Category: Leadership

  • Don’t surprise your manager! – My advice on how to develop your career.

    Don’t surprise your manager! – My advice on how to develop your career.

    So you are applying for an internal position, maybe even one that would count as a promotion. I will give you my best piece of advice here. The most important one is not to surprise your manager with the application. When applying internally, you need to consider the working relationship with your manager, and how to make sure that this relationship does not get hurt from applying. This is different when applying outside of your current company, so keep this in mind when reading this post. I will be back another time when it comes to searching for a position outside of your current employment.

    So why am I saying that you should not surprise your manager? The first thing is that when you apply internally, your manager will most probably get to know that you did, even if you are not saying it. The conversation that will take place if you where not open about applying might be good, the risk is however that the trust that was there is damaged.

    Any manager worth his or her salt will be interested in your development and try to invest as much energy as possible in making you ready for the promotion that you want. To do this, the openness has to be there, you have to be clear on what you want as your next step, when you see it and where. What you should expect in return is if this is the right one for you, and what kind of support you could get. So that is why you should not surprise your current manager with your application, as your manager, I wan’t to be a part of your development and surprises does not make it easier. More about development talks here.

    What I also do, is to prepare your succession. I have a plan for each and every key leader, with alternatives as successors, actions on how to prepare them. This is work that needs priorities, and to do this I need to know where the exit risks are. If you surprise me with internal applications, the priorities needs to be changed.

    The next part is that if you apply within the company for another role, and you did not do the work to talk to the hiring manager before writing your application, you are not playing your best game. You need to know what is important for the role, and what is not written in the posting. This is really hard to do if you never talked to your future leader. You want to stand out from the competition, you want to show that you are the one for the role – then make sure that you are prepared.

    If you need help on getting prepared for the next step, coaching can be one of the most powerful tools available. I’m ready to support you!

    If you feel better in an accountability group – check out my friend Mike.

  • Your best development talk ever? How coaching can get you there!

    Your best development talk ever? How coaching can get you there!

    The talk with the manager, best ever!

    In my coaching, I won’t give you advice on how to have a better conversation with your boss. But trust me, I understand your pain, and together we will find a way – I promise you! If I wanted to share stories of bad conversations, oh boy! I could go on for a long time. With 30 years of leadership experience, I’ve had my fair share of conversations, of all kinds, including the bad ones. I understand your desire, your longing for a good conversation. I so wish I had taken help from a coach, years ago.

    What I can promise you is that I will try to be the coach you need right now. Maybe you want to give feedback to your boss but you’re unsure how. Bad experiences give you a bad feeling. This is where a coach can be a great support, helping you go into the conversation well-prepared – simply prepared and curious. How about making that your goal? I still remember a supervisor who recommended that I drink more alcohol during a yearly review. It was a long time ago, but I will never forget it, and I will definitely not conduct a co-worker conversation in that manner. So, do you want to redesign the next conversation as an employee or as a supervisor?

    Can I support you as a coach in that? Just reach out!

    Is support and accountability in a group what you need right now? Check out Mike’s amazing work!

  • Das Gespräch mit dem Chef, jetzt erst recht! – Wie der Coach dir helfen könnte.

    Das Gespräch mit dem Chef, jetzt erst recht! In meinem Coaching werde ich dir keine Ratschläge geben, wie du ein besseres Gespräch mit dem Chef führen kannst. Aber ich verstehe deinen Schmerz, glaub mir, und gemeinsam werden wir einen Weg finden – das versichere ich dir! Wenn ich jedoch Geschichten von schlechten Gesprächen erzählen wollte, oh je! Ich könnte ein Lied davon singen. Mit 30 Jahren Führungserfahrung habe ich schon einige Gespräche hinter mir, von allen möglichen Arten, sicherlich auch schlechte. Ich verstehe deinen Wunsch, deine Sehnsucht nach einem guten Gespräch. Früher hätte ich mir auch gewünscht, einen Coach zu haben.

    Was ich dir versprechen kann, ist, dass ich versuchen werde, der Coach zu sein, den du jetzt brauchst. Wie kann der Coach dich helfen? Vielleicht möchtest du dem Chef Feedback geben, bist dir aber unsicher wie. Schlechte Erfahrungen bereiten dir Bauchschmerzen. Hier kann ein Coach eine sehr gute Unterstützung sein, um gut vorbereitet ins Gespräch zu gehen – einfach bereit und neugierig. Wie wäre es, das als Ziel zu haben?

    Ich erinnere mich noch an einen Vorgesetzten, der mir in einem Jahresgespräch empfohlen hat, mehr Schnaps zu trinken. Das ist lange her, aber ich werde es nie vergessen und werde auf jeden Fall kein Mitarbeitergespräch auf diese Art führen. Also, möchtest du das nächste Gespräch als Mitarbeiter oder Vorgesetzter neu gestalten? Darf ich dich dabei als Coach unterstützen? Komm einfach auf mich zu!

  • What is the biggest risk you could take today?

    The question might lead you to think about going all in on the poker table at your casino, but that is not the focus here. It is about life risks, and rewards. It is also not about life and death risks like the ones you would encounter in a war-zone or as an officer of law-enforcement. I could write about those as well, another time!

    What we are talking about is risks like when you are learning a new language. What could happen when you start trying yourself out, speaking where you are not yet skilled? You could be misunderstood, laughed at or say something really stupid without being aware. Safe bet, keep quiet. The right bet, if you ask me, be brave and try, because the reward of being able to communicate in another language is so much higher.

    Another one, quitting your job for a new one, with lower pay but more possibilities and opportunities. Been there, done that, worth it after one year, infinitely more so a couple of years later. I once had a candidate for an open position, great fit, really motivated. Only problem was that the position available was for a 80% contract, and she had a 100% contract with the current employer. The candidate backed out seeing the risk as too high.

    Or, moving for a new role, risking to lose contact with family and friends. Yes, absolutely a risk that you would have to factor in trying to decide if it is worth it or not. Another one, asking the bank for a loan to get your side-business to grow faster than otherwise possible. This is probably the easiest one to calculate, you know what you are asking for, and if it doesn’t fly you will have to pay it back anyhow.

    So, what is the biggest risk that you are contemplating right now? What could it be worth if it works out? And if you fall, what would the worst possible outcome be?

    /Helge