Jack[Manager]: What is the status of your tasks right now?
Joe[Staff]: We have completed Phase 1 and have started with Phase 2…
Jack[Manager]: Good Job! Any challenges or problems you are facing right now?
Joe[Staff]: Yes, we don’t know the approach to take for Phase 2…
Jack[Manager]: And?
Joe[Staff]: Hmmm… How do you think we should approach this?

Never come empty handed whenever you report problems to your superior. Never give them the impression you are waiting to be spoon fed with solutions and approaches to help you in your problems. Give them options. Give them something to show your thought process. Give them a list of things they could start helping you with. Doing so, you give them a reason to recommend a raise or promotion for you.

[tags]Career, Business, Management[/tags]

That was fast and it got me to click on the headline. For a second there I thought it was James Bond’s leading lady only to find out it was a gadget he’s promoting.

How many times does that happen in the workplace? You’re senior surprises and quickly asked you to do a task for him; which you accept right away it without reflecting the magnitude of his request, your current workload, and deliverables and how it could impact your schedule?

If you get the chance to walk into your managers’ room or cubicle, scan what books are on his desk or shelves. Most likely they are all related to management, leadership or any high achieving and inspiring topic. Look at the desks at the staff area and you would most likely find technical books related to their job description. Go around the room and you would clearly distinguish a clean desk from piled-up area which immediately gives you a perception of the person.

Call to Action

Seth Godin wrote about the Top 10 Secrets of Marketing Process and I was caught by number 5 which say: If it makes you nervous, it’s probably a good idea. I realized how many times I felt nervous during competitions (chess, basketball, quiz bees, etc.) and on important situations in my career (critical client demo, management presentation, deal negotiations, etc.).

There are lots of leaders and managers who do their best to assess weaknesses of a person and come up with training plans to help them with those weaknesses. While I am a big fan of helping people improve on areas they lack, I am a bigger fan of helping the person take his strengths to the next level. There is no such thing as the one and only authority on an area and having said that, leaders should realize that boundaries to push a person’s strengths are endless.

Experience in Point

We are now in the Information age where battles are won through the power of the mind fueled by the amount of knowledge a person possess used at the right and at the right place. The ability and speed to acquire knowledge is one of the utmost important skills a person needs to become successful in his career.