming an antenna within the organization.

S = Solve; as in having a “we have the solution to your problem” attitude. It’s interesting to note that six identical problems will many times require six different solutions. Cost, feasibility, resources, knowledge, and skills may all factor in a specific solution. The same can be said within the organization. Acting on the attitude of “we have the solution to your problem” will always ensure you are needed – even if all you can do is find someone else to address the need. Displaying this attitude when the problem may very well not be a part of your job description demonstrates a sense of “we are one team”, and is often a contributing factor in overall customer satisfaction and loyalty.

T = Thank; as in “duh!” It’s surprising however how many times we forget to thank someone for the simplest of things. We need to thank our customers with trusting us with their problem. We need to thank our direct reports for their efforts and assistance. We need to thank our teammates for their support, and we need to thank our peers in other organizations for their assistance as well.

Question: How can you apply FIRST in your role?

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I’d like to know what you think. Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.

8 Leadership Lessons from BBQ Pit Masters

I love to barbecue, grill, and smoke meat, and I like to watch the BBQ Pit Masters show on Destination America. It has less to do with the drama of the personalities themselves and more to do on actual techniques, types of meats, profiles, and what makes for a winner in each segment. At the end of each show, it’s all about bragging rights and who gets to advance towards the Kingsford invitational to be crowned as this year’s grand Champion.

Similarly, I desire the bragging rights, but not through competition with other pit masters. Unlike the pro’s on the show, I do not own a restaurant or compete for cash prizes. I compete with myself to grow a personal following of my brand of barbecue – traditional American BBQ infused with Polish flavors and techniques. For me, it’s about serving up great Polish food using an American platform to do so. In the process, I discovered that there are several leadership lessons that can be learned from the culinary art of barbecue. Here are eight that are worth mentioning:

1. BBQ: Any cut of meat has the potential of being a winning entry.
   Leadership Lesson: The traits comprising the raw materials of leadership can be acquired. Link them up with desire and nothing can keep you from becoming a leader.
2. BBQ: Great barbecue is a process. It takes a combination of practiced skill, knowledge, time, character and integrity to create great barbecue.
   Leadership Lesson: Leadership is a process. It too takes a combination of practiced skill, knowledge, time, character and integrity to be an effective leader.
3. BBQ: If you don’t have someone to serve your barbecue to, you’re just cooking meat. Leadership Lesson: It’s been said that as a leader, if you don’t have followers, you’re just taking a walk. 
4. BBQ: Different meats require different flavor profiles, cooking temperatures, woods for the pit, and serving options.
   Leadership Lesson: Different people and situations require different leadership profiles, working environments, opportunities, and resources. 
5. BBQ: A winning pit master needs to remain flexible and agile to deliver great results. Simple things like temperature, weather, and tools can make the difference between good barbecue and great barbecue.
   Leadership Lesson: A successful leader needs to remain flexible and agile to deliver great results. Simple things like developing others, performing as a servant leader, and leading ethically can make the difference between a good leader and a great leader. 
6. BBQ: Winning pit masters are constantly growing and developing to be better tomorrow than they were today. They evolve and constantly learn. They are passionate about barbecue.
   Leadership Lesson: Successful leaders are constantly growing and developing to be better tomorrow than they were today. They evolve and constantly grow. They are passionate about leading well. 
7. BBQ: If you continue to serve poor tasting barbecue, your customers or audience will find another pit master.
   Leadership Lesson: If you continue to lead poorly, people will find another leader. 
8. BBQ: There is no such thing as a self-made Pit Master. Every Pit Master has had help along the way to success. Great Pit Masters surround themselves with those that continue to challenge them to be better. Every great barbecue served requires a team to execute. 
   Leadership Lesson: There is no such thing as a self-made leader. Every good to great leader has had help along the way. Every successful leader requires a team to execute to obtain the desired results.

Question: How do you lead with great barbecue?

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'd like to know what you think. feel free to let me know in the comments section below.