Blog for Week January 23, 2012

What if like my current job and I don’t want to move for the next 5 years. How can I communicate that without leading my boss to think that I am not ambitious or assertive?

Congratulations that you are in a job that you love and it works for your life and your lifestyle right now. The operative word is now. In this dynamic world that we are all living in, work environments, managers, leaders, company objectives change quickly and in order to succeed in today’s environment you must be focused on forward growth and comfortable with embracing change.  In fact,  you must actively look for ways to grow and to improve the processes around you. If you endeavor to stay right where you are because today, the hours work for you and your family, the money is comfortable, and you like the person you are working for  you, you will definitely be left behind in 5 years from a skills and experience perspective, and may not be competitive when you are ready to move forward. What if your boss leaves and you are now working with someone who is not supportive and does not appreciate your contributions? Suppose you are eligible for a big promotion because of your seniority and the new role would work even better for your lifestyle, but you are not competitive because you have not been expanding your experiences over the last 5 years. Are you really willing to forego that prospective opportunity to stay in the same seat or 5 years?

It is perfectly fine to communicate that you really enjoy what you are doing now and that you are learning a lot. However, it is also important that you communicate that you are always interested in growing and acquiring new knowledge and skills so that you can continue to contribute to the organization. If the senior people around you perceive that you have no interest in advancing, they will not make the extra effort to invest in you or to use capital on your behalf to help accelerate your career and you will stall in your career. This is particularly important if you are in the middle of your career, for it is at this level that many people stall and then are capped within an organization. If you have been doing what you are doing for 6-7 years, it is REALLY important that you keep a forward and upward posture and be very clear about your intentions to continue to be value add, to grow, and to ascend in the organization. You cannot afford to be perceived as content at your current level. Again, I am saying that is fine to communicate that you enjoy what you do, but you should never leave anyone with the impression that where you are is it for you. Those around you should always perceive that you want to grow, to learn new things, to add skills to your tool chest, for the career game is happening with the backdrop of a fast-paced world where change is happening quickly and if you want to play the game successfully you want to have all of the latest tools and skills with a posture of growth to compete.

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

As I was reflecting on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, my thoughts kept circling on how an ordinary person can do extraordinary things, which was the central theme of a keynote speech that I gave in January 2011 at an Ecumenical service in Harlem, York honoring Dr. King. I underscored this theme, because I suspect that Dr. King’s parents did not have a vision on January 15, 1929 that their son, their little baby boy, would have the impact on the world that he did. He was at that moment, an ordinary baby, coming into a world filled with injustices and challenges.

I am fairly certain, from all that I have studied about him, that as a high school student, or college student, he did not have a vision that he would walk himself, let alone lead thousands, into unknown territory, execute boycotts and lead marches using unfamiliar tactics and strategies, that had not been used effectively yet in this country. He was in fact an ordinary man, but he had the courage to answer the call, to say yes to the opportunity to make a difference. Yes, he was an ordinary man, who did extraordinary things, because he recognized the gifts that he was given, the gift of oratorical skills, the gift to recognize and build key relationships, the gift to mobilize and energize people to follow him. He recognized whose he was and depended on THE POWER for his direction and his strength. He understood that we could not be great as individuals or as a country, if we did not make it possible for everyone to have a chance at being great.

While you may not have the courage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to face the unknown with the certainty of faith, or to step into situations of known danger, you can be inspired and mobilized by his passion for helping the unfortunate, his passion for universal freedom, his passion and desire for equal opportunity for every man and every woman and  his passion for justice.

You can honor his memory and his passion by doing your part to help someone else, which was the primary driver for all that he did. You might have a large, public platform where you can impact many, many people, or you may be able to do your part by helping a senior cross the street, by spending a few minutes with someone who may need a listening ear, or just giving someone an extra tender touch, hug, or handshake that says,  “ I recognize you and I honor that you are here”. We can all do our part, every day, in small and large ways, to make this world a place where there is equal access and opportunity for all, to make it a better place for someone else, and in the process for ourselves. What a way to pay homage to one who heard and answered The Call from HIM.

Happy Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Happy New Year: Say Goodbye to Your History and Step into Your Destiny

Happy New Year: Say Goodbye to Your History and Step into Your Destiny

What a year 2011 was with all of its lessons and experiences! It was indeed a rich year of lessons learned and a year with a testimony of endurance.

If you are reading this blog, then pat yourself on the back, you endured, you persevered, you walked right into a new year, upright, smarter, more experienced, and more equipped to handle challenges and triumph!!! 

25 Most Powerful Women in Banking

The American Banker released “the ninth annual list. Plus The 25 Women to Watch, The 25 Most Powerful Women in Non-bank Finance, and reports on the women who are changing the face of the industry.”

And, once, again Carla Harris was selected. Harris has continued to prove her worth as a leader in the finance sector, while working  tirelessly in the community.

Congrats, Carla!!

_______

17. Carla Harris
Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

If you don’t know the difference between a mentor and a sponsor, you probably don’t know Carla Harris. A renowned speaker on career development, she has counseled countless finance professionals on the road to success. And she knows that of which she speaks. A veteran of Morgan Stanley’s M&A and equity syndicate departments, Harris was plucked in late 2009 to run the emerging manager platform at Morgan Stanley Investment Management. The initiative is intended to advise and nurture women- and minority-owned, long-only asset managers.

“If you have an agenda for your career, it will keep you from making emotional decisions about your career and it will also guide you with respect to the timing of making career moves or changes. Without one, you will be easily distracted by the external economic environment or the internal political environment around you.”

Blog for Week July 20: L-E-A-D-E-R

This is the last in my short reflections on Leadership. In the previous weeks,  I have given you a few short thoughts regarding what I consider to be powerful, authentic leadership:

R is for Responsive and Responsible

Blog for Week July 11: L-E-A-D-E-R

A great leader knows how to truly ENGAGE the people that work for them.

E is for Engaged

They engage them in conversations not only about work, but about themselves, their families, theirhobbies, and their motivations. As a leader you must know that the more you engage the people thatwork for you, the more connected they will feel not only to you, but to the team, the project, and eventhe company.

Engaging your team is not just about chit/chat or personal conversations, it is about: 1) being liberalwith the praise for a job well done; 2) understanding what it takes to motivate each person on yourteam; and 3) giving honest, direct feedback.
When the people on your team have done a great job, even a good job, you should let them knowdirectly. Be liberal with praise, the “attaboys” and “attagirls”. When you show that you appreciate theeffort they make, the people that work for you are likely to expend even more effort the next time. Itis human nature to respond positively when someone has applauded your hard work. We all respondpositively to good feedback and in fact feel more confident about our ability to consistently deliverthose results as our work has been affirmed by the person evaluating us.
As a great leader you should also understand what it takes to motivate each person on your team andgive them the specific motivation that they need to consistently deliver excellence. Every person ismotivated by something, for some it is money, for others it is title and still others it could be simple,consistent recognition or challenging assignments. If you want the best from each of your teammembers, your job is to discover what uniquely motivates each of your direct reports.
If you are a great leader, you must also be willing to deliver honest, direct feedback. It is importantto engage your team when something has gone wrong and they haven’t done a good job. If you haveconnected with the people that work for you, it will make it easier to deliver a poor performance reportor review or to admonish the team when they haven’t delivered. You will have built up trust duringthe process of engaging each member on the team, so that when you give critical feedback it will bereceived constructively from your team and they are more likely to move quickly to correct the issue orwill be mindful not to repeat the action.

CD Release JUNE 30th

RSVP: vafrank.96@gmail.com

Blog for Week May 17: L-E-A-D-E-R

Are you a a great authentic leader?

Over the last 2 months as I have been speaking to various groups, I have increasingly been getting the question,”What do you consider to be the characteristics of a good leader”? I believe that strong, powerful, effective leadership begins with authenticity. If people believe that they are experiencing the REAL you, then they are likely to feel more comfortable believing what you SAY, understanding what you DO, and therefore, more apt to feel confident in following you. In addition, there are a few more summary thoughts that I have regarding effective leadership. Over the next 6 weeks, I will share a few quick thoughts about being an effective leader, letter by letter.

D is for Decisive

A great leader is decisive. He or she understands that NO decision is in fact A decision. They understand that in a crisis, time is generally not a friend, and that swift and thoughtful decisions, lead to strong actions that result in a definitive outcome good or bad.

A great leader also understands that when others are depending on their decisions…

A great leader understands that it is their decisions that propel their team, their organization. People at all levels in an organization NEED direction and directives are born from decisions. A leader’s attitude towards and methods of making decisions can heavily impact and infect his/her organization. If you are a slow decision maker that appears to need or desire other’s approval, agreement or sign off, your organization is likely to be slow, lethargic and uncompetitive when compared to other groups, departments or companies like yours. You will also unconsciously discourage your people from coming to you with their best ideas because of the time that it will take you to get to a decision and for fear that someone among the people that you consult with will thwart their idea. This will kill your team’s desire motivation to take the risk to bring you a good idea.

If your team sees you as a quick decision maker, they are likely to think the idea through and have some plan for execution/implementation because they know that it won’t take long for your to make a yes/no call and they must be ready to help to propel the idea forward. This is an exciting environment for highly motivated talented individual. They will want to work for and with you, they will want to share their ideas, they will take the risk to air an out of the box idea that could make your organization more efficient, more productive or enhance your profitability.

Blog for Week May 2, 2011 – L-E-A-D-E-R

Are you a great authentic leader?

Over the last 2 months as I have been speaking to various groups, I have increasingly been getting the

question, “What do you consider to be the characteristics of a good leader”? I believe that strong,

powerful, effective leadership begins with authenticity. If people believe that they are experiencing the

REAL you, then they are likely to feel more comfortable believing what you SAY, understanding what

you DO, and therefore, more apt to feel confident in following you. In addition, there are a few more

summary thoughts that I have regarding effective leadership. Over the next 6 weeks, I will share a few

quick thoughts about being an effective leader, letter by letter.

A is for Action

A great leader understands that one of the most important things that he or she can do is act when it is

time to act. You cannot inspire people to follow you if they think that when it is time to act on a decision

or to move a plan forward that you will hesitate or won’t act. Showing that you are always willing to

act also creates an undercurrent of a sense of urgency and people working with you will conduct their

duties with that instilled or implied sense of urgency.

One of the most important sayings that I have ever heard about acting as a leader was from Meg

Whitman when she was CEO of EBay. I heard her say at a conference, “The price of inaction is greater

than the cost of making a mistake.” It is a quote that has really stuck with me because it underscores

the notion that there is price to be paid for not acting, particularly in critical business situations.

Sometimes that cost might be the loss of a great acquisition candidate, the opportunity to do an

overnight stock transaction at an attractive opportunistic price for your stock, hiring a great value

add candidate from a competitor, or saying no to a transaction that could expose your company or

organization to significant risk. The statement also reminds me that sometimes we don’t want to act

because we are afraid of making a mistake with said action and remember, as I have written in Expect To

Win and as I continue to say in my speeches, “Fear has no place in your success equation; anytime that

you operate from a position of fear, you will ALWAYS under penetrate that opportunity.” If you have

studied the situation and solicited ideas from your people and other colleagues, ACT on the best choice

that you can make at that time, but ACT.

Blog for Week April 25, 2011 – L-E-A-D-E-R

Last week, we discussed Leverage, in this week’s quick thought, I would like to introduce EFFICIENCY

E is for Efficiency

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